Legalize marijuana?

Question

Considering that there has never been a reported overdose of marijuana; that numerous medical studies have shown it has a wide range of beneficial attributes with regards to AIDS & cancer patients, delaying the onset of Alzheimers plus others; that it is less addictive than cigarettes or alcohol and has no qualities of physical addiction, isn't it time to just get over it?

It's not a gateway drug...that would be alcohol or cigarettes, which anyone who's ever smoked marijuana will tell you they used long before they ever tried weed.

Any effects it does have are no more severe than alcohol, though alcohol is arguably far more dangerous. It does not have as many carcinogens as cancer and recent studies suggest THC may act as a cancer inhibitor. In fact, the evidence is inconclusive that marijuana smoking alone results in lung cancer or head and neck cancers.

here is one report from British study suggesting that THC kills leukemia cells -
http://www.affymetrix.com/community/wayahead/thc_leukemia.affx

For those saying no, every adverse affect you list from marijuana use can be attributable to alcohol consumption as well...impaired judgement, depression, etc...the major exception being that alcohol can trigger violent reactions.

Nobody's arguing that it should be ok to drive stoned. It's not okay to drive under the influence of alcohol either, but that's still legal. So, why the double standard?

It's a double standard.

It's interesting to hear the arguments for those in favor of prohibition...which doesn't work. Not one has proven that marijuana is more dangerous than numerous legal drugs, like alcohol or nicotine.

Should we ban vitamin E since kids can take an overdose to get high off of it, which could result in death?

Isn't it time we stop punishing people for such a benign act?

If you raise health concerns, I don't see how that can stand up to the numerous health problems as a result of cigarettes or alcohol. If they're legal, it seems marijuana should be, too.

And we're talking about a responsible marijuana policy - no driving, no minors, etc.

Here's a dare - count the number of alcohol related deaths in year area over the next week or look up the numbers for last year. Then compare it to marijuana.

More studies:

Marijuana and memory - a Canadian study suggesting no long term memory affects - http://www.cbc.ca/news/story/2002/04/02/marijuana_iq020402.html

Alcohol can cause short term memory loss, too.

Here's another one that's very interesting - http://www.emediawire.com/releases/2005/4/emw232729.htm

And another: http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/news/20030701/heavy-marijuana-use-doesnt-damage-brain

In 1999, the National Academy of Science's Institute of medicine reported:

"There is no conclusive evidence that the drug effects of marijuana are causally linked to the subsequent abuse of other illicit drugs … There is no evidence that marijuana serves as a stepping stone on the basis of its particular physiological effect … Instead, the legal status of marijuana makes it a gateway drug."

Prohibition doesn't work. It's time for sensible drug reform, decriminalization and a policy that reflects current medical and scientific studies.

btw I used to work as a probation officer, so I've dealth with this. It's time to stop ruining people's lives for something that's no more dangerous than alcohol. Pot smokers are not violent and the only thing that makes them criminals is the legal status of marijuana, the same as it was for speak-easy's and bootleggers in the 1920's and 30's.

Even conservative economist Milton Friedman, who was a Reagan economic advisor, advocated it's legalization, noting that legalization would save almost $10 billion/year on government expenditure. Most of those savings would be at the state level, where the financial burden for prohibtion is largest.

If taxed like consumer goods, it could generate up to $2.4 billion/year; if taxed like alcohol and cigarettes, $6.2 billion/year.

So, if people who are for it cherry pick evidence that supports them, isn't the converse likely to be true, too? I'm pretty sure it is.

Still, not one of the people who are for prohibition have given any solid reasons why we should keep it...it's bad for your health they say. And they raise a very good point. If you make every that's bad illegal, where do you stop?

But these are people with no experience. Their arguments are a priori. To them, marijuana is just like heroine or cocaine. Of course, those are synthetic drugs, while marijuana usage has run parallel with human history for 5, 000 years.

They don't have good arguments why it shouldn't be illegal, especially when the great demon alcohol runs rampant, destroying as many lives each year as coke, smack or crack.

Eventually, this will change. The last 30 years have seen a steady decriminalization of pot from state to state. We will reach a point where we have a sensible drug policy one day.

