Do you think Marijuana should be legalized ?

Sure. It’s safer than alcohol, and less addictive – so why not?

No. once legalized, then the drug addicts would want cocaine to be legalized next. this world has enough addicted people already.

Of course it should. I’m in favor of freedom. That means each person gets to make his own choices about his own life. Apparently, our government believes it should make your choices for you. That’s not freedom.

If I had a dime for everytime this thread popped up
But yes, I do think so.
It’s less harmful than most legal drugs.
Also, my main reason is this:
People usually go to drug dealers to buy marijuana. Many people experience the “hey, wanna up your high man?” And this is when many people start doing the more dangerous stuff, cocaine, heroin, etc.
If marijuana was available in stores you wouldn’t be confronted with other drugs nearly as often.
But hey that’s just my opinion, and I may be completely wrong.

I think we should make medical marijuana easier to obtain. (As it stands now, researchers can’t even do studies of it, but the DEA has no problems stating that there is no known medical use. Catch-22.)

I’m less sure about unrestricted legalization.

personally i would say no , there are alot of mental health issues in my family due to Marijuana , but then if my family were all alcoholics maybe i’d have a different view.
i do hate the way dope is seen as “cool” maybe if it were leagalised then this label would be lost , and that would be a good thing.

Absolutely not.

@Poopy Why’s that?

Yes, but not because I think that it’s any less harmful then anything else or that I even smoke it, cause I don’t. I think that it should be legalized because it’s not working making people that smoke a little weed into criminals.

I agree with everything you said @philosopher.

I use it for medical reasons. I would be so sick right now if I didn’t. I cannot eat very well or keep anything down after taking some of my meds. If I were to be put in jail right now , it would cost so much for them to take care of me. I would be in the hospital most of the time. There is a level of my pain that is taken away but not much. I use so I can eat.

Why it is illegal is beyond me. It is a natural plant. Obviously put here for a reason. There is not enough study going on due to the illeagl aspects. Make it legal and allow this plant to do it’s job. Provide safe medicine that actually has little side effects.

Yes, for personal use only.

And, you have to grow it yourself.

It’s less dangerous than other drugs that are legal.

Slippery slope arguments are never very convincing.

I agree that cannibis should be legalized,regulated and taxed in the same way as alcohol and tobacco.

No way. I’ve smoked weed on numerous occasions, and every time, all it did was add to Dorito’s and Hostess’ stock value and make me lazy. Now that I have children, I can’t afford to be any LESS energetic than I already am! That would make me a neglectful parent, no doubt. And it seems to affect everybody that way, so that immediately would disqualify parents.

So, the next thing to consider is DUI. Unless we can retrofit vehicles with a machine similiar to what is used to detect alcohol on repeat offenders, there’s no way in hell I want them driving!! I do not care to die a pointless death, thank you very much. I don’t want to be maimed for life, nor have my children harmed in any way.

So if they have no children, and are unable to drive while stoned, then great! Tax the everloving shit out of them like they did with smokers and let them have at it.

@phillis It does not effect me the same way. It makes me hungry but it does not make me lazy. Not even close.

I’ve even seen SNL do skits on how lazy it makes folks, but I am open to the notion that it doesn’t have the same effect on you, BK. It could conceivably have various effects on people.

@phillis It could depend on the type and grade of the weed. I also would like to add I smoke a joint a day, everyday. Maybe that has something to do with it. IDK

@phillis, if we didn’t have handy DUI machines for alcohol, are you saying alcohol should be illegal?

Also, why should your personal experiences dictate social policy for millions of people? I could just as easily say “in my experience religion makes you ignorant, therefore, religion should be outlawed.”

Only if it were taxed and regulated like tobacco. While I don’t approve of its use, it will be used anyway,so make something positive come out it. Use some of the money generated for better education.

“Only if it were taxed and regulated like tobacco.”

That is the worst reason.

Keep the government out of it. Except when the rules are broken.

I view pot as a medicine that happens to give you a buzz. I don’t put it in the same class as tabacco or alcohol. People abuse it by using it for the buzz, but it has never been linked to a death caused by over dosage (strictly maijuana) Medicine should not be taxed. The only thing I wonder about is if it should be legalized for over the counter. People also to abuse Nyquil, and sleeping pills. So thats where I get stuck.

“I view pot as a medicine that happens to give you a buzz.”

They use to say that about tobacco and alcohol.

