Should the U.S. Legalize Marijuana?

The recreational use of marijuana has been glamorized over the years by such on-screen duos as Cheech & Chong and Harold & Kumar, but is the drug everything that Hollywood makes it out to be? Then again, are we being hypocritical by allowing alcohol consumption but not cannabis usage? With passionate believers on both sides of the argument, it will be interesting to see what happens when the smoke clears.


The U.S. should legalize Marijuana. Medical Marijuana should be legalized for the following major reasons:


1) Liberty: People deserve freedom to use marijuana
2) Cost: Keeping marijuana illegal is expensive
3) Failure: Prohibition doesn't help


There are plenty of other reasons why hydroponics marijuana should be legal. Just to name a few:


1. Medicinal use: Marijuana can be used as medicine because it helps to stimulate appetite and relieve nausea in cancer and AIDS patients.


2. Hemp: The hemp plant is a valuable natural resource. Legalizing marijuana would eliminate the confusion surrounding hemp and allow us to take advantage of hemp's agricultural and industrial uses.


3. Religious Use


http://bigbudsmag.com/grow/article/medical-hydroponics-marijuana-nutrients-technology-past-present-future-january-2012


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Im 15. I smoke the ganja. in my family weed is frowned upon. my father is a police officer. how does someone smoke when their dad is a cop? its a perfect example of how weed has no adverse effects. my mom argues weed makes you apathetic and stupid yet little does she know i was high when she said that. Im not apathetic or do i get stupid from weed. my brother smoke a gram of weed and drove just fine. my dad interrogates and goes off on how bad weed is. little does he know I smoke it all the time. Babylon. pure Babylon. society has been brain washed. all the anti drug programs only poison the minds of the people. feeding them lies. they say weed leads to harder drugs. I have been offered ecstasy lsd and speed. I turned them all down because i know how bad those drugs are. weed is not a drug! cocaine destroys your brain and internal organs. marijuana does nothing!! absolutely nothing!!! not to mention the hypocritical allowing of alcohol. its more addictive than weed. its been proven. my dad drinks a beer every night. I dont smoke every night. smoke a bowl or drink a beer, the beer is more addictive. Im only 15. allowing of cigarettes its even worse. how many people's lives have been destroyed by cigarettes and alcohol compared to weed. yet babylon lets the cigarette companies kill our people. millions of lives have been destroyed by cigarettes, and your talking about marijuana? marijuana has not been proven to cause cancer and look it cigarettes. they have of 1400 chemicals in them. The united states stands for freedom. but its people dont have the freedom to make their own choices on the substances they use. babylon, the government controls our lives. Legalize it!!!


Legalization of marijuana would only put conrol into the hands of the government. On the other hand, if it were decriminalized, production stay out of the government's taxes and regulations. Just like alcohol during the prohibition, marijuana is used regardless of it's legality. Why not decriminalize it, and free up some space in our prisons for the meth dealers that target high schools and gang members that have a complete disregard and disrespect for human life, and common human decency?


Yes, i think they should legalize marijuana for the people who need it and have injuries that will numb the pain (supposably) and the people who have liscense should have it, i dont know why its illegal if people still smoke it and if they legal marijuana maybe people will get tired of smoking it and will stop maybe they should legal it for a little while to see what happens then if it doesnt work they could make it illegal again, but thats just my opinion of marijuana. but i still think they should make legal because maybe like in 2-5 years its going to be legal and the people who didnt want it to be legal are going to get mad. but i dont see why it affects other people if there not smoking it, so just deal with it.


Either spend millions of dollars each year ...year after year fighting it ..or get with it. people are never going to syop smoking marijuana. here is a quick poll Marijuana Marijuana is safer than alchohol.


Cigarettes is a better comparison. Not from the health benefits, but from the social stigma. You won't be able to smoke in public because you can give someone a contact high. There will be jobs where even having it in your system is against the rules, so there will be people that can't be near you. Not to mention, pregnant women, elderly and children. You'll be taxed on purchase, so you'll try to be smart and grow. Then they'll tax you on growing, so you'll hide it. Then you'll go to jail for tax evasion... There will be employers that won't let you smoke because they don't let you drink or smoke on the job already. And you'll automatically be put into a stereotype just like the sloppy drunk and the smelly cigarette smoker.


Considering the people I know that smoke pot, or a "legal equivalent", I don't care either way. Legalize it, don't, whatever. When it is legal, there will be rules and regulations, taxes and fines and you'll all be up in the air about the "big deal". Or you'll grow up like the rest of us. Heck, even Amsterdam doesn't take pot this seriously. It seems to me that it's only a big deal because someone told you you can't do it.. what are you, ten?


