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Just curious what everyone thought. Cast a vote and add your own opinion on the possibility of legalization. I feel as though it will happen in our lifetime. Fingers crossed of course
I dont smoke, but I think too much bad press gets put on it. I think the gov’t could make tons of money off of taxing it and it would create hundreds of jobs for people.
As long as there are similar laws to its use like alcohol (driving, ect.) then I have no problem with it. On a side note…have you guys seen that hbo special about “it” called “One Nation Under Pot” or something like that, and it highlights some people that have medical disorders such as stuttering, or a form of fibrosis and the only way they can funtion properly is while using “it”. Even when they take their prescribed medication from doctors it is nothing like while on “it”…
manlycaN said:
I dont smoke, but I think too much bad press gets put on it. I think the gov’t could make tons of money off of taxing it and it would create hundreds of jobs for people.hundreds of thousands. And its the largest cash crop, over 14+ Billion a year. Reefer Madness, originally an old anti-marijuana political movie, and the Bogg’s Act were just some of the things that created the current stigma. There’s a book out also called Reefer Madness which talks about that stigma and some of the messed up things that happens to non-violent people who happen to enjoy a toke, we call criminals. Some people who have served time for marijuana have had many of their citizen privileges stripped, including food stamps, while violent criminals are getting out earlier with more rights included. There is some progress being made to dilute the madness which society has placed on itself, less than a decade ago people actually thought it caused blindness and homosexuality. Both false lol.
YahooEarth said:
As long as there are similar laws to its use like alcohol (driving, ect.) then I have no problem with it. On a side note…have you guys seen that hbo special about “it” called “One Nation Under Pot” or something like that, and it highlights some people that have medical disorders such as stuttering, or a form of fibrosis and the only way they can funtion properly is while using “it”. Even when they take their prescribed medication from doctors it is nothing like while on “it”…Best reason in my mind as to why it should be legal. It’s medicinal properties have been well known for thousands of years.
My family and i were having a discussion one night and i brought this up. Some very interesting points came about from the conversation. I agree, it could create lots of jobs and a whole new industry, however, i don’t think any big company would get anywhere near marijuana. Let’s face it, marijuana has a terrible reputation. In my opinion, i don’t think an existing company would want to risk their name to produce marijuana. On taxation: i thought this was a great idea too until my uncle brought this up. There is an existing network of buyers and sellers of marijuana. Why would someone want to go to their local convenience store and buy with the extra tax added on when they could go and get it off the street for cheaper? On the flip side, if a marijuana company got big enough, they could make their prices low enough to where the sellers on the street couldn’t match it, and still make a profit because of volume. It’s a very interesting proposition, and i’d like to hear what you guys have to say about it. Personally, I’ve never tried it, and i never intend to try it. But that’s just me.
.cb new_rayz said:
Best reason in my mind as to why it should be legal. It’s medicinal properties have been well known for thousands of years.99% of it’s use is not for medicinal purposes, and you know it.
MasterP said:
99% of it’s use is not for medicinal purposes, and you know it.of course I do. But that means what? It’s less toxic than some foods we eat. I just said thats a good reason, but I also think it should be allowed for recreational use. It’s less harmless than alcohol. waaayy less harmful.
And as far as the current “growers and buyers”. We will have to see when it eventually is legalized. I have a hunch that the big tobacco companies surely have some sort of hidden warehouse where they have boatloads of ganj ready to be distributed on a massive scale. lol The DEA cracks people that get too crazy with grow projects. But there are over a hundred thousand commercial growers that grow in the United States alone. They can’t control anything, they try and stop one house, then three more pop up. It puts more people in jail than any other offense. Which costs us money. Lot’s of money. Money that we definitely need now.
#13 that’s my whole point. It’s time we break that reputation. It’s a reputation built on ignorance, fear, and lies. All started with Harry Anslinger drastic stretch of an account about a guy who axed his family after he supposedly smoked a joint. He used that to pass the first Marijuana Tax Acts back in the 30’s. Then Reagan had to lay the hammer down in the 1980’s. Surprisingly though, democrats were actually more harsh on marijuana than republicans. Probably because they didn’t want to be stereo-typed.
