Drug Legalization

[The_Green_King]

since there are so many level headed people on this board i decided i would post this to find out what your guys opinions are. mature posts only please, no one cares if you like to get ****ed up cause most people do. youre not special, and youre certainly not cool. if this breaks any rules let me know and i will delete it. heres my take on it:

drug legalization is a tough discussion to have because both sides have good points. as a former heavy drug user i can say that it IS my right to put whatever chemical i want in my body, be it a bendryl or heroin, its MY choice. its bull**** because a lot of drugs can be found growing in nature and then humans try and wipe them out because some ADULT of LEGAL age might partake in them. thats immoral in itself and why im not to fond of us as a species, but thats another story..

on the other hand, harm CAN and DOES happen when people get careless. some dumb ass gets behind the wheel and hits a van full of nuns or children and kills innocent people which is why YOU SHOULD NEVER DRIVE INTOXICATED!!! however, thats happening whether drugs or legal or not. then theres addiction. now let me tell you, no one starts using thinking theyll be an addict. its a slow process. you dont get addicted to a drug the first time you do it. thats just stupid propaganda. it takes a few months of every day use before you start getting sick. being dopesick hurts. its like the flu x10. thats the only reason i agree with hard drugs being legal, because addiction ruins lives. but marijuana? come on now lol.

i just think its time we smarten up as a society and realize that this problem inst going to go away. the war on drugs has already been lost. lets at least acknowledge that some drugs arent as bad as others. id settle for that cause the truth is a step in the right direction.

 

[VeCtOr]

well it is indeed some thought discuss when it comes to drug legalization, and i hope it never will come legal tbh, i've seen how can f*** up a life...

 

[The_Green_King]

and thats a respectable reason too be against it. ive just been reading about the cartels a lot and it sickens me that the drugs are coming from those people. theres no reason for the stuff they do. ive been pro legaliztion for a long time but after reading that stuff its kinda put me in like a middle ground. if it was legal at least the cartels would be gone.

 

[KennedyKiller]

I'm one of the lives affected by it as well...And you'd be surprised...But I'm all for legalization...

 

[VP-70]

I was going to post how we should all get together and snort some coke, then take over a missle base and start some sillyness......but i won't bother.


I wonder if we can even think about Legalizing those sorts of drugs, before we've got a real foot hold on drink, which does serious damage.

 

[Storyofmylife]

I think that once it becomes legal, people won't want to do it as much. I say legalize them and tax/regulate it. I'm with Ron Paul's stance here. I like where he's coming from.

 

[Jay]

They're illegal for a reason. Unless its for a medical reason it should stay that way. What is one good reason legalizing it will bring? And don't say it will lower murder rates because people will kill regardless.

 

[KennedyKiller]

They're illegal for a reason. Unless its for a medical reason it should stay that way. What is one good reason legalizing it will bring? And don't say it will lower murder rates because people will kill regardless.

Well, with it legalized it will be regulated by the FDA, meaning everyone will be ingesting the SAME version of the specific drug...Also, taxing the hell outta it will help the economy...Plus, it would open more jobs...Counsolers for drug addict support groups...Just like how they have Counselors for the legal addictions like gambling and alcohol...

 

[Jay]

Well, with it legalized it will be regulated by the FDA, meaning everyone will be ingesting the SAME version of the specific drug...Also, taxing the hell outta it will help the economy...Plus, it would open more jobs...Counsolers for drug addict support groups...Just like how they have Counselors for the legal addictions like gambling and alcohol...

It depends on what drugs the FDA regulates. Lets say its Marijuana. If it did open more jobs then people will be high all the time, and no one could complain because its legal. It will have more cons than pros. The day we need to legalize drugs to help our economy will be a sad day. And honestly the only ones I can see in proposition to this are the ones that will be using it.

 

[KennedyKiller]

It depends on what drugs the FDA regulates. Lets say its Marijuana. If it did open more jobs then people will be high all the time, and no one could complain because its legal. It will have more cons than pros. The day we need to legalize drugs to help our economy will be a sad day. And honestly the only ones I can see in proposition to this are the ones that will be doing it.

How are there more cons than pros? Tell me, have you ever been under the influence of Marijuana? It's not much different than being sober, aside from the fact that you're chilled about just about everything...So long as you don't let it interfere with your work, then it really isn't a problem...Hell, I've met employees that were utterly UNBEARABLE unless they were high...

