Should marijuana be legal?

Timecube

Yes. Marijuana has been terribly maligned. Our government tends to lump it with dangerous drugs like cocaine and heroin. Highly deceptive and inaccurate comparison! The govt also sends the message through television and our public schools that marijuana will make you do terrible things (remember those commercials where stoned kids shot or run over people? People who are stoned do NOT tend to engage in dangerous or risky behavior!).

Why decriminalize:
- MJ is not addictive. (Unlike cigarettes.) You can NOT get lung cancer from smoking it, even long term. And you can NOT overdose on marijuana. Just clearing up some misconceptions.
- It's not harmful to the body. Not more so than cigarettes or alcohol anyway, and both the latter are legal. (Unless, of course, you do it every day for many many years. Moderation is key.)
- Decriminalization will lead to lower crime rates. (Duh.)
- Decriminalization will get rid of the black market, and give the government opportunity to regulate the sales and quality.
- People who are sick from AIDS, cancer, chemotherapy, etc, need the drug for its analgesic properties, appetite boost, etc.
- Decriminalization will refocus the police on more serious crimes.
- Personal use of marijuana is not dangerous and does not harm others. Like some have said, you don't drive or get into fights or want to beat your wife or children after a hit. You just want to sit on the couch and mellow out.
- Marijuana has positive benefits. It may help patients with glaucoma from going blind, and it may keep alzheimer at bay and improve long-term memory. Because it is illegal, we do not know all the good benefits it may have.
- Marijuana is not really a "drug." It is usually defined as one, but it's really a plant first, and an herb second. To compare it to other things we've labelled "drug" is absurd, seeing how different marijuana is.
- The government does not have the right to criminalize a personal herb. Imagine if the government suddenly decided caffeine is a drug. (It fits the bill -- it enhances mental facilities, speeds up heart rate, and in the long term, is bad for the body.) Imagine they made coffee illegal and spent dollars and manpower breaking into people's homes to confiscate their coffeemakers, putting people in jail for possession of coffee grinds, etc. Isn't that silly? But that's exactly what's happening now, with marijuana.

Paul in San Diego

Marijuana should be a controlled substance, just like alcohol.

It should not be freely available until a person is 21. It should be regulated by the government and taxed, with the tax money going to rehabilitation for *real* drugs. Any proprieter of marijuana should require a license, just like a liquor license.

Individuals should be able to grow their own for personal consumption. If someone cultivates marijuana and attempts to sell it, they should be treated like people who bootleg alcohol. If someone gets caught driving while under the influence of marijuana, it should be treated like a DUI.

But, marijuana should definitely be made legal for the general public to consume.

Yo dawg

definitely. home-grown means no added substances. tobacco has sooo many ingredients it's scarry. Mary relaxes people too, and considering how much stress there is in the world, maybe it's not a bad thing.

Jose

Yes. It's a lot safer than alcohol and there's no hangover. Hmm, I think we have something here... Many politicians just have their heads buried.

Alana

No.

Old enough to know

Don't we have enough drunks on the road already?

G O

Yes
something else govt can tax
you never hear anyone getting into a fight cause they smoked to much
and lets face it if drinking is ok why isn't pot

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