Subscribe to ListverseYour View: Should Drugs Be Legalized
- Published March 7, 2008 - 296 Comments
Marijuana is illegal in a majority of Western nations, yet it is a very commonly used drug. Some countries have decriminalized it’s use, but continue to make it illegal to grow and sell in large quantities. Do you think it would be better for countries to legalize marijuana (and maybe some hard drugs) or should the laws remain as they are? Remember, keep the comments friendly and use good arguments for your view.
Should Drugs Be Legalized?
My answer is that marijuana should be – in doing so it will reduce the workload of police who can concentrate on other crimes, and it could also provide many jobs that currently don’t exist by creating an industry of commercial growers and producers. As for hard drugs, I think that under close medical supervision, some hard drugs could be legally given by a doctor to reduce drug crime.
By the way just say all the...
March 7th, 2008 at 2:21 am
yeah marijuana should be legalized but there should be restrictions. it should be bought only with a prescription from a doctor.
March 7th, 2008 at 2:27 am
You should visit holland
Here they sell marijuana and other softdrugs in the “coffeeshops” legally. They never cause any serious problems, ye sure, there are victims of overusage or whatever, but the same goes for alcoholabuse. I wouldn’t recommend legalising hardrugs though. If it becomes legal, they (the government) will make them alot more expensive, and we wouldn’t want that to happen, now would we?
@Twinkle: that’s not legalising
March 7th, 2008 at 2:42 am
Darn so close to first comment this time! Anyway I agree with Twinkle…
March 7th, 2008 at 3:05 am
the only reason the government would want to legalise them is if they could put a tax on it, and rest assured, they would. At the moment (i live in australia, right in the middle of kings cross, the main red light district)most soft and hard drugs are fairly easily available, and while i personally think that legalisation would increase the amount of damage done to heavy users in terms of health and social standing (if they haveto pay more for it this is), my friend thinks it would decrease the number or recreational users. In other words, legalisation would end up being bad for your pocket and your country, whereas plenty of people are quite happy right now scouring the earth looking for stuff, let’s keep it that way.
March 7th, 2008 at 3:14 am
I think cannabis should be legalised, but not any other harder drugs. By legalised I mean taxed, controlled, and available only in certain outlets, so, for example, you couldn’t just walk into a Tesco & buy some. Anyone wanting to sell it would have to get a liscence, and the liscences would be controlled as well. Doing this would virtually eliminate the contact with drug dealers people would have if they wanted to get some, dealers who could lead them onto other harder drugs.
Cannabis is a lot safer than alcohol, which is legal, and people don’t get violent after taking some, so it’d be a lot safer for everyone. As I posted in a debate on the BBC website recently, I’d rather wake up on my sofa with a half eaten pizza next to me after a night of smoking pot than wake up in an alleyway covered in stale vomit & urine, sans trousers after a night of drinking.
So yeah, I say legalise & control.
March 7th, 2008 at 3:20 am
Yes. All drugs should be completely legalized. In my opinion it is not up to the state to decide what people do with their lives – up to and including suicide. Laws should be in place to keep you from harming others, but what drugs you take should be none of anyone’s business.
Note: I smoke a pipe of regular tobacco a couple of times a year, I drink a beer every few weeks and get drunk at a party about twice a year. I don’t do any other drugs either, apart from the occasional painkiller. My viewpoint is from the standpoint of a non user who have had good insight into the drug user community through work.
March 7th, 2008 at 3:45 am
Absolutely. But just marijuana. And put an age limit (say 18) on it just so parents dont go all apeshit about it. But coke, heroin, meth etc should still be illegal no doubt about that. Those can seriously wreck lives. And i disagree with the above comment (#6), what u do inevitably affects those around you
March 7th, 2008 at 3:48 am
i think heroin should be irrdicated complertely, wipe out poppies, we have no need for it. anybody who takes heroin deserves to die as over the few thousand years people have taken it, nothing good has come of it. i have no sympathy for addicts as you might have thought they would have heard something negative about it by now! (sarcasm) also cannabis wont be legalised due to taxation, if you could grow tobacco in your garden the government would make it illegal. right now drugs busts and arresting assetts are much better for the government, speeking as a scottish citizen myself.
March 7th, 2008 at 3:49 am
yes it should, Like you see here in the Netherlands, the amount of problems will reduce once there legal. but there should be restirictions in the amount people are allowed having on them. Now I’m no specialist, but I do know studies show that legalizing soft drugs reduces the majority of problems coused by the same drugs. or something like that. like I said I’m no expert.
March 7th, 2008 at 3:58 am
Sure, legalize weed. I think there is enough evidence to prove that ciggs and alcohol are just as bad, if not worse.
As for other drugs? Ban them, sure. I do feel bad for people who get addicted to drugs, it is not always fair to blame them. I know this will cause controversy, but I think some people are born into situations where drugs become inevitable to all but the strongest of personalities.
March 7th, 2008 at 4:09 am
Ganga is good for Asthma
March 7th, 2008 at 4:17 am
I think drugs should be legalised in order to control them and to stop dodgy drug dealers.
March 7th, 2008 at 4:22 am
I’d ban alcohol. By far the worst drug today, maybe not when compared to heroin or something, but in terms of mass comsumption, fuck.
March 7th, 2008 at 4:37 am
I believe that Pot for sure should be legalized. It is much safer to get high on that, than it is on alcohol for sure. I say that as a user of both.
Alcohol messes up your senses and your reflexes a hell of a lot more than smoking a joint does. Plus you dont have a hang over the next day!!!
March 7th, 2008 at 4:39 am
I think marijuana should be legal for sure. I have never heard of anyone smoking a joint and raping someone or getting violent. The only thing I rape after smoking a joint is my fridge… poor bastard lol. Now as for the hardcore drugs, I’ve seen first hand what they can do to families and communities and it’s not pretty.
March 7th, 2008 at 4:44 am
in a serious note, it think that Ganja should not be legalised (but seriously, boil the weed root in water and drink it – instant cure for asthma) because people are never satisfied, when they get fed up of weed they would go for the hard stuff. (Oh and weed gives you inspiration to write reggae music – or so i’ve heard) but its bad, very bad and it would make you real hungry and then you begin to look like a hard piece of wood (or so i’ve been told)
March 7th, 2008 at 4:47 am
romerozombie: silence! I will not hear such evil ideas!
March 7th, 2008 at 5:07 am
If weed were legal the Dept. of Agriculture has estimated the actual value to be approx. $.10 an ounce. SO that sells illicitly for approx. $250 an ounce. The difference: $249.90 per ounce, if used as tax revenue would go a LONG way. Besides that, there has never been a documented case of death from marijuana. We can’t say the same for alcohol or cigarettes can we. Time for a change.
March 7th, 2008 at 5:11 am
Yeah, just Marijuana, very tight restriction with prescription and all. I don’t agree with it being alcohol and tobacco substitute though.
March 7th, 2008 at 5:21 am
I used to work in a prison and I’d always ask the dealers if they thought drugs should be legal. Without exception, they all said no. If drugs were legal, they said, they’d be out of a job!
This taught me two things. First, the dealers are benefiting from the current system. Second, if the first thing the convicted dealers planned to do once they got out of jail was to start dealing, then punishment is also worthless.
Seriously, when have you (or someone you knew) ever had a problem getting drugs because they’re illegal? The only thing making them illegal does is make them more expensive, and more dangerous because they’re completely unregulated.
Legalize drugs. Have a “drugging age” same as we do for a drinking age, let grownups make grownup choices. It’s your body and you should be able to say what you do with it, even if it’s something stupid.
Legalize it, regulate it, tax the crap out of it. Create a revenue stream instead of a financial black hole.
March 7th, 2008 at 5:29 am
legalize it. all of it. i’m not a drug user a little weed in college not withstanding. the war on drugs is one of the biggest jokes of all time. take all the money spent on that travesty and lower our taxes by that amount.
March 7th, 2008 at 5:41 am
Legalize the soft drugs. De-criminalize possession for the rest of them. The war on drugs does not work and causes more social problems than it solves. In the United States right now , today, 99.1% of their citizenry is in jail. I don’t know what percentage of that horrendous number is drug related, but we all know its huge. Spend the money that is now being wasted on ineffective incarceration and enforcement on education, health care and social programs proven to alleviate the underlying causes of drug abuse. An interesting stat that I read, drug abuse is actually lower in The Netherlands where it is legal than in the USA where it is not.
http://www.taima.org/drugfacts/nl_usa.htm
March 7th, 2008 at 5:42 am
guys .99.1% just shy of 1%, please excuse the typo
March 7th, 2008 at 5:46 am
Sorry for the double/triple post. The percentage of violent offenders incarcerated in the USA is roughly 30%. I would imagine/infer that the large majority of the rest of the prison population is drug related, either through theft or possession etc…
March 7th, 2008 at 5:53 am
Rob: I don’t know where you live but I only pay 100 to 120 for an ounce of very good ganja no where near 250.
You are getting ripped off!!!
March 7th, 2008 at 6:27 am
I live in Montana, USA. It is legal to be in possession of “medical marijuana” as long as you have a prescription for it. However, marijuana can not be obtained legally whether you have a prescription or not! You still have to see your local drug dealer!
March 7th, 2008 at 6:36 am
#16 srichards, “because people are never satisfied, when they get fed up of weed they would go for the hard stuff.
I know of people that have smoked week their whole lives, and have never got *fed up with it* and moved on to hard drugs. And they are professionals. My aunt is a nurse specializing in tumor tracking and my uncle her husband repairs very high tech hospital equipment and commands high money just to walk in the door and just look at the machine. They are in their 50’s, pretty well off and will probably smoke pot for the rest of their lives.
And how in God’s name does smoking pot cause you to look like a hard piece of wood???? I just dont understand that comment.
March 7th, 2008 at 6:53 am
#16 srichards; you are mistaken and full of shit. I’ve smoked weed my entire life (since grade 7), and other than the odd mind expanding hallucinogen I have never dabbled in hard drugs. No coke, no meth, no oxy’s, no vicodin, no nothing else. Of my 4 children I have had drug problems with one of them, and it was Oxycodone. Prescription drug abuse is rampant where I live, and way too readily available. Far worse than a little weed or a tab of acid. Mind you addiction runs in my family, I have alcoholics all over the place, so it is quite possible that if hadn’t been oxy’s it might have been something else. Throwing him in jail would have made the situation worse. I put him under house-arrest, told everyone who phoned he could not talk because he was an oxy addict. Same thing to anyone who came to the door. It worked, it caused him great pain, no sleep for a week, horrendous twitching,,,,awful drug
March 7th, 2008 at 6:56 am
legalize all drugs. at first have government administered regulation and taxation that over time would be handled by private citizen groups or small public businesses, to take the government out of the picture entirely. the revenue from taxation would go to public education. rehab centers. training more professional counselors to deal w/ addicts. make addiction a medical issue not a legal one. educate the pubic from early on about the dangers of misuse and addiction. make a distinction between recreational usage and addictive behaviors. keep strict laws and penalties for public drug usage..like driving under the influence. other ‘crimes’ committed while under the influence. have a kind of ‘what goes on in the privacy of your own home is a personal not a government concern’ attitude. the exception being….
if you get wasted and fall asleep in your bathtub allowing it to run over and flood your downstairs neighbor’s bathroom then ..not once but 3 times in less than a year..then you should be taken out and shot! ARGH! yes, that last bit was personal. and all too true. supposedly the apt. management is finally getting this asshole outa here. i’ll believe it when i see him hauling his crap out. heh…so yes, there are limits even for me. i don’t give a rat’s ass what consenting adults do in the privacy of their own homes but when it involves flooding my bathroom at 2am on Sunday morning…i draw the line! and call the cops! grrr…
March 7th, 2008 at 7:06 am
srichards; I do not look like a hard piece of wood. In fact I have no wrinkles, not including laugh lines. Those I have in abundance. My mom whom I favor, drinks. She is wrinkled to rat shit and looks 10 years older than she is. I look 10 years younger, minimum. I get mistaken for one of my kids friends when I don’t have make-up on and wear a ball cap. (I have short hair)
March 7th, 2008 at 7:11 am
In a perfect world, maybe doctors would only give hard drugs to people that need it medically, but to me it is all too obvious that many doctors would be selling these drugs to people that don’t actually need it. In other words the doctors would become the drug dealers.
March 7th, 2008 at 7:11 am
Weed should be legal and taxed and regulated like alcohol. I mean, it’s already our (USA) number one cash crop by far, and we waste sooooo much money putting non-violent drug offenders in jail.
-In 2006, drug law violators comprised 19.6% of all adults serving time in State prisons – 249,400 out of 1,274,600 State prison inmates.
-According to the US Justice Department, 27.9% of drug offenders in state prisons are serving time for possession.
-According to the American Corrections Association, the average daily cost per state prison inmate per day in the US is $67.55. State prisons held 249,400 inmates for drug offenses in 2006. That means it cost states approximately $16,846,970 per day to imprison drug offenders, or $6,149,144,050 per year.
-It’s deeeeeeelicious.
March 7th, 2008 at 7:12 am
Oh Mom424 thank you for clarifying that for me, I do not look like a hard piece of wood either I am 40 years old and still get mistaken for being in my late 20’s early 30’s and I have been smoking pot for oh i would say at least 25 years and have no plans to stop.
a few laugh lines and some worry lines between my eyebrows and thats about it
March 7th, 2008 at 7:18 am
So…everyone is naming these statistics that seem a little out of place to me. Could these stats have come from wikipedia? I’m not saying they’re wrong, maybe just taken out of context.
March 7th, 2008 at 7:22 am
Chris; no. my stats are from the FBI, ministry of health etc. Check out the link and read the notes at the bottom. Not taken out of context. The percentage of US population incarcerated has been all over the news for more than a week now.
March 7th, 2008 at 7:22 am
-In 2006, drug law violators comprised 19.6% of all adults serving time in State prisons – 249,400 out of 1,274,600 State prison inmates.
Source: Sabol, William J., PhD, Couture, Heather, and Harrison, Paige M., Bureau of Justice Statistics, Prisoners in 2006 (Washington, DC: US Department of Justice, December 2007), NCJ219416, p. 24, Appendix Table 9, and p. 25, Appendix Table 10.
-According to the US Justice Department, 27.9% of drug offenders in state prisons are serving time for possession; 69.4% are serving time for trafficking offenses; and 2.7% are in for “other.”
Source: Mumola, Christopher J., and Karberg, Jennifer C., “Drug Use and Dependence, State and Federal Prisoners, 2004,” (Washington, DC: US Dept. of Justice, Oct. 2006) (NCJ213530), p. 4.
-According to the American Corrections Association, the average daily cost per state prison inmate per day in the US is $67.55. State prisons held 249,400 inmates for drug offenses in 2006. That means it cost states approximately $16,846,970 per day to imprison drug offenders, or $6,149,144,050 per year.
Sources: American Correctional Association, 2006 Directory of Adult and Juvenile Correctional Departments, Institutions, Agencies and Probation and Parole Authorities, 67th Edition (Alexandria, VA: ACA, 2006), p. 16; Sabol, William J., PhD, Couture, Heather, and Harrison, Paige M., Bureau of Justice Statistics, Prisoners in 2006 (Washington, DC: US Department of Justice, December 2007), NCJ219416, p. 24, Appendix Table 9.