And btw, not everyone one experiments with drugs. Some of us have seen family and friends on even the simplest of narcotics screw up their lives. This includes cigarettes, alcohol and caffeine. There are people that don't have any of these anymore than the illegal items. But that warps your world view too much huh? I guess I'm just a square for recognising that outside stimulus could alter my body in ways I don't understand that will affect me for years to come.


quit being such a douchebag and just legalize it..fuck republicans


The prohibition against marijuana was a racist law against Mexicans and Negros perpetrated by Harry J. Anslinger, Federal Bureau of Narcotics 1937. This law is still applied in a racist manner: "In California African Americans make up 7 percent of the population, but 22 percent of the marijuana arrests. I see it as a civil rights issue.."~Alice Huffman, California NAACP President
IT IS WAY PAST TIME FOR CHANGE


The prohibition against marijuana was a racist law against Mexicans and Negros perpetrated by Harry J. Anslinger, Federal Bureau of Narcotics 1937. This law is still applied in a racist manner: "In California African Americans make up 7 percent of the population, but 22 percent of the marijuana arrests. I see it as a civil rights issue.."~Alice Huffman, California NAACP PresidentI
IT IS WAY PAST TIME FOR CHANGE


Okay so for the two at the top, yes marlboro greens are a myth. In actuality, it's a fact that cigarette companies have acres of land reserved for the specific purpose of legalizing marijuana. To make the arguement about cigarettes and alcohol being harmful and killing more than weed, why add another legal substance to this list? Many reasons. Many of you said economy benefits. These are basically the only arguments expected.. In fact, legalizing marijuana will NOT put a dent or even scratch this country's extremely high deficit of 13.9 TRILLION dollars.. Everybody on the planet would have to smoke weed everyday for years for us to even begin seeing results. Companies cannot fix their own prices on legal substances if the federal government sets taxes on it. They sell it for how much they say. Also, the acres of land by cigarette companies, do exist. Weed stays in your system 4 times as long as cigarettes and are equal in ratio on addiction . Which means, cigarette companies, like anybody, would want their company to prosper by any means necessary. Weed is the answer. They know it's addictive. They make their products addictive. As many of you also said, you can't die from weed. Would you still smoke it if you could? You will die if it's legal. Fact. Due to these reserved acres, they will use the same ingredients, same methods, and same thing in cigarettes. Now instead of tobacco, it'll be weed. Now 5 times as addictive and will stay in your system longer as well as deteriorate you inside out. You think cigarettes are bad? These will be cigarettes on steroids.. Is it justification that farmers get a few dollars for a bushel of corn. Yet the illegal substance marijuana per bushel is $70,000? If legal, new types of agriculture will morph our system into an ugly creature. Simple farmers will be now the highest in power. It promotes dehumanization and rationalizes not getting a real education . Farmers will be growers of this narcotic and you won't need any high school or college education for this.. Encouraging stupidity and death isn't acceptable. You'd realize this. Small amounts are for medical uses only. As in California. They didn't legalize it. It's a federal law. A state cannot undermine a national law. But Obama just isn't enforcing this law.. He is not upholding this nations constitution and he is delegitimizing the legislative and executive branches as a whole. This is not okay. You will die. It is proven if made legal, it will also be made lethal. Inevitable? No. It isn't. We can't tax people if there is nobody left to tax.. This will be the downfall of our country.. HTC is the ingredient and mineral that makes you laugh uncontrollably at the stupidest things imaginable. It's not healthy In any way. It is only a medical use as a pain reliever. Cancer patients are given this to relieve pain from chemotherapy. It doesn't fix anything. There is no use to it at all. To state otherwise is ridiculous and I understand this at a younger age than any of you here.. This is what we come to. A debate about the legalization of controlled substances shouldn't even be this big a deal. Obviously the federal government knows what they were doing when they made the law..


My opinion is that Cannabis should be legalized. There are lots of arguments for both sides of the coin.
The use of Cannabis does not interfere with anything in my life. There is a difference though between users and abusers. When I was a teenager I wanted to get blasted out of my mind. I smoked cannabis with my friends. I smoked alot, didnt smoke cigarettes, and most of us rarely drank alcohol. when I wanted to stop smoking for a month or 2 it was no problem. My friends and I never went on to do harder drugs. I even stopped smoking for about 15 years till I decided to pick it up again. I take maybe a hit or two every day to every few days. I dont need it all the time. I have a 16 year old daughter that stresses me out. I have a job that stresses me out. I cant sleep sometimes. I dont go get high then go for a drive. I smoke in my own home. My daughter who was doing HARDCORE drugs..I managed to get her to stop for 3 years now by allowing her to smoke cannabis instead. her quality of life and mine has improved. Now how can you argue with that? It isnt a gateway drug, people who are addicts are going to be addicts with or without cannabis. I never went on to do other drugs. I in fact dislike alcohol. I have had parties where the main consumption was alcohol. people got sick, people got stupid, people got mad,sometimes small fights broke out, and some people got in their cars and drove home drunk. Then i started having parties where I prohibited the use of alcohol. Those parties where the best, most social, most open minded parties I had ever had. Everyone was in a great mood, we traded ideas about work, school, parenting , life. I helped people realize how retarted people can be on alcohol.


