Why is marijuana harmless but it's illegal?

Question

School doesn't tell you anything related to it's harmful affects.. well, maybe some lie but whatever. They just say weed's bad. They say a bunch of **** about tobacco though, all about how bad it is and stuff.

How come they keep marijuana illegal when it's harmless? I know it's harmless. People talk about it, and I heard that the alcohol companies pay big money to keep it illegal.

If they are, why don't they just switch from selling alcohol to weed when they legalize it, or instead, they can sell both? I mean, alot of people might start smoking weed, so how about sell weed instead so you can still get big money? Have the alcohol companies been drunk from their own drinks that they haven't thought of that or is there something else that I don't know about?

I wanna know, it's just curious.

No silly answers please, but you can give me your opinions and give me facts about this entire thing. I'll choose the best answer for someone who gives me a reasonable answer for it all.

Thanks.

Also:

I would like to have this question going on for as long as it can. Maybe you can debate about it too.

It'll be nice to know what people think about it, and even if people smoke it, which alot of people do.

I'll comment on answers here.. When there's too much, i'll probably make a website and give you the link with the comments, since Yahoo wants to be unfair and not let you tell people what you think of the answer!

Becky P says:

It kills brain cells.

It kills brain cells. It shrinks when you're high, but did you know that they come back when you're not high?

Cells don't just permanately dissappear.. Unless it's cancer or something.

My additude is not prejudice.

I have access to the internet, and of course it's not completely harmless, but it's harmless than anything else!

Meth.. Harmful as ****.

Alcohol, harmful as ****. Kills people.

Tobacco, harmful as ****. Kills thousands of people.

Weed.. 0 died.

Answer 1

Technically, marijuana is not completely harmless.

Initially, marijuana's side effects may seem minimal. Short term side effects may include: problems with memory and learning, distorted perception (sights, sounds, time, touch), trouble with thinking and problem-solving, loss of coordination, and increased heart rate. These side effects of marijuana become exaggerated when the user takes additional drugs such as alcohol and cocaine. There are many long term side effects due to marijuana use that are detrimental to the users health.

Individuals who use marijuana on a regular basis may develop cancer, breathing problems, and problems with their immune system. It is hard to know for certain whether repeated use of marijuana causes cancer, but it is well known that it contains some of the same if not more or the cancer-causing chemicals found in tobacco smoke. Studies show that those who smoke five marijuana joints a day maybe taking in as many cancer-causing chemicals as an individual who smokes a pack of cigarettes a day. Imagine now, individuals who smoke marijuana and cigarettes are doubling their chances at developing cancer.

Those who smoke marijuana frequently often develop similar types of breathing problems as those who smoke cigarettes. Side effects such as coughing, wheezing, and chest colds are not uncommon with habitual users. Additionally, they are more susceptible to contracting lung infections such as pneumonia due to their deteriorated lungs. The THC in marijuana may increase the users risk of developing infections. This is because the THC inhibits normal disease-preventing reactions that are necessary to fight infections.

But I do think that if we are going to allow people to drink, then it should be legal to smoke marijuana, but it will never happen, because the government can't tax what can be grown in anyone's closet.

Answer 2

Marijuana is NOT harmless. It can be very harmful. It is 10 times worse for your lungs than regular cigarettes and marijuana relaxes you so much that after continued use over years...it will make you very apathetic and lazy...so relaxed that you just don't care about anything. Also, it has been known to be laced with other drugs at times. Marijuana is a drug...it alters your mind and body and it is made and sold by DRUG DEALERS. So, if you smoke it, you are supporting DRUG DEALERS. A lot of people that sell marijuana also sell stronger and more dangerous drugs. That's not always the case, but sometimes. WHY would we want to support a DRUG DEALER and his business ? They're too lazy to get "real" jobs...they want quick, easy money. But if you think about it...it's not really easy money. Along with being a drug dealer comes paranoia, violence, contribution to the delinquency of the world, guilt, self-destruction, family destruction...the list goes on. WHY would anybody in their RIGHT mind go into that kind of lifestyle if thinking about it and the consequences beforehand ? They wouldn't, so that's why they're all CRAZY and not too intelligent because they didn't analyze that lifestyle before deciding to get involved with it, knowing what all it involves. A smart person avoids such a lifestyle. A caring and loving, good-hearted person avoids such a lifestyle. Someone under the influence of Satan lets themselves be involved in that lifestyle.