March 7th, 2008 at 7:24 am
it seems curious that the argument used by several people is that weed should be legalized because it isn’t as bad as tobacco or alcohol. we can agree, seemingly, that there are problems/concerns with legalizing pot. so we dismiss these concerns by saying that there are other things out there with more problems?
shouldn’t the bigger concern be that we should figure out how to solve the rest of these problems?
March 7th, 2008 at 7:24 am
Legalize it all…I am a cop and have worked in the narcotics division at my department and there are a few things that I have noticed. If someone wants to do drugs they will no matter what the “gubment” says. If someone is not doing drugs at this time they probably wont if it is legal. Much of the crime in my city is drug related, not all but some, territories, debts owed, needing cash for more. Why not tax the drugs and make some money off of it I’m sure it would reduce my taxes somewhere down the line. Why the hell should I have to pay for someones rehab because they cant afford it, less criminals in prison feeding off everyones public funds. Why would anyone head to the bad section of town to get a hit when they can go to the “shop” and buy a hit that is known to be “real dope” and not “turkey dope”. Legalize it, I choose not to use myself but if you want to you will and have been why would I waste my time trying to stop someone who doesnt want to so I can get to someone who wants my help.
March 7th, 2008 at 7:26 am
-It’s deeeeeeeelicious.
Source: Me
March 7th, 2008 at 7:32 am
DiscHuker: Exactly what problems/concerns with legalizing pot are you talking about.
Not being a smart ass just wondering what kind of problems are you talking about
And I agree with DJ, if it is legalized then the government can tax it which will help with the government budget.
March 7th, 2008 at 7:52 am
DiscHuker; We already know how to alleviate these problems. Reduce poverty through education, health care, and social programs. Provide hope to those have none by having true equal opportunity for education. Provide a safe and stable environment for our children with quality day care and subsidized housing. Remove the criminal element from the equation by decriminalization. These tactics are proven to work. Money is not the issue as TMo has kindly pointed out; knowledge is not the problem, we know how; political will is what is lacking. Short-sighted political gain over the welfare of society. The story of our times.
March 7th, 2008 at 8:09 am
My answer as with im sure is mom424’s is marijuana should be legalized. And so should hard drugs, you’d see less crime and death if it was legalized. And you should be allowed to put whatever the hell you want inyo your body, thats why amsterdam ROXS!
March 7th, 2008 at 8:10 am
Mom424, the reason I stated money as the main argument for legalization is that it could be diverted towards making our society better and safer and pay for those social programs you mention.
March 7th, 2008 at 8:13 am
TMo; yes, I was thanking you for giving us the exact savings that decriminalization would provide. Enough for a good start!
March 7th, 2008 at 8:27 am
Csimmons; No you should not be “allowed” to put whatever you want into your body. It just shouldn’t be illegal. I am not for rampant drug use. Moderation in all things. Just because something feels good does not mean you should do it. And you are mistaken if you think weed is innocuous (harmless). It ruins your lungs, contributes to apathy and dampens ambition (remember the Stoner under-achievers at school), contributes to obesity, and has a proven effect on the immune system.
Be aware of the consequences of your actions at all times and make your decisions accordingly.
March 7th, 2008 at 8:27 am
not sure that legalizing would end all the crime associated with drugs. as long as it still costs money, people without money would still need to turn to crime in order to get the legalized drugs that they have no money for.
seems that price and not necessarily availability is where the crime comes from
March 7th, 2008 at 8:32 am
mom424: I did put all of those into thought, but shouldn’t people be free to do whatever they want to do to their bodies(in moderation of course)?
March 7th, 2008 at 8:34 am
And although I have never taken or plan to take drugs(except for prescriptions)I believe people have the right to take drugs, but maybe there should be a law saying only in moderation, it might work.
March 7th, 2008 at 8:35 am
here are my thoughts. i think it should all be legalized and government made for a few years then natural selection would take over. because as most of you have agreed, those who want it are gonna do it anyway. the ones who are “hard-core” are gonna o/d and die. then after those people kick off let the “gubment” step in and start reducing the quality of the drugs. eventually making them weaker and weaker.
March 7th, 2008 at 8:37 am
I agree with hippymom, legalizing drugs may in fact them weaker and weaker until they are barely taken.
March 7th, 2008 at 8:38 am
i have no problem with the legalization of a relatively harmless drug such as marijuana. theres no physical dependency, no evidence of long term psychological effects, and the long term physical effects would be no more damaging than a lifetime of smoking cigarettes or drinking alcohol.
i think if the government decided to spend some of the billions they blow annually on the drug war and instead researched it a little bit, they could save those billions in the future simply by decriminalizing marijuana.
in my opinion, they wouldnt even have to make it truly “legal”, but simply drop the penalties on it. its probably not something that i would ever expect to see being sold at wal-mart, but if the government simply stopped caring, it would save them billions by not fighting it and would make a lot of people in america very happy
March 7th, 2008 at 8:39 am
And, as TMo said, it costs too much to keep a person on drug charges in jail per year, that money could go toward health-care or other useful purposes.
March 7th, 2008 at 8:43 am
EricB:Marijuana isn’t exactly harmless, but you are right, And this is my opinion, but i think the only reason that cigs and alcohol are legal is because the best kinds of ‘em are made in america, if Marlboro made weed, weed would be legal.
March 7th, 2008 at 8:44 am
I believe that marijuana should be legalized. I have never used it (nor have I used any recreational drugs), but I have friends who do. I’m around them when they’re smoking, and they don’t go off and do stupid stuff, or turn to harder drugs because they’re not satisfied. I think the whole idea that marijuana is a “gateway” drug is just an excuse for people with no self-control. My friends, and in fact most potheads I know, don’t smoke a joint and say, “damn, that just wasn’t enough for me, I’m gonna go buy an 8 ball!”
They smoke, relax, get the munchies, maybe play some video games. No one dies, no one goes all bananas because they smoked some reefer. It’s not a big deal. Really. Regulate the growth and production, tax it, do what you gotta do, just stop making it out to be such a huge problem!
For the most part, I think harder drugs like Coke, Heroin, Meth, and even Ecstasy should be kept illegal, or at the very least legalized and regulated SEVERELY. Perhaps even going as far as setting up “safe houses” where people can pay a fee and get their fix in safety and privacy so they’re not out on the streets with it.
March 7th, 2008 at 8:48 am
I don’t see why softer drugs shouldn’t be legal, it would do more good than it would harm. Harder drugs should definitely not be legal though, they’re just too dangerous.
March 7th, 2008 at 8:48 am
I entirely agree with Mom on, I think, every point she’s made.
Drugs should be at least be de-criminalized. Certainly marijuana and other soft drugs can be legalized with little danger.
The fact is that our drug policy, which has gone on for decades now, is no more successful (and has proved far more destructive to society) than Prohibition. All we’ve done is spent billions while coming no nearer to a solution, and helped to give power and wealth to organized crime (again, exactly paralleling Prohibition) while forcing millions into prison. Yet drug use goes on, rising and ebbing with the flow of fashion.
We never seem to want to ask or address the hard questions about WHY drug use is so rampant in our society. The questions get to the heart of some nasty issues about America that I expect few people have the courage to face.
Well, our choice is to go on throwing money away while screwing our own society as well as the societies and economies of other countries or to face up to this issue finally, and come to our senses. Maybe someday we really will grow up.
March 7th, 2008 at 8:49 am
Csimmons; Not going to jail and being free to do whatever you want is not the same thing. Doing whatever you want is irresponsible and detrimental to society. Some substances are not safe in any amount. Crystal Meth comes to mind as does crack cocaine, both are known to produce addiction responses after as little as one or two doses. So, No, people should not be free to put whatever they want into their bodies, they just needn’t go to jail for it.
March 7th, 2008 at 8:49 am
I do think that cannibis should be legalized along with Hemp. The plants that have inebriating effects should be rgulated similarly as alcohol is. the benefits of widespread hemp production are numerous.
March 7th, 2008 at 8:51 am
to Csimmons: i understand when people say that weed isnt harmless, but for anyone with a little self control, the harm doesnt amount to anything worse than what cigarettes or alcohol could amount to.
and another reason i think most drugs will probably stay illegal is because the government would have a hard time taxing them and making money off of them. thats why i always throw in how much money they could save each year by calling off the drug war
March 7th, 2008 at 8:57 am
EricB:
The government does a fine job regulating and taxing alcohol. Doing the same with marijuana will see an economic boom and a huge decrease in drug-related crime because the prices will be lower to purchase legally, and the underground market will disappear.
March 7th, 2008 at 8:58 am
Mom424: You are right, most hard drugs are very harmful to society, and i live in a county where meth is becoming a big problem, and there being little or no jail-time for drugs is probably the best solution.
EricB:Thats pretty much my point, if the goverment got their heads out of their asses, and stopped the drug war, it would be a better country.
March 7th, 2008 at 9:01 am
TMo:That is a good solution too, but all these health organizations won’t allow the legalization so there really isn’t a point in trying to make it legal.
March 7th, 2008 at 9:02 am
I would personally start a petition across America to make drugs legal, but I’m sure the goverment would shoot it down.
March 7th, 2008 at 9:05 am
Marijuana, yes. To persons of 18 or older. Others, no.
March 7th, 2008 at 9:07 am
Csimmons: It’s not the health organizations (the ones that aren’t politicized seem to recognize the disparity between the harms of illegality and the lesser harms of legality), in fact, it’s the paper industry and the Catholics.
March 7th, 2008 at 9:10 am
Legalize pot, that’s fine.
HOWEVER, you people saying yes to the hard drugs are NUTS! Coke, heroin, and the others cause too many extreme changes to a person’s mind and body. So you want personal freedom, well, I dont want some crackhead knifing me for my wallet.
MissDestiny- you said “Perhaps even going as far as setting up “safe houses” where people can pay a fee and get their fix in safety and privacy so they’re not out on the streets with it.”
do you really think you’re going to get say a 6′5″ 300 lb. coke-raged monster to “chill” on some safe house couch
csimmons-you said “but shouldn’t people be free to do whatever they want to do to their bodies(in moderation of course)?”
of dynamite to my body and walk into a market place?
so i should be able to strap 5 lbs.(-not 10, moderation ya know
March 7th, 2008 at 9:10 am
TMo:Haha, paper industrys
March 7th, 2008 at 9:13 am
Randall; Have you read the stats on single parent households below the poverty line in the United States? Something like 1/2 are due to the other parent being in jail for drug offenses. Study after study has shown that 2 parents, even non-perfect parents, produce a better environment than one. Mostly due to better income I imagine, but the sense of stability/security offered in two parent homes cannot be over-looked.
Talk about failure in social programs!
March 7th, 2008 at 9:13 am
islanderbst: I meant legalization of soft drugs, not hardcore drugs, i should know, I live in a state where Crystal Meth is becoming a huge problem.
March 7th, 2008 at 9:15 am
Mom424:Those stats are right, Two parents teach a kid more about drugs(at least most anyway), mine do and I never plan to take any more than prescription drugs.
March 7th, 2008 at 9:25 am
csimmons- yeah crystal meth is a big problem, it makes girls REAL ugly
on pot, I dont know how it is any where other than here in michigan, usa, but any one I know that smokes it, always has pot, or easy access to it. so even though the cops here seem to make big busts all the time, and the court gets a lot of possession charges, it doesnt seem to be affecting anyones supply.
March 7th, 2008 at 9:28 am
islanderbst:It is pretty much the same every where else(except in Amsterdam!)and thats why it should be legal, it doesn’t really affect people worse than alcohol or cigarettes.
March 7th, 2008 at 9:39 am
Amsterdam, lol. I’d never make it there! I like my drinks and my women on the strait-laced and boring side!
March 7th, 2008 at 9:44 am
I browsed through the comments and I think that the majority of people agree with me in that mary jane should be legal (and taxed to high heaven) I think this would free up some time for law enforcement to focus on harder drugs, such as meth. It seems to me that a lot of times marijuana busts are just kids sitting at home playing video games and listening to music. What harm is that? I also feel like the government makes way to big a deal about marijuana use when in all reality I feel that alcohol is way more dangerous. For my full view check out the marijuana poll in the forums.
March 7th, 2008 at 9:51 am
man made alcohol and other drugs
god created herb
who do you trust?
March 7th, 2008 at 9:52 am
hippymom: God also made wine (remember the wedding at Cana?)
March 7th, 2008 at 9:57 am
March 7th, 2008 at 10:00 am
SocialButterfly: I am warming myself up for my evening drink
March 7th, 2008 at 10:03 am
I think that marijuana should be legal. It doesn’t do alot of harm except make people process things slower. But I also think it should be taxed. It could be a major cash crop in many places and then government could put the money into health or education maybe.
As for anything else, it is not a question of legality but a question of public health. Many addicts live very poor lives with bad health and safety. The main thing that government money should go to is not to arresting them, but to doing harm reduction. Things like safe injection sites, free condoms, street nurses, maybe a place to eat, etc. would at least make the situation better. People will NEVER stop doing drugs whether they are legal or not. Therefore why not lessen the problem by reducing overdose, spread of disease, etc.
As for me, I am a 23 year old university student, I like to party and drink. But I honestly think alcohol is the worst drug out there. When you think about it, it causes way more social problems than anything else out there. We all know alcoholics, we all know someone with a problem, we all know someone who has be in a alcohol related crash, we all know someone busted for drunk driving… the point it, and I know its hypocritical cuz I like my Beer and Clam too, but in reality it is the worst. However, governments will never make it illegal, because they make a killing in taxes on it… at least where I live.
March 7th, 2008 at 10:03 am
First off- I think this is a great topic to be debated ina forum such as this (educated, sensible group).
Full disclosure- I smoke marijuana regularly and have for more than ten years. In that time I graduated high school a year early, got a bachelor’s degree on a full academic scholarship, and have been a gainfully employed professional for over four years. As such I take issue with the stereotype of a “pothead” wasting the day away on the couch (although that is a perfectly acceptable way to spend a weekend).
People seem to be taking issue w/ the term “harmless” in reference to marijuana. I would assume they mean harmless in the same sense that a stick of butter is harmless. There are very few things in this world that are 100% harmless…I love oxygen, but its not so good around an open flame…water, great stuff, universal solvent, unfortunately causes drowning.
It is absurd that marijuana continues to be illegal in the USA. Illegality has been proven to be an ineffective deterrent to usage. The money spent on court proceedings and eventual incarceration of marijuana users (in addition to the income generated from taxation) would go a long way towards improving this country.
Hard drugs are a much stickier situation. I cringe when confronted w/ the possibility of crack/meth/smackheads roaming the street freely. At the same time, I feel that therapy/rehab are far more valuable than incarceration.
So, in summary, change “punishment” for hard drug use to therapy/rehab, and legalize marijuana completely.
March 7th, 2008 at 10:07 am
Kingleum: I totally agree… rehab should be mandatory, not prison. Maybe the social problems regarding drug use would diminish.
March 7th, 2008 at 10:10 am
This has nothing to do with this, but i just found this hard game on ebaums and can’t beat it, someone figure it out and help me!
http://www.ebaumsworld.com/games/play/228376#
March 7th, 2008 at 10:13 am
And i agree with toolnut, Most times people are arrested for POSSESION of marijuana, not smoking it, and when people do smoke it, there usually isn’t very much harm done to society like there is with crack or cocaine, or hell, even alcohol.
March 7th, 2008 at 10:17 am
CSimmons- which part are you having trouble with? I don’t want to give away too much and ruin it for you.
