Legalization of Marijuana. . .reasons

I totally agree. There is a reason why it's illegal. It slows your brain down so that you can only do 1-2 things at a time after long term use. So after you get hooked on it, and yes you can get hooked on it, you start doing stupid things over and over again. Think about your friends that have smoked dope for a looooooooong time and they do stupid stuff all the time. Sometimes you just have to look at them and say what were you thinking???

Read more from me at: http://www.progressiveu.org/102751-lets-all-light-up-a-joint

I agree with you.

but I have to say that I have heard a pot user give five reasons why it should be legalized. I don't remember all of her reasons, but i do remember that she did have some valid points.

Marijuana shouldn't be legalized because of it's constant misuse

I honestly cannot believe I am the first person to comment on the bias of this article. Just by reading the first paragraph I can see that the only real knowledge the author has on this issue is the government propaganda that was crammed into her head throughout her life. "Addicted to marijuana"

Marijuana is NOT addictive.
People can become "psychologically dependant" as doctors term it, but Marijuana is not physically addictive like other drugs.

Look at the body of this article. Let's take a look at this sentence.

"Recent findings indicate that smoking marijuana while shooting up cocaine has the potential to cause severe increases in heart rate and blood pressure."

Yeah, you are shooting up cocaine, which is the main cause. And as long as your not doin that, there is no problem. This is a rediculous statement. Studies have also shown that it is not good to drink alcohol while taking some over the counter medications. That's like saying Excedrin is bad because alcohol interferes with it.

"After reading this what benefits can outweigh these bad sad-effects!"
After reading what?? The only point you got across is that doing other hard drugs is bad. What about studies on marijuana alone????

"All these pot users who are addicted to marijuana can't make 5 valid reasons why this legalization will help society and be beneficial to the body."

Complete Bull**it.

Here's five prime examples.

-Medicinal use: although many prohibitionists don't want to hear this, Marijuana has MANY medical uses. Which has been backed by multiple studies blatently ignored by the federal government.

-Hemp: We could get oil, seeds, rope, clothing, textiles, paper, fuel, oxygen, countless others. And Hemp is banned because it is related to marijuana. That is the only reason.

-Crime: All the US government is doing right now is saving the jobs of dangerous drug dealers. By keeping drugs like marijuana on the black market, all they are doing is supporting these criminals. Marijuana instead should be taxed and regulated and kept under goverment regulation.

-Free country: If this is a free country, why can't I decide what I put in my body?? If I would rather smoke some marijuana rather than drink on the weekends, why can't I?? Marijuana causes FAR LESS PROBLEMS than alcohol and has resulted in absolutely NO deaths. Try looking at alcohol and tobacco, which are perfectly legal, together those kill more than 550,000 people a year.

-Money: Our government wastes more than $14 Billion dollars a year trying to keep marijuana illegal. Is this really worth it??? There are a lot of other things MUCH MORE IMPORTANT that we could be spending our money on.

There are plenty of other reasons why marijuana should be legalized in the US and across the world. The benefits far outweigh the bad.

You should really do some more research and not be so bias when it comes to these issues.

I love hearing nim-wits such as yourself ramble off about pot heads and how there is no beneficial properties to Marijuana while citing statistics and reports by NIDA.

Had you really done some research before going off on some tangent about "pot heads" you would see that there is really no basis for your argument and the reality of the situation is that Marijuana has tons of benefits and the fact that our society continues to ignore all the scientific research regarding this topic is baffling.

So how bout some research.

So the health reports that you released were cited by National Institute for Health and sponsored by NIDA. If you been completely in the dark about Marijuana then you will take note that NIDA is the ONLY government organization that grows, researches and distributes legal marijuana.

NIDA is located on the campus of the University of Mississippi and has been there since the 60's. This is the sole organization that has limited the research of Marijuana as well as published outright lies regarding the herb.

Just for reference... The person that leads NIDA is DR. Mahmoud Elsohly. If you do a little research on this guy... He is the doctor who has been developing a prescription medicine that is has the same ingredients and effects of Marijuana. This drug name is Marinol.

