Marijuana Legalization

[Nebulous's iconNebulous]

If marijuana was so bad, doctors wouldn't prescribe it.

Everything has side effects. If abused, anything can lead to higher health costs.

Funny that the doctors are the one GIVING it to their patients....

Alcohol is legal and is far more dangerous and has more damaging effects than marijuana any day. Perhaps they should trade places..

Increased legal marijuana consumption will decrease economic productivity, too.

Is that a for-real statement? Total speculation...

What people do in their off time wont effect their productivity at work or wherever else. Don't blame the vice's, blame the people.

How about wiping out the national debt in about 2 years here in the States when they start taxing it?

Maybe not that quickly but I agree, it will definitely help out. The govt. needs to start thinking outside the box.

 

[Bluezone777]

I honestly don't see the point in making any drug illegal. If anything I say make them all legal for a lot of reasons.



It would save money as money would not be wasted in catching users and sellers of drugs.



Reduce the amount of people in jail simply for doing drugs. Drug use offenders waste space in jails better served for people who actually do crimes worth putting people into prison for like murder, rape, etc.



Crime would most likely go down simply because a lot of crime is related to the selling of drugs like organized crime. Most organized crime makes a lot off the selling of illegal drugs so making them legal kills their funding and can probably break them up since they no longer have a source of income to operate.



Also I think people have this weird idea that supporting their legalization means you support their using it. It's just not true. While I support their legalization, I wouldn't support their actual use well outside of marijuana since it has actual health benefits and the rest don't.



Another thing people fear is the supposed idea that everyone is just going to run out and start doing it simply because it's legal and that is also simply not true. If someone wants to mess up their body, get sick and die then all the power to them. If you are dumb enough to do drugs then you should be allowed to suffer the consequences. We don't need the government to start dictating what we should and shouldn't do to such a level as then you give up the basic human rights of freedom.



Most of the anti legalization crowd is simply afraid of doing it because they aren't educated on the matter or are being misinformed by groups who would benefit from it all staying illegal.

 

[Skillet]

[quote name='Skillet']Oh, how do you feel about decriminalization as opposed to legalization?

That is what this state has done and of course, I think it's brilliant.

And for every article you can show me that says what you want it to say, I can show you an article that says the complete opposite of what yours said.[/quote]



Fair enough. These debates are not black and white though, obviously. There is a lot of gray in the law. That is why this has been a debate for a long time.

 

[Vivian]

We should trade the laws for alcohol and mary jane.

 

[xneseyx]

Here's some facts for ya: viewtopic.php?p=5337#p5337

I clicked on your link and it said there was an error... it took me back to Off Topix.

 

[hotspot]

I don't think it is good to legalize marijauna, it's bad for people. They should just ban it!

However, I think it should only be used for medicinal purposes. Like I have an aunt who has cancer and she's used it becuase it makes her eat.

 

[Nebulous's iconNebulous]

I clicked on your link and it said there was an error... it took me back to Off Topix.

That was something posted while we were on phpbb, after converting to vB the url's to the threads on this forum changed. Here is the correct one: http://offtopix.com/showpost.php?p=5254&postcount=3

I don't think it is good to legalize marijauna, it's bad for people. They should just ban it!

Alcohol is worse for you and that is perfectly legal. There are a lot more deaths relating to alchohol each year (wether it be car accidents or alcohol poisoning) and thats fine... Marijauna is more healthier for you and is used as medication and perscribed by doctors, yet it remains illegal for most of the population.

Strange how the world works.

 

[Payton]

Well, I don't want to be caught doing it illegally and get in trouble for it, so naturally I say yes to making it legal.

 

[Nebulous's iconNebulous]

Yeah thats the other side of the debate. People will START smoking it solely because its legal to do.

 

[Sam.]

Don't let the potheads win!

 

[Bluezone777]

My thoughts on legalizing drugs are pretty much what is said here by Penn and Teller.

 

[Evil Eye]

Yeah thats the other side of the debate. People will START smoking it solely because its legal to do.

People would also stop smoking it because it's legal...

Wonder how many would stop and start...



Anyway, all out chaos is unlikely (see Netherlands) and while I'm sure it'll give some problems at first it'll probably greatly boost tourism

and the problems could subside after a while.

 

[Jonathan]

Not really a 'grim' view--but it's awfully jaded.

I never did partake, but most of the people that did, that I knew, never went anywhere when they were stoned. They were at home and very laid back and mellow.

I don't know that smoking a joint leaves you any more impared than drinking a beer.

Just a thought. Since it's illegal now to smoke marijuana casually, I'm sure most of the people who do it won't leave their houses when they are stoned. But if it's legal, don't you think they would be doing that everywhere? Then we'll have stoned people walking around town.



Just a thought. I really have no stand in this topic. I hate the smell of pot though. I live in Hawaii and I really feel like punching those who smoke pot in the face because of the stench. Just my view

 

[Scout]

Why Marijuana should NOT be legalized.



Many people say that it is harmless, but I have good reasoning to support that marijuana is harmful, I don't care what the potheads say. Marijuana has been shown to cause health problems. It DESTROYS brain cells and intelligence, and people are much more violent and aggressive while under the influence of marijuana. Pot can induce anxiety and short term memory loss.