Legalize it. I Will advertise it.


It is just like any other question we must all answer for ourselves. Some like it, and some do not. It's all about our thinking. Either you do smoke it, or you don't smoke it. It is sure that it helps slow the pains that some people have. But, like drinking is a personal choose, so will marijuana be. I will not say one is right, or wrong . As far as being a health risk, life in general can be a bit risky, live like your going to die.


I am in no way a pot-user. I've never smoked any in my life. However, as previously stated, prohibition has never worked. People get around the system like it's a joke.


Legalization would definitely implement a boost in this new industry, and can offer many new jobs .


However, I fully understand the staggering amounts of evidence that the opposing side has collected.


One way to make the legalization work would be to set up careful regulations on marijuana , which can be closely compared to the tobacco industry's regulations. Granted, even that system may be messed up a bit, it is a lot better than the alternatives.


the prime difference between marijuana and alcohol is that you can only get so high on reefer and then you just go to sleep . with booze you can actually consume enough to kill you. you smoke 1 joint and get the same effect as if you smoked 3. i'm a 68 year old male who has smoked on occasion for 45 years. i don't drink to excess, maybe 1 or 2 beers in a 6 month span and usually with seafood. i haven't progressed to stronger drugs , that is a myth. the only bad side effect of reefer is obesity from the munchies. i have never driven under the influence but saying that i put this forward, if someone asks you to drive while smoking you will say"man, i'm too high". but if you are drinking booze and the same scenario occurs , it's usually"hell, i'm ok to drive, i ain't drunk"


I strongly believe that before any important decision is made, the facts must be learned well. Yesterday on CNN I saw the "Chairman" of California Narcotic Officers Association advocating against marijuana decriminalization . I am not trying to interfere in this important vote by California residents, although I do believe that imprisoning people for inhaling the smoke of the dried natural plant is medieval. However, when someone comes to CNN in order to deceive and intimidate, I have to speak out. The narcotics officer warned of a possible increase in crime rate if marijuana is decriminalized. The prestigious Substance Abuse: A Comprehensive Textbook, 4-th Edition states directly and unequivocally on page 267 that cannabis use suppresses, instead of inciting, a violent crime. This is, of course, the action directly opposite from the action of alcohol . The voters might also be concerned with the so-called "gateway" theory, according to which marijuana use leads to harder drugs . This "theory" has been by now completely discredited by the science of Addiction Medicine, for if the "theory" were true, we all would have become drug addicts long time ago after we tasted a drink, inhaled a cigarette smoke or even drank a cup of sweet coffee. The so-called "gateway" theory is a complete fantasy, and I am sure there enough Addiction Medicine physicians in California to stress this point, they don't need me for that. Another fear that is fostered by the opponents is that "marijuana is addictive". Really? Its addiction potential is only 3% compared with 10% for alcohol and about 21% for opiates, both " legal ", such as morphine, and illegal , such as heroin . In fact, heroin is metabolized in the human body to none other than morphine. There has not been one single case of fatal marijuana overdose, and neither is there a documented physical withdrawal. I could go on and on, but this is not a book , this is a comment, but I will strive in the future to try to bring scientific facts into discussions, so that people not be mislead or unnecessarily intimidated.


There are now 14 states and the US Department of Justice that recognize marijuana as a medicine
and still or government keeps marijuana as a Schedule 1 drug. Since marijuana does have medical applications,it no longer fits the description of a schedule 1 drug,but then it never has.
Since the federal bureaucracy that is charged with drug control in our country uses marijuana as justification of over 80% of it's billions of dollars budget ,do you think that may have something to do with it? Once marijuana is removed from Schedule 1,they no longer control the studies being done on marijuana.


David, where in the world do you get your fact from? I'm sorry but none of your side effects have any merit. The only one i can give you is lung damage, so then people will just use a vaporizer. I might believe birth defects, but i need more evidence than you're giving.


I've never in my life seen an article so full of absolute BS. Do you even put any research into what you say? Or do you just pull out a few articles that are inconclusive and can help you throw some crap together to call an article.


