Pfft it's been posted loads of times before but still. It kills less people than Alcohol or Tobacco and yet they are legal. There is no substantial proof that cannabis is related to mental illness and it is used for medicinal purposes. So can it be "all" that bad? Should it be legalized?
No, I don't think so, I smoke heavily, however I hate the idea of my kids growing up and buying weed over the counter. While it's not physically addictive and as you say there are no definite links between THC and mental illness, that doesnt make it safe, you're still very much under the influence of a drug. It can be just as detremental to your ability to interact with other people as alchohol can, it does need to be controlled, f*** knows how much I'd smoke if it were legal and available all day long.
Good point Krakjoe but what if the prices were high? Imagine the benefits to the country with the money the government could make from taxing it.
The cost of cigarettes and alchohol has gone up steadily every budget for as long as I can remember, in this country at least - it doesn't make any real difference, and I dont think that taxing mary jane would either ....
People are working so hard to make cigs illegal and MJ cigs legal! It seems hypocrtical to me. Our state just started a huge ban on smoking June 15th.
I agree Konfused12, it does cause less damage than alcohol and tobacco. My only concern is that it's the first rung of the drug abuse ladder - if it becomes legalised and more commonplace will people want to get that little something extra? I think they probably will. I realise people would counter my argument by saying if it's legalised it can be properly regulated and safeguards introduced. My personal opinion is that it's the start if a slippery slope and should remain illegal for that very reason.
I think that the dutch system is nice, it didn't legalize the drugs, it allowed them. There is a difference, you can buy it in a store, if the local goverment allows such a store, and you cannot carry more than 3 (I thought) grams with you. If you can buy it in a store, then the store owner can't buy it because he doesn't have any suppliers as it's illegal to grow the stuff. Yet more and more people are feeling a relievement of the social stigma (I live in an eighbourhood where 90% of the people is addicted to some sort of drug) on weed, and are actually seeking help.
yes, it should be legal. it's only illegal in the USA due to stupid racism back in the early 1900s. Beer and cigarettes kill hundreds of thousands of people and they are totally legal. It's totally stupid that marijuana is illegal. Anyone who research the drug, its effects and political history will quickly see that marijuana illegality is a total farce. Also the US drug laws are a total farce. They claim the drug laws are setup to bust the `dealers` but 7 out of 10 times they are busting people who are not dealers, but just regular users who pose no threat to society.
No, I don't think it should. I was watching tv the other day and a police officer said it's like, the first drug that people usually take and usually leads on to things like cocaine.
I think if it became legal , all the "good shit" and you dudes who smoke know what I mean ...would become way expensive ... I mean "kind bud" on the streets is already pricey enough......could you imagine if the gov got involved......... Just look what happened to gasoline and cigarettes
I think it should be legalized too. Two reasons: 1. Alcohol is a hard drug, is a lot more dangerous then weed. So what's the point: we allow people to die from alcohol, but we can't stand the sight of person who's walking around imagining all kinds of crazy stuff, and doesn't harm anyone. If there's any logical sence in the law, alcohol should be illegal too. 2. Everyone has smoked marihuana before, right. The only way to get the stuff is by buying it from a dealer. Those guys are the most malicious persons in the world, we all have to agree on that. Selling weed isn't very profitable for them, and that's why they mix hard drugs, such as cocaine and heroine into the marihuana you're about to smoke. You get addicted to the hard drug, which is a lot more expensive, and the dealer will have a larger profit. By legalizing the drug, you will be able to buy your stuff in a regular store, controlled by the government, whcih means the stuff is analysid in labs before you buy it in stores. That way you know if you're gonna get good stuff, and you can be sure no hard drugs is mixed in it. In the end it's a win-win situation for the government as well: If the government would raise taxes on the weed, and less people would get addicted to hard drugs because only pure and clean marihuana is consumed, the government won't have to pay the costs to get those addicts out of the habit of using drugs (ok, i had to use a free translator to make this sentence ). Of course this is only valid for countries who have a wonderfull healthcare system where the government repays you like 70-90% of the hospital bill (like my country) I have to agree with krakjoe on the "I hate the idea of my kids growing up and buying weed over the counter.", but then again: imaging your kids buying it from some low-life dealer in the back-allies (is this word correct?) in downtown city downtown the city . You wouldn't want that either. I'd rather see my kids buying it from the counter in my grocery shop
No it is not, alcohol and tobacco are far more the 'first rung' than pot, it's been proven time and time again. The government misinformation squad is the only ones who still use that line. It should be legal, no reason it shouldn't be. BTW I DO NOT use it! So you'd rather your children go to the bad side of town, risking being shot to get theirs when/if they start?
Like the fact of being shot is a social stigma here in the Netherlands. Not like it's a usual phenomenon. I know the dealers in my neighbourhood, they aren't bad ppl, and no I don't use. Your kids are rather safe with most of the dealers here as no one of the addicts will try something because it'll endanger they're drugflow.
That is a typical line cops use to try to scare people. They call it a drug and that it leads to other things. What about cigarettes? Cough syrup? Cat Nip? Cops are trained to use that outdated scare tactic and unfortunately they still get some people with it. Why don't they ever say "Alcohol is the first drug" Why? Because they call it alcohol and not a drug even though it is the worst drug on the planet and it isn't even naturally occuring like a plant.
I think it should be left to the black market, like it is now. people are becoming rich, even though they are totally stupid brained. Rob
I think we'd be better off in a number of ways if it were legalized and regulated.. after all, if they allow alcohol and tobacco, why not marijuana?
A couple of things, I remember being a teenager ( sort of ), I do not expect that my children will go through life without ever having had a joint, I have no doubt they will try, but I also know that by thier teenage years they will have enough respect for me to firstly tell me if they wanna have a go, and secondly be sensible about it, there is nothing wrong with a teenager having a quiet joint. Them having a joint at a party, or with thier friends, is entirely different to being dependant on a non-addictive drug, that's what I don't want, and if it's available over a counter then there is literally nothing stopping them, and I can't even argue that it's "not allowed". On a side note, we're not talking about smack here, on of my main dealers is a 40 year old mother of 5, not a hardened criminal - its everywhere around these parts and mixing with undesirables isn't necessary. I do NOT agree that mary jane leads to harder drugs, I'd had expereicne with class A narchotics way before weed.