46. Ron Paul is just doing what he always does, speaking his mind. The fact is, the Federal government has no legal right to make substances such as marijuana illegal. The purpose of the Constitution is to protect the people from the government, not the government from the people.

Furthermore, the true underlying reasons for prohibition of that particular drug are clearly political and not rational.

To Kent, your assertions are thankfully opinion, not fact. Where is this supposed "duty" of Americans written in law? If you want to use drugs and harm no one else but yourself, how is it the government's business what you do? Are you property of the state or some kind of slave to the system like in The Matrix?

Freedom is just that, freedom, not what Rudy Giuliani claims it is, "authority". If you apply the Libertarian philosophy to government, not only will people be free to do what they want, they will find greater incentive to be productive, as the government will be far less involved in providing socialist welfare programs. If someone wants to smoke weed and watch television all day, they shouldn't be arrested as they really aren't harming anyone. However, they'd better have some deep pockets, since they won't be doing it on the taxpayer dime.

Wanting an example to tell your child as to the consequences of marijuana use is well intentioned but horribly misguided. All you're teaching him then is that it's alright to persecute and imprison others for doing something that at the worst tends to cause late-night trips to 7-11 and pseudo-intellectual contemplations on life. I'd be more worried about the alcohol and cigarettes as well as the plethora of legal drugs and additives which are far more dangerous and life-altering than cannabis.

Asking government to keep unConstitutional laws on the books and incarcerate thousands upon thousands merely for the sake of making your little lecture easier has to qualify as one of the most absurdly selfish ideas ever.

Garrett Gebhardt at 2:21AM on Nov 26th 2007

47. #45 Garrett says: If someone wants to smoke weed and watch television all day, they shouldn't be arrested as they really aren't harming anyone. However, they'd better have some deep pockets, since they won't be doing it on the taxpayers dime."

Umm. Garrett. Ever hear of theft, robbery, murder in order to finance a drug habit?
Anecdote: I played in a rock band 10+ years ago. Our lead singer's brother lived with him in an apartment, and was a druggie. After coming home from an out-of-town weekend gig, we went to the singer's apt., to drop off some equipment. He came flying out of the door screaming that everything in the place was gone. Stereo,$5,000 in music equipment, TV's, furniture, EVERYTHING. When he called his brother to see if he knew that they'd been ripped off, his brother confessed that he had got a good deal on some coke and weed, and promised to pay him back once he got a job..lol.
And this was his own brother. Do you thing the crack heads are going to care about ripping off John Q. Public when it comes time for more drugs?

lizard at 2:54AM on Nov 26th 2007

48. lizard,
did you just make a counter argument to KNIGHT O BAAWA by reposting his comments as your way of proving he is a "liberal"?
that makes no sense.
did you read his comments?
he was pointing out his opinions about certain people,which KNIGHT usually backs up why.
his comment about osama was directed at someone who was pushing the media-induced fantasy that radical islamists hated america for our freedom.
all KNIGHT was pointing out was that osama was very specific on why they were at war with us,and what america had to do to stop it.
he called the person a neo-con shill,because thats exactly what that person was being at the moment.
how does posting relevant truths make someone "liberal"?
so....by your logic,
if i think rudy is an opportunistic hack,and romney a pandering whore..yet find ron paul refreshing in his federalism,
but all i do is comment on rudy and romney's shortcomings..
i must,therefore be "liberal"?
is that what you are saying?
that its all about the party,but nothing to do with truth,honesty and calling it the way we see it?
if i am a republican,then i can never say anything bad,even if honest and true about the party.
and i can never,never dream of saying something positive about the democratic party?
man lizard,
you have bought into that polemic argument the media has fed you far more thoroughly than i ever imagined.
if you havent noticed,
there are no more conservatives..
nor progressives..
ron paul and dennis kucinich are the closest i have seen in ages.
the last true republican was not reagan like the media,and republican party would have you believe.
it was barry goldwater.
stop buying into what the media tells you to think lizard.
your smarter than that.
till next time..peace.
Enoch D.D.S

enoch at 9:13AM on Nov 26th 2007

49. #7. If you support "turning a Blind eye" then you must think that MM is a legitimate option for some people. Leaving aside that issue, what Ron Paul says is that marijuana should be regulated by the states. If people in California choose to allow it,
why should people from other states usurp their right to decide? At the same time, other states should not be forced to legalize it just because one does. How can anyone be against that?