So.. Before you start posting health results from a biased organization.. make sure you're not posting information from a drug dealer that is trying to push his own product and his own agenda.

Now.. Back to your 5 points.

In 2006 771,608 people were arrested on Marijuana related charges according to the FBI.

That is now 771,608 people that have to go to court and have their permanent records tarnished because they were smoking a little weed. Also that is now 771,608 people that have to go through the court systems, using valuable time and wasting countless tax dollars to hear and try their cases.

And what about the families that have been destroyed, kids put into foster homes all because someone smoked some dope and was then put in jail for it.

The war on drugs is an absolute failure. Want proof? We've been fighting this war for 30 years and drug dealers and the drugs themselves as well as the availability is easier and better than ever. Only a moron would think that we are winning or could ever win the war on drugs. It's not happening. Kids throughout schools across the nation say it's easier to get weed than alcohol or tobacco. That's because those are regulated and their are stiff penalties against businesses that don't follow those rules. Who is enforcing the rules of the drug dealers?

With that being said, legalization, regulation and taxation are the only viable methods to ensure safety and to keep illegal substances out of the hands of minors.

Furthermore, a report was released several months ago that state that Marijuana is the largest cash crop, beating out corn and wheat. It's a $35 billion dollar a year business and it's a shame that people such as your self can't get past the Harry Aslinger "Reefer Maddness" view and the the true economic benefits that this herb could create.

Regarding the health benefits..

You obviously have not done ANY research on this topic or the topic of THC at all before writing this blog.

11 States have already approved the use of Marijuana for Medical use stating it's ability at removing pain and helping with the appetite. Currently there are 10 states considering the same language. In fact, both TX and SC are considering measures this week.

There was a report released today by Medical News Today
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=63333
that states Marijuana helps with Nerve pain.

Earlier this week the Federal Government was sued in regard to the false and misleading statements that they publish. They were sued because nim-wits such as yourself actually believe the shit that comes from the mouths of NIDA and our government officials. I highly recommend you reading up on the lawsuit at the following link:
http://www.ecanadanow.com/science/health/2007/02/22/marijuana-activists-sue-government/

Judge's have ruled that the Government has not fairly allowed the scientific community to evaluate marijuana thereby possibly misclassifying it as a Schedule 1 drug. That judge issued a non binding resolution that would force the government to open the doors to other distributors than NIDA:
http://www-tech.mit.edu/V127/N4/marijuanawire.html

According to research from the University of Pittsburg, Marijuana is not a gateway drug either. So don't throw out any crap about addiction
http://www.saferchoice.proboards82.com/index.cgi?board=marijuanastories&action=display&thread=1166033438

You should also research the leading Marijuana researcher IN THE WORLD, DR Daniele Piomelli. He began studying Marijuana over 15 years ago at the University of Jerusalem and he learned that the brain contains very similar chemicals to THC. These chemicals called "endocannabinoid" have very similar effects to THC. It's remarkable research and you can read a transcript that Dan Rather did for HDNet regarding Medical Marijuana here:
http://www.hd.net/transcript.html?air_master_id=A4429

I could go off about the industrial uses of Hemp as well. The fact that for over 200 years Marijuana was one of the most widely grown and used plants in the world. In 1619 in the State of Virginia, people were actually REQUIRED to grow it.

There are uses for the fibers for paper and cloth and rope as well as fuels and a million other uses. George Washington grew Marijuana and swore it was the greatest plant that ever existed.

So, I've listed health, economic, social and historical reasons for (re)legalizing marijuana. It's a phenomenal plant. Too bad there are too many uneducated and frankly too many lazy people to do their own research on this issue.

Folks such as yourself rely on NIDA and the federal government for your information and in all reality... THAT is what should be illegal. Idiots listening to liars and then perpetuating their lies further.

Way to go idiot!

Did you know that college students convicted of possessing just one marijuana joint — or of any other drug offense — are automatically stripped of their federal financial aid, while murderers and rapists are still eligible to receive federal loans and grants?

