Why is marijuana illegal?

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tofulove

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Kopikatsu said:
henritje said:
people are probably paranoid it melts your brains or something.
It burns approximately seven times hotter than cigarettes.

Whether not it melts your brain doesn't stop it from melting your lungs. Breathing in super-heated ash isn't exactly good for your body.
if your worried, don't have to smoke it. can use it in food or vaporize it.
 

Turing

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alik44 said:
its illegal yet cigarettes and alcohol kill alot more than marijuana does.
I can only assume its because in reality our respective governments love funding criminal organisations by allowing them to keep one of their bread & butter revenues...
 

tofulove

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chunkeymonke said:
alik44 said:
its illegal yet cigarettes and alcohol kill alot more than marijuana does.
No offense but to you understand how dumb of a point this is?
It will kill less people than other drugs but you admit it will kill people.
This is like saying that we should give 12 year olds guns because it will kill less people than drunk driving so it'll kill less people legalize it!
weed doesn't kill people, people who drive while stone are the opposite of drunks, they drive really fucking slow. and will wait for fucking ever to make a turn cause there a car down the road and hes like i don't know man ill just wait.

a non scientific study i seen on the bbc showed a handful of people driving sober than had them drive throw the course stoned and did better while stoned.
 

No-one Special

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It kills less people every year because, hey, it's illegal. Everything that is illegal is less likely to kill people than something that's legal. That's because only a small few who are breaking the law are doing it as opposed to everyone being able to do it.

Second, when you smoke marijuana it stops your bodies purging system, meaning if you had to throw up your body won't register to do it by instinct. So say if you've had to much to drink, your body by instinct tells you to throw up to get rid of excess alcohol. If, however, you smoke pot and drink (which would likely happen with the amount of duel drug use people do), you're more likely to get alcohol poisoning because your body doesn't tell you to throw up.

By nature, the amount of tar that goes into your lungs when smoking marijuana is 2/3 greater than tobacco. It also absorbs more tar when mixed with tobacco. So if you smoke both joints and cigarettes, you're MORE likely to get lung cancer. It's hard to do actual research on it because it is an illegal drug, but from animal testing they have found an amazing number of things.

For those of you who say it does less brain damage that say alcohol, you've never had to try and teach a class of kids who smoke pot heavily from the ages of 12-16. These kids couldn't even remember what time to come back from lunch.

Marijuana is also seen as a gateway drug. There are very, very few drug users who will do other illicit drugs that didn't try marijuana first. Drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes are less likely to do this, as drinking and smoking circles are far different from drug taking circles.
Think of it like this: if you're in a social circle that plays only Playstation games, you'll play a large variety of only Playstation games. But, if you introduce an X-Box only circle, you'll play maybe one or 2 games, and if you like it you're more likely to play both.
 

tofulove

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Twilight_guy said:
Because marijuana hasn't been a big a part of culture of smoking and drinking were. Drinking has been a part of every culture throughout time practically ever since man learned how to grow corn. It's hard to try and make something that ingrained illegal. That's why prohibition failed, because people need there boos. Smoking was a big part of culture (in the US) up until some decades ago when how bad it is for you started getting out and the government really cracked down on it but even still the government isn't willing to just make it illegal and is instead slowly suffocating it to death (oh the irony). It has been present in many societies and had various cultural capital for quiet a long time though.

Marijuana has had a less ingrained place in society. It's been present of course and used by various groups but I don't even recall it being historically used in the same ubiquitous way as alcohol and tabaco. (my spellcheck doesn't register tabaco as a real word, the smoking lobby really is losing power). I has been a more marginalized or less publicly used substance and thus was easier to outright ban by the sections of society that are opposed to drinking and smoking and using drugs etc.

Personally, I don't think people should use it but not many people care what I think.
there has bin evidence of pot being used before written history, roman and Greek world considered it a herbal medication, the Celtic and German world considered it a holy plant / herbal medication. did it have the recreational appeal of wine, no were close.

oh and tabaco, in case you forgot that was only in the Americas we of European decent have only recently found that one(relatively speaking). but it sure was allot more addictive.
 

Harlief

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Because it makes people stupid. Sure they feel like they're hella smart when high, but it's only because ordinary phenomena seem like epiphanies to pot-heads.
At least alcohol can be enjoyed in a variety of wondrous flavours and textures, it's not just for getting smashed. The same goes for tobacco: when you're of age, go out and try some shisha. It's a form of Arab smoking using a wicked looking pipe and flavoured tobaccos containing very small concentrations of nicotine and tar and none of the other toxins present in cigarettes.

My point being: weed is only for getting you high, alcohol and tobacco products are sold and enjoyed in ways which have greater merit than just getting off of one's tits.
 

Kagobin

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I'm seeing a lot of nonsensical cliche bias to Marijuana here.

First off, Marijuana has not. Killed. ANYBODY. At ALL. EVER. NADA.

