Do you support the legalization of marijuana?

[RoseyCadaver]

I was just wondering how many VT's here supported the legalization of marijuana.

I for one think it should be legal just in the fact that,it's people's body,let them do what they want with it.I do believe there should be an age limit to it(18+) if you smoke it,eating it is another situation :P.I'm not going to go out a limb for it though.


Do you support it?

[Jawbreaker]

Haven't come across any (good) reason to why it shouldn't be legalized.

[Korashk]

Haven't come across any (good) reason to why it shouldn't be legalized.
That's because there aren't any sufficient enough to outweigh all the reasons it should be legal.

[Continuum]

That's because there aren't any sufficient enough to outweigh all the reasons it should be legal.

Any conservative would do any means to offer a violent backlash against any repeal in drug legislation. I can assure you.

[Infidelitas]

I honsestly cant see any benifits of it

[TuRdz]

Well, taking into account how many people are already regular users, I'd have to say "there's no harm legalizing it". It should be like cigarettes however. For over 18's only. Though there are many under aged smokers out there.

[Korashk]

I honsestly cant see any benifits of it
- THC treats cancer.
- Lets millions of non-violent offenders out of prison
- Saves the millions of dollars that are no longer needed to incarcerate these people
- Less money goes to fund Drug Cartels
- Less people die because of Cartel related violence
- Less unjust police intrusion into people's homes because of suspicion of drug activity, making it safer for the residents of those houses
- Marijuana itself has been directly responsible for exactly zero recorded deaths

All I can think of at the moment.

[RoseyCadaver]

- THC treats cancer.
- Lets millions of non-violent offenders out of prison
- Saves the millions of dollars that are no longer needed to incarcerate these people
- Less money goes to fund Drug Cartels
- Less people die because of Cartel related violence
- Less unjust police intrusion into people's homes because of suspicion of drug activity, making it safer for the residents of those houses
- Marijuana itself has been directly responsible for exactly zero recorded deaths

All I can think of at the moment.

Agree ,and love points 100%.

The only bad thing is ,MAYBE,lung cancer,but every other freaking thing gives you cancer.I mean all that I've been reading,they aren't even close to being as bad as a cigarettes[IF they're natural,and nothing added to it,but same with tobacco if anything isn't added].I honestly believe they are illegal because people could grow them rather easy and big brother couldn't tax the shit out of us on it.I'm sure you'll have to have a licenses to grow it though.

[Belton21]

- THC treats cancer.
- Lets millions of non-violent offenders out of prison
- Saves the millions of dollars that are no longer needed to incarcerate these people
- Less money goes to fund Drug Cartels
- Less people die because of Cartel related violence
- Less unjust police intrusion into people's homes because of suspicion of drug activity, making it safer for the residents of those houses
- Marijuana itself has been directly responsible for exactly zero recorded deaths

All I can think of at the moment.

1,000,000% agree...

[wally]

no i dont

[SosbanFach]

Marijuana, cocaine, heroine, ecstasy etc. are not the big problems in our current society. I would support the legalisation of these drugs because legalisation would make people more inclined to come forward to people who can help them with their addictions. Addicts could be secure in the knowledge that they would not be locked away for possession of illegal substances. With sufficient education on such substances, young people would be less inclined to go near. What our (British) government should be concentrating on more than these drugs is alcohol. This drug kills thousands more per year than the 'Class A' drugs. It is highly addictive, and young people are not well enough educated about it, far worse educated than on cigarettes, illegal drugs etc.
Please criticise my point of view; I am keen to see what you have to say ;)

EDIT-Why do I always write such long posts :P

[Continuum]

no i dont

Let's think of this, for the moment. Remember the Prohibition of Alcohol that happened in the US during the Depression-era? It brought more problems than they can prevent. Every negative aspect went up, smuggling, organized crime, etc. As opposed to having certain things regulated and tolerated, total restrictions are costly and unnecessary.

[Peace God]

Yes, I support not being locked in a cell for doing something that makes me happy and doesn't harm others around me.

[RoseyCadaver]

Yes, I support not being locked in a cell for doing something that makes me happy and doesn't harm others around me.

Lol


I just don't see the need why pot is illegal,they're sooo many good uses for vs bad.All this anti-pot propaganda just gets on my nerves.

I heard there are two main reason it's illegal.

1.It's easily grown ,and the government couldn't tax you on it.

2.It would hurt the timber industry and cotton,because you can use hemp to make clothes and shoes.

[Kilometers]

I am indifferent. There are several things that could happen with it. But the use of marijuana today is almost equal to the alcoholic consumpstion during the prohibition. People believe legalizing it and taxing it is a good idea. However some others believe that legalizing would make us go deeper into debt. With alcohol today, for $1 we collect in taxes we spend about $4 in fixing problems that alcohol causes. So they think it might go along the same trend.

[RoseyCadaver]

With alcohol today, for $1 we collect in taxes we spend about $4 in fixing problems that alcohol causes. So they think it might go along the same trend.

Just curious, where do those facts about fixing it come from?

[Genghis Khan]

no i dont

Where is your justification for that?

