Why Should marijuana stay illegal?

I believe it should stay illegal, first of all. I'm doing a persuasive speech to convince others of this. Some of my reasons include:

*Takes away land from other farming necessities (i.e., corn, beans, cotton, hay for livestock, etc.

*Most of the people working on these farms would be here illegal or on work visas, so it wouldn't actually help our economy

*Second hand smoke could lead to contact highs, then people could sue the smokers.

*Once grown, it would be covered in pesticides, and when processed, would be less natural and more harmful to the user, similar to tobacco ("Big Cannabis" would put arsenic, and cyanide in the product)

*We can barely handle alcohol being legal. Consequences would need to be severe for smoking marijuana in public/while driving or working.

*I've read "The emperor wears no clothes" and all the examples it gives to Marijuana's usefulness have been outdated due to technological advancements, and better products. The only useful one is for people with glaucoma problems and stuff like that.

These are just a few that I have for now. Please, give advice. I need sources. Thanks. (And don't post on here saying why it should be legal. You won't be helping me, so you may as well not answer.)
Additional Details
Ok first of all, most of you are just restating the things I've been saying. Secondly, you aren't helping me at all. It USED to be a cash crop, but we don't need it anymore.
And you can't tell me if a 5 year got a contact high, his/her parents wouldn't sue. That kid would have munchies like no other. And the parents would have to buy him/her food to satisfy so they don't have to put up with a whiney brat. I've seen people give their kids candy to shut them up, if the kid had munchies, it would be worse.
And if was grown on a large scale operation, of course there'd be processed chemicals put in it. Just look at tobacco, By itself, it's rather harmless. But after it goes through all the stuff the corporations do to it, it becomes exponentially more hazerdous. Any anti-smoking add would tell you that. Now answer my damn question. If you're not interested in answering my question, don't bother to post. You won't sway my view. It won't benefit you. So just stop you ignorant potheads.

erin

I have to disagree on your stance and many of the arguments that you use to support it.

"Takes away land from other farming necessities (i.e., corn, beans, cotton, hay for livestock, etc."

Actually the government spends $40 Billion/ a year as a subsidy for American farmers. So by adding an Additional cash crop it would open up a whole new product to grow thus causing the gov. to spend less money on subsiding these farms.

"Most of the people working on these farms would be here illegal or on work visas, so it wouldn't actually help our economy"

The issue of illegal immigrants working illegally is completely separate from the issue of weather or not weed should be legalized. Besides whats the difference between the illegal immigrants who are currently illegally employed on a farm that grows corn, or tomatoes ect., than on a farm that grows weed?

"Second hand smoke could lead to contact highs, then people could sue the smokers"

Just as there are now laws regarding where and around whom people can smoke cigarettes, there will be laws regarding where, when and whom can smoke marijuana. It sounds to me that your assuming that the government is just going to legalize it without creating restrictions, which i can assure you will not be the case! Take a look at the rules and restrictions that have been set into place in Amsterdam, they are actually quiet strict regarding where, when and around whom you could smoke.

"Once grown, it would be covered in pesticides, and when processed, would be less natural and more harmful to the user, similar to tobacco ("Big Cannabis" would put arsenic, and cyanide in the product)"

Whats to say that pesticides WILL be used? And why would it matter so much considering that much of the produce grown in America today were on farms where they used pesticides anyway? Its actually frowned upon in the "weed world" to use pesticides or stimulates to grow weed because of the amount of harm they can do to the body when smoked.

"We can barely handle alcohol being legal. Consequences would need to be severe for smoking marijuana in public/while driving or working."

This is OPINION. With EVERY substance there will be those who use it responsibly and those who use it irresponsibly. Obviously if the government were to legalize it there would be very strict rules regarding its use, and very strict punishments for those who choose to disobey these rules.

"I'veeeee read "The emperor wears no clothes" and all the examples it gives to Marijuana's usefulness have been outdated due to technological advancements, and better products. The only useful one is for people with glaucoma problems and stuff like that."

