So we need to ban concerts, marijuana, booze AND stupid people....
You see a cross section of society at most concerts. There are stupid people everywhere. They are not a product of pot. They are a product of society. They would be stupid without the pot.
That said, although I am not and have never been a user, I have many friends who are. They are intelligent people, not drug abusers. No matter the substance, there will be those who will abuse it. Banning it does not prevent abuse. Witness the never-ending War on Drugs. Zero Tolerance laws fill prisons with non-violent offenders whose job prospects are ruined forever because the got caught with a little pot. Spending $30,000 a year to feed, house and clothe someone who is not a threat to himself or society is absolutely ridiculous. We have to release violent people to house them!
Drug laws are fucked up too:
Section 115 of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (more familiarly known as the welfare reform act), under which persons convicted of a state or federal felony offense for selling or using drugs are subject to a lifetime ban on receiving cash assistance and food stamps. Convictions for other crimes, including murder, do not result in the loss of benefits. Section 115 affects an estimated 92,000 women and 135,000 children.
So, kill your granny and keep your benefits. Get caught smoking pot and face a lifetime ban. Yeah....that's fair...
Got busted and want to turn your life around-maybe go to school? Not so fast....
The 1998 Higher Education Act's (HEA) drug provision (also known as the "Aid Elimination Penalty"), which states that people with drug convictions cannot receive federal financial aid for a period of time determined by the type and number of convictions. This law does not apply to others with convictions, including drunk-driving offenses, violent crimes, or other criminal offenses. Since the law went into effect in 2000, some 200,000 have been denied student financial aid.
Of course, you can drink yourself into a stupor, beat your wife and kids, drive under the influence and kill someone, and even you go to jail, you can keep all your benefits. But smoke one joint.......
You see a cross section of society at most concerts. There are stupid people everywhere. They are not a product of pot. They are a product of society. They would be stupid without the pot.
That said, although I am not and have never been a user, I have many friends who are. They are intelligent people, not drug abusers. No matter the substance, there will be those who will abuse it. Banning it does not prevent abuse. Witness the never-ending War on Drugs. Zero Tolerance laws fill prisons with non-violent offenders whose job prospects are ruined forever because the got caught with a little pot. Spending $30,000 a year to feed, house and clothe someone who is not a threat to himself or society is absolutely ridiculous. We have to release violent people to house them!
Drug laws are fucked up too:
Section 115 of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (more familiarly known as the welfare reform act), under which persons convicted of a state or federal felony offense for selling or using drugs are subject to a lifetime ban on receiving cash assistance and food stamps. Convictions for other crimes, including murder, do not result in the loss of benefits. Section 115 affects an estimated 92,000 women and 135,000 children.
So, kill your granny and keep your benefits. Get caught smoking pot and face a lifetime ban. Yeah....that's fair...
Got busted and want to turn your life around-maybe go to school? Not so fast....
The 1998 Higher Education Act's (HEA) drug provision (also known as the "Aid Elimination Penalty"), which states that people with drug convictions cannot receive federal financial aid for a period of time determined by the type and number of convictions. This law does not apply to others with convictions, including drunk-driving offenses, violent crimes, or other criminal offenses. Since the law went into effect in 2000, some 200,000 have been denied student financial aid.
Of course, you can drink yourself into a stupor, beat your wife and kids, drive under the influence and kill someone, and even you go to jail, you can keep all your benefits. But smoke one joint.......
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