WHAT IF?

This is the fun part! We get to IMAGINE!! VISUALIZE what our country will be like once cannabis is re-legalized!

THE GOOD THINGS

1) Our taxes will be reduced by at least $7 - 14 billion a year.

2) Tens of thousands of people who are serving time for nothing more than the possession of a beneficial plant will be returned to their families.

3) 2,000 people a day will be spared from the torment of being arrested and dragged through the merciless prison and court system. There are also the people who are abused by police and then let go - these encounters are rarely recorded and they will continue until the vast majority learns how safe cannabis is.
Cannabis prohibition tactics equal terrorism. Too harsh a claim? Our government scares us into submission so that they can continue their political agenda. Look it up - isn't this the definition of terrorism?? Is this the America YOU want??? We're all responsible, so don't blame it all on anyone else. Look into it, then speak up about it. Your rewards will be great - I know mine are!

4) Millions will have crippling criminal records erased and current cannabis consumers will be eligible for higher-paying jobs that regularly test for drugs and will therefore contribute more to the economy.
People should be evaluated by the quality of their work and their character, not the contents of their urine. Drug companies don't want to hear that.

5) Businesses, which will be started by many people who are already knowledgeable in growing, will begin producing guaranteed pure cannabis, pre-rolled and sold alongside cigarettes or beer at a competitive price, or loose for your own methods of use. Taxes from the sale of this "new" product will be collected and will increase local revenue.
Although some will grow for themselves, I believe that most people would rather buy something ready-to-use, the same way tobacco smokers would rather pay a bit more to buy pre-rolled cigarettes even though everything needed to roll-your-own is available at all times.

6) Honest, respectable education about the effects of cannabis would become standard information.
Notice how honest education has helped to decrease the number of young cigarette smokers, and not one person had to go to prison. Honest education and voluntary treatment are really the only ways to deal with free adults and anything potentially harmful/addictive.

7) Different strains will be available for different effects.
For instance, if complete relaxation is your goal, there's a strain for that. If "stepping your mood up a notch" is what you'd like, there's a strain for that. It's such a unique and versatile plant!

8) People will no longer lose child custody, their property, and/or businesses over a cannabis arrest.
Notice that burglars do not have THEIR property taken like this. We have truly been trained to HATE illegal drug users to the point where we can justify punishing them without end, but that will NOT solve any of our drug problems! Not even the death-penalty-for-drug-possession countries are drug-free!! And to all you fellow Christians out there, this is SO unChristian so speak out against it now!! Truly, the Drug War is TERRIBLY wrong and makes us no better than real criminals. Stop the hating.

9) An effective medicine will be available for all those who will benefit. There will still be plenty of people who will prefer pharmaceuticals, so those companies won't be hurt THAT badly. Doctors will be free to treat their patients as they see fit, they will be able to prescribe what they believe is needed, and they won't have to fear losing their license for trying to help someone who is suffering.
Doctor-snooping by government agents...Brrrrrr!

10) Cannabis users will no longer have to visit the dubious, potentially dangerous dealer!! WooHOOO!
Notice how our current system forces people into the Black Market: Possession of just dried cannabis is not as serious an offense as owning even ONE live plant. If you try to avoid the criminal market, you WILL be severely punished! Hmmmm, whose side are the cops/lawmakers on, anyway??

11) Prisons will be less crowded, which will mean a safer environment for the inmates AND guards.
It is my personal belief that cops and guards prefer to bully around non-violent drug law offenders, since these people are a lot easier to handle. Plus they make better workers for their slave trade. Yes, prisoner labor is sold by the State.

12) The police can be our friends again!
Hopefully then they will increase their efforts in stopping a true and damaging crime: STEALING. (Please don't steal - it REALLY hurts! I HATE that feeling after my car's been broken into. It really IS a violation of my security, but the cops just laugh at it - THAT happened to me TWICE.) Instead of being afraid of the police, we'll be free to assist them in catching REAL criminals!

13) Because the Higher Education Act takes away the availability of government assistance for college if you're caught with drugs, those with cannabis charges will be once again be eligible for college assistance.
Turning drug users down for education is quite counter-productive, don't you think? Note that this punishment does not apply to thieves or even murderers - they can still qualify in the name of rehabilitation. It's the "Learned Hatred of Drug-Users" syndrome again. Now Hear This: We are NOT destroying the country! We are pawns in the Big Game of Money and Power. Yes, that game is in Human Nature, but it's nothing we can't stand up to and stop, especially here in beautiful America, Thank God! Freedom must be earned - again and again.

14) The hemp industry would begin again in America for the first time since WWII, when the government greatly encouraged American farmers to grow hemp for the war (To use as rope, shoelaces, uniforms, etc.) after our hemp supply was cut off. Then, when the war was over, hemp was shoved right out of the light again. There was even a film called, "Hemp For Victory" and they played this for farmers to get them to plant hemp for us - no lie!!
This environmentally-friendly industry would add more jobs and tax revenue. Did you know that hemp paper is stronger than tree paper and doesn't need NEAR as many pesticides, herbicides or acres to make a good yield? You should also know we import tons of hemp fiber from China and Canada but our farmers aren't allowed to grow it for ourselves. You cannot hide smokables in with industrial hemp due to undesireable cross-pollination. Remember: THIS IS ONLY A PLANT.

