Gary Johnson: Republican Voice for Pot

In a good new feature, not yet online, from the April 1 issue of Rolling Stone, writer Mark Binelli profiles the state of the domestic marijuana market and the prospects for quick and severe changes in the weed's legal status. And he uses recent Reason magazine interview subject and former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson as a leading Republican voice for pot sanity:

Gary Johnson, a popular figure in the libertarian/Ron Paul wing of the party who is considering a presidential run in 2012 [says] "Ninety percent of our drug problem is prohibition-related, not use-related…as someone who has smoked pot and consumed alcohol--and neither of them do I use today, I haven't had a drink in 22 years--I think people are waking up to the fact that when it comes to marijuana and alcohol, you can draw some very real correlations. The issue right now, nationally, is at a tipping point."

Your mouth to the ears of every state and national legislator, Gov. Johnson.

A recent Reason.tv interview with Johnson:

Comments

[Mr. Chartreuse]

If Ron doesn't run, ex-Gov. Johnson would be the only other person I could support among the possible GOP contenders (unless of course they raise zombie-Grover Cleveland and have him switch parties).

[Legate Damar]

I would support almost any zombie candidate. Dead men sign no bills!

[Warty]

We tried that already with FDR, dude. It was a disaster.

[prolefeed]

FDR was a pretty reasonable politician after he died.

It was the stuff he did while aboveground that screwed the pooch.

[robc]

Zombie Calvin Coolidge 2012!

He's silent and hungry!

[Zombie Calvin Coolidge]

There is no right to strike against the public safety by anyone, anywhere, any time. Also, BRAAAAAINS.

[rpr]

Brian,

Have you read Ms. O'Grady's column in the WSJ today?

http://online.wsj.com/article/.....46066.html

I agree with Ms. O'Grady - FULL STOP! Drug prohibition has only made useless plants and weeds extremely valuable and the competition for such plants and weeds extremely violent.

If possible, I would like to see a Reason interview with Ms. O'Grady.

[R C Dean]

I read it. It was OK. What she doesn't do is make a very clear, unmistakable argument in words of one syllable that the reason the drug trade breeds violence is because it is a black market due solely to prohibition.

I might also point out, that, as socialized medicine marches on, the prospects for drug legalization recede. Everything that you put into your body is now the business of the state, after all. The zone of privacy has drastically shrunk.

[rpr]

Well, per haps. I find her to be rather convincing. Also, she does point out that Jaurez's violence is starting to spill over into El Paso. I'd point out also that there are stories of Mexican drug cartels running Cannabis farms in California and making gang hits in places such as Houston. All of these things, if true, combined means we are on the precipice of something unprecedented viz. "the War on Drugs" (ie. Latin America drug violence in our very own yard.)

[J sub D]

I live in Detroit. Drug violence is in every middlin' to large city in America's back yard. Has been for decades. The response? SWAT raids for everyone and eviscerating the 4th Amendment.

REMEMBER KATHRYN JOHNSTON!*

* And every innocent hit by a drive-by in a turf war.

[Thomas]

I don't think the drugs are going to be legalized because they are not good for us. I think we are moving in the direction of outlawing tobacco, so why would we legalize much worse drugs. We all pay for each others health care so we all have a right to expect all of us to be healthy. As for alcohol it would not be legal if it was invented now, and neither would caffeine, but they are for historical reasons. Also, you can use alcohol responsibly, it is not possible with drugs. Prohibition causes problems, but drugs have negative effects on society that are minimized by banning and eliminating them. I have known people with drug problems, that is why it needs to be illegal to prevent that.

[wheelock]

Also, you can use alcohol responsibly, it is not possible with drugs.

Haha.. wow...

[Nick]

Oh, well since you've known people with drug problems we should throw people in jail for possessing that which your idiot friends and family can't handle, because well, you're opinion trumps my freedom.

[Thomas]

The only way to begin to dent the problem is by lowering demand in this country. All schools at every level should be showing the pictures of bloody mayhem in Mexico and elsewhere connected to the drug trade in as many classrooms as possible, making the connection that spending "recreational" dollars on pot and harder drugs is causing rampant damage to others. Until Americans see that their actions are the cause of death and destruction, why would they change?

[Nick]

The violence is caused by prohibition, not by people snorting and smoking their drug of choice. If drugs were for sale, in stores, I don't know, let's call them "drug stores," would there be a violent nature to their purchase?

[Chris]

You mean people don't kill and rob each other for their Marlboro lights or their 6 pack of Miller Genuine Draft?

