Legalization of cannabis

[your_adress_here 11]

Originally posted by: Duke87

Originally posted by: your_adress_here

Originally posted by: Duke87

Marijuana is a horrible substance that can ruin your life, only an idiot would use it.quote>

I'm curious as to what leads you to that conclusion.quote>

Didn't you pay attention in health class in high school? They don't just make that stuff up, you know.

quote>

Don't just make up what?

We were never lied to about drugs at school. The only thing I can remember is once when a policeman came in to talk to the class when I was in grade six and he showed us some of the drugs we might encounter in high school.

Besides, I've had the, erm, privelege of dealing with potheads. Several of them live in my dorm. One guy I know has skipped class several times because he was high. Others have forgotten to do homework assignments because they were high. If they're still using it in a few years, it's a logical extension that they'll be skipping work and forgetting to pay bills because they're high.

quote>

Pot doesn't make you lazy. If you are a lazy person to begin with, and you become a heavy smoker it is possible that your laziness is augmented because of the constant psychological "down".

Not to mention that marijuana, being a hallicinogen, alters your perception of reality - which can led you to do some stupid and dangerous things.

quote>

Marijuana won't make you hallucinate. And you are also still able to stay rational when you're intoxicated.

Originally posted by: Boggy1

a marijuana user contracts one of the various health problems associated with it. So he or she goes to (in the case of the UK) a free at point of service hospital. We the tax-payer has to foot the bill. For something that he directly caused himself. You don't want the Government to dictate what goes into your bodies? Well in that case how about the Government refuse to treat anyone who purposely takes something which will harm them, or at least demand payment. Same goes for alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs related cases. I don't want to pay for some moron who smokes everyday of his life, when he developed lung cancer. He had the choice not to smoke, he had the choice to start it in the first place.quote>

You're absolutely right. We, the taxpayers, should not have to pay for health problems someone developed because they were smoking weed. That's why nationalized healthcare is oppressive, you see. If they have to pay for it themselves, then no problem!

quote>

Marijuana is less harmful to your body than cigarettes or alcohol. Not to mention it isn't physically addictive.

What idiot would, entirely of their own conviction and under free will, place something into their bodies which will cause physical degradation of the body?quote>

1) People who are ignorant of or in denial of the consequences

2) People who enjoy it so much that they don't care what the consequences are

3) You said it yourself: an idiot. No shortage of those in this world.

quote>

I think pretty much every user would fall into the second category, since marijuana does so little harm to your body that you can use it daily and suffer no ill effects. You should also be careful who you go calling an idiot.

So far your argument that marijuana is bad for your health seems quite weak. I would like to know what information you have about its effects on one's health. If you want to know some basic information on the plant, here is a good FAQ on erowid.

[Zelgadis 638]

Hmmm... Not much to say about all this... What I can say is that there are, to use a cliche, a lot of people in glass houses throwing stones in here.

What idiot would, entirely of their own conviction and under free will, place something into their bodies which will cause physical degradation of the body? quote>

I challenge anyone to say honestly that you've never done that before. Almost nobody could even say they don't do that on a semi-regular basis. Had any bacon recently? Enjoyed a nice fizzy drink? How about a nice piece of candy?

Like my mother once said (okay, shouted) when the overweight neighbor lady gave her crap for lighting up a cigarette, "Ya know, FAT can kill ya too!"

And she was right.

As for marijuana... I don't see how legalizing it would do anything other than deprive criminals of a source of revenue and make our prisons a little less crowded. People who will abuse it will abuse it no matter what the legal status is. Get them help. Most people can use it responsibly. Let them.

ISF

[miguelkuk 111]

Actually, cannabis use is not a dangerous drug unless you're prone to psichosis or schizophrenia, in which case it might aggravate it. Needless to say these people should avoid cannabis, just like asthma sufferers should avoid tobacco, or diabetics should avoid candy.
Responsible consumption is what's needed, not prohibition, and for this a legal minimum age should be chosen as in alcohol and tobacco consumption.
The sort of morons that you mention here, skipping classes because they're too stoned, are a good example of irresponsible use of the drug. It's not the drug itself that's the problem, it's the morons.
Same goes for drunk drivers, or drunk men who beat their wives, or whatever. Not everyone is like this and not everyone reacts to the drug like this.

