Time For Marijuana Legalization?

Andrew Cohen: Economic Crisis Spurring Politicians To Talk About Legalizing Pot

(CBS)  Attorney Andrew Cohen analyzes legal issues for CBS News and CBSNews.com.

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Apparently, it was nothing personal after all. Apparently, it was strictly business all along.

After generations of defending capital punishment and marijuana possession laws on moral, ethical and religious grounds, after years of declaring that the death penalty acted as a deterrent against violent crime and that pot smokers were more dangerous to society than, say, alcohol consumers, all of a sudden thanks to our economic crisis more and more mainstream powerbrokers are considering dramatic changes to our criminal justice system.

The New York Times today has a late-arriving piece by Ian Urbina which posits that lawmakers in several states are considering abandoning the death penalty because it’s just too expensive and cuts into other law enforcement priorities. State officials are beginning to acknowledge that they can more productively spend their budget funds on cracking unsolved cases or ensuring better police protection than on keeping pot smokers in prison or fighting for decades with capital defendants. This, Urbina writes, is forcing a sea-change around the nation:

“Last year, in an effort to cut costs, probation and parole agencies in Arizona, Kentucky, Mississippi, New Jersey and Vermont reduced or dropped prison time for thousands of offenders who violated conditions of their release. In some states, probation and parole violators account for up to two-thirds of prison admissions each year; typical violations are failing drug tests or missing meetings with parole officers.

As prison crowding has become acute, lawsuits have followed in states like California, and politicians find themselves having to choose among politically unattractive options: spend scarce tax dollars on expanding prisons, loosen laws to stem the flow of incarcerations, or release some nonviolent offenders.”

This trend toward releasing non-violent offenders naturally begs the question: what about legalizing marijuana possession and lowering the drinking age? A California lawmaker Monday introduced legislation that would legalize (and tax) pot there. In Colorado, as seen this past Sunday on 60 Minutes, the police chief in Boulder (which houses a raucous University of Colorado) made a compelling case for saving money by reducing the drinking age from 21. Better to have police officers tracking violent crime, the argument goes, than writing tickets for college kids who are going to drink no matter what.

These declarations, from the political and legal arena, are not just isolated voices shouting into the wilderness. Consider the late, great Milton Friedman, the Nobel Laureate, former Reagan advisor, and esteemed scholar associated with the very conservative Hoover Institution. He was among hundreds of important economists who argue that pot should be legalized and taxed - and that the income from such taxation could generate billions in new revenues and billions more in enforcement savings. If you live in California, what would you rather have? Pot smokers whose cases are tying up the legal system? Or better health care and roads thanks to a marijuana tax. I’m just asking the question-and others are too.

Friedman and his colleagues first made these arguments years ago - before the economy tanked. Is it time to take his view more seriously with states facing huge budget shortfalls that threaten to curtail vital projects and policies? It is such a great leap from releasing prisoners from prison early to save money and not sending them there at all to save more? I would suspect a survey of police officials and prosecutors, and a survey of state budget officials, would indicate that the matter is being taken more seriously today than it ever has been.

It’s not my place to advocate anything - so please don’t write and accuse me of being Cheech or Chong. All I am saying is that the economic case for legalizing marijuana, and for lower the drinking rate, is as compelling as it has ever been and that, in a time of great changes in the interaction between government and the governed, it would not be the worst thing in the world to have a serious national debate on the topic. If we are going to lower state and federal budgets for criminal justice, if we are going to be emptying our prisons anyway to save costs, let’s make sure we do it in a way that maximizes the opportunities available to us.

[la_wedaa361]

i Personally Thinkk That Marijuana Is NOTT A Drug. It Grows From Thee Ground! No Chemicals Having Too Do With It. It's A PLANTTT! God Put It Here For Us To Smokee. It Didn't Just Show Up One Day Outta The Groundd! HELLLOOOO Think About It. Its The Earths Nature

[soinlove1]

if they do legalize it they should do it on christmas and make it into a cig box and sell 20 joints in a box lol crime would be so low and the u.s. would make so ******* money from tax's from it we the PEOPLE will all be rich

[ol_tex]

Synthetic Marijuana is called Marinol or Dronabinol and is legal, although very expensive, about 800 times the cost of the natural herb. Your doctor can prescribe it.

Marijuana takes on colon cancer:

The chemicals in marijuana could put the brakes on colon cancer, according to new research. That doesn?t mean smoking a joint will help, though, as the chemicals only form part of the process.

