# Would You Toke if it Were Legal? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [February 10, 2000, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-toke-if-it-were-legal/17464 "2000-02-10T19:57:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jane\_says](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/47e85d/32.png) [@jane\_says](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jane_says)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2000, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-toke-if-it-were-legal/17464/1 "2000-02-10T19:57:00Z")
I don’t want this to turn into another “legalize and tax it Vs. it’s bad keep it illegal” thread. I’m just curious how many Dopers would partake if there were no legal repercussions. Would you smoke every day, to relax and because you enjoy it? Would you smoke occasionally, perhaps at a social function, much like others have a glass of wine or two? Or not at all? (I don’t mean “hard” drugs like cocaine or heroin, just pot.) And what about your kids? If dope were legal, would it be any worse for them to see you do that than say, smoke cancer sticks or have a beer during the footall game? ---
**Author:** ![Tinker\_Grey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tinker_grey/32/8136_2.png) [@Tinker\_Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tinker_Grey)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2000, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-toke-if-it-were-legal/17464/2 "2000-02-10T20:01:00Z")
If I understand correctly, inhaling fumes into your lungs of any sort (other than the gases that make up our atmosphere), has a tendency to cause cancer. So, no … not me. But, brownies … you might convice me to try 'em. ---
**Author:** ![Triskadecamus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@Triskadecamus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Triskadecamus)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2000, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-toke-if-it-were-legal/17464/3 "2000-02-10T20:06:00Z")
No. ## I speak from thirty five years of experience. It is not worth the harm it does, and you \*\* can \*\* see the harm it does, if you \*\* aren’t \*\* stoned. \

          **Tris** \ If you choose not to decide – you still have made a choice! –Neil Peart ---

**Author:** ![sugaree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@sugaree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sugaree)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2000, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-toke-if-it-were-legal/17464/4 "2000-02-10T20:14:00Z")
Well, I took my username from a Grateful Dead song, so you tell me! As far as marijuana being harmful, yes, it is, if you abuse it. Some people have addictive personalities, others don’t. * * * Once in a while you get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right ---
**Author:** ![Gaudere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e495f1/32.png) [@Gaudere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gaudere)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2000, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-toke-if-it-were-legal/17464/5 "2000-02-10T20:20:00Z")
Apparently one of the less well known side effects of chronic marijuana usage is imparing one’s ability to do UBB code. Even years later! ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2000, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-toke-if-it-were-legal/17464/6 "2000-02-10T20:23:00Z")
No. Not unless I had some illness that could be helped by it. Who needs to inhale nasty fumes? Who needs to have their appetite enhanced? (Like I have enough problems with my appetite as it is…) Nope nope nope. ---
**Author:** ![Rousseau](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Rousseau](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rousseau)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2000, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-toke-if-it-were-legal/17464/7 "2000-02-10T20:23:00Z")
Or I could just ram my head into walls. That’s legal already. > [@](#): > > (I don’t mean “hard” drugs like cocaine or heroin, just pot.) What don’t you understand about the “gateway” principle? * * * “History will be kind to me, for I intend to write it.” -Winston Churchill ---
**Author:** ![Rousseau](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Rousseau](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rousseau)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2000, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-toke-if-it-were-legal/17464/8 "2000-02-10T20:25:00Z")
Simulpost! Score! * * * “History will be kind to me, for I intend to write it.” -Winston Churchill ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2000, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-toke-if-it-were-legal/17464/9 "2000-02-10T20:27:00Z")
Too tell you the truth, when I was smoking pot, the legality or illegality didn’t concern me at all. I quit about when I hit 30, almost 8 years ago. Getting stoned just didn’t seem like the kick it used to be. So I guess I just grew out of it. Now, who has the scotch and drambuie? It’s about time for a rusty nail. ---
**Author:** ![sugaree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@sugaree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sugaree)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2000, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-toke-if-it-were-legal/17464/10 "2000-02-10T20:28:00Z")
What don’t you understand about the “gateway” principle?- Rousseau Well, I was under the impression that it had been basically debunked. Sure, most junkies, crackheads and methheads have smoked pot. But not every pot smoker is going to try heroin, crack or crank. Kinda the way most sex offenders use porn, but most pornography users do not become sex offenders. * * * Once in a while you get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2000, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-toke-if-it-were-legal/17464/11 "2000-02-10T20:28:00Z")
This is more an MPSIMS question than a debate, I think… …but the answer is no, I wouldn’t. I’ve tried it, I don’t like it, and I’d rather have Glen Morangie. - Rick ---