As for the argument being put that you don't want your taxes to pay for self induced harm caused to pot-heads, then where do we draw the line? Maybe over-weight people should also be denied treatment for heart conditions because they ate the wrong foods intentionally... Or people with liver problems because of alcohol consumption... Or AIDS victims... I could go on and on... It is a ridiculous argument. Why should some also have to pay for a war if they're against it? ......

[confused04 14]

Just to add a point... not that I personally care either way what happens to cannabis, I agree with Skigeek... other more urgent matters should be at the forefront.

Because the State deems cannabis is legal, that doesn't stop the social pressure to stop and there would still be real incentives to avoid the substance. The legality of cannabis does not prevent companies from refusing to hire those who test positive or fire those who do during random drug tests. Most employers would probably avoid hiring those who smoke marijuana. Many occupations do this already and some even fire you if you test positive for alcohol (within 24 hours). So, there is still incentive to be a productive member of society.

And as to the examples of marijuana ruining people's lives....

If possession were legal, many of these "examples" would never have gone to prison and gotten screwed up THERE. Its not marijuana that necessarily ruins people's lives, going to prison does! Now I'm not sympathetic to people who willingly break the law, but of all the crimes that a person can commit, I rank marijuana possession/distribution very low. Many of these examples can be replaced by practically anything illegal and their lives would have been ruined. A gun enthusiast may have gotten in trouble for not having a permit, goes to prison. I'm not gonna claim "guns ruin lives!!!" (Or at least not in this sense....). Prison is a hard system to become a part of and of course any person who goes to prison is going to be screwed up. I have yet to meet someone who ISN'T fundamentally scarred by prison time. But to the point... if marijuana was legal, would these people be as screwed up as they sound... probably not. They wouldn't have been put through our horrific penal system.

[DocRorlach 25]

Cannabis, at least certain varieties of it, is addictive, but so are a variety of perfectly legal substances, Coca cola, Coffee, Alcohol, and we need not even mention cigarettes.

The chart provided on page one is correct, however, and in certain cases varieties of weed can be used for medicinal purposes.

As for the social effects, one need but look at what happened in Holland: there legalization led not only to an increase in tax revenue from the oddly named "Coffeeshops" where you can buy and smoke it legally, but from a considerable increase in tourism.

More importantly, it also led to a serious drop in arrests, allowing for the diversion of police resources to more serious matters.

In the US where crime & punishment will finish off a life at an early stage for ann arrest record because of weed, the Federal government should legalize it if only to reduce the prison population by some 10-15%. Don't forget, there you can get three month to a year for the mere possession of paraphernalia - you don't actually have to found with actual weed to become a "criminal".

[themanwithnonamemk2 0]

Hi guys, just noticed this topic on the front page. My personal opinion of pot is that its okay for some. Just like alcohol. Just like coffee! I would never touch the stuff myself, but I try not to judge occasional users, after all, whats the point?

However, I am concerned to see alot of comments here suggesting there is no (or little) danger from regular cannabis use. Here is a an article (from the US I think) describing some of the dangers, and crucially, it is referenced to peer-reviewed and published scientific research. If you have access to a university/college library I would urge you to check out some of the cited sources.

http://www.drugabuse.gov/ResearchReports/marijuana/default.html

[saltandsauce 0]

well, if you want to see what it would be like to legalise cannibis go to amsterdam and see what you make of it, the city isn't doing well from an economic point of view since it is being filled with junkies and low lifes which bring in higher crime rates and a growing gap between job opportunities and available workforce, or go to needle park in Zurich where it is a magnet for junkies and the effect of needle park on the surrounding area, now imagine if A WHOLE COUNTRY legalised cannibis. i am not a hypocrit since i don't approve of alcohol or coffee since i've also seen what that can do to you - ruin your liver and suck up your money (onnly if you drink coffeeshop coffee) and make you into one grumpy choob. or look at NYC when it legalised pornography and homosexuality it allowed an explosion of STI transmission and general sleaze (look at 42nd street in the 1970s).

