comment #1

christian says ...

"people who prefer wine or beer or even hard stuff on the rocks in the evening are a little bit more organized and aggressive and down-to-it."

until their liver blows and their nose droops and then it's hello lost weekend and dick nixon bombing cambodia in a gin haze.

fug dat shit. pass the spliff and let's go see GRINDHOUSE!

comment #2

Balthazar says ...

What a tremendously irresponsible and stupid thing for Dunst to say.

comment #3

EDouglas says ...

Well, that explains Wimbledon.

comment #4

Noah says ...

I mean, I think weed should be legalized even though I haven't smoked it in years. But I think the hemp movement just took a huge hit by Kirsten Dunst lending her support. Not only is she a bad actress, but she's a moron. Honestly, she repulses me more than any other human being on the planet. Sofia Coppola has some serious explaining to do for why she keeps casting this vapid, idiotic actress in anything. Am I the only one with an irrational hatred of Dunst?

comment #5

christian says ...

irresponsible? in the country of sunday beer ads endlessly pimped to families via sports?

comment #6

thevisceral says ...

If I were Kirsten Dunst, I would do a lot more than smoke weed. I would take every hard drug on earth. I would have to, in order to endure my own existence.

comment #7

Craig Kennedy says ...

You're not alone Noah. I don't share your opinion, but I think you're in the majority.

And Balthazar, care to explain yourself or are you comfortable with me just thinking you're wrong automatically?

comment #8

Pelham123 says ...

Locking people up for weed is insane. As for irrational hatred for Dunst, though she doesn't really irritate me, I do wonder why everyone is so enthralled with the "Spider-Man" franchise she's in. Are those the "grown up" movies Mark Harris at EW thinks QT should be making? Parts 1 & 2 and the latest trailers for it just annoy the hell out of me...now pass that spliff...

comment #9

Balthazar says ...

Dunst is the lead actress is a summer popcorn film that 20 million American kids will see this summer. She is advocating use of an illegal drug. She IS a role model, and kids are going to think, "Well if she says it's cool, it must be."

Marijuana ruins lives and kills people. It leads to use of even more dangerous drugs that ruin lives and kill people.

Want more: http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/publications/marijuana_myths_facts/index.html

comment #10

Mike Schaefer says ...

As Blue Oyster Cult once sang: "He's found the awful truth... Balthazar!"

comment #11

gruver1 says ...

Wells to Balthazar: You're in deadly earnest? Of course pot is destructive, but it's obviously more benign than any number of legal prescription drugs out there, not to mention booze and cigarettes. I don't see how posting a White House Drug policy website link can be expected to broaden anyone's mind on this subject. C'mon...you actually want people who read this column to read and fully consider the Bush White House's view on pot smoking? This must be a put-on. I used to get high a lot when I as in my 20s and I wasn't destroyed or maimed.

comment #12

Craig Kennedy says ...

Balthazar, sending me to the White House to convince me that pot is bad probably isn't going to do the trick.

I agree that the abuse of marijuana ruins lives and kills people, but you can make that argument about plenty of legal chemicals. Most people I know don't abuse it and most of the people I know who did abuse it in college grew out of it and now lead healthy and productive lives.

No matter what, the government should stay out of it. The drug war has caused more problems than it's fixed.

comment #13

jpmelville says ...

people ruin their own lives. like balthazar has ruined his by not thinking.

comment #14

Balthazar says ...

If it makes you feel any better, Wells, that marijuana info on the "White House" site was written by intelligent people who know what they're talking about and truly care about keeping Americans and American children safe.

Bush didn't write a word about, probably never read the site, and probably wouldn't understand half the words on the Web site.

Just because you despise the president doesn't mean everything on the White House's Web site is inaccurate, useless and misleading.

There are some Americans in our government who want to help people and make this a better country.

Not one word of that White House info on marijuana is going to change when Democrats take over the White House.

comment #15

CharlieDontSurf says ...

There has never been a recorded overdose from smoking pot. The only way one kills themselves with pot is by doing things intoxicated...luckily pot of all the drugs makes you NOT want to do anything besides laugh,watch TV, and chill with your friends while eating cheetos.

If Beer and Pot switched places in terms of being legal and readily avaiable to the general public...the # of lives saved on a yearly basis would be in the tens of thousands.

comment #16

Craig Kennedy says ...

Balthazar, it has nothing to do with Bush. The government has a vested interest in scaring the population into believing marijauna is the devil. It's another paper tiger they can pretend to fight so we'll be glad they're in power using our tax dollars to keep us safe from ourselves.

