Why is marijuana illegal?

Question

if cigarettes are legal, why isn't marijuana? don't they have similar effects on the body (except for the whole getting high thing)? please give me some answers.

Answer 1

Most things are illegal because of religious beliefs.

Answer 2

I agree cigarettes are the nastiest thing on this planet , alcohol is just as bad yet marijuana hmmm lets see is great to smoke and isn't addictive .... however I do believe in moderation and I do wonder how many people in years to come will suffer mental diseases from all the drugs they smoke hmmmm ponder for a minute the amount of people that take different substances over time ... where is this all going to led ... that's right back to the government health department then they taxes us some more to pay for all the people out there that need assistance learning there name and what day it is ???? that is why its illegal !!!!!!!!

Answer 3

because the government is trying to diminish the availability of dangerous substances that the population is allowed to consume, not increase it. Would we all be better off as a country if beer was unavailable? more than likely.

Adverse Effects of Marijuana
Could I become chemically dependent on marijuana?

Yes. When you're chemically dependent on marijuana, it means you crave it and you need to take more and more to get the same effect. You may have withdrawal symptoms when you stop using it. Because marijuana is a lot stronger than it used to be, you're also more likely to abuse it and become dependent on it today than in the past.

Is marijuana use associated with other drug use?

Yes. Usually people use legal drugs like alcohol or cigarettes before they start using marijuana. Marijuana is the most commonly used illegal substance in the United States. It's often the first illegal drug used and sometimes leads to the use of other illegal drugs.

What are the common side effects of marijuana use?

Some of the common side effects of marijuana are:

Trouble remembering things
Sleepiness
Anxiety
Paranoia
Altered time perception
Using marijuana for a long time makes some people lose interest in school, work, relationships and other activities. It may cause legal problems and can be dangerous in certain situations, like driving.

How might marijuana affect me physically?

Some of the common physical effects of marijuana include:

Tremors
Nausea
Headache
Worsening coordination
Breathing problems
Increased appetite
Reduced blood flow to the brain
Changes in the reproductive organs
Like tobacco, marijuana contains many chemicals that can hurt the lungs and cause cancer. One marijuana cigarette can cause more damage to the lungs than many tobacco cigarettes, because marijuana has more tar in it and is usually smoked without filters. Unpleasant side effects from marijuana occur in about 40 to 60 percent of people who use marijuana.

of course, this is not the answer you were looking for. you want someone to tell you its not harmful

Answer 4

Firstly, tobacco and alcohol kill far more people than all other illegal drugs combined.

Secondly, tobacco and alcohol generate serious tax revenue for the gov't.

Thirdly, people are conditioned to believe that pot is bad, only because people parrot the government's/religion's position on it. Most of the opinions are based on ignorance.

Fourthly, there's no way to tell how "high" a person is, as pot varies in potency, not to mention a person's tolerance for the high.

Answer 5

Religion, the belief that any drug will make your brain blow up, belief that it will turn you into a junkie that robs bank and old ladies to feed the habit, belief that it's a drug to get you started on harder stuff (heroin, shrooms, meth, etc), the government's "war on drugs" and a billion other reasons.

It's less of a harm to your body than alcohol, it's just about as bad as cigarettes, and it does good things for people that are seriously ill. I think it's because it's classed as a "drug" that scares people away.

It really should be legal...

Answer 6

My favorite reason is that it reduces sperm count.
Marijuana has a lot stronger affect on the brain.
In California, it feels like Marijuana is far more legal than cigarettes.

Answer 7

First smoking pot does not make you second class. I saw last week that a judge in florida was sitting in the park enjoying a big dubbie I saw no out cry for him to loose his job why is it no big deal when the judge does it but let a black guy sit in the park and do the same thing and he get's hauled off to jail. I believe it should be legal for several reasons first it's not a sin no where does it say in the bible thou shalt not smoke pot but it does say not to drink firmented wine. pot numbs the mind alcohol numbs the body you can function just fine high just a little slower. thier would be less crime because you are happier when your high alcohol brings out the beast in alot of people. if it were legal to grow a couple of plants on your property for personal use its cheap it would stop the money from going to terrorist and to mexico it would help the severe over crowding in our prisons and allow our police to work real crimes it would help with mental illness and help the sick and elderly who cant afford health care live a better life without so much pain my 65 year old neighbor smokes everyday. it works better for her pain than any of her many many drugs given by doctor after doctor. it would be one less drug off the street that the drug thugs push on every corner of every housing project in the nation. you know alot of people who have the duty of running our country smoke pot. lawyers,congressmen,police, military,doctors, nurses,schoolbus drivers,pilots,priest, southern baptist,rabbi's, firemen, teachers. the list goes on and on and believe me the the ones that smoke pot also know how to pass a drug test.get your head out of the sand. has the pot crave stopped. no it has not and it never will. thier is nothing wrong in saying we didnt get it right our law has not worked we need a change.

Answer 8

When they made alcohol legal, it cost us dearly with lives
and money. Millions have died because of drunk drivers,
drunk husbands/boyfriends that kill others, drunks that rob
banks and other illegal things. Marijuana also affects the
brain and people do things while intoxicated with it that
they would not do otherwise. We don't need to make
another mistake by legalizing it. (I know the comeback that
people will drink or snort anyway, but people will murder
and rape also, but doesn't mean it should be legalized.)

Answer 9

it wouldn't be good news. imagine all the people on the road driving high. imagine all the people blazing one up during a work break only to go back to brain surgury or other forms of critical work.

it would increase tax as government will need to spend more in hospital cover as there will be an increase in both mental and physical patients.

the list goes on.....

Answer 10

That's why Canada rocks! It's not illegal here... wait... it's "decriminalized" but still illegal in large quantities

which basically means that the cops are so confused by that they don't bother people who have a joint or 2 even in public, especially on university campuses

Answer 11

Because Nixon thought it turned pacifists to the hippies against Vietnam