Poll: Weed - Legal or Illegal?

[Rayne870]

legalize weed and tax the hell out of it, apply the same laws as booze. Bam one world issue solved right there.

 

[Kiju]

Legalize.

...if you have a PhD in Medicine, and a permit from the Government to use, prescribe, and distribute the stuff. :\

 

[TStormer]

Weed should be legalised for SO many reasons. A legit business will practically destroy underground trade and selling, it can be taxed sufficiently to educate about its dangers, and help treat those who get themselves in hospital somehow. It has been proven to be absolutely fine in Holland and Jamaica, it'll boost tourism.

And plus, if all world leaders were potheads, we'd have world peace.

 

[jack_hectic]

Personally, I am for it. Smoking weed is like smoking tobacco (which is perfectly legal), granted that the chances of lung problems and cancer are much higher with marijuana then tobacco.

wait wait wait, wheres that research? i thought that tobacco is much worse because of hotter smoke and more chemical carcinogens. i heard that tobacco is a cancer hazard, but if grass alone has a much lower risk. BUT, in that same study it is noted that someone who smokes both has a higher risk than either alone.

its why im quitting cigarettes.

 

[IWCAS]

I've lost a lot of friends to weed. They didn't die, they just drifted away from me. My best friend, whom I've known since I was 2, started smoking at around age 14-15 (somewhere in between maybe) and ever since then he isn't any fun to hang around. He doesn't want to hang with me anymore anyways... I don't smoke. I never will. ILLEGAL.

 

[Lem0nade Inlay]

However one incredibly dangerous aspect of smoking weed is the fact that if you just try out weed once it can bring up underlying mental illnesses like schizophrenia (sp?). Alcohol cannot bring up these mental diseases as quickly as marijuana can. I know this for a fact.

Oh really, do you now?

Then, pray tell, where does your information come from?

The only peer reviewed study I've seen that even comes close to what you're saying is one stating that there is a connection between constant use of marijuana over many years and early onset of schizophrenia. But hey, maybe you have a more reliable one?

However I do believe alcohol is bad for you in a huge number of ways, I'm not denying that, but I just feel that weed can be more dangerous if you only have it once or twice, than alcohol can if you only have 1 or 2 drinks ever. If that makes sense.

Time to own up; prove it or stop spouting that ignorant nonsense!

I seriously can't remember, though I have a recollection of reading it somewhere. I think it was during an assignment I did in school a few years ago...but I seriously can't remember. I don't really care about the discussion that much thouh, so I don't feel the need to find any evidence.

Also I personally know a man who, when he was 18 or 19, started smoking weed. He smoked a few times over the course of about a month when he became incredibly violent and abusive towards his friends and family. Soon after he was diagnosed with Schizophrenia. He had always had the disease, however it had been dormant in his body until he smoked marijuana. (He never has had any other illegal drug).

I said I "feel" in that last paragraph; I wasn't saying that it definitely did it.

Why are you so passionate about this anyway? You seem to be quoting and retaliating against anyone who has a different opinion to yours. I mean you can if you want, but this is an internet gaming forum, if you really want to make a difference why don't you go out and protest or something? I'm not going to be able to change your mind and I really doubt you're going to be able to change mine, or anyone elses here.

I'm not trying to anger you here by the way. Whether weed is legalised or not will not affect me a great deal. I just don't want my friends to be destroyed by the drug (or alcohol, for that matter), but having weed legalised will just make it more accessible for them, and it could increase the chances of them smoking it.

Hey, if they smoke it I'm going to encourage them greatly not to, but I'm not going to force them to stop. But it will make me so sad if I see their lives torn apart by smoking this stuff, and I just don't want that to happen.

Edit: Sorry for the massive post here guys, I just don't want it to be confusing.

 

[IWCAS]

I've lost a lot of friends to weed. They didn't die, they just drifted away from me. My best friend, whom I've known since I was 2, started smoking at around age 14-15 (somewhere in between maybe) and ever since then he isn't any fun to hang around. He doesn't want to hang with me anymore anyways... I don't smoke. I never will. ILLEGAL.

Oh yes, because it takes weed in order for people to drift apart, it never ever happens without it.

Are you kidding me?

In this case it did.

 

[Devil's Due]

I vote keep it illegal. I don't want more 'stoners' driving.

I take it you are in favor of making alcohol completely illegal, then?

Yes, both should be illegal.

As for the thread: This is the Escapist, where everyone doesn't do anything necessarily illegal but always wants to "stick it to the man" or "preserve every right" we possibly could have. Hell, in a few years with all the political correctness and such going around, everything will be legal. Then all that would be left is rape, murder, and theft. Soon the Escapist would probably shout "I want to murder whoever the hell I want, it's my life the law be damned."

