Need a little help!!!

Yeah , only thing is we have already seen what that crap can get you into, ...ruining a career for 1 thing...just test positive on a random, just once...no decent company will ever hire you, and alot of the fly-by-nights won't either , you become an insurance risk. But you go ahead and think we want to run your life...when all we want is for you to grow up and be responsible for your self.

 

There's a much simpler, easier solution. All the alcohol and drug debates can be ended overnight, once and for all. If any motorist, driver, whatever... wants to have a few drinks or take a hit of herb, he should be allowed to. No breathilizers, no DUI checkpoints or taskforce...nothing. HOWEVER, if you are at fault in a fatal car accident, and they do a blood test and you have booze or drugs in your system, 2 tests from 2 different medical doctors, and it comes up positive on both, the LEO on scene call the local magistrate and the county coroner to record and oversee all preceedings....and they have a summary roadside execution right then and there. No slick lawyers, no second chances, no getting off by technicalities." But what about if there was an error somewhere?" Both medical teams making an error...doubtful, but that would be for the family of the recently executed to prove at the federal court. Sounds barbaric, I know...but you could smoke your weed til your hearts content. Take an innocent's life and you forfeit your own. Sounds about fair, doesn't it?

 

Tony I respect your opinion ,but this has NOTHING about growing up I'm a 54 yr. old man ,college educated, with a perfect driving record. One question, Did you ever smoke it, if you didn't how can you have an educated opinion on it. Did you know it's never been proven anyone has gotten cancer from it, it's not addictive unless your a weak person with that type of personality trait. Didn't you read my earlier explanation? It's not a health issue it's strictly a money grab and when the government fully realizes and see's how much money the states that legalized it are making, they will follow suit.

 

With it being a misdemeanor, you may be OK. Most companies ask if you've been convicted of a felony. Try Schneider they seem to hire about anyone due to size of the company. Or perhaps Swift, jb hunt

 

I'm 63 Archer#6, and I see exactly what you are saying. I just disagree with it..any kind of drug abuse whether it be pot , or any other kind of illegal substance or prescription drug abuse , gets no sympathy from me , alcohol as well. I 'll not get into that old argument about smoking pot can and often does lead to stronger and more dangerous drug abuse , cause we might not agree there either , but I served in the army with lots of fellows that used it to "escape" from the war, I never did , although I did witness a lot of the problems other guys had upon returning home...I guess I'm one of the lucky ones that just made friends with those demons that still keep me up some nights (guess they always will to a point ) But that has nothing to do with this discussion , I really think think that it would be a huge mistake to legalize pot , mainly because of the huge rise of auto accidents that would more than likely arise from its use...we have enough of those related to alcohol abuse now, so why compound an already terrible problem , by introducing a whole new group of abusers to the list. I'm just hard-headed about any kind of drug or alcohol abuse , I think those caught behind the wheel of a motor vehicle , even if its the 1st time should face a mandatory jail sentence of at least a year. That may be harsh , but in order to deter those who do it there must be some teeth in the law...For those that have CDL a conviction even 1 should be cause that CDL to be permanently revoked....But thats just me.

You are entitled to think however you wish on this subject, and I totally 100% respect that right, I just don't see it the same way. Doesn't mean that we can't be civil in our views. I'm sorry if I came off as judgmental before , and I sincerely apologize for offending you if I did, sometimes I let my passion , get in front of my good sense. Tony

 

Tony first thank you for your service to our country, you made some very good points and I respect them completely. GOD BLESS AMERICA and it's Veterans. We agree to disagree and thats good enough for me. Excuse the rhyme. Thanks The ARCHER

 

Ditto Archer#6 , I appreciate that. Nothing wrong a good debate..... drive safe. T

 

I agree. But I disagree with the notion that whatever-his-name had that because he didn't like it, it should be banned. Which is probably what sparked this whole debate. If someone has a beer after work, I don't really see what the issue with that is. If someone smokes a joint, I don't really see why that's such a big issue, either. Now if someone gets three sheets to the wind and goes for a drive, no, I'm not going to have any sympathy for that. But, on the flip side of that coin, if someone perfectly sober decides to do 120 down the highway and kills someone as a result of it, why is that treated like its any better? I mean, I'm certainly not seeing a demand for passenger vehicles to be governed at 65 and have EOBRs installed in them. When you consider that there were over 34,000 traffic fatalities last year - and that's a LOW number compared to other years - it seems a bit ridiculous to claim that it's someone smoking a joint in the comfort of their living room which poses a threat to my or anyone else's well-being.

