Decriminalizing marijuana

[Cirdan]

The rootbeer kegger does sound break.

Drinking is much more fun when your young. As you get older the buzz is shorter and the hangover longer. A drunk twenti-something is cute. At middle age it just looks pathetic. I quit everything because I got tired of feeling like crap.

I'm with Lizra about the 70th birthday except I would prefer next birthday. Of all of them it is the easiest to deal with in the end.

[jerseydevil]

I have a drink maybe once a year and I have never done drugs. But I'm not really for or against the legalisation of drugs though. I've thought a lot about it - just haven't really come to a conclusion. I think as long as people do it in the privacy in their own home - I don't see a problem with it.

My cousin recently applied for a job at a store and had to take a drug test. I told him that was ridiculous. I have to take drug tests generally when I get a new contract and I understand it when it's for a pharmaceutical company (right now I'm consulting for Merck and I've consulted for Eli Lilly). But everytime I go for a drug test - I feel it is an invasion of my privacy. If a person comes into work stoned or is unable to perform their job - then deal with it at that time. I do feel that drug tests should be required for pilots, truck drivers, bus drivers, etc. Occupations that put people's lives at risk. My cousin working at a sporting good store isn't going to cause anyone to die if he came in stoned.

In the US I really cant see marijuana becoming legal - especially with the anti-smoking laws going into affect. On the NY news yesterday they had about a town in New York that is proposing making it illegal to smoke in your own car if you have children 13 and younger in there. Nassau County in NY just passed laws making it illegal to smoke in bars and restaurants. Actually - any public spaces they said. New York's Mayor Bloomberg supposedly just proposed the same thing. There was a big uproar in New York City over it.

By the way - I have a friend that took LSD a lot - and he said that years after taking it - he'd have flashbacks. He still has a big alcohol problem. Marijuana he didn't like because it made him paranoid. He got caught up in heroin. Any drug out there he has done.

I used to be against legalising all drugs because I saw what he went through. But I do feel that marijuana is a lesser evil than alcohol.

The main reason I don't use drugs or drink is because I can't stand not being in control. For one thing - my brain is too important to me since I'm a computer programmer. Although - another reason I don't drink is because alcoholism runs in my family (on both sides). I also have a very addictive personality I think - it would be too easy for me to get caught up in it.

[Lizra]

Originally posted by Cirdan


I'm with Lizra about the 70th birthday except I would prefer next birthday. Of all of them it is the easiest to deal with in the end.

Believe me Cirdan, I can't wait. That's one vice that I really liked. Sometimes I wonder if the value that a joint has to destress me doesn't out weigh the negative effects. My husband and I can get so stressed out by all the things that need to be done, I swear, I feel that first coronary nipping at my my heels! . "Toking on" as we used to say, was the best way to "not care". Unfortunately, I found it to be horribly addictive, (it was so pleasant! ). It's not good to let anything rule your life like that, so I did the right thing and stopped. I didn't like being "mature" that day. But there are days when I really can't relax, all the provblems seem so unsolvable! So, I can't wait to turn 70, and give it up!

[osszie]

Taking drugs or alcohol = Escapism = Apathy to the real world

This is the major problem.

IMO it is one of the reasons drugs will never be legalised.

Sure it's easy to have a quick smoke or a fast drink to help smooth out the edges that life throws at us, but it's even easier to smooth out the edges sober and enjoy the drink or smoke

JD after reading up a little on the flashback it seems that your friend is probably suffering from some short-term repetitive psychosis which may (or may not) have been induced by the drugs in the first place.

Lizra, Cirdan, I'm with you folks........I intend to be sooo wasted on my 70th that my family will need a gallon of adrenalin at hand just to help me get back on a level

In fact I may just have a lil' smoke to celebrate your 70th birthdays as well

Sobriety sucks............but its better than being brain-dead

[jerseydevil]

Originally posted by osszie

Sure it's easy to have a quick smoke or a fast drink to help smooth out the edges that life throws at us, but it's even easier to smooth out the edges sober and enjoy the drink or smoke

After my mother died - a few months later - I came home and got drunk. I started calling up people that were only distant friends (people I had never called before). The next day I came home again and wanted to drink again. That was when I told myself I was never going to drink like that. it would have been too easy to just deal with the pain by drinking myself into oblivion and not dealing with it at all. It would have ended up destorying my life.

JD after reading up a little on the flashback it seems that your friend is probably suffering from some short-term repetitive psychosis which may (or may not) have been induced by the drugs in the first place.

I'm not sure. I know he does have multple problems now. Hopefully he'll get better. I visited him a lot while I was in Indiana. He doesn't seem to be doing too well.

Oh well - none of this has to do with legalisation of drugs. I just don't think it will happen anytime soon.

