Marijuana - Legalise It

[manik]

I've been reading the site for a few days now, and although this is about domestic (U.S.) politics specificaly, it is a world issue and I'd like to hear everyone's opinion.

I'm 17 year's old, I graduated my high school 2 years early, went to Arizona State University for 6 months, came to the conclusion academia wasn't for me so I moved to Malawi, Africa for 7 months. I had tried pot on several occasionans before I moved to Africa, but I never really liked it, and have always been pro legalising. I have never seen anything wrong with it, it has never hurt anyone - it's never killed anyone, you don't go to jail for smoking cigarettes or drinking alcohol. And we are supposed to be a free country.

Anyways (I'll skip most of the Africa part), I came back a stoner.


I also came back from Africa in love with the world and travelling, and in love with the lifestyle of backpacking and tourism. I ran a lodge in Africa, and left my heart there when I left last November.

Now you have my background. If you are still reading, this is where it gets intresting. I am supposed to start at the Canadian Tourism College in downtown Vancouver, BC, on sept. 22nd. studying Adventure Tourism. It's a year long intense study degree on outdoor's tourism. I've been planning to go to this school, that my parents have so graciously offered to pay for, for the good part of 5 months now.

I was supposed to leave tommorow to start my life's ambition in Vancouver, yet tonight, my last night in Orange County, California, United States of America, I got pulled over, harrased and patronized by 2 cops who decided it would be a good idea to literally ruin my life by giving me a ticket. Which insue's a court date, which means I cannot leave the country until I go to court and serve whatever punishment they deam neccesary (which, according the laws I've been reading up on for the past hour, could range anywhere from drug rehab until I pass a drug test - which would take at least a month and half for the pot to clear out - to spending the next 3 months in juvenille hall.)

If im not IN Vancouver by the 10th of september, less than a week, my school drops me. This means I don't move to Vancouver, go to school, get on with my life. It's probably the most likely thing that's going to happen.

This is a specific case of the laws that harness marijuana use ruining someone's life. I'm fucked, completely, uterally, in every possible way just for literally, a joint of marijuana.

How is this right? What did I do to deserve this? What does anyone do to deserve this? Why is marijuana still illegal? It's ruining people's live's every day, not because of the actual drug and it's effects after you smoke it, but the laws put in place, the families and futures being ruined by prison and misunderstanding, by superficial cultural boundries that are based on completely wrong facts literally fabricated 80 years ago.

Sorry if this post was long and boring, but my life was ruined tonight, and it wasn't my fault in any way shape or form, and I swear with my life that if vancouver doesn't work out I'm going to spend the rest of my energies on legalising marijuana and every aspect of it's use.

Thanks for your time, and I'll appreciate feedback.

[thrice]

your life is ruined? you're 17! So what, you'll just go to that school next year. Just learn from your mistakes boy.

[manik]

Unfortunately my school doesn't accept anyone with any sort of drug conviction. I just got off the phone with the court, my attorney, and my school.

I'm not going to my school, I'm stuck in this shithole of a country for a good majority of my life now, I can't see any future in tourism without this degree - my life is ruined, yes.

My mistake? Because I got caught with a harmless herb that's illegal because of right wing conservative assholes that dont even know what marijuana is, let alone it's effects. This is the governments mistake, along with many others, and I'm a victim of the system, just like hundreds of thousands of other Americans.

I swear by my life that this will never happen to my children, the next generation for that matter.

And anyways, my life's not over so stop thinking im implying that, boy, because I never thought twice about the end of my life. The future I had planned for at least the next ten years came crumbling down in an instant. This is not just a "misdeameanor" but my life we are talking about, my education, my schooling - everything I live for. I'm a stoner - I don't overreact. I'm fucked man, in every possible way, because you show no intrest in legalising weed. Or the next person, or the next person.

Where is your heart?

[GreatWyrm of Babylon]

While I think that it is silly spending money on an effort trying to stop the unstoppable, I also think it is silly not to accept the consequences of your own actions. It sounds like you are blaming Africa for being addicted, and America for your disregard for your on actions...

[fedfem]

Even if it were legal, you would still be in trouble. I do see your frustration that one mistake will force you to change years of plans. Reminds me of a suprise pregnancy.lol I suggest you make alternate plans for the near future. If you are serious about taking on the cause, write a book or an essay detailing the unfairness.

[indierockboy]

because we need another mind altering substance readily available. it's not like alcohol isn't responsible for enough deaths, we need to add another potentially deadly chemical to the balance.

[Paavo]

First, I'm truly sorry for what happened to you.

