Turk, I find a lot to agree with in your post above. Where I disagree is in your comparison of drug use to Rape, Murder and Robbery. In each of the three you use there is another party, a victim, who has been violated to some degree. With drug use ... just drug use mind you, not any activity committed while under its influence ... the only one violated is the user.
I believe that is the significant distinction, and should be considered.
To make an apples to apples comparison,
- cigarette use is only prohibited in public places where it puts others at risk of inhalation, but your are free to smoke away in your own home, or designated places.
- alcohol use is only prohibited while operating a vehicle where it puts others at risk of harm, but you are free to drink until you pass out at home, or designated places.
- use of various chemicals and medicines are regulated by the FDA and others, allowing an individual to use them under professional control, but mitigating the chance that they might incur harms to others. You are free to take all the pain meds your doctor prescribes under his care.
Comparing them to other harmful substances that are presently legal, it seems to me we have an inconsistent application of the law and we speak out of both sides of our mouth when we say its okay for Uncle Joe to drink a 5th a night because its alcohol and not marijuana.
You know how to tell the difference between a meth head and someone on oxycotin? One MIGHT have a prescription, other than that, it requires a lab test.
The role of law is to protect us from each other, not from ourselves. Otherwise Michelle is absolutely justified in penalizing families who don't pack enough veggies in their kids school lunch.
I agree with you as long as they stay home alone, I have never seen a home raided because someone is home smoking a one joint by themselves or with a friend, and I ask seriously, have you?
The problem comes in when they do interact with others. Selling pot, smoking with their children in the home or on their laps, I ve seen both. Neighbor children in the home and they are smoking it, driving down the road and smoking it. ect. ect, ect. It could go on and on. These people expose others to it by driving, going to the store for muncies, acting stupid in front of others and disrupt society, if they were not they would never have to worry about getting caught.
If someone wants to be a closet smoker, never go into public stoned and acting like morons and growing their own (not buy from others on the street) I have no problem with that. The problem comes in when they do go into public they are stepping on my rights to not have to have me or my family exposed to it, just like a drunk. Behave and you will probly never have a problem.
By going into public stoned you are exposing all to the general public and they should not have to be exposed, talking to your children, who wants to deal with it?
Bottom Line is dont expose me or others to it, their will not be a problem. This is how most get on the police radar, by the general public complaining, this is how they get caught. Not the police looking through the walls of the home waiting for them to fire up the one joint they have.
With the children in the home they are creating a victim.
I do know that meth head stink like metal and I have seen and smelled it, and it is unmistakebly meth.
Alot of the offenses, rape, murder, ect, ect that I stated are commited by people that use pot and other drugs and are usually under the influnce of one or more when they commit the acts. Normaly they are not committed by citizens that follow the rules.
So yes, I totally agree the law is supposed to protect us and not control what we do to ourselves and I believe this law protects the general public from being exposed to the activities.
If you stay home, smoke it, never expose the general public to it, by taking it into public I can promise you that you will probly never ever have a problem of the law knocking on your door.
