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Legalizing Marijuana for Dummies
Posted by CN Staff on November 06, 2009 at 05:05:10 PT
By Roger Marolt, The Aspen Times
Source: Aspen Times 
Colorado -- Marijuana is safer to use than alcohol. Yes, and driving 80 mph through a school zone at three in the afternoon is safer than doing it with the speedometer buried. Neither of these arguments has been proven absolutely true, but convincing evidence can be compiled to make each case.So, it is no wonder that the former is one of the common arguments put forth in the quest to legalize pot. It is safer to be stoned than drunk.
Need proof? Nearly 18,000 people die in alcohol-related traffic accidents each year. Hundreds more die from alcohol poisoning. Alcohol is toxic. Alcohol is addictive. Alcohol is a carcinogen. Alcohol abuse contributes to domestic violence and sexual assault. Alcohol is highly associated with other violent crimes. Alcohol is bad for your skin and makes you look older. Alcohol makes you fat. Alcohol has many long-term negative effects that are obvious to everyone, including dissolving the lacquer on the dining room table if you spill it there. Try to find compelling negative evidence like this against pot. Smoldering roaches are known to leave burn marks in sofas, but other than that, you can't. I tried. Never mind the difference in the size of sampling populations, however. In the United States it is estimated that 60 percent of the adult population consumes alcohol regularly, compared to only 6 percent being regular smokers of weed, and, as we all know, many of these people don't even inhale. The truth is that we don't know what kinds of long-term problems cannabis consumption might cause or contribute to if it was used regularly by a majority of our adult population. But, since we don't know, I will concede that it isn't fair to bring speculation into the discussion as a black mark against marijuana.Just the same, there is a problem with the logic of using the evils of alcohol as evidence of why pot should be legalized. It's stupid. While nobody in their right mind is going to dispute the problems with alcohol, wouldn't it be far more logical to use the well-documented negative results to argue that it should be outlawed rather than arguing that another dangerous drug (yes, marijuana is a drug, and it is dangerous) should be legalized?The horse is out of the barn with alcohol, so to speak. There is no way in hell that it will be outlawed again in this country for as long as Pyramid Peak stands above 14,000 feet, no matter how harmful it is proven to be. So, what is the smartest thing to do now that the ornery horse is on the run? Let it go. But, what sense does it make to let another horse out to follow along simply because this one is already on the run? If you let two go, why not three? Four? Why not just take the barn doors off their hinges? If you let go of the reins on marijuana now, what's next? X? Cocaine? Meth? Heroine?Medical marijuana is the lead-in to legalizing pot. And, it's a farce. If the issue with grass was an issue about medicine then we wouldn't have dispensaries selling products named AK-47. We would sell it in pharmacies in little brown bottles; no lounges, flat-screen televisions, or pool tables in the sampling room. Tell me this: How can a doctor prescribe a medicine that they don't have a good idea of how much of the active ingredient it contains and almost no idea of what else it has in it? What is the appropriate dosage of that? Patient, heal thy self! Of course, proponents of legalizing the drug will be the first to tell us that pot is so harmless that monitoring its use carefully is not necessary. Really? Then why can't you quit using it? I know; it's because you don't want to … and because it's not harmful. Most of this is beside the point, pot proponents tell us, though. There is an even bigger reason why pot should be legal. It's because we are fighting a costly war on drugs that can't be won. Aside from the emotional plea, here's the logic in this argument: We're losing the war, so let's give up. OK, then, apply the same logic to other wars we are fighting and losing. How about the war on world hunger? Global warming? Poverty? Genocide? Racism? Hate? Heck, how about the war on wars? As far as I can tell, we're not doing so well in any of these. Should we give them all up?And if none of the other arguments work, finally the pitfalls of Prohibition are dragged out in arguing that pot should be legalized. One major observation about Prohibition is universally ignored, though. Although it is debatable whether overall problems related to alcohol in this country are fewer or greater before, during and after Prohibition, it is clear that the abject failure of the movement proved that once a vice is legalized it cannot then be made illegal again. The fact that smoking filter-less Camels is now embraced as a personal freedom to a greater extent than it is recognized as a public health disaster is another example. If we are going to legalize marijuana, we better make damn sure that it is the right thing to do.The bottom line is that the current popular arguments for legalization of pot don't make sense. Pot should not be legalized because it is less dangerous than alcohol, because we can't win the war on drugs, or because Prohibition was a historic failure; even if these arguments are proved to be true (which they are not, by the way).If, on the other hand, somebody can prove to me that smoking marijuana is actually good for me and those around me, well then, that's the evidence I'm looking for. Good luck. Roger Marolt believes that if we are going to condone altered states that it should be California. Source: Aspen Times (CO)Author: Roger Marolt, The Aspen TimesPublished: Friday, November 6, 2009Copyright: 2009 Aspen TimesWebsite: http://www.aspentimes.com/URL: http://drugsense.org/url/WKwmCPShContact: http://drugsense.org/url/zKpMPhQ7CannabisNews -- Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml 
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Comment #23 posted by herbologist on November 11, 2009 at 06:39:48 PT:
They let anyone write these days!