Pot can also cause an increase in hunger, which can lead to decreased physical activity and an abnormally higher consumption of food. Pot is also a sexual stimulant and is therefore associated with many teenage pregnancies.



Scientific studies show that smoking pot can increase your risk for cancer. It’s main ingredient is THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol), a mind-altering chemical. Marijuana produced today has a level of THC that is up to 25 times higher than the type sold in the 1960s. And depending on how it is “cut”, it can contain hundreds of other harmful chemicals, many of which are carcinogenic (cancer-causing).



Biologically, marijuana affects the brain, heart, lungs, sexual organs, and depresses the immune system. The effects on the brain include distortion of the senses, confused judgment, and decreased motor skills. Operating machinery and motor vehicles becomes dangerous. Effects on the heart include rapid heart rate and high blood pressure. Respiratory problems include pharyngitis, laryngitis, and bronchitis. Marijuana has been associated with lung, head, and neck cancers. It reduces the T-cells in the immune system that are needed to fight off infections. In pre-teens, marijuana use can retard physical growth and slow down development. High dose marijuana use can cause decreased fertility, breast enlargement in males, and breast milk production.

 

[Nebulous's iconNebulous]

Why Marijuana should NOT be legalized.



Many people say that it is harmless, but I have good reasoning to support that marijuana is harmful, I don't care what the potheads say. Marijuana has been shown to cause health problems. It DESTROYS brain cells and intelligence, and people are much more violent and aggressive while under the influence of marijuana. Pot can induce anxiety and short term memory loss.



Pot can also cause an increase in hunger, which can lead to decreased physical activity and an abnormally higher consumption of food. Pot is also a sexual stimulant and is therefore associated with many teenage pregnancies.



Scientific studies show that smoking pot can increase your risk for cancer. It’s main ingredient is THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol), a mind-altering chemical. Marijuana produced today has a level of THC that is up to 25 times higher than the type sold in the 1960s. And depending on how it is “cut”, it can contain hundreds of other harmful chemicals, many of which are carcinogenic (cancer-causing).



Biologically, marijuana affects the brain, heart, lungs, sexual organs, and depresses the immune system. The effects on the brain include distortion of the senses, confused judgment, and decreased motor skills. Operating machinery and motor vehicles becomes dangerous. Effects on the heart include rapid heart rate and high blood pressure. Respiratory problems include pharyngitis, laryngitis, and bronchitis. Marijuana has been associated with lung, head, and neck cancers. It reduces the T-cells in the immune system that are needed to fight off infections. In pre-teens, marijuana use can retard physical growth and slow down development. High dose marijuana use can cause decreased fertility, breast enlargement in males, and breast milk production.

Most that applies to a more harmful (yet legal) substance known as alcohol. Why is that legal?

 

[Bluezone777]

Simple.



It makes the government money via taxes and making it illegal created such chaos and made organized crime so powerful that they had to make it legal so organized crime wouldn't take over the country which is probably what would happen if it was still illegal today.



Why does the government need to control what people do with their lives? If they want to mess their life up with drugs then let them as they will do it no matter if its legal or not. It's a waste of money and time fighting a hopeless battle especially when the fact it's illegal is what funds most of the organized crime that they are fighting. Make it legal, regulate it and you will not only suck the life out of organized crime via their bank accounts but you give those who want it the ability to get it without going to shady criminals and they get the right dose so they don't kill themselves via overdosing on it.

 

[Jazzy]

It's a waste of money and time fighting a hopeless battle especially when the fact it's illegal is what funds most of the organized crime that they are fighting. Make it legal, regulate it and you will not only suck the life out of organized crime via their bank accounts but you give those who want it the ability to get it without going to shady criminals and they get the right dose so they don't kill themselves via overdosing on it.

Sorry but I'm having a hard time trying to understand your logic here. Are you saying that only organized crime and shady criminals sell marijuana? What about when you have a prescription for medical reasons? Are the doctors and pharmacists part of this organized crime too? Who's going to regulate it if marijuana were to become legal? What is the right dose? Oh, man, I need a break

 

[Scout]

Unfortunately, marijuana has pretty much the same effects as alcohol. The only reason alcohol is legal is because the government profits from it, immensely I might add. For whatever reason, the government is not able to tax marijuana, and this is why it will most likely remain illegal.



I'm not even sure I would recommend that marijuana be prescribed by doctors. Many doctors still prescribe it as a treatment for certain illnesses. The irony is that, because marijuana depresses the body's immune system, marijuana use only leads way to more illnesses and is therefore not a treatment at all.

 

[Nebulous's iconNebulous]

I'm not even sure I would recommend that marijuana be prescribed by doctors.

What credentials and qualifications do you have to make any sort of recommendations to a doctor in the 1st place?

 

[Scout]

What credentials and qualifications do you have to make any sort of recommendations to a doctor in the 1st place?

I do not claim, whatsoever, to be telling doctors what they can and cannot do. I am simply stating my opinion, that marijuana does not aid in the treatment of an ill person.



As stated, marijuana weakens the immune system, therefore prescription of the drug is counterproductive. It is a known fact, every doctor I have spoken to about the subject has said the same thing.



This is why I would never advise anyone (doctor or not) to supply people with weed to help a person get over illness. There are far better alternatives.