Grammar Manners Group: $outh $ide Hoodz
Joined: May 24, 2005
Well the fact that it does not harm people around you like cigarettes, yes it should. Having it legalized would put a damper on drug cartels and ease up on the judicial system. It's also beneficial to medical patients and great for recreational users
Hemp oil and fibers can do many great things, anyone who tells you no is a liar. They sell hemp paper at the local art store and it is like paper except more durable, kind of like cardboard
This post has been edited by Mr.Mister on Tuesday, May 17 2011, 04:59
the only people for me are the mad ones Group: The Connection
Joined: Mar 23, 2009
Despite not being American or living in the US, allow me to answer:
Yes. The fact that cannabis is illegal is against nature and against common sense - it's not addictive, it doesn't harm you and if you got even a very tiny ability to control yourself, it's not a gateway drug. Personally, I don't understand most of the facts that the anti-cannabis advocates fall back on, despite for one - for me personally, marijuana is not a gateway drug, but for weaker people it may be. However, come to think of it, why is that? It's not like weed tells you to sniff coke or do H, nah, but instead, the illegality of marijuana equals to other "harder" drugs commonly being around cannabis, stoners and the people who illegally distribute it, however, if you could walk into a store and cop weed out of a jar, the possibilities of the gateway theories could likely be minimized.
sonnez puis poussez Group: Leone Family Mafia
Joined: Sep 12, 2010
QUOTE (gtafreak102 @ May 17 2011, 00:33)
As the topic states, should marijuana be legalised?
Of course it should be legalized.
From an American point of view, the war on drugs is a f*cking joke. We should all know how well prohibition turned out in the 1920s, and a lot of parallels can be made between the criminalization of alcohol then and cannabis now. By outlawing it, money is being funneled into a futile fight to stop it, which it can't, and the byproduct is more dangerous conditions for its production, distribution, etc. Essentially, the American government is shooting itself in the foot by pouring money into a hopeless cause when instead it could be raking it in and contributing to the deficit, and y'know, maybe saving a lot of working class people their jobs and livelihoods by not having to lay them off instead.
Short and simple: legalize it and tax it. Marijuana sales in the US are massive, and if the government were to see even just 50% of its annual profit (and not to mention, all the money that would be saved from not fighting it in the first place), then they could use it to pave roads, build schools, pay teachers more, invest in alternative energy/technology, etc.. the benefits would be seemingly endless.
The laws against marijuana are downright scandalous and hypocritical. Teenagers grow up being taught that cannabis is a drug, and therefore bad Yet they can flick on the television and see advertisements of people drinking alcohol with the message that [I]alcohol is cool. Drink it![I] but meanwhile can't smoke a joint in the privacy of their own home without risking an arrest.
Things are changing for the better in the USA but only slowly. More states are getting their acts together and at least allowing for medical application and dispensaries to operate. Polls have also been showing a growing trend in the public's support for its legalization.
I'm personally disappointed in Obama for not having taken action on matters of marijuana legalization already. I'd expect a person with his power and sense of logic to do the right thing, which only suggests he's opting to not take action for the sake of electioneering, which is pisses me off even more.
Marijuana can have effects such as: -Poor memory (same with alcohol) -Lung cancer (same as cigarettes if you smoke it) -Throat cancer (dame as cigarettes if you smoke it)
A big thing is that it can trigger brain disorders such as Schizophrenia if it is there in your brain.
But that should be the individuals choice, with alcohol if there is liver cancer in your family its best if you lay off the alcohol, i don't see how marijuana is any worse than those two (alcohol and ciggies), in Holland they legalized it and marijuana use has not really increased.
I understand why crack, and heroin and speed are illegal, but marijuana is not so bad.
P.S it bugs me how people say there are absolutely no side effects, that is ignorance. It would be like me saying alcohol has no side effects whatsoever, the facts are there, its just facts about marijuana are distorted by more often than not users.
This post has been edited by finn4life on Tuesday, May 17 2011, 08:06
Anyways it should but there should be certain restrictions, like: [LIST] •You cannot smoke Marijuana in public places.
This seems to be the prevailing view. Can someone who feels this way please tell me why you can't just f*ck off out of my life and let me do whatever I want to my own body? Why can't I smoke it in public, like say, at a park or just walking down the street?
QUOTE
It has to have a tax.
