Dodd Would Decriminalize Pot

[Alexander]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2007/09/12/dodd-would-decriminalize-_n_64198.html

"We're cluttering up our prisons, frankly, when we draw distinctions" between booze and pot, Dodd said. "So I would decriminalize, or certainly advocate as president, the decriminalization of statutes that would incarcerate or severely penalize people for using marijuana."

Also harshing Dodd's mellow: racially-biased laws that penalize crack cocaine users more severely than powder cocaine snorters.

But keep the towel shoved under your dorm door -- Dodd doesn't want full pot legalization. "I want to be careful, and I know there are a lot of people across the political spectrum who would just totally legalize it," he said. "I don't go that far."

[BridgeTheGap]

1. Good.

It's been needed for awhile now.

[Taverner]

2. OK - that's it he's got my vote

[Radical Activist]

3. He'll get a rise in the polls

but will they show up on election day?

[rucky]

7. Just put the polling place in the Circle K snack aisle.

At about 4:35, there should be a line out the door.

[superkia]

79. Kucinich has been for this and it hasnt helped him any?

I don't think anything but media coverage will dramatically help any candidate in these polls. I am voting for my candidate in the primaries but I think the media and the system have already picked our candidate.

[SammyWinstonJack]

4. Why not go that far?

:shrug: I don't get that. :shrug:

[junkiebrewster]

8. Maybe

UN Treaty obligations? Or, he's just being careful not to alienate the "tough on crime" crowd.

:shrug:

[redqueen]

9. Many (most?) Americans still have a very Puritan mindset

when it comes to intoxicants.

e.g. the narcophobia among doctors when treating pain. It's frickin tragic. Pain is a stressor.

[Ghost in the Machine]

13. Total legalization would allow children access to it without restriction.

Decriminalization would work better if they controlled the industry through laws like we have with alcohol & tobacco.

[Alexander]

15. You mean kids can drink and smoke without restriction?

I think by "legalization" he meant "for everyone 18 and over".

Most people mean that when they speak of legalization.

[Ghost in the Machine]

28. Where did I say kids could drink or smoke without restriction?

Think more in terms of "over the counter" drugs. Yes, my 14 year old can go in the grocery store and pick up a bottle of NyQuil or a bottle of aspirin. He could even buy either of them from a vending machine in the hallway of the hotel where my restaurant is.

Yes, TOTAL legalization means "without restrictions" in my book. I could be wrong. Decriminalized means it's legal, but still has restrictions. Try drinking a half a bottle of NyQuil and driving. Hell, try taking prescription pain pills and driving... you can STILL be arrested for DUI.

Prohibition criminalized alcohol. Reversing prohibition decriminalized it.

[Romulox]

43. No, that's not what either "decriminalization" or "legalization" mean.

Many things that are "legal" (for a doctor to prescribe opium-based pain killers, or, for a more familiar example, the sale of alcoholic beverages, e.g.) are legal but highly regulated.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

16. I disagree. The current criminalization gives kids more access to it.

Ask any high schooler which is harder to get, pot or alcohol? The answer will surprise you. In order to tax and regulate it, you'd have to legalize it for people over age 21.

[Ghost in the Machine]

29. Sorry, I live in the land of moonshine & bootleggers..... a "dry" county

yet kids can get liquor and/or moonshine very easily around here. You just have to know the right person.

I'd rather see my kids smoke a joint than drink any day.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

50. Isn't it funny how that's the case in a 'dry' county?

And oh yeah, alcohol is way worse than pot.

[Romulox]

41. Right. Like firearms. And alcohol.

Umm, what? :wtf:

[Ghost in the Machine]

48. I guess you have problems making connections with things.

Try thinking outside the box for once.

Totally legal = no restrictions...

Guns aren't totally legal. There are restrictions on their use, possession and ownership, as well as on what types are "legal".

The same goes for alcohol.

Sorry, but due to several posters recently saying "words have meanings", I try to look deeper into the meaning.

[Romulox]

57. I don't mean to be a jerk, but your definitions have no basis in the law. nt

[Ghost in the Machine]

64. Please define "total" and/or "totally"...

Thanks

[Romulox]

65. How about you cite any statute or common law doctrine that uses the phrase "totally legal"

"Totally legal" is simply not a concept found in American law.

