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I believe that marijuana should be legal (discussion)

Dark Jedi said:
No the bill is for leaving it up to the states to decide. Do you even read the page or just the headline of the page?
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I know what the bill does. This is a cutback on the amount that the federal government restricts the people's decision on marijuana by popular election. Without this bill, say a state does legalize marijuana. The Feds could still make arrests without this bill.
 
I'm with bob on this one. Marijuana should not be legalized. If used for medicinal purposes, then it's used should and can be regulated, managed and controlled (and no I don't think that California's Cannabis clubs are appropriate regulation). My biggest issue with decriminalizing marijuana is that beneficial and practical uses aside, marijuana is a major intoxicant that can be produced easily and cheaply by any home grower. This means that the population would have to deal not with folks using it for medicinal purposes, but with a large number of people using it for recreational purposes. It makes no sense to add a population of intoxicated people behind the wheels of automobiles or as operators of potentially dangerous equipment. This is especially true since it is impossible with today's technology to adequately detect the presence of the substance in someone's system (let alone their level of intoxication), immediately on the field. Alcohol is a lesser evil because its production can be regulated, it's consumption controlled and it is easy to identify drunk drivers and drunk operators of dangerous equipment. That is not so with marijuana, and despite it's potential benefits, it makes little sense to compound our current problems with drunk drivers and equipment operators with by adding high ones.
 
Isthmus said:
but with a large number of people using it for recreational purposes.
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Everyone who wants to smoke pot already does it. Seriously, do you know a single person who says "Well.. if it was legal I guess I'd become an addict of it, but since it's not, I won't touch it." :rolleyes:

Legalize it, tax it, regulate it.
 
BiggestManEver said:
Everyone who wants to smoke pot already does it. Seriously, do you know a single person who says "Well.. if it was legal I guess I'd become an addict of it, but since it's not, I won't touch it." :rolleyes:

Legalize it, tax it, regulate it.
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I don't necessarily agree with taxing and regulating it. I know that those are talking points used to sway the skeptics, but the last thing we need is more taxes and regulations.
 
Bob Maxey said:
Then what . . . do we legalize other products like Mexican cocaine or heroin? These products arrive from Mexico in great quantities, too. Not sure legalizing it makes sense unless you are an accountant watching the costs associated with jail and law enforcement Vs. the benefits to the public.

How can the government legalize one more thing you smoke yet castrate anyone that smokes tobacco?

And if the government gets involved, you can expect a pack of MJs to be costly and quite likely less potent than the stuff from Mexico, so perhaps trafficking will actually increase, because the Mexican MJ is stronger and you do not pay a huge tax on the illegally imported stuff.

And do we disallow you to grow the stuff yourself? Citing the strength of your home grown stuff as being dangerous and therefore, not allowed?

Here in Utah, we impose strict limits on alcohol content allowed in beer sold in places like grocery stores. I think it is 3.2%. So the government regulates strength of most beer sold in Utah.

Ease of availability likely means that more people will try it and this leads to other problems, like kids getting hold of the stuff. This would be a given because now, it is legal.

Bob
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legalization true would have many benefits but then would also present a lot of cons or atleast things they would have to take care of before everything flows nicely like it does (ex: tobacco) but the government WASTES millions of dollars tracking down destorying arresting prosecuting and keeping people in jail for just have a ounce of weed on them, that money could be used to help get us out of this recession or anything else would be better

dudleesmuk said:
i think weed is a less harmful drug than alcohol.
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I agree weed is less dangerous than alcohol, I mean you can die from alcohol, I've never heard of anyone dieing from smoking to much weed,





(because its impossible)
 
FreakyLocz14 said:
I don't necessarily agree with taxing and regulating it. I know that those are talking points used to sway the skeptics, but the last thing we need is more taxes and regulations.
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Why would you not tax and regulate it? It is a product used for recreational purposes that alters mental status. It would certainly fit in with tobacco and alcohol, why should it receive "special" status? It's not like this would be a brand new tax that everyone would have to deal with. Only those that use it would have to assume the tax, and I bet even with the tax it would be cheaper than it currently is (being that it's an illegal black market item).

sethman88 said:
I agree weed is less dangerous than alcohol, I mean you can die from alcohol, I've never heard of anyone dieing from smoking to much weed,





(because its impossible)
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Conversely one can argue that water is also more dangerous. One can over ingest and die (and it has happened). yet it is very much needed (in proper quantities) for life to exist.

As I said before, simply stating that one item is more toxic than the other in large quantities is a pretty weak argument that said item is safer.
 
