Answer? Margeret Wente.
More than half of all Canadians think we should. “Legalize, then tax the hell out of it,” says Senator Larry Campbell.
Sounds swell — until you think about it. Then the problems start. Here’s one. What about the kids? Do we really want a lot more 15-year-olds getting stoned? Okay, we could prohibit pot for minors. Can you explain why that would work any better than it does with booze and cigarettes?
Well, that might be because alcohol and cigarettes are LEGAL!! And they are TAXED!!! And their sale to minors is monitored very CLOSELY!! She is not done yet. Here’s more :
That’s just one of the vexed questions raised by UCLA professor Mark Kleiman, one of the more thoughtful experts on drug policy today. Basically, he’s a liberal. “Criminal punishment of marijuana use does not appear to be justified,” he maintains. But legalization has big problems too. “Full commercial legalization of cannabis, on the model now applied to alcohol, would vastly increase the cannabis-abuse problem by giving the marketing geniuses who have done such a fine job persuading children to smoke tobacco, drink to excess and super-size themselves another vice to foster,” he argues.
Okay, so the government could regulate it. And how would that work? Would we have CCBOs or B.C. Cannabis Stores? Would they hand out a glossy magazine with alluring product shots? Would unionized clerks dispense advice on the best bong for your buck? Or maybe they’d run it like the lottery, and hire really good ad agencies to produce compulsive gamblers.
OK, she makes it very clear that this professor is a “liberal” so his views are obviously to be paid attention to……of course what he then goes on to say is complete BS. “Commercialisation of Pot”!??! What the hell does that mean? There is no commercialisation right now and the pot use is pretty high among teenagers. And how exactly is pot commercialised in Holland and Switzerland? Do they have huge billboard everywhere proclaiming everyone should use pot? No. Pot there is used discreetly and within the law.
Wente is obviously a really dumb woman who has no time for facts as she vomits out her brains on paper. Legalising pot will bring growth, distribution, sale and profits under the control of the government. And the sale to young people will be controlled through government channels just like alcohol and cigarettes are. Margeret, please limit your dope intake to one a day. Please, for our children’s sake if not for yours.
Oh Dear God!!!
Wingnuts of the world will find any stupid shitty little molehill and make a mountain out of it. Here is a prime example :
Disregard the fact that she unequivocally endorsed Obama. No. According to the wingnuts, her mouth said one thing and her body said entirely another thing.