Legalization of Marijuana

I think it should be because it is someone's personal decision whether or not they would like to smoke it. It is just as or less harmful as the legal drugs that we have now (tobacco, cigarettes, etc.) and despite what people say I've known many people who have smoked marijuana and never touched any other legal drug. The gateway theory is just something that is said to keep it from being legalized. In all truth a lot of people are morally against it because it is illegal and according to them it "screws up your life". Only in excess can it be harmfull. If people smoked it once in a while the effects would be minor to the point they were not distinguishable. Alcohol has ruined more lives that marijuana.
Also marijuana is natural. It is non-addicting unlike alcohol or cigarettes. I have no clear idea why it is infact illegal. Marijuana is also used in various religious rites and practices. It's not just something teenagers do to experiment.

Piccolo the Great:

druscilla; daydream.:

I don't think the health effects are serious enough for this drug to be illegal

Marijuana is extremely toxic.
It effects many, many parts of a person's life, including the ability to memorize and learn. It offers distorted perception, trouble with problem-solving, loss of motor coordination, and even an increased heart rate. And all this from short-term use.
Pot has the same amount of--or in some cases, more--harmful cancer-causing chemicals than tobacco. These chemicals also work nicely in destroying your immune system.
And yes, marijuana is an addictive drug.

Not to mention all of the emotional side-effects experienced by not only the user, but the user's family.

It most certainly should not be legalized. It's a health hazard, and we should do our best to keep each other good and healthy.

You can get pretty messed up when drunk also.
While being drunk you can loose it and hangover's are never happy either.
Also it can destroy your liver.

You have a choice whether or not you are going to drink though. So if they use it then it would be at there fault if they ruin there lives.

Marijuana is also no where near as bad as a lot of drug's where you can die instantly from the first intake. I know a lot of people who smoke [Ive known them since we were little] and I see no real big difference.

I see marijuana like alcohol and other stuff. If you abuse it, it can get too far. If you drink all the time, you'll get fucked up. If you're always high, you'll get fucked up. They both can be addicting, but moreso marijuana than alcohol, I think.

Leonore Paisley:

I see marijuana like alcohol and other stuff. If you abuse it, it can get too far. If you drink all the time, you'll get fucked up. If you're always high, you'll get fucked up. They both can be addicting, but moreso marijuana than alcohol, I think.

Psychologically addicting maybe but you can't have a metabolic dependency on marijuana.

Toro_Sex:

The Fantasy:

I definitly don't agree with it, but that's just me.
I've seen way too many people go spiraling downwards because of this drug, and it's not a pretty thing.

Yeah, a lot of people call it the gateway drug.

It is the gateway drug.

I disagree with it's legalization. It's illegal, it needs to stay that way.
True that isn't what you'd consider as dangerous as the legals alcohol and tobacco. However it isn't known as a gateway drug for nothing. Most people who smoke marijuana are tempted to try something else because like any other drug, it takes more and more to get you high the longer you do it. Someone once told me that you can only get so high off marijuana before you're just smoking it for nothing.
So what happens when you're just that high and you want more?

Most of the people I've ever known who regularly do it, have ended up getting heavily into other things like pills and worse.
All that it has ever done to me is ruin people around me. It's why I'll never use it. And part of why I'm strongly against it's legalization.

It's the exact opposite with people I know. I've never even thought to try anything else and neither has my brother, or my friends. None of which are bums who have no future. My brother has a few offers for a high-paying translating job and he's not even out of college. I keep a 3.5 unweighted gpa in school including honors and ap courses and none of my friends are failing.
I'm not saying that's the case for everybody...because I know it's not.
But i'm saying not everyone tries other things and/or LETS it ruin their lives.

furthur:

It's the exact opposite with people I know. I've never even thought to try anything else and neither has my brother, or my friends. None of which are bums who have no future. My brother has a few offers for a high-paying translating job and he's not even out of college. I keep a 3.5 unweighted gpa in school including honors and ap courses and none of my friends are failing.
I'm not saying that's the case for everybody...because I know it's not.
But i'm saying not everyone tries other things and/or LETS it ruin their lives.

I know it doesn't have the effects I described above on everybody. Like how not all people who drink are raging alcoholics.
I don't see what making it legal will change honestly except increase it's usage nationwide because it's still widely used even with being illegal. To me, making it legal not only opens the field to more people using it, but more people letting it screw with their lives. Because let's face it; not everyone can get a good grip on any kind of drug usage and it has the potential to really mess up lives.

Yes but as I said earlier, it isn't metabolically addicting.
I did think about it and I don't know if it should be legal because big business would get hold of it and do basically the same thing they have done to tabacco consumption.
I don't think it is wrong but when I thought about it, that was the conclusion I came to.
Maybe they should put a ban on public sale but not make it entirely illegal...but that wouldn't be possible unless we're living in a purely utopian society..which we're not.

