Marijuana debate

[BEEF!!!]

Ok, I want to start a debate on the legalization of marijuana. It's a big issue and has a chance of getting a change of status at this coming election.
So I want to see what all of you think. Should it be legalized, decriminalized, or kept illegal?

Now a couple of quick rules:
1.) If you don't know what you are talking about, DON'T POST. Do a little research before you go and post false statements.
2.) Don't post stupid little things like "lolpotkillz". Show something to backup your post.

Above all:
3.) Just keep it clean. I don't want any flaming in here.

If those aren't adhered to, I will remove the first couple bad posts. If it persists, then I will just lock the topic.


So go ahead, what's your take?

EDIT: If there are personal experiences involved, it was your friend that did it or someone told you, right?

[GametagAeonFlux]

I think it should be legalized...it's a lot less harmful than alcohol and pretty much every "bad" thing I've heard about it I have found to be false.

[noscottno]

Legalized. It doesn't cause cancer, it could be taxed, you can't overdose, and cigarettes are worse.

[Tural]

Tax the shit out of it and we may be in business.

[Dissolution241]

From what I've seen, all marijuana seems to do is lower people's motivational level. All the kids I've known that smoke a lot seem to lose all motivation and they never want to do anything. But then again, all the kids that smoke pot at my school are the ones that aren't worth shit to begin with.

I guess I think it should be left to the individual states to decide. In Oregon, marijuana laws are a joke. People don't think twice about doing it and the majority of the cops here don't care; there's not much they can do anyways.

People will probably disagree with me but I don't see why cigarettes and alcohol are legal but marijuana isn't. It has (from my understanding) very little health effects compared to both cigarettes and alcohol. I understand about driving under the influence, but at the same time, compare it to alcohol and its effects on driving.

Regardless, I stay away from dem shits.

[GametagAeonFlux]

I understand about driving under the influence, but at the same time, compare it to alcohol and its effects on driving.

Driving under the influence of marijuana is barely any different from driving while sober, if any at all...so I've heard.

[Dissolution241]

Yeah, I've heard differing opinions on both sides but I'm positive it doesn't compare at all to alcohol.

[BEEF!!!]

However you're less likely to hop in a car and go driving if you are high, that's what my friends have told me.


Please note edit to first post^^^

[shadowkhas]

I'm with the taxation viewpoint. From what I've looked into it, it isn't as bad as going crazy with alcohol or cigarettes, and with the amount of people that do it, it could be a relatively viable money raiser. If people want to do it, go right ahead. I wouldn't touch it because it goes against my morals, but I'm not stopping anyone else from doing it. People that I've seen that have done it can be some of the friendliest, most fun people to be around normally. I don't know what they're like while under the influence, but I can assume it's not damaging anyone, as they're not in jail.

[Munsie]

Pot makes you hungry and sleepy? Beats an exploded liver. I don't think it should be illegal.

[Cuda]

Tax the **** out of it and we may be in business.

Thats considered one of the main reasons why it hasn't been legalized. The governemnt can't make money on it.It's too cheap and easy to grow the stuff, and the roots of the discrete growing has been laid so deep, it's going to be impossible to get rid of it.

Then potency has to be pulled into question. Theres strands of that can seriously fuck you up and impair judgment and such, and then some that would just give you a slight buzz and a bad taste in your mouth. You'd have to find a mix and a blend of and set a legal limit on THC in the body.

Besides, Theres tons of people that do it Illegally anyways, people in high jobs, even though they shun it elsewhere. I went to this seminar at a local high school, and I decided to go out for some fresh air and smelled the stuff, so I go check it out, thinking it could be some of my friends or something, and when I looked it was a counselor from my school, a couple of other people and the Head Counselor of the High school I was at.

I say you could legalize it. It's gonna be a bitch to control, but Legalize it none the less. Here in California, The rules are pretty lenient towards it, compared to others. Find your state and look into it.

[Yamagushi]

From what I've seen, all marijuana seems to do is lower people's motivational level. All the kids I've known that smoke a lot seem to lose all motivation and they never want to do anything. But then again, all the kids that smoke pot at my school are the ones that aren't worth **** to begin with.

It does and it doesn't. For instance, my friend smokes a lot of pot and finds himself to be a very lazy person. Is it due to the pot, meh probably. However if he has a paper due the next day for a class(college), he'll smoke a nice blunt before doing it and it gives him a good amount of motivation and he can focus on the paper a lot better.

Driving under the influence of marijuana is barely any different from driving while sober, if any at all...so I've heard.

It depends, when you first start smoking the high can be quite powerful. Almost as strong as being fairly drunk. My friend has been smoking for about 5-6 years straight now and he can function completely normal after smoking. It basically relaxes him and ups his mood. Driving a car at this point would be very easy. However driving back when he first started smoking could have proven very unsafe.

Cuda, very good post.

