Obviously, asking someone if weed should be legalized is like asking if they smoke weed or not. I don't smoke weed, therefore I see no reason to legalize it. And I'd bet everyone else who isn't a pot smoker would concur.
Recent polling shows the US is evenly split when it comes to the question of cannabis legalization. CBS News (May 18 2014): "Do you think that the use of marijuana should be legal, or not?" - 45% legal, 45% illegal, 11% undecided. Pew Research Center (Feb 26 2014): "Do you think the use of marijuana should be made legal, or not?" - 54% legal, 42% illegal, 3% undecided. Fox News (Feb 27 2013): "Do you favor or oppose legalizing marijuana?" - 46% favor, 49% oppose, 6% unsure. So roughly half of all Americans think it should be straight up legal. If you give them a choice between medical marijuana and legalizing it for recreational use, about 2/3rds of the support for prohibition moves to the medicinal camp: Pew Research Center (Feb 26 2014): "Which comes closer to your view about the use of marijuana by adults? It should be legal for personal use. It should be legal only for medicinal use. OR, It should not be legal." - 39% legal for personal use, 44% legal for medicinal use, 16% it should be illegal, 2% undecided. [hr][/hr] The following poll is a bit old (2007), but it demonstrates my point well and I can't find any recent polling which asks how often people use cannabis: Once every 2 months: 10.6 million Once every month: 4 million Once every week: 2.3 million Twice every week: 3.4 million Daily: 5.4 million. http://www.oas.samhsa.gov/NSDUH/2k8NSDUH/tabs/Sect7peTabs1to59.htm#Tab7.1A Pew (Feb 26 2014): "Keeping in mind that all of your answers in this survey are confidential, have you, yourself, ever happened to try marijuana?" - 47% favor, 52% oppose, 1% unsure. The conclusion? Around half the country has tried cannabis at some point in their life, but only around 25 million continue to use it. They probably tried it in college and moved on. Just as you drink a lot in college, then less so in adulthood. [hr][/hr] So I think the OP's conjecture is just flat out false on the facts. Cannabis legalization enjoys support from around half the country. If you throw in medical use, it jumps to an overwhelming super-majority. Are all these people smoking weed? Of course not, they just have no desire to imprison people for the heinous crime of gardening. http://www.pollingreport.com/drugs.htm
BS. Everyone knows that there's no such thing as a FORMER user of marijuana or a non-user who thinks it should be legal.
But that's demonstrably false - as shown by the data above. 10% of the country smokes, 45-55% support legalization. I can only show you the door, you have to walk through it. Think what you like.
I have never used any illegal drug or even smoked a cigarette and I believe it should be legal. I have never seen any attempt at prohibition being effective at stopping the use of these substances. As such I see them as a waste of money and an infringement of personal liberties. People should be allowed to do what they want to their body as long as it does not harm anyone else.
I do not concur. I have never smoked weed, but I wholeheartedly support its legalization. It's called voting on things based on reasons other than my own selfish interests. Not everyone should be forced to conform to the way I or anyone else lives. As far as the original question, it should be legal with a minimum age of 18, have a low sin tax of 5%, and also be legal for recreational use. If we want to be consistent on which substances are banned, ban alcohol and cigarettes, which are much more detrimental to human health than marijuana. However, prohibition of controlled substance has failed time and time again to be successful, and banning drugs such as this is only successful in creating a black market.
You know, it was harder'n hell getting addicted to marijuana. I tried getting addicted for months and finally succeeded. One day I had a cup of coffee and broke the habit.
I do not smoke pot, and I think it should never have been prohibited. And I'd bet any thinking person would concur. Just because I don't do something does not mean I support legislation to prevent everyone else from doing it.
I don't smoke weed, and I'm in the middle about legalization. I don't care either way. Either way, some problems are caused, and others are solved. - - - Updated - - - So you want it easier to get to than alcohol or tobacco?
Haha yeah. Everyone's different I guess. It can definitely be difficult for me to quit, I usually talk myself back into smoking after a few weeks off (and boy, what a pleasure it is after that tolerance break). I can quit for extended periods, and have numerous times, but I definitely get some symptoms. Mild insomnia, lack of appetite, anxiety, etc. I'm happiest with my use when I smoke once a week to once a fortnight. Anything in that bracket means you have no tolerance every time and still get a fairly regular smoke.
Its less harmful than tobacco, and it produces a projected 21 billion (lowest estimate) per year. What reasonable person would be against such a thing, while also promoting its double standards?
