Leaglize the Weed

[chadys]

just wondering how many of you folks would be in favor of legalizing marijuana both medically, industrially and recreationally in the US...if you feel like giving reasons please do so.

i am under the firm impression that the war on drugs as a whole, but specifically marijuana is a crock of shit. any other thoughts out there?

peace

 

[Mr Miyagi]

LMAO......i suspect this could be a bit of a one sided result!

Oh and Chadys, that green text really hurts your eyes!

 

[chadys]

yeah sorry Miyagi san i realized that after i posted the message...

my apologies to all for the crappy text color i selected...

:eek:

 

[Calm]

That green font almost made me not read it.
Anyways, I think that's a bad idea, and I'm not only speaking from a non-smoker point of view.
There are alot of reasons, we all know what drugs do to your body and I'd hate to see 13 years old kids doing drugs now and ruining their life; the amount of junkies will grow and thus the amount of crime and all of the other stuff junkies do (too obvious and known to elaborate).

I know I didnt explain it the best but you know what I mean.
To sum up, keep it illegal and keep using it if you like.

 

[parker]

When it comes to issues such as this my views are decidely libertarian. As I've stated on many threads before this one, I happen to live an extremely clean lifestyle, but that is my choice.... I've never thought my personal habits need to be made into law. I have no problem with regulating the industry, and keeping it illegal for minors, but at some point (ie. adulthood), you ought to let the individual decide for himself.

 

[mr336wmg]

Here are my thoughts on the matter… Although I am a police officer (as many of you know).. I am for legalizing marijuana. I personally don’t use it, and would likely continue to not use it if it were legalized. I also have to enforce the current laws regarding possession, use, and distribution of marijuana. Personally, I think pot is no worse than alcohol. The problem is, how do you legalize it? There is no way to tax it, I doubt it could be handled like alcohol currently is in the United States. Countless studies have shown that marijuana is far less damaging to the user than alcohol or even cigarettes.

Also there isn’t a way to set a limit as to when you are considered “intoxicated”, which brings up the whole “driving while stoned” problem. See, alcohol gets into your blood and is aspirated through your lungs with your breath. This makes it easier to detect the amount of alcohol in your system. Marijuana on the other hand requires a urine or blood test to confirm the amount in your system. This would be very costly to detect due to the large amounts of testing involved. There are other methods of testing without using blood or urine, Vertical Gaze Nystagmus (not to be confused with HGN which is used in detecting alcohol) and the use of an eye pupil chart. These tests are both considered subjective and can only be used to develop probable cause. They are not generally very accurate and could easily be shot down by the courts. Even if the blood or urine tests were only used in the cases involving accidents caused by stoned drivers it would still be very expensive over all.

Another part of the problem is since most marijuana used in the US is grown out of the country, there would have to be some type of import tax assessed. The amount of problems involved tell me that although there is a large following of pro-legalizing people out there, Marijuana will likely NEVER be legal.

 

[mcglip]

If you can't even spell legalize correctly, my guess is you've spent too much time smoking it already.

 

[siliconebrian]

I say NO!

 

[LetoII]

i say YES. making drugs illegal never stopped people from taking them, and by legalizing drugs we could at least control the distribution and also the quality of the substances. it would also solve a great deal of the deliquency, since the drug users wouldn't have to get it from the street anymore (and they could afford it without driving themselves into poverty - or worse). by distributing drugs legally via pharmacies one would also have a better overview concerning the exact number of drug users - e.g. by means of a registration system.

as you can see i'm talking about drugs in general, not particularly Marijuana, because there is no "drug problem" attached to MJ itself: it causes no physical damage, we have no people dying from MJ, there are no people begging on the streets because of MJ and it is not the gateway drug #1 (alcohol and cigarettes are).
Marijuana is the softest and most harmless drug of all - no question it should be legalized. and i think we should also take similar measures concerning hard drugs, because of the reasons i've stated before.

just my :2 cents:

 

[jod0565]

No; what would be next - heroin.

 

[member5726]

No; what would be next - heroin.

Marijuana have been proven to have some benefices over the years, for people terminally ill, i've got a friend who's suffering from cancer, he prefer to smoke a couple a joints everyday instead of taking medication.

To my knowledge marijuana have never killed someone... heroin is killing people everyday...

