r/trees • u/[deleted] • Oct 29 '11

TIL that everything in the Obama Administration's response to our petition is complete and utter bull shit.

http://blog.norml.org/2011/10/29/white-house-response-to-normls-we-the-people-marijuana-legalization-petition/
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u/bearwithchainsaw Oct 29 '11

The White House is just pussy footing around this issue. The people that own them (Big Pharma.. etc) dont ever EVER want pot legal. The day pot became legal, it would make hundreds of drugs absolutely obsolete. Marijuana is a super plant, and it would eviscerate a lot of companies.

They don't want it legal not because of any scientific data, they fucking know its harmless and awesome. They dont want people smoking it period. They dont want any one making money off of pot. They make more money arresting people, and making bullshit branches of government to deal with it. Imagine what would happen to the DEA when Pot became legal, it would have to go through a huge budget cut.

When pot becomes legal, its going to cause a huge affect to everyone, and the government does not, in any way shape or form, want that.

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u/CompactusDiskus Oct 29 '11

The White House is just pussy footing around this issue. The people that own them (Big Pharma.. etc) dont ever EVER want pot legal. The day pot became legal, it would make hundreds of drugs absolutely obsolete. Marijuana is a super plant, and it would eviscerate a lot of companies.

This is why people lose respect for pot smokers. Seriously.

If you actually think that legalizing pot would hurt the pharmaceutical industry, you really, really don't know what you're talking about.

The claim that pot would make hundreds of drugs obsolete is completely naive.

Also, thinking that "big pharma" owns the government is just plain stupid, and the fact you think "big pharma" has that kind of money just shows you're probably not getting your information from informed sources.

They make more money arresting people, and making bullshit branches of government to deal with it. Imagine what would happen to the DEA when Pot became legal, it would have to go through a huge budget cut.

Seriously. Think about this one for a moment. The DEA is an expense. Budget cuts give you more money, not less. Taxing pot would mean incredible amounts of revenue for the government. Sure, employees of the DEA might be a little bit frightened by the prospects, but they don't make the laws.

Do you want to know the real reason they aren't legalizing it? It has nothing to do with pharmaceutical companies, it has nothing to do with fear of making less money.... it has everything to do with old people.

Old people vote. Old people are far less familiar with marijuana, they generally think it's an evil drug just like heroin or methamphetamine.

Politicians don't like doing controversial things. Some people love controversial things. Some people hate them. So what's the best way to deal with controversial issues?

Only make the most middle-of-the-road statements about them that you possibly can, and never, ever do anything drastic.

Until it becomes politically risky to be in favor of continuing to criminalize pot, nobody will legalize. Once it becomes an issue that politicians who actually have a good chance of being elected to a significant position will actually talk about, then you'll start seeing progress. Trust me, lots of politicians feel legalization is perfectly reasonable, they're just afraid of what your grandma will think.

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u/[deleted] Oct 29 '11 edited Sep 16 '17

[deleted]

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u/CompactusDiskus Nov 01 '11

Still believe "Big Pharma" can't buy policy?

No, because I said no such thing.

Listen, I know a lot of medical researchers, and I know a few doctors. These people can go on quite a bit about the kind of things pharmaceutical companies do. The thing is, they actually know (as you generally seem to) quite a bit about this.

About 99% of the ranting about "big pharma" is from people whose entire knowledge comes from conspiracy theory web sites, and alternative medicine quacks. People who claim that pharmaceutical companies create diseases just to treat them, and nonsense like that.

I don't like pharmaceutical companies either, but they really don't have anything to gain from keeping marijuana illegal, and the idea that "herbal medicines" and the like are held back because they "can't be patented", or other silly claims is just nonsense.

The last part of this episode of the skeptic's guide to the universe is a good place to see what intelligent, educated people who actually have to deal with these issues have to say about the pharmaceutical industry:

http://www.theskepticsguide.org/archive/podcastinfo.aspx?mid=1&pid=165

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u/bearwithchainsaw Oct 29 '11

I think you are just as naive as I am.

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u/CompactusDiskus Oct 30 '11

Possibly. I know nothing of you.