Answer 3

I'm guessing from your question that you are young. Harmless? My son who is 14 said that pot doesn't effect a person ability to drive a car . He says this because he's never seen someone who was so stoned that they" forgot" they were driving. I know that alcohol has ruined the lives of many people my father included.Getting high can take over your life if you let it.No I would not call pot harmless./On the legality I don't really know , lots of tax money there ,if only people could use caution and moderation in their substance use and not abuse . There is lots of info on the net about negative medical effects of different drugs.Be careful. There is a whole life to be lived that doesn' t need any drugs to enjoy. Peace

Answer 4

If you vaporize ganja instead of smoking it the ill health effects to the lungs of carbon and tar do not occur. The canabanoids and the THC do not hurt you except when done in excess like and 1 oz a day. The tests are skewed since the give premium pot to the mice in excessive amounts. Any thing to an excess is harm full a couple bowls vaporized per day will not hurt you. Read the Emperor wears no clothes. The gov suppresses pot, since it causes social enlightenment. They do not want social uprising, they want us docile an complacent. They also want us brain washed, just look at Iraq and what they said and are saying then you will Begin to see the deception.

Answer 5

As my husband would say if everyone in the world would smoke one joint a day, everyone would get along better. I havent heard of any evidence proven that pot is bad except for the people who dont want you to do it so yes they feed the society anything they can to keep it illegal. But i bet if everyone came together to make pot legal and show good reason why I gurnatee it would be made legal. They can't tax it. Weed grows everywhere. Thats one major reason it is illegal cause the government can't make money off it. And for ppl to say weed slows learning that is just insane. I know someone who has been smoking since he was 3 and that is no lie. And he is brilliant. So you can't believe what everyone says about. Society chooses what they want to make good and bad and what is good or bad isnt always the same for everyone else.

Answer 6

if your thesis is that marijuana should be legal, I happily concur. however, it is not without it's risks. first off, marijuana burns at a very high temparature and therefore produces more tar than cigs or cigars. hence, it carconogenic is quite high. also, marijuana use produces an amotivational syndrome thus disabling many people from even meeting thier daily living skills; it is illegal and may cause such problems as incarceration and loss of income. Also, rehab becomes a problem for many ppl, as does marital disintergration. This leads to child support. and friend, you don't know trouble until you are ordered to pay child support. child support is the biggest bullshit concept in the world. if you are late with child support, they arrest and give you 3 days days in jail. next time you're late, it's 10 days in jail. then 30. etc.... and if you don't think she'll file a complaint....is all she has to do is pick up the phone and call the recovery unit. they got me at work once. I spent 30 f'n days in jail and lost my job, which of course made it harder for me to pay child support. finally I had to borrow money fron **her** dad who took pity on me. they turn into total bit ches once they learn how ez it is to get what little money you have. child support sucks!

Answer 7

HOLY CRAP! you guys, prolly all stoners. (haha, i get high sometimes too.... secretly)
ok, there's so much bad information here.

1.It IS bad for you in alot of the same ways that tobacco is (smoker's lung, tar.......) not to mention, i know personally 2 people who have died while being high because they were under the influence of this controlled substance. also, it does kill brain cells.
2.anyone who ever took biology in high school would know about brain cells coming back. yes, they do come back when you'r not high, BUT, they are a highly specified cell that takes more than 50x as long to complete it's stages of mitosis than normal body cells which can ake anywhere from an hour to a day. (of course there are exceptions like eyes, liver, and heart)
3.All that stuff about companies paying money to keep it illegal is crap. it can't be legalized because of the huge nuber of state, national, and international laws all limiting seperate parts of the process. (i.e. growth, inter- and intra- country transportation, possesion, sale, and use) so, in order to abolish these laws, we would have to eliminate a large number of laws in our country, as well as legalize the only legitimate means of mass possesion, which is from other countries, so we would have to get at least an exectutive agreement with at least 3 or 4 countries. this entire process would require a giant collaboration, of farmers, states, countries, and transportation companies, not to mention a few million dollars in earmarks.

Answer 8

A study was just done on drivers in the U.S. and it found that people driving under the influence of pot were 29% more likely to be involved in an accident than people not smoking it.

The surprising thing to me was that the smokers usually are too lazy to walk across a room let alone feel like driving somewhere. That is, unless they were on their way to the candy store. :)

Answer 9

Two reasons, history and vested interests. Deep Throat said, "follow the money." We often assume that business people are all for free markets, often that could be further from the truth. I want a protected market for my products, the rest of you can duke it out in the marketplace, or better yet, we'll outlaw it. It is called Corporatism or the Corporate State.

Answer 10

Actually, if you think about it, marijuana being smoked can be harmful. that is why for the most part, people cough the first time they smoke it. As for eating it as Hashish or cooked in cookies or brownies, there are no ill effects, just silly giggling and a good time.