Why the recreational usage of marijuana Should Not Be Legalized

[Sammy the Jedi]

The amount of deaths that result from stoned driving car accidents will increase, if marijuana was legalized. This is just plain common sense. When marijuana becomes legalized (which it is already in two states, which are Colorado and Washington, and soon to be many more other states), there will be much more stoned driving car accidents. Honestly, when pot becomes more socially and culturally acceptable and it's more available, much more people will do it, and the incidents of the stoned driving car accidents will be a result of the increased usage of pot. Being under the influence of ANY intoxicating substance obviously would influence somebody's decision making processes on the road in a very negative matter. And their reaction time is slowed down, which can be deadly during very dangerous emergency situations while driving on the road.

And when stoned drivers drift and swerve and when they switch lanes, isn't that bound to cause some deadly car accidents?

And, yes, drunk driving is far more worse than stoned driving, because marijuana doesn't cause anywhere near the loss of motor skills and motor control, and because of that far less people die during stoned driving car accidents than with drunk drivers, but really, do two wrongs make a right? Should we make another dangerous drug legal, even if it's just for the sake of consistency? Drunk driving has killed tens of thousands of innocent people, do we need to legalize another drug that will cause even more people to die during car accidents?

Arguing that alcohol causes more traffic deaths makes perfect sense as an argument in making alcohol into an illegal substance, it's not a good argument at all into legalizing another very harmful substance-marijuana. Our laws are nothing but pure hypocrisy. We should illegalize alcohol too, and keep pot illegal also. Even if you believe that trying to bring back alcohol prohibition would still be a huge failure, we still shouldn't introduce other harmful substances that would wreak even more havoc into our society.

And, yes, alcohol. In some ways, the situation of legalized pot is even worse than alcohol in regards to traffic accidents. Millions of people drink wine, beer, and yes, even those stronger drinks such as vodka, without ever getting drunk and getting behind the wheel of their car. When was the last time you've ever heard of somebody who smoked marijuana without getting stoned or high? NEVER! That's because alcohol doesn't always cause intoxication, unlike marijuana, which always results in intoxication.

Most Americans have tried out alcohol at least once on several special occasions, and even though most drinkers don't get drunk, just think about all of the harm and suffering that has caused? Just imagine if every person who took a drink got drunk? Only a small, or at least a medium percentage, of drinkers get drunk. Just imagine if 100% of all Americans that took a drink of alcohol at least once, became intoxicated, how much more crimes and car accidents would have happened.

With marijuana, everybody gets intoxicated on it (unlike alcohol), so that's equivalent to that above scenario.

And it's not just car accidents.

People that are stoned often commit other crimes while under the influence. Just like with alcohol, some stoned people can become violent. Whenever somebody's inhibitions are lowered, violence can occur. And all of this nonsense I hear about "stoners never get violent and aggressive unlike those drunks". The truth is that both drugs (which is alcohol and marijuana) can lead to aggressive behaviors, for the same reasons that I stated above-their inhibitions are lowered. Sure, there are some mellow pot smokers, but there's also some mellow drunks; which does nothing to diminish the fact that there are some violent drunks and some violent pot smokers. Here's some further evidence that marijuana can contribute to some violent behaviors.

"A study by the U.S. Department of Justice showed that 35% of inmates reported they were under the influence of drugs at the time they committed
their crime. Marijuana and hashish were cited as the most frequently used at
the time of the crime.61
• A study published in the International Journal of Addiction involving interviews
with 268 inmates in New York prison for homicide revealed that 70% had
used marijuana within twenty-four hours of committing the crime and felt
they experienced some effect from the drug at the time of the crime.62
Twenty-five percent felt the homicide was related to their use of marijuana
before the crime.62
• A study conducted in Denver, Colorado revealed that 39% of violent crime
arrestees and 34% of domestic crime arrestees tested positive for marijuana."