March 7th, 2008 at 10:19 am
kingleum:My worst part is the switches, I know it varys every time but I can’t figure them out to get 1111
March 7th, 2008 at 10:25 am
the values assigned to the switches double for each switch (1-2-4-8-16-etc.) so you need the total value of the “switched” switches to equal 1,111.
Scroll for soultion if you’re stuck
V
V
V
V
V
V
1,024+64+16+4+2+1=1,111
March 7th, 2008 at 10:27 am
I know that yesterday I asked Jamie not to make this until 3:00 EST, But Kentucky is getting 12 inches(I can’t convert that to metric, sorry)And Ill be out of school for a while! So i won’t miss these arguments!
March 7th, 2008 at 10:31 am
ONLY maryjane, and only under these conditions:
You must be 21 or older,
you can only grow it in your own home,
you can’t smoke n’ drive
can’t give it to minors,
and you have to check with a doctor first. Kinda like Canada in some aspects.
March 7th, 2008 at 10:32 am
I think pot should be legal. I don’t think you should have to get a prescription for it either. I have issues about it because my dad smoked alot of pot instead of raising me. So I think it should be regulated and maybe you should have to be 18 to buy it. I don’t really have a solid opinion on it. I just think its completely and utterly STUPID to arrest people for pot, especially sick people. I think we should atleast invest in using it for medical reasons. No one should ever be jailed for smoking pot. (unless they drive or become violent.. stuff like that)
March 7th, 2008 at 10:38 am
king:Thanks! I finally beat it!
March 7th, 2008 at 10:45 am
Andrea: I agree with most of your rules, except the 21 thing, why not 18? Most weed smokers start even younger than that.
March 7th, 2008 at 10:48 am
I notice alot of people saying soft drugs should be legal but hard drugs should remain illiegal. What do most people use to determine a hard or soft drug? In most cases what is viewed as a hard drug (based on government response and legal penalty) is really not that bad. Consider this on a chart that distinguishes drugs from most harmful to least Heorin is number one. That no surprise but consider that Pot is one step below tobacco on this chart and LSD is far far behind both of those drugs. Ecstasy is actually the least harmful drug overall. Check out the chart for yourselves.
http://www.newscientist.com/data/images/archive/2563/25633101.jpg
March 7th, 2008 at 11:03 am
Myah- Interesting graph. I am curious as to what parameters they used to assign a numerical value to the relative dangers of each drug.
March 7th, 2008 at 11:05 am
i feel alcohol has a much more negative effect than marijuana does.
How many fights break out at bars just in your city due to people consuming alcohol? It happens all the time. Alcohol seems to make any gathering a volitile situation, even in cases when it’s just friends getting together.
Seriously, how much crime is caused as the direct result of alcohol consumption?
If people got together and smoked some joints, could you picture fights breaking out? The only fights may be philosophical arguments, or whether to order pizza or chinese food
It’s a waste of time arresting people and sending them to jail or giving them a criminal record for something as small as possession of a joint or two. The USA seem to treat people in possession of personal amounts of marijauna the same as a HARD criminal. Shouldn’t they be concentrating their efforts on more pressing matters? Why not use the ‘pot busters’ in a better way? Focus on the meth labs and heroin dealers. Use them to catch murderers, pedophiles, rapists. The jails are filled to capacity, why not take out the small time pot dealers and make room for someone who should be kept out of society and reformed. I live in Canada and while it is illegal here, they go after the big time dealers. They are not overly concerned with the average joe or mary jane who has a small amount….the police will confinscate the pot (and probably smoke it with there fellow officers at a weekend party
), but the police don’t treat people with amounts for personal use as if they were on their way to bomb an orphanage.
I would not however, legalize any drug other than marijauna. Crack, heroin, crystal meth….they all destroy the lives of the users and those around them at an alarming rate.
March 7th, 2008 at 11:20 am
Jamie in his intro says: “My answer is that marijuana should be – in doing so it will reduce the workload of police who can concentrate on other crimes”
Other crimes? I thought the very reason for legalizing drugs is that to do what you want with your life without harming others is no crime. So now pursuing personal liberty is a crime (it’s says much about the world we live in). But then, if it’s true, what’s the point in legalizing it?
March 7th, 2008 at 11:27 am
There are laws against murder, theft, rape, etc…
If a person can choke down a gram of PCP and keep himself under control then what right does the government have to say he can’t do it?
March 7th, 2008 at 11:38 am
umm pcp is unpredictable in its effects, and what if he uses more than what he typically can handle and goes berzerk
March 7th, 2008 at 11:39 am
zeppelingod I see your point but there are other disruptions to one’s life that can be caused by drugs other than Alcohol. While a big cloud of drunks is usually a sign of trouble that only happens because we have bars. What about someone crashing their car while high on Pot or someone urinating in a pubic park full of children while high on LSD. I think the overall message is if one is going to do drugs then please stay at home or find someone that can stay with you and babysit. That goes for every drug in my opinion.
March 7th, 2008 at 11:52 am
I think all drugs should be legalized. I think its people personal responsibilities to take care of themselves. We let people over eat themselves to death, if someone wants shoot themselves to death with heroine they should be able to do it. Its a free country for a reason and we can’t keep censoring/babying people to the point of where people can’t make smart decisions for themselves. If people are not smart enough to see the horrible consequences of doing hardcore drugs then let them kill themselves. I know thats a pretty harsh way to think about it, but its true.
Also, I think if these same hardcore drugs were legalized and were allowed to be developed by pharmaceutical companies then a lot of the deaths from these drugs being tainted by the streets and poor manufacturing would be eliminated.
Plus we could get rid of the DEA which would save the government money which in turn would save us money.
But this is just my $0.02
March 7th, 2008 at 12:04 pm
Chubby Bear, I cannot tell you how much I agree. LEgalizing drugs would also bring in a TON of tax money to use for whatever: schools, roads, whatever the state wants.
March 7th, 2008 at 12:34 pm
well, that’s an interesting way to see things. I’m pro freedom so let’s legalize the drugs! I’m pro freedom so let’s then tax them heavily!
…
Knock, knock! Is there any logic there?
March 7th, 2008 at 12:37 pm
I agree with many of you on here about legalizing marijuana. I was a pothead for 12 years and was a functioning member of society (worked, raised kids, 4.0 GPA). I quit mainly because I was about to graduate and needed to be clean to get a decent job. I was also concerned that as my children got older, there was greater risk of the “wrong” people finding out and then losing my children to the system. So my main reasons for quitting involved the illegal aspects of the drug.
As far as a “gateway” drug, I believe the fact that it is put in the same category as heroin and meth is the major problem with this. I never personally wanted to do anything stronger but kids may smoke pot, feel a nice buzz, get the munchies, and wonder what else the grown-ups were lying about. “This isn’t so bad, maybe crack and meth aren’t so bad either.” We need to educate children to the reality and not try to use scare tactics.
And on a lighter note, anybody remember a comedian who did a bit on having to have a license to smoke pot? It was hilarious. I think it was Jim Breuer but I can’t find anything on YouTube.
March 7th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
I don’t/won’t do drugs ever but marijuana should be legalized with restrictions.
March 7th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
i can’t find a single honest-to-god logical good reason for criminalizing marijuana usage.
legalize it 100% now, i say.
March 7th, 2008 at 1:00 pm
I have a good friend who has SEVERE bipolar disorder. He has been prescribed legal drugs that once you are on them, have far more devastating withdrawal symptoms that almost any illegal drug he or I am aware of. For him, using recreational weed does FAR more for his bipolar disorder than any of the life threatening drugs he has been prescribed over the years. If drugs that can kill you are legal, then for f***’s sake, let marijuana be legalized.
Along with that argument, I don’t know a single pot head who has ever killed anyone while driving, has gotten high then beat his spouse, has become a pot-holic and destroyed their liver, has smoked up and decided it was a great idea to jump off a porch into a pool, or gotten stoned and set off fire works inside, or in a camp ground. All of which people do regularly while drinking, which is legal (although some behavior while drinking is VERY illegal). All the people I know who smoke weed, are intelligent, creative, innovative, ambitious people, who tackle challenges in their lives with ease, and who do not use weed in any way that endangers their lives or someone elses.
So yes. If not all drugs, make weed legal.
March 7th, 2008 at 1:03 pm
Also, there were many therapeutic trials where giving LSD to cancer patients enabled them to have a sunny out look on things in the last few months of their lives and better enabled them to cope with their oncoming deaths. LSD is not without its advantages, although I would personally never use it. Soo at least legalize LSD again for medicinal and therapeutic reasons.
March 7th, 2008 at 1:08 pm
No drugs should not be legalized. That would basically be condoning a behavior that harms people, which we do have the research to back up. Anyone who says weed is safer than alcohol, can say that but doesn’t make it a good thing. Its damaging to the lungs and brain. Yes there already are things in our system that harm people, like cigarettes and alcohol. Just because those things are legal now doesn’t mean they should be or that the government should add something more dangerous to our society. For those people who are gonna rail on me (and I know they will). I am only saying these things because, I lost a cousin to drugs, and believe he would still be alive today if there were more anti-drug education and drug enforcement. You may look at things differently if you see how drugs really affect people and our society. Why do that to ourselves? Why do people need drugs to have a good time? Can’t people just enjoy the lives they are given?
March 7th, 2008 at 1:14 pm
Only Cannibus, if monitored
March 7th, 2008 at 1:18 pm
absolutely not.
But I’m fully open to debate as to whether they should be decriminalized.
March 7th, 2008 at 1:22 pm
Cheeshygirl- “kids may smoke pot, feel a nice buzz, get the munchies, and wonder what else the grown-ups were lying about. “This isn’t so bad, maybe crack and meth aren’t so bad either.” We need to educate children to the reality and not try to use scare tactics.”
That is an EXCELLENT point. Some of the commercials you see on TV (showing kids smoking a joint then shooting their friend, running over little kids on bikes, etc) are laughable. Given the exposure to information that children now have via the internet and cable, it is silly to continue to treat them like idiots.
March 7th, 2008 at 1:47 pm
Iwontbeswayed:
I guess I’ll chime in here. You said, “Just because those things are legal now doesn’t mean they should be or that the government should add something more dangerous to our society.”
If drugs were legalized (I am only for weed legalization and an increase in rehab vs. incarceration for other drugs, but lets hypothetically say all drugs), the government would not be adding anything to our society which is not already here. People are going to use drugs whether or not they are legal.
The thing about drugs is that, most of the time, people are self-medicating to forget their day-to-day problems or psychological trauma without realizing what they’re doing. When some one doesn’t realize that they’re shirking responsibility and stunting their mental development through drug use, that is addiction. Hey, I started smoking weed in high school because I didn’t want to deal with the pain I was experiencing from my parents’ divorce. I experimented with a few other “soft” drugs, but the drugs weren’t the problem. The problem was that I was putting off dealing with my psychological issues by doing drugs, and therefore I could not advance myself. I failed out of college, got and lost jobs, and moved out and back in with my mom. At some point I realized what I was doing to myself (probably soon after I spent a night in jail and was ordered to a year of rehab by the courts… where the crackheads and people with 9 DUI’s all laughed that I was the only one there for weed) and laid off the herb. I still smoke sometimes, or even often compared to a non-smoker (once a week, maybe once every two weeks) but I acknowledge what I am doing when I smoke (relaxing, laughing, eating pizza), and I’m no longer letting the drug control my life. Now I’ve got a great job, a wonderful girlfriend, and I’m working hard to complete my degree (finally) while saving up to buy a house. It’s a maturity issue. I’m sorry for the loss of your cousin… I know a boy who went into a coma and lost the use of his limbs because of drugs (why is pseudoephedrine regulated and not dextromethorphane?)… but it’s really all about priorities. If drugs are the priority and are taking the place of needed therapy, then they are a problem (like alcohol or even video games). If life is the priority (work, school, family, values, advancing oneself), then drugs are not a problem.
March 7th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
and might i add, im sick of watching episodes of ‘COPS’ where they catch some teen with marijuana and they stretch it into a whole 7 minute segment and its all supposed to be exciting…well its not
March 7th, 2008 at 2:14 pm
Set Mary Jane free
March 7th, 2008 at 2:29 pm
For me the question isn’t one of morality or whether drugs are good for you, it’s one of practicality.
You will never eliminate drugs, despite the fact they’re illegal, they’re amazingly popular. I’d rather have the government assuring that drugs are safe and controlled than throwing people in jail for life because they got caught doing what many people do.
In addition, legalizing drugs will lower their cost, removing the profit motive for street gangs that transport and sell drugs. A product that sells at markups of a few thousand percent and is worth up to 250,000 dollars a kilogram is worth killing over, to them, legalize it and the price comes down. It’s worth killing a man over a few hundred thousand dollars, but not so much over a few bucks.
March 7th, 2008 at 2:32 pm
I think that Marijuana should be legalized but put an age restriction just like alcohol (not that that will really accomplish anything but it will make it look like it is). The only thing is that since people are already used to growing, supplying, dealing, using illegally then what would stop them from going around the government’s higher price and just keep on going with how the industry is now. We saw it with prohibition in the early 20th century in america Im sure the same thing would happen here.
March 7th, 2008 at 2:34 pm
They should legalize it, tax it, pay off the deficit with some of the money made off it then spend the rest of the money fighting the spread of meth, coke and heroin.
All the bad drugs are manufactured by man, the people who brought us the atomic bomb, VX nerve gas and reality TV shows.
Marijuana, psilocybin mushrooms and peyote were created by nature, they same wonderful, mysterious force that brought us waterfalls, rainbows and Jessica Alba.
I know who I trust more.
I live in California and it’s only a matter of time before it’s decriminalized if not outright legalized. We already have marijuana dispensaries for folks with doctor’s permission (“I have migraines” is a good enough reason; ask Snoop Dogg and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) and there are even vending machines in L.A. that dispense pot.
It’s ridiculous. Alcohol is legal, they serve it in bars, all bars have parking lots outside. Connect the dots.
People who are stoned on pot and nothing else are pretty safe drivers because a)they’re really not in any big hurry right now; everything’s copacetic, b)they’re just a bit paranoid and c)they’re not stinking drunk.
Plus, if you can normally think of 100 uses for an apple, when you’re high you can think of 101.
March 7th, 2008 at 2:38 pm
What I don’t think people see here is… How stupid is the human race not to be able to understand that these hard drugs are bad for you and can possibly kill you? If someone told you that stabbing yourself in the hand can really hurt you and possibly cause you death…would you continue to do it? NO!! You wouldnt, because you have seen other people that have stabbed themselves and have learned better. We don’t need to DUMB DOWN our civilization by babying them and telling them what is good and bad. Common sense people…Common sense. Good Grief people…
Its like people that do other dangerous things… They know good and well people have gotten injured by doing these things and there is a good possibility that they will be injured or possibly killed also…but if the person learns the risks and is able to do those things without harming themselves or others…let them do it.
March 7th, 2008 at 2:39 pm
Myah #98: in my #94 post I never suggested that people drive after smoking pot. And I never said that I thought LSD should be legalized.
“A big cloud of drunks” as u put it can be found at places other than bars. There are house parties, raves, festivals, etc
Drugs and alcohol aren’t the only thing that can be abused. You can spend to much time watching TV, over eating, surfing the net(and discussing top 10 lists
)
moderation is the key.
