Should Marijuana be legalized?

I dunno... it depends on the situation. I don't really support casual drug usage; it can be harmful in the long run (and in the case of hard drugs, the short run). At the same time, if medical marijuana can save lives, I'll happily support it.

Just don't go around smoking weed every day.:lol:
[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBqMxvqLQuw[/YOUTUBE]
[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2TO5atI4rU[/YOUTUBE]

 

As a medical marijuana card holder (as well as someone facing a trial for being popped while said card was expired for a few months) you can guess my point of view on this specific point.

 

Obviously. And so should all the other drugs. It's up to people, not the state, what they put in their body.

 

Definitely. Why should us stoners be considered criminals when the substance we use is a lot safer than say alcohol which has no stigma to it at all?

Also, it's time that it was taken out of the hands of dealers and regulated so everyone can get better quality at a better price.

 

I prefer edibles over smoking, but I say legalize THC pills, more effective and less invacive than smoke

 

Yes but regulated.

 

I am against drugs, this includes marijuana. Yes the drug wont kill you itself but what you do when you have taken it due to the influence could. And people who take drugs for the rush of doing something illegal will move onto harder drugs like cocaine or heroin, both which ruin lives.

Not to mention, your body will naturally become less affected by it so that results in taking more and nore which then people may find stronger drugs to get high off.

I believe drugs are banned for a reason.

 

But the influence in the case of marijuana is often a positive one such as enhanced creativity, happiness, appreciation of humour, colours look AMAZING and a general well being and lucidity to those around you. There's actually a link between people who smoke weed and the decrease in domestic violence.

And on your second point, that isn't strictly true. According to NORML, only 1 out of every 100 marijuana users will go on to use a harder drug such as cocaine. The main issue isn't marijuana being a gateway drug, the issue is that the dealers who we have to buy off because it is not legal are the gateways to harder drugs.

A seperation of soft and hard drugs would work wonders.

 

The Gateway theory of drug use is not scientific.

 

Consequences of Marijuana Abuse

Acute (present during intoxication)

Impairs short-term memory
Impairs attention, judgment, and other cognitive functions
Impairs coordination and balance
Increases heart rate
Psychotic episodes

Persistent (lasting longer than intoxication, but may not be permanent)

Impairs memory and learning skills
Sleep impairment

Long-term (cumulative effects of chronic abuse)

Can lead to addiction
Increases risk of chronic cough, bronchitis
Increases risk of schizophrenia in vulnerable individuals
May increase risk of anxiety, depression, and amotivational syndrome

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Its not exactly a harmless drug if thats what you are trying to say.

 

I don't approve of marijuana; as Sinon said, it's harmful to the body, and can lead some people onto more hardcore drugs. Of course, I am only applying it to those who use it for recreational use and not for medical use. Even though I disapprove of drug use that is not prescribed, I admit that drugs will never go away, and it's better to make the least harmful drug marijuana legal rather than having more black marketing for it and clogging up our prisons. Especially since it's like having an alcoholic drink. So yes, it should definitely be legal, in my opinion.

 

Around 50000 people die every year from alcohol poisoning and around 400000 die from tobacco consumption yet the number of deaths from marijuana use in the history of the Universe stands at a grand total of *Drum roll*: 0 deaths.

It's a substance that is safer than caffeine and less addictive than chocolate as well as being impossible to overdose on (Well, you'd need to consume about 680Kg of weed in a quarter of an hour but I doubt anyone could ever do that)

The withdrawal symptoms alone from alcohol addiction can kill a human yet nobody is out to prohibit alcohol...

 

Clinical endocannabinoid deficiency (C... [Neuro Endocrinol Lett. 2008] - PubMed - NCBI

 

If you're worried that people will take marijuana for the rush of doing something illegal, with it becoming a gateway drug, wouldn't legalizing it take away that problem? After all, the thrill of doing something illegal goes out the window if it's legal.

I don't think marijuana is perfectly risk free as some think, but it's arguably a lot lower risk than alcohol.

Regarding the gateway theory, the only evidence I've been presented for the gateway theory is along the lines of, "these people who used hard drugs used marijuana first." The fallacy here is similar to the fallacy in the argument, "All murderers player violent video games first."

 

I was waiting on this topic to come up.

I have a unique perspective, to provide here, unless others have ever been involved in selling "merchandise". I want to take a moment, and explain to you, the drug game from the perspective of the dealers.

So long as drugs are illegal, the dealers are going to profit. They can do whatever they want, to the drugs, and charge however much they want, for the drugs. People have no real choice, if they want the drugs. For example, when cocaine is sold, if a dealer wants to cut corners, they mix baby laxative into it, allowing them to keep more cocaine. Baby laxative is the chosen method, for it being cheap, but also since it replicates one general side effect of doing cocaine: it makes your bowels move, to the point you have to shit.

Most dealers only care about turning a profit, they don't care about their clients. This is why you see people mixing cheap products, into their drugs.

Besides having healthier products (and I say this lightly, when it comes to hard drugs), making drugs legal only cripples the dealers, who tend to profit in any economic situation. Bad economy? Turn to drugs to escape. Big party coming up? Get drugs to enhance the party. Want to have wild sex? Obtain drugs. None of these are "sensible" reasons, but they're some of the more common ones, I personally, encountered in my dealing days.

When it comes to marijuana, I see no problem with it, by itself. That said, you are going to have people who, will become psychologically addicted to it. They begin to depend on it, as a coping mechanism, and this is when it becomes a problem. I've seen people really want to smoke, but I've never encountered, even in my dealing days, a strictly pot-smoking individual, resort to cursing or violence, if they could not smoke. They might not be happy, but they could function.

Other drugs, however, that... gets ugly.