Legalization of marijuana and many other substances currently illegal to possess will inevitably become legal for one simple reason: human beings prefer individual liberty over social constraint. Human history is a long tale of the struggle of the individual to obtain more personal liberty than previous generations. Individuals have much more personal liberty today then every before - even in light of current oppressive institutions. True, there may be or even will likely be episodic losses of individual liberty but, overall, the instinct to be free rather than enslaved is irrepressible.


If this generation isn't mature enough to grant this particular individual liberty, perhaps the next generation will be, or the next, or the next.


In any event, such liberty is inevitable. It's human nature to obtain it and keep it. No power on earth has ever been capable of outlasting the human need to be free and likely never will.


Legalize..a term thrown around casually but usually left undefined. Legal for some means that, in the case of marijuana , there are simply no laws regarding it at all and for some " legal " means that it can be used but only if certain conditions are in place.


Sadly, many of the ones that call for its " legalization " really mean yes you can have it but you're going to pay . The taxman is drooling. If they're going to remove the laws associated with it, they should remove them all and simply say it's really legal.


As with most drugs , when "legalization" is mentioned it's going to be associated with taxes . Also when the government gets involved, there will be an untold number of draconian stipulations on quality and strength etc.


This alone will spell the defeat of the attempt to legalize drugs. Do you think the government is going to let you have the really "good stuff", the really good meth, the best pot? Not likely. Add in the fact that many kids today still do drugs just because they're not supposed to. What self respecting kid is going show up at the party with pot from Walgreens? Government dopeis guaranteed to be sissy dope.


The point here is that, if it's taxed and restricted the dealer will always be in the picture.


The legalization debate I believe takes for granted far too many things, and is falsely constructed to make it seem like the question is whether or not pot is safe and should be allowed, or is it dangerous and people should be put in prison for it. In actuality, however, the question is over what type of policy should control/regulate its use. Should it be handled in the criminal code, regulated as a medicine , regulated as a food product, or deregulated altogether? That would be a debate I would be more willing to enter into, although I would stress that even such a debate privileges governmental officials, assuming that individual users require permission in order to indulge in certain activities. This is not true; we do not need permission to smoke pot, we're already smoking it just fine as is.


What I think we have here is largely a culture war . The United States Government literally declared war (" war on drugs ") on a segment of the population, and has been prosecuting that war by destroying the livelihood of and incarcerating thousands of individuals, while spreading propaganda and false information in order to justify these activities. I do not expect this to suddenly change . Fraudulent experts, such as the ones posting blatantly false arguments on this website who apparently represent government interests, are going to continue to do so, and they are ultimately the ones who get to decide whether it should be legal or not.


I do not, therefore, call upon them to change their minds, to amend their policy and grant us special permission. Instead, what I demand from them is amnesty: you have declared war, and the war has cost all of us a great deal. We are winning on the cultural front and you know it: the poll results on this website alone are strong evidence of that. The internet makes it too easy to get good information for your lies to be effective any longer, and the many decades of flagrant abuse on your part are no longer something that we can either tolerate or quickly forgive. So, what now? Give up. Release the political and cultural prisoners, and let the "counter-culture" sort out its own affairs. If you're right that we're all dysfunctional and that the movement could never last, then sit back and watch as we all get schizophrenia and die: but stop wasting your money putting us in jail for disagreeing with you.


Legalization is not the answer: amnesty is.


okay its safer than any of these already legal drugs ..cigs kill people everyday.beer,wine,etc.kill people everyday as well.yes i agree no one should drink and smoke weed or be high while driveing so do the same as dui for it when it is legal..duh look a quick fix dummys..and one there is evidence that weed actually protects the brain..nothing about killing brain cells.even tho there is evidence that you kill braincells when you hold you breath.make the age on the drug at 18 why..becouse thats ussally when people grow up.so please please tell me why its isn't already legalized other than these .people makeing 7 figures a year from us on drugs that don't work.the only reason weed isn't legal is the doctors would be butt hurt and everyone is too afraid to give it to them!!!


Our over bloated privatized prison system is another reason we need to repeal prohibition. How can possession or sale of a benign substance warrant milatarizing our police forces against the citizens of this country? Splitting up families? Seizing property? All of these and a whole host of other bi-products of prohibition are unconstitutional and morally bankrupt. We now lock up in America more people for violating drug law than Western Europe locks up for all crimes..and they have 100 million more people than we do. Consider that in the U.S. over the past ten years we have reduced tobacco consumption by 50% without one arrest through public education and treatment. Our tax dollars would be better spent on Headstart Programs which reduce drug use among kids 60% and save the taxpayer $7 for every $1 spent. It is clearly time for a more commonsense approach.


