Should marijuana be legalized?

[poopnoodle]

As if i am going to read through like 9 pages :S I'm giving my opinion
I don't want drunks and stoners walking around the streets. If it becomes legal there WILL be stoners freely walking around the streets... there pretty much is now anyway and its still illegal here.

you didn't really have to, BrandonE pretty much summed it up in the post directly above yours. but blindly walking into a thread that's reached 9 pages of substantiated debate and spouting an empty, unsupported statement and leaving it at that is...it's just a bit spammy and inconsiderate.

if you take a look at the positive sides of legalizing marijuana (which are provided in previous posts if you'd give them any regard), you'll see they outweigh the "negatives" by a longshot. i don't see what's so bad about weed users walking the streets, so long as they're not hurting anyone.

Yeah, i don't like the drug, it stinks, it makes people turn into idiots, people somehow think they're cooler for smoking it.

thats a pretty biased viewpoint. with that i will kindly direct you to a few above posts that may "enlighten you" about the positive sides of drugs and the psychology of the drug-user (urwelcom):
https://www.pokecommunity.com/posts/6229643/
https://www.pokecommunity.com/posts/6229458/
https://www.pokecommunity.com/posts/6232182/
https://www.pokecommunity.com/posts/6196144/

 

[o0PinkSquid0o]

you didn't really have to, BrandonE pretty much summed it up in the post directly above yours. but blindly walking into a thread that's reached 9 pages of substantiated debate and spouting an empty, unsupported statement and leaving it at that is...it's just a bit spammy and inconsiderate.

if you take a look at the positive sides of legalizing marijuana (which are provided in previous posts if you'd give them any regard), you'll see they outweigh the "negatives" by a longshot. i don't see what's so bad about weed users walking the streets, so long as they're not hurting anyone.

The title of this thread is 'Should Marijuana be legalized?'... I answered that with my own opinion, I actually didn't realise there were rules on when I am allowed to join a thread with my own opinion! Please provide me on the rule that states when I can join a thread to state my opinion?

 

[BrandonE]

wtf?? the fact that you're getting this upset over other people's opinion of the drug is quite sad.
Yeah, i don't like the drug, it stinks, it makes people turn into idiots, people somehow think they're cooler for smoking it. I really don't want the world full of more idiots.
I hate alcohol and I hate cigarettes, I think they should be banned too. I don't have to agree with you or your ridiculous amounts of 'research' to form my opinion!
So what if its not as bad as people say, keep it illegal, why bother changing it at all. Just make the other stuff illegal too if people are going to whinge.

You're entitled to your opinion on a drug. You are NOT, however, entitled to tell anyone how to live their life just because you don't like it. I hate alcohol and tobacco, yet I know criminilizing it won't work. How? Like every person who passed 4th grade U.S history, I know that we had a prohibition in the 20's / 30's that failed miserably and promoted the rise of gansters like Al Capone. You are purposely ignoring information that you have been presented with simply because when you think critically about it, you realize that you are wrong, and that scares you. That would be the definition of ignorance, and for you to be calling millions of American's idiots when you've made such unfounded audacious statements is truly laughable.

Your doomsday situation is that "stoners" walk the streets freely. I understand your concern with drunk people; alcohol often leads to violence as has been constantly documented. However, you cannot cite one instance where cannabis has had the same effect. So, given the biggest stoner in the history of the world, the worst you have is an overly happy, perhaps even flamboyant person roaming the streets "freely."

Hmm, I wonder what would happen if you said you had a problem with another group of flamboyant yet peaceful people...

"I don't want gays walking around the streets. There WILL be gays freely walking around the streets..."

 

[o0PinkSquid0o]

I brought up the gay commment because that's what you are essentially saying: there's a group of people you don't like, and you don't want them to "walk the streets freely." There are plenty of people who have a problem with homosexuals, but no one would dare say something as audacious as saying that they shouldn't be allowed to be a part of society. How you can distinguish between the two groups in this context is hard to believe.

Now, your friends might use cannabis, and they might be douche bags. Neat. Every single one of the 9/11 hijackers liked soccer. Does playing soccer yield terrorists? Should we ban soccer? Using one case of your life to prove a global point is absurd.

your examples are the worst things ever. Once again what does gay people and soccer have to do with an illegal drug?? We aren't talking about terrorists? what's the title of this thread? If you want to talk about making EVERYTHING Illegal then go make a new thread.

I am stating my opinions, I don't think stoners are 'flamboyant' not all are 'happy' either! In fact my best friend tried marijuana for the first time a few months back... actually it was new years eve I think so a while back, anyway, she cried the entire night, wasn't happy at all, the drug made her depressed and it was the worst thing I've experienced during a social event.

