Legalise cannabis

[Gritgrat]

Should Cannabis be legalised?

[IRoNiK]

yes, it should be legalized and taxed just like alcohol. it would be much easier to enforce that way and could have similar consequences in terms of smoking too much and going to jail, etc.

[bobbylien]

yes, it should be legalized and taxed just like alcohol. it would be much easier to enforce that way and could have similar consequences in terms of smoking too much and going to jail, etc.

Great idea! Because alcohol and cig taxes are really helping us out.. even after the taxes we still lose money due to the health bills that we the tax payers must pay. Thousands of people die due to these pointless drugs every year, we don't need another drug. You will have to come up with a better arguement then that to win this debate. :rolleyes:

It doesn't matter anyways because it will NEVER happen in the USA. Personally, I support banning drinking and smoking.

[IRoNiK]

bobbylyn, at least it would be manageable, and they would have some idea of who/how many people are doing it. Besides, what did prohibition achieve, absolutely nothing except a black market for alcohol. What do you think we have now with drugs. well bob, i think we have a black market for drugs! how can we rid ourselves of this black market and attempt to turn it into something manageable? Well bob, thats easy! we simply destroy the laws saying they are illegal. I honestly dont care about drugs, people are going to do them regardless of laws, so why not help them be safe doing them and turn some profits in the mean time? now this topic is only about marijuana, so thats all ill talk about.

[Labrocca]

Yes it should be legalized for at least age 21 but possible age 25. It should be taxed too. The US farmers would see a huge BOOM in income and it would relieve the US government from having to pay the farmers billions in subsidies. Also there would be a huge BOOM for cannabis cafes. It would create a lot of jobs if it were legal..LEGAL jobs I should say. Currently anyone dealing cannibis is a criminal..if legalised they would have legit jobs. People could even grow at home for some extra income if needed. It would greatly bring down the prices too. Seriously there are a LOT of benefits that cannabis would have and FEW negatives. People are in jail for years for simply possession of a PLANT..that's ludicrous. It's not harmful to anyone but themselves and that's a personal choice. If those opposed to legalized Cannabis actually spent time reading up on it they might have a different opinion.

[mis_chiff]

Totally agree on the legalization...although I live in BC (best bud apparently) people are out in the open with it anyway. There are more older people enjoying it than there are young people.
It seems to be socially accepted here...just not in front of the cops...lol

[Nitrus]

A bit off-topic, but it's like magic mushrooms, they are legal in the UK, so long as they are dry, the moment they are wet, they are illegal.

It is by far the stupidest thing ever, I mean what if it rains?

:)

-N

[Hendrik]

Here in Germany the conservatives say no to cannabis, because they will get more votes for being against legalization.
Therefore i don't see a chance for a change of the drug policy in my country.
Even the media coverage about illegal drugs is very biased here.

Hendrik

[justanotherstayathomead]

tax that sh*t, smoke that sh*t, pass that sh*t. I strongly am against children having access, 21 or up. taxes should be high, and we can revamp american industry just by hand making vaperizors and making it illegal to smoke out of anything not american made.

[T.J. Wolfe]

I have never seen a case where someone beat their while high, too bad I can't say the same for alcohol.

Personally, I don't think we should tax it if it becomes legal. In fact, the U.S. taxes too much.

[KrAzY3]

I have been to Holland several times and Amsterdam on two separate occasions. I've been to the coffee shops and was very impressed with the laminated menus. They had stuff I'd never even heard of.

I smoke, on occasion and I know it can have harmful effects. The most compelling story that comes to mind is a wreck that two of my high school friends got into. They were driving home, high and got lost in conversation. The car veered into the other lane, hitting a van in a head-on and killing the driver of the van, my friend's younger sister (who was in the back seat), broke both of the driver's legs and caused significant permanent damage to the person in the passenger's seat. Now, did weed cause this? I don't think that is fair to say but if they were not high one could easily argue that the wreck wouldn't have occurred.

Many things in life can have a negative impact. Hell, cars are the most dangerous things we are around. 1.2 million people a year die in car wrecks and around 40 million are injured each year. Let's not even get into the pollution. Yet, most of us accept that they are important parts of our life.