[Cirdan]

Originally posted by Lizra
Believe me Cirdan, I can't wait. That's one vice that I really liked. Sometimes I wonder if the value that a joint has to destress me doesn't out weigh the negative effects. My husband and I can get so stressed out by all the things that need to be done, I swear, I feel that first coronary nipping at my my heels! . "Toking on" as we used to say, was the best way to "not care". Unfortunately, I found it to be horribly addictive, (it was so pleasant! ). It's not good to let anything rule your life like that, so I did the right thing and stopped. I didn't like being "mature" that day. But there are days when I really can't relax, all the provblems seem so unsolvable! So, I can't wait to turn 70, and give it up!

I had no problem with the addiction, but it was a demotivator. It made schoolwork easier for me strangely enough. I'm glad I don't do it now since I'm not working. I can't imagine job hunting stoned. But, yeah, it is the best destressor. I'm meaner than I was then, but it could be old age, too. Come on 70!

I've decided that I think use should be legal but abuse should be illegal. I'll let someone else figure out the details.

[Sween]

Alchol is the greatest stuff ever. we got my mate really drunk last night striped him but naked then took him down the main street then guess who he bumped into? His mum and dad Lmao

[markedel]

Heh-when I'm legal it's during exams...quite sad.

[jerseydevil]

The NY gubernatorial debates is on right now. Three candidates out of seven are pro-legalisation of marijuana. One is the member of the Marijuana Reform Party, another is the Liberterian Party and the other is from the Green Party.

The thing is - every question asked to the Marijuana Reform Party candidate is anwered by stating the reasons why Marijuana should be legalised. The party has no other stand. They could never win if they don't expand their platform.

Here are some things that have been occurring lately in the are that makes me think that legalisation of marijuana - at least in this are - is going to be a long time coming.

Banning Smoking In Your Car? One Local Lawmaker Says It's Common Sense
(Melville-WABC, October 11, 2002) — First it was office buildings, then bars and restaurants. Now some smokers on Long Island may lose the right to light up in their own cars. The newest idea from lawmakers in Suffolk County would make it illegal to smoke in cars carrying anyone younger than 13-years-old.

Nassau County Lawmakers Approve State's Widest Reaching Smoking Ban
(Mineola-WABC, October 7, 2002) — In one Long Island county, where there's smoke, there will be a ban smoking. At least that will be the case in Nassau County's restaurants, bars and other workplaces. Lawmakers adopted the ban Monday afternoon, the first county in the state to do so. There are some exemptions to the ban, and there are certainly a lot of mixed opinions.

Mayor Bloomberg Greeted By Loud Opposition At City Council Hearing On Smoking Ban

(New York-WABC, October 10, 2002) — Mayor Michael Bloomberg got a cool reception Thursday as he made a rare appearance before the City Council to speak in support of his proposed ban on smoking. Not surprisingly, smokers are not pleased with his proposal, which, if passed, would be one of the most far-reaching smoking bans in the country.

I know these really belong in the smoking thread - but if this is the kind of restrictions that are being imposed on smoking - how is there any chance that marijuana would get legalised.

All these things I think go too far anyway. If the car law passes - what's next? Outlawing smoking in people's homes if there is a child under 13?

[Snowdog]

I have been reading with interest this thread since its first post, and I have almost posted a couple times before but decided to wait and read more people's perspective on it. I will here now in brief give some thoughts & experiences dealing with the topics talked of here.

On its legal status... I have to say I'm mixed on this one. There are reasons I would wish to keep it non-legal, but it should be decriminalized to an extent that it would be removed from harassment in its use. The 'medical' use laws are a good step, and maybe I could get a perscription for some weed from my doctor.... Diagnosis? depression! I get depressed when I'm not stoned. (Ok. I stole that one from Tommy Chong when he guest appeared on Nash Bridges) If it were legalized it would have to be taxed at a fair rate to discourage the underground market. Remember when weed was 'made illegal' in the U.S. in 1937, it technically wasn't illegal. It was just taxed at such a high rate nobody paid it and so the treasury agents, a bunch of out-of-work-ex prohibition agents, took to busting weed smokers, which was also a racial thing for it was common knowledge that blues & jazz clubs were a den of "reefer madness". If done right, legalization could work. But if its taxed so much even though legal, then the underground will stil thrive and nothing will really change. Ironicly, it is whats happening with taxes on cigarettes in the U.S.... they are taxed to fund things like health programs and such, but as the taxes go ever higher, then more and more are cigarettes smubbled and bought underground. A side note here as I remembered it.. When I started to smoke pot more and more, I quit cigarettes. I am really glad I did when I did, when my lungs were still sorta pink and a pack was 35¢. The methods of smoking weed can make it less harmful than commercial cigarettes, for the method of smoking is quite different. Using water bongs removes alot of the tars.

