# 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:** 2
**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, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalize-marijuana-or-not/684382/21 "2014-03-24T06:46:55Z")
**Terr** , do you similarly doubt the addictive potential of alcohol for the same reason? Of course there are plenty, a majority, of people who have used alcohol without serious addiction issues. But there are also a lot of alcoholics, are there not? ---
**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, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalize-marijuana-or-not/684382/22 "2014-03-24T07:44:37Z")
> [@Truman\_Burbank](#): > > **Terr** , do you similarly doubt the addictive potential of alcohol for the same reason? Of course there are plenty, a majority, of people who have used alcohol without serious addiction issues. But there are also a lot of alcoholics, are there not? > **[Experts Tell the Truth about Pot](https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-truth-about-pot/)** > > Marijuana use can be problematic but only rarely leads to addiction The researchers found that of those who had tried marijuana at least once, about 9 percent eventually fit a diagnosis of cannabis dependence. The corresponding figure for alcohol was 15 percent; for cocaine, 17 percent; for heroin, 23 percent; and for nicotine, 32 percent. And, [as far as I could ascertain](http://healthland.time.com/2010/10/19/is-marijuana-addictive-it-depends-how-you-define-addiction/), marijuana, unlike alcohol, heroin or nicotine, is not physically addictive. So - what’s the problem, again? Hell, chocolate is addictive. You have a problem with it being legal? I like this quote from that article: “As Dr. Elders also said on CNN, marijuana is nontoxic. You can fatally overdose on alcohol, heroin or cocaine, but the only way a dose of marijuana will kill you is if someone crushes you under a bale of it.” ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2014, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalize-marijuana-or-not/684382/23 "2014-03-24T12:07:46Z")
Legalize? Huh? Oh, you mean _re_legalize. Carry on. ---
**Author:** ![Farin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e79b87/32.png) [@Farin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farin)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2014, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalize-marijuana-or-not/684382/24 "2014-03-24T12:48:28Z")
> [@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. 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. Ah, the ol’ “think of the children” approach. I take it, then, that you think things like Mike’s Hard Lemonade are also a gateway to teens to use alcohol? I mean, it’s pretty much just carbonated kool aide with alcohol, isn’t it? While I’m not rushing to the nearest dispensary now that it’s legal, I’m also not going to pretend that teenagers aren’t going to get into things they shouldn’t - no matter the law. When I was in high school kids smoked cigarettes, kids smoked marijuana, and kids drank. And - shocker - most of those that did any of the three had very little influence from their parents to do so. In most cases, they weren’t stealing from their parents’ stashes of smokes, joints, or alcohol. I’m sure that some went on, and it’ll definitely vary school to school, county to county, and state to state; but pretending that the candied marijuana will somehow make teens want to do it because “oh, it tastes better!” is ridiculous. I say that because almost all of these candy options I could buy from someone I knew _in my high school itself_. And, yet, with the (much cheaper than the current legal variety) availability of these options less than 5% of the school used. ---
**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, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalize-marijuana-or-not/684382/25 "2014-03-24T13:41:31Z")
> [@Farin](#): > > Ah, the ol’ “think of the children” approach. > > I take it, then, that you think things like Mike’s Hard Lemonade are also a gateway to teens to use alcohol? I mean, it’s pretty much just carbonated kool aide with alcohol, isn’t it? > > While I’m not rushing to the nearest dispensary now that it’s legal, I’m also not going to pretend that teenagers aren’t going to get into things they shouldn’t - no matter the law. When I was in high school kids smoked cigarettes, kids smoked marijuana, and kids drank. And - shocker - most of those that did any of the three had very little influence from their parents to do so. In most cases, they weren’t stealing from their parents’ stashes of smokes, joints, or alcohol. > > I’m sure that some went on, and it’ll definitely vary school to school, county to county, and state to state; but pretending that the candied marijuana will somehow make teens want to do it because “oh, it tastes