William F. Buckley died Wednesday, apparently of emphysema related causes. Almost simulataneously, the atheist liberals who Digg found a 3 and a half year old article written by William F. Buckley on the decriminalization of marijuana.
As I understand it, the original 13 states first banned marijuana because it conflicted with the highly profitable tobacco industry. California was the next state to create criminalization of marijuana to deal with the Mexican immigrants after the Mexican Revolution of 1910.
Since then, we’ve had prohibition and mass produced automobiles, which lead to an increase in American deaths. These deaths turned into an opportunity to study how much alcohol it takes to affect brain function enough to impair driving.This, in turn lead to 0.08% BAC laws, minimum legal drinking age laws, and zero tolerance laws for drivers younger than 21 years old in all states. Alcohol is now regulated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Alcohol content is clearly marked, labled, and taxed on each container.
Part of the problem of the decriminalization of marijuana is measuring how much of the most active cannabinoids it takes to impare judgements. Three and a half years ago, Mr. Buckley reported that “an estimated 100 million Americans have smoked marijuana at least once.” Before marijuana can possibly leave its Federal Prohibition, the government needs to make sure that those under the influence do not infringe on my personal liberty of not getting into an accident or losing my life to someone who is behind the wheel of a car and under the influence of marijuana.
Sure, there are all sorts of reasons sited for the federal decriminalization of marijuana: increased tax revenue, fewer people in the pokey, and fewer people getting a cap in the ass when a drug deal goes bad. But there won’t be a federal decriminalization until someone has the balls to introduce a bill to the House to study how much active cannabinoids it takes to impare judgement. Once that happens, someone will have to create a handy test for determining how much active cannabinoids are in a “dose” of marijuana. The House will then need to figure out how much to tax a plant and sell plant stamps (the states will quickly follow, getting their tax revenues). Next, the House will need to figure out how much to tax each ounce, either by weight or by THC content, and create a new wing of the ATF. What is now a $60 buy will turn into a $80 buy with the increased taxes, but it will drop $20 because supply will increase. The federal bureaucracy to complete any of these changes will take years just to get going.
Of course, if the Free State Project were really serious, they would have some of their guys drafting federal legislation for when they’ve taken over New Hampshire and send a representative to Congress. If NORML were really serious, they would draft legislation for the decriminalization and bring it to a National Issue. Right now, people are fainting over Obama, crying over Hillary, cursing at McCain, but how many people are talking—not writing—about the issue of decriminalization? Do we have anyone in Congress who will put this on the table? The last link claims that “despite extensive educational efforts and millions poured into various legislative campaigns, it’s consistently been shown in opinion polls and at the voting booth that only between a third to 46 percent of Americans endorse legalizing the personal use of cannabis for adults.”
Shoud marijuana use and personal cultivation be legal in the United States? Is it worth the federal bureaucracy? I don’t have a clue. What do you think?
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This post was tagged with blow, Call To Action, FUD, hippies, kooks, marijuana, Pelosi, pot, Presidents, voting.
