Legalization of Marijuana

[Dotini]

There is no balanced argument for it... the best I ever hear is the one that works along the lines of.. Alcohol being worse...

Fine, ban alcohol instead of legalising more mind bending sh..gear

True, I know of no good argument for most people using mind-bending drugs.

However, the libertarian view - and there a lot of them here - denies it is the Constitutional role of the state to dictate what people do or do not put into their own bodies.

Of course, Muslims are strictest of all, I guess. But there was a time when Christianity was all about temperance.

I suppose if the gods wanted to destroy us, they would first make us obese, diabetic and intemperate. Hmmm?

Respectfully,
Steve

 

[Azuremen]

True, I know of no good argument for most people using mind-bending drugs.

Entertainment, plan and simple. I know of no good argument why most people would pay money to watch guys run around on grass, but people do.

Most of the people that grow and are in that sector, illegally or not, tend to want to move it out into an open business. It isn't quite like all the other hard drugs, if just because of a lot of the culture around it.

 

[Akira GT]

I think it should be legalised as people are going to get their hands on it if they are addicted and instead of thugs making money then the Govt. could get money instead by taxing it and new brand names could distribute it! Which equals more Jobs and more taxes for the government... Its a win win in my opinion! (Even though I wouldn't do it myself Legal or not)

 

[rocko100]

I say no. It's more dangerous than achohol and drugs, more addicting, more "mind altering". Unlike ciggarettes it has major effects on memory and concentration.

@Dylans how is more jobs possible if the employees cannot even remember what to do half the time?

 

[Akira GT]

@Dylan how is more jobs possible if the employees cannot even remember what to do half the time?

Good point. It's a difficult thing to actually decide on to legalise Marijuana as there are both pros and cons for legalising it... Then again I am only a 16 year old so I wouldn't really be in the position to produce and argument either for or against it!

 

[Azuremen]

I say no. It's more dangerous than achohol and drugs, more addicting, more "mind altering". Unlike ciggarettes it has major effects on memory and concentration.

@Dylans how is more jobs possible if the employees cannot even remember what to do half the time?

You've never done it before, clearly. And have bought into a lot of misinformation.

There are studies linking legalization of medical marijuana to reducing drunk driving accidents because stoners are less likely to drive while under the influence.

I know people finishing up their Ph.D's in engineering that smoke daily.

As for mind altering, I tend to forget far more with alcohol and lose far more track of what is appropriate. Working two years of dealing with drunks has shown me they tend to forget a great deal of what is apparently okay and what is not. And tend to get more violent and damage property.

 

[Pupik]

...how is more jobs possible if the employees cannot even remember what to do half the time?

You're assuming that employers are going to permit employees to "be high" at work, and I doubt many employers will permit that. You're allowed to consume alcohol when off-the-clock, but you can be terminated from your job for showing up to work with any ill-effects of drinking. I can't imagine an exception for marijuana.

If people want to get high all day, that's their choice, it's only a problem once they start operating heavy machinery or making other unwise decisions, of which they must face consequenses for their actions.

The weed-permitting world won't suddenly become an unholy land of zombies, although I'd imagine the first week or so after enactment might be a little on the unproductive side.

We are seeing a slow deterioration of marijuana laws in the United States, for both medicinal and "medicinal" use. And yet, California hasn't self-destructed. But we're a long way off...although perhaps that's not a bad thing; perhaps there's a state that wants to forbid it, and everyone there's okay with that.

Comparing alcoholics to pot-addicts is simple enough, most do have similar tales of woe and similar faults. Crime won't change, because I don't think the casual smoker (like a casual drinker) is going to suddenly go haywire and start stealing for his first toke. But I could imagine that an addict of one might transfer, if you will, to a different type of drug...big deal, nothing's changed.

That's not to say I haven't heard some lame excuses from drug addicts: "Weed isn't addictive", and "The government should regulate our quality" and "It's not my fault, I was high." You want big-boy laws, now act like one, with a pinch of responsibility.

That said, I've done my share, been clean for well over a decade, and have no plans to resume. High people vary from interesting to annoying to bleeping stupid, which isn't much different than non-users, in my experiences.

 

[rocko100]

You've never done it before, clearly. And have bought into a lot of misinformation.

And you have?

As for mind altering, I tend to forget far more with alcohol and lose far more track of what is appropriate. Working two years of dealing with drunks has shown me they tend to forget a great deal of what is apparently okay and what is not. And tend to get more violent and damage property.

