VIDEO: Legalizing Marijuana: Times They Are A-Changin’

If we have pot we won't NEED the prescription drug benefit. (taxpayer RIPOFF!!!)

This can't happen. A: It makes TOO much sense and B: It cuts down profits from the Billion dollar a year pharmecutical industry... nope will NEVER happen... But some people can still "Hope" for "Change" around here. Praise Allah, er um... I mean... uh God???

As a 40 year smoker of pot, and someone who recently gave it up with no problem, I can attest that this issue of pot STILL remaining illegal has been fueling the waste of national tax dollars by including pot in this war on drugs campaign, the destruction of lives due to incarceration of non violent people, and the absolute refusal to acknowledge, even in times of fiscal crisis, the potential for revenue and jobs pot would generate for our ailing state and the economy at large. Not only that but legalization would strip away the mystique and thus attraction for smoking it! Legalization would DESTROY the black market. For those of you out there with doubts, let me assure you that the worst thing I have experienced with pot is that as you get older, your body chemistry and life situation changes and it may not be as wonderful as it was in the early days.... sigh.

How can anyone suggest this. "Times are changing"..seriously. Just because people like to do it does not mean we should promote it and legalize it. Where would this end.....where? People like crack cocaine...tax it....people like walking nude in the city..tax it and get a permit. It would never stop.

Pots just been illegal so dirty Republican Christian's could make a mint off controlling the drug trade.

Prohibition of pot is ignorance.

And we would no longer have to pay for the non-criminals sent to prison. Imagine the millions of dollars in savings? Imagine many of those people going about their business living normal lives.

And we would no longer have to pay billions of dollars for the drug war against marijuana. Whoops! I forgot. The government would no longer be able to confiscate all that property of people without trial merely thought to be maybe involved in some way. Yeah. THAT would be a big loss.

And imagine all those drug cartels no longer being able to make billions of dollars off selling it. Imagine every American having TRUE AND REAL access to the best health care in the world without having to be rich to afford it.

Imagine THAT!

@ TruthnMichigan: "Where would this end?" That's a great fact-driven argument. I think that particular horse left the gate when prohibition ended. Unless you want to make booze illegal again. Might as well include tobacco too, given it's demonstrated health effects.

If alcohol were not legal there would be no chance in hell of becoming so. Pot {clean pot} is much less dangerous than alcohol and if you don't think so you are just kidding yourself. Legalize it!

Legalize Pot and make it illegal to drive under the influence just like alcohol and allow someone to buy it 18 years or older just like cigarettes.

Different strains of weed have different effects. Example: Sativa is an upper head high, and Indica is a body high.

Studies show that it would take 1500 lbs. in 15 minutes to have THC poisoning. "That could never happen".

Sneaking around the cops for a little bit of Pot is rediculous since it doesn't hurt anyone. Pot should be legalized since it wastes taxpayer dollars arresting people, and ruining their lives locked up. It would put the drug Cartels out of business if the public can grow their own weed.

Most of the weed grown and sold is coming from growners here in the US under the cover of their own homes. The weed that is coming from Mexico is "dirt weed" and of poor quality. The weed from California on the other hand is grown under controlled conditions to produce the best quality of weed.

It should be legal! Alcohol is leagal and kills millions every year. the US could spend more money on harder drugs like cocaine and quit putting potsmokers in jail and overfilling prisons for an herb god put on the planet. the Dec of independence was printed on hemp! G. washington loved the stuff. Benefits outways any other argument

Another thing, the Jobless rate would decrease by half because many folks cant get a job because of THC drug tests. You dont see pot smokers killing people while driving stoned or stoned people beating their wives, but you do with drunks!!!! Just because somebody told you it was bad doesnt mean it is. You dont see Stoners at AA meetings, i mean i could go on and on but seriously im surprised its taken this long to get people talking about this!!! its obvious

Legalize it!! Benefits outway any other argument anybody has. It's legal in Amsterdam and they thrive off the business and you never hear of a stoned driver killing 3 kids in a car accident

Loath_GOP . . . That argument is ridiculous on so many levels it's difficult to know where to start. First of all, alcohol was legalized many, many years ago and what have we legalized since then that would make you think legalizing marijuana would lead us down the road to legalizing crack cocaine or walking nude in the park. Secondly, have you ever smoked pot? Do you have any basis for your knowledge of pot use. The amount of money that has been spent and the lives of non-violent, otherwise law-abiding, society contributing people that have been ruined is immeasurable.

