Pat Robertson: Time To Legalize Marijuana

File this one under the category of things you’d never thing you’d see.

Christian Coalition Founder and former 1988 Republican candidate for President Pat Robertson favors marijuana legalization:

FILED UNDER: Law and the Courts, US Politics, , ,
Doug Mataconis
About Doug Mataconis
Doug Mataconis held a B.A. in Political Science from Rutgers University and J.D. from George Mason University School of Law. He joined the staff of OTB in May 2010 and contributed a staggering 16,483 posts before his retirement in January 2020. He passed far too young in July 2021.

Comments

  1. Linda says:

    There’s some reason, in his sick twisted mind, that he thinks marijuana should be decriminalized. And it ain’t just cuz he’s concerned ’bout youth coming out of prison hardened criminals. Sorry, I just don’t believe PR is that altruistic.

  2. trey says:

    Pat Robertson are you serious? Letting kids smoke dope in their homes and get high???? Everyone who smokes pot should be in jail because they don’t have a right to put that in their body! No person has the right to put whatever they want in their body because the government owns your body and allows you to put safe things in it and make sure that you are taken care of!

  3. Jordan says:

    Jesus never coerced anyone to follow his Word, nor does he want anyone to be coerced into following it. Not only is it wrong to try, it is also ineffective, for it only pushes those who are being coerced further away from knowing Christ because of their negative experiences with Christians. Virtue must be chosen. It cannot be coerced. I can’t believe how many people are wanting to be the stoners of the adulterers and drug addicts and not the one down there with them, showing them love. I applaud Pat for his newfound righteousness in wanting to heal others and bring them to Christ through love, not through hate and oppression. Now only if the government would pull out from the medical industry altogether and let the free market regulate it, then the whole nation would be better off morally and economically.

  4. idontbelieveit says:

    Pat Robertson, I cannot believe I heard these words come out of your mouth. You are a traitor to God! This is awful.

  5. john personna says:

    ‘More proof that we’re living in the end times…”

    Don’t you mean the High Times?

  6. Marvin says:

    “idontbelieveit” why do you think God is against marijuana? Why would God put marijuana on earth and make it so plentiful if he wasn’t for it?

  7. tom p says:

    Armegedon has come….

  8. Justin says:

    As much as I dislike Pat Robertson, alcohol is so far beyond dangerous compared to marijuana that it’s criminal to think otherwise.

    Deaths related to alcohol this year: ~75,000

    Deaths related to marijuana this year: ~0

  9. Justin says:

    Trey Said:
    “Everyone who smokes pot should be in jail because they don’t have a right to put that in their body! No person has the right to put whatever they want in their body because the government owns your body and allows you to put safe things in it and make sure that you are taken care of!”

    I hope you’re using reverse psychology; if you’re not, you need to sit down and reevaluate your opinions based on fact and scripture.

  10. qwert says:

    Tray is not smoking marijuana… he is doing LSD, ’cause that’s pretty sick to think that gov owns your body LOL

  11. Dawn says:

    Good for him. It should be legal.

  12. CS says:

    Ol’ Pat must have finally gotten himself a little taste of the chronic and realized that, yeah, the sticky stinky dank is kind of a big deal.

  13. michael reynolds says:

    Pat Dogg!

  14. Chris says:

    “I’m not exactly for the use of drugs.”

    “not exactly”? uh huh. I’m too cynical to believe anything other than Pat Robertson’s motive is that he is a relatively recent closet pot smoker.

  15. Mary says:

    So God was lying in Genesis when he gave the plants and herbs of the earth to Adam (i.e. mankind) for his use? I’m amazed that any decent Christian would say God was wrong and a liar.

    I also find it interesting that if a man of God says something you don’t agree with, you substitute your own judgment rather than listen to him who God has set to lead you. Judge not, indeed.

    Are you professing God’s love or are you living it? Search your heart.

  16. JimmyCracksCapriCorns says:

    I love you bible thumping morns who think they can speak for Jesus, pretend to know what Jesus would say, wants or expects billions of people to do. Such righteous arrogance based on a delusional fantasy of a God who ROBBED his place from the Sun God, it’s 12 constellations, and that barefoot whore he ran around with called the Moon.