better!” is ridiculous. I say that because almost all of these candy options I could buy from someone I knew _in my high school itself_. And, yet, with the (much cheaper than the current legal variety) availability of these options less than 5% of the school used. So, your response is the old “don’t think of the children” variety. Spare me. No, her concern is more about accidental ingestion. I’m not being black and white here, and I frankly don’t get the offensive tone of your response (or Chacoguy’s, who blatantly denied any such thing even existed). Of course a number of teens will ‘get into things’. Should we have laws to restrict teen smokers? Age of consent for alcohol? Legalized Meth dispensaries? Should we serve Mike’s at school cafeterias? (And yes, in my day more teenagers got drunk on Annie Green Springs, and Boone’s Farm, wine coolers than on fine whiskey) Are you in favor of no laws, no considerations, or are we just exploring the grey areas? ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2014, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalize-marijuana-or-not/684382/26 "2014-03-24T14:18:35Z")
> [@chacoguy](#): > > Have you or your wife been inside a Colorado dispensary? Otherwise, go spray your ignorance elsewhere. Have you? Lot’s of candy and cookies and stuff. And yes, it should be legal. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2014, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalize-marijuana-or-not/684382/27 "2014-03-24T16:51:23Z")
I’ve not tried marijuana, or any recreational mind or mood altering substance, but yeah, I say make it legal and get it over with. ---
**Author:** ![ThisUsernameIsForbidden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b4bc9f/32.png) [@ThisUsernameIsForbidden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisUsernameIsForbidden)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2014, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalize-marijuana-or-not/684382/28 "2014-03-24T16:58:29Z")
Let’s have a referendum on it in each state. ---
**Author:** ![shiftless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@shiftless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shiftless)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2014, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalize-marijuana-or-not/684382/29 "2014-03-24T17:59:54Z")
\*1. It’s a gateway drug. \* Such a great catchphrase someone came up with decades ago. It now infects our collective minds and it’s impossible to refute. Plenty of people who use other drugs also have used pot at some point, no question. They have also probably used prescription drugs, alcohol, caffeine and nicotine. Any of those might be the gateway, if there must be one. Each of those is legal though, and have plenty of advocates. _2. It can be extremely addictive (for some people)._ Saying it doesn’t make it true. If you want extremely addictive , try nicotine or a prescription opiate. Perfectly legal and you’ll keep coming back for more. \*3. Drug-impaired driving would increase by who knows how much. \* True and a problem that needs to be addressed. Is it currently illegal to drive while using prescription pain killers? If so, I think that law could be modified to cover pot. If not - then stoned drivers are the least of my worries. \*4. THC effects the area of the brain called the hippocampus the area responsible for memory function. \*So? I didn’t need that memory anyway 🙂 We should try to keep pot away from kids for this and a number of reasons. So far, making it illegal and putting ‘drug free zone’ signs in front of school isn’t a perfect solution. Maybe if we controlled the distribution in some way, rather than leaving that up to the drug cartels? \*5. No matter what the states do there are still federal laws that should be enforced. \* It’s illegal, therefore it shouldn’t be legal. If that argument worked, Congress could retire now - job done. ---
**Author:** ![Farin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e79b87/32.png) [@Farin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farin)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2014, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalize-marijuana-or-not/684382/30 "2014-03-24T18:20:46Z")
> [@Truman\_Burbank](#): > > So, your response is the old “don’t think of the children” variety. Spare me. I don’t mind thinking of the children, when they aren’t used as pawns for a preferred policy. > [@Truman\_Burbank](#): > > No, her concern is more about accidental ingestion. I’m not being black and white here, and I frankly don’t get the offensive tone of your response (or Chacoguy’s, who blatantly denied any such thing even existed). I intended no tone in my response. It is simply the way things are. My examples were provided during “prohibition” of the drug. The laws “to protect the children” aren’t protecting