Absolutely it should be legal. Look, the governements "war on drugs" is a joke. It's been going on decades, no end in sight, it fact, it appears to be getting worse. Thousands of people locked up, thousands more waiting to be locked up and again, no end in sight. It's not working, a blind man should able to see that. If you don't want to smoke, then don't smoke, but don't keep locking people up just because they do want to smoke. Read some history, pick a culture, pick a point in time, you'll find some reference to people using some kind of drug. You can't legislate human nature. Even the people that push the marijuana laws, I bet they drink, alcohol used to be illegal too, you see how that worked out......

How deep in mental illness must a society be in to ask if mankind should be allowed all species?

Marijuana is not a drug. Is one of the safest therapeutic substances known to man. Should be free for selling for those who want to consume. The goverment will earn some money from taxes and will not consume alot of resources arresting peoples and putting them to jail for smoking an aromatic plant. It is safer than alcohol and tobacco.

I do not smoke marijuana. As long as pot smokers only can hurt themselves, (I don't see how inhaling any smoke into your lungs is therapeutic) I don't have a problem with it. Just don't smoke marijuana or tobacco around others who object. Tom is accurate on the amount of money we spend as an exercise in futility. The "DARE" Program was researched many years ago and the result was the program had absolutely zero impact. The conclusions were they were preaching to the choir. Law enforcement only continues the program because it is popular with "Moms" as a public relation tool.

The only bad experience I have ever had with marijuana was spending 5 years in Federal Prison for a pot offense.

I wrote about the great times I had before my arrest...living free, smuggling marijuana, and harming no one.

My book: Shoulda Robbed a Bank

I would be honored by your review.

I am ecstatic to see the Great State of Georgia moving into 'the light.'
I have canoed and camped your rivers for 16 years.
I love Georgia.

All card-carrying members of the DEA need to read: Shoulda Robbed a Bank
Here is one of its reviews:

5.0 out of 5 stars... If David Sedaris had written 'Catcher in the Rye'..this would be it, June 30, 2012

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Shoulda Robbed a Bank (Kindle Edition)

I have never smoked pot in my life...nor do I ever care to.
I read about this book in numerous Huffington Post comments. Thought I would read it because I know nothing about marijuana or the people involved with it. I am ecstatic that I did. Funny, Funny, Funny!!!
The chapters are like short stories. Stories about unloading boats with helicopters, close encounters with law enforcement, traveling through the jungles of South America. The chapter about the author's first time smoking marijuana made me feel like I was with him...coughing.
All of the characters were just a group of loveable, nice guys and girls. Not what I had been raised to believe...hysterical maniacs high on pot bent on death and mayhem. They were nothing like that.
If you have ever read any of David Sedaris' books, and like them...you will love Shoulda Robbed a Bank.
And the crazy things happening reminded me of Holden Caufield in 'Catcher in the Rye' and the way he staggered through life.
The way the words are put together are like nothing I have ever heard. I am sure I will use many of the sayings found in this book just to dazzle my friends. A terrific read. I love this book.

As a mom and grandmother, I personally am not interested in smoking, however my two young adult children do smoke. I believe it should be available as a choice. Their lives have been ruined by incarceration over small amounts of pot, and not even selling it. There are so many people that have been locked up, ruining their reputation and job options. Alcohol is legal, so why keep keep locking people up just because they do want to smoke? Alcohol has killed people, so why is it legal? Come on Georgia, make marijuana legal. If you don't want to smoke it, then don't, but please let those who want it have it.

Did you really just quote ONDCP, who the Government Accounting Office gave unfettered permission to lie?

http://www.commondreams.org/news2004/0312-06.htm

the GAO declared, in essence, that the truth or falsity of ONDCP's statements is irrelevant. "ONDCP is specifically charged with the responsibility for `taking such actions as necessary to oppose any attempt to legalize the use' of certain controlled substances such as marijuana," wrote GAO General Counsel Anthony Gamboa. "Given this role, we do not see a need to examine the accuracy of the Deputy Director's individual statements in detail."

Consider INVESTING in the full legalization movement with stock symbol MJNA (Medical Marijuana Inc) -- With the most recent polls surging in Washington (37 and 24 point leads) and Colorado (11 point lead), ALL with majority support, there's no telling where this will go in November!

