Should Pot Be Legal or Not?

We are supposed to be a ‘free’ country. Adult decisions that don’t affect anyone else should not be the business of our government. Additionally prohibition has always been a failed policy which increases violence and black market profit. The so called ‘War on Drugs’ has always been based on fear, lies. control and profit. We have made our prison system for profit and we have more people incarcerated than any other country. We have turned our police departments into a militarized Law Enforcement Industrial Complex. There is no valid reason or science behind prohibition if you are trying to protect society. And criminalizing health issues is inhumane and a failure to society. If the powers that be are so ‘concerned’ about drugs why are they only concerned about the 250,000 deaths worldwide from illegal drugs and not the 780,000 plus deaths just in the US by prescription drugs??? Maybe we’ve been fighting the wrong ‘war’ although I believe if you proclaim war on inanimate objects, ideals and other fears you have already lost. The so called ‘War on Terror’ is another prime example of this but I digress…..
Hope this gives you some insight Nirek and thanks for the article!

State and Federal governments have spent almost $30 billion on the “War on Drugs”.
48.3% of all drug-related arrests last year in the US were for simple possession of marijuana

It’s estimate that the real drug emergency in the US is abuse of prescription pain-killers. Americans now make up 82% of the prescription opioid consumption on earth.

It’s estimated that 1 in14 Kentuckians regularly abuse prescription painkillers.

Militarized Police Forces are funded by the war on drugs
Drug Cartels are funded by the war on drugs
Prisons are funded by the war on drugs
Big Pharma is funded by the war on drugs

Taking the Marijuana leg out of that stool could bring the whole thing crashing down, allowing society to finally put something together that is smarter, cheaper and infinitely more humane.

Imagine if we could lay off 25% of our police force and train them instead to be counselors and therapists.

Humans are always going to pursue mind-altering substances. Legalizing a drug that is significantly less harmful than alcohol or tobacco seems to be a pretty tame step to take.

I don’t have any issue with pot being legalized. I think all the reasons are clear from your post and the various comments. I have plenty of friends and acquaintances who smoke it, and though I’ve never tried it (no desire to, and randomly drug tested by the FRA – seem like reason enough not to go there) I’ve never had any problem with friends that do. They’ve offered and I’ve politely declined. They have even offered to go smoke it outside when I was at one of their houses.

I will say I’m not a fan of the smell – makes me kinda queasy. 🙂

I think most folks who smoke it already do so, and legalizing it wouldn’t create a huge flood of omg-it’s-legal-I-can-finally-try-it types.

I think Vermont will legalize it soon – we’re a pretty progressive state on the whole.

Marijuana legalization would be a huge gubmint problem! First think about all the hundreds of thousands of drug related police and their activities at the local, state and federal levels that would be out of work. Then all the MJ only prisoners could be released and the ensuing consolidation would put thousands of prison workers onto unemployment. Then the courts would be unclogged and actually have to work again. Is this what we really want fer Merika just so everybody can smoke a harmless/beneficial substance that would create millions of jobs in dozens of new industries generating billions in revenues? I think not… way to smart for merika.

I think pot should be legalized and regulated the same way we regulate alcoholic beverages. The main reason for my position is to get it out of the hands of criminal drug dealers, so that its quality can be regulated as can its price. I personally think the stuff is poison, but keeping it illegal is not wise as it makes it appear to be on the same level as other illegal drugs out there which are all much more poisonous, much more destructive. Keeping it illegal doesn’t solve anything.

Should pot be legal or not?

The short, complete answer is: Yes.