Idiot and those that publish work like this.
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Comment #22 posted by knightshade on November 08, 2009 at 17:06:28 PT:
hey stormy
I found your list. Im going to try to get Mr. Dingbat on the phone tomorrow. Shouldn't be too hard. Thank you for compiling that information, it will be useful 'ammo' in future debates. I bookmarked it on my cellphone browser so it'll be easy to pull up. :]
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Comment #21 posted by FoM on November 08, 2009 at 16:02:02 PT
gloovins 
It's always good to see you.
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Comment #20 posted by gloovins on November 08, 2009 at 15:48:54 PT
this article needs a to be retitled...
Editorials for Dummies...
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Comment #19 posted by Storm Crow on November 08, 2009 at 13:36:53 PT
Hi knightshade....
I'm giving it a try as I said in post 12. I just hope that the gal forwards my list to him! If you don't know about my list, run a search on "Granny Storm Crow's list- July 2009" for an interesting educational experience! It's a compilation of about 120 pages of links to MMJ studies and articles. Take a peek at it!
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Comment #18 posted by FoM on November 08, 2009 at 06:42:17 PT
knightshade 
I did a search and he posted yesterday. I'm sure he will be around here real soon.
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Comment #17 posted by knightshade on November 08, 2009 at 06:03:39 PT:
soooo...
Has anyone emailed this guy all the evidence that proves that reefer is good for him and everyone around him, or should I do it?F'n dingbat.SIDENOTE: is rchandar still out there? I enjoy his comments the most and I haven't seen any recently. Where ya at, buddy?
reefer music
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Comment #16 posted by kaptinemo on November 07, 2009 at 07:04:40 PT:
And this is what happened back then
when the tide turned against alcohol Prohibition.http://tinyurl.com/y9rsxwjI can only hope that those who've caused so much misery are not allowed to slink away like that 'gentleman' sought to.
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Comment #15 posted by FoM on November 07, 2009 at 06:59:04 PT
Sour Grapes
That's what it is!
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Comment #14 posted by kaptinemo on November 07, 2009 at 06:34:50 PT:
Ah, the sweet sound...of 'sour grapes'
Or perhaps verbal flatulence is more descriptive. As the tide turns against them, the prohibs will become increasingly bitter and waspish. As did their ideological forebears, the 'Drys' of alcohol Prohibition. Before too long, I expect that editorial cartoonists will be lampooning, not the stereotypical 'stoner', but the prohibs themselves, as the 'Drys' were in the 1920's and 1930'sHere's a few examples of what most Americans thought of their self-appointed morals proctors back then: http://tinyurl.com/cyoyu May our modern versions of 'Drys' also be so 'honored'
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Comment #13 posted by Vincent on November 06, 2009 at 22:37:38 PT:
The article by Roger Marolt
No comment needed here, no comment at all.
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Comment #12 posted by Storm Crow on November 06, 2009 at 16:11:01 PT
Interesting....
I guess he's not a regular! I went to the "staff" page and didn't see his name listed. (Or maybe he is just tired of critical emails?) So I emailed one of the gals there and asked her nicely to forward a copy of my list to him. I hope he reads it! 
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Comment #11 posted by EAH on November 06, 2009 at 12:55:30 PT:
BS pretending to be intelligent
I'm just amazed hacks like this get published. Having to refute garbage like this is one reason cannabis isn't legal yet. 
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Comment #10 posted by observer on November 06, 2009 at 11:23:12 PT
Wiley, Weasely - Roger that:
The bottom line is that the current popular arguments for legalization of pot don't make sense.Sure - but only if you misrepresent the arguments for legalization, like this author just did.What about jail or prison? Why do you suppose he accidentally happened to forget about that teensy issue of jailing people for cannabis? Little slip of the mind? Roger Marolt of the The Aspen Times didn't make arguments against legalizing pot - he merely ignored them. One may never suspect people are imprisoned for cannabis by reading Roger. And that is no accident. 
