Should Marijuna be legalized??? Why or why not?

Question

And please don't say it is a gateway drug...The gateway drug is already legal and that is alcohol. There aren't any potheads that smoked before they drank and there aren't any crackheads that smoked crack before they got drunk.

Answer 1

Sadly, many respondants to questions like these are young, inexperienced, or just relying upon what others say! If I want an opinion about heart surgery, I'm NOT talking to my local dope dealer.

Marijuana affects memory, judgment and perception even in the short-term, as was found in a study conducted by Pope and Yurgelun-Todd published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. It can mess you up in school, in sports or clubs, or with your friends. Several studies, including one reported a few years ago in the American Journal of Public Health, indicate that if you're high on marijuana, you are more likely to do things that could embarrass or even hurt you-such as driving under the influence or engaging in risky sexual behaviors. For athletes, THC's effect on timing, coordination, and movement-which can last for several hours-can seriously hurt performance. NCADI

Over the long term, smoking pot can cause you to lose interest in how you look and how you're getting along at school or work. NCADI It can also be much worse for your respiratory health than smoking cigarettes; the amount of tar, carbon monoxide, and cancer-causing chemicals inhaled in marijuana smoke are three to five times greater than that inhaled from the same amount of tobacco smoke. (NIDA Infofax)

It's important also to remember that marijuana is an addictive drug, responsible for about 60% of all the teenagers who seek admission to drug treatment centers in the U.S. Smoking marijuana leads to some changes in the brain similar to those caused by cocaine, heroin and alcohol. (Di Chiara's study-in NIDA information). Research at the University of Columbia demonstrates that people who regularly smoke marijuana experience withdrawal symptoms after they stop using it. (NIDA)

American Council for Drug Education
164 West 74th Street
New York, NY 10023
212-758-8060
1-800-488-DRUG
www.acde.org

Families Anonymous, Inc.
P.O. Box 3475
Culver City, CA 90231-3475
310-313-5800
1-800-736-9805
www.familiesanonymous.org

Nar-Anon Family Groups
P.O. Box 2562
Palos Verdes Peninsula, CA 90274
310-547-5800

Narcotics Anonymous (NA)
P.O. Box 9999
Van Nuys, CA 91409
818-773-9999
www.na.org

National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD)
12 West 21st Street, 7th Floor
New York, NY 10010
1-800-622-2255
www.ncadd.org

National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information
P.O. Box 2345 Rockville, MD 20847-2345
301-468-2600
1-800-729-6686
www.health.org

National Families in Action
2957 Clairmont Rd., Suite 150
Atlanta, GA 30329
404-248-9676
www.emory.edu

National Institute on Drug Abuse
6001 Executive Blvd
Bethesda, Maryland 20892-9561.
301-443-1124
www.drugabuse.gov

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

The above list of resources have much higher "standing" and knowledge than any one pro or anti marijuana advocate on here...in my opinion!

Best wishes.

Answer 2

Yes.

It's just wrong (and unconstitutional) for the government to tell people what recreational activities they should and shouldn't engage in.

And when you look at the medical reasons -- people starving because they barf up everything they eat, when, if they can take a couple of tokes first, they can keep the food down -- it's downright cruel.

I was a kid in the sixties, and, even though I didn't do the evil weed way back then, I thought its illegality was silly.

I would never have believed that it would still be illegal all these years later.

As for other drugs, I don't think they should be illegal, either.

Mushrooms -- splain me that, Lucy.

Even the really ugly ones. The law just isn't the way to deal with the problems that surround drug abuse -- actually, illegality make them worse.

But grass?

That's just freakin' silly -- and for many people, cruel.

Answer 3

Not legalized, only decriminalized. We should adopt the same stance on marijuana as the Dutch. Weed is not legal there, but it is also no illegal for those 18 and older and their society has not fallen apart. The whole nation has not turned into a bunch of junkies either. In fact, the Dutch people are far and away the coolest, friendliest people I have ever met.

Answer 4

No it shouldn't be legalized. Legalized means that children could buy it. It needs to be decriminalized so that you'd have to be a certain age to by it.

It won't be because the oil companies won't allow it. A cleaner burning fuel can be made from it than fossil fuels and it would be made cheaper. The oil companies pay the presidential candidates a bunch to keep it illegal.

Answer 5

I don't understand why they don't legalize it and regulate it like alcohol and tobacco. I don't think you'll see any good reasons to keep it illegal, other than to justify keeping thousands of people in jail and secure funding for the DEA.

The irresponsible use of alcohol and automobiles kills tens of thousands of people every year. Why don't we outlaw them?

Answer 6

Yes. We need the jail space for real criminals, you know murderers, child molesters and rapists. Quit wasting money on a plant that half of the people I know grow in their basements. These people are not criminals. They are Doctors and lawyers. School teachers and plumbers. In other words they are you and me.

Answer 7

This is for MSI's comment... than high fructcose corn syrup should be illegal. It offers no benefit to society - it just makes us fat. Same with cooking oil...

Marijuana should be legal, because comparative stress relievers - cigarettes and chewing tobacco cause more harm... than Marijuana.

Answer 8

Legalize it why not? according to history channel, it was banned because of discrimination against the mexican immigrants. As well as opium was banned because of the discrimination against the chinese immigrants.

Answer 9

Absolutely. Its healthier and less addictive than either alcohol or tobacco. Plus, it doesn't leave you with a nasty hangover!

Answer 10

yes but i don't have time to type all the reasons why it should .maybe ill write a book