Those statistics all come from this article.

http://www.healthydrugfreecolorado.org/html/Marijuana%20Legalization%20What%20Do%20You%20Want% 20to%20Know%20FINAL.pdf

Yes, I know that marijuana isn't as dangerous to somebody's overall health than cigarettes and alcohol is. Cigarettes damage the lungs more so than pot does (the anti-cancer properties in the THC and the CBD actually counteract some of those negative respiratory effects, and pot smokers don't smoke as often as tobacco smokers), marijuana doesn't permanently lower your IQ, that's just some myth based upon a flawed study, most pot smokers don't get schizophrenia or psychosis (unless they have some sort of genetic predisposition to schizophrenia or psychosis). So, my main reason for opposing pot legalization is that pot leads to some violent crimes and some car accidents. It affects people's behaviors in some very dangerous ways.

[BillyBob]

Any society founded on liberty would never dictate to the citizenry what it can and cannot ingest.

[Sammy the Jedi]

Any society founded on liberty would never dictate the citizenry what it can and cannot ingest.

I totally agree with you about this specific point that you're trying to make. If people want to smoke marijuana and get health problems for doing that, then I don't really care about that. That's their right. If people can legally smoke cigarettes and get all sorts of cancers from doing that, and if they can drink alcohol and get other bad health problems from doing that, then they legally should have the right to smoke a less addictive and physically harmful substance (which is marijuana) than either cigarettes and alcohol.

HOWEVER

While I do agree with some of those pro pot arguments my main reasons for keeping pot illegal have absolutely nothing to do with it's health effects on the human body (which would be pure hypocrisy to argue that), I want to keep pot illegal because it can lead people towards various sorts of dangerous behaviors (such as violent crimes and stoned drivings), which make them become a danger to the other people in society.

[BillyBob]

HOWEVER

While I do agree with some of those pro pot arguments my main reasons for keeping pot illegal have absolutely nothing to do with it's health effects on the human body (which would be pure hypocrisy to argue that), I want to keep pot illegal because it can lead people towards various sorts of dangerous behaviors (such as violent crimes and stoned drivings), which make them become a danger to the other people in society.

If you want to outlaw everything that can potentially cause harm then we might as well eliminate humans entirely.

[Sammy the Jedi]

If you want to outlaw everything that can potentially cause harm then we might as well eliminate humans entirely.

Well, that's a very slippery slope argument, and it's derailing to this whole discussion in general.

Cigarettes don't cause people to be violent. Marijuana does cause some violent behaviors. Illegal drugs are more harmful than those legal drugs because they have more destructive effects on your behavior and on your mental state than do legal drugs.

I totally agree with you, that the negative side effects on somebody's health from smoking pot are absolutely not a good reason to keep pot as an illegal substance, since some legal substances are far more destructive to somebody's overall physical health, in general. The reason that I want to keep pot illegal is because it leads to some very dangerous behaviors, that make the pot smoker a danger to society.

[BillyBob]

Well, that's a very slippery slope argument, and it's derailing to this whole discussion in general.

No, I don't agree. Not based on the reasons you gave to outlaw pot.


Cigarettes don't cause people to be violent.

Yet it's common for cigarette smokers to steal cigarettes.



Marijuana does cause some violent behaviors. Illegal drugs are more harmful than those legal drugs because they have more destructive effects on your behavior and on your mental state than do legal drugs.

I strongly doubt stoners are as violent as drunks.


I totally agree with you, that the negative side effects on somebody's health from smoking pot are absolutely not a good reason to keep pot as an illegal substance, since some legal substances are far more destructive to somebody's overall physical health, in general. The reason that I want to keep pot illegal is because it leads to some very dangerous behaviors, that make the pot smoker a danger to society.

It's been many decades since I smoked some pot, but from what I remember it didn't have nearly the adverse effect on my driving as alcohol does. You don't make the substance illegal, you make driving while under the influence illegal. And it's already illegal to commit crimes whether stoned or sober.

[jillian]

Well, that's a very slippery slope argument, and it's derailing to this whole discussion in general.

Cigarettes don't cause people to be violent. Marijuana does cause some violent behaviors. Illegal drugs are more harmful than those legal drugs because they have more destructive effects on your behavior and on your mental state than do legal drugs.