What about things that are not important? How about McDonald's and Coca Cola? Well, we don't really have to have either. There is a lot of evidence that both are bad for our health. Heck, there's even some far-left people that would like to see additional taxes and restrictions placed on such things. However, people in general recognize it as our right to eat and drink what we want to. It is our body, what we put into it is our business unless we are harming others.

Weed can alter your cognitive abilities. So can Nyquil. I feel we should legalize and regulate weed much like we regulate tobacco. We should restrict access to minors. We should restrict the places that people can smoke weed in (I do not believe that random people should be subjected to marijuana smoke). We should prosecute people who drive while impaired and endanger others, etc... Ultimately though, I believe that what you put into your body should be your choice. If you want to get a Big Mac and a large Coke, go ahead. If you want to drink a six pack, far be it from me to stop you. Sure, eat that bag of candy... why then do we tell the guy to put the joint down?

[jw349566]

With all due respect....
I don't get how anyone here feels they have the right to say something like..."I think drinking, and smoking should be banned." What makes you think you have a say in someone elses life? If you want to stop drinking and smoking yourself, then go right ahead. But to tell someone else that they can't is a poor example of minding your own business. I think that everything would go a lot smoother if everyone abided by the rule of MYOB.

[penmyst]

Drugs should not be illegal.

Because the usage of drugs is your personal choice affecting your personal body.

I have no problem if someone chooses to smoke dope or crack just as I have no problem if someone chooses to drink alcohol or smoke cigarettes. It's their choice affecting THEM and not ME.

I agree with jw349566: MYOB.

The war on drugs is an abject failure every bit as awful as the prohibition of alcohol was in the early 20th century.

[Old Corps Gunny]

Personally I don't have a problem with legalizing marijuana (as long as the same laws re driving under the influence apply to MJ as they do to alcohol). I do wonder if it is legalized, will there be a drive to legalize heroin, coke, angel dust, meth, ecstasy and all the other drugs out there? I have never seen someone get violent smoking weed, but I have been in a few altercations with speedfreaks.

[forest_ranger254]

Personally I don't have a problem with legalizing marijuana (as long as the same laws re driving under the influence apply to MJ as they do to alcohol).Â*Â*I do wonder if it is legalized, will there be a drive to legalize heroin, coke, angel dust, meth, ecstasy and all the other drugs out there?Â*Â*I have never seen someone get violent smoking weed, but I have been in a few altercations with speedfreaks.Â*Â*


since you guys seem to have no knowledge of what smoking this stuff will do to you, here is a list. all effects of this drug can kick in for some people immediately.


Effects on the Brain

Scientists have learned a great deal about how THC acts in the brain to produce its many effects. When someone smokes marijuana, THC rapidly passes from the lungs into the bloodstream, which carries the chemical to organs throughout the body, including the brain.

In the brain, THC connects to specific sites called cannabinoid receptors on nerve cells and influences the activity of those cells. Some brain areas have many cannabinoid receptors; others have few or none. Many cannabinoid receptors are found in the parts of the brain that influence pleasure, memory, thought, concentration, sensory and time perception, and coordinated movement(5).

The short-term effects of marijuana can include problems with memory and learning; distorted perception; difficulty in thinking and problem solving; loss of coordination; and increased heart rate. Research findings for long-term marijuana use indicate some changes in the brain similar to those seen after long-term use of other major drugs of abuse. For example, cannabinoid (THC or synthetic forms of THC) withdrawal in chronically exposed animals leads to an increase in the activation of the stress-response system(6) and changes in the activity of nerve cells containing dopamine(7). Dopamine neurons are involved in the regulation of motivation and reward, and are directly or indirectly affected by all drugs of abuse.


Effects on the Heart

One study has indicated that a user’s risk of heart attack more than quadruples in the first hour after smoking marijuana(8). The researchers suggest that such an effect might occur from marijuana’s effects on blood pressure and heart rate and reduced oxygen-carrying capacity of blood.


Effects on the Lungs

A study of 450 individuals found that people who smoke marijuana frequently but do not smoke tobacco have more health problems and miss more days of work than nonsmokers(9). Many of the extra sick days among the marijuana smokers in the study were for respiratory illnesses.

