Marijuana

[black_wing_angel]

Ok, this idea has been done to death in the ED, but I want a GDiscourse discussion, just because I know it'll work better, here.

Now, marijuana is currently illegal in all states of America. In some cases, a prescription card may exemplify someone from the ban.

Lately, California Governor Arnold Swartsenegger has called for a debate about the possibility of a state wide lifting of the ban. So, let us answer his call, on an INTERNATIONAL level.

What do you think about the idea of legalizing marijuana?




My opinion is this:

Banning something has never "eliminated" the problem, in American history, as far as I can tell. Despite the ban in my state (Missouri), I PROMISE you, that if you gave me $50 and maybe an hour, I can bring you back some pretty good quality s**t. Hell, half of my friends are former stoners!

And a few benefits of legalization, are that it eliminates a lot of criminal activity, by no longer penalizing people for possession or use of the substance, and eliminating the users' need for insecure, highly dangerous "deals" which can end in violence, especially murder.

Prisons would be freed of a lot of wasted space, and a lot of gang revenue would vanish.

Not to mention the likely boost to the American economy, which could help get us out of this recession.

So, what are your thoughts, everyone?  

[village midget]

i would first need some cold hard evidence that the majority population would continue to be productive and not perculate any kind of psychosis due to over indulgence/greed.

then i would need a guarantee that it would be tax free - weed prices in the uk have not gone up for the last ten years at least.

i would also like some assurances of fair trade implementation, and i would like it to be made impossible for seeds/strains to be patented.

satisfy these and i'll think about it.  

[Kats Scratches]

Marijuana can make people lazy and not want to do any work, but at the same time, it's not a dangerous substance, and alcohol has the same repercussions, with a worse headache.

I've smoked pot twice, and as far as I can tell, all it does is mellow you out, make all your problems go away and make you happy. I did it in a situation where I was agonizing over a breakup a few weeks back and while I was high, it was like 'James? James who?'  

[The Curse]

I am against legalisation against all forms of narcotics which create supplementary effects on unwilling participants. IE, Passive smoke. As most of the ED regs on drug debates probably know by now.

Personally, I am against marijuana wholly and were it my personal choice I'd have it banned on all levels. However, over time I've had concessions forced out of me and I do believe that, in terms of individual rights, should a drug be wholly effective on only consenting parties with no risk of outward effects, I would be consenting without assenting to its legalisation.  

[Fresnel]

You know, a couple years back the US Forest Service found a few HUNDRED acres of pot in the forest in norther AZ. Took them two months to uproot and haul it all out. I bet it grew back, too. This ban is pretty ineffective. Really, pot smoking is pretty mellow compared to other legal drugs out there.

village midget

i would first need some cold hard evidence that the majority population would continue to be productive and not perculate any kind of psychosis due to over indulgence/greed.

If it hasn't happened with alcohol, it probably won't happen with pot either.  

[black_wing_angel]

village midget

i would first need some cold hard evidence that the majority population would continue to be productive and not perculate any kind of psychosis due to over indulgence/greed.

Marijuana is not linked to any act of psychosis, that I'm aware of.

And there would certainly be regulation as to when and where you could do it, just like with alcohol, you couldn't do it, and then go to work, and you would not be allowed to drive afterward, and so on.

Quote:

then i would need a guarantee that it would be tax free - weed prices in the uk have not gone up for the last ten years at least.

Actually, it would be taxed, just as tobacco is.

Quote:

i would also like some assurances of fair trade implementation, and i would like it to be made impossible for seeds/strains to be patented.

I don't think anyone CAN patent a naturally occuring substance. That's why homeopathic medicine is very rarely mentioned in the medical world, because you can't patent it.

Quote:

satisfy these and i'll think about it.

Well, 2 out of 3, anyway.  

