I watched Spitzer on Fareed Zakaria's show this weekend. Treasury probably could use him in designing and enforcing new regulations.

Alcohol is the gateway drug.

I could only watch about a minute, Joys voice is like rotten Buttah

Marijuana is not a gateway drug, I never touched the stuff yet went right into the heavy crap as did most of my friends, Alchohol is the gateway as Lili said.

Gotta agree that Alcohol is the gateway. I know alot of green smokers, and not ONE of them ever went to something else. It's relaxing, and for most people, doesn't have the negative effects of alcohol.

I still believe that if they'd legalize and treat it like they do Alcohol, and give alcohol STRONGER regulations, the government could make a ton of money.

I don't think it'll ever happen though, it's too taboo.

Ron Paul debating Stephen Baldwin? Are Paris Hilton and Barack Obama going to be on next?

It was a blow out.

I think it shows hubris on Baldwins part that he even thinks he could debate Ron Paul. The man is sharp!

I don't see the point of legalizing any of the "illegal" drugs. Look at what it did to the children of the 60's.

UnDave, did you listen to anything Ron Paul said? Anyway, which drugs were legal in the 60's (for more than a few months)?

It's not that the drugs they used were legal, it's that they were seriousily messed up because they used them.

Well then by your own admission the legal status of the drugs has nothing to do with it.

We need to tighten, not loosen our drug standards because they are so dangerous. Making drugs legal only encourages and condones their use. Don't you think that's like giving your toddler permission to use the loaded pistol? It'll only kill him if he pulls the trigger. The only problem is eventually he will pull the trigger.

"Don't you think that's like giving your toddler permission to use the loaded pistol?"

Where is the relevant similarity here?

Are all citizens toddlers? Or is marijuana deadly?

Not to change the subject from toddlers and handguns, but I'm impressed by Geithner and the Obama administration for refusing to endorse the ridiculous retroactive tax bill that the scared, angry mob in Congress threw together.

But, I get the feeling they don't care if it's vetoed as long as they get to grandstand and flat out lie about their original intentions.

I've known several people who started with marijuana and proceeded to harder drugs tell me that if they had never done pot they wouldn't have done the harder drugs. So I don't entirely believe pot is not a gateway drug.

I've smoked pot and I drink alcohol and have never done any of the so called harder drugs. Never wanted to.

Im sorry Dave, but making something illegal does not stop people from using it. Prohibition is a perfect example. More people drank during prohibition than they had in the years leading up to it. And without the ability to regulate alcohol and its production, many more people died from it.

I would be happy to make drugs and prostitution legal if we can also undertake all of Ron Paul's other Conservative agenda items.

But I'm betting that fewer people do the drugs that are considered illegal now (percentage wise), than used them in the 1800's when they were legal. Prohibition isn't a perfect example, because the ban was for social reasons, and not for health issues.

Actually, UnDave, the supply of those drugs has gone up exponentially, as has the potency, and obviously the danger.

"Prohibition isn't a perfect example, because the ban was for social reasons, and not for health issues"
Drug prohibition now is for social reasons as well. And the alcohol prohibition movement also relied on health related arguments. So the example stands.

"But I'm betting that fewer people do the drugs that are considered illegal now (percentage wise), than used them in the 1800's when they were legal." I doubt it. Prohibition proved that once illegal, the use of the banned substance rose. And the banned substance actually became more lethal than it was before. Legalize, regulate it, and tax it. Before prohibition, the brewing industry was a huge revenue producer for the federal government, after that money was routed to the criminals.

There would sure the he!! be a lot less money going to the Mexican drug cartels if we legalized it and regulated it ourselves.