Should Weed Be Legal?

[SubSerpent]

Why is it still not legal worldwide? What harm does it do? What is the big problem with it?

[Yahoshua]

It's called abuse......but hey, since ppl will get it from mexico already, why don't we continue our charade in the war on drugs and let things be.

We'll continue to have turf wars, gang battles, and a rising problem with MS-13.

If we make it legal, we condone it.

So why don't we do something better. Like militarize our southern border, kick out mexican citizens who are here illegally, and then lay down about 1.5 million landmines in a swath of land a mile wide and call it a day.

Anyone who makes it across alive without using any equipment to detect the mines will get automatic citizenship.

[kiwi_2005]

Legal yes but their must be laws still bind to it.

For own use only, no growing and selling to make a profit. At the moment Dealers are laughing all the way to the bank thanks to the laws. No selling in shops in packets like tobbacco. Just the permission to grow your own and a limit of 3 plants per havest. No smoking/eating of cannibis in public do the Amsterdam thing and have cafes just for this. Restricted age before you can use it. If carefully controlled ppl wont even notice, if abused then it will fail.

[Kapitan]

When i stay at my girl friends the guy down stairs is smoking it constantly it comes through the floor bords and make us feel sick, i dont mind the person smoking it but just as long as he / she doesnt get me high as a kite in the process.

[CB..]

i can vouch for the fact that for the unlucky few it is anything but harmless...it may take a few years for the negative effects to accumalate but accumalate they do...our mental hospitals are where you will find the unlucky ones

[The Avon Lady]

our mental hospitals are where you will find the unlucky ones
So that's where Cheech and Chong have disapeared to. :shifty:

[TteFAboB]

In an ideal world, no.

In the real world where drug trafficking is a political tool, yes. Since this thing can grow anywhere the consequent Dumping will make it commercially inviable for traffickers. Follow Kiwi's guidelines and add a smell-complaint, just like you have sound limits. The odor from the next door neighbor is invading your house? Call the police and get him fined.

I don't believe this should be excluded anyway: Like militarize our southern border, kick out mexican citizens who are here illegally, and then lay down about 1.5 million landmines in a swath of land a mile wide and call it a day.

While many believe the easier access will affect society, we are all doomed to the New World Order and a Global Dictatorship anyway unless people can start adding 2+2. Cannabis importance to drug traffickers shouldn't be underestimated. When all they have left is cocaine & friends, the international picture will become much clearer.

[STEED]

Should Weed Be Legal?




NO

[kiwi_2005]

i can vouch for the fact that for the unlucky few it is anything but harmless...it may take a few years for the negative effects to accumalate but accumalate they do...our mental hospitals are where you will find the unlucky ones

Same goes with alcohol :)

[Kapitan]

As it goes i think i should be thankful to the jamican downstairs who smokes weed non stop cause i seem to get more in the bedroom department if he is smoking the stuff then when he is away.

so thats one good thing :up:

[CB..]

i can vouch for the fact that for the unlucky few it is anything but harmless...it may take a few years for the negative effects to accumalate but accumalate they do...our mental hospitals are where you will find the unlucky ones

Same goes with alcohol :)

i didn't say they're were no positive aspects to cannabis...

lets face it as it stands right now if by some magic wand you could replace alcohol with cannabis without any one noticing...then i doubt that the police would need to declare "martial law" every weekend evening and night in our local town centres (UK) just to maintain some semblance of order..

life isn't black and white
in fact even black and white isn't black and white...
people are basicaly stupid by nature..and will do what ever the guy next to them is doing if it appears to be the done thing..(and gets them laid lol)

it's mess.....do you realise that under some circumstances the laws against smoking tobbaco are now far more severe than those against smoking cannabis lol....no point trying to look for sense in any of it...and expecting the government to come up with a rational policy on the subject is a complete waste of time..

governments have spent years encouraging knee jerk reactions to issues..with spin political correctness and endless other advertising gimmicks...the result is that the general population is now incapable of making thougthfull decisions about anything at all..

[_Seth_]

It ******** up your brain. can give you depressions and anxiety. Not good for the sex life, either.. Over a period your memory could be damaged, and you will have problems remebering the grid you were send to patrol. (Or forgetting that there is a destroyer 800 meters behind you, and closing.)
Most of this is based on psychological facts. Someone will argue, i know,i know. Well, they can just keep on smoking that sh*t. They doesnt bother me...:dead:

[waste gate]

yes, make it legal and tax the hell out of it.