Welcome, everyone!

"Flame shields raised, Captain."
"Make it slow." (StarCraft reference to a Star Trek reference, boo-yah!)

 

[Kungfu_Teddybear]

I don't care either way but I do think it's stupid that it's illegal when it does less damage to your body than alcohol.

 

[Harlemura]

I'd rather it stayed illegal. If alcohol were only discovered yesterday, there's no way it would stay legal.
I'm pretty sure the main reason tobacco and alcohol is still legal is because of the huge economic impacts if they were taken away. I don't see why we should have weed as another danger that can't be controlled properly because someone will lose money if it is.

 

[ranyilliams]

Pot should totally be legalized, right after they legalize the justified murder of potheads, crack addicts, people purposely wearing their shorts/pants below the ass, and those extremely annoying westboro church assholes - by civilians as well as armed forces, hooah!

People who want to murder potheads makes me want to cry, what did we ever do to you?

Personally, I am for it. Smoking weed is like smoking tobacco (which is perfectly legal), granted that the chances of lung problems and cancer are much higher with marijuana then tobacco.

This is not true, please read all this if you want to have an informed argument about marijuana: http://www.marijuana.com/medicinal-marijuana/11006-marijuana-vs-tobacco-tars-not-so-bad.html

 

[IWCAS]

In this case it did.

You really do believe that correlation equals causation, don't you?

I believe that you drifted apart at the same time as he started growing a beard as well. Clearly, it's the beard's fault!

You really are one of the more ignorant people I've talked to on this website. He's my friend. I know him better than you. When he started smoking he wanted to hang out with the pot smokers. It's simple. Either you're trying to make this more complicated than it really is or you support pot to the point where you see no bad things about it. In this case my friend who I've known for a good 10 years decided pot was more interesting than me. That's bad. I figured you had something you wanted to get through to me but at this point I don't care. Please don't reply anymore. I don't care about what you have to say.

 

[Harlemura]

Spoiler: Snippy

I'd rather it stayed illegal. If alcohol were only discovered yesterday, there's no way it would stay legal.
I'm pretty sure the main reason tobacco and alcohol is still legal is because of the huge economic impacts if they were taken away. I don't see why we should have weed as another danger that can't be controlled properly because someone will lose money if it is.

That has to be one of the dumbest of all the arguments against a legalization of cannabis. What, do you think it was something that was invented in time for the war on drugs?

Cannabis has been around for just as long as alcohol, which makes that argument absolutely stupid.

Furthermore, if the fact that banning alcohol would have a negative impact on society as a whole, why is it so impossible to make that same argument for cannabis?

Fact of the matter is that people will smoke cannabis regardless of whether it is illegal or not. Fact of the matter is also that the ban on it means that 100% of the profits end up in the pockets of criminals, IE not a single dime in taxes, plus it helps fund other criminal activity. Fact of the matter is also that millions of dollars in the US alone each year are spent prosecuting and imprisoning people for a crime that has no victim.

If the pragmatic approach is so absolutely acceptable when it concerns alcohol, why on earth is it so impossible to imagine that we could apply that exact same pragmatic approach when it concerns cannabis?

Really, what are the benefits of the ban? What resources are saved because of it? How much money does the government net on the ban?

Well... Er... Yeah, you got me there. Colour me informed.
I'll admit, it wasn't a well thought out answer. But the thread asked my view on the matter, and this is simply what I thought. Guess next time I'll just leave it at "I'd rather not have any more drug-abusing wackos than we need".
Not saying that no one would be able to do it responsibly but... Well, you seem like a bright fella, you know if legalizing the stuff would lead to a significant rise in people taking it?

 

[SeniorDingDong]

Back than at high school, two of my best friends destroyed their grades (and probably more) with it. So, I my opionin isnt the best, okay?

Weed, alcohol , tabac, or whatelse just have to be judged if they would suite to be "cultural accepted drug". I live in Germany and alcohol is unquestionable still accepted*, but tabac is loosing a lot appeal. It became expensive as hell and many public places have been declined as a non-smoker area. Legalizing weed in a society that seems to get rid of smoking? Impossible.

* yet critized when it is too cheap and accessible to children

 

[Deadman Walkin]

Legalize and regulate. Just like alcohol, you shouldn't be able to drive, work or be publicly intoxicated.

 

[Psycho Cat Industries]

I really don't care but if it were legalized,tax the hell out of it for school purposes like smokes and make sure that people are in some area where it is specifically designed to smoke in.Ala,a smoker area in a bar or something of the like.