Hey guys, recently I have started to get seriously involved in the world of marijuana and by that I mean growing. I have casually smoked this substance since I was in grade 8 and after doing allot of research, I decided it was time to grow my own and to not blow all my earnings on the drug. In doing this research, it made me truly realize that there is a large battle between the government and the users in major areas of the world. Let's face it, the war on drugs is a war that cannot be won, we are spending tax payers money on battling this substance when we could be solving much larger and more significant problems in our society.
Now I know that drugs are definitely bad for you and theres no question about it that some of the harsher drugs out there are extremely addictive and very dangerous to your body but this raises the argument that the user should take the substance at their own risk just like any legal substance harmful to your body. marijuana is a drug that is usually taken on more of a casual level and is pretty much even with alcohol in terms of addiction and negative effects. Also if you look at smoking cigarettes, the chemicals in those are just as bad if not worse than smoking weed.
Another large problems is that the people who are caught with marijuana are being harshly prosecuted and in most cases, good, honest people are being torn away from their families, are given criminal records and are placed in prisons along side rapists and murderers.
Also, would people really be tempted to smoke as much if it was legal? Would the rush of being high and being sneaky with your drugs sizzle and decrease the urge to get high?
Anyways, these are my views, lets discuss. I'd love to hear some other arguments from fellow smokers and some counter-arguments from the nay-sayers.

I think we should discuss the reasons why the US gov't won't allow the use/distribution of marijuana. I think that a major portion of the interest of mj by the gov't is because it isn't being taxed. I believe if they could find a way to tax effectively on the possession, production, and distribution of mj they would most definitely legalize it. They use the cop-out excuse of "it is a mind altering chemical that effects your body and inhibits the proper control of your actions". Though I agree with that statement, the gov't is more interested in your money, not you. I, myself, have never used mj and never intend on using it even if an opportune moment arises. I think I would; do things I wouldn't normal allow myself to do, ultimately regret my decisions, and possibly blow tons of money on something I'm not even mildly interested in.

If someone is stupid enough or weak enough to want/need weed, they belong alongside the worst of the worst. Respect yourself enough to do such stupid things, show you have a basic working amount of intelligence. Weed users will fire back WELL THIS SUBSTANCE IS MUCH WORSE or YOU HAVE NO PROOF THAT WE ARE STUPID JUST BECAUSE WE SMOKE WEED. And what you people need to realize is people are given an opinion of you by your actions. If you talk respectfully and intelligently people will probably say 'Hey this person is smart and cool' and such, and it is my reaction when someone tells me they smoke weed, that i think "This person is a weak or stupid waste of life who needs to find something better than drugs to occupy their time and i wish they respected themselves more." Now thats how i think, and from discussions i've had with friends of mine im definitely not alone in my views. I wish weed was lethal for twentyfour hours, and do the world a favor.

Well as a smoker of pot myself and knowing about it since I was about 4 I can agree on everything you have said.
I must addon though.
I notice there have been arguments that weed is worse then cig's and others say its not.
Well I have asked doctors who use it for medical purposes and asked on blogs.
It comes out to this your basic joint of weed is not as bad(barley though) as a cigarette.Even with this though I think the main problem is the government can't find a official way to legilze it and put tax on it.I remember in third grade my teacher said if they did somehow come to making it legal it would cause more trouble then there already is.Reason being cause the current sellers would beat the prices in stores and cause legal issues.
So yeah that is my thoughts.

Post has been edited 1 time(s), last time on Jun 30 2008, 2:49 am by Twitch.

Exactly why I have no interest in using. I lose lots of respect for people who have addictions too meaningless substance or activity, of any kind. They are, in my mind, weak and useless.

Well after watching this video: http://youtube.com/watch?v=UDalvrAGKlY I think that it should be. There honestly is less worries about it than alcohol. When you're high you think everything is weird and shit. Well I've never been high before so i'm probably wrong here. I don't see anything wrong with it.

I'm pretty sure the whole "legalize" marijuana is a hopeless fight because the only marijuana considered for being legalized was medical marijuana. The medicinal properties of marijuana that are useful to patients can be extracted. People just want it to get high, and the government isn't going to let that happen. Besides the government makes money off of busting people for it.

A very key point. Why would they diminish a source of income?

Although I strongly disapprove of the use of marijuana, I also think it should be made legal. Why?

First, I don't think that outlawing marijuana has had any significant effect on its use. If anything, making it an illegal substance has added to its mystique and encourage young people to try it.

Second, and much more important, is that the trafficking of marijuana and other drugs has been the genesis for a huge amount of organized crime. Like Prohibition in the 1920s and 1930s, the sale of illegal drugs pumps tens of billions of dollars into the black market every year, allowing criminals to earn an easy living on the other side of the law. If marijuana were legal and taxed, even if it were still expensive, drug manufacturing companies would contribute to prevent its smuggling and any black market marijuana would be a much smaller thing than it is today.