BTW its because i'm drinking beer, that i would want to try stronger stuff like gin or whisky... :2 cents:

 

[nylo]

By legalizing it, you take away the "forbidden fruit" syndrome and there isn't as much of a "thrill" by using it. It's just like the alcohol prohibition.

 

[Ol-Skool-Perv]

Whatever they do, just eliminate this bullshit "GATEWAY" tag to marijuauna.

The gateway for me was alcohol, plain and simple. I discovered how getting fucked off of a substance was fun, all thanks to alcohol. When I got bored of alcohol, I tried the herb...lookin for something different.

Oh right, I get it...I stepped into illegal activities by buying and smoking herb and now the gateway is open to me flaunting the law and trying cocaine and heroin...yea right.

Just keep it illegal. I live in BC, Canada so "illegal" is just a technicality.

Actually, decriminalize it. Then thousands of people can live as they should - free.

I've smoked it every day for ten years. I haven't hurt anyone yet and play hockey, basketball and soccer with gusto. Fuck the propaganda! It's not as soft as some people think, but it's no evil. Young minds are especially at risk. Herb is OK once the young brain has developed...I'd say 18/19 years is the earliest one should begin smoking herb.

Feel free to check my spelling and grammar. Cheap shot on the spelling error above noted. :thefinger

 

[QBall1970]

Marijuana have been proven to have some benefices over the years, for people terminally ill, i've got a friend who's suffering from cancer, he prefer to smoke a couple a joints everyday instead of taking medication.

To my knowledge marijuana have never killed someone... heroin is killing people everyday...

BTW its because i'm drinking beer, that i would want to try stronger stuff like gin or whisky... :2 cents:

Very true. And as some other members have posted, it takes away the "forbidden fruit" aspect of it, not to mention that, if it is ever legalized, the control and distribution factors would be in the hands of the authorities (i.e., government agencies) and would be stringently regulated.

Do I advocate rampant drug use? Not at all. I've actually never done any kind of an illicit drug in my life. I drink alcohol.. beer, whiskey, gin, vodka, and bourbon. But I am wise enough - and have read enough history - to realize that the allure of any "outlawed" substance only makes its inherent street appeal that much more larger than life. You take away the illegality of the situation and you remove the overwhelming appeal of "doing somehting wrong". Case in point, prohibition.

Also, a few little known facts concerning illicit substances:

Heroin, opium, and morphine were all once sold over the counter in the late 1800's all the way up through to the 1930's and 1940's. LEGALLY.

Coca-Cola was originally formulated with a derivative of cocaine. The main ingredient in the original Coca-Cola formula came directly from the cocoa plant... the very same plant that cocaine is derived from.

Laudanum - once prescribed for migraine headaches and "fainting spells" (i.e., tremors, shakes, d.t.'s, just about anything that falls within a "fainting spells" category - is actually a lower grade of opium and is a direct forerunner of morphine; nonetheless, it was still highly adictive by virtue of it being an opiate. Quite a few well known historical figures were regularly prescribed and took laudanum. The most famous being one Dr. John Henry Holliday (a.k.a., "Doc" Holliday of Tombstone, AZ, friend of U.S. Marshall Wyatt Earp.) He was medically prescribed laudanum for his continued fits of "consumption" (i.e., tuberculosis.) Another famous figure associated with laudanum is Edgar Allen Poe, author of "The Raven" and various other works.

 

[member2686]

It's Your Body, My Society

I happen to take a decidedly Libertarian point of view on this topic. I've smoked marijuana a time or two or three before (it wasn't my "thing"), so I do have an opinion on it, but it's not a "hot button" for me. It's just not important to me, personally (other than societal implications). The first time I smoked marijuana was in Amsterdam at The Bulldog Cafe. Nice "koffee" shop, terrible "high." Way, way too strong!!! lol It just didn't attract me, but if it's your enjoyment and it doesn't threaten or impinge upon the life, liberty, and rights of others, I say you should be able to choose what you put into your body. I think Holland has, more or less, the appropriate approach to this issue.

