Why is marijuana illegal?

[donnamaybe]

I don't really smoke weed anymore, but I've always felt it should be legal. All the money spent on campaigning against marijuana is a joke.

 

Maybe if they made it legal, we could pull out of this recession and create a profit market with the stuff.

 

Finally! Another poster making logical sense.

 

There IS far too much money spent on fighting a very harmless pastime when it could be put to so much more effective use.

[Geishawhelk]

If you think smoking marijuana is a harmless pastime, you are somewhat deluded.

Drug production, in any country will result in some form of exploitation and suffering.

It's a hideous habit, and whilst I would agree that it may not necessarily encourage a person to go onto stronger things, smoking weed does have some rather nasty, sinister and irrepararable long-term side effects, which can affect a person's mental capacity over time.

As with any drug, the side effects vary from person to person.

With some, maybe the effects are negligible, but the effects are there all the same...

With others, the effects are more striking and obvious, and whether you think it should be legalised or not, (I personally believe it should be legal to prescribe mrijuana for certain illnesses for example, like MS and Parkinson's) the fact remains that it'sa an illegal drug, and it does alter your mind-state.

very often with harmful results.

[donnamaybe]

If you think smoking marijuana is a harmless pastime, you are somewhat deluded.

Drug production, in any country will result in some form of exploitation and suffering.

It's a hideous habit, and whilst I would agree that it may not necessarily encourage a person to go onto stronger things, smoking weed does have some rather nasty, sinister and irrepararable long-term side effects, which can affect a person's mental capacity over time.

As with any drug, the side effects vary from person to person.

With some, maybe the effects are negligible, but the effects are there all the same...

With others, the effects are more striking and obvious, and whether you think it should be legalised or not, (I personally believe it should be legal to prescribe mrijuana for certain illnesses for example, like MS and Parkinson's) the fact remains that it'sa an illegal drug, and it does alter your mind-state.

very often with harmful results.

 

Well, then, the entire populace of the US is deluded then (nice insult, BTW) since so many drink alcohol. Of course it alters your state of mind. But in my opinion, yes - it is harmless. ANYTHING can be harmful if overused, even food. You gonna outlaw food too? It most definitely alters your state of mind. Certain foods release seratonin, some tryptophan. And it can most DEFINITELY be harmful. It can cause diabetes if overused. Then there's heart disease, obesity, etc. etc. etc.

[GrnEyedGemini]

Well, then, the entire populace of the US is deluded then (nice insult, BTW) since so many drink alcohol. Of course it alters your state of mind. But in my opinion, yes - it is harmless. ANYTHING can be harmful if overused, even food. You gonna outlaw food too? It most definitely alters your state of mind. Certain foods release seratonin, some tryptophan. And it can most DEFINITELY be harmful. It can cause diabetes if overused. Then there's heart disease, obesity, etc. etc. etc.

 

 

 

LOL!!!!

 

 

There is absolutely nothing that PROVES marijuana is harmful. There are biased studies and governmental studies that "show" the "harmful effects"...however, unbiased studies from unbiased sources show nothing. There is even no proof that marijuana harms a fetus. The ONLY harmful consequence from smoking pot is the smoking part...simply because you are breathing burnt particules into your lungs. Using pot with a vaporizor completely eliminates that problem, actually making the THC stronger so you need less of the chemical to get the same feeling. There are NO long term negative side effects, if you quit. Now....the longer you smoke continiuously, say every day for years...yeah...your cognitive abilities will suffer. When the THC leaves your body, you will regain your normal cognitive ability. Know this for a fact.

 

Giesha....you talk about how bad pot is for you and so on....but do you realize you can smoke 15 joints in 6 hours and still wake up the next morning...maybe with a pot hangover, lol...but you still wake up. You take 15 asprins....you might wake up...if your lucky. You take 15 valiums....yeah...your most likely gone. And these are legal "safe" drugs. Man-made drugs have more capability of causing injury, illness, or death than any amount of smoking pot would do.

[Woggle]

I am not saying that Pot is healthy but can anybody here honestly say that it is as bad heroin, crak or meth? The problem is that society treats all drugs as the same when in reality they are not.

