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Legalizing pot, LOD makes up his mind!
Guest host: Lawrence O’Donnell Jr.
Youngest guy in the McLaughlin Group.
Kinky Friedman favors trying to legalize pot.
LOD: Executive positions in government have no power. All they can do is try to convince the legislature.
Separation of power. Federal government overruling state.
Penn: Why isn’t pot legal?
Kinky should have suggested he’d handle pot like prostitution – i.e. no enforcement.
Caller Will: Disagrees with stepping stone drug theory. Individual’s choice. Penn agrees.
LOD: Drug addicts he knows are afraid of the legalization of drugs. He would not enforce the anti-drug laws.
The word “addiction” is misused and over-used. Freedom means the right to be stupid.
Caller David: The Nation article about research by tobacco companies to make pot cigarettes. LOD doesn’t put much stock in it.
Caller Jack: Also disagrees with stepping stone theory. Brother is a drug addict. Abused everything he used.
Penn: Models glamorizing scoring drugs in New York in the 80’s.
Jack: If it’s legal, it won’t be cool and kids will use it less.
Penn: When prohibition ended, drinking went up. Murder went down. He’d love to use that argument, but it didn’t happen that way.
LOD: For the first time, he’s trying to make up his mind!
<break>
Caller Ben: Legalizing pot a bad idea. Lower penalties better.
LOD: Exactly what he was starting to think before the break. Wants to keep it illegal. Easier to discourage kids if it’s illegal.
Ben is a paralegal. Sees 18 and 19-year-old kids busted that don’t realize it goes on their permanent record.
LOD: The great majority of drivers obey traffic laws. Compares to India.
Penn remembers Indian bus incident.
LOD: Have a whole different set of laws for consumers than dealers. Anti-drug class like defensive driving class.
Ben: Comparisons to legalizing prostitution.
Penn senses that Ben would win any argument with him.
Caller Roger: Police officer in Maryland, works in drug enforcement. More violence on “marijuana corners” where it’s sold. Legalize it and don’t allow importation. It’s not a stepping stone drug.
<break>
Penn & LOD are non-drug-using weirdos.
Letter: Why is Penn not a fan of pot smokers?
Penn: So many kids in his high school on drugs. Pot isn’t counter-culture.
Caller Morgan: Addiction is a disease. Legalization not the way to go.
Penn: Circular logic. Disagrees with her on the ‘disease’ argument, but doesn’t want to get into that.
Caller Ebony (sexy phone voice): Prohibition run by morality sect. Legalizing drugs would reduce crime, but do it gradually. Is a social drinker.
Penn: Religious, not morality-driven laws. Social drinkers have higher income – more social contacts.
Monday: Triumphant return of Michael Goudeau!