# When will marijuana be legalized in the U.S? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [August 12, 2006, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-marijuana-be-legalized-in-the-u-s/368406 "2006-08-12T05:09:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Gozu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gozu/32/6615_2.png) [@Gozu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gozu)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2006, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-marijuana-be-legalized-in-the-u-s/368406/1 "2006-08-12T05:09:16Z")
I was reading slashdot as I do almost every day and I came up upong this [thread](http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/08/10/1323244) . I was quite surprised by what I found. Out of the 32 highest modded posts, only one or two were not advocating legalization. This means that a vast majority of posters and modders support that stance. And while slashdot is by no means representative of the whole U.S population, It’s not [norml.org](http://norml.org) either. Could it be that this country is closer to legalization than I thought? Or, in other words: **When do you think marijuana will be legalized in this country and why?** (“Never” is a valid answer). \*_Please note that this is not a debate on whether it should be legalized. Try to keep to the topic at hand._ PS: is it gramatically correct to say “highest modded”? It kind of feels wrong to me. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2006, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-marijuana-be-legalized-in-the-u-s/368406/2 "2006-08-12T05:13:09Z")
I think it will happen eventually. The Country has been drifting to the right since Reagan, but eventually the pendulum will swing the other way. Might see it start with the mid-term elections. I’ll 20 years till legalization. ---
**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:** [August 12, 2006, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-marijuana-be-legalized-in-the-u-s/368406/3 "2006-08-12T05:19:13Z")
> [@Gozu](#): > > I was quite surprised by what I found. Out of the 32 highest modded posts, only one or two were not advocating legalization. This means that a vast majority of posters and modders support that stance. You have to understand that this board isn’t exactly a good representative sample of the main stream in the US. Even many of those considered ‘conservative’ on this board have libertarian leanings. So, I wouldn’t judge the mood of the country by the majority opinion here on the board. After all, I believe there was a poll thread during the 2004 election that was pretty overwhelmingly of the opinion that Kerry would win by a landslide. 😛 > [@Gozu](#): > > When do you think marijuana will be legalized in this country and why? Myself, I’m one of those libertarian types who advocates legalization. When? No idea. But…IMHO its only a matter of time. I give it no more than 20 years, tops. More and more evidence points to MJ being, if not harmless, at a minimum less harmful that many other currently legal drugs. I also think that the crusading spirt of the abolitionist movement has pretty well run its course and is due for yet another re-adjustment. > [@Gozu](#): > > PS: is it gramatically correct to say “highest modded”? It kind of feels wrong to me. Are you talking about post count? -XT ---
**Author:** ![Gozu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gozu/32/6615_2.png) [@Gozu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gozu)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2006, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-marijuana-be-legalized-in-the-u-s/368406/4 "2006-08-12T05:35:34Z")
> [@xtisme](#): > > Are you talking about post count? > > -XT Ah, no. In slashdot (and some other boards), moderators can rate each comment positively or negatively. The idea is that after a few hundred moderations on a topic, the best posts will rise to the top and the worst will sink to the bottom. Posters can then decide to only view the posts above a certain rating. It has nothing to do with post count. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2006, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-marijuana-be-legalized-in-the-u-s/368406/5 "2006-08-12T05:38:55Z")
I have no interest in smoking pot (any more), but I agree with \*\*Oakminster’s \*\* assessment, the pendulum is due to finally swing back and when it does there is a whole large generation of us that will be in our AARPA year but smoke pot in our teens and twenties and do not see what was wrong with it. 15 to 25 years sounds right to me. The Boomers alone might make the change without us older Gen X’ers. Jim ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2006, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-marijuana-be-legalized-in-the-u-s/368406/6 "2006-08-12T06:21:09Z")
Medical marijuana will be legalized within the next 10 years (at least the federal laws will be repealed, rest left up to the states). Then federal laws will gradually be restricted untill they only deal with things like customs, transporting across state lines, etc. Of course I have a feeling that by the time pot is legal young people will see it as uncool and prefer drugs that don’t haven’t been invented yet. ---
**Author:** ![if6was9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e47c2d/32.png) [@if6was9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/if6was9)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2006, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-marijuana-be-legalized-in-the-u-s/368406/7 "2006-08-12T09:02:43Z")
When, Lord? When? When’s gonna be my time? [/Holden McNeil] ---
**Author:** ![if6was9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e47c2d/32.png) [@if6was9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/if6was9)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2006, 9:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-marijuana-be-legalized-in-the-u-s/368406/8 "2006-08-12T09:03:53Z")
Huh huh. Huh huh. He said Holden. ---
**Author:** ![Dog80](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6bbea6/32.png) [@Dog80](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dog80)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2006, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-marijuana-be-legalized-in-the-u-s/368406/9 "2006-08-12T13:37:23Z")
With current trends, smoking will be entirely outlawed (even in the privacy of your own home), long before marijuana gets legalized. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2006, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-marijuana-be-legalized-in-the-u-s/368406/10 "2006-08-12T14:42:56Z")
They can not even get hemp legalized. It is non smokable . It would have industrial uses and replace some plastic (oil based) parts in industry. The right sees this as a slippery slope to reefer madness. ---
