\t\thttp://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/07/27/opinion/sunday/high-time-marijuana-legalization.html?ref=opinion&_r=0\t\t\t \t\t\tRepeal Prohibition, Again\t\t \t \t \t \tBy THE EDITORIAL BOARD It took 13 years for the United States to come to its senses and end Prohibition, 13 years in which people kept drinking, otherwise law-abiding citizens became criminals and crime syndicates arose and flourished. It has been more than 40 years since Congress passed the current ban on marijuana, inflicting great harm on society just to prohibit a substance far less dangerous than alcohol. The federal government should repeal the ban on marijuana. We reached that conclusion after a great deal of discussion among the members of The Times's Editorial Board, inspired by a rapidly growing movement among the states to reform marijuana laws. There are no perfect answers to people's legitimate concerns about marijuana use. But neither are there such answers about tobacco or alcohol, and we believe that on every level - health effects, the impact on society and law-and-order issues - the balance falls squarely on the side of national legalization. That will put decisions on whether to allow recreational or medicinal production and use where it belongs - at the state level. We considered whether it would be best for Washington to hold back while the states continued experimenting with legalizing medicinal uses of marijuana, reducing penalties, or even simply legalizing all use. Nearly three-quarters of the states have done one of these. But that would leave their citizens vulnerable to the whims of whoever happens to be in the White House and chooses to enforce or not enforce the federal law. The social costs of the marijuana laws are vast. There were 658,000 arrests for marijuana possession in 2012, according to F.B.I. figures, compared with 256,000 for cocaine, heroin and their derivatives. Even worse, the result is racist, falling disproportionately on young black men, ruining their lives and creating new generations of career criminals. There is honest debate among scientists about the health effects of marijuana, but we believe that the evidence is overwhelming that addiction and dependence are relatively minor problems, especially compared with alcohol and tobacco. Moderate use of marijuana does not appear to pose a risk for otherwise healthy adults. Claims that marijuana is a gateway to more dangerous drugs are as fanciful as the “Reefer Madness†images of murder, rape and suicide. There are legitimate concerns about marijuana on the development of adolescent brains. For that reason, we advocate the prohibition of sales to people under 21. Creating systems for regulating manufacture, sale and marketing will be complex. But those problems are solvable, and would have long been dealt with had we as a nation not clung to the decision to make marijuana production and use a federal crime. In coming days, we will publish articles by members of the Editorial Board and supplementary material that will examine these questions. We invite readers to offer their ideas, and we will report back on their responses, pro and con. We recognize that this Congress is as unlikely to take action on marijuana as it has been on other big issues. But it is long past time to repeal this version of Prohibition.
(Ya beat me to it! LOL) Guys, this is BIG! It is one thing for the "North Podunk Tribune" to come out in favor of legalization, but this the New York Times! People actually read the Times! NBC, AFP, Reuters,and many others are all carrying the story about the editorial- this won't "be swept under the rug"! Opinions ARE changing! So what have you done lately to speed the day? Commented in the news? Sent your doctor a few abstracts on cannabis? Wrote a politician? Educated yourself so you can be an effective spokesperson for legalization? Granny
Times are changing quickly proof that the end times is near the u.s. is in a real deep hole now and they have no choice but to tax and regulated it oh well Sent from my VS980 4G using Grasscity Forum mobile app
Wow NY Times huh?! Doesn't seem like it's biased one way. Clearly states that something less harmful than alcohol and cigarettes are illegal. Good stuff!!!
Let's see what happens.. We all money will be a factor in getting this to fly in this country. Will New York Post put there money where their mouth is? This is huge though,NYP is a big name.
The New York Times says it Some Background on Our ‘High Time' Series By ANDREW ROSENTHAL JULY 26, 2014 8:12 PM “â€The decision to call for the end of marijuana prohibition was long in the making. The Times editorial board has for years supported the legalization of medical marijuana. And we have opposed federal crackdowns on people who grow or sell marijuana for medical purposes in states where that's legal. \nBut as more and more states liberalized their marijuana laws in open defiance of the federal ban, it became clear to us that there had to be a national approach to the issue. \nWe considered the scientific evidence, which shows that there is relatively little risk associated with adults using marijuana and that, as addictive substances go, marijuana barely moves the needle. Nicotine and alcohol, on the other hand, are extremely addictive.â€â€ ‘snip' \nIMO this decision could also be condidered a study by experts in their own fields.
Meet the press weighs in http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/legal-pot/new-york-times-calls-ending-federal-ban-marijuana-n165796
If I was living in any of a dozen countries already producing quality marijuana I would be setting up trade regulations and commissioners/agents. When the US quits paying other countries to goose step to the beat of prohibition's drum it may still be regulated to death in the US attempting to keep hemp choked back protecting Dupont Chemical and the pulpwood paper industry but other countries don't give a shit about America's original "deal",,eventually even hemp production will resume,,,unregulated.
Where was the NYT 5, 10 hell even 20 years ago? They dont give a fuck, they just see support for legalization rising so theyre jumping on the bandwagon. Nature. Fuck yeeh.