Should marijuana be legalized?

I've never smoked weed, I just bother to actually know and research things.

If you bothered to look at what I provide, they're scientific studies, cockbite. Something no one on the opposing argument bothers to provide. Oh wait, that's because scientific studies show that your side of the argument is wrong.

 

hey hey hey, this is a two sided arguement, there are pros and cons on both sides so (s)he is only wrong in your mind.

 

Opinions are only valid to the extent that they're informed. If an aspect of an opinion contradicts objective facts (like some presented in this thread do), then it's wrong.

 

That is it. You, sir, are a complete cretin. Muffin has given you valid links and you pass them off as fake. Whenever anyone here has given something for legalizing, you call us liars. This is called a debate. You are failing. Either stop ignoring the other side or get out. This is obviously no place for you.

I stress this further. Making everything harmful to the body illegal isn't going to do anything. The Prohibition completely failed. People, no matter what the government says, will want to use products they have banned. At least making it legal eases the tension and allows new taxes.

I do wonder. Do you expect everyone is going to start smoking weed once it becomes legal? Are there actual people who don't take it because its against the law? I really doubt it.

 

People are entitled to an opinion and you should be able to accept that. There are some people who will always be against or for something, that si their choice, not yours. The reason I'm against it is because no matter what you say, people can and have died from taking it, first time. It is possible to OD on any substance, even water.

 

So you say we should give tips as to how to use drugs "safely"? Well, I've heard of such tactics. I disagree with them. However, as long as there is something supporting the decision, is probably not that bad.
You are right about the education. If everyone at least KNOWS a lot about drugs, they will know to control their doses, and, hopefully, never start using them in the first place. I would rather count on durg education which still protrays them as dangerous... because that's what they are. We can't deny it ; drugs ARE a source of a lot of harm caused to society. You say that this is government propaganda? I really, really disagree with you there. It's not something you can only learn in a laboratory through experiments. People who tried them and then talked, people who suffered because of a close one using drugs, and many other situations prove that drugs are deangerous. And honestly speaking, I doubt we'll find a good and unreplaceable medical use for LSD or heroin. Why would governments hide something which supports their policy?

My idea to illegalize alchool is more of something for a society we are yet to become, unfortunately. If it could work with no problem, it would be perfect, but things aren't like that. Marijuana is not as widely used as alcohol, so that's why I say we can keep it illegal. It's stupid, since alcohol is likely the one causing the most deaths, but a little imagination proves this.
As you did, if we take a moment to imagine how will people react if alcohol were to be illegalized, we don't see something really pleasant up ahead.
Maybe another day...

 

We have used natural poisons from animals as medicine. They are naturally dangerous. So, should we outlaw them too? Despite the fact they have been shown and proven to actually help? You gotta take the cons and the pros to make the right decision. If you focus on every little worst case scenario, nothing gets done.

 

Didn't read the entire thread, just gonna throw in my own two cents. Sure, marijuana itself doesn't directly cause many immediate problems, but, aside from the long-term effects, it's a gateway drug, and will lead the user to more harmful drugs. That in itself is a good reason to keep it illegal.

 

So you're saying we should make water illegal then?

This is just stupid.
You can dream of an idealised society all you want, where people are nice and sober and the skies are blue and the sun is shining. But that is not the world we live in.
Drugs are a problem. And they are never, ever going away.
So it is better we legalise them, so we may regulate them and reduce the harm that they do cause now.

Marijuana IS NOT a gateway drug.


It's amazing how many ignorant people there are here.

 

Drugs are never going away, you say, so let's throw them at everyone. You suggest that for every drug now?
You say I'm stupid? At least I'm actually trying to fight the problem.

And you actually say that marijuana is NOT a gateway drug? And you call the person who said the contrary "ignorant"? Have you ever heard people who took drugs actually talk about it? You'd be surprised how many drug-addicts started with "weaker" drugs like marijuana.

And more importantly, before showing disrespect to people with different opinions, at least have something to support your facts. "Marijuana IS NOT a gateway drug, you're ignorant" isn't a very smart argument.

 

Arrogance is another form of ignorance, some of you posting in this thread would do well to remember that. That being said, this IS the debate section and I think some members are forgetting that part of debate is LISTENING to the oppositions arguments and not just ignoring it.

However if you cannot play nicely you can kiss it goodbye.


As for the topic at hand.

People who use marijuana for the examples given in the quote above currently face the possibility of being arrested. If marijuana was legalised then people who use it for medicinal purposes could do so easier without having to worry about the legal issue. I fail to see how it is fair that those people who actually do need it for the medicinal benefits should be punished. People abuse painkillers and other medicines but they aren't seen as being criminal.

With regards to the idea of it being a gateway drug, I disagree hugely that it leads on to other drugs. That is like saying water is a gateway fluid to alcohol because everyone who drinks alcohol has drank water before. Marijuana is a highly popular drug and there are a huge number of people who have tried it, the fact that some people who do take harder drugs such as heroin, cocaine etc and so forth means nothing in the bigger picture.

