Reasons Marijuana should be legal.

[MrJohnson]

Weed is a gatway drug.
That being said, alcohol can lead people to smoking so whatever. I'm down with legalizing as long as we ban it in public areas.

Originally Posted by Quinine

Why don't we legalize all controlled substances? The damage created from a hundred-billion dollar black market that is corrupting our legal authorities and world governments, even directly funding terrorism, is far greater than any medical effects that the substance has to a voluntary user. The substance industry is an unregulated one that is capable of selling these substances to anyone, even children (ever notice how pushers never check ID?), without any standard of purity.

We don't want a people walking the streets who take PCP and kill people.

[O.F.Fascist]

The most important reason that Marijuana should be legal is that we live in a capitalist free society.

The market should be making the decisions about what should be for sale and what price, not the government.

[Ignited]

I don't even smoke weed and I would be in full support of any legislation aimed at legalizing its usage because there are no good reasons why it ever should have been made illegal in the first place.

[Quinine]

Originally Posted by MrJohnson

We don't want a people walking the streets who take PCP and kill people.

Killing people would still be illegal, as well as public intoxication. Do you think that, if drugs were legalized, every law-abiding citizen would be running out to buy PCP? As you (and most other people) believe that most drugs are bad, I doubt that the number of drug users would increase, especially considering that drugs are easily available in any major city.

anyways,

Here's what the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services said in _Drug
Abuse and Drug Abuse Research_, an annual report to Congress. (1991, p 153)

"There are two aspects to phencyclidine (PCP) intoxication that
have warranted particular attention by the general public, as well
as by law-enforcement and clinical personnel. Both aspects concern
the relationship between phencyclidine abuse and aggressive
behavior. There are reports of increased aggressiveness and
'super-human' strength that develop in some people who take
phencyclidine.

Recent studies, including those of men arrested for criminal
activity in Washington D.C. and New York City (Wish 1986) and
evaluations of published clinical reports of phencyclidine
intoxication (Brecher et al. 1988), indicate that if
phencyclidine induces violent, criminal behavior, it does so only
extremely infrequently.

Although Wish (1986) noted that most men who had urines positive
for phencyclidine were younger than those who had taken no drugs
or other drugs, their crimes were likely to be __less aggressive__
than the crimes of those who had not taken phencyclidine.
[emphasis added -ma] Khajawall et al. (1982) found no
difference in the behavior of clients admitted for phencyclidine
detoxification and those admitted for opioid detoxification. __Thus,
phencylidine-induced aggression appears to be a rare phenomenon,
if it occurs at all__. [emph -ma]"

cited references:

Wish, E.D. PCP and crime: just another illicit drug? _Natl
Inst Drug Abuse Res Monogr Ser_ 64:174-189, 1986.

Brecher, M.; Wang, B.W.; Wong, H.; and Morgan, J.P. Phencyclidine
and violence: clinical and legal issues. _J Clinical
Psychopharmacology_ 8:397-401, 1988.

Khajawall, A.M.; Erickson, T.B.; and Simpson, G.M. Chronic
phencyclidine abuse and physical assault. _Am J
Psychiat_ 139:1604-1606, 1982.

tangent: COPS, and it's varieties, are TV shows. They do not represent the average day of a police officer.

[frika]

Originally Posted by Jim Morrison

Anyway, I dont think any drug should be illegal. If someone is using dangerous drugs outside their private residence, yes they should be punished, but the government should not regulate what people use for their own enjoyment.

Unfortunately I think this would only work in an ideal world as there are problems of association involved in habitual drug use. What about the child or family of a heroin addict?

God, look at alcoholism and how many families and friends that has torn apart... live ruined. I think that certain substances should be regulated but not just fully legalized.

[I Peddle Exotic Augies]

Originally Posted by Quinine

I doubt that the number of drug users would increase, especially considering that drugs are easily available in any major city

I'm willing to bet that drug use would acutally decrease if it was regulated properly

[Dyno]

The sad truth is that marijuana issue has been rendered moot because rural America has been overrun with crystal meth.

Talk about not seeing the forest for the trees...