and multicorefan, are you saying that cannibis is the Emulsifier of the class system? i somehow really don't think so. most of the people i know who smoke cannibis will turn out like me, low paid or unemployed only difference being i can feed myself properly since i have one less expense to worry about. the middle class ones will stay middle class too.

and as for mayors of new york city, do you know which one was the best (in my view) that was Ed Koch who dragged the city out of the fiscal crisis do you think he could have done that had he been stoned half the time

[marijntjo 0]

And no one has actually answered my question, as to why any sane human being would want to take chemicals that alter your body-chemistry; alter your chemical balance at the molecular level. It's just idiotic. Absolutely idiotic. Do you do it because it relaxes you? Take up yoga or something! Go for long walks! Don't rely on body changing drugs. Do you want to escape from reality? Indulge in a good book or something.

First of all... cannabis isn't a man made chemical. Its a pure product of nature which is used for ages by all sorts of tribes and ancient folks.>>

Why are people drinking wine and beer, also to escape reality? Do you really think all people using cannabis or alcohol do that to escape reality?.... Cannabis and alcohol are used for exactly the same reason and I'll bet the alcohol effects your chemical balance even more then a joint once in a while. >>

Also I'd like to see your source saying cannabis is a body changing drug... have your ever thought about modern medical drugs? Most of them contain hormones or other man made chemicals which also have downsides besides the positive effects.... and don't think they won't change your chemical balance. And what about the Chinese medical herbs... all products of nature that are proven to change you chemical balance... your also against that?

Speaking of medical drugs.... cannabis has proven itself as being of medical interest for curing or controlling certain deceases.

But on-topic... as the great Peter Tosh and Bob Marley always said.... Legalize it! >>

For the next reasons:

- Much better quality control possible

- Keeps drugs related crime not as interesting anymore (no more dealers on the corner or even worse Mexico situations)

- Extra revenues for taxes which can be invested in good drugs and alcohol education

- Keeps the ignorant away from a drugs circuit in which people easily switch to harder drugs.

- Makes it possible to inform users about the dangers at the government controlled selling points.

- Makes it easier to explore the medical value of cannabis

And to all people who think cannabis is the foundation for a junky unsuccessful life.... your wrong. Just like with alcohol its very possible to have a successful life for as long as you take your responsibility.

I live in Holland where the herbs are legalized for ages now... Looking at our drugs rates it belongs to the lowest worldwide! Ask a person on the street what he knows about drugs and they probably able to tell you all the dangers. Besides that I rarely see a bum which became bum because of the weed... it's more often the alcohol or cocaine that ruins ones life.

PS. me and my friends use(d) cannabis when playing a game of poker or at a good concert. We all have good jobs and university education level. Actually there isn't anybody in my network that lost a good life by smoking a joint once in a while.

My 2 cents about the cannabis.

[marijntjo 0]

well, if you want to see what it would be like to legalise cannibis go to amsterdam and see what you make of it, the city isn't doing well from an economic point of view since it is being filled with junkies and low lifes which bring in higher crime rates and a growing gap between job opportunities and available workforce

Amsterdam is thriving economicly... and the junkies seen on the streets in Amsterdam aren't the Dutch... these are the English, Spanish, Italian and American tourists. A world wide legalization and a well designed drugs education program could be a solution. The awareness of drugs and its abuse is much higher in a good informed but legalized environment then it is in a shady illegal environment without paths that help people stay of the drugs or help them get clean. Even worse in the illegal environment people who want to roll a joint (and people will do anyway, illegal or legal) have to go to a park like the one in Zurich where they are confrontated with the harder drugs and needles.

[phenphen 1]

Apparently somebody doesn't have the brass to handle the truth. Can we say pathetic? Thanks for the edit, moderator. I noticed that you forgot to edit the original offending reply.

--- Discuss the issues, not each other --- Ski quote>

[sedimenjerry 1]

Oh boy where do I start.

Well, I don't think there is any doubt that medical use should be allowed.

