Oops, sorry. Didn’t notice Neutron Star had already addressed most of the points I was making.
I think weed maybe shouldn’t be completely legal, but smoking/possessing it should be less of a crime than it is already. Maybe it should be legal to possess less than a kilo, but not to sell it, or something like that. I think people should be allowed to grow and make their own pot in their own homes legally. I don’t see the difference between that and drinking. It seems to me that there has been a move to make marijuana offenses even more serious crimes as the years go by. I think the revenue stream the cops get from busting people has something to do with this, since few people are murdered in gang wars over pot. It’s so easy to make and/or process that there is a plethora of suppliers. If anything, the part of the public that has an opinion on the subject either doesn’t care or wants it to be legal. I know there are people who think its bad, but honestly, I don’t think they’re as common as their counterparts on the other side of the issue.
I have to be a bad guy in this thread. I don’t think that the american public can deal with the responsibility of legalized marijuana. When a person gets drunk, they (hopefully) know they are trashed. This is hen we hope that personal responsibility will kick in and keep this person from doing harmful activities (i.e. driving, asault etc.) Whereas marijuana is not so indicitive as to your mental responses and capability to make decisions. I know I wouldn’t want my 15 year old son to be able to get a hold of marijuana as easily as he can ciggerettes or liquor.
And a personal note: I got high for the first time a few weeks ago. I smoked quite a bit and couldn’t feel any of the effects of the drug. It felt the same as a nicotine buzz to me. I decided to drive myself and my husband home- 30 miles east. Somehow I ended up 20 miles northwest of my home, with my husband staring stupidly at the blue light that my palm emitted. (I had told him to find directions!)
Luckily I got home all right without hurting anybody, but Ilearned that I can’t make sound judgements as to my mental abilities. I’ll never do that again, for sure. Drive high that is.
Err, that’s why thousands of people die each year in alcohol-related traffic accidents? A lot of them have no clue how wasted they are.
As for pot, YMMV. I have used pot a total of three times, and will not try it again. One was a good batch (KB), one a bad, one intermediate. They all screwed me up to the point I could barely walk, and I damn sure couldn’t get to my car, much less drive it anywhere. Maybe it’s just the way I react to the crap, but it pretty much incapacitates me.
Anyhow, as for the OP: smoke all the pot you want. I ain’t gonna join in, but enjoy yourself.
You’re right about that. The United States has been wrong about about drug leglization since the 1920’s or so, and the consequences have been very serious.
You really can’t judge how pot is going to affect you from the first few times you smoke it. I was stoned out of my gourd the first dozen or so times I got high. Since then, it’s been more of a mild relaxation. I have been pulled over at least twice while driving stoned (for going 10 mph over the speed limit, NOT for driving erratically). Both times, the police didn’t notice I was stoned and let me go on my merry way. Try that after 5 or 6 beers …
You know, if you switched the words “marijuana” and “alcohol” in that statement, it might actually make sense. Studies on this have shown that drunk people think they’re driving great, but are actually swerving all over the road. Stoned people think they’re driving bad, but it turns out their driving is virtually identical to people who hadn’t used any drugs at.
Honestly, what were you thinking in that post? Drunk people have some kind of better judgement than stoners that prevents them from driving or assaulting people? What’s the first excuse of ANY wife-beater? “I couldn’t help it, your honor. I was drunk and out of control!” I think it’s pretty common knowledge that alcohol impairs judgement. You’re so far off-base in that statement that the right fielder could throw you out before you’d be able to get back to the bag.
He can currently get it easier that alcohol or cigs. No need to borrow big brother’s ID when the guy selling him the pot is underage too!
Uh, I don’t know about you, but in my high school there weren’t any Junior Al Capones brewing up moonshine to sell on the black market just because they were underage. Nor did I know any kids with backyard tobacco farms.
Not only that, but there’s a big difference between a couple high school kids exchanging goods, and the ENTIRE DRUG USING POPULATION of the U.S. doing it. You’re not going to see high school kids forming large, violent cartels and leaving behind trails of bodies simply because they aren’t old enough to buy a joint. :rolleyes:
Well, I think all the points that I would’ve made here have already been made by others. But here’s one thing I can add: The posters here who believe it should be legalized have given many reasons why the “Gateway Drug” theory might be true, without it being incriminating to our cause. And I must admit you guys gave good reasons. However, funny thing is, it ain’t even true in the first place…
So there you have it.
I am not against Mary. Some of my best friends are Catholic, and they say prayers to Mary all the time.
Yeah, there’s just something about Mary . . .
Since I’ve been in Federal service since 1986, I haven’t smoked much mj since that time. These random drug test over your employment kinda suck. :rolleyes: Before that, I was truly into it in high school, etc. The last time I smoked any was about six months ago, and I got bad stuff; sick as a dog.
That said . . . I believe the reason the government hasn’t leagalized mj is because of the prevailing belief that the public needs to be pretected from itself. I know some people who should be protected from themselves, but overall, I disagree with this thought.
As has been previously stated, it’s a matter of preference. Even if it were legalized, employers would still have a say. (I can get fired if I go to work drunk; there’s no reason to believe that they’d let me come in stoned.) The people who hadn’t been smoking would be really unlikely to try it ‘just because it’s legal now.’
As for the medical reasons; whether everyone claiming medical reasons is telling the truth or not; why make it harder on those who can really use it? I personally wouldn’t run out to but it now; I’ve had my fun with it and it doesn’t interest me any more . . . .
As far as the original point is concerned; I have no problem with legalizing Mary; with the same limitations as alcohol and tobacco have. then it’s up to me to teach my kids about it; and give them info to make good decisions about it.
What? Personal AND parental responsibility? Wow, what a novel concept. . . .