I want to sleep but I can’t

because the world is loud, so instead of futilely tossing and turning in bed, I shall blog! Let’s talk about drugs.

This is hardly a new topic, but it came up in a discussion recently which has inspired me to collect my thoughts here in a post: There is absolutely no reason for marijuana to be illegal. In fact, I’d argue that having it illegal does far more harm than the alternative.

Oh hey look, it’s a supporting evidence: http://drugwarfacts.org/cms/?q=node/62

Anyway, some absurd number of people are incarcerated in US prisons for drug offenses. Now the narrow minded might think “Good, keep them dang dirty druggies off mah streets!” It’s easy to forget that “prison” isn’t some magical mystical fantasy place where people we don’t like just disappear. All those prisons are a huge drain on taxpayer dollars. Y’know, that money we pay that could be spent on education or infrastructure improvements. I can safely say I’d rather have that pothole in front of my house fixed than know that some kid is in jail because he likes getting high.

It’s just the money either, but the hours police officers spend catching drug offenders. I cringe when I look at a newspaper and see a story about some massive drug bust that took over a dozen cops, then the next page is stories about muggings, rapes and murders. I’m not blaming the cops for this, as they’re just doing their jobs. The problem is that spending time chasing down pot smokers is their job to begin with.

Now, apparently some people consider this “being soft on crime.” Those people are silly. Victimless crimes really don’t need to be crimes. Marijuana doesn’t hurt anybody any more than alcohol does. Perhaps less in fact. Marijuana itself will not kill you. Deaths from marijuana happen in two ways: people lace it with a deadlier drug, which would still be illegal if smoking pot was legalized, or they go out and operate heavy machinery while high, which would also be illegal, just like it’s legal to drink alcohol but illegal to drive a car while/after doing so.

Additionally, the legal sale of marijuana would be a new sources of tax revenue. Sure, there might still be some shady dealers selling pot to folks under the table, but that will still be illegal due to tax evasion. Large pot industry giants might not pop up overnight just because it’s legalized, but companies will seize the opportunity eventually, and they won’t show up at all if it remains illegal. So, legalize pot, and not only does LESS taxpayer money get spent on prisons but more taxes will be generated on the sale of pot, and every penny that the government gets from the sale of marijuana is a penny that non-pot smokers didn’t have to spend. =p

Also, to anyone who is ready to dismiss this as the rantings of some silly pothead who just wants to get high without worrying about getting in trouble: way to be wrong. I’ve tried marijuana twice, hated it both times, and will most likely never try it again. However, my loathing of a substance doesn’t cloud my vision to the ridiculousosity of the laws surrounding it. (Woah, Firefox spll check says that’s a word. wtf.)

Also also, one might notice I focused specifically on marijuana rather than drugs in general. When we talk about more dangerous drugs, it’s a slightly different story, and one that’s harder to come to a decision about. While some might be tempted to say “they should be legal too, if someone wants to get fucked up on something deadly it’s their business, not ours.” However, that’s a bit iffier. If some kid gets high in his basement, nobody’s hurt. If some kid OD’s on cocaine and kills himself, a huge emotional toll is taken on his friends and family. Even worse, if an adult who has children or other financial dependents does the same, now those children are short a caretaker. Killing oneself is not a victimless crime, because the person taking their own life makes victims of those who love/rely on them, but you’d have to try pretty hard to kill yourself with marijuana (and as mentioned, would need to add a more lethal drug or a dangerous automobile drive anyway) so it’s exempt from this uncertainty.

tl;dr make pot legal plz kkthx bai