Should Marijuana be legalized for medical purposes/recreation?

[Noonan]

You smoke weed. It's okay, you get your buzz. But later, you need better, stronger stuff to get that same high.

I hate to say it, but that's probably the most untrue statement I've read in this whole thread. Using other drugs doesn't give you "that same high" as you put it. Comparing pot to say cocaine or acid is like comparing alcohol to pot. They have completely different effects on your body. Using your logic about alcohol from a few posts ago, people who drink and get used to it just start to drink more or move to harder alcohol. Did you ever think that people who smoke would just smoke more, or maybe getter better/stronger pot...

I have smoked, and did regularly for some time. Have I ever tried any other drugs? Hell no. Never have, never will.

I respect your view, and what you've said to this point, but you are being completely being single-minded in the matter. You have to except the fact that not everyone thinks the way you do.

[Target Practice]

edit nicely worded anaylsis of pos vs neg freedom, though.

Thanks, I try.

[Lohman446]

Thats like me saying alchohol is not a gateway drug. just because it is not in practice for many many people does not mean that I deny the logic that could indicate it to lead to being a gateway drug.

Recall my argument, that I do not beleive that the federal government has the authority to make it illegal under the constitution. Nor do I beleive the science they have "backing" them is very strong. Personal experience aside, if you don't understand the logic of how one mind altering substance can lead towards another "stronger" (though not in everyone) than I do not know how to better explain it. If you see the logic and refuse to consider it, just because you have not experienced it, than I would consider it rather narrow. Do I have to try it to follow that logic? No, I don't.

[Target Practice]

I respect your view, and what you've said to this point, but you are being completely being single-minded in the matter. You have to except the fact that not everyone thinks the way you do.

Hey, like I said, don't tell that to me, tell that to the AMA, APA, and the NEJM, not to mention every textbook I've ever seen.

Perhaps I should have worded it better: Why try weed? To experience it. After you experience it (and like it), the chances are good that you will try something harder. After all, you tried weed and liked it, so why not try something else?

[Eric Cartman]

You smoke weed. It's okay, you get your buzz. But later, you need better, stronger stuff to get that same high.

But you don't. That's the whole point. I've heard that's the case with crack and heroin, but I have no experience with that, and that's not what we're talking about. You also stated that you move up from beer to harder alcohol, but in the vast majortiy of cases that's simply not true. I've been drinking beer for 18 years and I still enjoy it and don't feel the need to drink straight shots of Jack. Around about 19 or 20 years old (if not before) you start to realize that having a few beers doesn't have to mean getting smashed out of your mind. It's the same thing with marijuana. With the vast majority of regular smokers, you'd never even know that they had smoked unless you saw them do it. It's not about going and getting blasted out of your mind. If you always set out to get completely wasted, then you'd be moving on to larger amounts and heavier substances, sure, but the vast majority of people aren't like that. Teenagers do that, but they grow out of it. Most people drink and smoke in moderation. They may get a comfortable mild buzz and that's about it.
People who feel the need to be constantly wasted have issues and addictive personalities and that's the problem, not the substances they use. If what you are saying was true, then the majority of pot smokers and drinkers (and that's an awful lot of people) would be using heroin and drinking overproof rum all the time and that's simply not the case.

[Crighton]

You smoke weed. It's okay, you get your buzz. But later, you need better, stronger stuff to get that same high.

Very true, but that step isn't from some brown garbage they trucked in from mexico to Crystal Meth. It's from large commercially grown/imported MJ to small premium selectively breed domesticly produced strains of MJ.

I know you probably find it hard to believe but a majority of MJ users have no desire much less the need to use other substances. Just like that glass of wine doesn't compell you to start drinking Johny Walker Black Label.

[fcpchop]

If you do illegal drugs, you are an idiot.

Marijuana to Meth, you are nothing but a goddamn loser.

That is all.

now now, aren't we a bit close minded? Many of the worlds smartest people did drugs, doing drugs doesn't mean you will automaticly become stupid.

You smoke weed. It's okay, you get your buzz. But later, you need better, stronger stuff to get that same high.

From personal expeirence you just get better weed, or more of it. The high that other drugs give you isn't like the high of weed. If you want a more etense weed high, you will smoke more potent weed. If you want another kind of high like that of mushrooms or lsd it has nothing to with weed. What kills me is that people will say it is a gateway drug, but have they used it regularly? Then, and only then, can they tell me it is. But of course after smoking it they will most likely say no, although everyone is different.

