OFF TOPIC: Ironic, ain't it?
If our society were sensible, they'd adopt what I once proposed back in the late '80s: The Tobacco-Marijuana Trafficking Elimination Act.
The way it would work is as follows:
* No one has died from the use of marijuana and no one experiences physical addictions from it.
* Many die from the using tobacco, especially in large quantity, and the physical addictions to it are extremely powerful.
* This is America and business is business, sorta why tobacco isn't outright outlawed in this country.
SOLUTION:
First make it illegal to sell tobacco in cigarette-rolled form and legal to sell only in a pouch, thus tobacco smokers would have to roll their own substance.
Second, make marijuana legal and legal to sell only in a pouch form, so that marijuana smokers would have to roll their own substance.
Conclusion:
By legalizing marijuana simultanous to making it illegal to sell tobacco in a cigarette-rolled form, this takes the blunt away from tobacco companies that'll be negatively economically impacted by being unable to sell cigarette-rolled tobacco products.
By having to roll one's own tobacco substance, less of the product would be consumed due to the time-consuming process of doing so. This should have a favorable impact on incidence of cancer and other complications from smoking, while also preserving the freedom of an individual to make the choice to smoke.
Since marijuana laws have traditionally been over-restrictive and could fairly be argued as unfair, balance would be brought into the judicial system thus freeing up both court time and prison space. Additionally, since the substance can grow on marginal lands and has a relatively short growing cycle, small American farmers could sustain a second crop for income. The stem stalk from marijuana could be used for paper and fiber products and the oil from marijuana seeds could be used as an alternative source for fuel and other uses.
Of course, doing this, would gum up the free ride politicians get ever election cycle as they prove they're "tough on crime" and "tough on drugs" and it would put a dent into one of America's favorite wars, The Drug War.
Do we have agreement--lol? |
