Alcohol vs Marijuana, should legalizing Marijuana be put up for public vote?

Civil Rights and individual liberties should NEVER be put to a vote!

Look what happened in California with same sex marriage. It was legal and than overturned by a slight majority of voters.

Even worse is transgender people having where they urinate put up to a public vote and than being forced to use a bathroom that will eventually cause them to be assaulted (physically and sexually).

Think of what society would be like if making possession of marijuana a capital or death penalty offense was put to a public vote and how this might impact you.

Sad thing is such a law could pass in some US States if the Federal Court system refused to protect the people's right to be free from excessive punishment.

I have read a few public opinion polls on marijuana legalization. The results are usually 30% favor legalization and 70% oppose it nationwide in a general population poll. This would be another good reason NOT to put marijuana legalization to a public vote.

Marijuana bans first appeared in the United States in the 1930s as a way of harassing Mexican immigrants in the four states that border Mexico. The ban was overturned for two years by the US Supreme Court for a year or two in 1967-8 until Richard Nixon created the Food and Drug Administration that then had a constitutional means of re-implementing the ban as means to crack down on hippies and other left wing people and their sympathizers.

The FDA is responsible for drug classifications and it is a federal agency. This fact renders state and local ballot initiatives on this issue irrelevant and moot.

Cocaine was banned in the 1920s as a means of oppressing African Americans in the southeast during the 1920s and opium in the west a decade or two earlier as a means of oppressing Asians.

Profit has since replaced bigotry as the primary motive for keeping all psychoactive drugs except alcohol illegal without a prescription. I read a story from a credible journalist who stated that Americans spend $2 on illicit drugs for every $1 on pro sports. That is a lot of money that corrupt politicians do not have to share with the taxpayers.

Granting people civil and even human rights by popular vote is something that very rarely works. It almost always backfires with oppressive counter initiatives from political opponents.

Marijuana and alcohol are not even close to being the same thing. I think you're referring to the argument that both alcohol and marijuana are detrimental to the body, and alcohol is legal. Actually alcohol has more catastrophic affects on the body than marijuana. No one has ever died from smoking too much weed, but dying from alcohol poisoning isn't that rare. Being high off marijuana is completely different than being drunk. When you're drunk you're less aware of your actions and your judgment can become impaired greatly. Being high off of marijuana can have varying affects, depending on the type of marijuana (stress, chronic, etc.), but usually when you're high you're aware of your impairment. Being drunk you get this sense of feeling like everything is delayed, slowed down, and your sense of time suffers. I have never experienced this from use of marijuana. Combining the use of alcohol and marijuana can have different, unexpected results, and can be pretty dangerous. The reason alcohol is legal and marijuana is not, is just how history happened. For a while alcohol was illegal as well during Prohibition. Marijuana has remained illegal mainly due to the negative propaganda put out about it by politicians and others (for example the film "Reefer Madness"). If you want to learn more about it I would suggest watching the documentary "The Union: The Business Behind Getting High." I haven't seen it yet, but I heard it was very good and informative.

The issue about marijuana clearly belongs in the hands of states and local communities, but they Obama administration is taking a Draconian approach to marijuana, even medical marijuana.

My room mate says yes, he was an alcoholic, but no more. Alcoholic makes you mean and abusive and marijuana mellows you out. Me, myself I believe both should be illegal.

Legalize it! My drinking exp have been fun but it comes with so many downers. The hangovers, the impaired judgment, the omg how did I get here's?.

All and all .. Though we can't do away with alcohol we should legalize marijuana.

Just my opinion.

Legalized pot has been brought up to referendum 10 times so far across America..... and EVERY time, "We The People" have said NO.

WHY do you liberal nuts continue to PUSH on issues where the PEOPLE have already voted/spoken?

I personally think marijuana should be legal its technicly healthier for you in most ways then ciggurettes and alcohol. If it were up to me id legalize it... to bad its not

Call this number to place your vote for making Marijuana legalized.

973-409-3274

I think we should put it as a referendum. But then if it fails to pass I wish the potheads would shut the hell up.

I think people should vote.. im against it.. completly, but people can do what ever they like at the end of the day

:) xx