My uncle is a major achoholic, and my Grandfaters brother does pot. My uncle, knows my best freinds name ad met him once. My granfathers brother cannot remember my grampas name most of the time

 

[Rich S]

National Geographic ran their medical marijuana program this evening. One guy had enough plants to get him the death penalty; but its legal as long as he doesnt sell to non prescription clients or something like that. Their all super paranoid about the DEA. It probably originated as illegal operations gone legal.

 

[Dapper]

True, I know of no good argument for most people using mind-bending drugs.

Respectfully,
Steve

Johns Hopkins hospital has an argument!
http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news...cinogen_may_create_lasting_personality_change

 

[Azuremen]

And you have?

Did you seriously just try to "no, you" me. What do you think?

My uncle is a major achoholic, and my Grandfaters brother does pot. My uncle, knows my best freinds name ad met him once. My granfathers brother cannot remember my grampas name most of the time

Well, that must be everyone then. Case closed, problem solved. Pot destroys long term memory, alcohol doesn't. Fact.

I mean, really?

That's not to say I haven't heard some lame excuses from drug addicts: "Weed isn't addictive", and "The government should regulate our quality" and "It's not my fault, I was high." You want big-boy laws, now act like one, with a pinch of responsibility.

Compared to alcohol, which has clear a physiological addiction, pot is mostly just psychological. I've never seen anyone get the shakes from not smoking for a bit, where as I have experienced the shakes from not drinking. They aren't fun.

Weed is a bit, but no more than anything else that has a psychological aspect. I've seen far more people addicted to TV than pot, or even junk food or Coca Cola. And there are far more addictive and harmful substances that are legal - tobacco and alcohol.

 

[Small_Fryz]

I think it should be legal for anyone over the legal drinking / smoking age. (usually 18)

Should be upto the individual to decide what is best for them. Why do we need the government to step in and ban it when clearly Alcohol or even smoking is just as bad.

 

[Minty]

I'm for legalization for most of the reasons said in this thread. I've never tried it, or been anywhere near it for that matter, but that's because I don't think it'd be worth the risk of having the government destroy my future with a criminal record to stop me from "destroying my future with drugs".

I've seen 4.3 GPAs in high school from people who were well known to be daily smokers. A friend's mom readily admits to being a heavy smoker in high school, and she makes somewhere around $200k annually in IT. Not saying it makes you smarter, by the way, I'm just tired of people saying that smoking pot will automatically turn you into some brain dead low-life who does nothing but sit around smoking even more.

 

[Eric Demory]

Over fifteen people in my Government class say that marijuana should be legalized. These are kids under the age of sixteen I am talking about. Fifteen out of twenty-two kids in my class are hopped up on this crap. It sickens me to hear them constantly say "It doesn't mess you up." They don't notice a difference, because it works on your body slowly, just like the Earth turns but you do not feel it turning. In two years from now, on senior year graduation, I'm going to keep this in mind to ask those pot head teenagers, "How's that marijuana treating you." I know it doesn't sound that in your face, but I'm working on it. I still have two years to modify that even more.

From my calculations, I have noted down in my secret public journal that, those fifteen so kids have either gotten suspended, sent to the principle's office multiple times, and/or experienced the big house. While the kids who claim they have never done drugs, have a clean record both by law and school authority. I have never gotten in trouble, I try to lend a hand to the people who are being sucked down the road of disgrace and destruction of body and life property. But no matter how nice I am, even when that person is a good friend, they attack with immediate phrases of anger. I did not intend to cause an argument. I was simply asking in a kind manner about why they chose the highway to Hell, instead of the stairway to Heaven.

I have lost a lot of good friends to drugs. They did not die, I told them straight forward that I am not their friend anymore once I found out they did drugs. Over fifty friends in five years, and I am in tenth grade for goodness sake. Once in a while when I see those formal friends, I usually hear them talk about drugs and over the edge related subjects. Losing friends to drugs is possibly the worst way to go within a friendly relationship. I wish it didn't have to end this way.

 

[Azuremen]

Croooooooow, again to, put it in perspective, many of my friends run businesses fine, are finishing up their Master or Ph.D degrees, med school, or making decent money. Decent being 6 figures.

And I kind of have to chuckle at your profoundly judgmental attitude.

 

[Eric Demory]

Croooooooow, again to, put it in perspective, many of my friends run businesses fine, are finishing up their Master or Ph.D degrees, med school, or making decent money. Decent being 6 figures.

Well, those are your friends. My formal friends seem to be addicted to this crap, till this day, and getting into major trouble often.

And I kind of have to chuckle at your profoundly judgmental attitude.

On an additional note, I have noticed when I try to express my personal thoughts in threads like this on , I seem to get thrown into a group of violent protesters protesting my thoughts. It's like I am a small boy tossed between two catholic priests, and the winner had to fight Michael Jackson. So till this day, I tend to mix humor in with my super serial expressions.

