Davis doesn't listen
Jun 30, 2009 | 1196 views | 7 
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Out of 80 ideas submitted, legalizing marijuana received the most votes out of the 118 cast. Eighty-eight percent of those votes were in favor of legalization.
Despite the marijuana idea being the top vote-getter, no mention of it was made in Davis's video response released last Thursday.
What is the point in asking the public to submit ideas if he is going to ignore the most popular one? If he doesn't favor ending marijuana prohibition, then why doesn't he just say so? To ignore all the voters who took the time to visit his site and participate is shameful. It's no way to treat potential voters.
The marijuana community isn't going to be ignored in the political arena any longer. Politicians must be made to address this issue, especially when they solicited responses and marijuana legalization was ranked the top idea on their site — even if they don't say what we want to hear. We can vote and we have money. If anyone would like our votes and money, then we need to make them state clearly what they will do to end marijuana prohibition.
Loretta Nall
Alexander City
I have to admit that I've never used marijauana. However, I have used nicotine and alcohol. I don't use nicotine at this time. I just don't see what the difference is between alchohol and marijauana. For recreational users, both appear to produce the same effect. I also think the medical community often recommend both products to their patients.
I am not sure about "dangerous and lethal drugs like meth...cocain (sp), and herion (sp)". Are these drugs in the same category as marijauna? I'm just asking....
Regards,
1. Consuming marijuana does not deny another person the right to life, liberty, property or the pursuit of happiness. Murder does. To compare the two makes no sense. Murderers should be in prison. People consuming a natural plant in privacy do not belong in prison.
2. Using marijuana has never proven harmful in and of itself. It is impossible to overdose on. To do so would require that 15 pounds be smoked in 15 minutes or 1500 hundred pounds be eaten in 15 minutes, both of which are physically impossible.
3. The government shouldn't be in the business of legislating morality. Especially since the government is the most immoral thing on the planet. Making marijuana legal will not be a compulsory law. People who do not wish to partake will not have to.
4. Looking at other countries where marijuana has been de-facto legal for years will show you that, while there will be an initial increase in use it will level off and that teens will not be as interested in using it because it is no longer a forbidden fruit full of mystery. In the Netherlands, for example, which has the most liberal drug policy in Europe and where marijuana is effectively legal, marijuana use among teens is actually lower than in the United States. 28% of Dutch teens smoked marijuana compared with 41% of American teens, and 23% of American teens had experimented with other illicit drugs as compared with only 6% of European teens.
The idea is very popular seeing as how it won the idea poll. It got more than twice as many votes as rewriting the State Constitution. It isn't popular with candidates because they lack the courage and testicular fortitude to right this terrible wrong.
So rather than skip the fact that a lot of people think smoking pot is morally wrong, you need to address that. Convince them that pot is no worse than alcohol and provide facts, if that is the case. If you prove your case then bring the cost aspect.
Just how harmful is pot? Is it more or less harmful than alcohol? Would legalizing it cause an increase or decrease in use?
The only way you are going to change people's minds who have moral objections is to promise them that the tax money will be given directly to them. Then get out of the way or you will be trampled by people rushing to the pot polls.
Drug policy is one area where Alabama really needs to step up. Ending marijuana prohibition for adults by taxing and regulating its sale would free up police resources for actual violent crimes, ease prison overcrowding and create a new source of revenue for the state. Did you know that 30% of the inmates in Alabama's horribly overcrowded prison system are there for non-violent drug offenses? This state spends $117,000,000 a year just to house them in prison. That figure does not include police and court resources used to further complicate this issue, lost wages and productivity for those locked in a state government cage or destruction of the family unit. Marijuana is Alabama's largest cash crop but the only people benefiting from its sale are black market drug dealers. Monies made from the sale of this innocuous plant could be used to fund treatment for hard core drug addicts, fund education and a host of other worthy programs. How many teachers could Alabama pay with $117,000,000? How many jobs could be created by taxing and regulating the sale of marijuana? The drug war has been an abject failure. Laws will never stop natural human behavior and it's time we accepted that and changed our focus from prohibition to harm reduction and let this plant make us money instead of insisting that it cost us money.
One question nonhyphenated...Name one positive thing that has ever come from marijuana prohibition. Just one positive thing or one single objective that has been met in this war against Americans.
Additionally, the Talladega Daily Home ran a front page story on Sunday that featured me against four law enforcement officials in a debate on this issue. You can read it at this link
http://www.dailyhome.com/news/2009/dh-localnews-0628-cnorwood-9f27w0602.htm
There is a group of agitators which prefers the risks and rewards of freedom from government. That includes the freedom to fail. They believe in their own self-esteem, not what some government bureaucrat tells them is their limited ability.
Everyone should know that without government intervention from Washing the several states could exercise the 10th Amendment right to regulate marijuana and how much. Just as with that highpowered beer coming to a convenience store near you.
"Piece be with you,"
Grey