I've smoked weed (haschis) for years, and I haven't touched it in years.
You said it can't do any harm whatsoever? Sure it can. I know, because it did ruin my life more or less. I started stealing money from my parents / friends just to get the dose I needed to be able to eat and sleep. I skipped school first to smoke, then I was stoned in school, then I quit school all together. All because of weed.
And in my case, weed DID become a "portal" to stronger drugs.

I know we are all different when it comes to stuff like drugs, but this was my case.

Also, you keep saying it wasn't your fault in any way... I ask you, who's fault was it? You knew the rules and you chose to go against them. I'm not saying the rules are fair, but you still knew what the rules were. I think it's your fault, and pretty much yours alone.

As for legalizing, I don't know what I think of the issue...a part of me thinks it'd be better to legalize it and let people judge if they can live normally while smoking weed... another looks at what happened to me as a teenager, and doesn't want it to happen to others. We are all so different.

Well, as I said I'm honestly sorry for what happened to you, and I think it sucks.
Good luck!

[Pooeypants]

They should legalise all drugs, then we can let all the drug abusers to suffer (not everyone is forced to use recreational drugs...) and the next generation should hopefully learn from them.

Or perhaps legalising will reduce the hype and excitement that most ppl feel when they're doing something taboo. Who knows, well not me.

[greendeath]

The truth about Marijuana is, several years ago the government had came to several false conclusions to give reason for making it illegal. It was made illegal because it is a minor hallucinogen, also because of a bunch of random bullshit facts.

Over the years there has been many things said about Marijunana...the most untruthful and well-known statement is that it is a gateway drug, that it "leads to other, worse drugs". This is bullshit, marijuana is not addtictive, it is the high which is addictive, and even still the high is not a major addiction. Anyone who tells you marijuana led them to other drugs is an irresponsible ignoramous who has to put the blame on other things simply because they fucked up, but don't want to admit it.

If you ask yourself why it should be legal, its simple; marijuana should be legalised for the simple fact that it gives kids something to do, something which hurts noone in any major way. Marijuana does not lead to violence, it melo's you out, and I personally wouldn't mind legalizing marijuana if it mean't that a large number of the population is out smoking joints rather than robbing people and stealing cars.

Thats another thing....cars and marijuana. Marijuana does not "render" your vision in any way whatsoever, you see something you only thought you saw, this is "tripping out", seeing something that isn't really there, then when you examine the sight, you see that your mind is playing tricks with your eyes. While driving under the influence of marijuana, you tend to be a better and safer driver. You pay much more attention to the road, because you think you will hit a car because you are high.

The only reason pot-heads ever dropped out of high school or can't get a job is because it is frowned upon. It may kill brain cells, but I heard beer does as well. If the world didn't see smokers of marijuana as lazy, accomplish-nothings then pot-heads would be doing much better in life. Instead they are failing because they like to smoke a "drug" in their spare time which does not make them lazy, or stupid, but this is what the government has led the anti-marijuana puppets to believe.

[GreatWyrm of Babylon]

Okay, since you brought the subject up. While MJ, as well as alcohlol are fairly harmess to the non-addict, there is another factor that will affect the addict even though it causes no physical harm. This item is called state memory.

State memory is the effect of learning something in an altered state, lets say you have an important test in the morning, a monday morning and you did not sleep saturday night. So you find something to help keep you awake to study for the test. You figure that if you study good the day before and get a good nights sleep you are set, right? Then you wake up monday morning and go to class, you are fresh and relaxed, but you cannot remember anything you studied because you studied it when you were sleepy, and hyped up on caffine (or something else).

Yes, the above is a special case and not going to happen very much. But the fact is that if you spend a third of your life high, a third of it drunk, and a third of it sober, you could be 30 years old and have access to less knowedge than the average 14 year old. If you know someone that learned to play pool while drinking and does not play well until their second or third drink, you are witnessing state memory.

Drugs do not have to "hurt" you, to mess up your life.

[Paavo]

Originally posted by greendeath@Sep 4 2003, 07:27 PM Thats another thing....cars and marijuana. Marijuana does not "render" your vision in any way whatsoever, you see something you only thought you saw, this is "tripping out", seeing something that isn't really there, then when you examine the sight, you see that your mind is playing tricks with your eyes. While driving under the influence of marijuana, you tend to be a better and safer driver. You pay much more attention to the road, because you think you will hit a car because you are high.

I take it you haven't smoked much before driving?