 

[Azuremen]

It is more how you have decided that these people, because what you described mostly being the result of drugs, are beneath you now. Compounded further by some book.

Your post more or less was "marijuana just destroys people but they can't see it." With a rather spiteful bit about how you want to be in their faces about it when you point out the negative impacts you seen it have on their life. Just look at the words you picked, the way you claim to ask them things?

Do you not expect someone to get defensive, in their teens, about asking "Hey, man, why did you decide to take that highway to Hell, rather than the path to Heaven?" Seriously? Just asking me something along those lines in general would make most people uncomfortable, if not hostile. It is a very judgmental thing to say, implying that you can see how they are now damned to Hell. I mean, think about it.

Honestly think about what you are saying before you act like you are just being made a victim for no reason.

 

[Eric Demory]

Do you not expect someone to get defensive, in their teens, about asking "Hey, man, why did you decide to take that highway to Hell, rather than the path to Heaven?" Seriously? Just asking me something along those lines in general would make most people uncomfortable, if not hostile. It is a very judgmental thing to say, implying that you can see how they are now damned to Hell. I mean, think about it.

Of course, that was the added humor part in the story. But, you would not have known that. I should have mentioned my actual question to them. I usually say, "Why did you choose to do drugs? I don't want to make you mad, I just want to know." That is what I normally say for related conversation starters. I'm like a doctor, an unlicensed doctor. I try to search for those causes and destroy the effects it has committed. I really want to help them out of their situations with drugs, and put them back on the right track. I do not want to lose another friend.

 

[Azuremen]

Of course, that was the added humor part in the story. But, you would not have known that. I should have mentioned my actual question to them. I usually say, "Why did you choose to do drugs? I don't want to make you mad, I just want to know." That is what I normally say for related conversation starters. I'm like a doctor, an unlicensed doctor. I try to search for those causes and destroy the effects it has committed. I really want to help them out of their situations with drugs, and put them back on the right track. I do not want to lose another friend.

You're in high school, last I checked. Focus on yourself first and foremost before trying to solve other people's problems. No one appreciates a busy body.

And hell, your own attitude could change so very much over the years. Mine certainly have, by a great deal as well.

 

[Peter.]

This is a topic that i've thought of here in Jamaica, and I believe that it would help my country significantly economically, and Jamaica really needs some money pumped back into it now.

First off, i'll say that, I support the legalization of marijuana for economical reasons only. I have no intention of ever using it for leisure. Marijuana could be legalized, but with an age limit similar to that of alcohol, so 18 is a good age. I also believe that it should, just as cigarettes are taxed due to the negative effect they may have on productivity, be fairly heavily taxed, so that the government would be able to reap much of the rewards. They could even take things a step further and control the supply for the product, one way or another, but that's a recipe or disaster, and just would not work.

Regarding tourism, which is one of Jamaica's leading sources of foreign exchange, it may not decrease, because it's a very unknown fact that marijuana is actually illegal in Jamaica already. What I would expect to see is tourism to increase significantly. Why? Because persons from the US, for example, who are frequent users of the drug, wouldn't have to fly across the pond to Europe to legally use the product. Just fly to Jamaica, and have a ball. This might also help kickstart our sinking airline, as well.

I haven't highlighted the major effects on society such a law would have, only the possible economical benefits.

 

[BobK]

My uncle is a major achoholic, and my Grandfaters brother does pot. My uncle, knows my best freinds name ad met him once. My granfathers brother cannot remember my grampas name most of the time

I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that your grandfather's brother is getting up there in years, and his inability to remember names has more to do with conditions associated with advanced age than with a history of pot smoking.

 

[Daniel]

I'm all for the legalization of it as long as it's taxed and has an age limit. The drug addicts now are no different to the alcoholics, or chain smokers. Although I do agree with Crooooooow partly beacause he's losing friends to overuse of drugs. I haven't lost friends due to alcohol because I'm fine with them having like one or two drinks in a while. Likewise, I'm fine if they have a joint once in a while because it won't kill them. But if I see them regularly coming to school with a hangover bigger then shem's or if they're higher than cloud nine, I know that they've got a problem with drinking/smoking. And I don't want to get pulled into that mess. I don't like the taste of most beers/wines/etc but that's my opinion. If I did, I still won't go behind the bike shed and get smashed with other drunks just before school. I haven't smoked marijuana yet, but if I had the opportunity and liked it.. I still won't go get high behind the bike shed...