If you agree that this penalty is unfair, why not ask the people who represent you in Congress to do something about it? All you have to do is visit www.ssdp.org/aid and enter your name and address. We’ve put together a pre-written letter that you can easily edit and send to your members of Congress urging them to co-sponsor upcoming legislation to repeal the penalty.

The student aid elimination penalty, which was first enforced in 2000, has since blocked educational assistance to nearly 200,000 aspiring students, most of them caught with small amounts of marijuana. Students for Sensible Drug Policy has been lobbying to overturn this harmful law since day one. However, with the new leadership in Congress, this is the first real chance we have to help students get back into school and on the path to success. But we simply cannot do it without your help.

Last year, a bill to repeal the penalty — the Removing Impediments to Students’ Education (RISE) Act — had 71 co-sponsors in the U.S. House. Won’t you help us ensure that this year’s bill has even more support when it is introduced in the U.S. House in the next few weeks?

Please visit www.ssdp.org/aid right now to send a message to your members of Congress. We’ve made it as easy as possible for you to take action: All you have to do is enter your name and contact information, and a pre-written letter will be sent on your behalf with just a few clicks.

If concerned citizens like you don’t let legislators know how you feel about this law, Congress will have absolutely no reason to do anything about it. But senators and representatives work for you, and when thousands of messages pour into offices on Capitol Hill, legislators will be forced to take a stand. Please do your part to ensure that a record number of co-sponsors signs on to the RISE Act this year.

With your help, we can and will repeal the aid elimination penalty once and for all. Thousands of young people are waiting to get back into school. Won’t you help them today by visiting www.ssdp.org/aid and clicking a few buttons?

Thanks for taking action,
Kris Krane
SSDP Executive Director

P.S. Please visit www.ssdp.org/campaigns/hea/letter.shtml to view the letter that more than 150 prominent education, substance abuse recovery, civil rights, and law organizations are sending to Congress this week to call for the repeal of the aid elimination penalty.

P.P.S. Join the SSDP group on Facebook at www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2204718067.

Also it should be noted that the General Accounting Office (ONDCP), the investigative arm of congress gave the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy unfettered permission to mislead the public in the name of opposing "drug legalization."

So you probably shouldn't quote stats from organizations that have been given permission to lie.

http://www.commondreams.org/news2004/0312-06.htm

White House Gets Permission to Lie

WASHINGTON - March 11 - Responding to a request by U.S. Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX), the General Accounting Office (ONDCP), the investigative arm of Congress, yesterday gave the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy unfettered permission to mislead the public in the name of opposing "drug legalization."

In the run-up to the November 2002 elections, ONDCP campaigned aggressively against state ballot measures to reform marijuana laws and other anti-drug policies. Part of this effort was a letter to local prosecutors from ONDCP Deputy Director Scott Burns, which made a number of statements considered misleading by experts, including the claims that "marijuana and violence are linked" and "no credible research suggests" that marijuana has medical uses.

In an April 2, 2003, letter, which is available on-line at http://www.mpp.org/WarOnDrugCzar/complaints/gao_complaint.html , Paul asked the GAO to investigate whether the Burns letter violated the ban on use of taxpayer funds for "publicity and propaganda" as well as the longstanding GAO position that "the government should not disseminate misleading information."

In its March 10 response to Paul, the GAO declared, in essence, that the truth or falsity of ONDCP's statements is irrelevant. "ONDCP is specifically charged with the responsibility for `taking such actions as necessary to oppose any attempt to legalize the use' of certain controlled substances such as marijuana," wrote GAO General Counsel Anthony Gamboa. "Given this role, we do not see a need to examine the accuracy of the Deputy Director's individual statements in detail." GAO's response: http://www.mpp.org/pdf/GAO_response_0304.pdf

The declaration appears to contradict prior GAO actions. In 1976, for example, the GAO ruled that a pamphlet about nuclear energy was "not a proper document for release to the public" because of its misleading and one-sided statements.

"Amazingly, the GAO has ruled that the truth simply doesn't matter in the so-called `War on Drugs,'" said Steve Fox, director of government relations for the Marijuana Policy Project in Washington, D.C. "This is even more shocking than the simultaneous GAO ruling on the administration's Medicare ads. In that case they suggested the ads were perhaps in a gray zone, but here they are saying that accuracy is irrelevant and lying is not a problem. We believe the American public expects better from their government."