**Author:** ![Blalron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@Blalron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blalron)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2006, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-marijuana-be-legalized-in-the-u-s/368406/11 "2006-08-12T14:50:09Z")
> [@What Exit?](#): > > I have no interest in smoking pot (any more), but I agree with \*\*Oakminster’s \*\* assessment, the pendulum is due to finally swing back and when it does there is a whole large generation of us that will be in our AARPA year but smoke pot in our teens and twenties and do not see what was wrong with it. > 15 to 25 years sounds right to me. The Boomers alone might make the change without us older Gen X’ers. > > Jim The oldest generation has to die off first for real change to occur because their minds are made up. Sad but true. I give it 20 years. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2006, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-marijuana-be-legalized-in-the-u-s/368406/12 "2006-08-12T14:55:12Z")
I don’t think time is the factor that’s holding it up. When I was a wee, pot-tot, my contemporaries thought that when our wise and wonderful generation grew up and seized the reins of power, things would be different and logic would prevail. Of course, we were under the influence at the time. But what seems to be prevailing instead is hypocrisy. Until MJ ceases to be a hot-button, knee-jerk topic among those that don’t understand the issues, the anti-MJ “religion” will control the political climate. And religion is powerful. I suspect that if you could poll the innermost thoughts of most legislators, they would be for legalization. At the same time, they think it would be political suicide if they came out for it. Until that hypocritical attitude changes, the laws won’t. ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2006, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-marijuana-be-legalized-in-the-u-s/368406/13 "2006-08-12T16:26:23Z")
In the NY Times todaythere was an article about a county in Texas debating about whether to continue to prohibit \*alcohol \* sales. ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2006, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-marijuana-be-legalized-in-the-u-s/368406/14 "2006-08-12T16:38:31Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > They can not even get hemp legalized. It is non smokable . It would have industrial uses and replace some plastic (oil based) parts in industry. > The right sees this as a slippery slope to reefer madness. > [@Musicat](#): > > But what seems to be prevailing instead is hypocrisy. Until MJ ceases to be a hot-button, knee-jerk topic among those that don’t understand the issues, the anti-MJ “religion” will control the political climate. > > And religion is powerful. I agree with you both. I don’t think we’ll see legalized marijuana in my lifetime. There’s a large contingent of people who think that taking any substance for recreational purposes alone is immoral. (If it feels good, it’s gotta be a sin.) > [@](#): > > I suspect that if you could poll the innermost thoughts of most legislators, they would be for legalization. At the same time, they think it would be political suicide if they came out for it. Until that hypocritical attitude changes, the laws won’t. Most of the legislators and higher-ups in the corrections field that my Hubby knows are pro-legalization. However, they all know that it would be, as you put it, “political suicide” to support the notion openly. A few years back, the contract our state corrections system has with the labs which provide drug testing ran out and for a short period of time, there was no random testing done. There was some tentative and quiet suggestions about possibly not looking for a new contract (going over to cause-only testing) but the idea was quickly dismissed. Even though it costs the state millions and only has finds a few “positives” each year, it was impossible to change the policy. They didn’t want to deal with the political ramifications. While many politicians may secretly support the idea of legalization, they’d be loath to give up one weapon in their scare-mongering arsenal. Worse, it might open up lines of questioning that they don’t want: i.e that other laws aren’t0 always based on protecting society from real harm and thus similarly open to challenge. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2006, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-marijuana-be-legalized-in-the-u-s/368406/15 "2006-08-12T16:57:22Z")
I’m surprised it’s not legal in Western Europe, which seems to take a more relaxed view to indulgence than the U.S. ---
**Author:** ![Caffeine\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/48db29/32.png) [@Caffeine\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caffeine_Cat)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2006, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-marijuana-be-legalized-in-the-u-s/368406/16 "2006-08-12T20:08:10Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > Medical marijuana will be legalized within the next 10 years (at least the federal laws will be repealed, rest left up to the states). \ Are there even any medical benefits from smoking marijuana? I mean as opposed to taking synthetic drugs like [nabilone](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nabilone)? I always thought that actually inhaling any kind of smoke is hardly good for anybody, and certainly not a prefered way of getting medicaments. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2006, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-marijuana-be-legalized-in-the-u-s/368406/17 "2006-08-12T20:28:20Z")
I think the whole concept of medical marijuana is ridiculous. ALL marijuana should be legal for ANYONE - not just for people who “need” it for a medical condition. The resources of the marijuana movement should be focused on complete decriminalization of all marijuana for all people. They should be focusing on how insane it is that you can be locked in a cage for having a plant. Yes, let’s not mince words - _being locked in a cage for having a plant._ Nobody should be punished this way for marijuana. Why should it be legal for some people and not others? ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2006, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-marijuana-be-legalized-in-the-u-s/368406/18 "2006-08-12T20:54:59Z")
> [@Argent Towers](#): > > I think the whole concept of medical marijuana is ridiculous. No more ridiculous than any other drug that is illegal for general consumption but legal for use for medical purposes. > [@Larry Borgia](#): > > I’m surprised it’s not legal in Western Europe, which seems to take a more relaxed view to indulgence than the U.S. Well, _some_ forms of indulgence, certainly. And, of course, it is semi-legal in the Netherlands. ---
**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:** [August 12, 2006, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-marijuana-be-legalized-in-the-u-s/368406/19 "2006-08-12T20:56:09Z")
Semi-legal?? -XT ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2006, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-marijuana-be-legalized-in-the-u-s/368406/20 "2006-08-12T21:00:31Z")
> [@xtisme](#): > > Semi-legal?? I don’t know the details, but it’s not entirely unrestricted. The sale of it is licensed, you can’t smoke wherever you want, you can’t have unlimited amounts of it lying around, and so forth. Interestingly, importing marijuana to the Netherlands is illegal as well as producing it in greater than piddling amounts, so there’s no practical way for the coffee shops to operate fully legally. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-marijuana-be-legalized-in-the-u-s/368406.md?page=2)