justkillingtime

Washington State has voted Democrat in every presidential election since 1988. Washington State has now legalized pot smoking. What does this tell you about pot smokers?

Dave Loc: Upstate New York

Libertarians tend to be liberal on social issues and conservative on fiscal issues - and that should answer the question in your title.

What Washington State has done is adapt for the purposes of pot smoking what libertarians generally believe - the less government the better - but hardly suggests Washington State is libertarian.

A more interesting question, though, is the state law trumped by federal law rendering the legalization meaningless?

timdog

They like POT, what about u?

justkillingtime

Meaning they are liberals, not conservatives. If you advocate liberalism on social issues and thereby destroy the family unit, you will have to accept big government and allow taxes to be used to pay protection money to the thugs, criminals and economic underclass your liberalism has created, or else you will suffer the loss of your property to the violence of the thugs, criminals and economic underclass you have created.

timdog

They like pot whatabout you?

FoolBuster Loc: Irvine, CA

The conclusion that I've come to as a consequence of gathering and examining the facts, is that the War On Drugs is an abject failure. It hasn't succeeded and it never will. You can throw countless billions of dollars at sustaining the criminalization of drugs and the outcome will remain the same.

I'm not a Marijuana consumer, nor do I have any interest or desire for any other forms of drugs, but let's be honest about this. One of the reasons, I cancelled my satellite and then cable subscription, was because I could no longer endure the constant inundation of 'Pharmaceutical Porn'. Every commercial break.

People decry drug use, but they simply hound their personal physician for more and more prescriptions to very dangerous substances. Some people have a double Scotch, some people have a dry Martini - shaken, not stirred, and some people light up a joint.

Want to break the back of the drug cartels and stop the carnage? Remove the profit from their trade. For the other people addicted, rehab programs and treatment - not jail or prison. If what I just described to you makes me a Libertarian of some sort - guilty as charged.

justkillingtime

Do we execute drug dealers? No.

Have we invaded a single country so we can stop their drug-making and drug-exporting ability? No.

Do soldiers patrol our neighborhoods to keep drug dealers from attacking? No.

You cannot complain about the war on drugs being a failure until we have actually gone to war against drugs.

Tasine Loc: Southwest US

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What it tells me is that pot smokers in Washington State vote democrat because they want to smoke pot and republicans are opposed to "drug use".

I'm a libertarian and cannot admit to something that is not true in my case. The LAST thing I ever want to be known as is a "liberal" of today.

MJ has nothing to do with liberalism vs conservatism. It has to do with liberty vs control. For years I was adamantly opposed to ALL illegal drugs, and I still am to a degree. But I do not believe they should be classified as "illegal", I do believe they should be available for legal purchase just as alcohol is, and I believe anyone who is high on alcohol OR drugs and injures another person should be prosecuted to the fullest extent.

All laws that attempt to mold people needlessly and for inane purposes should be rescinded because that should not be the government's business. The government's business should be to take care of the nation's affairs - NOT mold its citizens.
Laws remove freedoms, and THAT IS THIS LIBERTARIAN'S complaint - I admire FREEDOM above all else, and I don't see that as a liberal thing as liberals are the architects of control who demand everyone adhere to THEIR standards. ANY POLITICIAN WHO IS IN FAVOR OF GOVERNMENT ATTEMPTING TO MOLD BEHAVIOR, DEMOCRAT OR REPUBLICAN, WILL NEVER GET MY VOTE.

Navysnipe Loc: Old West

The west side of the state is where most of the population resides, including the capitol. They are very liberal. Sin Fransisco liberal in fact. The east side of the state, not so much.

LAwrence

The state law is not trumped by federal law.[see the tenth amendment]. Also there was once a good side of being liberal and this is the side of the libertarians. No; they are not perfect, but they are infinitely better than the fake conservatism exhibited by republicans today.

justkillingtime

I guess you’ve never heard of the commerce clause or the supremacy clause.

Dave Loc: Upstate New York

I think one should consider the de facto reality of the situation - while the federal law trumps, virtually ever arrest involving pot at the local level is done by local cops. Is there anyone who thinks we should increase local policing with federal agents?

FoolBuster Loc: Irvine, CA

Well, we have the Posse Comitatus Act which prevents the Military from engaging in the type of activity you describe. Does the armed forces patrolling civilian communities appeal to you?

As to the question about have we 'invaded' drug producing countries. Yes, the DEA operates outside the United States and is heavily involved in Latin America.

I'm not trying to be snarky, but I'd ask you to think this through. The law of supply and demand applies to everything, including drugs. As soon as people can grow MJ in their back yard, patio, basement - etc, the profits associated with the crime go right down the crapper - and with it, the violent drug cartels. Will legalizing MJ completely destroy their business? No - but it will shrink them down to the point where folks in Mexico can get their country back from them.

Why do you care if people prefer a joint after work, like other people prefer a beer, or a glass of wine. What is the motivation to control other people's lives and waste jail space on people with a dime bag on their possession? I used to be caught up in the whole 'Reefer Madness' mentality, but I've grown up a bit since then.

Dave Loc: Upstate New York

Agree with all of your points - those who oppose legalization of pot because it will become more available have no idea what they're talking about. The average 12 year old in America knows many ways to get some pot - far easier than they can acquire booze.

justkillingtime

Yes. Declare drug-infested neighborhoods to be in rebellion, call in the National Guard and suspend habeas corpus. Execute drug traffickers and offer addicts one chance at rehab or else life in prison at hard labor.