[CommitmentPhobe]

I think older, religious people still have some hangups and lump it with other drugs like heroin, LSD,.

 

LSD is less harmful than marijuana

http://www.jcrows.com/study.gif

[withinyourself]

I have a question-

I saw a note that was on my step son's desk from a pal that included 1/4 costs $100.

Forgive my ignorance. Are they talking about marjuana or coke?

Thanks.

[LucreziaBorgia]

Pot, for sure. He's either going to get ripped off, or he is going to get some fairly good quality stuff.

[donnamaybe]

Pot, for sure. He's either going to get ripped off, or he is going to get some fairly good quality stuff.

 

Right on, LB!

[Haruka]

This is an interesting debate.

 

My boyfriend is heavily into smoking MJ. One week he spent away from it he was suffereing from withdrawing from it. He had tremours and his hands were shaky.

 

However I have only had it once (I am a non-smoker) but I tried it out. My boyfriend shotgunned me and I didn't feel anything at all. Except my throat burnned and my lungs coughed from the smoke.

 

I think they need to legalize it. As I don't see the point in someone smoking it and having to spend so much money just so they can smoke it. The growers are making so much money from it.

[wierdmunky]

I just can't imagine what would happen if they finally announced that mary jane is legal. How many people actually smoke pot.

 

Is it illegal to be just high? My old friend with a car full of stoners had been pulled over, and the driver (which shouldn't have been driving) was detained, everyone else who the cops already labeled high, just told them to leave and go home, or elsewhere.

 

I don't understand how they can prescribe it, you "take" it any way you like, they'll probably point you to the nearest smoke shop, and people still think it's worse than drinking. I know people who get violent when drinking and the same people mellow out when high.

[FleshNBones]

- Around 5.4 million deaths a year are caused by tobacco.

- Over 438,000 Americans (18.1 percent of all deaths) die because of smoking each year. Secondhand smoke kills about 50,000 of them.

- Tobacco use will kill 1 billion people in the 21st century if current smoking trends continue.

From http://www.inforesearchlab.com/smokingdeaths.chtml

 

 

 

Annual Causes of Death in the United States

 

Tobacco 435,000 1

Poor Diet and Physical Inactivity 365,000 1

Alcohol 85,000 1

Microbial Agents 75,000 1

Toxic Agents 55,000 1

Motor Vehicle Crashes 26,347 1

Adverse Reactions to Prescription Drugs 32,000 2

Suicide 30,622 3

Incidents Involving Firearms 29,000 1

Homicide 20,308 4

Sexual Behaviors 20,000 1

All Illicit Drug Use, Direct and Indirect 17,000 1, 5

Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs Such As Aspirin 7,600 6

Marijuana 0 7

 

http://www.drugwarfacts.org/causes.htm

Propaganda...

Marijuana is just as nasty on the lungs as tobacco. Technically people do not die from tobacco. They die from the complications that arise from regular usage.

There is no moderation with marijuana which is why some people like it in the first place. Alcohol and tobacco can be moderated, but as we all know, too many people prefer not to.

 

I think alcohol and tobacco should also be banned in addition to marijuana. I don't want to subsidize someone else's "lifstyle" or "bad habit". People with drinking problems should not get liver transplants, and smokers should not get lung transplants. If they are willing to live with the consequences, they should also be willing to die with them.

[blind_otter]

Propaganda...

Marijuana is just as nasty on the lungs as tobacco. Technically people do not die from tobacco. They die from the complications that arise from regular usage.

There is no moderation with marijuana which is why some people like it in the first place. Alcohol and tobacco can be moderated, but as we all know, too many people prefer not to.

 

I'm not sure I understand what you mean by "there is no moderation with marijuana"? Do you mean, it is virtually impossible to control its manufacture and distribution? Or are you talking about the way people use this drug?

 

Anyway, we all know what the result of alcohol prohibition was - and I don't think any person in their right MIND would want to revisit that time, or those consequences.

[FleshNBones]

I'm not sure I understand what you mean by "there is no moderation with marijuana"? Do you mean, it is virtually impossible to control its manufacture and distribution? Or are you talking about the way people use this drug?