Hell yes stop lying to America.

Stop lying to America

October 16th Washington DC. The Court Case Americans for a safe Access vs. The DEA. The DEA will have to Justified its scheduling of cannabis as #1 most dangerous kind along with Heroin. In spite of the US Patent on medicinal Cannabis and all the medical and scientific Facts. All Eye should be on this trial and getting the candidates to debate.
http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2012/...

Edit Reply

People keep saying what about the kids. Many kids start out smoking cigarettes which is far more unhealthy then marijauna. Plus, how many people die a year from alcohol and compare it to the deaths of marijuana smokers. But alcohol remains legal. Come on America, make marijuana legal.

How are we suppose to live in fear and suffer our whole lives if marijuana is legal? Isn't that the agenda or our government? Make the people live in fear and suffer so they might require leaders and government assistance.? Why else you think it was made illegal in the first place? So the peoples emotions could be governed as well.

It def should be legal. The government would get more money bc we would be paying taxes on it. It would create more jobs. And the police would be able to focus on the serious crimes and stop spending money on housing individuals that got caught with marijuana, and they could spend the money on housing the inmates that committed actual serious crimes. This would save the government a TON of money. I think ALL states should legalize marijuana. A person driving while high will not kill someone, as with alcohol they do. Also, a person at a bar that has been smoking pot will not get into any fights, as with alcohol they do. I actually think that alcohol should be illegal and marijuana should be legal. America would be a much more peaceful place :)

This is what the people have wanted for years the war on drugs only makes it profitable and the money leaves the country lets tax it and stop the illegal trade of mj .

[PLEASE LEGALIZE MARIJUANA] We can Eliminate Crime by cutting drug dealers, save money by ending the fight on drugs (Marijuana to be exact), and ACTUALLY MAKE MONEY by legally selling it. That's a WIN WIN WIN Situation. In a addition to that marijuana has no harmful side affects like cigarettes and alcohol. THIS IS OBVIOUSLY A NO BRAINER!!!!

Sign my petition to legalize MJ in Georgia.

Please share

https://www.change.org/en-CA/petitions/governor-of-georgia-nathan-deal-senators-and-representatives-decriminalize-the-recreational-use-of-marijuana-in-the-state-of-georgia

I am in my 30's and have been smoking since i was 12. I have not moved to harder drugs nor have any desire too. And have the people are right. Compared to alcohol...how many life's have been taken or scared for life! But noone seems to care about that. All pot smokers want to do is chill, laugh, and eat!! Not party..fighting..raising hell..and get all loud and obnoxious !! Why is that still illegal? Come on give us a break!

"...smoking since i was 12.."

Dang, tiffany...I have heard of this...but, I still wonder if that may a bit young???

I smoked my first joint in December, 1967, at the tender age of 21.

Now, a mere 45 years later, I still smoke pot. I have never 'graduated' to 'harder' drugs.

I am living proof that prohibitionist propaganda is a fallacy...a blatant lie.

The worst experience I had with marijuana was spending 5 years in Federal Prison for a pot offense.
While I was there, I watched armed bank robbers come and go in as little as 20 months.

When I went to the parole board after more than 3 years 'behind the wall,' I pointed this out to the panel members. Their response: "You must understand that yours was a very serious offense."

I laughed about that for another 2 years (as I still sat in prison)...then wrote my book:

Shoulda Robbed a Bank.

Now that you are 'of age,' I would be honored by your review...
Happy Thanksgiving,
Hugh Yonn

Flyingtoolow: yes it as a young age. But everything came early for me. I left home at 15 and started having my kids @ 16. All of it was too young! But i was forced by my parents to " GROW UP" and that's what i did. Luckily i haven't gotten in trouble for it. As i have never been to jail. Thank god! Im sorry to hear what happened to you and makes me not believe in our system! I hear stories like yours and it makes me sick! As well as i know several policemen who smoke and was seen in a dog fight as well as some of our finest politics around here! I cannot wait to read your book! Have a happy thanksgiving..and keep on passing!

