This is good stuff. As a “conservative” and “religious” I really don’t think Stephen Baldwin speaks for me. I agree with Ron Paul on this one. No I don’t think people should smoke marijuana any more than I think they should put guns in their mouths. I just do not believe it’s the government’s job to tell us what we should and should not do, unless we are infringing on someone else’s liberties.
If we legalize marijuana we can have these immediate benefits:
- Money that used to go to crime lords will now go to the states and the feds as “sin taxes”
- People caught with marijuana won’t be thrown in jail at enormous financial cost to tax payers
- Money currently spent on the drug war can be spent elsewhere
- The FDA and other regulatory institutions can help make sure that the marijuana sold is actually pure and hasn’t been contaminated
I also don’t think Congressman Paul went far enough. He dodged the question about all the other drugs. I think your answer has to be the same. No nanny state. No prohibition. Few government regulations. It’s the only way to have a free society.
And no. I never have smoked pot. I also never plan to. I just don’t think my personal feelings on the issue should dictate what my neighbor does, no more so than my opinion and practice with alcohol.
Truth & Liberty 