legalize all drugs - free money and freedom

And marijuana is a "soft" drug that is not physically addictive, has no toxicity level, and has relatively mild effects on the user (i.e. far less than alcohol) so why isn't it treated like a soft drink?

 

The distribution of alcohol during prohibition was predominately controlled by the Mafia that had an "anti-drug" policy at the time.

 

Well, now despite the facts that show that marijuana's addictiveness is only some psychological addiction, even some psychological addictions can be very dangerous for some people, because that can lead to something that's called the amotivational syndrome. While some marijuana smokers, such as Steve Jobs, Ted Turner, Carl Sagan, as well as many American presidents also, were totally functional, hard working, as well as successful people overall, actually happened to be marijuana smokers, that's not true for all marijuana smokers. Some marijuana smokers may become unmotivated, lazy, and they lose their jobs, and they can't really be all that functional anymore.

What's the percentage of marijuana smokers that become addicted to smoking marijuana? By addicted, I mean that they are so psychologically dependent on smoking weed that they can't function without it. I've heard somewhere that the addiction rates for drinking alcohol is somewhere around 15%, but what's the statistics for the psychological addictions of smoking marijuana? I'm trying to figure out if marijuana is less harmful than alcohol, and if marijuana has higher rates of dependence than alcohol has, then that simply proves that contrary to what some have been stating lately-that the actual truth is that marijuana is not safer than alcohol is.

 

Well, that's a very good question, and I'm willing to answer that question. Marijuana is most commonly smoked, it's not really drank in some beverages. Some people don't like the smell of smoking, which is why smoking cigarettes is becoming less socially acceptable as well as less popular lately; since some people think that smoke smells gross and bad. That's the reason why alcohol is viewed as a soft drink, whereas marijuana is not.

Also, some people may drink a glass of wine at dinner for its flavor, but not because they want to get drunk or buzzed, but nobody smokes a little bit of marijuana to add some flavor to their meals. Some cultures, mainly such as in Europe, use this recreational drug that's alcohol, but some people over there don't really drink alcohol for it's mind altering effects, they just drink it for purely aesthetic reasons. I've never heard that same thing about marijuana.

Also, having a glass of beer or wine doesn't cause hallucinations, whereas marijuana is a psychedelic hallucinogenic drug, which causes some people to hallucinate, which is one reason why marijuana is not safer than alcohol.

 

It is one reason why I believe morals tests are more important than drug tests. The Reefer Madness propaganda of last millennium, is in my opinion a moral failure of our US leadership as a lack of Faith regarding seed bearing plants that were allegedly, Created on the Third Day and declared good by a god. Only "Original Sinners" are claiming it is not good, without any morals test.

 

I disagree Sam, not that I smoke MJ any more but I have seen many bad situations (Violent) related to alcohol and while working in the medical field (Health).

 

I believe that may only be true for civil Persons who may lack a moral of respect for Tradition; even La Cucaracha knows this, and it may be one reason the Mexican Revolution lasted as long as it did.

 

There's a huge difference between cannabis and alcohol. Nobody smokes a little bit of cannabis for its flavor, whereas some people may have some wine for its flavor alone. Some Europeans drink some alcohol with their meals, not because they enjoy the alcohol's euphoric mind altering effects, but for purely aesthetic purposes, which the same statement cannot be stated about marijuana.

 

Smoking marijuana leads to some violence also, just like with drinking alcohol.

http://www.healthydrugfreecolorado....galization What Do You Want to Know FINAL.pdf

A study by the U.S. Department of Justice showed that 35% of inmates
reported they were under the influence of drugs at the time they committed
their crime. Marijuana and hashish were cited as the most frequently used at
the time of the crime.
• A study published in the International Journal of Addiction involving interviews
with 268 inmates in New York prison for homicide revealed that 70% had
used marijuana within twenty-four hours of committing the crime and felt
they experienced some effect from the drug at the time of the crime.

Twenty-five percent felt the homicide was related to their use of marijuana
before the crime.
• A study conducted in Denver, Colorado revealed that 39% of violent crime
arrestees and 34% of domestic crime arrestees tested positive for marijuana.

In 2010 in Denver, over 50% of arrestees admitted to being regular
marijuana users. Urine tests among adult male arrestees showed 40% tested
positive for marijuana.

 

Some people smoke cannabis for its effects; thc versus cbd. And, some people may smoke it for its palliative effects regarding practitioners of the abomination of hypocrisy in modern times.

- - - Updated - - -

So, how does that correlate to potheads being too lazy to get jobs? You can't have it both ways if they are willing to engage in a "work ethic" even if it is only for crime.

 

Well, that doesn't really correlate at all to supposedly lazy marijuana smokers. I'm simply stating that contrary to popular myths, smoking marijuana may lead some people into committing crimes while they're under the influence of drugs, which is why cannabis should not be legalised.

 

So, why not criminalize alcohol, based on that logic since alcohol is much more deadly than marijuana? If you are unwilling to advocate for that, how much confidence can we really have in the sincerity of those of your point of view?

