Legalization? An Insult-Free Discussion

OK folks, the question is should marijuana be legalized in the United States? As always, there can and could be mitigating circumstances, such as legalizing for legitimate medical purposes only, taxing it, etc.

Here's the key point I want to stress. I want this to be an insult-free discussion at all costs. No Bush bashing. No liberal baiting. None of that. And I don't want this to turn into a pissing match over who's cited source is more reputable.

So F_B, Dyepack, Trounced and other rabble-rousers, let's keep it civil or I'll have the mods lock this thread.

And from my own personal experiences and personal beliefs, I do believe it should be legalized. Despite statements to the contrary, I'm not at all convinced that the use of marijuana is an automatic gateway to other more dangerous drugs. Truth be told, anything taken to excess could lead to other problems, and the same is true for weed. But responsible use, like responsible drinking, can be a normal, social thing. And I truly believe it's less dangerous than cigarettes or alcohol, two legal drugs.

Let the debate begin.

 

It's just another way for people to get killed by drivers under the influence of something that slays the reflexes required to operate a vehicle.

The reward ain't worth the risk, to me.

 

I guess my argument to that would be alcohol is much more deadly when it comes to driving under the influence. If that's our reason for keeping marijuana illegal, why not make alcohol illegal as well?

 

I know a lot more highly functioning regular marijuana users than highly functioning regular drinkers. The anecdotal evidence that weed is so much better for society than alcohol is astounding, but those fucking hippies had to go and ruin it for everybody.

 

There are communities that do make it illegal. At least the purchase of alcohol in their communities.

I think may happen at one point with marajuana. It may be legal to consume it, but some communities/states will ban the sale of it for recreational (or any) purposes.

 

Right.

 

Love this thread, alley.

If DUI is the biggest problem here, then alcohol is Public Enemy No. 1 here. Anecdotally, at least, (because the government's prohibition of marijuana will not allow any scientist to test it thoroughly), alcohol seems to be much more harmful than marijuana as far as driving reflexes are concerned.

As the potheads like to say, nobody ever died from smoking weed.

Alcohol is a downer. Its side effects are much different than THC, which causes users to mellow out and, if anything, move slower than usual (that includes how they drive.)

From a sociological standpoint, I think legalizing marijuana would have a healthy impact on the country. We're too wound up as it is. People are too quick to pull a gun to end a fight. People are too quick to rage on the road instead of keeping their cool. People are too quick to get aggressive and confrontational -- anyone who's ever dealt with an angry drunk knows how fun that can be.

Nobody ever deals with an angry stoner. There aren't any.

Legalize it!

 

All of this makes excellent sense.

Still, someone driving a car stoned IS extremely dangerous.

 

Legalization is long overdue for a number of key reasons.

The failed "War on Drugs" had left thousands of people locked up — charged in many cases with possession with the intent to distribute, debite being caught with only their own personal cache, leaving prisons overcrowded — and creating a new class of career criminal, as the drug conviction makes it virtually impossible for them get jobs and lead normal lives once out of prison. Like prohibition, it also created a lucrative opportunity for criminals to deal in the illegal drug.

In addition, the tax revenue from said legalization (obviously, only for adults) would help to pay for drug treatment and deficit reduction — plus law enforcement could use resources for better purposes.

The gateway argument is rather silly, BTW. There's no real link — except for the need to associate with drug dealers, who might be interested in hooking you on more addictive, more lucrative drugs. Legalization takes that out of the loop.

Obviously, the medical uses of THC are clear (stops wasting in cancer patients, helps with various eye ailments and so on) and only preachy stupidity keeps it from being used when it is already common place to use substances similar to heroin (morphine, among others) in everyday medical use.

I don't smoke — and wouldn't were it legal. But when it seems like half the population is using marijuana any policy making it illegal has already failed.

 

It's the only cure for a bad hangover.

 

Alley, you're not a libertarian, are you? Because that's a very libertarian view you've expressed. Anyhow, the issue of driving under the influence is addressed with the DUI laws, and I don't think it should be any different from alcohol. Here's my view vis-a-vis legalization: If you choose to torch in the privacy of your home and it has no impact on anyone else who chooses not to be involved, I really don't see what the problem with marijuana is. This is supposed to be a free country, and as long as you're not posing an extra burden on everyone else, you should be free to decide how you live your life. If your second-hand buzz gets the neighbor's kids high, you should face consequences for that, but if you do it in your home and you're the only one who ... unwinds ... then you should be able to go for it. Plus, it has great potential as a government revenue stream. So I say legalize it, and release every age-of-consent person who is in jail solely for its possession or use.

 

That's a tremendous idea. Do potheads really need to be tying up prison space so many others can be released early or never sent?