Even infrequent use can cause burning and stinging of the mouth and throat, often accompanied by a heavy cough. Someone who smokes marijuana regularly may have many of the same respiratory problems that tobacco smokers do, such as daily cough and phlegm production, more frequent acute chest illness, a heightened risk of lung infections, and a greater tendency to obstructed airways(10). Smoking marijuana increases the likelihood of developing cancer of the head or neck, and the more marijuana smoked the greater the increase(11). A study comparing 173 cancer patients and 176 healthy individuals produced strong evidence that marijuana smoking doubled or tripled the risk of these cancers.

Marijuana use also has the potential to promote cancer of the lungs and other parts of the respiratory tract because it contains irritants and carcinogens(12, 13). In fact, marijuana smoke contains 50 to 70 percent more carcinogenic hydrocarbons than does tobacco smoke(14). It also produces high levels of an enzyme that converts certain hydrocarbons into their carcinogenic form—levels that may accelerate the changes that ultimately produce malignant cells(15). Marijuana users usually inhale more deeply and hold their breath longer than tobacco smokers do, which increases the lungs’ exposure to carcinogenic smoke. These facts suggest that, puff for puff, smoking marijuana may increase the risk of cancer more than smoking tobacco.


Other Health Effects

Some of marijuana’s adverse health effects may occur because THC impairs the immune system’s ability to fight off infectious diseases and cancer. In laboratory experiments that exposed animal and human cells to THC or other marijuana ingredients, the normal disease-preventing reactions of many of the key types of immune cells were inhibited(16). In other studies, mice exposed to THC or related substances were more likely than unexposed mice to develop bacterial infections and tumors(17, 18).


Effects of Heavy Marijuana Use on Learning and Social Behavior

Depression(19), anxiety(20), and personality disturbances(21) have been associated with marijuana use. Research clearly demonstrates that marijuana has potential to cause problems in daily life or make a person’s existing problems worse. Because marijuana compromises the ability to learn and remember information, the more a person uses marijuana the more he or she is likely to fall behind in accumulating intellectual, job, or social skills. Moreover, research has shown that marijuana’s adverse impact on memory and learning can last for days or weeks after the acute effects of the drug wear off(22, 23).

Students who smoke marijuana get lower grades and are less likely to graduate from high school, compared with their non-smoking peers(24, 25, 26, 27). A study of 129 college students found that, for heavy users of marijuana (those who smoked the drug at least 27 of the preceding 30 days), critical skills related to attention, memory, and learning were significantly impaired even after they had not used the drug for at least 24 hours(28). The heavy marijuana users in the study had more trouble sustaining and shifting their attention and in registering, organizing, and using information than did the study participants who had used marijuana no more than 3 of the previous 30 days. As a result, someone who smokes marijuana every day may be functioning at a reduced intellectual level all of the time.

More recently, the same researchers showed that the ability of a group of long-term heavy marijuana users to recall words from a list remained impaired for a week after quitting, but returned to normal within 4 weeks(29). Thus, it is possible that some cognitive abilities may be restored in individuals who quit smoking marijuana, even after long-term heavy use.

Workers who smoke marijuana are more likely than their coworkers to have problems on the job. Several studies associate workers’ marijuana smoking with increased absences, tardiness, accidents, workers’ compensation claims, and job turnover. A study of municipal workers found that those who used marijuana on or off the job reported more “withdrawal behaviors�—such as leaving work without permission, daydreaming, spending work time on personal matters, and shirking tasks—that adversely affect productivity and morale(30). In another study, marijuana users reported that use of the drug impaired several important measures of life achievement including cognitive abilities, career status, social life, and physical and mental health(31).


Effects on Pregnancy

Research has shown that babies born to women who used marijuana during their pregnancies display altered responses to visual stimuli, increased tremulousness, and a high-pitched cry, which may indicate neurological problems in development(32). During infancy and preschool years, marijuana-exposed children have been observed to have more behavioral problems than unexposed children and poorer performance on tasks of visual perception, language comprehension, sustained attention, and memory(33, 34). In school, these children are more likely to exhibit deficits in decision-making skills, memory, and the ability to remain attentive(35, 36, 37).


http://www.nida.nih.gov/Infofacts/marijuana.html

the punch line? death. you want to die? go ahead. I ain't going to let people who are mentally incompetent due to marijuana be on the streets. if they can't understand what is going on, they will kill, or worse.

