Your Opinion: Legalize Marijuana?

[bnzx10]

In california the dispense marijuana in a town nick named oakerserdam the card cost about 140.00 then you can but it ftom the dispenseries and the make a lot of money from the taxes

[liljp617]

before begining im a recovering addict
at 18
ive done ecstacy
xanax
meth
weed
many pain pills
and a lot of coke

my problem with it being legalized is that it impares peoples judgement, and after you have done it for a while, you know how much of any drug you can use and still be able to function... drive, walk, talk, etc
and you also know how much will put you over the edge
im more terrified that a 12 year old confused kid will take too much, not knowing, and kill himself or someone else
or a 40 year old chick experiment or whoever
i think that it would be disasterous
and that depending on what you have eaten or drank that day, it can affect ow the drug affects you and that hard to determine
 

i did coke for years
one night late, i did half a 8ball (thats about half a ounce.. $180) and failed to get myself home that night. crashed going about 80mph into the side of a telephone, through a fence and into a cow, with my good friend in the car, who was pregnant at the time. were both lucky to of survived. i knew my limits, but becasue i had smoked, it had impared me intelligence that says even with experience, a 90lb girl cant do half a 8ball n drive 15 mins afterwards...

im afraid stuff like this would happen,
its all natural not concerned about the health... im a cigarrette smoker
and its compareable to alcohol to an extent..

i say no, but at the same time im torn...

ps clean for 1 year, 5 mnths

We're talking about marijuana, right?

They could put an age limit on it if people are that worried about a younger kid getting their hands on it.  Although I'm pretty sure "taking too much of it" isn't a problem.  You can't overdose on marijuana, I think that's a pretty accepted fact.  But it's understandable to not want an 11 year old smoking weed.

The point of the matter, though, is that a rational individual old enough to make decisions and face any repercussions that go along with it should be allowed to take part in an action that does not inherently or inevitably infringe upon the rights or freedoms of another individual, to a reasonable degree.

In an ideal world, we could take this stance on all drugs (or any action what so ever), be it crack, meth, you name it.  Unfortunately we don't live in an ideal world.  So the next question arises:  Why should we apply such a principle to marijuana if we're not going to apply it to harder drugs?

Because marijuana, under reasonable assumptions (aka not thinking of worst case scenarios), does not inherently or inevitably lead to an infringement on other people's rights/freedoms.  Crack, meth, heroin, and so on...typically do.

My take on the subject, therefore, is one of:  People should be allowed to do as they please with their own bodies and minds until it reaches a degree where it inherently or inevitably negatively effects the rights and freedoms of others.

And thus I think marijuana should be legal.

On a side note, congrats on your being clean.  I've never dealt with it personally, but I can only assume it's a rough road.

[tberglund]

You may or may not know this, but the question of legalizing marijuana has been debated for about 80+ years. Yes, many of our great- great-grandmothers and granddads got high. Even during western expansion in the USA there were people that smoked the loco weed. This is not new. And it will not be decided today. The legalization of marijuana is discussed between people who have and people who haven't smoked it. Those two factions are mutually exclusive. Two different realities. They will never see things the same way.

There are pros to legalizing it. There are cons to it too. It is just a matter of what individuals feel is more important. But as I pointed out before, those for and those against will never see the same argument.

It's like people witnessing a car accident in an intersection. People on the Northwest corner saw it one way, and the people on the Southeast corner saw it another way, some points may be the same, but more than likely they will never agree on all events of the accident.
Two people can't look at the world through the same eyes.  IT'S ALL GOOD ANYWAY.

[liljp617]

You may or may not know this, but the question of legalizing marijuana has been debated for about 80+ years. Yes, many of our great- great-grandmothers and granddads got high. Even during western expansion in the USA there were people that smoked the loco weed. This is not new. And it will not be decided today. The legalization of marijuana is discussed between people who have and people who haven't smoked it. Those two factions are mutually exclusive. Two different realities. They will never see things the same way.

Sadly most people don't know its history in the US, and probably very few know the real reasons it was made illegal here in the first place.

