What are some problems that could occur if somehow the US would legalize marijuana?

Question

I can see tons of positives in legalizing marijuana. I can think of a couple reasons why people are agaisnt it. But, some of those reasons are just their opinion and can not be supported by any solid facts. It is very cliche to compare the legalization of marijuana to alcohol but it is a very accurate comparison. Yes, it may cause people to drive high, but people do drive drunk. One thing that is different here is marijuana is not nearly as dangerous as alcohol while driving a motor vehicle. It is also not nearly as dangerous in general. The facts show that no one is dying from marijuana but there is thousands dying from alcohol or tobacco. I'm having troubles finding negatives. So what im asking is What are some negatives or some problems that would occur if we did legalize marijuana. (The best answer will get 10 points.)

So, some of you are saying that we would have to cut back on police and prison guards. To me, I think that is good thing. Its bad for those people but good for the rest. Less crime with drugs because people do not have to go find it illegaly .

I see it as drug dealers would lose all their profits from it. The government would regulate it and sell it for themselves or give licenses to sell. That would also be a positive for legalizing. But, I think they would put an age restriction just as tobacco and alcohol has one.

The Netherlands makes tons of money from legalizing marijuana. Everything works out fine their. I know it is a much smaller country than the US, but their drug crime is obviously lower and the rest of their crime is also lower. With the legalization of marijuana, it brings money to the government and cuts down crime. I'm not to big on the money to the government but it would definitely cut down on taxes with millions going to the government from marijuana. People are going to do it. Whether or not is legal or illegal. Right now, the money is going to drug dealers who do not deserve to make a good living on illegal substances. So why not make it legal and get money places people will use it to make society a better place to live.

Answer 1

To be honest, marijuana isn't 'good' for you. In fact, if you use it a lot, you might have some health side effects. One government study from the National Institute on Drug Abuse said that marijuana reduces your immune system's ability to fight off diseases. And sure, marijuana can make you lazy and apathetic. You could also get into a car and kill people because your judgment is impaired. For all these reasons and more, I don't smoke pot.

All that being said, what I listed above could be true of almost anything, including perfectly legal substances like tobacco and alcohol. Ultimately, you don't ban a substance because someone... SOMEWHERE! might abuse it. Name one thing people haven't abused to some extent. Individuals should have the freedom to choose or not choose what they want to do to their bodies. If a person smoking gets in a car, drives recklessly, and kills a pedestrian, then you put him in jail for driving recklessly and killing a pedestrian. We shouldn't start banning things just because their use might harm someone. If that's the single criterion to warrant government intervention, then at some point we're going to have to ban everything outside of rubber rooms.

Answer 2

YES! Particularly for medicinal use--many people with AIDS, cancer, arthritis, PMS, anxiety issues, concentration issues, menopause, aggressive behavior, anorexia, etc. can benefit from marijuana--and it won't damage their livers, like prescription drugs and alcohol can. Hemp should definitely be legal. There's not even any THC in hemp. It is used for rope, clothing, paper, and is strong. It should have never been illegal. It is healthy is foods and health and beauty products. Considering a whole lot of us cannot even smoke cigarettes in public any more--why on earth can't we be smoking weed? It is safer than tobacco with its additives, and doesn't tend to get people violent, as some do from alcohol. The problem the government REALLY has with weed and hemp is that it would lose a lot of tax monies from the pharmaceutical, tobacco and alcohol industries. It became illegal in the first place because of the paper and forestry industries. Jails and prisons are full of people just for having a little weed. This is ridiculous--then they complain that they need more jails--what crap. Oh, I forgot to mention that alternative fuel can be made from the plant--I think it is called ethanol--we could really use that, too.

Answer 3

Yeah, finding negatives to legalization is difficult. A study by the National Institute on Drug Abuse’s Center for Addiction Research found marijuana to be the least additive out of six drugs, including caffeine, so count out the idea that it's addictive. It is physically impossible to overdose on marijuana, and the theory of marijuana being a gateway drug is just that, a theory, and most likely the association of marijuana and the black market is what makes it a gateway-if it is even that. Marijuana is the most illicitly used illegal drug being used by 20 million American, and despite the governments "war on marijuana" those numbers have not gone down over the 30 plus years it's been in place.

