The Legalization of Marijuana

[Black Dynamite]

In light of new state mandated marijuana laws in Washington and Colorado, this raised a question: Where do you stand on marijuana laws? Do you believe it should remain illegal, or do you (like me) think that the war on drugs as a whole has been a failure. I don't really see any negative side effects of legalizing it. It's not any more harmful than alcohol, and it would definitely help stimulate the economy. I think that the laws now are infringing on our personal freedom and allowing the government to extort more money from the citizens than they already do (anything from court costs, to probation fees, to substance abuse classes). I believe that this is a failed policy and that it needs to be reformed.

[Raven]

If you can't beat them, join them, I say. The war on drugs is a failure all over the World, and legalising it and taxing it is the right way to go. I'd also imagine it affects the drug dealing business. And much like alcohol, the general public should be educated on the risks of using it. Then people can decide for themselves whether or not they'd like to smoke it.

Still waiting for the UK to legalise the stuff. I think it would be a great alternative to alcohol.

[Knight]

I've never been a fan of weed, but I say, if people choose to be stupid, that's their choice.

[Raven]

I've never been a fan of weed, but I say, if people choose to be stupid, that's their choice.

How do you associate smoking weed with being stupid?

[Knight]

How do you associate smoking weed with being stupid?

I guess not all people, just everyone I know personally who smokes weed has the IQ of a monkey. I've just been surrounded by stupid stoners, I don't mean all people.

[Rewjeo]

I agree that marijuana being illegal clearly isn't working, so something needs to change. I'm also of the opinion that people really shouldn't smoke it, but that's a whole different issue from whether or not it should be legal.

[Knight]

I guess I worded my opinion improperly, I don't mean that all smokers of weed are stupid, just that is a stupid choice overall, unless you suffer from depression or other reasons to use it medicinally.

[Original Alear]

There doesn't seem to be any benefit to the criminalization, and a huge number of our prisoners are in on drug related offenses. I can't think of reasons that persuade me why pot being legal would be a really bad thing in terms of fostering other kinds of crime. I think it'd actually help crime go down. But that's really a gut thing.

I do think that employers should retain the right to test employees for intoxication (pot, booze or otherwise), and possibly even for use (I'd need to know more about long term effects of marijuana), at least in some situations. Of course, I've heard it said that the drug tests normally used are very easy to pass if you know what you're doing, but my point is simply that if there is reason to think pot could lower performance or reliability in a work setting, it might be better for oversight to be allowed. But that's just guessing, too.

And I suspect the "stupidity" (but I know what you mean, I've certainly been in that range of stupid myself, if I'm not still there) of constant stoners comes more from trying to be high pretty much whenever, centering their lives around being high, stuff like that.

[Gone2Ground]

Legalizing and taxing it would probably bring in a decent amount of cash for the respective governments (A good thing), but I just don't trust something that has been linked to causing schizophrenia in at least one medical report.

[Original Alear]

Legalizing and taxing it would probably bring in a decent amount of cash for the respective governments (A good thing), but I just don't trust something that has been linked to causing schizophrenia in at least one medical report.

The schizophrenia part I can see as a fair concern, although a single report or study seems insignificant mentioned on its own. I don't think there's much value in taxing pot as a commodity in the US. I don't know about other countries. That's an opinon ofc.

Cigarettes cause cancer, and alcohol causes kidney failure, among other things. But I don't think that suspicion of a link is enough for a substance to be illegal. Controlled, especially among those who have mental illness or minors, perhaps. That's not to say that you should trust those substances and use them if you're worried about the consequences though. And I understand a viewpoint from which one would like to know and study more about a substance before legal barriers are reduced.

Edited January 11, 2013 by Mouse

[Thor Odinson]

Not a fan of any type of drug use in general but as far as I know weed is mild enough that police should really be spending their time doing more productive things like dealing with real crime than arresting some pot smokers and overflooding the prisons. I mean, it's the person's choice to smoke weed and theoretically shouldn't affect anyone else anyway.

Plus you can tax it to hell to get some revenue.

Edited January 11, 2013 by Thor Odinson

[Zanarkin]

I'm of the opinion that it should be legal. I don't think anyone has the right to tell me what to do, as long as i'm not bothering them (and this bothering has to be something that infringes on their rights[like murdering a person] not something like "what you just said was offensive to the other person be nice or shut up" kind of thing).

[Black Dynamite]

Saying that smoking weed is a stupid decision is incredibly judgmental. I know plenty of stupid, burnt out pot heads, but I also know some that are fucking brilliant. I don't smoke weed just because it impairs me, I smoke it because it helps me relax, it makes me calmer and less at edge, and because it help helps me open my mind and see things through a different light. I've done a lot more things that I regret under the influence of alcohol than I have while stoned. I can understand employers drug testing still, but I think mouth swabs are the way to go. Punishing someone for smoking within the last month is overkill.