Marijuana has been scientifically proven to be less damaging on the lungs than tobacco yet smoking tobacco is perfectly legal. Studies have also shown that marijuana decreases aggression in humans and animals unlike alcohol which can increase aggression. Yes alcohol is still legal.

Yes it is true that there are possible side effects, but then even using tampons or indigestion tablets can have an impact and cause side effects.


Legalising marijuana could actually be the best thing for it; for one thing there are some users who only take it because they think using it will make them cool.

Another reason why legalisation would be a good thing is because if it was legalised then better control could be used to regulate it. It could be quality checked to make sure that people aren’t taking in any old crap. I actually seriously had a friend in high school that was conned by his dealer once into buying hedge leaves cut up and **** (true the kid was a ****ing idiot but that is beside the point). Not only that but who knows, maybe it could actually help the economies. Stick a tax on it and actually make it work.

To end with have some quotes:

All quotes obtained from http://www.drugpolicy.org/marijuana/factsmyths/

They fully reference their information too, a lot of it from VALID official sources.




I do just have to add this actually, because this hugely pissed me off, no offense.

Well :/ ignoring those "facts" and points of the person you are debating with will not help your case any. The same could be said about arguments AGAINST the legalisation. You can find any "facts" to back up any argument you care to make that would make legalisation a bad thing.

 

And George Bush spent 8 years trying to fight terror.
This "War on Drugs" can not and will not be "won".
The only way to win is to legalise, regulate and tax.

Compared to the number of people who tried marijuana and just left it at that?
You talk to me as if I've never actually been exposed to drugs or people that take drugs, and sir, you're very wrong.

May I point you in the direction of my friend, TheMuffinMan?
http://www.kh-vids.net/showpost.php?p=2563006&postcount=109

I'm just annoyed that those of us arguing on the FOR are being passed over as drug addicts or pot heads.
My drug use bears little on my opinion as this has been my opinion well before I started doing drugs, not to mention marijuana is not my drug of choice.
We're presenting clear and logical arguments, and yet they're continually disregarded with the same rebuttal over and over: "drugs are bad. drugs kill."
Don't confuse my frustration with arrogance.

Debating was never meant to be nice. No one likes to be told they're wrong.

 

By allowing yourself to get frustrated you are just making your points lose their validity though. A point expressed with calmness and clarity will sink in more than one expressed through frustration and insults. I do agree that it is frustrating, especially since I am for legalisation, but if you lose control then you lose your argument. At least in my opinion.

For sure it isn't meant to be all kittens and cuddling with fluffy plushies, but that doesn't mean it should descend into both sides going out of their way to insult each other either. Debates are meant to be intelligent. Cussing each other isn't intelligent. Get your point across with the information without having to resort to insults and your points will hold more worth.


I can't believe I am debating about debating xD

 

Medical uses for marijuana are used, but are they really unavoidable? Does anyone know if the same effects can be attained using less controversed/dangerous substances?
Correct me if I'm worng, but aren't there several countries who legalise marijuana for specific medical uses, with specific authorisation?
Why I believe marijuana should be kept illegal, save for those specific unavoidalbe medical uses, is because we don't need it to live. Yet, despite this, it causes a lot of trouble, pain, and even death. Not to mention the social problems, monetary problems, and so on. You're 100% right about tobacco and alcohol being deadly as well. I said this a few Replies ago, suggesting that we should, one day, get rid of them. Regardless of our opinion on it, that's another story, which is even more complicated. For the moment, I'd rather continue talking about marijuana.

And no, us on the "NO" side aren't automatic broken records. I've seen some people indeed say "Drugs are bad. Period. Debate finished.", but there are also people who say "Drugs aren't bad. Period. End of debate."
And no, we do not believe those on the "YES" side are heavy drug-addicts who wish to legalise marijuana in order to get high legally. Arguing about death penalty, for example, doesn't require anyone actually being condemned to death.

Interesting comparation pointed out with the "War on Terrorism", but, just like that, seeing the drug debate as "A war on drugs" is not a good idea. A "war" is basically that you want to destroy or get rid of something. In a DEBATE, however, we explore each side of the argument. And those who don't do that, or don't bother explaining or supporting their arguments, can't have a significant influence. Whoever posts "Drugs are good/bad, end of story." on this Forum will be seen as an idiot.
So therefore, since we're seeing both sides of the argument, we can't call this a war. Those who are on the "NO" side and actually see this as a war will probably end up just like Bush did, as you said.

To conclude, I'd like it if people who know any practical use of marijuana to talk. We know about some medical uses, but even there, the information must be researched.
Aside for medical use, which can be legalised without the marijuana as a whole being too, the only reason to legalise it would be to, ironically, fight it. Whether this is a good idea or not is still to be discussed, however.

