Well, your question is based upon a logical fallacy, despite your insistence to the contrary. You are making a direct appeal to the majority and this is immaterial to the validity of drug laws, especially when one considers the context of our argument e.g., US law. However, I will address your premise for the sake of argument.
First of all, murder laws are not comparable to marijuana laws, neither in frequency or magnitude. I think it's safe to assume that every country on the planet outlaws murder in some way, but the same cannot be said of marijuana.
It seems as if you're trying to convince me that the example of a logic fallacy I gave is, indeed, a logic fallacy. Rather odd.
That does not mean discussion of 'majority opinion' is necessarily a logic fallacy. In fact, understanding majority and minority opinions is usually crucial to understanding the issue under debate. So no, I've not appealed to the majority. I've simply asked you to explain it. Which you attempt to do later, because, I suspect, you understand it's not a logic fallacy at all, but extremely relevant to the issue.
Secondly, neither of us can speak intelligently about foreign perceptions and legal history. I don't know why other countries decided to criminalize marijuana but neither do you, thus it is not relevant to our discussion. You cannot ask me to address the varied and unique legal circumstances of numerous countries in a comprehensive manner; each must be addressed separately within the appropriate context.
I don't know why not. I suspect neither of us were around in the early 1900's when marijuana laws were first put in place in the U.S. So we must rely on research. I expect you're bright enough to research the history of Dutch laws, or British laws, or Turkish laws, no?
Having said that, I CAN tell you why it is criminalized in the US and I CAN tell you why it makes no sense legally, logically, morally, or philosophically, therefore, I will not deign to discuss irrelevant scenarios and contexts.
The problem some of us are having is that relevance or irrelevance seems to change from post to post. For instance, some supporters of legalization deny that 'drug tourism' will take place if pot is legalized in California. Others acknowledge that it will take place, but suggest that it will be a good thing by helping out California's economy. So even among advocates, there doesn't seem to be a coherent position as to what may or may not happen if marijuana is legalized. And I suspect that lack of a coherent position is one of the primary reasons Americans don't support legalization.
Marijuana's criminalization in America can be directly linked to racism and blatantly dishonest propaganda. Although the racism inherent in anti-drug laws has somewhat dissipated, the misinformation campaign has remained quite potent, thus Americans are less predisposed towards having an honest dialouge about marijuana and drugs in general.
As I demonstrated in a previous post, most Americans NOW understand the relative dangers of alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana. So this idea that Americans are still having the wool pulled over their eyes, or aren't willing to accept basic facts about marijuana due to some ongoing misinformation campaign just isn't supported by the evidence.
But here it is again, a fairly recent opinion poll of Americans from
NORML, Zogby Poll:
Three Out Of Four Americans Say Booze, Tobacco Pose Greater Risk Than Marijuana
Washington, DC: Americans rank marijuana as far less dangerous than alcohol or tobacco, according to national poll of 1,109 likely voters by Zogby International and commissioned by The NORML Foundation.
Forty-seven percent of respondents said they believe that alcohol is the most dangerous recreational drug among the three choices. More than one-quarter of respondents (28 percent) believe tobacco to be the most dangerous. Only one-fifth (20 percent) of Americans say that marijuana is the most dangerous.
Furthermore, there is a very strong socially conservative influence in America, and, given their religious and moral inclinations, it's no wonder why legalization faces such uphill battles. I could go on but I'd like to see how this has informed your perspective thus far.
Well I'm curious why you believe politicians such as Obama, without doubt the most liberal president of our time, is inclined to oppose legalization. Do you believe he's appealing to a socially conservative base?