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Mentally it can be a craving, but to the physical body, pot is not addictive.

AND I think that losing your Fin. Aid. for pot is BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUULLLLLLLLLLLLL SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT.

Here is another reason that marijuana should be legalized besides all the ones mentioned above. The reason is that it is completely hypocritical for those that are and have been in charge of the government to send people to jail for smoking pot. Why is it hypocritical? Because, they smoked pot themselves and never had to go to jail for it, even after admitting to it.

The first example would be former President Clinton and his infamous, "I didn't inhale" line. You know whats worse than a President who smoked pot? A President that thinks the American people are dumb enough to beleive that he 'didn't inhale' while smoking weed so its ok.

Next example would be former Mayor Bloomberg who responded to the question of smoking pot with "You bet it did. And I enjoyed it." Did Bloomberg go to jail for admitting to commiting a crime? No. Does he support changing the laws so that others who use recreational marijuana (like he did) can go on to live normal, productive lives and become a highly powerful politicians (like he did)? No.

Finally, our last example in recent times would be our current President Bush. While having a phone conversation with his friend Doug Wead (yes thats his real name) admitted to smoking pot. He also admitted that he would lie and stifle questioning to cover up his past drug use. Unfortunetly for Bush, the conversations were secretly being recorded and would later be made available to the public.

So we have three major political players from both major parties who have smoked pot in the past, suffered no apparent negative effects and have never had to face legal penalties for commiting a crime. These same people unquestioningly support the drug war and benefit from the incarceration of people who did nothing more than what they did. These policies degrade the public image, legitimacy and integrity of our entire legal system and government. They show undeniable double standards and hypocracy in a country that is supposed to be ruled by the people and for the people.

Wow. i know a lot of "pot heads" and not all of them are intelligent. this is mostly because most of them have mixed their marijuana with other harder drugs. Marijuana kills about as much brain cells as a bump on the head. And don't football players bump their heads everyday at practice? so by this logic, we should make football illegal. If you are worried about cancer, invest in a thing called a vapourizer. it boils the tetrahydrocarbinol in the marijuana to give you a pleasant experience without the cancer. And another point, Peripheral Neuropathy, or the extreme pain in the hands and feet of people with h.i.v. can be relieved by the use of marijuana, without causing damage to the liver, which legal pain killers cause. Also, take into concideration that the government puts 7.7 billon dollars a year into housing and caring for inmates held on marijuana charges. Wow. being convicted of a nonviolent crime. Cancer patients can use marijuana to gain an appetite. Starvation kills a large amount of cancer patients. hmm..... not enough reasons yet. how about the fact that the government can gain up to 6 billion dollars a year on taxes if marijuana is legalized, regulated, and taxed as alcohol is. this is 6 billion gaind and 7.7 billion dollars a year saved. Not enough yet? most people who use marijuana and do stupid things would do the same with alcohol. how about we criminalize that?? Tobacco has 2,000 carcinogous chemicals in every puff, lets illegalize that. marijuana is by far the least damaging intoxicant. and would be the cheapest since it is an annual plant. Dont be stupid. your bound to get hurt if you mix your marijuana with cocaine and other harmful substances. but dont discriminate against the legalization of a medical plant that than save 7.7 billion dollars and earn 6 billion.

pot is illegal. yeah, we know. somebody made the decision to declare marijuana an illegal drug. to me.. that is funny. alcohol is legal. that is even funnier. prescription drugs such as oxycontin, xanax, lexapro, paxil, demerol, and morphine are easy to come by. their risk of dependency and use in excess is far more dangerous than marijuana could ever be.

why is it okay to believe that alcohol and prescription drugs are in some way "better" than marijuana? man made alcohol. man made drugs. i would really like to know the answer to this question. at least marijuana is a plant that comes straight from the earth. has anyone bashing the legalization of marijuana even taken the time to search out that answer to a question such as this one for themselves? it seems to me, that their opinions on the subject are somebody else's.

