Why is marijuana illegal?

[novixz]

If you smoke pot you're a loser who can't take life and needs to smoke a blunt just to feel good because you'r life is fucking pathetic and I hope that you go broke and die in the streets cold and lonely. I don't care if you have straight A's in school, and cured AIDS, you smoke pot you just can't take life for what it is. "Oh it is good clothing." Yeah, I don't fucking care, it's not like there are 100's of different materials to make clothes out of. "It relieves stress." Seriously, get over yourself. We all had hard day, we all feel pain, get over it. It's life, life sucks.

Cigarettes and Alcohol: Yeah they do more damage maybe, but that doesn't make them right. Tobacco was one of America's leading exports during it's early founding, so maybe it's to keep the tradition. Alcohol is legal because when you're the legal drinking age, you should be able to make you're own decisions.

 

[spartan231490]

Sorry, but I have to sound like a hipster for a sec.

It's because powerful investors in America years ago put money into tobacco crops and alcohol brweries. Marijuana was a competitor, and so they made it illegal. Pretty basic. Rich people protecting their status. It happens.

As for why it's till illegal? Same reason. Especially now that it is proven that weed kills less people. A less dangerous drug like weed would sell much, much more than tobacco and alcohol would.

Although I haven't done any research in corporate conspiracies such as you mention in your first point, it seems plausible enough that I suppose it may have happened.

As for your second point, I think you are severely underestimating the tobacco and alcohol industries. Let me make it abundantly clear that there is no way in hell legalized marijuana would outsell alcohol and tobacco. The fact that alcohol has been pretty much an accepted part of society for thousands of years and as such has years of essentially what I suppose you might call familiarity going for, where as marijuana has had no such great societal backing and as such would would likely elicit a sort of discomfort in your older generation consumers (your main demographic - 30+) (btw even if pot was legalized you would still have to be the age of majority at least to legally procure it). As such it would probably take about 10-30 years for sales to really rise as the product becomes more commonplace and generations grow up with it as a norm. As for tobacco, you do certainly realize that cigarettes are tremendously addictive, more so than alcohol or marijuana, leading to a steady consumer growth. In addition, they're lack of immediate side effects (getting drunk in the case of alcohol, or getting high in the case of marijuana) allows them to be consumed at relatively anytime even at work. Taking into account that cigarettes can technically be consumed at any time you want with no short term repercussions and that people can easily go through a pack or two a day, it also seems unlikely that marijuana sales would surpass that of tobacco.

Marijuana would never outsell either alcohol or tobacco. Alcohol is safer than marijuana if you don't do something stupid like drink and drive, or slam enough shots to fuck-up a horse. And Tobacco is wayyyyyyy too addictive to have it's sales beaten. Look at the price per pack and think about the fact that people are willing to pay that for a day or less of cigarettes, marijuana will never beat it.

 

[Zabriskie Point]

The fact that it directly kills brain cells is the main reason. And legalizing it would increase the risk of people driving while hallucinating. While the effects may not be perceived as being "as bad" as cigarettes or alcohol, it still is bad for you, and we're probably better off without it.

You don't seem to know much about marijuana.

1. Marijuana doesn't kill your brain cells.

2. Marijuana is not a hallucinogen.

Yes, I've already been informed of this. If it's any consolation, I don't feel strongly either way about the subject. That's why I was previously so ignorant about it, because it wasn't something I really cared about, so I wasn't feeling motivated to do much research. (My bad) Ultimately, if I absolutely had to pick a side, I'd rather it stayed illegal. It's not like I'll be losing any sleep if it's legalized. I don't plan on using it, so it shouldn't affect me. It probably will get legalized in the future, since at the moment it's mostly just a government scapegoat. (I still believe that there are bound to be some negative effects from it, but nothing worth shitting myself in fear over.)

So, why exactly do you wish for it to stay illegal? I think that there's a lot of good that can come from it being legal. And yes, marijuana can be harmful, but only in the act of smoking it, because smoke in your lungs is harmful. It doesn't really have anything to do with the marijuana, because the smoke from anything would be just as harmful.

I'm just a little apprehensive about it because some of these studies seem a little inconclusive. Information has shifted from one side to the other throughout the years, and I'd like all the information to be firmly pinned down. Also, the gateway drug theory. It could easily be false, but it would be rather scary if it were real. Again, I'm not heavily concerned with the outcome. The decision I came to only won out by a very thin margin.

