Below The Beltway

• Ron Paul On The Financial Crisis And How To Fix It
• Ron Paul: Bush And Obama Have Practiced Economic Fascism
• Ron Paul Talks Drug Legalization On CNN
• “It’s Arrogant For Politicians And The Bureaucrats To Believe They Can Plan The Economy And Sort This All Out.”
• Liberty Papers News
• Ron Paul vs. Ben Bernanke
• Ron Paul Talks To The Public
• Ron Paul & Hillary Clinton On Foreign Policy
• Ron Paul’s Audit The Fed Bill, H.R. 1207, To Get Committee Hearing Friday
• Bob Barr On Glenn Beck

10 Responses to “Ron Paul vs. Stephen Baldwin On Drug Legalization”

1. Jo Says:
   March 14th, 2009 at 10:09 am

   Stephen Baldwin is a moron. Period. I feel bad for anyone who takes him seriously.

2. ginnypub Says:
   March 14th, 2009 at 11:04 am

   I guess Jo can start with me on the list of people to feel bad for.
   I don’t why these 2 particular folks were selected for 2 sides of a debate, either, but to me, common sense won over irrational argument. Paul made some patently false statements.

3. michelle Says:
   March 14th, 2009 at 11:10 am

   the one thing i had a prob with, and ron paul needs to get his facts straight about and stop linking this up with prohibition, is that when you are arrested with a DUI – that doesn’t always mean alcohol and often, unless you read all court documents and arrest records, people just assume alcohol – arrested for driving under the influence can include everything from alcohol to marijuana to cocaine/speed/etc.

   and stephen baldwin needs to be clarified on the point that medical marijuana isn’t used for pain, but to help with nausea and actually studies have shown it does help with nausea and increasing appetite in cancer patients and also in the treatment of glaucoma. HOWEVER, be clear – he is for medical marijuana in a legal setting.

4. Justin Says:
   March 14th, 2009 at 1:06 pm

   Michelle, you couldn’t be more wrong. You need to get your facts straight. Have you ever smoked weed? It does relieve pain as found in thousands of independent and government studies. The surgeon general of the U.S. last year recognized it as a form of medicine and is well on its way to being legalized for all uses.
   Ron is not saying that DUI’s only contribute to alcohol, but since there is no way to test for it like a standard breathalyzer, that most people are arrested for the booze and not what else is in there system. In many studies it shows that weed does make a driver drive a tad slower, but as far as accidents, booze and being tires are the #1 killers.
   Stephen Baldwin is an idiot and a hypocrite. He was independent before he was a republican, and stared in many movies with drugs. He stated nothing that was true on the show. It has never been proven that Cannabis is a gateway drug. That is pure propaganda. Many studies with teens and adults from all over the world show that Cannabis, when used by itself, promoted a better lifestyle socially, athletically, and academically, then people who used tobacco, alcohol, or no substances at all. Michael Phelps is a great expanse of this. He is smart, determined, and won 8 medals at the Olympics all while smoking weed. It just goes to show that it is a harmless drug.
   Drugs should not be a criminal problem, but a social one. sounds like you need a good joint. Don’t be such a square.

5. Roga Says:
   March 15th, 2009 at 3:42 pm

   - Paul got into some trouble with the DUI thing… obviously saying it’s okay to drive stoned is not a way to win people over whatever the studies show.
   - Pot is a gateway drug BECAUSE it is illegal. I know this from experience with a lot of friends. By making the business connection with dealers who also carry harder stuff, you open up Pandora’s box. If it was legal that would not happen.
   - Paul is absolutely right about medical uses, the effects of prohibition, and that people aren’t going to go off and become habitual users just because it is legal. See: Amsterdam, where the use rate is actually slightly lower than in the US.

6. bt Says:
   March 17th, 2009 at 9:09 pm

   Michelle, also, DUI is driving under the influence of alcohol whereas a DUI of a CONTROLLED substance is of other drugs.

   Nice try but clearly you don’t have a clue.

7. K dub Says:
   March 18th, 2009 at 11:19 am

   the thruth of the matter is that baldwin retarded

   i mean this in the nicest way possible but its just the facts of life.

8. VivaHST Says:
   March 20th, 2009 at 4:33 pm

   An actor against pot and a congressman for pot. What a world.

   Legalize it.

9. Sophie Says:
   April 22nd, 2009 at 5:32 pm

   Stephen Baldwin is no different than most reformed drug addicts: he has now jumped to the opposite view on the subject. That isn’t hypocrisy, it is human psychology 101. As to the usual – and uninformed – “pot doesn’t cause any harm”, WRONG. It affects memory and the amount of damage is directly proportional to the amount consumed. “Researchers found the men aged in their late-30s had the memory function of men in their mid-50s.” Memory affects learning capacities but not intelligence (IQ, or deduction abilities) however. In the studies, intelligence was found to be lowered mostly in heavy consumers and only due to the fact that heavy consumption isn’t usually conducive to a lifetyle and activities that include much logical thinking. In other words, it stemmed from a lack or practice!

10. Sophie Says:
    April 22nd, 2009 at 5:39 pm

    For those who may have assumed – after my latter statement – that I am against legalization, sorry but no. I couldn’t care less what others do to their brains, I just don’t want it done to mine (it’s my most precious possession!). As long as people who smoke pot don’t drive while under the influence – IT DOES LOWER REFLEXES: IT IS A DOWNER – they can do whatever they want. What I don’t want, is people subjecting others to it. That’s unfair.