Some would have you believe that pot-smokers are all a bunch of dirty hippies. But in my experience they are from all walks of life and all economic backgrounds. The U.S. appetite for drugs has sent billions of dollars to the drug cartels of Mexico. Think of how that money could help U.S. farmers if they could raise that cash crop. And you can bet some of that drug money ends up in anti-drug lobbyists hands because drug-lords aren't stupid. Follow the logic if you want to truly control a substance you have to control it's production. We don't. Not to mention if it was legal we would control it's purity. One of the major problems with illegal drugs is the stuff they mix with it. Unfortunately this is more of a emotional issue and most people can't look past that.


Before I smoke I consider what I want for dinner. Maybe go grab some Burger King since it's close by. Usually by the time I'm done smoking I decide to stay in and cook some chicken and rice. Real big mind-altering decision. Serious business, that marijuana .


If someone gets high and has a car accident, maybe they're just an idiot? How many people under the influence of THC are coincidental? How many are also positive for alcohol ? How many alcoholics get into car accidents by comparison? How many of them got into an accident and it wasn't their fault? How many people would have crashed their cars anyway?


People are responsible for their actions, on or off any substance. If a trucker tweaked out on coffee is trying to deliver his rig on a deadline and he makes a mistake are we going to blame the coffee or his bad judgment and lack of discretion? Grow up and let adults be judged by their actions. Accidents are unfortunate but the people who cause them are to blame for doing something they shouldn't have done in the first place.


Marijuana is far less harmful than alcohol , tobacco , and possibly many prescription drugs . It's already an enormous industry, but an industry that costs our country money instead of putting money into our economy.


Marijuana has many medicinal uses. It's enjoyable recreationally. It's incredibly difficult to abuse. You cannot overdose on it. It is used regularly by millions of Americans without ill effect - except the spectre of prosecution.


If we accept the right of responsible adults to choose to use alcohol, tobacco, and eat fast food , why do we insist on demonizing marijuana ?


Millions of people in this country already use this substance responsibly and ethically, for medical, social, and recreational purposes. They hold down normal jobs , maintain normal and happy relationships, and contribute materially and socially to their families and communities.


Marijuana is also an enormous money-maker. It's easy to grow, tends to replenish it's environment , and if it were taxed like tobacco, would generate many billions of dollars in revenue, instead of _costing_ billions of dollars to prohibit.


Non psychoactive hemp has also ended up lumped in with the sort you could get high off of - and if those restrictions were lifted, we would have an incredible, cheap, easy source of paper pulp, textile fiber, oil for food and industrial uses, and many other viable crops. We could rely less on wood pulp, which would mean cheaper production of everything from particle board to cloth, to paper, to plastic .


I don't know how many times I've seen some hypocrite decrying the evils of getting high on pot, while waving around the alcoholic drink that's loosenend their boorish tongue.


It's way less dangerous than some things we accept. It's not habit forming. It has medicinal, recreational, and industrial uses. If we legalize marijuana and hemp, it will give back far, far more than it takes away, and far more than alcohol or tobacco. If you wouldn't take away people's right to get drunk or smell like an ashtray, out of respect for their choices, happiness, and cultural background, don't take away the right to decide to get high in a responsible manner.


I think it should be legal for one, it is not like the commercial those are mostly people with a half formed opinion by half formed I mean they haven't done it, and really do not know 100% what they are talking about and you can't use the argument it's bad for you so are so many other thing's we do and EAT and I know from experience it is a lot safer then drinking. So with that being said I think it come down to it should be a matter of personal choice and nobody esle's bussiness or the law they got more improtant thing to do with our taxs money . If we can choose to drink or smoke ciarette's(which I don't)why not marijuana
FREE TO MAKE OUR OWN CHOOSES IN THIS COUNTRY REMEMBER!!!


If the U.S. legalized Marijuana then they could just load the taxes on it. Then the DEA could stop wasting time and money on Marijuana. The use of marijuana is very wide spread. By legalizing and taxing marijuana we could use the money to help the DEA in more serious drug cases.


I have a 23-year-old son who is a success and has never tried pot.


But the drug czar (Gil Kerlikowske) has a son who was jailed for marijuana sales and assault.


The drug czar has been an anti drug use zealot for all his life, yet his kid has chosen to smoke a little pot and make money off of it.


My 23-year-old son was always told the truth about medical use of marijuana. (I have hepatitis C and use and grow medical marijuana .)


Kerlikowske's son grew up with all the lies his father told him.


I think my son turned out better. He has never decided to drink or smoke anything. And he is a success! And he votes in favor of marijuana being legalized.


United States citizens have never had a chance to have a say about what we choose to put into our own bodies; that time is NOW.
Please legalize medical marijuana for everyone who needs it for their health around the country.


