Forums → WEPR → [necro] Legalization of Marijuana
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I know that there is a topic about legalizing drugs, but I wanted to talk about Marijuana specifically.
Marijuana was banned in 1937 in the US and is now said to be a gate-way to more dangerous illegal drugs. However in this current state of economy I think we'd be better off with the legalization of marijuana. First, it would provide jobs for people. Second, more tax money to the government. Third, it would decrease sale to minors.
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If I had a child and they got into drugs, I would kick his ***. But if it was illegal it wouldn't have happened. Maybe, but if he started doing drugs, it's my problem, not the government's.
That's your personal philosophy. That's not what others believe. What others will believe is that they don't wanna pay for something they don't have to. And the lawyers will promise them that they won't have to pay. Then the courts would decide. So that's a big mess, just like the tobacco companies have to pay all those hospital bills, the governments would have to pay for all the costs of marijuana bills.
Anyway, maybe there's a better solution: I want to prevent the creation of new abusers, and you want to prevent users from being abused.
So I can see your point about it. THere's that actor Robert Downey, Jr who went to jail for something like 10 years or something for his personal drug addiction so that's not right. But it's also not right to release the ban on all those drugs, ruining lives just because you think people have a right to do them.
It's their choice as long as they aren't hurting anybody, so bugger off. Supporting this fight against drugs is allowing the government to dig into people's personal affairs and is a violation of human rights.
Again, that's just your personal philosophy. Each law that the government creates is a violation of human rights in someone else's eyes.
I never said that all drugs from plants should be made legal.
So why are you stopping with marijuana, when your personal philosophy says you should support the legalization of all drugs? What is differnet about them that makes you not want them to be legalized?
Marijuana would cause problems and fix problems, but the war on marijuana is worse than marijuana itself! If anything, it's picking the lesser of two evils.
Here I absolutely agree. It has been statistically proven that there is no correlation between incidents of drug use, and the toughness of drug laws. Critics would argue that drug incidence is therefore down to cultural differences. However, this is shown to be false, when you consider that culturally similar Norway and Sweden have completely different stances on drug use, and yet have almost identical rates of drug abuse.
It has been statistically proven that there is no correlation between incidents of drug use, and the toughness of drug laws.
would you mind finding those statistics? i believe the story of abolition
when you consider that culturally similar Norway and Sweden have completely different stances on drug use, and yet have almost identical rates of drug abuse.
again i'd have to see some numbers. Portugal is one country that has legalized all drugs and actually has a lower rates of drug abuse due to their system.
That's not what others believe. What others will believe is that they don't wanna pay for something they don't have to. And the lawyers will promise them that they won't have to pay. Then the courts would decide. So that's a big mess, just like the tobacco companies have to pay all those hospital bills, the governments would have to pay for all the costs of marijuana bills.
The government would make money off legalizing marijuana, not lose it. I don't see how non-users will have to pay for users. Especially because we already have high taxes to keep inmates alive in prison.
I believe it's a parent's responsibility to keep their child and loved ones off drugs. Even though many parents believe it's the government's job to watch over their children... when it isn't. Yes, that is my opinion, but marijuana is being kept illegal due to moral issues, not because it's dangerous. People only know that marijuana is bad, but not why it's bad. It's not accepted because they have been told marijuana is bad their whole lives.
Anyway, maybe there's a better solution: I want to prevent the creation of new abusers, and you want to prevent users from being abused.
That sounds good and all, but you can't prevent people from doing stuff. Acts of prevention only causes dangerous underground operations to form, aka gangs and underground drug business.
Again, that's just your personal philosophy. Each law that the government creates is a violation of human rights in someone else's eyes.
Alright, this makes sense. However, what we do in our spare time at home shouldn't matter to the government. Yes, this is my opinion, but if you think it's fair that the government controls what we do at home... then do you wan't the government to tell you when you should put your child in time out? Should the government decide how long your child is allowed to watch T.V? Should the government decide how much food you can cook and how much you can throw away?
Yes, it is a belief that the government should only intervene in people's lives if there is a conflict between two people that should be settled in court, or if someone runs a potential risk of harming another person. If someone gets high at home, it's not affecting you... in fact, you don't even know the person! Nobody is getting hurt.
Most people, and i mean most people, who smoke marijuana are NOT addicts. The only reason so many people go to rehab to kill an addiction they don't have is because it's either that or jail.
Yes, some people who wouldn't be addicted to marijuana will become addicts if marijuana is legalized. However, people who smoke tobacco can change to marijuana and cut off from smoking cigarettes, which is far worse than marijuana. People who decide to get high at home rather than drink at a bar will already be at home. Those people who do decide to drive high instead of drunk will still be a danger on the road, but not NEARLY as dangerous as a drunk driver.
You may think it's alright for the government to tell people how to live, but that's not freedom. Freedom is the choice of being able to live any way you want, as long as you don't screw other people over or harm other people. It still happens, but making something a law doesn't prevent it.
So why are you stopping with marijuana, when your personal philosophy says you should support the legalization of all drugs? What is differnet about them that makes you not want them to be legalized?
I stop at marijuana because I never went into detail with other drugs and I have not done my research on them. I have very little say if other drugs should be legalized or not. As far as I'm concerned, marijuana is probably the safest out of all of them and would be a great place to start and to experiment if people can handle drugs responsibly.
