Who here on LPA supports marijuana legalization? It's a big topic in the States, now, having so much study done on it leading to new and interesting applications (including but not limited to lighting it on fire and inhaling the smoke--which is fun). What's your perspective on it? Or if you're not from the States, what are the policies in your country, and do you support those?
It should be legal nationwide. The only people arguing against it are people who listen to the talking heads on their news station of choice, and the talking heads don't know what they're talking about and make up half of their "pot's bad for you" statistics anyway. Anyone with half a brain knows pot's not bad for you, and aside from its well-studied health benefits, its byproducts (mainly hemp) are amazing. The stigmas associated with pot use are what's holding it back. People like Nancy Grace think it's the devil's leaf (legitimately) and that you can't be a successful person if you smoke pot, and that all pot-smokers are lazy degenerates who are this close to overdosing on their fatties (which, obviously, isn't true, since I remember reading a study by Well Known American University [I can't think which one it was] that said you'd have to smoke something like 2000 joints in an hour to OD on THC). These stigmas are being perpetuated by people who don't understand what the fuck they're talking about in the first place, holding back meaningful discussion about its legalization.
Agreed. There are loads of practical uses beyond smoking it, but I engage recreationally with it from time to time. I'd love to find that study. I found a quote from the National Cancer Institute about pot: "Because cannabinoid receptors, unlike opioid receptors, are not located in the brainstem areas controlling respiration, lethal overdoses from Cannabis and cannabinoids do not occur.” There are studies proving it's even beneficial for people suffering from cancer, epilepsy, fibro myalgia, etc, and it's all very promising research. Even a preoccupancy with getting high has positive repercussions. Legalizing it like in Colorado and Washington and wherever else, has improved the economy of those states greatly. Because the commerce aspect of it is typically isolated from the economy, now that people can buy weed in stores, people are buying weed in stores. This helps create jobs; growers (because now there's a need for crops), dispensaries, shopkeepers, etc. Competition is good, because maybe dispensary A is selling "This Shit Right Here", while dispensary B is saying "That Shit I Gave You Last Week? Its NOTHING." And that helps the economy too. About the nay-sayers of the pot smoking... well, Tylenol PM's legal, but if you take 15 of them bitches, it'll be your last headache anyway. (To reference Katt Williams for a third time in this post...lol)
We're talking about plants, not drugs. Despite loud insistence from aforementioned 'talking heads', marijuana is not equatable to stuff like cocaine or meth... (I asked staff before I made the thread.)
Cocaine comes from a plant. So does alcohol. And heroin. List goes on. Regardless of where the drug originates, the war against them has made things much worse for users and non-users. Higher crime, higher drug prices, ridiculous felonies and criminal charges, overcrowded prisons. Nobody has a right to prevent me from doing something with my body. That's why I lumped weed in with the other drugs even though it is obviously the safest one I can think of. I think "the war on drugs" is a more meaningful discussion rather than singling out just one. Though any discussion is a positive thing. I don't expect any real federal drug laws to change because society is dumb and governments like oppressing, but even so, the war on pot is definitely the most puzzling of all the illegal drugs. But then again, raw milk is illegal too. Whether you want to eat, drink, sniff, smoke, or inject something, you better check with big brother first.
I would consider this different than the war on drugs because it's already receiving acceptance and legalization in some states, whereas drugs like heroin and meth don't and won't.
Alcohol is legal, 'cept you can't buy it on Sundays in some states. Also, you can't just walk up to a cocaine, heroin, or meth plant and roll one up right there and smoke it. You gotta do stuff to make those plants into drugs. As Katt Williams said, "You gotta add baking soda, water, stir it up--I don't know the recipe, I'm just saying!" Even with smoking weed, all you do is pick it, break it up, and enjoy. Just like walking up to an orange tree. I can agree with that. Legalization of marijuana solves a great deal of these issues. From this source: "Over 50 percent of inmates currently in federal prison are there for drug offenses, according to an infographic recently released by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. That percentage has risen fairly consistently over decades, all the way from 16 percent in 1970." Okay. It goes on to say: "Between October 2012 and September 2013, 27.6 percent of drug offenders were locked up for crimes related to marijuana." That costs a lot of money... Bingo.
War on drugs is a farce. It helps no moral person. Reality proves this, as do many documentaries. The television series The Wire also is one of if not the best representations of why the entire system is fucked up. So, yes, Marijuana should be legal, most recreational drugs should be legal and imo regulated. Sell these drugs with high tax rates and use the funds to help in education and infrastructure.
Can I just say that I personally have enjoyed Colorado's decision to make Marijuana legal. We honestly don't see any downsides except that rents on the rise cause so many people have flooded in.
Colorado seems pretty fucking cool in general, so that was just icing on the cake. Yes, I wholeheartedly support marijauna legalization, and I'm also for decriminalization of all illicit drugs. The focus should be on helping addicts get treatment, not sending them to prison. Save hard time for the violent offenders.
I totally agree. With both parts But I think it's become abundantly clear that sending addicts to prison isn't helping anyone.
In my estimation, legalization will continue to spread across the country as the "reefer madness" generation of power begins to die, and those who grew up during / post 60s-70s gain more control. Like others said, it will likely be taxed as a sin good, like cigarettes and alcohol. Hopefully, the ripple will eventually effect the United States' insane incarceration rates (for all crimes), but this will likely take some years to be clear. It should be legal to grow, buy, sell, and use in all forms (hemp, medicine, recreation).
i really hope it gets legalized here in brazil. it's funny that it would probably make it way harder for users to get it, and most likely would not increase the consume. weed is literally everywhere here, anyone that wants it has zero problem getting it. even hash and skunk is easy to get even for people that know nothing about it and just want to try something for the first time. the main problems are the bad quality and giving money to people that stoners have nothing to do with