Legalize it!

Schneed10

Silly argument, not quite applicable. Sometimes it's actually safer to go 70-75 in a 65 because the traffic is flowing at that speed.

You go 65 when everyone else is going 75, you've got a problem with speed differential and ability to react to those around you.

Yes I've broken the speed limit, gotten a speeding ticket for going 80 mph in a 55. I'm not perfect, so I hope I don't come across as high and mighty as your post seems to suggest. But would I go 80 in a 55 with my daughter in the car? Hell no. Never have, never would.

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GhettoDogAllStars

Excellent post. I couldn't agree more.

The slippery slope argument is really old. It's a form of fallacious reasoning, and nobody should get away with using it to support an argument.

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GhettoDogAllStars

I posed that question because it forces you to look at the gray area surrounding the law. Moral conscience is not derived from law.

I expected you to answer the way you did. I just thought this statement was a little too absolute:
"You'd be irresponsible and a disappointment as a parent if you condoned anything illegal."

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Beemnseven

I don't buy that premise. Marijuana isn't hard to grow (there's a reason it's called "weed") -- most people use hydroponic lamps and aren't reliant on climate factors.

Once it is legalized, why bother to buy an imported product when you can grow it just as easily in your garage?

RobH4413

1) I agree with that 100%, that wasn't my point.

2) I really disagree with that assessment. Marijuana is conductive to growing in South America now because DEA agents aren't flying helicopters over fields destroying the crops. Marijuana grown using hydroponics would also negate any climate factors. If it were to become legalized, then there would be no problem providing more than an adequate supply.

You don't think, with the decline in cigarette smoking, that tobacco farmers around the country wouldn't jump out of there pants at the opportunity to grow more crops? I think the economic implications would most likely be beneficial.

3) You're absolutely right, I cannot argue with this here.

My only defense is that introducing something legally, will most likely lower the taboo associated with it, and thus decrease the demand to pursue it.
Also, you eliminate the possibility of accidentally consuming "laced" marijuana. It would be coming from a controlled environment and thus wouldn't pose as many risks.

Generally speaking, across the board those that want to score pot will do so. It's also safe to assume that those trafficking marijuana probably have an increased chance of being convicted of other crimes, including violent ones. You eliminate the potentially risky middle man, and the overall safety of the young (and usually stupid) population is increased. Sounds like a lot of random arguing, but the logistics are there.

4) Yes this is true, but marijuana would be about as high on that list of destructive substances as caffeine. I don't see much of a deleterious affect on society, other that the over-consumption of snack foods.

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itvnetop

I truly believe pot will be legalized in this country within the next 25 years. The baby boomers are soon leaving power and the younger generation, across party lines, have a much more libertarian view on marijuana.

If tobacco is legal, there's no reason pot should be prohibited. Weed won't give you lung cancer. And contrary to tv commercials, the majority of pot smokers won't run over little girls on tricycles leaving a drive thru.

If pot is taxed like cigarettes, there is much money to be made for both government and R&D.

Beemnseven

There are already devices that can detect if someone has consumed more than the legal limit of alcohol for driving. I think it's reasonable to assume that the same type of technology would be available in a relatively short manner. Once legalized, there will be many, many entrepreneurs and companies scrambling to come up with the patent for it.


This gets back to parental responsibilities. Are the kids who are deterred by trying to acquire it really worried about being busted, or dare I say that some kids understand the dangers, and stay away based on their own well being? We will always have the problem of keeping kids away from drugs, tobacco, and alcohol regardless of the substances' legal status. The real difference will be the removal of the criminal stigma attached to marijuana. Once it is common and easily attainable, you'd be surprised what can happen to its mystique.


So we should criminalize any activity that leads to an increase in the cost of healthcare? Would you agree that people with larger families can also affect the overall cost of medical coverage? A family of three for instance, wouldn't contribute as much to a rise in healthcare as would a family of five right? So would you propose legislation regulating how many children a couple can have?

RobH4413

I don't think legalizing something that improves the quality of living (when used in moderation of course) is a bad message.

Why not make it illegal to get consume excess alcohol? I know it wouldn't be very popular, but it makes perfect sense to put a cap as to what your BAC can be?

I'm just curious, why do we have the right to get wasted? Why is considering legislation here not retro-active?
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The reason is because we as Americans enjoy drinking. There is a reason the only amendment overturned EVER is prohibition. We as Americans enjoy civil liberties that let us make decisions. That's what being "free" is all about. The problem is where to draw the line, and where to take destructive decisions away from society.

Ultimately, I really find it hard to believe that legalizing something like marijuana is that destructive. There is no reason that it should be illegal (pending a substance/driving policy), and quite frankly I think it's going to happen. When we as a country find something we like, we're going to get it.

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Mattyk

You're right, weed will grow just about anywhere and in almost any moderate climate.

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Mattyk

Something tells me you probably don't have much experience with drugs, not that it's a bad thing mind you.

But some of your thoughts here are ridiculous and sound like some sort of anti-drug propaganda. Dealers don't waste drugs on lacing weed. Weed is so potent nowadays it doesn't need anything added to it. Dealers don't push either, they have plenty of customers and business as it is. Drugs sell themselves.

And on a side note, you probably come in contact on a daily basis with plenty of people you would have no idea smoke weed and are highly functional and successful people.

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Mattyk

The only thing is as we get older we tend to become more conservative. The same people who were wasted all through college are going to have a much different view of things when they are parents.

I think there's room for it to become much more decriminalized and maybe legal for medicinal use, but I doubt it will ever be legal for recreational use.

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RobH4413

This is true, but lots of time mold can grow on pot, and that can have ill effects on your health.

Also, I've known locals in D.C. to lace marijuana with PCP. It's relatively inexpensive to do... and happens. (My roommate freshman year experienced this phenomenon... hence the reason you don't buy from locals)

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itvnetop

This is a good point... I also think the more taboo something is in the US, the more kids are going to try it (and maybe even abuse it). In Canada, it's pretty much legal in Ontario to possess a certain amount. In Europe, the drinking age is a bit lower and the older people know how to party responsibly. Yet in the States, we're all gung-ho about "DARE" and stupid anti-drug campaigns that don't aim at truth... fact- Marijuana does not get a girl pregnant. fact- alcohol does not make you shoot your friend in the face.

How about we start changing the dynamic in which we teach our kids the truth about such. You teach them at an early age the effects that weed and alcohol and tobacco have on your mental, physical and chemical state. You also teach them the concept of moderation before reaching an acceptable age of consumption. At the very least, you let them know if they ever decide to try something they're not mentally and physically ready for (in other words, give in to natural teenage curiosity), they're not afraid of calling you if they need help in dangerous situations.

Enough with the Rachel Leigh Cook "watch me destroy my kitchen" anti-drug commercials. What the hell does it teach our kids if we pull the wools over their eyes with such nonsensical allegory? There is a mature way to handle the topic of recreational substances and I think the current political stance only reinforces fallible education. Look at our teen dropout, pregnancy and incarceration statistics... are we looking at better times with the continued mentality of "Just Say No?"