See here. and here. this information is here.
Description: Rally followed by march to Daley Plaza
Noon to 5pm, Free
Federal Plaza Square
219 S Dearborn
(847)341-0591
Date: Saturday, May 3, 2008
Time: 12:00pm
Priority: Medium
Created by: Chicago Events Calendar
Updated: Wednesday, April 30, 2008 1:14pm
From Freakonomics (those freaks against capitalism): On the Legalization — or Not — of Marijuana a surprising excerpt from an article that seems to quote mainly from ‘doctors’ who promote the legalization of marijuana:
Dr. Robert L. DuPont, president of the Institute for Behavior and Health and former director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse:
Legalization of marijuana would solve the marijuana problem the way legalizing speeding would solve the speeding problem: it would remove the legal inhibition of a dangerous behavior, and thereby encourage the behavior.
Criticism of current marijuana policy typically starts by limiting the calculation of marijuana’s societal costs to the costs of arresting and imprisoning marijuana users. This way of calculating the costs minimizes those produced by use of the drug itself (i.e., the costs of treatment, drugged driving crashes, and lost productivity). When the costs related to the use of marijuana are minimized, the legalization of marijuana gives the appearance of reducing marijuana-related social costs in the same way that counting only the costs of enforcing the speeding laws and ignoring the high social costs of speeding would make legalizing speeding look like a smart idea.
Just as many people who speed do not have accidents, many people who smoke marijuana do not have problems as a result of their use, especially those who use the drug for brief periods of time and/or infrequently. The same is true for drunk driving — it is estimated that the drunk driver’s risk of an accident is about one in 2,000 episodes of drunk driving. Nevertheless, speeding and drunk driving are punishable by law because of the serious consequences of these behaviors. In all of these cases, legal prohibition serves as a reasonably effective deterrent to the behavior. For those who are undeterred by prohibition, the enforcement of the law produces escalating consequences for repeated violations.
Today in the U.S., the criminal penalties for marijuana use are mild, far more so than for speeding and drunk driving, and are usually limited to the payment of a small fine. The few people now in prison solely for marijuana use have almost all been charged with more serious offenses, and then pleaded guilty to this lesser offense.
The most remarkable aspect of the debate on marijuana legalization is the failure of legalization advocates to define the precise nature of legalization. Is marijuana to be prescribed by doctors, and dispensed by pharmacies like a medicine? If so, for what purpose, and at what dose? Doctors are not in the habit of negotiating with drug users over which drugs they would like to use for recreational purposes, and how much of the drugs they want. Does legalization of marijuana mean its sale to any willing buyer should be legal? What about the sale of legal marijuana to youth? We have not done a good job of keeping alcohol and cigarettes out of the hands of young people. There is a simple reason that it is rare to hear a description of the mechanics of marijuana legalization: all of the ways marijuana can be made legal are either ridiculous, or frightening, or both. In addition, the U.S. has international treaty obligations not to legalize marijuana, or any other illegal drug, for non-medical use.
As a public health physician, I am convinced that keeping marijuana illegal — messy as this sometimes appears to be — is in the public interest. Legalization of marijuana would lead to more marijuana use, and undermine the current prevention efforts which are reinforced by the force of law. Because more marijuana use means more marijuana-caused problems, removing legal prohibition against marijuana use would have adverse effects on the public health.
I’d love to see the people marching in this ‘global march’ today in downtown Chicago!!!
Help Stop George Soros Drug Legalizing Machine from the Soros Monitor
Why Does George Soros Want To Legalize Drugs?
His stated reasons are so bizarre they are not credible. But actions speak louder than words.
To the detriment of our society, and the entire free world, Soros contributes vast sums of money to organizations that attempt to legalize and proliferate the use of illicit drugs by corrupting politicians and promoting false information.
The millions he gives to organizations like the Drug Policy Alliance are in part used for political contributions to affect legislation that would keep the avenues open to expand the use of illicit drugs by children, where almost all addiction begins.
Soros: Described by the New York Times as “The world’s single largest donor” (Dec. 17,1996) While others give to the arts and higher education or to better the quality of the lives of their fellow men. Soros funds campaigns to legalize illegal drugs.”
Soros and his companions Peter Lewis and John Sperling have collectively invested close to $100 million to legalize and proliferate the use of illicit drugs, just in America. But they are also spending vast sums to influence politicians from Boston to Sacramento, and Stockholm to Sydney. The infiltration of corrupt legislation is deep, and if not held in check, will become irreversible.