# Marijuana - Legalize It? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [June 5, 2004, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana-legalize-it/248764 "2004-06-05T03:48:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dopef1sh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/919ad9/32.png) [@Dopef1sh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dopef1sh)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2004, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana-legalize-it/248764/1 "2004-06-05T03:48:24Z")
I’m looking for people’s opinions regarding the legalization of pot. And I’m not talking about medicinal usage, I’m thinking of recreational usage too. I see no reason it shouldn’t be legalized. It is (debatably) less harmful than alcohol and doesn’t endanger anyone but the user when one is under the influence. It should probably be given an age requirement of 18 and usage while driving treated like a DWI, but I see absolutely nothing wrong with its legalization. The government would even be able to control its quality somewhat, make sure that no other drugs are mixed with it etc. Thoughts? ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2004, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana-legalize-it/248764/2 "2004-06-05T03:54:56Z")
Yes…legalize it. -XT ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2004, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana-legalize-it/248764/3 "2004-06-05T04:02:08Z")
I love the idea of having yet another monolithic federal agency to monitor the dope supply. Put bureaucrats in charge of the nation’s weed–_yesss!!_ “What does your daddy do for a living?” “He’s in Quality Control at the Federal Dope Agency, he does testing…” ---
**Author:** ![AZCowboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/97f17d/32.png) [@AZCowboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AZCowboy)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2004, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana-legalize-it/248764/4 "2004-06-05T04:06:29Z")
> [@](#): > > _From the OP:_ > It is (debatably) less harmful than alcohol … Don’t think you could even find a debate there. ---
**Author:** ![Ms2001](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ms2001/32/18463_2.png) [@Ms2001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms2001)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2004, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana-legalize-it/248764/5 "2004-06-05T04:08:29Z")
Yes, legalize it. As for an age limit… eh, I don’t see why, other than to be consistent with the other kind of smoking. > [@Duck Duck Goose](#): > > I love the idea of having yet another monolithic federal agency to monitor the dope supply. Put bureaucrats in charge of the nation’s weed–_yesss!!_ Well, we already have an FDA. ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2004, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana-legalize-it/248764/6 "2004-06-05T04:15:44Z")
No arguments here. Unfortunately, it’ll probably be a long time before common sense is utilized when it comes to marijuana. Any polititian who comes out in favor of legalization will be attacked by his opponent as being “soft on crime” or a degenerate who doesn’t care that marijuana is a “gateway drug.” Won’t someone think of the _children?_ What I envision happening is a slow emergence of non-enforcement. Perhaps decades from now, mariuana laws will be much the same as homosexuality, adultery and birth control laws-- on the books but rarely, if ever, enforced. Drug usage (of any kind) is still often seen as a lower class problem: nice white kids from the suburbs aren’t the ones the laws are meant to punish. It’s when those nice middle-class white kids are the majority of the offenders that enforcement will taper off to virtual nothingness. I simply can’t see actual repeals of the laws in my lifetime. The Drug War is a great pound-the-podium issue for politicians. The American public is very suceptible to moral panics and knee-jerk legislation. All a politician has to do is point out the “fact” that marijuana is a gateway drug, which could lead to harder drug use, which could lead to a doped-up babysitter mistaking your baby for a turkey that needs baked, or a crazed junkie going Genghis Khan on your family to get cash for his next fix. ---
**Author:** ![Zagadka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zagadka/32/7272_2.png) [@Zagadka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zagadka)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2004, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana-legalize-it/248764/7 "2004-06-05T05:28:51Z")
Sure, whatever. ---
**Author:** ![Clu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/22d042/32.png) [@Clu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clu)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2004, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana-legalize-it/248764/8 "2004-06-05T06:05:30Z")
> [@Duck Duck Goose](#): > > I love the idea of having yet another monolithic federal agency to monitor the dope supply. Put bureaucrats in charge of the nation’s weed–_yesss!!_ > > “What does your daddy do for a living?” > “He’s in Quality Control at the Federal Dope Agency, he does testing…” Another federal agency? Just use the DEA. If the federal gov’t. wants a reason to get into people’s business, this would be it. ---
**Author:** ![Clu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/22d042/32.png) [@Clu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clu)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2004, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana-legalize-it/248764/9 "2004-06-05T06:09:37Z")
IMO, the ideal way to produce marijuana would be to license those with an interest in growing. In this case, the DEA/local police would monitor grows for tax purposes. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2004, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana-legalize-it/248764/10 "2004-06-05T06:19:51Z")
By the time we legalize marijuana, smoking will be outlawed anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Ms2001](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ms2001/32/18463_2.png) [@Ms2001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms2001)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2004, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana-legalize-it/248764/11 "2004-06-05T07:31:31Z")
