Political Poll USA: Should Marijuana be legal?

[POKEMASTERALEX]

It grows out of the ground, and people have used it since the dawn of time.

guys come on! it should be legal! If it grows out of mother earth it can't harm us!! like shrooms.. right? and ummm tree bark! and stones!! oh wait we don't eat stones? so does that mean just because it comes out of the ground means we CAN'T eat it???

haha kidding aside. Here are the facts:

Legalization:
-will make a lot of people happy (predominantly a specific niche of teenagers)
-will make medical pain resolution easier
-cut down crime surrounding drug cartels. Granted you'll still see meth and the like but weed definitely is the most common

Keeping it Illegal:
-no 5-10 year "trash" period
-it may not be chemically addictive, but if you do something you like you'll naturally want to do it again
-it can create obsessive behavior
-it WILL cause kids to start at an even younger age
-it will result in wider use if legalized
-there are negative aspects such as brain damage
-while under its affects you have potential to make very bad decisions

let's be honest here, you can tell who the potheads in your school are. And that's indicative of what they do, marijuana. It's a lie to say it's not addicting. Is pokemon addicting? no. but we do play it all the time, because its fun. Why would the same not be true for weed?

problems will arise such as new legislation having a need to be passed like "no smoking while driving". Questions would arise like "where would it be ok to do?" in your house? outside target? Crime will go down yes but only crime surrounding drug cartels. And since most weed sales go unnoticed in our nations schools. There will be no noticeable drop in crime.

 

[ShadowLeader]

-it WILL cause kids to start at an even younger age
-it will result in wider use if legalized

you cant prove either of those arguments. and in my personal experiance, ive learned that most of the people who smoke that i know started when they were 10 and up. some (like myself) much younger. so there is no way to prove either of those statements. however i do agree that there might not be a noticeable drop in the crime rate. however it may help the geniuses who like to bring it to school. might. if its legal they may just do it at home like a normal person.
and ps if it is legalized then there will be pipe cafes (counterpart of bars) and yes people can smoke at home where they cant bother anyone. going out while high isnt a smart thing to do anyway.

 

[Volkner's Apprentice]

you cant prove either of those arguments. and in my personal experiance, ive learned that most of the people who smoke that i know started when they were 10 and up. some (like myself) much younger. so there is no way to prove either of those statements. however i do agree that there might not be a noticeable drop in the crime rate. however it may help the geniuses who like to bring it to school. might. if its legal they may just do it at home like a normal person.
and ps if it is legalized then there will be pipe cafes (counterpart of bars) and yes people can smoke at home where they cant bother anyone. going out while high isnt a smart thing to do anyway.

Hate to attack you again dude, but "do it in their home like a normal person?" Normal people don't use it at all because they don't need it to feel good, there's so many other options and ways to relieve stress and feel good about yourself as well as wayyyyy better things to do at a party. Such as dancing.

And hahahaha, no. There aren't going to be pipe cafes. That's not something that would be approved by the majority of..well, America. Besides, did it occur to you that going to a pipe cafe would mean going out? Meaning people who are high would be out. Walking the street. Driving. Going into stores, causing problems, being out of control of some of their actions. It's just not something that's publicly acceptable and it's dangerous for the safety and health of everyone.

And..in regards to the age at which they start..stating you started early doesn't prove that kids won't begin earlier. In fact, no one needs to prove that statement. If parents, teens, really anyone who was curious about trying it before but didn't because it was illegal go ahead and use it because now it's alright, that's going to influence kids and younger generations. So yeah, it'd start earlier.

 

[ShadowLeader]

Hate to attack you again dude, but "do it in their home like a normal person?" Normal people don't use it at all because they don't need it to feel good, there's so many other options and ways to relieve stress and feel good about yourself as well as wayyyyy better things to do at a party. Such as dancing.

And hahahaha, no. There aren't going to be pipe cafes. That's not something that would be approved by the majority of..well, America. Besides, did it occur to you that going to a pipe cafe would mean going out? Meaning people who are high would be out. Walking the street. Driving. Going into stores, causing problems, being out of control of some of their actions. It's just not something that's publicly acceptable and it's dangerous for the safety and health of everyone.

And..in regards to the age at which they start..stating you started early doesn't prove that kids won't begin earlier. In fact, no one needs to prove that statement. If parents, teens, really anyone who was curious about trying it before but didn't because it was illegal go ahead and use it because now it's alright, that's going to influence kids and younger generations. So yeah, it'd start earlier.

well let me set a few things strait here on my last post. first, when i said normal, i meant normal stoners. sorry if i generalized all the non-smokers. second, hate to be the one to break it to you (not really i think its kind of funny) but there are already pipe cafes. most of them are for tobacco though. but there are also spots (that im not going to name due to legal reasons) where you can go to get marijuana and smoke freely. and also, it will still be illegal for kids. trust me. the legal age on it will probably be 21 or older (if its legalized). so there really shouldnt be a big difference in the age at which people try it. it may increase the amount of users overall, but it doesnt mean that they will be trying it younger.

