Should Marijuana Be Legalized Or Not??

What are your thoughts about this? If yes then why? What about the consequences? And if no, why not? Or if you are not sure, elaborate a little!

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They had temporarily escaped the factories, the warehouses, the slaughterhouses, the car washes - they'd be back in captivity the next day but now they were out - they were wild with freedom. They weren't thinking about the slavery of poverty. Or the slavery of welfare and food stamps. The rest of us would be all right until the poor learned how to make atom bombs in their basements.

oooh sounds like a debate that may rumble. I'm for legalizing it so it won't be cool anymore.

How the hell did you manage to respond almost before I posted this poll??? Mini, you are the devil. THE DEVIL I SAY!!!!

I'll say "Yes" slightly over "I'm not sure."

I don't think all hell would break loose. I do think there is a distinction between alcohol and marijuana; namely, that with the former, a buzz is rather a possibility, but with the latter, the buzz is the entire point of the thing. However, I don't think marijuana is sufficiently dangerous to warrant its illegalization. At the same time, I don't find it to be a travesty that it's currently banned in the US (though still used widely). Legal or illegal, it wouldn't particularly bother me.

Hmmmm.... Interesting points, Yoda.

Personally, I am not sure. I consider marijuana to be a drug the same way as I consider alcohol to be a drug, but not a drug equal to heavier stuff like cocain or heroin (which I am very anti of). I don't mind marijuana and I don't mind alcohol. But do we need another legal drug? Alcohol leads to a lot of problems but it's too rooted in our (western) culture and society to be abolished. What would happen if we added marijuana to the smörgåsbord? Would we double the problems or take away some of the problems caused by alcohol because some people handle marijuana better than alcohol?

Of course it should be legal. Then you can tax the hell out of it and buy us all health care .

It's nobody else's business anyway, especially not the government's.

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I have mixed feelings about the legalisation:

I see a lot of people who's lives are out of control because of M, I have had clients who may smoke up to 60 cones a day.

It is a drug like alcohol and does cause brain damage.

I worry about the hydro type as we do not know what the effects of these have on the brain.

It is not a soft drug anymore and I see a lot of people referred by the courts who have committed violent acts while under the influence.

It is a problem for all of us, just like alcohol, as the effects can impinge on all of us, who do you think pays for rehab and court costs.

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i'm unsure...i too think it equal to alcohol - why legalise one and not the other, it just doesn't make sense to me

although the thought of 16 year olds being able to get their hands on it easier than they already do is a bit scary (but not more than them being drunk) [alcohol consumption is legal from the age of 18 in australia, so i'm going on the assumption that it would be the same for M]

M does have an effect on your decision making process and psychy from pretty early into one's use of it...although users would deny it strongly, which is funny because as they deny it, they are also proving my point

to say that it does not affect your mind is plain silly to me...but i don't think moderate use of it affects your mind in a really bad way...its all up to the individual how they handle it

as i said, i'm unsure

ps...NEBBIT...in what way do you have mixed feelings about it when you have only pointed out the dire end of M use - i'm not picking, just interested in your opinion

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Vacuuming is fun.... I voted yes, but I'd hate to see the day when it finally is. I personally don't see the appeal of the drugs themselves. But that's just me.

Obviously, I'm for it.



Then again, I'm for total legalization of all drugs, but that's just me.

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I vote no just over not sure. In a perfect world there should be no drug use....but then again...this isn't a perfect world.

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Steve, you must be the biggest cynic of the board.

Nebbit, I agree with you on some points. The are some wicked kinds of "super skunk" out there that are more or less like LSD. Not what rastas have in mind when they are talking about natural herbs, is it. Also, no it is not a soft drug. It is a drug, period, just like alcohol. Legal or not, what I am so tired of is people, totally wasted from drinking, looking down on people who have an occasional joint and calling them drug addicts.

N7of9, yes, it is a bit hypocritical to allow alcohol but not marijuana. But as I said before, alcohol is so deeply rooted in our culture so it would never be possible to "take it away" from the people. But if alcohol was a drug as new to the western society as marijuana is there would be no way in hell that alcohol would be legal. The same goes for cigarettes.

Henry, I can't understand why you want all drugs to be legal. Can't you see the destruction that follows? What good has ever come out of heroin? I don't believe in that hyper liberal approach. To me it has not as much to do with freedom of the individual as with not giving a **** about your fellow human beings.