BiggestManEver said:
Everyone who wants to smoke pot already does it. Seriously, do you know a single person who says "Well.. if it was legal I guess I'd become an addict of it, but since it's not, I won't touch it." :rolleyes:
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I am sure there are those that would give it a try if it were legal. I haven't personally had a huge interest in trying it, but that is mainly because I don't want to be busted for something as stupid as using marijuana, and being in veterinary school and working at an urgent care clinic doesn't so much lend itself to allowing me to take such a risk as they can (and will) ask for urine samples. Certainly this isn't the majority (or perhaps it is I am not sure there is a way to tell), but I am fairly certain I am not the only one thinking this way.
 
Rude posts directed towards each other will NOT BE TOLERATED!! Cleaned several posts up already, next time infractions will accompany this action.

Thanks for understanding...

I leave you with this

Drugs are bad MmmKay
 
AT1988 said:
Weed will be legal in the next 20 years, considering the rate gay marriage is going.
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Respectfully, how can we possibly compare gay marriage to the legalization of the recreational use of marijuana? I don't see these two issues even remotely similar. It seems that a lot of the same people that want to ban gay marriage also want to keep marijuana illegal, but aside from that I would love to hear the similarities.
 
shadowninty said:
TBF, some of the age limits are plain dumb.
21 to drink? In many states its 16.
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I'm just saying buying a minor alcohol is one offense, buying them marijuana is a whole lot worse. Is it really worth getting busted for soliciting an illicit substance to a minor over principle?
 
lordofthereef said:
I'm just saying buying a minor alcohol is one offense, buying them marijuana is a whole lot worse. Is it really worth getting busted for soliciting an illicit substance to a minor over principle?
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No. However, I have only ever heard of The kids themselves get into trouble. I mean i know loads of people who give drink fairly obviously. Yet i have friends with cautions for underage drinking, and a friend of mine helps erm "bust" offies (d
 
nlsme said:
Alcohol is far more addictive than pot. There hasn't been one case study to show pot is addictive at all. People have died from alcohol withdrawal. There is no such thing as "pot poisoning", but alcohol poisoning kills regularly.
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The drinkers you are talking about are not social/casual drinkers, but alcoholics. Your comparison is way off.
 
BiggestManEver said:
Everyone who wants to smoke pot already does it. Seriously, do you know a single person who says "Well.. if it was legal I guess I'd become an addict of it, but since it's not, I won't touch it." :rolleyes:

Legalize it, tax it, regulate it.
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That is absolute nonsense. HIstory shows us over and over that if you increase the availability of a product and lower its price, increased consumption tends to follow. Pot is no exception.
 
Isthmus said:
That is absolute nonsense. HIstory shows us over and over that if you increase the availability of a product and lower its price, increased consumption tends to follow. Pot is no exception.
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I agree with you. But increased consumption doesn't necessarily mean increased number of consumers. If pot were made readily available and cheaper, I think that those who currently use it would increase consumption drastically. Sure there would be some new users, but I don't think it would be some crazy epidemic like some (not necessarily you) seem to imply.
 
lordofthereef said:
Yes, one can be addicted to chocolate, and running, and video games. This is scientific fact. What they are actually addicted to is the chemicals their body produce in a response to consumption, activity, etc.
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And those that become addicted have something in their brain that affects judgment and reason. Fact is, most people that use chocolate, run, and play video games do not become addicted to these activities.

Alcohol is also addictive, but moist users do not become addicted to the stuff.

Tobacco, MJ, and other drugs are different because they are highly addictive. Most people here fail to ask what happens when MJ becomes legal and if the numbers of users increase. We have no data yet because a tiny number of people smoke the stuff compared to the whole and if legalized, there will be far more users.
 
Bob Maxey said:
Tobacco, MJ, and other drugs are different because they are highly addictive. Most people here fail to ask what happens when MJ becomes legal and if the numbers of users increase. We have no data yet because a tiny number of people smoke the stuff compared to the whole and if legalized, there will be far more users.
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MJ actually isn't highly addictive at all. As I mentioned, only about 10% of users become addicted.

Also, I am sure we can borrow said data from countries where it is legal. AFAIK it is legal in Denmark. AND, AFAIK, there isn't a huge rash of deaths/addiction as a result. So long as laws are passed where one person's marijuana consumption does not effect MY life (ie "second hand", etc.) I have no reason to care.
 
Some stats:
17.6 million Americans are alcoholics
In the U.S., 66% of the population consumes alcohol
US population is ~307 million

So some easy math:
66% of 307 million = 202.62 million
17.6 million out of 202.62 million = about 8.6%

That translates to 8.6% of Americans who consume alcohol become abusers/addicts

(this info came from the CDC and medline)
 
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