marijuana should be legal?

[Comanche]

Originally posted by: Vic

Originally posted by: Comanche
We have a hard enough time trying to keep alcohol out of the hands of minors, let alone doubling the problem with legalizing drugs.

Do you really want to have that many more people driving cars down the road stoned? It is bad enough as it is.

Wow... faulty logic FTL.

No, by legalizing these drugs, you are making them mainstream and making access to them all that much easier. Think about it, these drugs are illegal and access is restricted to the black market. Make them legal where you can buy them over a counter and it will increase the number of people who will missuse them. Alcohol is the perfect example. I would wager to bet that during prohibition that drunk driving was substantially reduced. I don't want to get into the increase in illegal activity here either. By legalizing a drug and making it mainstream you are opening society up to greater ills than what we see now.

 

[fstime]

Originally posted by: Comanche

Originally posted by: Vic

Originally posted by: Comanche
We have a hard enough time trying to keep alcohol out of the hands of minors, let alone doubling the problem with legalizing drugs.

Do you really want to have that many more people driving cars down the road stoned? It is bad enough as it is.

Wow... faulty logic FTL.

No, by legalizing these drugs, you are making them mainstream and making access to them all that much easier. Think about it, these drugs are illegal and access is restricted to the black market. Make them legal where you can buy them over a counter and it will increase the number of people who will missuse them. Alcohol is the perfect example. I would wager to bet that during prohibition that drunk driving was substantially reduced. I don't want to get into the increase in illegal activity here either. By legalizing a drug and making it mainstream you are opening society up to greater ills than what we see now.

It's really not that hard to get a hold of, making it available over the counter would only bring a SLIGHT convenience, since you could do all your shopping in one stop that way.

 

[Noobtastic]

No, by legalizing these drugs, you are making them mainstream and making access to them all that much easier.

Why is this a problem?

Think about it, these drugs are illegal and access is restricted to the black market. Make them legal where you can buy them over a counter and it will increase the number of people who will missuse them.

WHO CARES? What constitutes misuse??

IF you want to get high in the privacy of your own home, GO RIGHT AHEAD.

If you run someone over under the influence of drugs, then you are subject to whatever laws apply to your offense.

Alcohol is the perfect example. I would wager to bet that during prohibition that drunk driving was substantially reduced.

Yeah, and during the prohibition thousands of gangs erupted solely to manage the black market. Infilitration of the federal government became an epidemic during the racketeering, and the US lost hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenue.

Not to mention the monies it cost to enforce the damn thing.

I don't want to get into the increase in illegal activity here either. By legalizing a drug and making it mainstream you are opening society up to greater ills than what we see now.

That's a load of bulls**t.

Society is screwed because of the illegality. It's been more than proven that making things illegal just create MORE PROBLEMS. It is NOT the governments job to CONTROL the PEOPLE.

 

[Comanche]

Originally posted by: Noobtastic

No, by legalizing these drugs, you are making them mainstream and making access to them all that much easier.

Why is this a problem?

Think about it, these drugs are illegal and access is restricted to the black market. Make them legal where you can buy them over a counter and it will increase the number of people who will missuse them.

WHO CARES? What constitutes misuse??

IF you want to get high in the privacy of your own home, GO RIGHT AHEAD.

If you run someone over under the influence of drugs, then you are subject to whatever laws apply to your offense.

Alcohol is the perfect example. I would wager to bet that during prohibition that drunk driving was substantially reduced.

Yeah, and during the prohibition thousands of gangs erupted solely to manage the black market. Infilitration of the federal government became an epidemic during the racketeering, and the US lost hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenue.

Not to mention the monies it cost to enforce the damn thing.

I don't want to get into the increase in illegal activity here either. By legalizing a drug and making it mainstream you are opening society up to greater ills than what we see now.

That's a load of bulls**t.

Society is screwed because of the illegality. It's been more than proven that making things illegal just create MORE PROBLEMS. It is NOT the governments job to CONTROL the PEOPLE.

Yes, but it is the governments job to protect me from nutcases who do drugs and then drive.

 

[Capitalizt]

legalize it for personal use...but make it illegal to drive while high...

same way we treat alcohol.