I am drawing from personal experiences. I have not had good experiences with this drug and these are my facts.
I am not talking about soccer or gay people, in fact I love gay people and hope that their own political issues are resolves so they can live without problems!

Also if you have schizophrenia in your family history marijuana can have very bad effects on you and not every one knows about their family history

Edit: Because I am one of the only ones during parties to not smoke marijuana or drink alcohol (I think I am allergic to alcohol) I get to see how people act while on drugs. I observe and do not like what I see. I think that is reason enough for me to not want it legal. Research can tell you one thing and personal experience tells me another.

 

[BrandonE]

your examples are the worst things ever. Once again what does gay people and soccer have to do with an illegal drug?? We aren't talking about terrorists? what's the title of this thread? If you want to talk a bout making EVERYTHING Illegal then go make a new thread.

I am stating my opinions, I don't think stoners are 'flamboyant' not all are 'happy' either! In fact my best friend tried marijuana for the first time a few months back... actually it was new years eve I think so a while back, anyway, she cried the entire night, wasn't happy at all, the drug made her depressed and it was the worst thing I've experienced during a social event.

I am drawing from personal experiences. I have not had good experiences with this drug and these are my facts.
I am not talking about soccer or gay people, in fact I love gay people and hope that their own political issues are resolves so they can live without problems!

Also if you have schizophrenia in your family history marijuana can have very bad effects on you and not every one knows about their family history

The reason I bring up gays is because you stated that you have a problem with a group of people walking the street freely, and I think that's extremely bigotted, as illustrated by a parallel example. As far as your personal experiences go, you're trying to speak for millions of people based on the experience of a handful. I could do the same thing, but then which group really represents the drug? For example, Ted Turner smokes a joint every day, and when he's not doing that, he's living off of the money the power he has as the inventor of the 24 hour news station. Should I assume that all people who smoke cannabis go on to become wealthy and successful? I can find more successful cannabis users than people who get violent as a result of it, so perhaps we should follow that model instead of yours.

 

[Taemin]

Alriiight, this topic was supposed to remain calm, and allow people to answer the title question. D: Sooo lets not get too off-topic here. Bringing homosexuality and what not into this, drags it away from the original question. Don't really want to have close this, when some people could still give answers. @_@

Although, I will say that IMO.. legalizing marijuana won't at all cause most of the population to walk around stoned. It might actually tame the abuse of the drug in some way, since sooo many people use it as a rebellious act. If there's no rebel thrill there, and it's just another drug on the shelf (so to speak), I think some of it's appeal will be lost.

 

[Livewire]

Alriiight, this topic was supposed to remain calm, and allow people to answer the title question. D: Sooo lets not get too off-topic here. Bringing homosexuality and what not into this, drags it away from the original question. Don't really want to have close this, when some people could still give answers. @_@

Although, I will say that IMO.. legalizing marijuana won't at all cause most of the population to walk around stoned. It might actually tame the abuse of the drug in some way, since sooo many people use it as a rebellious act. If there's no rebel thrill there, and it's just another drug on the shelf (so to speak), I think some of it's appeal will be lost.

I definitely think if some of the edge, mystique and rebellion is taken away by legalizing it, the use of the drug could actually fall. Any kid's I've known who have done any drug, usually say rebellion and/or not knowing about it enough (the mystique part) to be their biggest factors in doing it.

Take the teeth away from the proverbial piranha, and it's harmless.

 

[BrandonE]

Do you have any evidence on what it does to people with schizophrenia in their family history?
and do you have any evidence on how it effects the entire population or just the people in these scientific trials? Also how extensive were these trials and how many people were involved? do you have that information?
Where are you even getting your information from? (if you've posted links in previous pages tell me which page)

I am not going to change my mind on this, I've seen how it can effect people. But it would be interesting to see how correct your sources are!

You have the burden of proof here. In order to justify the criminalization of cannabis, if it's on a claim of medical dangers, you must provide the studies that say so, not the other way around. Otherwise, if you said "Cannabis creates an invisible poltergeist that haunts the user for the rest of their lives," I'd have to find a study that proves otherwise when that is impossible.

That said, the studies that have claimed these things in the first place have been overturned, or were downright fraudulent. For example, on the claim that cannabis kills brain cells, this was "proven" by the Heath-Tulane study in which monkeys were suffocated with cannabis smoke. When you die, the first thing that happens is that your brain cells start to die. They then pointed to this and claimed that it was the cannabis smoke, not the fact that they suffocated the monkeys, that caused the brain cells to die. Utter garbage.

Now, if you'd like to provide a valid study that proves any of the harms mentioned here, then we could move forward on what we can do about them. Good luck with that.

And that is my night. Do not expect any responses from me until at least tomorrow night.

 

[Nick]

An eye for an eye is childish and only ends up making the world blind.