#46. People steal to buy flat screen tvs too. By your reasoning the gov't should outlaw those as well.

scott at 10:03AM on Nov 26th 2007

50. scott,
dont try to follow lizard's logic..
if you notice he lumps all drugs together.
he will do this while he is on his fourth bud light and smoking camel non-filters..
but never sees the irony in that.
even the anecdote he uses was not his own,
but sounded more like a made-for-tv movie.
and even in his story it was about COKE and weed.
how many stoner's have cleaned out an apt to get money for a "fix"?
lizard has no idea how silly that story sounds to those who know.
should i break down WHY certain drugs are so addictive and others not?
hmmmmm....ok,ill do it!
1.drugs can be broken down into categories.
a.body addiction
b.brain addiction.
1.with a body addictive drug,the drug(heroin,oxy-contin,hydrocodone,morphine)uses the bodies pain receptors to flood with their own particular signature component.the bodies systems(lymphatic,pituitary,thyroid) stop production of our own natural hormones and enzymes.the drug actually uses our own natural drugs to make us "high",when the drug wears off in an hour or so,the body will crave the drug.the longer and more narcotic you use,the stronger the craving will be.
this is why long term "users" cannot go cold turkey,for not only is the craving unbearable,the body will actually begin to shut down,causing possible death.
for those who are not long term users,but still addicted.the body will create "phantom pains" in order to motivate you to get "high".this still can be quite uncomfortable.many cannot withstand the sleeplessness,cramping,throwing up,hot/cold fever,delerium and inability to eat anything.
2.brain addictive drugs work in similar fashion,but with different results.cocaine,speed,meth,crank,ice,all work within the brain.producing a euphoria that can last for minutes(cocaine) or hours (meth,crank,ice),but all use the brains chemistry to produce the "high",basically telling the body that certain substances are in over-production ie:seratonin.and to stop said production.
when the drug has done its synergistic effects,and they have worn off.the brain will "crave" the drug because it's stores of chemical components are depleted.
again,the longer and more sustained the use,the more intense the "craving" or "jones".
side effects can be heightened paranoia,mood swings,an inability to think in a linear fashion.
many who have abused this type of drug find themselves seriously chemically imbalanced and may need to be put on MAO inhibitors,because the damage cannot be corrected,its permanent.

now lets look at weed.
since THC is fat soluble and not water-soluble like almost every other drug.
even if someone has a sustained habit,there are almost no ill side effects.
how can that be?
it takes weeks for THC to leave the bodies system being fat soluble.
so..addiction is almost impossible,you would have to work at it,much like booze or nicotine to become truly addicted.
so a moderate habit,like a six pack saturday guy like lizard,will cause virtually no harm to the body.
side effects of weed,even in moderation,short term memory is affected,but not permanent.while the ability to think in long term in affected,detailed thinking is heightened.
thats why many college students will take a few hits before a test.these seem to conflict,but remember..moderation is the key.
and also knowing what you are putting into your body is essential also.
we cant stay teenagers forever,need to be smart about what we do with our bodies.
hope this was helpful..
till next time..peace.
Enoch D.D.S

enoch at 10:04AM on Nov 26th 2007

51. If this were religion and not politics, he would be a Messiah. So much sanity, so little time. Please register however you have to and vote if you have to take a cab. God Please Bless Ron Paul and make him our beloved President. We haven't had one in awhile.

redleafsail at 10:29AM on Nov 26th 2007

52. lizard,

Ok--now how does me pointing out the truth (those comments you posts were me pointing out the truth) make me a liberal? Please explain.

Knight_of_BAAWA at 10:57AM on Nov 26th 2007

53. Why is the federal gov't wasting time and money on medical marijuana in the first place? The fact that this is even anywhere on their priority list should scare the crap out of everyone! Why is Ron Paul the only candidate from either party who's platform is to actually reduce the size of the bloated federal gov't and return power to the states? This should be the subject of the debate!!!

Rick at 11:52AM on Nov 26th 2007

54. Tax that pot so we can pay for all of the wars, current and future....oh yeah, if we elect Ron Paul, we won't be involved in any wars or nation building. I know that he's radical and a long shot but he is the only candidate that doesn't have to check with his lawyers to find out whether going to war with Iran is constitutional, ala Mitt. His platform comes straight from the original document that our great nation was founded on. Any of you think that the Constitution is obsolete?

