Former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson on Colbert, Talking 'Bout Drug Legalization

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Nick Gillespie is an editor at large at Reason.

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  1. Brian E

    Hell yes. About time we had a prominent voice of common sense.

    1. which of course pretty much rules him out from elective office

  2. “The Government Lied”

    Subtle understatement.

    1. I am shocked, SHOCKED! to hear that

  3. NAL

    He also left office 8 years ago with NM on a $3.9B budget and a slight surplus. Now NM has a >$6B budget and is ~$1B in in the red. Thanks Democrat Bill Richardson.

    1. Jeffersonian

      That’s just from the catering.

    2. SIV

      Thanks Democrat Bill Richardson.

      That fat fuck encouraged and signed the NM cockfighting ban.

      Never Forget!

  4. Bern

    The more I hear from Mr. Johnson the more I like him. I may actually have to put a sign in the yard if he runs just to get his name out there.

  5. Explain to me why so many libertarians want drugs made legal so the government can regulate and tax them.

    1. The Gobbler

      ^ headpiece filled with straw

    2. Daniel

      …because it’s one of the legitimate uses for government…

      Perfect user name by the way.

    3. BakedPenguin

      Explain to me why idiots hate the idea of “taxes” so much, they’re willing to pay them to continue to put non-violent people in prison on “principle”.

    4. Brian E

      They can’t hardly get more regulated and taxed than they are now. It’s just that the regulation is a total ban and that the tax is paid in fines. Legalization should be seen as a reduction in both.

  6. Ni Eve, i believe the general idea is that, while still nowhere close to ideal, it’s a better situation to pay a tax than to have your door kicked in and your pets shot.

    1. Thank you Xeones,
      I can’t understand why any libertarian would want to advocate more taxes and government regulation through the pleasure police.

      1. BakedPenguin

        There are 200,000 humans beings in cages in this country because of the insane war on drugs. If that could be stopped without taxing and regulating drugs, I’d be more than happy about it. But I doubt that can be achieved.

        If it takes taxation and regulation to get those people out of prisons where they don’t belong, I’m more than willing to accept that. If there’s an ounce of humanity within you, find it and figure out why many people who call themselves libertarian are willing to accept this compromise.

        If this means I have to turn in my decoder ring, just write down the address to send it to…

        1. Ok, so these people that are in jail knew they were committing a crime. It doesn’t matter if you think it was a silly crime or not, they were still committing a crime. I have always found that “My crime shouldn’t be a crime” argument foolish.
          Are any of these people that are in prison for selling drugs going to sell drugs for the government if it become legal? What else are they going to turn to?

          Don’t get me wrong I know someone that went to jail for selling drugs, turned his life around and ran a successful business for years and continued to burn his brain cells. I also feel “the war on…(fill in the blank)” is foolish, and is never ending.
          No one has ever explained their views, as with other users above it is just insults and “how can you not think the way I do?” nonsense.

          1. AJs

            Err… “No one has ever explained their views, as with other users above it is just insults and ‘how can you not think the way I do’ nonsense” – Really? Did you actually read what Xeones and BP wrote?

            Am I just feeding the trolls here?

          2. Eric H Albright

            You need to read Henry David Thoreau’s treatise on Civil Disobedience. If something is “illegal/and/or a crime” or just flat out immoral, it is the OBLIGATION of a fully informed citizen to refuse to submit.

      2. Slowburnaz

        Well, once to be made is that this type of tax would be voluntary in nature. I think most libertarians are okay with that type of tax.

        1. Slowburnaz

          Holy proofread failure, Batman. Make that “Well, one point to be made is that this type of tax would be voluntary in nature. I think most libertarians are okay with that type of tax.”

        2. Bradley

          There’s no such thing as a voluntary tax. It’s a contradiction in terms.

          1. Atanarjuat

            I believe he’s referring to the fact that purchasing the product is voluntary, and by not doing so you avoid the tax. Which is technically true, but the same argument could be applied to the imprisonment that you “voluntarily” incur by purchasing marijuana.

            1. SIV

              Like if there was an “air tax” you could put a plastic bag over your head so it would be “voluntary”.

              1. Slowburnaz

                Come on now… consuming air is necessary, while consuming drugs is not. Are you really going to make that comparison?

            2. Slowburnaz

              “I believe he’s referring to the fact that purchasing the product is voluntary, and by not doing so you avoid the tax.”

              Yes. That’s what I’m referring to.

              “Which is technically true, but the same argument could be applied to the imprisonment that you “voluntarily” incur by purchasing marijuana.”

              Not sure what you’re getting at with that statement… a consumption tax like that which would be applied to something like marijuana is no comparison, IMO, to something like an income tax, which is a tax levied on something you absolutely need to survive. Which makes that sort of tax a tax on simply existing.

      3. troll feeder

        Like, if you had a shitload of something, but now you have a lot, then the word for that is “less”, not “more”. You can look it up in the dictionary.

  7. Former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson on Colbert, Talking ‘Bout Drug Legalization

    Drink!

  8. Alice

    I really like this guy. Gary Johnson 2012

    1. TheOtherSomeGuy

      I’d vote for him, no doubts.

  9. posttttter

    i work with TONS of line cops (iow real cops, not administrators) who support either decrim or legalization. few give a flying fuck about pot, one way or the other. i don’t recall ever getting assaulted by a stoner, or responding to a case where a stoner beat his girlfriend to a pulp. any drug that encourages cheezy poof consumption and laughter is ok with me.

    1. Jeffersonian

      The worst you’re going to get from a guy who’s been in his bong for a while is being elbowed aside if you get betwixt him and his macho combo burrito.

  10. AJs

    I tossed a few bucks to his initiative.

  11. Eric H Albright

    I live in Arizona. We have twice passed medical marijuana initiatives by initiative only to have our elected officials ignore that mandate. We are currently being asked to vote on Prop 100, a 1 cent temporary increase in the sales tax to fund(2/3) education and 1/3 Public Health/Public Safety. I would totally be willing to pay more in taxes to fund education. I am not however willing to pay to fund the very two outfits that have been conspiring to keep Cannabis illegal. I would VOLUNTARILY send my 20/oz Luxury Tax to the state today to fund education including drug education. PAY YOUR CANNABIS TAX NOW, and send these idiots a message.

  12. Joshua Corning

    I don’t Cobert even when he is satirizing opponents of things i like.

    Gary Johnson on the other hand is class act and a hero.

  13. Wickerman2kl

    I’m not sure if I personally agree with taxing drugs once you legalize them (Ron Paul has said that he wouldn’t tax them), but that is certainly a huge improvement from arresting people at gunpoint for doing something that hurts absolutely no one.

    The point is, we have to stop punishing people for victimless crimes. There is no moral, logical, or fiscal justification for doing it. As Kinky Friedman once said, let’s get the pot smokers out of prison, and make room for real criminals, like pedophiles and politicians.

  14. Wickerman2kl

    One more thing, if you haven’t seen the documentary “Run from the Cure”, look it up on Youtube. If you can watch that and still think it’s acceptable to arrest people for this kind of thing, there’s really something wrong with you. People who distribute hemp oil/med. marijuana are not criminals, they are heroes.

  15. My chance to be able to visit your blog, that’s so wonderful.

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