 

[BoomerD]

Originally posted by: Noobtastic

Originally posted by: BoomerD
Legalize Marijuana, tax it and sell it just like liquor. This will have several benefits:
1) The revenue from the taxes could help eliminate the federal debt
2) Removing criminal penalties would reduce the number of police, judges, jailers needed.
3) Snack food sales would skyrocket, improving both the economy and tax base

I don't support the concept of legalizing ALL drugs, because, in spite of the "personal freedoms" issues, many drugs are just too harmful to the body.

Who cares if they're harmful??


Cigarettes are the most dangerous drugs statistically. If cigs are the most dangerous and addicting drugs on the planet, why aren't heroin, crack, and meth also legal?

What's the purpose of persecuting drug users? Honestly?? Why waste billions of dollars in imprisoning crack heads for 20+ years. Why don't we throw in the millions of people who smoke cigarettes and pollute the environment (in addition to making everyone else vomit) in prison as well??

Nobody CARES about health. This war on drugs is about MONEY and POLITICS. Peoples' lives are being ruined because of this phony war, and hundreds of millions of tax payers are forced to continue the tab.

Amsterdam has a LOWER crime rate than the safest US city. There is NO correlation between legal drugs and violence.

Then, by your logic, driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs should be legal as well...right? After all, making it illegal to enjoy a substance and drive while buzzed is one of my god-given rights...what does it matter if I cause the deaths of several pedestrians who got in the way...I'm doing MY thing...

As for tobacco, even though I'm a long-time smoker, I'd vote to make tobacco illegal...to grow, process, use, or posess. It's well-known health hazards make it a substance that should be regulated...and removed from the public.

If we're going to ignore potential public health risks, then I should be able to build a nuk-u-ler reactor in my back yard with whatever scrap I have laying around. Safety features? Nope...don't need em...if it blows, so what?

 

[ericlp]

well... I think we have about 50 or so posts on this subject already... where is your link? J/K

As with any other drug IE, Alcohol, Nicotine, Caffeine, Sugar, etc...etc... needs to be moderated and yes it should be legal as a lot of people are smoking it with no problems and why not tax it like the rest of the drugs so that some politician can get rich?

I think if it were legal, then maybe it would take away $$ normally going to the gangs and shot it over to taxes... Hell, I'd be all for it if we used every tax profitable CENT to put more cops on the street! I bet there wouldn't be any more drive by shootings or gang members killing each other?

 

[kylebisme]

Originally posted by: BoomerD

Originally posted by: Noobtastic

Originally posted by: BoomerD
Legalize Marijuana, tax it and sell it just like liquor. This will have several benefits:
1) The revenue from the taxes could help eliminate the federal debt
2) Removing criminal penalties would reduce the number of police, judges, jailers needed.
3) Snack food sales would skyrocket, improving both the economy and tax base

I don't support the concept of legalizing ALL drugs, because, in spite of the "personal freedoms" issues, many drugs are just too harmful to the body.

Who cares if they're harmful??


Cigarettes are the most dangerous drugs statistically. If cigs are the most dangerous and addicting drugs on the planet, why aren't heroin, crack, and meth also legal?

What's the purpose of persecuting drug users? Honestly?? Why waste billions of dollars in imprisoning crack heads for 20+ years. Why don't we throw in the millions of people who smoke cigarettes and pollute the environment (in addition to making everyone else vomit) in prison as well??

Nobody CARES about health. This war on drugs is about MONEY and POLITICS. Peoples' lives are being ruined because of this phony war, and hundreds of millions of tax payers are forced to continue the tab.

Amsterdam has a LOWER crime rate than the safest US city. There is NO correlation between legal drugs and violence.

Then, by your logic, driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs should be legal as well...right?

Nah, I recommend rereading his post as you completely missed the point.

 

[umbrella39]

Legalize smoking and possession, regulate growers, tax it.

US government makes shitload of money, pays down the debt. /wishful thinking

That is all.

 

[Noobtastic]

Then, by your logic, driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs should be legal as well...right?

Uh? By "my logic"?

Quote MY POST and tell me where I said that.

Please, go ahead.

After all, making it illegal to enjoy a substance and drive while buzzed is one of my god-given rights...what does it matter if I cause the deaths of several pedestrians who got in the way...I'm doing MY thing...

Irrelevant.

