|
Post by marle on Jun 16, 2013 10:25:09 GMT -5
So, just curious about what you guys think about marijuana legalization. My guess is that people here will tend to favor it. I've never tried marijuana, and don't intend to ever do so. But it does seem like too much law enforcement resources are being spent against it, speaking about my country (USA). I just read that in the past 4 years, the U.S. government spent 300 million dollars combating medical marijuana alone.
So what do you think?
|
|
|
Post by Stranger on Jun 16, 2013 16:03:33 GMT -5
I've never used it either, and I couldn't agree more. I also think it's inevitable that it will happen.
Not sure what kind of strong regulations you have in mind - would you say alcohol or tobacco had strong regulations in the US? I'd think a similar level to those would be appropriate.
|
|
|
Post by Farouche on Jun 16, 2013 16:42:07 GMT -5
I've never tried it, either, and I, too, have no intentions of doing so. And I agree that it seems silly to spend so much time and money combating something that is apparently less dangerous than alcohol in many ways (right?). Doesn't seem like those efforts have been very effective, either. Plus, using marijuana is so much less stigmatized these days, and it seems pretty low on the list of concerns even for people who oppose legalization... The time seems ripe to legalize. Like Stranger said, it seems pretty much inevitable.
I wouldn't say that "strong" regulations should be necessary... Just reasonable ones, like the ones we have on comparable products (alcohol; over-the-counter medication; pretty much any kind of food). I.e., no driving while high; for sellers, no mixing 10% marijuana with something else and hawking it as "100% pure."
|
|
|
Post by marle on Jun 16, 2013 16:50:35 GMT -5
Not sure what kind of strong regulations you have in mind Yeah, that choice is rather subjective so not great for a poll. I would think of it as regulations that are stronger than either tobacco or alcohol regulations. Such as, you can grow a limited amount for personal use but only the government can sell it, there would be no advertisements, and no one under 21 can use it.
|
|
|
Post by Scotty on Jun 16, 2013 18:05:29 GMT -5
I'm another that doesn't use it and probably wont, but I'd be okay with legalizing it as long as there are some laws similar to alcohol, like no driving under the influence or coming to work stoned.
|
|
|
Post by Sexy Spork #37 on Jun 16, 2013 19:08:30 GMT -5
Drugs are pure evil and should be banished from the face of the Earth.
I don't care what you use them for, stop it. It may become legal in the US, but it'll never become here in the UK. There's simply too much opposition, including me. There would be national votes and all sorts, and I'd happily vote against it.
No good can come from drugs, it's the worst thing to put into your body. Any studies that say otherwise shouldn't be trusted. It's all lies created by stoners who think they know best when they know nothing whatsoever.
If you want to kill yourself, go for it, but don't temp the world to follow you down that dark path.
We need to go in the opposite direction. Drugs are pure evil and should be banished from the face of the Earth.
I don't care what you use them for, stop it. It may become legal in the US, but it'll never become here in the UK. There's simply too much opposition, including me. There would be national votes and all sorts, and I'd happily vote against it, as would the majority.
No good can come from drugs, it's the worst thing to put into your body. Any studies that say otherwise shouldn't be trusted. It's all lies created by stoners who think they know best when they know nothing whatsoever.
If you want to kill yourself, go for it, but don't tempt the world to follow you down that dark path. Legalising it will do this. It'll encourage people to give up living.
We need to go in the opposite direction. Here, we've banned people from smoking in parks, public places, in bus stops and anywhere inside whatsoever. That's trying to be expanded to cars and even household's with children. Cigarettes soon won't even be allowed to be displayed in shops. Cigarettes are drugs, and just as bad as all other drugs. Hopefully the day will come when they're banned outright. We're going in the right direction with them, people shouldn't be trying to make us go the opposite way with other drugs. It just doesn't make sense.
I've never done drugs and never will. I've never even smoked.
This shouldn't be a debate. It's a forgone conclusion. Only idiots do drugs. Do them, you'll throw your life away.
|
|
|
Post by Farouche on Jun 16, 2013 20:38:56 GMT -5
Drugs are pure evil and should be banished from the face of the Earth.
|
|
|
Post by Sweet Pea on Jun 17, 2013 1:24:48 GMT -5
legalize it. we're wasting precious resources tilting at windmills with our pointless drug war. where it has been legalized, the world did not end, society did not decay. making an omnipresent herbal plant illegal is questionable anyway. if God gave us all this plant to use, who are we humans to deny each other its use?
|
|
|
Post by Stranger on Jun 17, 2013 1:28:03 GMT -5
Not sure what kind of strong regulations you have in mind Yeah, that choice is rather subjective so not great for a poll. I would think of it as regulations that are stronger than either tobacco or alcohol regulations. Such as, you can grow a limited amount for personal use but only the government can sell it, there would be no advertisements, and no one under 21 can use it. The age limit in the US is unfortunate. It's higher than almost everywhere else on Earth, and past a certain point, age just isn't the greatest indicator of the real abusers. That said, I'd probably go for keeping it in line with other legal drugs for consistency.
|
|
|
Post by Astroruss on Jun 17, 2013 1:43:40 GMT -5
I'm against legalizing it precisely because of all the excesses already done in our society today. Yes, alcohol is legal but I think it should be made illegal again too. I know it's very unlikely but I think we should stop at just having alcohol legal and only that. Plus, I don't believe marijuana is the harmless substance they make it out to be; I've seen too many screwed up, no energy, low libido, chronically unemployed potheads to believe that. I also personally witnessed an awful car accident between two argumentative pot smokers as well when I was a college student. I actually pulled one out when he was too stoned to even stand up straight and would have fallen back into traffic.
|
|
|
Post by Sexy Spork #37 on Jun 17, 2013 6:54:50 GMT -5
It's humanities job to prevent other humans from harming society.