[Amnesiac]

I am indifferent. There are several things that could happen with it. But the use of marijuana today is almost equal to the alcoholic consumpstion during the prohibition. People believe legalizing it and taxing it is a good idea. However some others believe that legalizing would make us go deeper into debt. With alcohol today, for $1 we collect in taxes we spend about $4 in fixing problems that alcohol causes. So they think it might go along the same trend.

Not necessarily, since arguably marijuana is nowhere near as dangerous or addictive as alcohol is.

[Korashk]

Not necessarily, since arguably marijuana is nowhere near as dangerous or addictive as alcohol is.
'Arguably' isn't the right word. Those are scientific facts.

[aussiebunnie]

I think the answer to the thread is a subjective one. I always like to go back to philosophy, as I love reading philosophy from school.

Jeremy Bentham who was a utilitarianist suggested that when you decide to do something, its best to universalize that something and if you can live in such world then that something is "good". So can you Universalize a world where anyone over 18/21 can smoke pot anywhere, wherever they want. Shops near schools allowed to sell pot? People allowed to smoke pot around your kids. Could you live in such a world? If the answer is yes, then you support legalizing it. If the answer is no then you are against it.

For me the answer is no.

[Korashk]

I think the answer to the thread is a subjective one. I always like to go back to philosophy, as I love reading philosophy from school.

Jeremy Bentham who was a utilitarianist suggested that when you decide to do something, its best to universalize that something and if you can live in such world then that something is "good". So can you Universalize a world where anyone over 18/21 can smoke pot anywhere, wherever they want. Shops near schools allowed to sell pot? People allowed to smoke pot around your kids. Could you live in such a world? If the answer is yes, then you support legalizing it. If the answer is no then you are against it.

For me the answer is no.
Jeremy Bentham sounds like an idiot. Universalization is almost universally a horrible policy except in the negative sense where universalization is allowed, but not enforced. Lets deal with reality here, people will not all of a sudden start smoking pot 24/7 everywhere. In fact, it's a trend that ending prohibition on a substance or activity lowers the rate at which people partake.

EDIT: Plus there's the whole "better for everyone involved except drug cartels" aspect.

[aussiebunnie]

Jeremy Bentham sounds like an idiot. Universalization is almost universally a horrible policy except in the negative sense where universalization is allowed, but not enforced. Lets deal with reality here, people will not all of a sudden start smoking pot 24/7 everywhere. In fact, it's a trend that ending prohibition on a substance or activity lowers the rate at which people partake.

EDIT: Plus there's the whole "better for everyone involved except drug cartels" aspect.

Well Jeremy Bentham has more followers and is more renowned than you. Saying "Sounds like" lacks foundation in what you say. Back it up if you believe he really is an idiot. Read up his work and provide a counter argument.

You say "lets deal with reality" yet you go ahead and state an unproven theory. That's a contradiction in itself. State facts where it is shown that people wont start smoking in public 24/7?

Ending prohibition on a substance lowers the activity of that something? LOL.

[Korashk]

Well Jeremy Bentham has more followers and is more renowned than you. Saying "Sounds like" lacks foundation in what you say. Back it up if you believe he really is an idiot. Read up his work and provide a counter argument.
I did provide a counter argument.

You say "lets deal with reality" yet you go ahead and state an unproven theory. That's a contradiction in itself. State facts where it is shown that people wont start smoking in public 24/7?

After decriminalizing drugs Portugal now has the lowest rates of drug use in the west. This translates to other countries with decriminalized drugs.

The paper, published by Cato in April, found that in the five years after personal possession was decriminalized, illegal drug use among teens in Portugal declined and rates of new HIV infections caused by sharing of dirty needles dropped, while the number of people seeking treatment for drug addiction more than doubled...

..Compared to the European Union and the U.S., Portugal's drug use numbers are impressive. Following decriminalization, Portugal had the lowest rate of lifetime marijuana use in people over 15 in the E.U.: 10%. The most comparable figure in America is in people over 12: 39.8%. Proportionally, more Americans have used cocaine than Portuguese have used marijuana.
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1893946,00.html#ixzz1NOsC69Ac

The political consensus in favor of decriminalization is unsurprising in light of the relevant empirical data. Those data indicate that decriminalization has had no adverse effect on drug usage rates in Portugal, which, in numerous categories, are now among the lowest in the EU, particularly when compared with states with stringent criminalization regimes. Although postdecriminalization usage rates have remained roughly the same or even decreased slightly when compared with other EU states, drug-related pathologies — such as sexually transmitted diseases and deaths due to drug usage — have decreased dramatically. Drug policy experts attribute those positive trends to the enhanced ability of the Portuguese government to offer treatment programs to its citizens — enhancements made possible, for numerous reasons, by decriminalization.
http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=10080
http://www.cato.org/pubs/wtpapers/greenwald_whitepaper.pdf

In America, the rate of alcohol consumption was higher during prohibition than before prohibition.