.cb new_rayz said:
I also think it should be allowed for recreational use. It’s less harmless than alcohol. waaayy less harmful.And look how all the restrictions work on that. Oh wait they don’t, probably 9/10 alcoholics started underage and this will be the same way. If this is legalized they’ll be openly smoking it in middle school. Mark my words.
.cb new_rayz said:
They can’t control anything, they try and stop one house, then three more pop up. It puts more people in jail than any other offense. Which costs us money. Lot’s of money. Money that we definitely need now.So since too many people do it we should legalize it? By that argument murder and rape should be legal.
.cb new_rayz said:
It’s time we break that reputation. It’s a reputation built on ignorance, fear, and lies.I’ll ask you this then. If it’s such a harmless drug with so many benefits, why has it been banned and publicly scorned for the last 80 years? Why is it that the only people who ever seem to want it unbanned are hippies who want it for “medicinal purposes”.
MasterP said:
So since too many people do it we should legalize it? By that argument murder and rape should be legal.I’ll ask you this then. If it’s such a harmless drug with so many benefits, why has it been banned and publicly scorned for the last 80 years? Why is it that the only people who ever seem to want it unbanned are either non-college educated morons or hippies?
My argument was that it puts more people in jail for a NON-violent crime. For smoking pot. That costs us money. A guy can go to jail for longer and get fired for failing a drug test because he tokes up every other week, but a guy who drinks on a daily basis could potentially kill someone and still keep a job and benefits? How about you stop taking what I say out of context?
And how about you stop stereo-typing. There are way more people that use it than you think, and that aren’t hippies or morons. Like I said, look up Harry Anslinger. It started with the Tax laws, then moved on to the Boggs act, then the whole movement in the 80’s. Every single Congressional Committee that has been given the task of reviewing the drug, has come back with the same answers, that it is virtually harmless, causes no deaths, and should be decriminalized. It’s currently classified as a Schedule I controlled substance, implying that it has high potential for abuse, no officially accepted medicinal uses, no safe level of use under medical supervision. Heroin, LSD, and peyote are all listed under this type. The fact that we place marijuana under the same category as heroin has nothing to do with the drug itself, and was caused by sloppy legislating.
They won’t start openly smoking it in middle schools. Just like kids don’t openly smoke cigarettes or drink alcohol in middle schools. Because we don’t let them. If you can’t control your kid you should never have decided to have a baby. That is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. If you want more on the issue, why not look it up, instead of assuming you know everything? Yeah, so it’s been banned for 80 years, lets compare that to the length of time it’s been not illegal? Thousands and thousands of years. With no recorded deaths. Rofl
its only been looked down upon because of the Victorian Era in england
think of it as a “*edited* YOU” to the queen mum
new_rayz, cite your sources. If it’s as harmless and helpful as you claim it should be fairly easy to back it up with government studies and medical research performed by REAL labs.
Also, the whole “it’s a nonviolent crime” argument is garbage. There are thousands of people put in jail each year for nonviolent crimes, it doesn’t mean they aren’t crimes. You know doing it is against the law and you do it anyway. Stop pretending that just because “the law is wrong” makes it ok to break the law. Enron execs were jailed for a nonviolent crime. Barely drunk drivers are jailed. Tax evaders are jailed. Drug dealers are jailed. What makes the laws against your crimes so special that you shouldn’t be penalized for breaking them?
MasterP said:
new_rayz, cite your sources. If it’s as harmless and helpful as you claim it should be fairly easy to back it up with government studies and medical research performed by REAL labs.Also, the whole “it’s a nonviolent crime” argument is garbage. There are thousands of people put in jail each year for nonviolent crimes, it doesn’t mean they aren’t crimes. You know doing it is against the law and you do it anyway. Stop pretending that just because “the law is wrong” makes it ok to break the law. Enron execs were jailed for a nonviolent crime. Barely drunk drivers are jailed. Tax evaders are jailed. Drug dealers are jailed. What makes the laws against your crimes so special that you shouldn’t be penalized for breaking them?
