Poll: marajauna legalization

[Woem]

I do believe that medicinal marajauna should be legalized. In some countries it already is.

 

[CAW4]

It's a drug (even a mild one is one), why legalize it? It's harmful for you, so why would you use it? Well if you are addicted ofcource. And why would you be addicted? Because you used it. So it's your own bad, if you think it should be legal.

Why do people drink alcohol or smoke cigarettes? They're harmful, but people need a break. I'm not really for or against the legalization, but the side to legalize it do have better arguments. I don't do drugs (I have that disgusting urge to go to college instead of jail), but if they did legalize it, I'd probably do it.

 

[joystickjunki3]

Sure, legalize it. I honestly don't care if someone wants to smoke it. It's troubling when that's all someone does, but it's troubling when drinking is all someone does too.

The only drugs that I believe shouldn't be legal are the ones that can harm those who don't want any part of it. Like crystal meth; those meth labs can explode and harm people who didn't even know it was there.

 

[LackingSaint]

Oh, and also marijuana is non-addictive. Habit-forming, but not neccesary to a user of it.

 

[megapenguinx]

I'm fine with how it is now. The only reason I'd like to see it legalized if only to see it be taxed heavily. Other than that, I don't smoke pot and I don't really care either way.

 

[walls of cetepedes]

Na I don't mean in terms of the poll, I mean in terms of you don't think it should be legalized... but you also don't think it should be legal. The third poll option is "don't care", but the fact that you are against both making it illegal and legalizing it implies that you have an opinion,rather than simply not caring.

I'm not trying to cause an argument, I'm simply asking for clarification.

I didn't think you were, but, to avoid further confusion, I have changed my post. But, to answer your immediate question...

I know of the bad effects, and I know of the good effects of the drug. However, going either way in regards to legalisation will either upset the people using it for medicinal purposes, or make the drug use get out of hand. Therefore, there is no 'best' answer.

Come to think of it, I'll put this up there.

 

[Zer_]

Yes, because Marijuana is not a toxic drug like most others. It's not even lethal. Even cigarettes are more deadly. The biggest argument against cannabis is the Gateway Drug theory which is just a load of hogwash anyways.

Some claim that trying Cannabis increases the probability that users will eventually use "harder" drugs. This hypothesis has been one of the central pillars of anti-Cannabis drug policy in the United States, though the validity and implications of these hypotheses are highly debated.[48] Studies have shown that tobacco smoking is a better predictor of concurrent illicit hard drug use than smoking Cannabis.

No widely accepted study has ever demonstrated a cause-and-effect relationship between the use of Cannabis and the later use of harder drugs like heroin and cocaine. However, the prevalence of tobacco cigarette advertising and the practice of mixing tobacco and Cannabis together in a single large joint, common in Europe, are believed to be a factor in promoting nicotine dependency among young persons investigating Cannabis.

Many non-prescription drugs are more lethal then cannabis.

Though the medicinal value of Cannabis has been debated, it does have several well-documented beneficial effects. Cannabis is indicated for treating and preventing nausea and vomiting, for treatment of glaucoma due to its lower of intraocular pressure, as well as a general analgesic. Individual studies also have been conducted indicating Cannabis to a gamut of conditions running from multiple sclerosis to depression. Extracts of Cannabis have also been created and sold as prescription drugs in the United States, primarily for the treatment of pain and nausea.

Professor Lester Grinspoon, M.D., Associate Professor of Psychiatry (Emeritus) at Harvard Medical School has done studies with Marijuana. His son also suffered from Cancer and would get nausea after his Chemotherapy treatments. He found that when his son had a few puffs of marijuana just before the treatments he would have absolutely no signs of nausea, and in fact he'd go ask for a bite to eat after.

 

[grimsprice]

I think I'd need to know more about the argument for having it legalized. I know there are arguments for it, I just have no idea what they are.

My current standing is: Harmful drug = do not legalize.

In addition to what Grimsprice said, the US spends $10 to $14 billion a year keeping marijuana illegal.

now wouldn't it be awesome if we could spend that 14 billion dollars on something awesome... like research into fusion power or more efficient photo-voltaic solar paneling? you know... important things...

 

[Fronken]

It's a drug (even a mild one is one), why legalize it? It's harmful for you, so why would you use it? Well if you are addicted ofcource. And why would you be addicted? Because you used it. So it's your own bad, if you think it should be legal.

Why not legalize it?, its a much safer drug than Alcohol and Tobacco, so why not?, if you are trying to be all "healthy" and think the way you are, then Marijuana should be legalized and alcohol should be illegal.

It's one of the safest drugs out there, its not strong enough to die from (even when using Alot of it), the effect doesnt cause nearly as much damage as alcohol does to your liver or tobacco does to your lungs.

So why not legalize it?

 

[KarumaK]

You spelled marijuana wrong. If you're for it that's an argument against you, if you're against it that still applies.

I'd say legalize it, more tax money is always good.

The reason the government doesn't want to legalize it, is because they can't tax it. It's a plant that anyone can grow and sell. It should be legal because frankly, there's no reason for it not to be legal. It's less harmful than cigarettes and it has similar "mind-altering" effects to alcohol. Cigarettes and alcohol are both legal, it's all a matter of social acceptance. I heard the argument that 19% of all arrestees have marijuana in their system, I'd be willing to bet that at least half of those are arrested because they were in possession of the stuff anyway, and does anyone else find it funny that you can have the stuff in your system and not be arrested, but if it's in the back of your car your ass is in jail. Once it's legalized, there won't be underground weed dealers. If you voted on legal abortion in a recent escapist thread based on the fact that there would be 'black market abortions,' then the same should apply here.