[J sub D]

Because D.A.R.E. has worked so well.

Friggin' idiot!

[Thomas]

you're opinion trumps my freedom.

Freedom is drug free, you are not free if you are enslaved by drugs. Straight edge it the only way to go.

[kinnath]

You have much to learn grasshopper.

You are not even vaguely amusing at this point.

[cynical bastard]

Freeper alert! Freeper alert!

[kinnath]

Your doubts cannot rule me.

[AJs]

Because keeping it illegal clearly stopped the people you knew with drug problems having drug problems? If anything, the fact that it was illegal more likley had a greater impact on thier problem as they were forced to hide thier problem for fear of imprisonment... but it clearly did not stop them.

Since we are at it, why not advocate to outlaw other things that are not good for you - how about skiing? Lots of people run up medical bills related to skiing and snowboarding... in fact, it killed more people last year than did pot. I don't much like skiing or snowboarding, and I am sure it's bad for the environment too. How about we prohibit that and make snowboarders criminals? It's addictive and dangerous.

[PeteP]

As an old skier, I am all for outlawing snowboarding. lol

[Colonel_Angus]

And I am all for not charging boarders with manslaughter for "going too fast" for the whimpy tourists.

[Colonel_Angus]

Fucking straight edge pussy, I am not enslaved by drugs, I enslave the drugs. Go listen to your shitty christian ska bands, I'm going to keep recreationally murdering Oaxicans.

[Brian E]

You have a right to expect whatever the hell you want. You don't have a right to force that expectation on me. And no, I don't want to pay for your health care. I'll make the choices I want to make and pay for them as I please. I suggest you do the same.

[James Ard]

Surely this is Reason staff ginning up comments.

[Sterling Archer]

I can't believe how much the commenters here respond to trolls.

[kinnath]

So does health care reform mean that I can get medical marijuana free?

[R C Dean]

Well, after the 18-month waiting list clears, sure.

[Hacha Cha]

he is much better on the issue of drugs than 99% of politicians but I wouldn't call his position similar to Ron Paul's. the solution is to legalize it and leave it up to individuals. treating it like a health problem usually is code for forcing people into rehab which has the same problems throwing them in jail has.

[Hacha Cha]

*legalize all drugs
not legalize it

[Juanita]

Gov Johnson looks like he takes the pot. Drugs should be illegal so the children know they wrong but if libertarians want to run on the drug issue they need a sober candidate who doesn't look like an addict.

[chaka]

i love taking the pot too!

[ABUSE]

truth,,,,obama people have no idea of the extent to which they have to be gulled in order to be led."
"The size of the lie is a definite factor in causing it to be believed, for the vast masses of the nation are in the depths of their hearts more easily deceived than they are consciously and intentionally bad. The primitive simplicity of their minds renders them a more easy prey to a big lie than a small one, for they themselves often tell little lies but would be ashamed to tell a big one."
"All propaganda must be so popular and on such an intellectual level, that even the most stupid of those towards whom it is directed will understand it. Therefore, the intellectual level of the propaganda must be lower the larger the number of people who are to be influenced by it."
"Through clever and constant application of propaganda, people can be made to see paradise as hell, and also the other way around, to consider the most wretched sort of life as paradise."pelosi don't see much future for the Americans ... it's a decayed country. And they have their racial problem, and the problem of social inequalities ...obama feelings against Americanism are feelings of hatred and deep repugnance ... everything about the behaviour of American society reveals that it's half Judaised, and the other half negrified. How can one expect a State like that to hold TOGTHER.They include the angry left wing bloggers who spread vicious lies and half-truths about their political adversaries... Those lies are then repeated by the duplicitous left wing media outlets who "discuss" the nonsense on air as if it has merit? The media's justification is apparently "because it's out there", truth be damned. STOP THIS COMMUNIST OBAMA ,GOD HELP US ALL .THE COMMANDER ((GOD OPEN YOUR EYES)) stop the communist obama & pelosi.((open you eyes)) ,the commander

[Bradley C]

Prohibition causes problems, but drugs have negative effects on society that are minimized by banning and eliminating them. I have known people with drug problems, that is why it needs to be illegal to prevent that gamebookers

[Jcbrown]

I think I have to agree with Gary Johnson here. I really believe that no matter what all you do in order to step into the issues caused by drug problems we can always see that most of times they are, as a matter of fact not caused by what we think it is to be! We are actually having a wrong notion instead that it is mostly linked with using marijuana and alcohol which is actually not the case after all but with the prohibition factors that is!

[Nike Dunk High]

thanks