Do You Think Pot Will Ever Be Legal?

[floyd2006]

Do You Think Pot Will Ever Be Legal?

Its legal In Colorado, you have to be 21 and only have an ounce or less and also read that nevada could legalize pot as well.

I think sooner or later It will be legal everywhere, whats your opinion on the subject?

[Lex Luthor]

Many years ago my Criminology teacher decided to ask the class who was for and who was against the legalization. I stood up for keeping it illegal, it was about a 50/50 split. The teacher planned this well (also a Political Science teacher) and made us all write a report on the opposite of our views.

That really opened my eyes and changed my opinion. In every category you put it up against alchohol it came up less dangerous.

No one dies from a pot overdose but many have died from alcohol poisoning.
Pot smokers rarely get violent where many violent crimes involve alcohol

The one arguement that I could not kick was one when I interviewed a doctor and discussed the facts. He stated just becasue it is not as bad as alcohol, who says that alcohol should have been legalized after all we know about it now.

Yes I have tried it and honestly i did nothing but make me sleepy. I will say that I work protection security (mainly concerts) on the side and I certainly would prefer the "stoners" to the "drunks". It's the drunks that end up getting thrown out for fighting and being idiots, I have never had to throw out or take down a "stoner"

[Fleet]

Do You Think Pot Will Ever Be Legal?

I certainly hope not. Pot is stupid and intelligent people avoid it because it's unnecessary. Millions of people get along fine without it. Then there is also the risk of cancer to consider.

[Czas na Zywiec]

Do You Think Pot Will Ever Be Legal?

Its legal In Colorado, you have to be 21 and only have an ounce or less and also read that nevada could legalize pot as well.

I think sooner or later It will be legal everywhere, whats your opinion on the subject?

No, it's decriminalized, but that's only in Denver city/county, not statewide. You can still get arrested and charged for selling it, smoking it, etc., but if you get merely caught with possession of it (such as if a cop pulls you over and sees pot on your passenger seat) and it's an ounce or less, he can't give you any charges for it. But again, that's only in Denver and Denver Police, so if you get pulled over by a State Trooper, you're pretty much ****ed.

They're trying to pass it state wide (there are a few counties that would vote for it, but El Paso county is a huge hurdle towards doing that). Me personally, I don't really give a ****. I don't smoke pot, never really had the want to, but I don't care if anyone else does. Not my business.

[Seth]

I certainly hope not. Pot is stupid and intelligent people avoid it because it's unnecessary. Millions of people get along fine without it. Then there is also the risk of cancer to consider.

Just like cigarettes/tobacco.

I say we legalize it, but tax the bejeezus out of it, just like with cigarettes. Increased source of revenue for the government, we control access while making it available to those who want it - controlled access being something that can never be achieved as long as it's on the black market. And those who want it, can, while those who don't, don't. We can also regulate it's usage, like alcohol - if you want to use it fine, but you'd damned well better not do anything such as drive, etc. while under the influence.

Personally, I'd never touch the stuff, but then again, I don't really go much for any of the indulgences.

[James"Thunder"Early]

I think it will be one day, probably for medical reasons. I wouldn't use it, but I honestly don't see a problem with making it legal for people who choose to use it.

[Fleet]

I think it will be one day, probably for medical reasons. I wouldn't use it, but I honestly don't see a problem with making it legal for people who choose to use it.
The problem with that is many people obtain it either with a legitimate doctor's note or a phony/forged one and then sell it to high school kids. There is no reason to legalize marijuana for "medical reasons" because there are already other drugs/herbs which work just as well, if not better. For instance, the herb ginger has been used for centuries to treat nausea and stomach upset. We don't need any illicit/mind altering drugs to treat disorders.

[Fleet]

Just like cigarettes/tobacco.

But that is not a mind-altering drug.

I say we legalize it, but tax the bejeezus out of it, just like with cigarettes. Increased source of revenue for the government, we control access while making it available to those who want it - controlled access being something that can never be achieved as long as it's on the black market.

I disagree. I would rather the government not get revenue from a mind-altering substance.

We can also regulate it's usage, like alcohol - if you want to use it fine, but you'd damned well better not do anything such as drive, etc. while under the influence.


How can it be regulated? And could the goverment prevent someone driving after using it? It's bad enough there are drunk drivers, we don't need another problem.

[I am Roboto]

It really doesn't matter which city or states legalize it through ballots as the Supreme Court ruled last year in Gonzales v. Raich that state drug laws are superceded by Federal law and thus cannot protect anyone from prosecution.

[Brad]

My personal take is that I think it should be legalized, but regulated to the extent that alcohol is. For example, I think that it should be illegal to drive under the influence of marijuana. And I agree with Seth that it should also be taxed.

As I've stated on this board, I used to smoke pot. A lot of it. It's been over three and a half years now since I took my last puff, but I can't lie: I don't regret the times I smoked it.