Why should we have to pay artificially high prices for our weed? What gives you the right to demand more money from a certain group just because you don't like them? The idea with taxes on alcohol and cigarettes is that they offset the costs of use and abuse - what costs does weed have for society that a tax would offset?
It really annoys me that people formulate and vocalise opinions that they haven't thought about at all. Clearly you have never thought at length about legalising weed, so why did you feel the need to post in this topic at all?
QUOTE
Prostitution? No way. The reason why is because there would be too much exploitation of women and stuff. Women would be kidnapped or a abused or sold (more frequently, but that's another matter to discuss). It would result in chaos and I just think it's a definite no in my opinion. I know that what you choose to do with your body is your business, but there are limits to it (I believe).
So there have been increases in human trafficking and mistreatment of prostitutes in places where it's been legalised, for example, where I live: New South Wales? Oh wait, no, the exact opposite has happened! This is what a brothel down here looks like:
sonnez puis poussez Group: Leone Family Mafia
Joined: Sep 12, 2010
QUOTE (Melchior @ May 17 2011, 08:31)
QUOTE
It has to have a tax.
Why should we have to pay artificially high prices for our weed? What gives you the right to demand more money from a certain group just because you don't like them? The idea with taxes on alcohol and cigarettes is that they offset the costs of use and abuse - what costs does weed have for society that a tax would offset?
Bottom line is that if the gov't is going to legalalize, they're going to want to maximize the benefits, a tax clearly being one.
I personally would have no problem paying a reasonable tax on weed if I could conveniently purchase it at a local shop instead of having to deal with the bullsh*t that we sometimes do just to get a bag: waiting on unreliable people, hassling prices with some asshole, and having to conceal it and worry when carrying it in public.
contract chiller Group: Members
Joined: Feb 1, 2008
yes goddammit,
weed doesnt kill, yet its illegal. (you cant die from an overdose of weed just incase you dont know) while alcohol kills 75.000 people/year in the US alone.
+ the situation with weed now is basicly the same as when alcohol was illegal back in the day
and if its legalized, people would stop buying and selling it on the streets making it more safer.
We B3lieve. DangeRuss Group: Members
Joined: Aug 28, 2009
Legalize it and tax it.
Its a $130 billion a year business (estimated of course). Tax it just 10% (sales tax in Washington state is 9%) and theres $13 billion a year profit. Plus the government is better at weeding (lol pun) out the laced stuff.
Wilderness of Mirrors Group: The Connection
Joined: Feb 14, 2011
QUOTE (stinomontana @ May 17 2011, 10:28)
weed doesnt kill, yet its illegal. (you cant die from an overdose of weed just incase you dont know)
Many drugs have such a high LD50 as to make them essentially impossible to overdose on. Like Nicotine, for instance. That doesn't mean that there isn't a potential for their use to a be a direct contributing factor in someone's death. In the case of cannabis, the ill effects of smoking and allergic reactions, which can both potentially be fatal, are direct results of the use of the drug- as, according to some sources, are a colourful variety of mental illnesses which again can potentially drive the user to suicide or fatal misadventure. Just because it's impractical to overdose on something doesn't stop it from being dangerous. MDMA and most of the substances listed in PiHKAL have LD50 levels that are impractically high in the real world, but that doesn't mean they can't potentially cause quite a significant degree of harm.
Still, I side with the "legalise (with heavy restrictions) and tax" side of things. I used to be in favour of decriminalisation rather than legalisation, but the issue with that is that one of the primary negative side effects of the drug trade- violent gang-related crime- would be unaffected by a decriminalisation (which generally just relates to possession). Legalisation would allow reputable suppliers to come into existence, potentially driving costs down to such a point that even with heavy taxation, criminal organisations could no longer profit. Plus increased purity and less chance of accidently taking the wrong thing are bonuses in my book.
This post has been edited by sivispacem on Tuesday, May 17 2011, 10:13
Marijuana can have effects such as: -Lung cancer (same as cigarettes if you smoke it) -Throat cancer (dame as cigarettes if you smoke it)
Not necessarily true. Largest study of its kind. Any pro cancer study I have seen so far studies individual chemicals in marijuana not the plant as a whole. If you look at the studies that say it does not contribute to cancer you will see most deal with the plant as a whole. It is thought the THC in marijuana increases the speed in which ageing cells die, therefore reducing the time they have to undergo cancerous transformation.