I also think that if people were educated about marijuana properly, and told the truth about it from the beginning instead of being taught that it's a bad drug just like any other illegal drug would help people make informed decisions about it. That goes for all drugs, really. I remember all the bullshit propaganda I heard about LSD growing up, but they fail to enlighten you on the cultural impact that it has had, and all the famous people that it has influenced. I was taught that psychadelic drugs are bad just like heroin, etc, but later came to realize that the information I had been given is misleading and that psychadelic drugs are not only way better physiologically than drugs like opiates, they don't have the addictive properties either.

This kind of drug education just leaves kids trying marijuana, and thinking "Wow, I've been mislead. This isn't some kind of bad drug, I just feel relaxed and happy. If they lied about weed I wonder what kind of other drugs they lied about." I think that the claim Marijuana is a gateway drug is stupid, and is the governments one last week grasp at trying to keep it illegal.

[Esau of Isaac]

I don't mind it being legalized, but to be honest I don't really mind whether it's illegalized either. I do know that if it is legalized that I would definitely like some laws to stop from being stoned in public. It's a pain in the ass to have to deal with assholes stoned out of their minds, safe knowing that everyone will have to put up with their stupid behavior.

[Black Dynamite]

Even as someone who doesn't smoke though, you must see that it infringes on personal rights. There are plenty of stupid people naturally, but you can't ban them from going out in public just because they're stupid. If people want to do it, they should be allowed to make the choice for themselves. If it negatively impacts them then it was their own decision, instead of having the government make the decision for them. I think that it's reasonable to ask someone to smoke in the privacy of their own home, but saying that you can't go out in public stoned is nearly as bad as just having it illegal still. Look at all the belligerent, drunken assholes in the world, at bars, and clubs, etc. They can be annoying, aggressive, loud and just overall obnoxious. But unless they're absolutely BELLIGERENT, then it's tolerated when they're in public. I'd much rather be around a bunch of stoners in a public setting than a bunch of drunk people. If anything, when I'm stoned I'm just happier and more upbeat.

[Rehab]

I think as far as the effects, as they're currently known go, the idea of it being illegal while alcohol isn't is stupid, even if one cares nothing for actually doing it. It being illegal has been making it ridiculously difficult for a lot of academics to actually research its effects, so it could be anywhere from a benevolent mind-opener according to some people/users, to "roughly as bad as tobacco and alcohol at the same time" according some people/researchers, to the devil's gatekey according to more people/opponents, and last time I checked the research is inconclusive enough that it's hard to rule out any of these possibilities. Even in the event it's nothing but bad stuff, the current setup in which it's illegal has us in the US locking up who we deem addicts instead of focusing on giving a good shot at treating them, which makes perhaps the least sense to me of all.

So even as a total square who's scared of even the prescription meds I take, as the born-to-be-the-designated-driver type as I am, legalizing and setting up some sensible safety provisions seems like a much better road to follow than the fed's current one.

[Knight]

Alcohol is much worse to you than weed, I'll give you that, but the people I see just become obsessive. One thing for sure is that it shouldn't be available for anyone under 18 or is still in school, and limits should be placed. Although it isn't as harmful medically, it makes you addicted much more easily, and there are just some people who are just way over the top with it. Most people my age don't have the maturity to handle things like drugs and/or alcohol responsibly, which is why there should at least be an age limit somewhere between 18-21. I have no problem with general legalization.

[Black Dynamite]

Marijuana is NOT physically addictive. I agree though, you should have to be at least 18 to purchase/smoke marijuana. I don't know what you mean by "over the top," but I guess that varies from person to person. My stance on it is that it's a personal freedom to decide if you want to do it or not. If you can't function smoking weed all the time, then you have to be responsible and monitor yourself, that is NOT the responsibility of the government. I've seen alcohol ruin a lot more lives than Marijuana has. I used to be an irresponsible stoner, largely due to the fact that it was illegal. I went to extreme lengths to try and hide it from my mom, and all the effort I spent trying to hide what I was doing from my mom in fear of getting in trouble was detracting my focus from school work. I feel that if I could have been open with my mom, instead of having to hide it, then it would have been a much better alternative in the long run. I could have focused on my work instead of focusing on deceiving my mom. Now that I'm older I realize I should have just waited to be on my own instead of going to extreme lengths to smoke with friends, but I think that part of the reason why smoking marijuana was such a big problem for me when I was 17-18 was the fact that I had to try and hide it, and be dishonest about it.

[Esau of Isaac]

Even as someone who doesn't smoke though, you must see that it infringes on personal rights. There are plenty of stupid people naturally, but you can't ban them from going out in public just because they're stupid.

You could, but that's a bad comparison since they would be stupid naturally, and not because they are under the influence of a drug. It's already illegal for someone to wander down the street drunk as all hell, there's no reason that it shouldn't be so for people that are high.

If people want to do it, they should be allowed to make the choice for themselves. If it negatively impacts them then it was their own decision, instead of having the government make the decision for them.

Should people be legally allowed to enter into slavery? Sell their own body parts? And so on and so forth.

People are protected from themselves all the time. Part of the government's job is looking at the risks and analyzing the benefits. Obviously the government has and will in the future make some decisions for people, sometimes for good and sometimes for bad. If you think it's universally bad then you're either off your rocker or just ignorant of the many ways in which government rules and regulations make regular life possible. And in any event, this isn't simply protecting people as requiring a modicum of respectability in public. This is similarly why it's okay for you to be buck naked in your home but after stepping outside must don clothing.

