Gary Johnson: Legalize Marijuana to Stop the Drug Cartels

thak goodness for our Canadian and dutch brothers helping to keep seedbanks and strains alive we owe you one during our long cruel prohibition and incarceration happy ruling class down with propaganda nobody buys Mexican weed it aint 1960 people things have changed you could nt give mexican weed away im serious think about it

Actually christianity does not speak directly about marijuana use.

...just disingenuous people who call themselves Christians.

Here's as close as it gets to speaking about marijuana but i just believe its talking about drunkenness

Who has anguish? Who has sorrow?
Who is always fighting? Who is always complaining?
Who has unnecessary bruises?

Who has bloodshot eyes?

It is the one who spends long hours in the taverns,
trying out new drinks.
Don’t gaze at the wine, seeing how red it is,
how it sparkles in the cup, how smoothly it goes down.
For in the end it bites like a poisonous snake;
it stings like a viper.
You will see hallucinations,
and you will say crazy things.
You will stagger like a sailor tossed at sea,
clinging to a swaying mast.
And you will say, “They hit me, but I didn’t feel it.
I didn’t even know it when they beat me up.
When will I wake up
so I can look for another drink?”

Proverbs 23:29-35

Christians came out strong against it in the early 1930's, railing from the pulpits. Eventually getting it made illegal through Tax Stamps, although the problems then with illegal immigrants were a factor as well. No politician that recieves contributions for the Christian Right is allowed to be pro-legalization, proving their blockage. That was the reference.

You make a really good point here. It's sad to say, but law enforcement associations (a.k.a. police unions) do hold a lot of influence over both Congress and state legislatures. If there's one segment that will continue to argue that the drug war is worth fighting and is winnable, it will be the police unions. They have a vested interest in keeping as many officers employed as possible. Sadly, much of the information provided to our legislators regarding the war on drugs comes directly from law enforcement associations. It is clearly a conflict of interest.

Actually this one is pretty clear.
Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things. - Genesis 9:3

Worked for a guy in the '80's who had Genesis 9:3 on his business card.

I cant argue with that lol

So you think they can prohibit meth, crack, and heroine?

They can't even stop the trade of these drugs in prison, where humans are in cages. What makes you think they're going to be able to stop them in a free society? This is just propaganda for more of a police state...

Actually, as a student of philosophy I realize that to make something illegal is to create the potential for profit. All I said was that legalizing Marijuana, which is harmless compared to hard drugs, would lighten the load on Law Enforcement.

Thanks for sharing...+^d

i was thinkin more oil tobacco and insurance industry...

oh

I don't even think it has to necessarily be legalized... just decriminalized.

Then God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you; (Genesis 1:29, NASB)

The bible does speak clearly in regards to being drunk but alcohol which ruins lives daily is still legal.

U.S. researcher Jon Gettman estimates it's a $36 billion a year industry.... and that my friend is why it remains illegal

California, 1913
The first state marijuana prohibition law was passed in California in 1913. The law received no public notice in the press. It was passed as an obscure technical amendment by the State Board of Pharmacy, which was then leading one of the nation's earliest and most aggressive anti-narcotics campaigns. Prior to the passage of the law, there was no indication that cannabis was a problem in California. The Origins of Cannabis Prohibition in California from California NORML

Utah, 1914
Utah outlawed marijuana in 1914. A number of Mormons moved to Mexico when polygamy was outlawed in Utah in 1910. When they returned to Utah, marijuana was one of the things they brought back with them. Marijuana was outlawed with a number of other common vices as part of Mormon religious prohibitions enacted into law.

Other state laws 1915-37
Marijuana was outlawed in 30 states by 1930. There were two primary reasons for the laws.

In the southwestern states, marijuana was outlawed because of racial prejudice against the Mexicans who used it. As one Texas legislator said, "All Mexicans are crazy and this stuff (marijuana) is what makes them crazy."

In the other states, it was outlawed because of fears that heroin addiction would lead to the use of marijuana - exactly the opposite of the modern "gateway" myth.

