Liberals teaming up with the Tea Party to end marijuana prohibition - Polidicks

[QUOTE=The Huffington Post]A transpartisan coalition of prosecutors, judges, cops, students, bloggers and political operatives on both sides of the aisle launched a campaign Tuesday to bring an end to marijuana prohibition, focusing on ballot initiatives in 2010 and 2012. The campaign, "Just Say Now," gets its name from Nancy Reagan's iconic anti-drug slogan from the 1980s that has become synonymous with the government's black-and-white approach to drug policy. "The stars are aligning in a very interesting way with Tea Party activists, who are generally libertarian," said Aaron Houston, head of Students for Sensible Drug Policy, on a conference call Tuesday afternoon announcing the formation of the coalition. "On the right and left it's a very popular issue." The campaign will be backing marijuana initiatives in 2010 in Arizona, Oregon, California, Colorado and South Dakota. The group will back initiatives in Nevada and elsewhere in 2012. Support for marijuana legalization has steadily increased over the past decade. As Mexico has descended into chaos fueled by the drug trade - a business overwhelmingly dominated by marijuana trafficking, despite the common perception that cocaine and heroin drive the war - public opinion has turned further sour against the drug war. With deficit concerns in the headlines and a stagnant economy refusing to create jobs, one time opponents of legalization are eyeing marijuana's tax revenue and job-creation prospects - conditions that helped repeal alcohol prohibition during the Great Depression. Marijuana has been part of the national consciousness since the mid-1960s, the first drug other than alcohol to be so thoroughly a part of American culture. Cocaine and heroin rose at the end of the 19th Century but largely went deep underground until the 1970s; use of those harder drugs, meanwhile, has always been confined to smaller portions of the population. Marijuana, meanwhile, has been smoked by scores of millions of Americans, including the last three presidents. Medical marijuana is legal in 14 states and the District of Columbia. The organization Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, made up of cops and prosecutors who've seen the dark side of the war on drugs, will give cover to politicians who come out in support of legalization. Its current president is Neill Franklin, a 33-year police veteran and ran anti-narcotics units with the Maryland State Police. One LEAP leader, Norm Stamper, former chief of police in Seattle, Washington, the predecessor of current Drug Czar Gil Kerlikowske. "Most police office candidates have used marijuana," said Stamper, noting the hypocrisy of the law. He said that law enforcement officials are becoming less frightened of speaking out publicly against the war on drugs. Bruce Fein, a member of the coalition, was Ronald Reagan's associate deputy attorney general and is a prominent civil libertarian. "This is a fundamental issue of states' rights," said Fein.[/QUOTE] [url]http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/03/just-say-now-left-right-c_n_669043.html[/url] Doesn't this make you feel warm inside?

Fucking finally. Might as well legalize most other drugs. It's not worth the violence in our waters and along the border. My fellow citizens are free to fuck up their own lives so long as they don't fuck with mine. Though, that statement doesn't apply particularly to marijuana, which can't be attributed as harmful...

I feel like giving people the freedom to shoot up heroin won't end well.

[QUOTE=nERVEcenter;23805806]Fucking finally. Might as well legalize most other drugs[/QUOTE] That's a terrible idea; pot may not be harmful, but other drugs are extremely harmful and addictive. Hence why they're illegal.

Didn't California legalize it? Well, thats the first step on the way to national legalization.

[QUOTE=Uberman77883;23805885]Didn't California legalize it? Well, thats the first step on the way to national legalization.[/QUOTE] Not yet, but they are going to this coming election I believe. [editline]03:07PM[/editline] It's favored to win.

Liberals and the teabaggers, on the same side?? Cats and dogs are being pulled out of the rain gutters, airtraffic control is being watchful of airborne swine, Satan is skating his way to work. I'll say I didn't see this one coming...

[QUOTE=EliteGuy;23805895]Not yet, but they are going to this coming election I believe. [editline]03:07PM[/editline] It's favored to win.[/QUOTE] Prop 19 in November.

[QUOTE=Uberman77883;23805885]Didn't California legalize it? Well, thats the first step on the way to national legalization.[/QUOTE] Only for medical purposes, but they're voting to make it fully legal this November: [url]http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/California_Proposition_19,_the_Marijuana_Legalization_Initiative_(2010)[/url]

[QUOTE=EliteGuy;23805872]That's a terrible idea; pot may not be harmful, but other drugs are extremely harmful and addictive. Hence why they're illegal.[/QUOTE] you don't outlaw something because it's bad for you. you make it legal for that reason because then you can regulate and control it and take away an unhealthy but profitable underground black market.

[QUOTE=Uberman77883;23805885]Didn't California legalize it? Well, thats the first step on the way to national legalization.[/QUOTE] They're trying to. Hasn't gone through yet though. Also this is awesome, people putting away political alignment and fighting towards a common goal together.

Holy shit, this was completely unexpected. Of course, it still may not change how other people feel about the Tea Party, but this would be a good PR leap.