obviously it is easier to "put down" weed because it has already been made illegal, rather than taking a look at every other drug including alcohol, and figuring out that they are actually a bigger problem.

the original essay should have read as follows:
All these alcoholics who are addicted to alcohol can't make 5 valid reasons why the legalization of alcohol should remain intact and how it will help society and be beneficial to the body.

it is true that you can purchase and/or consume an alcoholic beverage on almost every street corner across america. you can have as many beverages containing alcohol as you desire. the very same alcohol that impairs your mind and body, destroys your liver, wastes your money, causes accidents leading to death, creates violence and anger, contributes to dependancy, decreases your ability to think rationally, and promotes abnormal behavior. those are just a few negative effects of alcohol. yet, it is perfectly legal. america's number one excuse for mistakes they have made has become "because i was drunk".

and i suppose if tomorrow the government decided to make alcohol illegal, we would see an increase in crime and an increase in the illegal sale of the substance as we are now experiencing with marijuana today.

so, can anyone make 5 valid points why the legalization of alcohol is still in effect?

because i can't.

but what i can do is tell you why marijuana is looked down upon. easy. its illegal. other than that.. it should be declared an amazing herb that we are lucky to have.

marijuana is a state of mind.

promotes peace. enhances your creative abilities. a gateway to relaxation. it takes you to another level. reduces anxiety and relieves stress.

marijuana alone will do no harm. you can not blame marijuana for a person choosing to incorporate compromising drugs into their life. it is not the gateway drug. stop making excuses for ignorant people. people choose what the put into their bodies. they are also responsible for the choices that they make. marijuana doesn't contribute to people's ignorance. if you smoked weed, you would know this. maybe then you could make your OWN decision on the topic.

thats all.

and if you would like to listen to my band:
myspace.com/foreveroeuvre

> Many "pot" users strongly think the their should be a
> legalization on marijuana!

I happen to be one of these people, but not all of the people who believe that pot should be legal are users themselves. One of the key planks of the Libertarian Party for example (i.e. the largest "third-party" in the U.S.) is based on the idea that it isn't a proper role of government to regulate "victimless" crimes. Basically, why should it be illegal to do something (even if it is unwise) to oneself? There are also a great many doctors who would like to see the drug deregulated at least for medical purposes, so I think that perhaps your focus on the actual "user" of this drug is a bit narrow and unrealistic.

> I think this idea is prolly the stupidest idea ever said. . .

I hope you will remember this statement if you find yourself offended by anything that I say in response to your comments.

> All these pot users who are addicted to marijuana

First of all, it is both assumptive and a bit disingenous to suggest that "all" pot uses are "addicted" to marijuana. That is quite simply not the case. According to National Survey on Drug Use & Health (http://www.oas.samhsa.gov/nhsda.htm) there are over 90 million marijuana users in this country, and if all of those people were "addicted" in the way that you suggest, the problems would be quite a bit more than what the statistics actually show. It is true that marijuana is somewhat addictive, but in comparison it actually has a lower rate of addiction than (for example) caffeine. Would you also like to make coffee illegal? How about cigarettes (nicotine is also more addictive than pot)?

> can't make 5 valid reasons

I'm already well on my way, but we'll see if I can make it to five.

> why this legalization will help society and be
> beneficial to the body.

This objection is somewhat backwards in its reasoning. In this country, we don't make things illegal because they don't help society, or even because something is not beneficial to the body. If we did, the alcohol would be illegal, as would be cigarettes, big macs, sugary sodas and late night talk-radio. In a country which values personal freedom, we do have the right to make decisions about our own lives, and that includes the right to do things that might not be particularly good for us.

> I feel that "pot" is a drug because it affects your
> judgement skills and can potentially harm anyone
> that uses it.

Once again, I am led to question the consistency of your objection. There are numerous perfectly legal drugs that have a greater effect on the consciousness, and which carry more and greater negative consequences on the health of the user than pot. While the example might be somewhat tiresome, both alcohol and nicotene fall into this category, and if they are legal why not pot?

