How to Legalize Marijuana

In the early 90's, I was involved in an organization, based in London, Ontario Canada called H.E.M.P. Canada (Help End Marijuana Prohibition). The organization, now defunct, had several major victories; our worked directly contributed to the extablishment of the first legal hemp crop in Canada since WWII. Furthermore, one of the members, Chris Clay, was able to bring one of the first major challenges of Marijuana prohibition to the the Canadian Supreme Court. During one of our H.E.M.P. Canada meetings, the founder, Jeff Shurie, clearly stated a plan to legalize Marijuaa in Canada overnight. Jeff proposed that if every pot smoker in canada walked into a police station at an assigned time and lit up a joint, marijuana would be made legal in record time. Since some figures suggest that there are over five million people who smoke marijuana in canada, it would be plain to see that the police stations, courts and jails would be impossibly jammed. Arenas, stadiums, and parks would be necessary to house all of those who DEMANDED to be detained for their flagrant disregard of the laws. Such an act would take great courage on the part of disobediant masses of pot smokers but, clearly, this tact would, indeed, work.

[edit on 5/4/2005 by benevolent tyrant]

AHAHAHAHAHAHAH!

Wouldn't you just a slightly more filled jail system, and A LOT of stoners who have slightly less money from being fined?

Oh, and since when does Canada = US?!

well if there are five million people who have smoked marijuana in Canada US has ten times the population, well, you do the math. The US could never incarcerate that many people.....unless the secret concentration camps in Alaska were set up for specifically this purpose.

You're right.

They'd jail what they could/wanted to, and fine the bloody hell out of the others and slap em with community service, after confiscating their weed and searching their house.

Getting put into jail is a stupid way of getting something legalized. It's like trying to get Gay Marriage legalized by everyone becoming part of a gay couple and living together for decades. Just doesn't work. (although that crackpot idea of mine has more potential)

This method of legalization would work, but it would take courage and coordination. In essence, it is a method called "passive resistance" which was first put to it's real test by Mahatma Gandhi. Furthermore, by walking into a police station, pulling out and lighting a joint and then demanding to be arrested, it would become a plausible defense in court that the offense of being in possession of marijuana and, then, using marijuana in this manner would be an act of making a political statement. In essence the act would become a political protest and would, therefore be protected under the right of "freedom of speech". Fifty million Americans in police stations across America all smoking pot......they could never incarcerate that many people and the costs of the trials would be prohibitive to even begin to launch. Furthermore, how could they ever possibly grant everyone their right to a speedy trial? With even a fraction of the number, it would be impossible. Don't you think that the government, when confronted by all of those voters, would respond by legalizing or, in the least, decriminalizing marijuana?

Passive resistance works best when you're passive. Walking into a police station and abusing a controlled substance is hardly passive, it is in fact a very active statement.



Nope. Freedom of speech doesn't mean you can do something illegal because it's sending a message. Not in the least, in fact that's a very dangerous thing to go around thinking.



Well, they'd have plenty of evidence. It wouldn't take long to try anyone at all, especially since the entire "protest" is bunk unless they plead guilty.



I know, and that's what I said. They take a number in, and slap the rest with huge fines, community service, warrants, and maybe even house arrest.



Not in the least. As I said, that sort of thing works when you're protesting an imperial government destroying your rights by sitting down. This isn't even a shadow of that.