I totally agree with you, that the negative side effects on somebody's health from smoking pot are absolutely not a good reason to keep pot as an illegal substance, since some legal substances are far more destructive to somebody's overall physical health, in general. The reason that I want to keep pot illegal is because it leads to some very dangerous behaviors, that make the pot smoker a danger to society.

i've never heard of stoners getting violent.

i've never heard of a bunch of stoned people getting into a bar fight.

and although getting high was never my thing, i've never heard anyone give a good reason why pot should be illegal while alcohol isn't.

[Sammy the Jedi]

i've never heard of stoners getting violent.

i've never heard of a bunch of stoned people getting into a bar fight.

and although getting high was never my thing, i've never heard anyone give a good reason why pot should be illegal while alcohol isn't.

Well, some statistics state that stoners do get violent. Just please read those statistics.

"A study by the U.S. Department of Justice showed that 35% of inmates reported they were under the influence of drugs at the time they committed
their crime. Marijuana and hashish were cited as the most frequently used at
the time of the crime.61
• A study published in the International Journal of Addiction involving interviews
with 268 inmates in New York prison for homicide revealed that 70% had
used marijuana within twenty-four hours of committing the crime and felt
they experienced some effect from the drug at the time of the crime.62
Twenty-five percent felt the homicide was related to their use of marijuana
before the crime.62
• A study conducted in Denver, Colorado revealed that 39% of violent crime
arrestees and 34% of domestic crime arrestees tested positive for marijuana."

Those statistics all come from this article.

http://www.healthydrugfreecolorado.o...ow%20FINAL.pdf (http://www.healthydrugfreecolorado.org/html/Marijuana%20Legalization%20What%20Do%20You%20Want% 20to%20Know%20FINAL.pdf)

Why do some drunks get violent? That's because their inhibitions are lowered while they are drunk.

While somebody is stoned, their inhibitions are also lowered, which can also lead to violence.

[BillyBob]

Well, some statistics state that stoners do get violent. Just please read those statistics.

"A study by the U.S. Department of Justice showed that 35% of inmates reported they were under the influence of drugs at the time they committed
their crime. Marijuana and hashish were cited as the most frequently used at
the time of the crime.61
• A study published in the International Journal of Addiction involving interviews
with 268 inmates in New York prison for homicide revealed that 70% had
used marijuana within twenty-four hours of committing the crime and felt
they experienced some effect from the drug at the time of the crime.62
Twenty-five percent felt the homicide was related to their use of marijuana
before the crime.62
• A study conducted in Denver, Colorado revealed that 39% of violent crime
arrestees and 34% of domestic crime arrestees tested positive for marijuana."

Those statistics all come from this article.

http://www.healthydrugfreecolorado.o...ow%20FINAL.pdf (http://www.healthydrugfreecolorado.org/html/Marijuana%20Legalization%20What%20Do%20You%20Want% 20to%20Know%20FINAL.pdf)

Why do some drunks get violent? That's because their inhibitions are lowered while they are drunk.

While somebody is stoned, their inhibitions are also lowered, which can also lead to violence.


While I have no doubt that violent criminals smoke pot, the stats you just provided didn't include a list of the other drugs the offenders had ingested along with the pot, especially alcohol. I'd like to see what percentage of criminals were drunk.

And in my own personal experience, pot seemed to make us all more laid back, not more prone to violence.

[jillian]

Well, some statistics state that stoners do get violent. Just please read those statistics.

"A study by the U.S. Department of Justice showed that 35% of inmates reported they were under the influence of drugs at the time they committed
their crime. Marijuana and hashish were cited as the most frequently used at
the time of the crime.61
• A study published in the International Journal of Addiction involving interviews
with 268 inmates in New York prison for homicide revealed that 70% had
used marijuana within twenty-four hours of committing the crime and felt
they experienced some effect from the drug at the time of the crime.62
Twenty-five percent felt the homicide was related to their use of marijuana
before the crime.62
• A study conducted in Denver, Colorado revealed that 39% of violent crime
arrestees and 34% of domestic crime arrestees tested positive for marijuana."

