The criminal law is too harsh a tool to apply to personal possession even in the effort to discourage use. It implies an overwhelming indictment of the behavior which we believe is not appropriate. The actual and potential harm of use of the drug is not great enough to justify intrusion by the criminal law into private behavior, a step which our society takes only with the greatest reluctance. … Therefore, the Commission recommends … [that the] possession of marijuana for personal use no longer be an offense.
— National Commission on Marihuana and Drug Abuse, 1972
Forty-five years later, marijuana is still absurdly considered a Class 1 drug by the Federal government. If U.S. Justice Department head Jeff Sessions has it his way, people will be arrested and incarcerated for personal marijuana use. Sessions is an anti-science idiot who thinks the drug policies of Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon are good ideas.Sessions thinks the failed war on drugs should be ramped up, with drug users prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
Jeff Sessions quotes on Marijuana use:
- I reject the idea that America will be a better place if marijuana is sold in every corner store. And I am astonished to hear people suggest that we can solve our heroin crisis by legalizing marijuana—so people can trade one life-wrecking dependency for another that’s only slightly less awful,” Sessions said while speaking with law enforcement officers Wednesday. “Our nation needs to say clearly once again that using drugs will destroy your life.
- We need grown-ups in charge in Washington to say marijuana is not the kind of thing that ought to be legalized, it ought not to be minimized, that it’s in fact a very real danger.
- I think one of [Obama’s] great failures, it’s obvious to me, is his lax treatment in comments on marijuana… It reverses 20 years almost of hostility to drugs that began really when Nancy Reagan started ‘Just Say No.
- You can’t have the President of the United States of America talking about marijuana like it is no different than taking a drink… It is different… It is already causing a disturbance in the states that have made it legal.
- Good people don’t smoke marijuana.
Well, I think marijuana is actually safer than alcohol and tobacco. At any rate, it’s use should certainly not carry criminal penalties. It’s crazy to say that no good people smoke marijuana.
Although, for personal health reasons, I think it’s generally prudent to abstain from the use of all three of these substances.
A whole food plant based diet is the way to go. 🙂
I’m not a fan of marijuana, I despise the smell, I’m not a user and never tried the stuff. But the real problem with marijuana is that it allows capricious enforcement by law enforcement. For example when crossing into the United States from Canada they made it quite clear they were looking for the smallest amounts of marijuana (with the added bonus to customs that they could impound the car if they found the smallest amount). Now I realize customs is a very boring job and they must take delight in finding the smallest violation, but finding a hippy’s personal stash isn’t their mandate. Yes if someone is smuggling a large volume of drugs (obviously for resale) customs has a mandate to confiscate and prosecute.
My experience is the tip of the iceberg in how marijuana is used by law enforcement as the low hanging fruit to get people they believe are undesirables. As a cop of course Jeff Sessions has the attitude that marijuana users are bad people. Marijuana for sale on ever corner is vastly preferable to having an unchecked tyrannical police state. A side benefit of licensing is taxation and prevention of underage use. It is much easier for teens to get marijuana than alcohol for the simple fact that illegal dealers have no incentive to check I.D.
I wonder if ‘good people’ don’t smoke it but partake in edibles? 😀
Whoops, Bruce, I accidentally clicked my other email and my comment went to moderation. Sorry about that!
I would like to know how Sessions became the arbiter of ‘good people’. How TF would he know?
A villain (like Sessions) is never a villain in his own mind.
I’m a medical user. I’ve been using mmj for years. I don’t ‘recreate’ I medicate.
Just like the blood pressure pills I used to take, there is a learning period where you get used to the medication in your body. I didn’t drive while on the influence of blood pressure medication until my body acclimated.
I know – it sounds so ‘out there’ to smoke pot but for me it’s just one more medication in my battle against Fibro and chronic pain.
Sessions watched Reefer Madness one too many times. That and he likes to cause as much suffering as possible. Did you see the smile on that mans face when he announced the end of the Dreamer program. Ugly little creepazoid. Hope he gets swept up with the Russian Investigation trash.