Raymond DuBois and colleagues at the University of Texas in Houston discovered that a key receptor for cannabinoids, which are found in marijuana, is turned off in most types of human colon cancer.

Without this receptor, a protein called survivin, which stops cells from dying, increases unchecked and causes tumor growth.

To better understand the role that the receptor, called CB1, plays in cancer progression, the researchers manipulated its expression in mice that had been genetically engineered to spontaneously develop colon tumors.

?When we knocked out the receptor, the number of tumors went up dramatically,? says DuBois. Alternatively, when mice with normal CB1 receptors were treated with a cannabinoid compound, their tumors shrank.
End Article:

Explanation:
Every second of your life 50,000 cells in your body die and are replaced by new ones. There are approximately 50-100 trillion cells in your body. Occasionally, one of these cells does not die, but instead mutates. This mutation seems to be caused by the CB1 receptor being "switched off".The survivin protein is produced as part of the process which is what infects healthy cells and spreads cancer by instructing cells to "switch off" CB1.

What this means is, when the CB1 receptor is off and the mutated cell is in close proximity to healthy cells, the healthy cells in turn switch off their own CB1 receptors.
Over time, a lump of these cells form. This is the cancerous tumor(s) your doctor informs you about. Cancer is the presence of mutated cells. Cancer screenings look for the presence of survivin, a protein. Malignancy means the cancer is spreading. If the cancerous tumor(s) can be killed (chemo-radiation) or surgically removed, you get rid of the cancer.

Cannabinoids bind reversibly and stereo-selectively to the cannabinoid receptors. Tetrahydrocannabinol or THC "switches on" CB1 again.
The THC method of "switching on" the CB1 receptor causes apoptosis and cancerous tumors burn themselves out through a process called autophagy in which they literally eat their own cell walls. The healthy cells are not affected. No more tumors or "CB1 off" cells means no more cancer. The Cannabinoid receptors in the human body are like light bulb sockets. Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) plugs in like a missing component.

You can't cure cancer by smoking a joint as burning the compounds make them ineffective. It has to be ingested in a high enough quantity to permeate the body, hence the THC oil. One pound of marijuana will produce 2 ounces of oil, enough for 2 months use. There is very little "high" with this type of use and it can be used for other types of disease caused by mutating cells. 13 states have legalized medical marijuana.

[tala1128]

There isn't even room here to state the benefits of legalizing marijuana; even if there was, it's been pretty much covered already. No one has OD'd from pot, it's not physically addictive like alcohol and so many hard drugs. Seriously, it's a plant and is no more harmful than, say, the Valerian root that Arizona Tea puts in their Rx Stress.

To those who have the ability to vote this into law--go for it, and godspeed.

[Sober_or_Free]

This website along with the US government receives $$$$ from alcohol companies. Even though marijuana legalization is the #1 issue sent to the Obama website Whitehouse.org formerly change.org ; The reason we remain in the dark is because the idiots in charge like getting drunk around children. Yes it is legal to buy and consume alcohol around children. And the people against marijuana legalization won`t give up their "drug" . So I`ll make it simple for everyone. " If you can prove a lifetime of sobriety, then you should have a say in lawmaking. If you have ever done any alcohol or other drugs that make you brain dead then shut your drunk hypocritical mouth." We can be sober and kill each other, or we can be free and work together. The baby-raping drunks reign of terror is soon to be dust.

[evilsteve69]

just let the stoners get stoned i say

[thesmoker420]

i would love for it to be legalized, there is nothing wrong with it would help the us get out of debit. hay 420 hell yea

[heita4631]

can i just say that one of the validictorians of my class was also one of the biggest smokers in our high school? enough said..?

[jlibbons]

I think that the legalization of pot might actually lead to the decline of its use. The thrill of the illegality of it will be gone and so many might not want to do it anymore. https://www.mindreign.com/en/mindshare/Health-and-Science/Mom-2c-Let-s-Try-Some-Pot/sl36962307bp407cpp10pn1.html has some interesting ideas about it...

