Anyone For Prohibition?

[The Sexorcist]

Does anyone have good reasons WHY we should keep marijuana illegal? I don't think I've ever met anyone who thinks marijuana should remain under it's current legal status, so is there anyone here you has a good reason why it should?

[Kamehameha34]

I don't disagree that maintaining the legal status of marijuana is unconstitutional, but we should really lower our drunk driving fatality rates before anything is enacted.

[The Sexorcist]

I agree. I've heard some people say that perhaps introducing children earlier to alcohol like wine may help them grow up responsibly with alcohol, versus shielding them from it for 21 years and then suddenly opening the liquor cabinet to them.

[another day]

Quote by: Kamehameha34 I don't disagree that maintaining the legal status of marijuana is unconstitutional, but we should really lower our drunk driving fatality rates before anything is enacted.

Why?

Do you have any evidence to suggest that legalizing marijuana would increase the number of people driving stoned? Or even that it would increase the number of people smoking pot at all?

You are aware that people smoke pot, regardless of the law right? Show me people who say "I don't smoke pot only because its illegal"...There are none, or at least very very few. People who are that brainwashed and confirmist are the kind of people who will never touch weed because they lap up the propaganda like dumb dogs anyways. Most people who don't smoke weed do so for percieved health and personal reasons.

There is a greater concern then potheads driving stoned. People die everyday because of the illegal black market drug trade. If your worried about the safety of people, you should focus on that dude.

[Mia]

Actually, there are a lot of people who don't do it because it's illegal. It adds to the 'taboo' qualities.

I have smoked it a few times when around someone else that was, but never even considered buying it.

But if were at the convenience store, I might.

I'm not making the argument it should be illegal. It's no worse than alcohol.

[Compugasm]

Quote by: The Sexorcist Does anyone have good reasons WHY we should keep marijuana illegal?

Prison is a business now.

[Mia]

LOL - yes it is, and a very profitable one.

[kpow]

Quote by: another day Why? Do you have any evidence to suggest that legalizing marijuana would increase the number of people driving stoned? Or even that it would increase the number of people smoking pot at all? You are aware that people smoke pot, regardless of the law right? Show me people who say "I don't smoke pot only because its illegal"...There are none, or at least very very few. People who are that brainwashed and confirmist are the kind of people who will never touch weed because they lap up the propaganda like dumb dogs anyways. Most people who don't smoke weed do so for percieved health and personal reasons. There is a greater concern then potheads driving stoned. People die everyday because of the illegal black market drug trade. If your worried about the safety of people, you should focus on that dude.

i quit smoking weed for 2 reasons...
1-it lost the fun element after smoking it everyday for 4 years.
2-the job type i plan to go for wouldnt not allow me to have any involment in illegalness
i dont think that pot is all that great, and regardless of what people might say it does have a tendancy to lead you on to harder drugs.
i feel that it does have negative effects on people.
on the one hand i think it should stay illegal, however i do feel that the punishments for having a small amount can be too harsh in some places.
but on the other hand i can see how its not AS bad as other drugs so why keep it illegal:confused: i mean it grows naturally, same with mushrooms, how can something natural be illegal....but anyone who says it has ONLY positive effects is wrong and only speaking from a personal level, which is not the right way to make judgment on something.....

:)

[Praxius]

Quote by: kpow it does have a tendancy to lead you on to harder drugs.

No, it doesn't.... the gateway drug theory is flawed and a stereo-type. What was my first drug of choice? Alcohol..... I was under the influence of alcohol when I first smoked marijuana.... in fact, I didn't even smoke marijuana first..... I smoked Oil, then Hash, and then Marijuana, which are kinda all the same thing, but if you want to get technical about it......

Three or four times in a row when I went to a party with my friends, while I was piss loaded drunk, my friends tried and tried to get me to smoke some, and eventually I did, because I was sick of hearing about it..... now I no longer drink.

i feel that it does have negative effects on people.

