making pot legal is not the way to go.

if it is de-criminalized though,then all i'm saying is for those of "us" that enjoy a joint,we can have a hoot or two without going to jail.

we can grow our own "personel" pot and take the selling off the streets in that manner.

couple plants in the back forty,no harm to anyone and you don't have to go to joe maggott on the street corner.

de-criminalize

You bet it does. If marijuana is a schedule one substance, alcohol and cigarettes must be too. According to the Controlled Substances Act, a schedule one substance is something that has high abuse potential, has no medicinal value, and has a lack of safety under medical supervision.

And finally, I've yet to see anything in this thread that justifies anything but full on legalization.

Driving is hazardous. Walking around on the stress presents risks too.

-zzzzzz

Why not?

Listen, just because your sister or someone you know was a dumbass pothead doesn't mean the rest of us should suffer. I smoke regularly and I have a 3.83 gpa, I get along wonderfully with my family, I'm happy, and alcohol got me into more trouble than smoking weed ever has.

decrim no doubt

um first off im kinda breaking a rule. i'm not reading the other posts and will likely not read any further, BUT i wanted to throw my opinion in.

I have seen people do terribly stupid shit. i had a friend who's 8balled weekend after weekend, i know people who use to do valiums like candy, i myself had a life destroying addiction with a pain killer. almost all of america is addicted to mcdonalds or Really Bad Shit and they drink coffee by the barrel fulls

so..... marijuana, compared to all of the above if used by a water bong is HARMLESS.

i don't do pot.. i don't do anything but occasional booze. it's just not me. a personal decision. BUT i believe people SHOULD use pot more... it would possibly reduce use of other, much more lethal drugs.

if i had a child who said 'pick my poison, dad. obesity, alcoholism, freebasing, heroine, speed, or pot' i would probably BUY their pot and thank Jesus they arn't doing something rediculously harmful.

pot is a-okay. you don't smoke and drive but that's common sense... something the us lost years ago.

legalize it. quit puting harmless people in jail cuz they wanna relax. go for the ceos who assbang their employees and the baby murders!

(whoa)

I kind of go both ways on this. I don't know if we need another drug or substance to impair judgement and make driving worse. Inhibitions get lowered and ambivalence increases and these may not be the best things.

That said, I think it sucks for someone to get busted for a small amount of pot. If we make it legal, the govt can tax it. Of course, it would probably be more consistent quality too.

I think I vote for decriminalize.

oh yeah. remember . every single person is different. we all have vices andd we all deal differently. some people can occasionally snort coke and you'd never know. some people can down one beer and be s t u p i d. so do _not_ stereotype, people. that's just lame.

Quote: "You bet it does. If marijuana is a schedule one substance, alcohol and cigarettes must be too. According to the Controlled Substances Act, a schedule one substance is something that has high abuse potential, has no medicinal value, and has a lack of safety under medical supervision. "

Then by your own logic, lets make alcohol and cigarettes illegal too. Most people here seem to agree that they're more dangerous anyway.

Quote: "Anything that distorts your senses can potentially be hazardous.

Driving is hazardous. Walking around on the stress presents risks too"

This I wasn't clear enough about, and I think you misinterpreted. I know there are other things out there that are more dangerous. I'm probably more likely to get hurt or killed rock climbing or kayaking, too. I was just disagreeing with those who said that marijuana "never hurt anyone".

legalise it, then commercialise it.

No, by the CSA, marijuana wouldn't be placed in schedule one.

I like the pot sometimes, but I think.....................

Leave it the way it is. The government will just tax the hell outta it and find other ways to make it bad.

well.... cuz i grow my own.

no need for the dirtbag on the street.

if it's legal then i could go to jail for growin' my own.

i just wanna be able to smoke one without the risk of doing time.

de-criminalize

Doesn't smoking do the same things as alcohol? Makes you dilirious? Makes bad choices? Why have one and not the other? I have smoked pot....but pot can make other effects to different people. ..like alcohol. Unlike the normal high you hear...I got paranoyed. I f*cking freaked. I really though I was going to die that night. But, I think there is no reason to not let people do what they want. I do agree that is would be controled in some way...but hey? Why not?

agreed.

Dude, Where's My Car?

Keep that garbage criminalized.

I say decriminalize

There is no reason a pot head should spend a lifetime in prision for smokeing dope!
Here in Michigan anything over 650gms. is a manditory life sentance, about a pound and a half?
And yes,!??! if you're growing the cops weigh the soil!!!!!!!!!!!
Murder 7 years
Rape 3 years
molestation 6 months to 5 years
One pot plant ....LIFE
Somethings wrong here

I don't want to see it leagleized
because big buisness will run it like tobacco or alcohol

Here we go.