You are right, thousands of people are put into jail each year for nonviolent crimes, and that doesn’t mean they are not crimes. But just because it is against the law doesn’t mean it’s wrong. We just recently got rid of segregation, oh iono less than 50 years ago…A black kid going to a white school was considered very wrong, and people who attempted to integrate prior to the “official” change were considered criminals. If that is the case, then you would consider Rosa Parks a criminal because she refused to sit in the back of the bus. I don’t consider Rosa Parks a criminal, even though she broke the law’ just as I don’t consider smoking marijuana a crime, even though you can go to jail for it.
Unlike every single one of those people you just listed, smoking a joint harms no one. Enron execs ruined thousands of peoples lives. Tax evaders harm our nation economically. Drug dealers kill both directly (guns) and indirectly (the more harmful drugs they sell). Yet not all drug dealers are bad. Some of the prescriber’s of marijuana are nationally labeled as “drug dealers’, yet they aren’t killing anyone, but ACTUALLY allowing thousands of people with ache’s and pains to get relief. Alot of people cultivating and growing the stuff aren’t Mafiosos or part of some cartel, but farmers struggling to make ends meat.
Tobacco and Alcohol by the way, kills hundreds of thousands every year. Lets check the Marijuana death toll = 0. Oh look it’s ZERO. T and A are both legal and kill thousands, marijuana kills no one and is illegal. Please explain the logic in that.
You want Sources? fine.
Reefer Madness – Eric Schlosser
this book refers to not only the economic and social affects the marijuana laws have on our nation, but also includes different sections of the black market, including prostitution and cheap labor.
“Health Aspects of Cannabis” – Dr. Leo Hollister
former president of the American College of Neurophychopharmacology and taught at the University of Texas Medical School
Dr. John P. Morgan’s section called “Drug Use and Dependence” in The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy
Debunks almost any horror story spread about marijuana.
Marijuana Myths, Marijuana Facts – Lynn Zimmer
Points out many of the myths, separates fact from fictional made up stories.
There have been many government studies of marijuana. Just to name a few:
Indian Hemp Drugs Commission 1894- British government exposes the overriding and pervasive powers of contemporary collective denial and moral failure underpinning policies of cannabis prohibition. This was the one most conclusive and thorough investigation of marijuana to date. No other committee since than has gone into as much detail as the IHDC.
National Commission on Marijuana and Drug Abuse 1972- While the Controlled Substances Act was being drafted in a House committee in 1970, Assistant Secretary of Health Roger O. Egeberg had recommended that marijuana temporarily be placed in Schedule I, the most restrictive category of drugs, pending the Commission’s report. On March 22, 1972, the Commission’s chairman, Raymond P. Shafer, presented a report to Congress and the public entitled “Marijuana, A Signal of Misunderstanding,” which favored ending marijuana prohibition and adopting other methods to discourage use. They also found that possession should be decriminalized.
The House of Lords, Science and Technology Committee, 4 Nov 1998 – “recommend that the Government should take steps to transfer cannabis and cannabis resin from Schedule 1 to the Misuse of Drugs Regulations to Schedule 2, so as to allow doctors to prescribe an appropriate preparation of cannabis, albeit as an unlicensed medicine and on the named-patient basis, and to allow doctors and pharmacists to supply the drug prescribed.”
I’ll put up more later, but this should be enough for now.
MajorMajorMajor said:
its only been looked down upon because of the Victorian Era in englandthink of it as a “*edited* YOU” to the queen mum
I know major is the one who voted ‘what’s legalization mean?”
+1 noob point
manlycaN said:
I know major is the one who voted ‘what’s legalization mean?”+1 noob point
*edited* YOU
Dankst@ said:
it has come to thisLOL. I love that dude. He’s funny in Grandma’s Boy.
It’s a joke to really believe those stereotypes, because that’s all that was, stereo-types. Here’s a better one I think:
and then
I use it because it’s part of my religion. LOL
Temple 420:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BV0p9OkZnFs…feature=related
EDIT:
It won’t let me edit my old posts, I was going to add the documentary/comedy “Super High Me” as a source.
check out parts 1-9 on you tube.
