Just want to see how everyone feels about this. I was reading a thread about this very subject on another forum and I figured I could bring it here. Apparently, the Vice Chairman (sorry, do not have a name) of the Palm Beach County (Florida) Commissioners has proposed decriminalizing & allowing the recreational use of marijuana. He said it will lower the county budget by cutting out the cost for arrest, prosecution, & housing of offenders, but has not mentioned anything about taxing the drug. I edited a quote from the other forum I got this from, so that's why it's a little sketchy. Thoughts?
I think it's a good idea and should be done all over the place. It hasn't even been illegal for one hundred years, you know. Creating myths and fear around it has allowed the government to get to where they are right now with it, and I have a feeling the ridiculous, completely laughable prohibition(although it's not very funny if you've looked in to how much damage it has caused) will be over soon as people realize they've been lied to about it, for the most part. It's less intoxicating than most prescription drugs, is a lot safer than alcohol(doesn't intoxicate you to the point of not being able to control yourself) and is actually known to have many benefits. I'll finish my post with this quote from Bill Hicks: 'Why is pot against the law? It wouldn't be because anyone can grow it, and therefore you can't make a profit off it, would it?'
I love that quote. I agree Babali. Should be legal. Doesn't mean I smoke it or even will, but I don't see harm in legalizing it. Vastly different from the harm I see with it being illegal.
I strongly believe it should be legalized, as does my mother. Besides all the positive facts about it (and yes there always negative) I still believe that it is no where near dangerous enough to be illegal. It's something that is very socially relaxing for people, taboo for some, and stress relieving for most who do it. And yes, another Bill Hicks quote because everything he said I happen to agree with. "Here is my final point. About drugs, about alcohol, about pornography and smoking and everything else. What business is it of yours what I do, read, buy, see, say, think, who I fuck, what I take into my body - as long as I do not harm another human being on this planet?" "Why is marijuana against the law? It grows naturally upon our planet. Doesn't the idea of making nature against the law seem to you a bit... unnatural? You know what I mean? It's nature. How do you make nature against the fucking law?"
While I neither use marijuana nor advocate its use, its prohibition is a major and unjustified infringement on civil liberties.
I ask this to anybody I meet who thinks that pot is bad: "Who would you rather see on the road, a high driver or a drunk driver?"
I'm undecided on this one. On one hand I think each to their own, I even smoke a spliff hear and there. On the other hand I can see what it's done to people who have become addicted including my own brother. He started doing weed aged 14 and did it for roughly 10 years. By doing weed, like so many other people, the enjoyable buzz opened the door for him to experiment with other drugs. I wont go into which ones he was on but I do know other people that have used weed as a gateway to move on to much harder drugs. My brother has only very recently stopped doing weed and for the first few months he quit he got severe withdrawel anxiety to the point where he would sweat and go into insane moodswings. I can understand the argument that it's a product of nature and less harmful than alcohol and cigarettes, but you can't just sit there and say it won't fuck you up if you get addicted to it. Marijuana can cause paranoia, panic attacks, short-term memory loss and various other problems. I guess I wouldn't really mind if it was legalised or not though. It's easy enough to get hold of even if it is illegal so I don't see a big problem either way.
I think it's ironic that marijuana is still so controversial in a country where oxycodone and hydrocodone are two of the most prescribed drugs.
You haven't seen me drive. Speed limits are always followed, turn signals always used well in advance. As opposed to swerving, speeding, killing people... The point of my argument was that marijuana is BY FAR a lot safer than alcohol. You can die of too much alcohol. If you find a way to die from smoking too much weed, then you're supremely rich and blessed and deserve to move on. Also, I don't see marijuana as a gateway drug. I've definitely stuck to MJ over the years like my name was Peter Parker (no Gwen Stacy, shaddap). Also, it's non-habit forming. Actually, this video explains nicely: [youtube]ZPCkqqkGkwA[/youtube]
Some people have addictive personalities, and that's not really marijuana's fault. Your brother was most likely going to try those drugs eventually, marijuana or not. I think the problem was more psychological and a deep-rooted thing than marijuana addiction. True, some people can become addicted to it(you can become addicted to anything - internet, video games, sex), but it is not addictive like truly addictive drugs are, like heroin, cocaine or methamphetamine. Or, like someone mentioned, hydrocodone, oxycodone, or xanax. Just because one can become addicted to it and ruin lives does that mean it should be illegal to everyone? Then we could make sex illegal, the internet illegal, etc. Most people can handle those things just fine without mindless self-indulgence. You need to be taught to create balance in life. I first tried marijuana when I was sixteen, and it did not affect my driving whatsoever. I was never pulled over, I was never really intoxicated, just really happy and giggly. When I first drank I was seventeen and I nearly died from that several times, have had several nights where I passed out from alcohol poisoning, etc. Alcohol is extremely easy to overdose on. I have never had nights like that with marijuana.
Or never done at all. In the 30's when it was outlawed it was pretty much 'Scary Dirty Mexican Marihuana Makes You Go Crazy and Rape And Kill!!!' Literally. Which was just shockingly racist, BS propaganda that all the complete extremist conservative people in the states, always fearful of the Mexican(and Blacks, Gays, Muslims, Indians etc, basically anybody unique or different), fell for. Lives continue to be destroyed over the pointless prohibition. It's just one of those bizarre primitive things about society today that I have hope will go away, over time, with more education. We're still young and still have a long way to go.
Just want to throw a couple things out there. 1) Saying "You haven't seen me drive high" isn't really a convincing argument. I am sure some drunks think they're "fine" when driving smashed. 2) Marijuana is not chemically addictive. Yes some people get psychologically addicted to it and it screws up they're lives, but you can be psychologically addicted to sex or video games or food too- and we can't ban all of those. Regardless, I support cannabis legalization.
Comparing marijuana to alchohol is like comparing apples to oranges. Anything that makes you impaired in any fashion should be publicly illegal.
I don't agree with this. We need more people educated about the levels of intoxication of all these substances and how to be safe in the world, not banning things out of fear.
So EDUCATE them. Don't just give them the stuff to get high or drunk in public. What kind of stupid logic is that?
I wouldn't smoke it either way I mean I use to but no point in doing it whether they should legalize it or not...mehh Could go either way I don't care much either way
Against it. Don't think it should be encouraged. Then again, I think cigerattes and maybe even alcohol should be illegal as well... "... As long as I do not harm another human being on this planet." That's hardly the case. "How do you make nature against the fucking law?" Violence is natural as well. Human beings differ from animals, because they're cultured. Then again, I do realise there are huge issues concerning law inforcement.
Ask any highly educated pharmacist about the effects of marijuana and see about what he'd say. Ask any long term drug dealers, ask about what type of people come to him and how they change. Ask any police officer how annoying, pathetic and sad it is that they, by law, must arrest users (when conditions for arrest for drug use or possession is fulfilled). They just see young bright kids go off to downtown. In any case, however, I support the recreational use of it. In any case, as well, I don't support what it does to people. ( as in I don't like what it does to people)