But keeping drugs illegal, only makes it harder to treat, because people go through ridiculous lengths, to keep their drug use a secret. Also, due to it being illegal, families are often ashamed to admit such a thing, especially if said families have a lot of prestige or pull in a community. You wind up spending more tax dollars combating this, and wasting more jail/prison space, that could go towards more serious crimes, and turning users into criminals, while the dealers tend to get off scotch free. Even if a dealer is arrested, they don't keep their money with their drugs (the smart ones, at least!), so they always have bail money. They always have attorney money. They always have the financial means to, when out of jail, to resume their life.

You may be thinking, well, they're in jail/prison! That'll teach them!

Wrong!​

Most dealers, if they do get busted, come back from jail/prison with even more clients and connections. They learn tricks and techniques. They become aware of how the police operate, due to how other dealers are caught or busted. They exchange the names of people who snitched, so, they know who not to get entangled with.

Most users, don't have the financial means, to bounce back from imprisonment. And good luck getting your job back, or finding one, with a drug blemish on your record.

The dealer? Well, he never had a legal job anyway, he doesn't care one way or the other.

I was fortunate, to get out of that, before I got into any legal trouble. But my experiences, have shown me, all people, from all walks of life, come through those doors. I've seen the young and old, the seemingly squeaky clean and the stereotypically deviant, the white to the black, and so many more, approach me like I was a rock star.

And I felt like one, let me tell you. Having $3,000 A WEEK, slapped into your hand, was a glorious feeling. If those same drugs were legal, it'd probably be more, like, $30 a week. That's a respectable amount of financially influential power, right there, and that was only my cut -- the main dealer always got more.





Now, I want to address what Sinon has said, about the effects of marijuana. They are right. Most people, when they smoke marijuana, inhale deeper and longer, so you're still doing damage to your throat and lungs. This is only made worse, if the chosen method is a cigarillo, which is practically the addition of tobacco. A lot of people, when they smoke marijuana, do so in a larger-than-necessary amount, which is why they have the impaired judgment and whatnot, because they want to get stoned, not buzzed - there is a difference. However, a good number of people, only take a few puffs and, they're good, like me.

As for the laziness, much of that, is the individual accepting their situation. They get "comfortably numb", to borrow a phrase from Pink Floyd, and that is how they deal or cope. I understand why some folks do this, but it isn't productive, and I'm not supportive of it in general.

I'm an advocate for legalized marijuana. I can attest to the enjoyment it has brought to my life, as well as the benefits. It aids greatly in my meditation, it makes me motivated (this pisses off a lot of anti-weed folks) more so than I already am, it has alleviated a lot of anger issues, and it makes life brighter.

That said, it isn't totally harmless, and it should be regulated to a degree. However, I don't trust the federal government, and suspect they would sabotage it. So, I'm not sure who should have the right to provide it. I just know, I don't trust the government with this, since a lot of companies are anti-hemp (the cousin of marijuana), because hemp can do A LOT OF STUFF, and the government is buddy-buddy with many of them. The biggest reason to campaign against it, or to sabotage it, would be, it'd make things more affordable... and you can see why that, is a huge problem for businesses.

I think the gateway drug theory is, muddled. Of course, most people who do harder drugs, probably smoke marijuana. But, what about cigarettes? Most people I know, hell, all of them, smoked cigarettes before marijuana. Should we count nicotine as a gateway drug?

Let's get a little sillier. Most people who do hard drugs, also breathe air. We going to tell people, not to breathe? I think it would be more revealing, if you found people who, use marijuana but nothing else. I would be included in this group, though I do smoke cigarettes.

Also, most folks who "graduate" to harder drugs, have other issues -- that marijuana isn't making them snort lines, or inject needles. If it is, I really want to know what they're smoking! I smoke cigarettes and marijuana, but I have never wanted to 'chase a high'. I suspect, that's because, I'm not trying to escape from my life, as opposed to fixing it, when it needs fixing. Those who use any kind of drugs, be it caffeine to get through the day, medication to get through life, or weed to relax, have to learn moderation and responsibility.

That said, I was hoping to finish this post by 4:20 AM. Damn it!

 

I don't smoke marijuana but I think it should be up to the individuals, not the state.

 

Wonderful post, Kaiser.

I'm lucky to live in the Netherlands, where marijuana is pretty much legal to buy (not completely legal but that's too hard to explain here). No, legal marijuana does not make a nation of potheads: on average I only smoke it once every two months or so. I only know one guy who is pretty much addicted to it, but that's nothing compared to the people I know who are more or less alcoholics.

I'm not only in favour of legalizing marijuana, I'm also in favour of regulating other not too harmful drugs like xtc. Regulation makes sure you know what you are buying, therefore making it less dangerous. I also feel like it will lead to less drug related crimes.
Besides that, drugs like xtc are less harmful* to the user as well as to society than alcohol and cigarettes... but the latter are freely available? Makes no sense at all.

*) Source: David Nutt's dangerous drug list | Science | theguardian.com / Heroin and cocaine are the most damaging shit, alcohol at #5

 

Like so many questions that are asked on Empty Closets, there is no straightforward answer (for me). I've had some very interesting conversations about this subject over the years and I've come to the conclusion that it would be better to legalise for personal use only, under strict licence.

I respectfully disagree with people who say marijuana is harmless - it's not. There are a number of side effects and that's why, in my opinion, we can't just let rip and remove all controls.

 

I feel the same about alcohol as I do with weed.

Both are used by careful, good people with very few to no bad side effects, and sometimes, they are abused and the public suffer those consequences through crimes being committed and healthcare needed. Normally, it's fine, but when it goes to sh**, it really does mess things up. Perhaps with better education and stricter laws when getting a licence, it would be easier and safer for everyone.