Legalize Pot?

[Beneath the Shadows]

According to that link (ironically the same one I used to provide my above fact), the "war on drugs" technically started in the 1880s, with opium. (I put "technically" in italics because, I admit, it's a stretch. Though no less true.)

[DeathChii]

It's ironic, pot would be even less dangerous if it was legal.

[raggedyanne]

It is ironic, and sort of sad.

Beneath the Shadows: technically, the war on opium is a completely different matter. Pot is just and illegal substance; opium was used by the British to virtually enslave the asian continent because the brits were giving the chinese opium for political favors. The asians got so hooked that the brits were able to control the monarchy. Not saying that pot isn't as bad as opium, it's just that no one ever officially declared "a war on opium." And they didn't have Nancy Regan in the 1880's. It is a stretch, but a good point.

[Splintered]

Legalizing Marijuana is a stupid idea. Plain and simple.

However, in light of that, legalizing marijuana is the lesser of two unfortunate evils. So while it's a stupid idea, it is quite possibly a neccesary idea, and due to all of the drug wars occuring over it, a very neccesary idea, enough to warrant legislation to not only make marijuana legal, but mass produced.

Any substance has the capability of abuse. I can, in theory, get high off of cough syrup and headache medicenes. However, we shouldn't restrict the ability of people to purchase cough syrup because of a few, because we know that the majority will use it for the intended purpose.

So, let's put marijuana in that same light. Let's make it a consumer drug like Advil and Tylenol. At least for now, it's a ragmatic solution. Medical Marijuana can be used to the fact that it is not "bad", but rather a useful substance.

From there, you can choose where you go.

No I don't like marijuana. I have abstained from drugs my entire life, and I'm proud to admit it. However, I have no moral issues with someone lighting up a joint either. Either way it doesn't effect me, because I am not going to try drugs, period. I don't care how you feel about them.

No I do not like the possible effects of legalizing marijuana either. Sure, the alcohol virtually shut down a black market, but at the cost of having the drunk driving issues that we have today.

However, in my opinion, it's the lesser of two evils for now.

[DeathChii]

If you say "I'm not going to drink and drive"
and you get really drunk, you're going to forget, and possibly drive anyway, with out even realizing you're doing something wrong.

If you say "I'm not going to get high and drive"
you won't. If you're seriously so fucked that you would loose so much common sense as to drive while high (when you feel it's wrong) than you probably can't move xD On top of that stoners are too lazy to get up and drive anyway =P