 

Anyway, we all know what the result of alcohol prohibition was - and I don't think any person in their right MIND would want to revisit that time, or those consequences.

Suppose you volunteered to donate your organs. Would you want your lungs going into a chain smoker, or your liver going into a drunk?

 

Let's forget about the logistics for a minute. In principle, would you go against it? Has your life been enriched by these substances?

[blind_otter]

Suppose you volunteered to donate your organs. Would you want your lungs going into a chain smoker, or your liver going into a drunk?

 

Let's forget about the logistics for a minute. In principle, would you go against it? Has your life been enriched by these substances?

 

You didn't answer my questions, but I will do you the courtesy of answering yours.

 

If the chain smoker had quit smoking, or the drunk become sober - no, I wouldn't mind if they received my organs.

 

My life has not been enriched by cigarettes - my father died a long, slow death from lung cancer. He had a lung removed and lived the last 8 months of his life with only one lung.

 

But I also believe in the fundamental right to control one's own body. Nowadays, everyone knows the consequences of abusing these substances - and they should have the right to decide what to do with their own bodies, IMO. I don't think anyone should tell an adult what they can or cannot to to THEMSELVES.

 

Shall we outlaw transfats as well? How about fast food? How about video games? Television? All of these things, in excess, are bad for you. Where do you draw the line?

[calculus]

Well this thread is about 5 pages long and don't want to wade through it, but yes, if you smoke marijuana as a "joint" or through a pipe, it can be harmful for your lungs. Almost like smoking a regular cigarette or cigar, if not worst. On the other hand, if it's smoked through a bong or a vaporizer, it's pretty clean. Cleanest hits I've ever gotten were from a bong. BTW, I smoke marijuana for medicinal purposes, but I don't want to get into the details since it's a personal matter. And I do live in a state that legalized it for medicinal purposes.

[reservoirdog1]

There is no moderation with marijuana which is why some people like it in the first place. Alcohol and tobacco can be moderated, but as we all know, too many people prefer not to.

I don't know how you've come to this conclusion, but it's totally at odds with my experience. I know many people who smoke a joint occasionally, myself included. My greatest historical frequency was 1-2 times per week for a couple of months. It's no different from alcohol in that regard. And, all the evidence would seem to indicate that moderation with respect to tobacco is far more difficult than either alcohol or marijuana.

 

I think it should be legalized. In Canada we came pretty close; the Liberal government was set to "decriminalize" the simple possession of MJ, basically making it a ticketed offense or doing nothing if the quantity was small and the intended use was personal. Then we got stuck with a right wing bible-thumping minority government, and that otherwise sensible approach got chucked out the window.

 

I remember hearing about an exchange between a reporter and Ronald Reagan back when he was governor of California. He was asked if he supported the mandatory wearing of helmets by motorcyclists, and he said he didn't because that was an unwarranted intrusion on personal freedom. He was then asked if he supported the legalization of marijuana, and replied that he didn't because of the evidence that marijuana use causes brain damage.

 

Apparently, he was then asked if he thought the damage to be suffered from smoking marijuana was greater than, say, the damage to be suffered from having bits of ashphalt entering one's brain matter in an unhelmeted motorcycle accident.

 

Needless to say, his answer was meandering and didn't answer the question -- something along hte lines of "if I were a policeman and stopped somebody for DUI, I would be able to tell if they were drunk, but not if they were under the influence of marijuana."

[FleshNBones]

I don't know how you've come to this conclusion, but it's totally at odds with my experience. I know many people who smoke a joint occasionally, myself included. My greatest historical frequency was 1-2 times per week for a couple of months. It's no different from alcohol in that regard. And, all the evidence would seem to indicate that moderation with respect to tobacco is far more difficult than either alcohol or marijuana.

You can drink a little alcohol and still be okay to operate a vehicle (below DUI limit). You cannot take a little marijuana.

