Legalize Marijuana

[CaptainF]

Ooh, goodie, a chance to turn this thread into the nightmare that was that last thread.

Online, I found (a while back) that Americans use about five million pounds of weed each year. And I found (just now) that Americans use THIRTY-TWO million pounds of aspirin every year.

Of COURSE you're going to see a lot more people die from aspirin use. Add to that the fact that weed is illegal and fewer people are going to admit using it, and your case collapses.

You know basketcase, even if those "health issues" you mention were true (which they of course aren't), do you really think it's a good use of taxpayer money to throw someone in jail for possessing $20 worth of marijuana?

 

[Death_Machine]

The reason I support the legalization is the same reason I oppose Obama. I believe in personal freedom, be it economic or how I choose to destroy myself.

 

[Berzerker]

I found web sites that showed, among other things, that weed causes: work accidents and car accidents; multiple health problems; vast losses to civilization from health problems and the aforementioned accidents; and I also found a case where a guy died from smoking just over five joints a day for 11 years, for a total of 23,000 joints (which is considerably less than tobacco takes to kill you).

Ever hear the phrase, "drug related traffic accident"? They dont care if the person on drugs caused the accident, they're all "drug related". And they sure as hell dont care if the drug was actually the cause, thats just assumed... That doesn't mean some people dont cause accidents because they're impaired. Just be wary of propaganda... As for the health problems, nothing in comparison to corn syrup. Nothing in comparison to tobacco and alcohol. In the last thread you argued the low number of users is why we dont see (m)any deaths, but now it causes an economic catastrophe? C'mon...You found a case? Doesn't that strike you as unusual? A case? How do you know this guy died because of pot?

And btw, the left argues that tobacco is a huge burden on the economy (the same argument) but what they (and you and you're sites) ignore is that if yer right, pot smokers will die off before they can get their govt retirement benefits - and that saves money. We all die, some die at 62 after working for 40-45 years paying into SS and some live till 90 consuming govt checks and health care all the way. Trying to make us live longer doesn't save the govt money

And I dont see how its moral to punish people for accidents caused by strangers. Can you explain that to me? I mean, if I drink beer should I be punished because a drunk driver killed someone? I find that offensive, maybe you would too if you were being punished because someone else did something stupid.

So the real truth is that the actual savings (in dollars, human life, or any other measure) are unknown.

Do you have evidence that prohibition stops enough people from using pot to make up for the cost of trying to stop people from using pot? I haven't charted pot use for the last 100 or so years but it seems the use of pot is largely independent of the law, unless the law is draconian and enforced vigorously. The real truth is: company drug testing reduces pot consumption far better than govt. Thats how the free market works...

I oppose weed for another reason: because weed messes up the brain, and I oppose anything that messes up the brain. The brain is the only thing that separates humans from monkeys, and I do not find monkeys appealing at all.

So I can have you put in jail if I decide you dont think right? That aint slavery, thats communism Wow, I didn't know Utopia had a dictator.

Hasn't been big news yet but the largest study on pot and cancer concluded recently not even heavy users get cancer more than the general population. Did you know about that? The guy who did the study was stunned, and he speculated that pot may kill off older cells that are more prone to becoming cancerous and that nullifies the cancer causing chemicals we're constantly told is in pot. Well, you'd call that damaging the brain, right? A drug that kills older brain cells? Older brain cells are more prone to becoming cancerous. Pot smokers are killing off those older brain cells - and you think you're qualified to tell us about the brain, much less dictate policy based on what you think?

WOW

 

[Halcyon]

Nothing psychoactive is ever truly harmless, but what evidence we have suggests that dope is less damaging than either alcohol or tobacco. It's nonaddictive and nontoxic, and most of the negative effects seem to be linked to either smoke inhalation or unusually heavy and prolonged usage (as is true for everything ever). There are probably long-term risks associated with the drug itself, but this is also true for caffeine, beef and toothpaste, let alone cigarettes and beer.

Basically unless you're stupid enough to smoke and drive, or you do nothing but toke for twenty years, the only actual danger pot poses to your wellbeing is a visit from the police.


@Basketcase: I don't drink or smoke for essentially the same reason as you say - I really don't like the idea of having something muck about with my mind if I can avoid it. However: I don't expect others to feel the same way, I recognise that my own aversion is largely irrational, and most of all I don't expect the law to enforce my preferences on others.

So, the inevitable question: given how nasty booze can be if taken to excess, do you think alcohol should be banned? If not, why treat weed any differently? And if so: do you think prohibition could possibly work?