[Target Practice]

From personal expeirence you just get better weed, or more of it. The high that other drugs give you isn't like the high of weed. If you want a more etense weed high, you will smoke more potent weed. If you want another kind of high like that of mushrooms or lsd it has nothing to with weed.

As I restated, it's not the strength, it's just something different.

[Noonan]

After all, you tried weed and liked it, so why not try something else?

You've tried wine...why not just move right to a needle full of heroin? It's the same scenario.

Oh...and because I don't want to. Plain and simple.

[fcpchop]

As I restated, it's not the strength, it's just something different.

Let me ask you a question. Have you used marijuna? I'm assuming no, if so exactly how do you know how it will make people feel? How do you know it makes people want a stronger high? You don't, and you can't until you try it.

[Noonan]

Before I go any further, I want to just state where I'm coming from. I did smoke for some time. Don't now. I personally couldn't care less if it becomes legal or not, however I do feel that it being illegal is unjust when alcohol and cigarettes are socially acceptable. I say tax the hell out of it, and bring some profit into the country.

[Eric Cartman]

You've tried wine...why not just move right to a needle full of heroin? It's the same scenario.

Oh...and because I don't want to. Plain and simple.

Exactly. I've had a hamburger, but I have no desire to eat dog. There is no correlation.
Another thing is that many people (especially in their youth) do experiment and try a great many things, but they don't necessarily stick with them. As a teenager we used to do mushrooms every now and then or someone would drop some acid. It was fun then, it's not now. I don't know any of my group of friends who would even consider dropping acid or doing E now that they're in their 30's, but lots of 'em would still take a toke at a party. Why is it that we're not all banging needles into our crusty veins?

Out of a very large group of daily smokers (for many years) I don't know of anyone who has tried heroin (let alone regularly uses) or of anyone who does coke. You'd think that I'd know at least one person who actually fell victim to the dreaded gateway, unless of course you realize that it's a myth.

[trains are bad]

Marijuana is a gateway drug.

100% of people I know that do hard drugs started on caffeine.

CAFFEINE IS A GATEWAY DRUG!

People never cease to amaze and disgust me. Listen to yourselves. The arguments do not even follow because your points are irrelevant to the issue at hand. The topic is not about the coolness or health of weed. It's about wether it should be illegal or not. As Lohman stated, the government simply does not have the authority to ban the drugs, at least on the federal level. That is all. Where are the arguments for THAT?

If freedom is too inconvenient for you, you should move to some other country. At least that's the way it should be.

As it is, weakminded 'americans' are all too happy to trade their freedom away in bucketfulls for the illusion of safty and comfort, and politicians are all too happy to give them what they want in order to be elected.

Stop using the government as a tool to control other people.

There is no justification for weed being illegal. Read my first post, my challenge still stands.


*I do not drink alcohol, do weed, chew gum, or drink anything with caffeine in it. I don't even like taking aspirin.

[fcpchop]

I really can't express how happy I am that we were able to hold a very mature thread to 4 pages. It is a very touchy topic and we did a good job at keeping it civilized. I think there were good responses and arguments from both sides. It really reminds me of an older AO. Good job everyone, and I hope the mods will see this and understand that we can keep it at a mature level, that they don't have to delete threads before we even respond to them.

[slade]

If freedom is too inconvenient for you, you should move to some other country. At least that's the way it should be.

whenever someone says "if XXXXX you should move to some other country" to me it just invalidates their whole argument. the entire BASIS of this country is the ability to change it, instead of having to leave.

As it is, weakminded 'americans' are all too happy to trade their freedom away in bucketfulls for the illusion of safty and comfort, and politicians are all too happy to give them what they want in order to be elected.

Stop using the government as a tool to control other people.

There is no justification for weed being illegal. Read my first post, my challenge still stands.

i know and understand all the arguments for making pot legal, and agree with some of them, but i really have to argue with your point that "There is no justification for weed being illegal." there is a justification. True it is a free country and everyone has rights, but you do NOT have the right to interfere with anyone elses rights. everyone has the right to life, and anything that alters your consciousness could cause you to do something like driving and crashing a car that could kill someone. a friend of mine was high when he took a test in school and he got a (!) FOUR percent on it. the reason he got that low was he was too high to even be able to spell his name right. imagine if a person was that high when they drove a car.

and if you want to bring up the fact that they could legalize it and make it illegal to drive, remember they have no equivalent of the brethalizer test for pot.

and you could also make the argument that you are putting yourself at risk by taking drugs. remember, suicide is illegal, even though its only hurting yourself.