Those statistics all come from this article.

http://www.healthydrugfreecolorado.o...ow%20FINAL.pdf (http://www.healthydrugfreecolorado.org/html/Marijuana%20Legalization%20What%20Do%20You%20Want% 20to%20Know%20FINAL.pdf)

Why do some drunks get violent? That's because their inhibitions are lowered while they are drunk.

While somebody is stoned, their inhibitions are also lowered, which can also lead to violence.

according to the NIH, marijuana has few negative health implications. probably fewer than taking aspirin. again, i'm not an advocate for drug use, but first of all, the website you've chosen has as its mission, no use of drugs whatsoever. i don't have a problem with that, but it's kind of like the old movie, reefer madness... we know it isn't the full story.

again... speaking anecdotally, and only anecdotally i've never heard of anyone stoned getting into a fight. can it ever happen? maybe. anything's possible. but it is unlikely and certainly not a basis for the disparate treatment given to pot versus alcohol.

[roadmaster]

i've never heard of stoners getting violent.

i've never heard of a bunch of stoned people getting into a bar fight.

and although getting high was never my thing, i've never heard anyone give a good reason why pot should be illegal while alcohol isn't.
Some do and I had two friends that killed themselves while high. Was never into illegal drugs myself. But alcohol seems to bring out more dangers and anger to some.

[jillian]

Some do and I had two friends that killed themselves while high. Was never into illegal drugs myself. But alcohol seems to bring out more dangers and anger to some.

well, obviously, if people have other problems, it isn't good for them to be using any depressant, whether pot or alcohol. they think they're self-medicating... but really it makes them more depressed.

in speaking about how differently we treat pot and alcohol, however, i think overall, pot is safer from what i've read and seen.

again, i'm not advocating for addiction of any kind. but if someone comes home at night and has a drink or smokes a joint, i'm not seeing the difference between those two behaviors.

sorry about your friends.

[roadmaster]

in speaking about how differently we treat pot and alcohol, however, i think overall, pot is safer from what i've read and seen. I think it is too as long as they don't drive.

[Sammy the Jedi]

according to the NIH, marijuana has few negative health implications. probably fewer than taking aspirin. again, i'm not an advocate for drug use, but first of all, the website you've chosen has as its mission, no use of drugs whatsoever. i don't have a problem with that, but it's kind of like the old movie, reefer madness... we know it isn't the full story.

again... speaking anecdotally, and only anecdotally i've never heard of anyone stoned getting into a fight. can it ever happen? maybe. anything's possible. but it is unlikely and certainly not a basis for the disparate treatment given to pot versus alcohol.

The answer to your first claim is all of this good evidence that refutes that, and it shows how marijuana is a very dangerous drug.

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/48969102/ns/health-mens_health/t/dude-its-your-junk-pot-linked-testicular-cancer/

http://consumer.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=668439

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/9426205/Cannabis-smoking-permanently-lowers-IQ.html

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/01/15/does-pot-really-lower-iq/

As for marijuana smoking and lung cancer, common sense tells us that putting smoke into your lungs is not good for them, obviously, but some evidence shows the links between pot smoking and the risks for getting lung cancer.

http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/31/2/280

Pot even causes schizophrenia and psychosis in long-term usage.

http://psychcentral.com/lib/2012/cannabis-may-cause-schizophrenia-like-brain-changes/

http://technorati.com/lifestyle/article/new-support-for-link-between-cannabis/

http://now.msn.com/marijuana-linked-to-psychosis-in-teens-says-dutch-study

[jillian]

The answer to your first claim is all of this good evidence that refutes that, and it shows how marijuana is a very dangerous drug.

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/48969102/ns/health-mens_health/t/dude-its-your-junk-pot-linked-testicular-cancer/

http://consumer.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=668439

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/9426205/Cannabis-smoking-permanently-lowers-IQ.html

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/01/15/does-pot-really-lower-iq/

As for marijuana smoking and lung cancer, common sense tells us that putting smoke into your lungs is not good for them, obviously, but some evidence shows the links between pot smoking and the risks for getting lung cancer.

http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/31/2/280

Pot even causes schizophrenia and psychosis in long-term usage.