As for tobacco, even though I'm a long-time smoker, I'd vote to make tobacco illegal...to grow, process, use, or posess. It's well-known health hazards make it a substance that should be regulated...and removed from the public.

I disagree. People have the right to do what they want to their bodies, whether it be smoking cigs, shooting heroin, or eating crack rocks.

If we're going to ignore potential public health risks, then I should be able to build a nuk-u-ler reactor in my back yard with whatever scrap I have laying around. Safety features? Nope...don't need em...if it blows, so what?

That's unfair. If you're high and run somewhere over then you are applicable to the law, but being high is not hurting anybody other than yourself.

Why is this even a debate? The war on drugs has failed, and in addition has caused MORE issues. So you're just arguing ifs and hypotheticals that will never meet reality.

 

[IGBT]

..it's dope. are you a doper??

 

[Comanche]

People do have a right to do with their bodies what they want, but remember that no man is an island and the things that you do to yourself in some way affects society on a whole. You may say that you did you drugs in your house and no one was harmed. It harms the economy when you burn your money like that. Instead of producing something tangible, it went up in smoke. If you get in a car wreck it costs society in lost production because you may be off work for a while.

You have to realize that there is something out there greater than "the law". It is possible that the for the good of society might fill that bill but I am not sure. People only obey the law because they will be punished otherwise. When you do something for the good of society, or don't do something for the good of society, you have reached that higher ground, or enlightenment.

When you say that you have the right to do to yourself what you want to, you are thinking like a child.

 

[Drift3r]

Originally posted by: Comanche
People do have a right to do with their bodies what they want, but remember that no man is an island and the things that you do to yourself in some way affects society on a whole. You may say that you did you drugs in your house and no one was harmed. It harms the economy when you burn your money like that. Instead of producing something tangible, it went up in smoke. If you get in a car wreck it costs society in lost production because you may be off work for a while.

You have to realize that there is something out there greater than "the law". It is possible that the for the good of society might fill that bill but I am not sure. People only obey the law because they will be punished otherwise. When you do something for the good of society, or don't do something for the good of society, you have reached that higher ground, or enlightenment.

When you say that you have the right to do to yourself what you want to, you are thinking like a child.

Replace pot with liquor and smoking with drinking. Your point is very flawed to say the least.

 

[IGBT]

Originally posted by: Drift3r

Originally posted by: Comanche
People do have a right to do with their bodies what they want, but remember that no man is an island and the things that you do to yourself in some way affects society on a whole. You may say that you did you drugs in your house and no one was harmed. It harms the economy when you burn your money like that. Instead of producing something tangible, it went up in smoke. If you get in a car wreck it costs society in lost production because you may be off work for a while.

You have to realize that there is something out there greater than "the law". It is possible that the for the good of society might fill that bill but I am not sure. People only obey the law because they will be punished otherwise. When you do something for the good of society, or don't do something for the good of society, you have reached that higher ground, or enlightenment.

When you say that you have the right to do to yourself what you want to, you are thinking like a child.

Replace pot with liquor and smoking with drinking. Your point is very flawed to say the least.

..the flaw and problem is the desire to intoxicate. if you feel a need to get dizzy you have a problem.

 

[TechBoyJK]

Originally posted by: Comanche

Originally posted by: Noobtastic

No, by legalizing these drugs, you are making them mainstream and making access to them all that much easier.

Why is this a problem?

Think about it, these drugs are illegal and access is restricted to the black market. Make them legal where you can buy them over a counter and it will increase the number of people who will missuse them.

WHO CARES? What constitutes misuse??

IF you want to get high in the privacy of your own home, GO RIGHT AHEAD.

If you run someone over under the influence of drugs, then you are subject to whatever laws apply to your offense.

Alcohol is the perfect example. I would wager to bet that during prohibition that drunk driving was substantially reduced.

Yeah, and during the prohibition thousands of gangs erupted solely to manage the black market. Infilitration of the federal government became an epidemic during the racketeering, and the US lost hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenue.

Not to mention the monies it cost to enforce the damn thing.

I don't want to get into the increase in illegal activity here either. By legalizing a drug and making it mainstream you are opening society up to greater ills than what we see now.

That's a load of bulls**t.