Somebody breaks the speed limit. That is wrong. It is right to try to stop that somebody doing that something wrong.
Somebody smokes a cigarette. That is wrong. It is right to try to stop that somebody doing that something wrong.
Somebody torches a building. That is wrong. It is right to try to stop that somebody doing that something wrong.
Somebody does drugs. That is wrong. It is right to try to stop that somebody doing that something wrong.
We need restraint. Yes, drugs are a natural plant. Doesn't give anyone the right to use them. Coffee is natural. Highly addictive. Nicotine. We stop people from smoking in certain areas. Just because we have something readily available doesn't mean anyone should be allowed to use it.
That speeding car puts lives in danger. That person smoking a cigarette puts other people's lives at risk (second hand smoke). Alcoholics put people's lives in danger (violence and reckless endangerment). That arsonist puts people's lives in danger. It's the same with drugs. There's no difference.
To say they should be legal is blatant disregard for the greater majority and admission that you simply don't care about other people. No amount of regulation can stop that. Gun regulation here in the UK is one of strictest on Earth yet it doesn't stop gun violence. No difference.
And medical use? Unacceptable reasoning. It's exactly the same as saying, "I'm fat, I want to lose weight, I'll get liposuction instead of using a treadmill".
Drugs get legalised there'll be hell on the streets, certainly here. And I'll gladly be a part of that.
|
|
|
Post by Crashtastic on Jun 17, 2013 19:33:43 GMT -5
Drugs are pure evil and should be banished from the face of the Earth. I don't care what you use them for, stop it. It may become legal in the US, but it'll never become here in the UK. There's simply too much opposition, including me. There would be national votes and all sorts, and I'd happily vote against it. No good can come from drugs, it's the worst thing to put into your body. Any studies that say otherwise shouldn't be trusted. It's all lies created by stoners who think they know best when they know nothing whatsoever. If you want to kill yourself, go for it, but don't temp the world to follow you down that dark path. We need to go in the opposite direction. Drugs are pure evil and should be banished from the face of the Earth. I don't care what you use them for, stop it. It may become legal in the US, but it'll never become here in the UK. There's simply too much opposition, including me. There would be national votes and all sorts, and I'd happily vote against it, as would the majority. No good can come from drugs, it's the worst thing to put into your body. Any studies that say otherwise shouldn't be trusted. It's all lies created by stoners who think they know best when they know nothing whatsoever. If you want to kill yourself, go for it, but don't tempt the world to follow you down that dark path. Legalising it will do this. It'll encourage people to give up living. We need to go in the opposite direction. Here, we've banned people from smoking in parks, public places, in bus stops and anywhere inside whatsoever. That's trying to be expanded to cars and even household's with children. Cigarettes soon won't even be allowed to be displayed in shops. Cigarettes are drugs, and just as bad as all other drugs. Hopefully the day will come when they're banned outright. We're going in the right direction with them, people shouldn't be trying to make us go the opposite way with other drugs. It just doesn't make sense. I've never done drugs and never will. I've never even smoked. This shouldn't be a debate. It's a forgone conclusion. Only idiots do drugs. Do them, you'll throw your life away. Wow...how incredibly black and white. You're missing a whole lot of grey area. To each their own, I guess...
|
|
|
Post by Sexy Spork #37 on Jun 17, 2013 20:19:22 GMT -5
Simply can't agree with you there.
Not a single word of that post is just black and white. Full of grey.
It's the interpretation, not 'each to their own'.
|
|
|
Post by Crashtastic on Jun 17, 2013 22:52:09 GMT -5
Perhaps I've misunderstood...Could you explain to me where the grey is in statements such as "Drugs are pure evil and should be banished from the face of the Earth." and "Only idiots do drugs."?
|
|
|
Post by Sexy Spork #37 on Jun 18, 2013 6:34:40 GMT -5
I presume we're still talking about illegal drugs not legal drugs you get from a pharmacy. I'm including medicinal versions of otherwise illegal drugs, too.
The facts surrounding drug use are clear. They're not good for you in the long term. The damage they do to your body does not warrant the risk of taking them. When the average person uses illicit drugs, surely that decision can only be described as 'idiotic'. You can make the same comparisons with excessive drinking and smoking. You can't have two rules for the same thing.
Drug users for me are split into two categories, the idiotic users above and medicinal. Medicinal should only be the last resort. In the long term, it'll do one more harm than good. If someone is in so much pain that they are willing to put their bodies through irreversible, life-threatening damage, then surely the issue strays into the territory of euthanasia, rather than drug legalisation. I certainly know which I'd prefer to be legalised. The decision for people to take any drug for medicinal use is still a dire situation to find oneself in, a highly regrettable situation, but an understandable one. Still doesn't justify it.
At the end of the day, people can do what they want but surely the correct thing to do is keep drugs illegal to stop people harming themselves and to give those in pain other options. Look at the hell we're going through trying to help people quit smoking. Banning it in lots of places, not displaying it, and all kinds of laws trying to be brought in. If they were illegal from day one we wouldn't have this trouble and the world would be a better place. I know it's not that simple, but you know we're I'm coming from.
The phrase 'dugs are pure evil and should be banished from the face of the Earth' was tongue-in-cheek, and I used it in relation to the above paragraph. I thought that was heavily implied. Simply put, if we didn't have the option to use drugs, id est, they were banished from the face of the Earth, it would be so much easier. As I said above, however, it's far more complicated than that. The evil part referenced just how poisonous they are, not necessarily literally but in the rift they cause amongst humanity.
|
|