Legalize Marijuana Yes or No?

[4channel]

This is an issue that I have mixed thoughts on. At the moment there's a huge problem with Ice and it seems it will never go away. The fact that it's rife in some country towns is a very scary thing. Should we just  say To heck with it, let people puff away till their heart's content" and thus give police more time and resources to go after the pushers of the heavier stuff?

I don't smoke. I tried it in the past a few times years ago and not that impressed.  I think that it does ruin the motivation of some young people and they'll never reach their potential. Then again booze does the same thing as well.

With all that's going on in the world, is it time to have a look at this?

What are your thoughts?

[davewil1964]

Ice is a metamphetamine. Nothing to do with marijuana.

Marijuana is therapeutic for those with chronic pain that opioids don't control.

Totally different drugs.

[chameleon54]

We already have enough problems with the abuse of alcohol and tobacco. Why would we want to add another major problem to the ones we already have. The modern hydroponically grown Marijuana is a fairly strong drug. It dulls peoples initiative and work ethic, leading many regular users to a life of unemployment and social security dependency. It can also trigger life long psychological issues such as schizophrenia in those who are already susceptible to those conditions and has been shown to cause depression in some users. 

Being a strong drug it may well have a place in medical practice, but this can be achieved by removing the THC component of the drug ( the bit that gets users high ) making the medical version unsuitable for recreational abuse. 

[4channel]

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@chameleon54 wrote:

We already have enough problems with the abuse of alcohol and tobacco. Why would we want to add another major problem to the ones we already have. The modern hydroponically grown Marijuana is a fairly strong drug. It dulls peoples initiative and work ethic, leading many regular users to a life of unemployment and social security dependency. It can also trigger life long psychological issues such as schizophrenia in those who are already susceptible to those conditions and has been shown to cause depression in some users. 

Being a strong drug it may well have a place in medical practice, but this can be achieved by removing the THC component of the drug ( the bit that gets users high ) making the medical version unsuitable for recreational abuse. 

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Those are my thoughts too. Yes, I have seen a few people just turn into lifelong work dodgers.  And you're right too about how it can mess with people's minds. Sometimes a once bright evenly rounded person becomes an unstable psychotic person who'll withdraw from his / her circle and also become someone who can potentially harm another.

When looking at the bigger picture I see the resources and all the people in the chain right from the arresting officer to the file clerk at the court being tied up. I just wonder if we need now to admit that the battle has been lost and it's time to go after the more dangerous drugs.  And you're right about the hydroponically grown stuff. It can be dangerous to the wrong person. It certainly is different than what people were puffing on during the 70s.

[joz*garage]

Time well over due.

You say lealised alcohol and tobacco has it's problems, sure, then choose to stay away from it.

it's about freedom of choice though isn't it?

Why not legalise gunja too?! there's an industry to be had and tax dollars for the community, and the decriminalisation factor - gets rid of the criminal element, everyones happy (pun intended), & Folks who want to get bent  - will anyway.

[not_for_sale2025]

I say No because IMO the disadvantages outweigh the advantages. Having a good joint can be very enjoyable in many ways. 

However, the affects can be unpredictable. Some people can have underlying symptoms of mental illness which they socially control under normal circumstances. But under the influence of marijuana the symptoms can bubble to the surface and the person can experience paranoia, irrational fear, depression, delusions, hallucinations etc. In many instances the symptoms submerge again when the drug wears off. But in some cases the symptoms do not and the mental illness is exposed, sometimes for life. Marijuana did not cause the illness, it fractured the person's ability to cope with and control it.

Also, the physical dangers are clear - marijuana damages the lungs. Significantly more tar is taken in compared to cigarettes. This is because of the ways it is ingested. Personally I think it is hypocritical that cigarettes are legal while marijuana is not. But I would prefer we do not legalise another potentially harmful substance, even though some people may argue that the good times outweigh the bad times.

[joz*garage]

And with the tax dollars - so much can be done, example: more drug education and rehabilitation facility centres (free treatment) - for those who are allergic to whatever poison they choose, and gunja (pot) can be a poison too..I personally know of two people who were hopelessly addicted, if they didn't get their puff they were just like a junkie hanging out for a hit - shakes hot/cold sweats.. similar symptoms.

No different to the alcoholic.

[joz*garage]

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@not_for_sale2025 wrote:

I say No because IMO the disadvantages outweigh the advantages. Having a good joint can be very enjoyable in many ways. 

However, the affects can be unpredictable. Some people can have underlying symptoms of mental illness which they socially control under normal circumstances. But under the influence of marijuana the symptoms can bubble to the surface and the person can experience paranoia, irrational fear, depression, delusions, hallucinations etc. In many instances the symptoms submerge again when the drug wears off. But in some cases the symptoms do not and the mental illness is exposed, sometimes for life. Marijuana did not cause the illness, it fractured the person's ability to cope with and control it.

Also, the physical dangers are clear - marijuana damages the lungs. Significantly more tar is taken in compared to cigarettes. This is because of the ways it is ingested. Personally I think it is hypocritical that cigarettes are legal while marijuana is not. But I would prefer we do not legalise another potentially harmful substance, even though some people may argue that the good times outweigh the bad times.

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I disagree, Cannabis is not only consumed by smoking it.

& In comparison.. for example, the harm caused by legal alcohol outweighs the harm caused by marijuana. (to the individual & society)

The advantages of alcohol is very little, when they say controlled drinking "may" reduce heart disease.

The medical benefts of Cannabis is well documented.

[icyfroth]

I say no, and alcohol should be mor regulated as well. It ruins just as many, if not more, lives than MJ.

[myoclon1cjerk]

Well you won't have to worry about it in your lifetimes. It won't happen in Australia too soon. The most conservative nation in the Western world. I'm surprised mixed marriages are allowed here.