After reading all that im now going to make you go whaaaaat?
I dont believe it should be legalized.
The reason for this is it would be marketed by none other than the tobacco companies. Can u imagine how badly they would completely destroy marijuana's name? Imagine a pack of cigarettes made with pot. 101 Poisons added including the highly addictive nicotine. A big Surgeons general warning on the side. And a million antipot ads that can then actually have something bad to say about pot due to the poisons added. The worse they have now is the famous "If you smoke pot an Alien will come down and take your girlfriend" commercials..... Oh and dont forget the talking dog who misses its old friend.... Keep in mind we are the ones on drugs, seems a little backwords to me....

EDIT: If there are personal experiences involved, it was your friend that did it or someone told you, right?

~ iGeo

[stephen10101]

Legalize it, I'll admit, I'm a bit of a stoner. Don't judge me though, I'm in the top 10% of a competitive high school and into a lot of extra curricular activities. It's way better for you than drinking and doesn't make you really stupid unless you smoke A LOT, but it's a different kind of dumb, not "I'm gonna jump off a roof into a pool" dumb.

And driving while high is like driving sober unless you have smoked a lot, then you might trip out a bit.

I agree with Tural that we should tax the hell out of it. The country could always use some extra money and that would be a great way to get some.

[DrXThirst]

Legalized.
They already use "Medical Marijuana" to help treat people for all kinds of stuff.

It's much less harmful to the body, as stated before...

[JK-47]

Just because there's a legal marijuana, doesn't mean there won't be an illegal marijuana. As Cuda said, there's different kinds with stronger/weaker effects..
High tax on it sounds like a great idea, though.

Like Shadowkhas, I personally wouldn't touch it. But whatever, I don't care really. There's been debate over this for quite a while.

[Pyroman]

Legalize it. It's not a drug. It's a plant, and if it just so happens to catch fire, your in business.


And about the whole driving while high. My buddy, who has smoked many times, trust me, I have been there...He can smoke a hefty amount and drive immediately after and not be affected at all. He may drive alittle bit faster to get some food...but that's it. And for some, it can make you better at certain video games.

[Yamagushi]

Legalize it. It's not a drug. It's a plant, and if it just so happens to catch fire, your in business.


And about the whole driving while high. My buddy, who has smoked many times, trust me, I have been there...He can smoke a hefty amount and drive immediately after and not be affected at all. He may drive alittle bit faster to get some food...but that's it. And for some, it can make you better at certain video games.

Opium is a plant that happens to catch fire. Do you condone the use of it...?

[Cuda]

Yeah, but the friends that leave you back for smoking a bit of bud in the first place aren't friends at all. Let alone my dog, That's pretty bad. But theres nothing being said in the Anti-Pot ads. All of the things they mention are just social issues. Peer Pressure to do weed? Theres tons peer pressure in other activities.

Why do stoners always ask friends to get high with them? Introduction to something different. I used to hate Elecro and such, but when A few of my friends gave me Omni Trio, Pendulum, and Shapeshifter and when GMP gave me some Tiesto, I listen to almost nothing but Electronic and Drum & Bass.

You never see anything on the scale of the Truth ads picking apart Cigarette companies, mainly because theres a ton of Chemical warfare in each Cigarette. I seriously love it when the people in my class that smoke Cigarettes try to rag on me for smoking pot telling me it's gonna fry all my brain cells, but then again, I'm not shelling out four bucks every few days to smoke shit that does nothing but kill your wallet. I see cigarettes as an Idiot Tax. You smoke a few and you're in. Then you find yourself popping change for a pack for the rest of your life. Then theres the remedies that cure your addiction, then you get addicted to that stuff. My dad tried quitting cigarettes with the patches and the gum, and when he got to the last few steps of it, He started feeling tired and went back to the higher level patches. With weed, there are no additives (If you're smoking natural shit, of course) that make it addictive, there is no chemical that ropes you in. Thats how my dad and I(Yes, I smoke with my parents...) can hit the pipe after hard work in the yard one weekend and be good for the rest of the month.

On the smoking and driving subject, Depending on the levels of THC per, yo can get seriously fucked and driving would be impaired. If you're smoking stress and driving, you won't be that bad off, even if it's your first time doing weed. When driving with the stuff, a lot of factors come into question:

1.)How long you've been doing it prior to, lets say you're 30 and been doing it since Middle/High School consistently, The effects of pot won't be as strong, so you won't have many issues.
2.)Amount
3.)Potency
4.)Conditions - If theres high traffic, say you're doing it on the freeway, with medium to high traffic, you're bound to get into problems if you're blown, but then you have to take the other 3 factors into question. It's a grey area, and every experience doing so would differ person to person. My dad, for example has used it consistently since the 70's. He can drive very well when high, almost as if he isn't high at all. He rarely drives under the influence though (Recently, only once with him has he done so on a road trip to Washington last year) He's responsible enough not to do so.

[CabooseJr]

Meh, legalize it just to make Malolo happy.

[hiheyhello]

cigarettes are worse.

lies, actually 1 joint is equal to 10 cigarettes. I do think it should be legalized because alot of people do it, its been handed out by doctors for treatment, i forget which condition, and in general so many people do it, its practically impossible to stop.