Should marijuana be legalized in the US?

Question

Let's be honest. Marijuana is no more harmful than tobacco or alcohol. Laws prohibiting the use or sale of marijuana have done next to nothing to curb use of the substance. Valuable tax dollars are being spent on law enforcement efforts related to trafficking of marijuana. Would the US be worse off if the substance was legalized and taxed in a similar way as alcohol?

I know this question has been asked many times before. I'm just curious to see what opinions are out there.

And for the record, I don't use marijuana, nor would I if it were legal.

Answer 1

I agree, it damned well should be legal. I don't smoke it either, but don't agree with my tax dollars being spent on something so trivial and ridiculous.
I think it should be regulated the same way as alcohol and tobacco, taxed, a way to test for it with regards to driving under the influence and the ATF asked to change their name accordingly.

I don't believe that I would smoke it even if it were legal but I still hold that it should be.

Concerning the answer from the simpleton who thinks it should be illegal just because she doesn't like the smell:

I didn't smoke cigarettes my entire life and I didn't whine like a sissy and complain when others smoked around me.

Answer 2

up until 1933 or so a person could but pot at the local market. 10cents got you a Prince Albert size can. Shortly afterwards, those in power realized that since prohibition ended they needed ways to support some of the relationships with other countries like South American, Korea, and Japan. They needed to ensure that their chosen political parties in these countries could build a powerful infrastructure and the way to help finance this was through drugs. Ideally, it was pot that was targeted, however, Heroine was the real money maker as so many were addicted already. So, they established laws making it illegal so that the profit margins would be higher. The revenues from legalization and taxation would be penny's by comparison, so they made it illegal and on the forefront of conservatism and the common good they could appear the great saviours of the day.
All you have to do is go back in history to some of the militant regimes that the US has covertly financed and you will see right away that this money was drug money. It didn't exactly come from us, it came from the supply and demand of illegal substances which is always higher than that of regulation.
Now, so many years later, to legalize something that was so adamently opposed is second only to treason. The money being made on the illegal markets is in the billions of dollars, much of which goes to political associations to support their work against the "unfavored" parties. One really good example: Afganhistan and our favorite, Saddam Hussain. Go back about 50 yrs in history, it's in black and white..
Hint: what does Afganhistan export besides terriorists?
Pot, no big deal, but are you that confident that for those of you who have a 11-12 yr old a home that you would say, Heh, son, let's go smoke a joint... I know for a fact, those that spent their youth playing around, but who now are in the real world, would rather jump off a cliff than to promote smoking a joint with their 12 yr old kid...
It's not that pot is a bad thing necessarily, it's what it makes you NOT DO: nothing...
Does it lead to harder drugs.... NO.. it doesn't. What does lead to harder drugs is being stoned, around others who DO HARDER STUFF, and you saying, "sure why not". That's what leads to harder drugs, not smoking POT, but those who you associate with that DO. When you smoke a joint of some good stuff, inhibitions are gone, and everything is right with the world, including, a little Acid, a little crank, a little black tar, a little 'lude or two...
Frankly, anyone who has been a pot smoker for any length of time knows full well that they enjoy the high from a little smoke more than all the others. To those I say... You know damn well what I am saying.
To those who have dabbled a bit... STOP... Contrary to what you think is true... It does kill brain cells, it does take away your motivation and goals, and nowadays, that **** is expensive as hell... So much for that new..... something, that tuition to that really good school...
Sorry about the 60's guys... before then, it was only for the beatniks in Soho, or the biker types. The term one-percenters was the bad ones, not too many before the 60"s..
The only way pot will ever be legalized is when there is no more wars to fight, no more political parties to ensure placement, and no more people who want it. Economics people, economics of supply and demand..