[QUOTE=J-Dude;23805902]Liberals and the teabaggers, on the same side?? Cats and dogs are being pulled out of the rain gutters, airtraffic control is being watchful of airborne swine, Satan is skating his way to work. I'll say I didn't see this one coming...[/QUOTE] If you knew that most Tea Party members are libertarian, you'd have seen it coming a mile away. Conservatives tend to be Christian and support liberty and small government right up until it touches toes with religion or stupid shit like marijuana.

Epic news, hopefully it will inspire some action over here in the UK too. [editline]08:11PM[/editline] [quote=sgtcr4zyalt;23805945]you don't outlaw something because it's bad for you. You make it legal for that reason because then you can regulate and control it and take away an unhealthy but profitable underground black market.[/quote] qft

Well I guess this dispells my fear of teabaggers being fundie lunatics.

Hopefully this will lead to cooperation in other issues as well.

[QUOTE=EliteGuy;23805872]That's a terrible idea; pot may not be harmful, but other drugs are extremely harmful and addictive. Hence why they're illegal.[/QUOTE] Cigarettes hm

[QUOTE=Badunkadunk;23805858]I feel like giving people the freedom to shoot up heroin won't end well.[/QUOTE] They did that in Portugal. It caused drug usage to drop 10%, so it can't be all that bad.

[QUOTE=Tetracycline;23806114]Cigarettes hm[/QUOTE] Don't forget alcohol! We all know thats responsible for plenty of fucked up things including the onslaught or worsening of mental conditions.

[QUOTE=Badunkadunk;23805858]I feel like giving people the freedom to shoot up heroin won't end well.[/QUOTE] giving people the freedom to get blind stinkin' drunk usually never ends well either, but that remains every american's right, provided they don't harm anyone else, and that's the way it should be for any substance in a country that calls itself free.

[QUOTE=JustExtreme;23805961]Epic news, hopefully it will inspire some action over here in the UK too. [/QUOTE] What, with the Tories (let's face it, the Lib Dems don't have any power really) in power? Don't hold your breath

[QUOTE=SgtCr4zyAlt;23806421]giving people the freedom to get blind stinkin' drunk usually never ends well either, but that remains every american's right, provided they don't harm anyone else, and that's the way it should be for any substance in a country that calls itself free.[/QUOTE] I agree. Alcohol and tobacco can be just as dangerous as "hard" drugs but we don't ban them, only attempt to regulate them. If we legalized these drugs, I doubt too many people would be tempted to try them just because they're now legal. Regardless of the law, if someone's hell bent on using a drug, they're going to do it anyway.

[QUOTE=SgtCr4zyAlt;23806421]giving people the freedom to get blind stinkin' drunk usually never ends well either, but that remains every american's right, provided they don't harm anyone else, and that's the way it should be for any substance in a country that calls itself free.[/QUOTE] It's not exactly your choice whether or not you hurt someone when you're on a heroin or cocaine trip... [QUOTE=meatballfish;23806629]Alcohol and Tobacco kill plenty of people every day, what's wrong with legalizing Shrooms, Cocaine, Heroin, Acid? It's already easy enough to get them.[/QUOTE] Woah woah woah, cocaine and heroin should not be classed with shrooms and acid. The physical harm and dependency that heroin and cocaine cause are miles above the physical harm and dependency caused by shrooms and acid.

[QUOTE=EliteGuy;23805872]That's a terrible idea; pot may not be harmful, but other drugs are extremely harmful and addictive. Hence why they're illegal.[/QUOTE] Alcohol and Tobacco kill plenty of people every day, what's wrong with legalizing Shrooms, Cocaine, Heroin, Acid? It's already easy enough to get them.

[QUOTE=The Spocker;23806578]It's not exactly your choice whether or not you hurt someone when you're on a heroin or cocaine trip...[/QUOTE] nor when you get drunk, what's your point? you act as if drugs take control of you and make you do bad things (ps they don't)

[QUOTE=J-Dude;23805902]Liberals and the teabaggers, on the same side?? Cats and dogs are being pulled out of the rain gutters, airtraffic control is being watchful of airborne swine, Satan is skating his way to work. I'll say I didn't see this one coming...[/QUOTE] :foxnews:[b]LIBERALS GENETICALLY ENGINEER FLYING PIGS, DROP CATS AND DOGS OUT OF AIRPLANES IN ACTS OF UNSPEAKABLE LEFTIST CRUELTY, SATAN DISCOVERED, LIBERALS BEFRIEND HIM AND GO SKATING[/b]:foxnews:

[QUOTE=SgtCr4zyAlt;23806695]nor when you get drunk, what's your point? you act as if drugs take control of you and make you do bad things (ps they don't)[/QUOTE] They make it harder for you to control yourself, but they definitely don't possess you to go rape and pillage the nearest village

[QUOTE=nERVEcenter;23805958]If you knew that most Tea Party members are libertarian, you'd have seen it coming a mile away.[/QUOTE] They WERE, but it was hijacked by neo-cons who far outnumber the original members.

[QUOTE=EliteGuy;23805872]That's a terrible idea; pot may not be harmful, but other drugs are extremely harmful and addictive. Hence why they're illegal.[/QUOTE] and? that's a person's choice if they want to do that. either legalize and let the government regulate/tax them or continue letting the drug cartels control them. the better option should be obvious.

This will end well...