the whole drug issue is about personal freedom as dictated by the federal state.
I don't think anyone ever really thought that legalizing marijuana (in my state and others) was done so that people who needed it therapeutically could get it legally. The whole medical marijuana argument was valid and in my opinion valuable, but c'mon, the vast majority of the voters that passed these measures and initiatives were voting based on personal experience and the opinion that it does no harm. The people that got the issue in front of the voters had to use some form of leverage, scientific proof was something that a state legislator could use to camouflage the true reason they put it up for a vote without upsetting their conservative constituents. I think we can all agree that the tax revenues, the scientific proof, the medical benefits and a dozen other reasons to legalize it take a backseat to the true reason it was done in some states: People wanted it decriminalized so they could have the freedom to use or not use without the fear of prosecution.
To tie this back into the discussion, marijuana use or any drug use is OK by me, until you take away my right to drive on a street where everyone else is as sober as I am because it is the law. That's just selfish, driving drunk or stoned because you want to be somewhere and my safety doesn't matter to you, bad act. And supporting a drug habit through theft? selfish, that was my stuff and you took it because of your addiction, bad act. Selling drugs to minors to support your habit? We have to come up with a punishment even harsher than the ones we used to dole out on the people that were in possession with intent to distribute for that one. Making a few bucks at the expense of a child's cognitive development has got to be about as selfish as you can get when it comes to the abuse of legalised drugs. BAD ACT.