@ChazMaz I understand that, but I know without pot I would not be eating or holding anything down. A glass of alcohol or a dip of tabacco is not going to help me. Pot has other benifits besides a buzz, where drinking alcohol may have it’s benifits (they are now finding) but not like a joint. Alcohol (in moderation) has beifits that add to over all health but are not vital in keeping someone alive like pot is doing for me right now. Too much alcohol can kill you where as pot will not. I won’t get into Tabacco there is no need.

” I know without pot I would not be eating or holding anything down.”

I am glad it is working for you.
If it was legal to grow I would share it with you. :-)

@ChazMaz Do you need it as well?

@butterflykisses – Not need.

But it would be nice to have some growing in the back yard if the want comes on. :-)

@ChazMaz I agree, it sure would be cheaper, my insurance doesn’t cover it….... yet. =)

Why not do a search and see how this question panned out the other 10,000 times it was asked?

@Ghost_in_the_system
Perfect. And at a rate of 75%-85%.

Quiqu, alcohol IS illegal when driving a car. I thought I made that clear. Let me try again.

NO DRIVING WHILE INTOXICATED BY ANYTHING THAT ALTERS YOUR JUDGMENT.

@phillis, I’m down with that. But you had seemed to say it should be illegal in all circumstances.

“NO DRIVING WHILE INTOXICATED BY ANYTHING THAT ALTERS YOUR JUDGMENT.”

Ok, tell that to the bar owners and restaurants.

I did say that, under certain circumstances, have at it. Like so:

“So if they have no children, and are unable to drive while stoned, then great! Tax the everloving shit out of them like they did with smokers and let them have at it.”

And to show you I’m a good sport and not angry in the least, I will tell you that I am a smoker. I’m not proud of it, but in the spirit of good will, I offer it anyway :)

People should stay home. Have friends over and do what they want. Have a drink, smoke some weed, eat a pizza.
As long as they stay put till they are good to go or can walk home.

Time for neighbors to unite and become friends again.

That IS a problem, @ChazMaz. Bar owners AND the people who served the alcohol are being held responsible more and more. I can’t pretend to know the answer to this problem. Ultimately, I would much rather people be responsible for themselves and leave Big Brother out of the equation entirely. But as we all know, that will never happen.

@ChazMaz Are bar owners babysitters? I tdisagree with this as an ex-bartender. I could not and would not babysit those who are suppose to be “Adults” in my establishment. The role of a responsiable drinker falls on the customer. IMO You should know when enough is enough, and if you don’t have a DD.

@butterflykisses _ was an ex-bartender too. It was my job. Pour the drinks, go home, collect a check.

It is not the owner to be the baby-sitter. It is just the way it is.
People get a “buzz” then drive home. No driver is “sober” if they were drinking.

So, is it mankind’s fault and we get what we deserve? Does greed take that much Precedence?

It is like we all know the truth, but we want to drink so lets kid ourselves.
Nothing wrong with drinking or getting high. (same thing)

But get behind the wheel. Compromise others and you get what you deserve. And, so does society for allowing it.
:-)

@ChazMaz, I was with you until the greed comment. Please explain?

A ChazMaz I don’t know what it was like for you, but for me I was the lone bartender and busy as hell…I could not watch everybody, pitchers flying, drinks being bought left and right and I needed roller skates. After 11 I was left alone in the establishment. Many places around here are like that. I see what you are saying but I still think the responsibilty lies with the customer, it is so sad that innocent lives are taken. We as a society cannot seem to learn this lesson, the laws perhaps are too lax.

@phillis – Alcohol is about money. Lots of it.

Money and addiction. If it was not for those two components it would not be a big deal.

Just like pot.

Ohhh! I’m back with ya now. I was lost for a minute there :)

@butterflykisses – I agree. It does rely on the customer.

Because there is too much money involved.

@ChazMaz Thats why I view it as a medical drug and not a recreational one. One that should be legal for medical reasons, but you just helped me make up my mind on if it should be sold over the counter or not..=)

@butterflykisses – I respect your insight! :-)

I would rather our jails fill up with pedophiles rapist and murders that to see a bunch of munchy eating pot heads in jail for smokin a blunt or bowl or whatever buyin a bag! There is a lot of wasted energy on lesser crimes to make the local government look good when the harder criminal run rampant in out streets

I hate that most people think it should be legal solely for recreational use…=( That really takes away from the true benifits that marijuana has..=(

@Gossamer – That is one good reason for Mary Jane to be legal.

