Legalising Marijuana and Other Drugs

[Kyon]

I believe we should legalise Pot and other drugs. I'll post more soon as it is late for me and I am out of it.

[alphabetagamma]

and I am out of it.

I wonder why

 

Personally I think it's a terrible idea. With the kind of health problems drugs cause, it's encouraging people to poison themselves.

[Rover]

The united states' war on drugs has failed miserably, billions are spent each year to no avail whatsoever. The result? Hundreds of thousands of non-violent offenders who's only crime was lighting up a doobie are sent to prison as SWAT teams raid houses and shoot the place up for possession of some weed paraphernalia. No other nation locks up such a high percentage of its own population as the United States. It's madness.

I'm from the Netherlands, here we have decided that the police has much better things to do than to lock up teenagers who want to get a little high. We haven't in fact legalized it, we just have an understanding that it's a waste of time and money to enforce strict anti drug laws when it comes to soft drugs like weed being used in a coffee shop or someone's basement. Hard drugs though are still very much illegal.

[Axeldeath]

As if there aren't enough problems already with alcohol and ciggarettes. Legalizing drugs is just a bad idea.

[danielsangeo]

Why?

[Eedo Baba]

If you think drug consumption is always harmless, read about how unsafe and corrupt the mexican border is because of drug traffic to the US.

[ProHypster]

Yes.... why?

Why take away even more little freedom we have in which in any case the only person we could harm physically (Not to say that it can heal/inspire mentally) is ourselves.

 

It shall be legalized but not encouraged in my thinking. But I'm a liberal...

 

EEdobaba: Drug Traffic happens because Drugs are illegal.

[alphabetagamma]

the only person we could harm physically (Not to say that it can heal/inspire mentally) is ourselves.

Second hand smoke? And what about the families of people who loose someone mentally/physically to drugs? Aren't they harmed too? Drugs take advantage of people's shortsightedness and/or selfishness.

[danielsangeo]

Erm, we tried that with alcohol (which is far more harmful than marijuana) in the United States. Even passed a Constitutional Amendment banning it.

 

And we see how well THAT worked out:

 

Also, from what I've found, second hand marijuana smoke, while not smelling pretty to a lot of people, doesn't seem to harm you much at all. It doesn't even show up on a drug test.

[ProHypster]

the only person we could harm physically (Not to say that it can heal/inspire mentally) is ourselves.

Second hand smoke? And what about the families of people who loose someone mentally/physically to drugs? Aren't they harmed too? Drugs take advantage of people's shortsightedness and/or selfishness.

If the person complains about his health due to second hand smoke the smoker shall not go close to where he is, thus making smoke areas and non smoke areas.

 

Problem solved.

 

While the people losing people due to drugs, that's just horseshit, it's not due to drugs they are losing them but due to the condition the person was in when starting to take these drugs. I don't believe I know one person who suffered due to the fact that he was "unaware" that the drug he took or the amount he took was certainly going to kill him/her or injure him/her.

 

And then since when do people own people??? It's not like the person who died was their property.

 

As I said, don't promote drugs, tell the dangers in school, go ahead, but legalize them.

 

While you are at it, why don't we ban coca cola or cheeseburgers or hot tea too, I mean it kills people and leaves a lot of them injured.

 

I think you've got to stop thinking you know better than the person himself what is best for him.

Most of us are mature enough and those who aren't should not take away others' freedom too.

In fact I've always thought there should be a maturity/stability test to pass before allowing anyone soft drugs/liquor, but that is just unnecessary horseshit, we cannot feel guilty for allowing someone's freedom to take his own life. We are not responsible for the self-security of others. Self security should be taught in schools, and at home not at the government level.

[alphabetagamma]

I'm against legalizing an industry that addicts people to poisons. Why can't companies form monopolies if they want too? Because they'd take advantage of people. Corporations can't be allowed to take advantage of people.

While you are at it, why don't we ban coca cola or cheeseburgers or hot tea too, I mean it kills people and leaves a lot of them injured.

Hot tea?

[Ian]

The country of Mexico has been tearing itself apart with all of the drug-related violence occurring. The war isn't on some seventeen-year old lighting up a joint, but rather the money he paid that goes through an entire network of people who end up making mass graves in soccer fields because some guy became involved with the wrong people.

 

"The number of bodies pulled from two sets of clandestine graves -- one in the border state of Tamaulipas and the other in Durango state to the southwest -- is climbing toward 300 as violence in Mexico takes an often mind-numbing toll."

[ProHypster]

The country of Mexico has been tearing itself apart with all of the drug-related violence occurring. The war isn't on some seventeen-year old lighting up a joint, but rather the money he paid that goes through an entire network of people who end up making mass graves in soccer fields because some guy became involved with the wrong people.

 

"The number of bodies pulled from two sets of clandestine graves -- one in the border state of Tamaulipas and the other in Durango state to the southwest -- is climbing toward 300 as violence in Mexico takes an often mind-numbing toll."

On the other hand the country of the netherlands has had athletic and economic prosperity since it's easy on drugs and prostitution reforms...