 

[Volkner's Apprentice]

well let me set a few things strait here on my last post. first, when i said normal, i meant normal stoners. sorry if i generalized all the non-smokers. second, hate to be the one to break it to you (not really i think its kind of funny) but there are already pipe cafes. most of them are for tobacco though. but there are also spots (that im not going to name due to legal reasons) where you can go to get marijuana and smoke freely. and also, it will still be illegal for kids. trust me. the legal age on it will probably be 21 or older (if its legalized). so there really shouldnt be a big difference in the age at which people try it. it may increase the amount of users overall, but it doesnt mean that they will be trying it younger.

And like tobacco/cigarettes, depending on how young you're talking, the younger won't be stopped just because they're using the drug. They just won't be allowed to purchase it, like alcohol too. Plus, that's not something any kid should be exposed to growing up anyway.

Second, duh. Of course pipe cafes exist. It's not like I've never seen a movie before. They're just not going to spring up like McDonalds and be a normal site on the streets of everyday towns. Currently those that exist in the states are in the middle of nowhere or on the shady streets of big cities disguised as other things.

That also doesn't matter, because the people would still need to get to and from the places they use to smoke instead of doing it in their own homes. Still driving, still on the streets, still under the influence. It's just lame, dangerous, and unnecessary.

 

[ShadowLeader]

just like taking a taxi when drunk...you should do the same when high. being responsible is nothing to be taken lightly. and to your comment about the pipe cafes: once again i hate to break it to you (not really) but they are almost anywhere. trust me. not just in shady streets and the middle of nowhere. there in towns and cities and there is more than likely one within a mile of you. they wont "pop up"...because they are already here man.....

 

[Ape]

I was stating alchohol simply because alchohol was used as a comparison, not a topic changer..

 

[ShadowLeader]

its no big deal man! thanks for your input!

 

[Volkner's Apprentice]

just like taking a taxi when drunk...you should do the same when high. being responsible is nothing to be taken lightly. and to your comment about the pipe cafes: once again i hate to break it to you (not really) but they are almost anywhere. trust me. not just in shady streets and the middle of nowhere. there in towns and cities and there is more than likely one within a mile of you. they wont "pop up"...because they are already here man.....

That doesn't make them right and no, from where I am, there aren't any "pipe cafes" just chilling around here. Maybe they're disguised as other things or operate during really odd hours of the night, but they aren't just there for everyone to see, nor would they be if it became legal. And drunks don't always take taxis, neither will potheads. People aren't always (or rather, aren't usually) responsible, that's very clear these days. Plus, if you don't truly hate to break it to me, then don't word it like that, just say what you want to say.

But it's not like I'm going to change your mind on the subject nor prove in one fell swoop that marijuana is hell on Earth (which is going too far, because it isn't, it's just not a good option to consider when you say "hey guys, what should we do Friday night?") There's plenty of other things to do and that's the point I'm sticking to. There's no need to respond to this one and I'd appreciate it if you didn't. Let's just allow the rest of PokéCommunity to state their yes, no, or maybes in this poll and discuss because it's pretty clear where the two of us stand on these matters.

I was stating alchohol simply because alchohol was used as a comparison, not a topic changer..

Didn't mean it in an accusing way, just meant you said way more about alcohol than marijuana. ;) Sorry about that.

 

[ShadowLeader]

then dont count this as a reply....lets just leave this one at "agree to disagree"....im sure that someone else will come along and want to argue:D

and just to let u know, when i did the "i hate to break it to you" thing, i meant that in a funny way....just thought people might read it and say "ha" as they do. anyway thanks for the great argument, i really enjoyed it!!!:D:D:D

 

[Volkner's Apprentice]

then dont count this as a reply....lets just leave this one at "agree to disagree"....im sure that someone else will come along and want to argue:D

and just to let u know, when i did the "i hate to break it to you" thing, i meant that in a funny way....just thought people might read it and say "ha" as they do. anyway thanks for the great argument, i really enjoyed it!!!:D:D:D

Sometimes text comes out different than what you would actually say to someone in person, so it's not as funny as it would seem. ;) Oh and as a reminder, this is a poll discussion, just because you created the topic doesn't mean you have to wait to reply and agree/disagree with every person who posts here (I think someone mentioned that to you on the first page, haha.) Spread out a bit and try some other topics around here.

 

[アガースタ・ネコチャン]

Honestly everyone the more you go out into the world, the more you experience, the less you will think of substance use, not abuse, as being not that big of deal. Plenty of "normal", healthy, functioning adults enjoy alcohol and marijuana on occasion. It's when it becomes a daily habit, something you need to get through the day/night that it becomes a problem.

