William F. Buckley: Prosecute Pot
on Thursday, January 19, 2023Meaning of William F. Buckley Money Quote: saying government expenditures devoted to marijuana prosecutions is excessive both in costs and social gains. William F. Buckley said:
“The amount of money and of legal energy being given to prosecute hundreds of thousands of Americans who are caught with a few ounces of marijuana in their jeans simply makes no sense – the kindest way to put it. A sterner way to put it is that it is an outrage, an imposition on basic civil liberties and on the reasonable expenditure of social energy” — William F. Buckley
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In this quote, William F. Buckley Jr. is criticizing how the legal system prosecutes individuals caught with small amounts of marijuana for personal use. He argues that it is a waste of financial and judicial resources to pursue criminal cases against the hundreds of thousands arrested each year for possessing just a few ounces.
Buckley also views it as an infringement on civil liberties and an unreasonable use of social resources that could be directed to more serious issues. His position is that prosecuting marijuana possession on this scale makes little practical or ethical sense given the minor nature of the offenses.
The quote reflects Buckley’s view that the criminalization approach to personal marijuana use in these circumstances represents an “outrage” that is overly punitive and not a prudent allocation of legal and policy priorities.