Read the article...then discuss

[mooseontheloose]

PS: Moose, there is some evidence that marijuana is a carcinogen. Unfortunately because of the prohibition, the studies are few and far between. Even if it's not a carcinogen, the crystalline structure of THC does a nice job of permanently damaging the soft tissues of your lungs. I still say make it legal though.

True, but my point is that the surgeon general does not link it to lung cancer like cigarettes. I'm totally down with natural selection; it's one thing we need more of. I mean if we still had natural selection in effect chihuahuas wouldn't exist. 'Nuff said.

Oh and RayNesrym, thanks. That's what happens when I'm bored at two in the morning :P

[NFox]

I'm totally down with natural selection; it's one thing we need more of. I mean if we still had natural selection in effect chihuahuas wouldn't exist. 'Nuff said.

Well, the other thing to remember is that many scientists agree that addiction is genetic to an extent...so within a few generation we would have very few people being born with a genetic predisposition towards certain chemical dependencies, as various people OD'd on various things.

Back on topic, I know plenty of stoners and they are some of the best people in the world...until they eat all my food.

-Nick

[Chewie]

I don't have much to add because I don't think there's much of a definitive answer to this argument, but I will say that I think that marijuana is largely still illegal just because it's the status quo. Why bother changing the laws of a contentious issue unless there's overwhelming support for that change? There's no need to.

Pot is certainly not as harmful as cigarettes over the long haul, although it does cause a lot more mental health issues. Namely, severe memory loss and reaction time, whether you're high or not.

Make everything legal and let Darwin be our judge.

Humanity would've been gone a long time ago. Humans are not intelligent enough to take care of themselves if given any kind of power without a check.

[mooseontheloose]

I will say that I think that marijuana is largely still illegal just because it's the status quo. Why bother changing the laws of a contentious issue unless there's overwhelming support for that change? There's no need to.

About that no need to thing...well...

First, we have already spent $23 billion so far this year alone on the War on Drugs. This puts us on pace for somewhere around $40 billion this year. I don't know if you heard but we have a little thing called national debt. And by the way, that 40 billion won't exactly be helping it.

Next we come to the prison system being completely bottled up by arrests from drug offenses. Over 770,000 were arrested for marijuana related offenses alone in 2004. Guess what country has "all state and federal prisons overcrowded" Did you guess the US? If so, give yourself a piece of candy! Oh, and a way to maybe help the overcrowding problem a littttle bit? Maybe, I don't know, take out the 770,000 arrests per year for a drug that is not addictive and impossible to overdose on?!

Think I'm done yet? If you answered "no" give yourself another piece of candy! Another problem that stems from illegalizing marijuana is that it cedes all control of the drug to people that aren't exactly the most likely to be playing in a bell choir in their spare time. This leads to gangs having more power, and interaction with gangs becoming more common. Also, it especially allows gangs with bases in Mexico to become extremely powerful as drug smugglers, often specializing in marijuana. The unfortunate fact is that Mexico gang violence is getting worse as a result of this "business," and these conditions are seen as likely to spread to America. Seriously, do you think putting the drug in the hands of gangs instead of the government is really a good idea? If you said yes, don't you dare give yourself a piece of candy, because you obviously don't have the mental capacity to earn it.

One final analogy to think about. The prohibition. For those of you not big on clicking blue text, during the prohibition, smuggling became rampant, criminals and bootleggers had larger control over the country, and the product became more dangerous because of lack of regulation. Sound familiar? Oh and after the prohibition was repealed, these problems largely became moot points and the wounds caused by the prohibition slowly began to heal.

The war on drugs has no concrete victory; drugs aren't going write a treaty or raise a white flag. The laws of supply and demand often times know no legal boundaries, and, by refusing to acknowledge this fact, the United States has continued to drain its money into a war it cannot win.
It's time we end our generations misguided attempt at prohibition. It's time we acknowledge the needless strain on our resources; it's time we recognize what's overcrowding our prisons and strengthening gangs. It's time we finally begin to actually change the policy that has so clearly failed and legalize marijuana.

Just puttin' it out there :wink:

[KrispyKreme]

but sometimes incredibly jackass things to do are funny.

Perhaps I have a strange sense of humor... but I think this is one of those circumstances.