-119 Whether or not you smoke pot, making it illegal is stupid. You are the owner of your body, you don't rent your body from the government, and therefore, the government has no right to tell you what to do with it, amirite?

by Anonymous 12 years ago

The government's intentions for making it illegal is just to keep lives from being lost, not to hinder people's rights.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Innocent lives lost? Do you even realize how much violence the war on drugs causes? Portugal decriminalized all drugs in the early 2000s and the drug related deaths and violence there are some of the lowest in Europe.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

I thought we were talking about the U.S.A drug laws. Who knows how many teens die everyday from drug use?

by Anonymous 12 years ago

We are, I was just using a comparative approach to prove a point, I'm sorry it went over your head. Who knows? Do you know? Have you thought about the fact that if drugs were legal, they would probably be regulated and sold to people who are of age? Legalization of drugs would put underground dealers out of business.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

It didn't go over my head, don't disguise an insult as an apology. Maybe so but I don't think about drugs very often, it doesn't entice me. It hurts your own body, and others close by if smoked, for a very temporary high. Which, in turn, leads to addiction and the permanent destruction of your organs.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Well, good, if you don't like drugs, don't do drugs. I don't like drugs, I don't do them. But I don't think that because I don't do them, I have the right to force my beliefs on someone else.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Actually, she is correct with her idea. The drug cartels in Mexico are one of the main ways citizens of the U.S. are supplied with drugs. This cause way more deaths than marijuana, which is physically impossible to OD on. Also, gang violence is mainly caused by wars over "turf" where they can sell drugs. If the government regulates the sale of marijuana, it would be cheaper and the gangs would have to stop selling it. It would also cut down on prison expenses. The tax revenue would gain money for the government. Drugs being illegal causes more crime and death than the use of the drugs themselves.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Putting people in prison for doing drugs is stupid in the first place. The majority of so called criminals are people caught with barely enough to matter. We need to push rehabilitation on them, not prison. but alas, that's a different topic for a different post.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

As I read on, I can see that this conversation has been had. No need to respond unless you want to.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

The post says pot. Pot doesn't kill. This is probably one of the dumbest arguments I've heard to make it legal it though.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Kinda odd that the government of a country whose primary goal is freedom for all would want to make laws that regulate what its citizens can do. Rather than make laws, the CITIZENS should persuade others why they should or shouldn't do certain things. We don't need laws against drugs.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

I didn't say the laws were good, I just said the goverment's intentions for those laws is not to take away people's freedom, (even if they do so in the process.)

by Anonymous 12 years ago

You do realize that you just proposed anarchy, right? There's a reason governmental entities exist: anarchy has never worked.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

I said laws against drugs not laws in general. I am for limited government. I understand that we need certain things to be provided by the government. Also, welcome back... seemed like you were gone for a while.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Right. But why do you think the drug industry would be immune to the effects of anarchy? Even if all drugs were legalized, there would need to be governmental regulations (age limits, taxes, quality control, etc.) or else the industry would surely (as history suggests) collapse. ^This is under the assumption that by "we don't need laws against drugs" you meant "we don't need any laws limiting drug use." If that is wrong, just say "nincompoop." And, thanks y

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Weed doesn't kill people.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

It does when they bake up and then drive. I said in a previous post that it's as dangerous as alcohol, but alcohol's easier to regulate and make money off of, which is one of the reasons it's legal. If the government could find a way to make it so no one could grow it and they could only buy it from stores, it would probably be legal just as alcohol is.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

That's just being dumb though, it's not the weed that's killing them. People know what they're getting themselves into when they drive high or drunk. Alcohol, on the other hand, is way more dangerous because (putting driving aside) you can get alcohol poisoning and die, whereas you can't OD on weed.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Indirectly, it's the weed killing them. It hazes a person's judgement, causing them to do the stupid things that end up killing them.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

True, but people aren't aware of how high/drunk they get at times, which is why they drive while being so. And without the weed they wouldn't have crashed so I say it does play part in any death caused from an accident during which they were high. Anyway i do believe it should be legal, since the side effects are minimal and that it should be regulated and have criminal consequences for abuse just like alcohol does.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

You can't overdose on marijuana, but that's assuming that you got your drugs from someone who hasn't added fillers. Often times, drug dealers add random stuff because they are trying to get the most bang for their buck. The fillers can cause serious health problems.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Could someone with a non-biased stance on weed give reasons for why it should be legal?

