Poll: Should they legalize pot?

[razer17]

It seems like on every five youtube videos I watch I see a comment like this "Legalize Marijuana!!! thumbs up for THC!! and RHCP!! Hey oh lets go smoke a bong!" and quite frankly it disturbs me,while there is no severe short term medical consequences(There are a few long term though.)It does in my honest opinion from experience make people stupider,so I was wondering what do you all think?

Actually, there is no real evidence that marijuana causes problems. It's all correlational. There MAY be a slight increase of the chance of getting some mental disorders. IT doesn't cause them though, it only slightly ups the chances of getting it for people already vulnerable.

And when it's taken in moderation, much like alcohol, it doesn't make people stupider (After the effects wear off)

people want to smoke pot because to them it's cool and edgy. Take away the cool and edgy part and reduce it to Tobacco and I think we'll start getting somewhere as a society.

Pot is less objectional than tobacco. Tobacco has the serious health implications.

Although to be fair, if there was no pot in the world, I see how society would automatically be a much better place. Because obviously stoners are the sole cause of societal ills in the world.

 

[ANImaniac89]

I myself have tried pot and can honestly say that for the most part its harmless.
But I have seen someone become addicted/dependent. I do fall on the legalizing side but have it be a 21 and up subsistence. I think legalizing it would increase tax revenue, and also think that legalizing would end the "Gateway Drug" aspects of it (since low level stoners would not have to get their pot from dealers who are trying to sell other stuff).
I live in Detroit and recently talks have come up about legalizing a small amount of pot for personal use.

 

[Downfall89]

people want to smoke pot because to them it's cool and edgy. Take away the cool and edgy part and reduce it to Tobacco and I think we'll start getting somewhere as a society.

If it could be legally sold and the US government taxed it, we'd be out of debt in a year.

I'd vote to legalize it just so stoners have nothing to talk about anymore.

These three fine posters have every angle of this argument covered. Good on ya, mates!

That pretty much sums it up.

OT: I voted "No" as I actually don't know the specific health risks if there are any. I guess I'm just abiding to the fear campaign, but I don't doubt that marijuana is worse than alcohol or tobacco.

 

[holographicman]

yes.

 

[chris89300]

Meeeh, I just read about 3/4 the comments on the first page and I'm already disappointed at human behavior regarding this matter.

First off, if you never did any weed, talk about something you know something about for a change, like the impact it would have on economy.

I smoked weed for like 5 years non stop, and then stopped all of a sudden, when I moved out (since I didn't know anyone where I now live). All this time, I led a perfectly normal life, I went to work, did my job Flawlessly, went to school, went out with friends, never had unprotected sex, and best of all, my family didn't even suspect me (altho, they caught me drunk as fuck a few times, but hey, since alcohol is legal, who cares if their kid dies due to alcohol abuse, right?).
The only thing that changed was that, at parties, instead of drinking 'till we puked our stomachs out, we were smoking and having a much better time, plus, a lot safer since y'know, alcohol messes you up to the point of driving your bike into a pit thingy (the side of the road where water from rain flows, but at the country side, I dunno the word for it, and yes, I did that) and it makes you fall and spend almost an hour in some random bush full of two-inch-long thorns (hurts like hell).


It isn't addictive at all, I've never, even once felt the Need for it.
On the other side, as I still smoke cigs, I can't go for more than 3 hours without a cig, even when gaming, I just lose my temper and go berkserk on everything in close proximity...

Yes, weed has been scientifically proven to be Far Less Dangerous than alcohol, or ANY other already legal drugs (I've actually read a lot of reports, studies, etc, etc about this).

And no, it doesn't make you a dumb, it doesn't make you violent, it boosts your senses and sensations (yes, sex is better too) and actually make you think and react faster, boosts your endurance and resistance to fatigue and even temperature changes (also, you find stuff more intriguing, therefore, you get less bored).

I'm talking from my own personal experience here, as I never had any accidents while high and I could rationalize just as well, as proof, I never ended up in jail nor dead because of it.

The problem with this is comprehension and knowledge. How can you expect to understand something if you've never tried it?

Most of my friends were pot smokers and none of them are violent or whatever you might think while high.
Sure we laugh a great deal more, but if you've actually read my entire post, I did cite some of the effects it has on the human body/mind.

In small doses, for people who don't have a habit of smoking it, yes it can "dumb you down", but that's usually in the first few days, after which your body gets used to it and you stop getting "dumbed down" and actually getting some benefits (like the ones I mentioned above).

I also know I never did anything "stronger" than weed, I never felt the need for it, and besides, I know some guys that actually take weird stuff on a regular basis, and hell, I sure wouldn't like to end up that fucked up.

Also, for anyone reading this and thinking "Gosh, I'd love to try some of the heavier stuff", you're an idiot, for the uninitiated, how the hell can they make the difference between the real stuff and let's say, powder sugar, or flour? Yes, by the "uninitiated", I was talking about you.

Weed is the safest thing ever, since it's very easy to know if it's the real thing or let's say, garden grass and it doesn't mess you up.