That's kinda like saying jerking off to a Playboy can lead someone to becoming a rapist.

I was a Combat Medic in the Army. I served tours in Afghanistan and Iraq. After coming back from the latter one, I was no better off than anyone who did turn to drinking or drugs to "escape" from it. I never did. I never turned to anything. But let's say someone does turn to the bottle. With the VA dragging their heels the way they are, and the simple fact that war isn't a pleasant experience in the first place (least of all for anyone with my MOS or with the 11Bs I served alongside)... what did they expect the end result to be? People are coming back from these places in a very bad way. Surely you've read about soldiers committing suicide after deployment? Maybe the thing to do instead of condemning someone for having a drink or smoking a joint would be to look towards the VA? A lot of the problem lies there. Soldier suicides, homeless vets.. is it really somehow more vulgar for this nation to allow someone to roll up a joint in the privacy of their own home than it is to tolerate that?

And I'm prone to disagree. You don't need elaborate networks, underworld connections, processing labs, etc. to make marijuana. It's sold in the same form as it's grown. You don't need an exotic location to grow it. It's become so easy to get a hold of, in spite of the laws and billions of taxpayer Dollars used to fight it... hell, when I was under 21, it was far easier for me to get a dime bag than a 12 pack. I believe in a system of law and order as much as anyone else. I also believe that it can get carried away to the point where it amounts to a nanny state ideology.
As for increased traffic accidents, I'm a bit doubtful. If someone's going to get high and go driving, they're already doing it. What would legalization really change? For one, it might actually reduce the appeal of marijuana. As is, it's become a trendy part of pop culture.. an act of rebellion. Take away that value, and you've reduced the appeal. Will people still use it? Sure. But this "tidal wave" you're worried about, I expect would amount to more of a slight ripple.

I agree. DUI convictions should be harsher, but it should also be fairer. A friend of mine had his license suspended for open container. An empty open container. Now, were it a typical open container case, I would likewise have no sympathy. The source of this open container? He had several trash bags to take the county facility for recycling, including one of aluminum cans. He didn't tie the bag off. Three beer cans fell out and onto his floorboard. Open container conviction.
I have no sympathy for people who get trashed, go out driving, and either get busted or kill themselves. None, whatsoever. And I'd love to see harsher punishments for offenders. I'd also like to see some assurance that people wrongfully accused are protected better than they are. It's kind of difficult to say, "Yeah, we should do that!" knowing that it would applied to the wrongfully accused, as well.

 

quote{I was a Combat Medic in the Army. I served tours in Afghanistan and Iraq. After coming back from the latter one, I was no better off than anyone who did turn to drinking or drugs to "escape" from it. I never did. I never turned to anything. But let's say someone does turn to the bottle. With the VA dragging their heels the way they are, and the simple fact that war isn't a pleasant experience in the first place (least of all for anyone with my MOS or with the 11Bs I served alongside)... what did they expect the end result to be? People are coming back from these places in a very bad way. Surely you've read about soldiers committing suicide after deployment? Maybe the thing to do instead of condemning someone for having a drink or smoking a joint would be to look towards the VA? A lot of the problem lies there. Soldier suicides, homeless vets.. is it really somehow more vulgar for this nation to allow someone to roll up a joint in the privacy of their own home than it is to tolerate that?} quote

