Should marijuana be legalized?

[Mirby]

Well you need something to back up your claims.

 

[Kanye West]

Marijuana should be legal because it frees you from all your problems and makes you feel good. It can also help with asthma and arthritis. With marijuana being legal we can make fields of hemp and reduce the number of angry tree huggers.

Hmm, what else can I think of off the top of my head..

more hemp = less plastic, more medicine, END OF WORLD HUNGER (muchies might counteract this statement), stronger clothing, and we can appreciate art better

This post is very serious. no proof needed

 

[Sonic65]

Morally, I don't really have any opinion on it. Some people I know use it, but I don't personally ever want to.

However, I do believe the benefits of legalizing marijuana far outweigh any costs, though it'll probably not get fully and completely legalized for a while due to too many people being morally against it (and politicians don't want to vote against their constituents, especially not on a high-publicity issue like this).

Also, if the argument is that marijuana is a gateway drug simply by existing, then I'll point you to cigarettes and alcohol, which are not only objectively worse for your body than marijuana but also legalized, and don't seem to have any tendency to make people want to go from them to pot, cocaine, etc. Probably because the people who sell cigarettes and alcohol don't additionally sell crack, cocaine, etc.

Government control means lower prices for weed the government sells than the pot the street dealer sells. Dealers most likely spend significant amounts of money on transportation, hidden storage, etc. - issues which aren't nearly as costly or important if the drugs are being handled legally, which means the price goes down. People will buy the lower-priced legal weed instead of the unregulated illegal weed from street dealers.

 

[FreakyLocz14]

I don't necessarily think we should tax marijuana, though. We shouldn't be adding more taxes; we need less taxes. Less taxes stimulates the economy. Vices are such easy targets for the government to tax. People get pissed if their income tax, property tax, or the sale tax goes up but nodbody cares if we tax cigarettes, alcohol, and now marijuana more heavily.

 

[Nicktacular]

OK the last three statements have no proof and i get jumped.......
anyway i Agree with the last statement but i know that it would be taxed because it would most likely be treated like Cigarettes and alcohol.

Also it is a gateway drug because it's not as bad as people say it is and when people try it they subconsciously think "well if pot wasn't that bad". Also both cigarettes and alcohol are both gatewayers it's just that they have less effect because they are more or less glorified in comparison to pot/(other drugs)

 

[FreakyLocz14]

Whether or not marijuana is a gateway drug is personal. There are some drug addicts who started out with marijuana while there are a lot of people who smoke marijuana but don't use any other type of drug save the legal tobacco and alcohol.

 

[Nicktacular]

It's not like everyone who does smoke will always move to harder drugs, it's just that when it does happen lives get ruined

 

[SIN1488]

It's not like everyone who does smoke will always move to harder druga, it's just that when it does happen lives get ruined

That's not always true either, but I'm sure the harder drugs aren't going to improve anybody's lives.

And on the part about taxing marijuana, if it was legal it would be much cheaper as it would be more widespread, and growers would have to lower prices to compete. So since the prices would be low compared to now, would people really be angry about it getting taxed? I figure the smokers would just be happy that they can get it legally, and almost everyone else would think: "Well, at least they are collecting tax off of it."

I kind of don't get exactly how less taxes would stimulate the economy. Care to explain?

 

[Dawn]

Go ahead, let stupid people make stupid decisions. But have it illegal to do in public, and by public I mean around anyone else that doesn't smoke weed. I will not be suffering for other people's mistakes, and I don't think anyone else should either, under any condition. Furthermore, quite frankly I don't care if it inconveniences the smokers. I'm sick of breathing people's mistakes, literally. And that, is the only way I would support legalizing marijuana, or smoking in general for that matter. Disagree if you will, but I work in an environment where I have to give old men lights, and sit around people who smoke, in public, all day long with a smile on my face. I've had to refuse cigarettes, with a smile on my face. I feel wrong pretending it doesn't bother me for the sake of being polite.

 

[FreakyLocz14]

That's not always true either, but I'm sure the harder drugs aren't going to improve anybody's lives.

And on the part about taxing marijuana, if it was legal it would be much cheaper as it would be more widespread, and growers would have to lower prices to compete. So since the prices would be low compared to now, would people really be angry about it getting taxed? I figure the smokers would just be happy that they can get it legally, and almost everyone else would think: "Well, at least they are collecting tax off of it."

I kind of don't get exactly how less taxes would stimulate the economy. Care to explain?

1) Lower taxes
2) This lets people have more spending money
3) ?????
4) PROFIT!!!1

Sorry for the meme example but I think you get the point.

