I think more states should legalize it. Treating ordinary people as criminals isn't good for a country. I don't think any one would agree that people who use alcohol should go to jail and sending them to jail for smoking weed is very similar.

I'm not sure what you mean by "Do you think it's okay for everyday people to use it". Do you mean regular average people or did you mean people using the drug everyday. Either way I think it's okay for people to use it. There is a difference between someone who smokes a bit everyday and someone who is high every moment they are awake. Just like the difference between some one who has a couple beers a night and someone who is drunk constantly.

"To control the back woods of Oregon and the drug cartels would be extremely hard"
Just how many cartels are there that sell alcohol? Aside from a very small amount of people selling things like moonshine this isn't a problem at all. Why? Because there are plenty of benefits from buying alcohol from a store rather than someone who brewed it up at home and selling it illegally. It's convenient, safer, and not illegal among other things. If marijuana were to become legalized and sellable in stores the drug cartel problem would sort it self out, well they wouldn't be selling much marijuana anyways. It would also make it harder for young people to get access to the drug. I doubt countries that have legalized marijuana have many problems with people selling it on street corners.

If it were legal they wouldn't really need to control "the back woods of Oregon" assuming that most people wouldn't buy from illegal sellers. Similar to how it's not illegal to grow tobacco or make your own alcohol people would be able to grow their own marijuana. Growing pot in more or less random locations wouldn't happen as people could just grow it in their back yard.

Even though weed is legal here keep in mind that smoking is still outlawed in bars and restaurants and even in some cities here. I still find it hysterical they outlaw smoking but allow people to get drunk at a bar and hop in a car and drive all over the road like a maniac.

People who say weed is safer then cigarettes are wrong (in short term) especially if you are on the road driving because it impairs your judgement just like liquor does. Cigarettes are the safest drug to use on the road as it doesn't give you the brain capacity of a 2 year old.

" I disagree that people wouldn't buy it from illegal sellers. Maybe a drop in sells but they wouldn't just crawl in a hole because it's legal. All they'd do was lower their prices simple as that. "

I pretty much said this in my first response but I will say it again. Just how many people do you see selling alcohol or tobacco illegally? There practically is no one doing that compared to selling illegal drugs. Making legal sources of weed obviously wouldn't disable someone from selling it illegally, it would just lower the incentive of people to buy it from them.


" It's like making liquor in jail there is so much bacteria and bad things inside of the alcohol because of the way they ferment and make it."

And this is exactly why it would be safer to buy from a legal source rather than some random person on the street. People will use weed whether its legal or not, is it not in their best interest to do so safely? For personal growing it wouldn't make much of a difference because the grower knows that they haven't added anything to the plant ... as for buying it from some random person it's impossible to know if there is anything added. Here is an example, a few years back there was a problem in Europe of people getting lung problems because they inhaled sand. Suppliers were adding sand to their large quantities of marijuana to increase the price since it's sold by weight. Likewise, it's not unheard of for other drugs to be added to the weed to try and get people hooked on other drugs.


I will leave you with a quote taken from www.leap.cc (law enforcement against prohibition)

"We believe that drug prohibition is the true cause of much of the social and personal  damage that has historically been attributed to drug use. It is prohibition that makes these drugs so valuable –  while giving criminals a monopoly over their supply. Driven by the huge profits from this monopoly, criminal gangs bribe and kill each other, law enforcers, and children. Their trade is unregulated and they are, therefore, beyond our control."

Just what exactly are the benefits of keeping marijuana illegal?

Sameel : Now I could be wrong on this; but I believe that the Colorado law said something that you could grow 6 "adult" marijuana plants in your house as long as its inside a locked room/place.

(I could be totally wrong).

JigSaw : "People who say weed is safer then cigarettes are wrong (in short term) especially if you are on the road driving because it impairs your judgement just like liquor does"

You are right sir, but then again doesn't most stuff we have in are car impair our judgement while driving? Beer, Marijuana, Cellphones, Crying Babies, Fast Food; I could go on. So while you are correct, I find that its somewhat of a weak arguement since other non-drug instigaters can distrack to while driving (particular cell phones). Of course I could be overlooking the cituation.