[hempster4twenty]

Just one look at the prohibition of alcohol. Look a little familiar? Crime and death in the streets. Not to mention the "easier" creation of organized crime. Unfortunately, legalization will probably never happen because of many reasons. Beginning with all the money to be had with this so called, "War on Drugs". What a joke. Another legal way to imprison, MANY people in the guise of "protecting" the people. The only person this protects is the bad guys by giving them an outlet for making extreme amounts of money. Let's not forget the SUPER wealthy pharmaceutical companies, prison unions, and powerful police who, (think their above the law. i.e. Cookeville police incident) by the way, receives massive amounts of money from the gov. to "house" these "hardcore criminals" that just smoke pot. Ha Ha. How laughable. What is really sad is the majority of the public believes ALL of this "spoon fed" garbage the Gov. Wants you to believe. In short I personally know many people with problems created by the use of alcohol and tobacco. Are these "Illegal"? Of course not. Why you might ask? Ask your local representative. They are more then happy to line there "pockets", oops, I mean war-chests with the money they receive from the respective lobbyists. Is anyone giving them money to end violence and pain caused by this so called "Drug War"? I would have to say "NO". Until we can pay our way out of all this hardship created by the same people who say, "We are doing this to help", we are all just going to have to hunker down and continue to fight this war ourselves the best we can.
The only way to end this war is to "Legalize".
Just a side note: I know some Growers for Dispensaries, and (by association) Dispensary owners here in California. Who really DON'T want legalization because it will hurt their "BOTTOM LINE". Now how can we expect TV to allow HONEST debate when we can't even trust the one's who wanted "legalization" of medical marijuana just so they can line there pockets with "over priced" product? We have GREED on the "inside" who would like nothing else but to continue selling a $1.60per .05g unit for over $6.00+ a .05g unit. Do we "honestly" think we have a shot with a new (growing more powerful daily) roadblock?

[jdlsurfer]

There are plenty of hardheaded people in this country that have been conditioned by our government to consider pot as a hardcore drug. They have said its a gateway drug, its not a gateway drug in the since they seem to think, smoking pot doesn't make a person want to do harder drugs, its a gateway drug, because its the first "drug" a person is usually introduced to on the black market, where the REAL drugs are readily available. Hemp has been used for thousands of years with many different uses. As for the bible thumpers pot is an herb, and you want scripture, "And the earth brought forth grass,and herb yielding seed after his kind,and the tree yielding fruit,whose seed was in itself,after his kind:and God saw that it was good." GENESIS 1:12, hurts to get hit with your own sword, doesn't it. You can't overdose on weed, and studies have shown that it has very little affect on a person's physical health.

As for the drinking age, i think it should be lowered. College kids are going to drink no matter what, so making it legal for them, as well as making marijuana legal, would free up the authorities to deal with more violent crimes. As for them drinking more, your an idiot. They have all the alcohol they need, so legalizing it isn't for letting them buy it, its mainly being legalized to save money and free the authorities attention, in reality a lot of these college students might even drink less, being that it wouldn't be rebellious if it were legalized, and them being able to drink more often would lesson them drinking at one time.

But to leave you with one last note..."Man Made Beer, God Made Pot...Who Do You Trust?"...

[mago24]

The long term abuse of marijuana has devastatingly horrible effects, like paranoia, increased aggressiveness and social disruption, just to name a few. As a gay man, I had to file a restraining order against my (ex) boyfriend of 12 years who has been exclusively adicted to a mix of pot and tabaco - a habit he brought from Europe when we moved to the US. He became increasingly paranoid and so angry and out of control that he had to be taken to psychiatric care when by the police. Legalizing the drug will definetly increase the number of abusers, and it can be very adictive to some people. Why nobody in the media has been talking about these risks when considering the legalization of the drug? The effects and risks of pot are not as mild as the media is presenting. Our younger generation might be getting the wrong message as a result of this debate.

[heita4631]

you sound like someone who made Reefer Madness a reality. i've smoked for over six years, and believe me, i've smoked a LOT. and this doesn't happen. maybe he was mixing more than mj in his tobacco.

[ol_tex]

"devastatingly horrible effects" ??? wow, I've known a few stoners and none fit this description. About the worst thing I have seen is the little light above their heads has a dimmer switch attached if they are stoned. Otherwise, no different from anybody else. Certainly not true if you're a drunk though.

"As a gay man, I had to file a restraining order against my (ex) boyfriend of 12 years who has been exclusively adicted to a mix of pot and tabaco"

It's spelled tobacco. Geez...

[vermonter802]

You all need to check out this book:
http://www.chelseagreen.com/bookstore/item/marijuana_is_safer:paperback

Not gonna lie - I work for the company, but given the heated debate on the topic, it's worth the read.

[jkfroelich]

Obama asked his cabinet to come up with more cuts for 100 million dollars? Legalize It. Realize the potentials for canabis and what it can do for America.

