I am aware of the difference between legal and decriminalized. I think within the next 20 years pot will become legal. Decriminalization is the first step. But I am a bit of a rebel when I advocate focusing on behavior not drugs. For example, if you want to sit at home, or at a party and snort coke, and you can sustain that habit without committing crimes, then it is your body, your right. Same for any drug really. I hate the idea of government controlling what I can do. I understand that if I do it and drive, or commit a crime to support it that it crosses the line but until then, leave me alone. I read an article years ago that stated if we were to divert money we spent trying to stiffle the drugs, which impacts the drug trade by about 1%, and we are talking billions, into treatment for those with addictions, we could save a vast amount of money. I would like to try that since we know this war just isn't getting much bang for its buck.
The argument that street drugs, which are illegal to purchase, sell, or possess, pose a greater risk to the health of the population than the hundreds of millions of powerful chemical sedatives, barbiturates, narcotics, and mood-stabilizers that are abusively over-subscribed and often sold in the same street as the drugs that are put in a bad category while those pills are OK since many mothers use them for that bad arm that never seems to heal is my biggest issue with the objectives of the war on drugs.
But marijuana has done its time on the illegality list. It's a mind altering substance, absolutely so, and guess what, many other things are, as well, and they're not dangerous or illegal. The classic example would be lower-strength alcohols used in moderation, which have been consumed for a long fucking time through history. Well, so has marijuana, and for some it's a better fit personality wise or physically than booze. In my case, alcohol makes me easily pissed off, verbally abusive, and resentful of other people, and negative. Other people just want to party or laugh or do whatever positive thing they do. So for me, it's not a great choice and I stay away from it. But on cannabis I'm a pretty normal, tolerant person. I'm more creative. I do it when I feel like it and don't when I don't feel like it. It's pretty much a great substance and should be legal for adults to use recreationally. It's time other countries besides Uruguay and Canada started doing it.