Just because someone's post made you feel offended doesn't give you the right to make the person feel offended. Next time, report the post that's making you feel the way you do and explain why and it will be dealt with accordingly. Anyone who continues to reply with immature, disrespectful posts neglecting others' feelings while expressing their own opinions will be awarded with a shiny new infraction. Consider this a second verbal warning.

 

[WriteThemWrong]

I definitely think if some of the edge, mystique and rebellion is taken away by legalizing it, the use of the drug could actually fall. Any kid's I've known who have done any drug, usually say rebellion and/or not knowing about it enough (the mystique part) to be their biggest factors in doing it.

Take the teeth away from the proverbial piranha, and it's harmless.

i don't think most people do marijuana because they aren't legally supposed to, it's not like they're in their rooms smoking a joint and going "yeah man we're breaking the law woooot." they do it because it feels good and they do it with their friends when they want to relax.

 

[poopnoodle]

i don't think most people do marijuana because they aren't legally supposed to, it's not like they're in their rooms smoking a joint and going "yeah man we're breaking the law woooot." they do it because it feels good and they do it with their friends when they want to relax.

heh, i can see people doing exactly that-- primarily teens. it's that subconscious feeling of empowerment and giving into the peer pressure to rebel...and that i can say from experience. i don't think that's the mindset of all drug-users (especially not marijuana-users) and i do acknowledge that natural adolescent curiosity plays a role, but i think it's obvious there's rebellious hype surrounding illegal drugs that appeals to young people, and deriving from that spectrum of young users is a developing habit that keeps them hooked through adulthood (thus adding to consumption statistics).

 

[avolonsaber]

Close The Gate

I'm all for marijuana being legalized. Its isn't addictive like other drugs, which is a big plus. I'm not fully sure on it ability to cause any type of cancer, but to the best of my knowledge there isn't one reported case of it happening. It won't destroy your liver like the drink or screw up any internal organs like the other hard drugs do. It can be "a gateway drug", but it doesn't have to be. I have smoked marijuana before, I got high, the high wore off, end of story. I had enough common sense not to smoke more then I could handle or go drink to amplify the high. I didn't get curious and wonder how crack or cocaine or any other drug would affect me. Why? Again, common sense. I've read about marijuana, read the studies, and talked to people who have used and have been using it for a long time, because of this I know that the only seemingly bad thing that happens as a result of smoking is that your lungs might hurt for a bit after words. That's not the case with other drugs. Its been proven that hard drugs; cocaine, crack, PCP, whatever else can and will hurt you. Possibly kill you. If more people had enough common sense to "close the gate" so to speak, I think marijuana would be legalized fairly quickly. As for those people who might say "all drugs are bad", you're ignorant. What do you have to back-up that statement, morals you were taught as a child? If you haven't tried all drugs or at least seen the effects of all drugs you have zero grounds for making that statement. "Drugs aren't pure". "Purity" is nothing more then a concept meant to keep people from doing bad. Even so, marijuana is a 100% natural, purely Earth grown, drug.

 

[BrandonE]

It can be "a gateway drug", but it doesn't have to be.

The only gateway is that dealers might want to get you on harder stuff. Legalize it, and you have better odds of milk being a gateway to alcohol than cannabis to cocaine.

"Drugs aren't pure". "Purity" is nothing more then a concept meant to keep people from doing bad.

Yup, you can't legislate morality.

 

[Ho-Oh]

If it's only used for medical purposes, sure. In general? Nope.

(It might already be legal for medical purposes idk)
And it could be limited as in how much you're allowed to have, idk. :x

 

[FreakyLocz14]

Well... Prop 19 went up in smoke.

 

[Stratos99]

If it's only used for medical purposes, sure. In general? Nope.

(It might already be legal for medical purposes idk)

Any particular reason why it shouldn't be legalized in general? I can understand if you don't want to do it (though I don't accept "it's bad for you" as a legit reason behind not doing it, however simply wanting to stay a sober person is alright) but that doesn't mean everybody should follow your sentiments, and to be honest if you aren't against alcohol and tobacco.. you'd have to be a bit hypocritical to take a stance opposite marijuana legalization. If you do happen to oppose those well more power to you but they're not going anywhere anytime soon, and there's no reason for them to be going anywhere. People have the right to do what they want to their bodies, and if they're paying medical insurance for the possible medical bills they'll incur, possible being the main idea, then it doesn't bother me.

Well... Prop 19 went up in smoke.

Hahaha, indeed. I'm surprised with myself really, I thought I would've taken it a lot worse than I have but I'm truly apathetic towards it. Regardless I'll still argue it's legalization because almost all anti legalization arguments are silly and made up.