    Pot should be legal because prison and a police state is inhuman….not because we need permission from the State, or our neighbors, what kind of plant we grow in our garden.

  17. Peterh says:

    At first, I thought….WTF…..then a past friend quickly came to mind….we were stationed together up in Alaska in the early 70s and smoked quite often…but one night we getting ripped just outside of the barracks….I chose to go back in shortly after, cuz of the cold while he chose to stay out awhile longer….when I came back in, it was….I spoke to god….I spoke to god…..I think he was a little religious already, but that night just sent him over…..I don’t believe he ever smoked again and when we got back to the lower 48, he married a gal with kids and upon discharge, went back to his home state of New York where they had more kids…..haven’t gotten a card from him in awhile, but over the years, he and his wife were extremely devoted to their church….me? I’m an atheist that doesn’t smoke anymore, but enjoys a laced cookie on a regular basis…..me thinks donations are down and Pat has succumb to a not-so-novel recruiting tool….Still….it beats Kool-Aid….

  18. TG Chicago says:

    Technically the headline should reflect that Robertson advocates *decriminalizing* limited marijuana use.

    That said, this is still very surprising. And encouraging.

  19. Trey says:

    I can’t believe you guys think it should be legal to smoke pot! Don’t you understand that dope is illegal for a reason? Pot will make you do bad things and then it will lead to other things like coke and meth. We all need to give up our liberty to choose what we put in our body so that gov’t can keep us safe and productive becuase the state knows what’s best for people. Don’t let these other people fool you……. we need to keep putting these dang kids and drug users in prisons so we can make sure no one uses marijuana.

    JUST ONE HIT CAN KILL

  20. Peterh says:

    Alright Trey….user-to-user…..move away from the spoof….we get it…….youngsters….pfftttt…

  21. trey says:

    what?

  22. Concerned says:

    “the government owns your body”

    The founding fathers are turning over in their graves.

  23. ernest says:

    Let me just say that with amount of money wasted on housing bud offenders, its no wonder we’re in debt. They made alcohol illegal, that didn’t take long to over throw. When they legalize it/ sell it they tax it. More money for them. They regulate… no laced product. MARIJUANA is not a gateway drug. I’ve been smoking for almost 10 years and short of taking a prescription pill have never taken, or had the urge to take, any other drug. Religion can all have they’re argument on drugs but it is all up to your relationship with God. Don’t put so much stock in a book re written by a bunch of white men trying to rule the world. the government is not not your friend. They are the CEOs of a fortune 500 company. If they only put good, wholesome product into market why are there so many fast food joints and a billion dollar tobacco industry? Faith is good, but don’t use it to put down what you feel ain’t for you… to each his own.

  24. ed lattimore says:

    He sounds stoned to me…the first sensible thing i ever heard him say!

  25. mark o'beast says:

    these comments are hilarious. your pointless outrage only helps this truly evil man. end times LOL

  26. almiller says:

    I would be thrilled to agree with The Hokum Reverend Robertson if we didn’t have socialized medicine. If we can’t afford the mess we’re in now how will we afford it with 20% more of the population stoned? (or even 5%?) And does he think that ending it on marijuana will not cause us to be demanding an end to it for cocaine, meth, heroin and etc. in a few years? How long did it take to get from Lawrence vs. Texas to gay marriage? How much longer do you think it will take to polygamy and decriminalizing pedophila? Talk about slippery slopes.

    It is the end times indeed.

  27. Franklin says:

    I would be thrilled to agree with The Hokum Reverend Robertson if we didn’t have socialized medicine.

    But we don’t *have* socialized medicine!? Or are you not posting from the U.S.?

  28. Franklin says:

    Oh, and by the way, while I agree with Pat’s position in this case, I would hope that his opinion about anything didn’t sway anybody. Because he’s an idiot.

  29. tom p says:

    trey, luv yer sh*t!!!

    almiller: ROFLMAO!!! Keep it up!!!

    idontbelleveit: BEAUTIFUL!!!

    you guys are the best comedians to come around here in some time!!!

    thanx for lightening my morning.

  30. Joe Schmoe says:

    Hmm,

    I’m conflicted now. I support legalization, but I’m also against whatever Pat Robertson is for, ever.