[village midget]

black_wing_angel

Marijuana is not linked to any act of psychosis, that I'm aware of.

british NHS official site

"Marijuana users who have taken high doses of the drug may experience acute toxic psychosis, which includes hallucinations, delusions, and depersonalization - a loss of the sense of personal identity, or self-recognition.10,15 Although the specific causes of these symptoms remain unknown, they appear to occur more frequently when a high dose of cannabis is consumed in food or drink rather than smoked."

(from http://www.nida.nih.gov/researchreports/marijuana/Marijuana3.html)

reuters news report

i have had the misforune to live with two people now, at different times in my life who developed very serious mental problems through smoking weed everyday. weed psychosis is real, not an urban myth. i can understand how people can't belive in it because it seems such an unlikely side effect, but honestly these two guys were perfectly healthy and normal before hand and one became so intenseley paranoid it drove him to being a sinister and unpredictably violent person and the other became extremely detatched and depressed and had terrible anger issues because he couldn't communicate properly. both of these people functioned in that they got up in the morning and went to work and college respectively but they lost their sanity. one has recovered completely after stopping smoking pot, the other refuses to acknowledge the connection and believes it is a conspiracy...he also believes now that he is special and unlike any other person on earth which has meant that he has lost his wife and three children, and his home and job.

don't get me wrong, i grew up with hippy type parents (i am not a hippy lol) and in my lifetime i've smoked truck loads of the stuff...i'm not about to tell anybody what to do with their own body and mind...i've stopped because it left me an unproductive lump of human on the sofa...

blackwing angel

Actually, it would be taxed, just as tobacco is.

what is the advantage to smokers of legalising it then if it is going to go up with inflation? like you said it is already easily available...

blackwing angel

I don't think anyone CAN patent a naturally occuring substance. That's why homeopathic medicine is very rarely mentioned in the medical world, because you can't patent it.

marijuana/canabis whilst a naturally occurring substance has been bred and altered over decades to increase strength and crop. the majority of what can be bought to smoke these days has been modified over and over again in the never ending search for perfection. and seeds can be patented just like recipes, big companies growing GM crops do.

ccc article

famous news story of a canadian farmer sued by a gm crop company  

[DioxazinePlum]

I smoke, and I can tell you its way less dangerous than alcohol. It makes you mellow and friendly unlike alcohol which makes you bitchy and loud.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with smoking pot, at the very least, its no worse than alcohol.

Legalize it, and lets have done with it. Its natural, its fun, and there is little risk involved.  

[Fresnel]

black_wing_angel

village midget

i would first need some cold hard evidence that the majority population would continue to be productive and not perculate any kind of psychosis due to over indulgence/greed.

Marijuana is not linked to any act of psychosis, that I'm aware of.

What about...



REEFER MADNESS!?  

[DioxazinePlum]

village midget

i would first need some cold hard evidence that the majority population would continue to be productive and not perculate any kind of psychosis due to over indulgence/greed.

How about the fact its so easy to get right now anyway, and society goes on?  

[Vornesoul]

I'm not sure as to if I would support the legalization of marijuana but I do support the decriminalization of the substance. The situation is all too keenly like the prohibition of alcohol and I can safely say that marijuana is far less dangerous that that stuff.

All things can have detrimental effects if taken to a great extent, that shouldn't be a surprise. You can develop blood clots in your legs if you sit at your computer for too long and too often, should we criminalize the creation, distribution and sale of the personal computer?

There are so many problems with our current societies that the money being spent on the war of MJ could help fix, if only we would get over our petty ideals of 'protecting' people from it.

Throwing people in jail for smoking pot is one of, if not the most, moronic waste of tax-payer dollars I have heard of yet.  

[MayIHelpYou22102]

"I think they should do the same things with Prostitution and Marijuana.

Legalize and regulate it.
They should treat it like they do alcohol now. A breathalyzer test. smile "

 

[black_wing_angel]

Fresnel

black_wing_angel

village midget

i would first need some cold hard evidence that the majority population would continue to be productive and not perculate any kind of psychosis due to over indulgence/greed.

Marijuana is not linked to any act of psychosis, that I'm aware of.

What about...



REEFER MADNESS!?

