Reactions to Holder's Policy Announcement Widely Divergent

[RainDog]

http://www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20130830/NEWS/308300019/

...you know what you're going to hear from those who want to end prohibition. what about the other side of the divide?

it's scaaaaaaary!

Critics accused Attorney General Eric Holder of dereliction of duty and called for him to be fired.

“He’s not just abandoning the law, he’s breaking the law because he took an oath of office to uphold the Constitution,” said Peter Bensinger, former head of the Drug Enforcement Administration. “He’s putting the people of Washington and Colorado at risk. He’s violating the treaty obligations of this country. He’s telling the world we don’t really follow the law here.”

Calvina Fay, executive director of the Drug Free America Foundation, said Holder should be dismissed because he “ignored the cries of law enforcement, the cries of treatment professionals… the cries from parents.”

Holder has created a “tsunami that will most likely result in far too many young people becoming victims of chemical slavery,” Fay said. “It’s really unforgivable.”

I'm a parent. I would rather have weed regulated in the same way that alcohol is. I don't understand parents who think they're doing their children any favors to make the most popular intoxicant in the world only available through people who also sell more dangerous intoxicants.

I think it's important to stress that teenagers' brains are developing, still, and, just as with alcohol, it's not a good idea to use either until you're older, and anyone who has certain medical histories in their families should take this into consideration too. We provide treatment for teenagers who spend too much time getting intoxicated - and this, in itself, indicates some other issue, generally.

That's how we deal with alcohol in society with teenagers. Why should marijuana be any different?

[BillyRibs]

1. Because it Puts,

The Ca-bash on a real money maker for the Militarized Police in this country. not to mention the 64 Billion dollars spent for the war on drugs through the Federal Prosecutors offices. And all those little 501-c Offices like project for a drug free America, The Dare Programs and,UM oh YEAH, the Drug Free America Foundation. Sorry times for these people! Their Gravy train just came to a screeching Halt for fund raising Money from the Feds. Well I'd like to say to them on behalf of all those persecuted and jailed because of these stupid laws . HEY BUDDY, GET A REAL JOB!

[CanSocDem]

2. It shouldn't be a case...

...of either-or...if you know what I mean. I still think the value of cannabis in our society both medically and socially, is far beyond the capabilities of "alcohol". Even including all of the pharmaceutical products that are alcohol based, Cannabis has a much higher value to the society and especially in the area of Public Health.

We shouldn't allow ourselves to get drawn into arguments over the comparisons between "alcohol" and "pot". They're not in our league.


.

[RainDog]

4. Well, parents worry about their kids

And too often think that bad law is good for kids, when it's not. I was responding to the person saying hell has broken loose and the caterwauling of parents was rising from coast to coast to mourn their children's safety.

...when the reality is that unregulated marijuana is far more dangerous, as is keeping it within an illegal market framework. I don't know how many liquor stores bring alcohol to school to sell to kids, that sort of thing. It's all fear mongering, imo.

Parents who imbibe any such substances have a responsibility to keep their intoxicants away from their kids and to use the same responsibly. This happens all the time. Some people just need to be reminded of this reality.

When we're looking at a regulatory framework for an intoxicating substance - alcohol is the model we have in existence, so people will look at how it is regulated in order to provide guidance for cannabis regulation.

[99th_Monkey]

3. I think this explains, more than anything, WHY this hasn't happened sooner nt

[RainDog]

5. The UN Conventions, which the US imposed

are part of the next step in this process.

We simply need to align with other nations that want to stop this worldwide prohibition. I don't know that many nations would show much support for the worldwide prohibition of cannabis - the US seems to have been the driver of this issue all along.