# Can Anyone Justify Banning Marijuana? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [May 12, 2011, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-justify-banning-marijuana/581601 "2011-05-12T01:31:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2011, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-justify-banning-marijuana/581601/61 "2011-05-13T02:40:53Z")
> [@fusoya](#): > > Reason enough to keep it illegal - legalizing it will please all of those “LEGALIZE IT, MAN” idiots. I seriously can’t stand those people. If you want to get it legalized, put down the bong and put together an actual adult referendum. Nobody’s gonna listen to a burnout wanna-be hippie who probably wasn’t even alive in the 60s. DUDE! You made a strawman out of hemp! :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/try2b_comprehensive/32/65_2.png) [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Try2B_Comprehensive)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2011, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-justify-banning-marijuana/581601/62 "2011-05-13T05:03:21Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > Yes. Impaired is impaired, whether from booze, weed, or texting. The people you kill are just as dead. Hear, hear! Safety first. No toking and driving, everybody. Still- legalize it. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2011, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-justify-banning-marijuana/581601/63 "2011-05-13T05:24:12Z")
Legalize pot? We’re approaching illegalizing cigarettes. I don’t know what would happen if I didn’t have the government to tell me what to do with my body. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2011, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-justify-banning-marijuana/581601/64 "2011-05-13T05:28:13Z")
> [@fusoya](#): > > Reason enough to keep it illegal - legalizing it will please all of those “LEGALIZE IT, MAN” idiots. I seriously can’t stand those people. Reason to legalize it: all those hippies will finally shut the fuck up about legalizing it. ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2011, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-justify-banning-marijuana/581601/65 "2011-05-13T06:15:34Z")
You can’t “drive while high” in Colorado. It’s covered under the ‘driving while stupid’ law. (You can’t be under the influence of _anything_ that impairs your ability to drive.) Yeah, people have been going to court for that one. Cops pull you over, you smell like a stoner, awesome. you iz screwed. Anyway, if we completely decriminalize pot, then the good pot will just get \*more \*expensive in dispensaries and the crappy stuff will be the affordable bit. unless you get it elsewhere. 😉 seriously though? MEDICAL MARIJUANA? what a joke hahahaha. walk past a dispensary and they’ll have weed cupcakes, pizza, green cheesecake, etc. add that to the weird trend of _chiropractors_ suddenly helping you apply for a license and it seems pretty shady. it’s not helping the legalize marijuana process. we had legalized medical marijuana in 2000 but it was hard to access. i voted for decriminalization in 04 but the rest of the state didn’t. denver approved ‘small amounts’. now medical marijuana is a BUSINESS in colorado since the court lifted some restrictions. ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2011, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-justify-banning-marijuana/581601/66 "2011-05-13T06:17:41Z")
> [@Sitnam](#): > > Legalize pot? We’re approaching illegalizing cigarettes. > > I don’t know what would happen if I didn’t have the government to tell me what to do with my body. heh. maybe we should just prohibit cigarette smokers to be banned from public medical assistance. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2011, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-justify-banning-marijuana/581601/67 "2011-05-13T10:22:30Z")
> [@CitizenPained](#): > > You can’t “drive while high” in Colorado. It’s covered under the ‘driving while stupid’ law. (You can’t be under the influence of _anything_ that impairs your ability to drive.) > > Yeah, people have been going to court for that one. Cops pull you over, you smell like a stoner, awesome. you iz screwed. > > Anyway, if we completely decriminalize pot, then the good pot will just get \*more \*expensive in dispensaries and the crappy stuff will be the affordable bit. unless you get it elsewhere. 😉 > > seriously though? MEDICAL MARIJUANA? > > what > a > joke > > hahahaha. walk past a dispensary and they’ll have weed cupcakes, pizza, green cheesecake, etc. add that to the weird trend of _chiropractors_ suddenly helping you apply for a license and it seems pretty shady. > > it’s not helping the legalize marijuana process. we had legalized medical marijuana in 2000 but it was hard to access. i voted for decriminalization in 04 but the rest of the state didn’t. denver approved ‘small amounts’. > > now medical marijuana is a BUSINESS in colorado since the court lifted some restrictions. Actually edibles are better for MMJ patients, slower uptake and longer effects. Better pain control [sort of why a time release pain med is better than all at once.] Eating and vaporizing are better for you than smoking, and a majority of MMJ patients prefer not to smoke. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2011, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-justify-banning-marijuana/581601/68 "2011-05-13T10:23:33Z")
> [@CitizenPained](#): > > Seriously though? MEDICAL MARIJUANA? > > what > a > joke > > hahahaha. That would probably not happen if the stuff were legal. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2011, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-justify-banning-marijuana/581601/69 "2011-05-13T15:52:43Z")
