# legalize marijuana or Not **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [March 23, 2014, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalize-marijuana-or-not/684382 "2014-03-23T20:54:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![canman23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@canman23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/canman23)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2014, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalize-marijuana-or-not/684382/1 "2014-03-23T20:54:16Z")
Forgive me if this has already been debated. I wanted to see what all of you thought about this subject. I am not in favor of making it legal. Here are some of the reasons why. 1. It’s a gateway drug. 2. It can be extremely addictive (for some people). 3. Drug-impaired driving would increase by who knows how much. 4. THC effects the area of the brain called the hippocampus the area responsible for memory function. 5. No matter what the states do there are still federal laws that should be enforced. These are just a quick 5 to get the debate started. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2014, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalize-marijuana-or-not/684382/2 "2014-03-23T20:55:10Z")
Got a quick cite for any of that? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2014, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalize-marijuana-or-not/684382/3 "2014-03-23T20:59:15Z")
> [@canman23](#): > > Forgive me if this has already been debated. I wanted to see what all of you thought about this subject. I am not in favor of making it legal. Here are some of the reasons why. > > 1. It’s a gateway drug. > 2. It can be extremely addictive (for some people). > 3. Drug-impaired driving would increase by who knows how much. > 4. THC effects the area of the brain called the hippocampus the area responsible for memory function. > 5. No matter what the states do there are still federal laws that should be enforced. > > These are just a quick 5 to get the debate started. It’s hardly my place to drink alcohol while saying other adults should be jailed for consensually enjoying something less bad. ---
**Author:** ![Lanzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/74df32/32.png) [@Lanzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lanzy)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2014, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalize-marijuana-or-not/684382/4 "2014-03-23T21:02:26Z")
10 reasons to make it legal. [Legalize marijuana](http://www.hightimes.com/read/10-reasons-marijuana-should-be-legal) ---
**Author:** ![Stringbean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Stringbean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stringbean)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2014, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalize-marijuana-or-not/684382/5 "2014-03-23T21:06:45Z")
Of course it should be legal. You have never smoked it right? ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2014, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalize-marijuana-or-not/684382/6 "2014-03-23T22:05:54Z")
> [@canman23](#): > > Forgive me if this has already been debated. I wanted to see what all of you thought about this subject. I am not in favor of making it legal. Here are some of the reasons why. > > 1. It’s a gateway drug. The gateway effect is not well-established and has never been anything close to “hard science”. Yes, a disproportionate number of people using heavy drugs have used marijuana. But what does this mean? What things could have caused this correlation other than marijuana inherently leading to harder drugs? What mechanism do we have to make this mechanism plausible? For example, one could argue that the reason people using hard drugs often have tried marijuana is because marijuana was easy to find and they wanted to try drugs. One could argue that they tried marijuana, found that it wasn’t so bad, and started to wonder about those other illegal drugs, in which case legalizing marijuana would _reduce_ the gateway effect. Honestly, without good science, this is not a good argument. > [@](#): > > 1. It can be extremely addictive (for some people). Yes (and if anyone wants to tell me it’s not addictive, I will whack you across the head with pubmed links), but so can alcohol, and we haven’t banned that yet. What’s more, alcoholism has a very strong correlation with severe liver and kidney damage, whereas the side-effects of prolonged and extensive marijuana use are not as bad. They’re bad, but they aren’t that bad. > [@](#): > > 1. Drug-impaired driving would increase by who knows how much. So I assume you’re in favor of banning alcohol? Studies have shown quite extensively that while marijuana-impaired drivers do have a higher risk of accidents, they are considerably less accident-prone than people with a similar dose of alcohol (similar in proportion to effective doses). Again, this is a poor argument for banning marijuana, unless you’re willing to accept it for banning alcohol. > [@](#): > > 1. THC effects the area of the brain called the hippocampus the area responsible for memory function. So? Yes, it’s well-known that extensive marijuana use can lead to memory issues and mental disorders in old age. But again, compare it to other legal drugs. What’s the normal scenario? Is it really that much worse than what we already have legal? Is it worse than lung cancer, pneumonia, gum disease, heart disease, liver cancer, liver failure, kidney failure, alcohol poisoning… Looking at the risks for marijuana, I just don’t see it. It’s just not as bad as what we already have. > [@](#): > > 1. No matter what the states do there are still federal laws that should be enforced. “It’s currently illegal” isn’t really an argument against legalizing it… ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2014, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalize-marijuana-or-not/684382/7 "2014-03-23T23:08:50Z")
