Bill would legalize medical marijuana |
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February 21, 2013
UPDATE BELOWWe usually agree with Brant Clifton who writes the Daily Haymaker. In fact we publish him here often. But we think he missed this one. First, what he says:
OK. We're billions in debt. HHS is in shambles literally and fiscally. ObamaCare is breathing down our neck from DC, as is an effort to wipe out our Second Amendment rights. DC has raised taxes on us and put us, as a nation, deeper in debt. We've still got record unemployment from Murphy to Manteo. And what are the big stories coming out of the North Carolina General Assembly? Banning the public exposure of female breasts and legalizing marijuana. Seriously?Click here to go to the original source.
State Rep. — and fracking expert — Pricey Harrison (D-Greensboro) has introduced legislation to legalize marijuana in North Carolina for medicinal purposes. What floors me is that House Speaker — and senator in waiting — Thom Tillis "won't rule out a well-crafted bill."
Tillis, Harrison and her co-sponsor on the legislation Rep. Kelly Alexander talk about the need for the state to restrict access so that the marijuana gets only to people who truly need it for medicinal purposes. I expect that to work as well as the state's efforts to keep alcohol away from those under 21 and cigarettes away from those under 18.
( I am anticipating a lot of commentary from my libertarian friends who are diehard pro-legalization of pot. I am with the libertarians about 97.5 percent of the time. Drug legalization is one of those areas where I can't stand with them. I've had some people very close to me struggle with drug problems. I've seen — up close — the damage drugs do to users, their loved ones, and their communities. I think our national strategy for dealing with illegal drugs is wrong and needs to be re-thought. But I don't believe legalization is the answer. I'm not ready to jump on that bandwagon.)
We must side with Brant's libertarian friends. The time has come to de-criminalize not only marijuana but most other illegal drugs as well. We distinguish between "legalize" and "de-criminalize." By de-criminalize we mean eliminate the laws which make it a crime, much as we have done alcohol. And yes, we would make it available with prescription as the proposed bill would do.
We understand the point about the horrible things drug abuse does but the simple fact is that a person with terminal cancer, or even arthritis deserves relief if marijuana will give it to them.
But the real point in this debate can be simply stated: The War on Drugs has been a colossal failure, except for those who make a living on it. And many of those who make a living on it wear a badge or black robes. And the fact that you can't buy a decongestant at Wal-Mart without jumping through the hoops that are designed to keep the stuff from being abused is absurd, given the obvious fact that it does not prevent the abuse. Likewise, we would suggest that illegal drugs simply create a tremendous black market that is the root of much of the crime in this country.
Beaufort County is talking about spending millions of dollars for a new jail. We doubt that would be needed if we de-criminalized substances that are now illegal.
But how would the Sheriff get all his kool cars and other toys if we did that?
The best example we have seen of the Humpty Dumpty drug laws and system is the Siege on 12th Street case that we have chronicled here. A man who had been injured on the job was put on pain killers and sleeping pills by his doctor to help him deal with chronic pain. He found himself two years ago in a bad state from a combination of drugs and alcohol and called the Washington Police Department and told them (on a recording you can listen to in our articles) that he needed help. So what did The System do to help him? They sent dozens of cop cars, along with a SWAT team in monkey suits and snipers to disarm him and take him—one sick, and hurting man--down. That caused him to react in fear of his life. When his uncle and a local city councilman trumped the steroidal cops and talked the man into coming out, by assuring him he would be given help, the cops arrested him and he has been through a legal nightmare since then. But not one cop or judicial official has yet responded to his cry for help. Only his family did what was needed to help him and they got little or no help from The System.
Anybody who has a "drug problem" should be given help, not treated like a criminal. It is just that simple.
There are two reasons: First, the current criminal system does not fix the problem. It does not even diminish the problem. And secondly, the law enforcement system does not help the people who need help. It's the old Einstein thingy all over again: We keep doing the same thing over and over again and expect different results.
No, the truth is we don't expect different results. We keep doing it because there is a lucrative industry that lives off the drug business. If our law enforcement people and court people were not tied up playing "gotcha" with petty street punks maybe they could make a dent in the real criminals. The ones who wear ties and coats, some of whom we call politicians.
What we've got is like a guy whose car won't start so he takes a hammer to it. When it still won't start he just gets a bigger hammer and beats it more.
We don't have the answers nor solutions. But we know what we're doing now is not the answer and does not provide a solution. We just believe that the money that is now spent chasing punks, and building bigger jails, would be better spent trying to provide and develop effective treatment for people who have problems which cause them to use drugs. We don't think SWAT teams, badges and robes are getting the job done. So maybe we just ought to try something else.
UPDATE: The bill has already been killed. Click here to read more.
- Prohibition is a war on all of us!February 21, 2013 | 03:48 AM
Prohibition has finally run its course: Our prisons are full, our economy is in ruins, the lives and livelihoods of tens of millions of Americans have been destroyed or severely disrupted. What was once a shining beacon of liberty and prosperity has become a toxic, repressive, smoldering heap of hypocrisy and a gross affront to fundamental human decency.
If you sincerely believe that prohibition is a dangerous and counter-productive policy then you can stop helping to enforce it. You are entitledâ€"required evenâ€"to act according to your conscience.
* It only takes one juror to prevent a guilty verdict.
* You are not lawfully required to disclose your voting intention before taking your seat on a jury.
* You are also not required to give a reason to the other jurors on your position when voting. Simply state that you find the accused not guilty.
* Jurors must understand that it is their opinion, their vote. If the Judge and the other jurors disapprove, too bad. There is no punishment for having a dissenting opinion.
We must create what we can no longer afford to wait for and end the most destructive, dysfunctional, dishonest and racist social policy since Slavery.
If you wish to replace prohibition with a more sensible system of regulation, PLEASE VOTE TO ACQUIT!
Malcolm Kyle
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