Yes, it affects short term memory but that is only with continued use and while under the influence. It is not permanent.
It has been shown to trigger schizophrenia in user where it is already present but I don't see how that's a bad thing. It's doesn't amplify it and it's not like those users with schizophrenia never would have shown symptoms without smoking. It makes those people aware that they have a problem sooner rather than later when they could have a large attack.
Marijuana can have effects such as: -Poor memory (same with alcohol) -Lung cancer (same as cigarettes if you smoke it) -Throat cancer (dame as cigarettes if you smoke it)
A big thing is that it can trigger brain disorders such as Schizophrenia if it is there in your brain.
But that should be the individuals choice, with alcohol if there is liver cancer in your family its best if you lay off the alcohol, i don't see how marijuana is any worse than those two (alcohol and ciggies), in Holland they legalized it and marijuana use has not really increased.
I understand why crack, and heroin and speed are illegal, but marijuana is not so bad.
P.S it bugs me how people say there are absolutely no side effects, that is ignorance. It would be like me saying alcohol has no side effects whatsoever, the facts are there, its just facts about marijuana are distorted by more often than not users.
Ganja doesn't impair memory. I'm a heavy smoker and have been smoking for a while now, and my memory has actually got better, both short and long term. I find it much easier than before I started smoking to remember things. Ganja is proven to cause neurogenesis in the hippocampus, which plays a major part in memory and learning.
The thing with memory for people who smoke ganja is that it's not that you can't remember things, it's just that some people don't pay attention to things that aren't really necessary. I have this after I started smoking ganja too, basically if there's something I want to remember, I'll remember it perfectly, but I no longer pay attention to things that are unnecessary. It's kinda hard to describe, but it's NOT memory impairment.
Ganja does not cause lung cancer (or any cancer for that matter), even if you smoke it. There has not been a single independent study which has linked smoking ganja to cause cancer. Infact, ganja is proven to cure lung cancer as well as throat cancer as well as help prevent all types of cancers.
Ganja does not cause schizophrenia. That's one of the stupidest lies anti-ganja organisations have come out with. Ganja has been proven to help schizophrenics much more than anything Big Pharma has on offer.
I mean let's forget the studies for a second, I haven't met a single person who smokes ganja and leads a healthy lifestyle whose memory is impaired, has been diagnosed with any sort of cancer (linked to ganja) or is a schizophrenic and I know a lot of heavy smokers.
Oh and while drinking and driving is not a wise thing to do, driving stoned is perfectly safe:
I know loads of people who drive stoned and they drive perfectly, some are amateur drivers as well.
In response to the topic, yes it should definitely be legalised.
Edit: a couple more studies about the great medicinal values of ganja:
Still, I side with the "legalise (with heavy restrictions) and tax" side of things.
Dear God, why?
QUOTE (TheCacti @ May 17 2011, 19:14)
Bottom line is that if the gov't is going to legalalize, they're going to want to maximize the benefits, a tax clearly being one.
So because it's illegal now, this gives the government the right to artificially raise the prices, interfering with the market should it be legalised? That sounds like opportunistic extortion to me.
This post has been edited by Melchior on Tuesday, May 17 2011, 14:29
sonnez puis poussez Group: Leone Family Mafia
Joined: Sep 12, 2010
QUOTE (Melchior @ May 17 2011, 13:33)
So because it's illegal now, this gives the government the right to artificially raise the prices interfere with the market should it be legalised?
Huh? Not sure I understand your question, but the government will not "artificially raise the prices." The free market will determine the prices with respect to the basic economic principles of supply/demand.
If anything, I'd expect the price per gram to go down because there is simply so much of it and production would only increase as a result of legalization. Although, after the respective states' sales tax is imposed, the price may even back out, but it's more than worth it to me if I can purchase and smoke it without having to worry about being incarcerated for doing so.
QUOTE (Melchior @ May 17 2011, 13:33)
QUOTE (sivispacem @ May 17 2011, 20:10)
Still, I side with the "legalise (with heavy restrictions) and tax" side of things.
Dear God, why?
I'd like to think you're being facetious here. But if not, why are you against legalization of marijuana?
This post has been edited by TheCacti on Tuesday, May 17 2011, 14:04
So because it's illegal now, this gives the government the right to artificially raise the prices interfere with the market should it be legalised?