March 7th, 2008 at 2:44 pm
Yeah we would have to tax drugs just like we tax everything else but overall I believe it would get cheaper. Think about it: Right now pot is sold from middle man to middle man with a price bump in between. If legalized it would be grown on government fields in mass quantity then sent to a store. Maybe it could be sold in liquor stores.
I also feel that legalizing drugs on a whole will not cause a mass of idiots getting high then doing terrible things in society. I don;t do hard drugs (Coke or the like) and making them legal won;t change that. Would it make you run out and do them? I think the people that are going to be addicts are already addicts.
March 7th, 2008 at 3:23 pm
i dont know, i think anything that causes you to do harm to others and not just yourself should be illegal, if you wanna kill yourself be my guest but if you go on some p fuelled rampage and eat a few people then not thankyou
March 7th, 2008 at 3:42 pm
just marijuana, not anything else.
March 7th, 2008 at 3:49 pm
I think Disc (37 and 46) is the only person talking reasonably here. It’s a blind assumption that crime would go down with legal marijuana. And the so-called innocence with users only holds true for kids in Junior high. There would be a lot more accidents and vandalism and again, business with addictive substances is only non-violent when it’s run by established businesses. I’m surprised there are so many people who think legalization is a good idea. (And I like the ppl who say: Legalize every drug everywhere. They’re funny)
March 7th, 2008 at 4:14 pm
For everyone who things drugs should be legalized, lemme ask you this.
Next time you get on a plane, how would you feel knowing that the pilot was doing drugs in his off time?
How about a police officer? Fire man? Doctor?
March 7th, 2008 at 4:21 pm
mitchsn #123;
if the pilot, cop, fireman, or doctor drinks in his off time, thats cool with me.
if they smoke a joint or two to go along with that bottle of wine or beer, not a problem.
As long as they are clean and sober while on the job, i have no problem with them smoking some green.
March 7th, 2008 at 5:03 pm
In response to 122. KKing:
You say we are making assumptions…yet you are making assumptions also…just to the opposite end of the spectrum. I know for a fact that weed does not make you violent. But everyone always seems to get off on that tangent…its not JUST weed we are talking about. So that point aside.
Everyone just think about it for a minute with a rational and logical mind. If you eliminated the illegality of all drugs…what would happen to all the drug related crimes and gangs…all the drug dealing for money that is supporting MORE of that violence?
It would all eventually be “weeded out” (har har) because no one would need to secretly buy from their local “crack dealer”. They could just go buy some legally and smoke/sniff/ingest themselves to death and while they did it they would support a local business the legal way. Yes, the dealers would still try to sell their supply for cheaper, but who needs a street dealer trying to be eBay when you know you can get legit clean stuff from the store?
In response to 123. mitchsn:
Do you really think the police force would hire a crack/heroine/LSD addict to protect and serve? No, just like you wouldn’t hire a pedophile to work in a preschool. Its common sense. And as far as smoking and drinking goes for all the other people…whatever they want to do to kill themselves on their free time is up to them. Its really not rocket science, you wouldn’t let someone strung out work somewhere while under the influence…but if they want to do it on their free time…sure.
March 7th, 2008 at 5:22 pm
Absolutely. Did you know something like 60% of U.S. prisoners are there for drug-related crimes?
March 7th, 2008 at 5:33 pm
I think that all drugs should be abounded. As smoking is not allowed in some countries, drugs, alcohol and sugar must be -in my opinion – excluded from earth. Why? For the shake of human kind of course…
March 7th, 2008 at 5:39 pm
pyrratus: not only that, most on just POSSESION! not using it, just having it, and Im sure half of those are on marijuana.
March 7th, 2008 at 5:40 pm
If you can’t legalize marijuana, the safest illegal drug, just lower the goddamn penalty. How many times have you heard of someone killing someone while high on weed? How about on alcohol? All the damn time.
March 7th, 2008 at 5:43 pm
I agree with Jamie on the hard drugs, only when a doctor administers it, and they can’t leave the office until they aren’t high anymore, you’d see a lot less drug-related crimes, and open more jobs for producers and distributors, thus, a booming economy.
March 7th, 2008 at 5:46 pm
jfrater:What happened to your hotcake of comments, do a all-time greatest band your view, That’d cause a lot of arguments and thus, more comments.
March 7th, 2008 at 5:49 pm
Drugs that can be used for medical purposes(marijuana, opiates)? Yes.
Others? No.
March 7th, 2008 at 6:38 pm
The problem with drugs in the United States is the illegality of the substaces themselves. The prohibition of these substances only creates a Black Market which leads to much more problems than the drugs themselves for society. Bottom line is, people are going to use substances that react with the body to produce a general effect. Be it caffeine, alcohol, pot,or cocaine. The safest most sensible thing to do would be to legalize ALL drugs now and let the government control the production and distribution of them. With this approach, the people that choose to do drugs can get them safely and cheaply. And also no more black market which is a very lucrative business to be in. The money that the government spends on the prosecution of drug offenses can then be spent on efforts to keep people off drugs. This is the only simple and logical approach my country can take. Prohibition simply does not work.
March 7th, 2008 at 6:39 pm
With the way the U.S. economy is right now, legalizing marijuana is the best thing to do. Legalizing marijuana creates jobs for growers, distributors, and sellers. this creates buyers, which in turn stimulates the economy.
March 7th, 2008 at 6:41 pm
TMo:The extra money can be used for a lot of other good uses too, and that solution is probably the best.
March 7th, 2008 at 6:48 pm
Of course drugs should be legalized!! Only the ones that come from Mother Nature man!! Like pot and opium. Not that synthesized shit like cocaine and crystal meth. Crack too. Crack is whack!
March 7th, 2008 at 7:17 pm
We have already seen what criminilizing alcohol, even amending the fucking constitution to ban it, did for the country. it caused soaring crime rates, and didnt really stop people from using it. just get rid of the laws, make the drugs commodities like alcohol and tobacco, and save money in prison costs.
March 7th, 2008 at 8:55 pm
Every drug should be legal. I wouldn’t touch half of them with a 10 foot pole, but I wouldn’t touch them if they were legal either so why should I care? All these inhibition on our freedoms are starting to chap my ass.
Like most prohibited things, it comes down to production. Pot makes people not want to work, yet it is worlds better for you than alcohol. If it hinders production rates, it won’t be tolerated in this money driven corporate world.
March 7th, 2008 at 10:34 pm
Here in Canada, marijuana has been decriminalized, and society has not collapsed. You still can’t legally buy pot anywhere but at least you won’t be charged with a criminal offense for simple possession.
We cannot eradicate heroin, for the simple reason that poppies are one of the most medically useful drugs known to man. Without morphine, codeine, etc…, many more people would die screaming. And if we allow poppies to be harvested for these amazing but addictive drugs, then we must be prepared for the inevitable production and abuse of heroin.
Crystal meth, however, is a ticket to hell. LSD and PCP have no medical use and can lead to serious mental disarray. And cocaine, while serving as a decent topical anaesthetic, makes good people feel bad and do bad things.
So while possession and use of all drugs should be decriminalized, only marijuana should be legalized.
March 7th, 2008 at 10:54 pm
i wont bother reading the other 140 or so comments but im sure i will fit right in.
the only thing htat should be legalized is weed. the only harmful effects is that from smoke but youd be worse off smoking cigs. might as well make it legal. its everywhere anyway and there are alot worse drugs
March 7th, 2008 at 10:57 pm
Legalize marijuana, and at least highly regulate all the other drugs. I’m in high school myself, and nearly everone I hang out with does drugs, or has done drugs. Personally, I don’t. And that doesn’t change the fact that my grades are shit. I’m failing almost half of my classes, and I haven’t done weed in months. My grades were actually better while I did weed. Not as stressed, don’t rush as much, don’t make so many mistakes. And its not like keeping drugs illegal is going to stop people from using them. I can list ten people from which I can get drugs in about as many seconds. The only thing that’s gonna change if weed is legalized is who the money is going to. That could be druggies, like it is now, or the government, where it could go to numerous different causes.
March 8th, 2008 at 1:29 am
I don’t think the manner in which the government has handled the drug market and fighting the drug war is correct, but I don’t really think they should be legal. I think they have too many debilitating characters to accept them into the economy, and legalizing them now would certainly be a mistake. I don’t like the answers drug people create in order to plead their case, I think it’s a lot of bull. I have seen a lot of addiction in my life, and I am lucky enough to stay away from it and escape it, but watching it happen is so painful. I would never want those kinds of tools given the chance to ruin a life. Drugs can and never will be a casual thing, you might think it, but that is the same brain that is being effected by them, the mind has already been changed. I can’t stand people who use drugs, and can never respect them for what they do.
March 8th, 2008 at 1:56 am
Just for the record – it is a myth that marijuana does less damage than cigarettes – in addition to having the same problems of tar, etc. marijuana smoke is hot smoke – it burns your vocal tract and leads to clicks and early aging of the vocal chords – cigarettes do not do that. Some citations:
http://www.jointogether.org/news/headlines/inthenews/2002/marijuana-smoking-bad-for.html
http://behavioralhealth.typepad.com/markhams_behavioral_healt/2005/01/marijuana_as_ba.html
My reason for posting this is not in opposition to legalization, it is because I get annoyed when pot smokers are willing to go along with all the anti-smoking legislation and treat cigarette smokers like pariahs, but feel that they (pot smokers) are superior for “only” smoking pot. How about some support guys?! We are all choosing to smoke – whether it be tobacco or marijuana – we support your legalization bids, why not support our right to not be demonized for smoking a cigarette?
Okay – that is the end of my rant
March 8th, 2008 at 6:30 am
JayFray:As a cigarette smoker and 25 year pot smoker I say :Here, Here!!!
My Aunt and Uncle who live in beautiful mid-Michigan, gorgeous house on a lake that the built themselves, No cigarettes have ever been smoked in that house but they have no problem with sparking up green smoke. That is not a problem at all.
March 8th, 2008 at 6:37 am
Oh and just a bit off subject other people that drive me crazy are former cigarette smokers that *preach* at smokers. Your rant brought out one of my on. Another tired morning just got off midnight shift a couple of hours ago. I seem to rant more when i am tired…….as you could tell by my posts yesterday morning on another list LOL
March 8th, 2008 at 6:41 am
P.S. When I quit smoking cigs for 2 1/2 years I did neither of those things by the way……..I am a much better person than that!!!!! LOL
March 8th, 2008 at 7:38 am
Here is a simple rule to follow:
A law should never be passed that might elicit the phrase “Dude! is legal now, WOOOOOOOO!”
March 8th, 2008 at 7:45 am
I could imagine the first day weed is legal, the traffic report would go like this
“John, from channel 5’s helicopter, there seems to be no traffic at all! Joints are being passed from car to car and its like a huge party right now. Although people are scared of getting on the ramp to the overpass.”
Id be the one scared of the overpass im sure
March 8th, 2008 at 10:19 am
jfrater; you did note did you not, that I did not claim weed to be innocuous? I know it to be harmful, like smoking cigarettes.
I would never counsel anyone to pick up a new bad habit.
March 8th, 2008 at 10:40 am
scaramouche, I think we are on the same wavelength. Maybe I am just looking at things from a health perspective. I can’t understand why people willfully do things that are shown to harm their bodies. I mean there is extensive studies showing that weed and cigarettes damage your lungs. Period. Its the same thing as a lot of other harmful things. I personally like to keep my body as healthy as i can, because I don’t want to be constantly coughing up nasty piles of discolored mucus.
Whether or not it would deter crime or not, to me isn’t really the issue. People are saying “Well its always gonna happen. So let’s just throw our hands up and give in.” I don’t buy that argument. You could say that with a lot of crimes. “Well crimes gonna happen. Let’s just give up on all of them.” Who needs laws. Where do you draw the line?
March 8th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
Marijuana isn’t any worse than alcohol (in fact, it has fewer health risks and doesn’t lead to fights and accidents as often), so I believe it should be treated the same. Hard drugs should still be illegal because they cause people to commit crimes in order to finance their addiction, lead to bad parenting, and often finance terrorists (Columbian drug cartels, for example.)
Also, to jfrater: Marijuana does cause respiratory problems when smoked, but there are other ways to use it; it can be vaporized, made into tea, or used as a food additive (THC is soluble in fats and lipids; marijuana-infused brownies, lasagna and cheese are popular) if you’re concerned about health risks.
March 8th, 2008 at 12:57 pm
As for LSD, psilocybin mushrooms and peyote, I also feel that these should be legal but regulated; they have been known to trigger religious experiences and to help treat alcoholism and autism, and they have no addiction potential (after coming down from a trip, the user does not immediately want to trip again.) However, driving while under the effects of these substances should be considered DUI.
March 8th, 2008 at 3:39 pm
It takes a lot of weed to do any serious harm to the lungs, trust me on that. I have never “coughed up nasty piles of discolored mucus”, as 150 said. I go to school high pretty often and sleep through the majority of my classes, yet I still have A’s in everything but math {cumulative subject ya know, you have to stay awake to learn anything} AP history lectures are actually pretty cool if you’re stoned as shit. I think my stance on the legalization of pot is clear, but I disagree with legalizing anything harder. Decriminalize hallucinogens, lessen the penalties for possession of hard shit like crack, heroin, meth, etc., increase penalties for traffickers and big-time dealers of hard shit. Weed isn’t harmless, but it’s as close to harmless you can get when compared to most other things. Eat 20 potatoes and I’ll give the eulogy at your funeral.
March 8th, 2008 at 5:25 pm
I just want to say I personally dont touch the stuff; but I think drugs should be treated like alcohol: not legal until a certain age and regulated. I’m not saying that a ‘drug shop’ should be popping up on every corner or anything, but I am a believer in the philosophy that its your body and it should be up to YOU what you want to put in it. That being said, there should be still some sort of regulation for it because we dont want everyone walking around stoned all the time.
March 8th, 2008 at 6:52 pm
If you were to legalize marijuana AND opiates, you would be giving terrorists and organized crime a huge hole in the pocketbook. Weed especially provides the seed money that gets so many drug dealers started up in business. And opium poppy from Afghanistan was one of the prime sources of revenue for the Taliban (and, according to many sources, Al Qaeda). Stands to reason: back in the wild wacky 80s, when we were helping the Afghans fight off the Soviets invasion (and training Osama in good ole American guerilla warfare know-how), we (meaning the CIA) also got the Afghan farmers to grow opium to supply their war effort; though Busgh Administration speechmaking has for years deplored opium agriculture in the Middle East, it is still covertly encouraged.
Truthfully, it is politicians and cops trying to make themselves look good who have done the most to criminalize and demonize drugs in this country. And drugs provides another manufactured fear to divert the American people’s attention from more serious issues like education, the environment, and poverty persisting in one of the world’s richest countries to a shameful degree — issues that would take hard work, billions of tax dollars, and government leaders with real souls and brains. In the 1920s, it was one Dr, Harry Anslinger who publicized the “horrors” of marijuana use, and whose anti-reefer crusades were the inspiration for the laughable film “Reefer Madness” — all in the interests of furthering his own career. Marijuana was an easy target for his hypocrisy, because at the time was seen as a drug of choice only among African-Americans, musicia
March 8th, 2008 at 6:53 pm
Oops, sorry — hit SUBMIT too soon. Musicians and Bohemians. OK. Rant over. Thanks for reading.
March 8th, 2008 at 8:55 pm
Legalize Marijuana but nothing else.
Marijuana is not that bad for you, doctors can’t conclusively say how bad it is, so why not just treat pot like cigarettes?
