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2 ZigZags (The Legalization of Marijuana)
MadnessBA
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Having just gotten to college and experienced pot I have resolutely become in favor of it's legalization and I believe there are several great reasons to do this.
Currently in Oregon there is a proposition called the "Oregon Cannabis Tax Act" that looks to place the issue of legalization in the hands of the voter in 2010. I am skeptical of it passing but I really hope it does. It would help Oregon's economy by so much.
So what do you guys think? Do you think marijuana hurts people? is it safe for legalization? Will it ever be legalized?
I remember seeing some comedian say something like "if you think marijuana has done nothing good for society then go throw out all your old records, tapes and CDs" and I really like this idea. Drugs arnt as bad as we are meant to believe.
- Weed is less dangerous than alcohol or tobacco. (It causes less lung damage because you smoke less)
- Only drug cartels and gangs profit from the prohibition and it could be a huge boon to the American economy if legalized. (Taxes and farmers)
- Control. If you place weed in controlled locations it is easier to stop minors from getting a hold of it. I know this because currently, at a major university, it is easier for me to get bud than to get alcohol.
- Hemp is also useful
Currently in Oregon there is a proposition called the "Oregon Cannabis Tax Act" that looks to place the issue of legalization in the hands of the voter in 2010. I am skeptical of it passing but I really hope it does. It would help Oregon's economy by so much.
So what do you guys think? Do you think marijuana hurts people? is it safe for legalization? Will it ever be legalized?
I remember seeing some comedian say something like "if you think marijuana has done nothing good for society then go throw out all your old records, tapes and CDs" and I really like this idea. Drugs arnt as bad as we are meant to believe.
MadnessBA on
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Stop trying to justify getting high as some sort of healthy miracle. Just say "I like getting stoned, and wish to do so without fear of being thrown in jail". I can respect that, it's when everyone acts like they're for legalizing pot because hemp makes good shoes and it's good for pain management that everyone rolls their eyes.
Also, that healthier for the lungs thing is bullshit. Though there are vaporizers for inhalation, so I may even grant you a bit of a win on it.
I want psilocybin mushrooms to be legal. I wont try and pretend it's because it's good for oral hygiene or a good source of nutrition. Potheads need to do the world a favor and stop pretending their drug of choice is good for mankind and admit they just like being blazed.
Especially when you can grow hemp, without growing marijuana for smoking.
Edit: That quote is from Bill Hicks, and he's not talking about weed.
A lot of the major illegal drugs are pretty fucking horrible, man.
The most important point you forgot to mention was was "Safety". Simply put, we need these safeguards because dealers are currently lacing the pot with all sorts of nasty shit like crack and rat poison, and we need safety standards in place.
Plus, yeah, tax money up the wazoo.
Minor clarification though: If we legalize marijuana how would it be treated by the military? I DO NOT want my buddies in the army to be able to access marijuana, or any drug, easily. This is my only concern.
Dude, my hemp line was about one sentence. In fact, I don't think I ever said it was some sort of miracle or anything like that. My arguments were simple. I do like getting high. The drug war is a waste of money. It would reduce crime and it is not dangerous. Also, coming from someone that smokes cigarettes, you consume much more pure volume of tobacco and I really don't believe that pot smoke is a lot more dangerous than tobacco smoke.
Edit: Thanks for the find. It was a long time ago and its really not relevant at all and probably a poor choice to include in the OP.
2:No it isn't. Washington Post
edit: Also, it's not just the drug cartels, dealers, and smugglers that make lots of money from prohibition. The politicians get to act "tough on crime" and law-enforcement agencies profit immensely from drugs being illegal because hey, if pot was legal then the DEA would need less Blackhawk helicopters to catch pot smugglers. Not to mention the pharmaceutical companies that would stand to lose profits if people had access to a natural pain suppressant and appetite stimulant.
Most of that was preemptive. I actually think all drugs should be legal.
I have no idea what the army would do. They can pretty much do what they want and I am sure they would have a strict policy.
Safety is a huge issue and thanks for bringing it up. Regulation is very important and could lessen the dangers immensely.
That's a pretty broad statement. How legal are you talking about? I'm pretty libertarian on this issue, but I don't believe enough people have the capacity to not develop a methamphetamine or heroin problem that it would be practical to legalize them in the same way as alcohol.
which was pretty interesting
and then there's the fact that depending on how you smoke weed you can basically filter out most of the harmful elements to your lungs
but yeah i'm sure everyone already knows this
I want it legalized.
So I can smoke pot legally.