15) Cannabis smokers will save money because competition will begin and prices will drop.
We'll use that money to give to charities or to buy other things that will generate more tax revenue.
On a side note, don't forget to save 10% of everything you earn for YOUR Retirement! Don't even THINK of relying on Social Security alone. Take care of YOURSELF.

16) Holland has the least restrictive laws on cannabis and half the number of young people, per capita, who smoke cannabis (Because cannabis use is not a criminal offense, there's more honest answers on their study polls, one can assume).
The "Forbidden Fruit" allure is gone. They said it themselves: "We've succeeded in making pot boring". I mean really, the best way to make someone want something is to tell them they can't have it. It's like dieting - I didn't really want that Snickers bar until I restricted myself from it, then I couldn't get it out of my mind! Funny, isn't it?

17) Teens will have LESS access to cannabis, since drug dealers do not ask for I.D.
Teens frequently report in school surveys that cannabis is easier to obtain than beer. Teens also do quite a bit of selling.

18) People will also be less exposed to other illegal drugs, which is what CAN happen when they go to a drug dealer for cannabis.

19) A big bite will be taken out of organized crime.
As it stands now, the criminal gangs control all illegal drugs and the huge profits that come with selling them. Cannabis is the most widely used illegal drug, so taking that market from the gangsters would definitely put a dent in their wallets. -Contributed by a visitor. Thanks!

20) We cannabis users can stop hiding all the time, always afraid that our neighbors will find out and, thinking they're doing a GOOD thing, turn us in. THAT'S where the paranoia comes from, y'all!! Then people might be a little more involved and sociable in their neighborhoods, don't you think?

21) People who are ill or injured and who have cannabis in their system will be more likely to seek medical help if they don't have a fear of being drug tested and arrested. Parents will also be more likely to take injured kids to doctors if they don't fear arrest/kidnapping for doing so (Fear of them saying, "Injury due to drug-using parent.").

22) People who dedicate a lot of their time and energy to legalizing cannabis will be freed up to tackle the next big thing on their "To do" lists, like the Drug War, Child Neglect/Abuse or Income Tax (Did you know that's an illegal law, too?)! That's where I'll be headed.

23) Cannabis will at least be treated like alcohol when used recreationally, and like a prescription drug when used medicinally, so the cannabis patient can medicate at work. If a cannabis patient's performance fails, he or she should be treated just like any other employee who's not quite cutting it.
States can decide for themselves how to handle sales and public smoking, and doctors can decide for themselves who would benefit from cannabis therapy.

24) We will be true to our First Amendment, guaranteeing Freedom of Religion. Whether people agree with it or not, cannabis has been used as a religious sacrament for thousands of years. There is no doubt in my mind that God gave us this extremely happy, safe, and useful plant for us to use and enjoy responsibly, and I HATE seeing God's work being so demonized.

25) People who have NEVER used cannabis but have been ruined because vile people used marijuana laws to legally have their property taken for profit or revenge will be set FREE!
Think this is absurd?? The abuse of drug laws by corrupt people really HAVE resulted in MANY innocent people being sent to prison for DECADES! It seems once you're labeled a drug dealer, no one will care WHAT happens to you.

26) Cannabis users will be able to donate blood again!! (Feb. '11 UPDATE: WE CAN DONATE BLOOD! The Red Cross says it will accept our blood.
A little THC won't hurt anyone. I'm glad people are realizing that.

27) Raids for cannabis executed on wrong addresses will cease. The wrong house gets raided every now and then and completely innocent people are terrorized, killed and/or have their house *torn up* -- by their own government. With FEW apologies.

28) Not one more police officer will be killed in a cannabis raid-gone-bad.
Cops have families too, ya know.

29) We can stop lying to our kids and feel PROUD about it! What a concept!

THE BAD THINGS

1) Preservatives might be introduced, causing the herb to actually be harmful. Know what you are ingesting!

2) Advertising might explode and parents won’t like that any more than the advertisements of any other non-kid item.

3) Companies who get big from the sale of cannabis might become as obnoxious and controlling as other huge industries.

4) Certain industries will feel a drop in their profits due to a legitimate competitor entering the market.

5) Downsizing would occur in certain places like the Drug Enforcement Agency, prisons, and Office of National Drug Control Policy.
There would also be jobs lost by people who are working to end cannabis prohibition, but there will always be a need to keep cannabis laws on the right track, just like there are always battles over our alcohol laws today -- it will never end... but Cannabis Prohibition should end NOW - tell them that, please.

6) Government may start taxing cannabis so heavily that most of the price of your pot would be going straight into their/their friends' pockets.

7) The drug freedom movement would be divided, with some people being willing to give up the fight to end the war on drugs now that their drug of choice is considered legal by the authorities.

8) Drug testing companies might feel a pinch in their profits, but they shouldn't worry until we start ending drug prohibition altogether. THEN they might start trying to "Protect their business". They make their living off of discrimination. What do you think about that?

THE NEUTRAL THINGS

Even when cannabis is made legal, there will still be some prejudice people who will always be against us "potheads".
(That's fine with me, as long as the fines, harassments and arrests STOP.)

Can you think of anything to add? Tell me at mmelz5@yahoo.com
Thanks!