If it’s legal, don’t you think less people would be tempted to do it?
And besides, there are so many medical uses for marijuana.
March 8th, 2008 at 10:13 pm
What I put in my own body should be my business. The first step is to legalize marijuana and take it from there.
March 8th, 2008 at 11:10 pm
Seems we’re all a bunch of pot-heads here! Don’t think I saw a no. I say yes to Marijuana, and getting rid of Hard drugs.
March 8th, 2008 at 11:18 pm
It is ridiculous that marijuana is illegal. But how would the CIA oversee the laundering of all that drug money for Wall Street if drugs were legal? Between 500 billion and 1 trillion dollars in laundered drug money goes through Wall Street companies every year. Just Say No was a smoke screen for what is really going on in this country. The privately owned prison system has grown by leaps and bounds and when you are running a business you want EVERY bed filled. Trust me they are glad to build another prison once it starts to overflow.
Those of you who are right wing and come up with moral reasons and rationales to back up your argument for keeping marijuana illegal are missing the facts entirely. The good or badness of marijuana is in the end a moot point. The fact is that drug money and oil money are what drives this country and none of the Powers That Be give a flying donkey’s ass for any living thing on this planet which isn’t in their blackberry address book.
March 8th, 2008 at 11:39 pm
Legal or not, it’s still going to be out there. Just think of the problems we have with drunk drivers out there now and then throw stoned people in the mix. Not that it doesn’t happen already though. Honestly, i don’t hate on anyone that smokes, I personally don’t do it. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m no saint but I’m just really concerned about more people driving around under the influence. I say just be careful
March 9th, 2008 at 5:57 am
Cannabis should not be legalized. “Taxation and funding” reasons are not strong enough to legalize a drug. In the times when countries (and the world) is trying to put an end to another drug addiction which is too much widespread to be banned right now, the tobacco, you people want to legalize yet another addiction drug.
I know that some of you can’t feel satisfied by yourself and you need to take something else to feel good, but most of the normal people don’t need drugs or anything else. So stop promoting stupid addictions and let’s clears ourselves from them.
March 9th, 2008 at 10:36 am
What good comes from legalising drugs? It will only enlarge the already big drug problem that we have today. If anything, the drug laws should be harsher than they are now.
March 9th, 2008 at 12:46 pm
There won’t be a ‘drug problem’ if it’s legalised. It would also make it a lot easier to control the drug trade. Imagine if the government started a program in which junkies registered for free, uncut heroin, in prescribed doses every couple of days. No-one would be buying anymore, so it would stop being imported into the country. No-one who wasn’t already on heroin would be able to get any. Ostensibly, problem solved…
March 9th, 2008 at 1:32 pm
drugs that should be legalized: marijuana, mushrooms, mdma (ecstasy), peyote
drugs that should not be legalized: meth, heroin, cocaine, ketamine, ghb
March 9th, 2008 at 5:49 pm
Here here Muad’Dib and albert0!
March 9th, 2008 at 8:35 pm
what is the point in making drugs legal its as though they are that great, i mean im not afraid to say that if used them but most people have had an experience of using them and its normal but to be continually using them is mental
keep them illegal is the best thing to do
March 9th, 2008 at 9:28 pm
@Muad’Dib
Hah! I’m not going to use them, and I’m very satisfied with myself thank you very much. Marijuana is the same sort of business as Alcohol and Cigarettes.
March 10th, 2008 at 12:41 am
marujuana, maybe. heavier drugs? no way.
this isn`t really even something to debate, it`s illegal for reasons.
should we legalice crime, raping and murder? by legalicing “upping” drugs, that would be the reality.
marijuana is a “downer,” and wouldn`t have that effect, so maybe. but i`m still against it.
March 10th, 2008 at 6:47 am
A lot of people have this crazy idea that if you legalize a drug, then non-users are going to rush out and try it. People tend to be against drugs and not use them for a reason.
I strongly believe that many, if not most drugs should be legalized/decriminalized. Well cannabis, that’s a no brainer. I read somewhere that during Queen Victoria’s reign, anyone with a certain amount of land had to, by law, plant and grow cannabis.
LSD should definitely be legal. As should ecstasy and cocaine. I don’t think it’s fair that a hard working single mum, for example, can decide to let loose with friends and buy a tiny bit of coke, only to run the risk of being put in jail. Where’s the logic there? She’s not hurting anyone, the prisons are at maximum capacity, and cocaine/ecstasy/LSD are certainly not drugs that make people aggressive or pose a threat to society.
It all comes down to a very simple line of reasoning. Humans should have the right to choose what they put in their body.
March 10th, 2008 at 8:21 am
Marijuana causes lung cancer at four times the rate of cigarettes. Funny how people want to legalize marijuana but are all up in arms about people smoking cigarettes.
Retarded.
March 10th, 2008 at 7:39 pm
Smoke weed all day everyday… I don’t give a F*ck!
March 10th, 2008 at 9:46 pm
Drugs, well 2 are already legalized why not the rest.
March 10th, 2008 at 10:59 pm
yes.
March 11th, 2008 at 1:10 am
@I am not John: that was utterly retarded, you are saying its ok for single mothers to do drugs?! are you out of your mind? jeez… =_= if i found out that my mother was doing partydrugs, i`d proclaim her dead to me.
parents on drugs always screw up their kids life, always!
of course people wouldn`t suddenly rush to it, but children would have easier access to the stuff, and that for sure, would have been taken advantage of.
March 11th, 2008 at 2:18 am
I am in favor or legalizing marijuana completely & sell it like alcohol with similar tax provisions. I am also in favor of decriminalizing mere possession of all other drugs. Instead of arresting a person caught with the drug, confiscate it and issue a citation like a traffic ticket. I hate having people locked up that would be capable of making their own way on the outside of prision.
March 11th, 2008 at 3:18 am
YashaMaru: You seem to be a bit confused about what i said. At no point did i advocate the use of drugs for single mothers. I gave an example of what happens, based on a situation i have seen. What i’m saying is, it’s not fair that someone, anyone, can be put in jail for owning little bit of cocaine.
Also, “if i found out that my mother was doing party drugs, i`d proclaim her dead to me”. I hope for your sake that your mother doesn’t see that comment. You can’t have much love for her if that’s true. Or at least, you have more love for your views against drugs than you do for the person that brought you into this world.
March 11th, 2008 at 4:56 am
@I am not John: you may not have told single mothers to do drugs, which i never claimed you did, but you said it was completely ok for them to do so.
why shouldn`t they be arrested? if a mother uses drugs, the kids deserves to have their mother locked away and to be put in a healthier enviroment.
i have more love for my mother than you would think, but yes, she would be dead to me. if all drugaddicts in this world were to be shot, i wouldn`t even raise an eyebrow.
yes, i am cynical, i know. but thats just the way i am.
and people can`t let morals stand in the way of progress.
and “brought you into this world” has nothing to do with anything, mothers don`t give birth for their childrens sake, nor has any child ever asked to be born, so i don`t owe her anything. =_=
March 11th, 2008 at 6:52 am
YashMaru; You owe her your life. You are narrow minded. Same views on alcohol? You would love your mother less if she was less than perfect? I pity your mother and your kids.
March 11th, 2008 at 7:03 am
YashaMaru: You must share with me how you have been able to survive in the world for so long!
It’s not very often you meet someone with the inability to see past the end of their own nose… fascinating!
March 11th, 2008 at 7:04 am
Mom424, kudos.
March 11th, 2008 at 7:10 am
We need to introduce YashMaru to Cosmicbrat over in the feral kids list. They might make a balanced human being between them.
March 11th, 2008 at 10:13 am
171. Bob – March 10th, 2008 at 8:21 am
“Marijuana causes lung cancer at four times the rate of cigarettes. Funny how people want to legalize marijuana but are all up in arms about people smoking cigarettes.”
I’m surprised no one has called Bob on this statement. Where does your data come from Bob?
I believe that all drugs should be legalized. Regulation is in the same fashion as tobacco & alcohol, or prescription pharmaceuticals.
Unfortunately that includes such horrors as Meth, but that’s the way it goes. As an adult society we give people adult choices to make. What people do once they’ve taken those drugs are their responsibility. A person may be out of control on something they have taken, but their decision to take the drug still stands, and all responsibilities fall from that act.
As society has demonstrated so far – drugs are available to anyone that wants them, they are more dangerous because they are unregulated, the criminal element comes more from the trafficking of drugs rather than the use, and current drug enforcement policy does not work.
I believe that there will be a higher incidence of drug use and I think it’s difficult to argue against that. There is a lot of fear that keeps people away from drugs right now which, once removed, will likely result in more usage.
But regulation will make the less dangerous drugs more accessible. One of the principle reasons people turn to meth in the first place is that it’s so inexpensive. Reducing the cost of other, less harmful, recreationals should counter that.
my 2 cents.
March 11th, 2008 at 10:27 am
Kraeg; We definitely agree on this one eh?
March 11th, 2008 at 10:54 am
we do mom424. we do.
March 11th, 2008 at 2:20 pm
wow, this site is filled with junkies isnt it?
who needs supplements to enjoy themselves? thats just pityful.
and no, i dont have the same view on alchohol, you cant put those two things in the same booth.
nor do i owe my mother my life! she chose to have kids for her own sake, no matter how you look at it, i dont owe her for giving birth to me, but for raising me, feeding me. which is far from the same thing.
March 11th, 2008 at 2:38 pm
You can certainly put them in the same category, YashaMaru.
In fact, it’s downright hypocritical to view alcohol as being in a separate category, only because it happens to be already legal.You might have a leg to stand on if you’d left that out.
Here’s an imperfect analogy – I enjoy mountain biking and I enjoy snowboarding. They both provide me joy for different reasons. Because I experience joy from biking doesn’t mean I have no need to ever snowboard again. Diversity is everything.
Joy comes from many different sources. Supplements are merely an alternative form of accessing joy – as any user of alcohol can attest to.
March 11th, 2008 at 7:21 pm
YashMaru; you say more accessible makes for more drug use? You are wrong, oh so wrong. Take a look a little further up the list. Drug abuse is much higher in the good ol’ USA with its strict antiquated drug laws than The Netherlands which has nearly, if not the most liberal drug laws on the planet. Check out the link.
How dare you say that alcohol is different than any other mind altering substance? Alcohol is a recreational drug. How do you not know this? Give yer head a shake.
March 12th, 2008 at 12:02 am
of course they are in the same category, but not in the same booth. alchohol has an increasing effect, whilst drugs hit instantly.
i didnt say it would increase anything either, just that it would be more accesible for young kids, this you cannot deny.
mom: america has the most crime too, not due to that theyre laws are stricter, but that americans are screwing themselves and their country over. america generaly has the highest of all negativity.
_____________________________________________________
legalizing drugs would prevent alot of overdoses, due to that the drugs wouldnt be made in someones garage. so there are of course sides with this that i agree, and surely there are sides with the legalisation of drugs where you disagree?
_____________________________________________________
but as you may have guessed, i dont drink either. a beer goes well along with taco, but i never drink to get drunk.
and you may call me narrowminded, or old fashioned or whatever, i dont care, i have my views and you have yours.
just too bad that in this case i think its my view that will stick, and drugs wont be (globaly) legalized. except for pot, which is still a maybe…
March 12th, 2008 at 4:47 am
YashMaru; I will deny the fact that legalizing drugs makes it easier for young kids to get it. That is a lie. It is easier for my underage kids to get Weed than alcohol. There are no controls on illegal drugs. If they have money they can get drugs, there is no age limit. Doesn’t matter how much you pay the guy at the liquor store, he/she isn’t gonna sell it to a 14 year old. The same cannot be said for the neighbourhood drug dealer.
March 12th, 2008 at 5:04 am
well then, this depends where you live i suppose. around here its really easy for kids to get alchohol, partialy because parents buy it for their kids, mainly to keep them away from drugs. and this is working very well, there are very few kids here that have tried even pot. the ones that have are problematic children with absent parents. but theres also alot of people who make moonshine, so theres a “black market” for alchohol, not drugs.
in order for kids here to get ahold of drugs they would have to go to the neighbouring country (unless they have contacts – of course). although in our capital there is one place where cops monitor the use and sales of drugs, and look through their fingers unless the person is agressive or very young. this too have had a positive impact on the citys previous drug “problems.”
though by this, you may think that i have changed my mind, i have not. i still feel that the world would be better of without drugs entirely, except for the medical-purpose ones.
March 12th, 2008 at 5:06 am
but even if drugs were legalized, your kids, if they wanted pot, would still by from the drug dealer. its anonymous and it would be cheeper. unless you bought it for them, but would you buy drugs for your kids? (if yes, you should change your nickname)
March 12th, 2008 at 5:30 am
YashaMaru: One of the arguments for weed legalization is that it would be cheaper to buy it in the stores (if regulated like alcohol) than through a dealer. The black market and associated crime would be eliminated. Weed is soooo overpriced, mainly because the price goes up every time it changes hands… from the grower to the big time dealer to the middle dealer to the small dealer to you, and the price is also high because of the legal risk that comes with dealing drugs. If it was legalized, pot would go from the grower to maybe a distributor (like booze) to the stores, and there would be no legal risk. Pot in the Amsterdam coffee shops is waaaaay cheaper than it is on the black market here (in the U.S.) Also, I challenge your notion that “there are very few kids here that have even tried pot.” A lot goes on behind the scenes and I wouldn’t be surprised if you’re oblivious to some of the things going on in your country (where do you live?). After all, it IS illegal so not many kids are going to have it out in the open.
March 12th, 2008 at 5:55 am
i live in Norway, and im i kid myself.
i dont think other kids would try to hide things from a 17year-old.
i must admit i myself have tried pot, though i was drunk and didnt even know it myself. =_=
i was quite the rebell when i was 14, did everything i wasnt allowed to. luckily, i grew out of that.
i still think the dealers would lower their prices to below that of the “shops.” otherwise they might have to get a real job, and we all know that aint going to happen. lol
March 12th, 2008 at 6:05 am
Anyone here from the Netherlands know if the black market thrives on the same stuff sold in the stores? I know I’d rather buy a beer in a bar or at the store than on the street corner or under a bridge. Also, think of the quality. The regulated stuff is straight up no bull ridiculous. You can’t get that kind of verification of quality from a dealer. They can say whatever they want, and you can rely on your experience/intuition, but if there’s a pretty label on it with a brand name in a shop… you get the point. Amsterdam has the best weed in the world, right? And for the best price. Why? Cuz it’s legal.
March 12th, 2008 at 6:11 am
but if it were to be legalized, would it be sold to all ages? the ones old enough to buy, and being open about being a pothead would buy in the stores, yes.
but those not in that category would either get someone else to buy it (legaly), or use the drug dealers. and seing as drug dealers would have to lower their prices accordingly to the shops, the quality would stoop drastically. so the ones that would still use dealers are put at a greater risk.
March 12th, 2008 at 6:17 am
YashaMaru: I’m so glad you said you’re only 17! Now i know why you have these rather left-wing opinions! When you’ve grown up and gotten a bit wiser, you’ll understand things a little better.
And also, do you not think that’s a little ironic? That parents round your way are supplying kids with a drug which kills far more people per annum than any other drug, let alone weed? I urge you to find a copy of Bill Hicks’ One Night Stand and watch it a few times.
