Now don't get me started on our prison system, but we could keep a lot of people out of jail by de-criminalizing pot.

 

If the people in prison for crimes concerning pot would chose to NOT BREAK THE LAW, would that keep a lot of people out of jail?

You must not understand what happened during prohibition.

 

I am willing to bet that he envisions a world with NO ALCOHOL. As in, you can't smuggle, hide, recieve or obtain it ANYWHERE. Therefore, no crime related to alcohol.

This position has always amazed me that people think that the CRIMINALS who now sell this junk are ALL OF A SUDDEN going to grow a conscience and pay taxes on items that they are selling presently and PAYING NO TAXES on.

 

If you can get them to grow a conscience and do it then, wave that magic wand and get them to grow a conscience now.

 

I don't think that. However, when prohibition ended the mafia lost a lot of business. Anheiser-Busch was able to rebuild their business and become the major corporation we have today. People want to buy things from established businesses and not some seedy person. I'm not saying that all crime will be gone, but there are many people who get thrown in jail for having a joint and that's just a waste of time and money.

I don't know about that.

 

What I do know is that when something in this country is banned, and the demand for that product is still high, the crime rate will go up and people will get hurt.

 

People are going to drive drunk whether it's banned or not. People are going to get alcohol whether it is banned or not.

 

Prohibition was our best effort at banning alcohol. All prohibition did was create organized crime in America. It made guys like "Lucky" Luciano and Al Capone rich and famous for running alcohol illegally and committing other crimes, including murder.

 

I understand your beliefs and how you may believe it is wrong. However, others may not. God gives people choices for a reason IMO.

 

Not a great research website but not going to put a lot of time into it at this point cause I am on my way to bed.

 

http://www.stopdrinkingadvice.org/alcohol-related-car-accidents/

 

Recent figures show that instead of the expected decrease in the number of alcohol related deaths as a result of imposing a lower BAC, quite the opposite has occurred. In the last ten years, around 250,000 people died in alcohol related car accidents in the United States. Figures show that 16,000 people were killed in the year 2000, due to alcohol related accidents. In 2004, that figured climbed to 25,000. This means that 500 people die every week and 71 people die everyday in alcohol related car accidents.

 

Do you think 71 people a day were dying in organized crime hits during prohibition?

 

ALSO, I believe that the organized crime we see was in major metropoltian cities and didn't really touch rural America. Drunk driving has no geographical bias. It kills people EVERYWHERE.

I don't know about that.

 

What I do know is that when something in this country is banned, and the demand for that product is still high, the crime rate will go up and people will get hurt.

 

People are going to drive drunk whether it's banned or not. People are going to get alcohol whether it is banned or not.

 

Prohibition was our best effort at banning alcohol. All prohibition did was create organized crime in America. It made guys like "Lucky" Luciano and Al Capone rich and famous for running alcohol illegally and committing other crimes, including murder.

 

I understand your beliefs and how you may believe it is wrong. However, others may not. God gives people choices for a reason IMO.

 

First, I have not brought my beliefs or faith into this argument because I don't need to, to know this is a bad idea.

 

 

Second, I need to take your post over to the casino thread and point out the bad things that can happen when you let the people vote on issues. From your perspective, it was a bad, bad time during prohibition but ALL THEY DID was give the people what THEY VOTED in. :lol:

I don't think that. However, when prohibition ended the mafia lost a lot of business. Anheiser-Busch was able to rebuild their business and become the major corporation we have today. People want to buy things from established businesses and not some seedy person. I'm not saying that all crime will be gone, but there are many people who get thrown in jail for having a joint and that's just a waste of time and money.

 

I agree it is a waste of time and money and I really wish those people had higher standards than simply chosing to break the law. Good point.:thumb:

Go on and make believe it does not have an effect, I have seen too many students ruin their lives because of it. Go ahead and make believe it will not filter down from the adult to teens, too late it already has. Go ahead and make believe it has no effect on society, it already has. Many of our problems stem from the use of this non-addicting weed. Just ask employers how many people they have to fire or turn a blind eye, just to have enough warm bodies. Go ahead and believe that it will stop with this stuff, what is next to be legal? Go ahead and me about having to watch a brother waste his 20's, before he woke up.

