Legalize it: The tourism slant

[kalakoa]

quote:

---

Really? Driving drunk isn't illegal? Drunk drivers don't kill people?

---

I'm not saying it's "right", and I definitely don't agree with the priorities, but look no further than the legal status and relevant sentencing; both alcohol and cars are completely legal, taxed, and regulated; most first-offender (and many multi-offender) DUIs don't result in jail time. The message is pretty clear....

[Delta9r]

Conflating the legality of cars and alcohol with drunk driving is a bit disingenuous, no?

Driving while intoxicated is just as illegal as growing 20 pounds of cannabis.

As for the supposed regulation of alcohol, look no further than the parking lots of your nearest alcohol serving establishment. Many of those vehicles will be driven home by drunk drivers.

How many of our traffic deaths have been attributed to alcohol as compared to cannabis?

"Life is labor, and all that is good in life comes from that labor..."

[Delta9r]

Here's a link to the proposal to allow cannabis cultivation for export.

http://westhawaiitoday.com/news/state-wi...maui-wowie

"Life is labor, and all that is good in life comes from that labor..."

[Kapohocat]

What a joke if Hawaii legislators let Hawaii become one of the last states to remove penalties instead of the first 5... even the feds arent quite able to hold their line anymore or at least it is wavering..

http://news.yahoo.com/us-marijuana-polic...24509.html

[Guest]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Delta9r

How many of our traffic deaths have been attributed to alcohol as compared to cannabis?

---

According to CDC, around 10,000 compared to none. Or 30 a day compared to none. Or around 1 every 48 minutes compared to none.

http://www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/im...sheet.html

[2liveque]

The every growing (pun intended) possibilities continue to be uncovered in Colorado. TRAILBLAZERS!

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/20...ation.html

[kalakoa]

Our fearless President has made it pretty clear the matter will not be resolved soon.

Current strategy: Obama will force important issues by signing executive orders instead of waiting for Congress. Example: higher minimum wage for Federal contractors.

...but when asked about legalization, he says "that's a job for Congress".

[Bullwinkle]

Slate on impaired drivers - pot vs booze

http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and...ohol_.html

"The study is the first to examine the relationship between the legalization of medical marijuana and traffic deaths.
"We were astounded by how little is known about the effects of legalizing medical marijuana," Rees said. "We looked into traffic fatalities because there is good data, and the data allow us to test whether alcohol was a factor."
Anderson noted that traffic deaths are significant from a policy standpoint.
"Traffic fatalities are an important outcome from a policy perspective because they represent the leading cause of death among Americans ages five to 34," he said.
The economists analyzed traffic fatalities nationwide, including the 13 states that legalized medical marijuana between 1990 and 2009. In those states, they found evidence that alcohol consumption by 20- through 29-year-olds went down, resulting in fewer deaths on the road."

[ourdoc]

"February’s tax collections in Colorado likely will exceed a quarter of a million dollars a day, putting it on pace to near $100 million annually."
Need more be said?
http://www.today.com/money/pot-buyers-ad...2D12035047

[oceangirl]

I'd say we are pretty darn close. In the past 2 months CNN has done a number of hour long specials at peak viewing times, exploring the POSITIVE effects of marijuana. Many Many people are changing their opinions about marijuana.