There are 26 choices, 7 votes for befearless247's debate

Should we legalize it?

Most people today think that marijuana is a horrible drug that turns the teenagers of today into mindless idiots. I for one, think that is a load of crap. What are your views on the subject? Should it be legalized?


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  • Buckley's
    I hate when people do what I'm about to do but I'm gonna do it anyway.

    If you wanna see a good debate about this check out these links:

    http://youtube.com/watch?v=lNw2r-qmopI

    http://youtube.com/watch?v=0-4bYI6fwZU&feature=related

    http://youtube.com/watch?v=32cs6mBA2Fc&feature=related

    My view on this is pretty much the same as William F. Buckley's is in the above videos. Although I am not so anti-drugs as him; I enjoy a variety of substances, both legal and ill.

    I think people above are focusing too much on whether or not weed is 'harmless', which of course it is not, and avoiding the more pressing topic of whether the government should be able to arrest a person for their freely made choice to ingest a particular substance. And I mean any substance!

    Now, obviously, substances can lead to bad behaviour, even murder (eg. Crystal meth - a philosopher friend of mine had one of his friends murdered by their own child who was on C.M.), however I submit that these crimes would not worsen through legalization but might actually decrease. Putting drugs into a competitive market would lead to greater purity, control (statutory limits and all), and to better prices - which might help to lower drug-related crime by not impoverishing users so much.

    Well, let's argue!

    A. H.
    28%  Voted for by Alexander Hine, petethemeat.
    View 3 comments
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  • Information for the spoon-fed
    You should be happy, I've gone and done the research for you all. Now, be nice and read it before making any more comments.

    Haha, I love these debates. They're fuelled by false information, racism and fear.
    -stretches fingers-

    Point - There is no universally accepted evidence that marijuana causes permanent damage. Of COURSE it mildly impairs you for a few hours, but so does any other mind-altering substance. (Alcohol, mainly, but there are others, mostly medicines. Cough syrup, cold pills, sleeping pills, etc. Lack of sleep, at least in my personal experience, is far more impairing than smokin’ an average joint.) Also, the lung damage seen from the tar and other "trash" substances in the average joint can be eliminated by using a vaporizer, or decreased with a water pipe. (Read: bong)
    It is also virtually impossible to overdose on marijuana. There are NO cases ever documented of someone dieing from THC poisoning.

    http://alcoholism.about.com/cs/pot/a/blucsd030628.htm
    http://vaporgenie.com/#whatis

    Point - The laws against marijuana were made NOT because of proven research, experience or hindsight. They were based on racism. The first states to outlaw marijuana were the southern states, which saw immigration from Mexico and therefore increased exposure to marijuana.

    http://www.sinsebility.com/history.htm

    Point – Claims that marijuana is a gateway drug are hard to prove.
    You must keep in mind that a certain percentage of the population WILL move on to harder drugs. There are always people who are desperate to escape. Because these people started with marijuana as a first attempt, it looks bad for all other casual users, who would never move on to the more nasty and addictive drugs. Many will try acid and shrooms, because they are relatively harmless in small doses and not widely considered addictive. The “stoners” I know are personally are disgusted by heroin, cocaine, pill users alike.


    http://www.marijuanaaddiction.info/marijuana-gateway-drug.htm
    http://www.marijuanalibrary.org/gateway.html
    http://www.scienceblog.com/cms/study-say-marijuana-no-gateway-drug-12116.html

    Point – Marijuana has many benefits, medicinal and mental. It is used as an appetite stimulant, and anti-nauseate and stress reliever. It is also a “non-addictive” pain reliever, which many people consider to be it’s greatest benefit.

    http://ca.askmen.com/sports/health/20_mens_health.html

    Point – Using tax money from government sales of marijuana will boost total tax income. Marijuana is very easy and relatively cheap to cultivate, so the funds put into growing a good crop would be outweighed by the profit gained from the sale. It would also eliminate street dealings, as if it were legal, most people would be willing to buy from a government source. People who smoke cannabis usually don’t do it because it’s illegal and therefore “cool”. If it was legal, the small numbers who do would probably stop, and the rest would begin to relax and enjoy the stimulus of the natural drug. Also, since marijuana is a appetite stimulant, any cafes, corner stores, grocery stores surrounding the cannabis store would see an increase in sales.

