Your opinion of marijuana?

Question

Is it a gateway drug? Do you consider it healthy or dangerous? Compared to alcohol, better, worse, the same? Should it be legalized? Should people who use the drug be denied employment or put in jail? Do you think it enlightens habitual users or inhibits them? If you realized your child, parent, or spouse was a user what would you do?

Answer 1

Some question has been raised as to whether marijuana is really a gateway drug [link below], _but_, I do think that it depresses your motivation. One study shows that users get lower grades. Yes, some may say that lawyers and doctors sometimes use it ("not all users are stoners"). Overall, my opinion is that marijuana use should be avoided. I question your ability to succeed and to achieve anything exceptional while using weed.

Answer 2

I think it really depends on the person using it.
One of my friends was a heavy user and for him it became the gateway into heroin. Scary.
And another who used it for back pain, but then graduated into becoming a fullblown speed freak, and is now a dealer!
That said, I know someone else who smokes it when everyone else is drinking (alcohol makes him violent) and he's a lovely guy.
Truly, I think, like alcohol, it affect many people differently. Some people are violent on alcohol, some are hilarious, some are normal. I think marijuana is much the same.
I know it can help a lot of people overcome chronic pain, and that I think is wonderful.
I dont believe drug users should be put in jail unless they are violent and a danger to themselves or others. But then they reckon jails are full of drugs, so what is the point?...
I think that it is a natural substance given to the earth by God, and it has its uses. Did you know cocaine has many wonderful uses besides recreational too? But the drug companies wont use it. Better for them that all these 'natural' remedies are illegal. That way they can make tonnes of $$$ selling us stuff that some of these naturally occuring opiates can do.
It would depend on how they behaved on marijuana. Personally, I wouldnt want my parents, child or spouse using it. They have no need of it, and I dont know how they would react to it. But I definitely wouldnt want anyone denying them employment because of it!

Answer 3

Everyone says its a gateway drug which is a load of crap!! Alcohol is the gateway drug and even cigarettes! Those two alone have killed more people then just about any war! I personally love to smoke marijuna but I cant because of job purposes. Which I think is total b.s. Why cant I smoke a joint when I get home from work? Who exactly am I hurting by lighting up a joint when I get home from work? not you thats for damn sure.
Marijuana should be legal look at all things we can make from the hemp. You can make paper, clothing, rope, there are toom nay things to list just google it.
My dad, sister, friends, and girlfriend all smoke pot I used to but I dont anymore like I said for work reasons. All them have jobs, go to college and pay there taxes so let them smoke if they want!
As for it being addicting its not, its a thing of choice for most even a lifestyle. Rastafaria which is a religion practices the use of marijuanan. And when it came time for me to quit I just quit! No patches, no shakes, no withdrawls, marijuna is addicting because it makes you relax and feel good. And who doesnt want to relax and feel good? Sure you'll get the munchies but god for bid you do because then your gonna be spending all your money food. Which you already do if your like most and eat three times a day.
The only reason they dont legalize is it is that people can grow there own pot and then they cant tax it! In short I love marijuana I think its the best nondrug out there. If the government can find a way to tax it and stop people from growing there own you damn well better believe they would legalize it.
And for all you religous nuts think about it jesus had long ratty hair(dreadlocks) was a carpenter, you know he got down on some dubbies!!

Answer 4

I am a frequent user.
I do think it is a gateway drug for some people, although that has not been the case with me. I am not interested in becoming physically addicted to anything.
I doubt it's healthy; inhaling any concentrated smoke into your lungs is not healthy.
Dangerous? Maybe.
I would say better than alcohol because there are no hangovers from over-indulgence, and again, no danger of PHYSICAL addiction with pot.
People should not be denied jobs or put in jail if they are using weed on their own time without endangering anyone else.
If I realized my children, parents or spouse were using, I would like to find out where they are getting it.
It's always nice to have back-up suppliers.

