>>>>I'm not sure how think smoking weed is going to lead to drilling for oil in Yellowstone - but as my niece would say..whaatever....
>>>
>>>You get to drilling for oil in Yellowstone by being so concerned about revenue. Your main argument, or one of your main arguments, is that it could be a revenue stream.
>>
>>It's not my main argument - however yes I think it's important to take the money out of the hands of the criminals. I suppose you could say the same for oil as it would be a local resource and the oil-money wouldn't be in the hands of those who hate us - but again you can't compare that to weed. Furthermore some investment in solar, wind, hydro and electric power would be more in line with my thinking.
>>If you're really all that worried about Yellowstone then perhaps if weed was regulated then there wouldn't be this huge infestation of Mexican cartel-backed pot growers thoughout our national parks right now.
>
>So, tell me how legalizing weed would take the criminals out of the equation? It would still be illegal for teenagers, just like alcohol is, and it is still being used by teenagers. There would be a demand, so there would still be a supply!

It would take the criminals out of the equation the exact same way that criminals were taken out of the equation when prohibition in the 1920's ended. Since weed is illegal the drug cartels end up with all the money - just as the mafia ended up with all the booze money in the 20's. Make weed legal - then the cartels main source of income is zapped.
And - as I KEEP SAYING over and over and over again - weed is easier for teenagers to get now than booze because it's not regulated.
Now if you want to deal with the 'demand' issue - then education is the key yes?

Look - legalize it, tax it - use some of the tax revenue (which will be 100's of millions per year) on drug education and treatment programs.

You do this then:
1. Drug lords don't have the 13 billion dollars EVERY YEAR anymore from the USA pot-trade business.
2. 800,000 less arrests in USA EVERY YEAR. Gee - then courts can convict some criminals and we won't hear about violent criminals getting paroled 1/8 the way though their sentence because there is no room for them.
3. You will end up with less users - as proven by the Amsterdam examples I've given to you in the past.
4. You will end up with less users - because of the drug eduction and treatment programs.
5. You will end up with less teenager users because the drug will be regulated like booze.

Now - the bad part of this for you?
1. 800,000 less arrests per year mean cops will have either less to do, more important things to do, or nothing to do - so perhaps some of your buds will get laid off.
2. 800,000 less in the jail each year - guess we can let some more of your buds go cause we won't need as many guards.
3. No more mass killings in Mexico - no huge pot-drug cartels to chase - so again more of your buds out of a job.
4. No need for all the guys and helicopter's flying all over the national parks in a useless attempt to kill all the pot plans - more of your buds out of a job.
5. 800,000 less people in the courts every year - so bye bye to a few more of your buds jobs - how many lawyers, cops, judges does it take to deal with 800,000 cases every year?

...so basically it boils down to who really wants to keep pot illegal and why...
The drug lords and cops both want to keep it that way for the same reason - so they have a freakn job!! ...and I suppose the drug companies might care as they will probably see some losses as a result.

..and everyone knows this John. That's why it's moving towards being legal (and sooner or later it will be). Politicians are hearing the people. Organizations like NAPO can continue to jump up and down and say that this is going to destroy the whole moral fiber of American society - but the "Refer-Madness" attitude is getting old, and it's about as logical as the movie.
So far you haven't provided one single advantage to keeping it illegal other than a few of your buds get to keep their jobs (of locking up cancer patients and AIDS patients for a plant). Again - everyone knows this, which is why politicians are no longer afraid to take the right stand on this issue anymore.