Nice try making it an left/right issue though. That's the easiest possible cop out, but good luck with it.

comment #17

AJW says ...

You sided with Elias over Barnes? That's a pretty radical stance. Far out, man.

comment #18

Balthazar says ...

I was doing anything BUT making it a left/right issue. Wells is the one who dragged Bush into this nonsensically.

Anti-marijuana campaigning is the effort of all U.S. government. It is fully nonpartisan, which was my point.

comment #19

Craig Kennedy says ...

I was defending my own point, which I see now was foolish since you weren't even talking to me.

The funny thing is, I don't smoke pot.

comment #20

erniesouchak says ...

I'd like to think having an occasional joint isn't bad for you, but the people I know who smoke weed smoke a LOT of it, and often. Sure, they're mellow, but all they have to show for it is illegitimate kids and unemployment.

comment #21

Craig Kennedy says ...

Ernie, some people are naturally predisposed to overdoing things that are pleasurable despite the obvious consequences. Those people are going to run into problems whether they ever fire up a joint or not.

My drug of choice is alcohol and I've had phases in life where I've abused it. I've even driven while intoxicated, something I'm deeply ashamed about to this day. Luckily nothing bad happened and I'll never do it again, but I'm still a bigger criminal than any pot smoker.

comment #22

D.Z. says ...

I agree with legalizing pot, but I call bullshit that it makes you "peaceful", since the only people I knew who smoked it were usually the most obnoxious of the bunch.

Balthazar: I think what's more irresponsible is letting cancer patients die, because of ideology. First it was through banning weed, and now it's stem-cell research. When did pharmaceutical companies and the corporations which build prisons start having more say than people who vote? As for keeping children safe, why don't we upgrade our gun laws?

Noah: She's not that bad. At least compared to most teen actresses in the last ten years or so...

Pelham: I liked the second Spiderman movie, but the first was weak. I'm not sure how much I wanna see part three, but probably will just to finish the "trilogy". And the kind of "grown up" movie QT should be making is Clerks 2.

comment #23

Geoff says ...

I am in my early twenties and do smoke pot occasionally. When i feel or start to think that I can't hold that middle ground and start to watch too much TV I let it go. But something like that only happened to me when I didn't have a job and didn't feel real grounded in the first place. Moderation is the best thing.

And Balthazar: Sure pot can be looked at as a "gateway drug." Some people want to try something even more powerful. Fine. But not EVERYBODY. People have choices in life, and I guarantee you the people making the leap from weed to popping vicodin or snorting cocaine or heroin have problems in general. This country is one big hypocrisy, alcohol and cigs can KILL and ravage ones body. Lighten up pal.

comment #24

D.Z. says ...

Oh yeah, and I was going to add banning SUVs to the list of keeping people safe.

comment #25

Nick A. says ...

I too feel the irrational hatred of Dunst. She looks like a skeleton with some peach paint slapped on it, or maybe just a Russian peasant. She ought to be churning butter, not co-starring in blockbusters.

She's right about weed, though.

comment #26

Balthazar says ...

1. Marijuana doesn't cure cancer. It just eases patients' pain. And I'm a fully an advocate of doctor-prescribed medicinal marijuana.

2. Not sure where stem cells came into this discussion, but I'm an advocate of that research and use, too.

3. Of course we should be strengthening our gun laws. They're not strong enough and safety has to come first.

4. (randomly) Yes, I agree that Dunst actually isn't that horrible of an actress, even if she is a dunderhead.

5. No, of course everyone doesn't use it as a gateway drug. But legalizing it sure opens the door for that to happen more often.

comment #27

Geoff says ...

Eh, in my world, if someone really wants weed, they can get it. Not to mention the fact that our criminal processing system would be much improved. It would make sense to me if it were treated like alcohol, or maybe just a tad more strict for public reasons, I'm not sure yet. But what is inside people's homes is their business.

comment #28

DarthCorleone says ...

Good lord, what's with all the vitriol for Kirsten? Are you all paragons of intellect? Have you never made a questionable statement in public?

As for marijuana, legalize it. The war on drugs is bollocks. I don't need to elaborate. The arguments have all been presented quite well here already.

comment #29

Ross says ...

It's absolute hypocrisy that Majiruana remains illegal while alcohol and cigarettes are legal. Both are physical addictive, while pot is not. Both are proven to kill, while even the heaviest users of pot remain physically uneffected. (There might be a few lung cancer cases, but I'm betting that most also smoke cigarettes.) It is only mentally addictive... and people with addictive personalities will always find something to latch onto, gambling, porn, etc.

