Why is drinking legal but smoking marijuana not?

Question

Why is it ok to go get drunk and stay that way for an entire night, but you can't go get blitzed with your friends and be high for 3 hours? I personally think our country is making a mistake by not legalizing weed because it is the #1 cash crop in america right now. Do you know how much money the gov. could get of taxes put on the selling and distribution of pot? ALOT!

Answer 1

Theories:

1. Because the government wouldn't be able to moderate its import into this country. That is, they wouldn't be able to tax it and make money on it because of all the illegal trading that already goes on. It's not like you see people smuggling in bottles of Jack in here (its too hard). Weed is very easy to get in, and very little weight comparitively needed to get the same fix as alcohol consumption gives. Also, they wouldn't be able to spend all that money on PREVENTING narcotics trade using FBI and other organizations.

2. It would make Mexico rich

3. There's no "breathalizer" test for pot, so it'd be hard to prove someone was DUI.

This is all outta my brain.

Answer 2

I don't care wether marijuana becomes legal or not. It'll be readily available at all times either way. America needs to shift the war on drugs away from marijuana and towards coke, ecstacy, ghb, and crack because its a lot easy for kids to get that stuff than many parents as well as these dumbasses run the D.A.R.E. campaigns realize, and those are the drugs that are gonna do the most damage.

I don't think marijuana will be legalized for a long time still because of the stigma and bad image and what not that people have imposed on it, especially politicians and legislators, even though it is hipocritical (spelling?) because alcohol is no better for ya.

I also don't know if Americans could handle the privelige of having both weed and alcohol legal at the same time. I think if they were both legal, the people who drink would be 10 times more likely to mix marijuana and alcohol than they were when it was illegal. For most people, mixing marijuana and alcohol impairs them a lot more than just one or the other. I know it blows me out ferr sure. They think they have a problem with drunk driving fatalities now???, wait till all the people out there who consistently drunk drive add that legalized marijuana to their night and watch the fatalities rise up.

All in all, I think its a tough call, and it will be legalized 30-40
years down the road if people start smartening up.

p.s. - I don't want to hear any responses from the individuals who say, "It doesn't affect me when I mix weed and booze, so....."
To that I say good for you, some people do fine mixing..... BUT MOST DON'T, it's common knowledge.

Answer 3

Yes, it is because of our government per se, and I mean by that, it is the large companies like the drug companies, who do not want marijuana to become medicine or the clothing companies that realize if marijuana would become legal, they would make clothes out of hemp, which is cheaper and more durable, it would basically put a big dent into the cotton industry. And the paper factories, one of the largest publishers, I cannot remember his name, had a tree farm that was used for paper in their publishing industry, but hemp is cheaper and would be used as paper and would really put a dent in their product as well. It was because of him that marijuana became illegal in the first place. Sorry, I cannot remember his name, but you would know it if I said it. And did you know that the seeds from weed make a better, safer and healthier cooking oil than the ones on the market now. Those companies would suffer as well, so it is a combination of all these big money companies that do not want marijuana legal, basically for the by products of the plant. And we all know how much pull these big money companies have with our government and officials, dont we? Its all about money. Its not about addiction or anything like that. It is for the reasons I have stated herein.

Answer 4

Never thought about that question. It's a good one, however the rest of your explanation is not. Drinking should also be banned. It causes family issues leading to divorce, violence, death, murder, suicide, and all other kinds of good stuff! Smoking pot and getting high isn't very smart either. It's just a temporary high, you feel great for a little bit and then go back into your crappy life, making you even more depressed. It kills your brain cells as well. One of the most annoying things to me is a someone who became stupid due to getting "high" too often.

Answer 5

I have never been a 'Doper', or into the drug scene, but each to their own. Your question is something like, why could I chew tobacco where others can't smoke. I think it may boil down to this. If I drink/chew tobacco, I am only killing my brain cells and not yours. When you exhale, and even the burning end of a cigarette, give off fumes that others can and often do breath in, whether they want to or not. Its kinda' like their personal space is being invades, and they have little or no choice but to get away. I mean, would you like it if someone spit chewing tobacco in your face? By the way, I do drink alcohol on occasion and chew, I think both of them should/are considered as drugs. So I stand corrected. As far as the government making money, don't worry, those guys take what they want anyway, and use for useless purposes.

Answer 6

I agree. Not to mention hemp's other value (textiles, etc..).

I am also pretty sure that it would be easy to build a car that runs on pot. Or, maybe you just wouldn't care about not going anywhere in it.

Ariana, do you know that America tried banning alcohol at one time? It didn't work so good.

Answer 7

Write your congressman,House representative and others--all are too uptight to vote in favor for afraid it will cost them votes for reelection even though alcohol is more destructive than marijuana.A step forward was getting approval for medicinal doctor prscribed use but we are still far away from legalization for all

Answer 8

The Alcohol Industry had better lobbyists and a good politician once he is bought stays bought!!

Answer 9

Marijuana was criminalized in the 1930's so that the hemp industry could be ruined to make way for nylon rope and paper made from trees.

Answer 10

Our government has spent millions of dollars on" just say no"among other things.They can't turn around and say it is OK to smoke just as long as I get my share.