It's nice to see so many people participating in this discussion, btw.

I voted yes, but i'd prefer to see only the old-school normal weeds legalised, not the full on skunks etc (possibly give them a higher age classification maybe). My reasoning is that i'd like to see this relatively harmless drug (tho of course it is probably more carcinogenic than a ciggie with a filter, but that's the risk - that and potential pschitophrenia from emotionally-addicted over-abusers. 60 "cones" neb?? Bloody hell!)...taken out of the hands of crime-lords etc. I don't like the idea of my money funding a lot of their dubious practices + the selling of harder drugs which i also disagree with. (well, especially Heroin, and for me cocaine, which are both destroyrers of altruism, responsability and cooperation etc) Generally, all hard drugs should be treated with a lot of care, and even the beneficial ones shouldn't be treated as a key to the universe/the secret of a happy life. Abuse like that is just the secret of a deluded life

as most skunks are now grown in people's houses, they have slipped out of the crime-loop to an extent. In that way i'd be quite happy to see the older, weaker versions doing there chilled thing to the consentig populace. Even when mixed with alchohol the traditional varieties are much less likely to make you psychotic like the skunks etc.

Interesting that you suggested alchohol is a recreational drug with a poss effect, but marijuana consupmtion aimed at the buzz alone (at least that's how i read it. in a rush agian; ). I'd disagree: ganja has quite a subtle effect often, and is regularly shared in social envirnoments and brings people together. people often smoke together for the community feel and the subtle "loosening" more than the buzz, just like alchohol.

Anyway,s my horribly addictive cigarette calls.

ciao all. Nice debate piddz

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I would say that Marijuana has been around as long, if not longer than alchohol. I'm going to assume here that most people that have voted in this thread have tried smoking the herb. If you have, then you know it affects some people differently than others. Drugs tend to bring any psychological problems you have while sober to the surface. I'm a firm believer that your intellegence reflects how you react to certain drugs. For example, if you are of average intellegence your response to the drug will probably cause you to become more paranoid. However if you are smart enough to know that while your "high", anything that you may experience while on it, is the effect of the drug, then you may be able to handle more of it.

Also, if you have a rational mind, you will also know when to stop. Like you would never go to work, school or do anything important while intoxicated. Some people have profound personal issues, therefore liking the effect that most drugs induce: a false feeling of happiness caused by the brains secretion of Saratonin: the chemical released through-out the brain when it experiences pleasure. Have any of you ever been around a "nasty" drunk? You know, you're out having drinks--having a perfectly wonderful time, when a friend you're with--let's say as drunk as you are--becomes boisterous, obnoxious and trashy?

Legalize Marijuana? Well, I think it depends. But since there is no voting marker on this poll that says that, I'll say yes. Its medicinal purposes for physical ailments is almost miraculous, and artists have been reaping its benefits for years!

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r66-The member who always asks WHY?

*Gives up*

Seriously, I like all you guys. But you've missed my points on both major issues tonight, almost completely. I don't not give a **** about my fellow human beings, I just believe that maybe the government making all our decisions is not a good thing.


And I am NOT a damn liberal.

Yeah r3, ganja has definitely got a loooong history (and like bealey admits, humans have always balanced their chemistry with one thing or another. It's pretty much natural. Not sure how natural the condensed pills we pop are etc these days tho. Don't take betacarotin [sp] or Vitamin D [or possibly A - can't b bothered to check] supplements if you're a smoker of any sort. They massively increase chances of cancer etc - apparently, according to recent studies]

Has anyone heard this ganja-myth-style-thing that claims thatpart of the reason it got "demonised" originally was because some guy with a lot of soft-wood forests on his land, which were only good for paper, wanted to make a move on hemp's monopoly in that area! The myth goes that he made a tour of the US preaching against the evils of "marijuana" (a name he prefered/resurrected as it were, i believe. It might actually have been another term tho, i've forgotten - we need a stoned smilie - even tho i'm not - maybe later My serotonin [however u spell it] can take it )

Anyone hear about this b4? Or know of any proof??