People have died from doing stupid things while they were high, sure. People may have smoked marijuana and snorted cocaine, but the weed didn't kill them.

Weed has never directly killed anyone from use, ever. So stop fucking saying "it kills less people than X or Y" because it doesn't, it kills none.


Second, THC(Tetrahydracannabinol) is NOT a hallucinogen. The chemical stimulates the Alpha brainwave momentarily(while under the 'high' effect) causing increased thought process, and depending on the strain and amount inhaled/eaten/, momentary lapse in judgement and/or amnesia.

Third, yeah you probably shouldn't operate machinery while high. Neither should you when on muscle relaxers, cough syrup, or Xanex.

The abuse and the effects thereof of a substance is not the fault of the substance, but the user.[b/]

It's like saying guns kill people. If I lay down a Glock on a table, will it cock itself and shoot a human being? No. A person has to pick it up, aim it, and pull the trigger.


It's also known that Marijuana is one of the the biggest cash crops in America, bringing in anywhere(since its not legal, its not exactly measured to the absolute correct amount) from 80 Billion USD to 300 Billion USD. Have you ever been to the Emerald Triangle? There are entire towns, complete with law enforcement and social services, where the most common job is growing/selling weed. And in fact, those towns are almost an example in how they operate, the low crime rate, general hygiene, etc. etc. etc.


However, weed shouldn't be legalized. The government would tax the living hell out of it and the 10 dollars for a gram would shoot to about 35~. It should be decriminalized, and left for the people to sell.




Just let this generation of old white people die off, and in a decade or so there will be a lot more influence regarding marijuana reform in this country.
 

Kagobin

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midget_roxx said:
It's illegal for the same reason incest is, social stigma
Im pretty sure incest is illegal because of something completely fucking different.

Like, oh, I don't know, you could make a new cast of 'The Hills Have Eyes' for one.
 

JoesshittyOs

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WolffgangVW said:
Drug arguments are so depressing...

Pro-drug will submit a frustrated question, wondering why they're being discriminated against.

Anti-drug will attack with generalisations, cliches, and outright lies.

Pro-drug will retaliate with scientific studies, and a well though-out moderate stance.

*Anti-drug wins!*

*Pro-drug scratches head*
No, it's more like Pro-drug have never actually made a case about why it should be legal, they've just sited off reasons why it shouldn't be illegal. The medical purposes? Pretty much noneffective. Sure, there definitely is benefits, but nothing that actually pills and other modern medicine has far out-passed, and then some.
WolffgangVW said:
If it's bad for me, shouldn't it simply be my choice not to take it? For me, that's where the argument of its health risks end; it's my body, it should be my choice.
Welcome to America! (or wherever you live), Home of the place where you really don't get that choice.

Sorry, but the people keeping it illegal really do think they are doing it for your own good. Addiction to marijuana is actually a thing, believe it or not. My brother got it pretty hard core, and now my friend decided he was going to just plain stop from being an everyday smoker for the past 7 months. It's been a week, and he's a wreck.
Shirafune said:
But I have never had a bad night with weed, I smoke only on a blue moon with some close friends, and other than the former, we never broke any laws while under the influence.

I realize that all pro-cannabis vocalists are working to a lost cause, and that saddens me because I would much rather have a night with some some weed than with alochol and not go to jail just for doing so.
Well, you've never been cosmic bowling after smoking some really harsh weed. I have, and it was one of the scariest nights I've ever had. I ended up with a really bad itch on my leg and scratched myself till I bled. It was pretty bad.

Also, I wouldn't worry about this "Lost cause" that pro-weed users are working towards. I have a Dad who is actually pretty high up there when it comes to whether weed is going to be legalized or not, and believe me, it's going to happen. It might take a few years, but it's sure as hell coming.

OT: Now that I've kinda gotten those points out of the way, believe it or not, I am actually a supporter of weed. Hell, I'm about to buy some tomorrow (legally of course, cough cough).I just like to point out the flaws in some of these peoples arguments so that they stay away from them and search for more logical ones.

Like I said above, I have a dad who is probably going to one of the guys put in charge of legalizing it in the US, and legalization has made some headway these past few years. It's going to happen. Let's just try to keep some liberals in office.
 

The Loojster

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No-one Special said:
Marijuana is also seen as a gateway drug. There are very, very few drug users who will do other illicit drugs that didn't try marijuana first. Drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes are less likely to do this, as drinking and smoking circles are far different from drug taking circles.
This argument is one of the most infuriatingly arse-backwards reasons for keeping weed illegal, and, irritatingly, it's one of the more wide-spread arguments.

I smoke weed and take other recreational drugs; none of the people I smoke with started with weed. Every single last one of them started with Tobacco or Alcohol. These are the "gateway" drugs.



