Joakim Noah and the Open Container

[washline]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/b ... index.html" onclick= "window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick= "window.open(this.href);return false;

Yannick Noah is right. You're an American citizen; you pay your taxes; you should be able to walk the fuck around with an open container without having to justify it to police. In fact, you should be able to buy a beer out of a vending machine like you can in Japan. These are stupid laws of social cosmetics, nothing more. You should also be able to enjoy a joint in public, but I won't even get into that. It's a European sensibility you have, Yannick. America is still run by stupid Puritans, unfortunately.

[Noj]

The cops and laws are lame, but Joakim is stupid for drinking on the street with a pocket full of herb. It's pathetic that a cop can't act like a human being for a moment and not concern himself with what's in someone's cup or pocket. A real friggin' hall monitor, treating a grown man like a child. That's what's really wrong with such laws, it gives cops free reign to treat citizens with disrespect.

[jon abbey]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/b ... index.html" onclick= "window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick= "window.open(this.href);return false;

Yannick Noah is right. You're an American citizen; you pay your taxes; you should be able to walk the fuck around with an open container without having to justify it to police. In fact, you should be able to buy a beer out of a vending machine like you can in Japan. These are stupid laws of social cosmetics, nothing more. You should also be able to enjoy a joint in public, but I won't even get into that. It's a European sensibility you have, Yannick. America is still run by stupid Puritans, unfortunately.

all true, but still mildly amusing when written by a man living in a country where one can't even get weed.

[Captain Hate]

Yannick Noah: Deadbeat dad

[washline]

all true, but still mildly amusing when written by a man living in a country where one can't even get weed.

You can get weed in Korea, illegal though it be. It's not easy and not cheap but if you want it bad enough, it's around. I've done it here. But I have no interest or desire to do weed anymore. What I can do here is walk around on the street with a beer or any other alcoholic beverage--even do it in front of the police station--and the cops won't give two shits about it.

I meant to add that one of the best and most consistent places to get weed was/is through connections in the USO of all places.

[jon abbey]

but the penalties if you get caught are pretty draconian, aren't they? I thought that was the case, I know it is in Japan.

[washline]

You'll get deported if you're a foreigner and might spend some time in the clink. Not as bad as Malaysia/Singapore, where worse things can happen. I believe that for a long time in Japan--until about six or seven years ago--you could buy hallucinagenics quite easily and cheaply and they were legal, or at least a certain group of them were. Anyway, while I do think that people should be able to smoke weed casually virtually anywhere, where they don't allow you to do so, you should at the very least be able to drink a beer on the street. India is another strange case. Can't get a beer in some parts of the north especially, but go to any market buy hashish to your heart's content.