Should smoking marijuana be illegal?

Patricia W

If marijuana is "immoral" than so is alcohol. I smoked plenty of pot in my day, and I HAD A JOB. Not everybody that smokes pot is on well fare. That is a generalization and a dumb one at that. That would be like saying all black people are on government assistance. Marijuana should be legal. And I am not saying that because I smoke it because I havent in over four years. It is just a ridiculous thing to use to criminalize people. Pot heads dont rob people. Crack heads do. and pot heads dont get violent. Drunk people do. LEAVE THE POT HEADS ALONE

Buck Ofama

yes , legalize regulate and tax it.

gangs and mafia would not be able to compete with stores

Alan S

no. but to compare something that has never killed anyone to something that is directly related to over 50,000 deaths a year isn't fair. compare it to McDonald's french fries or popcorn, except the joy from weed lasts longer than a value pack of fries.

rebecca r

i think it shoul be legal
considering everyone smokes it anyways
and yea
you black out with alcohol
usually dont black out on weed

Ms. Informed

lol. there's the rub: do you think criminal drug dealers* want to pay taxes on their product? no. they want all their money. legalize marijuana and you'll get a lot of pissed off drug dealers who may retaliate against legal sellers in a sort of turf war of sorts.

besides, don't you know mirijuana is illegal because of racism, and not because the government is looking out for you the public's health and welfare.

Insite

I don't smoke, I did in high school so I'm kinda torn. All of my friends and acquaintances are educated professionals and the ones that do smoke don't seam to let it affect them. I agree it is less damaging then alcohol. If it was regulated like alcohol I think it would be fine. I am more of a Libertarian then Republican and the Libertarian party is pro legalization.

Obamas Shoes

They should issue grow permits that are transferable. You pay so much a year to grow up to three plants and someone else can do the growing for you. It would also give you the right to possess up to an ounce of pot. The law now allows medical pot growers to transport pot in a car provided it is in a secured area of the car. Smoking pot in a car or public space should still be illegal except for "tea houses" like they have in Denmark. Denmark is another good model for legalizing pot.

ju5t1c3fu

A persons choice of what they take into their own body is exactly that, their own choice. If you argue the rationale that they harm those around them by the lack of judgement they show while under the effects of THC then you must surely accept that alcohol and gambling should be abolished also for their detrimental effects on society, families and the individuals.

It is not physically possibly to ingest a lethal dose[1]. Compared to pharmaceutical abuse, alcohol, nicotine, aspartame, MSG, trans-fats etc... marijuana is elevated far beyond it's true level of danger to society and individuals.

The patent for Nylon is owned by the DuPont's and was issued September 20, 1938[2]. Legislation to ban marijuana was enacted on the coat tails of the 'Reefer Madness' hysteria. at the same time these patents were issued. Hemp consists of between 0.05% and 1% THC[3], the active ingredient responsible for the 'high' marijuana users experience. However, both strains were made illegal, Cannabis Sativa and hemp regardless of the fact that it is impossible to consume enough hemp to even become slightly intoxicated. Hemp had always been cheaper to farm than cotton, being a weed it requires very little maintenance, but with hemp out of the picture nylon became the new obvious alternative for cheap cloth fabrics.

So my 3 arguments against illegality would be:
- It's my choice and it doesn't harm other people

- It's far less dangerous than other substances which are completely legal, even encouraged

- It was made illegal for purely political/economic reasons, not the well being of the people

CeciliaM

This question gets asked ad nauseum on YA.

valentineheart82

It should be legalized because it would be beneficial to the nation to take it out of the hands of drug dealers and putting in the hands of retailers who's sales can be regulated and taxed. Marijuana does hinder mental cognition, but no more so than drinking beer, and it's effects rarely lead to vehicular accidents.

My main concern is the second hand smoke, people who don't smoke it shouldn't have their thinking skills impaired second hand by those who do. If regulation could solve this problem, then there's no reason it shouldn't be legal.

We're talking about a fairly harmless substance that, at worst, impairs a person's cognitive skills. On the flip side it also has some medicinal benefits. In this respect it's a lot like Red Wine, which can intoxicate a person and hinder their cognitive abilities, but Red Wine was also shown in recent studies with mice during the Methuselah project to extend the lifespan and overall vitality of the mice significantly due to an enzyme it contains that triggers a natural repair mechanism for cells.

Anyway I'd like to leave with a comment about other comments. The "it's my body I'll do what I want" argument is immature and irresponsible. In the case of Marijuana it may not be an intelligent choice to start smoking unless you have some medical reason, but if you decide to smoke Marijuana it's not such a bad thing. However there are times when it is reasonable for others to step in.

Bobby S

Economically speaking, yes. Many people feel illegal drug users will pay a wide range of prices for their drugs and therefore taxes will greatly increase government revenue. It comes down to the social consequences that would occur.

Dboy

All drugs that don't cause psychosis should be legalized and taxed. We could solve all of our problems if drug dealers had to pay taxes.

Look at fairtax.org. It's a way to make criminals pay taxes.

.

ATTENTION: Testicles That Is All

Yes. We don't need more people being too lazy to get a job and abusing the welfare system.

smedrik

If you take a drink, the person sitting next to you doesn't get a buzz, nor will alcohol be found in their system. The same cannot be said for marijuana.

That is why marijuana should be illegal.

amberjean92

well its because the goverment can tax the production and sale of alcohol distribution. the goverment cannot tax something that is grown on what was rightfully the native americans land. and if the goverment isnt getting paid then they wont allow it if they cant control it. im not trying to sound like all antigoverment and stuff cuz im not, people need structure and laws, however that is just the truth about marijuana.

seriously i realize some of the other peoples answers say that its because of second hand smoke, well no its not because of second hand smoke because if this were true then cigarettes would be illegal too. and some say that it causes psychosis.... well if this were true then valium and klonipin cause psychosis, just like ALCOHOL CAUSES PSYCHOSIS AND HEPATITIS AND CIRRHOSIS OF THE LIVER. I mean thats pretty serious in itself. they slap a label on alcohol bottles that say MAY CAUSE HEALTH PROBLEMS, and the same for cigarettes, so they could just slap a label on a joint/blunt and say may cause psychosis!! IM SERIOUS ALL IT IS IS TAXES THATS IT.

dark angel

of course yes !! though marijuana is a drug which could be able to help us in some of our ailments, several people have been using this drus abusively which gives the reason that we should declare marijuana an illegal drug.

believe

Yes, it should and is.

PHOSHOâ„¢

yes, it is illegal

sophialw@ymail.com

the government makes more money when it is sold on the street. they pretend to be against it but someone is getting their cut

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