One of the problems with this discussion is that people who claim to be rational yet oppose legalization never address any of the points the people who want to legalize it say. I wrote a gigantic post breaking down every part of this discussion, and people are merely ignoring it. Oh well, I guess I'll have to respond to you all individually.
If it's legalized crime rate will go down, dealers will lose a bit of profit but they have other stuff. The only problem is that other things might happen like traffic accidents from people being too high.
Again, it is a logical conclusion to say that prohibition actually has increased the amount of accidents. Think about it; if you want to use it, and don't have a safe place to do it in private, you have to do it in a isolated public place. How do you get there? Drive. What do you do right after consumption? Drive home. If people could do it outside of their house without fearing prosecution, this case is eliminated. That said, unlike alcohol, driving high is not a death sentence.
I don't support anything that has to do with that crap because I despise it and what it does to people. Usually I'm down for a sensible argument, but this is the only thing that I feel passionate about. I hate, loathe, abhor it, and I have no respect for people who have even experimented with it.
Should it be legalized? No.
Why not? Because anyone stupid enough to use it deserves any violent crime that comes with it. That's my two cents. Case closed, I'm out.
There's nothing right about this post. Firstly, if you hate cannabis, then you're going against yourself by promoting criminalization. Instead of allowing people to use it responsibly, you've pushed it underground and gave all the profits to drug dealers. Next, your statement that people deserve to be killed over a personal choice is inhuman, and you should feel horrendously for ever even thinking it. Anyone stupid enough to say such a horrible thing deserves any violent crime that goes with it. Lastly, you are not open to a sensible argument, as you're shunning any logical point in an attempt to feed your delusion. You're dead wrong, and you can't accept this, so you decide not to argue it at all. I can tell you're a wonderful person.
We really need more official research on this stuff. On one hand, I hear that marijuana is one of the worse drugs out there, and on the other hand I hear that it really isn't all that horrible, it can be used for medicine, etc. Which one is right, for pete's sake? Has there ever been any conclusive evidence on how bad or good this drug is?
I support research, but you used the word "official." Why is the opinion of the government more valid than an independent research group? They have a CLEAR conflict of interest in this discussion, and they have no incentive on telling the truth. That said, they are still unable to provide any real evidence of cannabis's harms, and that is how you can know it is safe. To say it's one of the worst drugs out there when tobacco and alcohol are legal is ridiculous. Tobacco is more addictive than heroin, alcohol causes drunk driving, and both cause various types of cancers, while no one has ever died directly from cannabis usage in the history of the world. That can't even be said about caffeine.