[BeaverFever]

EyeBrock EyeBrock:

Nice idea Curt, but there are much bigger billions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of jobs that rely on our American friends and the free flowing trade between our two borders.

Decriminalising street narcotics in Canada would bring the border traffic to a screeching halt.

Acting alone isn’t in our national interest.

I'm not so sure that's true...look at the US border with Mexico....drugs, guns, gangs, illegals flow across that border daily yet the trade still flows. There's WAAY too much trade going back across the border to close for such things. Billions of dollars a day goes back and forth between Canada and the US and closing the border would kill all kinds of big and small US businesses. No way corporate America would allow a government to close the border.

[andyt]

Good Point BF. Not to mention that we're already sending tons of illegal bud and X across the border. Don't see how it can get any worse. But the US will probably legalize before we do.

[Curtman]

EyeBrock EyeBrock:

Nice idea Curt, but there are much bigger billions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of jobs that rely on our American friends and the free flowing trade between our two borders.

Decriminalising street narcotics in Canada would bring the border traffic to a screeching halt.

Acting alone isn’t in our national interest.

We abolished slavery first. We ended alcohol prohibition first. Its us who needs to show them a better way, just like always.

[BeaverFever]

$1:

But the US will probably legalize before we do.

Really think so??? Not with the likes of Limbaugh and the Religious right being such a factor in US politics. Don't let Limbaugh's pill-popping addiction fool you into thinking he's not a total hypocrite.

[OwenHargreaves]

USA isn't even close to legalizing at this point.

[RUEZ]

BeaverFever BeaverFever:

But wait! We still need to spend billions more on new jails and more armed citizens....don't we???

Are we arming our citizens now? Where do I sign up for weapons?

[Curtman]

BeaverFever BeaverFever:

$1:

But the US will probably legalize before we do.

Really think so??? Not with the likes of Limbaugh and the Religious right being such a factor in US politics. Don't let Limbaugh's pill-popping addiction fool you into thinking he's not a total hypocrite.

Yes, but look at the republicans pushing for legalization now.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/15/denver-assembly-marijuana-laws-gop_n_1348765.html

$1:

Fifty-six percent of the delegates at the Denver County Republican Assembly voted in support of a resolution to regulate marijuana like alcohol in the Centennial State. While the initiative, known as Amendment 64, did not receive the two-thirds majority required to adopt it as a plank in the party's platform, advocates are hailing the vote as significant.

http://www.christianpost.com/news/gop-candidate-gary-johnson-wants-to-legalize-marijuana-52097/

$1:

Former governor of New Mexico and 2012 GOP candidate Gary Johnson has expressed his support of the legalization of Marijuana in the U.S.

“So I advocate legalizing marijuana, control it, regulate it, tax it,” said Johnson in May at the Republican presidential debate.

Ron Paul Ron Paul:

“I would get the government out of regulating all those substances and I will allow the states to deal with the problems whether children should have them, whether children can buy cigarettes and alcohol, or hard drugs, marijuana. And different states would probably do differing things
The first federal law against marijuana was 1938 and they did it through high taxation because they knew they didn’t have authority to say you’re not allowed to smoke marijuana.

Today it’s gone berserk. The federal government comes in and overrules a state (sic) has legalized marijuana to be used by very sick people, AIDS and cancer, and they’re getting some help. The Federal government comes in and puts people in prison that are sick, because they’re using for medical reason and they’ve never committed a violent crime. That’s how absurd the war on drugs has become.”

$1:

Republican presidential candidate Gary Johnson has already come out in favor of legalizing marijuana, announcing on Wednesday that he would even consider issuing a full presidential pardon for anyone serving a prison sentence for a nonviolent marijuana crime. Such pardons are part of what he envisions as a broader "rational drug policy."

"Pot smokers may be the largest untapped voting bloc in the country," he said in an interview with Outside Magazine. "A hundred million Americans have smoked marijuana. You think they want to be considered criminals?"

In the bizarro universe south of us, fiscally conservative candidates are pushing for this. The left is too scared to rock the boat.

Edit: saw this article after posting..

Pot Legalization Is Coming

$1:

At least some able-bodied Americans may soon be able to score a bag of weed legally without having to fake a knee injury. In November, voters in three states could approve ballot measures to legalize marijuana, and not just for medical purposes – for getting-high purposes. Then again, they might chicken out, like California voters did in 2010. But sooner or later, and probably sooner, a state will go green.

About half of America will be fine with that. Support for legalization is (no other way to put it) higher than ever, and rising. That's partly demographics – the young are more into pot than their elders, who aren't sticking around. But it's something else, too: The status quo, people are starting to notice, is a total disaster.

The prohibition on marijuana – a relatively benign drug when used responsibly by adults, and a teddy bear compared to alcohol and tobacco – has done an impressive job of racking up racially-biased arrests; throwing people in jail; burning up police time and money; propping up a $30 billion illegal market; and enriching psychotic, "personal zoo"-owning Mexican drug lords.
...

It's hard to say who will go first. Mexico, Canada, then U.S.. Maybe vice-versa. They're definitely already having the discussion that we should be having up here as well. Harper's position that the war on drugs is a failure, but we should continue anyway is absolutely untenable.