I remember hearing about an exchange between a reporter and Ronald Reagan back when he was governor of California. He was asked if he supported the mandatory wearing of helmets by motorcyclists, and he said he didn't because that was an unwarranted intrusion on personal freedom. He was then asked if he supported the legalization of marijuana, and replied that he didn't because of the evidence that marijuana use causes brain damage.

Motorcyclists without helmits are called organ donors. In a sense, they give to the system. People who burn their liver and lungs take from it.

Needless to say, his answer was meandering and didn't answer the question -- something along hte lines of "if I were a policeman and stopped somebody for DUI, I would be able to tell if they were drunk, but not if they were under the influence of marijuana."

Public safety is important.

How would you accomodate "habitual" marijuana users while they operate vehicles? Ban pedestrians, and cyclists? Ban motorcycles?

The smoking habit has been a catastrophe for human health. Will legalizing marijuana reduce this problem, or contribute it? I am sure most of the proponents also support national health care for obvious reasons.

 

 

I would support its usage on the condition that the user would suffer all of the consequences, and place no additional burden on society. An overdose, or an accident where death and injury are limited to the abuser would be okay. The smoker should forfeit the right to seek a lung transplant, the alcoholic should forfeit the liver transplant, etc. Society can only take so much corruption before it crumbles.

[Pot Queen]

OK, Im a little woman, ive been smoking pot for 20 YEARS!!, Ive stopped smoking:) ive been clean for 82 days i weigh 110lbs but yet i still test dirty. Can anybody tell me what I can do? I drink water, cranberry, pickle juice,ive tried everything and still nothing, dirty as can be. I think its lives in my blood vessles lol. Can anyone explain this to me

[blind_otter]

OK, Im a little woman, ive been smoking pot for 20 YEARS!!, Ive stopped smoking:) ive been clean for 82 days i weigh 110lbs but yet i still test dirty. Can anybody tell me what I can do? I drink water, cranberry, pickle juice,ive tried everything and still nothing, dirty as can be. I think its lives in my blood vessles lol. Can anyone explain this to me

 

Depends how much body fat you have, as THC is stored in the fat. It can take up to 3 months for it to full get out of your system.

[Geishawhelk]

Also, take Milk Thistle capsules. This cleanses the liver of resident toxins, and flushes the liver out.

Buy from a reputable outlet and check dosage and the duration you should take it for.

[You'reasian]

Or, let me rephrase that: if alcohol and nicotine are legal, and both are exponentially more dangerous/unhealthy/addictive than marijuana, then why is marijuana illegal? Far more intense drugs (I'm thinking salvia, kava, kratom, peyote, and the like) are perfectly fine, according to the government--I'm aware of how, historically, mj got singled out, but it that nonsense still relevant in this day and age? Now that we know better, why don't we rectify this silly error?

 

I warn you, baby boomers--I am physically and mentally prepared to be berated for this, and I am also counter-prepared with my debating shoes!

 

I'm going to say its illegal because it was never really a part of our society until the 20th century, whereas Tobacco and Alcohol have been part of it for centuries.

 

Add to it, that consumption of Marijuana seems to have a much stronger effect on individuals, than tobacco, although tobacco is more harmful.

 

I neither support nor oppose the issue politically, but think some day it might become legal.

[wierdmunky]

If you search marijuana on the FDA website, it has some pretty interesting stuff, one article said they had 2 approved kinds of pill forms. One that isn't marketed in the US and is synthetic, and the other one is Marinol - which has THC extractions, and is marketed here. I don't know the milligram. I think one reason why it isn't completely regulated is because they haven't come to a conclusion as to how to monitor the potency of the drug because it varies and don't have a cause to why, and toxicity issues.

[lonelygurl]

because they have proven over time that it chemically f**Ks up your brain and the long term affects can be devastating. Nicotine is addictive but you don't get high from smoking it.

I have taken health sciences in College and am presently in a pharmacology course and learning about the effects of drugs the chemicals and the altering it does to your brain and body as a whole.

[Woggle]

I don't understand how this society thinks it's okay to pump our kids full of powerful drugs to keep them calm in school and overprescribe anti-depressents to the point that people feel no emotion anymore but if somebody wants to smoke weed they are looked down upon. Our whole attitude towards drugs is so backwards.