And I make no apologies: I had some good times on weed, with my friends, in the privacy of my house. Nobody was harmed. We just giggled a lot, ate Hamburger Helper, and listed to "Revolution 9" and The Dark Side Of The Moon. It's not for me anymore, though (I guess I grew out of it), but I hold no ill will toward anyone who chooses to partake in marijuana on their on personal time.

I will say that pot is certainly a "better" drug than alcohol, even with the medicinal benefits of the former aside.

Anyone wanting a good history on why marijuana is illegal in the United States should check out Ron Mann's 1999 film Grass (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0214730/). It's an informative and amusing documentary narrated by Woody Harrelson, which gives analysis on the history of the drug in the United States from its introduction in the early 20th century to the pandemonium that followed, through the end of the nineties.

But that is not a mind-altering drug.

Tobacco? Of course it is.

I disagree. I would rather the government not get revenue from a mind-altering substance.

The government already gets revenue from cigarettes and alcohol.

Then there is also the risk of cancer to consider.

Alcohol and tobacco run a much higer risk of cancer than marijuana. Alcohol also leads to the potention of a great many other disorders, many fatal. I never met my paternal grandmother because she drank herself to death in 1974.

As CartoonDVDs stated, nobody has ever died of a pot overdose.

[Kay Scarpetta]

I disagree. I would rather the government not get revenue from a mind-altering substance.


...like alcohol?

[Fleet]

...like alcohol?
Come on... no comparison.
A person can get high with one marijuana cigarette, but not with one beer.

[Fleet]

Tobacco? Of course it is.

No, it isn't. You don't get high from smoking tobacco. You can get addicted, yes, but that's not getting high. And no one has ever been pulled over for driving under the influence of tobacco!

The government already gets revenue from cigarettes and alcohol.


Again, tobacco, as far as getting high from, is not a mind-altering drug. And neither is alcohol in moderation.

[Kay Scarpetta]

Come on... no comparison.


Hey, I'm only playing devil's advocate here. You said "a mind-altering substance", which would include alcohol. Hell, if you walk into a packie store and pick up a bottle of whiskey, half of the price is tax.

I, personally, don't give a rat's ass if pot is legal or not. I don't smoke it anymore, therefore I don't care. I think if they were to legalize pot, kids would **** around with it way too much. There's not many car accidents today involving marijuana, but if you legalize it, you increase the chances of that number rising significantly. This is all my opinion of course, I know I'm going to get jumped on by somebody, so start taking shots now.

[Fleet]

:nod: I don't think it should be made legal. I have Glaucoma, but I would never even consider using it. I'd rather deal with the Glaucoma pressure than use that. That drug I've never used and never will.
That is very wise of you.
There are other ways to treat Glaucoma, with nutrients (choline and inositol, glutathione, rutin, vitamin A, vitamin B-complex, vitamin C and Vitamin E and herbs (bilberry, chickweed and coleus forskohli (an Ayurvedic herb which has been shown to reduce eye pressure).

[dawsongirl]

A person can get high with one marijuana cigarette, but not with one beer.
A real lightweight could.




anyway...it wouldn't bother me one bit if all the drugs mentioned in this thread were illegal. I'm a goody-goody, deal with it. I'd ban alcohol to oblivion if it were me, because the drunks have ruined it for all the responsible drinkers. And public smokers have ruined it for non-smokers who get secondhand smoke diseases. So on and so forth. And don't flame me, k?

[Brad]

You do raise a good point, Cathy, when it comes to alcohol and tobacco, and that is you can't have it both ways (well, obviously you can, but you shouldn't).

[Mr. Stefani]

I think they should. I've seen the effects of both various drugs and alochol, and I can honestly say I'd rather have more pot smokers in this country than drunks.

[Fleet]

I think they should. I've seen the effects of both various drugs and alochol, and I can honestly say I'd rather have more pot smokers in this country than drunks.
I can honestly say I'd rather have neither.
And what about the fact that pot would be much easier for children & teenagers to obtain if it was legal?

[Fleet]

Alcohol and tobacco run a much higer risk of cancer than marijuana.

Not true. marijuana has a higher concentration of carcinogens (cancer-causing substances) than does tobacco.

[Mr. Stefani]

I can honestly say I'd rather have neither.
And what about the fact that pot would be much easier for children & teenagers to obtain if it was legal?

but it's not hard now to obtain and everyone is getting it so they might as well make it legal.

[dawsongirl]

I can honestly say I'd rather have neither.
And what about the fact that pot would be much easier for children & teenagers to obtain if it was legal?
No easier or harder than alcohol is now I imagine. They'd probably put an age limit on pot, just like booze...and just like booze, kids would find away around that.

[Lex Luthor]

Come on... no comparison.
A person can get high with one marijuana cigarette, but not with one beer.

