CNN has a feture called “iReport” where you can send in your comments and video replies to their stories. The Barney Frank press conference is the subject, and I am thrilled to note that almost all of the comments were positive for our side, or as CNN puts it, “The overwhelming majority of iReporters who responded favor legalization”. As of 8:15pm PT they had 221 iReports submitted. Here is CNN’s select sampling of 15:
Marijuana bill sparks debate among iReporters – CNN.com
qotsa7777: I absolutely agree with the legalization of recreational marijuana use as a means to end the damaging and unproductive war on responsible, non violent users, but if we deny individuals the right to cultivate and sell marijuana for profit (with regulation similar that of alcohol), than we continue to perpetuate the most damaging aspect of marijuana prohibition: the funneling of money to gangs.TJ1: I have been in hiding too long on this subject. I have a medical disorder that marijuana helps…. why should I have to hide responsible use of this what I consider to be very helpful to me?
Aoman: These issues should be left up to the states to decide. Let the DEA worry about drugs that are actually harmful to society.
Oilengineer: I am completely fine with the idea that individuals can make their own decisions on drugs.
LindaLou65: I’m not sure how many are aware of the fact that marijuana is used to treat HIV and AIDS patients.
Bigsilk: I will admit, however, 100 grams is a lot of weed. I would say that for most recreational smokers, that’s at least three or more month’s worth of pot. Maybe a hundred grams is a little high (pardon the pun).
GarthC420: [My Dutch husband] explained that in the Netherlands marijuana is just another tobacco product, and it doesn’t have this big forbidden taboo surrounding it like in the U.S. When the U.S. goes so far as to have news coverage of arrests of individuals for personal use pot gets better publicity then any trendy witty commercial drug dealers could air on TV.
Lascivius: There is no doubt in my mind that marijuana doesn’t ruin lives (unless you count the legal problems that it causes in peoples’ lives). It is also my opinion, being the child of an abusive alcoholic father, that marijuana use is far less harmful to lives than the use of alcohol can be.
Sensibleguy: Short and sweet, here’s the case: Marijuana is not harmful. It is not physically addictive (like alcohol/cocaine can be), mentally destructive (acid, alcohol), does not carry serious side effects (prescription meds), and does not cause cancer (cigarettes).
cweezy172: I smoke pot every night before I go to sleep, it has reduced my general stress in life, and improved my quality of life. I recently (June) graduated with a 3.8 from a Master’s program and got a pretty good job, which I am currently excelling in.
Missbosshawg: I don’t smoke pot, but have a lot of friends who do. Most who are 40 and 50 years old. I have never seen any of these people violent or commit crimes. They are hard working people who pay their taxes, own their own homes and volunteer in our community.
EyeiandiEye: It is a great disparity in the American courts to allow this catastrophic aspect of the drug war to go any further.
And this next one is my favorite, so I bring it to you in its entirety:
Denbee: I am a 58-year-old Vietnam veteran. American troops in Vietnam were generally split into two groups, the boozers and the tokers. In two years of Vietnam I never once saw anyone who was high on pot turn to violence. Never once saw anyone high slurring their speech or being aggressive or vomiting all over themselves and others. The worst I can say about the tokers is that we broke into the mess hall one night and stole a 5 pound carton of strawberry ice cream (shared among 12 of us) and it was wonderful!
So given the violent history of alcohol and the aggressiveness and stupidity it causes I made a choice 40 years ago and it was one of the best choices I have made. I am a responsible husband and father; I am a cardiovascular technologist and have been employed with the same employer for 36 years. I have been married for 26 years. I am a runner and have run for over 20 years. Oh, I have smoked marijuana almost everyday for the last 40 years also. Should we make room in the jail for me?
So, if you’re keeping score, that’s thirteen mostly positive responses to the idea, and a couple that criticize it for not going far enough into legalization. That leaves us the two hilarious negative responses:
Jennb: Americans have displayed a serious lack of judgment recently. Do you think they can utilize this substance without affecting others? Do we want more people driving while intoxicated? Do we want our children to go to their friend’s house, where their friends parents use only a little pot? Should we allow teens to use this substance without consequence? No, No, No, No, No!
Jenn, you write as if these things aren’t already happening! Everyone who wants to smoke pot is doing it right now. Making pot legal doesn’t change DUI laws – if you’re busting pot DUIs now, you can continue to bust pot DUIs when it’s legal, and you’ll have more police resources to do so because they won’t be taken off the streets to haul in and process someone for merely possessing it. Finally, Frank’s bill clearly says “adults”.
TAZER357: I cannot even grasp why the liberal left seem to want the country getting high. Oh wait, on second thought, it makes perfect sense. If the country is high, then they wont really know what the liberal left is really doing to the country. My personal opinion is that if people really want to get high, they will either take their chances with the law, or they can pay for a ticket to Amsterdam.
What an appropriate user name.
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