 

[wee187]

n

no offense weee187 but do you drink often? yes alcohol makes you tired but that after drinking HUGE amounts....before that you are highly energized and really load....but like i said lets leave that for another discussion..

No, I'm 15, I've never drunk alcohol in my life and never will. But both my biological parents did, so I can relate its effects pretty well.

 

[Guillermo]

What a coincidence. My father and I were discussing this not long ago, and he told me that he's found that most kids smoke marijuana because it's illegal and they think they're cool. If they legalise marijuana, the kids will just move onto other forms of drugs. He's a police officer, so I'm guessing he knows what he's talking about.

My personal opinion on it however, is that it should remain illegal. Sure, it doesn't have many physical or mental damages, but it's destroying our environment, and it still has a few side affects that could be harmful. Besides, if kids get addicted to it enough, it could lead to deadly means.

 

[Richard Wagner]

The ban on marijuana and other drugs - yes, even cocaine, which is undisputably harmful - functions just as the prohibition on alcohol did.

Drugs are NOT a problem because kids get hurt by them or people are addicted to them or whatever. Their medical effects are completely irrelevant to the argument over whether they should be legalized. The problem is Violence. The problem is people getting rich (or at least making money) by running drug operations and anyone who is a threat to their income gets killed.

If you legalized them, companies (or the government) could sell them for ALOT cheaper, so the wealthy, violent drug dealers would be completely out of business. In addition, the business or government organization that sells the drugs wouldn't mix any strange and possibly lethal stuff in the drugs, which is often what happens when it is sold on the street. So if you're worried about the medical side-effects, legalizing drugs would take care of all that.

In short, legalizing drugs is the answer to the drug problem.

I should say that, I personally have no stake in this - I don't do drugs and have never done drugs, I don't sell drugs -- and most of all, I don't live in a neighborhood where people are killed because of drug dealers.

 

[Pokeyomom]

Yeah, but you forget one drug user can affect everyone around them. Whole families are destroyed due to one user. And dont you think anybody who is a dealer would just find some other good/trade to exploit??? Bad idea IMO.

Wrong, alcohol is a depressant, it makes you tired. People who drink alcohol can be violent yes, but not solely because of the alcohol. Alcohol makes you tired. Empty, pretty much.

Yeah but it also releases nor-adrenalin into your blood stream; Like nicotine, it can affect you way differently depending on the quantity you consume. Ever seen an angry drunk? They dont appear to be 2 tired.

 

[Stronkadonk]

No.

Simply put, people don't need to puff it in and get rid of the pain. Yes, you're going to die. Yes, I have sympathy for you. But I'm not gonna go ahead and let you run through tests with a card to get that high you've been craving all day.

And to finish it off, here's a huge example why it should be reverted to illegal.
In Utah, they served Medical Marijuana in Pill Form. People voted no for it, because they wanted to have it able to be smoked. Both get you that same ol' high. Voting against the pill and for smoking it just shows that they wanted to stick a joint in their mouths and puff on it.


And as a side note... Alcohol is a depressant, although it is commonly mistaken for a stimulant. It's weird, and I can't/don't feel like explaining further, because I wasn't paying attention in Health Class yesterday.

 

[アガースタ・ネコチャン]

In Utah, they served Medical Marijuana in Pill Form. People voted no for it, because they wanted to have it able to be smoked. Both get you that same ol' high. Voting against the pill and for smoking it just shows that they wanted to stick a joint in their mouths and puff on it.

I'm going to have to disagree with you on that one. The pill form of "marijuana", know as Marinol, contains a synthetic form of THC. Some individuals, myself included, are philosophically against putting man made substances into the body. It had nothing to do with smoking it. That aside, Marinol, like any prescription medication, is expensive. Why pay thousands of dollars, or have your insurance pay thousands of dollars, when you can grow an unlimited supply for the initial cost of the seeds?

In addition, supporting medical "marijuana" in the form of Marinol is supporting the pharmaceutical companies. Something that I cannot support when Mother Nature gave us the same medicine for free.

 

[ShadowLeader]

i guess i can say one or two more things....well..first....there are several reasons y they voted against the pill. one is of course as you said they wanted to "stick a joint in their mouths"...personally..i think there is no comparison between the two..sometimes you just cant beat a good joint....(same thing does for cigaretes)...and the other reason would probably be because its a pill. we have enough of them, and it is too easy to overdoes on a pill.....that would be the real problem here....a person could smoke an ounce by themselves...and be just fine..(higher than a kite, but fine:D) but take 10 of the pills (THC equivelent) and your dead within an hour....

 

[アガースタ・ネコチャン]

..sometimes you just cant beat a good joint....

Statements like that are why medical marijuana will never be legalized.