{"id":2648,"date":"2009-04-20T08:20:01","date_gmt":"2009-04-20T13:20:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/2parse.com\/?p=2648"},"modified":"2009-04-23T12:14:39","modified_gmt":"2009-04-23T17:14:39","slug":"7-reasons-to-legalize-marijuana","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/2parse.com\/?p=2648","title":{"rendered":"7 Reasons to Legalize Marijuana"},"content":{"rendered":"

[digg-reddit-me]\"\"<\/p>\n

On this April 20th, the case to legalize marijuana is a no-brainer. There are at least 7 things that could be accomplished by legalizing it:<\/p>\n

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  1. Stabilize Mexico<\/strong>. The drug cartels are waging a war against the Mexican government<\/a> and each other funded mainly by the profits from marijuana sales in the United States<\/a>. Legalizing marijuana would create an opportunity for the current government’s attacks on the cartels to succeed – as the cartels would need to scramble to find alternate sources of revenue while fighting a war against a military bolstered by American aid<\/a>.<\/li>\n
  2. Stop wasting money on a failure<\/strong>. Barack Obama called the war on drugs “an utter failure<\/a>.” Since he took office, he has vowed to cut the fat from the federal budget and eliminate failed programs<\/a>. At a time when our tax dollars are at a premium, why should we continue to waste money on a failed government program?<\/li>\n
  3. Protect the legitimacy of our laws<\/strong>. Almost half of all Americans admit to have tried marijuana<\/a> – including 3 of our past 3 presidents – which means that they all broke the law. Such flagrant law-breaking undermines respect for the Rule of Law<\/a> – and more important, once Americans break the law they can see how distorted the government propaganda campaign against marijuana is – further undermining respect for the government. America is currently waging a war on its citizens the likes of which have rarely been seen in history – as we imprison a greater percentage of our population<\/a> than any other nation on earth and continue to militarize our police<\/a> as they stop enforcing community standards and instead impose federal policies using extreme force.<\/li>\n
  4. Stop aiding terrorists<\/strong>. According to a 2004 Congressional report<\/a>, the illegality of drugs has incentivized a vast system of money laundering, smuggling, and corrupting of government officials – as well as created failed states and lawless regions – all of which aid terrorists seeking to carry out attacks on the United States. The criminalization of marijuana creates the biggest incentive on all of these fronts.<\/li>\n
  5. Reduce crime<\/strong>. The War on Drugs has been militarizing America’s police forces and eating up resources which has led to a statistical uptick in non-drug related theft and violent crime synchronous with this shift. As police resources are spent enforcing federal drug laws – arresting, testifying, surveiling – and as the police become more militarized and distant from the communities they are charged with policing – serious non-drug related crimes increase. One report quantified this by explaining that\u00a0every additional drug arrest leads to an increase of 0.7\u00a0Index (serious) crimes<\/a> [page 6 of the pdf].<\/li>\n
  6. Stimulate the economy<\/strong>. Obama may have tittered at the question, but there is precedent – the repeal of the prohibition of alcohol<\/a> when FDR took office during the Great Depression.\u00a0<\/li>\n
  7. …<\/strong>I’ll let Tim Meadows make the final point for legalization by explaining why not to smoke marijuana:
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    [Image by Torben H.<\/a> licensed under Creative Commons.]<\/small><\/p>\n

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