The Marihuana Tax Act of 1937
Marijuana was outlawed at the national level in the US by the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937. (Note that the US Government has traditionally used the spelling "marihuana".) There were a number of reasons given for its passage in the congressional testimony. The quotes included:

* Two weeks ago a sex-mad degenerate, named Lee Fernandez, brutally attacked a young Alamosa girl. He was convicted of assault with intent to rape and sentenced to 10 to 14 years in the state penitentiary. Police officers here know definitely that Fernandez was under the influence of marihuana. But this case is one in hundreds of murders, rapes, petty crimes, insanity that has occurred in southern Colorado in recent years.
* I wish I could show you what a small marihuana cigaret can do to one of our degenerate Spanish-speaking residents. That's why our problem is so great; the greatest percentage of our population is composed of Spanish-speaking persons, most of who are low mentally, because of social and racial conditions.
* Did you read of the Drain murder case in Pueblo recently? Marihuana is believed to have been used by one of the bloody murderers.
* . . .a boy and a girl . . . lost their senses so completely after smoking marihuana that they eloped and were married.
* It is commonly used as an aphrodisiac, and its continued use leads to impotency.
* Practically every article written on the effects of the marihuana weed will tell of deeds committed without the knowledge of the culprit, while he was under the influence of this drug. . . . "A man under the influence of marihuana actually decapitated his best friend; and then, coming out of the effects of the drug, was as horrified as anyone over what he had done" (9). Then we have the case of a young boy in Florida. The story runs as follows: "A young boy who had become addicted to smoking marihuana cigarettes, in a fit of frenzy because, as he stated while still under the marihuana influence, a number of people were trying to cut off his arms and legs, seized an axe and killed his father, mother, two brothers and a sister, wiping out the entire family except himself." (10)

Thanks for the data ! +^d

The identical ploy was used by proponents of alcohol Prohibition.
One of their main sources of support were legislators from the South. The KKK was one of its biggest supporters. Lurid scare stories of blacks raping white women was the reason put forward to deny blacks liquor, and whenever possible, the right to vote for attempting to drink liquor. Any affluent homeowner could produce his own liquor if he so choose. The key was to criminalize an act for the poor, and not for the wealthy or connected. It gave rise to the biggest criminal fortunes in our history.
Those who do remember history are condemned to repeat it.

that must've been some hella good weed .... never happened total bull shiat Canabis Sativa the correct name does not cause people to be violent you need to smoke a joint!

I used to live in New Mexico when Gary Johnson was governor. That's what his views were then...and still remain. He was, and still is, a strong advocate for harm reduction, treatment, and recovery programs as opposed to more cops, foreign bribes, and jails. Trying to make Mexico do our bidding is merely a waste of money as well as political capital.

Nice argument and rebuttal on both sides of the issue....

Couldn't have said it better myself. Props to you, ez.

my pleasure! OX

The first question is whether the Republicans will be able to retake control of at least one house of Congress in the upcoming elections and perhaps the other and the White House in 2012. I don't know that I would necessarily like Obama's response to a failed Mexican state, but I KNOW I am not going to like the Republican "solution."

I like to think that there are enough people under the Democrat brand who want to see marijuana legalized as well. I know Congressman Barney Frank has introduced legislation dealing with both decriminalization as well as industrial farming. Put simply, this shouldn't even be a partisan issue, but rather one of recognizing that our drug policy is doing more harm to this nation, as well as other nations, than the drugs are.

The possibility of a failed state in Mexico is real, and people are really not paying attention to that issue. I don't have all the answers as to how to solve Mexico's problems (and they are many), but I do contend that marijuana legalization would provide legitimate industry to a small portion of their population as well as curb some of the corruption and violence.

I didn't realize they legalized shrooms; The laser-shows must be raking it in.

Been to more than my fair share of them back in the day...there's my shameless New Mexico tourism plug!

So long as it's illegal, we'll never know for sure. That's how black markets operate.

Human trafficking is a separate issue that deserves real attention (It's a horrible practice that should be combated against by all nations). As I have mentioned before, legalizing marijuana will free up a lot of police resources to combat this menace.

Haha seriously, the mexican government is the most incompetent peice of crap i have ever seen.

They cater to the drug cartel not the people.

Corruption is corruption regardless of where it exists. Legalize marijuana, and less Mexican politicians can be bought off with the profits reaped from illegal drugs.

And thats where the problem lies, not in the US prohibition laws, but in the Mexican governments cozy relationship with the drug cartels.

