Top Ten Reasons To Legalize Pot Now

[Left Coast2020]

No, this is not one of Lettermans Top Ten lists, but probably just as good.

http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/16798-top-ten-reasons-to-legalize-marijuana-now

The drug war is a blatantly dishonest, extremely expensive, highly destructive, grossly unjust, abject failure of our government.

Despite 40 years and $1 trillion-plus of taxpayer money spent trying to stop - not robbery, not rape, not murder, not even shoplifting - but mostly trying to stop adults from using marijuana; despite draconian punishments; despite jailing millions of nonviolent Americans; despite thousands of prohibition-related murders each year, illegal drugs are cheaper, purer and more readily available than ever.

[Recursion]

1. Getting out of international treaties is rarely that easy

Not that anybody would actually sanction us (well, Bolivia might just for the hell of it), but people in government are hesitant to do it.

[Warren DeMontague]

3. Well, that's convenient. And they can tell their people they can't do it for the same reason.

There's not a single spot on the planet where Pot Prohibition makes sense. In every country that isn't some kind of full-blown totalitarian nightmare, where government throwing people in prison for what they choose to do with their own bodies is commonplace-- these exact same debates are taking place.

Once the prohibition dam begins to break, it will start to crumble all over.

[bluedigger]

4. And yet we do it.

The international court treaty and the ABM treaty come to mind off hand.

[Warpy]

5. A country that tossed the Geneva Conventions aside so cavalierly

10 years ago is afraid to cast aside the drug war treaties?

Bullshit.

The banks are making money hand over fist on this stuff and they don't want the gravy train derailed by sensible legislation.

As for the rest of the world, I think most of them would be delighted to lose support for in country paramilitary forces using drugs as the excuse to oppress peasants.

[nebenaube]

6. ahem...

I am a descendant of the Eastern Band of Cherokee and I am here to tell you that the United States Of America has never honored a single treaty that it signed.

[pipoman]

2. "It's what Jesus would do" must be 11?..

[indepat]

7. The reasons the drug war will continue and hence, pot won't be legalized now,

include it is: blatantly dishonest; extremely expensive; highly destructive; grossly unjust; and an abject failure.

[B Calm]

8. With all the Baby Boomers retiring

and no longer subjected to employee drug testing, I look for an even bigger push in the coming years to legalize pot.