Legalizing marijuana

I'm not a cop , but strongly suspect that very few , if any , people go to jail for simple weed possession. Legalize it , it becomes far too easy for the young and stupid to abuse it . It may not be a gateway drug in most cases , but if 5 % of users become hooked on heroin , that's still far to high a social cost .

Bob

Note that prop 64 for legalization in California is supported by the California Medical Association and many drug rehab organizations. They see the 'Social Cost' of the War on Drugs is that we've turned our neighbors into criminals because of what they choose to put in their own bodies. Drug abuse should be treated as a public health issue.....not a criminal justice issue. Marijuana should be legal. Individuals should decide for themselves. And the majority now favors legalization. And we still live in a democracy.

The next thing that is already in the research pipeline is LSD for certain psychiatric diagnoses. It is being tried (in medical form) in some subjects on a very limited basis. Some outcomes have shown benefit. But it would be irresponsible to think of throwing LSD out there for recreational consumption.

I also subscribe to the "gateway drug" of thought for MJ, and it has nothing to do with me being on the left or the right of politics. Hell, I hate to see teenagers smoking cigarettes. I know of the damage it does (almost without exception) and that it is perhaps the most addictive of all. Some people can drink alcohol without consequences. Others will be a slave to the first drink after 30 years of sobriety. Same with MJ.

So, do we want, or expect, the Fed or the AMA or the CDC or any regulatory body to protect us from harm from any/every toxic substance? Who dropped the ball on baby powder? Who dropped the ball on asbestos? Well, those two things have legitimate purposes. Ethical dilemmas: Does the benefit outweigh the harm?

Perhaps they could pass a Law similar to The Obama's Health Insurance Program [OHIP aka Obamacare]; make it mandatory for everyone to purchase marijuana or be penalized with a fine. The fines would be used to subsidize the growers.

Yay, but only if we legalize coke too.

I'm in the camp of legalizing pot, I think alcohol is much, much more dangerous drug than pot ever could be. People reading stories of people who smoke pot and go postal is absurd, there's some mental issue going on there, not pot. I used to smoke like a chimney in jr high/high school then just outgrew it I guess. I still would smoke some socially in college, but not often. Same with many of my friends, but some still smoke to this day. I've been to partys where some of the execs and the bossman himself smoked a little on occasion. One of my best frtiends takes a few pulls throughout the day and he's a master carpenter who produces phenomenal work. My neighbor was a stay at home dad, got buzzed throughout the day and has great active kids who skate on the ramp, trampoline, gymnastics (he's a gymnastic teacher) and a multitude of activities.

I've also known some complete losers who smoke all day and don't do a damn thing. It all depends on the person, not the drug, well these two anyway. Some people handle their booze just fine, others have big problems that influences their lives.

The absolute two most addictive drugs to me, far and away, are tobacco and coke. Nicotine is an actual physical dependence drug, and with coke, there's only one word when you run out.....MOREEEE....

BTW carpenter friend recently took a job where they drug test, so he quit. Missed it some but no big deal.

Why does your friend find it necessary to be "buzzed " thruout the day ? As a stay at home dad , it seems that he would need all of his faculties 100 % intact to do a proper job of raising his children . Doesn't the experience of watching his children grow up provide him enough joy ? Why cloud this experience with a distorted view of reality ? Bob

I think this is where the distortion of reality and preconceived notions lie. Many people automatically think lazy, air headed zombie stoner when they hear of someone who smokes when it's usually the furtherest thing from the truth. I'm not here to defend my neighbor or anyone else, what others do is their business, not for me (or you) to judge. If there was the slightest inkling of any harm to his kids, I would've said something tho. In my eyes he was a better, more hands on parent than most I've met.

I was talking from experience, pretty extensive experience actually, more than I really care to admit but when people start talking about things like they've been there, gimme a break. Some one who smoked pot once or twice or "knows some stoners",or whatever, doesn't really know what they're talking about.

I'll never forget the first time my mom actually caught me stoned, my friend and I came home, eyes blazing red and giggling and she sat us down for "the talk" about how dangerous pot was. She traveled to many bridge tournaments and there was pot smoking in some of the rooms, she knew all about it. When her speech started out with how it decreased your appetite, we lost it. She only spoke from further ignorance from there, I'll never forget it and still tease her to this day (a little, not much ). I think that was 8th or 9th grade.

As i said earlier, it's the person way more than it is the drug.

Well, here is another thought...wrinkle...whatever, if anyone is still reading this thread:

As long as weed (excluding medical pill form MJ) is illegal, users can go onto coke and meth and their minds can shrivel up and rot and lawyers can't make a dime off it.

Once weed is legalized, attorneys can make a fortune as plaintiffs for those who go insane, kill somebody else, etc.

Send your sons and daughters to law school, people. There's a whole new field fjust ripe for class actions!

Actually, I don't care one way or another. Twice I tried weed at two separate parties back in my 30s. Both times it made me resent/hate everyone in the room including myself. I knew it was happening, told my husband "get me outta here". God's grace, I suppose that it didn't make me relaxed and happy and hungry for munchies and all that. No more weed for me, but good for all y'all that get the good from it.

Honestly, I don't care for it for it. I don't object to others using it, but once people get to be a certain age, being a pot head or stoner becomes an exercise in self-parody.