Marijuana Legalization. Yay Or Nay.

[mugsy]

I guess because I think that the smoking rate may actually decrease if it were legal, it would seem that the health care costs would go down.....just my line of thinking....but how often is THAT right?

[jonza]

Originally posted by lbaker
I still will smoke an occasional joint, I have since the 60's.

Well said Laurie, how brave of you!

I wonder what people would think of someone who has smoked joints regularly for 40 years!

Someone who runs their own business illustrating awkward concepts for text books (history, maths, physics and chemistry), has worked for 8 years on a National Encyclopaedia, has a well balanced son who is a civil engineer, and looks in the dictionary if he is in doubt about his spelling. And not least is vehemently opposed to all hard drugs, legal or illegal, especially the unnecessary ones the drug companies try to foist on us in the name of personal profit.

Smoking pot is obviously dangerous and should be banned, just like smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol, taking pills, laughing loudly, making sarcastic comments or thinking differently should be. (Whoops! Could that be construed as being a tiny bit sarcastic? Can’t help it I’m afraid, I’m English)

Most things are acceptable IN MODERATION. It’s exaggeration and extremism that are our enemies.

Not to mention the indiscriminate acceptance of all the narrow-minded, one-sided propaganda that we’re constantly bombarded with.

Just a thought.

john

[carole]

Well for some of you smoking dope, may well be fine, but it does not affect everyone that way, I have seen it become destructive, maybe not in the way booze does, and I for one cannot understand the need or desire to take the stuff, and I am not some naive person who knows nothing about dack, my experience is that its still a mind altering drug, and I am against it.

I may sound like I am contradicting myself here, making it legal may not be such a bad thing in some ways, because of the way our gangs use it to their advantage at the moment, that would stop all of that, and that could be a positive thing.

For me personally I donot need to take booze or drugs to escape the harsh reality of life, and I can get my highs from simple pleasures in life, each to their own, and I am not coming down on the people who smoke it, it is just not for me.

[aly]

Originally posted by carole
For me personally I donot need to take booze or drugs to escape the harsh reality of life, and I can get my highs from simple pleasures in life, each to their own, and I am not coming down on the people who smoke it, it is just not for me.

I agree completely. Very well said

[Pam]

Not being a pot smoker I can only go on what I have heard. Recently Oprah had a program on about people who unwittingly became addicted to prescribed pain relievers. None of these people intended to. One of her guests, who works in the area of rehabilitating people who have unfortunately ruined their lives by this addiction, brought out something that I think is the crux of the situation. When she was asked why people refer to alcoholism or drug addiction as a disease (rather than a choice), she said that there is a genetic component to their addiction. Not everyone who takes a drink will become an alcoholic, nor will every person who takes oxycodone (sp?) soon be abusing prescription drugs. It is all in genetic make-up. That to me is a sobering thought. I just wouldn't want to be a legislator making decisions on legalizing anything that might be instrumental in someone wrecking their lives. That said, I suppose I am hippocritical in that I do like an occasional glass of wine.

[mugsy]

I want you all to know that I have never and never will smoke pot, or a cigarette, or get drunk, but, if someone else wants to do it without endangering others by driving afterwards....go for it. I for one am an incredible control freak and don't like to be without all of my faculties, so have chosen not to do anything that alters my brain, but, I'm not going to sit in judgement of those who do. I will say that I would rather not see young people do it because their brains are still developing, but that's as far as I will go.

[Twisterdog]

Originally posted by mugsy
My roomie at school was saying she would be afraid that the cost of health care would rise. I don't see it. Any thoughts?


I think that the money saved in the court system and the money raised in taxes would offset any (if any) health care increases. I just don't think that the health care industry would see any difference.

I don't see any impact whatsoever on the cost of healthcare. It would be interesting to see the percentage of medical costs directly attributable to marijuana now - I would wager it would be such a small percentage that it would be almost zero. There are, frankly, not many health side effects of smoking pot - no matter what they tell you in seventh grade health class. (Which, by the way, I'm not against ... if you can exaggarate and scare kids straight, go for it! ) Few people can/do smoke enough pot to affect their lungs, unlike cigarette smokers. And, I can't imagine these health care cost rising if it were legal, because I don't personally believe very many more people would do it if it were legal then illegal.