To person who said it would be the same as legalizing gasoline as a beverage...that is such a ridiculous statement on so many levels, which more or less nullifies everything you say afterwards.

But the prohibitionist are not consistent. How can you argue that it's ok to have alcohol legal but not a drug that has ever, ever resulted in an overdose?

As for my sources(if you bother to follow them up) are all very credible scientific/medical institutions or organizations.

The people against don't know what they're talking about. They're probably the same people who oppose stem cell research. They don't believe in science anyway, just the propaganda they've been spoon fed since they were children.

But I'm sure a few of them will enjoy an alcoholic beverage this weekend.
As for the consequences of legalization, consider Amsterdam. Pot usage delcine afterwards as did the use of other drugs. New studies show that pot might even help crack addicts recover.

Answer 1

I'm all for legalization of marijuana for medical purposes (like for cancer or AIDS patients). But legalize it across the board? No. It doesn't take an advanced degree in chemistry or biology to know that inhaling any type of smoke is bad for you, and if it were legalized there would be a lot more driving fatalities/accidents and workman's comp claims for people who try to drive or work while stoned (and don't insult my intelligence by saying it doesn't happen or doesn't happen often -- my uncle is the Deputy Commandant of the Michigan State Police, and according to him, half a dozen people a day on average are arrested in Michigan for driving while under the influence of marijuana).

Since marijuana has been shown to (a) affect a person's judgment, (b) be a mild hallucinogen, (c) lower fertility in men, and has also been linked to many other health problems, and since much of the research that supposedly debunks the ill effects of marijuana is funded by pro-legalization groups, isn't it time for the spoiled children who are throwing a temper tantrum because they can't do what they want to grow up and get over it?

Answer 2

I have no experience with marijuana. I suspect that there is a benefit in it some where, but setting fire to anything and sucking the smoke into your lungs is dumb. We have far too many things people compulsively "must" have... if it kills them. I just read this morning about women who are involved with alcohol, marijuana and other drugs getting pregnant and giving birth to babies, 80% of which they do not raise. In this study there were women from every education level and socio-economic background. the one common denominator seemed to be they had been physically, sexually and/or mentally abused. Another sad finding was that many of those in study also had Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, indicating that behavior was passing down from generation to generation. The question I have is...What can we do to help people say no to things that may feel good at the time, but can be so destructive to the person and society as a whole? Pollution in the environment is talked about a lot now. Let's not forget our brains! Maybe we should take an oath, like doctors.........First do no harm!

Answer 3

No. That would be the same as legalizing gasoline as a beverage; after all, you would have a trying time to find any one who had a serious reaction to drinking gasoline.
As to your argument that there is no proof that it causes serious health issues or is a gateway drug, you obviously have been searching ONLY for "evidence" to support your view...a typical "scientific viewpoint".
If you had been in the military and paid attention, you would see that it causes agonizing deaths as well as serious health problems.
Also, just as not every smoker drinks booze, not every pothead uses booze, so that shoots down that argument.
There has been a rash of so-called scientific arguments for or against a lot of things in recent years, such as claiming that alcohol (rubbing?) is more beneficial than milk (obviously a stupid thing to say; babies can live on milk, but not alcohol, thus disprooving this argument) and even that smoking prevents alzheimers, which is really ridiculous, since they have no idea what causes alzheimers, let alone how to prevent it.
Sorry, your arguments just don't hold water.
And, finally, if every thing was made illegal because some one who is mentally challenged used it to get "high" or it caused death, EVERYTHING would be made illegal, then where would you be? Obviously, dead.
When I flew back from Korea, some guy was really desperate; he shot up with peanut butter! He died an agonizing death.