If you made it legal for personal use.
Only growing what you need. The criminal element goes away.

And, if you are foolish enough to grow it to seel to people that do not want to grow it.
Then you get the punishment you deserve, 10 fold.

Now if the government wants to manufacture pot for medical use. Instead they should license people to grow it for that purpose.
As long as it is done as a non profit function.

@ChazMaz I also respect your views..and insight..=)

To anyone who argues that “it’s potentially harmful and lethal!” I would answer, “so is swimming, skydiving, skiing, sex, smoking and drinking”. (I was worried about alliteration there, too, but I guess that has no harmful effects.)

To anyone who argues that “it puts us on the slippery slope to legalization of more harmful drugs” I strongly answer, “those should also be fully legal for adults”.

To anyone who argues that “it has this bad effect on me” ( @phillis ) I would argue that we cannot base all law on the real or potential bad effects that you feel from a thing. Cyanide and arsenic can be purchased, and those are certain killers.

Honestly, sometimes I wonder why we bothered to learn about how stupid, ineffective and totally counter-productive Prohibition was during history classes. Was I the only one paying attention?

Of course it should be legal completely legal. And so should heroin and cocaine. And people who abuse drugs and cause problems should be prosecuted for the harm that they do. (And employers should also be free to screen and fire or refuse to hire drug users, too, which is still the most effective way to limit drug abuse in our society.)

@ChazMaz I disagree entirely. Legal is legal. And keeping the profit motive hasn’t caused problems with drinking. In fact, having profit-seeking companies involved means that they have a vested interest in quality control, limiting liability and promoting responsible use.

@CyanoticWasp, with all due respect, I already acknowledged the point very publicly, refering to it potentially having different effects on different people, with @butterflykisses. Please see above comment thread.

@phillis In that case I’m sorry that I didn’t follow every conversation down the thread—I did some cherry-picking.

And regarding the effects it had on me, I liked them so much that I wouldn’t dare start using the stuff again, as long as I have to leave the house and go to work from time to time. Like every weekday.

@CyanoticWasp – Do you really believe that?
” In fact, having profit seeking companies involved means that they have a vested interest in quality control,”
We are talking about sticking a seed in the ground.

There was and is nothing we can do about the money/power that comes from alcohol and tobacco. It was already in place way before there was any regulation. And, when regulation came along it was how to fill their pockets, keeping control of the cash flow.

Marijuana is different. In that sense. By outlawing before it became so imbedded into our society. We stopped that. We did not stop the “bootlegging” but we stopped its corruptness from becoming the norm.

Lets say we make it for medicinal use only. That gives the pharmaceutical companies a new form of revenue. Remember they have stock holders.
People will not be able to afford it. No question it will be available cheaper on the streets. I.E. Now back to the streets to get it. Now back to where were currently are. Drug dealers, money and crime.
SIde note: The DEA makes a good living chasing drug smugglers and dealers. Do you thing they want to be out their cut?
When it comes to “drugs” everyone is looking to make a buck.
The only people that loose out are the ones that need it.

So what do we do? I already explained it.

@ChazMaz To further the point you made “The people that loose out are the ones that need it” I agree. I lose out and so does the tax payer when they have to house me in jail or under supervision at a hospital just because I am ill and NEED marijuana to keep myself healthy enough to fight my illness. Who pays for my houseing once I am arrested and placed in jail?

Absolutely.

It is a superior alternative to the pain, nausea, and insomnia remedies that are currently on the market.

I believe it is the potential that pot has to replace those meds…and the meds that their side effects create the need for..that is keeping the pot illegal. Pharmaceutical companies know they can’t compete with the miracle drug.

I say legalize it, tax it and pass me a bowl.

Tobacco is legal and taxed.
You do understand it is illegal to grow it in your back yard.
Why? It would disrupt the tax revenue.

Make more then a few gallons of wine and you are breaking the law.
Again, cant be cutting the middle man out. Especially Uncle Sam. He is a real prick of a dealer.

I can grow it in my yard for pennies. Or you will be paying $50 a pack to smoke it. I bet you half of that will be tax.

@Merriment, thank you! You just hammered it home for me, the point a few were making that weed can have different effects on different people. I tried weed twice for severe menstrual pain, and both times I ended up in the ER due to the pain. Weed does nothing for severe dysmenorrhea :(

I don’t care either way. What really pisses me off is people whining when they get caught with the stuff. Maybe it should be legal and taxed the same as alcohol and tobacco, that makes sense but while it is illegal don’t be stupid enough to get caught with it and if you are caught with it, take responsibility for the fact that you chose to break the law.

