Doonesbury by Garry Trudeau for March 22, 2012

Maybe Zipper can get internship credits.

The problem I have with these reruns is that they are so recent in time that one hasn’t forgotten how they turned out. I’d prefer reruns from years in the past that even long-time readers like most here would have forgotten partly or completely. I did suggest this a while back in an email to the Doonesbury site on Slate, and got a response saying that the idea was not to confuse new readers. I don’t see how that works since new readers would be finding their way in any case and the reruns can simply be marked “rerun”.

Ahhhhh it’s a rerun! I just started reading Doonesbury and I was confused because I was sure that this proposition 19 had been voted down. It’d be nice if they just put a little mark saying “rerun.”

while it is a rerun, it is a topic deserving further discussion. Lobbyists representing pharmaceutical companies, liquor/beer sellers, mental health providers, tobacco companies & more subtlely-criminals- work hard to prevent decriminalization. They aren’t doing this to protect us, but to protect their profits. They are subsidized by state/federal government who eliminate fields, and arrest ‘competition.’ Lives are permanently disrupted with arrests for simple possession and forested areas are turned into killing grounds by growers using lethal protection. The Declaration of Independence and Bill of Rights are written on hemp paper. There are many benefits in growing cannabis not including getting high. It can be turned into rope, clothing, & many many other products. GT is using Zonker to lobby for the farming of cannabis/hemp, but it is up to voters to make it happen. Respectfully, C.

In the ‘80s and ’90s Anheuser-Busch was consistently the second largest contributor to C.A.M.P. ( Coalition Against Marijuana Production ), the largest being DuPont, so I’d say the comment about the liquor lobby was accurate. Several other alcohol producing corporations were big contributors as well. The criminalization of cannabis has always been about money. Originally paper and rope (Hearst and DuPont) were where the fiscal threat was felt, and I never understood the Busch concern because we almost always wanted a cold one after smoking. I now realize it’s the difference between around 3 or 4 drinks (or less) stoned and 8 to 10 drinks (or more) with out herb to achieve a similar buzz level. I no longer use either substance, but I still support legalization of cannabis.

My impression is that hemp, as a crop, has more non-recreational uses than, say, tobacco…yet, with all of the government anti-smoking programs, the same government subsidizes tobacco growers. If I’m wrong, or missing some part of the situation, I’d appreciate being enlightened.

The old Doonesburys were so good. It would be great to start with number 1. None of the recent stuff comes close to Ambassador Duke shooting beer bottles off the Great Wall of China.

no harm no foul

2010 strip people.

Even during prohibition it was never illegal to possess or to consume alcohol. The law was aimed strictly at dealers. Too bad all substance laws were not written the same way. Now, what Sharuniboy fondly calls Cowlorado has a proposition on the table to legalize, regulate, and tax marijuana as alcohol is legal, regulated and taxed. While I am all for it, I can’t help wondering how the state thinks it is going to deal with the DEA storm troopers if it passes.

I don’t see much hope for marijuana becoming legal. Maybe under President Paul, but that seems really unlikely.Like Nixon going to China, legal pot might require a right winger. Many are old enough to remember when abortion services were underground only. Bad scene. Too bad we have so many reruns but I am sure they have to do the same with other strips unless they have a huge staff to fill in here and there or something.

I have always hoped that I’d live to see the day that Marijuana becomes legal!

Tell you what, I’ll support a ban on marijuana when the police have to break up a weed-fueled riot.

Ditto on the majority of the comments. I’ve never used recreational drugs other than alcohol, but do believe that crime would go down if people weren’t desperate to find ways to pay for their expensive drug habit. Decriminalization would lower the prices of drugs and decrease users’ need to rob people to pay for them. We’d also save all of the money that we’re now spending on a losing war against drugs – people who want illegal drugs have no problem finding them despite the countless billions we’ve spent fighting against the drug trade and imprisoning offenders. If we treated drugs the same way as alcohol we could raise money on the taxes, more effectively regulate them, save money on enforcement, and free up a lot of prison space.

Hey, I’m on board with the “harm reduction” thing too!

So much of what we ‘do’ and legislate as behavior…is a result of ancient thinking of our loving but comparatively ignorant ancestors…those traces of ignorance will hang on longest among religious traditions…quickest changes will be among reality-based professions…in gradations between those extremes, conflict seems inherent. At least we know what to look for…look out for?

Maybe we could be a bit less harsh on marijuana, but beyond that I understand the need for some caution. Anyone familiar with the pill mill problems down in Florida ? Young folks are dropping like flies down there due to abundance of OxyContin. OxyContin is intended for people in extreme pain who are terminal.

Toxicology report came out on Whitney Houston. She had been using cocaine and had a heart attack which led to accidental drowning in tub. Personal habits matter.

I am married to a surgeon. He gets calls quite often from drug addicts. He does not enjoy this but he understands the reason for laws controlling certain powerful drugs. Theoretically, if it were all legal he wouldn’t have to worry about dealing with those folks.

You can’t compare the level of crime in The Netherlands (“Holland”) with that in the United States and conclude that the difference in crime is due to the legalization of marijuana. It is a lot more complex than that, different histories, different cultures, different ways of life, etc.

What would we need docs for if it (drugs) were all legal? I am sure some would ask this question

Local paper (this month) said Cannabis initiative will be on Nov 2012 CA ballot, so this rerun is timely again.