http://psychcentral.com/lib/2012/cannabis-may-cause-schizophrenia-like-brain-changes/

http://technorati.com/lifestyle/article/new-support-for-link-between-cannabis/

http://now.msn.com/marijuana-linked-to-psychosis-in-teens-says-dutch-study

every one of your links says "may cause". none offers definitive links.

alcohol can lead to liver disease, kidney disease, heart disease, it is involved in tens of thousands of automobile accidents every year.

sugar and fat lead to diabetes... heart disease and cancer.

cigarettes cause cancer.

sodas are full of corn syrup and sugar and lead to obesity and cancer and diabetes and heart disease, etc...

your personal objections notwithstanding, you haven't offered anything that would suggest that the disparate treatment of pot and alcohol is appropriate.

you have actually made a case for pot being legal and sugar being illegal.

[Common]

i've never heard of stoners getting violent.

i've never heard of a bunch of stoned people getting into a bar fight.

and although getting high was never my thing, i've never heard anyone give a good reason why pot should be illegal while alcohol isn't.


Ask any Corrections officers or Admitting Jailers or Police that question Jillian, you may be quite surprised.
Lets not forget most weed smokers are cross addicts, other drugs or alcohol.

[Alif Qadr]

The amount of deaths that result from stoned driving car accidents will increase, if marijuana was legalized. This is just plain common sense. When marijuana becomes legalized (which it is already in two states, which are Colorado and Washington, and soon to be many more other states), there will be much more stoned driving car accidents. Honestly, when pot becomes more socially and culturally acceptable and it's more available, much more people will do it, and the incidents of the stoned driving car accidents will be a result of the increased usage of pot. Being under the influence of ANY intoxicating substance obviously would influence somebody's decision making processes on the road in a very negative matter. And their reaction time is slowed down, which can be deadly during very dangerous emergency situations while driving on the road.

And when stoned drivers drift and swerve and when they switch lanes, isn't that bound to cause some deadly car accidents?

And, yes, drunk driving is far more worse than stoned driving, because marijuana doesn't cause anywhere near the loss of motor skills and motor control, and because of that far less people die during stoned driving car accidents than with drunk drivers, but really, do two wrongs make a right? Should we make another dangerous drug legal, even if it's just for the sake of consistency? Drunk driving has killed tens of thousands of innocent people, do we need to legalize another drug that will cause even more people to die during car accidents?

Arguing that alcohol causes more traffic deaths makes perfect sense as an argument in making alcohol into an illegal substance, it's not a good argument at all into legalizing another very harmful substance-marijuana. Our laws are nothing but pure hypocrisy. We should illegalize alcohol too, and keep pot illegal also. Even if you believe that trying to bring back alcohol prohibition would still be a huge failure, we still shouldn't introduce other harmful substances that would wreak even more havoc into our society.

And, yes, alcohol. In some ways, the situation of legalized pot is even worse than alcohol in regards to traffic accidents. Millions of people drink wine, beer, and yes, even those stronger drinks such as vodka, without ever getting drunk and getting behind the wheel of their car. When was the last time you've ever heard of somebody who smoked marijuana without getting stoned or high? NEVER! That's because alcohol doesn't always cause intoxication, unlike marijuana, which always results in intoxication.

Most Americans have tried out alcohol at least once on several special occasions, and even though most drinkers don't get drunk, just think about all of the harm and suffering that has caused? Just imagine if every person who took a drink got drunk? Only a small, or at least a medium percentage, of drinkers get drunk. Just imagine if 100% of all Americans that took a drink of alcohol at least once, became intoxicated, how much more crimes and car accidents would have happened.

With marijuana, everybody gets intoxicated on it (unlike alcohol), so that's equivalent to that above scenario.

And it's not just car accidents.

People that are stoned often commit other crimes while under the influence. Just like with alcohol, some stoned people can become violent. Whenever somebody's inhibitions are lowered, violence can occur. And all of this nonsense I hear about "stoners never get violent and aggressive unlike those drunks". The truth is that both drugs (which is alcohol and marijuana) can lead to aggressive behaviors, for the same reasons that I stated above-their inhibitions are lowered. Sure, there are some mellow pot smokers, but there's also some mellow drunks; which does nothing to diminish the fact that there are some violent drunks and some violent pot smokers. Here's some further evidence that marijuana can contribute to some violent behaviors.