The question is on recreational use. I really am torn. It makes sense why it is banned. It is bad for your health. Just like alcohol and tobacco. Which is why I will never use them and never will recommend anyone to use them.

I can definitely see the benefits of legalization. Obviously it would make it safer and easier to receive from a store instead of in the black market (on the downside, this would also make it easier to abuse.)

Tax revenue is another obvious pro. Make them at least contribute financially to the state and country.

It is rather low on the danger list so legalization would allow the DEA to focus on more serious drugs such as cocaine, heroin, meth, etc. It would also allow the police to focus more on crimes that are more damaging to society.

However, it's still a drug. It's still bad. The only real reason as to why alcohol and tobacco aren't also banned is because of the previous widespread use. Alcochol due to its ability to be free of sickening parasites in an era when there was no such thing as water treatment plants or running water. Tobacco has been a staple in many areas, particularly the southern United States where tobacco was a cash crop for Chesapeake Colonies. This of course led to widespread use.

It's important to note that these drugs became widespread in a time when neuroscience was very basic and drug's effects on the body were not nearly as well known as today. This is one of the problems I have with the Prohibition Argument. During the Prohibition. Anti-smoking movements were just beginning to start up during this time. Previously, smoking had been thought of as a good habit to have. It wasn't till 1964 that the Surgeon general of the US actually recommended that smokers stop smoking. In short, we know a lot more about drugs effects on the body than we did in the 20's so the leverage of the Prohibiton argument is somewhat diminished.

As for the "potheads we've known", it's a lot easier to list sucessful people that used marijuana than to list all of the people who used marijuana and ended up in a situation a lot worse. There's too many of them. In a way, it comes down to the individual. Some people can handle it. Just like some people can handle their drinking. I doubt that smoking marijuana actually helped those people make it to where they are today.

I don't think that drug cartels will end completely. After all there are a lot more drugs out there, like cocaine, that is a source of income for many. Drug dealing on the street corners won't end either. They may diminish but dangerous drugs will continue to be smuggled and sold.

If you tell a child not to do something, most likely it's because it is bad for them. That's the entire idea of making drugs illegal. It's for their protection. With that said, marijuana is lower risk, although not free of risk. So legalization is more probable.

I still can't decide though. I may just have to go "majority rule" on this one. After all, it's not exactly a "right" to be able to smoke marijuana. If it is legalized, hopefully the revenue on taxes will be used for education on how drugs are bad.

[Easy Bakes 253]

So then what happens when the tobacco companies get a hold of selling it,cause you know thas who will be selling it

to the public since the production facilitys and distribution is already in place.When they add nicotine and fillers to make it more addictive and less potent.

you will still probably have people selling the "pure" stuff illegaly.

[belfastuniguy 18]

As for the social effects, one need but look at what happened in Holland: there legalization led not only to an increase in tax revenue from the oddly named "Coffeeshops" where you can buy and smoke it legally, but from a considerable increase in tourism.quote>

Holland is a unique example, its society have always been somewhat more liberal and progressive. They have fantastic levels of education and people know how to treat the freedom they have been awarded.

[Duke87 1,070]

Originally posted by: your_adress_here

We were never lied to about drugs at school. quote>

Well somebody thinks highly of public school education.

Yes, it's obvious that the point is to prevent kids from using drugs, but they don't lie. Though, seeing as the textbooks are usually not exactly new, they probably do lag behind the current state of science somewhat. We were taught about the idea of gateway drugs. I know that that's defintiely an archaic concept now. I don't know whther it was in 2002 when I was sitting in high school health class (yow, has it really been seven years? .

Is it as bad as they say? In the case of marijuana, no. But is it bad for you? In general, yes.

I understand that there are successful people who used it when they were younger. It's not an automatic life-ruiner like many other drugs are, that's for sure, but it still has a significant potential to do that (see various stories posted here).

The thing is, it alters your state of mind (makes you "high"). That's why it's called a "mind-altering substance". Some people actually operate better with their mind altered. Many more do not. But regardless, being in an altered state of mind means you've become a bit detached from reality... which is inherently problematic for having to function in reality. Though, if you're just sitting around in your room, then that's not something you have to worry about quite so much.

