Comments on: Obama: Legalizing Pot Won't Grow Economy

[ku62421]

Exactly! Eliminating a HUGE "gateway" drug!

Alcohol isn't a gateway drug because using a fake ID to buy some or having your older brother pick you up a six pack does NOT involve doing business with a sketchy character that is also trying to sell you an array of highly addictive and destructive drugs!

[ku62421]

Sigh...

1) Marijuana is not any worse than alcohol
2) If you don't want to smoke, don't
3) Sin taxes are great economy boosters!
4) See my earlier comment--elements the "gateway drug" aspect of marijuana
5) ***Pharmaceuticals are legal and far more destructive to your physical health as well as incredibly addictive!!!***
6) This may allow hemp to get a foothold in America (maybe we could be the front-runners in hemp production and use--that would be beneficial to our economy!)
7) Safer, healthier methods of obtaining and smoking marijuana would be a direct product of legalization--thus making this drug HANDS DOWN less destructive than alcohol (which is highly addictive and makes people do incredibly studpid things!)

And I can go on...but I fear nobody has read this anyway...

[provost46]

I have read a few people comments,and they make excelent points.. i dont even smoke marijuana and i see how legalization would HELP US!!

[ku62421]

This is exactly what SHOULDN'T be happening! Prescription drugs are HIGHLY addictive--marijuana is NOT (plus, in my experience, I'd rather there were people on the road who had smoked a joint rather than those who had popped some valium and had a glass of wine!!!)

[ku62421]

PLEASE READ THIS IS IMPORTANT

OKAY, all economic incentives aside, this would truly solve the greater issue of drugs in America!

Marijuana, a drug with consequences/negative aspects that are (at most) equivalent to those of alcohol, is ONLY a "gateway drug" because it is illegal. When teenagers go and get alcohol underage, they do not have to stop by the drug dealer to get it. Since a vast percentage of Americans DO use marijuana, we can all assume that this same number is interacting with a drug dealer who eventually will offer their customer something else that they have to sell (pharmaceuticals, cocaine, heroin, you name it).

Thus, you put marijuana in the same position as alcohol as opposed to grouped along with an array of highly addictive and life-destroying drugs, and you decrease the overall use of TERRIBLE drugs in America.

[rendjeff]

I support the legalization of pot. the sales would have a significant impact on our economy.it could be taxed and packed simialr to tabacco products. 21 years to buy and sell the packs for about $5-$20 a pack based on "grade"(regular, mid-grade, and high-grade). the U.S govt can grow it or just tax it.
For the home growers, there should be a $50-75 charge for a permit to allow a single-family residence to grow up to a certain amount of plants in there homes.

[gator1707420]

Marijuana...The Legalizing Of It Could Change A Lot...Did Any Of You Know That It CAN Cure Cancer? Or Alzheimer Disease? Or What About ADHD? Or ADD? How About Marijuana Promoting The Brain To Make More Brain Cells? And They Said It Couldnt Be Done. The American Government Doesn't Want The People To Know This. How Do I Know This. With A Little Research. Did You Know That A Italy Scientist Found All This Out. Cured Over 1000 People Of Various Illnesses. And Came To America To Spread The Word. And The AMERICAN GOVERNMENT Didn't Like That Idea Because There Is More Money Treating People Then Giving Them The Cure. So They Arrested Him And Charged Him With Trafficing Marijuana And The People He Cure WAS NOT Allowed To Testify For Him. You Really Want To Know Something Else... Henry Ford Made A Car Entirely Out Of The Male Hemp Plant... Smashed The Back Window Of This Car And It Did NOT Shatter....I Think Now That The Government Is No Longer For The People I Think The People Should Disband The So Called American Government. And Start Our Own. Did You Know That Right Is In The Constitution? Thats Right I Think Its Time To Put America Back In The Hands Of The People. Not Those RICH ********. All They Care About Is Money. So The Point Of This Is. That Marijuana Is Not Harmful. And It Could Make Us A lot Of Money. They Just Don't Want That Cuz They Think It Would Be A Waste Of Money And Time.

[refused22]

It would be a good move to legalize pot. imagine no more drug dealing and related crimes from drug dealers all for something harmless, we all know it is harmless and it could raise more money for the government also. Also with legal government dispensarys who would want to go through the shady process of finding a drug dealer.

[ku62421]

Exactly! Eliminating a HUGE "gateway" drug!

Alcohol isn't a gateway drug because using a fake ID to buy some or having your older brother pick you up a six pack does NOT involve doing business with a sketchy character that is also trying to sell you an array of highly addictive and destructive drugs!

[comet4321]

Tax payers like to know there money is being spent wisely but in the case of anti drug or specifically anti marijuana groups this is not necessarily not the case. It is estimated that if marijuana prohibition was removed, regulated and taxed the U.S. government could expect 10-14 billion dollar revenue. This number was calculated by a Dr. Jeffrey Miron a visiting economics professor at Harvard and in fact over 500 other prominent economists around the country agreed.

To read more about the economic benefits at
http://blog.talesfromtheswamp.com/2009/05/11/economic-benefits-to-legalizing-marijuana.aspx

[iluvdakushgroove]

this is absolutely rediculous. obama did every drug in the world, is a flip flopping propagandist and he has terrorist ties. hes a total liar and im not going to trust a man who is friends with william heres, farakhaan, the dictator of africa and jesse jackson. marijuana is non habit forming a normal cigarette smoker smokes a pack or two a day. a marijuana smoker smokes every once in awhile. there is no evidence on a marijuana death, cancer causing chemicals or harmful side effects. our economy would generate billions of dollars and stop the mexican drug cartels.

[laegalize101]

I think thats stupid and it would most definitely boost the economy. Marijuana is illegal and its still the #1 cash crop of America. Why would they not want apart of making all that money?