Perhaps on some people, not all.... it depends on the person.

on the one hand i think it should stay illegal, however i do feel that the punishments for having a small amount can be too harsh in some places. but on the other hand i can see how its not AS bad as other drugs so why keep it illegal:confused: i mean it grows naturally, same with mushrooms, how can something natural be illegal....but anyone who says it has ONLY positive effects is wrong and only speaking from a personal level, which is not the right way to make judgment on something..... :)

But you sound like you're picking out all the negatives, so you're doing the same thing

So to you, you believe it should remain illegal, but reduce penalties for possession? Do you believe Marijuana is more harmful then tobacco, caffeine, or alcohol?

Do you truly believe that it leads to harder drugs? Did you try any of the above, prior to trying marijuana? Was it the first drug you took and was it the main reason why you went to harder drugs, if you did?

[Cephus]

My question would be somewhat different. Why *SHOULD* it be legalized? What would legalizing do for us? What positive aspects come from allowing people to smoke marijuana? While I have no problem having it legalized, it's no more harmful than tobacco, the standard argument always seems to be "people want to do it, so let them".

That's not much of an argument IMO. Murderers want to kill people. Why don't you want to let them do it too?

[The Sexorcist]

Obviously there's a difference between smoking pot and murdering a person.

I don't think the "let them do it" arguement is very effective either. If you are looking for the positives in legalizing marijuana, how about a less clogged legal system? Keeping non-violent drug offenders out of prison? Freeing up police officers from hasseling with minor pot charges? Think of how much time, energy and money is used trying to disrupt the marijuana market. That kind of manpower could go to so many other more important projects (New Orleans, maybe?).

[Praxius]

Quote by: Cephus My question would be somewhat different. Why *SHOULD* it be legalized? What would legalizing do for us? What positive aspects come from allowing people to smoke marijuana? While I have no problem having it legalized, it's no more harmful than tobacco, the standard argument always seems to be "people want to do it, so let them". That's not much of an argument IMO. Murderers want to kill people. Why don't you want to let them do it too?

OK here's a few benefits:

Benefits of Marijuana

Marijuana, by its effect on the ANS, enhances both sides of the brain. Through increased Sympathetic action, left brain perception is heightened, while, at the same time, right brain reception is enhanced. This is a physiological fact. More blood, and cleaner blood, is sent to the brain, as in the “fight or flight” reaction. And because of Parasympathetic dilation of capillaries, which signifies relaxation, the blood supply to the entire brain is increased. More blood means more oxygen and consequently clearer and broader thinking. Since marijuana works on both sides of the brain, the most noticeable effect, in our fast-paced mind set, is one of slowing down, which blends the thrusting competitive attitude with the contrasting viewpoint of nurturance to arrive at a more cooperative balance. This experience is, however, not innate to marijuana, but to the mental set of the subject. When we are mellow, tired, and relaxed, marijuana is energizing and affords alertness, determination, and even strength. This variation in the physiological effects has caused great confusion from an either/or framework. And the balancing nature of marijuana (both/and) has not been understood. It both stimulates and relaxes, simultaneously, which equates to an unpredictable variation in effect that is solely dependent on the state of its subject. When the system is sluggish, as with natives in warm climates (Africa, India, South America), marijuana has been used extensively and for centuries to energize it:

The left brain notices more, while the right brain receives more. This is the unification of logic and intuition. The term “expansion of consciousness” is explained physiologically as a “shifting of brain emphasis from one-sidedness to balance”

AskMen.com - Benefits of pot

One of the saddest things in North America is the lack of clinical trials on marijuana use. Many other countries in the world have already performed such tests in order to destroy myths about this drug, which has been in use for thousands of years... mainly for medicinal purposes.

Marijuana Overdose There is no existing evidence of anyone dying of a marijuana overdose. Tests performed on mice have shown that the ratio of cannabinoids (the chemicals in marijuana that make you high) necessary for overdose to the amount necessary for intoxication is 40,000:1. For comparison's sake, that ratio for alcohol is generally between 4:1 and 10:1. Alcohol overdoses claim approximately 5,000 casualties yearly, but marijuana overdoses kill no one as far as any official reports. Brain Damage Marijuana is psychoactive because it stimulates certain brain receptors, but it does not produce toxins that kill them (like alcohol), and it does not wear them out as other drugs may. There is no evidence that marijuana use causes brain damage. Studies performed on actual human populations will confirm these results, even for chronic marijuana users (up to 18 joints per day) after many years of use. In fact, following the publication of two 1977 JAMA studies, the American Medical Association (AMA) officially announced its support for the decriminalization of marijuana. In reality, marijuana has the effect of slightly increasing alpha-wave activity in your brain. Alpha waves are generally associated with meditative and relaxed states, which are, in turn, often associated with human creativity. Memory Marijuana does impair short-term memory, but only during intoxication. Although the authoritative studies on marijuana use seem to agree that there is no residual impairment following intoxication, persistent impairment of short-term memory has been noted in chronic marijuana smokers, up to 6 and 12 weeks following abstinence.