You may think it's alright for the government to tell people how to live, but that's not freedom. Freedom is the choice of being able to live any way you want, as long as you don't screw other people over or harm other people. It still happens, but making something a law doesn't prevent it.
well said. we don't ban booze because people got in 11,773 alcohol-related crash deaths last year.
NonameC68, you draw a lot of either or stuff that doesn't make any sense.
However, people who smoke tobacco can change to marijuana and cut off from smoking cigarettes, which is far worse than marijuana. People who decide to get high at home rather than drink at a bar will already be at home. Those people who do decide to drive high instead of drunk will still be a danger on the road, but not NEARLY as dangerous as a drunk driver.
Why wouldn't they drink and smoke and get high all the time? Why would they switch from one to another?
would be a great place to start and to experiment if people can handle drugs responsibly.
And if all these freedom loving people you think exits can't do it, then what? Are you gonna support that the government makes them illegal again? Is that what your saying? Cause. That's what it looks like your saying.
German3945, Portugal is one country that has legalized all drugs and actually has a lower rates of drug abuse due to their system.
Drugs are still illegal in Portugal. They just softened the laws so you don't go to prison for 10 years or whatever.
would you mind finding those statistics?
Not much of a statistic. Although it is fact.
In Holland, where cannabis laws are far less harsh, drug usage is amongst the lowest in Europe.
i believe the story of abolition
In 1970 there were 9000 convictions or cautions for drug offences and 15% of young people had used an illegal drug. In 1995 the figures were 94 000 and 45%. Prohibition doesn't work.
Prohibition has led to the stigmatisation and marginalisation of drug users. Countries that operate ultra-prohibitionist policies have very high rates of HIV infection amongst injecting users. Hepatitis C rates amongst users in the UK are increasing substantially.
In the UK in the '80's clean needles for injecting users and safer sex education for young people were made available in response to fears of HIV. Harm reduction policies are in direct opposition to prohibitionist laws.
In 1970 there were 9000 convictions or cautions for drug offences and 15% of young people had used an illegal drug. In 1995 the figures were 94 000 and 45%. Prohibition doesn't work.
okay, i'd like to see where that's from.
People trying to stop smoking will have an easier time switching to marijuana rather than stopping cold turkey. I don't suggest that people quit this way, but it would happen.
People will always drink alcohol. However, quite a few people will smoke weed instead of drinking alcohol because they prefer to get high. Drunk people are much more unpredictable and less coordinated and dangerous on and off the road. Marijuana isn't the solution, but it would dent the numbers of people who smoke tobacco and drink alcohol... which would be a good thing.
Many people already smoke tobacco and drink at the same time. If people smoke weed and drink, then they are retarded. But if they aren't driving, who am I to judge? If they do drive, they will be taken to jail for the night and fined like any DUI.
And if all these freedom loving people you think exits can't do it, then what? Are you gonna support that the government makes them illegal again? Is that what your saying? Cause. That's what it looks like your saying.
Some people won't be able to handle marijuana. If they have a problem, they can find help and their friends and family can step in to help them. If legalizing marijuana led to major problems and people can't handle the drug and go crazy, then I would want marijuana to be illegal again. I would admit to being wrong.
However, I very strongly doubt that all of the above will happen and I am very confident that legalizing marijuana would not cause problems.
I have absolutely no doubts about legalizing marijuana. There will be problems, there will be solutions. The solutions to legalizing would heavily out weigh the problems.
"He who sacrifices freedom for security deserves neither."
-Benjamin Franklin
You want numbers and facts on the subject heres a link look it up yourself and see what you think
[url=http://www.norml.com]
I know I admitted that marijuana will cause problems and the below paragraph contradicts my statement.
However, I very strongly doubt that all of the above will happen and I am very confident that legalizing marijuana would not cause problems.
Marijuana will cause problems, but the country will not fall apart, crime rates will not increase, and people will still go to work and do their job as they would any other day not smoking marijuana.
Well, there are going to be problems. I totaly know this. And there has to be better solutions so we make the best choice for everyone. Not sending people to jail for such a minor thing has to be one, but the other has to be to prevent people from being overexposed to it.
Portugal has a good idea. It's totally illegal to use marijuana but you can in your own home. If your caught with it they write you a ticket and then when you talk to the judge they try to find out how long you've been doing it, and if you have a problem. If you are busted all the time for it, then they get you into a program cause they figure you got a problem abusing it. But it's not legal. But something along those lines would be good idea I think, just some kind of barrier that looks out for the bets interests of everyone.
Well, there are going to be problems. I totaly know this. And there has to be better solutions so we make the best choice for everyone. Not sending people to jail for such a minor thing has to be one, but the other has to be to prevent people from being overexposed to it.
But what's the point in that? Being exposed doesn't mean people will do it. I've been exposed to cigarettes my whole life and I don't smoke. We are all exposed to many things. I have friends who trip acid and other drugs, doesn't mean I'm going to do them.
But that's you, and you are not them. And if you look at everyone, then some will trip acid just cause, and there friends will trip acid just cause, and then there's you, and you don't. So now you got all those people doing this bad thing, but you didn't and you think that ok? It's not. Cause there lives have a role to fill and if they can't fill that role then it affects others indirectly. Like what if they are a pizza deliverer and you call for pizza only they can't find your house cause there tripping acid. Now you starve to death just because you didn't want some barrier to prevent those people from being overexposed.
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