Answer 5

I'm 31 and from the northwest of the USA. I've smoked marijuana a few times (3-5) in my life. I didn't like it that much and it didn't do that much for me and I also felt the beginnings of what I could feel would turn into an addiction if I kept on smoking it, and I also felt the apathy that marijuana is famous for inducing as well. Because many reasons such as a slight bit of nausea and it's cost and illegality and the apathy and the addictive properties of it, because of all these reasons I realized it would be wise of me to not try it again. So I haven't. I also regret using it because it makes the mind looser, as in, not as tightly woven together. I've read that drugs do this but I've also experienced it, although I'm glad I never did LSD or any other drugs because they are said to do the same thing, although often even more so. Alcohol is a drug. Just because it is legal does not mean that it is not a drug. It's definitely a drug. And it also kills people every year. Thousands and thousands and thousands of people die every year from alcohol. Cirrhosis of the liver, car accidents, rapes, murders, infidelity, all kinds of horrible things happen because of alcohol. Alcohol is definitely a far worse drug than marijuana in my opinion. It is virtually impossible to die from marijuana consumption. You would have to eat or smoke your body weight in marijuana to die from it. That's how hard it is to overdose from pot. But pot is addictive, just like alcohol is. And pot induces apathy in a lot of people, which is definitely not good. While I think marijuana is definitely safer and less harmful than alcohol, I definitely also think they are both bad and the world would be a farrrrr better place if no one drank alcohol or used marijuana. Try to refrain from all forms of intoxicants and this will be to your long term welfare and happiness. Best wishes :)

Answer 6

Marijuana is a gateway drug for one main reason, it is illegal. If it were legal you wouldn't have to go to a drug dealer to get it, therefore more often than not you wouldn't be as exposed to other drugs if you could get it legally.
Like any drug, alcohol, or any perscription it can be healthy or dangerous depending on the situation.
I believe it is better than alcohol because most people do not become agressive after smoking.
It should be legal, or they should make alcohol illegal, because it is a far worse drug.
People should not be jailed because of it, but employment would depend on the job they are applying for.
It depends on the user
Depends on why they are using it.

Answer 7

Let me tell you a story about Marijuana about three years ago there was a very big pile up on the interstate because a car went across the median and into a very busy four lane causeing a big pile up when everything was over three people were dead, and the reason for the crash was some guy smoked to much weed and fell asleep, and its stuff like that and the fact that the gov cant tax it so they ban it but anywho...they guy was sentenced three years in prison,,,but there was another guy that caused a pile up and it killed 8 people and he was drunk and only got one year in prison but was released in 7 months,,,,ya see the gov has there wires wired right people dont understand why legalize it they make more money busting people than they would if they legalized it...say if the bust you with 600 pounds of pot they take it and all your assets hell who knows you may be worth millions,,,but now they are...

Answer 8

It is a gateway drug, however it is much less dangerous than drinking. You would have to ingest 50 grams of THC for the concentration to be toxic. But I'm not sure where I stand on legalization. MJ has no good effects, and a plethora of harmful ones. But the same can be said of alcohol. I've seen people who have ruined their lives with pot alone, but I've seen many more who have hurt themselves with alcohol. In the end, I think i lean more to the 'legalize it' side.

Answer 9

Marijuana is substance that is neither good nor bad in of itself.
I believe that is should not be legalized in a way whereas people could feel comfortable to abuse it. The effects of marijuana abuse are definitely dangerous and our society it seems has enough legal stimulants to be dealing with another.
My opinion is that marijuana is on the same level as cigarettes and alcohol and is no better or worse. My feeling is that this drug is unsafe because even one use alters judgment and performance which causes accidents.

Answer 10

I think that it should be illegal to the general public and yes it is a gateway drug speaking from past experience.
I also believe that for medical purposes it should be legal. I have Multiple Sclerosis and when I get a burning feeling in my legs or have hand tremors because of the injections I have to give myself or from the heat...it helps to relieve the pain and tremors.
I think that there are always more than one angle to things and this is my personal opinion.