I've gone through waves of smoking pot. I was an extremely heavy user in my art school days, then went years without using and never missing it. These days I use it occasionally when I'm feeling particularly stressed out or there's a trippy movie I want to enjoy a bit more. It's also very helpful when I'm feeling creatively stuck.

No matter how much I've smoked I've always been able to give it up when I needed to. I've never felt hung over the day after. It doesn't take too much alcohol for me to feel like crap all the next day.

I think it should be legalized and controled just like cigarettes and alcohol. Billions of tax dollars could be saved from the "war" against it. And possibly billions more could be made from taxing the sales.

If a large alcohol or tobacco company put their resources into legalizing it for sale, it would happen overnight.

comment #30

Balthazar says ...

I wouldn't mind seeing:

-- $5 in taxes added to each pack of cigarettes
-- 30 days in jail for selling cigarettes to minors on first offense
-- 200 hours of community service and 1-year revocation of driver's license on your first DUI
-- massive cutback on amount of advertising that beer and liquor are allowed to do

So sure, in that environment, if you want to legalize marijuana, go for it. ... Just include the following: (1) about $12 for a pack of 12 joints; (2) 30 days in jail for selling marijuana to minors; (3) 200 hours community service and 1-year revocation of driver's license if you're busted with pot in your system.

comment #31

Craig Kennedy says ...

Balthazar I think your tax scheme is too harsh and would create the same criminal black market we already have with pot being illegal, but I'm all for penalizing people who break the driving and selling to minors laws.

I would agree with more modest taxes but only if some money went to treatment programs for abusers. Otherwise the tax is just unfairly punitive and regressive.

comment #32

christian says ...

bush anti-drug propaganda isn't non--partisan?

tommy chong was sent to prison under john ashcroft's "pipe dreams" sting of bong sellers and the judge specifically referenced chong's film roles as part of his reasoning to send him away!

what the fuck?

and do you recall those post 9-11 ads equating the buying of reefer to supporting terrorism? yeah, all those terorist weed farmers in humboldt and oregon...

nixon's own drug study advised marijuana to be decriminalized and alcohol/nicotine to be made illegal...

bill hicks said it best as usual:

why are the drugs that make you realize you're getting fucked by the government illegal?

comment #33

Craig Kennedy says ...

You have to admit though Christian that the Democrats are just as pro drug-war as the Republicans.

It seems to me a true conservative would call for legalizing it with the federal government staying completely out of it and a true liberal would call for legalizing it with lots of tax dollars going to treatment programs and to pay the perceived societal cost.

comment #34

Balthazar says ...

I guess I can't speak toward the black market.

How much does 12 joints cost right now, in the illegal market? Less than $12?

I didn't think $12 for 12 joints was that unreasonable, but I'm no expert.

comment #35

christian says ...

the democrat's hypocrisy on the drug war is infuriating. i do remind those clinton lovers that marijuana arrests skyrocketted in his administration -- thanks to him trying to prove he really didn't inhale...

it's shameful that cancer patients are being locked up and that we're wasting tax money to prosecute harmless behavior.

comment #36

christian says ...

12 joints for 12 dollars?

where?

comment #37

Geoff says ...

12 joints for 12 dollars. That really made me laugh out loud. Maybe it's different in some circles, but who purchases actual joints in the first place?

comment #38

Balthazar says ...

See, that's what I'm saying. ... I don't know how this stuff works.

If marijuana was legalized, I'm assuming it would be sold in packs of anywhere from 8 to 12 joints, right? ... I was thinking somewhere along the line of $1/joint -- or $8 to $12 per pack -- would make sense. ... I wouldn't want it to be cheaper than cigarettes -- I'd want it prohibitively higher. (no pun intended)

comment #39

RoyBatty says ...

George Bush, just the man who should be telling America about drugs. The man can't even fully admit that he used cocaine, for chrissakes.

If you want to read a well researched, thoroughly footnoted book on the subject of this countries totally fucked up drug policy, read "Drug Crazy" by Mike Gray (who also wrote book "The China Syndrome").

Study after study after fucking goddamn study has shown that A) marijuana is not physically addictive and B) people who have addictive personalities will find an outlet unless a society is prepared to use massively draconian measures to prevent it.

The addiction rate of the Netherlands is a case study in what happens when you legalize a controlled substance: no significant increase in addiction rates. People who want to spend their lives in a stupor will do it regardless.