Let's look at Obama. Yes, he smoked pot in his early twenties, but he stopped - because he realized it wasn't doing him any favors (he discusses his use of the drug in his memoir, Dreams from My Father). I guarantee you, were he still smoking it now, he wouldn't be capable of competently running a country.

Okay, so he already isn't competent. He'd be even more incompetent.

Marijuana has medical uses, yes... but there's a difference between a drug being used medically by prescription and it being used recreationally. For one thing, if prescribed by a doctor, it means you have a condition that warrants using it. For another, the proper dose will be specified. Recreationally, you just take as much as you want and that means you may overdo it. Marijuana in particular isn't practically going to kill you by overdose, but it still can, in the words of that little FAQ you pointed to, get you "too stoned".

Speaking of which, their little disclaimer jumps out at me:

Erowid Note: We have some concerns about the accuracy and/or tone of this FAQ, but have not yet

found the time to review and fix the errors or write a new one. In the mean time, please be aware

that this document is focused significantly on hemp and has a relatively strong political bias. quote>

Well, at least we can give them credit for being aware that there's a problem.

They also cite sources, so we can assume their facts to be pretty solid, if not necessarily their interpretations thereof.

One thing I will give you is this: many of the problems with marijuana stem not from the drug itself but from it being illegal. You have to worry about getting arrested, you have to get it off the black market, it disqualifies you from an awful lot of things, etc.

That's one big argument for legalizing it, after all. It would make using it a lot less idiotic. Doing something you can go to jail for just to have a little fun is a major part of the stupidity, here.

[miguelkuk 111]

Originally posted by: saltandsauce

look at NYC when it legalised pornography and homosexuality it allowed an explosion of STI transmission and general sleaze (look at 42nd street in the 1970s).quote>

Being gay I could take offense, but instead I pity your shallow ignorant views. Maybe you still call AIDS the gay-plague

, right?... Duh!!

[toxicpiano 125]

Originally posted by: saltandsauce

. or look at NYC when it legalised pornography and homosexuality it allowed an explosion of STI transmission and general sleaze (look at 42nd street in the 1970s).

quote>

hahaha are you from the 19th century?

[Meg 368]

Let's get back to the topic and stop discussing each other.

[ShortStraw 1]

I am for legalization, based mostly on the fact that cannabis is less harmful than our currently legal drugs and because of its huge potential as a medical drug. Not to mention, I'm pretty much for anything that allows for greater individual freedoms. Also, I can't help but think that we should have learned something from our experience with alcohol prohibition and applied those lessons to our drug policies.

I would love to see hemp cultivation become viable again too.

Still, I don't think I'll actually see legalization in my lifetime. Marijuana has been successfully demonized through a pretty effective propaganda machine for a very long time now and the effects of that are evident even here in some of the posts I've read so I'm not sure the public is ready for federal legalization. Besides, I can't quite get my mind around some of the logistics. I mean, how can the government control the manufacture and distribution of a product that is so exceedingly simple to manufacture. It's much much easier to "Grow your own" than it is to brew your own alcohol or process your own tobacco. Anyone can do it with just some dirt, sunlight and water. The only way that I can imagine such a product could be made comparable to beer and cigarettes and holistic drugs would be to impose comprehensive regulations on manufacturing and distributing the stuff. I'm thinking a pretty complex set of regulations/laws/whatever that would require either a whole new govt. agency to oversee or that would open up whole new jurisdictions to the DEA and ATF, IRS and whoever else winds up involved.

Maybe I'm just a cynic but I just can't see corporate America allowing such a potentially valuable product to just flop freely into the marketplace all willy nilly for just anyone to profit from.

Something that I've never really thought much about until I read this thread is the tourism aspect. The potential benefits to our current tourism industry alone are mind boggling which makes me wonder if global tourism markets wouldn't cause other nations to follow our example which makes me also realize that this is actually a global issue with ramifications impacting people from the poppy fields of Asia to the resort hotels of Tahiti.

So anyway I'm pro legalization but I don't think I'll see it happen. Maybe my grandkids will do it, heh.