[Ghost in the Machine]

66. Save your straw man and define "total". n/t

[Romulox]

70. LOL. I suggest you keep construing the law based on gut feeling and intuition!

I mean, how could you go wrong? :rofl:

[Ghost in the Machine]

71. In other words, you're incapable of defining "total". I suggest YOU read the OP

"But keep the towel shoved under your dorm door -- Dodd doesn't want full pot legalization. "I want to be careful, and I know there are a lot of people across the political spectrum who would just totally legalize it," he said. "I don't go that far."


Now tell me what "TOTAL legalization" as opposed to "decriminalization" with regulations and restrictions means.

Are you educated enough to answer a simple question or not??

[in_cog_ni_to]

46. Kids already have access to it without restrictions. The Gov. just doesn't realize that.

:)

[Ghost in the Machine]

49. You're right... but with legalization there would be less access as there

would be less and less people selling it on the streets, although just like alcohol and cigarettes, there'd be adults everywhere willing to buy it for minors.

[IronLionZion]

51. It's easier for kids to get drugs than alcohol

because the dealers are pushing it to kids. It's significantly harder to get it through stores.

[dysfunctional press]

63. or cigarettes. people don't stand on street corners peddling cigs and alcohol.

nt.

[Virginia Dare]

5. Duuuuude....n/t

[Zodiak]

6. He moved up a rung or two for me last week with the FISA bill

Now its like he's trying to muscle into my sweet spot...where Gore and Kucinich are.

[Ghost in the Machine]

10. That's enough to get my vote. I don't agree with TOTAL legalization either though

I think it should be controlled like the Alcohol & Tobacco industries. Legalize it, regulate it, tax it. It's *that* simple...

[SeattleGirl]

12. Agreed.

Where tobacco isn't allowed, neither should pot be allowed.

I know pot is not toxic like tobacco smoke is, but some of us, while agreeing that it should be legalized, can't stand the smell of pot.

[tridim]

17. Then you've never smelled high quality pot.

And you certainly haven't smelled mature pot as it's growing. Think of the best fruity smell you've ever experienced and multiply it by 100, that's what it smells like.

[SeattleGirl]

18. Actually, I have smelled it, and I don't like it.

Can't stand the smell, period.

[tridim]

21. Damn your freaky nose!

It really does smell dreamy, you've probably only smelled low/mid-grade Mexican crap. The high-end that would come with legalization is the good smelling stuff. It smells like sweet fruit.

[SeattleGirl]

22. Sorry, dude.

That's just the way I am.

:hi:

[Pacifist Patriot]

55. Same here. Then again, there are tons of supposedly...

high quality perfumes and colognes that leave me ready to heave. To each his own.

[halobeam]

59. There are some really decent people who've spent

way too much of their time in jail for this. Jail has really crushed their spirit and that's way more damage than pot can ever do, imo. It's about time someone says something about this.

[SeattleGirl]

69. I absolutely agree, halobeam.

Regardless of my personal dislike of the smell of it, putting people into fucking PRISON for possession is so beyond the pale! It's no wonder our jails and prisons are overcrowded.

[Pacifist Patriot]

73. Once again...same here.

[halobeam]

58. yeah, back in the mid 70's a girl in school had govt pot

for her serious eye condition. She lit up in the girls room and WOW did that smell good!

[Lochloosa]

84. Not many people know the Feds grow pot in MS.

Randall receives his provisions under NIDA's Marijuana Project, a little-known federal program established in the 1960s to grow marijuana for research purposes. After learning about the government's hidden stash in 1975, Randall sued for access and became its first recipient. Soon after, he received his first shipment, paving the way for 13 others. Although the program has been closed to new applicants since 1992, it is still providing a ready supply of U.S.-approved reefer for its eight surviving patients.



http://www.druglibrary.org/olsen/medical/george.html

[burythehatchet]

30. It is the greatest aroma in the world, bar none. n/t

[KittyWampus]

11. oddly enough, some freeper-type women on a scrapbook forum I use agree about legalizing

pot.

That was a shocker.

[nomorenomore08]

23. Actually, I've seen quite a few Freepers...

...argue for legalizing drugs, or at least pot. Libertarians may get hated on both here and on FR, but at least they have the right idea on this issue.