Every year I help take part in the largest free concert in the area, the World famous Seattle Hempfest. This year it's August 15-16, 2009 in Seattle, WA. check our website:
http://hempfest.org/drupal /


It is all volunteer run and our people clean up and dispose of all the cigarette butts and garbage. Our event has always been arrest and
violence free- probably due to the fact that we do not have a beer garden.


But every year the news media attempts to ignore the thousands
of good citizens crying out for freedom of the plant.


Talk radio won't let us speak about legalization every since President Bush. If we were allowed to have Freedom of speech it would probably
be legal already.
But attitudes are changing, just listen to our former chief of police Norm Stamper of Law Enforcement against Prohibition.


http://www.leap.cc/cms/index.php?name=Speakers&bio=217


Darral Good


The book against the WoD, written by the late, great Peter McWilliams. Mr. McWilliams was murdered by the federal government for expressing his opinion too vocally.


Now however, times have changed. Marijuana use has gained more and more social acceptance. I think the populace of America is finally waking up and realizing that WoD is a failed experiment that has ruined lives and robbed us of our freedoms, our privacy and our dignity.


As long as a person isn't being violent and harming others, why should anyone else have any say in what they do behind doors? If I want to light up a fatty while watching TV in the privacy of my home, that is my right to do so, period!


Keeping marijuana illegal is helping supply the cartel and the Taliban where over 60% of their annual profit comes from. While all we need to do is legalized and tax marijuana what this will do is cut the cartels and Talibans over 60% annual profit which would surve a sevier blow to them basically it would be like cutting off their legs from in under them. Not just that but the money if legalized would be able to pay off our nations debt and surve to be less a burdon on the tax payers. Keeping marijuana illegal is simply in short suppling the terorists with money that can be used for good.


“U.S. Customs agents got a surprise on April 9, when they checked a trailer of an 18-wheel truck crossing into El Paso, Texas, from Mexico and found more than 9,000 pounds of marijuana hidden among auto parts bound for U.S. factories.”


Reason why I posted this is this simply points the fact I and many other Americans know about if marijuana was legalized and taxed that these types of problems with the cartel would no longer be a problem being the legalization and taxation would strike a saver blow to the cartel taking away their over 60% annual profit from keeping marijuana illegal which if legalized and taxed would be like cutting off the legs of a chicken to the cartel. Also the fact that Mexican cartels import a huge amount of opium for heroin from Afghanistan. Without the monetary flow from the sale of cannabis they would not be able to produce heroin and this would in affect shut down the Taliban because a large amount of funding for the Taliban is opium.” But hey what do we know after all will the govt listen to us? May be now they will and start to work with us “THE PEOPLE OF THE USA” put an end to the cartels reign by legalize and tax marijuana now be for the cartel does even more damage to our nation….


I have been smoking straight now for 15 years. Now personally, I dont think it should be illegal but I do think it needs to be very heavily regulated. Its not for everyone. If you already have a low IQ and are considered "lazy" without smoking herb then its not for you.


Marijuana is not bad but I do believe legalizing it is bad for our Country. Yes the govt can profit off it, and it should help with our economy . However, the one truly negative side affect Marijuana brings to the table which seems to always be overlooked, is apathy. As it is, today's younger generation's are consumers rather than creators. The best I have heard it put was by the Creators of South Park strangley enough....here is a quote of Stan's father explaining why Marijuana is "bad".


"Well, Stan, the truth is marijuana probably isn't gonna make you kill people, and ..it most likely isn't gonna fund terrorism, but.. Well son, pot makes yuu feel fine with being bored and.. It's when you're bored that you should be learning some new skill or discovering some new science or.. being creative. If you smoke pot you may grow up to find out that you aren't good at anything."


To me thats only real problem I can see with legalizing marijuana...JMO anyway.


I understand what u are trying to say.. but the only truth in that is just like u speek to someone not to be alcoholic.. legalization will not force people to use cannabis . Like its not forcing people to drink and become alcoholic.


When u think about it just a little.. u will find the relevance.


*sorry for bad english :)


LEGALIZE IT!
from Serbia!


This is one of the most foolish and wasteful practices the US government has ever entered into. Though, most of are smart enough to know why. Lobbying.


It is no one else's business what I do in my home.


Oxycontin is heavily prescribed, it is more powerful than it's natural state of morphine. Who profits from making it illegal to use morphine but legal to obtain a prescription for Oxy? The medical community does, you have to pay for the appointment to get the prescription. The manufacturers do, you have to pay for the prescription. The drug store also profits.


What this basically boils down to, is, you can be a morphine fan, if you are willing to pay the doctors, the drug store and the manufacturer. It's how the US works. Profit.


It should come as no surprise to anyone that has graduated high school, that profit is the be all, end all of our culture.