Besides, I'm against the whole dealers are bad, consumers victims. Screw that, consumers WANT that shit, dealers don't force their weed or coke or whatever down their throats !

I live in France, and I can tell you that this greatly angers me Because ... there are a shitload of pedos and rapists here, and the police is running around busting dealers while the god damned pedos and rapists run around doing their thing like they were god damned saints. The cops even PROTECT pedos from other people in their ghettos cuz, y'know, they just turned in a dealer or two.

So yes, society as a whole still has a long way to go before being able to make a difference between right and wrong, since the Democracy we all love so much isn't really Democracy, not while people still need to hide to do something that concerns only them, like shoving the stuff they like into their own throats ...

 

[Lord Krunk]

I've seen too many of this same thread already, and I'm kind of sick of explaining why I have my opinion. If you want to find out why, a dig into older threads of this same (or similar) name will yield an eventual result.

That said, no.

 

[AlphaOmega]

Yes, its legal where I live. I never smoke it because it is bad for you; but we have less drug crime then you'd expect.

 

[Tinneh]

people want to smoke pot because to them it's cool and edgy. Take away the cool and edgy part and reduce it to Tobacco and I think we'll start getting somewhere as a society.

Couldn't agree with you more, you win the topic.

 

[Lord Krunk]

I noticed something about that graph. Why are hard drugs like Acid and Meth less harmful than alcohol? I call shenanigans.

 

[GundamSentinel]

It's already legal here, yay!

 

[carpathic]

people want to smoke pot because to them it's cool and edgy. Take away the cool and edgy part and reduce it to Tobacco and I think we'll start getting somewhere as a society.

Onward to meth or heroin then?

Although I am not a user, the research I have seen does not actually support the Gateway drug. Yes, everyone who tries meth/heroin whatever has tried pot. However, most of the research I have read indicates that these people would be likely to move on to other options regardless. I mean, hardcore drug use often speaks to some needs that are not being met.

 

[HK_01]

No, don't legalise it.

 

[Retardinator]

It does in my honest opinion from experience make people stupider,so I was wondering what do you all think?

As far as I've seen, yes. That's why I don't smoke too often. But it's just like cigarettes and alcohol. Fools have it coming to them.
Before you ask, yes that makes me a fool on all three accounts.

people want to smoke pot because to them it's cool and edgy.

Unfortunate popular opinion(or it could be, I'm not sure). I just hope it's not as true as you say it. I just like to relax and experience things in a new way.

 

[Jirlond]

I have said this several times in many posts. Drugs are NOT the problem, addiction is. I am in favour of medicinal and recreational drug use as it provides relief(medicinal), and visual and physical sensations through chemical imbalance.

I would legalize it for those reasons and to stop the Drug war. Criminals would have a lot less income and collateral if they could not sell drugs.

I wouldn't legalize it because productiviy would go down (creativity up yes, but actually finalizing your ideas would be a mammoth taks). There would be a lot more people addicted to drugs too; but many of those people are weak willed and are already hooked on legal substances such as alchohol tobacco or coffee.

 

[JIst00]

Right, first off I used to smoke weed quite heavily, but these days its a rarity. Secondly I voted no. All this re-classification and legalization bullshit irks me, it's just a bad idea. People are going to smoke weed if they want to, legal or not, I think legalization will just make it even more readily availiable, especially to people who normally would not come into contact with it, for example young kids who are not familiar with it.

I also strongly disagree with the "Makes you edgy and cool" statement. Since when? To who? Other tokers? What do they care, they already strong it, all that means to them is that you fit into their fraternity.

I think it's a choice that everyone makes, to smoke or not to smoke, and regardless of the law, people are still going to make that choice.

 

[flamingjimmy]

Yes of course it should, as should all drugs.

It is a disgusting violation of our freedoms for the state to dictate to us what substances we can and cannot take in.

Not to mention the gross hypocrisy inherent in our society about this issue (alcohol, tobacco, and caffeine)

Yes I agree with you OP there are damaging effects of cannabis (albeit much less so than with alcahol and about the same as tobacco) however that isn't relevant, we should be allowed to choose because our societies are supposed to be free.

Skydiving is way more dangerous than smoking pot, should that be made illegal?

No, because people make a risk assessment and then choose to do it, just like with pot.

Also, with the 'edgy and cool bit'. WTF have you been smoking where I come from everyone looks down on weed smokers as lazy scroungers.

 

[Trebort]

Tobacco's much worse for you, and everybody has had it or will have it at some stage in their lives. Just so long as it was regulated properly I wouldn't have a problem with it.

Lies. I've never had it and never will.

It gives me a massive fucking headache.

 

[Sakurazaki1023]

Legalizing the stuff would almost eliminate the Black Market sale of it, it would save law enforcement funds that could be used for other things, and it would create billions in new tax dollars.

That being said, I really don't agree with people who smoke anything, much less pot.

If the people who want to smoke the stuff will get their hands on it one way or another, may as well use it to makes some money for the government.