IMHO, if someone wants to *edited* up their life, let them; driving while smoking pot should be punishable by a minimum 3 years in jail but if someone wants to roll up a fatty at home, why do I care? Let’s save the gvt millions if not billions that they spend trying to catch these “criminals”. Just because I don’t do it myself doesn’t mean I think the current law makes sense. And MasterP, I think there are more ppl supporting legalizing it than there are ppl supporting legalizing rape/murder. Try 40%+ of the country that want pot legalized.
Also I think the poll should have a more middle of the road response, such as “I dont really care” or “sure, but I still won’t do it”. I hate to say “Hell Yes!” when I don’t support it THAT much.
It is a $180billion source that is completely untapped. Yes I used to smoke but I have been sober for 2+years and I consider myself sober because it is a drug just like caffeine in your coffee or alcohol. I am very torn on this issue.
This when done properly will create thousands of jobs.
I hate when people say “oh em gee its not legal I don’t understand how you can do something illegal.” There are things you do everyday that aren’t legal. For example have you ever driven a car and not used your blinker? Or when you come to a complete stop and want to turn onto a double laned road you turn into the second lane? These are both illegal but people do it everyday.
I also understand that by this I am saying rape and murder should be legal because people do it everyday….that is not what I am trying to say however. What I am trying to say is that we let people drink alcohol which is extremely harmful to your kidneys in excess and we let cops drive home after going to bars, we let people speed (until they get caught), there are so many things we let people do that can do so much more harm to people than marijuana.
I would say that if it were legalized I would start again but I don’t think I would because I just don’t want to. But that doesn’t mean I don’t think you shouldn’t be able to do it recreational like a lot of other dangerous things.
Nickname said:
Also I think the poll should have a more middle of the road response, such as “I dont really care” or “sure, but I still won’t do it”. I hate to say “Hell Yes!” when I don’t support it THAT much.Ron Paul would say HELL YES. lol
I would not support the legalization of weed because I think drugs, including currently legal drugs, are destructive by nature. Also, in my expierience people who openly flaunt their enjoyment of weed usually wind up being annoying wastes of space. Still, if weed were to become legal overnight, it wouldn’t really bother me too much as it seems to be on par with alcohol.
If we do keep it illegal, we should find a new way to discourage its use. The whole “just say no” thing kinda fell through.
Ephraim said:
I would not support the legalization of weed because I think drugs, including currently legal drugs, are destructive by nature. Also, in my expierience people who openly flaunt their enjoyment of weed usually wind up being annoying wastes of space. Still, if weed were to become legal overnight, it wouldn’t really bother me too much as it seems to be on par with alcohol.If we do keep it illegal, we should find a new way to discourage its use. The whole “just say no” thing kinda fell through.
even if it were to become legal, that doesn’t mean you can’t discourage its use. Look at all the tobacco commercials. All I’m saying is there should be the option, I don’t think the government should have authority over punishing people for health problems, because when you boil it down marijuana, tobacco, and alcohol abuse are just health problems, not some crime against society.
.cb new_rayz said:
even if it were to become legal, that doesn’t mean you can’t discourage its use. Look at all the tobacco commercials. All I’m saying is there should be the option, I don’t think the government should have authority over punishing people for health problems, because when you boil it down marijuana, tobacco, and alcohol abuse are just health problems, not some crime against society.Yeah let’s look at all those anti-tobacco commercials, then you go outside and see how well they work. Oh wait, they don’t.
I can’t get drunk or cancer from walking behind someone drinking a beer or smoking tobacco. I can, however, get high simply by breathing in second hand marijuana smoke and even light exposure to it shows up in drug screens and takes days to flush.
You decision to ruin your own life can ruin others’ simply by being near them while doing it. Now imagine, if you swapped just half of the people smoking tobacco with pot smokers, there’s no way you wouldn’t get through the day without at least SOME exposure and there goes pretty much all drug screening right there.
Have you even considered the effect this has on other people or do you just care about getting high? Do it in your house, I mean hell it’s not like you’re likely to get caught, just don’t force your life decisions on society. That’s all this is really about.
Oh and Nickname, 2/3 > 1/3.
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