Europe: Swiss Parliament Rejects Marijuana Legalization
The Swiss Parliament Monday rejected a proposal to legalize marijuana by a vote of 106 to 70. The vote was on a popular initiative to force a nationwide vote on legalization. Proponents of the measure had handed in 106,000 signatures in January 2006.
Despite the no vote, the measure will still come before the Swiss Senate for debate. It could eventually end up going directly to the voters, where it would need to win an outright majority as well as a majority in over half of the country's 26 cantons.
The Swiss government itself proposed marijuana legalization in 2003, but that measure eventually lost, too, by a closer margin than this year.
The measure was opposed by the center-right majority, whose members argued it would "send the wrong message" to young people. Proponents of the measure, including some members of the centrist Radical Party, as well as Socialists, said keeping marijuana illegal would only fuel the black market while failing to protect minors.
Comments
Sending the wrong message to young people.
I am sick and tired to the only reason Marijiuana is not legalized - "Because it sends the wrong message to young people". Well let me tell you what I think sends the wrong message to you young people; for example punishment is better than prevention, and jails are better than education. Because that is the message all governments are sending when they criminalize marijiuana users; example - the $50+BILLION we spend every year (JUST ON MARIJIANA Drug offenses alone) and billions we spend on the salaries of DEA/FBI agents that fly around mountains looking for a plant when gas prices are sky high, we could be putting all that money, and PEOPLE to EDUCATION. Could you imagine, all that $$$ and people having a positive influence on our children? But instead they rather bust a teenager with a small bag of weed and put that on his permanent record so he/she can not get federal or state grant money to further their education in college - and in essence ruin their futures! Also with all the information resources at everyones fingertips - if a teenager studies the effects of cannibas and the history of prohibition, and how the government has over 1million people in jail for NON-VIOLENT offenses of the drug laws, while at the same time having pedophiles, and rapists back on the street - THAT SENDS THE WRONG MESSAGE!! WE CAN NOT PUT EVERYONE IN JAIL, WHO WOULD YOU RATHER HAVE IN JAIL THE GUY WHO RAPED A 5 YEAR OLD OR THE GUY WITH A TRUNK FULL OF A DRUG THAT HAS NOT ONE DOCUMENTED DEATH TIED TO IT?? BECAUSE WE JAIL THE DRUG GUY, TAKE ALL HIS STUFF, INCLUDING HIS LIFE, WHILE THE FREAKIN CHILD MOLESTER GETS PUT BACK ON THE STREET! I THINK THAT SENDS THE WRONG MESSAGE. I WISH PEOPLE WOULD WAKE UP! JAIL IS NOT THE ANSWER! I wish I could go in futher detail, but I have to get back to work so a third of my pay can go to the freakin federal government to keep paying for all their mistakes. Do you feel me? let me know at oman840 at the hotmail.... thank you for your time.
From one American who cares about America, and everyone in it. Merry Christmas! (please excuse any typos I wrote this fast, with no review)
In reply to Sending the wrong message to young people. by Anonymous (not verified)
yea 1 problem with these arguments
its all been said before its obvious to anyone willing to be reasonable and only someone who dosnt think could come up with such stupid things like you have highlighted.
You know whats sending the wrong message to kids treating them like kids there not they are fully formed individuals and i still hold alot of resentment from the age of 12 and younger at not being allowed to drink or smoke etc and to this day 30 years old i still feel sorry for the kids because we are doing nothing for them at all its just ballshit you wanna help kids treat them with respect and stop forcefully insitutionalising them for the first 16 years of there life and criminalising them ware no crime exists.
Freedom is the wrong message
Wouldn't want the kids to know that they should think for themselves! Where would we find the next generation of slaves? Better to medicate them so they get used to their daily pill. We are shocked however when the ritalin kids shoot up the place.
Everybody wants the best for
Everybody wants the best for their kids and they think that it would be best if their kids would be kept from marijuana. Maybemaybenot? Who knows? Truth be told people your little kids watching Spongebob in the frontroom are going to light up a joint by the time they are 20 and they arte going to turn out just fine.
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