I am for the decriminalization of marijuana-which is what took place in Canada. Decriminalization would allow people to be in possession of a certain amount of marijuana, and even grow a certain number of plants for personal use. This would allow our law enforcement and judicial system to focus on more damaging drugs and stop overcrowding our prisons and jails with nonviolent marijuana users (the overcrowding that allows violent criminals to be released early), and save taxpayers countless amounts of money. Plus, when advertising and big businesses get behind a drug, it's always bad news (ie- cigarette and alcohol business targeting teens), which is what would happen if marijuana was legalized.

President Jimmy Carter summed it best-"Penalties against drug use should not be more damaging to an individual than the use of the drug itself. Nowhere is this more clear than in the laws against the possession of marijuana in private for personal use"

PS-I'm not even touching on the fact that allowing people to grown their own marijuana would eliminate it from the black market, which would stop the funding of terrorism that some anti-drug groups claim there is. I'm also leaving out the fact that this would stop people who use medical marijuana from being prosecuted by our federal government. (By the way, on a molecular scale marijuana and Maranol-the medical alternative pill form of marijuana-is the exactly the same).

Answer 4

I really can't think of anything more dangerous that could happen than what is already legal.

Psychiatric drugs can prompt violent behaviors especially in children.

Alcohol while drinking and driving causes accidents and I've known more violent drunks than pot smokers.

If anything I see more positives.

Jails and prisons would be free of pot smokers leaving more vacancies for hardened criminals.

There would be less criminal marijuana smuggling activities and marijuana would most likely be taxed meaning more sales taxes to fund our public schools, state hospitals etc..

There are so many pot smokers now in the U.S and the ideas behind the original prohibition were racist ideas targetting african americans and mexicans. It was imposed without the majority of Americans consent.

I think marijuana should be legal. It could be treated like cigarettes where you have to be at least 18 to buy over the counter. I am unsure about the effects of smoking marijuana and driving but it could also be treated much like alcohol where it will be illegal to smoke pot and drive. You can go home to smoke.

We can take a look at places like Amsterdam and compare. What is it like in Amsterdam? How has marijuana affected the mass populus?

I think it's time to get rid of the prohibition imposed on us by someone way back who used distorted propaganda and racist issues to promote their ban!

Answer 5

the very small number of people that would start taking marijuana, if done responsibly, would be fine. Of course there will be some who take too much, but its the principle that matters. If you're an adult you should be able to do whatever you want, as long as youre not physically hurting anyone else... including your family. marijuana is no more or less a recreational drug than alcohol is. that's a fact.

Answer 6

Though safer by some measures than, tobacco, and safer than heavy use of alcohol, marrijuana is still far from harmless. Legalization would presumably increase the number of people who use it casually - though it probably wouldn't much increase the number of people who abuse it. That could have some health costs, overall.

It'd also impact the businesses of certain powerful organizations known for shooting people who cut into thier profit margins. That might have consequences as well.

Answer 7

Hey, I am all for it! And, I gave it up in 1980...

I think they should legalize it and tax it just like they do cigs and alchol. Our prisons would start emptying, crime would drop, war on drugs would stop sucking money for a useless cause, dopers could smoke themselves into oblivion in peace.

I am in favor of legalizing everything, taxing it, opening up specialized shops and provide a place where a person can dope themselves to death if they want to.

End of gang warfare, End of drug cartels, End of overcrowded prison, More money in our national coffers.... It's all good.

Answer 8

The politician would lose money, Federal, state and local police would lose money and the nice property they take.
It would be legalize if they could find a way to tax it.
Right now to many rich people are making money from it and do not want to lose the income.

Answer 9

Sorry, I really don't think there are any negatives, except for the paper industry, and the cotton industry , and other industries that make a lot of money from products that can be make cheaper, and better, and more environmentally sound with Hemp! *sm*

Answer 10

lets see, the war on drugs would have to be declared the failure that it is.
the DEA (and other agencies) would lose much funding, as, wow what a coincidence, the $$ spent fighting drugs and the $$ collected by selling impounded items would dry up,
the corrections institutions of the US would have to lay off guards (or more likely the guards would have more reasonable demands placed on them, they are unionized!) as the # of inmates there for marijuana related crimes would drop the total # of inmates by a large #.
hmm, maybe i argued the wrong side of this after all.