Why is weed illegal?...?

Goddess of Nuts PBUH

Weed is great. I totally advocate the use of medicinal and recreational marijuana. I beleive it should at least be decriminalized. Let the whole nation be allowed to possess at least 3 ounces, and up to 10 plants for personal use if they want to use it. Marijuana cases just waste valuable time and manpower when cops should be investigating real crimes and serious offenses. Our prisons are already severly overcrowded without confining people for marijuana related offenses. Alcohol and cigaretttes (all tobacco products really) are proven to be way more detrimental to human health than marijuana. It's just stupidity. Good question.

http://nurture.nature.com/aggademia/item/2006-08-01-study_finds_alcohol_and_tobacco_more_harmful_than_marijuana_lsd_or_ecstasy_drug_reclassification_should_follow

To the chick who said weed kills people...hello!! So does cigarettes and alcohol!! http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/factsheets/Tobacco_Related_Mortality_factsheet.htm

Ma'am, weed itself does not kill people. It's also improbable and greatly impossible to OD on marijuana. Educate thyself, and stop blindly beleiving everything the government crams in the sheep manger for you to eat.

http://www.drugtext.org/sub/marmyt1.html
http://www.canorml.org/healthfacts/healthmyths.html
http://www.marijuana-seeds.biz/marijuana-facts-and-information.htm

Astro Fringe

Weed is illegal because of William Randolph Hearst (hemp was competition to his timber holdings), the DuPont company (hemp was competition for textile production) and Henry Anslinger (a federal bureaucrat that said smoking pot provoked criminal behaviour, BUT, it is really illegal because the Fed's will not allow it to be taxed! Oh, I almost forgot that fledgling oil companies saw hemp oil as a threat as well, imagine that!

Taylor Lee

good point. but an average joint is twice the toxins of a cigarette. something like that. and im pretty sure they tried to m,ake alcohol and cigs illegal, too but it didn't exactly work out. just imagine trying to arrest all the people who smake and drink, its like arresting people left and right.

cheerchic09135

when in doubt.. ask bush.

he probably has some dumb reason.

Cutelilminxy

You know, I also wondered this question back when I frequently smoked it... You see, when I am drunk, I wish to pick fights and get into trouble... when I smoked weed, I wish to sit around and have a sandwich, which is more terrible to the community?

W E J

because smoking weed make you stupid.

rhino_man420

this has been the argument for yrs.

decriminalize is what we want not legal if it was legal the gov would have their hand in it ,not good

Common Sense

It is an employment issue..
Too many government employees ( Federal / State / Local ) would
lose funding & jobs if it were made legal..
It is part of the governments "war on unemployment"

Ali

Because our government is ridiculous. Personally, I don't smoke but if people want to then why not let them. Right? I mean it's their life.

lulu

well because it can kill you and i don't think you want thatand no one else want that to happen we all want every one to be safe

ladyfreya_1402

Lucky for me its legal in Denver :), but they only way to change it where you live is get out n vote keep pushing it.

Saved

Regardless of how you feel about pot, it's illegal because the government says it's illegal, period. That's the only reason. It's as bad as alcohol or any other drug. It's not an "innocent" drug, it messes up your life, whether you realize it or not. It's just another crutch.

ozzkat2002

weed is outlawed due to the hippies, the govenment saw it as a threat so they tried to eliminate it. watch an old movie about marijuana and you will see what i mean, they thought it made you uncontrollable bla bla which might have just been the acid the hippies were doin ;-) its all from the time period when it was outlawed

raiderofnight

Actually, moonshine is legal if you make it for your own use. If you don't sell it you can make and drink as much as you want. Weed is illegal no matter what. (even if the idea of outlawing a plant that grows in nature seems absurd to me).
You are correct in thinking it is about taxation. If it were legal and they made packs of marijuana cigarettes for $3-5 per pack they wouldn't sell since people could just grow their own better weed for alot less.