  31. Jack Wagon says:

    Consider this before you crap all over the idea;

    approx 10% of the population uses marijuana regularly. These are your judges, lawyers, doctors, political representatives, relatives and children. Most likely, someone you hold in high regard is an active user of marijuana.

    That percentage grows when you look at the youth demographic. Kids like to try new things and are prone to peer pressure; whadya do? The reality of the matter is that most of them stop smoking it when they get older.

    These population proportions will likely not change much with legalization. If anything, less of the younger demographic will smoke (it will actually be MORE difficult for them to get), and probably a little more of the older demographic will smoke. At the end of the day, you’re fooling yourself if you think THC is significantly worse for you than Alcohol, Nicotine, Caffeine, Codine, Xyanex, etc. Big pharma is feeding you stuff that has no business being in your body, and yet most of you shovel it back like it’s the solution to all of life’s problems.

    So, what’s the benefit (since we know there will be limited detriment)?

    1. Protection for your kids by making it harder to get, and by making sure of its efficacy. Weed is often moldy or treated with chemicals to enhance the high; this can’t happen when it’s regulated.

    2. Save money by eliminating the cost of enforcement (judges, lawyers and prison guards are expensive).

    3. Generate money by introducing taxation. Seriously people, this stuff is as cheap to grow as cauliflower. imagine how much profit there is to be made selling something like that for $10/gr.

    4. Elimination of violence related to the production and trafficking of marijuana.

    5. Education by having more open and honest discussions about marijuana.

    But no. You greedy, self centered, holier than thou hypocrites (most of which are completely uniformed, and have never even tried the drug) continue to fight the idea of legalization because it doesn’t fit into your warped ideology of right and wrong. Yet you continue to ply yourself with ‘legal’ drugs prescribed to you by a physician, because of all the perks he gets from his big pharma reps. You drink away your problems after work, and start your day waiting in line for you morning fix at Starbucks, but the guy that wants to come home and smoke a little weed, listen to some music and let his stresses of the day fall away is the enemy.

    Little do you know, he’s living a far happier and more fulfilling life than you even will.

    Life has no other discipline to impose, if we would but realize it, than to accept life unquestioningly. Everything we shut our eyes to, everything we run away from, everything we deny, denigrate or despise, serves to defeat us in the end. What seems nasty, painful, evil, can become a source of beauty, joy and strength, if faced with an open mind. Every moment is a golden one for him who has the vision to recognize it as such.
    – Henry Miller

  32. trey says:

    the farce aside, I really do have to say that “almiller” makes a great point. We don’t have socialized medicine yet many aspects of our system are socialized. I’m not making the case that pot is bad, or that it’s a harm to society however, increased usage will certainly increase medical costs and sadly those costs will be abosrbed by the state and end up costing taxpayers.

    You can’t have a system of semi-socialized medicine AND expect to be able to put what you like in your body, the state will constantly argue (and use force) that the cost to “society” is to great.

    That’s what’s great about free-market care. You’re responsible for your own actions and whatever you do to your body the costs will be absorbed by you.

  33. G.A.Phillips says:

    ***So God was lying in Genesis when he gave the plants and herbs of the earth to Adam (i.e. mankind) for his use? I’m amazed that any decent Christian would say God was wrong and a liar. ***
    lol, you need to keep reading and thinking……before the fall there was no need for medicine.

    ***MARIJUANA is not a gateway drug.***

    Dude, like, ya it is…….lol, you must be one of them normal people.

  34. Bob says:

    @Trey

    You are an idiot. The government owns your body? You had better be kidding.

    To all the rest of you naysayers:

    Just realize that we have two far more dangerous drugs on the market that are legal: cigarettes and alcohol.

    And many of you keep saying stuff along the lines of marijuana being against God. Well thank goodness that we have a separation of church and state. I shudder to think what would happen if those two institutions were merged.

  35. JohnC says:

    For those of you who didn’t realize Trey was joking, you are too dumb to smoke pot or be on the internet.

  36. Kent Dean says:

    The pope says we should use condoms (well, not exactly he didn’t say that), Democrats and Republicans are working together, and now Pat Robertson says we should legalize pot. I’m having a strange sensation that I’ve waked up in some alternate universe. In-freaking-credible.

