KenX

As it has been coming more of an issue as of late, what with our Nations Commerce Secretary being Pro-Pot, it being legal in 11...12 states? California, probably the most famous state for legalizing marijuana, Gets $14 Billion dollars Annually from it. And with the state of the economy as is, if it were legal under federal law it could could bring in an estimated $240 Billion Dollars a year.

The only reason it became illegal is because William Randolph Hearst ran a smear campaign to congress against it. Hearst was a major investor in the Lumber Industry as well as DuPont Chemical (the cannabis plant has a high cellulose content, making it a viable competitor to plastics).

What are your takes? Would Legalization of Marijuana be beneficial to the US? Should We Legalize it or Not?

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aceman67

The states already wastes billions (far more then what they would stand to gain if they legalize it, or even reduce the punishment for crimes relating to it) enforcing a drug law that doesn't work.

Even if they lessen the penalties for possession of small ammounts can save millions, proof of which can be seen up here in canada where you if have less then an ounce of pot and only get a fine and the substance confiscated.

Personally, I think it should be legalized and heavily regulated. Why do I think this? Because compared to other drugs that are legal, like Booze and smokes, Pot is virtually harmless in comparison.

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Zev

Havn't you seen those commericals about teens that smoke pot? How they lose their friends, do things they would have never done before, and make there parents unhappy. I don't think pot should be legalized, like I don't care if people do it and try to hide it. As long as I don't know about it, or I don't feel as I can recongize they are high its fine.

receiverofhell

Not, well some ppl around the world(smokes pot and take note:many teenagers do that this days)
In Philippines Marijuana isn't allowed and there bunch of laws of prohibiting it(But still the laws isn't followed by ppl's)
So I guess there are no stopping of smoking pots(unless they have been rehabilitate or something else to solution it)
Bunch of laws passed is passed on congresses around the world but still many didn't followed these laws(So there are many ppl around the world that are high and addicted to Marijuana!)
Something must do about this case!

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I loved her so much.... i would dare to risk my own life only to save her from dying....
I loved my GF...

aceman67

Yeah, I've seen them, and being a pot smoker myself, they're full of crap. most if not all of them are scare tactics. The one I remember the most is this one: YouTube - MARIJUANA PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT (Which gets parodied in movies, YouTube - Harold and Kumar Marijuana Commercial Scene)


The ones about not driving is true, like any drug that impairs you, you shouldn't drive at all. Almost got into a wreck myself couple months ago, which wasn't fun.

The pot heads you see that are useless and have no jobs and sit around and do nothing are most likely that way because of other drugs then pot.

I know plenty of people who hold down full time jobs, and live normal lives, but smoke pot like its going out of style.


Here are some facts that they don't generally spread about:

1. There has NEVER been a recorded incidence of death or severe bodily harm (like overdosing) from the sole use of Marijuana
2. There has NEVER been a recorded incidence of Cancer in a human related to marijuana use, ether short term or long term, and has been shown in lab tests to actually have beneficial effects by encouraging programmed cell death in mutated cells that would otherwise become cancerous. (Effects of cannabis - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
3. You have to smoke an insane ammount of pot to overdose (the ammount is required is about 1 third a persons weight, and it would have to be smoked in 15 minutes, an impossible feat). The effective dose (The ammount that gets you high) is 1000 times smaller then the lethal dose (1000:1).
4. Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the chemical ingredient that gets you high) which occurs naturally in the female marijuana plant, the male plant is known as hemp, contains smaller amounts of the substance and cannot get you high and will actually give you a headache.
5. Hemp has a multitude of uses: Rope, Food, construction maiterial, Medicine, fuel, ect.
6. An estimated 1/3 of the population of Canada (which is 33.9 million people) smoke pot on a regular basis, and roughly half of the country wants it legalized.

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Zev

Ok and thats all fine an dandy. Pot prolly isn't that physically harming to the human body as other drugs. Doesn't change the fact its a drug, its imparing, and its totally a gateway drug. People are like "Oh pot is great, lets try some smack." If you legalize something, your saying its ok to do. Which people are going to do it no matter what, I don't think its right to send the message that its ok to do.