 

[Dawn]

Any particular reason why it shouldn't be legalized in general? I can understand if you don't want to do it (though I don't accept "it's bad for you" as a legit reason behind not doing it, however simply wanting to stay a sober person is alright) but that doesn't mean everybody should follow your sentiments, and to be honest if you aren't against alcohol and tobacco.. you'd have to be a bit hypocritical to take a stance opposite marijuana legalization. If you do happen to oppose those well more power to you but they're not going anywhere anytime soon, and there's no reason for them to be going anywhere. People have the right to do what they want to their bodies, and if they're paying medical insurance for the possible medical bills they'll incur, possible being the main idea, then it doesn't bother me.

There is absolutely nothing hypocritical about opposing one thing and not opposing another. I repeat,

Hypocrisy is the act of persistently pretending to hold beliefs, opinions, virtues, feelings, qualities, or standards that one does not actually hold. Hypocrisy is thus a kind of lie.

is not being committed in any way shape or form. Thing you need to realize, like, right now, is that because all things are different it is not POSSIBLE to be a hypocrite merely by supporting two different views that might seem to be against each other to you. Because in reality, that's not evidence enough to say. All it is is irony. Nothing more.


For instance, I am against smoking, including marijuana, but not against drinking. Am I a hypocrite? No. That would be bigotry to call me that. It turns out I have a reason for the way I view things.

Gasp.

Calling someone a hypocrite, most incorrectly used insult ever


I'm against smoking because it's invasive and is not "their choice" as a result. You can't make a choice to damage someone else's health. That to me is wrong. I'm against getting drunk, because it tends to become invasive. Not against drinking, however.

>.o

 

[Stratos99]

Hypocritical in the sense that most people who oppose marijuana say something along the lines of 'drugs are bad' and then you'll see them drinking a 40 the next day, I know people like this. Turns out, alcohol is a drug as well! Thanks for getting involved in an a/b conversation though, now can you c your way out! XD; I'm just kidding, please don't get angry!

Btw what's up with your space bar abuse? Lol, are you trying to make your posts look bigger or something? @Forever; If you feel terribly insulted my apologies, I wasn't trying to insult you as I don't see the correct usage of the word as insulting. Of course I only said your opinion could have been hypocritical, because neither myself nor pkmntrainer yellow know what your answer is, because you haven't responded.

 

[FoggyDoggy]

In terms of rebellion, no, I smoke marijuana when I have it, I purchase it and use it recreationaly, not ti 'fight the man' for lack of a better word.
It just works for ME, I'm not about to speak for millions of people, but when I've got, or smoke marijuana with someone who has it, my autistic social ineptitude seems to just, disappear. I get along with people I normally wouldn't because of the autistic properties I display. I don't just go around telling people I'm autistic, no, but normally I'm very quiet, I keep to myself, and I avoid contact with other people. Then I BLAZE UP!![/u] It helps me work on my autism because my need to be socially detached is no longer apparent, I become happy, I talk to people, and I make more friends, even if THEY aren't high.

My autism is hard to deal with otherwise, I just, DON'T do things that have to do with other people, I can't really help it, but it REALLY helps when I come down from a high while still with that group of people, cause then I'm forced to be as chilled around people, and in the end I lose that autistic aspect of me. (It come back once I go home and I'm by myself for a while, but eh, I'm not complaining.)

Other than that I'll smoke by myself too, watch some funny videos, maybe have a bowl of cereal, and relax and enjoy not believing I'm a biological robot.

I'm against smoking because it's invasive and is not "their choice" as a result. You can't make a choice to damage someone else's health. That to me is wrong. I'm against getting drunk, because it tends to become invasive. Not against drinking, however.

>.o

I beg to differ, you CAN choose not to damage someone else's health, it's called being considerate and not smoking around them. It's the kind of people who don't care and continue to smoke around those who do not wish to smoke that cause the problem.

I myself am against drinking, my father killed himself while drinking alcohol, and before that, my step-dad decided to go on a drunken spree and break things all over the house, as well as physically harm me, my sister, and my mother. (He has since then been divorced.)
My Grandfather basically lives at a bar, and refuses to stop drinking.
My best friend Mike's step-father has liver problems and still refuses to stop drinking. He has a wall of beer bottles 10 feet high and 12 feet wide.

From my own personal (Not speaking for everyone) experience, alcohol seems to cause MUCH MUCH more damage to people's lives than smoking ever will.
(Besides how often do you see people who are high on marijuana actually hurt people, it's the people who are not high who want more marijuana who hurt others for it. If it were legalized then that pseudo "need" for weed would easily be curved since it is readily available, like a snickers bar, people'd be like, "Meh, I can get one any time, not that big of a deal."

 

[bubblewrap]

I would have voted yes on prop 19 but I'm only 17. The economic advantages are great. Honestly, I think so many of my friends only do weed cause they feel "edgy" that they're doing something illegal. Tell people not to do something, they'll do it twice as much.