Poll: Weed - Legal or Illegal?

[sean360h]

This is just an honest question - I'm curious how many people on Escapist are for weed legalization and how many are against it. Feel free to give reasons why you feel the way you do, but let's keep it civil.

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. Smoking weed is also much less dangerous, in my opinion, than drinking (which is perfectly legal). More people have died from drunk driving and drinking-related things than from getting high on weed. Again, this is just my opinion and how I feel.

EDIT: Fixed "Much more dangerous" to "Much less dangerous than drinking". Should've done that last night, but meh.

you have to remember that more people drink than smoke weed so more people are going to die from drinking also you would smoke less weed daily than cigarettes so the damage probably balances out
As for me im against it because it damages the lungs although i am also anti tobacco and alcohol
although it doesn't do too much harm and if people want it they shouldn't have to resort to dealers who could mix it with any thing also it could become an income source for countries where money is tight

 

[Drunkenclam]

i have a joint in my drawer right now. i definitly think it should be legal, it doesnt do any harm

 

[Agayek]

I'm firmly of the opinion that all narcotics should be made legal, so I definitely support the legalization of marijuana.

For those who will inevitably demand my reasoning: If one is dumb enough to get addicted to heroin/cocaine/whatever, it's your own stupid fault. Let it be legalized and weed out the weak-willed, stupid and pathetic from the gene pool.

 

[BGH122]

Peoiple are stupid

Irony can be so unfair.

I'm broadly in favour of legalising it. I've never smoked weed, but I've nothing against those who do. It carries the same health risks as any other smoked substance, but it lacks most of the carcinogenic chemicals of tobacco. I read in the NEJM a while back that it has about one tenth the toxicity of alcohol and one ninth the toxicity of tobacco (when averaged over a very long time for somewhat heavy users of both, so it might be a little unecological) so I'm unsure where all the health claims about marijuana are coming from. Its effects upon cognition need further research though. I'd be against its legalisation, without very strong investigation into breeding out the negative effects (assuming we could even find the molecules responsible and assuming they could actually be removed and yet leave the plant viable), if it were conclusively proven that it does indeed cause mental illness and cognitive deficit.

One thing I am getting a little sick of in the debate, however, is the attempts by staunch anti-drug advocates to link marijuana to schizophrenia by looking at c. 18 year old smokers. Ignoring the fact that schizophrenia onset is around 18-25 anyway, this is not an argument against legalisation, rather this is an argument in favour of setting an age limit above the risk category.

 

[PMorgan18]

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!

I second this.

 

[ZeLunarian]

This is the only kind of weed I see.

Illegalize this son of a *****!

No! Smoke it!! >.>

Ot: I have smoked weed before and intend to do it again. I am not irresponsible nor non-intellectual. I endorse, but don't encourage. It is a fine thing to be enjoyed by any upstanding citizen and dare I say, even political leaders.

The condemnation of weed and wrath from those empowered a farce.

 

[SinisterGehe]

-.-'-.-

.
I do the detoxing, hang overtime or what the fuck you call it out of my own free will, I just stop taking the pill for 4 days I crash, suffer the hangover and pain the start again. Just to prove that I can and also prevent my resistance from going up

If am an addict, then anyone who takes beer every friday night is alcoholic.
I forget to take the pills now and then, It is shit when that happens because I am sure you know what a hangover is, you just add lots of pain on top of that.
My doctors don't think I am not addicted.
The pills don't control my life, I control my life with them.
I haven't ever missed up a meeting or failed an exam or screwed up a gig because of the pills, never!

How am I an addict? I take regular doses at regular times. It is like saying people who take cancer medications are addicted to their meds.

And until there is full research done and pain treatment plan for it, I am not taking it. I follow the current treatment plan I have, I will not take anything on top of it without my doctors orders. If she tells me to pop a join and supplies me, I will consider, but long as I need to guy and buy it from that douche link who overprices it and is generally an asshole. I wont*. (* he is a person who supplies the most weed around my parts, really annoying dude)

I will not take weed. End of discussion.

 

[VicunaBlue]

Jesus christ this thread needs to stop getting made.

It always ends up in flaming, then both of the flamers leaving on their own personal moral high horse in opposite directions.

Yes it should be legal.

Why?

a. The normal hippy stuff (not as bad for you as alcohol/cigarettes, people have a right to do what they choose with their bodies

b. It would both save money on enforcing pot laws (which a RIDICULOUS amount of the DEA's budget goes towards, like billions), make prisons less crowded, and bring in tax revenue

c. It would prevent deaths, both from gang wars being fought over it, which would end were it legitimatized, and from otherwise normal people getting involved with sketchy people to buy weed.

d. It would make it MUCH harder for kids to get it.

 

[Nouw]

Illegal.

Why? Teens, that's why. Convince me but I guess I'm biased as I go to school. Then again it is school.

 

[Lem0nade Inlay]

I think Illegal.
The people who want weed badly will just get it now anyway. I just don't want kids and teenagers ruining their life by smoking it. I understand that alcohol can destroy their lives as well, but I feel that weed can ruin their minds in a way which is even worse than alcohol.

EDIT: Wow, there's a lot of long and passionate arguements....who knew people cared so much about a depressant drug?

 

[snagli]

it worked pretty well here in Amsterdam, who say it won't work in other places

 

[Tsunimo]

Legalize it, and have the government regulate it, with cigarette type taxes.

 

[Ih8pkmn]

Of course weeds should be legal! I don't want to get arrested for having dandelions in my yard!

 

[troopr6661]

I believe that we should make marijuana legal just bnecause of the fact it can be very beneficial to people who have cancer and go through chemo therapy and dont have an appetite because mairjuana will make someone have the munchies and will enhance their appetite. also marijuana should be legalized because it will boost the economy because alot of people in the untied states smoke marijuana....if we legalized marijuana then less people would be in jail because alot of people you would see in jail is either cause so stupid shit or because they got caught with marijuana i mean come on if ur gunna arrest someone then atleast let it be because they either raped or murdered someone or robbed someone...not because of marijuana thats just rediculous and a waste of money because it costs more to have a person in jail then alot of things and us americans pay for people going to jail; for rediculous reasons like posession of marijuana....

 

[Odbarc]

Either outlaw booze or legalize and regulate weed.

I'm all for making alcohol illegal too!

 

[Conza]

Urgh, really? Please. Just no. If you want weed, all of you go live in Vancouver (Canada), the disgusting toxic fumes are given away free post 10pm on Granville street, and no, the cops are too lazy to bother arresting you, so don't be concerned.

Cigarette smoke is like a perfume compared to the vile, vulgar, stomach wrenching smell of weed.

 

[SinisterGehe]

.-'-.

And nobody gives a flying toss whether you want to take it or not. It has nothing whatsoever to do with this topic. Really, I could not care less if you smoke pot or not.

What is relevant to this topic is your extremely egocentric idea that just because you don't like something it should be illegal, but you don't really seem to bother with arguing that point, or even staying on topic at all.[/quote]

I will not smoke weed.
I will vote for keeping weed and THC products illegal for leisure, medical and research use, for personal reasons of ethics and opinion - which are not something to be discussed in this topic any further. I also oppose of Alcohol and Tobacco being legal for similar reasons.

Happy?