Decriminalize Marijuana?

[EcceNovaFacioOmni]

The problem with dope is the same with drinking. People do dumb things under the influence, but alchohol is too deeply rooted in culture to be illegal. I think we should be glad that weed is not. With alchohol, you can drink responsibly and not be drunk, with dope, there is not moderation, you do it to get high. I also have a problem with the government control arguement where dope would be controlled with quality restrictions. It's still the same drug, it produces the same effects.

[dUSt]

I'm not advocating smoking weed, because I think it's dumb. I did it, and I regret it. I'm a lot dumber now than when I was in highschool, before smoking it--and I only smoked it for about a year of my life. The only smoke I'm around now is the smoke coming off of burning frankincense.

The only thing I'm saying is I think that it would be more controlled under government regulation.

Remember. There's no hope with dope.

[nikkan_hanil]

if marijuana is legalized we are only handing over something else for us as a society to abuse our bodies with. :shame:

Hmmm...that explains a lot...

[EcceNovaFacioOmni]

It is sad that pot has to be illegal. You'd think people wouldn't want to harm themselves.

Catechism:

2291 The use of drugs inflicts very grave damage on human health and life. Their use, except on strictly therapeutic grounds, is a grave offense. Clandestine production of and trafficking in drugs are scandalous practices. They constitute direct co-operation in evil, since they encourage people to practices gravely contrary to the moral law.

Besides... weed smells absolutely horrible, I've been around people who reek of it.

[God Conquers]

Some people hate it, some people like it. I think it smells great... at least better than cigarettes.

I think weed has become so ingrained in our culture that its time to take those steps... very slowly mind you, towards its legalization.

Alot has to be done first though. Better medical trials.. what does this stuff do long term, come up with regulations, and penalties for breaking them, and most of all a test has to be found so that impaired drivers can be easily convicted.

[Spiritual_Arsonist]

Can we ignore the benefits of this? All things are drugs from caffeine to gasoline.

[Iacobus]

I just don't get what compels people to smoke pot. I have a friend that thinks about it all the time. He slacks off in all he does, he has A LOT of potienal. He doesn't care about himself or his famliy. He fights with his parents every day about everything he can. He doesn't care about anything. To compound this problem he suffers from depression and has been driven to a suicide attmept before. Leting him or anyone get pot more freely will lead to higher rates of use.

We have shown with the legal achocal (which is not by itself a bad thing) that we CANNOT enforce our DUI and DWI laws. Over half of the drivers on the roads after midnight are imapried. I know someone who was in Police training and helped at a seatbelt check. The most tickets/aresst issued were for DUI's at 5PM at night. We are unable to stop even a magority of impaired drivers. How can we do the same with pot more readily avaiable?

Also when most people drink they do so at gatherings and at meals. Most, not all by any strech, of people who drink don't drink to get wasted. Teens and 20-somethings do but the binge stage is over and drinking is enjoyed in modoration. People smoke pot to get high. They don't smoke it to enjoy it with friends or to wash down a meal. They do it becasue it FEELS GOOD. Man made booze to keep water safe from germs, man smokes pot because......

And about the whole medical weed thing. If I recall correctly we have been able to produce a synthetic form that produces the same effect WITHOUT causing a high.

[M.SIGGA]

More people in our society use marijauna than you think. I went to a pretty upity prep school and I was shocked by the numbers of students who smoked weed, and students whose parents had an occasional joint. I still think alcohol is more dangerous because drunkeness is so dangerous and very different than being high. I don't think Cracked-Out and Coked-Up behavior should be compared to regular pot smoking. Smoking Tar and Crack and doing Coke and drunkeness is totally different.

[smeagol]

wow thanks for all the comments, guys! i never expected to come back and there be 5 pages on this topic already!!!!

it's come up a lot about whether or not pot is good or bad, right or wrong. but that's not really the question here. just because something's legalized (i.e. alcohol or tobacco) doesn't mean the government endorses it. the question is whether or not the govt has the right to stop some guys from getting stoned and listening to Pink Floyd in the peace of their home.

[smeagol]

edit: double post, sorry-- i'm retarded :wacko:

Edited February 28, 2004 by smeagol

[Carrie]

I also think weed smells good. It's all about personal preference.

I live in NYC. I've been to public school, private school, college, and grad school....and no matter which school setting I was in, there were always people who smoked weed. For those of you that think alot of people don't smoke weed, you're mistaken. Lots and lots of people smoke weed, regardless of the setting you're in. Some of my most brilliant professors smoke weed.