March 12th, 2008 at 6:27 am
no, i dont find it ironic. there are always cops at the parties, always someone making sure things dont get outta hand. all is kept under controll. amd if the parents hadnt bought vodka, they would buy moonshine, and we`ve already had some unfortunate metanol cases. its a measure to counter the brewing of moonshine.
and when you say that alchohol kills more than other drugs, i presume you mean indirectly? drink and drive etc.
March 12th, 2008 at 6:55 am
funny thing is: right underneath where im writing this there is a comercial for: “timetitalk.org, the partnership for a drug-free america”
lol
March 12th, 2008 at 10:11 am
YashaMaru – you are actually making some good points, and I don’t want to diminish that.
However – the reality is, our current system isn’t working. Your locale proves that, if as you say parents actually are buying teens alcohol in order to keep them off drugs. You seem well informed so I assume you already know that access to alcohol has no effect on incidence of drug use.
At this point, something else needs to be tried. And countries that have experimented with legalisation have had tremendous success. The United States isn’t just losing it’s drug war, it has lost it.
(And really? Moonshine? Drugs are available – which is why parents are buying alcohol in order to keep the kids off them – and instead someone is making and selling moonshine? Really? This doesn’t sound believable to me.)
March 12th, 2008 at 11:14 am
well, we dont have the climate to crop pot so they make moonshine instead. other drugs would be too chemically complicated. moonshine is an easy way for kids around here to earn money.
and like i said, drugs are only availible to those with contacts, but not impossible to get ahold of. if i wanted some, i could surely aquire it, but it would take at least a week or so. most kids are very impatient, so they dont really want to wait for this slow turn of things. so they drink moonshine instead, which can be gotten within the hour.
no, the system isnt working, and it would better the state of some things if it was legalized. but i cannot say yes to legalizing something i am against, can i?
March 12th, 2008 at 11:56 am
So you believe it would be a better state, in some regards, if drugs were legalized. So what are you against?
You don’t have to be an active user yourself to be for something. I don’t smoke pot. But I am all for it being legal. I’ve never taken coke and am not likely to, but an all for it being legal.
I am completely for people being able to form their own decisions. If they make poor decisions, they suffer the consequences. And yes, those decisions have the capability of causing others to suffer. But if that were really a consideration our respective governments would outlaw guns completely, not regulate them. We would remove all vehicles from the road and rely, once again, on our feet instead of regulating drivers.
As an extra note, there are few recreational pharmaceuticals that cause the same long-term damage that home distilled alcohol does. In that regard, considering your locale, couldn’t legalized pharmas be perceived as a better alternative?
March 12th, 2008 at 11:57 am
Er… one more thing. Climate doesn’t dictate pot availability. Most grow ops are indoors.
March 12th, 2008 at 12:13 pm
the reason i am against it is because i have seen its destructive power, im not just against the legalization, but drugs in common.
and i actually feel the u.s. should revoke the right to bear arms. you have the most gunkillings a year. this can also be viewed in perspective towards this subject.
guns are made to kill.
cars arent.
comparing cars to guns is quite hillarious, cars have a very practical use, and arent designed to kill. even if shit happens.
203: i wasnt aware of that, but it was the only logical explanation that could be quickly thought of. no matter if they are cropped inside doesnt change the fact that there is very little in circulation, my neighbour did grow pot in his basement, but that is years ago, and he was arrested. good ridance.
March 12th, 2008 at 12:17 pm
i know that i am way behind in posting this but i just felt like i should throw my 2 cents in. this might have already been brought up but dont have the time to read all these comments. anyway my opinion is yes marijuana SHOULD be legalized. but if it is ever legalized it will be a sad day for the youth around the world because the government will take control of its availibility and will age restrict it like they’ve done with alcohol and tobacco. it will not be the stoners dreamworld where lighting up on the street whenever you want is ok. teenagers will still need to purchase there green illegaly and will still need to smoke secretly so when you stand back and look at it nothing really changes…except that adults will be able to smoke weed and by the time your an adult most people have a family or have matured past there pot years.just my opinion
March 12th, 2008 at 12:29 pm
Yash, Kraeg; I would change Kraeg’s last statement to read
‘there are few recreational pharmaceuticals that cause the same long-term damage that alcohol does.’ You needn’t specify home-distilled over commercially prepared. I know from experience the damage of alcohol. My favorite Aunt, now alienated from family due to alcohol related dementia, she’s nuts now and see conspiracy where there is none. My mom looks about 150, wrinkled to rat shit from booze, My favorite Uncle committed suicide at age 40, booze ruined his life, My great-uncle killed in a rooming house fire, of course lived in rooming house because he was a drunk. I could continue.
I think I’ll just stick to my comparatively innocuous weed.
March 12th, 2008 at 12:34 pm
LEGALIZE WEED!!! Keep that crack shit on the ban tho
March 12th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
good point mom424. Though it is a much higher incidence of alcohol poisoning from home stills over commercial and that was all I was trying to communicate. Don’t mean to downplay the risks involved with commercial alcohol.
YashaMaru: I didn’t once compare cars to guns. Read it again. I compared each as potentially (and actually) destructive as are recreational drugs. My point being if you are against the destruction that happens with some users of drugs and would rather not see them at all, you need to take the same hard-line stance with other aspects of society. Cars/guns/alcohol/tobacco/etc. You don’t get to pick and choose what gets to stay merely because it is acceptable within your own morality.
Your view:
Drugs – sometimes destructive – at an unacceptable level.
Cars – sometimes destructive – at an acceptable level.
Once you try to define the gray area of what is an acceptable level of destructiveness, you are treading a very slippery slope.
March 12th, 2008 at 2:07 pm
i am not basing it on my own morality.
“Your view:
Drugs – sometimes destructive – at an unacceptable level.
Cars – sometimes destructive – at an acceptable level.”
the reason i find the destructivness of drugs unacceptable is because they really serve no purpose (again; except medical drugs), drugs have never been benefitial.
cars are a way of transportation and is a “necesary evil,” drugs arent! guns arent! and nor is tobacco…
when have humankind ever needed any of these things. and dont say that guns are there to protect, because guns is what you need protection against. if there werent guns, you wouldnt need the protection. why not just hack each other to death like in the old days?
bombing for peace is like fucking for virginity.
March 12th, 2008 at 3:22 pm
that quote has nothing to do with gun ownership.
For the record, I am neither American, nor do I own a gun. I think that guns lead to a faster form of violence and end in death relatively often.
But I’m not foolish enough to believe that if you take away guns you will take away violence between humans. You make the point quite well that before guns we were pretty adept at maiming and killing each other.
But that’s way off topic.
The benefits of snowboarding can be found elsewhere, in safer endeavors. But it brings a different kind of enjoyment, thus adding to the diverse range of methods of enjoying life. I doubt you’d advocate it’s removal from society since participants are frequently injured. Drugs are beneficial in the same way. They add a different kind of fun to life, especially when used sensibly.
Drugs for recreational usage merely add a different level of enjoyment to life. There are going to be those that abuse them, but that should be their decision to make. Not ours.
March 12th, 2008 at 4:15 pm
Yes, they should be legal. For those who say no, I’d ask them why don’t we make alcohol illegal? Same logic. Some drugs may be easy to overdose if you’re inexperienced with them. To those concerned with that I’d ask….so the hell what? Those deaths will improve society’s gene pool.
March 12th, 2008 at 8:37 pm
The heavy majority of kids at my school have tried pot, and most of them smoke pretty regularly. It wasn’t a problem until the school system tried to make it a problem by installing mandatory drug tests for every extracurricula activity. In all standardized tests, MCAS, AP, SAT and the like, we are way above the regional and state averages in English and Math, and considering how few kids we have, our sports teams are very successful. We also are widely recognized as having the best music program in the state outside of private schools. Really, my school kicks ass, so there was a big goddamn fuss when the super-intendent decided to begin a crusade against pot. Most parents reasoned that because most students not only suceed, but thrive here, the pot is not a problem. Principle Boner Biter disagreed.
March 12th, 2008 at 11:26 pm
yes, maybe alchohol should be outlawed. it would only cause people to still it themselves, but in the long it could better the society.
of course taking away guns wouldnt stop violence, violence is and will always be a part of human nature. but it might prevent dumbass rednecks from shooting kids making cropcircles in his field.
you know what else shoyld be outlawed? Mc.Donalds. disturbingly fat people are as nasty as anythinng else that is, in todays society considered “lowlife trash.” like homeless people, homosexuals and… lawyers…
but why cant people just stop smoking pot, stop doing drugs? what do you gain from it in the long run?
if people could just grow out of that dumb habit there wouldnt be a problem in the first place. put death sentence on sale and drug possesion in large quantities. after a few decades, people would surely stop, its not worth risking your life for. problem solved. (now, of course, i know this is never going to happen, nor is it the measures i would take. but these measures are simple and effective.)
March 13th, 2008 at 8:25 am
Yeah Yash, Kill the stoners! good plan. I know you didn’t say that, but I’m telling you from personal experience, weed is far more beneficial to me (I’m excitable and clinical depression runs in the family)than any prescription tranquilizer or other mind flattening legal substance I could substitute. Maybe not everyone needs something, but loads of us do!
March 13th, 2008 at 9:02 am
YashaMaru – so you advocate a society where everything that has the potential to hurt us is taken away. Every decision is made for us because we can’t possibly make the right choices ourselves.
Do you even begin to realize what a slippery slope that is?
What next – burn all the books with ideas that might hurt us? Then destroy all the books that might get us thinking enough to come up with ideas that might hurt us?
Ridiculous. Put the responsibility on the individual. Smoke, snort, shoot whatever you want – but YOU are responsible for what you do on it. Drive, eat, drink whatever you want – but YOU are responsible for your actions.
You’ve crossed the line from interesting debater to extremist.
March 13th, 2008 at 10:40 am
We can’t expect people to be responsible for their actions, that is why there are laws in place to protect us from people who might harm us. Your view seems to be more of an anarchist society, which is entirely unrealistic.
March 13th, 2008 at 12:04 pm
An anarchist society would expect the general public to mete out punishment over the individuals actions. There are no rules.
i don’t agree with rules that legislate against actions. I think the governments job is to legislate against the consequence of our actions.
And until we start expecting people to be responsible for their actions, you’re quite correct – they won’t be.
Look around right now – legislation against actions DOES NOT WORK. We break rules all the time based on our own judgement.
Remove the rules, but step up consequences for infringing on the rights of others.
That’s nowhere near anarchist, scaramouche.
March 13th, 2008 at 2:06 pm
Scaramouche; de-criminalizing drug possession and usage is not the same as making their manufacture and distribution legal. Manufacture and distribution crosses the line. Meth manufacturers, crack dealers, their actions infringe on society. Not anarchy, just not stupidity. It is stupid to fill up the jails with drug addicts. It costs too much, socially as well as monetarily. See comment #68 and 41.
March 13th, 2008 at 7:51 pm
i think weed should be legalized, but that it also never will be. it is far too easy to grow and sell on your own which would prevent the government from collecting on taxes, which according to the government makes it criminal
March 13th, 2008 at 11:40 pm
Bringing up a (relatively) old point that YashaMaru pointed out, what’s the use of banning arms? Then the general public wouldn’t be able to protect themselve from criminals that DO have guns.
And once weed is legalized, no, kids won’t go to neighborhood dalers to get their drugs. They’ll go to their buddies that are old enough to buy it for them, just like they do now for alchohol. Legalizing them isn’t going to change the consumption by much. Granted, it’ll be at least slightly higher, because I’m sure there are many kids that don’t do weed simply because of the repercussions involved in getting caught with it, but if it isn’t a bad thing, why should a little increase in consumption matter? It’d be better for the economy.
*Does happy dance* I just used like four big words. I just hope I usd them right now…
March 14th, 2008 at 9:38 am
Mom424 – after reading your previous posts – imagine if the money used to prosecute drug crimes, and support their stay in prison were instead funneled into anti-poverty programs.
Then – imagine if 50% of all tax revenues from marijuana sales were also contributing to the same programs. One would have to assume that we would see a better return on investments than the money spent on anti-drug warfare.
As much as I am for it, I believe trying to legalize all drugs is a losing battle, but it is about time that pot is released from it’s unearned reputation.
March 14th, 2008 at 2:26 pm
Kraeg; no kidding. The social cost in the United States is ridiculous, the number of kids living well below the poverty line because one or the other parent is in jail on drug possession offenses is obscene. Basically the government is funding the next generation of drug addicts instead of trying to prevent them from becoming same. Knee-jerk legislation intended to keep the politicians in power, not improve society.
March 14th, 2008 at 2:29 pm
Kraeg; Amazingly enough, The death penalty is another case in point. Legislated to keep the politicians in power, no other reason. Can you imagine a fella in Texas coming to power on an anti-death penalty ticket? Or once they’re in power, changing it and basically guaranteeing they don’t get re-elected. Not gonna happen, people are selfish.
March 14th, 2008 at 9:26 pm
I’ve always believed pot should be legalized in Canada. Now that we have medical marijuana laws, the gov’t has gotten into the business of peddling weed. Any thoughts I may have had about legalization bringing cheaper prices were dashed when I was with a friend buying gov’t issue and realized they were charging him $10/gram. He told me there were different strains with lower prices but it still seemed expensive. Who says the gov’t doesn’t know how much money they’re thumbing their noses at? Trust me….they know!!
March 16th, 2008 at 6:26 pm
I think weed should be legal because, it’s no real threat. Also they give it too cancer patients, to help them feel better. It’s been proven that it works too! Now I know drug dealers, or weed farmers, tend to put other things in there weed. That should be not legal, also still I think the intent to sell should still be illegal.
March 17th, 2008 at 9:44 am
mom424: I think the anti-drug legislation goes beyond keeping politicians in power. I think the anti-drug propaganda is a pill (pun intended) even the politicians have been forced to swallow for so long now, it has become somewhat like a religion, where to change a stance on it now would shake up their beliefs to such a degree that it’s easier to keep up the status quo and continue demonizing all drugs.
March 17th, 2008 at 12:17 pm
I’m just amazed that people are paying $10 a gram and $250 an ounce for the damn stuff and thinking that is expensive. Around these parts, most people don’t know what a gram of weed looks like, and a O of top-tier ganja goes for about $350 to $390.
And Mom, if you wern’t married, didn’t lived a thousand miles away, and wouldn’t flatly refuse, and if I weren’t such a raging dork, I’d propose to you.
March 19th, 2008 at 10:03 am
wow. i cant believe the number of yes’s. amazing.
i say no, absolutly not.
March 19th, 2008 at 10:17 am
well, longball, why not then?
March 19th, 2008 at 3:44 pm
drugs should not be legalized. they should be decriminalized to a more relaxed state, such as amsterdam. they took a “christain” view to drugs and sell the natural substances in smoke shops. the harder stuff you rarely see and if they do see it they are NOT arrested for drug use; 50% of the prison population is non-violent drug users who cant afford rehab, and when they get out it will be right back to the streets for them instead of getting help which is what free clinics overseas offer. the streets get cleaned up and less harder drugs are used because they are more available and people arent seeking another way to get high; plus the prison population will go way down.
i mean the government is already a part of it so why not give us the benefit of the doubt?
March 23rd, 2008 at 7:50 am
Absolutely
March 25th, 2008 at 7:11 am
Why the f*ck not? We already have gambling, alcohol, nicotine, why not drugs too huh?, its not like society has enough f*cking problems already with addictions , obesity, poverty, and crime. Holy Sh!t people…and for all you retards who like to smoke a bowl and snort some coke…YOUR NOT ANY COOLER!!!! That sh!t is so stupid. I hope you all get caught…
March 25th, 2008 at 7:32 am
Wait… your “argument” involves the criminalization of the McDonald’s value menu?
