salomon@smu.UUCP (02/03/84)
#N:smu:16500012:000:457
smu!salomon Feb 2 11:35:00 1984
two propositions:
1) What would be the difference if the US government cut the
nuclear force down to that which would destroy the USSR only(sic)
once. Seroiusly why buy weapons that can never all be used?
2) legalize marijuana. Sell 20 packs of joints for $5.00. cost of
producing product < $1.00/ 20, government tax $4.00/ 20. the
sales would make a dent in the deficit, and give the government
more working cash.wetcw@pyuxa.UUCP (T C Wheeler) (02/03/84)
I just love the simplistic answers to major problems. I am going to leave the first proposition to others so they can jump on it from whatever direction they wish. However, the second proposition could only come from someone with burned out synapse nodes. Don't we have enough problems with drunk drivers on our roads without adding space cadets to the problem? We are just now getting around to attempting to get the drinkers off the roads and someone wants to legalize pot so we can add that problem. Don't try to give me any of that horse-puckey about pot smokers having normal reaction times, judgement, etc.. It just ain't so. All of those arguments have been debunked a dozen times over. What's next, coke for the masses? I can see the ads now, "A line a day will blow your head away." Nice stuff you are suggesting. Legalize pot and you can cut school budgets in half. You can just send those students home that are sitting in their classrooms staring glassy-eyed at the wall. Enough of them do it now, why add to the problem? Grow up. Try getting your highs some other way. Try jumping out of airplanes (with a parachute, you only get one high the other way). It doesn't take much imagination to find ways to get high on yourself without resorting to artificial means. I get one helluva kick out of latching onto an 18 pound Bluefish in the surf or playing with my kids. We already have millions of alcohol abusers out there, we don't need to double that problem by legalizing pot. T. C. Wheeler
daver@hp-pcd.UUCP (02/19/84)
"The one thing we learn from history is that we don't learn from history." We tried to solve the drunk driver problem (and several others) once with something called Prohibition. All we got from it was a severe case of Organized Crime. What are we gaining from illegal marijuana? Here in Oregon it is unlikely that marijuana will be legalized. The problem is that if marijuana were legal dealers would be unable to charge the prices they are getting today (marijuana is a weed and can be grown by anyone almost anywhere), and marijuana has been officially estimated to be the largest cash crop in the state. Clearly it is in the interest of the state economy, and especially the growers, to keep it illegal. Dave Rabinowitz hplabs!hp-pcd!daver