Seriously why do you make statements like this when they are so easily disproven? Here is an OP from the conservative "National Review" Unless you think that the editors of the National Review are potheads- this is what they say Regardless of whether one accepts the individual-liberty case for legalizing marijuana, the consequentialist case is convincing. That is because the history of marijuana prohibition is a catalogue of unprofitable tradeoffs: billions in enforcement costs, and hundreds of thousands of arrests each year, in a fruitless attempt to control a mostly benign drug the use of which remains widespread despite our energetic attempts at prohibition. We make a lot of criminals while preventing very little crime, and do a great deal of harm in the course of trying to prevent an activity that presents little if any harm in and of itself.[/I Here is a list of Conservatives in favor of legalizing pot- do you think they are all potheads? The following is a list I have compiled of notable conservatives who have come out in favor of ending marijuana prohibition. I think the best way to get conservatives on board for ending marijuana prohibition is to point out the many well-known conservatives that already DO advocate this position, so that the idea will not seem so crazy to them. My favorite example to use is William F. Buckley, who is probably the most famous conservative intellectual/commentator of all time. Anyways, here is the list, have fun sharing some of these with your conservative friends and family. William F. Buckley, Jr. http://article.nationalreview.com/272848/free-weeds/william-... http://article.nationalreview.com/269070/reefer-madness/will... Milton Friedman http://www.druglibrary.org/special/friedman/milton_friedman.htm Rich Lowry http://old.nationalreview.com/20aug01/lowry082001.shtml http://article.nationalreview.com/275706/the-war-on-pot/rich... Gary Johnson http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsowQ0hE9gA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vo6NbulobBA Judge Andrew Napolitano http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2GG2aM6UII http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZZH8h8p9Hk Glenn Beck http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQoCWQ2UnJo Tom Tancredo http://www.westword.com/2009-10-29/news/tom-tancredo-wants-t... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDi8UXojlMY Bob Barr http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bob-barr/federal-drug-war-reth... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPRPRmr8G4I Grover Norquist http://counterpunch.org/gardner01292006.html George Shultz http://www.drugpolicy.org/library/1989shultzwsj.cfm Ron Paul http://www.campaignforliberty.com/article.php?view=40 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwNYgfCVLXw#t=0m45s http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8ZwH8xJmME Pat Robertson http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQi7A5MW2kQ Thomas Sowell http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZbHndilYsI
That is one of the most ignorant comments I have ever read on this forum. I'm honestly baffled. - - - Updated - - - Not to mention it would significantly reduce the income of the Mexican drug cartels, who gain a huge portion of power and money via the U.S. black market.
Normally you would be right, but Drug Cartels make little to no cash on weed or poppers. They prefer to stick with their crack, coke, and opium. Regardless, it hurts small time petty gangs. Although they will continue to sell it to minors, their biggest clients. I don't care about social aspects to be honest. I'm a ruthless money bags. The billions of $ going into small businesses wallets is enough to make my mouth water.
Oh you are absolutely right that they make more money from hard drugs. It would be foolish to suggesting legalizing marijuana in the US would do away with them. The size of the effect is unclear, but it would definitely be a step in the right direction. Money or social justice or both, glad we at least agree on the policy I suppose.
before positing a response, folks should indulge themselves in the history of pot and the prohibition. Do not rely upon the movie Reefer Madness to depict anything that resembles the truth. Hearst had a major role in keeping marijuana from being legalized. Arizona had a hard time getting rid of the seasonal workers so they used possession to get rid of them. Don't smoke the stuff, RA suffers use it raw on salads. Medical corporations cannot control it so they don't want it. If you are able to grow it, you wont be buying it from them.
... that's like saying I don't ride motorcycles, therefore I see no reason for them to be legal. I don't like pot. I think wasting resources on distractions and indulgences like pot are a big reason why America stopped being the world's leading economy in 2012. And while we'll be number three around 2016. But let's face it, we legalized recreational drugs a while ago. I'm not just talking about alcohol. The number one drug problem we got right now is Vicodin and other opium analogs. I just see no reason to lock up pot users while we pass out Oxycontin and Vicodin like tic-tacs. The war on drugs is over. We surrendered a while back and no one even noticed.
Marijuana consumption makes people more dangerous on the roads than regular people, legalizing it because drunks are more dangerous is using a greater evil to justify a lesser evil.
Entirely irrelevant. Punish drivers who are high then. We're perfectly able to, we have kits that test use 6 hours prior - more than enough time, the effect lasts at most 3. [hr][/hr] This is not a reason at all to prohibit use generally. I'm able to drive high as I like under prohibition, the cops don't test for cannabis at a routine stop. One time I was pulled over for a random breath test (after having smoked 2 hours prior) - he forced me to blow a breathalyzer, but didn't swab my mouth. I went on my way. So if anything you should be campaigning for legalization.
I believe even heroin and meth should be legal, so, obviously, weed should be legal. Like alcohol i use it in social situations.