All I'm saying is that people are going to do it whether or not it's legal. As God Conquers said, weed has already become a large (if not normal) part of our society. If people are going to do it anyway, why not let the government control it and make some tax money off it?

Also, the government can control the quality of the weed, the same as they do with alcohol. By doing so, people won't get as high as with the stronger street stuff. For those who think all highs are the same, they're not. You can get a little high and you can get alot high...it really depends on the quality of the weed you have. The government will make sure that the weed isn't very strong.

You've got to wake up and realize this is going on all over the place, regardless of it being illegal. Let's take that away from the dealers and at least use it to do some good. I would sure like the national deficit to go down.

[cmotherofpirl]

Some people hate it, some people like it. I think it smells great... at least better than cigarettes.

I think weed has become so ingrained in our culture that its time to take those steps... very slowly mind you, towards its legalization.

Alot has to be done first though. Better medical trials.. what does this stuff do long term, come up with regulations, and penalties for breaking them, and most of all a test has to be found so that impaired drivers can be easily convicted.

" I think has _______become so ingrained in our culture that its time to take those steps... very slowly mind you, towards its legalization. "

THink very carefully about ALL those words in todays society you can put in the blank space.

It goes from A to Z.

Is anybody sure they want to use this argument?

[hopeful1]

" I think has _______become so ingrained in our culture that its time to take those steps... very slowly mind you, towards its legalization. "

THink very carefully about ALL those words in todays society you can put in the blank space.

It goes from A to Z.

Is anybody sure they want to use this argument?

good point...look at abortion ( but that an entirely different topic for another day). You guys bring up some interesting points on both sides, especially the canada position, but before reading this post i was against it because it does impair judgement (but then again, so does alcohol), but i could possibly see it for medical purposes.

"More people in our society use marijauna than you think. I went to a pretty upity prep school and I was shocked by the numbers of students who smoked weed, and students whose parents had an occasional joint"

This is especially true in the private school i went to (sadly) so i will agree with you there...actually i don't think there is much of an arguement on that one at all.

actually, isn't pot legalized in Nevada, and a few other states (like California)? Some one please correct me if i'm wrong. Has anyone thought about comparing crime rates there to other states where it's illegal? Are the crime rates actually lower in states where it's decriminalized compared to states where it's illegal?

[Colleen]

People smoke pot to get high. They don't smoke it to enjoy it with friends or to wash down a meal. They do it becasue it FEELS GOOD.

exactly. and there's clearly something wrong with that. If we act simply according to our feelings, we are no better off than animals.

with that argument, because it feels good, you could excuse all sorts of bad stuff: getting drunk, pre-marital or extra-marital sex, drugs, you name it. and even though it feels good at the time, you're really going to regret it later.

i know i'm kinda going off on a tangent, but i really wanted to say that. -_-

[God Conquers]

I think has _______become so ingrained in our culture that its time to take those steps... very slowly mind you, towards its legalization. "

THink very carefully about ALL those words in todays society you can put in the blank space.

It goes from A to Z.

You're right Cmom, however from a government's (especially a democratic one's) point of view this is a sound argument.

In order to stop the widespread destruction of society we don't need or want laws. We need grassroots conversion to Christ and all attitudes and values that surround that.

People smoke pot to get high. They don't smoke it to enjoy it with friends or to wash down a meal. They do it becasue it FEELS GOOD. Man made booze to keep water safe from germs, man smokes pot because......

This is untrue. Most people smoke pot in a social setting, not alone. They do it b/c their friends do. They do it in groups because its not fun to be high alone, it's fun with other people.

Over half of the drivers on the roads after midnight are imapried

I'd love to see some numbers for this. Somehow I highly doubt it. Unless "impaired" also takes into consideration, "tired".

Also, numbers of people who use marijuana are HIGH. Especially Youth. Recreational use numbers are very high in this category.

I went to a Catholic High School. Over 90% of my classmates had tried smoking pot at least once. over 50% did it infrequently, like on the weekend, and a much smaller percentage were regular users.

the question is whether or not the govt has the right to stop some guys from getting stoned and listening to Pink Floyd in the peace of their home.

This is the heart of the matter. Does this person deserve to go to jail for making a poor decision which infringes on the rights of and endangers no other citizen. Does this person deserve to go to jail for life in a place like California for getting caught with weed three times?