> [@tracer](#): > > By the time we legalize marijuana, smoking will be outlawed anyway. But vaporizing and brownie eating will still be legal… _or will they?_ ---
**Author:** ![duffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duffer/32/1026_2.png) [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2004, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana-legalize-it/248764/12 "2004-06-05T07:34:34Z")
May be a surprise to those that know my politics, but legalize it and treat it the same as alcohol. I’ll resist any comparison to coke and heroin being the same, though. ---
**Author:** ![II\_Gyan\_II](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/bbe5ce/32.png) [@II\_Gyan\_II](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/II_Gyan_II)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2004, 10:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana-legalize-it/248764/13 "2004-06-05T10:29:42Z")
> [@tracer](#): > > By the time we legalize marijuana, smoking will be outlawed anyway. [Who](http://www.gwpharm.com/faqs.asp#faqs3_1) needs to [smoke](http://www.gwpharm.com/faqs.asp#faqs2_10) it, anyway? ---
**Author:** ![gum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bbe5ce/32.png) [@gum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gum)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2004, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana-legalize-it/248764/14 "2004-06-05T10:39:30Z")
There’s no need for a debate from my side. 🙂 If you’re interested, check out the lowering crime-rate ever since we legalized MJ years ago. Just google dutch / legal / soft-drugs. Sadly, since this whole shitty EU began, the Dutch government are thinking of stricter laws. To fit in with the rest of Europe. Like they did with smoking. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![fubar\_tabarnac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/cdc98d/32.png) [@fubar\_tabarnac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fubar_tabarnac)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2004, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana-legalize-it/248764/15 "2004-06-05T10:51:44Z")
screw legal, pot should be mandatory. the world would be so much a happier place. ---
**Author:** ![RedFury](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ec9cab/32.png) [@RedFury](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedFury)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2004, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana-legalize-it/248764/16 "2004-06-05T11:12:08Z")
Well, it is said that heavy pot smoking can affect your memory, but I think er…I forgot what I was going to say. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2004, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana-legalize-it/248764/17 "2004-06-05T11:16:33Z")
Yes. Pot, booze, and several other drugs legal at age 18. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2004, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana-legalize-it/248764/18 "2004-06-05T11:25:52Z")
> [@fubar tabarnac](#): > > screw legal, pot should be mandatory. the world would be so much a happier place. I think it’d be more confused, lazy and slightly hungry. 😉 I do think the stuff should be legal. Government involvement isn’t the problem. Having some involvement in quality, pricing, taxing etc. beats getting it involved via the DEA and Justice Department. If nothing else, legalizing pot would end the long barrage of stupid ads we’ve been treated to about how deadly it is. Terrorists love pot, don’t cha know. ---
**Author:** ![Aagramn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Aagramn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aagramn)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2004, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana-legalize-it/248764/19 "2004-06-05T11:27:10Z")
> [@Lissa](#): > > Unfortunately, it’ll probably be a long time before common sense is utilized when it comes to marijuana. Any polititian who comes out in favor of legalization will be attacked by his opponent as being “soft on crime” or a degenerate who doesn’t care that marijuana is a “gateway drug.” Won’t someone think of the _children?_ > > What I envision happening is a slow emergence of non-enforcement. Perhaps decades from now, mariuana laws will be much the same as homosexuality, adultery and birth control laws-- on the books but rarely, if ever, enforced. Drug usage (of any kind) is still often seen as a lower class problem: nice white kids from the suburbs aren’t the ones the laws are meant to punish. It’s when those nice middle-class white kids are the majority of the offenders that enforcement will taper off to virtual nothingness. > > I simply can’t see actual repeals of the laws in my lifetime. The Drug War is a great pound-the-podium issue for politicians. The American public is very suceptible to moral panics and knee-jerk legislation. This is what seems to be slowly happening in the UK. Cannabis has recentely been reclassified as a class C drug, with lower penalties for usage. [New Cannabis Guidelines.](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3103416.stm) Technically, the Police can still arrest people for possesion, but in practise they almost never will. However, like you say politicians know it’s an issue where it’s easier for them to lose votes than gain them, which puts the brakes on any policy changes. ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2004, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana-legalize-it/248764/20 "2004-06-05T12:07:27Z")
**Dopef1sh** , it’s good to have you here. But I think you’re preaching to the choir, as the old saying goes. The members (and guests) of this board span the spectrum from young to old, very liberal to very conservative, atheist to real religious; but I don’t recall having read many posts at all from people who think legalizing pot would be a _bad_ idea. If nothing else, I see it as a revenue stream for the gov’t. They can stop spending all the $$$$ arresting, prosecuting and jailing people for using/selling pot, and start taxing the hell out of it like they do cigarettes and whiskey. Bam! Overnight pot goes from a financial burden (from gov’t viewpoint) to a financial windfall. What’s not to like? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana-legalize-it/248764.md?page=2)