Notice how no one mentions the example of alcohol as to what would happen if you legalize it: it would become harder for the kids the anti-dope crusaders want to protect to get it. Why do you think all types of dope are the leading substances those under 21 use? Because a dope dealer doesn't have to worry about losing a license.

The day this country is serious about "rotecting the kids" is the day no beer, wine or spirits ads run during sports events. Until then, it's all bullshit.

And for the record, I have never even TRIED a non-alcohol drug. I just hate the hypocrisy and anti-rationality of the whole mess. Not to mention I'd rather have law enforcement doing something like, oh, I don't know, catching terrorists, swindlers and murderers.

comment #40

Craig Kennedy says ...

I say let the market determine cost and delivery method. Even moderately taxed it would be cheaper than it is now. Keep Phillip Morris away from the whole business though, they'll just make shitty, dangerous product.

comment #41

Balthazar says ...

Actually, I'd like to see law enforcement sit outside every popular bar and have zero-tolerance policy with DUIs.

Drunk/high drivers kill people, not alcohol or pot.

A drunk or high driver IS a terrorist.

comment #42

Geoff says ...

I can see it now, Philip Morris has come under fire and is being sued for allegedly selling pre-rolled joints laced with PCP. A courtroom trial is to be expected in the coming months.

comment #43

CitizenKanedforChewingGum says ...

Alcohol and marijuana users are mezzo-mezzo, but u really gotta watch those Lemon Coke heads.

Addiction to that beverage leads to a tendency to comment negatively on a celebrity's obituary less than 48 hours after his passing, in addition to constantly judging a person's character by the thread counts of his apparel.

comment #44

CitizenKanedforChewingGum says ...

"And the kind of "grown up" movie QT should be making is Clerks 2."

That is hysterical, D.Z. Absolutely the funniest thing I've ever read from you (which is saying quite a bit). I hope you actually meant that. Not unlike Bergman's Persona, Clerks 2 sublimely charts the depths of human emotion.

Gimme a break, dude.

Since you love harping on Grindhouse's BO failure, this seems like the ideal time to bring up the fact that EVEN GH had a better opening weekend than Clerks 2.

comment #45

Mr. Muckle says ...

Hell, H-E is a gateway website. It leads to YouTube, and then inevitably on to AlQaeda snuff films. Eh? What?

comment #46

James says ...

Balthazar, your complete ignorance regarding the use and sale of marijuana is truly hilarious. I know that you offered the caveat that you "don't know anything about this." But that's precisely why your opinions are so groundless. You don't know what you're talking about.

Anyone seen the Showtime show, Weeds? I rented the whole first season recently and I thought it was quite good. Balthazar might learn a thing or two. Also: any thoughts on all time great pot movies? Up In Smoke and Dazed and Confused are almost too obvious, but are both great. And I also like Slacker. But here's the best movie to see stoned: Disney's Aladdin. Seriously.

comment #47

LYTrules says ...

EVEN GH had a better opening weekend than Clerks 2.

Yeah, but one cost tens of millions, and the other cost maybe ten million at most. They don't have to do the same numbers.

I liked 'em both, but Clerks 2 is the bigger hit relative to cost.

comment #48

christian says ...

hate to say it but GRINDHOUSE is wonderfully viewed old school spliff...but DAZED AND CONFUSED is at the top...2001 is the daddy.

and don't try this at home.

comment #49

messiahcomplexio says ...

For a list of all the major drugs Drugs and their different toxic levels ...

http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2007/03/drugs_and_toxic.html

of course weed is at the bottom in terms of toxicity.

And BTW, the going rate in LA for "middle of the road cannabis is around sixty dollars for a quarter ounce...so I hear.

Talk about a potential cash crop if we legalized and taxed it.

But its not like the country needs money. Everyone was Heath care, plenty of good paying jobs for everyone, no deficit, the troops have all the armor they need. Hell, we're so rich we have enough to give tax cuts in the middle of a war...

So it makes perfect sense that the hardly toxic, highly profitable devils weed should be outlawed...for the good of the country.

comment #50

gruver1 says ...

Wells to James: Curtis Hanson's "Wonder Boys" is one of all the great all-time pothead movies, in my book. As well as "The Big Lebowski," of course.

comment #51

James says ...

Yes, of course, The Big Lebowski must be on the list. And that reminds me of the other great, stony, Coen brothers movie: Raising Arizona.

And I enjoyed Wonder Boys when I saw it way back when. I really should rent that again.

comment #52

James says ...