As long as a crime can make money, crime will go on, including human trafficking. However, the Drug Cartels would no longer be “Drug Cartels,” and consequently would be forced to derive income from less profitable sources. Using the monetary numbers alone, 60% of their income, and therefore power, will be eliminated. They would be far far weaker against police intervention, and much more easily controlled and dispensed. You could even use our drug taxes to increase police protection to intervene and stop the then Criminal Gangs from acting out so effectively.
Want an example? See Holland.

Thanks...+^d

"However, the Drug Cartels would no longer be “Drug Cartels,” and consequently would be forced to derive income from less profitable sources."

They still have the global market outside of the US. They would still be getting drug money, just not from the US

"Using the monetary numbers alone, 60% of their income, and therefore power, will be eliminated. They would be far far weaker against police intervention, and much more easily controlled and dispensed"

The police are helping the cartels. i dont know if you saw the "Narco war next door" but they worry about wether they will be pulled over by the good cop or the bad cop.

The drug cartel culture ingrained in Mexican society, its going to take alot more than legalizing marijuana to end the violence.

But that would all be less our business.

I disagree. I believe that a stable Mexico, means a stable US. There are many things the US can do to uplift the people there. We could start by not giving the Mexican government any legitimacy until they crack down on the corruption they have let so easily control the country.

Oh, I agree. I have always advocated treating others with dignity. However, the drug war is a disease from which we must treat ourselves. Then we will be in a better position to help us work with others. For now, that is best done by legalizing and regulating marijuana in the US.

With regards to corporate marijuana, I believe you are incorrect as people can easily grow their own or support their local farmers. Yes, I can see a mass-marketed cheap-ass strain being sold by some sort of McWeedle's, but I believe people would want something better.

People are going to use drugs whether they are legal or illegal. Our failed drug policy has proven that point.

And with regards to the "needs to smoke" comment, marijuana has the potential to be abused, and I'm sure that there are people out there who have become psychologically dependent on the substance. But simply saying "never listen to people who need to smoke to function" is an awfully mean-hearted statement directed towards a lot of decent people who have probably done no harm to you.

You should try weed to function,
whatever you are using now isn't working.

Yep...+^d

And what the f__k is up with that avatar?

I wouldn't normally resort to this, but this one is just for you, ayipis:

You're an idiot.
That logic is completely whack... legalize murder? wtf? That comparison doesn't even work. There's already a working model for legalized marijuana. Holland. AND Strangely enough, even crime rates are much lower in Holland (See below)! MAYBE we should ALL BE SMOKING IT.

Here. Get educated:

Netherlands;

Variable Amount/description Rank
Crime > Assaults 44,129 [14th of 58]
Crime > Car thefts (per capita) 2.33559 per 1,000 people [15th of 55]
Crime > Drug offences 47 per 100,000 people [20th of 36]
Crime > Illicit drugs
major European producer of ecstasy, illicit amphetamines, and other synthetic drugs; important gateway for cocaine, heroin, and hashish entering Europe; major source of US-bound ecstasy; large financial sector vulnerable to money laundering
Crime > Murders 183 [40th of 63]
Crime > Murders (per capita) 0.0111538 per 1,000 people [51st of 62]
Crime > Rapes 1,648 [20th of 66]
Crime > Rapes (per capita) 0.100445 per 1,000 people [22nd of 65]
Crime > Total crimes 1,305,640 [14th of 61]
Crime > Total crimes (per capita) 79.5779 per 1,000 people

USA;

Variable Amount/description Rank
Crime > Assaults 2,238,480 [1st of 58]
Crime > Car thefts (per capita) 3.8795 per 1,000 people [9th of 55]
Crime > Murders 12,658 [6th of 63]
Crime > Murders (per capita) 0.042802 per 1,000 people [24th of 62]
Crime > Murders with firearms 8,259 [4th of 32]
Crime > Murders with firearms (per capita) 0.0279271 per 1,000 people [8th of 32]
Crime > Rapes 89,110 [1st of 66]
Crime > Rapes (per capita) 0.301318 per 1,000 people [9th of 65]
Crime > Total crimes 23,677,800 [1st of 61]
Crime > Total crimes (per capita) 80.0645 per 1,000 people [8th of 60]

from:
http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/cri_mur_percap-crime-murders-per-capita

I'm not sure how much world experience you have, but you need to open your mind a little bit.

AND YES. Legalizing it does seem to decrease the amount of people abusing it, at least for young people:

This is about Holland's drug policy from:
http://www.drugpolicy.org/marijuana/factsmyths/

"This policy has not resulted in dramatically escalating cannabis use. For most age groups, rates of marijuana use in the Netherlands are similar to those in the United States. However, for young adolescents, rates of marijuana use are lower in the Netherlands than in the United States."

