Poll: marajauna legalization

[Cliff_m85]

Really the only reason it was illegalized was because it couldn't be controlled by the U.S. Gov., its's been proven to be better for you than alcohol and tobacco, and it's not even chemically addicting, and as and added bonus Pot gives us music, so i'm all for it

Bullshit. It could easily be taxed by the U.S. Government. Take wine, for instance. Very simple to make yet people still go to liquor stores to buy it. Why? Because pot smokers COULD grow their own, but they'd rather go with a faster and more advanced strain of cannibus that could be flavoured or enhanced in some manner.

 

[Warwolt]

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.

Why is alcohol legal then?

 

[Shoqiyqa]

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.

Further to this, there was a study done years ago that found that people who received treatment for the side-effect of chemotherapy not only reported feeling better about it (well, obviously) but also had higher recovery rates. You're more likely to beat cancer if the medicine(s) make(s) you feel good.

It came at the end of a string of experiments that showed:
that mice are susceptible to Pavlovian programming with immunosuppressants such that regularly sounding the associated chime would prevent auto-immune arthritis in those mice;
that mice of lines prone to cancer could be similarly programmed with an immune-stimulant drug (adrenaline aka epinephrine) and would then be kept less susceptible to cancer by the chime;
and that a similar improvement in cancer patients' prospects could be achieved with daily adrenaline sugar lumps for a while followed by daily ordinary sugar lumps for a longer period.

Weird things, mammals.

 

[wewontdie11]

I'm going to say no in spite of my using it occasionally.

It's not because I disagree with it morally or anything, it's far less dangerous than pure tobacco, alcohol or caffeine but I just don't want to pay more for my weed because the government has started to put tax on it!

Keep cheap weed illegal!

 

[Cavouku]

Oi, this is a flame war waiting to happen.

I don't like the idea of people smoking pot, or anything really. I guess I'm for medicinal legalization, but I don't like recreational use of it. I know it's less harmful than alcohol or tobacco, but if not done right, it can still be harmful.

And even when done carefully, recreationally, I don't like what it does. And what I'm told it does is give someone "a sense of being happy all the time" or something along that, I'm paraphrasing. Also, a small burst of creativity. Neither of which I see as redeemable, or admirable. Or at least, needing/using a drug for that purpose.

I also find that people get into it for some... fairly stupid reasons, but if someone has a good reason enough to have been using it recreationally, I may get a different opinion.

It's not that I hate what it does, so much as I hate the reasons for it. Though I guess that's just from knowing to many full-out stoners my age.

Basically; Medicinal - Sure, Material (making things from hemp) - Sure again, Recreational - I'm not for.

Per the whole economy thing, well, I don't know anything about the economy, but the idea of making money from someone's recreational use of marijuana strikes me as a bit shady. I know it's done with tobacco and alcohol, and a lot more, but it's not like I find that any better. Understandably useful, but not morally better. Then again, it's not a perfect world.

 

[GOATOFRAGE]

Basically; Medicinal - Sure, Material (making things from hemp) - Sure again, Recreational - I'm not for.

i agree

 

[Jsnoopy]

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.

Why is alcohol legal then?

......Remember the Prohibition? Me neither, but alchohol is too deeply ingrained into American culture, and really human culture, to be made illegal effectively, and to be honest, weed isn't that much harder to find nowadays then a liquor back then.

legalizing for medical use only.
free use - No.

It's my f*cking body, let me do what I want with it. (Coming from someone who has never smoked)

Yeah that's a terrible argument for the legalization of weed, as doing whatever with your body could lead to other consequences (i.e. junkies mug you, guy driving high smashes into your car) for other people- Not really so much for weed, but the same argument could be made for other drugs.

 

[Foolishman1776]

From a purely objective point of view, it is not physically addictive, the lethal dosage for it has never been established, mostly on the grounds that it's so ridiculously high that there's no practical way you could that much in your body at one time without being lethal for completely different reasons. Add to this the fact that it's intoxicating effectively make it impossible for you to commit crimes other than ones that involve sitting on the couch. Most of the negative effects have been made up by people who fear it for no good reason, and frankly, there are things you put into your body on a daily basis that are more harmful.

 

[Jsnoopy]

When Canada legalized marijuana for medical use they found that the use of marijuana increased while the use of other drugs such as cocaine and heroin decreased. If the gateway drug theory were true wouldn't the use of heroin and cocaine have increased also?

Not necessarily. I don't think that the people obtaining weed for medicinal purposes are the ones who are likely to do heroin or cocaine. That theory is mostly about adolescents.