I'm not going to go into a lengthy, prolix post about the pros and cons of the debate re: marjuana legalization. I'll let another speak for me on this topic -- Neal Boortz, nationally-syndicated U.S. talk show host:

"The Rand Corporation conducted a study on the costs associated with various approaches to the drug problem. The question the study addressed was "How much would it cost to reduce cocaine usage in the United States by just one percent over a period of 15 years? "

One percent over 15 years. That's not much. And just what would that 1 percent cost us? Read on …

The cost of reducing cocaine usage by 1 percent through TREATMENT of cocaine users – $34 million

The cost of this reduction through law enforcement, arresting and jailing drug users and drug dealers – $246 million

The cost through interdiction, using the Coast Guard and Customs officials to intercept the drugs before they enter the country – $366 million

The cost of this reduction through the use of American military personnel, destroying growing and manufacturing facilities in countries like Colombia – $783 million

So ... why don't we just keep throwing money down rat holes? Let's keep arresting users – keep the interdiction efforts alive – maintain those troops in Colombia – and ignore the treatment option. We have money to burn, don't we?"

 

[sean9m]

The gateway for me was alcohol, plain and simple. I discovered how getting fucked off of a substance was fun, all thanks to alcohol. When I got bored of alcohol, I tried the herb...lookin for something different.

Very true. Alcohol is legal so they dont want to put the blame on that. I am strongly for it to be legalized. The one tough thing though as mr336wmg said that if someone smokes and drives. I use to smoke a lot and havent smoked at all now for 2 or 3 years. There are more important things to be concerned about then weed. It cost tons of money to even attempt to control. One other thing is in my freshman year in college (2001) we had to do something whether we thought it should be legal or not. The prof. said that when the vote came up to legalize it was almost legalized but the southern states did not vote for it to be legalized(1980s sometime) becuase it would threaten their tabacco profits. He also said that it is coming up to a vote again soon about legalization. I dont know how accurate this is but if so I hope it does get legalized.

 

[ooahouch]

Mine is a simple no..

 

[Brino]

yes

 

[chadys]

If you can't even spell legalize correctly, my guess is you've spent too much time smoking it already.

still doesn't say whether you're a yes or no!?

didn't realize i was in english class...lol.

 

[chadys]

Here are my thoughts on the matter… Although I am a police officer (as many of you know).. I am for legalizing marijuana. I personally don’t use it, and would likely continue to not use it if it were legalized. I also have to enforce the current laws regarding possession, use, and distribution of marijuana. Personally, I think pot is no worse than alcohol. The problem is, how do you legalize it? There is no way to tax it, I doubt it could be handled like alcohol currently is in the United States. Countless studies have shown that marijuana is far less damaging to the user than alcohol or even cigarettes.

Also there isn’t a way to set a limit as to when you are considered “intoxicated”, which brings up the whole “driving while stoned” problem. See, alcohol gets into your blood and is aspirated through your lungs with your breath. This makes it easier to detect the amount of alcohol in your system. Marijuana on the other hand requires a urine or blood test to confirm the amount in your system. This would be very costly to detect due to the large amounts of testing involved. There are other methods of testing without using blood or urine, Vertical Gaze Nystagmus (not to be confused with HGN which is used in detecting alcohol) and the use of an eye pupil chart. These tests are both considered subjective and can only be used to develop probable cause. They are not generally very accurate and could easily be shot down by the courts. Even if the blood or urine tests were only used in the cases involving accidents caused by stoned drivers it would still be very expensive over all.

Another part of the problem is since most marijuana used in the US is grown out of the country, there would have to be some type of import tax assessed. The amount of problems involved tell me that although there is a large following of pro-legalizing people out there, Marijuana will likely NEVER be legal.

those are some very good points you have made. i agree that regulation is a difficult matter but i think it ties into your last comments on most of the mj being grown outside the US. i think legalization should and would also entail legalization of growing within the US which would make regulation as well as taxation much easier and will thus decrease the need for imports. i think that of course imports will continue to come in and we would definitely need a manner in which to regulate and tax those also. But opening up the agricultural opportunity could internalize much of the process from start to finish.

with internal growers i think it could be regulated much like tobacco is today.

as for the testing methods for DWI/DUI i have no answer for that one. i know this is a huge issue...i can say from personal experience that i have been let off by an officer when i was quite high and probably should have been incarcerated. for myself that really woke me up to the driving under the influence issue and i continue to this day to avoid driving if i have been smoking. i can't say that most people are this way, unfortunately. not sure what would remedy this issue.

as much as i'd like to see it become legal i have to agree i doubt that i will ever see a day when it has even reached a de-criminalized status.