[Praxius]

Added:

The fear of marijuana... stems from its limitless potential for treating illness, in that both the pharmaceutical industry and the medical monopoly would lose billions of dollars if marijuana became the non-drug of choice.

[Athena]

Quote by: The Sexorcist I agree. I've heard some people say that perhaps introducing children earlier to alcohol like wine may help them grow up responsibly with alcohol, versus shielding them from it for 21 years and then suddenly opening the liquor cabinet to them.

Uh, excuse me, do you know alcohol is literally a poison that can kill people?
Children are more vulnerable to alcohol poisoning than adults. This would not be a major problem if all parents were well educated and emotionally stable human beings with good relationship and parenting skills, but this is not our present reality, so right now our general social agreement that children should not drink is their best protection.

[GHook93]

Quote by: The Sexorcist Does anyone have good reasons WHY we should keep marijuana illegal? I don't think I've ever met anyone who thinks marijuana should remain under it's current legal status, so is there anyone here you has a good reason why it should?

There is no even one good reason, yet there are millions of reasons for legalization.

[Athena]

Quote by: The Sexorcist Does anyone have good reasons WHY we should keep marijuana illegal? I don't think I've ever met anyone who thinks marijuana should remain under it's current legal status, so is there anyone here you has a good reason why it should?

Fundamentally I am opposed to governmental efforts to control human behavior other than education which instills internal judgement and authority.
This education is essential to our liberty, but considering just about everyone denies this and does nothing to make this so, that leaves us only government authority over the people, to protect them from themselves.

Our democracy is so preverted!!! We are so the totalitarian state we fought against. To be otherwise we need to rediscover the meaning of individualism is, developed through education for this purpose, and without it we become unthinking, knee jerk conformist, often doing stupid things in a misguided effort to prove we are individuals. Dependency on a substance is a paradoxical way to demonstrate independence. Why are people motivated to do this? Is it perhaps the inner drive to not be assimulated by the Borg? Are our lives so painful, we need to sedate ourselves to face another day?

Wednesday's I do art with people detoxing from substances. Seeing reality from this point of view, is opposite from the point of veiw of those who think substances are harmless. Only when we change our education, will I agree we can stop the effort to control people with authority over them.

[brien]

Quote by: Mia LOL - yes it is, and a very profitable one.

Just curious Mia, how is prison profitable since it is solely funded by taxpayers?

[brien]

Why *SHOULD* it be legalized?

1) It takes the criminal element out of the activity in sales and use.

2) It frees up law enforcement to concentrate on violent crime.

3) It will free up prison space.

4) The taxation will provide revenue for counselling against substance abuse.

5) It won't make criminals out of ordinary citizens.

6) It may reduce the incidence of addiction to alcohol.

7) It is already widely used by people of all ages.

8) It doesn't hurt anyone but possibly the user, if at all.

9) It would regulate the sale of a non regulated substance

10) It would improve the quality of the substance available in the market.

[Autolykos]

Quote by: Athena Uh, excuse me, do you know alcohol is literally a poison that can kill people?

Uh, excuse me, do you know water is literally a poison that can kill people? :rolleyes:

- Rob

[Praxius]

Quote by: Autolykos Uh, excuse me, do you know water is literally a poison that can kill people? :rolleyes: - Rob

Hell for that matter, oxygen is a poison that starts to kill us from day one..... we're addicted to oxygen. Oxygen gives us life, but at the same time is also the cause of our deaths.

Oxidants are what breaks down our DNA and causes us to age.
Entrez PubMed

So where do you draw the line on what is legal and not?