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I agree
Figured a leader of the religious right saying this in such terms was newsworthy.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories...03-08-13-11-19
Pat Robertson: Pot should be legal like alcohol
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson says marijuana should be legalized and treated like alcohol because the government's war on drugs has failed.
The outspoken evangelical Christian and host of "The 700 Club" on the Virginia Beach-based Christian Broadcasting Network he founded said the war on drugs is costing taxpayers billions of dollars. He said people should not be sent to prison for marijuana possession.
The 81-year-old first became a self-proclaimed "hero of the hippie culture" in 2010 when he called for ending mandatory prison sentences for marijuana possession convictions.
"I just think it's shocking how many of these young people wind up in prison and they get turned into hardcore criminals because they had a possession of a very small amount of a controlled substance," Robertson said on his show March 1. "The whole thing is crazy. We've said, `Well, we're conservatives, we're tough on crime.' That's baloney."
Robertson's support for legalizing pot appeared in a New York Times (http://nyti.ms/zMys8R ) story published Thursday. His spokesman confirmed to The Associated Press that Robertson supports legalization with regulation. Robertson was not made available for an interview.
"I really believe we should treat marijuana the way we treat beverage alcohol," Robertson was quoted by the newspaper as saying. "If people can go into a liquor store and buy a bottle of alcohol and drink it at home legally, then why do we say that the use of this other substance is somehow criminal?"
Robertson said he "absolutely" supports ballot measures in Colorado and Washington state that would allow people older than 21 to possess a small amount of marijuana and allow for commercial pot sales. Both measures, if passed by voters, would place the states at odds with federal law, which bans marijuana use of all kinds.
While he supports the measures, Robertson said he would not campaign for them and was "not encouraging people to use narcotics in any way, shape or form."
"I'm not a crusader," he said. "I've never used marijuana and I don't intend to, but it's just one of those things that I think: this war on drugs just hasn't succeeded."
In a statement Thursday, Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, said Robertson's "clearly stated and well-reasoned comments throw a curve ball into the growing debate over legalizing marijuana."
"Defenders of marijuana prohibition ... must be wondering if it's only a matter of time before theirs proves to be a lost cause," he said.
Christian advocacy group Focus on the Family opposes legalization for medical or recreational use, Carrie Gordon Earll, the organization's senior director of government and public policy, said in a statement. The group would not comment specifically on Robertson's statements.
Sixteen states and the District of Columbia have legalized the medical use of marijuana. Fourteen states also have some kind of marijuana decriminalization law, which removes or lowers penalties for possession. Legalization, however, would eliminate penalties and pave the way for regulated sales similar to alcohol.
Robertson's comments will likely help drive cultural conversations on the issue, said Allen St. Pierre, executive director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.
"Whenever somebody of substance and notoriety in this country ... comes out in favor of changing the status quo regarding marijuana, for us and for the reform community, as the kids say, `It is all good," St. Pierre said.
I agree
Pat must be high
I would go one further; I think it should be decriminalized and unregulated.
Nope.
legalized and taxed just like alcohol.
“I like weed - I think it's fantastic” • “It ain't no drug, it's just a plant… and if you happen to set it on fire there are some effects.”
I am SO set up to be a legal grower.
No
You already get enough people asking you for a job then you throw that out? I'll bet your PM box will fill up at record pace now.
Wow, I never knew Robertson was on the legalisation bandwagon. It'll be interesting to see how long it takes the right to come around on this issue with Robertson and Paul supporting it.
Pharmaceutical companies don't want that to happen, and they have very deep pockets.
Law enforcement. They rig the game and then trump up statistics as a matter of course.
LOL...
Does it grow well where you live?
It grows great here in Oregon.
yep, people may feel so good and still be able to function, they reduce usage of doctors also to maintain prescriptions.
I don't know a single "regular" person that disagrees with this. Even my father who is the most conservative human being on the planet and has never done a drug in his life thinks it's dumb to have it illegal.
Nope. Get the government out of agriculture and personal liberty.
Ok, I see your point, but can we put aside the "right wing" "small government" "our of our business" "personal liberty" stuff when it comes to this?
Whatever way is easier, make weed legal. If they want to tax it...fine. If they want to regulate it....fine.
Just make it so I can go buy weed at the store and get high again.
God I miss college.
lol @ get the government out of agriculture.
You sound like you're Jonesing, bad.
I haven't smoked in 10 years.....you are correct.
LOL, be careful when you do. It kicks your ass...I just get a ripped when I occasionally smoke a little now...lost my tolerance...
I would imagine.....and I'm so excited for the day I get too again.LOL, be careful when you do. It kicks your ass...I just get a ripped when I occasionally smoke a little now...lost my tolerance...
I've often spoke of how I'd likely give up drinking beer all the time and replace it with weed if it was legal....A life without hangovers is my dream.....or better yet, a life where I can fix a hangover by smoking again.
Geez, I wonder if I have a problem?
Sorry to be a buzz kill but, I can't imagine anyone looking forward to poisoning their bodies...
Cannabis smoke contains more chemicals
When inhaled directly, marijuana smoke contains 20 times more lung-damaging ammonia and five times as much hydrogen cyanide and nitrogen oxides than cigarette smoke, a team led by David Moir at Health Canada reports.
If it's packaged and prepared like tobacco cigarettes, absolutely it should be taxed.
If you buy a stalk of it in the fresh produce section next to the lettuce and tomatoes, then no.
I don't think cigarettes or alcohol should be taxed at the federal level, either.
Local and state sales tax should apply in both cases.
And, I'm not sure -- under your scenario -- why anyone would go to the trouble of packaging or preparing it "like tobacco cigarette" if that's what's going to get them taxed by the feds. , I'd purposely keep it in the produce section to avoid that.
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