"A study by the U.S. Department of Justice showed that 35% of inmates reported they were under the influence of drugs at the time they committed
their crime. Marijuana and hashish were cited as the most frequently used at
the time of the crime.61
• A study published in the International Journal of Addiction involving interviews
with 268 inmates in New York prison for homicide revealed that 70% had
used marijuana within twenty-four hours of committing the crime and felt
they experienced some effect from the drug at the time of the crime.62
Twenty-five percent felt the homicide was related to their use of marijuana
before the crime.62
• A study conducted in Denver, Colorado revealed that 39% of violent crime
arrestees and 34% of domestic crime arrestees tested positive for marijuana."

Those statistics all come from this article.

http://www.healthydrugfreecolorado.org/html/Marijuana%20Legalization%20What%20Do%20You%20Want% 20to%20Know%20FINAL.pdf

Yes, I know that marijuana isn't as dangerous to somebody's overall health than cigarettes and alcohol is. Cigarettes damage the lungs more so than pot does (the anti-cancer properties in the THC and the CBD actually counteract some of those negative respiratory effects, and pot smokers don't smoke as often as tobacco smokers), marijuana doesn't permanently lower your IQ, that's just some myth based upon a flawed study, most pot smokers don't get schizophrenia or psychosis (unless they have some sort of genetic predisposition to schizophrenia or psychosis). So, my main reason for opposing pot legalization is that pot leads to some violent crimes and some car accidents. It affects people's behaviors in some very dangerous ways.

Sammy,
the move to legalize marijuana is just one more peg in the coffin to this society. With the decline of morality, though there really has never been any true morality nor drive towards morality in the United States, it is inevitable for all types of objectionable behaviors and activities to be presented as "freedom".

[Alif Qadr]

The argument of liberties and freedoms have been used to "justify" and excuse all types of objectionable behaviors, so to me, the point is moot.

[Sammy the Jedi]

every one of your links says "may cause". none offers definitive links.

alcohol can lead to liver disease, kidney disease, heart disease, it is involved in tens of thousands of automobile accidents every year.

sugar and fat lead to diabetes... heart disease and cancer.

cigarettes cause cancer.

sodas are full of corn syrup and sugar and lead to obesity and cancer and diabetes and heart disease, etc...

your personal objections notwithstanding, you haven't offered anything that would suggest that the disparate treatment of pot and alcohol is appropriate.

you have actually made a case for pot being legal and sugar being illegal.

Do you really want a mental illness-causing substance to be legalized? Smoking pot gives people schizophrenia and psychosis, as well as some other mental illness, anxiety, bipolar, paranoia, panic attacks, and some other personality disorders.

You stated earlier that smoking pot doesn't really have that much unhealthy effects on the body, which is just totally false. Doesn't lung cancer, testicular cancer, and permanently lowering the smoker's IQ and making somebody become stupid, count as making marijuana a very dangerous substance? Cigarettes don't lower your IQ. They destroy your body, but they don't destroy you mentally and emotionally, unlike what smoking pot does to somebody.

[Common]

Sammy,
the move to legalize marijuana is just one more peg in the coffin to this society. With the decline of morality, though there really has never been any true morality nor drive towards morality in the United States, it is inevitable for all types of objectionable behaviors and activities to be presented as "freedom".

The far right is worried about losing their freedom, which wont happen. We will however lose all morality unless we stop every little group of people that want something to be allowed to become important and impose their crap on everyone else. Thats where the destruction of our way of life will come from.

[zelmo1234]

I personally think that it shoudl remain illegal and the laws should be enforced?

However like it or not it will become legal in the next few years. the government will tax the hell out of it, and try and prevent the private growing of the product!

The bast taht we can do as conservativers it to try and like welfare benifits and unemployment benifits to required blood tests and testing positive for pot would exclude those from receiveing benifts!

The morality of this country is in full speed decline, this will hapen until the collapse of the current system! looking at history and empires the pattern is the same!

[jillian]

I personally think that it shoudl remain illegal and the laws should be enforced?