 

[cheezMcNASTY]

 

[Jay]

How are there more cons than pros? Tell me, have you ever been under the influence of Marijuana? It's not much different than being sober, aside from the fact that you're chilled about just about everything...So long as you don't let it interfere with your work, then it really isn't a problem...Hell, I've met employees that were utterly UNBEARABLE unless they were high...

No, but I know enough that it got one of my cousins killed. I don't need to be high to function right in society, and for anyone who does needs to be checked into a clinic. Legalizing that would mean you oppose kids to it. That wouldn't know any better and then there's no telling what could happen. I can't be the only one with enough sense to see this wouldn't be a good idea, I hope.

 

[cheezMcNASTY]

No, but I know enough that it got one of my cousins killed. I don't need to be high to function right in society, and for anyone who does needs to be checked into a clinic. Legalizing that would mean you oppose kids to it. That wouldn't know any better and then there's no telling what could happen. I can't be the only one with enough sense to see this wouldn't be a good idea, I hope.

Kids are a special case. They're the reasons that we have restrictions on tobacco and alcohol already. Legally, they are not deemed fit to make their own decisions as citizens. It's the parent's responsibility to decide what they can and cannot be exposed to. For instance, they can't buy alcohol, but if a parent is with them at a restaurant and orders them a beer, there's nothing illegal about it. This extends to a lot of things. Should we not have controversial things in the media because a kid might get a very bad idea from being exposed to it? No. Legally, in the US anyway, the media is not responsible for what a kid does after watching a show or reading a newspaper. It's the parents responsibility to regulate what they can do.

As for everyone else, you may think they need to get "checked," but is there really a good reason that they shouldn't be able to do stupid things and make bad decisions if they want to?

Would it be so unreasonable to have substances like this legal and just have an age restriction like with what we already have legalized?

You mention your cousin died. If you don't want to disclose any more information, that's fine, but somehow I don't think he died from a pot overdose. He was more likely either involved with a different substance or he ended up on the wrong end of drug trafficking.

 

[KennedyKiller]

No, but I know enough that it got one of my cousins killed. I don't need to be high to function right in society, and for anyone who does needs to be checked into a clinic. Legalizing that would mean you oppose kids to it. That wouldn't know any better and then there's no telling what could happen. I can't be the only one with enough sense to see this wouldn't be a good idea, I hope.

Look, I'm sorry about your cousin, but you can't blame the drugs...You blame the people...After all, my mom ran off, left her family, tried to kill herself, was put in a coma, and loads of other sh*t...But it doesn't matter...It wasn't the drugs...It was personal choice...And humans have the right to personal choice...Drugs have been used for centuries, and it's an issue now because government wants to act like they are doing society so much good by destroying harm...If ya wanna help society, then solve unemployment, lack of economic stimulation, and start funding stem cell research...

 

[Jay]

Kids are a special case. They're the reasons that we have restrictions on tobacco and alcohol already. Legally, they are not deemed fit to make their own decisions as citizens. It's the parent's responsibility to decide what they can and cannot be exposed to. For instance, they can't buy alcohol, but if a parent is with them at a restaurant and orders them a beer, there's nothing illegal about it. This extends to a lot of things. Should we not have controversial things in the media because a kid might get a very bad idea from being exposed to it? No. Legally, in the US anyway, the media is not responsible for what a kid does after watching a show or reading a newspaper. It's the parents responsibility to regulate what they can do.

As for everyone else, you may think they need to get "checked," but is there really a good reason that they shouldn't be able to do stupid things and make bad decisions if they want to?

Would it be so unreasonable to have substances like this legal and just have an age restriction like with what we already have legalized?

You see that's the thing. The government can add all the restrictions they want, but people will get around it. I know its up to the parents, but when that kid is out with friends or at school they won't be there to protect them. And if they become legalized it'll just mean it'll be even easier to get to them. By legalizing it this will just raise the bar and make life harder because we'll be exposed more to it. Yes its your choice to do right or wrong, but lets not make life any harder than it already is.

