Do YOU think they should legalize MJ??

[dupont7]

(MJ = Mary Jane = Marijuana, I did that because I seen all of the commotion when .Org had the leaf skin on 4/20 so I didn't want to get into trouble or whatever)

Anyway now that that's out of the way I can get onto the topic.

Recently I have been seeing a lot of commercials (I spent about half an hour looking for them but I couldn't find them, only a bunch of spoofs on youtube) about how a lot of dumb shit happens if you smoke weed that is completely (I'm going to steal chimmy's word here) ridonkulous. There are all these commercials about how people do these stupid things that never really happen (example - I just seen this commercial where these group of guys were in a car at some drive-thru and hit a little girl on her bike). What really upsets me about these commercials are the fact that none, let me repeat that, none of them are based on actual real life happenings.

Now I've done a little research just so I don't walk into this crying how I think it should be legalized because I don't think it could do any harm. Fact is there is still no official proof that Marijuana can cause anything life threatening to you. They do say, however, that smoking one blunt/joint is equivalent to smoking around 20 cigarettes, but I read that they still don't give you lung cancer. They said "researchers postulated that the THC present may have a "protective effect" by causing aging cells to die before they become cancerous".

Now lets go to the the biggest (at least I think it's the biggest) thing that marijuana is and will always be compared to. Cigarettes.

Cigarettes - "Cigarettes are proven to be highly addictive, as well as a cause of multiple types of cancer, heart disease, respiratory disease, circulatory disease, birth defects (which include mental and physical disability) and emphysema." (quoted from wikipedia) Cigarettes cause all of these types of health issues and are still legal and even worse you can get them for as low as around 4$ a pack (given you are 18 and older). Yeah that makes sense.

Now I have to be honest I'm probably, no, most likely being bias because I myself am a pot smoker and think that it's completely ridiculous that cigarettes cause a greater health problem and given that you are the right age (but in a lot of cases all a 12 year old kid needs is to know someone 18+ who will be willing to buy them a pack) you could go back a pack of 20 ciggs for as little as 4$. So I would really like to hear the views of both leaf smokers and non.

All in all I think it should be legalized (and personally I think cigarettes should be illegal) given the proper restriction of an age limit (even though like cigarettes that is easy to get around), what do you think?

Discuss....

Spoiler: What really happens when you smoke marijuana

http://youtube.com/watch?v=WB0zBXL2PkA

cigs are 4 bucks? here in canada its like 12 bucks for a pack

 

[Samboy]

Depends how big the packs are, etc. Pack of 25's over here is approx $12 AUD(round about $6 US) so yeah. It really depends on the quality, where they were made and important stuff like that.

 

[FlippyD]

and moog it was a reply to coe's reply about how the government should not have any say in us harming ourselves.
My reply was that if the government let us do what we want and harm ourselves in which ever way we please the country would go down hill, as no-one would be fit enough to work etc.

I think humanity has a pretty good track record of trying not to kill itself. Nature has a way of not wanting to die, and if someone is killed because of substance abuse you have to wonder if they were helping our society, or bringing the rest of us down. I doubt Einstein or Tesla would've willingly shoved rusty needles in their arms if given the choice. And, at the end of the day we can chalk it all up to "survival of the fittest."

Besides, would such people, ones so uncaring of their own health that they'd kill themselves over it, really follow rules NOT to use the substance in question?

My stance: Legalize MJ and prostitution. Thank you, good night! \m/

 

[zornsthorne]

yes fair point but you cannot say people who commit substance abuse or harming themselves are not helping the world as it is a very bland statement,

first off just to proove you wrong i shall make names and quotes and how they died and how they are now legendary figures in todays society.

Jimi Hendrix (revelutionised rock, Drug over dose)
Bob Marley (rock and reggae legend, Died from melanoma ultimately cause by the drugs he did while having a career)
Van Gough (Legendary Painter, Cut off an ear to Proove a point to his lover)
Heath Ledger (Commited and revolutionary actor(revolutionary as he put soo much effort in creating the persona of the joker and broke back mountain, Died from an over dose of sleeping pills after becoming an insomniac after filming the dark knight)
Edgar allan Poe (Horror writer, Died of Drug Overdose)
Elvis (Do need to say more?)

This is just to proove that people that may be smart can still have moments of weakness or have a *hobbie* that may seem reckless or disregarding of their life to some people but not them because they have different views about their life than your do of yours.