[Bjorn Against]

61. Actually there are a fair number of right-wingers who do support legalization...

I know because I used to be one. Now I dropped all the right-wing crap and moved quite far to the left, but I am still 100% for legalization. If you look at major politicians who have came out in favor of legalization (sadly there aren't many) you will see that it is not all Democrats. Ron Paul supports legalization, and the former Republican Governor of New Mexico was one of the most prominent voices for legalization in the late 90's. This has never been a partisan issue, but sadly there are far more politicians in both parties who would rather throw people in prison than there are politicians who want a sane drug policy.

[tridim]

14. I'm still waiting for a politician to say I can grow it on my own property.

For my personal use only, of course.

But this is certainly a good start.

[Hubert Flottz]

19. Dodd Dang it I'll vote for that!

[xultar]

20. Nice. Dodd and Biden are really winnin me over! GO DODD!

[Romulox]

67. Joe Biden is an old school drug warrior who definitely DOES NOT support decriminalization! nt

[xultar]

83. I like them both for different reasons. I don't smoke pot so it isn't my number one issue. I

respect Dodd for his stance on the decriminalization of pot though.

[rodeodance]

24. it would be a good start and you can bet the REPUGS will diss him-----

[Virginia Dare]

32. Bring on the swift joint!....n/t

[xiamiam]

62. thats funny..nt

[bigwillq]

25. It's a start.

Thank you Dodd.

[Peace Patriot]

26. Dodd is full of hot air. I don't believe a word he says. He is the person MOST responsible

for the godawful mess we are in, and were unable to get ourselves out of, by a fair and transparent vote of the people in 2004, and have been unable to get ourselves out of, even with congressional elections. Christopher Dodd was the chief 'Democratic' architect of the so-called "Help America Vote Act", which provided a $3.9 electronic voting boondoggle to spread highly insecure and riggable voting machines all over the country, run on 'TRADE SECRET,' PROPRIETARY programming code, owned and controlled by rightwing Bushite corporations, with virtually no audit/recount controls.

That WAS the fascist coup, accomplished by Bilderberg Group attendee Dodd and the biggest crooks in the Anthrax Congress--Tom Delay and Bob Ney.

It was unforgivable.

And his pandering to leftists now makes me sick. I haven't seen anything this cynical since LBJ advertised himself as the peace candidate in 1964. Dodd is trying to position himself to make it look feasible when he gets Diebolded ahead of the others in some of the early primaries (Diebold & gang owe him one), probably to get picked as Queen Hillary's VP. He can say anything he wants. It means nothing. It is bullshit. The man is a fascist and a real dangerous character. I have no love for Hillary, but at least you can see who she is. Not so Dodd. Beware!

[rockymountaindem]

31. Wow

Dodd a fascist? I find that extremely hard to believe. HAVA was definitely a bad call but I think he's not bad otherwise. At least he's willing to stand up and take an unpopular position on this marijuana thing. Maybe that's indicative of an independent mindset.

[tridim]

35. Actually his position on the "marijuana thing" is the popular position.

That's what baffles me so much about politicians who are hesitant to even talk about it. Most people don't want MJ users locked up with rapists and murderers.

[rockymountaindem]

37. Hmm... maybe it's a regional difference

I can guarantee you that in my town probably nobody would be for marijuana decriminalization, whereas in Denver they passed a referendum decriminalizing possession of 1oz or less. Of course, that's superseded by federal law.

[tridim]

38. I'm in Denver.

;)

I take it you're in Fundy-land, 100 miles south?

[rockymountaindem]

40. More like 60, but yeah

Small world :)

[tridim]

42. 100, 60, I obviously don't make that trip very often.

Last time I did was to pick up my friend at the airport (he was diverted from DIA), I-25 was a sheet of black ice the whole way.

[Peace Patriot]

54. Electronic voting, run on 'TRADE SECRET,' PROPRIETARY programming code, owned

and controlled by rightwing Bushite corporations, with virtually no audit/recount controls, is a "bad call"??!

Sorry, I don't agree. He knew quite well what he was doing--destroying our election system--and who he was doing it for--the global corporate predators who run him.