[STEED]

As it goes i think i should be thankful to the jamican downstairs who smokes weed non stop cause i seem to get more in the bedroom department if he is smoking the stuff then when he is away.

so thats one good thing :up:

When was the last time you were tested for.


STD




:p ;)

[SubSerpent]

WOW! i'm surprised that so many people don't want weed around!:doh:

I just don't see the big problem with it other than a few people act like fools around it. Perhaps this is because they enjoy the fact that they are currently doing something that is illegal? Just like under aged drinkers.

But Really,

Why is alcohol allowed and not weed?

FACT:
Alcohol is a much more dangerous toxin to the system than weed by far. It kills your liver which in turn kills you, is highly addictive, and has been the cause of so much death on the roadways.

FACT:
Weed has not been proven to be addictive, medical science hasn't shown anything but positive effects of weed on the human system (pain reliever for cancer patients), and it hasn't been linked to hardly any car accidents (other than the fool who was drunk at the time and trying to light his joint when he crashed). Yet there are more people in the US prison system doing time for having a connection to weed than for alcoholic related DUI's, DWI's, and disorderly public drunkeness.

I find this to be strange. :hmm:

Is it really because America and other countries fear that South American countries will become rich? That is obsured!:rotfl: Weed can be grown anywhere so why would someone buy it from them? Also, this is not just a US thing. It is illegal in most countries, and in some you could spend the rest of your life in jail for it or recieve the death penalty. :doh: WTF?!?!


Why don't they ban 'fat' then? It appears to be harmless and makes food taste good, but in the end it leads to the number #1 killer among men and women - heart disease, and obesity.

[Kapitan]

LOL STD i know i dont have none infact i was tested only in december last year as standard for MCA medicle.

[SmithN23]

Overall I think that it should be keep illegal, but, should it become legal as waste gate said, tax the hell out of it. It would solve the entire national debt in about a year. They should just treat it like alcohol, you cant be "under the influence" when you drive, you cant smoke it in public buildings and where ever a no smoking sign is.
I just think there are better things to spend money on, like the new silent hunter 4.

[August]

Why is weed illegal? To answer that just look at who makes money and power from it remaining illegal.

[STEED]

LOL STD i know i dont have none infact i was tested only in december last year as standard for MCA medicle.

Give that man a vodka.

[bradclark1]

yes, make it legal and tax the hell out of it.
Yep! Except where proven for medical relief as in some cancers it should be tax free.

[LoBlo]

What harm does it do? What is the big problem with it?

Marajuana causes impaired concentration, elevated blood pressure, increase heart rate, a false sense of euphoria, and altered perception of time. Its pulmonary effects can be estimated at about 4Xs the lung damage of cigarettes.

As far as the history of how it became outlawed, iirc sometimes the History Channel shows a 1hr documentary about the history and why it became outlawed. I've been meaning to find the time to watch it myself seems like it would be a interesting watch if lucky enough to catch it in reruns sometime.

[PeriscopeDepth]

Marajuana causes impaired concentration, elevated blood pressure, increase heart rate, a false sense of euphoria, and altered perception of time. Its pulmonary effects can be estimated at about 4Xs the lung damage of cigarettes.

As far as the history of how it became outlawed, iirc sometimes the History Channel shows a 1hr documentary about the history and why it became outlawed. I've been meaning to find the time to watch it myself seems like it would be a interesting watch if lucky enough to catch it in reruns sometime.

And alcohol causes liver disease, has a real risk of chemical dependency, and is the cause of millions of car accidents, many fatal. And concerning the pulmonary effects of marijuana, nobody really knows. Claiming otherwise is just what you want to believe. You can find studies that declare it worse than cigarettes, but you can just as easily find studies that say it isn't as bad as cigarettes. But still, cigarettes and cigars are perfectly legal sooo...

As to the legality of marijuana and the history of it:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legality_of_cannabis_in_the_United_States
It's hard to find articles that aren't blatantly biased one way or the other concerning the legal history of marijuana. So Google away, just try an recognize biases when reading through. Either way, it's obvious that if the government applied the same standards to marijuana as it does to alcohol and tobacco; both of these would be illegal.