Sorry if that seems a bit harsh but I recently had the same discussion with a whiny, self obsessed teenager who seemed to think that the world owed him something.

Personally, if it was legalised it wouldn’t make a difference to me.

@Leanne1986 – Good point.

@CyanoticWasp, no worries! I’ve had plenty of interractions with you. I figured it was only an oversight :)
@Leanne1986, Damn, girl! I couldn’t agree more! That might just be the statement of the friggin’ day! GA.

@phillis – You’re welcome. I have noticed that disparity. My best friend has basically an adverse reaction when she smokes it. I have had it help my severe dysmenorrhea and what it does for fibromyalgia pain is a miracle..

I think that the benefit it offers to cancer patients alone is reason enough to legalize it.

then i can stop being paranoid when that helicopter buzzes over my garden :)

I can’t relate to cancer pain, I’m sorry to say. I’ve worked with a LOT of patients going through the treatment processes, but I cannot understand until I’ve gone through it, I’m sire. I can’t decide whether I feel guilty about that, or grateful as hell. But I CAN relate to fibromyalgia pain.

I don’t mean to whine, but when you are at your dealers house and you are not sure who is watching, the chances of getting caught are a reality and a worry. One that is worth talking about, and seeing where the ramifications of getting caught can lead.

If I should get caught you can bet your ass I will be screaming the whole way, as I am using for a medical reason and I won’t go down quietly. I would expect any cancer patient to do the same not not expect them to just allow the cuffs to be slapped on when there is little else out there that can truely provide the benifits of Marijuana.

Idon’t plan on driving or using heavy equipment either, so perhaps this is what you meant? Those who do stupid things with it?

@butterflykisses, I can honestly say that I feel empathy for you. Nobody is disputing that you should be able to toke to your hearts content. What is common knowledge are the idiots who WANT to smoke it, but have not the forethought to do it in such a way that prevents their incarceration. Moreover, they then feel completely justifed in blaming the police for catching them through the weed smoker’s OWN NEGLIGENCE. I mean, seriously! Even murders know the meaning of the word “descretion”. This is yet another reason to reiterate my thoughts on NOT DRIVING WHILE UNDER THE INFLUENCE.

@butterflykisses I agree with you completely about “screaming and kicking” (and not ‘whining’) about penalties. This country (the USA, that is) was founded by people who didn’t ‘whine’ about their problems, but they availed themselves of weapons to say, “Hell, no.” I don’t even argue with those who say that “you did the crime [when it’s a victimless crime in the first place!] so you should be prepared to do the time”. Pointless.

@ChazMaz I don’t know what part of the country you live in where marijuana isn’t “embedded into our society”. Do you believe that? I still say that “legal should mean legal” and not “partly legal” or “legal for some” or “not so illegal as it used to be”. We really need to stop pretending to be Puritans, and that we can protect everyone from his own bad choices.

The fact of the matter with “illegal” drugs is that by producing, acquiring, distributing or using them all possessors are “criminals” and “consorting with criminals”. That adds hugely to the cost of a product of known desire—and spills into real crime (including other ‘victimless’ crimes) as people attempt to raise the funds necessary to support their habits. (In addition to all of this, “pushers” only exist because of illegality: If you get a kid hooked on free drugs distributed by a pusher, then he can be a customer for life. No one that I know is “pushing” beer and alcohol, other than selling it through normal and fully legal—and policed—sales channels.

And yes, I do believe in the profit motive, pricing and free markets in general as some of mankind’s most amazing and wonderful inventions.

“I still say that “legal should mean legal””
I totally agree.

“No one that I know is “pushing” beer and alcohol, other than selling it through normal and fully legal—and policed—sales channels.”
That is what I mean by “embedded into our society”.
There are many forms of pushing. Like Joe Camel. You have just became desensitized to it or are not mature enough to see it. No disrespect. :-)
You just legalized the drug dealer.

“And yes, I do believe in the profit motive, pricing and free markets”
Me too. But absolute power corrupts absolutely. As the saying goes, “liquor is quicker.”
That equation does not work with drugs. Nor legalized gambling for that matter.

I have been in advertising for 25 years. It is all a form of pushing to get you to buy the product and get you hooked on it.

