Conservative argument for legalizing Marijuanna?

[Elwar]

Ok, we have a lot of smart folks here with a good handle on politics. I'd like to hear some of your opinions on what would be the best conservative argument for legalizing marijuana.

Like, say I was running for the Republican primary for Congress and I'm highlighting some of the good things I've done and one of them was an effort to legalize marijuanna in my state.

"Elwar was instrumental in getting support for legalizing marijuana which [insert good conservative reason here]."


I have a few ideas of good conservative reasons but I'd like to hear some of your thoughts.

[nate895]

Property rights: you own your own body, therefore you should be able to do anything you want with it, even if that means screwing it up.

[Chester Copperpot]

Property rights: you own your own body, therefore you should be able to do anything you want with it, even if that means screwing it up.

thats right.. We have spiritual freedom and intellectual freedom, why not physical freedom...

Besides, the federal govt has no authority to dictate to the people on what they can and cannot put in their body.

At least when they did alcohol prohibiton they made an ammendment to the constitution.. They would have to do the same thing with marijuana.

[josephadel_3]

The reason it was made illegal was retarded. That's reason enough.

[Brian4Liberty]

First of all, use the term decriminalize, not legalize. Limited government means that some things are defined as crimes, but they don't make a list of what's legal for us to do.

Conservatives arguments for:

- make it clear that this is not an endorsement or recommendation of drugs.
- it will save the massive amount of money spent on the (failed) war on drugs.
- it will reduce violent crime in the streets.
- it will make room in jails for violent criminals (another costs savings).
- it takes money out of the hands of drug dealers.
- it most likely will reduce drug usage.
- Prohibition was a massive waste of money and created violence in the streets. The same with marijuana prohibition.
- it will eliminate the danger (violence and pollution) from drug growers in our public lands and forests.

[Kotin]

energy independence through hemp ethanol.

10th amendment

[angelatc]

Ok, we have a lot of smart folks here with a good handle on politics. I'd like to hear some of your opinions on what would be the best conservative argument for legalizing marijuana.

Like, say I was running for the Republican primary for Congress and I'm highlighting some of the good things I've done and one of them was an effort to legalize marijuanna in my state.

"Elwar was instrumental in getting support for legalizing marijuana which [insert good conservative reason here]."


I have a few ideas of good conservative reasons but I'd like to hear some of your thoughts.

You have to understand that legalizing drugs is a Libertarian goal, not a Republican goal. Play the medical mj card, if any at all.

[dannno]

First of all, use the term decriminalize, not legalize. Limited government means that some things are defined as crimes, but they don't make a list of what's legal for us to do.

Conservatives arguments for:

- make it clear that this is not an endorsement or recommendation of drugs.
- it will save the massive amount of money spent on the (failed) war on drugs.
- it will reduce violent crime in the streets.
- it will make room in jails for violent criminals (another costs savings).
- it takes money out of the hands of drug dealers.
- it most likely will reduce drug usage.
- Prohibition was a massive waste of money and created violence in the streets. The same with marijuana prohibition.
- it will eliminate the danger (violence and pollution) from drug growers in our public lands and forests.

Yep

[Elwar]

You have to understand that legalizing drugs is a Libertarian goal, not a Republican goal. Play the medical mj card, if any at all.

You could've said 9 years ago: "You have to understand that "nation building" is a Democrat goal, not a Republican goal."

If I were joining the Republican Party to ensure that the party stay as it is I'd be better off staying in the Libertarian Party.

I think the Republican Party will be better off as the party that wants to end senseless wars across the globe and ending the senseless drug war. That party of true small government.

I think conservatives can agree with the libertarians on the money angle. Neil Boortz has railed against the Drug War for years based mainly on the huge savings we would enjoy and most of his listeners are mainly conservatives.

[KenInMontiMN]

"if I can get high, I can get by" ;)

always important to keep the disenfranchised happy and unmotivated to go find the polling places.

[gregb]

There is a great demand for marijuana in the USA. A lot of money to be made smuggling the stuff into the USA. This creates smuggling networks. Terrorists can use these existing networks to bring whatever they want into the USA.

I remember just after 9/11 when the borders were supposedly air-tight and I kept looking in the news for desperate junkies roaming the streets looking for heroin which now couldn't get across the border but I saw no reports of anything like that.

I asked any US resident if there were a "panic" (lack of heroin for junkies) going on and anyone who knew about that scene said it was "business as usual", as far as they could see.

The anthrax scare was at its height and I remember thinking that if I were a terrorist and I wanted to smuggle anthrax into the USA that the safest way would be to disguise it as heroin since the USA imports well over 10,000 kg per year ie 30 kg per day (less than 5% is intercepted).

I would think that shutting down these smuggling networks would go a long way to improving domestic security. An argument for all drugs, not just marijuana. Legalize (decriminalize) it for security's sake.

[Elwar]

Ya, I remember those commercials right after 9/11 about how if you do drugs you're supplying money to the terrorists...

Yet I saw no commercials about the fact that the Drug War was giving the terrorists a 1000% profit margin instead of no Drug War giving Pfizer a 5% profit (which would be taxed).

[Knightskye]

Individual liberty (you know, the thing they pretend to defend)

Increased revenue for the federal government by taxing it (even though they really shouldn't)

"Admit it. You used to smoke it." :D

[Xenophage]

William F. Buckley, one of the most well known conservative "intellectuals" of the 20th century, was adamantly opposed to the drug war. Although he was an imperialist douchehat and a completely arrogant jackass, he had some good arguments you can use. He recognized the drug war was a complete failure both economically and in terms of stemming drug use.

Milton Friedman is also still widely admired amongst Reagan Republicans and he was against the drug war.

[powerofreason]

Did anyone know that the DEA classifies cannabis as a Schedule I substance? That puts it in with heroin (twice as potent by weight as morphine) ecstasy and others. WTF???

Cocaine however, is a Schedule II substance. According to the DEA there are "approved medical uses" for it. But not mj. In fact, going by the wikipedia page most Schedule I drugs have some medical use. Even heroin. Mention that insanity.

[fr33domfightr]

The Republican Party still believes they should take care of us, since they know better. The "Drug War" is just a part of that philosophy.

Something else they seriously need to look at is, Class Warfare. They have the reputation as being for the businessman, but they need to include everyone, since we all would like to make money.

And if they'd seriously consider the Freedom movement within their platform, they'd differentiate themselves from the Democrat Party.


FF

[AJ Antimony]

Just bring up how in a free country, people can smoke whatever they want, and if someone else doesn't like it, then they can go fuck themselves rather than whine about it and end up taking freedom away from everyone else.

[mediahasyou]

A free market does not support regulation or prohibition.

[TastyWheat]

energy independence through hemp ethanol.

10th amendment
That's a good one too. I don't even think my grandma is dumb enough to think hemp=marijuana.