You are right, big business would exploit with it much like they do tobacco. I just don't see the point in making something like that legal. That fact alone is like asking for more trouble than it already causes were it made legal.

Maybe my opinion is slightly biased because of all I've seen of it, probably. But either way, there are the ups and the downs. To both sides of the matter.
It being illegal doesn't stop people from doing it completely, far from it, but at least they can't actually legally go out and get it legitimately like alcoholics do with alcohol. Let's face it, yeah, you got your people who can just deal with doing it every now and again and keep their lives in order. But you've also got the people that it will completely own. And I would honestly hate to see this sort of thing going on legally. It just disgusts me either way, but to know the government is condoning it like with alcohol would make me sick.

I can see your point of view but I think people have the right to fuck up their own lives. I know it sounds cruel but I think it's their decision.

Well, I disagree. It not only affects their lives, but the lives of those around them.

Serena Vox:

Well, I disagree. It not only affects their lives, but the lives of those around them.

It's horribly difficult for me whenever I hear people talk about doing drugs. My brother is an ex-cocaine addict [Well, I wouldn't call him an addict, completely, but whatever] and his drug doing caused many sleepless nights for me more than anyone else in my family. It's emotional baggage that can be avoided, and just more pain to pile on already stressed out people. It really hurts to see people with potential ruin their lives with something like this, and making it legal is just immoral to me. You might say that it's their own lives to fuck up, but what if they have a family to support? Is it okay to mess with their lives? What if they expose their children to it? Is that okay? I think that's plain messed up and selfish to play with others' lives.

Serena Vox:

Well, I disagree. It not only affects their lives, but the lives of those around them.

But it's ultimately their choice. People do many legal things that affects them and the people around them in a negative way.

that's just stupid. you're like literally giving people a gun in their hands to kill themselves. erm... why would you do that? there is no USE of marijuana. no medical use, no legal use, NOTHING. so why should it be around? influencing our kids? the effects of marijuana are serious. you don't need that kind of shit around.

uhh scratch what i said up there XD i got my facts wrong *cough*

but still. i don't think it should be legalized.

*goes away*

...

I think it should be legalised.

In my opinion, cannabis is both under and overrated.
It's not the harmless drug so many people will claim, but it's not particularly dangerous, either.

I smoke it, and I will admit - there are negative effects, especially now since I'm so much more anxious than I used to be. Marijuana is known to cause panic attacks, and there is a certain paranoia involved... but, on the other hand - it can be very calming and a lovely social drug. It seems to bring out 'philosophical' conversations, or make everything absolutely hilarious. Also, it can make you more tolerant... live and let live, I love everyone, blah blah.

In women, it's also somewhat of a sexual stimulant...

However, it is a drug, and more than the paranoia etc. (sometimes to a ridiculous extent even in a reasonably mentally healthy individual), long term use can screw you over. I know a lot of potheads (who doesn't?), and while from my experience, they seem to be the calmest people going, it has screwed them over in many ways. Marijuana completely kills motivation, it aids in underachieving. And yes, it probably rots your brain. Also, there is a huge link between cannabis and psychosis, which I can see a definite correlation between judging from some experiences after smoking what is, for my body, a lot...

It is addictive, but not especially so, and no recorded deaths have ever directly resulted from an overdose. If you smoke too much, you'll feel ill, but probably fall asleep and wake up okay again.

Some people would say it's helped them, and then in others - the opposite is true. As an occasional recreational drug, I think it's totally fine (and absolutely normal, but that doesn't always make something okay)...

Honestly, I think it should be legal, and in that case - there would be less of a problem with the possibility of getting 'bad shit', and less of the irritation of having to go to your local drug dealer to get some.

And on a very personal note, I've had far more negative experiences with alcoholics than potheads.

People start with weed. Then they move to coke and then they move to E and then they move to Acid and then they move to heroine.

You do become addicted to weed and you do become dependent on it, if you didn't, people would be able to quit without going to rehab. It's also like drinking. When you first start drinking, it doesn't take much to get drunk, but the more you drink, the more and harder you need to drink. Weed is like that. It only gets you high for so long and then you need something else. So, what's next? Let's legalize coke.

Don't tell me that's not true because I just watched 50 people I'm close to and about 100 people I'm not close to fuck up their lives and it all started with weed.

^And I'm not exaggerating those numbers. I live in a small SMALL town, I know everyone.

Fentoozler:

It only gets you high for so long and then you need something else.

Not true. A person I know has been doing it for a very, very, very, very long time and has never tried another drug.