> [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](#): > > > [@canman23](#): > > > > 1. THC effects the area of the brain called the hippocampus the area responsible for memory function. > > So? Yes, it’s well-known that extensive marijuana use can lead to memory issues and mental disorders in old age. But again, compare it to other legal drugs. What’s the normal scenario? Is it really that much worse than what we already have legal? Is it worse than lung cancer, pneumonia, gum disease, heart disease, liver cancer, liver failure, kidney failure, alcohol poisoning… Looking at the risks for marijuana, I just don’t see it. It’s just not as bad as what we already have. I don’t use marijuana (I did in my 20s, when was socialising). I am in favour of making it legal. It’s legal here (Washington), but I have no desire to obtain any. But… [Marijuana May Hurt The Developing Teen Brain](http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2014/02/25/282631913/marijuana-may-hurt-the-developing-teen-brain) > [@](#): > > “We found that people who began using marijuana in their teenage years and then continued to use marijuana for many years lost about eight IQ points from childhood to adulthood,” says study author Madeline Meier, now a professor at Arizona State University, “whereas those who never used marijuana did not lose any IQ points.” > > \ > > But there’s an important caveat here: Those who used the most marijuana in the Meier study had lower IQs to begin with. Hm… Losing IQ points when you already have lower IQ might not be good thing. But let’s face it. Teens are smoking marijuana now, and it’s against the law in most places (everywhere, until recently). Teens drink alcohol, though it’s illegal everywhere in the U.S. Teens smoke cigarettes even though it is illegal for them to do so before the age of 18. Teens who are prone to smoke marijuana will smoke marijuana. It doesn’t matter if it’s legal or not. So make it legal for adults, and deal with the teens as we do now. . ---
**Author:** ![Robertfchew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/439d5e/32.png) [@Robertfchew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robertfchew)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2014, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalize-marijuana-or-not/684382/8 "2014-03-23T23:12:24Z")
I don’t use it but there are no reasons why someone should be banned from smoking but not drinking liquor. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2014, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalize-marijuana-or-not/684382/9 "2014-03-23T23:31:15Z")
I’m no fan of pot or pot smokers, but I think the war on drugs has done more violence to our Constitutional protections than the Prohibition, the Red Scare, and the Satanic abduction scares put together. Legalize it. ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2014, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalize-marijuana-or-not/684382/10 "2014-03-23T23:54:15Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I don’t use marijuana (I did in my 20s, when was socialising). I am in favour of making it legal. It’s legal here (Washington), but I have no desire to obtain any. But… > > [Marijuana May Hurt The Developing Teen Brain](http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2014/02/25/282631913/marijuana-may-hurt-the-developing-teen-brain) Well aware, and it’s a legitimate complaint. Keep it away from kids. Here’s the thing though - as far as I understand it, right now in many places it’s easier for teens to get weed than booze. That’s certainly the case where I grew up in Maine… Not to say legalization would improve it, but (as far as I understand what you’re saying) I think I agree with you that it probably wouldn’t make it much worse. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2014, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalize-marijuana-or-not/684382/11 "2014-03-24T00:08:39Z")
I don’t like the term “legalize” as it, to me anyway, implies some kind of extraordinary official grace. It was legal to begin with. Just stop arresting people. On a more complicated note, regulate and tax it. I’m sorry that the police don’t have a great way to test for impaired driving as it relates to the divil weed. This seems to be one of the more troublesome aspects of getting Law Enforcement on board. ---
**Author:** ![BrokenBriton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@BrokenBriton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrokenBriton)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2014, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalize-marijuana-or-not/684382/12 "2014-03-24T00:20:25Z")
> [@canman23](#): > > Forgive me if this has already been debated. > > These are just a quick 5 to get the debate started. Each of those has only been discussed a couple of thousand times. ---
**Author:** ![Truman\_Burbank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@Truman\_Burbank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Truman_Burbank)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2014, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalize-marijuana-or-not/684382/13 "2014-03-24T01:20:18Z")
In general, I’m not much in favor of legalizing vices. Here in California, for example, I think legalizing gambling has done much more harm than good. No doubt we would be better off as a society if tobacco and alcohol could be vanished. “Medical” marijuana in California is a joke, literally anybody can get a card by complaining to a conveniently located MD (right across the street from the pot dispensary) about anything from headaches to insomnia, etc. (This is not to say that some people absolutely have legitimate need, and there can be some legit usages in medicine). That said, the best argument I’ve heard about legalizing pot came from my wife, who is really pissed off that it comes in candy and other similar kid-friendly forms in Colorado, and seems to be promoted in delivery systems just begging to be abused by under-aged kids. Of course, that could be going on in dispensaries here in Calif as well, I’ve not been inside one. I wish we could not just rush headlong into efforts to anesthetize ourselves, so often it can reduce quality of life. ---
**Author:** ![chacoguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2014, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalize-marijuana-or-not/684382/14 "2014-03-24T01:48:34Z")
> [@Truman\_Burbank](#): > > That said, the best argument I’ve heard about legalizing pot came from my wife, who is really pissed off that it comes in candy and other similar kid-friendly forms in Colorado, and seems to be promoted in delivery systems just begging to be abused by under-aged kids. Of course, that could be going on in dispensaries here in Calif as well, I’ve not been inside one. Have you or your wife been inside a Colorado dispensary? Otherwise, go spray your ignorance elsewhere. ---