[Nubius]

The problem with all the studies presented as arguments for the legalization of marijuana is that they are biased. This bias is also present in studies presented for the ban of marijuana. Someone brought up Jamaica, but places like that including Amsterdam cannot be compared to America. What in the world does Jamaica have besides Reggae music, a decent beer, and weed? Not to mention its smaller size.

Here is my problem with legalizing weed. Imagine a thirty year old mother sitting down watching soap operas in the middle of the afternoon smoking a blunt. She gets high and completely forgets about her children. Best case scenario, the children stay put and are safe. Worst case scenario, they explore outside the house and get lost, maybe killed. Imagine productivity rates at work if people decided to take smoke breaks to get high. Yes, America is a free country and in theory marijuana should be legal, but in order to maintain our way of life it is more beneficial for it to stay illegal. I believe someone else said it earlier, but if you have a stick up your butt because marijuana isn’t legal, either move to where it is legal or accept the fact it is illegal.

[wadie]

Originally Posted by I Peddle Exotic Animals

I'm willing to bet that drug use would acutally decrease if it was regulated properly

Yep, look at The Netherlands where marijuana use is tolerated - after a brief spike, its settled to a level where less young people are smoking it than in other European countries.

If you remove the taboo and begin proper education as to the drugs effects and possible consequences, the number of users is sure to go down.

[BBnet3000]

i dont know about hard drugs, but pot should definitely be legalized. there are no compelling reasons for it to stay illegal. in fact, the movement to criminalize it in the first place was a fucking sham

[Barney]

Originally Posted by Heinrich Himmler

No one NEEDS to smoke marijuana, good enough reason to not legalize it. I'm up for outlawing cigarettes and booze, myself. Because all they do is kill.

You think you should be allowed to do what you wish to your own body> In other words, you have a death wish? Fine, just blow your brains out. And save your friends and family decades of anguish as you waste away. Save the government thousands in treating your "pain" which will never go away. Save the innocent life you'll hit on the highway because the alcohol or pot made you swerve lanes. You want death, take it, and stop burdening everyone on the way.

Pot is legal in Jamaica and other places, yet once again, you don't like it here but you won't move to the spot you claim is better. I'm sick of listening to pussies whine.

wow, your nazi theme really does fit you. you have no fucking right to tell me what i can and cant do with myself.

go start over with you master race and leave us with more than half a brain alone.

[auction1]

Originally Posted by Nubius

The problem with all the studies presented as arguments for the legalization of marijuana is that they are biased. This bias is also present in studies presented for the ban of marijuana. Someone brought up Jamaica, but places like that including Amsterdam cannot be compared to America. What in the world does Jamaica have besides Reggae music, a decent beer, and weed? Not to mention its smaller size.

Here is my problem with legalizing weed. Imagine a thirty year old mother sitting down watching soap operas in the middle of the afternoon smoking a blunt. She gets high and completely forgets about her children. Best case scenario, the children stay put and are safe. Worst case scenario, they explore outside the house and get lost, maybe killed. Imagine productivity rates at work if people decided to take smoke breaks to get high. Yes, America is a free country and in theory marijuana should be legal, but in order to maintain our way of life it is more beneficial for it to stay illegal. I believe someone else said it earlier, but if you have a stick up your butt because marijuana isn’t legal, either move to where it is legal or accept the fact it is illegal.

The same arguments can be made about alcohol. But everyone doesn't go out and get plastered on their lunch break, and moms don't sit down with a bottle of wine in front of their soaps. You're describing personal responsibility issues. If someone is irresponsible the legalization of marijuana will not make them any less responsible. Likewise, if someone is responsible they will not become intoxicated when it isn't appropriate. In a free society and country the government should not be enforcing personal responsibility.

Or, if you feel the government should be enforcing personal responsiblity it should be illegal to be late to work, to do anything but work while at work, to not play with your children a mandated amount of time per day, to leave your children alone for a mandated amount of time and to allow your children to get poor grades (minimum GPA would be mandated). Likewise children would have to be put in juveline delinquent homes if they go to play before finishing their homework, get poor grades or fail to follow the instructions of their teachers.

The government enforcing personal responsibilities is a rediculous proposition, so let's not use any more of those arguments, ok?