Right now the biggest problem is MJ leads back to crime.
It helps the sick person that needs it but how many people were hurt in the process to get it to you?
You go to a store that sells “medical Marijuana.”
Where do you think they get it?

We can remove the crime and the corruption. Making it available to the people that need it or want it.
Without having too many hand in the pot. Those hands motive is for a piece of the pot.

@butterflykisses Don’t get me wrong, if marijuana does have the medical benefits that you say it does (and I don’t know enough about this to discuss it from a medical point of view) then I don’t blame you for wanting to take it. The “whiners” I was referring to are the people who take it purely to get high and they think that because they want to do something then it should be legal but then when they do get caught they whine and moan about “injustice”. Those people aren’t doing it for health reasons they are doing it because they are self obsessed and think the world owes them something. People like that bore me!

There is some evidence that marijuana has medical benefit, but the problem is that the DEA has prevented all but a slight amount of research. Then they have the gall to turn around and say that there can’t possibly be any benefit because studies haven’t shown it!

Many medical people are pushing (no pun intended) for more research in the area.

Oh sure!! Legalize it. Then we would be seeing drivers smoking it, crane operators smoking it. The streets would have less accidents, teenagers would have soooo much more energy and they would become sooo much more intellegent. Yep! Society as we know it would be a far better place. Yea right!

@cornbird does offer the dark side of it.

Marijuana is illegal for a reason and the reason is that it affects the awareness of the person using it. It may feel good when you smoke it but the fact remains it damages your awareness. We dont need it. Our mind is as powerful as it is already.

@cornbird It’s my mind, dammit.

@CyanoticWasp Its not just your mind!!!!! Dont you know you are setting an example?!!!

@cornbird I do set a good example. And I don’t suppose that I would use marijuana now even if it were legal and my employer didn’t mind. I still maintain that only I have the right to determine how and where I apply my mind—within societal limits that I do accept—but I belong to me.

I believe in liberty, even when it comes with unpleasant consequences.

@cornbird, alcohol affects the awareness of the person using it. Are you suggesting alcohol should be illegal as well?

Also, just to let you in on a secret, not everyone who smokes pot is a D.A.R.E. program burnout stereotype.

To tell the truth. I love alcohol. But lets imagine if alchol and smoking were illegal…just for a minute…would there be more road accidents, would there be more cases of terminal cancer, would there be more instances of violence? Dont get me wrong i drink when i party and i enjoy it. I used to smoke too and i enjoyed it, but common! Lets be real, we are talking about the good of our society. It WOULD be a better place WITHOUT those substances.

@cornbird That is a fair opinion.

@cornbird – I have to give you that. We can’t argue what the benefits of a utopian society could be.

But… it is not. And we need our vices. Maybe one day things would be different.
For now. We want to have the decision, the right, to drink or smoke if we want to.
We are willing to pay the price, and the supliers are happy to sell it. All about money when you narrow it down.

We are still a bit barbaric.
In that even what we like to do and it will not harm US (for the most part) do not care about the ones that it will hurt. At least at a subconscious level.

I/we want and “need” our vices.

For me, I drink at home (rarley), extreme moderation when going out.

I smoke (pot) most often when offered to me. I am not into buying it.
Growing it would be cool. :-)

I have had some close calls growing up with the drinking and the drugs. I lucked out.
But I learned. What I learned is I can and do have self control and understand moderation.

So I want the right to make that decision. But I am also willing to accept laws that help prevent it (lessen it) from harming others.

@ChazMaz I respect your opinon, but think of it like this…dont we have the freedom to use these substances even though it is illegal? People still use cocaine,heroin etc and they are illegal. People still find ways to do what they want. It would just be HARDER for you to do it, but you will still do it. To me i think making it more difficult makes it more better for society. At the end of the day, what do we really WANT? A better place to live? Or to enjoy our “vices” anywhere and anyhow? Look people who smoke are always telling others to try and quit. People who smoke marijuana is telling teenagers that it is bad for your brain..so why do we smoke it? I personally WILL MISS alcohol if it is taken away, but i have to admit SOCIETY WILL BE BETTER WITHOUT IT. We would find new “vices” in time.

“It would just be HARDER”

I see your point. But making it legal would remove all the crime or most of it. Associated with it. And, keeping “good” people out of jail.

If you find a way for it to be free. Just plant a seed.
Eliminate the intent and ability to sell for profit.