On being a 'gateway' drug... I would have to say in my case it was. For I was into about a half-lid of pot a week, and I would get it from my hippy neighbor usually until I made contact of my own at the high school. It was when I went to 'score a lid' at this house one night that I was introduced to the world of acid. Now I was well versed on the government line on acid (LSD-25) and thought I would be a wandering freak of the neighborhood if I took it, but it was being freely supplied and so I stayed around and took my first trip. For the next day and a half I was in heaven! Of course I wanted to do it again, and I have to say but for the wise council of my hippy friend, I may have slid into a binge. But I took counsel and I would only 'bend the senses' on the special occasion. As for so-called flashbacks... well, if remembering the goodtimes in a day dream, then yes I have had them. But the propaganda saying that "you will have terrifying flashbacks if you take LSD-25" well, its hogwash. I see the dangers of taking amino-acids (LSD-25, MMDA, MDMA, and such) as you are messing directly with the chemical balances of the brain. Something that shouldn't be taken lightly (no pun intended).

There too at that time was the needle and spoon, and its ready availability, but I vowed to myself not to ever inject myself with anything. So yes it can be a gateway drug, but only because of its illegal status forces it into association with other illegal substances.

When I first smoked pot in 1972 it was only for socialization. after a few times over several days, I was introduced to the psychoactive feelings and I so liked it that I bought my own lid (lid: 1 ounce, $10 in 1972) with my weeks allowance. It was good Michoacan bud and it sent me on the road to the next 15 years of stonedom. Why did I quit?? A couple things... one was I realized it wasn't about socialization anymore. I would be social and after some smoke I would sit and stare and not talk... another was the costs. It has gone from the $10 for some good smoke in 1972, to about $60 an ounce for strong Colombian smoke in 1980, to the strong homegrown hydroponic bud for $10 a gram. It was no fun anymore, it was a burdun on my resources, and I didn't like how it made me feel anymore, so I quit. Its been 15 years since I took a toke, for age, maturity, and families don't lead to that kind of recreation. Being a grandparent now though, I do consider a smoke now and then, almost like I do a beer now and then.

[Snowdog]

A little bit of perspectives from both sides of the Issue:

10 Things Every Teen Should Know About Marijuana

• Marijuana is illegal. Using, holding, buying, or selling marijuana can get you suspended or expelled from school. This will hurt your chances of getting a job in the future.
• Resist peer pressure. Marijuana may make you feel part of the crowd for a while -- but who needs friends who could self destruct at any moment?
• Keep on the right track. Marijuana reduces your ability to do things that require coordination and concentration, like sports, dancing, acting, and studying.
• Think twice about what you are advertising. Do you want to promote something that can cause cancer? make you forget things? or make it difficult to drive a car? Think about what you're doing if you wear T-shirts, hats, pins, or jewelry with a pot leaf/joint/blunt on them.
• Do the right thing. Using marijuana hurts your education, family ties, and social life.
• It's a risky business. Marijuana interferes with your thinking and judgment. Sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS, violence and car crashes are all possibilities when you use marijuana.
• Get with the program. Contrary to what you might hear in songs or see on TV or in the movies, smoking marijuana does not make you cool.
• You can get hooked. Many users report that, over time, they require more of the drug to get the same effect.
• Talk about your problems. Using marijuana won't help you escape your problems, it will only create more. Don't believe people who say that marijuana is no big deal, or that it will make your life better.
• You don't need it. If you think "everybody's doing it" you're wrong -- over 86 percent of 12-17 year olds have never even tried marijuana. Marijuana won't make you happy or popular or help you learn the skills you need as you grow up. You can do that with the help of friends, family, and other adults you trust.

And so the Surgeon General of the U.S. says and wishes us to believe. So, does prohibition reduce usage and stop
Reefer Madness???
No.

So, what is the other view? Read this...

Which then brings us to the U.S. led war. Not the war on the Iraqis or Al Quida, though they do profit from the current U.S. drug policy. I mean the Drug War and the foreign policy the U.S. has conducted in Central and South America for decades under the guise of drug eradication.

Ok, I said I would be brief... I guess I wasn't. For just about anything on the subject, take a look at Yahooka

[Lizra]

About taxing cigarettes, I've noticed my hubby bought a big can of tobacky , and a bunch of pre-rolled tubes. He says he's not going to pay that high price for cigarettes, plus he claims he smokes less this way. Maybe he'll quit someday soon!

[Sween]

Snowdog what a peice of crap. where did you find them? This is what i hate about the promotion of drugs the people against them flat out lie and make up false information. I think the drug lords should sue.

None one i know has ever sel destruted after using pot for short or long periods of time. so thats completally false.