I don't have a link to the exact statistics, but only one percent of all marijuana users have used cocaine. Less than one percent have used heroin. I think that it being illegal fuels the gateway effect because you have to go through a drug dealer to get marijuana. That drug dealer could pressure you into trying something stronger.

The whole idea seems a little silly to me. You don't say milk is a gateway drink because a lot of people went from milk to alcohol. If people go from marijuana to cocaine and harder drugs then it's because they started on a softer drug and wanted something more. There's certainly nothing in marijuana that makes people go on to harder drugs.

 

[Zabriskie Point]

If you smoke pot you're a loser who can't take life and needs to smoke a blunt just to feel good because you'r life is fucking pathetic and I hope that you go broke and die in the streets cold and lonely. I don't care if you have straight A's in school, and cured AIDS, you smoke pot you just can't take life for what it is. "Oh it is good clothing." Yeah, I don't fucking care, it's not like there are 100's of different materials to make clothes out of. "It relieves stress." Seriously, get over yourself. We all had hard day, we all feel pain, get over it. It's life, life sucks.

Cigarettes and Alcohol: Yeah they do more damage maybe, but that doesn't make them right. Tobacco was one of America's leading exports during it's early founding, so maybe it's to keep the tradition. Alcohol is legal because when you're the legal drinking age, you should be able to make you're own decisions.

You can make your own decisions, as long as that decision isn't using marijuana, right? You see the flaw in that logic?

 

[Arawn.Chernobog]

Because of massive misinformation and lack of education on the common population, particularly those in less urban regions, oh and let's not forget the popular pseudo-political argument of:

THC is, for the most part, a near harmless substance that can only damage when consumed in excess, the consequences are hardly severe and significantly less damaging then Alcohol and Tobacco.

If anyone "needs" any of the aforementioned substances, the dependency is purely psychological (meaning that the addicted party is, mentally speaking, a weakling) and I can't blame someone for trying to make money off the weak and unwilling, so I see no reason to ban it (or booze and smokes for that matter). As for protecting children from "the dangers of psychoactive substances? Parents, do your damn job and stop expecting the state and law enforcement to do it for you, can't handle your kid's behaviour? Shouldn't have had the brats in the first place.

 

[spartan231490]

I see a lot of conflicting opions about..

All I know is that my nephew smoked it and maybe still does (no contact with him much anymore) and after smoking it for around three years he slurred every sentence, took several seconds for things to sink in and was just generally stupid.

I don't know if it kills brain cells, but it had a very real effect on him.

Also this. Every single pothead I have ever met(and god I live in pothead central so I've met a lot of them), are incapable of coherently putting together a thought even when they're sober. It's like talking to a particularly un-intelligent wall.

That said, i still have no problem with it being legal, it's relatively un-addictive, and if you want to smoke pot, smoke pot, you're the one who's gonna have to live with the consequences. I will never smoke pot, so it doesn't affect me. however, if you smoke and drive, or drink and drive, I would love the opportunity to punch you in the face. repeatedly. and then run you over with a car.

 

[Aphroditty]

Besides, there isn't any GOOD reason for it to be legalized. Crime goes down? Well fuck, just make murder legal and crime practically vanishes.

Normally I wouldn't, because these drug arguments are always so boring, but this made me laugh so much that I had to respond. Now, I have not read the whole thread, so it's possible I may be repeating what someone else already said. If so, I do apologize.

Anyway, that's a silly argument. The single dominant effect of legalizing murder would probably to cause a spike in murder rates. Social order would break down, etc.

The single dominant effect of legalizing marijuana would be to keep a lot of people who may have otherwise committed no crime out of jail. Or students who have otherwise done no wrong from being stripped of financial aid, keeping them from higher education. It would also eliminate the occurrence of individuals with criminal records for possession of marijuana from being denied employment. You can probably see why that particular analogy fails: Social breakdown versus freedom for people who have committed harmless "crimes."

Moving on, medical costs would certainly rise if use was legalized, however these could potentially be offset by the savings gained by no longer housing inmates that have probably not hurt anything significantly, besides their own lungs. More than that, there is the double gain that these individuals would no longer be trapped in jail, producing nothing, but would be out in the wider economy. Counter to stereotypes of people who smoke marijuana, most do indeed have jobs. Anyway, myself I would prefer to spend more money on healthcare than on a bloated prison system. Gains in revenue from taxation would compound the cost-offset--revenue increases would not save any economies, but could very well pay the social costs of increased medical expenditure and then some.

