Should marijuana be legalized?

[Nicktacular]

drug: any substance that, when absorbed into the body of a living organism, alters normal bodily function.

You can overdose on it, but it is almost imposable to do so.

 

[Rich Boy Rob]

I think those things should be illegal also, but the argument of "just because something worse is ok slightly lesser things should be fine" isn't very progressive. instead of working to make all bad things legal we should be working toward making smoking and drinking illegal

Agreed. The only reason alcohol is so accepted (and to a lesser extent, tobacco) is because they were invented (discovered?) in times when the problems they cause weren't known and just became ingrained in our society.

 

[Luck]

I never really thought it was a good idea to put a ban on a popular object, as doing so will only create a thriving black market, so yeah, my opinion is pretty clear on this.

I have a question though. Who would be more likely to care about their customer? A working man in a convenience store or a back alley drug dealer? I'd think the convenience store owner would be more hesitant to sell things to a minor since he might lose his job over it, but everyone feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[donavannj]

I have a question though. Who would be more likely to care about their customer? A working man in a convenience store or a back alley drug dealer? I'd think the convenience store owner would be more hesitant to sell things to a minor since he might lose his job over it, but everyone feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

A convenience store owner would face significantly more immediate repercussions if it were discovered he/she was selling it to a minor because he/she is operating in the realm of legal business, where a back-alley dealer wouldn't be nearly as worried because his/her operation is already illegal anyways.

And I think that it should be legalized simply because I feel it's an infringement on the rights of people to do as they wish, so long as it doesn't infringe on someone else's rights.

 

[Nicktacular]

It don't doesn't infringe on people rights, rights were invented by man as such rights don't truly exist (also through your logic we should allow pedophiles to have sex with children as long as they say ok). The law invented by man is there to help protect us from ourselves and others, if legalized a few things will happen.

1. Prices will go up

2. More kids and teens will smoke weed

3. Large vehicle accidents will occur more frequently

4. for the next 10 years harder drugs will become more common

that was just a few of the things that will happen.

 

[Constantinople]

It don't doesn't infringe on people rights, rights were invented by man as such rights don't truly exist (also through your logic we should allow pedophiles to have sex with children as long as they say ok). The law invented by man is there to help protect us from ourselves and others, if legalized a few things will happen.

1. Prices will go up

2. More kids and teens will smoke weed

3. Large vehicle accidents will occur more frequently

4. for the next 10 years harder drugs will become more common

that was just a few of the things that will happen.

None of that is true, except for possibly #2.

There is no set price for marijuana right now. It's all sold in a huge nationwide black market. Prices would probably actually go down with the larger abundance and availability of marijuana.

#2 is conceivably possible, but I'd imagine most teens who would smoke weed if it were legal would also smoke weed now. It would still be illegal for teens.

However, 3 is completely untrue. Marijuana causes people to drive more slowly and cautiously. While it does impair vision and balance, the chances of getting in a high-speed wreck are diminished. Marijuana doesn't work the same way alcohol does.

I don't agree with 4 either. The "harder" drugs will still be illegal.

 

[Surmonter]

Personally, marijuana and alcohol are the only drugs I don't have problems with. I wouldn't have a problem with tobacco if they didn't add all the stuff to it.

Marijuana isn't physically addictive. It is mentally addictive, but so is food.
Marijuana actually has health benefits.

Marijuana should be treated a lot like alcohol. They should find a way to determine how much you smoked recently, like a breathalyser for weed, then legalize it.

It should be for anyone 18+ (so should alcohol.)

If you drive high, you will face the same consequences as if you drove drunk because it's just as dangerous.

Plus, the reason it became illegal in the first place is not because it's a drug. It's because it out-produce wood in paper-based products, so the wood and paper companies lobbied to get it banned so they wouldn't lose money.

It being illegal wont stop people from doing it. Might as well legalize it and tax it. Same for prostitution.

Also, all the stuff Nicktacular posted is bs. Look at the countries that legalized it, everything Nick said that would happen, didn't.

 

[Rankurusu]

Marijuana's leagalization could stimulate the economy, which would be good, and it isn't as bad as many other drugs.

 

[Ficher]

To be honest, I think that it should be legal. The individual that chooses to use marijuana does so according to his own free will. Though the government has the right to limit those actions if they pose any significant threat to the individual, however, marijuana is far less dangerous than most drugs, which are legal, such as alcohol.

Another reason is that keeping marijuana illegal is expensive for the government, be it federal or local authorities. Making it legal would save them a lot of money, instead of spending them chasing peaceful people who happen to like to get 'high'. Oh, and they also can force taxes on marijuana users, and can pay for programs intended as a effective drug education.

There are other reasons, like prohibition actually increases drug use, but my hand is hurting me, so..

 

[donavannj]

It don't doesn't infringe on people rights, rights were invented by man as such rights don't truly exist (also through your logic we should allow pedophiles to have sex with children as long as they say ok).