I have no idea WHY you're so against a weed that people have been using medicinally for thousands of years, maybe you're religious and it's been hammered into you by your folks, but you need to loosen up. You should try smoking it sometime. It might help your debating skills, actually.

Thanks for sharing....+^d

Dope?? We're talking about cannabis NOT heroin, TROLL.

...an' another. +'d

True..but everybody likes seeking out the good stuff. I prefer to make the comparison between, say, a Duckhorn merlot vs. a bottle of Boone's Farm. There's a clear difference.

Total Crime (per capita) - This can be misleading less laws = less crime
#8 United States: 80.0645 per 1,000 people
#9 Netherlands: 79.5779 per 1,000 people
#13 Norway: 71.8639 per 1,000 people
#31 Russia: 20.5855 per 1,000 people

Murder (per capita)
#24 United States: 0.042802 per 1,000 people
#51 Netherlands: 0.0111538 per 1,000 people
#54 Norway: 0.0106684 per 1,000 people
#61 Saudi Arabia: 0.00397456 per 1,000 people

Robberies (per capita)
#11 United States: 1.38527 per 1,000 people
#16 Netherlands: 1.13549 per 1,000 people
#40 Norway: 0.387764 per 1,000 people
#60 Saudi Arabia: 0.0226361 per 1,000 people

Burglaries (per capita)
#17 United States: 7.09996 per 1,000 people
#20 Netherlands: 5.55531 per 1,000 people
#37 Norway: 1.15328 per 1,000 people
#54 Saudi Arabia: 0.000416383 per 1,000 people

United States - Legal in very restricted areas
Netherlands - Semi-Legal Government regulated
Norway - Not Legal**
Saudi Arabia - Execution is possible for cannabis smuggling

http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/cri_mur_percap-crime-murders-per-capita

Thats what happens when you copy paste stats on drugs!

But our current policy will only make them more powerful and more dangerous. They're not going to simply vanish if we legalized marijuana and decriminalized other drugs, but at least their illegal monopoly would eventually be broken.

But see, youre assuming that the US is their only market, sure it may be the biggest. But these guys are crafty, theyll expand their trade internationally. Which they already have, bet you never thought youd see the drug cartels in africa right?

Well, look at the Netherlands and Portugal. They've already decriminalized drugs, and I don't see the cartels getting all that violent in those nations. Prohibition and enforcement create the grounds for violence--and our drug policy, which has been in effect for almost two generations, has enabled these cartels to expand their operations into other illegal markets.

Mexican Drug Cartels Move in On Europe, Africa

Mexican cartels that have killed thousands in a drug war at home this year are increasingly smuggling drugs to Europe by way of Africa
. Under pressure from a government and army crackdown at home, the Mexican Drug Cartels are seeking new lucrative markets.

Recent high-profile arrests of Mexicans around the globe show how the Gulf cartel and its main rival, the “Sinaloa Outfit” run by Joaquin “Shorty” Guzman, are moving beyond their traditional market in the United States.

A 15-month international drug sweep called “Project Reckoning” captured 500 Gulf cartel collaborators in the United States, Mexico and Italy, where the The powerfull Mexican Drug Cartels have teamed with the notorious Italian ‘Ndrangheta crime syndicate.

http://www.mexico.vg/mexicos-drug-cartels/mexican-drug-cartels-move-in-on-europe...

Which only proves my point that our continued policy of prohibition will only allow these cartels to expand their operations into less hostile nations.

So your final solution is global decriminalization of all drugs?

Yes. Eliminate the criminal element from the equation and the violence will eventually decrease.

Tell that to Chicago Prohibition Era Gangsters, they loved a blackmarket too, i.e Valentine's Day Massacre.

When there is no judicial based solution for theft of inventory, and "territory, you wind up with violence in place of litigation.

Nice to see you support violence.

There will always be a black market for something.

Legalizing drugs will only push the drug cartels to expand their business into more dangerous grounds.

As if the grounds aren't already as dangerous as can be...It's time to rethink our drug policy. Marijuana is no more harmful than aspirin and cheaper to grow than corn, yet people are being killed by the score because of the outlandish profits that can be reaped due to its illegality. Legalize it, and that profit motive diminishes as well as more competition in the market can be introduced.