I'm very opposed to "victimless crimes". Decrim at a minimum.

Most people who have strong views on the decriminalisation of cannabis are (unsurprisingly enough) those people who actually smoke the stuff regularly.

I have never smoked it, and never will, but at the same time, I strongly believe it should be decriminalised. People should be allowed do what they want, as long as they're not hurting others.

They should be allowed to make up their own mind on whether or not they want to smoke that stuff, and with that they must accept to take the risks that come with it...i.e. no suing a big multinational hash producer years from now, because you're brain has shrivelled up due to twelve years of non stop smoking their product.

To me, the effects of alcohol abuse are far worse than that of cannabis. I mean how often do you hear of stoners walking the streets, picking fights with random people? How many often do people end up in the emergency room of a hospital due to a dope fuelled stabbing? To me, alcohol is a much bigger problem, yet it is perfectly legal.

I believe that cannabis should be legalised, but strictly controlled.

-C.S. Flim

Is this the only reason you're for prohibition?

ok... i didnt read this whole thread... i admit... i hope someone has already said this... KEEP it iLLEGAL

all my friends smoke it... my best one is like "hardcore super skunk northern lights shit, grow your own in the bush and water it every friggin day blah balhasd ghasdlkgj i dunno... get rid of it..

anyone ever think that i would destroy your mind?

Decriminalize and regulate.

In Canada itis more or less decriminalized. Often they don't even make you pay a fine.

oh yeah... someone talked about x?... oh my.. you should meet my ex... went from one pill every now and then to 6 every bloody weekend... i dunno... it just really ticks me off... how could something be that good? she absoloutely knows its bad for her and that its fucking her life up but she cant get off the shit... i wanna try but i dont.. cos she is now fucked.. any way... pot is the same but isnt... i think all the people that want to legalise it are just addicted to it...... i could argue either way for an hour but in the end i rekon it should be illegal

it's as easy as that.

Anyone ever think that alcohol would do that and more? Nope, obviously not enough to justify prohibition.

I lived in Belgium, where it has just been decriminalized. We smoked all the time, and still went to work and took care of our business. In the evenings we hung out and smoked, had lots of interesting conversations. One good thing was no hangovers. And nobody every did or wanted to do anything illegal.

Ask me, you decriminalize pot, and nothing much would change to the social fabric. Sure, tax it, and regulate it; but the people who do not want to smoke, wont. The people who do will. And there are consequences, but just like alcohol and cigarettes, people will have to weigh the consequences themselves.

I do not think that the govt should try to over regulate things. Pot was legal in the US until the 60's a nd 70's. Jefferson and Washington had hemp farms. The dollar bill is made of hemp.
Now all of a sudden, after centuries of use, we need to be saved from ourselves. Right.

At least the tax money could go to education, something that would benefit us all.

=) Brought to you by a very stoned me.

I agree with whoever that said that it should be regulated like alcohol. Call me ignorant, but I don't see a significant difference between the two. Both fuck you up. However, I have never been either drunk or high. At least if it's legal, our jails wouldnt be as overcrowded and there would be less drug-related conflicts on the streets.

I've been avoiding this, but I just had to come and get a good laugh. I know a ton of people who smoke a shitload of weed. They are all lazy potheads who don't pay their bills, can't hold a job, and don't take care of their families. Then bitch that life sucks. They're too dumb to realize the reason life sucks is because they've made dumb choices and are completely wasting their lives. I guess that's OK though, huh? Are their some people who can regulate their intake? I'm sure their is. But, what happens when these adults who can control it have kids? Their kids will find out that they are smoking weed. Kids are not dumb. They'll see mom and dad doing the shit and start themselves. I guess it's OK to have a 13 year smoking weed too, huh? Weed smoking will most likely turn into usage of other harder drugs. How the fuck are some weed smoking parents gonna tell their kids not to smoke. If they don't care that their kids are fucking themselves up at a young age then their kids should be taken away from them.

wtf genka? exactly what "pot-related crime" are you refering to?
and as far as the nat'l debt going away due to taxation of marijuana - HA! that's really funny dude. our government has no clue how to stick to a budget or save money. our debt'll never go away, because so much tax money gets wasted and none of the people in charge give a shit.