Erm henry, you old hater of human flesh, i've got a feeling occasionally there are actually social parameters/preferences that affect govn choice. Also, much as i hate to admit it, a "nannyish" state does play a role in our survival [in our current state]. Opening the flood gates to total free will etc and no centralised decision-making whatsoever is asking for trouble. Gah. Can't believe i said that. I don't even sound like the "liberal" i'm not (i.e. this strange american usuage that seems to mean: "weak-minded, know-nothing, anti-patriotic, economically-inept, gutless-wonders." Let's hope no one ever asks for my definition of the people who think/say this )

My views may or may not be a good thing for individual people. I just want them to have the choice.


I will agree that most people in the country couldn't handle a lot of the decisions placed on them at this moment, but I feel that through education we can solve everything.

I've done lots of research into this topic and have even donated to NORML (Norml.com)

1. Marijuana does not cause brain damage. The experiments showing that it does were done a long time ago, on monkeys, and have never been replicated. In fact they are currently working on a pill called Cannibidiol, which is derived from Cannibis, to prevent brain damage in stroke victims. I'm not making this up -- you can find information on Cannibidiol on Government websites.

2. There has never been a recorded overdose of marijuana. Marijuana is a balancing drug simutaneously stimulates and depresses our biological systems. Alcohol is a depressent so if you have too much your heart will stop. Cocaine is a stimulant so if you have too much your heart will spaz out and arrest. Marijuana is neither.

3. No one ever gets high and beats their wife. If someone does something violent while high its not because of the marijuana.

4. Marijuana is not a controlled substance. It is less addictive than caffeine. It is not a narcotic, calling it a drug is IMO a misnomer unless you call caffeine a drug too. Sure, someone might get addicted to playing video games all day but thats just laziness thats not chemical addition.

5. Marijuana is not a gateway to other drugs. The idea that taking one drug magically makes you want to take another is stupid. People who take marijuana are more apt to try other drugs because they are forced to associate with drug dealers to get marijuana. If you could buy marijuana at Rite Aid it'd be a gateway to chips and soda.

6. Smoking anything can cause cancer, Marijuana is no different. However it would be much safer if you could get filtered marijuana cigarettes and other such things. Also there is always other forms of getting it in your body such as in brownies.

Now for some practical and financial issues.

1. We spend millions of dollars each year eradicating naturally growing hemp and Cannibis. The figure I remember was something like 300 million a year for the DEA to fly around and exterminate it.

2. We spend millions each year in marijuana related law enforcement. Actually this might be billions when you figure in the cost of arresting someone, investigation marijuana users, holding them in jails and prisons, and the lost money out of our economy by taking these people out of work.

3. By keeping marijauna legal we keep drug dealers in business -- and if drug dealers support terrorism like the commercials tell us then we keep terrorism in business too. Hey Partnership for a Drug Free America -- why don't you mention that in your commercials? How legalizing weed would zap funds out of the pockets of drug lords and give them to struggling American farmers?

4. Yes, farmers. Did you know that hemp can be bought and sold in the US but not grown? Imagine how many family farms could be saved if it were legal to grow hemp and cannibis?

5. In addition to saving all the money above, legalizing, regulating, and taxing marijuana would be a way to help states fund education, health care, and law enforcement.

Remember, if people are going to do it anyways, why not make marijuana safer, take money from drug dealers and give it to schools, and give farmers another crop to grow?

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We also can clear out jails of pointless nonviolent weed offenders and make room for the truly sick people.

fair enough (tho as a teach i actually think that type of "education" would involve, well, all our lives - and it wouldn't work how we intended. You can't teach the really important things thru words - you can give people hints, but then they've got to feel the need to go off and experience it for themselves, and see if they arrive at similar conclusions to you etc)

my way of seeing it is that, if we all reach a good enough level of "education" thru living (and poss thru things like the net) then we'll figure out we could do a better job on that level. Until that kind of diverse but unified social consciousness comes along - getting rid of Govn. entirely would be a recipe for chaos and a return to total street-level physical-power-imbalances across the board. Not nice.

Most societal change needs a cross-the-board change of "heart/spirit" as it were, i believe. And that often only happens across the board if there's been some disaster to unify us i reckon. And it can in both positive and negative directions, and both at once Damn, why wasn't i a sociologist. My thesises would have been so concise


EDIT: Nice one aspen! Yeah, i was gonna talk bout the brain-damage thing being not true (far more true of alchohol. Fatty acids growing on your brain, inhibiting things. Blerrr. ). But i forgot. been doin a lot of that today (still some side-effects then )