Huh? Not sure I understand your question, but the government will not "artificially raise the prices." The free market will determine the prices with respect to the basic economic principles of supply/demand.
If anything, I'd expect the price per gram to go down because there is simply so much of it and production would only increase as a result of legalization. Although, after the respective states' sales tax is imposed, the price may even back out, but it's more than worth it to me if I can purchase and smoke it without having to worry about being incarcerated for doing so.
QUOTE (Melchior @ May 17 2011, 13:33)
QUOTE (sivispacem @ May 17 2011, 20:10)
Still, I side with the "legalise (with heavy restrictions) and tax" side of things.
Dear God, why?
I'd like to think you're being facetious here. But if not, why are you against legalization of marijuana?
I was asking him why he's for heavy restrictions and a tax. I can see how that was confusing I want to know why I can't buy as much weed as I want and smoke it on a park bench - who would I be hurting?
A tax would artificially raise the price and interfere with supply and demand. Plus there's no grounds for a tax, it wouldn't offset any negatives of weed (as there are none). Just because it intoxicates you and is illegal now, doesn't mean it's acceptable to extort money from smokers after it's legalised.
American non-Voter at Heart Group: The Connection
Joined: Jan 19, 2004
There's a big difference between the right thing to do and the realistic option for legalization. There is an entire crowd of people who only want to legalize because we need the money, which is an admittedly weak position to take, but the only way to successfully legalize would be to appease the "tax the hell out of it" people. IIRC in California when they almost legalized with that referendum, there would of been a $50 an ounce tax. There is a chance that legal production costs would be so low that the taxed weed would be cheaper than illegal market equilibrium price. Personally I'm not going to buy it legally if it is taxed so heavily though, and I think a lot of the number crunchers talking about the billions they would make forget this. They think marijuana smokers will all instantly switch over to a legal heavily taxed market, which is not necessarily true.
My ideal scenario would be to buy it in a supermarket for $20 an ounce, with regular sales tax. Will this ever happen? Hell no, the government uses sin taxes as an increasingly ridiculous crutch to support unsustainable spending.
OG Group: Andolini Mafia Family
Joined: Feb 6, 2008
QUOTE (Warlord. @ May 17 2011, 12:08)
Oh and while drinking and driving is not a wise thing to do, driving stoned is perfectly safe:
I know loads of people who drive stoned and they drive perfectly, some are amateur drivers as well.
I've had trouble reaching out and turning up the volume while trying to switch songs at the same time. Are you seriously going to tell me it should be legal for me to drive blitzed? I have trouble turning a knob, let alone working pedals and wheels and gears. Sure, some people might turn into Michael Schumacher when stoned, but I'd be willing to be that's not the case in every case, all the cases.
sonnez puis poussez Group: Leone Family Mafia
Joined: Sep 12, 2010
QUOTE (Melchior @ May 17 2011, 14:35)
I was asking him why he's for heavy restrictions and a tax. I can see how that was confusing I want to know why I can't buy as much weed as I want and smoke it on a park bench - who would I be hurting?
A tax would artificially raise the price and interfere with supply and demand. Plus there's no grounds for a tax, it wouldn't offset any negatives of weed (as there are none). Just because it intoxicates you and is illegal now, doesn't mean it's acceptable to extort money from smokers after it's legalised.
There are grounds for a tax. It's a multi billion dollar industry and the more commerce it generates, the more society could benefit from even the smallest of taxes (e.g. schools, teachers' wages, parks, repairing roads, reducing the deficit, etc etc..) I really don't see why you're so against the taxation of marijuana. Are you also anti-taxation of clothing and electronics, and perhaps every other commodity being sold at present? Can you tell me how their respective taxes are "interfering with supply/demand?"
There have to be regulations for a substance that psychologically inducing effect ; this varies from person to person, of course. I don't see any problem with you getting high on a park bench or whatever, but the idea of anyone being able to get high whenever they want is just retarded. Comedian David Cross had a very funny bit in one of his stand-up routines about this very subject, and he did a great impersonation of a surgeon hitting a bong before he began an operation on someone; and his whole point was that such a ludicrous situation should never be legally possible.
I don't mean to be rude or anything, but if you're hoping for a day when marijuana is legalized tax-free and with no regulations then you're living in la-la land.
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