 

It isn’t anymore dangerous than other things used for medical purposes, so why not use something that helps and helps greatly? It is only controversial because it has been made controversial by the media. The drug isn’t controversial, it is human perception that makes it controversial and not everyone believes it is controversial. Controversy is subjective.

We don’t need cars to live and we don’t need television to live. We don’t need the internet or any real form of entertainment to live. Basically all we need to love is food and drink. Everything else isn’t a necessity but we perceive it to be because we are so used to it. Should we make everything except the very basic things in life illegal because we don’t need them?

Everything causes trouble or pain to someone. Paper cause trouble and pain, have you ever had a paper cut? Cars cause all of the problems that you just listed; social, monetary etc and they can even cause death, yet I see no campaigns to outlaw transportation.

That HAS been researched, extensively and over a long time frame. It has been researched by valid and qualified people too, not just random dude on the street. The information regarding the medicinal benefits is pretty much solid fact.

As well as to regulate it, and to earn tax from it to go into the economy. Keeping it illegal won’t stop people from using it; it is silly to think otherwise. Making it legal won’t stop the majority of those people using it either, what it does mean is that people who do use will be able to get support and advice when they need it and it also means that they won’t be getting random crap.

I personally think the government has far more pressing and important issues than worrying about arresting people for using marijuana. Maybe instead they should focus that energy into the education system and teach people at an early age about the drugs that they are likely to come across. Speaking from my own experience of drug education in school it was pretty much non-existent and certainly nothing extensive.

 

Very well said, but I though I'd mention a few things. When I say that we don't need marijuana to live, I meant that it really brings a lot of problems in exchange of the good things it brings. The best use we know is in medicine, if not the only one.
Cars, papers, water, swings, Internet, television, and so on all have practical uses. While it's possible to die from those things, not only is the danger (generally) much smaller than from marijuana, but they also bring to our style of life much more than marijuana does.

You mentionned that legalising it also regulates it... true, but that's the same as "fighting" it. What we should be (and hopefully are) looking for is a way to fight the problem of people misusing marijuana, not the plant/drug itself. So therefore, legalising it for regulation IS way to "fight" it.

Once again, the education seems to be the best solution. Teach what drugs are, what makes them different one from another, what they can do, why they are used, using anonymous witnesses, etc.
Going through the pages of this debate makes me realise that we could continue posting arguments forver. No matter how well or poorly-supported our arguments are, both the YES and the NO sides have interesting things to say.
Unfortunately, I think that the best, maybe even the only way to find a solution is to make sure that young kids know what to expect... I don't like this, because it's basically a "We inform you, you decide later" strategy, but I think that that's the only way any huge debate such as this one will ever end.

I've had my say more than once, more than twice, so if anyone wants to criticize my ideas, be my guest.

 

I don't think it should be. Really, unless it's for medical reasons, we don't need it, do we? Really? NEED it? What's the point? It's just another thing we don't need. And it'll make a lot MORE people do a lot of stupid things.

The people FOR it being legalized are making very good points and arguments, but I still don't think that it's a good idea. But that's just my opinion. ​

 

I'm hearing a lot of things being repeated over and over again in this debate. I don't think there's anything that hasn't already been said about marijuana.

After reading most of this thread, I'm more in favor in legalizing marijuana than keeping illegal. I think keeping it illegal causes more problems than it solves. Save jail or rehabilitation treatments for the people that truly abuse it.

 

You never heard of the War on Drugs?
http://www.drugsense.org/wodclock.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_on_Drugs

This has been going on for decades. The government cannot win this the way they want to.

 

i'm not much of a debater, but in my opinion, examples backing up facts prove more points than just the facts:
Last year, i got to school and became really sick (i blamed their cheap breakfast)
My stomach felt real naesous and i felt like i had a migraine that could kill.
i couldnt even think straight.
My friend took me home before first period, mainly because he just wanted to skip. He stayed at my place in case i became worse. Being the pothead he was, he decided to smoke, being the pothead i was, i joined.
After one joint i felt a lot of better, after sleeping my high off, I felt brand new.
Now I could have used "less controversed/dangerous substances" like advil, pepto bismol and other medicines, but its possible to overdose on those. More possible than i could have overdosed on that one joint, right?
I snapped a muscle in my neck last semester, couldnt even move without bringin on enough pain to cry. THe doctor gave me Ibuprofen to ease the pain (and another pill to help the muscle straighten)
When my neck was better, i kept taking the ibuprofen for the small headrush (i normally dont do pills, i hate them)
The Ibuprofen is legal and regulated (the label itself told me how much to take) and yet i could have easily taken enough of those to give me a bigger headrush and overdose. A professional doctor gave me those pills. Is he any different than a drug dealer in this case? Maybe a little, but they both give me drugs I could easily abuse.

You stated we should illegalize alcohol and tobacco in the ideal society we have yet to become? So why not legalize marijuana and then illegalize it when we reach this ideal utopia where murder, overdoses, and criminals are as mythical as unicorns?