> Here are 5 reason why "pot" shouldn't be legal.
> Can anyone make 5 valid points that are beneficial
> and causes little or no bodily harm?
>
> What are the side effects of Marijuana?
>
> Enhanced cancer risk

This isn't really true according to some of the most credible and current medical research available. For example, WebMD (who if you don't know is actually one of the largest commercial gateways for medical information and processing) recently released a study that went a long way to debunking this commonly circulated myth.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,196678,00.html

> Decrease in testosterone levels and lower sperm
> counts for men

This is also a myth that arose after a single study suggested this connection back in the early seventies.

Chronic marijuana use has not been found to alter testosterone or other sex hormone levels, despite the conclusions of Dr. R.C. Kolodony's 1974 study. Seven similar studies have been performed since then, the most recent by a Dr. Robert Block at the University of Iowa, and none have reproduced Kolodony's results. In contrast, heavy alcohol use is known to lower these same testosterone levels.

http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/library/mjfaq1.htm

> Increase in testosterone levels for women
> and increased risk of infertility
>
> Diminished or extinguished sexual pleasure

These are also a myths.

http://www.drugpolicy.org/marijuana/factsmyths/

> Psychological dependence requiring more of the
> drug to get the same effect

I've already addressed this not completely mythical but completely inconsistent concern above.

> Researchers have found that THC (stuff in marijuana)
> changes the way in which sensory information gets
> into and is acted on by the hippocampus.

This information comes from a series of studies involving animals being exposed to extremely high doses of THC (far beyond what even a daily smoker could reasonably expect to take in) over extremely long periods of time. These studies have generally been held to be inconclusive, due to the exteme conditions that were tested. Even so, when overused to the extent to which these animals were expose, I don't doubt that the effects were detrimental. But again I don't see where the logic is in making something that you do to yourself a crime.

> These are effects on the gheart reate and blood pressure:
> Recent findings indicate that smoking marijuana while
> shooting up cocaine has the potential to cause severe
> increases in heart rate and blood pressure.

Well, DUH! I'm having a hard time taking your comments on how "stupid" marijuana users are when you say things like this. Cocaine is an extremely powerful stimulant, after all. The connection you suggest is similar to saying if you drink 1 glass of beer and 1 glass of grain alcohol, its the beer that got you drunk.

> After reading this what benefits can outweigh
> these bad sad-effects!

Well, lets see. One the one hand, marijuana has a number of beneficial side-effects. It can reduce nausea and pain more effectively and with fewer systemic effects than many of the over-the-counter drugs that we consume for those purposes. It can increase the appetite for people who are suffering from a lack thereof for various medical reasons. It acts as a natural anti-asthmatic, anti-rheumatic and anti-inflammatory medicine. Used in moderation, it acts as a psychological calmative, and can greatly reduce the effects of stress on the body. There are also numerous more esoteric medical uses of the drug, as well.

But ultimately I think that your demand for "benefits" is totally beside the real point, here. The real question is what is the compelling interest of the state that justifies taking a naturally occuring plant and making it illegal for a person to introduce that plant into their own body? There are certainly worse plants out there to smoke. Being exposed to the smoke of the common poison ivy plant can actually be fatal, but I don't see anyone trying to make growing or possessing a sprig of poison ivy illegal. Basically, unless you can tell us how one citizen's use of a substance directly (or to a reasonable degree indirectly) damages some other citizen in a proveably causative fasion, then any law making the use of that substance a "crime" isn't really justified.

So, here are my 5 points, all summed up.

1. It isn't a legitimate role of government to make something I do to myself illegal.
2. It isn't consistent to make a substance illegal when there are other, far more dangerous substances that are legally available to the public.
3. Many (if not most) of the concerns that people have about the detrimental effecgts of the drug are either myths or seriously overblown.
4. Many (if not most) of the social problems that are commonly associated with the use of illicit substances are actually caused by the prohibition of those substances (just look to the history of the prohibition of alcohol in this country if you doubt this one).
5. Unless I do something to directly harm you while I am high (which isn't likely since all I want to do after I smoke a bowl is watch cartoons), then it really isn't any of your business what I'm doing, anyway.

percivale

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"Vi Veri Vniversum Vivus Vici." ~ V.