[HOOT]

I can't believe Pat Robertson of all people would even bring this up, let alone want to fight for it.

I'm on the fence on whether I actually want it legal vs. how things are now. Decriminalization is not an option IMO as it doesn't change anything besides giving a welcome map to organized crime more so than now.

Just looking at BC it's hard to understand why it isn't legal as just in this province it would add $7.5B dollars in tax money and money saved on enforcing marijuana use/sales. You have to ask yourself how well is this prohibition working when in BC 1 in every 100 homes has a grow-op in it. In Kelowna the police chief said they could bust a grow-op every day for a year and wouldn't even put a dent into the "problem". How is it working? What is the purpose?

People say it's dangerous for us. Yet we help 100's of thousands of people die from cigarettes and alcohol each year, and that's okay? What about deaths or addiction from pharmaceutical drugs? Ever heard of someone over dosing from smoking too much weed? No. Hell even caffeine is more addicting and kills more people every year compared to marijuana consumption.

People say it's a gate way drug. The only reason it could be considered a gate way drug is because we force people to buy their weed from drug dealers, most dealers won't just deal pot but will have an assortment of kinds and will offer them to their buyers. If you buy in a store you don't have that run in with hard drugs just to get weed. They say 1 of 104 pot smokers use cocaine and that number is even smaller for heroin. I know more people who did cocaine before smoking a joint. Also on this point because of 9/11 money laundering has become very difficult so now these criminals are bringing down 5lbs of marijuana and trading it for 1kg of cocaine so no actual dollars pass hands. That cocaine comes right back up to Canada.

People say that more people will smoke it if it's in the store. How do you figure? I don't smoke cigarettes or drink anymore and it's on every block. It's also been shown in other countries who have loosened their rules on weed have seen drops in use. Not to mention the fact that a drug dealer doesn't care how old their buyer is as long as they have the money. So that 14 year old who can go down the street to buy it, would have to go through the same steps as buying booze or cigarettes.

People say health care costs will rise. Well if take the idea that less people (or even the same) will continue to smoke it you are gaining billions of dollars in tax revenue for this country and/or provinces. That can be put into health care, schools, roads, etc.

The whole "war on drugs" is a farce. In the USA it started in 1974 where it was was stated that 50% of all high school students have tried marijuana, that same study today shows 48%. Is that 2% really worth the $17B a year the US spends on marijuana crimes? What about the other $17B they could bring in through taxes? Ahhhh hell that country doesn't need tax revenue, they are continuing their tax cuts they're doing so well!

Even in Canada where the budget for drug crimes is set at $500m and they spend $400m of that on marijuana crimes. With all Americans in jail for marijuana crimes, 86% of them are in for simple possession. If the politicians friends didn't own the jail this wouldn't be an issue. Tax payer money well spent!

I just think there are better places to spend money and actual dangerous drugs to spend that money on. You also take away one of the most lenient drug crimes away from the gangs. How many Mexican gangs are killing for and smuggling in beer to the US?