by Anonymous 12 years ago

The theory that marijuana has a significantly negative impact on driving has never been confirmed. The U.S. Department of Transportation has concluded that driving under the influence of THC is no worse than driving under the influence of common medicinal drugs.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

i'll have to do my own research on that, do you have sources? Or shall i venture into the world of google on my own :)

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Here's the U.S. Department of Transportation report: http://members.iowatelecom.net/sharkhaus/driving_pot_usdot1993.html Under the "Results" heading, it states "THC's effects on road-tracking after doses up to 300 g/kg never exceeded alcohol's at bacs of 0.08 g%; and, were in no way unusual compared to many medicinal drugs.'"

by Anonymous 12 years ago

I'll have to read that when I get home...it's not showing up on my phone properly. But if so, then i see absolutely no reason even more so why it's not legal and why it can't be regulated. It would probably even help the economy; being as it is now.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Right. I'm pro-legalization of marijuana, I just think the reasoning in this post is shoddy.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Just because it doesn't kill you doesn't mean it doesn't have effects such as brain and lung damage. As in the traditional stoner persona.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Did I ever say that? TinyNinja said that there are laws to prevent lives from being lost, and I replied saying that people don't die from weed. I never mentioned anything to do with brain and/or lung damage, however: alcohol kills brain cells, yet it is legal. Cigarettes fuck up your lungs, yet it is also legal. Things people do damage their lungs and/or brain, yet are still legal.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

I feel that permanent brain damage is equitable to a life lost. At the very least it's a life that may not live up to its full potential.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

That would only happen when someone abuses it (same with alcohol and cigarettes, which are actually way worse and still legal).

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Just like alcohol and cigarettes. Look at the Prohibition though, it is much harder to take away something that everyone has grown up with then it is to keep it illegal.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

people kill people.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

There have been no recorded deaths from marijuana. None. But so many people die from alcohol every year, and yet that's still perfectly legal.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

When has marijuana taken a life? Excluding in the drug trades that wouldn't exist if it were legal.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Same with cigarettes.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

You are the owner of your body. You are not the owner of the bodies of everyone around you.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

I choose not to smoke around others. Just because a person smokes, don't assume that they go around blowing smoke in other people's faces.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Smoking doesn't make you high or give you hallucinations. Marijuana does. I don't assume that all smokers "go around blowing smoke in other people's faces." However, I will assume that some people do smoke in public, or in the car, or at home with other people who don't smoke, or anywhere else where it could do harm. Making it illegal in all of these places is basically the same as making it illegal altogether. It wouldn't be practical to arrest everyone who smokes in a potentially harmful location. By making it illegal to sell, we could at least discourage it.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Marijuana is illegal and people smoke it anyway. It'll be the same with cigarettes. If they're not sold in stores, people will roll their own cigarettes instead.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

But less people will smoke it if it's illegal.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Less people will smoke, sure, but it's arguable that the ones who continue to smoke (because they don't care for the law) are probably also the ones who go around smoking around their non-smoking friends and family.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

And people will be less likely to do that if we make it legal because...

by Anonymous 12 years ago

I think you're missing the point. People will still smoke. They will find ways whether it means secretly growing tobacco plants and using rolling papers to roll their own, or buying them from bootleggers.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Yes. I got that much. Of course people will still smoke, but they will smoke in secret, where nobody sees it or breathes it in except themselves and their stupid smoking friends. Natural selection at its best.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

I know plenty of people who smoke weed around their non-weed smoking friends and plenty of underage people who drink around their non-drinking friends. And everybody knows somebody who always drives over the speed limit when other people are around. Just because something is illegal it doesn't mean people won't do it around others. People would only stop doing it around authority figures.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

People will do it around their friends because they trust them. If one of your friends is doing something illegal and dangerous, and you don't tell anyone, and you still hang out with them, then screw you (not you specifically, but people in general). However, they won't walk down the street with a joint or a cigarette in their mouth, waiting to get arrested. It will still only be threatening to the people who choose it.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Less people will be seen smoking, doesn't necessarily mean that they will not smoke in general.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

The average person's range of vision exceeds their breathing area. If nobody sees it, then chances are nobody's going to breathe it.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Does this mean you think all substances should be legalized? Heroin, cocaine, meth?