March 25th, 2008 at 8:16 am
leagalize the lot i say ..
March 25th, 2008 at 9:32 am
I’m not arguing. I just think this sh!t is ridiculous.
March 30th, 2008 at 11:59 am
ye just ban it there is not 1 person who gets charged from drugs alone …. people are usually charged for murder, drinking and driving ect. they are then charged with possesion of drugs which makes us think does the law enforcement reall care?
March 30th, 2008 at 7:16 pm
kay, not sure i understand that sentence(s?) but if you are saying there is not 1 person who gets charged from drugs alone… well i am 1. maybe there are not 2.
March 31st, 2008 at 12:44 pm
I agree with TMo, kay. I think you may have your data a little screwed up.
April 9th, 2008 at 8:38 pm
if drugs legalized then the govt takes profit in the way of taxes and reduces trafficking and underworld drug rule.u can get a strip of cocaine tablets and opium syrups from local pharmacy.just like cough syrups and fever tablets.
if its not legalized the crime rate increases for drug usage right from all kinds of people either directly or indirectly involved in the activity .
its matters with the usage of every individual ………..every thing is good within the limits ………..u exceed the limit then u u r responding to the undertakers call.
April 16th, 2008 at 9:52 am
I wish I stumbled upon this debate earlier, I would so much fun.
My fellow Norwegian YashaMaru wrote;
“and i actually feel the u.s. should revoke the right to bear arms. you have the most gunkillings a year. this can also be viewed in perspective towards this subject.
guns are made to kill.”
-
Fun fact: According to Milton Friedman (Nobel price winner in economics) whom supported the legalisation of all drugs all his life, researched the crime statistics in the US, and came to the conclusion that 90–I repeat–90% of all homicides in the US were directly attributed to the illegal drug market. In most cases, we’re this is a result of gangs fighting each other over market share, the same way we say Al Capone fight it out on the streets of Chicago in the 1920s.
So, approx. 10,000 human lives is wasted FOR NOTHING, each year in the US. You factor in the general violence, property crime, ODs as a result of contaminated drugs, corruption in law enforcement, the destruction of inner-cities…shit I could go on forever. Well, you weigh this up against the very small risk that we would see an increase in use if it were sold MORE restrictive, I believe there’s really just one right answer here.
- And I should add that I am a non-user of any drug except coffeine and the occasional joint. I’ve studied the subject of drug policy for about 6-7 years now, pretty much daily.
Take my word for it; the prohibition of drugs is the most destructive, harmful–most ineffective social “project” since…You guessed it; alcohol prohibition. It’s the same thing, on steroids.
I honestly believe crime in general would PLUMMET in any society that legalises all drugs and regulate them strictly. I would even venture a calculated, educated guess, and say the somewhat immediate cut in crime would be 50-60%–and over a 5-10 year period, reach around 80%.
The benefits of legalising, and the harms we would get rid of or in some cases reduce substantially, far outweighs even the worst-case-scenario legalisation would ever bring about. That might seem a bit extreme to anyone reading this, but I advice all of you to actually get educated about the issue and get an understanding of what we are all paying because of these laws and practices.
The drug war is without question the most immoral propostition since slavery, and is without question THE worldwide policy causing the most harms in terms of terrorism, murders, violence, corruption–both in law enforcement and in (especially) poor goverments like Mexico, Colombia, Afghanistan and the list goes on. Entire countries are being damaged beyond repair because people in the US and Europe wants their drugs?
Please people, get your morals straighten out. There are no good or bad drugs, there are only good and bad relationships with drugs–and what causes addiction? PSYCHOLOGICAL PROBLEMS
April 16th, 2008 at 9:57 am
Please people, get your morals straighten out. There are no good or bad drugs, there are only good and bad relationships with drugs–and what causes addiction? PSYCHOLOGICAL PROBLEMS
April 16th, 2008 at 10:02 am
Again; regulate all drugs and implement control and harm-reduction policies where there currently is NONE. If you think a drug should be legalised on the criteria of how harmful it is, you have completely missed the point–and obviously, the most potent arguments for legalisation which are in most cases aimed at criminal element and the destructive effects that derive from it.
Drugs, prositution and gambling. No democratic society has ever come close to reducing these vice “crimes”–what makes anyone think we’re gonna have the slightest impact this time around? Einstein had a great definition of insanity: Doing the exact same thing over and over again, and still expecting different results. That pretty much sums up drug prohibition.
http://www.leap.cc – Law Enforcement Against Prohibition – Check out their 12 min. promo video–cops say legalize all drugs!
April 18th, 2008 at 6:48 am
For anyone still watching this thread, I have a prime example of just how ridiculous drug laws in the USA are. You just gotta read this.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/maia-szalavitz/cruel-and-unusual-25-yea_b_35781.html
April 18th, 2008 at 7:04 am
Mom424: I was never very proud of my state of my state to begin with but this is tragic, outrageous, and embarassing for me, and I have nothing to do with it.
April 18th, 2008 at 10:21 am
Slickwilly;
I can’t even begin to imagine what was going through their minds when they arrested this guy. And the prison medical staff is giving him stronger drugs than he was using to begin with. WTF? And since when can possession of Tylenol/Ibuprofen be used as a tool for conviction? And blackmailing a doctor? by the state police? No wonder so many American’s have a knee-jerk reaction to government interference/participation (health care/taxes/whatnot). They refuse to concede when they are wrong.
I just read about some guy on death row too; all the witnesses have recanted – they were coerced by the authorities – and still he sits waiting to die.
The judge who ruled on his appeal (not favourably) actually said that one of the seven recanters “might” identify him. 1 in 7 isn’t good enough for me.
http://www.thelibertypapers.org/2008/03/17/death-row-appeal-denied-despite-recanted-testimony-of-7-witnesses/
It kind of amazes me that Amnesty International has any role in the richest, largest democracy on the planet. Shitty.
May 21st, 2008 at 10:56 am
I think weed should be legal the U.S. Would make a kiling they could tax the hell out it like cigarettes. Jobs would be made of course buying weed would fall under the same category of alcohol age limit not smoke & drive all that good stuff I mean theres stuff so much worst then weed legally sold here in the U.S. so they might as well just go ahead and get on with it
May 25th, 2008 at 2:32 pm
I personally believe no government should have the right to dictate to me what I am allowed to consume.
Unfortunately I live in a country where openly ignoring those laws will get you into trouble.
I find it laughable that governments call drugs “controlled substances” yet have no control over them. Legalizing drugs would allow the government to regulate the market and tax the product, removing a huge proportion of the black market and profit for the criminal gangs that currently control these “controlled substances”
Of course you will always get emotional naysayers who view all drugs (except good ol’ booze!) as evil and are unwilling to excercise rational thought on the subject. But hopefully proper education will slowly eradicate such ignorance and at some pont in my life I will be able to freely smoke a joint without having to hide away like a common criminal.
I am, of course, not saying that drugs don’t have their problems and dangers… of course they do. Like someone has pointed out already, this is the case with the legal drugs such as alcohol and nicotine. If people where treated with a bit of respect by their governments and given the responsibility to make their own educated decisions about what drugs they consume I believe that serious drug problems would be reduced and the overall number of people experimenting with drugs would fall. The taboo nature of drugs adds hugely to their appeal especially to adolescents.
June 6th, 2008 at 1:52 am
Hell yeah! I don’t like the idea of any governmental body telling me what I can or cannot put into my own body, for one thing. More importantly, and I’m gonna say this slow for the anti-drug crusaders out there – Prohibition. Does. Not. WORK!
Think about it. Before the prohibition of alcohol in the US, organized crime was not really that big a deal over here. There were gangs invoved in protection rackets and stuff, but it wasn’t a big deal. Then booze was outlawed, and the bootleggers were making money hand over fist and laughing their asses off all the way to the bank (or wallsafe).
I actually knew a guy who was ‘affiliated’, shall we say, and he said to me once, “Every time the government passes a new law, we get another way to make money”. I think it makes better sense to legalize drugs (and prostitution, by the by… but that’s a whole ‘nother topic), regulate it and tax it. The savings to law enforcement expenses alone could be hugely helpful in dealing with more important things (health care, education, the social safety net, etc.).
As to the assertion that many people who would use such drugs to the point of dying (which I’m sure has come up), all I have to say is… so? Just because some people are tools and have no restraint doesn’t mean the rest of us should be penalized. Besides, anything that lowers the number of morons in the world is all to the good, IMO. It ain’t like they’re an endangered species.
June 29th, 2008 at 3:20 am
no they should not be legalized.
before u flame me
think about this.
Has Doin drugs made your life or anyone elses life better.
(recreational drugs not medicines)
imagine living in a world were there were no drink drivers
were u could walk down the city streets at night and not be afraid of a junkie attacking you for money. (yes i kno there are sober people who could do the same rapists watever but one less thing to worry about would be better)
a drug free youth for children
how many unwanted pregnancies have come from alcohol
how many children have been abused because of it
and dont tell me its not the substances fault its the user
it wouldnt happen in the first place if there was no substance.
but its sad to think that i live in a world were a man works 5 days a week only to look forward to when he returns home
is a “coldie” or a beer or a hit from his bong. and to think of the teenage girl who goes to a nightclub and naivly takes an extacsy pill and wakes up in a hospital or never wake sup at all.
think about that.
July 13th, 2008 at 3:23 pm
I think pot should be legal. I just don’t think you should be allowed to drive while you’re high. People talk about how bad it is for you, but pot is actually less addicting than tobaco. Besides, if you’re drinking a beer and smoking a cigarette at the same time, that is basically has the same effect on your body as smoking pot.
I’m not saying that I would smoke pot even if it was legal, but I’m not planning on getting addicted to cigarettes, and I would still object to them being made illegal.
July 13th, 2008 at 8:23 pm
I know i’m just treading the same waters, but has anyone actually thought of ACTUALLY doing something to convince congress and other government agencies that MJ should be rescheduled. I must note that Marijuana has many medical uses, but the government sees none of them which is why it is scheduled the way it is. If someone brought up a case against the supreme court as to medical usage for cannabis, I am sure people would realize things about it; such as the fact that it is currently the world’s number one cash crop.
Everything else has already been said, but i have one more thing.
Marijuana increases creativity, and i can attest to this to the fact that i have created more poetry, art, and music while high than while not. And its better.
July 13th, 2008 at 9:04 pm
If I could smoke weed, I would never drink. Period.
July 16th, 2008 at 11:41 pm
Legalize weed. Seriously, why is it illegal? It is actually a crime to indulge in the supplements of an herbal nature?
I say, let man, woman, and child reap the benefits of this wonder-plant.
It enhances the quality of life in general. It gives passion to what would otherwise be a dull moment. It gives words that express the creativity of what would otherwise have been a lifeless string of consonants. It gives some the strength to wake up each morning and not be overwhelmed by the pressures of modern society. It allows the abilities of some to be unlocked in the mind-altered state.
And above all, it gives you a sense of humor.
So LEGALIZE IT!!!
August 1st, 2008 at 2:45 pm
Absolutely, drugs should be legalized. Prohibition does nothing but criminalize behavior, it does nothing to deal with the issue. Addiction is a complicated problem and having a “war on drugs” is about as stupid as the “war on poverty.” The crimes associated with drug use are a seperate issue, as far as I’m concerned. Legalize drugs, regulate them, and help people get off of them. Also, a concerted effort to keep people from ever starting would be good, something more than “just say no.” I think exposing kids to shows like Intervention might be smart, kind of a Scared Strait approach.
August 2nd, 2008 at 2:40 am
I think rushfan has it dead bang right, and that there should be people trained to do the kind of “extreme intervention” that William Banks does. Legalize them, tax the hell out of them (like cigarettes and booze), and set up establishments to help people who wanna get off them. I think there are some people who can’t find jobs that suit them who would be very useful and good in that sort of situation.
August 2nd, 2008 at 5:31 am
Again “tax the hell out of them”! The more people I see thinking any sort of tax is basicly a good thing, the more I think that maybe we should apply some special tax to them. The tax for spreading anti-liberty, pro-serfdom bunk. Maybe it would sober them up finally and teach them minding their own f… pockets!
August 3rd, 2008 at 12:48 pm
I believe marijuana should be legalized. There would be a lot more happy people and a lot more room in jails for people who deserve to be there for something more than possession/distribution of marijuana. Oh, and taxing it to hell and back is ridiculous. We’re already paying out the ass for gasoline, electricity, water, gas, food, etc.
August 4th, 2008 at 5:32 pm
I think that marijuana can be considered one of the most dangerous drugs in a way as people underestimate the effects. I’ve seen a lot of people go seriously downhill and waste their lives away because of the effect it has.
I feel that people should find alternatives to drugs. want to feel wasted? try giving blood. Coca Cola is known to give you a high. and people say watching the mighty boosh makes you feel like your on drugs…what do you need drugs for then?
August 8th, 2008 at 6:42 am
What a crock Dan. I don’t know who you’ve been hanging out with but I seriously think its time to re-evaluate your friendships. Anyone who is going downhill from marijuana use was already going there, trust me. I just celebrated my 50th birthday, 30 years of marriage and 25 years running my home business. I’ve raised 7 responsible kids who all wanted to smoke weed with me at some point but weren’t allowed to until they were adults. I’ve found that, like alcohol, marijuana sucks the motivation out of teenagers. My aunt is in the hospital recovering from injuries received in a car accident. She was hit by a man who was high, not on weed but antidepressants. I’ve found that most people who thumb their noses at the concept of legalization are on their way to the liquor store for some liquid drug.
August 10th, 2008 at 5:10 pm
ur all gay drugs get me thru the day
August 10th, 2008 at 11:52 pm
First of all, I’m tired of all this aout weed turning you into a lazy sack of crap. People who are like that while high aren’t any better sober. It helps me when I must do hard manual labor, or when I’m reading something I don’t get right off.
Second, I think we ought to just do away with drug laws completely. Maybe some sort of taxation program would improve things, but it’s not hard to improve on garbage; maybe if they didn’t spend billions on senseless wars and such we wouldn’t have that problem. I say no taxation, no regulations whatsoever. Just let it go. Hard drugs included, regualting them serves no purpose as people who wish to do them will do them regardless, and then just fill up our prisons and waste our money.
The one exeption here would be enforcing it’s actual usage, ex: It’s already illegal to drink in most public places, or to drive with it.
August 11th, 2008 at 2:39 am
#253. Xavier Manfried the Musicman, Son of Reus the Piper -
“And above all, it gives you a sense of humor.”
and dear god do more people need that nowadays. you can’t make any sort of joke without offending someone, it’s ridiculous.
August 23rd, 2008 at 7:42 pm
I think that Weed should defintly be leaglized. people are gunna smoke ganja legal or not so the government should take advantage or that and tax it. im all for it. as for pcp i think that should be legal too but thats cuz i was hooked on it for a year and i only stopped cuz i got arrested for possesion. It was the only thing keeping me from suicide durring that year so hows it bad?? But that one is debatable. But weed should defintly be legal. FREE THE NATION!!!
August 28th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
i think some drugs should be leaglized weed and pills
September 5th, 2008 at 2:11 pm
nice day,
September 28th, 2008 at 9:43 pm
no, drugs should not be leagalized, they can cause addicton, break up familes, and make felons out of users, i dont do drugs, i just smoke weed, whats the worst that can happen, i get hungry??