Look, I'm sorry about your cousin, but you can't blame the drugs...You blame the people...After all, my mom ran off, left her family, tried to kill herself, was put in a coma, and loads of other sh*t...But it doesn't matter...It wasn't the drugs...It was personal choice...And humans have the right to personal choice...Drugs have been used for centuries, and it's an issue now because government wants to act like they are doing society so much good by destroying harm...If ya wanna help society, then solve unemployment, lack of economic stimulation, and start funding stem cell research...

I usually stay out of these kind of topics because it can get pretty heated. But I stated what I wanted. If that day does come it'll do more harm than good I assure you.

 

[cheezMcNASTY]

You see that's the thing. The government can add all the restrictions they want, but people will get around it. I know its up to the parents, but when that kid is out with friends or at school they won't be there to protect them. And if they become legalized it'll just mean it'll be even easier to get to them. By legalizing it this will just raise the bar and make life harder because we'll be exposed more to it. Yes its your choice to do right or wrong, but lets not make life any harder than it already is.

Trust me. The number of people who do pot couldn't really get much higher. Just about every single kid gets offered it at some point and they either say yes or no. Just because it's legal does not mean it'll be easier to get. Usually it's an older person who's a friend or family member that gets the kid going, or it's a friend of someone with one of those connections. Those people will still be smoking after legalization so that influence won't really change. That said, I'm not sure what the source of increased exposure is that you're talking about. Would you care to elaborate?

I usually stay out of these kind of topics because it can get pretty heated. But I stated what I wanted. If that day does come it'll do more harm than good I assure you.

Sorry if I stepped over a line there. I promise that I will keep things civil. I won't flame anyone or anything, but if anything I say upsets you it was not intentional. Just let me know and we can veer away from whatever topic it is.

That said, you nor I could ever truly know whether it does more good than bad or bad than good.
Honestly, I think it'll do both. Neither one of us will feel that we've been proven wrong because there will still be opponents to legal use after the fact.

Feel free to disagree, but here's how I see it.
Will more people do it? Possibly. In the case of weed, I think it's hard for the numbers to go much higher.
Will the number of other users go up? More likely than with pot. Keep in mind that the people who would have anyway won't change.
Will there be less of a social stigma about it for better or worse? More likely than not.
Is that a good thing? Yes and no. I get the feeling that you think people will be more likely to try it if it's legal, and that may be the case. More people may end up using it, but we could always stand to save more lives than lose them because helping people overcome addiction will be easier when they won't have to confess a crime in order to get help. Effective drug education programs will also help kids make a conscious decision. I won't say that choosing to try out any drug is bad, but I would say letting anything like that control your life is a huge mistake, and a lot of drugs out there have a pretty bad habit of doing just that. Still, I say it's the fault of the individual for making that decision, not the fault of the government for refusing to make it for them.

Now, with all of that said, if we top it all off by taking all of the crime involved with trafficking the stuff out of the equation, I think we have a very plausible change that's worth very serious consideration. Crime would go way down and tons of money would be saved that could be put into a different, more cost-effective initiative.

 

[Jay]

Trust me. The number of people who do pot couldn't really get much higher. Just about every single kid gets offered it at some point and they either say yes or no. Just because it's legal does not mean it'll be easier to get. Usually it's an older person who's a friend or family member that gets the kid going, or it's a friend of someone with one of those connections. Those people will still be smoking after legalization so that influence won't really change. That said, I'm not sure what the source of increased exposure is that you're talking about. Would you care to elaborate?


Now, with all of that said, if we top it all off by taking all of the crime involved with trafficking the stuff out of the equation, I think we have a very plausible change that's worth very serious consideration. Crime would go way down and tons of money would be saved that could be put into a different, more cost-effective initiative.

Legalizing something that's illegal to have would change everything about it. More people would be able to access it without fear of repercussions. That's what I meant by exposure because it'll be easier to have and be around.

With the last thing you said is that risk worth taking is the question. In ways it probably could and possibly not. But that's a whole other conversation. Everything else you said though I'm sort of in agreement with.

 

[cheezMcNASTY]

Legalizing something that's illegal to have would change everything about it. More people would be able to access it without fear of repercussions. That's what I meant by exposure because it'll be easier to have and be around.