    http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02.n2098.a02.html

    It is hard to find non-biased sources when it comes to marijuana. All government funded information is to be avoided, as it is selective and reeks of propaganda. It is also good to steer clear of pro-marijuana sites, except for the noted few who strive to maintain a non-biased view.
    Voted for by nanoinfinity.
    View 15 comments
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  • do the research .....legalize it
    Many people are under the idea the weed is horrible, the root of all evil, if you smoke weed in 10 years your going to a homeless heroine addict, and amount to absolutely nothing in life, but this couldn’t be further from the truth.
    Some of the most influential and brilliant minds in history were marijuana users including Presidential Candidate Barak Obama, Vice President Al Gore, President Bill Clinton, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, Sen. Philip Hart, Sen. Jacob Javitis, President George Bush, President Jimmy Carter, and Presidential Candidate Nancy Lord, and lets not forget the American hero George Washington who had a marijuana grow room in the white house during his presidency. I also cannot think of one successful actor or music artist who never used marijuana or some other drug at some point in their lives. The myth that people who smoke marijuana are lazy, unproductive and have no goals in life is a completely false.
    The myth that marijuana is harmful to your health is also an extremely exaggerated statement. Yes smoking marijuana is not good, but it is not a harmful for you as tobacco and alcohol. According to the FDA (a very unbiased source) alcohol ranks the 3rd most harmful drug, tobacco ranks as the 6th or 7th most harmful, while marijuana ranked as the 11th most harmful. Marijuana also has proven health benefits in fighting certain chronic diseases; it is even more beneficial then many prescription drugs and other alternative treatments.
    The myths that it is addictive and is a “gateway” drug are completely false. Marijuana contains no addictive substances and according to the US Institute of medicine less than 10% of marijuana users use the drug on a regular basis. Also according to the same unbiased Institute less then 1 percent of marijuana users will try a stronger drug (ex. Cocaine, Heroine etc.). Much of what people think they know about marijuana pertaining to its ill effects is completely false or over exaggerated. This is due to the propaganda of communities such as the “war on drugs” etc. who operate on a system in which they believe it is ok to exaggerate and falsify statistics that come from biased studies so they can get people to stop smoking marijuana.
    The “war on drugs” is joke, in 2007 the US government spend over 40 billion dollars in an attempt to take marijuana of the streets, that’s more money the government spend on searching for a cure AIDS and a cure for cancer, since the 1970’s the US government has spent close to 500 billion dollars in the war on drugs, 500 billion tax dollars. Where has this war on drugs gotten us? Absolutely nowhere. Marijuana use is at an all time high, yes, the rate of use of marijuana is higher than it was in the late 60’s and a marijuana arrest takes place every 35 seconds in the US alone. The “war on drugs” is like trying to drain the ocean with a teaspoon, it will never be successful. Legalizing Marijuana may be one of the most beneficial things the US could ever do economically speaking. The legal drugs, alcohol and tobacco taxes produce some of the highest revenues for the government, legalizing marijuana will create a large revenue source for the government and free up billions of tax dollars that would have gone to support the war on marijuana, could now go to support our lacking economy, our failing healthcare system or any number of issues.
    Voted for by fresh763.
    View 4 comments
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  • If we are...
    basing whether to have it legal or not on if it may harm you or others, Then ban all drugs and alcohol.

    If we are basing this off whether the government (or shall I say the people running the government) makes profit off of the sales of drugs and alcohol, Then by all means legalize it.

    If we don't really give a damn and don't mind if the whole world is chaotic then let the people do whatever the hell they want.

    Its as simple as that.
    -dollar
    Voted for by dollar.
    View 4 comments
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  • KEEP IT ILLEGAL!
    Once it becomes legal, it becomes TAXED and CONTROLLED.

    Do you want the government to control the strength of it?

    Do you want to pay ridiculous taxes for it?

    I'd rather do it illegally, thank you.
    Voted for by Carpool.
    View 1 comment
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  • Nope
    I don't think so. Marijuana causes all sorts of problems, aka fights, murder, rape, death, etc.

    But hey, I don't make the user's decisions for him/her.
    Voted for by Spartan-015.
    View 3 comments
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