Would be a win win.

@cornbird Your argument is invalid. Which country leads the world in per capita drug use / abuse and spends the most to police it and ensure that it stays out of our hands? How do those facts square with your “let’s make it illegal so it’s harder to get” argument? I haven’t used marijuana in over 35 years, and never in this state. Yet I have no doubt that within a half-hour I could get whatever I might want.

Don’t forget that for ten years in the USA alcohol production (for human consumption), distribution, sale and use was a crime under the Constitution (which is as fundamental as law gets in this country). Do you honestly think that Prohibition did anything positive for the country? Yes, it doubtless prevented a few marginal users from using alcohol who considered the trouble, expense and risk to obtain it and said, “Eh, no.” And on the other hand it fueled the greatest rise in organized crime in this country to that point. That rise was enabled because… wait for it… alcohol use didn’t drop that much, but the profits went only to criminals at that point.

Lovely. I’ll take my chances with the potential increase in marginal users, thanks. These things should be legal across the board, produced by profit-making companies with legal liabilities and penalties for abuse, adulteration and tax avoidance, sold to adults at normal retail channels, and… sure, why not? taxed to the gills.

@CynoticWasp Look at that what you just said…. It is so easy for you to get marijana even though it is illigal. We have the freedom. And still you can obtain it but to smoke it wherever you want is difficult. Have we ever considered WHY it is illegal in the first place?

@cornbird That’s your definition of freedom?

It’s illegal because we’re a nation of busybodies and Puritans. It’s illegal because we think that “if it’s legal, that means we condone its use”. It’s illegal because 100 years ago, more or less, it was a cheap, quick high for black people, that most whites didn’t even know about. It’s illegal because it might hurt someone. It’s illegal because… well, gosh, why don’t you go on ahead and make up your own totally invalid reasons why a weed is illegal “in the land of the free”. (Using the more commonly accepted definition of freedom where things aren’t illegal, and you don’t have to worry about sting operations, consorting with criminals and operating in a black market.)

@CyanoticWasp . Ok…i hear you. Lets…be free then!! I have a nice piece at home and i would like other people to see it because its so damn pretty. I think i should have the freedom to walk with it wherever i want. Show it to whoever i want.. Why should police officers or someone in uniform be able to show theirs and i cant show mine. Freedom yea i want freedom!!! I want to wear lude clothing and say whatever i want to whomever i want whether its adult language or something nasty and not be arrested for it!! I want to be totally FREE. Thats a place i want for my kids. Thats a place where everyone would be happy. Happy Happy.

@cornbird, your ideal society exists in places like Iran and Saudi Arabia.

Iran and Saudi Arabia take things too another extreme. I dont believe in all the things in those places. I respect freedom but there should be limits.

Do you agree with their alcohol and drug policies? Because in that respect they sound like your kind of place. Also they are fans of limiting “lewd clothing” in public. (Especially for women!)

I am not comparing my answers to those places. I am speaking about what will be better long term for our society.

You believe society would be better if:

• Drugs and alcohol were forbidden
• You can’t wear lewd clothing in public places.
• You can’t say or write offensive things (offensive to the Prophet Muhammad or just in general?)

I don’t know if you’re Muslim, but really you should think about converting because those ideas form the basis of the laws in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia, by the way, has an extremely low crime rate.

I’m not even being facetious. Immigration isn’t too hard. If authoritarian-minded people like yourself wish to live in authoritarian places, you have plenty of options. And this way you won’t muck up liberal countries for the rest of us.

@Qingu . Please dont miss understand me. I am not Muslim. I dont want to muck things up for anybody. I am trying to make the point that we speak of freedom but we should also be responsible for it. When i say write offensive things and wear lude clothing i dont mean then that we should cover ourselves up and not let anything be exposed,but at the same time we cant wear things portraying extreme nakedness. I am trying for us to think critically…What do we all want?

I respect certain laws of society.. but i also believe in fair justice and nothing too extreme.
I dont believe in killing another person because of his beliefs. I dont believe in trying to eliminate another culture because they dont believe in the same things that you do.