Paul H

If you read the book "Marijuana: the First 12,000 Years" you will get a really good answer to this question, and will read an entertaining book. The short answer to your question is that attempts to eradicate opium use during the 1930's were so successful that the "drug czar" of the time needed something else to blame for problems in this country so he could keep his job! After realizing that hispanics (mostly from Mexico) were smoking marijuana and that violence was associated with them (remember that this was during the time of the depression so it wasn't the marijuana causing the violence - it was jealousy over who got the jobs because Americans were desperate for work - any work at all) the "drug czar" refocused his attention on marijuana. The movie "Reefer Madness" was commissioned by him, and the public, not knowing any better, believed what they were told. To say that there are no risks involved with smoking marijuana is incorrect - there are carcinogens in the smoke, even though there is also an anti-carcinogen in the smoke. People also do stupid things when they are "high" - like leave a baby in a hot car on a summer day (this actually happened - I'm not making it up) until the baby died. I agree that it should be regulated and taxed like cigarettes and alcohol. I've even heard that the national deficit could be paid off in about 4 years if it was legalized, but politicians would probably take the money for pork-barrel projects, so it would probably take longer, if at all. "Weed" is illegal for reasons that are primarily political, not practical. If the politicians knew that they could get political support from the majority for legalizing marijuana, it would become legal.

Bones

Logic doesn't dictate policy in America, MONEY does. Think it pisses you off now, read Jack Herer's book "The Emperor Wears No Clothes" and see how the criminalization of cannabis came about. It'll really piss you off.

Goldar

it's simple. others have alluded to the specific case reasons for this, but if you want the root reason of this issue, and other issues, it's this and only this:

the majority of humans are nosey in one way or another

all the governmental systems of the world give such people power over others

there may be no peaceful means of ridding the world of nanny states

the people who are citing health arguments as justification for minding YOUR business cannot be reasoned with, period. btw, motor oil has "toxins" in it as well, but i can purchase it. so do azaleas, and you can't say they pollute the environment like motor oil, and i can still purchase azaleas. will people be minding my business in these arenas eventually too?

it's like why are childless adults penalized because children exist in the world? they aren't MY problem, let the parents take responsibility for them

PS if weed were legal, why would we have to subsidize farmers of it? that's like giving corporate welfare to a successful, recession-proof industry. the wealth redistributors (more nosey types -- you can't conveniently pick and choose what nosiness you want to allow and that you want to prohibit) usually give your money away to businesses no one wants to patronize.

PPS i'm guessing it's the nosey types that would be giving this answer a thumbs down -- thank you for your admission of guilt

Are you for real?

It has nothing to do with it being a drug.
The reason is because along time ago cotton growers lobbied congress to outlaw it because they were afraid that it would put them out of business. You see Hemp can be used for many things such as making paper, cloth, rope, etc.. It just happens you can smoke it;s cousin Cannabis. They were out law-ed because of big business not because of its drug abilities. because if the goverment really cared about peoples health it would outlaw achoaul. there are more deaths caused by it then any other drugthen you have tobacco, but it all come down to money and who can lobby congress with it. its not about health but profit.

dukalink6000

Weed was outlawed in 1937 because William Randolph Hearst had too much money invested in forests and a new machine, the excoriator, would extract hemp from the plants to make a higher grade, lower cost paper which could be renewed faster than from trees.

Ima McHottie

I have no idea.

Lesley P

Here's my "pat" answer, but there's so much more I can't fit it in yahoo answers.

Weed/Marijuana is illegal because, supposedly, it is a 'gateway' drug which could lead to cocaine, crack, heroin, LSD etc. And like you said it's untaxable. The social stigma also makes it something generalized society would never accept as something you could just buy at the corner store or liquor store.
Though more deaths have occured from alchohol than weed, it's still got a bad rap.
It is pretty backward way of thinking, since people have no problem with society accepting anyone having a drink or making wine/beer in their home. Also alcohol/beer companies have been used almost entirely to advertise sports events which is a huge multi-million dollar industry and obviously helps the govt's money issues also.
It's a pretty messed-up situation all in all!

sethsdadiam

Boy that was a thesis! The actual answer is this; the government has Trillions of dollars invested in keeping it mostly illegal. If it were legalized, more money would be spent on subsiding weed farmers, trying to collect taxes, controlling the price and walking the lines that are walked with alcohol. Its an expensive Pandora's box that can't be addressed in the current political climate.

swordgeo

Well, one difference is that weed will make others high and loopy that'swy they still have cigs cause they dont make you high(and loopy). Oh,and you have just reveiled that you are a pothead,see ya hippy druggy.

rgb

who knows

ZigZag

Weed is illegal because of stupid dum a-s-ses like you that do it for dum fun. I think that if you get cought doing weed or if it is found on you you should go to jail for at least 20 years. Do ing weed is for the stupid and dum F-U-C-K S in the world and should stay illegal for ever.

Justin

I have never tried it nor do I plan on it. There is no reason for anyone to intoxicate themselves in any way. Beer and cigarettes should be just as restricted as marijuana. It tampers with the mind, and leaves you as a waste to society.

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