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Yep.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Okay, good. That was a legitimate question to see if you were extending your reasoning to all drugs or making an exception for weed.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

I can understand marijuana being legal, as it doesn't pose much of a threat, but hard drugs are a completely different matter. Drugs like those listed are not only harmful to the people who do them, but people around them.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Harmful to whom? Their families and friends? Of course. It's very sad and painful when a family member gets involved with drugs. But if your family member got involved with drugs, would you want them sent to jail? Probably not. Those whom the subject's drug use is affecting should be the ones to encourage them to seek counseling. The government imprisoning a person for making the harmful choice to do drugs is hardly the right answer to this very serious and personal problem.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Harmful to themselves, loved ones, the community. I don't know if you've ever read about these drugs and the effects they have, but they're more than just "personal." People die because of the decision to do drugs. It fucks up their entire life, it's not something they just do on weekends. People get mugged for drug money, lose their job home and children for drug money, and that's just the friendly neighborhood drug addicts. We haven't even started on the drug wars taking place all over the world. The word is WARS because people DIE. I'm sorry, but you must have a very rated G idea of these drugs if you think they only harm the druggie and the druggie's family.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

“If you are not free to choose wrongly and irresponsibly, you are not free at all” Oh, and calling them a druggie, that's really nice.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

If that certain freedom causes innocent lives to be taken then that freedom should not be exercised. 1. I'm sure no drugged up cocaine addict is going to take offense. 2. Since they put other people's lives in danger they give up my respect, therefore my manners don't need to be applied. 3. I never said I was a nice person.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Then let's allow children to drink alcohol, people to murder and anarchy to rule. I mean it's not like the government spends money cleaning up and taking the tab on our health bill. Oh wait they do. (Canadian)

by Anonymous 12 years ago

"You are the owner of your body, you don't rent your body from the government, and therefore, the government has no right to tell you what to do with it" What could this assertion possibly have to do with murder and anarchy? Personal liberty, if it is to be extended to everyone, can't allow one person to take away the liberty of another.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

"anarchy to rule" is probably the biggest oxymoron I have ever seen.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Not if you think about it. There is always something that rules societies. If you chose to have no rules then it is anarchy that rules. It's similar to atheism being a belief and sometimes even a religion. Their belief is that they have none, but they organize and discuss this and some try to spread it's word making it a religion

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Not if you think about it. There is always something that rules societies. If you chose to have no rules then it is anarchy that rules. It's similar to atheism being a belief and sometimes even a religion. Their belief is that they have none, but they organize and discuss this and some try to spread it's word making it a religion

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Okay, then after you screw up your life from drugs, don't expect government help.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

I agree with this sentiment. I think pot should be legal, not hard drugs but if you spend all your money on pot, dont expect to be let on welfare or food stamps. That was your decision to use drugs, you made your bed now you get to lie in it.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

I feel like regardless of legalization, there should be regular drug tests for those on welfare.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

If someone blew all their money on booze or lotto tickets should they still have access to welfare and food stamps etc...?

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Believe me, I'm a libertarian, I don't expect government to do anything for me but protect my natural rights.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

High five too my fellow libertarian!

by Anonymous 12 years ago

This is one of the problems with Universal health care.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

"If our bodies don't belong to the government, then we should have the right to mess them up for temporary pleasure!" The government's job, believe it or not, is not only to give everybody freedom and rights. It is also to look out for them and seek what is the best for them. They've already legalized a bunch of stuff that, in my opinion, shouldn't be legal. There has to be a limit somewhere.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

The government doesn't GIVE you freedom and rights, you are born with them. The government's job is to protect those rights. And no, I don't believe that it's their job to nanny me and tell me what to do. We are imperfect individuals that should be free to make our own imperfect (and possibly stupid) choices, as long as they don't impose on anyone else's rights, and learn from them. This idealistic belief that it's somehow the government's job to make you a better person is doomed to failure. Stupid people will make stupid choices no matter what. But instead of letting someone make that stupid choice, and learn from the mistakes, we put them in jail. How is this in any way logical?

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Yeah seriously. One time I let my anger get the best of me and killed three guys who were pissing me off and the police sent me to jail. like seriously? I made a mistake let me learn from it.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Well killing someone is infringing on their right to live so in that case it is the government's job to protect that right. The argument still stands for drugs because it does not directly affect the rights of others

by Anonymous 12 years ago

If we are born with rights and freedom, why is there still slavery in some parts of the world? The government always controls what rights and freedoms the people have. Secondly, the government trying to help the citizens (for example, stop them from doing your drugs) can be compared to a mother putting a bottle of something toxic out of the reach of her children. Is she a horrible person for doing so? No, she's trying to make sure her children are safe. As for jail, nobody is put into prison for doing one thing unless its really extreme. There are charges such as fines and volunteer work. This allows citizens to mess up and learn from their mistakes so they won't repeat them in the future.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