The primary new costs would come from regulation of this newly-legalized crop, but I somehow doubt that it would cost more than the highly ineffective marijuana campaign of the War on Drugs. It might, however.

So, a benefit for the potential legalization of marijuana is that it would increase the autonomy and freedom for many individuals whose only crime was to use or possess marijuana, while probably offsetting negative economic effects and possibly resulting in net gains. Therefore, there are good reasons for it to be legalized.

 

[Arawn.Chernobog]

Also this. Every single pothead I have ever met(and god I live in pothead central so I've met a lot of them), are incapable of coherently putting together a thought even when they're sober. It's like talking to a particularly un-intelligent wall.

To be fair this is a "Personal Experience" perspective and thus non-objective and non-usable as an argument.

For instance, on a personal level, I have yet to meet a religiously devout person with an I.Q. over 100, but I'll certainly not state them to be all equally... "under par".

 

[TheJesus89]

If you smoke pot you're a loser who can't take life and needs to smoke a blunt just to feel good because you'r life is fucking pathetic and I hope that you go broke and die in the streets cold and lonely. I don't care if you have straight A's in school, and cured AIDS, you smoke pot you just can't take life for what it is. "Oh it is good clothing." Yeah, I don't fucking care, it's not like there are 100's of different materials to make clothes out of. "It relieves stress." Seriously, get over yourself. We all had hard day, we all feel pain, get over it. It's life, life sucks.

Cigarettes and Alcohol: Yeah they do more damage maybe, but that doesn't make them right. Tobacco was one of America's leading exports during it's early founding, so maybe it's to keep the tradition. Alcohol is legal because when you're the legal drinking age, you should be able to make you're own decisions.

Warning in 5... 4... 3...

It's fun. You've never done it so don't judge other people for doing it.

Also, it seems like you just got out of DARE. So enjoy your adolescence when it comes, my young friend.

snip

Have you ever been drunk or high?

There is such a massive difference between the two. Also, There is a difference between smoking a joint and then driving over smoking for 8 hours straight then driving. I'm talking about the former over the later.

And believe me, I'd do the later over driving even tipsy any day.

 

[Zabriskie Point]

The fact that it directly kills brain cells is the main reason. And legalizing it would increase the risk of people driving while hallucinating. While the effects may not be perceived as being "as bad" as cigarettes or alcohol, it still is bad for you, and we're probably better off without it.

You don't seem to know much about marijuana.

1. Marijuana doesn't kill your brain cells.

2. Marijuana is not a hallucinogen.

Actually it IS a hallucinogen. Some people are more effected by that side effect than others. Since I'm sure you won't believe me, here are three quotes, the first of which is from a site that exists to promote medical cannabis use so they have no reason to add symptoms that don't exist.

Known psychic side effects are sedation, euphoria ("high"), dysphoria, fear to die, feeling to loose control, impairment of memory, altered time perception, depression, hallucinations.
http://www.cannabis-med.org/index.php?tpl=page&id=35&lng=en

A mild hallucinogen, marijuana has some of alcohol?s depressant and disinhibiting properties
http://www.acde.org/common/Marijana.htm

While many drugs clearly fall into the category of either stimulant, depressant, or hallucinogen, cannabis exhibits a mix of all properties, perhaps leaning the most towards hallucinogenic or psychedelic properties, though with other effects quite pronounced as well
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannabis_(drug)

Hallucinations are nowhere near common, though. Marijuana effects everyone differently, but hallucinating is rare.

Either way, driving while high is extremely stupid.

 

[spartan231490]

One more thing I forgot to mention: I'm sure we'd ban cigarettes and alcohol if we could afford to, but by the time we figured out how bad they could be, they had become an integral part of our economy, and we literally couldn't financially afford to ban them. Keeping marijuana illegal isn't so much about fairness, it's more like keeping more things like cigarettes and alcohol (i.e. harmful but necessary) from making their way into standard economy and practice. I'm personally in favor of keeping it illegal. I just don't see why people want it so bad.

had nothing to do with the economy dude. It has everything to do with this country liking the ability to get high, and also liking the ability to choose. The country went into an uproar after alcohol was illegalized, crime skyrocketed, and eventually they had to make it legal again. It was the populace who fought to make it legal again, not an economic crash.

Still, marijuana being illegal definitely has to do with the economy, competes with tobacco which is way too profitable to allow that, and it'd be much harder to tax because it's easier to grow yourself, so high taxes would create the same illegal market that having it be illegal does.