[fukuda 351]

It's much much easier to "Grow your own" than it is to brew your own alcohol or process your own tobacco. Anyone can do it with just some dirt, sunlight and water.quote>

aye

Common sight all over spain (specially in Catalonia), where personal growth and consumption of cannabis is legal (ironically enough, selling the leaves is illegal while selling the seeds is not)

1111st post!

[UltraGIR XL 3]

I'm not a user, though I support decriminalization.

There's not question that it can cause PSYCHOLOGICAL addiction, but so can every other substance, including food.

But what I want to get at is the draconian nature of punishing folks for its possession; teens, especially, get their lives ruined for trying a substance almost universally used in any western culture. It seems ridiculous to me.

The fact is, people who smoke are going to smoke. We might as well cut some strings attached. My proposition?

I say we tax it. 10-15%. We put a government-issued seal on it, and if you're caught with enough to be considered able to be sold, and it lacks the seal, then you get fined.

It's like underage drinking; it's pointless to keep trying to issue these punishments, it's not doing anything but ruining lives.

-J

[josefmayor 8]

Here's some fun facts

Top 5 kids in my class in HS all pot heads. The top 2 were the biggest pot heads.

My friend Andrew at UT pothead 3.78 gpa

I'm a pot head and I have all A's right now.

There's nothing wrong with pot if you can handle it. Its less damaging than Tabacco and Alcohol. It is dependent on the person just like alcohol and cigarettes. I've smoked cigs and I hate them. I have friends who are addicted to them. I've smoked maybe 10.

Also whenever I'm doing my drafting I do it high. And guess what I got on my last design project? 86.

My whole new project is amazing and incredibly thought out and abstract and I did it all high.

This is my Katrina Emergency Housing Shelter named "The Crescent" the partie comes from New Orleans being the Crescent City, another idea I had while being high.

[LarksTonguesInAspic 28]

Originally posted by: josefmayor

Here's some fun facts

Top 5 kids in my class in HS all pot heads. The top 2 were the biggest pot heads.

My friend Andrew at UT pothead 3.78 gpa

I'm a pot head and I have all A's right now.

There's nothing wrong with pot if you can handle it. Its less damaging than Tabacco and Alcohol. It is dependent on the person just like alcohol and cigarettes. I've smoked cigs and I hate them. I have friends who are addicted to them. I've smoked maybe 10.

Also whenever I'm doing my drafting I do it high. And guess what I got on my last design project? 86.

My whole new project is amazing and incredibly thought out and abstract and I did it all high.

quote>

It still looks bad to brag about it, though.

When I shared my experience, I didn't do it as bragging but as an illustration. I mean, I was at a 4.0 and made the Dean's List every semester, but I still didn't 'advertise'. IMHO advertising is just immature.

[josefmayor 8]

I'm just proving a point. Not bragging.

Weed doesn't do all of the negative affects that some people seem to point out.

Honestly the majority of my design class smokes weed and they all come up with great stuff and are all pretty smart. Not to mention I'm Native American and my ancestors have ceremonily smoked cannabis for a really long time. (I'm not just saying that. I am a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation)

[Duke87 1,070]

Originally posted by: josefmayor

Honestly the majority of my design class smokes weed and they all come up with great stuff and are all pretty smart. quote>

Let's get something straight, here: architecture has nothing to do with intelligence and everything to do with creativity and talent. It's an art, just like painting or sculpting. You're not in a class full of smart people, you're in a class full of creative people. And while drugs can be a source of inspiration, and thus enhance creativity... when it comes to more scientific matters, they make you dumber, not smarter.

Somehow I think if some of the people in my design class (which is actually a design class, not an art class) tried to design something while high that it wouldn't stand up if you tried to build it.

[your_adress_here 11]

Originally posted by: Duke87

Originally posted by: josefmayor

Honestly the majority of my design class smokes weed and they all come up with great stuff and are all pretty smart. quote>

Let's get something straight, here: architecture has nothing to do with intelligence and everything to do with creativity and talent. It's an art, just like painting or sculpting. You're not in a class full of smart people, you're in a class full of creative people. And while drugs can be a source of inspiration, and thus enhance creativity... when it comes to more scientific matters, they make you dumber, not smarter.

