Marijuana.com

fuzzyninja

The fight for legalization is gaining momentum, but if we want more drastic changes we probably should add to or change the current methods of fighting.

My idea I just thought of this morning is actually fighting to ILLEGALIZE caffeine, alcohol, and tobacco. I know this has probably already been mentioned in speeches for the legalization of marijuana, but there is no groups as widespread for illegalizing the things mentioned.

We all know that caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine is addicting - so we start there.

One point could be that no one is doing anything to help these people with there addictions to caffeine and they are already trying to help people with ILLEGAL ones. Obviously the war on drugs isn't working. Are they supporting the addiction to caffeine? The answer is yes, and no one seems to care. "Just a few hours after consumption, when the artificial high dies down, many people may reach for more coffee or something sugary to get another lift, leading to daily fluctuations in energy and alertness, and possibly to eventual chronic adrenal exhaustion." (newstarget.com) They tell you that caffeine is nice because it ups your reflexes, alertness, and energy. So does cocaine, and they don't support that, do they?

The downsides to alcohol and nicotine are very obvious, so I'm not going to explain them.
But heres the theory I have:

If the government is suddenly having people want to illegalize three of their main sources of income, they'll probably be more vulnerable to legalizing something less harmful. Without the mention of marijuana legalization in these anti caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine groups - a group such as NORML could team up with such a group (whose hidden agenda will actually be to legalize marijuana) and the fight will be stronger.

Of course one could go with the standard marijuana legalization speech with the added negative sides of caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine - but this method I think would be a lot stronger. Though much more time and resource consuming than the standard methods, legalizing mary-jane would be so much sweeter!

__________________
Whenever you feel all meaning is gone - kick back your feet and light up a bong.

 

sterbo

So sorry but you should get blown out of the water for that one

In one breath you say -
"My idea I just thought of this morning is actually fighting to ILLEGALIZE caffeine, alcohol, and tobacco." and in the next
"Obviously the war on drugs isn't working."
Talk about

I have two comments -
1- You're right that the war on drugs isn't working. Never has and never will.
2- The reason is that people, since the beginning of time, have had the desire and have chosen to find different ways to alter their consciousness, self medicate or simply just get high for the enjoyment of it.

Discussions surrounding the pros and cons should always be welcome of course, but that said,

It's my mind and my body and no one else, let alone the Govt has the right to throw their blanket of morality over my personal freedom...

.

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Buzzby

That's probably because those who thought of it looked at the idea for a minute and realized it would be a total waste of time.

1.It would gain very little public support. More than 80% of the adult population drinks coffee. They'd laugh at you. Same with alcohol...

We can't get more than 0.2% of marijuana users to participate in the legalization movement. If they all joined your program that would represent 0.016% of the US population.

2.Pushing for more prohibition supports the idea that prohibition is good or even possible. Who's side are you on?

Could you explain the logic of that statement? I don't see what one has to do with the other.

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Lit_Match

I my opinion there are two things we need in order to legalize marijuana.

1. More people donating to the established organizations that lobby for the legalization of marijuana.

2. TV and radio spots, unfortunately it doesn't seem like this will happen any time soon. Most of the people who don't approve of prohibition are drug users and the highly patriotic, the rest of the country knows only the above the influence ads and probably don't look any further into the matter. Until then it feels like we're an in the shadows movement.

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Donation links to NORML (The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws) | MPP (Marijuana Policy Project)

Burnin_Dro

how would that work??? all of the government probably drinks coffee. nice try though. and prohibition of alcohol didnt work in the 20's wont work now.

__________________
“I'm the one that has to die when it's time for me to die, so let me live my life, the way I want to”
- Jimi Hendrix

 

fuzzyninja

The theory behind this is that they would basically think "Oh no! Our fight against the legalization of marijuana is turning them to actually want to illegalize everything else instead." (which is one of their arguments, mostly against alcohol and tobacco) It would be the same as using reverse psychology against somebody and then them accepting the fact you were trying to get them to actually avoid.

Buzzby

There are two problems with TV and radio PSAs. One is that they're very expensive and the other is that many TV and radio outlets won't run them because they're afraid of the backlash from the drug warriors. TV and radio stations are at the mercy of the FCC, which controls who gets a license and who does not.

While the government spends more than $120 million a year on PSAs alone, and a lot more on other propaganda, the three major pro-legalization organizations subsist on between $16 and $18 million dollars. In America today, you get all the justice you can pay for. It's a sad fact, but the side that wins in a propaganda war is the side that can afford the most propaganda.

As it stands, 0.2% of marijuana users have joined and contributed to the three major organizations fighting prohibition. If all marijuana users would contribute 1% of what they spend every year on weed and paraphernalia to the legalization movement, that movement would have $400,000,000 to spend on getting us out from under prohibition.

National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML)

Marijuana Policy Project (MPP)

Drug Policy Alliance (DPA)

Doja

Sorry man, the plan seems to be fundamentally flawed.
Firstly, your logic seems problematic.
Why would the government legalize something because your putting pressure on them to legalize something else? Seems like a lapse in logic to me
Secondly, Like many poster have said, drugs such as caffeine are part of our society, and even though scientifically speaking they have harmful effects that greatly outweigh that of Marijuana, they are more socially acceptable. (Besides, when has irrefutable scientific evidence ever had any effect on our governments decisions anyway?)
Thirdly, as is already up here, it seems hypocritical to get something illegalized in order to get something else legalized, when the logic is 'I control what goes into my body'
Besides... these things take time. Theres no doubt in my mind that MJ WILL be legalized eventually. May be 20,30,40 years from now, but eventaully common sense will prevail.

godfather

I think this is perhaps the biggest, or one of the biggest factors in legaliztion. Unfortunately, many people (that I have met) that smoke weed would rather have weed than many other things they NEED, besides giving their money to an organization. I, personaly, don't have any money for anything, let alone weed.

The problem is that John/Jane Q. Public don't think much about what they see on T.V.. Heck, the fact that it's on T.V. must mean it's right. So, instantly, when they see all the Truth and AntiDrug commecials, and see all the important looking organizations they're from, they assume them to be fact. That is compounded by the media with stories of "illegal drugs being siezed", and/or stories friends tell about how their second cousins friends' friend's aunt died from marijuana.

I envision a commercial for legalization being more or less discreet. Instead of just coming out and saying "Hey! Pot never hurt anyone, and alcohol and tobacco are way more dangerous, so... LEGALIZE IT!!!"; I would think it would try to present facts in a way that was not overly dramatic (in some cases dramatic is good), and did not seem like a legalization commercial, but would also get peoples attention, and get them asking questions.

fuzzyninja

Yes, my logic is a little too far out, but that's why I put it in Philosophy to start with. I wasn't necessarily stating we should try this, simply think about this and ponder if this could actually happen. Obviously the current methods are slow in coming, and until the herb is legalized, there are going to be some crazy ideas towards it's legalization. I'm sure the most logical method would still be to compare it to socially accepted things, then explain that marijuana is less harmful than these substances.

First off, what is the estimated total of marijuana users?
Second, what is the estimated amount the average marijuana user spends on weed and paraphernalia?

I'm just trying to work these numbers so that I can donate my share eventually.