Not necessarily. In my experience, people aren't really deterred by the legal status at all. Don't get me wrong, there are people who refuse to do anything illegal, scarce as they may be. Most people I've come across choose not to do a drug because of the damage it can do to your body and lifestyle. I opted to not smoke weed for years before I did because I was afraid of how badly my short-term memory would be. I also did not have a job and the street price for it seemed astronomically high before I started getting a paycheck, small as they were. The illegal status never entered into the equation unless I was in danger of getting caught by the cops. I have a feeling that that's how it is with any person who does any drug. The people who choose not to do any of it because it's illegal, well, what will they have in their defense if it's legal all of a sudden? That it shouldn't be! People are who they are. Laws affect the environment we dwell in, but they don't change who we are.

I've never done a hardcore, seriously damaging drug that I knew would harm my body in an extreme way. I have done one drug like that, but I was younger and my drug awareness classes had never told me about this one. Thankfully, it takes more than once to get hooked in this case and that's a bullet I dodged. Anyway, I digress.

People would have easy access to it if it were legal, but when you think about it, it's not all that different than we have it now. All it takes is a phone call and instead of walking to the convenience store, you're walking to some person's house. Yes, over years maybe people will see advertising campaigns and it'll seem like more of a social norm, but it's like any other substance that you get access to when you're old enough. Yes, I can buy alcohol and drink myself into a stupor every day, but part of having access to it means that I know what it does to me and that I can't functionally lead my life if that's what I choose to do.

The way I see it, people are either capable of managing their vices or they are not. That is not going to change if you give them one more thing to have as a vice. The people who are capable of making responsible decisions will continue doing so, just like those who aren't won't.

 

[Jay]

Not necessarily. In my experience, people aren't really deterred by the legal status at all. Don't get me wrong, there are people who refuse to do anything illegal, scarce as they may be. Most people I've come across choose not to do a drug because of the damage it can do to your body and lifestyle. I opted to not smoke weed for years before I did because I was afraid of how badly my short-term memory would be. I also did not have a job and the street price for it seemed astronomically high before I started getting a paycheck, small as they were. The illegal status never entered into the equation unless I was in danger of getting caught by the cops. I have a feeling that that's how it is with any person who does any drug. The people who choose not to do any of it because it's illegal, well, what will they have in their defense if it's legal all of a sudden? That it shouldn't be! People are who they are. Laws affect the environment we dwell in, but they don't change who we are.

I've never done a hardcore, seriously damaging drug that I knew would harm my body in an extreme way. I have done one drug like that, but I was younger and my drug awareness classes had never told me about this one. Thankfully, it takes more than once to get hooked in this case and that's a bullet I dodged. Anyway, I digress.

People would have easy access to it if it were legal, but when you think about it, it's not all that different than we have it now. All it takes is a phone call and instead of walking to the convenience store, you're walking to some person's house. Yes, over years maybe people will see advertising campaigns and it'll seem like more of a social norm, but it's like any other substance that you get access to when you're old enough. Yes, I can buy alcohol and drink myself into a stupor every day, but part of having access to it means that I know what it does to me and that I can't functionally lead my life if that's what I choose to do.

The way I see it, people are either capable of managing their vices or they are not. That is not going to change if you give them one more thing to have as a vice. The people who are capable of making responsible decisions will continue doing so, just like those who aren't won't.

Yeah, if you put it that way you're right. People who are use to getting it and using it for years will see little to no difference if it were to become legal. One thing that would be different for them would be possibly places where and not having to hide it.

 

[Jgraeme1979]

I think there should be more done about Cannabis, I mean when you compare it to alcohol, well actually you can't because you never hear of someone smoking a joint and getting into an argument or a fight, or crashing a car killing numerous amount of people etc, etc, yes maybe the latter does occasionally happen but when you compare the amount of deaths cause by alcohol consumption with the number of deaths caused by cannabis smoking the numbers are negligible and show if anything they should either legalise pot (as it's least damaging), or, de-legalise alcohol.

Yes of course that was a joke, making alcohol illegal was not meant to be taken seriously BUT then making cannabis illegal surely must also be a joke too? I mean if you look at what it actually does there are very few medical experts that can say for certain it leads to harder drugs as we would be led to believe, and medicinal marijuana is given to certain patients to ease pain/etc, shouldn't that indicate that the pro's far out weight the con's in the argument for legalising cannabis?

(and yes I am a smoker, but unlike we are lead to believe by the press we are not all lazy stoner's sat in front of the tv wasting our lives without the common sense to form a rational argument).