I have refrained from getting personal on here, but only an idot would believe that legalizing any of this stuff is OK.

May 8, 2000 (Boston) -- Marijuana, unlike tobacco and alcohol, does not appear to cause head, neck, or lung cancer, says a researcher from Johns Hopkins Medical School in Baltimore who presented findings from a study here recently at a meeting of internal medicine physicians.

 

Marijuana Unlikely to Cause Head, Neck, or Lung Cancer

 

 

I'm not sure I buy that study. I think it would be hard to do a study on something like that until you had long term users in large quantities to study. Smoking doesn't give everyone who smokes lung cancer. I'm a believer it's the idea of smoke in your lungs that causes it and marijuana would still put smoke in your lungs.

Go on and make believe it does not have an effect, I have seen too many students ruin their lives because of it. Go ahead and make believe it will not filter down from the adult to teens, too late it already has. Go ahead and make believe it has no effect on society, it already has. Many of our problems stem from the use of this non-addicting weed. Just ask employers how many people they have to fire or turn a blind eye, just to have enough warm bodies. Go ahead and believe that it will stop with this stuff, what is next to be legal? Go ahead and me about having to watch a brother waste his 20's, before he woke up.

I have refrained from getting personal on here, but only an idot would believe that legalizing any of this stuff is OK.

:thumb:

They love to say that research does not show it harms but we know from reality of being in education that their research is FLATOUT WRONG!!!!

I am willing to bet that he envisions a world with NO ALCOHOL. As in, you can't smuggle, hide, recieve or obtain it ANYWHERE. Therefore, no crime related to alcohol.

 

That is impossible.

Go on and make believe it does not have an effect, I have seen too many students ruin their lives because of it. Go ahead and make believe it will not filter down from the adult to teens, too late it already has. Go ahead and make believe it has no effect on society, it already has. Many of our problems stem from the use of this non-addicting weed. Just ask employers how many people they have to fire or turn a blind eye, just to have enough warm bodies. Go ahead and believe that it will stop with this stuff, what is next to be legal? Go ahead and me about having to watch a brother waste his 20's, before he woke up.

I have refrained from getting personal on here, but only an idot would believe that legalizing any of this stuff is OK.

 

That's nice, you just called a few of us in this thread idiots. I respect others beliefs and you should try doing that as well.

 

A lot of peoples lives are ruined from smoking cigarettes, car crashes, alcoholism, war, etc. We can't ban every single thing that could possibly have a small negative effect if one uses it. Fact of the matter is, smoking the reefer is not all that dangerous. But I'm an idiot, what do I know?

:thumb:

They love to say that research does not show it harms but we know from reality of being in education that their research is FLATOUT WRONG!!!!

 

I know plenty of people who have smoked marijuana and still smoke marijuana and there is absolutely nothing wrong with these people.

 

Are you saying because you've seen a few kids who have smoked pot that you know more than a scientist who has dedicated hours upon hours to studying the effects of marijuana?

That is impossible.

 

I agree.

I know plenty of people who have smoked marijuana and still smoke marijuana and there is absolutely nothing wrong with these people.

 

Are you saying because you've seen a few kids who have smoked pot that you know more than a scientist who has dedicated hours upon hours to studying the effects of marijuana?

 

I cannot comment on what kids do illegally on this website, it is against the rules of the website and in this debate I have been reprimanded for doing it.

That's nice, you just called a few of us in this thread idiots. I respect others beliefs and you should try doing that as well.

 

A lot of peoples lives are ruined from smoking cigarettes, car crashes, alcoholism, war, etc. We can't ban every single thing that could possibly have a small negative effect if one uses it. Fact of the matter is, smoking the reefer is not all that dangerous. But I'm an idiot, what do I know?

 

So your logic is that since we cannot ban anything we shouldn't ban the things we can ban?:confused::confused::confused: