Have you ever heard someone say, "Yeah dude, we should totally legalize marijuana!" or "I think all drugs should be legal, that way people wouldn't be so tempted to use them, man!" Have you ever noticed the people who say these "smart" comments are usually extremely young (like 16 or 17) or around the age of 20 to 30 and still wasting their lives on drugs? Isn't this the future of America who are saying these "smart" comments? How could anyone think that legalizing marijuana or any other drug could be helpful in our already messed up society? Now, I'm not saying that everyone in high school or college is using drugs, but there are many students out here who have tried some type of drug and are still using them.
So, what do I know about the effects of drugs? I am from a wealthy area, and I know a thing or two about the effects of students using drugs. Let me give you an example: My friend in high school, we'll call him Tim. Tim was a good looking football player and a smart student. Then one day Tim took a hit of marijuana, and his whole life changed. Tim stopped playing football and barley graduated high school. It's been 3 years since high school and Tim still lives at home, smoking pot without a job or college education. Wow, we should legalize marijuana! That would stop people from becoming like Tim because if it is legal people would not have as much of a temptation to do it! Are you kidding????
Legalizing marijuana or any other drug would be completly insane! How many more people do we have to lose to drugs? Instead of wasting time and talking about how to leagalize marijuana, we should be informing more people about the nasty effects of using drugs. It is devastating to see people give up their lives to drugs and more action needs to be taken to informing people. Even the parents of students need to be informed about the awful effects. So please, stop trying to legalize it, because no good can come of it. Instead let's try reach out and help those who are using and inform those who are thinking about using. Legalization is NOT the answer!
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This is ridiculous. Anyone who looks at statistics of countries with legalized marijuana will notice that their rates of use/abuse are much lower than in the U.S. If we were to legalize the substance, and tax and regulate it, we would have much more control over the market (so it would be harder for your 17 your old friend to obtain marijuana) and we could use the tax revenue to educate people about the dangers of drug abuse. We spend billions of dollars and arrest tens of thousands of people in this war on drugs that is not working. Before marijuana was prohibited, our nation's drug abuse rate was 1.5%. When Nixon launched his war on drugs, our drug abuse rate was 1.5%. Now, our drug abuse rate is 1.5%. Nothing has changed, except the money we waste and the arrests we make. Don't equate anyone who supports legalization with an ignorant teen. That is an ad hominem argument and it diminishes your credibility.
Hypothetical Tim was a loser.
The real question is:
Are you tryiing to punish people for using drugs?
OR
are you trying to educate them about the dangers of drugs?
Drug use has consequences. People need to be educated about that. Some drug users are less productive than non-drug users. Some drug users might waste their lives, just as many alchoholics waste their lives away.
Do you really think the solution to people wasting their lives doing drugs is to throw them in Jail?
For the sake of argument, let's say a drug user was only 20% as productive as a non-drug user. What is great, 20% productivity or 0% productivity. It's really simple.
It seems like throwing someone in jail because they're using drugs wastes their lives as well and costs the tax payers more money. The only people benefiting from the War on Drugs is the dealers and the jailers. The rest of us all lose.
This is a bunch of bull(from empiracal example).
"If we were to legalize the substance, and tax and regulate it, we would have much more control over the market (so it would be harder for your 17 your old friend to obtain marijuana) and we could use the tax revenue to educate people about the dangers of drug abuse."
First, if that was the truth, drug dealers would be getting out to more people who are young, and making money easier because the drug is easier to obtain.
Secondly, I agree with the fact, but abuse rates are lower because the studies aren't taken as well. If you look at suicide rates in the middle east, you will find that they are VERY low. Why? Not because people are so happy, but because they don't report the deaths. Statistics can be used to say anything. Reality is perception. That is what determines the "truth".
Thirdly, the way our government is going right now, that revenue would be used towards weapons, war, military expenses, etc. much less EDUCATION.
Marijuana also has medicinal purposes. We should legalize it for MEDICINAL purposes, and make sure it gets out to the right people, not smokers or hippies (lol).
Eh, whatever. If people want to screw up their lives, it's up to them.
Your example subject, Tim, is not exactly a prime example.
For instance I know a gal, let's call her Jane. She is married, in her mid thirties and has been smoking weed for quite a while. She is a lawyer, works 6 days a week, 10 hours a day, makes well over $100,000 per year (her christmas bonus from december was $30,000!), and smokes pot EVERY DAY without fail. She is the perfect definition of a pot head.
http://www.drugpolicy.org/marijuana/factsmyths/
http://www.drugtext.org/sub/marmyt1.html
http://www.erowid.org/plants/cannabis/cannabis_myth.shtml
Above are three sites correcting the misconceptions of marijuana use in our society.
Your friend Tim became lazy because he is lazy -- he just finally found a way to express it. Marijuana didn't make him not care -- he actively chooses to not care. People are different -- some who smoke pot become lazy, some become overly motivated -- this has more to do with who you are as a person that the act of smoking marijuana.
Next time, do a little research before you spew information about one personal example to prove a point.
"How could anyone think that legalizing marijuana or any other drug could be helpful in our already messed up society?"
Well, it would clear our overcrowded jails and save billions of dollars annually, not to mention creating billions of dollars in revenue if it were taxed and regulated like alcohol.
"I'm not saying that everyone in high school or college is using drugs, but there are many students out here who have tried some type of drug and are still using them."
Caffeine...tobacco...alcohol, to name a few. All proven more detrimental than cannabis, yet legal. The government doesn't care about your health - that's not why they're legal. It's all a matter of who can profit.
"I know a thing or two about the effects of students using drugs..."
Most people who are actually in favor of legalizing marijuana believe that it is not for use by minors. And you never hear about the millions of people who use marijuana on a daily basis who function perfectly well in society, hold down jobs, and pay their bills on time - you only hear about the people who "ruined their lives." Sadly, this small percentage hugely overshadows those of us who actually care about our futures and can use marijuana responsibly and recreationally. Not abusively.