Many if not most Americans 'respect' the medical and pharmaceutical industries. Yet, the third most frequent cause of death in the US is medical provider error. The hospital is one of the most life threatening places to be.


And pot is illegal.


Nearly a quarter million die from prescription drug use every year. Have you listened to the 'disclaimers' on, for example, Viagra commercials? 'Sometimes causes death.'


That doesn't happen with pot. It simply doesn't. But, the problem is, you can grow it yourself. You don't have to buy it, and wouldn't have to buy it, from the drug store. So, the vested interests lobby to keep it illegal, in order to obtain more profit.


Profit is fine. If you are providing something that a 'regular' person cannot do for themselves or does not want to do for themselves. But, profit gained by Limiting access for the masses is just flat wrong.


You can read how DuPont got Congress to make pot illegal if you Google the question. It is sickening that this great country has given in to profiteers.


The famous and wealthy Kennedy family, made their fortune smuggling rum back during prohibition . There are new smugglers that will be high flying politicos in the future, making their fortunes smuggling drugs .


I don't really know why prohibition was instituted. But, it ended up being over ridden.


We have one guiding light in the US. Individual Freedom. That should guide every single law that is considered. It is not difficult to do this. Lobbying must be stopped. It must no longer be allowed for any industry. Term limits must be put in place, because, if lobbying is outlawed, it will happen in smoke filled back rooms again.


One term, then go back home. And get out of my house, you were not invited.


Things need to change in this country why do we put 1,000,000 to
1,200,000 people in jail for none violent drug crimes each year at a
cost of over 40 Billion dollars per year per million people just to
houses them. This money goes in to privet company's that are sub
company's of the people in the government. When the C.I.A brings cocaine
and heroin in to this country. Since we went to Afghanistan and took
over the country Afghanistan is now putting 80% of the heroin on the
streets world wide and there number two export is body parts for
transplants that does not say much for us running the country. The
C.I.A. got caught putting cocaine on the streets for sale in the 80s to
fund the Contras war more than once and did not get even a slap on the
hand for it. Marijuana should be legal for medical use in all states for
that matter if
marijuana was treated like alcohol and cigarettes and sin tax the hell
out of it. There is less kids doing cigarettes and alcohol then smoking
marijuana in this country because it is controlled better by the
government and tax payers would save over 40 to 50 Billion dollars a
year alone going in to these privet pockets just by doing this the drug
would be controlled better and less kids under the age of 21 would be
able to get marijuana as easy and the money for this would not be going
down the line and out of the country every one that is getting put in
jail for this would be out working paying taxes having homes paying
taxes
instead of costing the tax payer 40 Billion dollars per year. Then take
a bunch of this money and stop cocaine and heroin from getting in to the
country at all at the borders!. Any one that really looks at the whole
picture it looks like are government is trying to make money from both
ends of this bring the drugs in with the C.I.A. and make money putting
Americans in jail for using it. The average person in this country pays
his bills one week at a time cutting out food ,medicines,vacations,not
being even able to keep home payments paid you name it. And be using
this money to help fund new way for every one to get to work ,travel
heat are home with out fossil fuel . if you think we had a depression in
the 30s it will not be nothing compared to what is coming The whole
world needs to worry about global warming more also how about taking
some of this money and putting in water treatment plants to take ocean
water to clean water on all are coasts lines with pipe lines to get it
to all the big city's and the crop land in the middle of this country
that most of are food is grown before it is to late. How about stronger
laws on all the scams people are trying to do to the average person like
make the commercials and advertisements run on TV really work just as
they say or be fined. THE PEOPLE NEED HELP


How many times do you think the people of this country will put up
with are rights being taken from us ?And how long will this country last
before people will be stealing or killing just to stay warm or have food
to feed there family's. If things go the way they are
right now you will not even recognize the world that is coming !!! If
there is not another way other than fossil fuel found soon and brought
to the people at a cost that will keep this country going so the people
of this country can work and make money enough to keep
warm keep food in front of are kids there will BE NO ONE PAYING TAXES OR
EVEN A NEED FOR A GOVERNMENT AT ALL..
This should NOT be put in the hands of the county prosecutors because they
are just out to put as many in jail for as long as possible because this
makes there records better not looking at the person or the circumstance
that drove the person to do drugs or sell them what would any one do if it
came to the point that you had no money to feed your childern or get your
parents the things they need to even stay alive and the only way you seen
was to try to sell a drug to keep your child from starving or cloths on
there back ?


Why was cannabis prohibited in the first place? Think 1937 and how Harry J. Anslinger railroaded the US Congress into creating another Prohibition monster--Cannabis Prohibition. One would have thought they would have learned from Alcohol prohibition which had ended just a few years earlier. Richard Millhouse Nixon s time for change...