**Author:** ![Spiritus\_Mundi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c68b51/32.png) [@Spiritus\_Mundi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiritus_Mundi)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2000, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-toke-if-it-were-legal/17464/12 "2000-02-10T20:33:00Z")
Bricker!! I knew you were a smart man. What he said, excet that on most nights I prefer Balvenie or a random port cask. (Glen Morangie is an admirable fallback position, though.) * * * - The best lack all conviction The worst are full of passionate intensity. \* ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2000, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-toke-if-it-were-legal/17464/13 "2000-02-10T20:36:00Z")
I’m with you, Unc; what doping (lowercase d) I did hasn’t seemed to burn off too many brain cells (altho Lib might disagree ;)). But it got boring, so I stopped. Specifically, what happened that made me quit was that, almost as soon as I was high, my short-term memory would be so screwy that I’d be unable to remember the beginning of a sentence before I finished saying it. That made it extremely hard to converse, needless to say - for me, it made being stoned into the equivalent of being in an isolation ward. I suppose if it were legal, I might try it again out of curiosity. And maybe I just wouldn’t bother. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Spiritus\_Mundi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c68b51/32.png) [@Spiritus\_Mundi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiritus_Mundi)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2000, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-toke-if-it-were-legal/17464/14 "2000-02-10T20:40:00Z")
To elaborate slightly: I see nothing in teh effects of marijuana use that I desire. I have friends who use the drug. Many of them are intelligent, dedicated, successful in their field, etc. But the benefits they claim to experience do not coincide with my own external perceptions of their behavior during or after indulgence. No doubt some of them claim the same sbout my drug of choice (single malt whiskey). Both have established detrimental effect on mental acuity and physical health if abused. Both have establishd behavioral/emotional effects. Both have reputed and somewhat sustantiated health benefits in some situations. Pick your poison. I have one I like. BTW – I have never seen a study which lends clear support to the idea that marijuana is a gateway drug in any sense that does not apply equally well to alcohol. Of course, I have not perticularly looked for one, either. * * * - The best lack all conviction The worst are full of passionate intensity. \* ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2000, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-toke-if-it-were-legal/17464/15 "2000-02-10T20:41:00Z")
sugaree - don’t you know about them ‘slippery slopes’? According to our brethren/sistern [here](http://www.straightdope.com/ubb/Forum7/HTML/001196.html), you give into temptation a little bit, and the next thing you know, you’ve slid down to depravity. 😉 Seriously: yes, the gateway principle is a crock. ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2000, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-toke-if-it-were-legal/17464/16 "2000-02-10T20:51:00Z")
Rick, I agree that if this remains purely an opinion poll, it’s MPSIMS fodder. But what are the chances of that? Would I smoke if cannabis were legal? Absolutely. I don’t know that it would replace alcohol as my depressant of choice, but there would be situations where I’d prefer a joint over a sixpack. (Would have been nice last night, actually. Certainly some weed would have made the Duke game a little more bearable.) As a general rule, I believe pot to be less dangerous than alcohol. But then, I’m not addicted to alcohol or marijuana, and can take 'em or leave 'em anyway. -andros- ---
**Author:** ![Sake\_Samurai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sake\_Samurai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sake_Samurai)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2000, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-toke-if-it-were-legal/17464/17 "2000-02-10T21:03:00Z")
I’m with UncleBeer, I don’t really care, nor do I really notice if it’s legal or not. When you’re a active musician, drugs are everywhere, all the time. We’ve got 50 hits of LSD and half a pound of weed. The club owner has an ounce of cocaine, some meth and, of course, an open bar. The label rep’s got you covered with some smack, should you desire it. Hell, I’ve even done lines with two DC police officers outside of the Black Cat. I’m still for legalization because drug laws are nothing but an excuse for the government to control segments of the population. * * * Yet to be reconciled with the reality of the dark for a moment, I go on wandering from dream to dream. ---
**Author:** ![Guy\_Incognito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guy_incognito/32/3920_2.png) [@Guy\_Incognito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guy_Incognito)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2000, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-toke-if-it-were-legal/17464/18 "2000-02-10T21:17:00Z")
Back when I was a younger I would smoke weed on occasion. My fascination with it didn’t last very long. The quality of the product led to varying results, some of them very unpleasant. I don’t get that type of unpredictability when I have a few beers, which is perfectly okay with me. * * * “It’s only common sense, There are no accidents 'round here.” ---
**Author:** ![phouka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c5a1d2/32.png) [@phouka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phouka)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2000, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-toke-if-it-were-legal/17464/19 "2000-02-10T22:17:00Z")
If it were legal, I’d smoke marijuana instead of drink alcohol. I prefer the mellowness of pot to how alcohol alters my mind. Of course, that would only be around 10 times a year anyways. ---
**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:** [February 10, 2000, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-toke-if-it-were-legal/17464/20 "2000-02-10T22:23:00Z")
Tinker Grey wrote: > [@](#): > > But, brownies … you might convice me to try 'em. Pedophile! 😉 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-toke-if-it-were-legal/17464.md?page=2)