Idea how about we legalize pot or criminalize liquor and beer? At least then our laws and the arguments behind them would finally make sense.

Legalize it and tax it all you want. But to use this as a justification to pay for nationalized healthcare is idiocy. There is no enumerated power in the constitution that lets the government act as an insurance company. It's yet another overstepping of their constitutional authority.

To anyone who thinks legalizing it is not a good idea. Let me ask you a question or two.
1. Why does the government get to determine what you should do with your body, if you want to be owned by the government, go be a civil servant or G.I.

2. That glass of wine you drank last night was on the same platform 100 years ago. Why not make progress, instead of regress, stop fighting people. Why can you not see things other people's way, and accept it.

Bottom line, not everyone has a right to everything, but people have the right to something.

Just what we need. Come on people, the tax dollars come form somewhere. A new tax from an already limited income of most Americans means that tax revenue from another product is diminished. Let's say the people start opting for a drag instead of a beer. Tax revenue from beer decreases because the consumer adjusted their spending to something else. People have only a certain amount of money to spend. Besides it would be another medical expense that the new government program would have to cover. Meaning that the ones that get the prescription won't be the ones paying for it. So where is the real tax revenue coming from? It would be a net loss. Unless of course the cost of enforcing drug laws is more expensive than dealing with the the damage the state sponsored drug addicts will inflict upon the economy and society. No thank you.

John Podesta is a stooge of George Soros. Legalization of illegal drugs has long been one of Soros' dreams.

Could this be THE BEGINNING of some of 'GOOD JOBS' Obama has talked about?? Being the overseer at an Obama Pot Farm! What a deal!

Jack, you must be high. RE-READ MY POST!

@TX_MBell You forget one important fact. People already spend their money on marijuana. This creates a large market that remains untaxed. Not to mention millions of tax dollars being spent to to eliminate this market.

Legalizing marijuana would produce brand new taxable market. It would create a brand new industry worth millions, all taxable. That combined with the decrease in law enforcement and prison spending, would save taxpayers millions.

Fiscally, legalizing makes sense.

Legalize it and them when the people have mental issues and injuries through intoxicated driving; public health insurance can pay for it!! We can import it from China.

They dont call it "Chronic" for nothing?? as in "Chrinic Psycosis"

Hey, no reason to tax, just have the government grow it and sell it!!

This is a good example of an elitest becoming too much in love with himself.

In addition to keeping people needy and ignorant we are going to keep them stoned too? Don't we already have enough clueless people society?

I can just see it now" the administration is considering a stimulus package for dope dealers going bankrupt from the legalization of drugs".

ha ha. the gov will not ever legalize jane because they are making too much income from it as it is. they want all u illigal dopers to get caught, lose your jobs, homes, cars and family by going to prison. meanwhile the gov is bringing dope into the us, selling it on the street and making a back door profit. give me a break, it will never be legal.

ChrisM. I had hoped that would be the case. But when the user base is expanded it creates issues just as bad or worse than the original problem. The people that are in prison have a life style that is toxic to a civilized society. Removing the legal deterrents for some will open the gates to even further social decline. The current laws concerning the use and sale of liqueur do fine when the individual sobers up and faces stiff consequences. And similar laws may apply for irresponsible use and sale of mind altering drugs. But at what cost will the collateral damage be? We just went through a transition concerning tobacco and its ill affects on the user and by-standers. Should we be so eager to start another round of health and social issues? Do we really want a repeat? The money being spent on drugs now still comes from a limited individual income. But having it legal does not mean that the money currently being spent will make it's way to health or social programs that heal an individual that will cost more than what they contribute. The thieves and killers in the drug trade will just migrate to something else. I believe kidnapping and human trafficking are on the rise. How will we legalize that? This is a bad thing for the government to throw up its hands and say its just too much work. Why send a signal to the criminals to change to another big market? The tax dollars being spent on drug enforcement now will only be moved to it. I say keep the criminals engaged in what they have now and round them up. The next big illegal market could be worse.