By the by...

For clarity's sake, I should point out that we're talking about two kinds of movies here: those about potheads (Dazed, Up In Smoke, Slacker, Lebowski, Wonder Boys), and those that are unusually fun to watch while stoned (Alladin, Raising Arizona), though there can obviously be overlap.

That said, here's another offbeat example of the latter: "32 Short Films About Glenn Gould." Beautiful music plus trippy story-telling concept equals stoner-friendly hour-and-a-half.

comment #53

LFF says ...

www.leap.cc

comment #54

Balthazar says ...

My dear pothead friend James,

Sorry for my hilarious posts regarding the legalization of marijuana. My mistake was trying to come up with some way to discuss a possible framework for legalizing something that should IN NO WAY SHAPE OR FORM ever be legalized. Silly me.

comment #55

actionman says ...

i just took a bong hit

comment #56

Nate West says ...

Wells: "But every heavy pot-user I've ever known has had this aura of passive divorcement from life's rough-and-tumble -- some seem to watch way too much TV or have trouble getting their career started if they're into it too heavily."

Yes, potheads divorce themselves from anything resembling effort, ambition or any real achievement. That's true. But look at what Dunst is saying: "If everyone smoked weed, the world would be a better place." IF EVERYONE. "Everyone" includes every terrorist, every mercenary, every serial killer, every bank robber--you name the villainy. Put each of them on pot and they'll all devote themselves to TV and Lays potato chips. Death and despair will decline, and the world will be a better place. Dunst is right. And a fine American.

comment #57

Balthazar says ...

***"Everyone" includes every terrorist, every mercenary, every serial killer, every bank robber--you name the villainy. Put each of them on pot and they'll all devote themselves to TV and Lays potato chips. Death and despair will decline, and the world will be a better place. Dunst is right. And a fine American.****

OH....MY....GOD

Who, my son, is going to bake the Lays? Who is going to deliver them? Who is going to build and service the TVs? What's going to ON TV, since presumably all the vapid TV personalities will be high, too, eating chips. .... WHO'S GOING TO BE LEFT TO BLOG, FOR HEAVEN'S SAKES!!!

comment #58

D.Z. says ...

Kane: "That is hysterical, D.Z. Absolutely the funniest thing I've ever read from you (which is saying quite a bit). I hope you actually meant that. Not unlike Bergman's Persona, Clerks 2 sublimely charts the depths of human emotion."

I wouldn't characterize Kevin's movie as emotional, but it's more accessible than DP, the latter of which feels like one giant in-joke I'm not supposed to get, because I'm not cool enough to be part of Quentin's world.

comment #59

EOTW says ...

Well, that explains her dull eyed stare in every film she's ever been in or anything else I have seen her in.

comment #60

James says ...

Who you calling pothead, Balthazar? Once again, you make an assertion on a subject about which you know nothing.

For the record:

I haven't gotten high in over seven years.

I never really enjoyed getting high that much and never did it very regularly, though I had a lot of friends in college who got high often and I loved hanging out with them.

And here's the kicker: I'm a seminarian working part-time as a children's minister and I should be ordained within the next year.

Put that in your pipe and smoke it.

comment #61

Balthazar says ...

Former Pothead,

I'd like to see you explain to the kids why pot should be legalized and why it ain't that bad.

I ain't got no pipe, so you do the smokin'

comment #62

Breedlove says ...

A great movie to watch when you're really stoned is 'Bram Stoker's Dracula.'

comment #63

Breedlove says ...

P.S. Balthazar -- you are a fool. A couple of your posts on this subject were painful to read. Calling someone who advocates the legalization of marijuana "tremendously stupid and irresponsible"? Providing a link to the White House website? Are you fucking serious, my man?

comment #64

Balthazar says ...

Actually, I'd have more respect for Kirsten is she came out and just made a compelling case for the legalization of marijuana.

I have far, far, far less respect for her IDIOTIC statement: "If everyone smoked weed, the world would be a better place."

Think for one second about how inane that is.

comment #65

Nate West says ...

Let's be fair to Kirsten. She is clearly NOT arguing that everyone should have a lit doobie dangling from his or her lip at EVERY MINUTE OF THE DAY. Just as with huffing paint, there is such a thing as responsible use. Moderation in all things, etc. Surgeons, for example, should be expected to light up only AFTER surgery, not immediately before or during--especially with all that loose oxygen around. The same goes for the Strategic Air Command. Police officers should not puff on duty--except, perhaps, for those bearded Serpico-like cops. Being an adult is learning how to make such distinctions.

comment #66

christian says ...

