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Originally Posted by Rodney
The assertion about marijuana and violent crime is highly, highly questionable. I neither know of personally, or have read about, anywho who:
*Developed a towering rage after smoking a ton of dope and beat his wife, children, or girlfriend.
*Started a fight, or assaulted a stranger.
*Or (and this is only personal) got into a traffic accident or a reckless driving violation while on marijuana alone. But I know plenty of drunks who have.
Your point about some DUIs being under both the influence of alcohol _and_ weed doesn't apply. You're talking about someone who's under the influence of two different drugs -- the interaction of the two is a whole different animal. I've driven while under the influence of marijuana and once, under the influence of both marijuana and a whole lot of alcohol. While it probably wasn't a good idea, I had no problem driving while stoned alone. But with beer and marijuana together -- well, things got questionable.
Ask someone who's ever had to deal with a raging drunk who's also high on cocaine: the worst of both possible worlds.
I should add that I do not smoke marijuana these days (don't drink much, either). I consider it a waste of time and money. But so is the never-ending para-military government campaign we have against marijuana cultivation here in California: CAMP.
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Again it is very hard to get true stats in that Marijuana use is illegal and not many are going to admit use.
Violence is violence and 9 out of 10 times the drunken sloth that beats his wife or starts a bar fight or whatever did so solely because of the alcohol excuse. Not because of the alcohol. The alcohol allowed the person to have something to pin the blame on. Marijuana would be the same maybe not right away but eventually.
I'm a big advocate in legalizing marijuana, but I also truly believe that you are going to face just as many problems with it as you do alcohol, if not immediately you would in the near future. To say everyone who smokes it becomes mellow and harmless is bunk, I have seen people freak out on it.
And yes, working where I work I have seen a few just marijuana drivers arrested..... it's not as prevelant because it is not as legal as alcohol, you don't have as many coming home from bars or parties that had smoked weed as you do alcohol.
My sole point is to say, having experience in the field I do, I truly believe beyond any doubt that you would have the same problems with marijuana as alcohol, and at probably identical numbers. Not because of the drug itself but because of the user and the excuses it allows for.