Should Marijuana Be Legal

[Subhood]

Ok i think you are saying the government should nationalise it. again it depends on how much the government charge for it doesn't it?


look folks , its a very common fact that people want a bargain , they will buy from " a guy down the pub" if its cheaper and most of the time its cheaper because the government taxes the hell out of anything that's popular. lets take a packet of cigarettes all legal here, they are around £5. illegal packets are around half that. the same with alcohol its a lot cheaper to buy from the "bad guy" because its tax free. if the government produces cannabis and sells it for a really low price then bingo the "bad guys " have no margin in it and will not bother. otherwise nothing will change and the criminal argument doesn't stand.

I would have to agree and disagree with you.

If the government didn't sell it for a cheaper price than what it is at the current prices than they would not make money because everyone who currently buys cannabis would just continue to buy from the current dealer they might have. So in order for the government to make money they would obviously have to lower the price.

Here in the US its much harder to find a pack of bootlegged NEWPORTs than im guessing it would be by you.

Also if the government legalized it, they would then have to compete with the current growers of mendecino and humboldt who currently supply all the medical marijuana shops around the US. If they couldnt beat there prices than they would stand to make no money from legalization.

 

[kai]

I would have to agree and disagree with you.

If the government didn't sell it for a cheaper price than what it is at the current prices than they would not make money because everyone who currently buys cannabis would just continue to buy from the current dealer they might have. So in order for the government to make money they would obviously have to lower the price.

Here in the US its much harder to find a pack of bootlegged NEWPORTs than im guessing it would be by you.

Also if the government legalized it, they would then have to compete with the current growers of mendecino and humboldt who currently supply all the medical marijuana shops around the US. If they couldnt beat there prices than they would stand to make no money from legalization.

OK i dont think our two countries are comparable in this.

 

[blackout]

yes. legal.

 

[Subhood]

yes. legal.

indeed

 

[Zephyr]

indeed

Quite.

 

[blackout]

Quite.

indubitably.


More tea and... brownies?

 

[Subhood]

indubitably.


More tea and... brownies?

ha ill take two, big ones

 

[Zephyr]

Jeez, you two need to move to Seattle. Hempfest was a blast. I've never before seen a group of people hitting a bong taller than I am while police watched laughing.

Sometimes I love Western WA.

 

[Yes Man]

I just watched Reefer Madness. So, of course, I'm against such an abhorrent act.

 

[Thief]

Have you seen posts#40,41,42,and56?
Or are you just being sarcastic? Cant be sure.
And yes, Reefer Madness is an abhorrent act.

 

[Renji]

One things for sure, as a kid, i won't try using marijuana

 

[Thief]

Atta boy! Minors probably should refrain. And if the stuff is ever made legal, the law will most likely be written that way.

 

[Bismillah]

I see it as a responsible drug, or at least that's my rationale.

 

[Bismillah]

One things for sure, as a kid, i won't try using marijuana

You're missing out.

 

[Sunstone]

I see it as a responsible drug, or at least that's my rationale.

I agree. I think marijuana is much easier to manage and has fewer and milder side effects than most other drugs -- including alcohol.

 

[The Middle]

US Policy on Drugs

Driven by the Drug War, the U.S. prison population is six to ten times as high as most Western European nations. The United States is a close second only to Russia in its rate of incarceration per 100,000 people. In 2000, more than 734,000 people were arrested in this country for marijuana-related offenses alone.

The US war on drugs places great emphasis on arresting people for smoking marijuana. Since 1990, nearly 5.9 million Americans have been arrested on marijuana charges, a greater number than the entire populations of Alaska, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming combined. In 2000, state and local law enforcement arrested 734,498 people for marijuana violations. This is an increase of 800 percent since 1980, and is the highest ever recorded by the FBI.

As has been the case throughout the 1990s, the overwhelming majority of those charged with marijuana violations in 2000-- 646,042 Americans (88 %) -- were for simple possession. The remaining 12% (88,456 Americans) were for "sale/manufacture", an FBI category which includes marijuana grown for personal use or purely medical purposes. These new FBI statistics indicate that one marijuana smoker is arrested every 45 seconds in America. Taken together, the total number of marijuana arrests for 2000 far exceeded the combined number of arrests for violent crimes, including murder, manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery and aggravated assault.

