Should Marijuana be legalized?

not sure, some people say it is not any worse then drinking beer and getting drunk. I never took it so I can't say.

Yes. All drugs should be legalized.

Yes.

Nice use of options.

Legalize it and tax it.

Yes; all drugs should be legalized.

I think I answered this one before. The government is not going to legalize pot until they figure out a way to market it so that they are getting the profit rather than the little man on the street getting it. Personally I don't smoke it so I really don't care as long as you don't drive near me when you smoke it.

Of course.

It's ridiculous that it's illegal.

> not sure, some people say it is not any worse
> then drinking beer and getting drunk. I never
> took it so I can't say.

We all know you've never been a pot head. You don't "take" it, you smoke it.

Yes, but it shouldn't be capitalised.

Yes

Of course.

dang, I got caught red handed, wish i had got caught in a red dress instead.

Nope... and I think tobacco ought to be outlawed.

Yes it should!!Smoke away everyone.

NO WAY JOSE!

Snoop Dog says yes.

> Yes it should!!Smoke away everyone.

Alright babygirl!

Where are the options? Gah...
Yes, I do think it should be legalised, but not for use in public, or sold to under-16s (or whatever the age for tobacco is in your country already).

Yes, yes, a thousand times yes.

And you should provide options with surveys that are simple yes/no questions.

I really couldn't care less. Decriminilized, I guess.

No..

How many times are we gonna have this question? And how did it out of Qual without any options?

I think so.

No. It leads to other drugs, it makes people into paranoid zombie dickheads.

I believe that legalizations will change society in many ways.
Because it will be taxed and regulated by the government, like alcohol,
underground teen pot culture will change.

It may even be harder for teenagers to get weed.
I think it is easier for teenagers to get weed than it is for them to get alcohol
for this very reason.

Unfortunately nature abhores a vaccume, the criminal element
will make up for lost revenues by pushing harder drugs on kids.

Still I am all for it, I havent smoked in years,
I consider myself to be a law abiding citizen.

But if they legalized I would be first in line.

It's like that line from the "untouchables"

"What will you do when prohibition ends?"

"Have a drink"

It wouldn't be fun if it wasn't illegal..

Bring on the heroin

While I am not convinced that it should be legalized, it should not be felony-ized either. Our law enforcement authorities have many more things to attend to.

probably

I'd really have to say no. Why legalize something that makes you MORE out of it ? Think of driving, alone. Can you smoke pot 'responsibly'? Isn't the goal to get high?

>It leads to other drugs

That's pretty much a proven urban legend, just like most crap the governemnt tells us about things they don't like. You have to remember, when it was first criminalized in 1937, one of the reasosn given on the floor of the U.S. congress was that it had to be banned because smoking it "might cause a Black man to look at a White woman twice." It also had to be banned to keep people from falling under the influence of "listening to jazz."

A year or two ago, I'd have said no. But, I think I've changed my mind. Every argument against it could also be an argument against alcohol, except that marijuana use can lead to harder drug use, as it did me. But, I don't think that happens in the majority of cases. So, sure, legalize it.

> It may even be harder for teenagers to get weed.
> I think it is easier for teenagers to get weed
> than it is for them to get alcohol
> for this very reason.

That's true. When I was a teenager, it was easier to get weed and coke than it was cigarettes and alcohol. There was only one store that we could buy it from, which was a pain if you were on the other side of town partying. And, then, we could only buy beer. To get liquor, we had to get older people to buy it for us, which was a dog.

yes

That's a tough call. If it was legal it would be controlled like tobacco and prolly have
the heck taxed out of it. You probably couldn't get it in any of the Red States either as
those folks in their local Govt. are usually "church-types" an so hard-up it would never fly.
Perhaps best to make certain places OK where one can smoke weed without any
trouble like they do in Amsterdam.

Yes, but with restrictions (similar to those of alcohol).

No.

I asked for options.

Yes it should be legalized and it should be legal to become a pothead and legal to get a high and a buzz wooow how cool

> dang, I got caught red handed, wish i had got caught in a red dress
> instead.

You would never fit into a dress he he he he where is your figure?

man, someday I will send you a picture of my figure so you can see where it is.

You would be arrested and tossed into a jail cell for impersonating a woman in a dress and the Police would have a party laughing at you, and the Judge would lock you up for a very long time

> man, someday I will send you a picture of my figure so you can see
> where it is.

oh that is it, you are a female impersonator the cops are looking for you

I plead the fifth.
Who are you, and why do you want me to answer that question?

Yes

> Legalize it and tax it.


Oh boy! I can just see them rubbing their grubby little hands together...

i dont know. this is a sensitive issue.

I've seen it happen - its not legend at all. I would say about three quarters of my old friends are on coke and pills now, when I got sick of them and stopped seeing them they were just smoking pot every day.