[greendeath]

Marijuana only affects short-term memory. This means that you would not be able to remember what you did 2 days ago, only minor things like what you ate, what time you ate at. It does not affect long-term memory however, therefore some of the statements you have made are false. I have been studying and smoking marijuana on an on and off basis for approximately 4 years. I did not drop out of high school, I had no problem passing a test while high, in fact, in some cases I did much better on tests because I was high which allowed me to think a lot more than usual.

You say that if you smoke marijuana, drink beers etc. when you are 30 you will have the same knowledge as a 14 year old. Spending 2/3 of your life drinking beers and smoking pot is nearly impossible, as it will give you nearly no time to get proper sleep and eat meals regularly. Also, marijuana would not contribute to long-term memory, which this statement was relating to. Even if this was so...the only thing a 14 year old could remember better than said 30 year old would be what pants they used to own, etc. Small pieces of memory which are practically useless. You would still remember who your parents are, your height, the highlights of your life, how to work at your job place, etc. All of these are somewhat important to you; short-term memory is not as important as the anti-marijuana pawns have made it seem.

Paavo: I drive stoned all the time, the only accident I have ever gotten into was one of which I was not stoned, and was my friends fault who I no longer talk to.

[GreatWyrm of Babylon]

I have three references, one is the psychology book I studied three semesters ago, the second is my psych teacher a psychologist with an active practice, and the third is this website, since I could not provide a link to the other two.

BTW: You posted an example of state memory yourself, since you imply that you drive better stoned...

State Memory

[John]

LoL, marijuana turns people from nice fun people, into boring lazy dumbasses with no memory or co-ordination whatsoever, my friend smokes it pretty much all day, if he wakes up in the middle of the night he will have a cone, first thing he does in the morning is have a cone. I have seen some of my friends go through the transition of bein fun to hang with to being the most boring deros on earth. And you say its not addictive and only the high is addictive? dosnt that mean it is still addictive? And nowadays most people add spin to it (tobacco) which makes having that cone even more addictive. Oh and about driving on weed, i will tell you now, it is fucking hard driving stoned, ive tried it and i found it way harder than driving drunk.

[RebelWithanAK]

There are enough lazy dumbasses, marijuana or not. I don't care about the morality of it.

However, the cost of it is ludicrously high, in that we're now besting Soviet Russia in the number of Americans incarcerated at any one time - thanks in no small part to drug convictions; and it's now a terrible strain on most state budgets.

Of course, there is a simple solution: We legalize the stuff, and tax it to hell. That'd be the smart way. But thanks to the zealotry of the American system since Nixon, attributing pot to every known sin including heroin, prostitution and anti-war protesting, it'll never happen in a million years.

Bastards.

[indierockboy]

i have to say, i have no sympathy for your predicament. you made a choice, you chose to have an illegal substance in your possession. whether or not you believe it to be "harmless" is completely and totally irrelevant; it's still illegal. if you are not prepared to deal with the consequences of your actions, then simply excercise better judgement.

[Fallen Angel]

Originally posted by manik@Sep 4 2003, 04:56 AM This is a specific case of the laws that harness marijuana use ruining someone's life. I'm fucked, completely, uterally, in every possible way just for literally, a joint of marijuana.

You havent even reached 20 yet, and you think your life has been ruined?
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!!
Listen, I would give my right testicle to go back to 17 and have the opportunity to have the opportunity to say what you just said, and know, my God I'm only 17! Yeaharrrr! So young and fit, I'm the King of the world again! Free!
Please, if you really want to ruin your life, keep smoking pot, you hear theres no harm in it, have a good look at the people who tell you this, and you will notice they are not quite all there anymore are they? hehehe
I smoked it for years, a mate of mine was a smoker too, heavier than me, loved his pot, always so mellow and happy, unless he did'nt have any funny stuff, one day he hung himself in the park and did'nt even leave a note.
You have screwed up, but you are only 17 if you are still in this situation at my age, 34, then you have ruined your life.


Good luck!

[greendeath]

His life has not been ruined, rather what he enjoys doing and what he wants to do for the rest of his life has gone to shit. I think this is what he mean't to say, because it is obvious that no 17-year-old could have their lives ruined, unless they ended up in the slammer for a major criminal action.

[GreatWyrm of Babylon]

Actually, America "zealotry" has been on a steady decline since Nixon, but I do not know about before I was too young to remember. The last few years are the only exception I have seen, it appears that uniting against a common cause (Clinton & Waco) has given them some strenght. Either that or they have gotten desperate enough to form a final stand, which could be good or bad, depending on how successful they are at converting...

[RebelWithanAK]

Then explain our continued War on Drugs, the embattled controversies on medical marijuana, and our soaring incarceration records. The fight against pot has probably weakened in the last 30 years, but it's by no means over. Not by a long shot.