them, so “think of the children” is a bad approach. I confess that I interpreted your statement to mean “Children will be hooked on them from youth because they are candy-like” and not “The children might find one, think it’s a blow pop and get a high”. In the case of accidental ingestion: punish the parents who are negligent. Don’t pre-emptively punish all adults. > [@Truman\_Burbank](#): > > Of course a number of teens will ‘get into things’. Should we have laws to restrict teen smokers? Yes, but don’t expect them to remove all teen smokers. > [@Truman\_Burbank](#): > > Age of consent for alcohol? Yes, but don’t expect them to remove all teen drinkers. > [@Truman\_Burbank](#): > > Legalized Meth dispensaries? Are you calling for legalized meth? > [@Truman\_Burbank](#): > > Should we serve Mike’s at school cafeterias? I do not believe so. If you believe so, please tell me why you think this. > [@Truman\_Burbank](#): > > (And yes, in my day more teenagers got drunk on Annie Green Springs, and Boone’s Farm, wine coolers than on fine whiskey) Was that because it tasted like candy or because it was far easier to sneak a few bottles of a wine cooler than to sneak a good bottle of scotch? Or was it a combination of factors, including what was cheaper to pay someone to purchase for you? > [@Truman\_Burbank](#): > > Are you in favor of no laws, no considerations, or are we just exploring the grey areas? I am in favor of laws that are targeted to their intention. An age restriction and a rider to parental negligence laws gives us the coverage we need to protect the children without restricting people who would be law abiding adult consumers. ---
**Author:** ![Farin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e79b87/32.png) [@Farin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farin)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2014, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalize-marijuana-or-not/684382/31 "2014-03-24T18:25:25Z")
> [@shiftless](#): > > \*3. Drug-impaired driving would increase by who knows how much. \* > True and a problem that needs to be addressed. Is it currently illegal to drive while using prescription pain killers? If so, I think that law could be modified to cover pot. If not - then stoned drivers are the least of my worries. I am not a lawyer, but most places I’ve lived have had “Driving While Intoxicated” laws where intoxication means you can’t properly control yourself/vehicle or think in a normal manner. Failing the roadside sobriety tests a police office gives you can net you a DWI even if your later blood panel comes back clear of alcohol. ---
**Author:** ![tigerwahoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@tigerwahoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tigerwahoo)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2014, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalize-marijuana-or-not/684382/32 "2014-03-24T20:24:18Z")
As someone who pertained with friends a few times while in college but hasn’t touched it since… Legalize it. The typical arguments against marijuana stem from decades-old fearmongering that has more in common with the Red Scares than any scientific dialogue. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2014, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalize-marijuana-or-not/684382/33 "2014-03-24T20:30:23Z")
> [@tigerwahoo](#): > > As someone who **pertained** with friends a few times… “Partook”, maybe? ---
**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, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalize-marijuana-or-not/684382/34 "2014-03-24T22:12:40Z")
**Farin** , first of all, I apologize if I took offense where none was intended. There is no doubt in my mind that marijuana is bad for you, and yes, I’ve toked my share. Less bad than tobacco, or alcohol, or meth, but doesn’t improve your health. When I look at how the smoking rates have declined in the US, I wonder what to attribute that to. Cultural changes in how smoking is perceived, and education, and the disappearance of vending machines would be on my short list. I think it would be good if we could minimize the abuse of alcohol, nicotine, pot, prescription meds, meth, etc. I’m not sure that just because we CAN make THC-infused blowpops and gummies, that we should. Declining to produce cannabis in the most child-user friendly forms possible doesn’t seem like an unreasonable thing to stop and consider, before you do it. “Don’t pre-emptively punish all adults” was your comment, but I’m not sure having to do without THC gummies constitutes much of a punishment. And I would agree with the poster above (sorry I didn’t note who it was) that in most ways the “War On Drugs” has been an abject failure. ---
**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, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalize-marijuana-or-not/684382/35 "2014-03-24T22:13:26Z")
inhaled? ---