Society is screwed because of the illegality. It's been more than proven that making things illegal just create MORE PROBLEMS. It is NOT the governments job to CONTROL the PEOPLE.

Yes, but it is the governments job to protect me from nutcases who do drugs and then drive.

Well they arent protecting you from people who do the drug alcohol and drive. Just legalize weed, and make it a similar offense to smoke and drive.

besides, being stoned and driving isnt 1/10th as bad as being drunk.

 

[Noobtastic]

Originally posted by: Comanche
People do have a right to do with their bodies what they want, but remember that no man is an island and the things that you do to yourself in some way affects society on a whole.

So?

Please respond to the SPECIFIC points I made.

You may say that you did you drugs in your house and no one was harmed.

Why don't you quote what I said.

It harms the economy when you burn your money like that.

You know what harms the economy? Wasting 50 billion dollars a year on an phony and some say illegal war.

Instead of producing something tangible, it went up in smoke. If you get in a car wreck it costs society in lost production because you may be off work for a while.

Wow, aren't you Mr. Obvious.

You have to realize that there is something out there greater than "the law". It is possible that the for the good of society might fill that bill but I am not sure.

"Good of society"?

What is your position? Nay or Yay? If yay, that means you support this war on drugs. And for the record, it has caused NO good.

ZERO.

People only obey the law because they will be punished otherwise. When you do something for the good of society, or don't do something for the good of society, you have reached that higher ground, or enlightenment.

Wtf.

When you say that you have the right to do to yourself what you want to, you are thinking like a child.

You are an idiot.

 

[Drift3r]

Originally posted by: IGBT

Originally posted by: Drift3r

Originally posted by: Comanche
People do have a right to do with their bodies what they want, but remember that no man is an island and the things that you do to yourself in some way affects society on a whole. You may say that you did you drugs in your house and no one was harmed. It harms the economy when you burn your money like that. Instead of producing something tangible, it went up in smoke. If you get in a car wreck it costs society in lost production because you may be off work for a while.

You have to realize that there is something out there greater than "the law". It is possible that the for the good of society might fill that bill but I am not sure. People only obey the law because they will be punished otherwise. When you do something for the good of society, or don't do something for the good of society, you have reached that higher ground, or enlightenment.

When you say that you have the right to do to yourself what you want to, you are thinking like a child.

Replace pot with liquor and smoking with drinking. Your point is very flawed to say the least.

..the flaw and problem is the desire to intoxicate. if you feel a need to get dizzy you have a problem.

Yet you do not address the issue of "wanting" to take any mind altering substance by making it illegal. When I was a kid all I had to do to get pot was to ask a friend or two and in no time I could get a quarter ounce of quality pot with very little hassle involved.

If I wanted to get a hold of some beer then that was a slightly harder to get and not always possible. Making weed illegal does nothing for no one. People who are going to smoke pot will smoke and those who don't won't irregardless of the legality of doing so or not. This so called "War on drugs" has stopped no one who wants to get high from getting high. In fact it's done a great job at promoting a sub-culture dominated by a criminal element which is unregulated and practically operating with no regards to safety let alone not any paying sort taxes.

 

[Comanche]

Originally posted by: Noobtastic

Originally posted by: Comanche
People do have a right to do with their bodies what they want, but remember that no man is an island and the things that you do to yourself in some way affects society on a whole.

So?

Please respond to the SPECIFIC points I made.

You may say that you did you drugs in your house and no one was harmed.

Why don't you quote what I said.

It harms the economy when you burn your money like that.

You know what harms the economy? Wasting 50 billion dollars a year on an phony and some say illegal war.

Instead of producing something tangible, it went up in smoke. If you get in a car wreck it costs society in lost production because you may be off work for a while.

Wow, aren't you Mr. Obvious.

You have to realize that there is something out there greater than "the law". It is possible that the for the good of society might fill that bill but I am not sure.

"Good of society"?

What is your position? Nay or Yay? If yay, that means you support this war on drugs. And for the record, it has caused NO good.

ZERO.

People only obey the law because they will be punished otherwise. When you do something for the good of society, or don't do something for the good of society, you have reached that higher ground, or enlightenment.

Wtf.

When you say that you have the right to do to yourself what you want to, you are thinking like a child.

You are an idiot.

See what I mean.