*stop them from doing drugs

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Because their government isn't doing its job correctly. The purpose of government is to protect life, liberty, and property, at least that is what the founding fathers believed, and I happen to agree with them. Just because it "controls" what rights the citizens have, doesn't mean it should. That is tyranny. Comparing a mother and child is different than comparing government and citizen. The mother gave the child life. She has personal interest in its well-being, she loves it, but she can punish it if it disobeys, for the child's own good. Eventually though, a child can grow up, and become independent, and not have to follow its mother's advice. The same cannot be said for the government. The government does not love us, and I feel silly typing that because it is such a blatant truth. Volunteer work is voluntary. The government forcing you to do "volunteer work" as punishment for a "misdemeanor" makes it involuntary servitude. I see no morality in this at all. Fines for a crime that endangers others (like drunk driving) are okay, but not when the only person you hurt is yourself.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

I just want to know what stuff is legal that you think shouldn't be.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

They could tax it in America and maybe help the debt. It's not like pot has any horribly worse affects on the mind and body than alcohol.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

The issue with the taxation argument though, is that the cost of regulation would cancel out any money gained from the taxes.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

I see your point if the only weed to get inside the U.S was from the U.S government so that drug gangs wouldn't be everywhere in Mexico and Cuba. As for smoking, it smells fucking disgusting and can hurt second hand users so that should be illegal.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

I know most people find it disgusting, but personally, I like the smell of expensive cigars. Cigarettes just smell disgusting.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Fuck the police! Also pot being illegal is a joke. It's the 21st century this isn't Reefer Madness anymore.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

It puts the innocent people who go out for a drive then get hit by someone who was high or on drugs in danger. no one deserves to die that way

by Anonymous 12 years ago

that's why dwi and dui laws exist.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

It's illegal to drive drunk, even though alcohol is legal. That argument has no basis in reality. It would still be illegal to drive while under the influence, and yes, people would still die because of people breaking that law.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

It is stupid as hell that it's illegal, but your reasoning doesn't make very much sense. If you think the government has no right to tell you what to do with your body, you're pretty much supporting every drug out there.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

I'm not supporting the drugs themselves, but I do support their decriminalization. In this context, my argument makes perfect sense.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

What most of you who are against this don't realize is that once something is regulated by the government, the crime rate for that particular product goes way down. There will ALWAYS be people who break laws such as robbing and killing people, no matter what laws are or aren't in place. Legalizing marijuana wouldn't be the end of all law in the world. I'm not sure how some people make the connections they make. Alcohol was made legal after a long time of prohibition but the country wasn't thrown into anarchy. If anything, there was more "anarchy" when alcohol was illegal. Maybe you should think intelligently about things before jumping to a conclusion that makes absolutely no sense in the context in which you're trying to force it.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

The definition of anarchy that I was used is "the absence of government and absolute freedom of the individual," within the context of the drug industry. Someone proposed that no laws should be made limiting the drug industry. By definition, this would be anarchy. I wasn't implying that legalization would cause drastic societal disorder. I was simply stating that the industry would fail without regulation.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

It should be legal, but managed like alcohol. Certain age to buy it, you know

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Weed isn't hurting anybody. Hard drugs should remain illegal, but marijuana does the same harm as alcohol, and we could just have similar laws to alcohol (Age restrictions, no driving under it's influence, etc). Also, an outlaw on smoking it in public, so non-smokers won't be harmed.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Does less harm than alcohol or cigarettes*

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Weed should be legal. All those who disagree, your reasoning is probably faulty.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

I do think that weed should be legal, but it should be regulated. There should be a mininimal age, maximum amount for selling, etc. just because if made legal, it would probably get out of hand.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

I support making all drugs legal. If I want to spend a Saturday tripping on shrooms I should be allowed to. If i want to smoke a bowl after work I should be allowed to. I am fully aware of the consequences of what doing drugs can do to me. TV is so much worse for you.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

I was in agreement until the last sentence, that's just absurb right there.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

I don't see how that's absurb really. The average american watches 3-4 hrs. of TV a day. And what about computer usage? Or the time spent messing with your pone?Think of how much time the average person spends disengaging themselves from the real world. I don't view these things any differently than drugs.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

except watching tv doesn't damage your lungs, or get you high. You obviously have no idea of the physical and pyschological impact of drugs. TV may cause pyshcological issues (ADD in younger children) but it certainly doesnt affect you the way pot or any other drug does.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