and LordEden, you might want to clarify those prices you named for the non-smokers here at tfp. otherwise, you're just spreading further misinformation. you know that we pay - by far - some of the highest prices in the country, because we get some of the best weed in the country. people that don't smoke weed or don't smoke often wouldn't realize that the $50 an eighth you and i pay is exceptionaly high. keep in mind that that's around 4 times what most folks pay, if not more - we take this for granted, but a lot of people wouldn't have any way of knowing the difference

sixate, i have to disagree with your example about parents letting 13 year olds smoke weed. first of all, what parent is gonna let that happen? there's plenty of things parents do that they wouldn't let their 13 year old get away with, like smoking(cigarettes), drinking, and fucking, or, for that matter, driving a car. would you let a 13 year old look around on "off the wayside"? while i do agree with your comment"If they don't care that their kids are fucking themselves up at a young age then their kids should be taken away from them," i think that that has to do with being a shitty parent, and has nothing to do with being a pothead. however, i'm going to leave my disagreement at that; i know i can't change your mind about weed, and wouldn't try to. drugs are one of those issues - like politics, religion, and sex - that everyone has strong feelings about, and refuses to change one way or another. i just hope that you realize that there are both "good potheads" and "bad potheads", just as there are good and bad people in any group. would i myself let my (hypothetical) 13 year old smoke pot? hell no! but i'm also not gonna tell any kid that i might have that it's evil, only that they need to wait till they're older and always be responsible about it. i intend to tell my kids all about both the good AND bad sides of drugs when they're old enough to understand, and let them make their own decisions. if they want to do drugs, i can't stop them(i should know, both my parents are/were strict as hell, niether of them do drugs, not even alcohol, and my dad's a cop - and none of that ever stopped me from getting high) - but i can at least try to do the best i can to prepare them to make informed decisions. heck, if my kid was grown-up and smoking weed on his own, i'd smoke with him - but he also better damn well be able to support his own habits, pay his bills and keep things together otherwise.

as far as legalizing or decriminalizing, (surprisingly, i realize) i actually support decriminilization over legalization. i don't wanna go to prison for the rest of my life because some asshole cop got lucky enough to find a bag on me, but i also don't like the idea of the government or some big corporation growing/controlling my shit either.

I think to each his own. . . do what you want to do. Its not illegal to kill yourself, so why not?

I think it should be decriminalized atleast.

I don't mean to offend, but this is coming close to strawman. Weak, atypical hypothetical situations do not justify prohibition.

Marijuana will stunt your brain-growth and inhibit your memory according to numerous studies, if you're out for the truth, there you are. Admittedly, this may not be as harmful as tobacco or alcohol, which I believe should be illegal as well (even though they have more merit for being legal than marijuana does), but that is another topic.

The reason it should continue to be prohibited is because it is both harmful to a single individual, as well as society at large. Can't have a bunch of dumbasses running around here taking time off of work to discuss what colors are cool to their friends.

Please provide references for the former.

Marijuana is not as harmful as tobacco or alcohol.

As far as public safety, no.

Prove it.

I hope for arguments sake you have more than that up your sleeve.

I smoked a ton of it in the 80's and 90's

It hurt my learning potential got me fired from jobs,
and now I have to check that box that says

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN CONVICTED OF A FELONEY

Don't do it it's not worth it your not as smart as you think....

Yabobo

I have all sorts of things up my sleeve, thanks for taking an interest.

1) THC, the main active ingredient in marijuana, binds to and activates specific receptors, known as cannabinoid receptors. There are many of these receptors in parts of the brain that control memory, thought, concentration, time and depth perception, coordinated movement, learning and memory, higher cognitive functions such as judgment, and pleasure.

Marijuana's damage to short-term memory seems to occur because THC alters the way in which information is processed by the hippocampus, a brain area responsible for memory formation. Laboratory rats treated with THC displayed the same reduced ability to perform tasks requiring short-term memory as other rats showed after nerve cells in their hippocampus were destroyed.65 In addition, the THC-treated rats had the greatest difficulty with the tasks precisely during the time when the drug was interfering most with the normal functioning of cells in the hippocampus.

As people age, they normally lose neurons in the hippocampus, which decreases their ability to remember events. Chronic THC exposure may hasten the age-related loss of hippocampal neurons. In one series of studies, rats exposed to THC every day for 8 months (approximately 30 percent of their lifespan), when examined at 11 to 12 months of age, showed nerve cell loss equivalent to that of unexposed animals twice their age.

http://www.nida.nih.gov/ResearchRepo...arijuana3.html

Heishman SJ, et al. Comparative effects of alcoho...[PMID:9264076]

Sullivan JM Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory: Cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying learning and memory impairments produced by cannabinoids.

Misner DL: Mechanism of cannabinoid effects on long-term potentiation and depression in hippocampal CA1 neurons.



2) No, the merit lies within the it serving some sort of purpose; tax money. That's actually worth something, you can't tax marijuana if people grow their own, and if you try, it will be far more complicated then the current fight against drugs.



3) See 1.



4) There you go.

I think it should be de-criminalized, but with GWB's 'war on drugs' and all that propaganda, it is quite unlikely.