I didn't say it NEVER happened, it's just a myth perpetuated by the government that it always or almost always happens. I don't dispute what happened to your friends, but your small gorup of friends does not a good represenative sample make. I mean, if we just went by small groups of friends, we could argue that because of the personal experiences of Johnathan Larson, who wrote Rent, that 40% of all people have AIDS.

Pot is correlated to the use of other drugs, but that doesn't necessarily mean that it causes people to use harder drugs. It doesn't lead people to use harder drugs any more than alcohol leads people to use pot.
There are a lot of drinkers who never smoked pot, but most pot smokers have had alcohol. There are a lot of pot smokers who have never tried harder drugs. It's not some sort of bravery bridge.

Pros -
It would be easy to obtain.
The quality would go up.
No more illegal activity.

Cons -
We would have to hear fudging annoying commercials and listen to dumbass highschool kids preaching to us about the virtues of abstinence. Just like cigs.
My attendance at work would plummet.
It'd become yet another bill.
More kids would fail school.
Turn over rates at jobs would probably triple.
It would lose some of its appeal.

You mean "their grubby, hash oiled stained hands", right?

It going to come to this, eventually. Mexico is on the verge of decriminalizing marijuana, heroin and something else I forget. That could make the immigration issue between the US and Mexico nastier still... stay tuned.

Certainly.

yes

Heroin? It's not even legal here for treatment which is sad really. At one point, you're dying, you're in pain; so what - if it's addictive?!?

Some laws are really stupid...

for what it is worth, there are other pain killers for someone who has a terminal disease, and some of those pain killers are addicting as well, heroin, and marijuana are not the only pain killers on the market, though some argue that marijuana is used in some medical fields but i dont for what reason.

Yeah - I know so it makes the illegality of heroin even more stupid...

Yes

YES I honestly think that alcohol does more damage than marijuana..you never here of someone getting high and robbing a store?? Maybe the refrigerator LOL

No.

NOPE...it just gives everyone a reason to use it.
And, if all drugs are legalized( which is down right stupid) then people (stoners) will just be looking for something new, which may even be more dangerous....then that will be illegal.

Heck yes.. Its better then booze.. I dont smoke it much but I prefer it to liquor.. I did this survey question too!

They are already inventing something new- meth, and it's pretty darn dangerous and illegal. I'd rather some one smoke pot than meth.

I agree...but the fact still remains, marijuana is still a drug and it is dangerous. Sure, one could argue that some drugs are safer than others, but are they? For marijuana, it's not the short term effects that actually harm you, it's the long term effects....where as a person using herion or cocaine may overdose and possibly die from the first use. Now, if i'm getting a little off track here, i'm sorry...But, if marijuana was to be legalized, then people will start pushing to have other drugs legalized, like meth. I see this as a viscous cycle waiting to begin.

Alcohol and tobacco should be illegal too then.

No!!! ya bunch of druggies!!!

Yes, but they're not. Making Alcohol and tobacco products legal in the first place, may have been the beginning mistake to this whole "Should Marijuana Be Legalized?" thing. You see, most people think that alcohol and tobacco products are safe because they're legal....so, people start thinking, " if alcohol and tobacco is legal, why can't pot be as well?" But the problem with making Alcohol and tobacco products illegal is that they have been accepted in each culture for so long, that it wouldn't be right to take those away. And again, no one can really compare alcohol and tobacco to marijuana...

> Yes, but they're not. Making Alcohol and tobacco
> products legal in the first place, may have been
> the beginning mistake to this whole "Should Marijuana
> Be Legalized?" thing. You see, most people think
> that alcohol and tobacco products are safe because
> they're legal....so, people start thinking, "
> if alcohol and tobacco is legal, why can't pot
> be as well?" But the problem with making Alcohol
> and tobacco products illegal is that they have
> been accepted in each culture for so long, that
> it wouldn't be right to take those away. And again,
> no one can really compare alcohol and tobacco
> to marijuana...

Making booze illegal is what led to the rsie of organzied crime in this country. Prohibitionists like to leave that little factoid out of their arguments. Wonder why. Oh, and how about we ask those nations that have decriminalized pot already how they're doing.

Prohibitions, from my knowledge happened a long time ago. ( I'm not too sure ). As for what the other countries are doing, Britain allows their people to use and carry their own supply of steroids but they can't deal ( buy or sell ) steroids. Mexico is now making it legal for their people to use marijuana and to carry their own stash.....But these are OTHER countries DIFFERENT from OURS. As i know it, other countries have a different age limits for driving, and purchasing & using Alcohol and Tobacco products. So, it's really rather a waste of time to try and compare our country to others. Now, it's okay to lean from other countries mistakes....now that Mexico has made pot legal, it's only going to be a matter of time before that country falls even deeper (than they already are) into a hell hole. But, Mexico already has their share of problems, so this whole," let's make pot legal" thing is just stupid to begin with. So...i guarantee that there is going to be more crime in Mexico than there was before, and that we're probably going to start hearing about this within the upcoming weeks. When i'm talking about Mexico, i'm referring to the part of Mexico that borders with my state, Arizona....but i wouldn't be surprised if more crime took place in southern Mexico as well. AND, why would we ( U.S. ) make pot legal if everyone knows that the U.S. is only going to see an increased amount of illegal immigrants flowing into our country...but now i'm getting into the immigration "issue", which i prefer not to get into right now.