Pot i'll admit does have a effecyt on lowering your motor fuions but this is tempory and it leaves no last dammage (or at least years of research has not found any)

Lots of things can cause cancer. Aprentally we should eat tomatos.

The point of HIV/Aids is possiably the stupidest thing ever. If anything it helps men avoid it because it makes us go limp. Plenty non stoned people get aids.

People that just smoke summet to make them cool just are not cool. I smoke it because i like it.

Needing more isnt been hooked it deveoping a tollerence. A first time drinker can be drunk off 1 bottle after time that may rise to 20 or summet does not mean they are 'hooked'

Pot has made my life better ive had many a funny time with it

Im sorry but all your points are very debatable. Have you tried it? If not then shut up.

[Cirdan]

Originally posted by Snowdog
A little bit of perspectives from both sides of the Issue:

10 Things Every Teen Should Know About Marijuana

• Marijuana is illegal. Using, holding, buying, or selling marijuana can get you suspended or expelled from school. This will hurt your chances of getting a job in the future.
• Resist peer pressure. Marijuana may make you feel part of the crowd for a while -- but who needs friends who could self destruct at any moment?
  
  
  ..never seen anyone explode yet.
  
• Keep on the right track. Marijuana reduces your ability to do things that require coordination and concentration, like sports, dancing, acting, and studying.
  
  Lie
  
• Think twice about what you are advertising. Do you want to promote something that can cause cancer? make you forget things? or make it difficult to drive a car? Think about what you're doing if you wear T-shirts, hats, pins, or jewelry with a pot leaf/joint/blunt on them.
  
  Big Lie
  
• Do the right thing. Using marijuana hurts your education, family ties, and social life.
  
  Big Fat Lie
  
• It's a risky business. Marijuana interferes with your thinking and judgment. Sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS, violence and car crashes are all possibilities when you use marijuana.
  
  and when you don't.
  
• Get with the program. Contrary to what you might hear in songs or see on TV or in the movies, smoking marijuana does not make you cool.
  
  Who cares?
  
• You can get hooked. Many users report that, over time, they require more of the drug to get the same effect.
  
  not like cigarettes, alcohol, ice cream...
  
• Talk about your problems. Using marijuana won't help you escape your problems, it will only create more. Don't believe people who say that marijuana is no big deal, or that it will make your life better.
  
  duh...
  
• You don't need it. If you think "everybody's doing it" you're wrong -- over 86 percent of 12-17 year olds have never even tried marijuana. Marijuana won't make you happy or popular or help you learn the skills you need as you grow up. You can do that with the help of friends, family, and other adults you trust.

deaths from alcohol and tobacco in the US each year - 1 million

deaths from pot - 0

[jerseydevil]

Originally posted by Sween

Im sorry but all your points are very debatable. Have you tried it? If not then shut up.

Sween - if you read his WHOLE post you would know that he has smoked it. You would also know that he was only giving points form both sides of the issue.

As far as I'm concerned - both sides lie. The extreme right and the extreme left of this issue both exagerate their claims as they usually do with any issue. In the middle is the truth. To ignore the fact that pot does have side effects - some long lasting and detrimental is just as ignorant as saying that it makes people go crazy (like in those reefer madness movies from the 50's).

[Snowdog]

Sween says: "Snowdog what a peice of crap." & "Im sorry but all your points are very debatable. Have you tried it? If not then shut up."

Sween, have you considered the fact it may have shortened your attention span?? Wait... I just read your title. If you would have bothered to read my first post you would know that I spent many a year smoking. I had it all in one post but there was a character limit to the post size. Anyway, Jerseydevil is correct that I was providing what the U.S. government, which is and has been very anti-marajuana, and also some alternative points. I also provided a bit on the U.S. 'drug war' in South America. Sorry if it all was too much and confused you Sween. At least Cirdan made an attempt at refuting the Surgeon General's statement

[osszie]

Originally posted by Snowdog
Sween, have you considered the fact it may have shortened your attention span?? Wait... I just read your title. If you would have bothered to read my first post you would know that I spent many a year smoking. I had it all in one post but there was a character limit to the post size. Anyway, Jerseydevil is correct that I was providing what the U.S. government, which is and has been very anti-marajuana, and also some alternative points. I also provided a bit on the U.S. 'drug war' in South America. Sorry if it all was too much and confused you Sween. At least Cirdan made an attempt at refuting the Surgeon General's statement

Only an old Stoner could be that forgiving

[jerseydevil]

I never read Sween's Title before. Did you request "im quite stupid" or did one of the admin's bestow that on you?

[Sween]

i requested it myself. Gits my twisted sence of humor well .

Smoking probably does shorten my life as do a lot of things i do but you know lifes worth living isnt it

[Sween]

i requested it myself. fits my twisted sence of humor well .

Smoking probably does shorten my life as do a lot of things i do but you know lifes worth living isnt it