On the subject of the factions, there are smokers and non-smokers on both sides of the debate.  I think it's possible to see both sides, regardless of your involvement with marijuana.  The problem lies in the side opposing legalization often (not always) basing their stance on false information or propaganda.

[xswtsunshine05x]

cigarette can harm people's health.

marijuana has no effect to harm people's health. i think marijuana is safer to smoke than smoking cigarette.

also, alochol is not safe. many people got accident or died from alochol.

i haven't heard anything that someone died from marijuana which is good.

many people died from cigarette and alochol. for marijuana, not that i know of.

my father died from alochol. it can kill you or harm your organs.

marijuana is natural and no chemical in it.

cigarette does have chemical in it.

alochol has poison in it.

if you smoke marijuana overdose and it will not kill you.

if you drink alochol overdose and it will kill you.

[piratelord]

That would be like saying we should make catnip illegal because cats get high from it. Have you ever seen a cat that's been given catnip??? It DEFINITELY changes their demeanor and thinking. Hell, my cat freaks out at anything when I give him catnip. But it is a completely natural herb that grows in the wild, just like cannabis used to grow all over the place- until some uptight moron with an agenda decided to be a douchebag.

Yeah, the biggest excuse for it to be illegal seems to be the fact that it is "mind altering"...but if they want to make everything that alters your mind illegal, that would be a pretty long list. Alcohol, Caffeine, Anti psychotic prescriptions, anti depressants, catnip, blah blah blah.

Exactly. And on that list would be things like watching movies, playing video games, playing/watching sports, playing musical instruments (especially drums!), using a computer, breathing, sleeping, walking, and pretty much just existing! Anything that you have to "be in the zone for" (changing one's mindset/getting focused) is altering the mind. Granted even those things generate different mindsets (playing music is trance-enducing; playing sports triggers instincts; etc), but it DOES change ones thought processes, even if it's just "in the moment". How many sports fans have become caught up in the game and started riots? How many people found their mind wondering in a semi-meditative state going on a walk? What the big problem is, is that people need to come to terms with the fact that bad things happen NO MATTER WHAT, and we cannot and should not try to protect ourselves from every danger that may be possible because we'll never learn anything that way. Why do you think so many great things were accomplished a few decades ago? Because people weren't afraid of their own shadow.

[unknown1313]

I don't smoke the stuff, but I know some adults that still do and I don't care for the way they are.  I would never want it legalized.  Someone said that it would be good for people with ADD/ADHD.  What are you thinking?  More kids are diagnosed with ADD/ADHD than adults.  Are you saying that it would be okay to give this to children?  If so, you are just plain nuts.  I would never smoke it and I would never allow any of my children to smoke it, ever.  It kills brain cells.

It has been proven in more then 800 medical study's now that weed is over 500% more effective for adults with ADD/ADHD then any prescription pill on the market, with 100% less side effects. The key word here is "ADULTS", if you read any of the meds you are probably shoving down your kids throats, there is NO MEDICATION that is completely safe for children, for the one reason that their body's and brain's are still developing. As for killing brain cells, one can of caffeinated soda kills more brain cells then 7 gm of pot, which could last most people a week!! And I would love to test my pot-smoking brain against your soda drunk brain any day. The fact alone that anyone can say putting a natural grown herb inside of you is worse then a crap-load of man-made chemicals and drugs, Thank you for proving my point! 

[Becky999]

i love smoking pot. theres nothing wrong with it,it doesnt cause any harm to anyone. anyone who wants to debate this can give me ONE link to a study that proves marijuana does any harm to the human body/mind.

[liljp617]

i love smoking pot. theres nothing wrong with it,it doesnt cause any harm to anyone. anyone who wants to debate this can give me ONE link to a study that proves marijuana does any harm to the human body/mind.

This point isn't that legitimate.  People won't give you a link, because no such study exists.  There has been very little long term research into marijuana, meaning there is little knowledge of the long term health effects.  You can't make the claim that it's 100% unharmful, because you have nothing to back that up...just as the people who say it is very harmful.

