should marijuana/smoke be legal?

[sflynt]

The first and most basic reason that marijuana should be legal is that there is no good reason for it not to be legal. I mean, why is it illegal when alcohol and cigarrettes are legal? They've caused more harm to people than marijuana. Period. People deserve the right to make choices for themselves. The government may have a right to limit individual actions if the actions pose a significant threat to themselves or someone else. But this argument does not logically apply to marijuana because marijuana is far less dangerous than some drugs which are legal, such as alcohol and tobacco and other actually prescribed meds. so, people should have the right to decide whether or not they use marijuana. The government should not tell people what to do as long as they're not harming others.

The second reason that it should be legal is that it would save our government lots of money. In the US, all levels of government (federal, state, and local authorities) participate in the "War on Drugs." We currently spend billions of dollars every year for prohibition alone. These people get locked up in prison and the taxpayers have to foot the bill. We have to pay for food, housing, health care, attorney fees, court costs, and other expenses to lock these people up. Quite expensive.

[sflynt]

The third reason, Prohibition obviously doesn't work. Its caused more problems than it has helped. There is no good evidence that prohibition decreases drug use, and there are several theories that suggest prohibition might actually increase drug use i.e. the "forbidden fruit" effect, and easier accessibility for youth. If our goal is to reduce drug consumption, then we should focus on open and honest programs to educate youth, regulation to keep drugs away from kids, and treatment programs for people with drug problems. But the current prohibition scheme does not allow such reasonable approaches to marijuana; instead we are stuck with 'DARE' police officers spreading lies about drugs in schools, and policies that result in jail time rather than treatment for people with drug problems. We tried prohibition with alcohol, and that failed miserably. We should be able to learn our lesson and stop repeating the same mistake...

Hemps also a very valuable natural resource that can be used in many ways for many things.

Here's a few links to other threads on this topic. some good stuff in there. You should check them out:
http://www.fusioncash.net/forum.php?topic=19570.0 
http://www.fusioncash.net/forum.php?topic=6449.0

[jimbone722]

Yes, cause its acutally safer then drinking. The only deaths that result to marijuana is gun death.

Yes, cause its acutally safer then drinking. The only deaths that result to marijuana is gun death.

I think it should be legal. I feel drinking causes more problem than marijuana, so why don't we try to make drinking illegal instead!!

[Graeth]

Its fully legal to give eighty year old men erections via science; so why shouldn't something grown naturally be legal?

[sammywantsya]

@ sflynt wow very insightful post lol.. ill look into it and see what it says and tell you guys my real opinion about it....

it keeps me thinking

[Lne912]

pot should deff be legalized! i feel that there are many other substances out there that u could even get over the counter that could be of more harm to u then smoking some weed. u could smoke weed all day everyday and all it does is make u move in slow motion..lmao, but if u take a bottle of asprin, ..that will be ur LAST head ache! but over all i still think thats BS, i know plenty of ppl that smoke and actually function better then when there sober...sometimes weed brings out the artist in us we didnt knew we had....or for others its something else....the govt is BS!! they just want to continue playing games as if they dont know whats realy going on....there just trying to make us all miserable!!! cigarettes kill on a daily basis, drinking kills on a daily basis....all other drugs either cause really bad effect to cause death or they just kill u period! if they made weed legal the only thing that would happen, is world peace! lmao, idk probably not that great but there would be less crimes over something we could all get at a store. weed is not a drug!.....its just a habit!

[sammywantsya]

pot should deff be legalized! i feel that there are many other substances out there that u could even get over the counter that could be of more harm to u then smoking some weed. u could smoke weed all day everyday and all it does is make u move in slow motion..lmao, but if u take a bottle of asprin, ..that will be ur LAST head ache! but over all i still think thats BS, i know plenty of ppl that smoke and actually function better then when there sober...sometimes weed brings out the artist in us we didnt knew we had....or for others its something else....the govt is BS!! they just want to continue playing games as if they dont know whats realy going on....there just trying to make us all miserable!!! cigarettes kill on a daily basis, drinking kills on a daily basis....all other drugs either cause really bad effect to cause death or they just kill u period! if they made weed legal the only thing that would happen, is world peace! lmao, idk probably not that great but there would be less crimes over something we could all get at a store. weed is not a drug!.....its just a habit!

i agree man that its a natural substance and i understand you have beef with the govt  because they legalized cigs and alchole which is dangerous to use....

but you know what i think what you said and to others have a good point that it should be legal.... but too much of it can kill you... it can lose your mind or worse your mentality.. if it where legal people should control there addiction and use it wisely...

[Hurricanekiz]

Actually I don't think it should be legal. 

[squirrelgirl44]

From a tax perspective, yes. From a consumer perspecitve, no.

[the_hammer]

I think marijuana should be legal. Someone tell me the negative effects? I don't smoke it that much, because i might get arrested. That sounds the only negative thing about marijuana. 

[Elizabethar]

I would have to say no.

[jabkman]

i think it should be legal, my friends smoke it and i have been around when they do, they do not act any different just a little more chilled and laugh a lot more. We compare alcohol to marijuana and the deaths are not even comparable. Alcohol should be banned, not marijuana