Brandon at 11:51AM on Nov 27th 2007

55. Tax that pot so we can pay for all of the wars, current and future....oh yeah, if we elect Ron Paul, we won't be involved in any wars or nation building. I know that he's radical and a long shot but he is the only candidate that doesn't have to check with his lawyers to find out whether going to war with Iran is constitutional, ala Mitt. His platform comes straight from the original document that our great nation was founded on. Any of you think that the Constitution is obsolete?

Brandon at 11:51AM on Nov 27th 2007

56. I think Ron Paul is like the Dennis Kuninch of the republicans. I don't think he has a shot in hell, but he says and does things I love.

Here's why I think he's wrong for president. It has nothing to do with his position on drugs or states. It has to do with the fact that America is a Hamiltonian government.

A little pol-sci and history for you.

Back in America's past we had two thinkers: Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton. Jefferson advocated small and limited centralized government. Essentially, the federal government had two places... war, and dealing with other countries. It was a shield for the smaller states. The government would ideally foster conditions to allow the individual opportunities to better themselves, but it was under no obligation to feed everyone or clothe everyone unless the state's VOTERS wanted to make such a concession. Jefferson saw England's imperialism and wanted nothing of it. The federal government was to be harried and tormented, criticized and weak.

Alexander Hamilton saw things differently. Hamilton wanted America to follow the same path as England. He understood that big centralized government allowed the creation of the navies that had given England almost a quarter of the world's territories. What's more, a strong federal government would have the money to waste on building powerful militaries that would keep America safe from all comers. In short, Hamilton saw America as a possible superpower like the great nations of europe.

Since Teddy Roosevelt, America has been a Hamiltonian state. Teddy Roosevelt wanted a military that could change foreign policy without firing a shot. A great white fleet that could impress and intimidate and devistate. That great white fleet was a great big wad of cash that no state could have mustered on its own. Teddy also understood that interstate businesses, which trancended the state's ability to limit them, could only be countered by federal authority. It seems in absence of strong central leadership that private business groups were more than happy to sieze power. And another Roosevelt, Franklin, understood that Hamilton's model could also be applied to helping enrich the lives of those with the least opportunity.

Ron Paul is a Jeffersonian, and I respect him for that. It's an idealized way of thinking, though. Like chivalry, we can be flattered or touched when we encounter it, but it would make for poor and illegal government. And so long as America is functioning as a Hamiltonian government we will continue to experiance all the headaches associated with it.

Until we follow England's example and yield the superpower stage to another power.

Somber at 12:20PM on Nov 26th 2007

57. GOD BLESS RON PAUL!!!
If you value the Constitution whatsoever,if freedom and liberty are things that you hold near and dear to your heart,you simply must vote for Mr. Paul.A better candidate has never existed!

killerB at 12:25PM on Nov 26th 2007

58. Lizard, if you are truly in the medical field, you should try doing some research. The only thing you are correct on, is that inhaling smoke is unhealthy. That's why there are vaporizers, edibles, tinctures, teas, and creams. One does not need to inhale smoke in order to ingest marijuana.

Try doing some research on the endocannabinoid system, and how it is tied in to so many critical functions of the human body, including, but not limited to pain, digestive, mood, sleep, autoimmune functions.

The science supporting the use of marijuana for medical purposes is vast. Perhaps you could start your research by looking at the report from the IOM, commissioned by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy:
http://www.nap.edu/html/marimed/

Supporting something that has the backing of the medical community, and bipartisan support from 80% of the voters, is far from political suicide.

Sparky at 12:53PM on Nov 26th 2007

59. Ron Paul never ceases to impress me , Go Ron Go ! ! !

I've never been so excited to cast my vote for anyone ever , and that's what's real for Ron Paul he gets people enthusiastic and doesn't beat the same drum of war war war terror terror terror 9/11 9/11 9/11 ! !

EVERY single other candidates besides Paul , kucinich and gravel are part of the NEO-CON movement and I don't want my kids growing up in a one world government .

Ron Paul Has My Vote --

TheIns at 1:05PM on Nov 26th 2007

60. First of all, Rush Limbaugh made a good point, that every American has a duty to be a contributing member of society. It doesn't mean you have to have a job, but you must do something that contributes to the well being of America. You can't just get stoned every day and watch TV.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

But you CAN get stoned every day and broadcast until you get caught.

Clif Kuplen at 1:11PM on Nov 26th 2007