 

[GonzoGamer]

I've never even heard of someone ODing on weed ...

Having looked at the data for it, I can tell you why. According to what little data is available and assuming humans are similar to chimps ( or dogs :-\ ), you'd have to eat 1% of your own bodyweight at 10% by mass to stand a chance. Anyone fancy chewing through a big bag of spinach [http://www.sainsburys.co.uk/groceries/index.jsp?bmUID=1249933280916] in one go?
.....

I want some of whatever you're smoking.
Seriously, I know it isn't deadly because my brother in law is still alive. If there was to be the first person in history to od on weed, it would've been him.

 

[Foolishman1776]

The "gateway" theory has no scientific or even statistical backing, only anecdotal, at best. The most common "gateway drug" is ALCOHOL. Of course, like most outright lies, this one refuses to die.

 

[ScarlettRage]

people are only going to smoke it anyway...
might as well lol

 

[metalmmaniac]

i think it should be legalized, but monitered and with limitations. I think if we are allowed alcohol, then it should be the same for pot. Also, i think it provide a boost in the economy (especially in California).

 

[Lunar Shadow]

You can smoke tobacoo before work and do just fine. But some can smoke weed before work and be high as a kite. Therefore how do we know who can handle the drug? Tabacoo is something that does not make you high and therefore theres no need to worry about empolyee A coming to work high and being fine and employee B coming to work after one blunt and just being stoned out of his mind.

Also taxes would be terrible.

So sorry, but no.

Comparing smoking tobacco before work and pot before work isn't a good comparison, it would be like comparing drinking caffeine and alcohol before work.

 

[TheFacelessOne]

Only in use for medical purposes.

I bet if it was legalized for free use, there would be a large increase of stoner deaths.

 

[RagnorakTres]

YAY! My favorite subject! (Seriously.)

Marijuana should definitely be legalized, if only for use by those who have reached majority. If it's legal, several things happen:
1) Gangs and other "organized" crime type things lose a large percentage of their income.
2) The government gets a very profitable source of income for use towards infrastructure, especially if they treat it as they treat alcohol now: legalize it, but only government owned shops can sell above a certain potency level.
3) A common cause of drug-related death is impure substance. By legalizing it, the government has control over the quality of the product and can help reduce the number of deaths.
4) Research into it's medicinal purposes becomes much easier.

A common misconception towards marijuana is that it is addictive. Well, yeah, it is, but to a much smaller extent than any other drug, even caffeine. Yeah, that stuff that helps you function normally in society is a drug, a much worse one than cannabis. I'm addicted to it, I should know (Caffeine, not marijuana. I've had a total of...three puffs in my life.). Did you know that caffeine and tobacco are seen as worse drugs than cocaine or heroin in some countries? And neither of them are as bad as alcohol? Seriously.

I say we legalize all of it except the stuff that can kill in one hit and get it all under government control.

 

[FallenRainbows]

It's a drug (even a mild one is one), why legalize it?

Have you forgotten alcohol and tobacco are legalized drugs?

And caffeine, and like every medicine

 

[Srkkl]

It would be good for the economy but I think it would make workers lazy, but there would probably be guidelines not allowing the use of pot at work, but it still should be illegal for a military active duty to smoke while he/she is serving his/her term in the military.

Well, by that logic, alcohol would have the same effects - it certainly affects one's productivity. If you come to work completely smashed, guess what's likely to happen? You're probably going to get your ass fired, or at least sent home with no pay if your boss is nice and you actually do something on other days. I don't see why it should be any different for weed - or other legal medical drugs that often do have bad side effects.

It should have the same kind of rules and regulations as alcohol. You can't do it on the job, you can't smoke and drive, you can't give it to minors, you can't do it in public, etc.

Yeah I realized both these things after I posted so I edited it and added the whole "but there would probably be guidelines not allowing the us of pot at work" line.

 

[Cavouku]

The only reason I'm against marijuana at all really is because of so many piss-poor reasons for using it. That and I don't like the little effects it does to people, and if you can function perfectly fine with it, then I think that's a sign that you're body's grown adapted to it. Which still doesn't strike me as good, and begs the question of why one still uses it.

I say we can be happy or creative without it, and we'd be mentally better for it. Medicinally, I'm all for marijuana. Of course, I'm Canadian, so it doesn't matter much to me, it's already alright.

 

[Agayek]

The problem is that by then it might be too late and someone will have gotten hurt or killed.

Such is the price we pay for our freedoms.

I would much rather have the risk of a junkie attacking me for money, then a government dictating what I can and can not do to myself.