 

EDIT: Not to forget cultural prosperity

Edited June 18, 2011 by Guest (see edit history)

[alphabetagamma]

The country of Mexico has been tearing itself apart with all of the drug-related violence occurring. The war isn't on some seventeen-year old lighting up a joint, but rather the money he paid that goes through an entire network of people who end up making mass graves in soccer fields because some guy became involved with the wrong people.

 

"The number of bodies pulled from two sets of clandestine graves -- one in the border state of Tamaulipas and the other in Durango state to the southwest -- is climbing toward 300 as violence in Mexico takes an often mind-numbing toll."

On the other hand the country of the netherlands has had athletic and economic prosperity since it's easy on drugs and prostitution reforms...

The Netherlands ≠ Mexico

[ProHypster]

I'm against legalizing an industry that addicts people to poisons. Why can't companies form monopolies if they want too? Because they'd take advantage of people. Corporations can't be allowed to take advantage of people.

While you are at it, why don't we ban coca cola or cheeseburgers or hot tea too, I mean it kills people and leaves a lot of them injured.

Hot tea?

 

Researchers say that letting a hot beverage cool off for four minutes can substantially lower the risk of esophageal cancer.

 

According to Bloomberg, a team researching high esophageal cancer rates in northern Iran found that people who drank tea within two minutes of pouring it, or while it was more than 158 degrees Fahrenheit, had an “eightfold increased risk” of developing cancer of the esophagus. The study, which was published in the British Medical Journal, included 571 healthy people and 300 people with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

 

The study’s findings echo what researchers have suspected for years. A 1996 article on tea in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Consumer Magazine said that parts of China, Japan and Iran have higher rates of esophageal cancer, and noted the areas’ tea consumption.

 

The magazine quoted an FDA scientist, Joseph Betz, who said that theories were “bounced back and forth” over whether tea’s polyphenols or “habitual consumption of a very hot beverage” was responsible for the esophageal cancer rates.

 

Sounds scary doesn't it? Let's ban it.

[alphabetagamma]

Researchers say that letting a hot beverage cool off for four minutes can substantially lower the risk of esophageal cancer.

 

According to Bloomberg, a team researching high esophageal cancer rates in northern Iran found that people who drank tea within two minutes of pouring it, or while it was more than 158 degrees Fahrenheit, had an “eightfold increased risk” of developing cancer of the esophagus. The study, which was published in the British Medical Journal, included 571 healthy people and 300 people with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

 

The study’s findings echo what researchers have suspected for years. A 1996 article on tea in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Consumer Magazine said that parts of China, Japan and Iran have higher rates of esophageal cancer, and noted the areas’ tea consumption.

 

The magazine quoted an FDA scientist, Joseph Betz, who said that theories were “bounced back and forth” over whether tea’s polyphenols or “habitual consumption of a very hot beverage” was responsible for the esophageal cancer rates.

 

Sounds scary doesn't it? Let's ban it.

Citation? At any rate, there's a slight difference between hot tea and methamphetamine.

[danielsangeo]

There's a "slight" different between marijuana and methamphetamine, too. Cigarettes and alcohol are far more harmful than marijuana.

[ProHypster]

There's a "slight" different between marijuana and methamphetamine, too. Cigarettes and alcohol are far more harmful than marijuana.

Cigarettes are like breathing smoke in, apparently they don't really make you even feel better or more relaxed, but really the opposite, more stressful, and they are kind of addictive so I'm never going to smoke nicotine myself, but I would allow you to smoke for example, because I am willing to give you the freedom of that, just don't harm my friend "Personwhodoesn'tlikecigarettes"

 

Alcohol is only dangerous in big doses actually. And the worst proven part of it physically is actually the high amount of cholestorol and a mixture that is bad to your kidney (IF YOU DON'T PLAY SPORTS LIKE ME DUH!) which is found in every fast food too.. On other dangers, apparently some bodies take in alcohol differently then others. And yes, I do drink occasionally. Never threw up or had a hangover in my life yet and I've had vodka after a martini.... the thing is I'm not stupid enough to mix martini with orange juice like one of my friend did who threw up soon after... -_-...

 

Marijuana I don't know much about, but I know it can be used for medicine, if it approves of that it reallly shouldn't be banned, oh and it smells good.

 

Now to the point....how are you supposing we should classify which "slightly" different harmful things should be banned and which not, I suppose you are going to be the one who is going to tell me what I should drink and what I'm not

[danielsangeo]

I'm not the one to tell you what you should drink and what you shouldn't, what you should smoke and what you shouldn't, or otherwise tell you whether you can put something in your body or not. I'm a liberal.

 

I know alcohol is only dangerous in large doses (unless, of course, one gets behind the wheel of a car), but again, it's far more harmful than marijuana (which, apparently, you can't OD on).

[ProHypster]

I'm not the one to tell you what you should drink and what you shouldn't, what you should smoke and what you shouldn't, or otherwise tell you whether you can put something in your body or not. I'm a liberal.

 

I know alcohol is only dangerous in large doses (unless, of course, one gets behind the wheel of a car), but again, it's far more harmful than marijuana (which, apparently, you can't OD on).

 

Actually that quote was misleading, most of the post was directed to Alphabetagamma ?