Legalize it!

[GhettoDogAllStars]

Originally Posted by Schneed10

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 think our opinions are closer than you, or I, thought. I would like to stop completely. I really just think it is a waste of money. However, I have the same opinion about alcohol. I think I just have less judgment, because I myself am a user. I don't think pot smokers are dumb because they smoke pot, but there are certainly a lot of dumb pot smokers.

I totally accept other people's opinions about smoking pot. It doesn't bother me if people think I am making a bad decision about smoking pot. I have made, and will continue to make, poor decisions throughout my life. It's mostly due to a lack of self-discipline. I don't really have a problem with the criticism. I just don't like people trying to control my life, based on their own morals/opinions. Just because another person's lifestyle does not conform to your own, does not mean it is any less valid (note: I mean 'your' in a general sense -- not you specifically).

[Schneed10]

Word.

Part of being a judgmental asshole like I can be sometimes is that if I'm going to dish it out, I have to be willing to take it. Or even more than that, I have to apply my own harsh standards to myself.

Once in college I drove home from a bar pretty drunk. Didn't get caught, and made it home fine. But I was kicking myself for that one the next day, because not only was it wreckless with my own life, I could have crashed into someone just on their way to get a midnight burrito from Taco Bell. If you're going to be judgmental with others, then you have no choice but to be your own worst critic, or you end up a pathetic hypocrite.

Of course there's a good chance someone up at 2:00 am and headed to T-Bell for a burrito is stoned, so maybe crashing into them is no big loss!

(j/k of course, thought this thread could use a little levity)

[jsarno]

Originally Posted by ArtMonkDrillz

Also, I had a roommate in college that was pretty severely bi-polar. He was prescribed many different antidepressants, but he said nothing ever worked as good as smoking pot.
I don't think it was just the pot itself that allowed him to relax. I think the whole ritual of rolling a blunt and going out and smoking it alone made him feel better. I know that probably won't make sense for someone who has never smoked and thinks that marijuana is an evil weed, but I do think there is something to it.

I can agree with that. Really, the ones that are dead set against it, generally are people that haven't tried it, or didn't have a "positive" effect when they did try it.

Someone said they had friends that were lazy after habitual use. I have only 1 friend that does it habitually and he's 32. (I do not see myself as a habitual user since I do it once a month or so at max) My friend has smoked twice a day, every day since he was a freshman in college when a very handsome and strapping young fellow introduced it to him. (me, hehe) He manages an electrical supply company and makes right around 6 figures a year. He has worked for this company for 9 years. When he thought about moving to a different company, the owner begged him to stay and upped his pay by 15k a year because of his value to his company. How many people here can match that salary / longevity within a company / and value? I can't really say it's definitive proof about a person not eing lazy after habitual use, but I think it's a pretty good indicator.
Just remember this, if you WANT to be lazy, you will be. The ONLY thing keeping you on that sofa is YOU. You can use any excuse you want, but it is you.

[4mrusmc]

If we do, we will truely become a nation of zombies. Clean living guys...

[Schneed10]

Originally Posted by 4mrusmc

If we do, we will truely become a nation of zombies. Clean living guys...

Glad to see there's at least one other person on this site who doesn't believe in rotting his brain with chemicals.

[724Skinsfan]

Originally Posted by Schneed10

Glad to see there's at least one other person on this site who doesn't believe in rotting his brain with chemicals.

Damn, Schneed! I was a major contributor to the anti-smokin' coalition and I get no recogntition?


By the by, tonight I was permitted to imbibe in a large quantity of fermented beverages with the understanding that I would have a DD. It has been a loooooong time since such an occurrence has taken place. I think I had like 3 or 4 beers.

[Redskin]

Originally Posted by Mattyk72

At the root of the issue is this, it grows out of the freaking ground. All you have to do is dry it out and smoke it. There's no process to making it, it's 100% natural. It amazes me that something that grows from the earth is deemed illegal.

Is there anything else that grows naturally that is illegal?

Shrooms, Coke, Toad, jypsy weed...........................

[Redskin]

Heres my take on it, if it is legalized it should all be private use and need to remain that way, you cant be drunk in public and you cant be high in public. Upon even the slightest hit you are no longer able to drive a car and i think that would make it ok.

On a positive note new businesses would spring up everywhere and crime may even go down a little.

Negative note is its true what they say pot is a gateway drug and could lead to more harmful substances that would make a difference in you life, try to argue its not i have friends going down that road.

Bottom line is you would have to be mature about the usage of pot.

[RMSkins]

I have never smoked marijuana in my life, but being the Libertarian that I am I do think marijuana should be legalized, because I believe it is the persons own decision on wether he should participate in such activities

[jsarno]

I'm sure you guys have seen the reports, but here is a link that smoking weed does not cause cancer in the lungs, or any other area like the throat etc.
US CA: Column: Marijuana Smoking Does Not Cause Lung Cancer

[jsarno]

Originally Posted by 4mrusmc

If we do, we will truely become a nation of zombies. Clean living guys...

Then it should be absolutely easy for someone like you to get a great job from all those zombies right?
I'd say let all the people become "zombies" if they want to, that would leave all sorts of opportunities for those that are not "zombies". So what are you afraid of?

Again, I will say, 142 IQ, MBA in Finance...non zombie. Of course I am not a habitual user so maybe I do not qualify.

I made a comment about people that are against it are people that have either never tried it, or tried it once and didn't get the desired effect. So those who are against it, have you actually tried it...or are you just spewing fear based hate for something you know nothing about?

[70Chip]

Who needs weed when this stuff is already legal:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Zb4xzsJD-0

[BigSKINBauer]

^^ I've had a few times where i could try this but i didn't really want to. The people i knew who tried it had a great time but I've heard of pretty bad experiences with salvia. Funny thing is, some of the people that have tried it never did any drug before it but did this because it was legal.

Someone showed me this site a while back. Its just a lot of experiences, good and bad, with a lot of different things. Its just important to know what you are trying before you try it.
Erowid Experience Vaults:

[jsarno]

I never even heard of that stuff. It seems like it would cause damage.

[KLHJ2]

It doesn't look like the effects last as long.