Marijuana's fine, and so it's alcohol. It's the people who go crazy on it who give it a bad name (like alcohol.. or Christianity ).

 

[Eric Demory]

Every time I visit this thread, I think of Trailer Park Boys.

 

[Dennisch]

I smoked my way through highschool and the follow up studies, and I've never failed a test.
Never. My grades were always above average. And the only reason I don't make any decent money is that my bones are wearing down way to fast.

 

[Dennisch]

Clickie.

Start smoking, and the roads become a safer place. 👍

Double post.

 

[Pupik]

Weed is a bit, but no more than anything else that has a psychological aspect. I've seen far more people addicted to TV than pot, or even junk food or Coca Cola. And there are far more addictive and harmful substances that are legal - tobacco and alcohol.

Oh, from experience...it's a different sort of addiction; it's generally a lifestyle change that makes things hard to break, and unless you're not very physically healthy (i.e. one of the people who actually could use the stuff) it's easy enough to break the habit. Perhaps those with extreme mental duress, but then again, those physiological issues are a tougher issue to resolve.

Naturally, you're going to see more things like TV, smoking, Internet, junk food abused: they're legal...although, that doesn't automatically make it healthy or not healthy, unless there's interference with one's day-to-day activities, or their livelihood. And if one really wants to narrow down the definition, one could say we're probably all addicted to a few things, that upon inspection by the unknowledgeable and by nitpickers, would probably qualify as either weird or unnatural. But surround yourself with like-minded individuals, and the weirdness or unnatural behaviors of one's unusual activities are validated by empathy.

Still, if prohibition of alcohol occurred today, and was replaced with marijuana, I'd actually feel a little safer. But then, we'd have a thread against prohibition, and...

 

[sumbrownkid]

This is mostly a cultural debate isn't it?

Alcohol is the preferred poison of the colonists while Marijuana was used by the natives before America came to be.

Wasn't Marijuana banned in the states over bogus reasons too back in the late 19th to early 20th centuries?

It's bound to get legalized at some point, perhaps its just a question of when. Medical marijuana is just the first step.

The most common danger of weed is probably the munchies and long gaming sessions.

True, I know of no good argument for most people using mind-bending drugs.

However, the libertarian view - and there a lot of them here - denies it is the Constitutional role of the state to dictate what people do or do not put into their own bodies.

Of course, Muslims are strictest of all, I guess. But there was a time when Christianity was all about temperance.

I suppose if the gods wanted to destroy us, they would first make us obese, diabetic and intemperate. Hmmm?

Respectfully,
Steve

Over in the middle east we got something called Hash...A lot more potent that Marijuana.

Religiously, yeah it's banned, but culturally, don't be surprised if a hookah in Oman has Hash in it.

Christianity is actually very strict too, perhaps more so than Islam. It's just up to the individual to follow.

 

[MasterSquidP4]

Weed straight from the farm is good for you right? I'm not sure, but I know the sellers add things to it.

 

[spunwicked]

It's a sad fact that weed will never be legal for many of us. While most of the world's citizens are all committed to supporting the gradual but consistent removal of their rights and eventually freewill, something as great as the legalisation of pot will never occur.

Unless some corporation can make a hell of a lot of money from it. Like the pharaceutical companies currently making synthetic THC. Why are we recreating something that grows in the ground? Oh yeah, because some monkey declared a PLANT illegal nearly a hundred years ago.

Stupid monkey.

 

[Crispy]

Prohibition doesn't work, alcohol proved this in the early 20th century.

Reason's legalizing pot would be beneficial? Taxes. If you tax pot, the government will get more money, helping us out of the debt. It might not make a large difference, maybe less than a small dent, but it would sure be better than not taxing it. Then it's harder for children to get a hold of. One of the main reasons children are able to get a hold on some weed is because they can buy it from any back street seller. Usually they don't care if the buyer is 4, or 89, they get their money either way. Making an age limit on it would prevent underage people from using it. Then you ask, well it's against the law, they shouldn't be able to have it anyway, it's illegal. Well, speeding is illegal right? I'm sure you have sped once in your life, right? You might've broken another law as well. Well, you can get a hold of pot almost as easily as speeding. Without it being illegal, then there would be age limits, and a very small chance of getting it illegally. About as much of a chance of getting alcohol illegally, which is getting lower and lower every year. This would also reduce crime rates due to drug deals. People would go to Walgreens, instead of your neighborhoods all friendly drug dealer. Plus, if people want to screw their lives up and die, then we should let them screw up and die. It's natural selection. This is why I'm for legalization of all drugs. Your playing with your own life, learn to use it properly and you'll live, you continue to screw it up and you die. Natural selection.