PD

[The Avon Lady]

I've never smoked anything. I do, however, enjoy the occassional alcoholic drink and in a minimal amount. I do not personally know anyone who has an alcohol abuse problem.

On the other hand, I know lots of people who smoke and none of them do it occassionally.

Would that be a correct assessment?

If so, would that also be true of marijuanna smokers?

[PeriscopeDepth]

I've never smoked anything. I do, however, enjoy the occassional alcoholic drink and in a minimal amount. I do not personally know anyone who has an alcohol abuse problem.

I know people with drug abuse problems, both alcohol and otherwise. Aren't state colleges great?


On the other hand, I know lots of people who smoke and none of them do it occassionally.

Would that be a correct assessment?
I assume you're talking about tobacco here? Nictone is a highly chemically addictive substance. People I know that smoke cigarettes nearly always have a pack with them.

If so, would that also be true of marijuanna smokers?
I think that depends on the person. Marijuana, unlike tobacco, isn't chemically addictive. It can be mentally addicting, just like anything else that people find pleasure in (computer games anyone? :)) That doesn't mean there isn't potential for abuse though, as with many other (legal and illegal) drugs. I know people that smoke marijuana a few times a year and some that do so multiple times a day. Don't know if that answered your question Avon?

PD

[The Avon Lady]

Let me rephrase what I'm trying to get at.

Tobacco smoking seems to be highly addictive, with the consequences being both financial and physical health related. However, cigarette smoking is not known to be directly associated with mental health disorders.

On the other hand, alcohol seems to be less addictive . For each 10 people that smoke, how many will become addicted? For each 10 people that drink, how many will become addicted to the extent that they are considered abusers?

Is marijuanna more addictive than alcohol, less addictive than cigarettes and likely to produce less abusers per 10 people? Or is it worse than cigarettes? Or better than alcohol?

[kiwi_2005]

I've never smoked anything. I do, however, enjoy the occassional alcoholic drink and in a minimal amount. I do not personally know anyone who has an alcohol abuse problem.

On the other hand, I know lots of people who smoke and none of them do it occassionally.

Would that be a correct assessment?

If so, would that also be true of marijuanna smokers?

No. To some yes to others no. Same as alcohol you have some that must have a drink everynight and some that may have a drink only on special occasions like Christmas or a birthday. Their are two different types of cannibis users those that need a joint every day and those that dont.

Really I refuse to comment becuase it becomes one sided most ppl think that if you use cannibis you "Must" be a drug addict! :rotfl:I answered Avon's question because she doesn't claim she knows, some here have never touch cannibis yet seem to know all about it:lol:

[kiwi_2005]

Is marijuanna more addictive than alcohol, less addictive than cigarettes and likely to produce less abusers per 10 people? Or is it worse than cigarettes? Or better than alcohol?

Put it this way last time i added a bit in my cooking was christmas eve. its been 8 months and im not crawling the walls or wanting to jump of a cliff. Last time i had a drink was on new yrs day. But last time i had a ciggarette was 10min ago....

[The Avon Lady]

But last time i had a ciggarette was 10min ago....
JUNKIE!

[Bezoomney]

Yes.
Not so I can use it legally, I can, I live in Holland :D.
But I want to be able to smoke a joint.

Just like alcohol, I'm free to use it, if I screw up there are consquences.

No government should be allowed to restrain it's people in such a way! I think it's very alarming that people want to be led by their governments, or think they should be lead like this!

We are all grown ups, we know what we want to do, and what we must not do. So we should at least be given the choice to do so!
And, yes I know that there are people that can't handle it. But ask yourself this:

Should you be prohibited to smoke weed just because someone else can't handle it??????

I think not! We are sound minded grown ups (most of us...) and should not be treated like little kids.
Those who aren't in full control of their faculties should be subjected to more limitations.

My two cents on this one....