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Comment #9 posted by runruff on November 06, 2009 at 09:13:52 PT
"Now, let's go grab a latte and goat cheese salad!
Dang, now that sounds good!
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Comment #8 posted by dongenero on November 06, 2009 at 08:26:59 PT
Roger Marolt is a working journalist?
When you premise your argument and appeal with such an utterly ridiculous comparison to marijuana as, driving 80mph through a school zone at 3pm, when students are released, who needs to hear anymore than that? It's stupid.He goes on to "reason" that the calls to end the "war on drugs" is akin to calling it quits on "wars on world hunger, Global warming,Poverty, Genocide, Racism, Hate'.Again, the glaring fallacies in his "reasoning" miss the point that wars on world hunger, global warming and poverty don't involve govt. agents putting guns to the heads of US citizens over a plant, incarcerating them, stealing their assets, destroying their livelihood. 
The examples he cites that may involve violent war or police action, Genocide,Racism,Hate, are not wars against our private citizens minding their own business with a plant, these are issues of horrific victimization and injustice. It's insulting to basic human decency to even attempt such a comparison.Another out of touch imbecile sitting in a mountain resort where the average house is over $1m. He's got it all figured out. Now, let's go grab a latte and goat cheese salad. 
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Comment #7 posted by runruff on November 06, 2009 at 08:17:08 PT
Two big mmj "pot' bust in our local news.
Yea, down to the wire 'till the last bust is made, so long as the cops can keep the herb and resell it. They often turn up large sums of cash, which they keep!http://www.ktvl.com/
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Comment #6 posted by Had Enough on November 06, 2009 at 08:02:44 PT
Mr. Marolt...
Also needs to check this out...************Granny Storm Crow's list- 2009"If the truth won't do, then something is wrong!"http://forum.grasscity.com/medical-marijuana/314173-granny-storm-crows-list-2009-a.html
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Comment #5 posted by Had Enough on November 06, 2009 at 07:53:42 PT
Legalizing Marijuana for 'Dummies'
From the Mr.Marolt spew...“Medical marijuana is the lead-in to legalizing pot. And, it's a farce. If the issue with grass was an issue about medicine then we wouldn't have dispensaries selling products named AK-47. We would sell it in pharmacies in little brown bottles; no lounges, flat-screen televisions, or pool tables in the sampling room. Tell me this: How can a doctor prescribe a medicine that they don't have a good idea of how much of the active ingredient it contains and almost no idea of what else it has in it? What is the appropriate dosage of that? Patient, heal thy self!”“”If, on the other hand, somebody can prove to me that smoking marijuana is actually good for me and those around me, well then, that's the evidence I'm looking for. Good luck.””***Well Mr. Roger Marolt...they did ‘sell it in pharmacies in little brown bottles’... read on...and 'good luck' to you too...with you and your propagandist BS...You must be paid well to spread this crap...makes one wonder...who your real employer is...and who are the real ‘dummies’ here???************Eli Lilly Cannabis Fluid extract bottlehttp://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lilly96B.jpgBottle containing cannabishttp://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Drug_bottle_containing_cannbis.jpg
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Comment #4 posted by FoM on November 06, 2009 at 07:50:44 PT
A Comment On This Article
I wasn't sure if I should post it but then I thought we need to see that some people don't understand that by keeping marijuana illegal it won't make it go away. All it will do is wreck more lives when a person gets caught and maybe will wind up in jail.
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Comment #3 posted by HempWorld on November 06, 2009 at 07:40:03 PT
This is an article, written by an 
idiot!
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Comment #2 posted by runruff on November 06, 2009 at 06:44:07 PT
She hates pot growers....
...which is no doubt why W loved her. I googled her and sure enough she went to Cristian college. All of her subjects have that self righteous, brainwashed, religious taint about them.Her professional name is Ann Aiken, she live under her married name. She must hide from all the "justice" she has meted out!
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Comment #1 posted by runruff on November 06, 2009 at 06:20:02 PT
Ann [it's good to be god] Aiken
I've yet to find two Nazi's that disagree. Demons love each other, same as angels! Here is an announcement of how Bush made her Chief Circuit Judge last Jan. 09.http://oregonlawstudent.blogspot.com/2009/02/chief-judge-ann-l-aiken-honored.html
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