I want FREEDOM! I want to have the right to have a potty mouth where ever I want, wear a bikini top and daisy dukes in public, drink til I fall down, pack a gun (with a permit) go down the road on my bike without a helmet, drive my truck without my seatbelt, smoke a joint, say MERRY CHRISTMAS, listen to lucid music ..ect without anyone holding my hand and telling me I need to be responsible doing it..I KNOW I do..and I am. ( I do not do all the things above because of personal choice or because the government has stepped in and said I am too much of a baby to decide for myself)

Making pot legal will not make this world a place that is any worse than what it is already. It would improve it by taking the industry out of the hands of thugs. It would give the medical feild a chance to really study it’s benifits, and who knows maybe it may cure something

Those who chose to smoke it will find a way and do already. Those who don’t won’t suddenly have the urge to run out and try it. You make it sound like legalizing it will make people lose all self control and need their hands held. The fact is, people will either smoke it or not, legal or not. It is already happening. Those who make stupid choices with it should and are punished, that wouldn’t change.

I want it legal for medical reasons..recreational use is not really something I care about, because I doubt I will smoke it for those reasons. I want the right though to decide that IF I should want to use it for recreational reasons later on without the government holding my hand.

@cornbird I’m not going to try to mock you, and it doesn’t bother me a bit that you attempted to mock my last argument. Especially because, whether you noticed it or not (and it’s evident that others did), your mockery rebounds against your argument. You have a nice piece at home? You do have the right to show it off! You also have the right to take it in public (depending on where you live and your prior criminal record—I’m assuming you don’t have one). Considering that private citizens wore unconcealed handguns to an Obama appearance in New Hampshire (even if it was just to prove a point, and even if it was a somewhat irresponsible stunt), that’s a pretty well demonstrated right.

You do have a right to wear lewd and offensive clothing—within very broad limits. (You generally can’t go naked, but even that is permitted in some places, and I’m only going to fight one battle at a time. Because I don’t see why you shouldn’t be able to be naked in public. I’d think it was stupid behavior, but I think a lot of permitted behavior—and speech—is stupid. It doesn’t follow that I think that it should also and therefore be illegal, however.)

You do have a right to speak in a generally offensive manner. (Not on regulated public airways, and not obscenity, however that’s defined, and there are some other regulations against fraud, threatening, impersonating public officials, etc.) That’s just plain rudeness, and there aren’t many laws against that; it’s just that decent people aren’t rude, and most of us are, most of the time, pretty decent.

That’s what this all gets down to. “Freedom” in society is a recognition that people are generally decent and “good”—good enough for everyday use, anyway. And we allow people leeway to be different in their own ways, even at the risk of being “offended” from time to time. Sometimes people are stupid, sometimes they’re rude, and sometimes they’re dangerous to themselves. And in a free society you just do tolerate a certain amount of that, because you also know that on the days you slip up and are stupid, rude or dangerous (if only to yourself) you get a pass on that from the law. (The world at large might have something to say about that, and you may be brought up very short—and quickly—by the laws of physics, chemistry and biology, and you might have your head handed to you on your “bad day” by someone who isn’t as tolerant as you are.) I completely agree that it’s a good idea for us to work constantly to improve our manners, our sobriety, our judgment and our tolerance—as we make our society free.

You do live in a generally free place (the place you mocked in your argument, in fact). But we could do a lot better—if we were freer.

I’ve said all that I can say here, I think.

@cornbird, there are certainly boundaries to freedom.

My boundary principle is: “If your action causes harm to somebody else, it should be illegal.”

Your principle seems to be “If I think your action is offensive, inappropriate, or harmful to society (whatever that means), it should be illegal.”

I understand your mentality is not identical to that practiced in Saudi Arabia. But it’s still pretty damn close. (By the way, they don’t want to eliminate other cultures, they just want to limit religious expression for the good of their own society.)

I think the entire “point” of the Law is to protect the weak from the strong. It’s not to act as a babysitter and reduce its citizens to children.

I respect everyones opinion. I am not mocking anybody. All i am saying is that laws are put there for a reason… and it is in my view that if we can legalize something like marijuana then we would be looking to legalize anything. I dont hate anybody for using it. I myself has used it. Before long people will want to legalize all sorts of things that can be harmful to us. Yes most of us in here would be responsible but remember there are others who are irresponsible and if we make an easy pathway for them it will be hell to pay for all of us…

@cornbird – I am glad you are making those points.
I know exactly what you are saying.

We should always stride for a better and a safer society.

You said the laws against marijuana were put there “for a reason.”

What reason?

What if they legalized the pill? Smoke is a Carcinogen.
Marijuana has less side effects that Alcohol.
I don’t smoke. I did in college.
I work out and use No drugs.