Well, when I was in high school, I was still in favor. I just wasn't actively looking for ways to make it happen. I just became more interested. (Also, I know that wasn't directed specifically at me. I'm sure there are plenty of college freshman who go through that same thing)
Edit: Also, I think you'd be more inclined to rally folks to the cause if as a micro-culture potheads didn't all seem like idiots when they get on TV and/or in a magazine. I mean, Willie Nelson is getting old and he's one of the only reasonable voices still out there, maybe Woodie when he's not busy protesting something and being tossed in jail.
Why?
o_O
I guess I've never lived near heroin addicts, but those I've known haven't exactly been the most scrupulous folk. I don't mind living next to heavy pot smokers, since they're always willing to keep the music down when asked / keep the neighborhood in order / whatever necessary to avoid the police making a habit of driving by.
I'm guessing the heroin addicts never tried breaking into your home to steal shit then.
Or hell even try 'being your bud' so they can swipe something when you aren't looking.
Not really. There are a lot of out-and-out lies about marijuana running around in D.A.R.E. programs and whatnot. If you've never had much legitimate exposure to pot (or even stoner culture) you might not realize that it's bullshit.
Except Southerners.
As long as you don't mind your apartment smelling like weed 6 hours a day because you like having fresh air from outside once in a while.
I guess I'm saying in the end, people who do too much of anything and then try and represent everyone else who may also do those things end out ruining it for those other people. It's just that it sure seems like the weed culture has more than it's share of people who should be shutting the fuck up.
Eh, they weren't junkies. They held down jobs, made good money, and did whatever on the weekends. I know people who have done all manner of crazy shit to buy booze or cigarettes. It doesn't mean it's the fault of all drinkers or smokers. I've never lived next to a pothead whose apartment didn't stink.
Like I said, I'd think that someone engaging in copious amounts of pot smoking, enough to make the neighboring apartment smell strongly for a large portion of the day due only to an open window, would be reasonably concerned with the neighbors not calling the police who would then discover what would have to be large amounts of pot.
As far as the 'weed culture' having a surplus of idiots, you could easily say the same thing about the sports culture, alcohol culture, NASCAR culture, and even the martial arts culture. Just as the frat boy chugging Natti Light does not represent the young professional sipping a fine bourbon after work, the "420 errday!" burnout does not represent the young professional smoking a fine bowl of premium cannabis after work.
I'm just making an observation based on historical data of severity and occurrence of addiction between different types of drugs.
They don't have easy access to alcohol? What army are you talking about, because it doesn't sound like the U.S. one?
Eh, it always made me want to eat Captain Crunch with Crunchberries and watch some cartoons. Cliche? Maybe, but it's true for me... also helped me sleep during times of insomnia.
Liking something, or even having it be useful for some people still wont get rid of the stigma as long as there's money to be made keeping it illegal.
But the only people who make money off its continued illegality are drug-dealers. And they don't make the laws.
And the criminal justice system.
Why? I really hope you're at least against them having access to alcohol as well because otherwise there's some major cognitive dissonance going on here.
You think the criminal justice system makes money on keeping pot illegal? Do you not realize that the courts and corrections are part of that system? And waste a fortune every year on it?
Well, alcohol is easier to detect when it's been consumed.
But really, I kinda don't want a pothead running anything that launches missiles and the like. Yeah, I used to smoke it, too. I understand that the "duh" thing is temporary with it, but with some people it really can affect their memory.
Do you want someone who is already scatterbrained smoking weed on a regular basis and put in charge of 1000 pound artillery rounds?
It may be wasting public funds, but it's keeping a good number of people employed and some departments very well funded. So long as they keep people afraid of negro pot-rage of raping the white womens... someone makes money off of it. You can also grow pot anywhere you can grow a garden, unlike tobacco which needs the climate of the southern United States, so there's no income from taxes guaranteed.
You say "waste", I say "spend". Look at this from the perspective of a prison guard, not a taxpayer.
So the prison guard's salary is going to increase as more of the corrections budget has to be devoted to feeding, clothing and medical-care-ing increasing numbers of unnecessary occupants? Did you learn economics from Sarah Palin or something?
Well, there's a difference between "alcoholic" and "pot smoker".
I don't mind it's decriminilization/legalization at all, and I think the hemp industry is an environmental gold mine that should be exploited posthaste. However, most people who smoke weed tend to have some memory issues, whereas most people who drink alcohol are not raging alcoholics.
I dunno, being a former pot smoker and being in the military, I wouldn't even want myself to be handed a damn M4 the way I was 5 years ago.