[Freakinoldguy]

andyt andyt:

If you decrim/legalize, ipso facto the crime rate will drop because you've just eliminated a crime. Needle exchanges, supplied drugs/alcohol are about increasing health, not decreasing crime. Reduced sentences for Natives are already being given - never really heard that it's supposed to reduce crime tho.

But E for effort.

Why should we bother wasting money doing those things if crime is already dropping. All we have to do is wait and one day there'll be no crime.

Your right we could go Curtman and legalize everything and then there'd be even less crime but where do you put public safety in this equation?

[Curtman]

Freakinoldguy Freakinoldguy:

andyt andyt:

If you decrim/legalize, ipso facto the crime rate will drop because you've just eliminated a crime. Needle exchanges, supplied drugs/alcohol are about increasing health, not decreasing crime. Reduced sentences for Natives are already being given - never really heard that it's supposed to reduce crime tho.

But E for effort.

Why should we bother wasting money doing those things if crime is already dropping. All we have to do is wait and one day there'll be no crime.

Your right we could go Curtman and legalize everything and then there'd be even less crime but where do you put public safety in this equation?

Wasting money? You're wasting billions of dollars in tax revenue, and hundreds of millions on enforcement now!

[EyeBrock]

Curtman Curtman:

EyeBrock EyeBrock:

Nice idea Curt, but there are much bigger billions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of jobs that rely on our American friends and the free flowing trade between our two borders.

Decriminalising street narcotics in Canada would bring the border traffic to a screeching halt.

Acting alone isn’t in our national interest.

We abolished slavery first. We ended alcohol prohibition first. Its us who needs to show them a better way, just like always.

Well, 'we' didn't abolish slavery, the Brits did, or more to the point, Lt Governor Simcoe did on the behest of the UK government. On prohibition, that was pre 1931 and Canada was still nominally dependent on the UK for foreign policy, law etc. I get your point but it's not quite accurate and a bit over-simplistic.

Whether we like it or not, we are tied to trade with the US. Anything that jeopardises that trade isn't a good thing for Canada.

[Curtman]

EyeBrock EyeBrock:

Curtman Curtman:

EyeBrock EyeBrock:

Nice idea Curt, but there are much bigger billions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of jobs that rely on our American friends and the free flowing trade between our two borders.

Decriminalising street narcotics in Canada would bring the border traffic to a screeching halt.

Acting alone isn’t in our national interest.

We abolished slavery first. We ended alcohol prohibition first. Its us who needs to show them a better way, just like always.

Well, 'we' didn't abolish slavery, the Brits did, or more to the point, Lt Governor Simcoe did on the behest of the UK government. On prohibition, that was pre 1931 and Canada was still nominally dependent on the UK for foreign policy, law etc. I get your point but it's not quite accurate and a bit over-simplistic.

Whether we like it or not, we are tied to trade with the US. Anything that jeopardises that trade isn't a good thing for Canada.

They are the ones putting themselves in jeopardy in your worst case scenario. The trade deficit works to our advantage most years. We're their largest supplier of oil. They're not closing any borders.

[EyeBrock]

Do you think an NDP government would do any different Curt?

[Curtman]

EyeBrock EyeBrock:

Do you think an NDP government would do any different Curt?

I'm not sure what that even means. If an NDP government would close the border if the US legalized? Or would an NDP government legalize?

http://www.cannabisculture.com/blogs/2012/07/12/Canadas-NDP-Forty-years-fighting-end-war-marijuana

They would have to do something. I still believe that decriminalization is worse than what we have now. But there are examples around the world where it isn't. I'm hoping for a Liberal Democrat government, so we'll see.

[BeaverFever]

EyeBrock EyeBrock:

Well, 'we' didn't abolish slavery, the Brits did, or more to the point, Lt Governor Simcoe did on the behest of the UK government. On prohibition, that was pre 1931 and Canada was still nominally dependent on the UK for foreign policy, law etc. I get your point but it's not quite accurate and a bit over-simplistic.

Whether we like it or not, we are tied to trade with the US. Anything that jeopardises that trade isn't a good thing for Canada.

Right on the slavery bit but Canada was self-governing since 1867 so on the topic of prohibition, that was all of our own doing and not something from Mother Britain.

As previously stated, trade will not jeopardized by legalization in Canada. Im a little tired o hearing people talk about CAN - US trade as if its some favour Americans do for us. The biggest US companies make alot of money on that trade and many have integrated cross-border processes an operations that cam not simply be carved out. US will never strangle its own business sector in response to a social problem. They havent even done it yet with Mexico, who is far less integrated with the US than we are.

[Curtman]

BeaverFever BeaverFever:

As previously stated, trade will not jeopardized by legalization in Canada. Im a little tired o hearing people talk about CAN - US trade as if its some favour Americans do for us. The biggest US companies make alot of money on that trade and many have integrated cross-border processes an operations that cam not simply be carved out. US will never strangle its own business sector in response to a social problem. They havent even done it yet with Mexico, who is far less integrated with the US than we are.

And as also previously stated, it will increase trade.

Evidence: The Bronfman Family - Seagrams