[Black Dynamite]

There is no reason to prohibit being under the influence of marijuana from being in public. I can understand not wanting someone stoned operating a motor vehicle, or restrictions like that, but saying they shouldn't be in public is absolutely absurd. That's like saying someone who has had 3 drinks shouldn't be allowed in public. Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol impairs you far more than smoking any amount of weed fathomable. I guess if you were to fail a sobriety test under the influence of marijuana, that's one thing, but if you can pass a sobriety test I see absolutely no reason that you shouldn't be allowed in public.

On government intervention, I agree, sometimes it is necessary. This is not one of the cases. I think the federal government should intervene as little as possible. Telling me I can't smoke a bowl in the confines of my own household is not one of their responsibilities. Look at all the money and resources wasted on the War on Drugs. It's a failed effort. There are so many more important things the government can spend their time and effort on. Smoking weed the privacy of your own home doesn't harm anybody else, so why should the government care? The federal government abuses it's authority on a regular basis. I think that legalization of marijuana is a start, but there are also other drugs I would like the see legalized eventually too.

[Blademaster!]

As long as they make it so that you can only smoke it in your own personal residence or in some kind of specialized pot bar, let them do as they please. Just keep that nasty shit away from me. Not that helps anyway since the smell sticks to everything.

[Black Dynamite]

I agree with the designated areas. I don't think you should just be able to spark up wherever, that's when it starts affecting others. I think it should be treated like alcohol. You can consume it in your home/designated areas. I think it smells good though. =P At least the smell doesn't linger as long as the smell of cigarette smoke, though.

[Esau of Isaac]

I would treat it the same as people that are drunk. The problem is that I rarely see people meandering around drunk, whereas I always see dumb college kids blazed beyond belief, and having no sense of self-control. So I'm more in favor of harshly responding to it until people can get a grip.

As long as they make it so that you can only smoke it in your own personal residence or in some kind of specialized pot bar, let them do as they please. Just keep that nasty shit away from me. Not that helps anyway since the smell sticks to everything.

Seriously man. High or not, some friends' homes are permeated with it. If it's very weak it has a home-y smell to it, and can be a nice warm aroma. But more often, it disgusting and soaks in your clothes. I've come back from friends' houses and stunk up my home just from the stink my clothing was giving off.

I'd say that's another argument against being outrageously high in public, since that stuff clings to everything like the smell of feces.

[Original Alear]

What Esau said is absolutely true. It is worth saying that drunk assholes can be just as asshole. When driving too. And some people are sober assholes.

I can understand employers drug testing still, but I think mouth swabs are the way to go. Punishing someone for smoking within the last month is overkill.

Ah - I hope you didn't take me the wrong way, perhaps I spoke too offhandedly. I don't mean that everyone who's working should never smoke pot. And I agree about the month thing, for the most part. Maybe I'm leaning a little too much towards favoring employers' rights VS workers rights now anyway. But I could imagine that an employer would want to use substance history, and use, in selecting and retaining employees - and having used pot, and been in different states as a result of pot use (btw, not any bad stuff) I think it'd be fair for an employer to be concerned about someone using pot. Obviously, use alone shouldn't be enough, and on the job performance should be a strong focus.

And for the most part, ya, I agree a month is too much. I guess I don't know much about "long term" effects on the brain, and there are certain critical, high pressure jobs I could imagine making a lack of substance use a priority, if not a policy. Like I said, imagine. It is true I've talked to a small number of people who were in corporate jobs who used drugs to enhance performance on the job. The one guy in particular I can think of said he didn't make much more extra money than the drugs cost.

I also think that if people were educated about marijuana properly, and told the truth about it from the beginning instead of being taught that it's a bad drug just like any other illegal drug would help people make informed decisions about it.

I absolutely agree with you, and I think this is one of the more important reasons to consider it.

I think that the claim Marijuana is a gateway drug is stupid,

I don't at all. Aside from whether other drugs are bad or not, it does seem that a lot of people start with it - except insofar as they've often already used nicotine or alcohol. And I suppose that's the stupid thing - that cigarettes and booze aren't seen as gateway drugs. For my part, I used pot first because it seemed the most promising as far as possible dangers, and I did indeed have good times. I didn't progress much down the road past that (acid's the only other) and I'm pretty cool with that. I've known some people who have used heroin, crack and the like, I don't think it's a good idea. Legal or not is another thing. Don't have as good a feeling for the effect the laws have there.

[Knight]

The thing is, the government is going to be responsible for any drug related crime anyway, even if it's not their fault. It's like two kids fighting on a playground, even if it wasn't the teachers fault, parents are going to blame them, so the school must accept responsibility over the kids. Just because a few people can handle it maturely, doesn't account for the majority, and the majority of pot smokers in my area, and that I see on the news, are irresponsible, and immature. People say they wish to handle these decisions themselves, but they don't understand, a lot of people aren't mature enough to know what's right for them, at any age. That is why we have authority, people who can make the right decisions when we're going to make the wrong ones.