Answer 4

I agree that it is less addictive than most pain meds (narcotics) and definatly less addictive than cigarettes but it is addictive just not as addictive. I just warn you that marijuana and tobacco have the same number of carcinogens in thier natural form it is the additives that make cigarettes so much more "dangerous" which would happen to marijuana if legalized. The cancer is caused by inhaliation of fine dust particulates which causes injury by neurtophils and macrophages to the alveoli of the lung and then proliferation of type I pneumocytes. Marijuana does cause cancer just like standing over a campfire and inhaling smoke for 10 years will. The benifits of THC are definate but can be taken in pill form and do provide the same benifits as smoking but without the strong high. (marijuana does not inhibit cancer it only stimulates hunger but there are current meds that work better for this.) The biggest difference between marijuana and alcohol is that being in proximity to someone who has a drink is that they will not put you at risk of chronic disease. With overuse both are dangerous though. Marijuana and alcohol actually have had the same effects on peoples reaction time when driving and many DUI fatalities have alcohol and marijuana on board! I feel that the only reason marijuana is illegal is due to the timing of it's entry into the "American market" but i beleive tobacco would face the same problem if rolls were reversed and joints sold by phillip-morris would have as many carcinogens as cigarettes now. Marijuana is not a pain releiver but it does cause some to detach from reality and it has been linked strongly by the Albert Einstein Institute to schitzophrenia in teens who start smoking it early. I am not against legalizing marijuana because it is dangerous I am against it because we should not have any of them in our society! Remember for every legalization argument there are 10 in the counter-point. Lets keep everyone safe and demand to have tobacco and marijuana withdrawn from our market place.
Last of all it does nothing for real ADHD since these people actually calm down when taking a stimulant where as marijuana is a depressant.

Answer 5

It is also a usefull pain killer, one much less adictive than morphine or codine.

I agree that marijuana should be legal, not to mention the amazing amount of more money the government could reap in by taxing the buisness, also that would lead to less of "if-y" stuff.

Of course it is a drug and any drug used in excess and abused will obviously have its effect, just like alcohol and cigarettes. In terms of tar and smoke between cigarettes and marijuana, marijuana actually has more tar, but it doesn't actually matter, because the people who smoke cigarettes smoke much more often than people who smoke marijuana, some go crazy and smoke several packs in a day.

I am fairly certain THC is not a cancer inhibitor, and I have never seen anything hinting to that. That certainly doesn't make a lot of sense anyway.

But again for the most part i agree that it should as long as there is a legal age and the government taxes it.

Answer 6

It would make sense to legalise it,thus saving the toker the hassle of having to go through seedy dealers and being tempted to try other things. I have smoked for 30 years,and have a high IQ,and am a MENSA member.I don't know anyone who wants to fight with it in them either,as it totally relaxes most.Yes there are cases where people suffer mental illnesses,but I believe the drug has just brought to the fore,what may have already been in that person's genes.
I know lots of professionals who use it recreationally too.The problem is supply.I'm surprised the British Government want to reclassify it again to a B,for if it was made legal,they could charge tax on it,and as this is a stealth tax nation getting,it would maybe ease the taxes elsewhere.
Alcohol in my eyes is a far greater danger to the public,than marijuana.Keep up the good fight Bud. :)

Answer 7

wow. are you serious. smoking marijuana can result in short-long term memory loss, weight gain, anxiety, depression, smoke marijuana often have the same respiratory problems as cigarette smokers and they are also at greater risk of getting lung infections like pneumonia. A drug is addicting if it causes compulsive, uncontrollable drug craving, seeking, and use, even in the face of negative health and social consequences. While not everyone who uses marijuana becomes addicted, when a user begins to seek out and take the drug compulsively, that person is said to be dependent or addicted to the drug.
Some frequent, heavy users of marijuana develop a tolerance for it. Tolerance means that the user needs larger doses of the drug to get the same desired results that he or she used to get from smaller amounts.

come on now does it really need to legalized that bad
what did you loose your medical marijuana card. lol j/k

http://youtube.com/watch?v=IzHTIQ5kIF0

http://youtube.com/watch?v=BGFWrtammjY

Answer 8

I believe it should be legalized...there was never a report I have heard of anything bad happening to someone who smoked weed except for maybe lung cancer but the same effect can happen from cigarettes.
Marijuana can be very beneficial to people with cancer, AIDs and people who are ADD to help calm them down.

Answer 9

Without getting into the political discussion about this . . just to let you know . . cancer patients can already be prescribed a legal version of cannabis called dronabinol. It's already a choice.

Answer 10

"It is legal in the Netherlands and other places." -It is only decriminalized in the Netherlands, it is not "legal". It's decriminalized in some places in the US.