Jacob Sullum in Forbes: The President Forgets to Lie About Marijuana, and Prohibitionists Are Outraged

CNN

Prohibitionists were outraged by President Obama's recent observation that marijuana is safer than alcohol—not because it is not true, says Jacob Sullum, but because it contradicts the central myth underlying public support for the war on drugs. According to that myth, Sullum writes in Forbes, certain psychoactive substances are so dangerous that they cannot be tolerated, and the government has scientifically identified them. In reality, he says, the distinctions drawn by our drug laws are arbitrary, and marijuana is the clearest illustration of that fact.

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[Palin's Buttplug]

WASHINGTON — Attorney General Eric Holder says the Obama administration is planning to roll out regulations soon that would allow banks to do business with sellers of legal marijuana.

During an appearance Thursday at the University of Virginia, Holder said it is important from a law enforcement perspective to enable places that sell marijuana to have access to the banking system so they don’t have large amounts of cash lying around.

Currently, processing money from marijuana sales puts federally insured banks at risk of drug racketeering charges.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/wh…..a-sellers/

I want a h/t!

[John]

No one reads what you post you little retard.

[Fist of Etiquette]

I’ll see it when I believe it.

[sarcasmic]

Moron.

[some guy]

Can the DOJ/Treasury do this without legislation? (Legit question. If legislation defines “drug racketeering” then legislation would be the only way to legally protect banks.)

[Loki]

Even if it does require legislation, why would that stop the Grand Emperator God King from simply ruling by executive fiat like always?

[CatoTheElder]

No banker in his right mind would want to do business with any enterprise engaged in the production, transportation, distribution, or sale of a marijuana. This holds regardless of any assurances that Holder would make. The US Government and Obama Administration in particular have a dreadful record of enticing banks to engage in various business activities, and then, when anything goes wrong, blaming everything on the banks and imposing gargantuan penalties. Why take the risk for the piddling business that it will bring in?

[wareagle]

believe I read somewhere that govt holds the patent to medical marijuana. Legalization might lead to competition and our overlords hate that.

[Zeb]

If that’s true then the patent system is far more fucked than even I thought.

[The Late P Brooks]

Hey Shreeek, why haven’t you posted a link about Jack Lew sniffing around Berkshire Hathaway? Or tell us how Buffett is the One True Capitalist, who made his money the old-fashioned way; by frontrunning government regulations.

[some guy]

Marijuana is about as addictive and dangerous as caffeine. Alcohol is much, much worse in both respects. That’s the science on this issue. I’ve lost hope that the average Republican can be convinced of these facts, but why is it taking so long for the “Party of Science” to get on board? Can’t be cronyism can it?

[Zeb]

Probably less dangerous than caffeine if anything. It is practically possible to poison yourself with caffeine.

[some guy]

True, but MJ might have slightly worse long-term outcomes for habitual users. As long as you aren’t a total idiot neither will kill you.

[Loki]

why is it taking so long for the “Party of Science” to get on board? Can’t be cronyism can it?

Cronyism and/or nannyism. Cronyism in that the LEO unions don’t want pot legalized because that would force their members to maybe have to worry more about stopping real criminals than busting pot heads skulls. Nannyism in that the “Party of Science” believes that people are too stupid to make their own decisions about what substances they should or shouldn’t put into their bodies.

[CatoTheElder]

The party of science understands very well that pot smoking impairs a citizen’s ability to serve the state. Science clearly demonstrates that pot is far worse than alcohol. Due to its interference with cognitive dissonance coping mechanisms, smoking pot seriously impairs the citizen’s ability to recognize the goodness of the state and to bestow due reverence to its icons. Alcohol is not nearly as dangerous as pot because it anesthetizes all cognitive functions. At least these are my conclusions after decades of significant research in the comparative effects of marijuana and alcohol.

[The Late P Brooks]

Just a simple country financier.

Federal regulators have begun to look at Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway to see if its failure would be damaging enough to threaten the country’s financial stability, according to a report by Bloomberg.

It quotes “two people with knowledge” of the matter as saying the staff of the U.S. Financial Stability Oversight Council, led by Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, wants to determine if Berkshire is so important to the health of the financial system that it needs special supervision by the Federal Reserve.

Gosh, what could they possibly want to look at?

[R C Dean]

Gosh, what could they possibly want to look at?

Political contributions and activities by Berkshire Hathaway honchos?

[Loki]

“President Obama is surrounded by a myriad of experts who have voiced serious concerns about the harms of marijuana,” says the Drug-Free America Foundation, “so either he is seriously ill-informed about the issue or is completely ignoring warnings from his highly esteemed advisors.”

TOP. MEN. say it’s harmful, so therefore it must be true!

[Acosmist]

Much like guns, alcohol has been known to attack people of its own volition, making it dangerous.

[The Late P Brooks]

or is completely ignoring warnings from his highly esteemed advisors.

Concern troll is concerned.

LISTEN TO ME! I KNOW WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT. SERIOUS.

[CE]

I watched We’re the Millers recently. It was funny that it was set in Colorado. The Sudeikis character could be a legitimate businessman now. I still think they should have just hit the road with the motorhome and sold off their inventory as they toured the US, instead of dealing with the 2 drug lords and the DEA.

If pot were legal everywhere in the US, there wouldn’t be any drug cartels or violent gangs dealing drugs. Prohibitionists always seem to ignore that, or say it’s the price we pay for keeping kids off drugs, even though Prohibition isn’t keeping them off drugs anyway. We’re getting all the downside with no upside.

The same thing happened with alcohol prohibition. When it was repealed, the gangland violence dropped precipitously.

[Some call me Tim?]

Small nit: legalizing MJ will not eliminate Drug cartels. There will still be a black market on crystalcokeheroinxtc etc. it will however take a big chunk of their profits away, and probably drive some out of business.