Weed

[juk]

There will always be those in favour the drug, however I dont think that it is banned as a means to curtail whatever 'fun' or 'enjoyment' users gain. If it were harmless then the government would legalise it and then tax it.

[fredv3b]

The harms of alcohol and tobacco are well known and are not minor but both are legal and taxed.

[juk]

You could use that same statement for the 'for' and 'against' arguments.

[fredv3b]

My point was the complete double standards at play.

[Laiikos]

Are we talking about weed and it's world-wide use?, or are we talking about legislation against marijuana in sovereign states?

Because those are two separate arguments.

1) Weed has been consumed by our species since we turned nomadic and learned harvesting techniques. Contrary to the "study" someone offered there is no study to show that smoking marijuana can give you a mental disorder out of thin air. If you come down with schizophrenia after smoking for 50 years. It wasn't because you were smoking weed - it's because you already had the chemistry make-up to be schizophrenic. Something is going to trigger that and you can't prove it's weed. Let's look at the positive effects of marijuana. Medicinal marijuana is used to help cancer patients ease their pain and enjoy what life they may have left. I know that after I've been doing stuff all day (work, school, errands, etc) I like to come home and toke an L or a bowl or three. I still contribute to society and play my part.

2) As for the legislation factor - there are two things. The first would be legalizing weed would take it off the black market and put it into the free market thus making it easily accessible and lessening the risk of "drug deals gone bad", and stop this nonsense of jailing non-violent people and calling them criminals when a good lot of them are not. I'm sure being put in the system anywhere makes it difficult to get a job once that's on your record. The second thing is legalizing it would lessen the burden of tax payers who have to pay for these pot heads to get a free meal. No one feeds me when I get the munchies. In the United States alone, ending anti marijuana legislation would save our government 8-10 million U.S. dollars. The industry itself, is worth billions. Billions that we could all use.

[russiantwink]

Completely agree with Laiikos. I personally don't drink or smoke (ever) except electronic cigarettes but I do agree that legalization would reduce crime-rates as it did in Amsterdam.
There is another side to the story though... In 2007 CIA plane crashed in Yucatan carrying 3.2 tons of cocaine. It seems like officials in US (and probably in other countries) benefit from high prices on drugs...

[fredv3b]

Contrary to the "study" someone offered there is no study to show that smoking marijuana can give you a mental disorder out of thin air. If you come down with schizophrenia after smoking for 50 years. It wasn't because you were smoking weed - it's because you already had the chemistry make-up to be schizophrenic. Something is going to trigger that and you can't prove it's weed.

It's distinctly possible that quite a few people have that chemical make-up. It's not at all certain that something WILL trigger schizophrenia. Of course in any individual case it is impossible to prove the cause, however when looking at many cases it is possible to get pretty good evidence of causation.

[xkmanx]

I smoke everyday. I need to cutdown. But its great because Im an insomniac.

[ardus]

To start I have never smoked weed, nor have I ever used any illegal drug. I have however, used and abused alcohol, and because of that I do understand the addictive mentality. My opinion on weed is the same as alcohol and tobacco. I don't have any problem with the legalization and control of ADULTS using it, in my mind it is no worse or better than alcohol or tobacco. However, as many studies an many people's practical experience have shown, weed, and many other substances like alcohol and tobacco for example, used during the developmental stages of life, as in whe you are a kid, is dangerous and can cause permanent problems later.

In the end, I think, if ADULTS want to smoke weed in moderation, I don't see a problem. If kids want it, yes that's a problem. If you abuse it, its a problem like any other substance.
Richard

[Wintereis]

And what is the percentage of young people that get hooked on the medication prescribed them by doctors? In my experience 90% of students use weed at some time or other. I worked in a school in a nice area where 80% of 15 year old girls had used weed. 99% of these students (at the very least) do not move on to hard drugs. Your experience is not typical of the vast majority of people. Most people do not fit into the category of "teens with mental health issues". Alcohol abuse is a much more serious issue and it affects a much larger percentage of the population. Getting stoned on weed is cheap - you can grow your own. Alcohol is expensive. Young people don't have much money.
The point of my post was that "there are lies, damned lies and statistics" (Disraeli, I think). Can you or anyone else identify the causal connection between weed and mental health problems? Until that connection is established nobody is going to listen to your argument.

I never stated that weed caused mental health problems. I was indicating that it can often be an indicator of deeper mental health issues. . . a form of escapism. There are many studies out which show that marijuana has many health benefits. And I would agree: Alcohol is far more addictive and a much greater problem in society. Yet, that does not mean that there are no negative issues with the use of marijuana. Frankly, as with just about anything one can consume (even too much water can be harmful to one's health), it has to be used responsibly. There are legalized drugs which are far more harmful than marijuana. For this same reason, I tend to smoke marijuana more frequently than I drink alcohol . . . both of which are rare occasions.