 

[Dr.Mindbender]

The brain is the only thing that separates humans from monkeys, and I do not find monkeys appealing at all.

I would like to watch a monkey smoke some reefer.

 

[Sharwood]

The aforementioned thread.

Read especially my post on page 2. Judge for yourself just who was in the wrong in that argument, myself, who has never smoked marijuana, thinks that most people who smoke it are fools for doing so, yet believes in its legalisation, or Basketcase, who truly lived up to his name in that thread.

EDIT: Link fixed. Had two "https" in there.

 

[IglooDame]

The aforementioned thread.

Read especially my post on page 2. Judge for yourself just who was in the wrong in that argument, myself, who has never smoked marijuana, thinks that most people who smoke it are fools for doing so, yet believes in its legalisation, or Basketcase, who truly lived up to his name in that thread.

Just for the record, ditto on the bolded part.

 

[El_Machinae]

Yes. Legalise it. Stop subsidizing the Hell's Angels by giving them a market. Stop charging extra taxes so that we can throw hippies into jail and turn them into real criminals.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

The aforementioned thread.

Link didn't work for me.

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=270328

 

[mangxema]

Just for the record, ditto on the bolded part.

What they said.

 

[Bill3000]

"Even if one takes every reefer madness allegation of the prohibitionists at face value, marijuana prohibition has done far more harm to far more people than marijuana ever could."

-William F. Buckley Jr.

Buckley also wanted to ban tobacco.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Well, I believe you're all hypocrites and fools because you're probably ruining your life in some other way.

 

[IglooDame]

Well, I believe you're all hypocrites and fools because you're probably ruining your life in some other way.

You mean like hanging out on CFC at all hours arguing?

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

You mean like hanging out on CFC at all hours arguing?

Maybe

And getting beat in those arguments by me while totally of my rocker on weed and beer

 

[JeffIllinois]

Why is alcohol legal, but weed isn't? Alcohol is worse. A lot of countries have legalized it, their societies haven't collapsed. I think it will be legalized someday, when our generation is old and passing laws.

 

[Bill3000]

Why is alcohol legal, but weed isn't? Alcohol is worse. A lot of countries have legalized it, their societies haven't collapsed. I think it will be legalized someday, when our generation is old and passing laws.

The same reason for any othe banned thing - there was only a small amount of users who used the drug and a large amunt of people fueled by mass hyseteria. Alcohol bans don't work because of the massive cultural traditions behind it. Tobacco bans might work as it is being culturally marginalized, but as long as alcohol consumption is encouraged, it's not going to be banned.

 

[warpus]

If you really want to know what happened in the other thread, just look at Basketcase's avatar.

Please, no more Basketcase insanity in Marijuana threads. It's like MobBoss posting in a homosexuality thread - nothing good is gonna come of it.

 

[Kosez]

Marijuana is illegal. On the other hand people spend kazzillion $$ on legal drugs with same sought-after effects. Go figure it out...

 

[Death_Machine]

I think it will be legalized someday, when our generation is old and passing laws.

I bet the hippies thought the same thing. Like I've said before, so many people's world perspective starts when they are born, without reference to what happened before they came along.

 

[BasketCase]

I don't have the time to post 40,000 examples

Please try

Well, there ya go, folks. You guys demand the impossible of me, and that's precisely why I don't give any respect.

The reason I support the legalization is the same reason I oppose Obama. I believe in personal freedom, be it economic or how I choose to destroy myself.

Fine and dandy--as long as your chosen method doesn't take ME out with you when you bite it. Base jumping? Go right ahead. Fatty foods? Dig in. Alcohol and weed? Those make you a threat to ME. Therefore no dice.

If you really want to know what happened in the other thread, just look at Basketcase's avatar.

Please, no more Basketcase insanity in Marijuana threads.

The only way to prevent me from making arguments in marijuana threads is this: DON'T REPLY TO THEM. Yeah, that means I get the last word, and, well, that's just too damn bad.

Of course, once in a while I'm going to post in weed threads anyway (because I'm drawn to controversial threads like a homing missile), so the only real way to shut me up is to avoid starting weed-related threads in the first place.


Edit: Waaaaait, wait wait wait. I just realized. Warpus, if you don't want any more "BasketCase insanity" in weed-related threads--all you have to do is post at reeferheads.com or whatever web site is frequented by weed advocates, and then you'd have no argument at all (trust me, you'll never see me on any such site). Which leaves me wondering why you're here instead of there.