There are way too many Americans in jail due to various violations of the various laws that prohibit Marijuana. Criminalizing Marijuana, in my opinion, may be the stupidest thing the American Government does.
Producing and selling alcoholic beverages, that the government sanctions.
I live on the border between a wet and a dry zone. For you non-Texans, here in Texas the Prohibition period never totally went away. So, you have some areas where alcohol is totally banned, as in dry, others where it is totally allowed, as in wet, others where alcohol is partially allowed, as in damp. Within those parameters there are variations, like areas where a thing called a Unicard is required to get an alcoholic beverage in a restaurant.
I have no idea how much of the Mexican Drug Cartel's, currently waging war with each other, business is trafficking in Marijuana. I suspect Marijuana is a large part of the Mexican Drug Cartel's cash flow.
In my opinion Marijuana is far less dangerous then alcohol. If it were legalized, with the quality controlled to make a less powerful cannabis, it would seem like selling the stuff in liquor stores would be a good thing. All that money that now goes to Mexican Drug Cartels would stay in America. All those people in jail, taking up space and costing money, could be released and made whole again.
Farmers could openly grow the stuff, like in the days of yore, or currently in the backwoods of Northern California. Marijuana grows like a weed, hence one of its nicknames. Maybe part of the plant, since it is hemp, could be used as a bio-fuel.
We have had many of our national leaders, including presidents, admit to having experimented with Marijuana, though one claims to have experimented without inhaling. How can a president or other elected official at the federal level admit to the crime of being a Marijuana user and not be an ardent advocate of repealing the Marijuana Prohibition?
Several of the states and cities within states have greatly liberalized their Marijuana laws, to no great harm that I've heard about.
It's all very perplexing to me.
With Texas being the most progressive, liberal, forward thinking state in the American union, I really think Texas should lead the way and end the Texas Pot Prohibition and empty Texas jails of those incarcerated for Marijuana related offenses.
Texas needs to do a better job of putting real criminals, like Fort Worth's corrupt conflicts of interest-laden Mayor Mike Moncrief, behind bars, and free those who really have done nothing seriously wrong.
I think California is quickly headed that way and I think you're right about the money and the Mexican drug cartels. It's one of the largest cash crops, right now, even today with it also being illegal. But I wouldn't touch the stuff myself. The remaining days of my life are more important than to be spent marveling at my own navel, if you know what I mean.
ReplyDeleteI've always heard that laughter is the best medicine. No one ever argues about that.
ReplyDeleteAnyone that's smoked a joint can tell you that laughter is a side effect.
Having said that. It's not why I'm here.
You have a formatting error in your text.
When you write things like, "With Texas being the most progressive, liberal, forward thinking...", you must use the sarcastic font.
Lest some poor Washingtonian stumbles into the conservative trap.
Twister? You've gotten potted and then past the time looking at your belly button? You should get potted and then do something like go to Disneyland. I've heard that can be very amusing.
ReplyDeleteGar? There's a sarcasm font? I don't think I have one on my computer.