I would have to disagree. Sitting around doing nothing for hours at a time causes heart problems later in life (if done on a regular basis), arthritis, weakens muscles, and reduces the efficiency of your metabolism. Not only that but TV is addicting (when is the last time you went a month without watching it?) At least when I'm smoking pot I'm not fooling myself into believing I'm not doing something harmful. Think of how much shit you put your body through everyday. Cellphone radiation, additives in junk food/fast food, etc. Type 2 Diabetes is caused by watching TV (well, sitting around doing nothing) and eating sugary foods. So why draw the line at pot? All negative effects of pot are reversible for the overwhelming majority of people. The founding fathers grew pot, smoked pot, and made a living off pot. Either it's ok to do harmful things to your body or it is not. The government can't pick and choose.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

But hard drugs can cause irreversible brain damage; which is much worse than simple inactivity. And there are many Americans out there (like myself) who exercise and watch TV. It is not unhealthy for me to watch TV for an hour a night if I exercise as well. I'm doing no harm to my body. If you do hard drugs, well...you're messing up your brain. And those brain cells don't come back.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

So? I I smoke pot and I eat schrooms and I'm a distance runner, a power lifter, and I do yoga. All while going to school and working. I'm not saying watching TV is harmful but it has the potential to be abused and it is by a lot of people. So because SOME people abuse watching TV and HARM themselves because of it, should I take that right away from you? That's exactly why drugs are still illegal, because SOME people choose drugs over a healthy life and people are trying to make the 'moral' choice for us. Which brings me back to my original point; it either is ok to partake in harmful behaviors or it is not. The governmenet has to stop being inconsistant on this issue. I would never smoke/inject heroin or take meth. I do believe those are horrible drugs and ruin people's lives. But I believe in freedom of choice and I will not interfere with what you do in your own free time if it does not infringe on others' rights. If somebody wants to ruin their life because of drugs then why stop them? Is it your job to save every single person from making a bad decision? Drugs already have their consequence. No need to lock them up too.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

This is like gum-chewing in school. Prior to High School, students always want to have gum, because it is forbidden and therefore more wanted. Sometimes they sneak the gum. They get caught sometimes. Other times, they do not get caught and continue to chew gum. In freshman year, everybody is always chewing gum because they never got to before. Later on, people don't really chew gum as often, because they got tired of it, and gum-chewing is now very boring. However, they do not abstain completely from gum-chewing, like before high school; rather, they chew it every now and then. I think lifting the ban on illegal drugs will have the same effect on us. Everybody will go crazy for the drugs immediately after the ban, but as time goes on, they will simmer down and use the drugs in a harmful way less often. The reason why the US can't afford to lift the ban, is because they cannot afford to get, let's say, half the population addicted to these drugs, because it will kill many people and weaken our population. However, the people are debating on this because they want the after effects that will show up maybe ten years after the ban is lifted. I think that this effect is not worth it.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

I'm for making it legal (so the gov. Can tax it and the war over drugs can stop), but I don't agree with how you said it.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Why?

by Anonymous 12 years ago

It should not be illegal, but not for that reason.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

You physically killing butt-loads of braincells via lack of oxygen is also very stupid. Your body will carry and confuse CO2 with O2 in the blood, which you happen to increase several fold while smoking. It's called smoke-inhalation, and all the rumors of Marijuana being "harmless" or "good for you" are the biggest piles of shit I've heard in a while. Have fun decreasing your intelligence with every puff, it's not by body.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

I'm pretty sure they don't care what you do to yourself but with drugs you may hurt someone else and that's what they are trying to stop.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

While I completely agree that it should be legalized whether or not you actually do it, you should know that the argument you just made is the same argument I've heard used to justify prostitution.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Do you think it does not justify prostitution?

by Anonymous 12 years ago

I don't think prostitution is very justifiable.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

A woman is free to offer a service. It's her body, she can do what she wants with it. I personally don't think it's the most moral thing in the world, but it's even more immoral to imprison a woman for trying to make a living however she can. She's not harming anyone. Or a man, for that matter.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

She's harming herself. But that is her own choice; you're right about that. Hm. She could be hurting her clients if she isn't checked regularly for diseases, and in doing that she's more likely to get pregnant, forcing a child to live through having a mother in that dark world. If it were legal, there would be more precautions taken, making it more ok, but the way it is now, it is a horrible idea, so I don't support it. And yes, it could also be a man. It wouldn't really make a difference there, other than the whole risk of pregnancy. I imprisonment of the woman is right, perhaps only the traffickers and solicitors are at fault.

by Anonymous 12 years ago