Apr 6th 2010, 19:32:18
assuming the state taxed and controlled pot sales like they do alcohol and tobacco, you'd get a lower prison population, and you'd keep a lot of money out of the drug cartel hands. probably lower gang violence too, since they won't have as much of a starter population in prisons, as well as less money to buy weapons
if all that happened was decriminalization, there would still have to be street dealers, and you'd still have problems with quality of product, and smuggling, and violence inherent in the system, and help help i'm being repressed.
i'm rather pro-legalizing pot, in spite of the fact that i'd never smoke it. allergies are a fluff.
i've kind of got a similar opinion on most "illegal" drugs. *i* wouldn't do em in spite of their legal status, but if somebody else wants to fluff themselves up on coke, who am i to object. now, if they go messing somebody else, it's the same system that we deal with if somebody gets into a fight while drunk. public intoxication or other such things. we have the rules to handle it in place already.