However like it or not it will become legal in the next few years. the government will tax the hell out of it, and try and prevent the private growing of the product!

The bast taht we can do as conservativers it to try and like welfare benifits and unemployment benifits to required blood tests and testing positive for pot would exclude those from receiveing benifts!

The morality of this country is in full speed decline, this will hapen until the collapse of the current system! looking at history and empires the pattern is the same!

it is not your job to enforce morality rules.

and saying things are somehow worse now ignores the fact that there used to be cocaine in coca cola, dilaudad in any number of 'mother's little helpers' and ready availability of other drugs.

immorality is cutting money for cancer research and head start but funding more air traffic controllers so congressmen can fly.

we spend absurd amounts of money enforcing drug laws. nothing has changed... drugs have not fallen out of favor. all that has happened is that we have broken up families, destroyed promising lives and imprisoned a greater proportion of our population than any other country on earth.

you think that's "moral"?

[zelmo1234]

it is not your job to enforce morality rules.

and saying things are somehow worse now ignores the fact that there used to be cocaine in coca cola, dilaudad in any number of 'mother's little helpers' and ready availability of other drugs.

immorality is cutting money for cancer research and head start but funding more air traffic controllers so congressmen can fly.

we spend absurd amounts of money enforcing drug laws. nothing has changed... drugs have not fallen out of favor. all that has happened is that we have broken up families, destroyed promising lives and imprisoned a greater proportion of our population than any other country on earth.

you think that's "moral"?

Did you actually read the post whjere I said it will be legal??????

Here si what I can tell you, of the pot smokers that I have known and had the displeasure to employ, the get what Dana Carvey Calls a case of the Fuck It's. They are not the most reliable people on the planet!

So to make then test of drug abuse for benifits, like we do for alcohol to receive benifits! will prevent them from become wards of the system!

The way I see it, that is allowing them their freedom. They get to use their drug they pay taxes that are needed to cover governments addiction to spending! and they don't get to abuse the system!

What is wrong with that position?

[BillyBob]

it is not your job to enforce morality rules.


Whose job is it?

[Sammy the Jedi]

it is not your job to enforce morality rules.

and saying things are somehow worse now ignores the fact that there used to be cocaine in coca cola, dilaudad in any number of 'mother's little helpers' and ready availability of other drugs.

immorality is cutting money for cancer research and head start but funding more air traffic controllers so congressmen can fly.

we spend absurd amounts of money enforcing drug laws. nothing has changed... drugs have not fallen out of favor. all that has happened is that we have broken up families, destroyed promising lives and imprisoned a greater proportion of our population than any other country on earth.

you think that's "moral"?

Marijuana was made illegal in the United States during the late 1930's, in order to protect the timber industries, as well as the oils and the chemical companies, from a competitor in business-which was industrial hemp. Two guys, by the name of William Randolph Hearst, and Harry J Aslinger, banned marijuana in an effort to ban the industrial hemp industries, in order so that they wouldn't lose billions of dollars in their own companies. So, they ran a campaign of smear campaign of yellow journalism, which played upon people's racist feelings at that time, which was an attempt to ban marijuana, which was an excuse to ban industrial hemp.

However?

During the early 1960's, the United Nations banned marijuana worldwide, during that narcotics convention or treaty. Did William Randolph Hearst or Harry J Aslinger have anything to do with banning pot worldwide during the early 1960's? They definitely was responsible for banning pot during the late 1930's in the United States, but were they responsible for banning pot worldwide? If William Randolph Hearst or Harry J Aslinger was never born, would the United Nations still have illegalized marijuana worldwide during the early 1960's?

[Greenridgeman]

While I have no doubt that violent criminals smoke pot, the stats you just provided didn't include a list of the other drugs the offenders had ingested along with the pot, especially alcohol. I'd like to see what percentage of criminals were drunk.

And in my own personal experience, pot seemed to make us all more laid back, not more prone to violence.

"And in my own personal experience, pot seemed to make us all more laid back, not more prone to violence"





Unless you bogart the joint.