 

Well, I'm happy that you asked this question, since these sorts of alcohol vs. marijuana comparisons argument gets brought up a lot whenever somebody debates about whether or not marijuana should be legalised or not.

http://www.alternet.org/if-alcohol-were-discovered-today-would-it-be-legal

The simple matter is that alcohol should have also been some illegal substance if it was discovered during these modern times, but alcohol has been a part of our culture for some millennias, and that's exactly why alcohol prohibition has failed during the 1920s; the vast majority of the American public has disagreed with this law which tried banning an extremely popular as well as socially acceptable activity that most people were doing during those times. Almost everybody shared some disagreements with alcohol's illegality during those 1920s years. With the prohibition of marijuana, only a small percentage of Americans smoke marijuana, which is why marijuana prohibition works way better than alcohol Prohibition, which suddenly just tried to ban something that almost everybody was doing during those times.

To quote this guy Stephen Crowder, who's against legalising cannabis (partially due to it's associations with some violent crimes).

"During the prohibition of alcohol, the federal government suddenly decided to ban something that a vast majority of the Americans were doing during those times. With the legalisation of cannabis, you will be doing the exact opposite. You will be allowing, as well as in some ways, also encouraging, some practices that currently, only a small minority of Americans are currently practicing."

 

Marijuana has been used in herbalism, also, for millennia. However it is a legal point about the law under our republican form of Government, with its emphasis on equality regarding "dangerous" drugs. Since alcohol is more "dangerous" than marijuana from a toxicity standpoint, how moral can the argument you present be in modern times? It could be analogous to a ban on assault rifles (or Class III weapons) versus recreational hunting rifles.

 

I agree, all drugs should be regulated like alcohol, and forcing bars to be non-smoking environments needs to stop too, let the businesses decide

 

I agree that our elected representatives should only be fixing Standards for air quality in any given premises; since it could spur technological development instead of merely placing a (non-tax burden) on Commerce that should only be well Regulated.

 

Marijuana smoke is even more toxic and carcinogenic than tobacco smoke is. It has way more tar than tobacco cigarettes has.

Also, I don't see how the 21st century is any different from the 1920s in regards to the prohibition of alcohol.

How is alcohol more dangerous than marijuana? A person can drink alcohol without becoming intoxicated, while that same statement cannot be stated about marijuana. Somebody can drink without getting drunk, but the only reason that people smoke marijuana is for the purposes of intoxication. Also, somebody can drink alcohol with their meals purely for it's aesthetic purposes, but not necessarily for the sake of its mind altering effects, but nobody smokes a little bit of marijuana for its flavor.

Marijuana overdoses actually is possible. They may not have died from some THC overdoses (which is some non toxic substance), however too much marijuana can cause somebody to die from either strokes as well as some heart attacks.

https://familycouncil.org/?p=6506

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/113/4/e365.full

 

Well, why did you also state before that alcohol was some hard drug? Alcohol is not some hardcore drug. It should not be classified alongside crystal meth, crack, cocaine, and heroin, because alcohol is way less addictive than all of those hardcore drugs. It takes a fairly long time of constantly drinking lots and lots of alcohol to become physically addicted to alcohol, whereas with those hardcore drugs such as heroin and crystal meth almost always cause somebody to become physically addicted to those specific substances. Alcohol is often used in moderation by most people. There's no such thing as somebody that uses heroin or crystal meth moderately.

 

Sam, I have to ask this...Have you ever smoked MJ?

 

Nope, I haven't.

 

Here is a study that seems to support your contention but the effects indicate mostly a hot irritant versus a toxic irritant.

That study seems to ignore the beneficial effects of, even smoked marijuana against some forms of cancer. I ride a bike for transportation and I have noticed that my lung capacity seems to recover more quickly for me than it does for tobacco smokers; but I have no scientific metrics for you.

 

OK, MJ has many different grades. Some are mellow and relax you and some give you couch lock. Same as alcohol which depends on how much you ingest. I have been learning more about it since it is so prevalent here in Colorado. See my post #99.

I enjoy Micro brews and basement wine distilleries. Seems big here in the Rockies. I would say half my friends make wine, beer or spirits and we trade. Special batches for the holidays.

 

Simply because it is a hard, powerful, mood altering drug that is very toxic and more easily abused than marijuana. Many more "kids" have died due to alcohol overdose than have died due to marijuana "overdose".

However, my bottom line, in case you are wondering, is an end to Prohibition and that form of separate and unequal treatment for (recreational) drugs. The social Power to Prohibit forms of Commerce among the several States of the Union was repealed as a bad idea in modern times, due in part, to the deleterious effects of Prohibition, which has never worked in the history of the United States.

 

The drug war is the stupidest (*)(*)(*)(*)ing thing we've ever done to ourselves. Our drug laws, ALL of them, began out of racism. And continued by sheer moronic momentum.

 

Part of that had to do with the fact that alcohol was an established market before Prohibition. It's been a staple of our culture for so long that most people seeking it out weren't looking to experiment. They just wanted a substance they had already grown to enjoy.

Marijuana is less familiar to the public, so it's going to attract a market more curious about substances in general.

If it was legalized, this would change to the extent that it would eventually reside in a similar spot culturally as alcohol. Once it gained familiarity, most consumers for it would simply be looking for pot rather than possibly being open to other substances.