Go ahead, let stupid people make stupid decisions. But have it illegal to do in public, and by public I mean around anyone else that doesn't smoke weed. I will not be suffering for other people's mistakes, and I don't think anyone else should either, under any condition. Furthermore, quite frankly I don't care if it inconveniences the smokers. I'm sick of breathing people's mistakes, literally. And that, is the only way I would support legalizing marijuana, or smoking in general for that matter. Disagree if you will, but I work in an environment where I have to give old men lights, and sit around people who smoke, in public, all day long with a smile on my face. I've had to refuse cigarettes, with a smile on my face. I feel wrong pretending it doesn't bother me for the sake of being polite.

This.

I think smoking tobacco, marijuana, or any other drug around someone who doesn't want to be exposed to it should be illegal. People should be able to sue over this and it should be a crime if the perp did so with malice aforethought.

 

[Constantinople]

Repeat offenders usually get caught doing other things and just had weed

I have inferred from this sentence that you have some sort of statistic to back it up, no?

The prison overcrowding wouldn't really be affected if weed was legal, because people who get caught for weed usually get fines or community service

No, you can absolutely go to jail on counts of substance possession and abuse.

 

[PokemonLeagueChamp]

I hate weed. I hate its stench, and I hate its spreading influence, almost like an uncontrollable plague. Given what I've seen here, and elsewhere, weed WILL be more or less legal in around 20 years and, if my school is any indicator, at least 30% of people will smoke/use it. Am I against this? Very much so, but I have seen many times that any attempt to show the facts on weed are stuffed down the toilet. This is a losing battle that I have given up and retreated from. Those of you hoping for legalization, your patience will pay off, whether anyone else likes it or not.

 

[Nicktacular]

Constant you haven't had any proof that im wrong on any account or for that matter anything worthwhile to say besides random things to discredit me, and no weed crimes don't instantly put you in jail, unless you have obscene amounts.

Weed is relatively cheap as it is if you purchase from dealers, it is also much cheaper to buy from growers. If sold wide spread it's pricing will end up like more expensive just because stores would sell them at much higher prices then growers would, and they would be taxed. Prices might also rise due to the fact that many constant smokers would most likely begin to grow themselves.

 

[Magmarizer]

Spoiler:

https://www.immigration-visa-lawyer-blog.com/Don't-Tread-On-Me-1024.jpg

The Goverment is infringing on my rights by making this illegal. As long as this was done on private property and didnt affect anyone else, theres no reason why it should be illegal.

 

[twocows]

There are two things that bother me with marijuana legislation. The first is the notion that marijuana causes people significant harm, and the second is that people shouldn't be allowed to harm themselves provided they know the consequences. As I said earlier, if people know what they're doing, they should be allowed to do things harmful to themselves. However, how much harm does marijuana really cause? That's what I'd like to know; I've heard a number of people say that it's less harmful than tobacco. If that's true, there's no reason for it to be illegal.

Constant you haven't had any proof that im wrong on any account or for that matter anything worthwhile to say besides random things to discredit me, and no weed crimes don't instantly put you in jail, unless you have obscene amounts.

When you make a claim, the burden of proof is on you, not the skeptic. It is up to the person making the claim to present evidence of the truthfulness of that claim. For instance, if I claim I am a billionaire, and someone asks me for evidence of that claim, responding by saying "You do not have any proof that I am not a billionaire" is not an acceptable response, because the burden of proof is on me for making the claim to begin with.

 

[ThatKidMike]

Proof isn't really needed when common sense and street smarts are used as tools in an argument. Statistics can push a debate one way or another, but aren't the end all be all.

Also, hes not saying anything outlandish, all the claims Nick has made are pretty realistic, and do make sense. Its pretty well known that the punishment for being caught with weed is a slap on the wrist, unless you're on probation. And even then, depending on the amount may only extend probation. Not put you in jail.

 

[twocows]

Proof isn't really needed when common sense and street smarts are used as tools in an argument. Statistics can push a debate one way or another, but aren't the end all be all.

Also, hes not saying anything outlandish, all the claims Nick has made are pretty realistic, and do make sense. Its pretty well known that the punishment for being caught with weed is a slap on the wrist, unless you're on probation. And even then, depending on the amount may only extend probation. Not put you in jail.

That wouldn't hold up in a formalized debate, but I'll concede it this setting. However, the claim in question was that repeat offenders usually are caught for other things besides weed, which isn't something so obvious as to be covered by common sense. It was not the severity of punishment; nobody asked for statistics about that. Additionally, he has made some pretty outrageous claims, especially with regards to the effects of marijuana on future use of other drugs.

 

[Nicktacular]

Not that outrageous, especially when i have personally seen that happen to multiple people.

 

[Synaesthesia]

Well I'm way too late to join in the debate, but I think it should be legal! :D and that California is taking a step in the right direction with Proposition 19. Hopefully it passes, and that many states will follow in the initiative.

 

[Silver]

I'm going to cite the netherlands as an example here. AFAIK they have all drugs legalized, and their society hasn't collapsed, so why would ours if just pot was legalized? tbh, I don't really see any reason not to legalize pot.

I may go find articles later, too lazy right now.