And secondly yes they will disregards the fact that they will more than likely not follow laws but...
another reason they put laws in place is to stop impressionable teenagers doing what they see their idols do on tv and plus there is enough trouble with smoking teenagers and alcahol abuse in teenagers to legalise mj.

Oh and to another point yes many countries have legalised this stuff and have lesser violence and drug and alcohol abuse but remember they have had it for decades but because england has got a chav and gangster  society it would just make things far far worse.

 

[skirtboy]

Please not that Heath Ledger did not possess any drugs not leagally prescribed, and that early reports put a large part of the blame for his death on ineractions between drugs that should not be combined, but were precribed by two different doctors who did not know he had the other drug, at least accoriding to the last few news reports i saw.

 

[Hugbees]

personally, I have an argument for and against both positions.

FOR:  If we legalize pot, there would be two benefits.  For one, governments could better regulate the product that would be sold (i.e. check for lacing, control cartel influence, etc.).  Second, it would help lower the amount (albeit in a fairly small way) of drug dealer related violence in inner cities and other areas.  Obviously, this argument could be used for all illegal drugs as well.

AGAINST:  I have a problem with releasing another mind-altering drug into the public domain specifically because of one word - DRIVING.  We already know that drunk driving is a huge problem and one of the worst killers of teenagers.  By releasing pot into the public domain in a legal way, people could theoretically smoke, then drive under the influence of the drug.  I don't care what you may believe about being high off of pot, but to argue that it has no effect on your driving abilities would be ignorant.

Thus, in the end, I lean towards the "against" side...  I don't know, what do you guys think?

 

[Fayte]

AGAINST:  I have a problem with releasing another mind-altering drug into the public domain specifically because of one word - DRIVING.  We already know that drunk driving is a huge problem and one of the worst killers of teenagers.  By releasing pot into the public domain in a legal way, people could theoretically smoke, then drive under the influence of the drug.  I don't care what you may believe about being high off of pot, but to argue that it has no effect on your driving abilities would be ignorant.

I've actually done this (recently I might add (I also wasn't the driver)) and there was no problem getting from point A to point B. That doesn't mean that something bad couldn't have happened though, but I like liquor I think the obvious thing to do would be to make it illegal to smoke it and drive.

 

[Hugbees]

AGAINST:  I have a problem with releasing another mind-altering drug into the public domain specifically because of one word - DRIVING.  We already know that drunk driving is a huge problem and one of the worst killers of teenagers.  By releasing pot into the public domain in a legal way, people could theoretically smoke, then drive under the influence of the drug.  I don't care what you may believe about being high off of pot, but to argue that it has no effect on your driving abilities would be ignorant.

I've actually done this (recently I might add (I also wasn't the driver)) and there was no problem getting from point A to point B. That doesn't mean that something bad couldn't have happened though, but I like liquor I think the obvious thing to do would be to make it illegal to smoke it and drive.

right, but my argument is that just like there are violaters of the drunk driving law, there would be violators of the high driving law.  And you're right - people drive high now fairly often.  But by legalizing it, it would become more prevalent, and in the end could increase the number of high drivers (and possibly increase the number of related accidents as well)

 

[FlippyD]

yes fair point but you cannot say people who commit substance abuse or harming themselves are not helping the world as it is a very bland statement,

first off just to proove you wrong i shall make names and quotes and how they died and how they are now legendary figures in todays society.

Jimi Hendrix (revelutionised rock, Drug over dose)
Bob Marley (rock and reggae legend, Died from melanoma ultimately cause by the drugs he did while having a career)
Van Gough (Legendary Painter, Cut off an ear to Proove a point to his lover)
Heath Ledger (Commited and revolutionary actor(revolutionary as he put soo much effort in creating the persona of the joker and broke back mountain, Died from an over dose of sleeping pills after becoming an insomniac after filming the dark knight)
Edgar allan Poe (Horror writer, Died of Drug Overdose)
Elvis (Do need to say more?)

This is just to proove that people that may be smart can still have moments of weakness or have a *hobbie* that may seem reckless or disregarding of their life to some people but not them because they have different views about their life than your do of yours.

And secondly yes they will disregards the fact that they will more than likely not follow laws but...
another reason they put laws in place is to stop impressionable teenagers doing what they see their idols do on tv and plus there is enough trouble with smoking teenagers and alcahol abuse in teenagers to legalise mj.

Oh and to another point yes many countries have legalised this stuff and have lesser violence and drug and alcohol abuse but remember they have had it for decades but because england has got a chav and gangster  society it would just make things far far worse.

