Why are people against marijuana still, in 2014?

I just see no upside to it. I am not against it just don't really want to use it. The biggest arguments for it are taxation and possibly medicinal purposes. All the medicinal purposes can be replaced by other FDA approved drugs and the taxation thing is just a justification for making it legal. If people really wanted more taxes to build better schools, update the interstates and have a larger military just vote for the higher taxes each election instead of trying to justify personal habits. With this being said I don't think it should be illegal and having people incarcerated for it seems unreasonable. I can see why people are against it, but am not against it. I just personally choose not to partake because I see no reason to.

 

I hate to be "that guy" but the same argument can be said of alcohol. "I see no point in it." - that's actually entirely subjective. "I see no point in reading fiction; it doesn't represent reality", "I see no point in riding bicycles, they're expensive to buy for short distance travel and I can just walk or drive", "I see no point" depends entirely on your values and what you do or do not enjoy.

Now, speaking as someone who has experienced the upside of it, let me say this: I used to be in a very bad place and I nearly offed myself at least twice last year. Conventional anti-depressants did almost nothing for me (some even exacerbated the problem). In my case cannabis actually helped me see the fun and enjoyment in life again. There are also other legitimate medical uses such as treating chronic epilepsy. Sure, there may be alternatives, but you can't really justify saying they're better unless you have evidence to support that - cannabis being illegal doesn't automatically make legal alternatives better medicinally, as I mentioned earlier with regards to antidepressants.

As for taxation, I think you're mistaken; taxes are not simply a reason for legalising it, they're a reason for making the best of something which ALREADY permeates society and in turn using that to better society. We have ridiculous taxes on alcohol in Australia (a 700mL bottle of vodka would probably cost you $20 in tax if you distilled it yourself) but if they were taken away it would be a nightmare for the federal budget. Alcohol permeates our society thoroughly, so you might as well use some of the money spent on it for productive reasons rather than corporate profit.

 

You're not being "that guy" in a debate. I kind of have skewed opinions as not experiencing it and having somewhat predetermined ideas about it from the family I grew up in and the area that I did. The same can definitely be said for alcohol. From my point of view which is completely subjective I don't see many or very few if at all upsides to it. I do not think that anybody can tell a person what they can and cannot consume so I do not think that it should be illegal. But I do understand why people can be against it. In a majority of cases I am assuming that it is used for recreational purposes which I could care less about, but see no positive effects gained from it except in certain cases. As far as medicinal purposes, the Mayo Clinic has several medicines (around 24 listed) with up to a 70% success rate for treating epilepsy. Cannabis is just a cheaper alternative that has not been tested to the extent these other drugs have been. For your particular case it seems to have been effective and there are definitely tons of people who have derived similar positive effects from it. The FDA approved drugs studied by multiple health professionals and leading hospitals in the world with success rates and failure rates are not the best solutions in every case but I think that they certainly are effective in a majority of cases after they publish success and failure rates. As far as taxation goes, it does permeate society and if it is legalized it should be taxed. I just think that a bunch of people use it as a justification for legalization without many more reasons.

 

For a really long time, I haven't been able to concentrate, or even read things without getting a headache. Whenever I would try to study, I would lose focus. If I didn't like something , I wanted nothing to do with it, and I've been this way since my early school years.

Recently, the doctors finally decided to officially diagnose me with ADD and a mild case of depression. I do not take medication or go to therapy.

I'm 21 now, and started smoking maybe a few months back. I don't smoke too much. I haven't smoked in about a month actually, but when I did, let me put it into perspective - a dub lasted me almost 2 months. It definitely wasn't a money sink.

I smoked maybe the size of your thumb's nail every other night, after making sure everything I had to do was finished. Then I just lay back in bed on my laptop and just chill out. Funny thing is, I actually end up studying - something I was just never interested in, or wanted to do.

I don't smoke to get stoned to the point where I'm a potato. I smoke to kind of feel it. Lets me think clearly.

You know in cartoons or movies how when a character is deep in thought, every other sound fades away, and they clearly think in full sentences? For the first time in my life, I was able to think clearly - AND IN FULL SENTENCES. Normally, I can't do this. So much stuff is going on in my mind and I'm constantly in a brain haze.

About it being a gateway drug - yes, it definitely can be one, however a lot of people I know that do smoke, and have been smoking for years, do just that. Nothing more.

This coming from the son of a failed rock star crack addict of 15+ years.

I don't think people should automatically scream "GATEWAY DRUG", "IT MAKES YOU STUPID" etc, etc. My cousin graduated with a 3.9 GPA, graduated from after-grad, and is ONE STEP below becoming a Doctor. She paid off her student loans in less than a year. She makes GOOD MONEY. She doesn't want to become a doctor because it doubles the work load and she wouldn't make too much more than she already does. She smokes every night.

Just because someone smokes, or is surrounded by hard drugs their entire life, doesn't mean they're bound to move onto harder substances.

Do I recommend smoking pot? I can't say. It's not for everyone. If you ever want to give it a try, do so with friends in a calm environment, and don't smoke too much. One or two hits is more than enough to make you feel it, especially if you are a beginner.

 

Just as bad as alcohol or cigarettes. It can and is abused the same way. Marijuana's reputation has been tarnished so bad to the point where every weed smoker is a pothead or a marijuana "addict." Where not everyone who drinks alcohol is considered an "alcoholic" or "addicted" to alcohol.

My vote is Yes for legalization.

 

Medical marijuana is nowhere near as harmful or addictive as alcohol or cigarettes. Are you kidding me? Please do some independent research before regurgitating disinformation/propaganda.

I'm so fucking confused...

 

The two statements are not mutually exclusive. What he's suggesting is people have the potential to abuse tobacco and alcohol, however most do not, and cannabis is the same in that regard.

 

Instead of asking us to do research, why not share your source to make your argument convincing?

Marijuana is a drug, and like any drug people will be reluctant towards it. Alcohol and caffeine have been more accepted into society, but marijuana is more likely to be a gateway drug than those two because it gives you a high.

 

And not necessarily for the worse, which I assume is what you are implying. A quick flick through this thread would show you that much.

Would you mind elaborating? This is a discussion forum, so unless you can actually put forward an intelligent response to the question at hand then your post is basically spam.

 

Our country is full of drugs. We don't need more... especially if it's legalized bc then it will definitely be abused hardcore