[Dr. Who]

i've never heard of stoners getting violent.

i've never heard of a bunch of stoned people getting into a bar fight.

and although getting high was never my thing, i've never heard anyone give a good reason why pot should be illegal while alcohol isn't.The only reason it is illegal is because anybody can grow it in their backyard or under a grow light and the government wouldn't be able to collect taxes. Making your own hooch is much more labor intensive and can cause poisoning if not done properly.

[simpsonofpg]

I really don't care if you like to get stoned but if you go out and kill someone it is murder not man slaughter. You got stoned on purpose knowing you were impared, same goes for drinking. If we want freedom we have to accept the responsbilitity. I am sick of the excuse of" well they just smoked a few joints" We have to stop making excuses and start making people pay for stupid decisions that effect others.

[BillyBob]

The only reason it is illegal is because anybody can grow it in their backyard or under a grow light and the government wouldn't be able to collect taxes. Making your own hooch is much more labor intensive and can cause poisoning if not done properly.


Bullshit. People can grow chrysanthimums but they aren't illegal. And who says the government can't tax pot?

http://www.google.com/search?q=medical+marijuana+tax&client=safari&rls=en-us&prmd=ivnsu&source=univ&tbm=nws&tbo=u&sa=X&ei=n3KMUbHRB7Kw4AOhw4GYCw&ved=0CBgQqAI

[Sammy the Jedi]

http://www.drugfreecalifornia.org/PDF/trafficaccidents.pdf

Which is quoted straight from this article that's above in that link that's over here.

Marijuana is the illicit drug used most often (70%) by drivers who drove after drug use and is a
major factor why motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for American young
people (NHTSA, 2000)
Marijuana use before driving has seriously impacted the skills necessary to operate a vehicle
safely. Roadside alertness is severely diminished as is concentration, motor coordination and the
ability to react quickly. Research subjects found it difficult to judge distance and react
appropriately to roadside signals and sounds after smoking marijuana.
Studies conducted by the NHTSA and Dutch Ministry of Transport concluded that the effects of
THC alone on driving performance were of sufficient magnitude to warrant concern due to the
drivers level of impairment and inability to facilitate evasive action if necessary. Further, drivers
were also more likely to fall asleep during prolonged vehicle operation. THC and alcohol use in
combination creates a serious threat to highway safety. (NHTSA, 1999; NHTSA, 2000)
In all studies referenced above, subjects were given marijuana cigarettes that had between 1.5- 4
% THC. Marijuana today averages 10.4% and goes as high 37%. (Marijuana and Driving: Going
to Pot on the Highway by Jim Porter). Impairment levels today are 2 to 15 times greater than
those studied.
Dr. Robert DuPont of the Institute for Behavior and Health (www.stopdruggeddriving.org)
reveals:
• 20% of all motor vehicle accidents are attributable to drugged driving. (50% of seriously
injured drivers test positive for drugs. (Walsh JM, Flegel R., et al 2005)
• 8,600 people died in 2005 as a result of drugged driving
• 580,000 people were injured in car crashes as a result of drugged driving
• $33 billion in damages every year.
Which drug is most prevalent? Marijuana! 26.9% of seriously injured drivers tested
positive for marijuana. There are 127 million current users of alcohol in America and, and
because of restrictive drug policies, only 15 million smoke marijuana. In spite of this, alcohol
was only involved with 15% of injured drivers compared to marijuana at 26.9%. Per capita,
marijuana smokers cause 18 times more injury accidents than alcohol.
In a roadside survey, of those who tested positive for a drug, 49.4% tested positive for marijuana
alone, and another 8.6% tested positive for marijuana and cocaine. In Canada, 10.4% of all
drivers tested positive for drugs, with marijuana and cocaine accounting for 4.6% each. The
figure of one person in ten driving under the influence holds true in America as well. Scary!Legalizing marijuana for any reason will adversely impact public safety. More people would die
and be injured on the highways, and the cost to insurance companies and the general population
would soar. Legalization is simply a dumb idea, put forth by people who like to get high, with no
regard for the social consequences of their actions. Alcohol and tobacco, the two legal drugs,
inflict enough harm. We neither need nor can we afford one more.