 

[Kadarin]

It's less harmful than alcohol or tobacco. Legalize it.

 

[umbrella39]

Originally posted by: Comanche
We have a hard enough time trying to keep alcohol out of the hands of minors, let alone doubling the problem with legalizing drugs.

Do you really want to have that many more people driving cars down the road stoned? It is bad enough as it is.

Had pot legal when I was a teen I still would have waiting until the time I did to first try it and smoke it. It had ZERO to do with me worrying about the legality of smoking it. It was offered from school mates and friends since the time I was 12 and I didn't first try it until I was a month short of 18 years old. Show me one link to a study that would back up your assumptions that legalizing would equal rampant pot smoking.

Those who drive their cars to and from work and for personal use afterwards would not change their pot smoking habits just because it is legal. I can't imagine we would ever make it legal to smoke and drive, just like we don't allow drinking and driving so your concerns are moot.
In addition, I have never seen someone come into the ER after having smashed their car up and taken a life or two in the process, after smoking a joint. Hopefully those who share your opinions are dwindling even more and in 5-20 years we can get this done finally.

 

[Comanche]

Originally posted by: umbrella39

Originally posted by: Comanche
We have a hard enough time trying to keep alcohol out of the hands of minors, let alone doubling the problem with legalizing drugs.

Do you really want to have that many more people driving cars down the road stoned? It is bad enough as it is.

Had pot legal when I was a teen I still would have waiting until the time I did to first try it and smoke it. It had ZERO to do with me worring about the legality of smoking it. It was offered from school mates and friends since the time I was 12 and I didn't first try it until I was a month short of 18 years old. Show me one link to a study that would back up your assumptions that legalizing would equal rampant pot smoking.

Those who drive their cars to and from work and for personal use afterwards would not change their pot smoking habits just because it is legal. I can't imagine we would ever make it legal to smoke and drive, just like we don't allow drinking and driving so your concerns are moot.

In addition, I have never seen someone come into the ER after having smashed their car up and taken a life or two in the process, after smoking a joint. Hopefully those who share your opinions are dwingling even more and in 5-20 years we can get this done finally.

So who is to say that by taking it out of the closet that that accidents cause by illicit drugs wouldn't go up. Right now, you have to do this in private (the closet that I was speaking of) which keeps it from being mainstream.

 

[umbrella39]

Originally posted by: IGBT

Originally posted by: Drift3r

Originally posted by: Comanche
People do have a right to do with their bodies what they want, but remember that no man is an island and the things that you do to yourself in some way affects society on a whole. You may say that you did you drugs in your house and no one was harmed. It harms the economy when you burn your money like that. Instead of producing something tangible, it went up in smoke. If you get in a car wreck it costs society in lost production because you may be off work for a while.

You have to realize that there is something out there greater than "the law". It is possible that the for the good of society might fill that bill but I am not sure. People only obey the law because they will be punished otherwise. When you do something for the good of society, or don't do something for the good of society, you have reached that higher ground, or enlightenment.

When you say that you have the right to do to yourself what you want to, you are thinking like a child.

Replace pot with liquor and smoking with drinking. Your point is very flawed to say the least.

..the flaw and problem is the desire to intoxicate. if you feel a need to get dizzy you have a problem.

And if you feel the need to tell other people what you just did, so do you.

 

[Drift3r]

Originally posted by: Comanche

Originally posted by: umbrella39

Originally posted by: Comanche
We have a hard enough time trying to keep alcohol out of the hands of minors, let alone doubling the problem with legalizing drugs.

Do you really want to have that many more people driving cars down the road stoned? It is bad enough as it is.

Had pot legal when I was a teen I still would have waiting until the time I did to first try it and smoke it. It had ZERO to do with me worring about the legality of smoking it. It was offered from school mates and friends since the time I was 12 and I didn't first try it until I was a month short of 18 years old. Show me one link to a study that would back up your assumptions that legalizing would equal rampant pot smoking.

Those who drive their cars to and from work and for personal use afterwards would not change their pot smoking habits just because it is legal. I can't imagine we would ever make it legal to smoke and drive, just like we don't allow drinking and driving so your concerns are moot.