[carole]

I don't know if this statement is 100 per cent correct, but I have read that although dope smokers perhaps smoke less, it has a worse impact on their lungs, than tobacco,just quoting what I read, so if that is correct I think we have enough health problems that are taking their toll on our health systems, with obesity,cigerette smoking, alcohol etc, why add one more.

So everyone who thinks its ok, are you telling me the research done is all nonsense, it does not kill the brain cells, or anything else,that all the claims are false, hmm I wonder.......I guess we believe what we want to believe.

Just because you are in control of your faculties now, does not mean that as you continue to use dope, that you will always be, the person I know who smokes it daily, is an intelligent human being for sure, but he continues not to work, when he is high, he is not the real him, and he does have other problems, memory etc, so although he could come across fine, there are still hidden problems,one positive thing, he has two wonderful children, one a lawyer, one who has a computer degree, who donot touch drugs as far as I know, but then they were raised by their mother, and I feel sorry for both of them, having a dad like him.

You may consider him a miniority, but I Think if you researched it more, he may not be.

For me its a case of been there done that, not interested, my opinion is that alot of people who choose to do this, just use it as an out from stress and everyday life pressures, it takes them away from the reality of it all, to another place, I suppose if it works for you fine, but I Have seen the less positive side of it all .

[mugsy]

I've seen both sides, but, the people on the bad side are basically smoking it for the thrill of it because it's illegal.

[Miss Meow]

Just out of curiosity, do dope smokers in other parts of the world mix their dope with tobacco? That's what most people do here, so they're still inhaling tobacco in their bong or joints - the tobacco is probably worse than cigarettes because there's no filter before the smoke hits their lungs.

[Kfamr]

Originally posted by Miss Meow
Just out of curiosity, do dope smokers in other parts of the world mix their dope with tobacco? That's what most people do here, so they're still inhaling tobacco in their bong or joints - the tobacco is probably worse than cigarettes because there's no filter before the smoke hits their lungs.

And that's why smoking a joint is more harmful as well, because there's no filter in a joint where there is in a cigarette.

[carole]

THANKS kayann and Miss Meow, that was what I was trying to say, you hit the nail on the head. yep it is indeed more harmful to the lungs.

[Twisterdog]

Originally posted by carole
I think we have enough health problems that are taking their toll on our health systems, with obesity,cigerette smoking, alcohol etc, why add one more.

So everyone who thinks its ok, are you telling me the research done is all nonsense, it does not kill the brain cells, or anything else,that all the claims are false, hmm I wonder.......I guess we believe what we want to believe.

Obesity, cigarette smoking, alcohol most certainly are taking a toll on our health care sytem. However, you would not be adding a new drug to that list, simply because it became legal. People smoke pot now, they will smoke pot if it was legal. Either way, the drug already exists, and is already making an impact (how much is impossible to prove) on our health care system. The difference would be that if it is legalized, the government could tax it, and use that tax revenue to do all kinds of beneficial things, including upgrading health care. Right now, all the money is going to some drug dealer on the street, where it could be going to you and I, via the government's taxation.

I, for one, never said it was ok. On the contrary. I said, "I believe that smoking pot is not healthy for you. I also think that drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes and eating fettucini alfredo is not healthy for you." Doing ANY of those things is stupid, and bad for you ... how stupid and how bad for you depends on how much you do them, of course. The point being, however, some are legal and some are illegal. Alcohol is legal, pot is not. Alcohol sales are creating a huge tax base, marijuana sales are creating very rich drug dealers. Hypocracy.

Just out of curiosity, do dope smokers in other parts of the world mix their dope with tobacco? That's what most people do here, so they're still inhaling tobacco in their bong or joints

No.

[tikeyas_mom]

I say YAY. Alot of ppl I know do it and I hate having to see ppl sneak around with it, it should be legal because it isnt as bad as smoking and pluse Alot of ppl do it for stress reasons. You cant get HIGH off marijuana, u just get either hyped up, or you burn out. It calms you down. I dont think it is bad. '


Originally posted by lbaker
I still will smoke an occasional joint, I have since the 60's.


I do it once in a while to ... But I havet for like 2 months. I really dont think it is as bad as ppl think.

[tikeyas_mom]

Originally posted by Kfamr
And that's why smoking a joint is more harmful as well, because there's no filter in a joint where there is in a cigarette.

thats why there is such thing as a pipe!!! . pipes have made in filters so you dont inhail bud.