The evidence hasn't come in for either side.  Therefore, making adamant factual claims for either side is useless.  Neither side can back up their extreme stances.

[JessieKateRose]

I'm all for it being legalized. It's not hurting anyone. Feeling a little lazy and hungry when you do it isn't much hurting you, and it isn't hurting anyone else.
They at least need to not punish so harshly for it. They found a tiny little bag on my boyfriend and he's had to pay thousands of dollars in court fees, and he's a minor. That's *bleep* ridiculous.

[strumcat]

Definitely legalize it. It could pull this country out of the economic rut it's in. Why not?

[millhugz]

The fact that weed is illegal is what makes majority of smokers do it.. If it was to become legal one day I think people all over US would go nuts. Thousands of businesses will open online, streets, and other places. People will become millionaires owning a huge business. But after awhile things would settle down and people would realize what weed did to effect their lives, and many will quit.

Legalizing weed is okay and it is possible to tax it, look at the popular country Amsterdam, they managed to sell it legally, the population there is organized and smart..

My vote is yes.

[AmyTrivitt]

I'm all for it being legalized. It's not hurting anyone. Feeling a little lazy and hungry when you do it isn't much hurting you, and it isn't hurting anyone else.
They at least need to not punish so harshly for it. They found a tiny little bag on my boyfriend and he's had to pay thousands of dollars in court fees, and he's a minor. That's *bleep* ridiculous.

100% agree with you!!! You know if you are a child molester you get less time than a person caught with a large quantity of marijuana!! Now that is FUC**D up!!! I don't understand the world and perhaps I never will. But to me a person of such small nature as hurting and taking a child's innocents away should serve life without parole. Its just a stupid ignorant way of life that a pot smoker would serve way more time in prison than a sick twisted person and how people in our government want to make this into such a bigger deal than it truly is with marijuana. Ignorance in America is such a blindfold on the faces of so many!!!

[Stealth3si]

before begining im a recovering addict
at 18
ive done ecstacy
xanax
meth
weed
many pain pills
and a lot of coke

my problem with it being legalized is that it impares peoples judgement, and after you have done it for a while, you know how much of any drug you can use and still be able to function... drive, walk, talk, etc
and you also know how much will put you over the edge
im more terrified that a 12 year old confused kid will take too much, not knowing, and kill himself or someone else
or a 40 year old chick experiment or whoever
i think that it would be disasterous
and that depending on what you have eaten or drank that day, it can affect ow the drug affects you and that hard to determine
 

i did coke for years
one night late, i did half a 8ball (thats about half a ounce.. $180) and failed to get myself home that night. crashed going about 80mph into the side of a telephone, through a fence and into a cow, with my good friend in the car, who was pregnant at the time. were both lucky to of survived. i knew my limits, but becasue i had smoked, it had impared me intelligence that says even with experience, a 90lb girl cant do half a 8ball n drive 15 mins afterwards...

im afraid stuff like this would happen,
its all natural not concerned about the health... im a cigarrette smoker
and its compareable to alcohol to an extent..

i say no, but at the same time im torn...

ps clean for 1 year, 5 mnths

My take on the subject, therefore, is one of:  People should be allowed to do as they please with their own bodies and minds until it reaches a degree where it inherently or inevitably negatively effects the rights and freedoms of others.

However, there are problems with this idea of liberal individualism, which are controversially related to egoism (selfishness.)

[hellswench]

The fact that weed is illegal is what makes majority of smokers do it.. If it was to become legal one day I think people all over US would go nuts. Thousands of businesses will open online, streets, and other places. People will become millionaires owning a huge business. But after awhile things would settle down and people would realize what weed did to effect their lives, and many will quit.

Legalizing weed is okay and it is possible to tax it, look at the popular country Amsterdam, they managed to sell it legally, the population there is organized and smart..

My vote is yes.

 I have to disagree Amsterdam has hardly an economy to work with they make most their money from drugs and the tourism around it, They could hardly compete with any majour country as for organized and smart that depends on your own definition, so I really don't think that legalizing it would make anything any better.