In addition, I have never seen someone come into the ER after having smashed their car up and taken a life or two in the process, after smoking a joint. Hopefully those who share your opinions are dwingling even more and in 5-20 years we can get this done finally.

So who is to say that by taking it out of the closet that that accidents cause by illicit drugs wouldn't go up. Right now, you have to do this in private (the closet that I was speaking of) which keeps it from being mainstream.

Do you even have a clue as to how easy it is to get a hold of weed, especially in a city environment? The legality of weed is not stopping or preventing anyone from buying it period. If people are inclined to use it then they will. Also the legality of weed currently is not effecting the quality, quantity or demand but it does effect the price but that is moot for the most part.

As for your naive belief that people have to go hide in "closets" it's pretty much false. I've seen people smoke pot openly in public and in their own homes. The only thing folks who smoke pot have to worry about is a police car/person passing through. Hell I had friends who would smoke as they walked to school and be done as they reached the steps of my old high school. Not to mention the tons of people who smoke weed at concerts. Hell it was practically a tradition to get stoned at a Metallica concert as the opening band played when I was kid for example.

 

[Noobtastic]

Originally posted by: Comanche

Originally posted by: umbrella39

Originally posted by: Comanche
We have a hard enough time trying to keep alcohol out of the hands of minors, let alone doubling the problem with legalizing drugs.

Do you really want to have that many more people driving cars down the road stoned? It is bad enough as it is.

Had pot legal when I was a teen I still would have waiting until the time I did to first try it and smoke it. It had ZERO to do with me worring about the legality of smoking it. It was offered from school mates and friends since the time I was 12 and I didn't first try it until I was a month short of 18 years old. Show me one link to a study that would back up your assumptions that legalizing would equal rampant pot smoking.

Those who drive their cars to and from work and for personal use afterwards would not change their pot smoking habits just because it is legal. I can't imagine we would ever make it legal to smoke and drive, just like we don't allow drinking and driving so your concerns are moot.

In addition, I have never seen someone come into the ER after having smashed their car up and taken a life or two in the process, after smoking a joint. Hopefully those who share your opinions are dwingling even more and in 5-20 years we can get this done finally.

So who is to say that by taking it out of the closet that that accidents cause by illicit drugs wouldn't go up. Right now, you have to do this in private (the closet that I was speaking of) which keeps it from being mainstream.

LOOK AT AMSTERDAM.

DRUGS HAVE NO CORRELATION WITH VIOLENCE. Heck, I'm willing to bet that legalizing it will make it all the more safe. Easier to moderate..

Designate "drug" zones...bleh

 

[umbrella39]

Originally posted by: Comanche

Originally posted by: umbrella39

Originally posted by: Comanche
We have a hard enough time trying to keep alcohol out of the hands of minors, let alone doubling the problem with legalizing drugs.

Do you really want to have that many more people driving cars down the road stoned? It is bad enough as it is.

Had pot legal when I was a teen I still would have waiting until the time I did to first try it and smoke it. It had ZERO to do with me worring about the legality of smoking it. It was offered from school mates and friends since the time I was 12 and I didn't first try it until I was a month short of 18 years old. Show me one link to a study that would back up your assumptions that legalizing would equal rampant pot smoking.

Those who drive their cars to and from work and for personal use afterwards would not change their pot smoking habits just because it is legal. I can't imagine we would ever make it legal to smoke and drive, just like we don't allow drinking and driving so your concerns are moot.

In addition, I have never seen someone come into the ER after having smashed their car up and taken a life or two in the process, after smoking a joint. Hopefully those who share your opinions are dwingling even more and in 5-20 years we can get this done finally.

So who is to say that by taking it out of the closet that that accidents cause by illicit drugs wouldn't go up. Right now, you have to do this in private (the closet that I was speaking of) which keeps it from being mainstream.

No one said that legalizing it meant you could do it out in the public, just like drinking. It would be relegated to behind closed doors just like it always has, so your mainstream concerns are duly noted but misguided imo. There won't be pot bars opening up nor would people be allowed to drive or walk the street smoking a joint. So all of the concerns I had heard you voice so far are baseless. Again, only imo.

I guess I need to see a link that asks teens if the only thing that ever prevented them from trying pot was because it was illegal. If there were such a study and the results showed this to be true and in great numbers then I would concede the possibility of an increase due to making it legal.