Legalize it!

Schneed, I can tell you from experience that it does in fact affect your lungs (no real surprise there). Since I have reduced the frequency with which I smoke, I have noticed a difference. There was a time when I couldn't play intense basketball for more than 10 minutes, without feeling like I was suffocating. Although, that could be related to smoking tobacco for 6 years -- even though I have been a non-smoker for about 4 years now.

That said, I still don't think it should be illegal. I think I deserve the right to do to my body as I wish. It frustrates me that other people think they have the authority to grant, or deny, me that right.

If the only adverse affects are related to inhaling the smoke, how do you feel about eating it? Many of the same benefits can be received through eating it, without many, if any, of the costs. Would you be opposed to the legalization of cannabis pills?

I guess what I'm saying is that I concede that my argument for keeping it illegal isn't all that strong. There are some objective reasons for it which I still believe strongly in keeping it illegal (and I won't rehash because I've expressed them already). But there are strong arguments in favor of legalizing it, the biggest of which is that people should be free to eff themselves up if they want to, which I actually buy into. If you want to make a bad decision regarding how to treat your body, you should be free to do so. I think the affect of legalizing will be deleterious to our youth. Us adults, we'll be just fine. But it's the kids I'd worry about with the increased accessibility to pot.

But mainly at this point, I've moved on to expressing my subjective and personal distaste for marijuana and those who smoke it. I agree that you should be free to make decisions regarding your own body (to the extent it doesn't affect others). But I also feel that if you're going to make bad decisions regarding your health, you should be prepared to deal with uppity people like me who consider you an idiot for doing so. Freedom is a two-way street; if you're free to decide to smoke pot, others should be free to look at you with derision, voice their opinions, and shake their heads in disgust.

It's hard to argue with that post Schneed.

That's the thing, the medical consensus is moving to it being harmful. Matty's stuff was from 2003. That's four years old, which is ages in the medical community.

There has been more recent research, one study concluded that pot doesn't have any long-term link to cancer (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/25/AR2006052501729.html)

Are you assuming, however, that there is a causal relationship between your friends' laziness and weed? Maybe they were lazy to start with. I too know heavy users who are outstanding employees at various jobs. I also know a few alcoholics who are jorribly lazy and mean.

I am attributing in these particular instances, they are who they are. There use of the weed is what IT is.
Yes, because of there dependance or maybe............Adoring love of it, (if you don't like the word dependance) and it's use, has had profound and lifelong negative effects. I have no idea whether they are the norm, or the exception. Fact is they are lifelong potheads who have adopted losing, and uselessness as their career path.

Note: I do not suggest anywhere that alcohol abuse is more preferred than that of Cannabis.

There has been more recent research, one study concluded that pot doesn't have any long-term link to cancer (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/25/AR2006052501729.html)

This makes sense, our lung docs here at Temple agree with this. But it still causes emphysema.

I guess what I'm saying is that I concede that my argument for keeping it illegal isn't all that strong. There are some objective reasons for it which I still believe strongly in keeping it illegal (and I won't rehash because I've expressed them already). But there are strong arguments in favor of legalizing it, the biggest of which is that people should be free to eff themselves up if they want to, which I actually buy into. If you want to make a bad decision regarding how to treat your body, you should be free to do so. I think the affect of legalizing will be deleterious to our youth. Us adults, we'll be just fine. But it's the kids I'd worry about with the increased accessibility to pot.

But mainly at this point, I've moved on to expressing my subjective and personal distaste for marijuana and those who smoke it. I agree that you should be free to make decisions regarding your own body (to the extent it doesn't affect others). But I also feel that if you're going to make bad decisions regarding your health, you should be prepared to deal with uppity people like me who consider you an idiot for doing so. Freedom is a two-way street; if you're free to decide to smoke pot, others should be free to look at you with derision, voice their opinions, and shake their heads in disgust.

I'm sure we could look at your lifestyle and find some questionable decisions in there regarding your health. Difference is I wouldn't shake my head in disgust or judge you. Your life is your own and as long as your decisions don't directly effect my life, to each his own.

I'm sure we could look at your lifestyle and find some questionable decisions in there regarding your health. Difference is I wouldn't shake my head in disgust or judge you. Your life is your own and as long as your decisions don't directly effect my life, to each his own.

If you smoke weed around me, then it affects me. I have to smell the crap and it grosses me out, and watching people do it makes me feel dumber by association.

I don't ever come in contact with you guys so I don't have a problem if you're smoking it; so you're right, I should clarify. The concept of smoking weed doesn't bother me. But doing it around me, that's when I'd drop the judgment on a pot smoker.

If you smoke weed around me, then it affects me. I have to smell the crap and it grosses me out, and watching people do it makes me feel dumber by association.

I don't ever come in contact with you guys so I don't have a problem if you're smoking it; so you're right, I should clarify. The concept of smoking weed doesn't bother me. But doing it around me, that's when I'd drop the judgment on a pot smoker.

Ok I can understand that. I don't have a problem with people who smoke cigarettes, it's their choice if they want to shorten their lives, but if someone is blowing cigarette smoke in my direct area then I have a problem with it.

I don't have a problem with people who smoke cigarettes, it's their choice if they want to shorten their lives, but if someone is blowing cigarette smoke in my direct area then I have a problem with it.

I certainly understand that. Just don't be that person who is 30 feet from a smoker and can't possibly smell the smoke, but who coughs (a la "I've got the black lung pop") to make a point.

I certainly understand that. Just don't be that person who is 30 feet from a smoker and can't possibly smell the smoke, but who coughs (a la "I've got the black lung pop") to make a point.

No, I'll just glare and shake my head in disgust. ;)

I smoked cigs for 5-6 years, I quit back in '97. Best thing I ever did.