From my opinion those commericals are kinda true. I know this girl, her friends introduced her to pot when she was in high school. So she mostly hung out with other people who did pot, and those people also had other drugs. So eventually she started doing meth, crack, and god knows what else. She quit that stuff and is just smoking pot now. She goes to work for maybe a couple hours a day, leaves work early if she even goes to work at all. Goes back home to her trailor down by the river somewhere, inwhich she only leaves when her boyfriend is all high and acting stupid. They start to fight, he will hit her. She will either leave and say shes never going back or call the cops. He will spend the night in jail. They will get back together the next day, probably smoke some pot together and laugh it all off. Meanwhile her parents don't speak to her anymore and treat her like trash because of her pot smoking. Her kids are ashamed of her, because of the way she acts when she is impaired. Doesn't have anyone but her boyfriend, who abuses her. And whenever her place of employment gives her a drug test, she is going to be out the door and jobless. What a life. She tells me all the time that she wishes she was dead, how her parents don't love her, her relantionship is messed up, her kids are ashamed. She knows she made the wrong choice in life, she is addicted to pot, and she can't quit. Its what she uses many times a day, just to get through the day. Which is why she can't turn her life around.

I know plently of lives ruined by simply pot.

aceman67

Pot is hardly a gateway drug.

Here, Read this

Like I said about the PSA's about pot, the idea that pot is a gateway drug is a myth and a scare tactic.

If Pot is such a gateway drug, then I'd be a chain smoking (I quit smoking years ago), alcoholic (I've never touched booze in my life), crack snorting feind (I'm not stupid enough to try something that can kill me the first time I try it).

Course, you could say that I just contradicted myself by the article I quoted (Citing the environmental causes IE the circumstances in which a person lives, like a smoking parent is likely to have a smoking child). But you'd be wrong. I grew up in a house where everyone smoked, parents, siblings, and besides my parents, I'm the only other one who's quit. As for booze, My step dad was in the military, where drinking is common place and growing up there was always beer in the fridge. I also had an alcoholic biological father, which means I have genetic pre-disposition to alcoholism. And as for crack, well, both my brothers had a crack habit a couple years ago, both of whom have since gone clean.

You yourself said that your friend (the girl) got into smoking pot, then started doing other drugs with the crowd she fell in with. It was the crowd, not pot, that got her into those drugs. And it was those drugs that did the damage you cited

Is all in the circumstances we find ourselves in that dictates the options available to us, and only up to us to make choices we do.

Here's a little tidbit to add on to this thread: Pot will not make you violent. Quite the opposite actually, you're more likely to crave a 1/4 pounder chilidog from 7/11 then hit someone.

Your friends Boyfriend hitting her was most likely from with drawl from multiple drugs (Withdrawl from Meth and crack is horrible, and can make you violent since the drug makes you want to do anything, and I mean anything, just to get your next hit. Withdrawl from pot is similar to Cigarettes, you just get cranky and irritable). Then you also have to concider that her boyfriend could have just been a woman beater, regardless of the drugs he took.

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lapislazuli

I believe that you've seen lives ruined by pot, however just think of how many lives have been ruined by alcohol. Alcohol is nothing better than pot, still it's allowed everywhere, ruining lives. One heard enough of the drunken dad who beats up his wife or children.
Also in the case you've stated, I don't think pot was the sole reason that she ended up having a life like that. But it definitely is a factor that led to it.
Pot alone doesn't destroy ones life it's either worse drugs, or a combination like alcohol and marijuana.
As to whether or not allow pot, I don't care that much. Of course, it's harmful but so is alcohol or smoking. Generally I'd say away with everything damaging however history showed us that this option doesn't work.

I also know people who are able to do their things even though they are smoking pot regularly. They had it though indeed for some time, bad grades in school and whatnot, however this definitely is also alcohol related.

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