!st thanks for your sacrifice. But I've seen the same sights and sounds and smelled war too...It affects every single , solitary man in a different way. My Dad was a WW2 vet , 2 of his brothers were in Korea , me in Viet Nam...I was wounded in '69 spent almost 2 years learning to walk again , after the folks at the VA told me I would be permanently disabled. So to say a person returning from a deployment now or since the Gulf War started has had it harder , or experienced anything any worse than those who returned home from WW2 thru Viet Nam I just can't see...War is war...the way a man deals with it after he comes home depends entirely on that particular person..some handle it better than others of course. Folks need to be able to accept some personal responsibility here...go for help if you need it, but don't use your experiences or service or the VA as a crutch.

quote{And I'm prone to disagree. You don't need elaborate networks, underworld connections, processing labs, etc. to make marijuana. It's sold in the same form as it's grown. You don't need an exotic location to grow it. It's become so easy to get a hold of, in spite of the laws and billions of taxpayer Dollars used to fight it... hell, when I was under 21, it was far easier for me to get a dime bag than a 12 pack. I believe in a system of law and order as much as anyone else. I also believe that it can get carried away to the point where it amounts to a nanny state ideology.
As for increased traffic accidents, I'm a bit doubtful. If someone's going to get high and go driving, they're already doing it. What would legalization really change? For one, it might actually reduce the appeal of marijuana. As is, it's become a trendy part of pop culture.. an act of rebellion. Take away that value, and you've reduced the appeal. Will people still use it? Sure. But this "tidal wave" you're worried about, I expect would amount to more of a slight ripple.]QUOTE

We don't agree here, either, but thats OK....like I said you see it as a ripple I see it much worse, but in all honesty neither one of us knows just how it would play out. I'm just not willing to take the chance..your mileage might vary.

QUOTE{I agree. DUI convictions should be harsher, but it should also be fairer. A friend of mine had his license suspended for open container. An empty open container. Now, were it a typical open container case, I would likewise have no sympathy. The source of this open container? He had several trash bags to take the county facility for recycling, including one of aluminum cans. He didn't tie the bag off. Three beer cans fell out and onto his floorboard. Open container conviction.
I have no sympathy for people who get trashed, go out driving, and either get busted or kill themselves. None, whatsoever. And I'd love to see harsher punishments for offenders. I'd also like to see some assurance that people wrongfully accused are protected better than they are. It's kind of difficult to say, "Yeah, we should do that!" knowing that it would applied to the wrongfully accused, as well.}QUOTE

Point well taken, I agree that in "some cases" that a little discretion should be used.

 

And thank you for yours. I wasn't trying to say that it's harder now than it was for vets previously, but wanted to point out that there are terrible shortcomings for returning vets now, just as there were after previous wars. War is war, and it's not a pleasant experience, regardless of whether the participation was in Tikrit, the Mekong Delta, the Chosin Reservoir, Bastogne, Iwo Jima, etc.
Vets suicides, failures to readjust to civilian life, alcoholism and drug abuse.. these are not the actions of people figuring, "well, reckon I have nothing better to do". Whether it's Vietnam vets, Grenada vets, Panama vets, Gulf War vets, Afghanistan/Iraq vets.. it's been known for centuries that war is a traumatizing experience. Yet, politicians pay mere lip service to it. That's a big problem, and it's caused a lot of grief for returning vets.

I understand where you're coming from, but the chance is already being taken. You're correct that neither of us knows for sure how it'll play out. I just don't believe that people who wouldn't drive while intoxicated are suddenly going to turn around and say, "oh, hey.. now that it's legal and no less difficult to get than it was before, let's get stoned and go for a drive", just as people who do drive intoxicated or otherwise impaired do so in spite of laws which make it illegal to drive in such a condition.
And then I suppose there's the matter of perspective. It does seem a little ridiculous to me that we get so worked up over a simple plant which is sold and used in its natural form, but we allow supermarkets to sell hormone laden meat from cows kept in conditions where they're up to their knees in fecal matter, or vegetables which has sprayed with chemicals intended to be lethal without even so much as a word of warning being given to the consumer. In the grand scale of things, the logic doesn't add up for me.