What I don't understand is why people say marijuana ruined their lives because the were incarcerated. Heres something kinda thought provoking. When you steal you go to jail because stealing is illegal. When you speed you gt a ticket because speeding is illegal. Whether or not marijuana should be legal or not is irrelevant. The fact of the matter is, it is illegal. Therefore if you choose to partake in that illegal activity ie. smoking, possessing, or selling you should be punished because its illegal. You're making a conscious effort to break the law so why are you so shocked that you're being arrested for it? When the day comes that it's legalized go get as baked as you can, but until that time, if you choose to take the risk, be ready for the consequences

FlyingTooLow

You sound like a perfectly alright person and I am in no way attacking you or your character, but I think your message is a little skewed. It sounds like you had a pretty lucrative buisness selling marijuana that was much more than getting caught high on the side of the road or having a few plants growing in your backyard. And if I were to be in the shoes of the DEA and the prosecutors I would say your sentence was spot on. The purpose of a prison sentence is to deter criminals from committing unlawful acts, and unfortunately I don't think you learned your lesson. Rather than making your mistakes into a positive message by trying to tell people selling and doing marijuana is not worth it, you make a joke out of it by being bitter and pithy. You are a talented writer, but I think you used your talent unwisely. I think if you had instead used your book to help people to learn from your mistakes instead of having to face the consequences themselves would have been a better message to pass along. It sounds instead like you used your book to mock the justice system and tell people how you were wronged. I really am sorry that you had to go through that terrible time in prison and I really do respect your desire to tell your story. But the law as it stands today classifies marijuana as an illegal substance and the amount of people breaking the law to use of sell it is preposterous. So telling the govt basically "screw your laws we're going to do it no matter what"

Isn't the best way to persuade them to change the law. I really want you to know that I am not attacking you, but I am genuinely curious about the way our culture chooses to disregard the law so blatantly and then is shocked when they are punished for breaking it.

I am looking forward to your response
Much respect

Jim Beam

From Kev from the A, in ten thousand years there has not been not one reported death related to Marijuanna use, side effects are hungry, happy, and sleepy. Over 425,000 deaths from tobacco smoke, 85,000 deaths a year related to alcohol, this is common since which do you think should legal?

I am tired of these jobs in Atlanta not hiring because i smoke marijuanna, it makes no since! Then they try to lock people up and ruin your background just for a dime bag??? What can we do to stop these dumb laws?

Most defiantly it should be legal. not only will it bring in revenue but it will have more jobs. There is differently more pros than cons. which is what you Haft to way out. we need to be concerned about the abuse of pharmaceuticals, and alcohol. which kills people everyday. You know how you kill a lab rat with marijuana? you drop a 25 pound brick of it from 25 feet up.
Another thing you Haft to consider is that we won't Haft to worry about the Mexican mafia or in that case other countries importing it via black market. more money in are pockets... like 2 poc said a gun for the quarter. meaning people are getting killed for 7 grams of marijuana. when we could just legalize it.

The bottom line is yes it should be legalized in Ga and here's why. Lawmakers know as long as it's illegal there will be a steady supply of inmates in jails. Inmates in jails mean
more business for the crime enforcement industry. I dare panel of political, medical, and law enforcement to prove marijuana is worst than alcohol.

Marijuana is not a drug it just grows like that and if you so happen to set it on fire there are some effects. Now these effect are not in the least bit as damaging and harmful as over the counter drugs or booze. Its 2013 and the topic of marry Jane and the use of this amazing herb is no longer taboo. It should be legal no if anew or buts

Legalize it weed has never killed anyone it's been around for thousands of years the Romans smoked pot. Some if the greatest warriors and I believe America needa to earn respect back and take back our country the governments just fighting us and making up any excuse to keep it illegal and everyone knows. It's pot illegal everyone's gonna smoke it hopefully cop maybe put them inna better mood maybe even smoke a j with them and chill. America just needs to obey by the constitutional rights and realize what's right. If over a thousand people die each year from smoking and 5000 die from alcohol. Why not leglize pot? Never killed anyone just a natural grown erb god put on this planet on a reason even church tries to put u against smoking pot well maybe I just won't go anymore because where in the bible does god saw not to smoke pot?