How many people do you know who drink one beer? Many pot smokers do not smoke a full joint so your moderation theory is out the window,

Alcohol is a poison (chemical compound... hence alcohol poisoning) that is absolutely a mind altering drug.

"alcohol causes the control center of the brain to become inhibited, primarily affecting judgment, vision and motor skills" Heidi Cuda, MA, CADC

There is no comparisin

How many crimes in NA have a direct correlation with alcohol intake?

How often have you heard about some stoned pot smoker beating his wife, starting a fight, in the hospital for a pot overdose,etc...? I live in Vancouver where you can find pot almost as easily as tobacco. I have NEVER heard of a stoned driver accident but drunk drivers are in the news all the time.

Legalization would take away probably the worst element of pot... the dealers. Pot also has far less medical side effects than many opiate based pain killers like codiene, morphine, etc... Many years ago I would have sided with you on this until I was forced to do a paper on it and like I said in my first post the only thing in the pot vs alcohol debate I could really concede was that maybe neither of them should be legal

[Lex Luthor]

Not true. marijuana has a higher concentration of carcinogens (cancer-causing substances) than does tobacco.

People do not smoke 20 joints a day but they do cigarrettes. The government is certainly happily take the enourmous tax dollars from essentially killing its population why should pot be any different. Please do not take this as a political statement either because the Canadian government is even worse in gouging tax money for death products.

[floyd2006]

http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/10/17/nevada.marijuana.ap/index.html

[Dutabi84]

I certainly hope not. Pot is stupid and intelligent people avoid it because it's unnecessary. Millions of people get along fine without it. Then there is also the risk of cancer to consider.

Alcohol, tobacco, and unhealthy food are also unnecessary. Therefore anybody who uses these are also unintelligent, huh? Way to alienate virtually the whole world.

[Dutabi84]

Come on... no comparison.
You're right, there is no comparison. Alcohol is much more dangerous.
A person can get high with one marijuana cigarette, but not with one beer.

Yeah, cause you always see all these alcoholics done drinking after one beer.

[Dutabi84]

I can honestly say I'd rather have neither.
And what about the fact that pot would be much easier for children & teenagers to obtain if it was legal?

Honestly Fleet, I think you would be shocked at how easy it already is to get pot. Prohibiting it really isn't making it that hard to find.

[Fleet]

Alcohol, tobacco, and unhealthy food are also unnecessary. Therefore anybody who uses these are also unintelligent, huh? Way to alienate virtually the whole world.
Why make pot legal and have yet another problem released into society?
In other words, pointing out other vices doesn't validate legalizing marijuana.

[Fleet]

Honestly Fleet, I think you would be shocked at how easy it already is to get pot. Prohibiting it really isn't making it that hard to find.
And making it even easier makes sense to you? :confused:

[dawsongirl]

Why make pot legal and have yet another problem released into society?

As if one thing would make a huge difference in this problematic world. Hell, half the population wouldn't even notice.

[Dutabi84]

Why make pot legal and have yet another problem released into society?
In other words, pointing out other vices doesn't validate legalizing marijuana.

Huh? When did I ever say I wanted it to be legalized? It really makes no difference to me. I'm just curious about your stance on people who drink, smoke tobacco, and eat unhealthily. Are they stupid too?

[Dutabi84]

The difference in how easily obtained it is wouldn't change very significantly.

[Lex Luthor]

Why make pot legal and have yet another problem released into society?
In other words, pointing out other vices doesn't validate legalizing marijuana.

The problem is already there you are not going to stop the users one way or another. Making it legal takes it out of the criminals hands and allows you to tax it.

[Brad]

The difference in how easily obtained it is wouldn't change very significantly.

It would change a little. While it could still be obtained illegally by minors the way cigarettes and alcohol are, it's still something the government can regulate (age limits; etc.).

[Fleet]

As if one thing would make a huge difference in this problematic world. Hell, half the population wouldn't even notice.
Again, why release yet another problem into society?

[Fleet]

The problem is already there you are not going to stop the users one way or another. Making it legal takes it out of the criminals hands and allows you to tax it.
Right. The problem is already there... why legalize it and make it even easier for kids to get a hold of it?
The father away kids (and everyone else) stays away from that garbage, the better.

[floyd2006]

I think pot should be legal and probably will be one day.It could also help raise alot of many for your state.

[Yooch]

No. And I hope it never does. Those who need it for glaucoma or pain can get it prescribed. For the rest of us, it should be kept illegal.

[swedeace]

We talked about the medicinal uses for pot in my Macroeconomics class earlier this year. It depends how it will be used. Some of its material can be used for certain cancer therapies (i.e. chemo) with pain that's associated during treatments. Pot can help ease it. Then again, there might also be some kind of pseudo pot available from what I hear.

So, it's hard to say whether it might be legal or not down the line.