During alcohol prohibition, the period from 1920 to 1933, alcohol use initially fell but began to increase as early as 1922. It has been extrapolated that even if prohibition had not been repealed in 1933, alcohol consumption would have quickly surpassed pre-prohibition levels .[98] One argument against the War on Drugs is that it uses similar measures as Prohibition and is no more effective.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drug_war#Efficacy

Alcohol consumption rose to record levels during alcohol prohibition.
National alcohol prohibition began in 1920. Apparent alcohol use fell from 1914 to 1922. It rose thereafter. By 1925, arrests for public drunkenness and similar alcohol-related offenses were already above the pre-prohibition records. Consumption by women and children increased dramatically.
http://www.druglibrary.org/prohibitionresults1.htm

We estimate the consumption of alcohol during Prohibition using mortality, mental health and crime statistics. We find that alcohol consumption fell sharply at the beginning of Prohibition, to approximately 30 percent of its pre-Prohibition level. During the next several years, however, alcohol consumption increased sharply, to about 60-70 percent of its pre-prohibition level. The level of consumption was virtually the same immediately after Prohibition as during the latter part of Prohibition, although consumption increased to approximately its pre-Prohibition level during the subsequent decade.
http://ideas.repec.org/p/nbr/nberwo/3675.html

Ending prohibition on a substance lowers the activity of that something? LOL.
Yep.

[Genghis Khan]

I'm gonna go with legalizing it. The benefits evidently outweigh the negatives.

[Sith Lord 13]

no i dont

Why? Provide an argument.


I'm for decriminalization. It's a waste of tax dollars to prosecute people for ingesting marijuana.

[Amnesiac]

There are no rational arguments against the legalization of marijuana.

[DerBear]

i would limit it to like cafes and homes things like that just so its safe for younger ones because i have heard that when smoked the smoke can make you high and theirfor just limit it to like cafes and homes ect

this is my opinion^^^^^

Edit i dont think this will happen.

[GRGRGR]

I think i should be legal but i wouldn't use it

[Black Eight]

I totally support the legalization of marijuana. The mainly because we could benefit from it so much. The US government is spending millions of dollars each year on non-violent criminals in prison. And if marijuana was decriminalized it could be taxed and bring in even more money for the government. It's such a wasted opportunity.

[User Deleted]

Second hand smoke. Thats all I have to say.

[Patchy]

I think it should be legalized.

If they taxed it like they taxed cigarettes they would make a lot of money which would reduce taxes in other areas.

I doubt it will be readily available if legalised, as in you would never see it being sold in stores but more in bars/cafes etc.

The benefits of legalizing it are good but I do know there is a few negatives such as paranoia, the cost and the stigma attached to it.

[thebgsamuel]

o think it should be legale but be under controle and yes taxed like cigarrets scince anyway people smoke it why not make money out of it?

[User Deleted]

Oh, now I think of it, it is legal when it should me. Medically.

[Rainstorm]

Second hand smoke. Thats all I have to say.

This is one of the worst arguments I've heard to not support it.

By this basis, we shouldn't be allowing cigarettes or cigars either.

[thebgsamuel]

Oh, now I think of it, it is legal when it should me. Medically.

i dont think its usfull for anything medicaly i asked my parents they are both doctors and they dont realy know they are going to research ill tell you what i find out.

[Rainstorm]

i dont think its usfull for anything medicaly i asked my parents they are both doctors and they dont realy know they are going to research ill tell you what i find out.

Why not click here (http://lmgtfy.com/?q=Is+marijuana+medically+useful%3F)

First article I found.

Marijuana was later found to have other health benefits. It can lower pressure within the eye. This helps treat glaucoma, an eye disease which can cause blindness. Marijuana also reduces nausea and vomiting in patients taking chemotherapy treatment for cancer. It reduces muscle spasms in people with nerve problems like multiple sclerosis and can help treat some types of pain.

[Lethe]

While I do not support the use of marijuana, I believe that it should be legal, although the same restrictions on smoking (non-smoking zones, age limit, etc.) should be put in place. Smoking pot shouldn't be allowed in public areas, especially around children or the elderly, or the sick. Just because something is legal does not mean you can disregard everyone else who chooses not to smoke it.

Human beings aren't the old animals that get high or drunk. Cats experience a high from catnip. Monkeys and elephants can become drunk from fallen fermented fruits. Some birds, such as the Cedar Waxwing, feast on overripe, fermented berries to experience an energetic high. Bears purposefully eat rotten apples to allow the sugary fruit to ferment in their digestive tract. Why should animals be allowed to experience highs when humans cannot without persecution?

Of course, too much of a "good" thing can be bad for your health. That can be said without argument, I hope. But legalizing marijuana is not doing any harm to anyone, unless it is gone about in the wrong manner.

[Joe410ish]

100% support the legalization of marijuana... cigarettes cause more harm and they're legal... it's a crazy world

[scuba steve]

This is one of the worst arguments I've heard to not support it.

By this basis, we shouldn't be allowing cigarettes or cigars either.

I think he means more in the sense that second hand smoke from Marijuana will potentially get people who are sitting close by high too. Which is my only real problem with the drug. I like the idea of taxation, the UK would have a field day with the tariff levied on the drug.