[SubSerpent]

Cigarette nicotine is the MOST addictive toxin in the world. You are more likely to to become addicted to cigarettes than alcohol. But once you become addicted to alcohol you are a lot more screwed. Alcohol addiction is VERY painful to overcome. It physically hurts to go without a drink and you are a lot more likely to commit a crime to get more alcohol if you are low on money to buy it. Cigarettes, however don't physically hurt to quit. The person becomes a bit agitated, nervous, and tense without having had a cigarette for a long period of time. This tends to subside after 3 days or so. Once you get over the 3 day hump the body excepts that it is now no longer addiction to nictotine since all nicotine will have left the body. The next few weeks are more of nasty period. People will tend to cough up a lot of mucus and possibly feel sick with congestion or cold like symptoms. After about 2 weeks after quiting you start feeling healthier and cleaner than before. Energy levels increase etc.

Alcohol does permenant damage to a person's liver and scars it.

Cigarettes can do permenant damage to a person's lungs if cancer sets in, but if cancer hasn't set in the lungs can become fully redeveloped. It will take about 7 years for them to fully be redeveloped though unless you combine cardio exercise in the recovery and or deep breathing exercises.

I've never met a person who was addicted to weed. I don't think you can become addicted to weed? It has no addictive ingredients in it from my understanding unless someone spikes it with nicotine or something. Sure the smoke that is produce is harmful, but not nearly as harmful as a non-smokers gas or diesel powered car that they harmlessly use to commute to and from work in.

[Sailor Steve]

It ******** up your brain. can give you depressions and anxiety. Not good for the sex life, either.. Over a period your memory could be damaged, and you will have problems remebering the grid you were send to patrol. (Or forgetting that there is a destroyer 800 meters behind you, and closing.)
Most of this is based on psychological facts. Someone will argue, i know,i know. Well, they can just keep on smoking that sh*t. They doesnt bother me...:dead:
Exact same is true of alcohol.

On the other hand, alcohol seems to be less addictive .
Tell that to the millions of AA members.

Personally, I don't use either one...now. Prohibition of alcohol led to Al Capone and his like, and didn't stop people from drinking. I think weed should be just as legal-it would solve a lot of enforcement problems.

[SubSerpent]

It ******** up your brain. can give you depressions and anxiety. Not good for the sex life, either.. Over a period your memory could be damaged, and you will have problems remebering the grid you were send to patrol. (Or forgetting that there is a destroyer 800 meters behind you, and closing.)
Most of this is based on psychological facts. Someone will argue, i know,i know. Well, they can just keep on smoking that sh*t. They doesnt bother me...:dead:
Exact same is true of alcohol.

On the other hand, alcohol seems to be less addictive .
Tell that to the millions of AA members.

Personally, I don't use either one...now. Prohibition of alcohol led to Al Capone and his like, and didn't stop people from drinking. I think weed should be just as legal-it would solve a lot of enforcement problems.


Amen! :up:

I like how you so carefully stated, "I don't use either one...now" :rotfl:

[Sailor Steve]

Not careful, just honest. I can't drink alcohol, as it makes me sick. Right after I got out of the navy (1970) I started taking a whole lot of different drugs, and did so for about six months. Everything I can think of that didn't require a needle (I hate needles).

Whenever someone questions me on anything like that, I always say "I haven't taken any recreational drugs in thirty-five years".:doh:

[CB..]

governmental hot line for reporting smoking tobacco in banned places--

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/5321114.stm

...weird gets weirder every day

[The Noob]

Should Weed Be Legal?

It's Stupid like hell (Well, smoking is too) but i don't see a real reason for it begin illegal. I will never consume Drugs, and that includes "Weed" and Ciggaretes. If ciggaretes are allowed, "Weed" should too, cause it's the Same Idiotic sh**.

[kiwi_2005]

Should Weed Be Legal?

It's Stupid like hell (Well, smoking is too) but i don't see a real reason for it begin illegal. I will never consume Drugs, and that includes "Weed" and Ciggaretes. If ciggaretes are allowed, "Weed" should too, cause it's the Same Idiotic sh**.

Good attitude Noob. Your young, 16 i hear? And your not into anything that is sooo pushed into the face of young ppl today. I have two sons 14 and 22 they think the same - wont go near drugs or ciggarettes and keep lecturing me im giving up smoking. My oldest one likes a cold beer tho :D

Acutally one of the best things a parent can enjoy in life is having a beer with his son. So next time ya see ya dad playing SH3 go have a few beers with him.:yep: :arrgh!:

[TteFAboB]

Those who aren't in full control of their faculties should be subjected to more limitations.