And that, my friend, is pretty damned simple.

Ok so the drug cartels can no longer fund their operations with drug money. Does that mean things like this will stop happening?

"Police reunited a teenage woman with her family Monday afternoon, nearly 19 hours after she was abducted, blindfolded and dumped in a Reynosa field.

The 18-year-old woman, whose name was not disclosed by police, was walking to a friend’s house about 6:30 p.m. Sunday.

A black van pulled up alongside her and three men hopped out, San Juan Police Chief Juan Gonzalez said. They snatched the girl, blindfolded her and took her to Reynosa.

The kidnappers began calling the woman’s family demanding ransom money.

“The kidnappers somehow missed it that she had a cell phone,” Gonzalez said. “We were able to keep communicating with her.”

The chief said police investigators, FBI agents and Hidalgo County sheriff’s deputies negotiated with the kidnappers. Once the abductors realized their victim’s family would not be able to pay a ransom, they dumped her in a random field.

She had her cell phone, but police still had no idea where she was.

Customs officers and U.S. Border Patrol agents were put on alert to look for the teen and a helicopter surveyed Mexico from this side of the border, but found nothing.

U.S. authorities did not contact their Mexican counterparts because they did not know whether they were corrupted or connected to the girl’s captors, Gonzalez said."

http://www.valleymorningstar.com/news/teen-79267-newstext-class.html

No things like this will only increase.

Legalizing marijuana for medical purposes is another issue. Legalizing marijuana to stop the cartels will not work.

They will find a way to fund their operations, wether its through increasing kidnappings inventing new type drugs, or extorting migrant workers.

It comes down to money. The marijuana market is a lot more lucrative than the kidnapping market, if I'm not mistaken, and more police resources could be devoted to preventing things like kidnapping, if marijuana were legal, instead of locking up people who have committed no crime other than drug use.

And when you take away their main source of money (which is from cocaine btw) you really think theyre just going to lay down their weapons and never commit crimes again?

They already have a strong foothold in the market. Perhaps they would just devote their resources to establishing a legitimate enterprise. It sure worked for alcohol smugglers during the prohibition era. The truth is that the status quo is empowering these cartels more than if drugs like cocaine were decriminalized and marijuana were legal.

Wow that was hateful, he's got a very valid point look at his reply...

I'm all for legalization myself but I don't live in "fairy land", where everything is lollipop bridges and marshmallow clouds.

And to suggest that someone who is just pointing out the TRUTH supports violence, just shows your willingness to be hateful

To stop the violence, you must erase the hate....

What could be more dangerous than the murder of over 28,000 people in just a few years?

Right because hey killing and murder, that is not dangerous enough- GMAFB. We have fought the drug was for over 30 years now and the problem has only escalated.

It is obvious that central planning warfare is a failure, let alone utterly unConstitutional. At least during prohibition there was enough respect for the Constitution that it required the 18th Amendment.

Fortunately, the states are waking up and realizing what a corrupt joke the Federal Response is to the Drug War.

Hear, hear for Nullification of Unconstitutional Federal Over reaches; the rEVOLution continues!

Why not?

Current models show that legalization is not correlated with an increase in use, in fact it tends to quite the opposite. Why should prescription drugs or alcohol be legal? It all comes down to money.

If I can buy soda with aspartame in it legally, I should be allowed to poison myself with anything I want, at my own discretion. The drug war is NOT A WAR THAT CAN BE WON. There's no use in fighting it, we need symbiosis. It's a waste of time and money and it begins to encroach on our civil liberties by saying we can't grow a plant that provides medicine. The bigger picture in letting them stay illegal is that we essentially become slaves to big pharma. If we want to move forward we need personal responsibility in this country. I'm not sure about the FINAL answer to it all, but I know that criminalization doesn't, and can't work... and in the process of NOT working, it funnels billions of dollars into the pockets of companies like Pfizer and Bayer*, who actually ARE poisoning us.

(*Bayer being the company that distributed HIV tainted drugs, then when they got caught, they MOVED them into the European markets, rather than taking them off the shelf.)

Yes we should all believe what ever we hear on the radio!

The man has a good track record with respect to marijuana legalization. Do a little homework and prove me wrong about his positions. They've been consistent for almost two decades. Otherwise, keep your personal grudges to yourself.