Last, I also don't think that the government should try to restrict what people do to themselves in the privacy of their homes. I think the same restrictions should exist for marijuana as currently exist for tobacco, in order to minimize its public effect. But if people want to use drugs in the privacy of their homes, I see no reason why they should not have the legal right to. Something like Voltaire's take on free speech, I may not approve of marijuana use in private, but I will defend one's right to do so.

http://www.cannabisculture.com/articles/2958.html Move to ontario canada, and you can smoke weed all you want.

Intellectually, I agree that its illegality is rather dumb compared to some other legal (and much more destructive) recreational habits. I do not smoke it, and my resistance to wanting it legalized is much more personal and emotional. The reason being that I have been extremely unimpressed with the people I've encountered who are regular users. They also let their selfishness be known by doing it regardless of the potential legal ramifications such as imprisonment, loss of their jobs, loss of child custody, etc. The immaturity of most of the users is what makes me oppose it. I don't know for sure if legalizing it taxing the shit out of it would decrease the attraction (as DTBK suggested), but apart from making the punishments far more severe (which would be even more stupid) I don't know of a better way to curb its usage.


Plus, I can't stand the bleeding heart, sandal wearing, non-bathing, and unshaven hippie culture... I'm sure that has a lot to do with my ambivalence towards pot.

I feel that, when it comes to drugs, you can go ahead and do whatever you want. It doesn't really do anything to the gene pool unless a woman smokes it whilst she is pregnant. When it comes to drugs, I'm all for them being legal, if you're dumb enough to use them, and you'd like to slowly die, be my guest. Though, and I think this should apply to religion too, I'm completely against putting baise on people because they don't use drugs, and/or forcing them to use them. If anyone wants to use drugs, then it should be of their own free will, not that of someone else.

The more I think its stupid that it isn't legal, the happier I am that it is. Its a strange feeling ... let me explain. I don't think the government should have the right to tell us what we can and cannot do to our bodies or what we ask others to do. But at the same time the more people I meet who smoke this drug the more glad I am that it is illegal and officers do make an effort to keep it under control (however extremely futile this task is). Because these people are ... airheads to sum it up best. I haven't found a single responsible pot head, and all but one of them forgets everything significant I tell them (the one who doesn't actually writes shit down). This isn't to say these people are all bad, they're cool guys and pretty fun to hang out with sometimes. A couple of them are going to school and actually doing something with their life too.

But after talking to older 'former' smokers I feel comforted because I always hear stuff like "I'm glad I'm past that phase in my life" or "I'm glad I grew out of it". Its good to see that many people eventually drop it and get on with their lives.

I've found that through my experiences, its the people that are open, proud and especially those who brag about smoking are the ones who act retarded. Personally, I never smoke alone, its what I like to refer to as social smoking where I only smoke on weekends to loosen up and have a good time with a couple of friends. Also it makes death metal concerts even more enjoyable. I stay away from alcohol at concerts because I find that it just makes you sick because the double bass petals are so loud they shake your entire body. I find its the people who are very secretive about smoking weed that are the smart, well educated ones. My old math teacher is a perfect example, this man is a genius and he knows everything about anything. He also like to light up a joint every now and then.

Well either way, if he spent his leisure weed smoking time actually doing something productive, he would be that much more intelligent. Not that every moment of your life need be spent working and learning, everyone needs to unwind, but there are productive ways to unwind. Get a hobby, start a sport; something that will help strengthen you as an individual rather than wear away at your body and kill brain cells.

Simple fact: Is marijuana illegal? Yes.


Note: Without a prescription.

Don't be a smart ass -.-
He asked if it should be legal, not whether it was already or not.

Well, now its illegal and for a good reason.

When you do drugs your ability to think clearly, no matter what you may be personally feeling, is impaired. It is similar to when you drink alcohol. It impairs your ability to function normally. EX: Balance is off, you think you are fine, ect...

No.

As much as you guys who are on it think it's all great, it has torn apart more families than it has helped, you may argue otherwise, but you're using it, so obviously you think it's a good thing. I know a friend of mine who can no longer live with mom because she got into an accident while under the influence of marijuana while him and his brother were in the car. Anything that tears apart families like that should not be legalized.

This isn't to say I find things like gay marriage or smoking cigarettes correct, in fact, I would say cigarettes are worse than marijuana, as all they do it hurt you.

Funny, I have the same opinion about you that you seem to have about people who smoke pot.


How does gay marriage have ANYTHING to do with whether or not marijuana should be legal? Get off the gay population's dicks.

Now, to actually contribute. I'm basically with the boat that says it should be legal, although I don't condone using it. I actually think ALL drugs should be legal, with similar restrictions to alcohol. If someone wants to fuck themselves up, FINE, LET THEM. >:-0