CLICKHEREx Posted July 27, 2014 http://www.bluelight.org/vb/threads/730415-Repeal-Prohibition-Again-(NY-Times)poledriver View Profile View Forum Posts Private Message View Blog Entries View Articles Add as ContactBluelighter--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Join Date Jul 2005Posts 8,369 Today 08:38 By THE EDITORIAL BOARDIt took 13 years for the United States to come to its senses and end Prohibition, 13 years in which people kept drinking, otherwise law-abiding citizens became criminals and crime syndicates arose and flourished.It has been more than 40 years since Congress passed the current ban on marijuana, inflicting great harm on society just to prohibit a substance far less dangerous than alcohol.The federal government should repeal the ban on marijuana.We reached that conclusion after a great deal of discussion among the members of The Times’s Editorial Board, inspired by a rapidly growing movement among the states to reform marijuana laws.There are no perfect answers to people’s legitimate concerns about marijuana use.But neither are there such answers about tobacco or alcohol, and we believe that on every level — health effects, the impact on society and law-and-order issues — the balance falls squarely on the side of national legalization.That will put decisions on whether to allow recreational or medicinal production and use where it belongs — at the state level.We considered whether it would be best for Washington to hold back while the states continued experimenting with legalizing medicinal uses of marijuana, reducing penalties, or even simply legalizing all use.Nearly three-quarters of the states have done one of these.But that would leave their citizens vulnerable to the whims of whoever happens to be in the White House and chooses to enforce or not enforce the federal law.The social costs of the marijuana laws are vast. There were 658,000 arrests for marijuana possession in 2012, according to F.B.I. figures, compared with 256,000 for cocaine, heroin and their derivatives.Even worse, the result is racist, falling disproportionately on young black men, ruining their lives and creating new generations of career criminals.There is honest debate among scientists about the health effects of marijuana, but we believe that the evidence is overwhelming that addiction and dependence are relatively minor problems, especially compared with alcohol and tobacco.Moderate use of marijuana does not appear to pose a risk for otherwise healthy adults. Claims that marijuana is a gateway to more dangerous drugs are as fanciful as the “Reefer Madness” images of murder, rape and suicide.There are legitimate concerns about marijuana on the development of adolescent brains. For that reason, we advocate the prohibition of sales to people under 21.Creating systems for regulating manufacture, sale and marketing will be complex.But those problems are solvable, and would have long been dealt with had we as a nation not clung to the decision to make marijuana production and use a federal crime.In coming days, we will publish articles by members of the Editorial Board and supplementary material that will examine these questions.We invite readers to offer their ideas, and we will report back on their responses, pro and con.We recognize that this Congress is as unlikely to take action on marijuana as it has been on other big issues. But it is long past time to repeal this version of Prohibition.http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2...tion.html?_r=1--------------------------------------------------------------------------------#2 neversickanymore View Profile View Forum Posts Private Message View Blog Entries View Articles Add as ContactSenior ModeratorRecovery SupportScience & Technology--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Join Date Jan 2013Location babysitting the argument in my headPosts 10,520 Today 14:32 The New York Times Editorial BoardThank you for making this stand.. now please consider pushing further. RECOVERY FORUMS ~~~ADDICTION GUIDE~~~ CONTACT ME--------------------------------------------------------------------------------#3 poledriver View Profile View Forum Posts Private Message View Blog Entries View Articles Add as ContactBluelighter--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Join Date Jul 2005Posts 8,369 Today 15:28 New York Times writes editorial saying cost of Marijuana prohibition ‘vast’ compared to alcohol, tobacco impactsONE of the United States’ most prestigious newspapers has called for the legalisation of marijuana, comparing the federal ban on cannabis to Prohibition.In an editorial on Saturday, the New York Times said marijuana laws disproportionately impacting young black men and that addiction and dependence are “relatively minor problems’’ especially compared with alcohol and tobacco.“It took 13 years for the United States to come to its senses and end Prohibition, 13 years in which people kept drinking, otherwise law-abiding citizens became criminals and crime syndicates arose and flourished,’’ the newspaper said.“It has been more than 40 years since Congress passed the current ban on marijuana, inflicting great harm on society just to prohibit a substance far less dangerous than alcohol. The federal government should repeal the ban on marijuana.’’Noting that the editorial board reached its conclusion after much discussion, the New York Times described the social costs of marijuana laws as “vast.’’Conthttp://www.news.com.au/world/new-yor...-1227003108628--------------------------------------------------------------------------------#4 CLICKHEREx View Profile View Forum Posts Private Message View Blog Entries View ArticlesBluelighter--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Join Date Sep 2012Posts 117 Today 15:32When an influential newspaper like the New York Times publishes such editorial material, it's time that even conservative politicians realised that American public opinion has changed, so that the majority of the people support the decriminalisation of marijuana.More people should be contacting their political representatives, and telling them that they will vote for candidates in favour of drug reform. Realistic threats concerning their potential loss of power through the ballot box are one of the few things that will influence politicians to change their position. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