Like most Americans, people who smoke marijuana also pay taxes, love and support their families, and work hard to make a better life for their children. Suddenly they are arrested, jailed and treated like criminals solely because of their recreational drug of choice. State agencies frequently step in and declare children of marijuana smokers to be "in danger", and many children are placed into foster homes as a result. This causes enormous pain, suffering and financial hardship for millions of American families. It also engenders distrust and disrespect for the law and for the criminal justice system overall. Responsible marijuana smokers present no threat or danger to America or its children, and there is no reason to treat them as criminals, or to take their children away. As a society we need to find ways to discourage personal conduct of all kinds that is abusive or harmful to others. Responsible marijuana smokers are not the problem and it is time to stop arresting them.

Once all the facts are known, it becomes clear that America's marijuana laws need reform. This issue must be openly debated using only the facts. Groundless claims, meaningless statistics, and exaggerated scare stories that have been peddled by politicians and prohibitionists for the last 60 years must be rejected.


ANNUAL AMERICAN DEATHS CAUSED BY DRUGS

TOBACCO ........................ 400,000
ALCOHOL ........................ 100,000
ALL LEGAL DRUGS .............20,000
ALL ILLEGAL DRUGS ..........15,000
CAFFEINE .........................2,000
ASPIRIN ...........................500
MARIJUANA ...................... 0
----------------------------------------
Source: United States government...
National Institute on Drug Abuse,
Bureau of Mortality Statistics

I don't think that marijuana should be criminalized. However, I don't think that it should be legalized. Although not as harmful as nicotine or as addictive as alcohol or as harmful or addictive as cocaine or heroin, it is nevertheless a somewhat harmful and possibly addictive drug used mostly for recreational purposes, and as such, ought not to be approved by the FDA.

 

[Poisonshady313]

I don't think that marijuana should be criminalized. However, I don't think that it should be legalized.

I hope you'll pardon me for saying so, but that seems like a wishy washy sentiment.

You're basically saying you want the law against it to remain on the books, but without any teeth.

Although not as harmful as nicotine or as addictive as alcohol or as harmful or addictive as cocaine or heroin, it is nevertheless a somewhat harmful and possibly addictive drug used mostly for recreational purposes, and as such, ought not to be approved by the FDA.

Cigarettes are used mostly for... well, no purpose at all. I wouldn't even call it recreational, yet it's significantly more dangerous than marijuana.

At least one can enjoy marijuana. Most cigarette smokers I know want to quit, and have tried repeatedly to do so.

And alcoholic beverages... you're going to tell me it's usage isn't mostly for recreational purposes?

 

[shortfade2]

well, the majority of people drink beer, but are not alchoholics. I think that they should make it illegal to sell people enough alchohol to get drunk when at a bar, or bars should provide a method of transportation for drunk people to get home. That way less innocent people die by idiot drivers crashing into them...idunnu. If you legalize marijuana then who knows? It could lead to crack/cocaine being legalized..which could lead to all recreational drugs...idunnu. I dont see any cons really. Laws only affect the lawful. i mean teens take hits on marijuana/weed/street weed all of the time. It doesnt really matter. people use them anyways.

 

[Vile Atheist]

Legalize it. I wouldn't use it personally, but it makes no sense to make cigarettes and alcohol and non-prescription pharmaceuticals legal when they are a lot more dangerous than marijuana.

 

[The Middle]

I hope you'll pardon me for saying so, but that seems like a wishy washy sentiment.

You're basically saying you want the law against it to remain on the books, but without any teeth.

Cigarettes are used mostly for... well, no purpose at all. I wouldn't even call it recreational, yet it's significantly more dangerous than marijuana.

At least one can enjoy marijuana. Most cigarette smokers I know want to quit, and have tried repeatedly to do so.

And alcoholic beverages... you're going to tell me it's usage isn't mostly for recreational purposes?

I don't think that people who use marijuana should be thrown in jail. I also don't believe that it should be sold in stores. Where's the contradiction here? You know, there are other types of laws out there besides criminal law. And as for the qualities of marijuana, I SPECIFICALLY ADMITTED that it's not as dangerous as cigarettes and you come back with cigarettes are more dangerous than marijuana. I also said that marijuana is mostly for recreational purposes which is NOT to say that every substance used for recreational purposes should be banned but rather that it mostly being used for recreational rather than medicinal purposes is one additional factor (besides it being somewhat dangerous and possibly addictive) against its legalization.