6 Persona-Types Against Legalization, and How to Win Them Over

From conversation, browsing blogs, reading comments, listening to politicians, and watching debates on news channels over the past year, I've grouped all prohibitionists into six major groups that distinctly stand apart from each other and can be taken on, one-by-one, to win the conversation for rational policy:


The Cynical Stoner, The Thumper, The MADDer, The Politician, The Prioritizer, and The Hater

Why the Christian Right Should be on Board with Legalization and How to Win Them Over

You often hear social liberals complaining that the Christian Right doesn't respond to reason. The problem here is that they don't respond to your reasons--because you aren't sensitive to theirs. One group talks the language of revenue, social factors, comparable activities (drinking/smoking being "less bad") while the other subscribes to the idea of Absolute Truth or only deals in the terms of right & wrong--and in the eyes of many in this large and politically powerful group, consuming Cannabis is simply WRONG. 

Without getting too theological, here are a few points that could hold sway in a legalization discussion with a Conservative Christian:

What if increase in Cannabis consumption curbed other drug use just 1%?

A common rhetoric you hear from prohibitionists is, "Don't we have enough problems with alcohol?"

I would argue that we do. And from experience and reason, I would say that allowing responsible use of Cannabis would curb use of other, dangerous drugs.

As a real abstract, simple model, say a slight bump in Cannabis consumption curbed alcohol, tobacco, & prescription drug abuse just 1%:

Why "Taxing the Hell out of it" won't make it "way too expensive."

In response to a specific, but common comment on a particular article:

"the Government will only tax it to death still causing you to spend more than it's worth."

Please read to see the fallacy in this and to see that action must be taken now to kill the black market.

Marijuana's illegal to have, but low-risk and people are getting over the lies about its dangers.

Demand--UP UP UP.

It's more illegal to grow & distribute, and very high risk, and requires sophisticated operations for any reasonably sized grow.

Supply--DOWN DOWN DOWN

Result:

Not Demanding Legal Domestic-Grown Industrial Hemp is Irresponsible: 42 Reasons

It's illegal because it's a Marijuana derivative; though an acre of the stuff couldn't get a squirrel high, but could produce 4 tree acres worth of paper, annually. So unless Tommy Chong was hired to roll telephone pole-sized blunts, hold back the misinformed dogmatic rhetorics and put those thoughts to rest. This crop will save the world when we take our blinders off, do a little educating, and DEMAND it.