**Author:** ![Trepa\_Mayfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@Trepa\_Mayfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trepa_Mayfield)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2014, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalize-marijuana-or-not/684382/15 "2014-03-24T01:53:44Z")
> [@Truman\_Burbank](#): > > In general, I’m not much in favor of legalizing vices. Here in California, for example, I think legalizing gambling has done much more harm than good. I feel like if illegal marijuana were treated like illegal gambling–that is to say, there wouldn’t be an arrest unless there was a really big operation going down–then most of the pressure to legalize it would vanish. The best argument for legalizing marijuana isn’t that it will do a bunch of good for society (because it won’t) but because outlawing it has hurt our country so much. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2014, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalize-marijuana-or-not/684382/16 "2014-03-24T04:08:35Z")
I personally have no opinion on whether marijuana should be legal or not, but I consider the states attempting to legalize it, for recreational or “medical” purposes, to be acting illegitimately and in a manner morally equivalent to Jim Crow states that mobilized the National Guard to enforce segregation, or the red states that are now trying to nullify Obamacare. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2014, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalize-marijuana-or-not/684382/17 "2014-03-24T04:10:39Z")
> [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](#): > > Yes (and if anyone wants to tell me it’s not addictive, I will whack you across the head with pubmed links), but so can alcohol, and we haven’t banned that yet. What’s more, alcoholism has a very strong correlation with severe liver and kidney damage, whereas the side-effects of prolonged and extensive marijuana use are not as bad. They’re bad, but they aren’t that bad. This is true regarding addiction, and I agree with most of your other points. One might perhaps point out that marijuana addictions are primarily if not entirely psychological, which is not meant to minimize them but only to say that they’re not the potentially life-threatening addictions of something like heroin. Clearly there is no comparison between marijuana and the actual narcotics under which it’s been ridiculously classified, but yes, addiction and habitualization are factors in marijuana use. The social acceptance that is implied by legalization is unfortunately also a compelling factor in promoting its use, and unfortunately there seems to be little middle ground between criminalization as a dangerous narcotic and simple decriminalization rather than just selling it like candy. I agree with you about alcohol but the problem is that it’s been so socially entrenched for so long – plus it actually does have benefits in moderation – that making it illegal is neither an option nor is it desirable. I would not want to be considered a criminal for going down to my wine cellar to see what might be a nice wine to complement tonight’s dinner, nor is a nice bottle of Petit Verdot going to harm me or my guests. That was the utter failure of Prohibition. It’s a non-starter. But marijuana is a whole different ball game. Its legalization would not displace alcohol because its effects and its appeal are completely different; it would simply add a new and potentially deleterious intoxicant into societal dynamics. I have no strong feelings about it. I think it’s relatively innocuous compared to most other drugs out there. I think this articulates the most balanced and sensible view at this point of our knowledge – the basic message is that criminalization is stupid, but legalization isn’t justified: > **[About CAMH](https://www.camh.ca/en/driving-change/about-camh)** > > As Canada's largest mental health teaching hospital, CAMH sets the standards for care, research, education and leading social change. ---
**Author:** ![Truman\_Burbank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@Truman\_Burbank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Truman_Burbank)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2014, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalize-marijuana-or-not/684382/18 "2014-03-24T05:20:05Z")
> [@chacoguy](#): > > Have you or your wife been inside a Colorado dispensary? Otherwise, go spray your ignorance elsewhere. Saw it on the \*actual news. \*Here’s a link for people too quick to cast aspersions before they know what they are talking about: …“Medical marijuana comes in many forms: chocolates, gummies, suckers, seeds and nuts, even butter and olive oil and don`t forget the fruity beverages, all infused with cannabis.” Read more: [http://wgntv.com/2013/11/04/medical-marijuana-what-illinois-can-learn-from-colorado/#ixzz2wr2m9C2S](http://wgntv.com/2013/11/04/medical-marijuana-what-illinois-can-learn-from-colorado/#ixzz2wr2m9C2S) ---
**Author:** ![Truman\_Burbank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@Truman\_Burbank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Truman_Burbank)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2014, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalize-marijuana-or-not/684382/19 "2014-03-24T05:27:27Z")
Here, **Chacoguy** , is a link with pictures, in case you don’t read so good: > **[Colorado Shop Owners Can't Keep Marijuana Edibles in Stock](https://abcnews.go.com/Business/pot-bellies-marijuana-edibles-flying-off-shelves-colorado/story?id=21560018)** > > Colorado residents may wind up with "pot bellies" if they keep filling up on marijuana edibles at this pace. Apologies cheerfully accepted! ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2014, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalize-marijuana-or-not/684382/20 "2014-03-24T05:36:36Z")
> [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](#): > > Yes (and if anyone wants to tell me it’s not addictive, I will whack you across the head with pubmed links), but so can alcohol, and we haven’t banned that yet. There are so many people around (in millions if not tens of millions) that used to smoke pot when young and do not now that it is hard to take claims of marijuana addiction seriously. I never heard from anyone who used to smoke pot and does not now that they had any kind of “quitting an addiction” type of experience when they stopped. There may be some severe cases, but I would go out on a limb and say with some assurance that an average pot user (just like an average alcohol user, really) is not addicted. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalize-marijuana-or-not/684382.md?page=2)