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marijuana should not be legalized
Submitted on March 24th, 2008 by Anonymous

Marijuana is a substance that endangers the user and people around him or her. not only is the smoke that you inhale bad for your lungs, but the high (which is more debilitating than alcohol) renders your ability to drive or operate machinery. In addition, marijuana is a leading cause of mental illnesses that accrue later in life

The aforementioned comment is not only misinformed, it is not backed up by any scientific evidence or proof. Scientists have long proved that marijuana is not as harmful as tobacco. Recent studies have shown that not only does marijuana not cause lung cancer, it cuts the chances of getting cancer by almost half. Marijuana, being an antidepressant, helps the brain generate more brain cells, not kill them.

When we look at the reasons why marijuana was outlawed to begin with, you'll see the reasons were fueled by prejudice, racism, fascism and to gain votes by public officials. Marijuana has been shown to be far more safe than alcohol and cigarettes. High school students have been statistically shown to improve their grades with the use of marijuana.

Legalizing it would help taxes by creating more revenue, lessen the prison population, cut down greatly on gangs and gang related activities, cut down on spending for law enforcement and misleading drug campaigns that lie to the public about drug use, create more jobs, and help the general public. Would you rather your kid be in jail and have their future thrown away, or would you rather them smoke a little pot now and then? We only create more crime when we unjustly outlaw human rights.

Forget about the medical aspect of marijuana- besides tradition- why is marijuana not just as legal as a glass of wine?
Because people are not OK with thinking in terms of freedom beyond their own personal choices. Because people see a worst case scenario, not a "use vs. abuse" issue.
Wine is an almost universally accepted drug.
Wine isn't subjected to government medical trials as it awaits approval for individuals to use, why is marijuana any different? Tradition?
We hear of drugs that have been through government testing and approval which come with all kinds of serious side effects, or must be taken off the market later because of their toxic properties.
Peaceable, responsible, adult choices should be left to individuals to make. This is not to defend drug abuse- impaired driving, reporting to work under the influence, domestic violence, child abuse, etc.
What is wrong with adults sitting around the fire at the ski chalet on New Year's weekend using (not abusing) marijuana?
We are working hard to spread freedom across the globe - maybe we should take some of the filters off of freedom here at home. Those filters weren’t put in place by terrorists or foreign governments.
Imagine people deciding how to run their own lives and being OK with others deciding how to run theirs.
Freedom is for everyone. Deciding how to act on that freedom should not require conformity to a “one size fits all” government mandate.
Is there a major political party that believes in State’s Rights?
Must there be a law against happiness?
Maybe there is a push from big business- The Medical Industrial Complex- to keep us from making our own choices.
Every other Ad on T.V. is for some type of serious medication which may cause: mild to severe spasms of the colon, bone loss, blackouts, aneurisms, hyperventilation, persistent vomiting, chronic irritability, unsafe motor vehicle operation, partial but temporary blindness, weight gain, impaired motor skills, memory loss, brief bipolar episodes, nose bleeds, disruption of normal sleep patterns, motion sickness, mild convulsive disorders, hardening of the arteries, brain swelling, severe itching, profuse sweating, loss of balance, sudden and unexpected loss of bowel or bladder control, blurred vision, ringing in the ears, and sleepwalking.

Alex
http://tinyurl.com/36t5vp
Port Hadlock, WA

Marijuana can only separate us from ourselves, not free us up to deeper thoughts or some quasi-cosmic experience. While I have no doubt that it has great benefits to chemo patients and glaucoma sufferers, the widespread use of yet another mind-altering drug is not a hot idea. Marijuana impairs reaction time like many other mind-altering substances (otc sleep medications come to mind). Too many people die from the misuse of already-legalized medications- we don't need to add another drug to the list.

But the price of interdiction, prosecution and incarceration of marijuana users is also ridiculous. There has to be another way. I favor limited legalization, lesser penalties for possession, and MUCH stiffer regulations on DUI.

Where did you obtain this information? While it is true that smoking damages lungs it is also true that alcohol damages livers (niaah.nih.gov). Also, it is quite hard to prove that marijuana is more debilitating than alcohol, therefore I propose that you consume 10 shots of whiskey then try to take a walk a straight line. Then on a separate occasion, take 10 drags from a joint and try to walk in a straight line. Finally, alcohol can induce short term psychosis and with long term use chronic psychosis has been reported, which is a form of mental illness (emedicine).

Let's be consistent with lawmaking. Both drugs are harmful when overused in the short and long-term. If you are alright with the damage from alcohol, how is it any different from the damage of marijuana?

Sources:
http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/a...
http://www.emedicine.com/MED/topic3113.h...

Marijuana should be legalized. Why? The reasons are seemingly endless. Yes, it is a mind altering drug, but so are many prescription drugs, not to mention alcohol. And if we compare marijuana and alcohol, marijuana is, on the whole, not as bad for you: you cannot overdose on marijuana, it is not physically addictive (as alcohol is - though both can be psychologically addictive to a degree), and, as far as safety, it is statistically proven that there are fewer accidents, involving cars or otherwise, with marijuana than alcohol (this is true even per capita for marijuana v. alcohol users - it is not merely a result of the fact that there are more consumers of alcohol than marijuana). If health benefits are a concern, tobacco products are much worse for the lungs and associated systems of the body, and binge drinking is worse for the brain and nervous system.

Now, as far as the legal issues are concerned... Marijuana has been effectively illegal since the Marijauna Tax Act was passed in 1937. Someone is arrested for smoking/possessing/dealing marijuana approximately every 38 seconds. In 2006, there was a record high of 829,625 arrests related to marijuana use. 89%, or 738,915, were charged with possession only; the rest were for manufacturing/distributing. This arrest total outnumbers the arrests for all violent crimes combined - including murder, manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery and aggravated assault. Additionally, marijuana arrests are incredibly biased against the young and against minorities. About 30% of all marijuana arrests are people 19 and under. As far as race, one study in Seattle (http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/2152...) found that while African-Americans make up about 9% of Seattle's population, they accounted for 64% of drug arrests. These figures are closely mirrored throughout the country, and not just in urban areas.

All the facts add to one conclusion: marijuana should be legalized and regulated in a similar fashion to that of alcohol and tobacco. Smokers must be responsible for their actions and face strict penalties for anything that comes as a result of their marijuana use - including traffic accidents, second-hand smoke, and virtually and issue already associated with alcohol or tobacco.

Additional citations:
http://www.drugpolicy.org/marijuana/fact...
http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=7370