mh67511

The recent story about making medical marijuana illegal got me thinking, should marijuana be legalized?

I personally think it should, if only for purely economic reasons. Look at cigarettes! States collect millions and millions of dollars in taxes! People are going to smoke pot, plain and simple, so why not TAX THEM. It's the American way! So many states are in budget crisises, it could be very beneficial.

alli balli

I would say yes if it's regulated in a way similar to alcohol. Because it IS a mind-altering substance and should be treated as such.

mh67511

I agree. I think that allowing someone to smoke it in their home or in a business with a license would be fine. I don't, however, think people should be allowed to smoke it in public places or while driving.

sick little jag

I think that it should be decriminalized...but not fully legal. I think that you should only be allowed to posses a small amount and be at least 18 to smoke it. I don't think I'd be able to fathom it being sold in a store or any other business unless it's like a Hookah bar or something. Maybe you'd have to apply to grow your own or whatever.

I just don't think Marijuana is dangerous enough to warrant being illegal. Meth, Coke, Ecstacy, all those I can understand...but Alcohol, in my opinion, is much more dangerous as far as the affects it has on a person's behavior and demeanor.

In Fair Verona

TheAngel

I don't think so, but then again I'm find with alcohol not being legalized. The difference is, if I'm around someone that's drinking I have no effects from them holding a cup of beer or knocking back shots. If I'm around someone smoking pot I'm subject to a second-hand contact buzz which alters my mental state without my consent. Why should I be limited with where I can go and what I can do because someone wants to get high. In my opinion, anyone that wants to do things like that are pathetic, they're unable to get a certain sensation out of real life so they have to create that sensation artificially. Marijuana has too many negative effects and has been shown that it can lead to other drug abuse because people become accustomed to the sensation and therefore have to look for different ways to get the same high. I don't have a problem with medical marijuana that is given by a doctor in regulated amounts but I am totally against the legalization of marijuana.

LittleMilkJug

Well as normal cigarettes are legal and alcholhol is legal, and they are both potentially lethal, then why not? Take away the power of the drug barons and tax it, more money to the state

allyru

I think it should, because as you've all said Alcohol and Cigaretts are both Potentially Lethal and have pretty much the same effect so why not....

rubydh18

Yes.
Alcohol is just as, if not more, dangerous as someone else has pointed out.
Of course there will have to be major regulations and laws to ensure people don't get out hand..but yes it'd be really awesome...

mh67511

I understand that. I don't think it should be allowed in any public places, just private residences. I am glad they are starting to ban smoking in restaurants as well. As far as alcohol, it may not have a direct effect on your body, but drunk drivers cause accidents and deaths, and a lot of vandalism (especially on college campuses) are caused be drunken people.

For the record, I personally wouldn't smoke marijauna. I just think the benefits of legalizing it WITH restrictions outweigh the negatives.

No1important

It will never be decriminalized or legalized in America(Your government is too narrow minded and stuck in the dark ages). Sure some states have it decriminalized for medical reasons but they can and still get charged federally.

rubydh18

Dark ages?
Way to talk when your country (I'm assuming you're from a country in Europe) actually went through a dark age.
Why am I even arguing with you when I think the US is becoming less progressive and more puritanical?
I don't know .

WalkingOnSunshine

I don't see how you are going to limit pot to just be smoked in private residences. Personally, I don't think marjuana should be legalized, because it will just lead to more illegal drugs fighting to become legal. I don't know where you would draw the line.

For those that believe pot should be legalized - would there be an age limit like there is for smoking & drinking?

mh67511

Quite simply you just say you can't smoke it in public places and you would face a fine if you did. Of course some people will ignore it and they would face a fine --- it's not different (and frankly less harmful) then walking down the street and having a smoker blow smoke in your face, which I am pretty sure is allowed in most cities. Also, most cities I've lived in don't let you walk down the street and drink alcohol.

I highly doubt if someone is smoking outside and you happen to walk by, you'll get a contact high. My roomate last year smoked pot all the time (ALL the time) and I never once got a contact high.

Yes there would be age limit, just like with smoking and alcohol. And I don't believe in the slippery slope idea that more illegal drugs will become legal. Yes people will push for it but there IS a difference with other illegal drugs and pot -- they have been shown to be lethal. People have died from taking them. I've never once heard of someone dying from marijuana or getting cancer for that matter.

For me all it comes down to is, how can you allow cigarettes but not marijuana? Cigarettes have been shown to cause birth defects, asthma, cancer, and emphysema, plus multiple other problems. They affect your heart rate and body funtions. Yet they are perfectly legal. Marijuana on the other hand hasn't been showen to to be lethal or cause cancer. I just don't get how you can allow one but not the other. Well actually I do understand, there are probably no marijuana lobbyists in Washington.

mh67511

I don't think our government is stuck in the dark ages and hello every four years we get a new one. Someday it will likely be legalized.