**Author:** ![Farin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e79b87/32.png) [@Farin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farin)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2014, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalize-marijuana-or-not/684382/36 "2014-03-24T23:56:02Z")
> [@Truman\_Burbank](#): > > **Farin** , first of all, I apologize if I took offense where none was intended. It’s no worry for me. I only raise the warning because it makes debate far less contentious if you don’t read an insinuation in half of what I write. 🙂 > [@Truman\_Burbank](#): > > There is no doubt in my mind that marijuana is bad for you, and yes, I’ve toked my share. Less bad than tobacco, or alcohol, or meth, but doesn’t improve your health. I don’t disagree with this - Pot isn’t some awesome substance that fixes anything. The only medical benefit is the general pain relief and the ocular pressure relief in eyes with glaucoma. However, I also don’t ascribe to the idea that we must prevent people from being near anything bad for them. > [@Truman\_Burbank](#): > > I think it would be good if we could minimize the abuse of alcohol, nicotine, pot, prescription meds, meth, etc. Depending on the substance, I don’t automatically link “use” with “abuse”. I have known many people who like having a beer at the end of a hard day of work. They don’t need it, they don’t even make a ritual out of it. I don’t lump them in with the people that use alcohol as an emotional crutch. > [@Truman\_Burbank](#): > > I’m not sure that just because we CAN make THC-infused blowpops and gummies, that we should. Declining to produce cannabis in the most child-user friendly forms possible doesn’t seem like an unreasonable thing to stop and consider, before you do it. I don’t see the enhanced risk from it. Sure, some child may get into a parents’ stash, but that’s true with anything. Cigarettes, alcohol, and now weed. While it’s not an optimal situation, I don’t think it’ll be prevalent enough to be a significant concern. > [@Truman\_Burbank](#): > > “Don’t pre-emptively punish all adults” was your comment, but I’m not sure having to do without THC gummies constitutes much of a punishment. Maybe it’s not “much of a punishment” but it’s a removal of liberty for what is a very small risk overall. At the same time, it’s not like any of these can’t be made from home with little effort. The ban would be ineffective for anyone with even the tiniest bit of initiative. > [@Truman\_Burbank](#): > > And I would agree with the poster above (sorry I didn’t note who it was) that in most ways the “War On Drugs” has been an abject failure. Pretty much everyone believes this, except those government agencies that rake in the big dollars. ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2014, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalize-marijuana-or-not/684382/37 "2014-03-25T00:23:14Z")
> [@Truman\_Burbank](#): > > And I would agree with the poster above (sorry I didn’t note who it was) that in most ways the “War On Drugs” has been an abject failure. It has been an abject failure but you seem to (by being anti-legalization) be willing to continue it indefinitely. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2014, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalize-marijuana-or-not/684382/38 "2014-03-25T00:38:03Z")
I’m not saying marijuana is completely harmless. But I think the evidence is overwhelming that the harm caused by the criminalization of marijuana far outweighs the potential harm that would be caused by the legalization of marijuana. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2014, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalize-marijuana-or-not/684382/39 "2014-03-25T00:40:15Z")
> [@woodstockbirdybird](#): > > “Partook”, maybe? Damn that long-term memory loss. ---
**Author:** ![chacoguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2014, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalize-marijuana-or-not/684382/40 "2014-03-25T01:25:03Z")
> [@Truman\_Burbank](#): > > Chacoguy’s, who blatantly denied any such thing even existed). I’ve said no such thing. I’m saying that no child is going to pay $12 for a tootsie roll. If parents leave their medicated edibles out for kids to find, they should be prosecuted at the same level that parents that leave their Valium or guns lying about. The fact that edibles exist does not mean that anyone is trying to entice children. It’s simply an alternative to smoking, which I believe to be a good thing, especially since many patients have respiratory issues. Most of the patients that go to the dispensary that I belong to are obviously sick. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalize-marijuana-or-not/684382.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalize-marijuana-or-not/684382.md?page=3)