September 30th, 2008 at 3:49 pm
Of course NO. Today’s crazy world sufficiently unhealthy and madly….
October 29th, 2008 at 5:05 pm
All drugs should be legalised. The current laws act as little more than a subsidy to organised crime. Drug prohibition is a failed policy, based on pseudo-science, the result of which is damage to society far worse than that which it claims to address, namely drug use.
I am not a drug advocate. I dislike intoxication in all forms, & am mature enough to recognise that anything in excess is likely to be harmful. But at the same time I am pragmatic enough to realise a few simple truths. Firstly that at any one time all those in the US & Europe, [two think of just two places, but the same applies all over the world], all those who want to take heroin, cocains or methamphetamine will do so. But they will do so via the most unregulated, criminalised, unhealthy & damaging mechanism possible: that of criminal prohibition & supply by the Mafia.
The fact that some drugs are illegal is no barrier to those who wish to take them doing so -in fact it may well operate in reverse & actually ENCOURAGE a number of teenagers to experiment simply because they are banned. By the same token, making those drugs legal will not cause a sudden wave of people rushing to the pharmacys saying “I must try cocaine”. Ask anyone who doesnt currently use cocaine whether the sight of a bottle marked “POISON: Cocaine solution” would make the feel an irresistible desire to try it, & 99.9% will say no.
Once you realise that drug use can be contained in society by simple regulation, & that our current drug policies create nothing but an unrelenting wave of addiction, petty crime, family breakdown & billions of dollars to organised crime, it is impossible to remain in support of the drug war, unless you are either a member of the police & prison guards unions, & fear that ending the drug war may see an end to your job, or you are a member of the Mafia, & fear an end to the almost century long tax free subsidy you have enjoyed thanks to our legislators insistence on defending an indefensible policy.
October 29th, 2008 at 5:43 pm
Another thing that everyone seems to forget is this. Opium production has now spread to Iraq from Afghanistan, & in both cases the revenues are being used to continue the war against our troops. Whatever we may personally think of the war, it is immoral to support any mechanism which allows those who are out to kill our soldiers, or committ terrorism in our towns & cities can raise the money to make their plans real. The DEA slogan that says “Drugs fund terrorism” is missing a word; the truth is that “Drug PROHIBITION funds terrorism”.
The alternatives we face are stark. We can either destroy every poppy filed our soldiers come across in Afghanistan, thereby pushing poverty stricken farmers into the ever-welcoming arms of the Taliban, or they can ignore the opium harvest, knowing full well that every pound of opium harvested is turning into bullets & bombs to fight us. Coupled with that the well-documented fact that much of Aghanistan’s new government is deeply involved in heroin trafficking surely the only way that we could ever suceed in establishing a government in Afghanistan that is neither a corrupt narco-regime or a brutal religious dictatorship, is to legalise the drugs trade, thereby ending the source of both the corruption & the funds for the religious fanatics.
If we legalised drugs overnight opium would become another cash crop like wheat or rice. Terrorist organisations the world over would be deprived of their revenues, & today’s equivalents of Al Capone & Meyer Lansky would be out of business for good.
As for what to do with huge agencies like the DEA…well, considering that the smuggling of nuclear materials & biological hazards is becoming a growing problem, they could be re-equipped to tackle that REAL threat. After all, I dunno about you, but the thought of a pound of uranium or anthrax spores coming through the airport scares me a hell of a lot more than any amount of heroin & cocaine.
Unfortunately our media’s obsession with the “DEMON of DRUGS” has made legalisation a so-called “Third Rail” subject for politicians, [touching it is political suicide]. Drug prohibition will end the moment politicians realise that standing AGAINST the drug war brings them votes rather than loses them. So get active, & show your representative just how many people support an end to the War on Drugs already!
November 14th, 2008 at 10:43 am
Advil kills over 500 people a year weed kills 0..I think weed should be legalized
December 24th, 2008 at 7:18 am
Weed– YES!
Crack and meth — NO!
Stuff like acid and ecstacy should be regulated, maybe — I’ve heard they’ve caused a lot more damage since they were made illegal because the makers mix more crap into them.
Also, whether legal or illegal people should be educated about them and what to do if they do take them.
February 20th, 2009 at 3:54 pm
YES.
I want the freedom to decide what is right or wrong for me, MYSELF, instead of having the government FORCE its ideals of right and wrong upon me.
It starts with them telling us lies about drugs,
leads to lies about drug users,
leads to lies about ethnicity of drug users,
which leads to actions being taken against them..
And before you know it, we’re killing the ‘lower races’ all over again.
The War On Drugs is just an example of how possible it is for America to become another Nazi Germany.
Don’t say it couldn’t happen.
They’ve already ignore drug users rights- 4th and 5th amendment rights to be exact. What rights will be gone next?
Whats next? The death penalty for abusing Tylenol?
Don’t say it couldn’t happen.
-Kase
February 22nd, 2009 at 11:08 am
“I want the freedom to decide what is right or wrong for me, MYSELF,”
Frankly speaking, you have NO IDEA what is right and wrong. Neither do 95% of the people.
February 25th, 2009 at 7:53 pm
A part of me wants to say that ALL drugs should be legalized.
Only because people are gonna get their drugs SOMEHOW, SOME WAY.
If drugs were legal, we probably wouldn’t have a lot of drug dealers.
Prostitution would probably go down.
But on the other hand, I wouldn’t want to be walking in the sand barefoot, and find a huge fucking needle popping out of the ground either!
So, all in a nutshell. I think all the drugs that are illegal now, should STAY illegal. EXCEPT for marijuana. Because it helps me when I feel sick. Honestly.
I think we should make alcohol illegal, because you ALWAYS here of drunk drivers, and bad wrecks.
Do you ever hear of someone killing an 8 year old on a bike, because they smoked a joint?
February 27th, 2009 at 10:38 am
If you can die from abusing that drug (overdose) it should be ilegal
February 27th, 2009 at 10:50 am
275. another dude: “If you can die from abusing that drug (overdose) it should be ilegal”
Too strict a view. By this theory, even Tylenol should be banned as it is the unplanned suicider’s OD of choice. I would not recommend it though. My sister works at the hospital and she says it looks like one of the most physically brutal of overdosing options.
I’d have to do more thinking on whether it should be legal or not but at the very least, I think there should be more open communication about drugs and their characteristics. The stereotypes associated with it and the taboo factor (we never hear about the actual drugs…just the drug busts) makes it much more of an incentive for the grossly uninformed to experiment. You see the same thing with the over-under age limit for alcohol.
February 27th, 2009 at 12:43 pm
Maybe I wasnt to clear, sorry about that, I was refering to the drugs that are now ilegal marihuana, heroin, cocaine, acid, etc
March 10th, 2009 at 9:39 pm
What the hell is the difference between some of these illegal drugs and alcohol? I say either make alcohol illegal, or legalize at least some of the less dangerous drugs mentioned here. If the government puts taxes on them like they do on tabacco here in Australia it’ll probably decrease the amount of drug abuse going on anyway…
March 20th, 2009 at 10:58 am
I think laws should tighten up about prescription drugs
I feel marijuana should be legalized and treated the same way alcohol is. There is no reason why marijuana can’t be controlled by the government , that way you never get any laced batches and the tax on it will go towards various things. The price of weed will be higher but it should be legal in government run stores with special hours and special bars with a marijuana license. Selling marijuana will remain illegal and treated as bootlegging , consuming marijuana products underage will be illegal , driving under the influence of marijuana will garner the same serious sentence as driving under the influence of alcohol. The legal age for marijuana purchase and consumption should be 18 or 19 depending on the provencial legislation and 21 in the United States Of America , but I assume it will become legal in Canada before the States. The government of Canada will be responsible for education of responsible marijuana use and advertising of side effects and health risks also control of underage use. It should be governed by the same group that deals with tobacco , alcohol and gambling.
April 12th, 2009 at 10:12 pm
Legalize weed and then make it hideously expensive…you already have people paying $8 for a pack of cigarettes in some areas.
April 12th, 2009 at 10:26 pm
280 jussayin: That’s actually one of the arguments against legalization. Even without the gouging that you’re suggesting, Gov’t regulated legal marijuana would cost so much to buy that illegal cultivation and sales would still be attractive. That doesn’t occur with tobacco because it is too difficult for the average person to grow and process.
May 23rd, 2009 at 11:21 pm
The alcohol industry doesn’t want pot legalized because that would take one helluva bite out of their revenue. I don’t mind pot being legalized as long as it’s controlled. but on the other hand, who’s to say if it were legalized there wouldn’t be a black market because pot would be cut with other drugs such as PCP or Xtacy because that would be a drug of choice for some users and believe me PCP is very dangerous. heroin, crack, meth, those kind of drugs are bad seriously. They destroy lives. I’m in my mid 50’s now. I smoked pot from 14-44. One day I didn’t want it anymore and I quick smoking it. It doesn’t bother me if people use it for their own personal use AT HOME. I’m also a former drug addict. Been clean for 17 yrs. now. I found birds of a feather flock together. I changed from being a buzzard to being a peacock a more peaceful life. Spiritually, healthwise, financially, legally,and a happier, wiser lifestyle. Personally though, I think pot is fine and should be legalized.
June 4th, 2009 at 5:05 pm
I dont really like either anymore, but I would definitely rather be around an angry high person than an angry drunk person.
June 7th, 2009 at 10:11 pm
Legalize cannibus, hmm i remember years ago when the bars were full and ppl were smoking pot inside the bars. I do not smoke pot anymore, i do use it for spiritual purposes from time to time and healing remedies. Pot is not going to cause someone to go onto other drugs, other people will cause other drugs to go into effect. The choice is the same with anything else. You either say yes or no. It is an individuals decision, there are far worse things on the market, say Superglue, rat poison, mineral oil, liquid plumber. The list goes on. People were alot less stressed when it was used years ago, this is a government hoo E just so they can make money, arrest ppl. fine them and now they want to make it medical pot and legalize it. Which is ridiculous. It us also used for many spiritual rights. Yep most churches whether you know it or not uses marijuana, but they can’t say anything for fear of having the church closed down. Proves that marijuana is not only medically benifical but alot of ppl did some hard time for something the government is trying to tax now.
June 18th, 2009 at 11:49 am
I think were fine the way that the law is right now
June 25th, 2009 at 2:39 pm
guys first off LEGALIZATION HAS TO LOWER PRICES! its just logic.1. if prices arent lowered people will keep buying off the streets. 2. the reason it costs so much is BECAUSE its illegal, because there is so much risk involved. 3. tobacco can be boughten for 8$ an ounce atm even with the monstrous taxes on it (used to be 4$ an ounce like a year ago)… illegal marijuana is $300-400 and ounce.. both of them are plants. damn.. so many people talking and giving viewpoints like they are so knowledgable on a subject when really they know nothing about it.
July 4th, 2009 at 7:38 am
@expert (286): There is no logic in that “proof.” Either people should not be buying marijuana because it’s a plant and tabacco’s cheaper. Or, your orignal thesis is incorrect – according to the content of your post – wow…
July 8th, 2009 at 6:24 am
I don’t understand why users want pot to be legalized and taxed. Doesn’t that mean you’d be paying a lot more for the stuff than you do now? And if the government controls it, what’s to say the industry won’t end up like the tobacco industry–laced with thousands of unnecessary chemicals like in cigarettes? My boyfriend, a pot user himself, believes that if the government were growing it, it’d become much less potent. And like I said before, look at the cost of cigarettes nowadays. Would you really want to pay that much? You’d still get busted for selling it.
I think the punishments for having pot should be way decreased, just not entirely legalized.
July 19th, 2009 at 12:32 am
I say legalize everything!!!!!!!!!!!
July 19th, 2009 at 12:43 am
I say legalize everything except for heroin,coke,crack and meth
August 6th, 2009 at 3:27 am
I agree with #13
August 21st, 2009 at 4:28 pm
I believe in mariju. should be legal as a street drug as well as a medical drug.Nothing else that’s a hard drug.Isn’t making pot illigal an invalment of astrimmination to christain religon ?It say’s if you need a doctor then get one some -mainly need grass.Plus,It’s called a medical plant.The holy bible want’s world peace is it a sin to incurage the oppisit?Is this true that The am.gov.is a hipercrit & a thief & bullies & conartises ?
August 21st, 2009 at 4:55 pm
delete snatch hound’s message .He doesn’t trust certain people.
September 17th, 2009 at 7:17 pm
@Sneeuwpop (2): I agree you Sneeuwpop.Listen people for along time the goverment has been trying to over come the war on drugs and yet has not done it. Back in the days with the old gangters with alcohol,did’nt work then. But when the goverment started to let alcohol to be used what happen? I will try you what happen the war on alcohol started to slow down. So I think we should do the same thing like back in the old days. Just tax the drugs and if anybody is dumb enough to overdose on the bad drugs, then that is there ass.I smoke pot for about 10 years and my brain cells are working find. And I am a Computer Tech Manger making good money. So if pot hurt me, thank you pot for doing what you did to me.
November 4th, 2009 at 6:54 am
Marijuana:
Is nice soft drug but should legalized but not in rural areas of a country. coffee shops should be made available which should have limitations of the drug in only major cities – marijuana should be obtained from high quality sources e.g. Amsterdam,holland – countries where it is produced(the stuff makes you lazy and not willing to do anything constructive – i have experience of this)
Nicotine:
BANNED! Worse drug in the world right now!!!Plantations should be burnt and the tobacco plant should be forced to extinction
Heroin:
BANNED! horribly addictive worse than nicotine
LSD:
Legalized but only used in special facilities where there will be some actives to do and where the person will be monitored(The person will have to stay in this facility until the effect have worn of)
Might sound really bad but:
*people don’t smoke it
*its man made
*its odorless and tasteless
*and people on it are not it don’t like to do anything too physical like driving,running
*its the drug with the least crime attached to it
Methamphetamine (METH,Tik as we know it here in ZA)
BANNED!
Futher Amphetamines:
BANNED! But amphetamines used in medications prescribed by doctors for depression, etc.
Dimethyltryptamine (DMT)
Fully Legalized
If the person is really looking for a experience that will kill them and bring them back to life (This stuff is the most powerful hallucinogen known to man – its like dying and coming back)Another world
(MDMA)Ecstasy:
Legalized for club use with labelled warnings of brain
damage on packaging
L.S.A Containing seeds
Legalized and can be grown for export
Psilocybe mushrooms (Psilocybe Cubensis)
Legalized
Cocaine (Crack):
Illegal
but legal in Colombia where people sell it to tourists to buy food
PCP/GHB and all that other shit should stay illegal
and all other chemicals should ONLY be used if a doctor has prescribed it.
Drugs that have been legalized in countries have shown that the use of it in countries where it is illegal is greater than in the country that it is legal
GOT A Q? POP AN E
TO
darrenfrankland@gmail.com
~Humans are silly creatures,Rules are there to help them~
November 12th, 2009 at 9:13 am
It’s insane, trying to keep these people from doing what they are going to do anyways. Why on earth should I spend my hard earned money to keep Billy Bob from puffin some weed? Frankly, I don’t give a flying fuck if he wants to drink battery acid. I think that the drug lords are using their clout to keep it illegal so they aren’t put out of business. The politicians are probably getting kickbacks from the drug lords is the reason they are happy. The problem is that you and I, like usual, are the ones flipping the bill.