Just to prove you wrong:

1.) None of those creators died because of Marijuana.
2.) Jimmi Hendrix' death has never been uncovered due to lack of conclusive evidence, however the events leading to his death have lead us to believe it was suicide (and, like Heath Ledger, Hendrix did not die from illegal substances, but a mixture of sleeping pills and red wine, which could have been suicide or accident related.)
3.) Bob Marley's melanoma is NOT caused by drugs, rather it's a common skin cancer among people of african descent caused primarily by exposure to harmful UV rays. The cancer first appeared on marley near his foot by a football incident. The doctors prescribed amputating the foot to stop the cancer, but this went against Marley's belief of the body as a "whole." As a result the cancer became malignant and he died from it.
4.) Van Gogh never did drugs, however he did kill himself.
5.) Heath Ledger didn't die because of illegal substance abuse. He died from accidental overdose similar to Jimmi Hendrix.
6.) The cause of Edgar Allen Poe's death is UNKNOWN, the rumors that he died because of drug abuse were fabricated by his rival Rufus Griswold under the pseudonym "Ludwig." These claims have been proven false for a century and a half.
7.) Presley also died of prescription pain-killer medication, about fourteen to be exact. This is speculated to be caused by his increasing depression over his declining performance and overweight figure. Thus, Elvis' death could have most likely been suicidal in origin.

I understand your point, but your evidence is nothing more than a perilous house of cards held together with rumor and hearsay. And while it is true drugs assisted in killing off some of the people on your list, more often than not it was towards suicidal ends due to deep psychological trauma. If drugs had not been present they might have well went the way of Kurt Cobain.

Further, I move to suggest that had marijuana been present the calming and mellowing factor of the substance might have calmed most of these artists down, to the point where they find hope in life and continued to live.

(As a side-note, and at the risk of sounding like missingno or something: Heath Ledger's death is the best thing that happened to that Batman movie.)

 

[Sic Semper Tyranosaurus]

I know that MJ has arguably done some terrible things in his lifetime, but I don't think that legislation would be necessary in order for him to exist legally.

Yes, this thread is so asinine that I've decided to just post as if I misunderstood the title and didn't read it.

Oh, just one serious reply couldn't hurt.

Bob Marley (rock and reggae legend, Died from melanoma ultimately cause by the drugs he did while having a career)

AAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAAA

 

[Fayte]

Well if you believe it's asinine all power to you, but I really think it's retarded that the government legalizes two things that are technically more harmful then something that they have made illegal.

 

[Sic Semper Tyranosaurus]

Well if you believe it's asinine all power to you, but I really think it's retarded that the government legalizes two things that are technically more harmful then something that they have made illegal.

As do I, but you have to admit that people like the guy who thinks melanoma is caused by pot have seriously fagged up your poor thread.

 

[Scorpius]

If it's legal more people will try it out. Sure, hear me talkin' 'bout that, but yeah, legalizing is just asking for addicts and eventual consequences.

And what's the eventful consequences? Nothing. And addicts? What's a addict to Marijuana because there are none as far as I know. I haven't smoke weed in like a year no problem. It's really no big deal. Now since we're talking about cannabis, anyone know it's cousin that's been legalized? It's Salvia! (crazy shit it makes you see stuff) And they legalized it because it only lasts 5-15 and you can't really do anything because you're to dazed out so if you try to drive you wont be able too... lol.

 

[Button]

I read an interesting study in where scientist got mice gave them some herion and some sugar to see which one they would consume the most. Guess what the mice preffered? Sugar.

They then got the mice addicted to herion then gave them the choice of herion or sugar. And guess what the mice chose this time.....sugar.

Sugar is the most addictive substance in the world but is still "legal"

 

[___]

Guys seriously do we have to have the cannabis thread once every two months? At least the vegetarianism thread takes a three or four month breather before firing up a new one.
Even if I was all for telling people what to do in the privacy of their homes (I'm not) I would still vote to legalize the stuff just so I didn't have to moderate any more of these damn threads.

Let me put this a different way: regardless you're a pot-smoking troll and you're curious to see the kind of nonsense self-righteous assholes can churn out about your habit, or you're a self-righteous asshole who learned everything he ever needed to know about drug use from the DARE program in 5th grade, your solution is simple: use the search feature. You will find anything you can possibly think of to say on the subject has already been said here in the Symposium by some other asshole.

Good day, sirs.