Bolded statement because it does not agree with the logic I am using, which holds that a child has a right to an abuse-free childhood. Also, outlawing pedophilia is a man-made concept as well from the last 500 years. Unless you consider 11 year olds adults, which I don't believe you do, if you're going to argue that rights are a man-made concept (which, by extension, it could be argued that your logic backs slavery, though that's stretching it a little).

The law invented by man is there to help protect us from ourselves and others, if legalized a few things will happen.

1. Prices will go up

2. More kids and teens will smoke weed

3. Large vehicle accidents will occur more frequently

4. for the next 10 years harder drugs will become more common

that was just a few of the things that will happen.

1. Fallacy, if anything, because of the basic principle of supply and demand. A more readily available supply would mean lower prices for those who do intend to buy.

2. Not necessarily, if it's given an age limit like it is on the California proposition.

3. Marijuana puts you in a stupor where you're too unmotivated to do anything. It's not quite like alcohol, which muddles up your thought process as opposed to putting you into an unmotivated stupor.

4. Not necessarily. Those would still be outlawed.

 

[Nicktacular]

OK, looks like i have to defend myself yet again.

First off, what countrys legalize pot? also if so the reason that those things haven't happened is simply because they didn't have the same access America does, and because they talk about and treat pot differently from the U.S. does(I.E. Truth campaigns/Parents/Government placed stigmata) .

Also if you knew anything about weed you would know that there are prices set by weight and strain. so if legalized then prices would increase simply because the government/market would set taxes/(increase price to get a profit)

More kids would smoke because it would be easier to access and the stigma would go down.

Accidents will happen more often for obvious reasons, people are irresponsible. when you are high your response time slows, and it impairs your judgment. also just because there are laws doesn't mean people wouldn't get hurt.

Harder drugs would be more common for the next ten years because (read my privous post on the gateway effect) of the gateway effect, after a about 7-10 years the stigma would go down, which would lower it's gateway effect.

as to my pedophile argument, i said as long as it's consensual. so as long as the 6 year old boy says it's fine then the adult can have his way with him and it would be perfectly fine (by your logic).

 

[Luck]

lso if you knew anything about weed you would know that there are prices set by weight and strain. so if legalized then prices would increase simply because the government/market would set taxes/(increase price to get a profit)

Mass production makes things cheaper as far as I know.

More kids would smoke because it would be easier to access and the stigma would go down.

But drug dealers don't care if it's a kid they're talking to because(like DonDon said) they're already breaking the law. People like, say, store owners would have much more to worry about since they're selling to minors and will have to face the law, which I assume they wouldn't want.

Harder drugs would be more common for the next ten years because (read my privous post on the gateway effect) of the gateway effect, after a about 7-10 years the stigma would go down, which would lower it's gateway effect.

I remember seeing a report comparing drug use in the Netherlands and America per capita. I'll be sure to link you it if I ever find it, but it did show that both use of marijuana and harder drugs was lower in the Netherlands, among other things.

Also, the cannabis plant isn't exclusively used for recreation if I recall correctly. You're only talking about the side effects of recreational use.

 

[Nicktacular]

Mass production doesn't make things cheaper, i think you're confusing that and the scarcity effect. weed is not scarce already, so......yeah.

so i guess kids and teens don't smoke or drink because store owners don't sell to kids

you should have read my post on the gateway effect and the second paragraph of the post you're quoting

 

[ThatKidMike]

I remember seeing a report comparing drug use in the Netherlands and America per capita. I'll be sure to link you it if I ever find it, but it did show that both use of marijuana and harder drugs was lower in the Netherlands, among other things.

SMH. Theres a reason why drug use is lower in the Netherlands, and its not because of the legality of cannabis.

Its the Netherlands.

Mass production makes things cheaper as far as I know.

Riiiight, and cigarettes are cheap.

 

[AuraAshley1990]

drug: any substance that, when absorbed into the body of a living organism, alters normal bodily function.

You can overdose on it, but it is almost imposable to do so.

havent heard of one case of someone overdosing on weed. and everyone knows you cant overdose on it. theres nothing in it that would cause the overdose

 

[Nicktacular]

You can overdose, but you would need a very large amount, which is why i said it is almost impossible. also i think you are missing the point.

 

[Constantinople]

Riiiight, and cigarettes are cheap.

I don't think you can use cigarettes as a paradigm for anything. Do you know anything else with a tax in excess of 500%?

 

[AuraAshley1990]

You can overdose, but you would need a very large amount, which is why i said it is almost impossible. also i think you are missing the point.

well ive hung out with a few people who do the pot a lot. so basing off them who know a good thing about it they say no. but if i take what you say into consideration, who would smoke a rediculous amount of pot anyway?

 

[ThatKidMike]

I don't think you can use cigarettes as a paradigm for anything. Do you know anything else with a tax in excess of 500%?

I was using sarcasm, she was implying that mass production of weed would make it cheap. Which obviously is far from the truth.

 

[Nicktacular]

i never once said anyone overdosed on it, i just said that you can. I also said it is virtually impossible.