When will pot become a mainstream political issue?

[crazy canuck]

As I posted in the Canadian Politics thread a while back, I think we are close to a political party making this an official plank in their election platform.  We have a number of former Mayors, former judges and other "elites" coming forward in favour of changing the laws.  It is no longer viewed as a crazy idea.  Rather I get the impression that the status quo is becoming viewed as the irrational approach.

[MadImmortalMan]

Once, we changed out constitution to ban alcohol. Then we changed it back. This will have its time as well.

[CountDeMoney]

Once, we changed out constitution to ban alcohol. Then we changed it back. This will have its time as well.

Yeah, and a DWI-related death every 50 minutes in this country is really working out.

[Admiral Yi]

It will become a national political issue only after a majority of states have decriminalized.

[Scipio]

Once, we changed out constitution to ban alcohol. Then we changed it back. This will have its time as well.

Yeah, and a DWI-related death every 50 minutes in this country is really working out.

It's not fast enough to stop the population growth rate in Pearl River County, Mississippi, so I have no sympathy for you.

You gotta die of something.

[CountDeMoney]

Once, we changed out constitution to ban alcohol. Then we changed it back. This will have its time as well.

Yeah, and a DWI-related death every 50 minutes in this country is really working out.

It's not fast enough to stop the population growth rate in Pearl River County, Mississippi, so I have no sympathy for you.

You gotta die of something.

Well, unlike abortion and the death penalty, DWI crashes don't get traffic moving.

[Razgovory]

Every year the potheads up in Columbia try to get a ballot initiative for pot legalization.  Every year it fails.  Not that it would do any good.  The Legislature here has a bad habit of overturning ballot referendums.

[mongers]

I'm broadly in favour of legalisation, but in retaliation I reserve the right to spent as little time as possible with heavy potheads/ people who still haven't grown up and still think dope is intrinsically 'cool'.

[MadImmortalMan]

Once, we changed out constitution to ban alcohol. Then we changed it back. This will have its time as well.

Yeah, and a DWI-related death every 50 minutes in this country is really working out.

Meh. Freedom = Danger

We made our choice, now we're living with it.

[Richard Hakluyt]

I'm with mongers on this one. My fear is that legalising pot will lead to some of the most boring people on the planet infesting public places such as parks or beer gardens, hopefully their reduced traffic awareness will lead to them being culled by drunk drivers, somehow the cosmic balance must be preserved.

[sbr]

I'm with mongers on this one. My fear is that legalising pot will lead to some of the most boring people on the planet infesting public places such as parks or beer gardens, hopefully their reduced traffic awareness will lead to them being culled by drunk drivers, somehow the cosmic balance must be preserved.

That works.    And since there will be thousands less people in prisons (at least here in the States) we can put those drunk drivers who kill pot smokers away for life.

[mongers]

I'm with mongers on this one. My fear is that legalising pot will lead to some of the most boring people on the planet infesting public places such as parks or beer gardens, hopefully their reduced traffic awareness will lead to them being culled by drunk drivers, somehow the cosmic balance must be preserved.

Indeed. 

I've one friend, an older guy, refugee from the 60s, who regularly smokes dope and it is absolutely no big deal, you wouldn't know if he was or wasn't did and he invests no theatre in going about it.

Whereas I was with some people around my age and a bit younger, the other week and they made a huge production, of hey look at us, were cool, were going to skinny up, all sort of giggly child like. 
I could understand this in 16-21 year olds where it's a safe rebellion, but these were people in their 30s and 40s. 

[Tonitrus]

Once, we changed out constitution to ban alcohol. Then we changed it back. This will have its time as well.

Yeah, and a DWI-related death every 50 minutes in this country is really working out.

It's not fast enough to stop the population growth rate in Pearl River County, Mississippi, so I have no sympathy for you.

You gotta die of something.

Hell, just allowing use of cars at all has our society trading convenience for thousands upon thousands of fiery, mangled deaths...even without alcohol involved.  We have accepted that bargain with the automobile, as we have with the bottle.

Though I agree with CdM on the general worthlessness of alcohol, I also recognize the folly in trying to ban it outright.

[crazy canuck]

I used to like CdM, until he made noises about trying to deprive me of wine.

[Ed Anger]

I'd like to have all drunk drivers flogged, then raped by the general population at Angola prison.