Who will define, judge and apply that? The government? :arrgh!:

[The Noob]

Should Weed Be Legal?

It's Stupid like hell (Well, smoking is too) but i don't see a real reason for it begin illegal. I will never consume Drugs, and that includes "Weed" and Ciggaretes. If ciggaretes are allowed, "Weed" should too, cause it's the Same Idiotic sh**.
Good attitude Noob. Your young, 16 i hear? And your not into anything that is sooo pushed into the face of young ppl today. I have two sons 14 and 22 they think the same - wont go near drugs or ciggarettes and keep lecturing me im giving up smoking. My oldest one likes a cold beer tho :D

Acutally one of the best things a parent can enjoy in life is having a beer with his son. So next time ya see ya dad playing SH3 go have a few beers with him.:yep: :arrgh!:

I'm 14. :D
I was always Different. From others i always Heared "Try This", "Do that"...i always knew it's Not adviseable to Plain Stupid. I was always a Bit Different. Not a Swellheaded Genious, but Different.

I won't go near Drugs thats True, but i can't take my Hands of Video Games. ;)
My dad is 44 and never had anything to do with Computers, and never Played a Game till jet. Oh, that isn't really True, i played Coop-Mode with him on the Game Nam 1975 (http://www.mobygames.com/game/neo-geo/nam-1975) on my Neo Geo Emulator, but thats Basically all. If i set Him infront of SH3, even after Days of Practise, he still doesn't needs Bernard to Ram Pier or Sink that own ship...or hit himself with a Zaunkönig...:lol:

Anyway, if i'm 20 I drink a beer with him, if he wants. I actually would rather like to stay away from that Stuff too, since my Granddad drinks Beer every day and Started to Behave Wierd quite some time ago...:doh:

[kiwi_2005]

Should Weed Be Legal?

It's Stupid like hell (Well, smoking is too) but i don't see a real reason for it begin illegal. I will never consume Drugs, and that includes "Weed" and Ciggaretes. If ciggaretes are allowed, "Weed" should too, cause it's the Same Idiotic sh**.
Good attitude Noob. Your young, 16 i hear? And your not into anything that is sooo pushed into the face of young ppl today. I have two sons 14 and 22 they think the same - wont go near drugs or ciggarettes and keep lecturing me im giving up smoking. My oldest one likes a cold beer tho :D

Acutally one of the best things a parent can enjoy in life is having a beer with his son. So next time ya see ya dad playing SH3 go have a few beers with him.:yep: :arrgh!:
I'm 14. :D
I was always Different. From others i always Heared "Try This", "Do that"...i always knew it's Not adviseable to Plain Stupid. I was always a Bit Different. Not a Swellheaded Genious, but Different.

I won't go near Drugs thats True, but i can't take my Hands of Video Games. ;)
My dad is 44 and never had anything to do with Computers, and never Played a Game till jet. Oh, that isn't really True, i played Coop-Mode with him on the Game Nam 1975 (http://www.mobygames.com/game/neo-geo/nam-1975) on my Neo Geo Emulator, but thats Basically all. If i set Him infront of SH3, even after Days of Practise, he still doesn't needs Bernard to Ram Pier or Sink that own ship...or hit himself with a Zaunkönig...:lol:

Anyway, if i'm 20 I drink a beer with him, if he wants. I actually would rather like to stay away from that Stuff too, since my Granddad drinks Beer every day and Started to Behave Wierd quite some time ago...:doh:
Yep my 14yur old is the same gets home from school heads straight to his pc and loads up a game - he's more a RPG and FPShooter gamer, plays SH3 only when i beg him for a Lan game. We play an oldie called Quake 3 over the lan i remeber i use to beat him everytime, now its round the other way:damn:
:up:

[awood6535]

No Don't be a dumba$$ Can you fly a plane or drive a truck clear headed? NO you can't I know one of you is going to say well you can't do ether while drinking but that's why we have laws!
So keep your brain cells or do us all a favor and throw your self in front of a bus.

[kiwi_2005]

Can ya speak up a bit i have bad hearing from my younger days listening to to much Iron Maiden;)

[The Noob]

WT Flying F Does it help to Write in such a Huge Font?

WTH?! Are u nuts?!