[nD[ - Slayer]

Originally Posted by Nubius

The problem with all the studies presented as arguments for the legalization of marijuana is that they are biased. This bias is also present in studies presented for the ban of marijuana. Someone brought up Jamaica, but places like that including Amsterdam cannot be compared to America. What in the world does Jamaica have besides Reggae music, a decent beer, and weed? Not to mention its smaller size.

Here is my problem with legalizing weed. Imagine a thirty year old mother sitting down watching soap operas in the middle of the afternoon smoking a blunt. She gets high and completely forgets about her children. Best case scenario, the children stay put and are safe. Worst case scenario, they explore outside the house and get lost, maybe killed. Imagine productivity rates at work if people decided to take smoke breaks to get high. Yes, America is a free country and in theory marijuana should be legal, but in order to maintain our way of life it is more beneficial for it to stay illegal. I believe someone else said it earlier, but if you have a stick up your butt because marijuana isn’t legal, either move to where it is legal or accept the fact it is illegal.

While I can see where you're comming from, understand that responsibility still comes with drugs usage, even with alcohol. With legalization, there will still be regulation laws, like no public intoxication and things like that, I would even be up for restricting it to an age limit like cigarettes, but that's not really the issue.

The scenario with taking smoke breaks at work to get high, that's more of a company policy thing, like if you can't drink alcohol at work, I doubt they'd let you smoke weed.

Edit: Beaten :P

[Barney]

Originally Posted by Nubius

The problem with all the studies presented as arguments for the legalization of marijuana is that they are biased. This bias is also present in studies presented for the ban of marijuana. Someone brought up Jamaica, but places like that including Amsterdam cannot be compared to America. What in the world does Jamaica have besides Reggae music, a decent beer, and weed? Not to mention its smaller size.

Here is my problem with legalizing weed. Imagine a thirty year old mother sitting down watching soap operas in the middle of the afternoon smoking a blunt. She gets high and completely forgets about her children. Best case scenario, the children stay put and are safe. Worst case scenario, they explore outside the house and get lost, maybe killed. Imagine productivity rates at work if people decided to take smoke breaks to get high. Yes, America is a free country and in theory marijuana should be legal, but in order to maintain our way of life it is more beneficial for it to stay illegal. I believe someone else said it earlier, but if you have a stick up your butt because marijuana isn’t legal, either move to where it is legal or accept the fact it is illegal.

The problem with all the studies presented as arguments for the legalization of alcohol is that they are biased. This bias is also present in studies presented for the ban of alcohol . Someone brought up every other country, but places like that cannot be compared to America.

Here is my problem with legalizing alcohol. Imagine a thirty year old mother sitting down watching soap operas in the middle of the afternoon drinking a bottle of wine. She gets tipsy and completely forgets about her children. Best case scenario, the children stay put and are safe. Worst case scenario, they explore outside the house and get lost, maybe killed. Imagine productivity rates at work if people decided to take drink breaks to get tipsy. Yes, America is a free country and in theory alcohol should be legal, but in order to maintain our way of life it is more beneficial for it to stay illegal. I believe someone else said it earlier, but if you have a stick up your butt because alcohol isn’t legal, either move to where it is legal or accept the fact it is illegal.





still feel like defending your argument, or do you see your hypocrisy?

also the "accept it or move" arugment is SO FUCKING BULLSHIT I WANT TO PUNCH PEOPLE WHO SAY IT. i forgot, were not allowed in america to disagree with laws and the government, this place is about passive acceptance and if you dont like it hell we can make you dissappear too, am i rite?

fuck you and fuck anyone who says "shut up if you dont like it". get the FUCK out of my country.

/edit: and why the fuck does everyone assume its going to be like chocolate or something? nobody is arguing the laws with alcohol, nobody argues the laws about alcohol! dont drive when under ANY influence and dont be irresponsible. god, if your only argument is what an irresponsible asshole would do then sorry you have no argument.

[gg]

Originally Posted by Barney

wow, your nazi theme really does fit you. you have no fucking right to tell me what i can and cant do with myself.

go start over with you master race and leave us with more than half a brain alone.

He's such a stupid fucking troll, just ignore all the blather that he spews.