Oldschool41 : Those things you listed are distracting no doubt, but I'm just saying in terms of being on a drug behind the wheel that weed and liquor are no where near as safe as cigs because those really mess your mind up to the point of no return, you will be flying past red rights and driving down wrong sides of roads and running over people on sidewalks. Cell phones and crying babies and fast food... you'll be lucky if you make it home alive Plus I don't believe you can get a ticket for operating a vehicle under the influence of a cigarette or at least not that I know of but you can get one for reckless driving and especially driving while intoxicated.

Yes I think more states will as people will realize that if the US would get into the marijuana business it could help us with the debt. Also, if you look at the effects it can actually be good for some people.

Now I do think it is okay for everyday people to use it.  The reason I say this is, unlike other drugs and stuff, it makes you docile, it doesn't make you want to go and kill people. It's safer than alcohol, as it makes you docile, and people can't go into a rage, unlike violent alcoholics. If someone is really stoned you could run into the room and say the kitchen is on fire, and they would probably reply "Cool dude." and do nothing. The only thing I could think of that is bad, is the fact you could be on fire and not care. I do think it is a lot safer than other things, that people could do.

Yes, I think more states are going to legalize it.  Yes, I think it is okay for people to use it recreationally and medicinally.  Constitutionally, I do not think the government should be able to tell you what you can and cannot put in your own body, much less a naturally-occurring, wildly-growing plant found all over the world.  It is simply not fair.  It's like parents part 2.  Aside from my political beliefs, I believe weed is pretty much harmless to most people, and in any event it is considerably less harmful than not only alcohol and cigarettes, but the majority of legal pharmaceutical medicines, both over and behind the counter.  It is nobody's choice but your own what to put in your body, as long as you don't hurt someone in the process, search for, or effects of that substance.

They should definitely legalize marijuana...  If not for the obviously hypocritical reason of it being less dangerous and addictive than cigarettes and alcohol, but also because of the economic benefits...  There would be millions of jobs created in an instant!!  You would need people to grow, you would need people to "harvest," market, distribute, transport, shops to sell it would have to be purchased, people to run the shops, consumers (BIG ONE)...  And finally, of course it would be great politically, a big gain for small business, the federal government could tax it and help to balance (lol) at least a little of our debt/deficit, we would hopefully (fingers crossed) curb illegal immigration, drug trafficking through the border, authority of the drug cartels, there would not be any riff raff selling it in the streets...  And of course, my personal reason is liberty...  Why can't a normal, level-headed adult choose to consume marijuana when it has 1,000s of medical benefits with hardly any negative side effects...  A person can be prescribed, by law, by their doctor, a prescription to synthetic heroin, morphine, painkillers, anti-depressants, and the list goes on...  There are sooooo many legal substances that would kill you from the first time you consume it, but not one reported incident of a death caused by marijuana...  It's ridiculous!!  Anybody who is against the legalization of marijuana should either be a complete prohibitionist and also not enjoy any of the "bad" legal substances (alcohol, tobacco, prescription drugs, etc.) or they are a hypocrite and choose to infringe on others' liberties because they don't do it themselves... 

I read something about how they are actually not going to leaglize it there after all since the federal goverment is going to sue the states for doing so and even though the decision was passed, it is still as of now still illegal in both Colorado and washington? Help me out here.

As for my personal views on the subject. I dont smoke weed but sure, go ahead and legalize it if the people are for it. Sure it turns you into a fat couch potato and might give you permanent psychosis, but I have seen many cases where it did not. Its up to you.

I think at the very least it should be decriminalized. The idea that having an ounce or 2 of pot is worthy of a jail sentence is insane. It has ruined more people through jail time than the drug itself does any harm.