  37. h4x354x0r says:

    Yes, even a broken clock is right twice a day.

    The “War on Drugs” has cost a $Trillion dollars so far. It has not met a single one of it’s stated goals. The DEA’s annual budget is over a $Billion a year.

    Pot prohibition is nothing but government meddling in markets. Yeah, pot use causes problems. But 95% of the problems associated with pot use are actually due to the black market that prohibition creates. One look at all the corruption in law enforcement tasked with carrying out prohibition should tell us this isn’t working. We are currently seeing

    Virtually ever other “undesirable,” but not directly harmful (i.e. violent) behavior in our society is controlled by nothing more than civil fines. Traffic violations, the primary cause of some 5,000 deaths per year, is controlled by fines. Only with pot use – an activity that does almost no direct harm – do we resort to SWAT raids and year-long prison sentences.

    Every credible research project done on pot use indicates it’s not only not very harmful, but is actually sometimes a beneficial medicine. It has been clinically proven to inhibit cancer tumor growth and mitigate side effects of chronic diseases. Before the demonization and prohibition of pot, it was commonly used as a medicinal substance throughout human history.

    The cannabis plant actually contains over 90 unique cannabinoids. The THC that makes us feel ‘high’ is only one of them. The human body’s endocannabinoid system is the single most extensive receptor system, found in virtually every part of the human body. At a minimum, this calls for more research, not SWAT raids.

    Cannabis is almost completely non-toxic. Consumption might alter your perception, but it can’t kill you. It’s so non-toxic that researchers are unable to determine what the LD50 (the amount that will kill 50% of the test group) dose is. There’s never been a confirmed cannabis OD death.

    Anyone who has ever watched kids spin around in circles until they get so dizzy they fall down. The urge to “get high” is a natural, fundamental part of humanity. The “gateway drug” theory is so laughable it’s pathetic. It might be a gateway to winding up on the wrong side of irrational laws, but millions of people use cannabis without necessarily moving on the other substances. True addiction rates remain steady at 3%-5% regardless of policy or enforcement.

    Pot prohibition may well be the single biggest over-reaction to a problem in modern society. Yes, it’s a drug. Yes, it’s use can cause problems. But… the decision to control it’s use with violent SWAT raids and harsh prison sentences is ludicrous. The damage and cost of violent prohibition is truly horrendous. The drug use itself, not so much.

    Legalize it, regulate it, and deal with what few problems it’s use actually causes.

  38. h4x354x0r says:

    From above: “We are currently seeing…” LOL that’s what I get for leaving and then coming back to my post.

    To clarify the ‘government meddling in markets’ issue: What prohibition (government interference in markets) does, is creates a completely irrational value for the product. It’s absolutely true the stuff is “easy a cauliflower” to grow. Before the War on Drugs, pot in the Emerald Triangle was grown, but rarely sold. When it did sell, it went for about $160/lb. After the “war on drugs” was declared, and the government started spraying Mexican fields with paraquat, pot from the Emerald Triangle was selling for more than $2,000 per pound.

    The government creates the irrational value through prohibition, and the irrational value is what causes 95% of the problems associated with pot.

  39. rpac11 says:

    live and let live

  40. Linda says:

    And the rest of the story…while the mainstream media is making assumptions of what he desires and appear totally correct, Robertson and the DBN clarified the statement.

    “A Christian Broadcasting Network spokesman told the Post Robertson was “unequivocally” against illegal drug use and did not support legalizing marijuana.”

    Apparently, he was speaking of the disparate sentencing for the USE of marijuana…and that other alternatives existed rather than the harsh, lifelong stimatization.

  41. almiller says:

    We don’t have socialized medicine? So what is it when a hospital must, by law, treat everyone that shows up in the ER regardless of ability to pay? They even have to post signs saying they do. It isn’t as socialized as Europe but anyone who thinks that medicine is a free market is smoking dope.

  42. trey says:

    you’re exactly right Al, People think they can have it both ways…… the freedom to control what they put in their body AND have a have a society that will absorb the costs of such action. It simply can’t and wont happen.