Marijuana Is Going to Be Sold One Way or Another -- Be it Cartels or Regulated Business

[marmar]

AlterNet / By Steve Fox

Marijuana Is Going to Be Sold One Way or Another -- Question Is, Would You Rather it Be Cartels or Regulated Businesses?
Ask a law enforcement official how having marijuana sold by criminals rather than by regulated businesses is making our communities safer.

September 2, 2011 |


For decades, the United States has been embroiled in a debate over whether marijuana should be legalized. The battle has been waged on the state level, where 16 states and the District of Columbia have authorized the use of medical marijuana by qualifying patients. And it has been fought on the national level, with the federal government investing more than a billion dollars over the past decade on a media campaign designed to demonize marijuana.

These political conflicts have one thing in common. They are centered on whether it should be legal for citizens to use marijuana. Supporters of reform argue that patients – or, in some cases, all adults – should not be sent to jail or punished in any other manner for using the substance. On the other side, individuals who believe we should maintain marijuana prohibition claim that marijuana is dangerous and allowing any individual to use it legally will send the wrong message to teens, resulting in increased use.

Over the course of this year, we have seen the beginnings of a long overdue shift in the debate over marijuana policy. With discussion about the pros and cons of using the plant fading to the background, citizens and members of the media are being forced to consider a new question and one that is really quite simple to answer: Who should sell marijuana?

This evolution in conversation, which has at its foundation an acceptance that it is essentially impossible to stop or even reduce significantly marijuana use, stems in large part from the rhetoric put forth by current and former world leaders. Vicente Fox, the former president of Mexico, directly addressed the issue of sales in a Time magazine interview in January. “We have to take all the production chain out of the hands of criminals,” he said, “and into the hands of producers so there are farmers that produce marijuana and manufacturers that process it and distributors that distribute it, and shops that sell it.” ........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/drugs/152282/marijuana_is_going_to_be_sold_one_way_or_another_--_question_is%2C_would_you_rather_it_be_cartels_or_regulated_businesses/

[Warpy]

1. You can say the same thing about all recreational drugs

even the destructive ones like PCP and meth.

However, I'd much rather they be sold, quality controlled and regulated legally than enriching drug thugs and international drug gangs. Legal businesses have to follow rules. Thugs don't.

[Bluenorthwest]

3. No, you could not say what the OP is saying about 'all drugs'

There is not a large, forward moving, law making movement to legalize and regulate any other drug, and in fact, much of the movement to legalize marijuana is not about 'recreation' at all, but about medicinal use, which again can not be said about 'all drugs' particularly not about the toxic two you mention.
So aside from the wild lack of accuracy in your post, this animated segment from Current TV and Supernews does a more entertaining job of dealing with this particular talking point. Meth Vs Pot, the Master Debaters. Enjoy.
http://current.com/shows/supernews/91503842_master-debaters-pot-vs-meth.htm

[Warpy]

7. Read it again

Thank you.

[midnight]

5. Well you could say the same thing about big pharmacy... They don't have to follow rules either...

They bend them with their fake outcomes.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

6. +1000 n/t

[Warpy]

8. While we've just been through 8 years of the most intense corruption

at all levels of government, that is slowly coming to a close as the consequences of lax enforcement are being seen in the number of lawsuits against drug companies who knew there were problems and suppressed the information and an FDA that was loaded down with Republican cronies who simply didn't give a shit about anything but their drug company dividends.

The do have to follow rules, unlike the peddlers of herbs, vitamins and worthless quack "cures."

[madrchsod]

2. legalize home growing....

there`s a lot of people across the country growing their own for themselves and to sell to their friends.

[midnight]

4. I agree...

[plumbob]

9. Same could be said for murder or any other illegal activity.

Very rare for any behavior or deed to be completely eliminated by making it illegal.

I can't think of any.

There are always consequences to making anything legal:
Gives it an air of legitimacy: My 18 year old government students: Well, I can legally drink in 3 years anyway, so what's the difference?

Increases the number of people who will do or use it: Hey, it's legal!

Two centuries of alcohol regulation by all levels of government has certainly not eliminated illegal activity of all kinds in the alcohol business, from moonshine to bootlegging to underage sales.

No magic bullet here.