The ONLY people against legalization of recreational Marijuana are:

1. The ignorant,
2. Big Pharma,
3. The Alcohol Lobby,
4. The Private prison industry.

Miles “Cut To The Chase” Long

Like many from my generation, (born in ’57), I smoked weed pretty regularly in the ’70’s.
Sometime during the mid-80’s, I kind of out-grew the practice. I would still take a puff now and then if it was offered to me, but I didn’t keep a stash anymore.
Fast forward to 2005…
My partner and I had returned to live in his country of birth, The Netherlands (which turned out to be a very good decision for several reasons).
I was diagnosed with cancer.
My treatment involved radiation 5 days a week for 7 weeks, and chemo-therapy twice a week during that same period.
I felt very fortunate to be in the Netherlands because of their health care system.
(That is obviously for another post).
I did meditative yoga to get me through the various treatments which did wonders for my mind, but about two weeks into the treatments, my body started reacting.
The worst was the total lack of appetite and the nausea.
I started dropping pounds rapidly, which was obviously not a good thing because those pounds were my body’s reserves to fight both the disease as well as the treatments.
As fate would have it, (and this having taken place in Amsterdam), directly across the street from my pharmacy was a “Coffee Shop”.
I had a light-bulb moment, went in and emerged with a little packet of ‘mild’ weed.
Yes, they have a menu, so one can choose.
I went for the mild stuff because I hadn’t smoked for a while.
I’ll now cut to the chase…
The results were instantaneous.
Appetite returned and the nausea all but disappeared.
So, I added weed to my yoga to get me through my ordeal both physically as well as mentally.
It is now 10 years later, and I have been cancer-free for the last 8.
As reported elsewhere, marijuana [obviously] has other medicinal benefits as well.
Most of the drugs big-phrma puts out are derived from plants.
Of course the pharmaceutical lobby doesn’t want marijuana legalized as they won’t make a profit on it.
It is beyond cruel to me to make such a substance illegal for those who could benefit from it’s use in such a clear and provable way.
As to the recreational use, also as pointed out elsewhere, with plenty of literature available on the subject…
Marijuana does no harm to the body, is not addictive, and is certainly not a “Gateway Drug” as some would have us believe.
There is ZERO REASON for it to still be criminalized.
And btw,
While I don’t smoke it everyday any longer, I do partake a couple of times week from the teensey crop I grow myself….
It elevates Ben and Jerry’s to a whole new level :)>
My riff on the subject…

Oh boy, a subject close to my heart. I have used MJ off and on for over 40 years. I am in very good health considering my age. My last physical was near perfect.

Let’s talk first, about alcohol and tobacco in comparison to MJ. Let’s start with alcohol. Alcohol is actually poisonous to the human body. It slowly corrodes the body’s major organs like the liver, kidneys, pancreas, the esophagus, and the stomach lining. Alcohol is also an anesthetic. It slowly shuts down brain function with each consecutive drink, whether it be whiskey, wine or beer. Alcohol seriously disturbs motor functions making the user stagger, stumble, fall down. Alcohol is extremely dangerous to drive on, or operate machinery. For millions of people around the world, alcohol is very addictive. Alcohol addiction is one of the hardest addictions to break. Cold turkey withdrawal from alcohol can sometimes be fatal, if one has been addicted for long periods of time.

Tobacco is not a good thing either. It is very addictive, harmful to the lungs and mouth, and just a dirty, smelly habit. Millions of people develop lung cancer from prolonged use of tobacco.

OK, now lets talk about MJ. First let me say, that any substance we put in our bodies should be used with moderation. MJ is NOT physically addictive. MJ is a non-toxic substance, meaning it does not damage the body’s organs or tissues. Smoking it isn’t great for the lungs, but it does not cause cancer. MJ can be vaporized, meaning that the vegetable material is not burned and no smoke is created. When vaporized, the active ingredients in MJ are heated to a temperature (below burning temp) that releases a vapor that contains the active compounds in MJ. Vapor does no harm to the lungs. It is much healthier to vaporize MJ than it is to smoke it.

MJ can be used in baked goods, like brownies, cookies, cakes…etc. Eating MJ gives one a more intense and longer lasting high than smoking or vaping it. People need to use caution when consuming edibles. It very easy to eat too much and get an unpleasant high.

It’s impossible to overdose on MJ. People may do too much, but the only thing that would happen is they get too high and sometimes paranoid or have mild psychotic episodes. This goes away after a few hours and no lasting damage is done.