I didn't really understand where you getting all of this information but it is most defiantly inaccurate. Marijuana helps lessen the effects of: Multiple sclerosis, chemotherapy (increases appetite to fight weight loss) pain from defiantly, and also helps people with certain eye diseases, such as glaucoma.

"And don't post on here saying why it should be legal. You won't be helping me, so you may as well not answer."

If your trying to write a persuasive piece than you should know and consider both sides of an issue in order to make your stance SOLID. Right now the points that you have made are not convincing, and if you were to have to debate this issue in your class, you would lose. Try using facts to back up your stance rather than opinions.

CCC

cocaine and all that was once legal. we had a society that was becoming stones and lazy. keep drugs banned.

jonzoct

If pot were legalized it would make work too difficult for the cops. Instead of arresting harmless potheads, they'd have to arrest real, dangerous criminals and risk actual on the job injuries. We should be doing everything we possibly can to keep our heroic men in blue as safe as possible--that means keeping pot illegal, treating potheads like dangerous criminals, keep arresting hundreds of thousands of harmless people.

halsca

Because people like William Randolph Hurst and Harry J. Anslinger say so. Remember reefer leads to pacifism and communist brainwashing.

Gooch

To clear up a few misconceptions so you can at least provide factual info in your speech. MJ would require very little pesticides it is tolerant to most critters in the wild. It does not take that much land far less than is used to farm corn for ethanol. Second hand smoke does not even provide enough THC to register on a urine test that is why the threshold is 50 micro liters per g.

As for medicine you should be more up to date the THC is far more effective as a blocker of pain than morphine, it is also good for spastic colon, arthritis, and it does NOT case cancer the temp it burns at is lower than cigs.

These are the facts hope you can followup on this to get the research right or your opponent in this debate will destroy you.

COZE

It is to late to make weed legal.

"My Grandma didn't have to die from my grandpas addiction to tobacco"-COZE

"I never beat my wife when i was high"-COZE

Rayven-Fried Sea Kittens Anyone?

*Takes away land from other farming necessities (i.e., corn, beans, cotton, hay for livestock, etc.

Farms are given subsidies. Marijuana ca be grown in large amounts on smaller plots as well as hydroponically taking up NO land

*Most of the people working on these farms would be here illegal or on work visas, so it wouldn't actually help our economy

Um hello that's because we is ILLEGAL. Legalize it and highly regulated farms would be unable to hire undocumented workers.

*Second hand smoke could lead to contact highs, then people could sue the smokers.

Yes because so many people are suing regular smokers for the second hand smoke and the supposed risk they have been put at for lung cancer and emphysema. Pot smokers will be at home or in hash bars.

*Once grown, it would be covered in pesticides, and when processed, would be less natural and more harmful to the user, similar to tobacco ("Big Cannabis" would put arsenic, and cyanide in the product)

Says who? Seriously you can't just make something up. Ask any actual pot smoker. No one would touch wee that has been laced or processed with anything. Why do you think so many grow their own?

*We can barely handle alcohol being legal. Consequences would need to be severe for smoking marijuana in public/while driving or working.

Matter of opinion. There are more responsible drinkers than there are irresponsible ones. Also not many places have public intox laws. Did you know that?

*I've read "The emperor wears no clothes" and all the examples it gives to Marijuana's usefulness have been outdated due to technological advancements, and better products. The only useful one is for people with glaucoma problems and stuff like that.

Wrong again. Read the REAL history of hemp. Hemp was one of the MAJOR cash crops int his country as it was a source of many products from clothing fibers, paper and fuel. Hemp manufactured paper is actually BETTER for the environment than tree produced paper. Do you know that is was all the other corps. that actually pushed for the the outlawing of Hemp products? Why? Because it was in direct competition with them and actually providing a better product.

And don't post on here saying why it should be legal. You won't be helping me, so you may as well not answer.

Well isn't that the joy of living in a free country.

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