Edit - Ok, now I'm getting into a debate mood. Someone please dissect my point of view and prove me wrong. I've update this post with two very good replys and my answersSo, what does everyone else think? I personally don't smoke at all, but I have a few friends that do and it doesn't bother me.
What does bother me is when they talk about legalizing the stuff.
Sure, the government could grow it, tax it, sell it, and make a good profit.
And it's true that weed as never killed anyone, and it's been proven that marijuana isn't addictive.
But it does have a few side effects: Laziness and Hunger.
And that is exactly what this Country doesn't need more of. Lazy people. And Obesity is already considered an Epidemic.
I'm sure that a few good people that smoke the stuff can take perfectly good care of themselves, but they can't speak for everyone else.
Edit- I wanted to add this because I think alot of people are missing it.
First off I dont smoke, but I think it should be legalized. So many people do it anyway, I think its a personal choice and I dont think a large number of people would start smoking just because it was legal. If it were taxed & made a little more expensive, I think maybe less people would do it. If people wanna get fat & lazy thats THEIR problem, they will do it anyway, cause cigarettes, beer, and cheeseburgers are legal. People are being killed every day over drug sales, police are risking their lives trying to stop marijuana use/sales, children are being raised in/around grow houses and living with parents who deal. Kids are in foster care because their parents are in jail for dealing or possession. We have overcrowded jails and violent criminals being released who really need to be in there. People are able to sell weed & get welfare & food stamps and walk around decked out in gold jewelry. The same laws should apply that apply to drinking...like you cant get high in public, cant drive high, etc. Wow thats a lot I guess I feel pretty strongly on this one 
Sorry to pick you out, but you've made some very clever remarks.
The people that smoke weed know that it is ilegal just like people who don't. Sure, people who don't smoke it may try it as long as it wasn't against the law. That's not a choice though, it's a risk. If weed was sold at wal-mart, imagine the impulse buyers who would pick it up. And the point you made about just making it more expensive, well, if it's so exspensive, why would someone who smokes it regularly buy it legaly when they can get it for half the price from their dealer? Legalizing weed won't make crime go down. Committing crimes, that's a risk, not a choice. Becoming fat is no where near being a personal choice. It's darn near an affliction. The same reason a marijuana smoker would lite up a pipe to forget about his stressful life, a normal person would eat a cheeseburger. Not because they choose to, but because it's what they've been conditioned to do.
Maybe the reason the government never legalized weed is because they realized the huge mistake they made when they gave up the prohibition. Just because alcohol is legal doesn't mean it was a good idea. Heck, lot's of things that the government did were huge mistakes. The same reason they can't just pull out of iraq and they can't try to re-ilegalize alcohol, you'd have a lot of p-o'ed people with fire arms knocking on the government front door. but I digress...
Weed has nothing to do with "overcrowded jails and violent criminals being released who really need to be in there". Penalties for possession of marijuana are dang near a slap on the wrist. Something like a $500 fine and 30 days to a year in jail.
"People are able to sell weed & get welfare & food stamps and walk around decked out in gold jewelry", I really don't want to get deep with this one. But selling weed doesn't exactly make a 5 figure yearly income. They are on welfare and food stamps BECAUSE they sell weed. And this can be traceable back to families being raised with no father in the household. No fathers because of some stupid drug deal or childish gang fight. And that's about as far as I'll go, that is an entirely new topic.
Adding weed to a roster with a bunch of "do not's" as rules (like alcohol) isn't going to fix anything if weed is legal. Just look at how many people are being killed because of drunk drivers. Killed by people, not following the law.
Like I said before, sorry about picking you out of the crowd. But you made some very good points that I understand from another persons perspective.
Edit - So no one misses it.
I am all up for them leagalizing it. Everyone on the face of this earth is on drugs. The medicine that the doctors give you are additive.The steroids in the food is giving us cancer.Alcohol is a man-made drug that kills.
So I think why not legalize it.I personally think that crime rate would go down a good bit not disappear but it will decrease. Weed makes you calm and laid back but it helps us to deal with stress better. The doctor will instead give you pills in place of the weed which has a million and one side effects and extra side effects that kill. Why take a pill and in return the pill gives you an upset stomach,blurred vision,trouble breathing,chest pains, nose bleeds,migrains,trouble sleeping,suicidal thoughts,anxiety,constipation,fainting,etc.
Weed is a NATURAL HERB not DRUG!!!!
And for those of you who stereo type people that smoke weed..... WEED does not make you lazy...it only intensifies what is already part of you. I know people that smoke weed and get up and go to work as they should and go about their daily routine as they should. So let's not blame laziness on weed but rather that person.Weed does not kill!!! Alcohol and the rest of those man made drugs is what kills!!! I say they should just go for it and make this country like Amsterdam. They are truely laid back over there. Herbal Therapy is something that I think brings people together.(Black,white,asian,indian,pacfic islanders,etc.)
Ok, good point. I really wouldn't mind if weed "was" legal you know, I'm just not for it "becoming" legal. It's not hard to see that Marijuana is a LOT healthier than cigarettes, and think about all the people in the world that smoke. Let's just pick out one group of people...oh let's say US Soldiers. It's estimated that 60%-75% of US Soldiers smoke to help cope with stress. Here's an idea! Let's give them Weed instead so they stay laid back! Heck, they probably wouldn't want to fight anymore! Living is so much more enjoyable now!
Real quick. I love this country and I love every Soldier who enrolls in our fine military. God Bless America!
But! If all those soldiers or even would-be soldiers got "laid back"? Yeah, how would you feel about another draft? How would you like to see your son or husband taken out of your house, given a little training, a gun, and a kill command? Because there are a lot of people out there who don't like us. Us as in the united States of America.
Now, if you want to fix our medical system, then I suggest you start watching who or what you vote for. Marijuana isn't a heal-all drug (or herb rather, sorry). So why would you want it legalized anyway? Guess the first place it's going to stop before it hits the store shelves? Yeah that's right, the lab. And that's the same lab where the make those pills with
"a million and one side effects and extra side effects that kill."And I agree with you one hundred percent about marijuana bringing people together. I've seen Alcohol parties go crazy, people getting hurt, things getting destroyed, etc. Opposed to smoke circles where people gather around and tell warm stories and enjoy fellowship. And it should be made legal for that part alone. But as I've semi-stated in previous posts, this countries people need help. Why else would obesity be an epidemic? Not because someone chooses to be fat, but because they can't help it! That's what I call "food-abuse".
Now, when you go to work, or for a walk, or go shopping, or go anywhere outside your house, take a look at all the people who have a "food-abuse" problem, and imagine how many people would have a "substance-abuse" problem.Thank you, good night.
Community Forum
Topic: Your Opinion: Legalize Marijuana? (Read 24039 times)
June 26, 2010, 10:46:43 am
