Marijuana Decrim Petition (Disclaimer: Could be political)

[J’raxis 270145]

Dude that bill is totally weak.

As Bill Von Winkle used to say, "Put your hand down your pants and see if you got a pair."

You are a leader in a revolution...tell them what you want!

I think the idea is that if this can get passed, more extreme ones can afterward—and if this can't even get passed, how can anything better?

[Jim Johnson]

Dude that bill is totally weak.

As Bill Von Winkle used to say, "Put your hand down your pants and see if you got a pair."

You are a leader in a revolution...tell them what you want!

I think the idea is that if this can get passed, more extreme ones can afterward—and if this can't even get passed, how can anything better?

There isn't a need for more people to mumble about decriming pot.  That's been going on since I was in High School...and I'm almost as old as Lloyd.  If we aren't going to ask for something beyond what we want, we are never going to get what we want.  People have been asking for pot decrim for years and they ended up with exactly what we have today.

[EJinCT]

There are many effective tactics and strategies to winning a battle; not all of those require being forceful.

Some battles are won by the gaining of inches... Some wars are won due to a single battle.

[Tom Sawyer]

I'm glad that this issue is being championed. 

However there are potential downsides to decrim. I've been down this path before, 20+ years ago.

Many states that have gone decrim. have not significantly reduced the number of criminal prosecutions. The cops and prosecutors just claim intent to distribute. Got baggies in the house, have a scale, hand a joint to someone... intent to distribute. They still kick in doors etc.

Another problem is that the pressure is relieved to make anymore changes to the laws. "Hey, no one is going to jail for marijuana." is the common belief.

And the last one I'll mention is that the real problem with prohibition is commerce. Until commerce is dealt with the problem still exists. Users will feel safer and the use will become more visible this can lead to a "crackdown" on dealing. The user will think "Hey, I'm not getting harshly punished... it's those profit make drug dealers they are after." The public can be easily inflamed to attack the problem, this blowback can set the change back to worse than where we started. That is what happened in the '80s.

[Jim Johnson]

There are many effective tactics and strategies to winning a battle; not all of those require being forceful.

Some battles are won by the gaining of inches... Some wars are won due to a single battle.

I don't know of any battle that was won by gaining inches. 

At some point, if you wish to win a war with a single battle, you will have to intice your foe to wager a great deal of his resources on a single battle.  No one at this point is going to waste much of their time, much more their resources, on this battle.

And the thing I was saying, is that it is part of negotiation to ask for more than what you want.  If you are only going to ask for decrim, of course your going to get a whole bunch of added bullshit from their side.  At the very best they are only going to come half way to your position.

[Faber]

Yeah, it's been going on for 20+ years, but THIS time it's different!  Forget about the lessons from history, we'll get it right this time.  How, you ask?  Um . . . magic?

[Jim Johnson]

If you can do magic
You can have anything that you desire

You know darn well
When you cast your spell you will get your way
When you hypnotize with your eyes
A heart of stone can turn to clay