Answer 3

I suggest that people actually read the Constitution. The Federal goverment has no right to make ANY substance legal or illegal- the most that the Constitution permits is the regulation of it under interstate commerce. Even more, people should actually research the reasons that marijuana was criminalized in the first place- it was to protect the interests (financial) of William Randolph Hearst and the Dupont Company- Hearst had just purchased a large amount of timber property and Dupont had developed a milling process for cellulose- and marijuana (also known as hemp) was the only competitor that endangered their profits. And endanger them it did- Popular Science claimed it would be the first billion dollar crop (1937) and it was far less hazardous than the Dupont method for cellulose production.
The upshot of this was that Hearst began "demonizing" marijuana as the drug of choice of those "evil" Mexicans and blacks- the stuff made them want to have sex with white women, made them steal, made them murder, yadada-yadada- so people who didn't bother thinking past the headline didn't gripe when the Feds got into the act- now we have a system where the government and it's agents can steal your property and money "because it MIGHT be drug related" and we have prisons being built and overfilled faster than we can throw money at the "problem", an incipient police state, a president who has a nice little war profiteering scheme going with his buddies, the third world war just on the horizon- yeah, I think decriminalizing pot and taking the governments usurped powers away would be a DANDY idea- just my two cents worth.

and for those idiots out there who claim marijuana is more addictive than tobacco- I smoked grass in high school (lots of us did) and quitting the pot was just an issue of not smoking it anymore- and thirty odd years later I'm STILL trying to give up cigarettes- any of you dipsh*its remember C. Everret Koops official statement that nicotine was 5 times as addictive as heroin?

Answer 4

You can thank Harry Anslinger for our laws. He was with ATF back in Elliot Ness' time. Ness was getting all the publicity enforcing prohibition and Anslinger wanted some spotlight too. He heard of Blacks in the south smoking something called 'muggles' and checked into it. He found they were using it instead of booze to party with. Harry then started writing to newspapers about the menace of this new drug and how Black men high on this stuff were violating young white girls. He would then take the published articles to other areas and say 'see this is what's going on'. Of course the white public demanded something be done so states started enacting laws against marijuana. Anslinger then went to the Feds and said 'look at all these varied laws in all the different states. We need a federal law that unifies them.' He got the credit at the time for helping to save the poor misguided young white girls of America. Of course Hollywood kept the Ness story alive and Anslinger's role faded away.

So yeah, I see nothing wrong with legalizing marijuana. The argument that it leads to more dangerous drugs is ridiculous. That's like saying mother's milk leads to heroin. Alcohol kills far more brain cells than marijuana. As to comparing it to cigarettes, any smoke you take into your lungs is harmful. That's why there are smog alerts in LA. Why not legalize it, tax it and provide more revenue for the government? Cops using it on the job? How stupid are you? They don't drink on the job, and if they do they get suspended or canned. Give me a break!

Answer 5

Actually you are wrong. It is much more harmful. It has been proven to slow down the development of the nervous system this means your brain. It slows learning, and has been prooven to be a gateway drug. Oh yes I really do not want a bunch of teens drivers smoking pop on the roads!

Answer 6

In all fairness, let's look back on the history of alcohol and tobacco, and their current social status, and use this as the basis for the legalization of marijuana.

The question of taxing pot should have answered itself, but we have very biased lawmakers that have yet to see the value of legalization. Duh.

Answer 7

It will never be legal as long as there are profit making prescription drugs doing the same thing.

Heck, the United States puts pressure on Canada and, this year, Mexico whenever they want to decriminilze pot- you think they are gonna allow it here?

Answer 8

I think it should be legal because alcohol is worse for you and with alcohol you can have withdrawals. also I think people wouldn't be so crazy about weed if it were legal, too cause everybody was more crazy about alcohol during the prohibition also

Answer 9

it shud be legalised everywhere..... its a plant, they make out like its some big bad chemical...., well im not religious, but, if it was put on the earth then it must be natural.... if it grows naturally...... it has medical qualities and no one has died taking it....just slept well.. its just another plant and i know many people that smoke it for the relaxation properties u get from it...who might otherwise be on chemical drugs... so i hope you gathered that im all for it BIG TIME..lets smoke in peace..maybe they'll be more peace who knows..and the biggest bonusof all would be that people can grow there own ....no dealers..and you know what your smoking...and saving money too bonus all round

Answer 10

no
Marijeana is ALOT more harmfull then tabacco and alchol how? ITS MORE ADDICTIVE
if it was legalized we may not have a police force cause they might all be high and shoot themselfs or something or get fired
it would be one more drug that people would be arrested for driving with or using while driving
and this would make other countries look at us like CRAP if we legalized marijuana