Aestu wrote:
My belief is that growing and smoking weed should be legal, but selling it should be punishable by forced labor or crucifixion.
Potheads should be institutionalized and sent to forced labor colonies. This distinction should be made on the basis of how much of the drug is in the person's system and whether they are engaged in gainful employment.
The reality is, people will do whatever they can to satisfy a chemical dependency, and they will have a destructive impact on the lives of those inextricably bound to them - their family, neighbors, associates. It is not practical for society to take no action against potheads or other drug abusers, because the result would be a downward spiral of social anarchy which would be oppressive to the life opportunities and positive development of future generations. So I do believe we need to have laws regulating the use of weed and other drugs, short of a total ban.
Laws encourage a black market. Black markets encourage violence, organized gangs, and dangerous products. Anti-drug laws put non-violent users who need addiction treatment in jail with violent criminals and does nothing to solve the issue, in addition to costing the tax payer more...
It is indeed practictal for the federal government to do nothing, so that the true communities can be allowed to focus on the individual treatment and their own laws. Maybe people in North Dakota don't need the same laws as Los Angeles.
A former best friend of mine died trying to receive treatment for his opiate addiction by the government encouraged treatment of methadone (lack of being able to safely obtain oxycontin or a safer dose of heroin). Methadone killed him, but perhaps if it were legal for the opening of opiate treatment clinics or at least a legally available product; he could have been allowed to wane himself safely off of the addiction with the assistance of medical professionals instead of fear of breaking laws and further ruining his life to fix his problem.
Government generally potentiates the problems when it comes to hindering personal liberty. Let society freely try to act on problem solving without the use of force by government thugs.
To paraphrase an old quote, those who sacrifice liberty for security deserve neither and lose both.
Not having a law doesn't mean everyone is encouraging something, this is a very dangerous an erronious thought process that bad schools have been feeding people on a grand scale.
/endrant tl;dw
Reiteration of my point:
Society can act(if you free us to), without the use of federal government thugs and force that causes unintended consequences at the cost of the entire society's security and freedom.
Legalize freedom baby.