I also see a lot of people arguing that the fact weed causes less deaths than alcohol or tobacco, means alcohol and tobacco should be considered for prohibition. I take it these people also want horse riding banned as more people die from this irresponsible, dangerous pass time per year than die on ecstasy?
 

Devil's Due

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Kagobin said:
I'm seeing a lot of nonsensical cliche bias to Marijuana here.

First off, Marijuana has not. Killed. ANYBODY. At ALL. EVER. NADA.
And with that, you are wrong [http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/31/2/280.full#ref-1]. If you dismiss that study as "the lung cancer killed the person, not the joints," then cigarettes don't kill people either, right? Because it's just the cancer they give? You smoke in heated ash and tar into your LUNGS, same with smoke, and HOLD IT IN. Don't see a problem with this? Shame, but if you want to go give yourself cancer then be my guest (but at least stay away from others who don't want your second-hand cancer). And if you think that's the only thing that happens to you, you should do more research about studies as well to see what else cannabis can do to a body.

On topic: Because we already have two addictive killer substances allowed in the world, why add another freely? By the way, people should really read that "5 Arguments Pro-Pot Users Make That Aren't Helping" Cracked.com article to show how wrong some of those common arguments are. In fact, I'll link it [http://www.cracked.com/blog/5-pro-marijuana-arguments-that-arent-helping/] to be helpful to my fellow Escapists.
 

Kagobin

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Devil said:
You don't have to smoke marijuana. You HAVE to smoke cigars/cigarettes. Yes, smoke inside your lungs is one of the worst possible things I could imagine, but it was not the contents of marijuana that killed him. It WAS the smoke.

Cigarettes kill people because the smoke contains 1000's of carcinogens. Cyanide. Nicotine. Carbon Monoxide, etc. etc. etc.

Smoke without harmful materials is basically vapor, which is harmless.


You can EAT marijuana(if you bake it into something), or use a vaporizer which maximizes THC content with absolutely 0 harmful effects, short of breaking open the device and sticking your face into a 400 degree skillet.


If you set fire to a piece of wood and breathe in the smoke all day everyday and get lung cancer, should we make wood illegal?


Your move.
 

somonels

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alik44 said:
Waah, waah, waah.
Another substance user trying to instill support get more legalized using the logic that if worse things[footnote]Highly debateable in this case[/footnote] are legal then the less worse things should also be legal.
 

AnarchistFish

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nklshaz said:
The fact that it directly kills brain cells is the main reason. And legalizing it would increase the risk of people driving while hallucinating.
Even if this were true, why ban something based on what people might do with it?

nklshaz said:
While the effects may not be perceived as being "as bad" as cigarettes or alcohol, it still is bad for you, and we're probably better off without it.
Then why not ban cigarettes and alcohol by that logic?

And please explain why the effects are negative?
 

Devil's Due

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Kagobin said:
Devil said:
... but it was not the contents of marijuana that killed him. It WAS the smoke.

Cigarettes kill people because the smoke...
So you're saying that cigarettes kill people because of the smoke, but Cannabis doesn't because... of the smoke? I'm sorry, sir, but that does not work here. And honestly? I am ignoring the rest of your post and comment because you did not back up your findings with facts, rather than simply shouting "Cannabis smoke is smoke, but doesn't kill. Cigarette is... deadlier smoke, and kills!" Smoke is smoke, if it was vapor it'd be vapor, not smoke. No smoke, regardless how "clean," is ever good for any lungs [http://www.epa.gov/smokefre/healtheffects.html].

I'm sorry, but I cannot even bother to read another of your replies since I know it'll be pointless and not factual. Have a pleasant day! :)
 

Kagobin

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Apr 21, 2011
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Devil said:
le snip 2
So instead of asking me to rephrase something you may of misunderstood, you are going to be a juvenile prick about it?

Let me make this as clear-as-fucking-possible since you seemingly cannot understand anything that isn't put in the simplest of terms:

SMOKE = BAD (No matter where it comes from)
CIGARETTES = BAD, KILLS PEOPLE
MARIJUANA = BAD, ALSO KILLS PEOPLE IF YOU SMOKE IT.

How can you not understand that? I am quite aware of the effects of cannabinoids on the human body, but I'm sorry I don't have a link to either a irrelevant study that is completely circumstantial(not saying yours were) or to something that is government-funded propaganda.

Smoke is not marijuana. Smoke can kill, and marijuana smoke may be worse than tobacco smoke(which it isn't). If you use marijuana without smoking it, it. Will not. Kill you.

Maybe respond with a logical argument instead of immediately telling me to screw off because I actually said something worthwhile.
 

Wintermoot

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Kopikatsu said:
henritje said:
people are probably paranoid it melts your brains or something.
It burns approximately seven times hotter than cigarettes.

Whether not it melts your brain doesn't stop it from melting your lungs. Breathing in super-heated ash isn't exactly good for your body.
allot of people smoke pot everyday and their lungs seem fine.