Why is Marijuana STILL Illegal? All the really cool people smoke it.

[Philosoraptor]

Moms and dads, grandmas and grandpas, brothers and brothers in law, bus drivers, 4th grade teachers, musicians, artists, truck drivers, factory workers, senators, young folks and old folks, my neighbors, your neighbors, cops, and literally millions and millions of people enjoy a nice joint or bong before retiring or showering.

Why o why is it still a damned crime to smoke or sell or buy it?

I'll just never understand, if we can put a man on Venus, why can't we make this smoke legal?

[MadMaddie]

1. Because they haven't figured out how to put money in their

own pockets....by making it legal...they should make it legal and tax the shit out of it like they do with cigerattes....

[SPKrazy]

6. Oh, I Think The Tobacco Companies Figured It Out Long Ago

I think they would find their sales booming were they to start producing marijuana cigarettes

they should get their lobby out on it!

lobby the GOP

[wildbilln864]

16. I think they make much money...

while it's illegal than they would if it was legal. Everyone would just grow their own.
Here's a good start to why it should be legal and here's another great link.>
www.jackherer.com
see the 1939 popular mechanics link also.

Make the most of the Indian hemp seed and sew it everywhere!
-george Washington

[midnight]

27. You certainly have a handle on what is going on.

Why else would they outlaw it? That's capitalism for you. Greedy and shortsighted.

[teknomanzer]

18. The problem with that is...

even someone who can't keep thier lawn from going brown can sucessfully grown their own weed. And it doesn't require a degree in engineering to put together a fairly good setup to grown some really dank bud. Ultimately who are they going to tax? Legalization of marijuana isn't likely to produce much revenue. Maybe therein lies the answer to why its not legal.

[grytpype]

2. Neil Armstrong smoked herb on the Moon.

It's true.

[DoYouEverWonder]

26. Ah, wouldn't some oxygen be required

to be able to smoke anything on the moon?

Not to mention, those space suit helmets have a bad habit of getting in the way.

[marmar]

3. Smoke 'em if ya got 'em....

:smoke:

Peace, love and Amsterdam's finest for everyone.

[RagingInMiami]

4. We put a man on Venus?

[HysteryDiagnosis]

7. Only in Greek mythology I'm afraid..... heh, heh, heh... n/t

[Warren DeMontague]

24. "What happened when Napoleon went to Mount Olive?"

"Popeye got pissed"

[HysteryDiagnosis]

5. Let Monsanto eradicate the seeds, then genetically engineer

some seeds so they will be terminator seeds.... and you will see it on every street corner, 711, Target, Walmart and Dollar Store across the nation. In other words, someone needs to own it in order for it to be acceptable.

[Berry Cool]

9. Hey. I'm cool and I don't.

But it's not wrenching me out if someone else does...

[Philosoraptor]

10. I didn't mean to infer that non marijuana smokers aren't cool.

In fact, some of my best friends have never tried it.

[Greeby]

8. I love the late Bill Hicks' take on the subject

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Q-0xdEk480&search=Bill%20Hicks

:evilgrin:

[BuddyYoung]

11. You answered your question without realizing it

It's still illegal because nearly everyone uses it, so that means that the criminal justice (sic) system has more opportunities to get more people into the cjsystem (a huge special interest group of public and private organizations/companies).

LEGAL drugs have potentially deadly side effects.

ILLegal drugs rarely so. If used as directed.

[yella_dawg]

12. One reason only...

It's worth a shitload of money as long as it's illegal. Last I heard, 10 billion a year. Hard to fight that kind of money.

[Philosoraptor]

13. Not to mention the billions made housing reefer criminals in prison.

and the millions made busting kids for a roach.

[RebelOne]

14. Hey, I'm cool with anyone else smoking it,

but it is too fattening. Get high and eat everything in sight. I smoked it in my younger years, but not any longer.

[Buxtehude]

15. If I had a dollar

for every time I asked myself that same question.

[Warren DeMontague]

17. We can't put a man on Venus

but we're doing our damnnedest to bring Venus's climate home to Earth!

[Jeffersons Ghost]

19. can't put a man where, when smoking what? for a man on venus try acid n/t

[Warren DeMontague]

23. It's like, 900 degrees on Venus

Sounds like a pretty bad trip.

I'll stick with my hazy technicolor memories of seeing the Dead play, thanks.

[philly_bob]

20. Dems: Legalize marijuana to get U.S. out of budget hole

When the Republican lose office, the Democrats are going to face a horrible economic situation.

I sort of figure our trump card is to legalize dope and tax the hell out of it, until we can (1) repair the innovative American research establishment that has also been bankrupted by the Right Wing with their antiscience bent, (2) get big business back under control via antitrust and campaign contribution reform and (3) get a progressive tax system back in place.

[Warren DeMontague]

21. Guess what:

I agree 100%. 1000%, even.

[mitchtv]

22. You are sooooo right

time for my break, be back in 10

[Blue_In_AK]

25. "All the really cool people smoke it."

Why, thank you very much. :)

[Warren DeMontague]

28. Because look around. The cool people don't run things down here.

The people who run things are the folks who think the birth control pill should be against the law.

[12string]

29. MJ is illegal because...

 Hemp oil is a renewable resource for replacement of number
two diesel.Every diesel motor in the world will run on it
while producing only three percent of the hydrocarbons of
fossil fuels.It can be used in the manufacturing of
plastics.Over the course of twenty years one acre of hemp will
produce the same amount of pulp for paper(and of a higher
quality)as 4.1 acres of trees.So look to the lobbying
interests of the petro-chemical and wood forest products
companies for your answer.It never was about getting high.

[wildbilln864]

32. Don't forget the drug companies also...

If we could grow our own anti-depressants in our own back yard, how much money would they loose from paxil, zoloft, prozac, etc?
Legalizing marijuana would cost several industries a shitload of revenue! They can't have that!

[mikelewis]

33. Welcome to DU and you're spot on!!!

[wildbilln864]

36. Thanks Mike....

for the welcome and the concurrence. This subject always pisses me off. Greed and ignorance are the reasons MJ is illegal, meanwhile the two most deadly drugs in the world are legal! I mean cigs and alcohol of course.
Popular Mechanics magazine called it a billion dollar crop back in 1939. Imagine the benefits if only it was a legal commodity today.
I know that if it had never been made illegal, we'd not be at war today!


on edit> Not because of our dependence on foreign oil at least!

[shadowknows69]

35. Not to mention

it makes for a better anti-depressant and pain killer than most of what pharmacology has come up with.

[Techno Dog]

30. Because I don't drink anymore n/t

[Philosoraptor]

31. Kick...(cough, cough)

[MrSlayer]

34. Because the beer, oil and chemical companies don't want it legal.

Plus there is the prison industry, the pharmaceutical industry and all those fines for possession. They make a lot more money with it illegal.

[wildbilln864]

37. well...

kick!