On 2/7/2014 2:37 PM, Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 2/7/2014 12:19 PM, Califbill wrote:
Poco Loco wrote:
On Fri, 07 Feb 2014 11:24:38 -0500, "F.O.A.D." wrote:

On 2/7/14, 11:19 AM, Poco Loco wrote:
On Fri, 07 Feb 2014 10:59:47 -0500, "F.O.A.D." wrote:

On 2/7/14, 10:50 AM, Tim wrote:
On Friday, February 7, 2014 9:46:00 AM UTC-6, F.O.A.D. wrote:

Yeah, what we have created in this country is a growth industry
for the

privatization of penal institutions. The corporations pressure the

legislators to pass more laws and stiffer sentences so more
people can

be imprisoned for longer periods of time and so the private
slams will

be guaranteed more income. It's a wonderful system and requires
a lot

less brainpower than something that might actually work.



What would you do to handle the drug problem?



I don't claim to have *the* solution, but I do know that creating a
growth industry in prisons for the private sector ain't it. I think
decriminalizing simple possession for personal use would be a good
starting point, though.

I suppose that's for all the drugs up through heroin? I suppose you
disagree with the idea of
marijuana being a stepping stone to the 'better' stuff. So where
would you draw the line?


As I stated already, I think decriminalizing simple possession

...of what??

for
personal use (that implies small amounts) would be a good starting
point.

You are free to "suppose" if you wish. That won't necessarily make your
"supposes" accurate, of course, but so long as they are simple supposes
for personal use, it doesn't matter.


Do you agree that marijuana is a stepping stone to more potent stuff?
That seemed to be a theme of
the video. My supposition was based on the 'liberalism' of places where
the sale of marijuana has
been legalized.

Pot is not a stepping stone in 90% of the cases! Look at the pot
consumption over the years. How many went on to hard drugs because of
Pot
use? When I was a lot younger, I went to San Francisco State University.
Pot was readily available. Lots of people in SF used it. Had friends
who
used it. Friend who has since died from cancer, used it heavily for pain
relief. Al was working, and doing a good job while using pot and
suffering
the pain of cancer. Even with the ability and insurance to get
prescription drugs, his choice for relief was a cheap can of Grass.
Pot is
readily available here. Some of the finest grass in the world is
grown on
the North Coast of California. We area having fires here, as they now
make
a house in a nice neighborhood in to a grow op. Bad wiring seems to
be the
lading cause of fires in the business. Why not legalize growing and tax
the product? Last election to legalize, had lots of signs from the pot
growers in Mendocino against the legalization as they feel the will be
put
out of business by big corporate growers. Not because they want to be
illegal. Yes, I have tried it. Did not do much for me. I also have
not
smoked since high school. Before I was the legal age to smoke. That
stopped kids?



Pot may not be a chemical "stepping stone" in terms of addiction however
I think it *is* a peer pressure stepping stone to more dangerous and
addictive drugs in kids. Social pressures will influence them to try
anything. Parents need to be held responsible for the education and
control over what they brought into the world do. *That* is the
problem. Parents today blame it on everyone else and expect someone
else (or the government) to do something about it.

Doesn't help to have a president that publicly acknowledges that pot
isn't that dangerous. He's right, but what kind of influence does that
have on a 12 to 14 year old? They can decide for themselves when they
become adults.








Pot is a stepping stone to the dark side of society, living outside the
law... more than a stepping stone to any other illegal activity such as
drug use, or robbery, etc which the perp may have never gotten involved
in if he wasn't sneaking around with crims, looking for pot...