SOME of those Anthrax Congress members can MAYBE plead ignorance (--if you can believe that they don't care how votes are counted--or not counted--and by whom). Not Dodd.

[rockymountaindem]

56. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof

And I don't know how you can prove that Dodd intentionally tried to wreck the voting system. I heard he supported it because he thinks it would make it easier for people with disabilities to vote.

[KittyWampus]

68. HAVA specifically MANDATES auditable machines. You are so out of line it's scary.

[JerseygirlCT]

78. Exactly nt

[devilgrrl]

27. But but but how will the private prison racket survive????

:scared::scared::scared::scared::scared::scared::scared:

[Virginia Dare]

34. Not to mention the folks at Anheiser-Busch will be none too happy!..n/t

[allisonthegreat]

33. I bet he will get a increase in the polls n/t

[iamthebandfanman]

36. ope, look like i just changed my primary vote! lol! n/t

[MADem]

39. His poll numbers LEAP to competitive double digits...but supporters forget to VOTE! nt

[iamthebandfanman]

44. lol!

hey now! i smoke pot pretty much EVERY day and i havent missed a primary or general election since ive been 18!

i love to defy statistics ;)

[in_cog_ni_to]

45. It sounds like you would still have to sneak around and maybe pay fines? If caught with it?

What good is it if you still have to sneak smoking it and buying it? It sounds like people would still be fined? So basically, it will still be illegal. LEGALIZE IT, CHRIS AND YOU'VE GOT MY SUPPORT AND VOTE.

[Alexander]

52. While I wish it was legal and regulated, this is a good step...

and puts Chris on the level with Dennis Kucinich on supporting decriminalization.

I'm not a supporter of Chris but his hold on the FISA bill and this article I found are making me take a second glance at him.

I think the only Democrat who supports full legalization is Mike Gravel, and he's now out of the debates, sadly.

[TimBean]

47. sounds like he's pandering

without taking a real stand on this stupid pointless war on drugs.

How about someone who will take a stand? Is that too much to ask for?

[spanone]

53. wow, i'm just so glad to hear this even being mentioned....

[ProSense]

60. This makes sense:

We have never had a legitimate War on Drugs in the United States, ever, and we won't until we have treatment on demand for addiction and until you have full drug education in our schools. The mandatory-minimum-sentencing structure of our country is funneling people into jail who have no business being there. I've met plenty of people in my lifetime who've used marijuana and who I would not qualify as serious addicts -- who use about the same amount as some people drink beer or wine or have a cocktail. I don't get too excited by any of that...What we did in the prosecutor's office was have a sort of unspoken approach to marijuana that was almost effectively decriminalization. We just didn't bother with small-time use. It doesn't rise to the level of nuisance, even. And what we were after was people dealing with heroin and destroying lives, and people who were killing people. That's where you need to focus.

link

[MLFerrell]

72. How about legalizing and taxing marijuana?

That seems like the most sensible policy to me.

[mikelgb]

74. yay

so would Dennis

[polichick]

75. "when we draw distinctions between booze and pot"

Yep, that's the point imo ~ how hypocritical to preach "just say no" to drugs while saying yes to alcohol! I'd like pot legalized; too bad Dodd wouldn't go that far.

[JerseygirlCT]

76. I think he's right on both counts.

There's a difference between decriminalizing it and legalizing it.

I know in CT now, there are far too many people locked up for non-violent, pot convictions. The good to society of doing this escapes me. All sorts of children left without parents at home, managing to screw up another generation, all so that we can feel all tough and law and ordery?

It's stupid. It's a waste of police time, prison space and lives. Focus on the priorities.

[DeSwiss]

77. K&R!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And he's now got my vote!!! :thumbsup: :D

[Cha]

80. To me, that sounds like one

of those statements from a Democratic Presidential Candidate that makes the corporatewhore Giant Lie Machine go after the like they did on Dean and Kerry when they said what they were going to change with the mediawhores. They don't change like that.

And you bet those drug companies will make sure Dodd doesn't win.

Yeah, they're treasonous bas-tards.

[rhett o rick]

81. "Give me freedom or give me pot." Rhett o rick nm

[eridani]

82. Kucinich beat him by a few years on that one

--however, the more candidates on board, the better. Good for Dodd.