[penmyst]

Forest_ranger, all those statistics etc still don't get at the crux of the issue.

Is a pot-head, crack-head, or LSD burnout any more or less dangerous than an alcoholic? Alcohol has much the same effects. It kills brain cells too. Many lushes suffer in many areas of their life because of their abuse of alcohol, even when they are sober.

I mean, honestly. At what point is too far when it comes to interference in other peoples' lives?

I don't do drugs. I never plan to. So this isn't someone wanting to legalize them for my personal drug use benefit.

But I see the side effects of the war on drugs and it simply isn't good. This war on drugs just is not working and won't ever. Not as long as people want to use drugs.

I don't know the perfect answer for sure. But I am more inclined to trust people's individual judgement about drugs and how it can affect their own lives as opposed to accepting the premise that gov't house needs to interfere in each citizen's personal daily decisions (that don't affect any other citizen directly).

If you ain't infringing upon another person's rights to life, liberty, or their pursuit of happiness-- then I don't believe it's any business of the gov't.

[forest_ranger254]

Forest_ranger, all those statistics etc still don't get at the crux of the issue.

Is a pot-head, crack-head, or LSD burnout any more or less dangerous than an alcoholic? Alcohol has much the same effects. It kills brain cells too. Many lushes suffer in many areas of their life because of their abuse of alcohol, even when they are sober.

I mean, honestly. At what point is too far when it comes to interference in other peoples' lives?

I don't do drugs. I never plan to. So this isn't someone wanting to legalize them for my personal drug use benefit.

But I see the side effects of the war on drugs and it simply isn't good. This war on drugs just is not working and won't ever. Not as long as people want to use drugs.

I don't know the perfect answer for sure. But I am more inclined to trust people's individual judgement about drugs and how it can affect their own lives as opposed to accepting the premise that gov't house needs to interfere in each citizen's personal daily decisions (that don't affect any other citizen directly).

If you ain't infringing upon another person's rights to life, liberty, or their pursuit of happiness-- then I don't believe it's any business of the gov't.


Addictions and effects of some of these drugs in the psychological world include a psychological and chemical addiction. some of them can lead to Dissociative Identity Disorder, an inability to control one's thoughts and actions, and the addictions get worse. what happens when one has a psychotic episode in a bus-full of people, or ends up bringing out a personality that is so violent that he kills someone. If we could trust people's judgement, we wouldn't have people who murder under the effect of these drugs, and so many drug dealers who want to kill just to get their hands on more drugs. alchohol leads to a SLOWING of judgement, and over a LONG period of time, domestic violence. by that time, the first infingement is caught. secondly, alchohol has it's medicinal effects in small doses. it temporarily causes the body to create more endorphins, the body's natural morphine. this gives a pleasure high, allowing at home operations on things like ingrown toenails, which, with some people, could not be done otherwise at home. heck, Paul even tells Timothy to drink a small amount to aid his stomach issues in the Bible. there is a difference. in small amounts, Alchohol does not produce a withdrawal. everything else does.

[George W Bush]

Hello. New guy here. (cant wait till I no longer feel I have to say that):

Ok, for all those dramatic effects to occur, one would need a dizzying amount of THC - an overdose. Overdose would, of course, be discouraged. In that case, only the idiots would smoke themselves into psychosis.

But, to debunk the scientists - consider the 'Good' affects which, obviously, override all the potential bad affects: pain relief, relaxation, euphoric feeling. All such feelings are devalued by science.

That being said, it does not bode well for any negative fact finding, when the positive effects are ignored. In other words, trumpeting the negative effects (which are only indicated in cases of overdose) is politically motivated as almost every substance has 'negative' effects if overconsumed.

Legalize weed, and quit parroting the boring findings of research meant to control weed production as opposed to help people.

[bobbylien]

Weed isn't nearly as bad as alcohol or even cigs for that matter, I think its odd that we decided to ban weed and keep cigs and alcohol.

[Nathan Brazil]

the punch line? death. you want to die? go ahead. I ain't going to let people who are mentally incompetent due to marijuana be on the streets. if they can't understand what is going on, they will kill, or worse.

