On 10-01-2004 00:32, in article vvuegvk2916g3c@corp.supernews.com, "Miller"
<chumley702NOSSSSPAM@chartermi.net> wrote:

> 
> "Mike Helm" <mhelm@not.known> wrote in message
> news:e52svvkahbbb0te1mmfbq7je5idfu8j2p8@4ax.com...
>> On Thu, 8 Jan 2004 19:59:42 -0500, "Miller"
>> <chumley702NOSSSSPAM@chartermi.net>
>> 
>> 
>>>> x
>>>> 
>>> 
>>> The main problem with legalizing pot, or any other recreational illegal
> drug
>>> is:  that once its legalized, if it does turn out to be a mistake,
> society
>>> will have a hell of a time making it illegal again.  (Look at how badly
>>> prohibition worked).
>> 
>> Look how badly it's "working" right now.
>> 
>> 
>>> So if you want to make pot legal, you better be pretty
>>> damn sure it is not going to have a lot of social and health costs
>>> associated with it.
>> 
>> Could those costs possibly be higher than the current societal and
>> health costs of prohibition?
>> 
> 
> I don't know.  What do you think the current costs are now?  The drug has
> been decriminalized to the point where casual use is not much of a risk,
> crime-wise, as it used to be.

It has -never- been as illegal as it is now. We don't yet have statistics
for arrests in the bush years, but should we believe that this number is far
below the 650,000 or so who were arrested on pot, mostly simple possession,
during each of the last several years of clinton?

When during the 1970s were so many people arrested?

EJ