The boarder police make millions of dollars off it's traffic. The illgeal drug traffic also funds guns and a whole subculture ecconomy. law makers are about making money . The crime is a perpetual machine of relatively safe concessions. from rehabs to lawyers, to detention centers, it's all buisness. It's a liberal parade of government and sub government jobs. the judges the police, they make a regular large flow of concessions and that's how the legal system works. Crime and punishment is a buisness and illegal drugs is the catalist and fuel . They hold it in their hands and they don't want to let that go. The cash crop canibis was orignally shunted out because it was a liberated prosperity where as cotton was an exclusive product of wealthy land owners. The beginning and the end of the issue is money. They've done such a good job covering this up, this debate has only focused on what the brainwashing dishonest government propaganda. IF people had any sense, they would be more concerned with getting these dishonest lawmakers out of the republic . They should be shackled and enslaved in some Chinese rice field. That's a good place for the dishonest americans. we have the power , we have the means. and chinese might take it towards their debt .


Considering the nearly limitless uses of Cannabis industrially, medicinally and nutritionally, the current prohibition and non-utilization of Cannabis in the United States and other industrialized nations seems ridiculous. In addition to having an intoxicating effect that has been proven to be more evolutionarily beneficial and less destructive than the consumption of other legal intoxicants, Cannabis legalization and production could address many of the nutritional problems Americans are facing.


Though the plant itself has changed only slightly over the past 12,000 years, human feelings about it obviously have. Once the largest and most widely produced crop, Cannabis has been ignored in recent centuries. As environmental preservation, sustainable agriculture and individual civil rights are being explored more and more by the new generation of scientists and politicians, it seems necessary for us to reconsider our attitudes toward Cannabis in all its forms. I think the uses of Cannabis, as an industrial product, a medicine, and a food be revived in the United States.


Theres no reason for marijuana to be illegal. It helps you relax and become more relaxed. it also makes you concentrate even when your driving. I drive all the time when im really high, either when im goin on a blunt ride or after i hotbox.


someone mentions how addictive it is. From personal experience as a teen I was an everyday smoker of both cigs and pot. I'm now 43 and guess which one is still a daily habit I can't seem to kick? Yup good ole winston lights. The other habit I can't kick is mountain dew, both are very bad for me yet I can go in any store on any corner and buy a pack of cigs and a 20oz dew to go.


as for there being no purpose to it except to get high, although the person did finally admit some possible medical reasons. First thing you have to understand there are many strains of marijuana but they basically fall into two categories, your sativas and your indicas, I still smoke on occasion, maybe twice a year and for me it has to be a sativa strain. The indicas are more of a couchlock cartoon watching high while the sativas seem to stimulate my creative side. I am not a great artist but I enjoy it and I can say my best work has been done with a slight sativa buzz. For me thats a good reason. What if the world misses out on the next picasso or dali because he was never allowed to experience a marijuana high?


And lastly, someone said the reason it hasn't been legalized is because the government hasn't figured out how to make all the profit off it. Thats an easy one, The pot companies have to be humongous, to the point of being a Phillip Morris or RJ Reynolds, growing and churning out millions of packs a day. Those packs get taxed, sure someone could still grow a few plants in their yard or house but would it be worth it? I don't see a lot of people bothering to grow their own tobacco plants.


.. local monies kept local for schools and roads that are underfunded, freeing up federal monies for other programs.


One step further could be government controlled drug houses or hotels which would be like a bar but instead of driving home you rent your room for the night. The harder drugs could be sold here and people required to ingest on premises and stay until effects are worn off. Sitters could be employed to help anyone through a "bad trip" as well as mediators for any violence that might start. Searches for weapons would have to be required at the door.


I realize at first it sounds crazy but think of the jobs created, the tax revenue collected, the funding raised for underfunded programs.


And the best part - Survival of the fittest, if you're intent on doing any of these things to excess, including alcohol then maybe it will kill off or sterilize the undesirables. Time to clean up the gene pool!


So our country has a deficit, people are losing jobs left and right and industries that have been around for centuries are being shut down or shipped overseas, whatever shall we do??


i say legalize all drugs! Legalize but regulate, treat them the same as alcohol. You can buy your fifth of wild turkey, take it home, get stinkin drunk, punch holes in your wall if you want. But if you are caught in public or driving while under the influence you face the consequences! If you create a public disturbance while under the influence you pay the consequence.


Let the government regulate the companies that grow or manufacture the drugs. if caught using unauthorized distribution channels face the consequences. Before you argue with me on think about it. new industry will create jobs for all those who lost them. We can give them paychecks instead of welfare checks! Tax revenue will be enormous, not even taking into account monies paid in fines. Local monies could be kept local and solve many ..