Can't tax it? You underestimate the will of government good sir.

 

[Destal]

It shouldn't be legalised, but it shouldn't be illegal either.

Uuuum.... what? is there a third option?

If you count, there is a third option. I chose that.

Your answer didn't make sense, how can something that isn't illegal be anything other than legal?

OT: At least if it was legalized it could be regulated and taxed. That would make it less dangerous (not that it is super dangerous at the moment) and a rediculous amount of tax dollars. There is a huge difference between marajuana and cocaine.

 

[Akai Shizuku]

Marijuana is harmful. However, I do believe it exists for a good reason, like all other natural substances. Medicine in this case. It's a damn good medicine for some things, so I think it's fine for doctors to be able to prescribe it.

 

[Shapsters]

Drugs are bad mmkay, marijuana is bad mmkay.

Seriously though, if cigarettes are legal, wacky-tobaccy should be as well. They cause less health problems then cigarettes and way less people die from it every year. Also where I live damn near everybody smokes it anyways, so why not just make it legal?

 

[L4hlborg]

It's a drug (even a mild one is one), why legalize it? It's harmful for you, so why would you use it? Well if you are addicted ofcource. And why would you be addicted? Because you used it. So it's your own bad, if you think it should be legal.

Why do people drink alcohol or smoke cigarettes? They're harmful, but people need a break. I'm not really for or against the legalization, but the side to legalize it do have better arguments. I don't do drugs (I have that disgusting urge to go to college instead of jail), but if they did legalize it, I'd probably do it.

Honestly, I don't drink or smoke. And to speak the truth, I think they should be illegal. Well this is impossible because they are too popular and the world would go mad.

 

[Nocola]

Hi, I'm Canadian and I'm pretty sure it's legal to use it for medicinal purposes. Actually, my mom takes it in a pill form, yes she for a prescription and yes it's all very legal. The government even pays for it. She doesn't like to talk about it but as far as I know it's helped her condition a lot. (It's a rare disease where the receptors in her skin are very sensitive, and she always feels extremely itchy. I'm not quite sure how it works but I think it helps to numb those receptors.)

So my stance is that YES it should be legal for medicinal purposes as long as you get it prescribed by a doctor, and NO for recreational use by anyone.

 

[walls of cetepedes]

It shouldn't be legalised, but it shouldn't be illegal either.

Uuuum.... what? is there a third option?

If you count, there is a third option. I chose that.

Your answer didn't make sense, how can something that isn't illegal be anything other than legal?

OT: At least if it was legalized it could be regulated and taxed. That would make it less dangerous (not that it is super dangerous at the moment) and a rediculous amount of tax dollars. There is a huge difference between marajuana and cocaine.

I know, I've changed it now.

 

[Boober the Pig]

Question for smokers, do you ever mix tobacco with weed? From what I know marijuana is the healthier alternative but it seems that smoking one usually means you don't smoke the other at the same time. Anyone know about this?

 

[YuheJi]

It's a drug (even a mild one is one), why legalize it? It's harmful for you, so why would you use it? Well if you are addicted ofcource. And why would you be addicted? Because you used it. So it's your own bad, if you think it should be legal.

Ofcource, medical use is different. I'm not sure how useful would marajauna really be as legal medicine, so I'm not commenting.

Marijuana isn't close to as addictive as cigarettes. There are far less severe withdrawal symptoms.

 

[BonsaiK]

Most of the really good arguments for legalising marijuana have nothing to do with smoking the drug.

Marijuana was legal in the US until the mid-30s. George Washington is known to have smoked it. Why was it illegalised? Lobbying and smear campaigns from the cotton industry. Marijuana used for growing hemp to use in clothes and fabrics was the number 2 resource behind cotton. The cotton industry wanted the monopoly and they got it by lobbying the government to ban hemp, with the help of movies like "Reefer Madness" which greatly exaggerated the negative effects of marijuana smoking.

Interestingly though, farmers were ordered to start growing hemp again briefly during WWII to make parachutes for infantry. The guys who prepared the way for the D-Day landings in Normandy would have definitely been using hemp parachutes.

Marijuana plants are also a rich source of ethanol which can be used as biofuel for cars, it's a much better biofuel crop than most other alternatives because of the speed at which crops grow, and the fact that the plants are quite hardy.

For the record I don't smoke it and I don't really like it when people smoke the drug around me because it has a tendency to turn them into stoner idiots, but then alcohol does far worse things to people (it certainly kills a lot more of them).

Sources, because I KNOW people will ask:

The Emperor Wears No Clothes by Jack Herer, a free online copy of the book along with a list of all HIS sources (and there are MANY) can be found here: http://www.jackherer.com/chapters.html

Also see Jello Biafra's spoken word CD "I Blow Minds For A Living" for more information.

 

[lacktheknack]

You just desperately wanted a hot button topic, eh? So I'll take the same stance I take on most Hot Button Topics: I don't care. I'm keeping my fingers out of this piranha tank.