"i just took a bong hit"

funniest thing actionman ever posted.

and they call 'em BAKED lays for a reason...

comment #67

CitizenKanedforChewingGum says ...

DZ: "I wouldn't characterize Kevin's movie as emotional, but it's more accessible than DP, the latter of which feels like one giant in-joke I'm not supposed to get, because I'm not cool enough to be part of Quentin's world."

This is actually a great point. I knew you were capable of making those if I prodded you enough! C2 is nothing if not openly sincere, to an almost jarring degree (i wasn't really expecting that the first time through).

"I liked 'em both, but Clerks 2 is the bigger hit relative to cost."

Absolutely. No argument. This was just part of my prodding strategy.

comment #68

Hallick says ...

"I think America's view on weed is ridiculous. I mean, are you kidding me? If everyone smoked weed, the world would be a better place."

I bet she'd make fake coughing noises and self-amused comments if somebody downwind dared to light a Marlboro though. If everyone smoked weed, the world would still be suing the cigarette industry and making silly ass PSAs. No doubt.

(The world would also be a better place if people would stop using the word "weed". God damn it's gotten old.)

comment #69

Stephe96 says ...

"What Jefferson was saying was, Hey! You know, we left this England place 'cause it was bogus; so if we don't get some cool rules ourselves - pronto - we'll just be bogus too! Get it?"

comment #70

NYCBusybody says ...

Pot has become huge among red-state, frat-boy types anyway (trust me, I know), so I think its eventual legalization is assured (older conservative types still harbor the anti-hippie bias against it, but its a generational thing).

No guys I know ever want to fuck a girl without being high first - it's the opposite of alcohol, which makes performance suffer. Weed is awesome.

I've always found conservative support for a massive, government-based law and order fight against drugs to be ridiculous and counter to conservative ideals. Where conservatives always correctly understand that it's culture, society, parenting, and such that need to be fixed to correct society's ills (as opposed to government handouts, programs, social outreach, etc), they continually ascribe to failed government anti-drug wars. I think it's probably motivated by leftover 60's animosity to drug-user types (which is understandable), but it's time to move past that.

comment #71

York "Budd" Durden says ...

Hands down, the best and most intelligent thought that nycbusybody has ever posted on this blog. Nothing the so-called conservative government does has anything to do with conservative ideals, most especially the regulation and criminalization of private behavior.

comment #72

Craig Kennedy says ...

NYCBB is on the right track (no pun intended), but he seems to be suggesting the government should stick its nose into "culture, society, parenting, and such" rather than "government handouts, programs, social outreach, etc." Either way the government is sticking its nose in and that goes against what I consider a true conservative philosophy of government.

Maybe I'm reading more into it than what he's saying.

comment #73

Ross says ...

I think it all comes down to personal freedom... that's supposed to be what America is about, but obviously isn't in many ways. If I want to jump out of an airplane, swim with sharks or light up and kill a few braincells I should be able to without the Government coming in and arresting me. If I'm out driving around intoxicated that's a whole other thing, but I should be able to do whatever I damn well please as long as I'm not harming anyone else in the process.

Look at these numbers again: http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2007/03/drugs_and_toxic.html - And tell me it's not one of the most ridiculous laws in the books.

comment #74

christian says ...

alcohol kills more people and destroys more lives in one year than marijuana could accomplish in decades.

comment #75

rocco says ...

Marijuana will be legalized just as the last of the world's honeybees disappear, and will be forever demonized as society destroys itself in a stoned, buzz-less, bee-less, crop-less world. Doesn't sound too bad, man...

Alcohol has no place in this discussion. Beer and wine are the foundation for long-term health and advancement of civilization. This isn't conjecture, this is fact. A reliable source of fresh, clean drinking water is a relatively new innovation...until a few hundred years ago, your choices were beer, wine, other distillates, or boiled beverages.

Alcohol may be used as a mechanism for self-destructive types to, well, self destruct, but that has more to do with basic human weaknesses and dependancy issues than anything inherently dangerous or wrong with alcohol.

Except for the most addictive and destructive of drugs, the government has no place dictating what we put in our bodies. Jeffrey Lebowskis of the world, unite!

comment #76

Hal says ...

"...it's obviously more benign than any number of legal prescription drugs out there, not to mention booze and cigarettes."

Actually, that's not true, Jeff. Marijuana smokers have a higher risk of lung cancer than cigarette smokers.