Biased propaganda is biased!  

[DioxazinePlum]

black_wing_angel

Fresnel

black_wing_angel

village midget

i would first need some cold hard evidence that the majority population would continue to be productive and not perculate any kind of psychosis due to over indulgence/greed.

Marijuana is not linked to any act of psychosis, that I'm aware of.

What about...



REEFER MADNESS!?

Biased propaganda is biased!

I'd say the musical is better than that old thing  

[black_wing_angel]

village midget

black_wing_angel

Marijuana is not linked to any act of psychosis, that I'm aware of.

british NHS official site

"Marijuana users who have taken high doses of the drug may experience acute toxic psychosis, which includes hallucinations, delusions, and depersonalization - a loss of the sense of personal identity, or self-recognition.10,15 Although the specific causes of these symptoms remain unknown, they appear to occur more frequently when a high dose of cannabis is consumed in food or drink rather than smoked."

(from http://www.nida.nih.gov/researchreports/marijuana/Marijuana3.html)

reuters news report

i have had the misforune to live with two people now, at different times in my life who developed very serious mental problems through smoking weed everyday. weed psychosis is real, not an urban myth. i can understand how people can't belive in it because it seems such an unlikely side effect, but honestly these two guys were perfectly healthy and normal before hand and one became so intenseley paranoid it drove him to being a sinister and unpredictably violent person and the other became extremely detatched and depressed and had terrible anger issues because he couldn't communicate properly. both of these people functioned in that they got up in the morning and went to work and college respectively but they lost their sanity. one has recovered completely after stopping smoking pot, the other refuses to acknowledge the connection and believes it is a conspiracy...he also believes now that he is special and unlike any other person on earth which has meant that he has lost his wife and three children, and his home and job.

don't get me wrong, i grew up with hippy type parents (i am not a hippy lol) and in my lifetime i've smoked truck loads of the stuff...i'm not about to tell anybody what to do with their own body and mind...i've stopped because it left me an unproductive lump of human on the sofa...

I'm not saying it can't cause problems. Hell, ALCOHOL can do that. I have a friend that, just last night, got so wasted drunk, that he got paranoid that his girlfriend was sleeping around on him, and threatened to kill her if she ever tries anything "again".

ANYTHING taken in a high enough dosage, can be very detrimental. Hell, even drinking too much WATER can kill you.

There's a level of personal responsibility involved, as there is with alcohol.

However, unlike alcohol, the addictive properties of marijuana are STRICTLY PSYCHOSOMATIC. It is not chemically addictive, as alcohol is.

Quote:

black_wing_angel

Actually, it would be taxed, just as tobacco is.

what is the advantage to smokers of legalising it then if it is going to go up with inflation? like you said it is already easily available...

"Easily", but not "safely". There's no guarantee that you'll survive the transaction, if the dealer decides to swindle you, and, instead of weed, give you a bullet, or knife, to the chest, for your money. Also, they could easily charge you triple what they paid to get it, in the first place.

At least one wouldn't have to worry about such things, buying it from a legitimate store, for a REGULATED price. I figure, for someone who wants to smoke a little weed, there's no reason to go through such dangers.

And for the record, I have never, and have no intention to ever, smoke weed. But I do support it's legality, just the same.

The closest I came to smoking weed, was being at a Metallica concert, and the guy right in front of me lit one up, and I can't quite hold my breath for a 2 hour show.

Quote:

black_wing_angel

I don't think anyone CAN patent a naturally occuring substance. That's why homeopathic medicine is very rarely mentioned in the medical world, because you can't patent it.

marijuana/canabis whilst a naturally occurring substance has been bred and altered over decades to increase strength and crop. the majority of what can be bought to smoke these days has been modified over and over again in the never ending search for perfection. and seeds can be patented just like recipes, big companies growing GM crops do.

ccc article

famous news story of a canadian farmer sued by a gm crop company

Well I'll be damned. Still, I think all of the hoops are worth not having to risk your life, or risk being screwed, over a little weed.