 

[novixz]

If you smoke pot you're a loser who can't take life and needs to smoke a blunt just to feel good because you'r life is fucking pathetic and I hope that you go broke and die in the streets cold and lonely. I don't care if you have straight A's in school, and cured AIDS, you smoke pot you just can't take life for what it is. "Oh it is good clothing." Yeah, I don't fucking care, it's not like there are 100's of different materials to make clothes out of. "It relieves stress." Seriously, get over yourself. We all had hard day, we all feel pain, get over it. It's life, life sucks.

Cigarettes and Alcohol: Yeah they do more damage maybe, but that doesn't make them right. Tobacco was one of America's leading exports during it's early founding, so maybe it's to keep the tradition. Alcohol is legal because when you're the legal drinking age, you should be able to make you're own decisions.

You can make your own decisions, as long as that decision isn't using marijuana, right? You see the flaw in that logic?

To be honest I was just stalling so I could be on the computer and not take a shower. But alcohol is legal because people know how to handle their booze, they know when to get help, mostly. Weed it's just "blaze up whenever, you can't OD on it and you can't get poising."

 

[Zabriskie Point]

If you smoke pot you're a loser who can't take life and needs to smoke a blunt just to feel good because you'r life is fucking pathetic and I hope that you go broke and die in the streets cold and lonely. I don't care if you have straight A's in school, and cured AIDS, you smoke pot you just can't take life for what it is. "Oh it is good clothing." Yeah, I don't fucking care, it's not like there are 100's of different materials to make clothes out of. "It relieves stress." Seriously, get over yourself. We all had hard day, we all feel pain, get over it. It's life, life sucks.

Cigarettes and Alcohol: Yeah they do more damage maybe, but that doesn't make them right. Tobacco was one of America's leading exports during it's early founding, so maybe it's to keep the tradition. Alcohol is legal because when you're the legal drinking age, you should be able to make you're own decisions.

You can make your own decisions, as long as that decision isn't using marijuana, right? You see the flaw in that logic?

To be honest I was just stalling so I could be on the computer and not take a shower. But alcohol is legal because people know how to handle their booze, they know when to get help, mostly. Weed it's just "blaze up whenever, you can't OD on it and you can't get poising."

That's the most biased argument I've ever heard.

1. You CAN'T overdose on marijuana. It's physically impossible.
2. Most alcoholics will deny that they're alcoholics all day.

 

[spartan231490]

Yeah, we could make it legal, then in 20 years when people realize it is horrible for you, we won't be able to make it illegal.

Actually the exact opposite has happened.[/quote]

You know, everyone says that it has no long term side-effects, but every single pot-head I have ever met(I've met a lot of them) are completely incapable of forming coherent thoughts, even when they're sober. It's like having a conversation with a particularly un-intelligent wall. The problem with saying that there are no long-term side-effects is the lack of long-term studies with heavy usage.

That said, I still think it should be legal. It's your choice what you put in your body. Also, i doubt that moderate or light use would have the same long-term effects.

 

[novixz]

If you smoke pot you're a loser who can't take life and needs to smoke a blunt just to feel good because you'r life is fucking pathetic and I hope that you go broke and die in the streets cold and lonely. I don't care if you have straight A's in school, and cured AIDS, you smoke pot you just can't take life for what it is. "Oh it is good clothing." Yeah, I don't fucking care, it's not like there are 100's of different materials to make clothes out of. "It relieves stress." Seriously, get over yourself. We all had hard day, we all feel pain, get over it. It's life, life sucks.

Cigarettes and Alcohol: Yeah they do more damage maybe, but that doesn't make them right. Tobacco was one of America's leading exports during it's early founding, so maybe it's to keep the tradition. Alcohol is legal because when you're the legal drinking age, you should be able to make you're own decisions.

You can make your own decisions, as long as that decision isn't using marijuana, right? You see the flaw in that logic?

To be honest I was just stalling so I could be on the computer and not take a shower. But alcohol is legal because people know how to handle their booze, they know when to get help, mostly. Weed it's just "blaze up whenever, you can't OD on it and you can't get poising."

That's the most biased argument I've ever heard.

1. You CAN'T overdose on marijuana. It's physically impossible.
2. Most alcoholics will deny that they're alcoholics all day.