That's not really the issue, and no one here is arguing that anyone choosing to partake of any mind altering substance should do so irresponsibly.

No, they shouldn't drive.

No, they shouldn't get pregnant. Heck, they shouldn't have sex, though all of us old enough know how effective a six-pack is in reducing our standards and inhibitions.

Treat any and every drug just like alcohol is treated today, ie, limit it's availability to only recognized adults, establish boundaries of behavior that protect the public, and let the public do what it wishes.

It's truly no one's business but theirs, anyway, under those conditions.

Oh, and BTW, anyone that wants marijuana today, gets it. Today. Ask any highschool kid if he knows who's selling, or who's smoking the stuff. Legalizing it won't increase demand noticeably.

[forest_ranger254]

That's not really the issue, and no one here is arguing that anyone choosing to partake of any mind altering substance should do so irresponsibly.

No, they shouldn't drive.

No, they shouldn't get pregnant. Heck, they shouldn't have sex, though all of us old enough know how effective a six-pack is in reducing our standards and inhibitions.

Treat any and every drug just like alcohol is treated today, ie, limit it's availability to only recognized adults, establish boundaries of behavior that protect the public, and let the public do what it wishes.

It's truly no one's business but theirs, anyway, under those conditions.

Oh, and BTW, anyone that wants marijuana today, gets it. Today. Ask any highschool kid if he knows who's selling, or who's smoking the stuff. Legalizing it won't increase demand noticeably.



The problem is, it takes more alcohol to truly inhibit you than it takes weed. Weed stats destroying brain cells within a few seconds, and its effects set in a few seconds later in full. Plus, Marijuana and Cocaine are proven steps from them to drugs like Heroin and Crystal Meth. (Exploring Psychology, chapter 7, Myers.) crack and weed are things that an investigator can use as motive in murder, because of the fact that you might as well have been taken host by a go'auld to get the same effects. The person is not fully conscious of what is going on around them, or even what they are doing.

[bobbylien]

the punch line? death. you want to die? go ahead. I ain't going to let people who are mentally incompetent due to marijuana be on the streets. if they can't understand what is going on, they will kill, or worse.
If thats your arguement, you should really look into weed a little more. Don't rely on what you heard in health class, their job is to convince you that all drugs are evil no matter what the scientific facts are. Alcohol is much worse. Weed is much better for you than alcohol and cigs.

[Nathan Brazil]

The problem is, it takes more alcohol to truly inhibit you than it takes weed. Weed stats destroying brain cells within a few seconds, and its effects set in a few seconds later in full. Plus, Marijuana and Cocaine are proven steps from them to drugs like Heroin and Crystal Meth. (Exploring Psychology, chapter 7, Myers.) crack and weed are things that an investigator can use as motive in murder, because of the fact that you might as well have been taken host by a go'auld to get the same effects. The person is not fully conscious of what is going on around them, or even what they are doing.


Totally irrelevant.Â*Â*Drunks aren't fully conscious of what's going on around them, either.Â*Â*Trust me on that one.Â*Â*Make the law read: Driving whileÂ*Â*under the influence of drugs is illegal.

Wait.Â*Â*They've already got that law.Â*Â*I guess it doesn't make any difference, then, does it?Â*Â*Any person shooting up, snorting, or slurping any intoxicant whatsoever should be aware that it's irresponsible to operate motor vehicles in that condition and take steps to prevent themselves from getting the keys.Â*Â*

Besides, so what if the oft-disproven "Gateway Theory" is true?Â*Â*It's not my brain that's going to get fried, so I don't much care.Â*Â*These people doing those stupid things are supposed to be adults.Â*Â*Let them make the bad choices and die.Â*Â*I won't miss them, and I don't deserve to have MY freedoms curtailed because other irresponsible adults never grew up.

Oh, and no, they shouldn't be a burden on society because of their addictions.Â*Â*Society should just flush the toilet and let them spin down the drain.Â*Â*I don't play with dangerous chemicals, and there's no moral reason why I should be required to pay taxes to support those that do.Â*Â*Legalize the crap, and tax it to pay for the rehab centers and the coffins.