> Prohibitions, from my knowledge happened a long
> time ago. ( I'm not too sure ). As for what the
> other countries are doing, Britain allows their
> people to use and carry their own supply of steroids
> but they can't deal ( buy or sell ) steroids.
> Mexico is now making it legal for their people
> to use marijuana and to carry their own stash.....But
> these are OTHER countries DIFFERENT from OURS.
> As i know it, other countries have a different
> age limits for driving, and purchasing & using
> Alcohol and Tobacco products. So, it's really
> rather a waste of time to try and compare our
> country to others.

Is it also a waste of time to try things that worked in other coutnries over here? Are you one of those jingoisitc "if an American didn't think of it then it's a bad idea" types?

>Now, it's okay to lean from
> other countries mistakes....now that Mexico has
> made pot legal, it's only going to be a matter
> of time before that country falls even deeper
> (than they already are) into a hell hole. But,
> Mexico already has their share of problems, so
> this whole," let's make pot legal" thing is just
> stupid to begin with.

I disagree. mexico is well on the way to elect a progressive President. And you know he's going to do good for that country because Bill O'Reilly has already started calling him a "communist".

> So...i guarantee that there
> is going to be more crime in Mexico than there
> was before, and that we're probably going to start
> hearing about this within the upcoming weeks.

And if there isn't, will you apologize? Not that it atcually matters. The U.S. has shown it's true colors again. A few days ago they called President Fox, no one know what was said, but suddenly FOx did a 180 and sent the bill back to the MExican congress. It'll be months, if ever, before the bill comes up again. Which is shame, since the crime rates are LOWER with a capital LOWER in the coutnires like Holland where pot is decriminalized

> When i'm talking about Mexico, i'm referring to
> the part of Mexico that borders with my state,
> Arizona....but i wouldn't be surprised if more
> crime took place in southern Mexico as well. AND,
> why would we ( U.S. ) make pot legal if everyone
> knows that the U.S. is only going to see an increased
> amount of illegal immigrants flowing into our
> country...but now i'm getting into the immigration
> "issue", which i prefer not to get into right
> now.

The probelm with Mexico isn't drugs. Trust me, I've looked into this. A lot of the problems could be solved if we stopped backing corporatists (fasicsts who use money instead military might) and wrecking that country's agricultural industry by selling them stuff that they could easily make on their own (which causes the immigration problem in part BTW). Stop selling them corn, don't try to manipulate thier elections, raise the minimum wage in the U.S., repeal NAFTA, and I PROMISE you this immigration problem, well, it won't go away, but there will be a lot less of it going on.

I really do appreciate your replies and exchanging ideas with you. And yes, you definitely know more about Mexico than i do, however i am not one of those jingoistic people ( i actually found that kind of funny ). As for the question, " Should marijuana be legalized", i still say no. The U.S. has got a lot it's plate right now with the war and immigration...and legalizing pot will probably be too much at this point. And you bring up a good point... the U.S. should try things that were successful in other countries, but within reason. Yes, the U.S. should raise the minimum wage, but will they? I'd like to know. As far as the immigration issue goes, living in Arizona, this topic sometimes makes me sick....it's always being brought up. What the U.S. needs to focus on, is a way to largely reduce the number of illegals who come into the States.... 'cause this is getting old.

I wasn't trying to say that it was representative of the entire population - but I do think that it is a big enough consequence that should prevent it being legalised.

The way I see it, its about boredom. By the time they were sixteen my friends had been smoking pot for a good two or three years on an almost daily basis. By the time they got to eighteen, they needed something new. Along comes E and coke. They're now 21 and my ex looks like he's just been dragged from a river. I understand that there are many people who use pot without ever going on to use harder drugs, but there are some that do - more often teenagers who need new kicks.

Also the health consequencs have to be thought about - smoking is currently in this country in the process of being banned in public houses and areas - it is mixed messages to then go and legalise cannabis, which is even more of a health risk. That's not even taking into account the paranoia and chance of psychosis over many years of use. The stuff is bad and it should not be made available to the general public - people who want to kill their bodies and minds have enough legal drugs to be getting on with without adding another one.

We should be doing something about the boredom.

People who want to use recreational (or self-therapeutic) drugs in a controlled, responsible way should not be prevented from doing that because of the people who can't control themselves.

commonsensedrugpolicy.org

Since I can't through to you...

Yes.

I guess I just wish that the problem didn't exist, which I suppose is a naive view of things. I was going to say that there is no way to enjoy weed in a controlled unresponsible way but I guess there is as much as you can with alcohol.

nope, that hasn't done it either, sorry! lol

legalized, regulated & taxed!

yes

No

yes

Yes