[AshleyRceno]

Lower the drinking age!!! ya'll are kidding right? I don't do either drug and I'm 21 years old. I have tryed both and from my experience alcohol definetly impairs my abilities far more worse. Watching other people with my common sense also tells me its not just me that gets far more out of control with the consumption of alcohol. Lowering the age will only find us more driving accidents, more fighting and more anger problems to deal with and more medical issues. I do know that marijuana does effect people in some cases, for instance; slower thinking capabilties, and for some it causes a lack of confidence. But in all reality everything we do has consequences, and marijuana definetly is less harmful then alcohol. I dont mean to put religion in this but marijuana which is a type of weed is natural, put here by the almighty. And alcohol is NOT! Maybe if marijuana is legalized it will lower the rates of other drugs that are used which i find to be the worse of all; Loratabs, Oxycottons, Roxys things of this sort is what the society needs to worry about.

[ksurf_k]

LEGALIZE MARIJUANA

[ksurf_k]

PLEASE PLEASE READ THIS IF NOTHING ELSE PLEASE PLEASE!!!!!!!!!
Marijuana. For far to long we as citizens of this country have been supressed by our government, controlled, told that we are free! this country was founded on freedom. the south was also right back in the cival war. We came here to be independant, We came here to be FREE!!!!! How free are you when you caonot partake in a natural plant that is of this earth. in the very early 1900's marijuana could be found on any corner store. Marijuana is not like herion or crystalmeth which are common REAL crimanal drugs, and for that matter if Marijuana were legalized people WOULD use less of the other drugs Which are bad. Marijuana is not bad. It has only been given a bad rap. marijuana has been proven of excellent use for medical reasons. its natural, Think of how many jobs there could be added to Ameiricas work force. Todays government has grown into a very stale ball of crap where officail just dont give a damn, and FEAR CHANGE. Marijuana is a cash crop. why not regulate it like tobbaco and tax it if it has to be taxed? i personally believe people should have the right to grow it in there back yards if they want, Who the hell is anyone to say someone cant grow a plat, seriously. Ameirica needs to wake up. we need to fight for our rights. Marijuana should be legal, and it absolutely leaves me in awe that it has to even be such a big deal. Legalize Marijuana. the effect legalizeing Marijuna would have is more jobs, less bogus crimanal drug charges, i say bogus because it a natural plant its not meth for crying out loud, the economy would improve, we might even find fuel energy as a great gain. GROW UP AMERICA TIME HAS WELL BEEN OVERDUE FOR THE LEGALIZATION OF MARIJUANA!

[bluedutchman]

I haven't read any of the comments but my thing is it's my own personal pursuit of happiness. it's not about all the medical benefits or so called social costs or any of that. it's my right as an american tax payer to indulge in any substance that does not harm anyone else. i'm a 19 year old black man and have persecutied for using cannibus (aka my first love) now that i have a blemish on my record no matter how minsule it will keep me from getting certain jobs. if you want to talk about the crime rate and all that stop leading people to a dead end in which they only find the streets. people that want to change and be a produtive part of the society cant be because society has shunned them. and thats why people who go to jail keep going back. and i know thats not always the case but sometimes it is. just think if obama or clinton or any of other presidents got caught doing illegal drugs. you and i know what would have been the outcome. not such a cinderella story huh. thats why i dont understand obama or clinton or bush if they would have been caught it would have been over for them. why dont they think that way about all the potenial world changers they are putting in jail or wrecking their records such as mine. i am a smart well spoken person, just because i like to smoke cannibus doesn't make me a bad or unproductive person. the madness has to stop sometime. i can sit here and watch a commerical talking about how real men dont accept any drink in their cup only some type of vodka it makes me sick. if someone put a commercial up about some white widow weed or jack herer parents would have a seizure and possibly sponteaus combust. man this is totally hypocritical. hope i spelled that right. peace, love, and bud and thanks for reading my rant.

[sugar_maple]

To the whole lowering drinking age and marijuana legalization.

Teens are going to use both no matter what you have to say. Just be a responsible adult and educate them and watch over them as parents. Be a parent. Don't tell them it is bad... because then it becomes the "forbidden fruit". Instead, tell them "I smoked marijuana when I was younger, but wait till your older and your brain is done developing". Be a parent; not a police officer.

[sugar_maple]

Marijuana prohibition is a form of SOCIAL CONTROL that the government and agencies of authority can use to keep in place the social status quo.

LEGALIZE CANNABIS CONGRESS!!!