I said you can't OD on weed, I was poking fun at the people who use that for an excuse. Yeah but they'll have to pay for their addiction also, just like with weed, cigarettes. Just because something is legal doesn't automatically make it right. Also alchohol is legal because it's fun for parties but there are a few holes in that theory.

 

[spartan231490]

snip

snip

Have you ever been drunk or high?

There is such a massive difference between the two. Also, There is a difference between smoking a joint and then driving over smoking for 8 hours straight then driving. I'm talking about the former over the later.

And believe me, I'd do the later over driving even tipsy any day.

I've been drunk, but not high. People who are drunk think they can drive safely too, that's why they do it, but that doesn't make them right. Smoking even a single joint compromises judgement and reflexes. Mind if I ask where you live? If it's near me I might want to move. Maybe buy a 5 point safety harness for my truck. At least that will protect me, if not you, or the innocent people who choose to walk on the roads when you're driving high.

 

[Zabriskie Point]

If you smoke pot you're a loser who can't take life and needs to smoke a blunt just to feel good because you'r life is fucking pathetic and I hope that you go broke and die in the streets cold and lonely. I don't care if you have straight A's in school, and cured AIDS, you smoke pot you just can't take life for what it is. "Oh it is good clothing." Yeah, I don't fucking care, it's not like there are 100's of different materials to make clothes out of. "It relieves stress." Seriously, get over yourself. We all had hard day, we all feel pain, get over it. It's life, life sucks.

Cigarettes and Alcohol: Yeah they do more damage maybe, but that doesn't make them right. Tobacco was one of America's leading exports during it's early founding, so maybe it's to keep the tradition. Alcohol is legal because when you're the legal drinking age, you should be able to make you're own decisions.

You can make your own decisions, as long as that decision isn't using marijuana, right? You see the flaw in that logic?

To be honest I was just stalling so I could be on the computer and not take a shower. But alcohol is legal because people know how to handle their booze, they know when to get help, mostly. Weed it's just "blaze up whenever, you can't OD on it and you can't get poising."

That's the most biased argument I've ever heard.

1. You CAN'T overdose on marijuana. It's physically impossible.
2. Most alcoholics will deny that they're alcoholics all day.

I said you can't OD on weed, I was poking fun at the people who use that for an excuse. Yeah but they'll have to pay for their addiction also, just like with weed, cigarettes. Just because something is legal doesn't automatically make it right. Also alchohol is legal because it's fun for parties but there are a few holes in that theory.

None of what you're saying is making any sense to me. Alcohol is legal because it's fun for parties? Do you actually believe this, or are you just fucking with me?

 

[crepesack]

Yes...because on top of drugs and alcohol we need another intoxicant.

 

[novixz]

If you smoke pot you're a loser who can't take life and needs to smoke a blunt just to feel good because you'r life is fucking pathetic and I hope that you go broke and die in the streets cold and lonely. I don't care if you have straight A's in school, and cured AIDS, you smoke pot you just can't take life for what it is. "Oh it is good clothing." Yeah, I don't fucking care, it's not like there are 100's of different materials to make clothes out of. "It relieves stress." Seriously, get over yourself. We all had hard day, we all feel pain, get over it. It's life, life sucks.

Cigarettes and Alcohol: Yeah they do more damage maybe, but that doesn't make them right. Tobacco was one of America's leading exports during it's early founding, so maybe it's to keep the tradition. Alcohol is legal because when you're the legal drinking age, you should be able to make you're own decisions.

You can make your own decisions, as long as that decision isn't using marijuana, right? You see the flaw in that logic?

To be honest I was just stalling so I could be on the computer and not take a shower. But alcohol is legal because people know how to handle their booze, they know when to get help, mostly. Weed it's just "blaze up whenever, you can't OD on it and you can't get poising."

That's the most biased argument I've ever heard.

1. You CAN'T overdose on marijuana. It's physically impossible.
2. Most alcoholics will deny that they're alcoholics all day.

I said you can't OD on weed, I was poking fun at the people who use that for an excuse. Yeah but they'll have to pay for their addiction also, just like with weed, cigarettes. Just because something is legal doesn't automatically make it right. Also alchohol is legal because it's fun for parties but there are a few holes in that theory.

None of what you're saying is making any sense to me. Alcohol is legal because it's fun for parties? Do you actually believe this, or are you just fucking with me?

I'm fucking with you. The main point is, you shouldn't do any of it, also when you say cigarette are more dangerous, think about this: weed has 5 times the amount of tar than a cigarette. So there's that.