Somehow I think if some of the people in my design class (which is actually a design class, not an art class) tried to design something while high that it wouldn't stand up if you tried to build it.

quote>

I think you don't know what its like to be high. If you're smart before being high you're gonna be smart when you're high.

[belfastuniguy 18]

Let's get something straight, here: architecture has nothing to do with intelligence and everything to do with creativity and talent. It's an art, just like painting or sculpting. You're not in a class full of smart people, you're in a class full of creative people. And while drugs can be a source of inspiration, and thus enhance creativity... when it comes to more scientific matters, they make you dumber, not smarter.quote>

Exactly Duke

[josefmayor 8]

Originally posted by: Duke87

Originally posted by: josefmayor

Honestly the majority of my design class smokes weed and they all come up with great stuff and are all pretty smart. quote>

Let's get something straight, here: architecture has nothing to do with intelligence and everything to do with creativity and talent. It's an art, just like painting or sculpting. You're not in a class full of smart people, you're in a class full of creative people. And while drugs can be a source of inspiration, and thus enhance creativity... when it comes to more scientific matters, they make you dumber, not smarter.

Somehow I think if some of the people in my design class (which is actually a design class, not an art class) tried to design something while high that it wouldn't stand up if you tried to build it.

quote>

Dude I was referring to their knowledge outside the architecture world. Did I say architecture has anything to do with intelligence? No I said They come upt with good stuff and are all pretty smart. Obviously good stuff refers to design, AND are all pretty smart means they have knowledge beyond architecture.

Being high also stimulates your mind, if you're smart that is.

[Tarkus 6,934]

Never consumed marijuana here. Heck, I'm 23 and I've not consumed alcohol, either (unless you count taking Nyquil while sick). Simply doesn't appeal to me for starters. I've never been keen on the idea of consuming a substance that may dull and/or impair my senses and rational thinking capacity for strictly recreational purposes.

I am, however, an absolute caffeine junkie. I'm addicted to White Chocolate Mochas and regularly drink Dr Pepper, Mt Dew and Red Bull. Even while caffeine is a mind-altering drug as some have pointed out, it is one that generally heightens senses and improves reaction times, and thus, is generally categorized as ergogenic.

Generally speaking, though, I try not to judge others, and I do know people who consume marijuana. If they want to dull and/or impair their senses, it's really not any of my business. However, as someone who is quite seriously allergic to many plant pollens, being anywhere near secondhand marijuana smoke tends to seriously inflame my nasal passages.

My neighbor who lives below me in my apartment building occasionally tokes up, and being an old building, the fumes tend to migrate into my apartment--and I pretty much have to leave the place as a result whenever he does it. It's about like being nea a burning grass seed field. Tobacco smoke irritates them as well, but not nearly as badly--not to mention that unlike marijuana, there's no chance of me getting "secondhand stoned" from the fumes.

I support medical marijuana and know several people on the program here in Oregon who say it really does help their pain. Recreational use, though, I have rather mixed feelings on.

I don't think marijuana possession/consumption should be real serious crime if it were to remain illegal, and I agree that there are bigger things that could be enforced. The sanctions imposed should be about like jaywalking or violating a noise ordinance, and if someone is seriously intoxicated and causing a threat to public safety, along the lines of alcohol-related crimes. Distribution crimes should carry about the same penalties as analogous alcohol crimes.

I would be more likely to support decriminalization if smoking were really, really heavily regulated (moreso than tobacco smoking), if not outright banned. My respiratory system could simply not take it if people were standing outside of buildings smoking marijuana like they do tobacco. Since I currently live in a town with a large population of hippies, I'd have to invest in a gas mask just to walk around town.

-Alex (Tarkus)

[LarksTonguesInAspic 28]

There is an article in today's Parade magazine (the little color rag that comes in the Sunday paper in most places) by Senator Jim Webb, and it says 47.5% of people incarcerated last year were for pot possession, and that 74% of those were black. That should give some pause. The article itself is about the gigantic prison population, which is another thread.

[Barbarossa 51]

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  Edited September 8, 2012 by Barbarossa