As for the argument about impairment: it should be treated like alcohol. If you are using pot then you shouldn't drive. Alcohol is basically the same way. You can have 1 or 2 drinks and be okay but beyond that you are considered impaired and it is illegal to drive.

And really, the use of pot is like many other things: moderation is best. Over-use of any substance has side-effects.

Without turning all of this into some sort of debate formality, I'd like to contribute a cohesive post to this debate as to why, in my firm belief, the pros outweigh the cons in the legalization of marijuana.

In this post I'll be detailing three contentions as to why the legalization of marijuana would be a positive not only for our economy, but also society as a whole. First, I'll be talking about the medical benefits of marijuana, and why, at least medically, it should be legalized nationwide. Secondly, I'll be talking about the risks (or the lack thereof). Finally, I'll be discussing various domestic policy issues that will arise from the legalization of marijuana, and whether or not those issues will outweigh the positives.

To begin, I'd like to talk about the numerous medical benefits of marijuana. In 2002, the US Government Accountability Office released a report titled "Descriptions of Allowable Conditions under State Medical Marijuana Laws." In Appendix IV of said report, they listed the following:

Alzheimer's Disease
Anorexia
AIDS
Arthritis
Cachexia
Cancer
Crohn's Disease
Epilepsy
Glaucoma
HIV
Migraine
Multiple Sclerosis
Nausea
Pain
Spasticity
Wasting Syndrome

We can see that there are obviously numerous medical benefits that will come with the legalization of marijuana.

Secondly, I'd like to cite the statements of numerous doctors and agencies which state that there are little to no actual risks associated with the use of marijuana. The Institute of Medicine published in a 1999 report titled "Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base:"

"Marijuana is not a completely benign substance. It is a powerful drug with a variety of effects. However, except for the harm associated with smoking, the adverse effects of marijuana use are within the range tolerated for other medications. Thus, the safety issues associated with marijuana do not preclude some medical uses."

Ethan Russo, MD, Senior Medical Advisor at the Cannabinoid Research Institute:

"Cannabis has been used by man for 5,000 years or more, with no well-documented cases of attributable mortality."

Lester Grinspoon, MD, Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, agrees with Ethan Russo, and stated in his article "The Medical Marijuana Problem," published in 2006:

"There are many thousands of patients who currently use cannabis as a medicine... There is no question about its safety. It is one of humanity's oldest medicines, used for thousands of years by millions of people with very little evidence of significant toxic effects. More is known about its adverse effects than about those of most prescription drugs."

There are many, many more people that agree with these views, but I feel that these quotes sum up the general feeling nicely.

To end this post, I'd like to talk about the domestic policy issues that have been discussed in numerous debates regarding the legalization of marijuana. A common issue that arises is the issue with children; namely, would the legalization of marijuana send the wrong messages to the youth of today? I'd go on about why it doesn't, but I feel that John L. Kane Jr., Senior Judge of the US Courts for the District of Colorado, sums it up nicely and in ways I wouldn't be able to:

"In this darkest of comedies, the government hasn't the slightest notion what message our children are presently receiving. Perhaps we should send a message to our children about the causes of death in the United States.

We would have to tell them that tobacco is legal and, at 430,700 deaths per year, is the leading cause of substance-abuse deaths; that alcohol is legal and 110,600 die from it each year; that adverse reactions to legal prescription drugs cause 32,000 fatalities a year; that 30,500 commit suicide; 18,000 are homicide victims; and that 7,600 people die each year from taking anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin.

Of course, we don't want to send them the wrong message that the total number of deaths caused by marijuana is zero."


In summation, I feel that the legalization of marijuana would be a positive not only for our economy, but also society as a whole. The anti-marijuana people are either those who haven't done sufficient research or those who are excessively naive.

If the government was smart they would legalize that and hookers. But they control the mafia anyway. If they just legalized and put a HUGE tax on it they would come out of debt. But... we have a lot of people who think they are religious in America so I guess whoever did it would be very unpopular.