MJ has many medical benefits. It helps reduce blood pressure in the eyes of glaucoma patients. It is a wonder treatment for nausea, insomnia, poor appetite, mild to moderate pain, seizures, and it’s been reported, by many, many people to actually slow the growth of cancerous tumors.
MJ is a godsend for thousands of people with debilitating illnesses.

As far as recreational use goes, it’s just a lot of fun and allows people to feel good. Great after a hard day’s work to just sit back and feel the stress of the rat race slowly fade away. It’s very refreshing.

As to the legality of MJ, YES it should be legal, and regulated, just like alcohol. You should have to be 21 years of age or older to purchase MJ. It should be illegal to drive while using MJ. Legalization is an issue of liberty, as well as a public safety issue. MJ harms nobody and there is no good reason to criminalize it. A person should be free to use MJ, just as we are free to use alcohol or tobacco. It’s time for the government to stop arresting and jailing people for using a substance that is not harmful to the individual or the public.

Booze has done far more damage than pot could ever Nirek.Legalize it,tax it.There are also a lot of uses for hemp,clothing,containers,and many other uses that could compete with man made fibers

I live in Washington and voted for legalizing, so you can guess I’m in favor. Retail stores just opened, and although I haven’t been in one, seems the rules are a bit stricter than in Colorado. A friend checked a store out and said he was surprised at how knowledgeable the staff was, he got information about the type of fertilizer used and was able to get a sativa instead of an indica, which provides a less stony buzz.

There are many reasons to keep it illegal, just none, as far as I’m concerned, that are legitimate. The industries that are likely to lose profits, and be sad, are pharmaceutical, textile and lumber. People can have pain relief without those nasty side effects. It would likely help relieve anxiety and/or depression that often accompany pain. Paper can be manufactured without cutting down all those trees. Hemp requires less water than cotton, to grow. It is more resistant to pests, so less, if any, pesticides needed. It produces more, and stronger, fibers than cotton, for longer lasting clothing. Personally, I would use it for pain relief. I wouldn’t smoke it for fear of harming my lungs, but would use the edibles. The munchies are problematic, but probably most prevalent in those of us prone to overeating already, and the current anti-depressant/anti-anxiety drugs tend to increase appetite anyway. It is not a gateway to anything, except to the fridge (as the joke goes). Much safer than alcohol, in my opinion.

Never heard of the stuff….

This is one of the issues tailor-made for Jury Nullification. If every person busted for pot demanded a jury trial and won, the system would self-destruct.

I am not a user, but many of my friends are. They will not get busted because they are not persons of color or young. imho the drug war has always been about mass incarceration of the poor. Legalize it or start busting people in proportion to use. Don’t use pot as a means of criminalizing minorities.

Ok, as a long time pot smoker I can tell you a bit about it. First, VT has been exporting pot to other parts of New England (I’m in MA) for at least thirty years. It is also coming from ME and NH and now even MA is growing its own. For decades, the Harvard School of Public Health has been trying to get it legalized. It has more medicinal benefits than aspirin. When AIDS was running rampant and we still had no medicine to stall it, pot helped those patients eat. It also can be (and is in MA) prescribed by cancer docs for those going through chemo, again so that they can have an appetite. Why is that so important? Because when one eats food (a body’s fuel), one can have the strength to fight their disease.

Legalizing pot, nationwide, would cure our fiscal morass nearly overnight. It takes about three months to grow plants and flower them, another month or more to cure it. Marijuana has uses beyond just smoking/ingestion. The plant can be used to make nearly all that we make out of plastic, organic and renewable. The plant can be used (without THC) for food and fuel. Not to mention that while plants take in CO2, they give off oxygen (they are our symbiotic counterparts).

MA is moving at a snail’s pace to legalize medical marijuana with no intent (at least not yet announced) for legalizing it overall. We were supposed to have a dispensary built in my city this past spring. We are still waiting.