> [@Sitnam](#): > > Legalize pot? We’re approaching illegalizing cigarettes. > > I don’t know what would happen if I didn’t have the government to tell me what to do with my body. We are? I know of nobody suggesting that. Just smoke away from others and few care. The government had informed you of the health risks to you and the people around you. That is not telling you to do anything. Hell we tax cigarettes and give the growers tax breaks. That is what we should do with weed. Can you imagine the people getting involved in the illegal cigarette trade? IT would be like weed and heroine. ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2011, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-justify-banning-marijuana/581601/70 "2011-05-13T19:22:47Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > That would probably not happen if the stuff were legal. No more than alcohol campaigns during the Super Bowl, I’m sure. But as it stands, the proponents of decriminalization across the board aren’t making a very good case for themselves if they turn the benefits (or lack of deficits) of marijuana use into a stoner joke. ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2011, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-justify-banning-marijuana/581601/71 "2011-05-13T19:25:01Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > Actually edibles are better for MMJ patients, slower uptake and longer effects. Better pain control [sort of why a time release pain med is better than all at once.] Eating and vaporizing are better for you than smoking, and a majority of MMJ patients prefer not to smoke. Right. But playing on pothead stereotypes isn’t the same as edibles for cancer patients. When your mmj patients go from 2k to 60k, it makes officials do this: :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2011, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-justify-banning-marijuana/581601/72 "2011-05-13T19:32:16Z")
I am old and smoked dope many years ago. I did not get it. it just made me sleepy. I have heard that the new strains are different in that regard. Is that true? ---
**Author:** ![Invisible\_Chimp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f05b48/32.png) [@Invisible\_Chimp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Invisible_Chimp)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2011, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-justify-banning-marijuana/581601/73 "2011-05-13T20:33:49Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > I am old and smoked dope many years ago. I did not get it. it just made me sleepy. > I have heard that the new strains are different in that regard. Is that true? I’m only 32. I’ve only smoked a few times. I assume I smoked newer strains than you. All it did was make me sleepy. I think the effects vary more by the person than what strain is smoked. Even though I don’t smoke, I am still for legalization. I don’t think anyone has come up with a good argument against it yet. ---
**Author:** ![GreasyJack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df705f/32.png) [@GreasyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreasyJack)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2011, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-justify-banning-marijuana/581601/74 "2011-05-13T21:05:02Z")
> [@CitizenPained](#): > > Right. But playing on pothead stereotypes isn’t the same as edibles for cancer patients. > > When your mmj patients go from 2k to 60k, it makes officials do this: :dubious: What happened is that last year the Obama administration ordered the feds to stop prosecuting people who are in compliance with their state’s medical marijuana laws. Before this, it was a big grey area where you could still get prosecuted by federal authorities, so medical marijuana was still quasai-underground. Now that there’s virtually no chance of getting prosecuted for it if you comply with the laws, I don’t think it’s surprising at all that significantly more people are taking advantage. Sure, there’s some abuse, but it does help a great number of people. It’s certainly no worse than the rarely-mentioned abuse of other prescription painkillers. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2011, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-justify-banning-marijuana/581601/75 "2011-05-13T22:49:47Z")
> [@GreasyJack](#): > > What happened is that last year the Obama administration ordered the feds to stop prosecuting people who are in compliance with their state’s medical marijuana laws. Before this, it was a big grey area where you could still get prosecuted by federal authorities, so medical marijuana was still quasai-underground. > > Now that there’s virtually no chance of getting prosecuted for it if you comply with the laws, I don’t think it’s surprising at all that significantly more people are taking advantage. Sure, there’s some abuse, but it does help a great number of people. It’s certainly no worse than the rarely-mentioned abuse of other prescription painkillers. Except the DEA is still nailing people following the law … and Arizona has come up with such restrictive laws it is almost impossible to legally start a dispensary [you have 60 days from getting the OK to be open and selling product, but you cant buy product from anybody - either you have to grow it yourself or it has to be donated … and the shortest time between seed and harvest is 8 weeks, and it still takes another month to dry and properly cure the herb on one that is specifically created to have such a short growing time. And I bet good old Sheriff Joe will keep on arresting people anyway, and handing them over to the feds … laws be fucked.] ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2011, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-justify-banning-marijuana/581601/76 "2011-05-13T23:50:55Z")
> [@GreasyJack](#): > > What happened is that last year the Obama administration ordered the feds to stop prosecuting people who are in compliance with their state’s medical marijuana laws. Before this, it was a big grey area where you could still get prosecuted by federal authorities, so medical marijuana was still quasai-underground. > > Now that there’s virtually no chance of getting prosecuted for it if you comply with the laws, I don’t think it’s surprising at all that significantly more people are taking advantage. Sure, there’s some abuse, but it does help a great number of people. It’s certainly no worse than the rarely-mentioned abuse of other prescription painkillers. It was mostly the CO courts, but yes, that too. State legislators did this: :eek: and then: :dubious: :eek::eek: when dispensaries popped up all over metro Denver and their medical marijuana card applications went through roof over the year. And of course, things like pot awards and festivals…er…conventions. So they’ve started regulating it a lot more. eta: so for people who legitimately could use mmj, they’ll need an ongoing specialist, a lot of paperwork, some $$ to get the license, some $$ to get a provider (aka dispensary) and pay $50 for 1/8. dude, may as well keep paying $8/mo for your vicodin. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-justify-banning-marijuana/581601.md?page=3)