@kiwi
Jup, apart from that that i don't visit shool anymore (Really, i hide from the system lol) it's kinda alike. It's Great what you can learn without shool in RL, stuff that's more useful than the 100. Stupid way of Calculating. Thats for what we have Handys and PC's, we aren't back in 1970. Anyway, i Stand up, fire up the DSL and the PC. Visit Forums, surfing around, plaing all kinds of games. Simulators and FPS mostly..and oooooold Stuff.

The Life of David.:rotfl:

[kiwi_2005]

@kiwi
Jup, apart from that that i don't visit shool anymore (Really, i hide from the system lol) it's kinda alike. It's Great what you can learn without shool in RL, stuff that's more useful than the 100. Stupid way of Calculating. Thats for what we have Handys and PC's, we aren't back in 1970. Anyway, i Stand up, fire up the DSL and the PC. Visit Forums, surfing around, plaing all kinds of games. Simulators and FPS mostly..and oooooold Stuff.

The Life of David.:rotfl:


yeah i totally agree, sometimes i think my son would learn more on his pc than from a teacher, besides over here the teacher tells them if they cannot figure out the answer then do a google! lol. The google is the teachers best friend saves them telling the kids the answer. The internet has better infomation on a subject than what his teacher could tell him.:rotfl:

[mog]

Can ya speak up a bit i have bad hearing from my younger days listening to to much Iron Maiden;)
Surely those days aren't over? They released a new album last week, and it kicks arse!

Marijuana should be legal, and there should be a limit to how much you can smoke before driving, just like there is with alcohol.

[LoBlo]

And alcohol causes liver disease, has a real risk of chemical dependency, and is the cause of millions of car accidents, many fatal.

Its also a common causes of seizures, delirium, and hallucinations. Its withdrawl effects demonstrate its CNS depressive impact and can predispose persons to a life-threatening condition known a delirium tremens.

And concerning the pulmonary effects of marijuana, nobody really knows. Claiming otherwise is just what you want to believe. You can find studies that declare it worse than cigarettes, but you can just as easily find studies that say it isn't as bad as cigarettes. But still, cigarettes and cigars are perfectly legal sooo...

Not really.

Wu T, Tashkin DP, Djahed B, Rose JE. Pulmonary hazards of smoking marijuana as compared with tobacco. New England Journal of Medicine. 1988;18:347-51.
Cruz R. Davis M. O'Neil H. Tamarin F. Brandstetter RD. Karetzky M. Pulmonary manifestations of inhaled street drugs. Heart & Lung. 27(5):297-305
Benson MK. Bentley AM. Lung disease induced by drug addiction. Thorax. 50(11):1125-7, 1995 Nov

Show me some medical publications supporting "it isn't as bad as cigarettes".

[SubSerpent]

Can ya speak up a bit i have bad hearing from my younger days listening to to much Iron Maiden;)
Surely those days aren't over? They released a new album last week, and it kicks arse!

Marijuana should be legal, and there should be a limit to how much you can smoke before driving, just like there is with alcohol.

:|\\ That's so groovey baby! YEAH!

[PeriscopeDepth]

Ah, arguing on the Internet. May the best Googler win! :roll:

http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=52333
http://jncicancerspectrum.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/jnci;90/16/1182.pdf
http://www.cmcr.ucsd.edu/geninfo/news_time_10272002.pdf
http://www.webmd.com/content/article/122/114805.htm
http://spi.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/20/1/23

However, proof that habitual use of marijuana does in fact lead to respiratory cancer must await the results of well-designed case-control epidemiologic studies that should now be feasible after the passage of 30 years since the initiation of widespread marijuana use among young individuals in our society in the mid-1960s.
From the last link, a guy named Tashkin who I believed you used as a reference. These articles are saying what I was: that they're not sure. There's no doubt you inhale some nasty stuff, I'm not disputing that. That is present in all types of smoking. But tobacco causes cancer, this is widely accepted. Period. Dot. They're not sure about marijuana. Marijuana has not conclusively been proven to cause cancer; if it had researchers wouldn't be arguing about it as recently as few months ago.

I'm done. Frankly, I have been visting Internet forums long enough to realize that it's pointless to argue with someone who has already made up their mind. I have said what I wanted to say.

PD

[kiwi_2005]

Yep tobbacco causes cancer, and im a smoker. I hate smoking yet i cannot stop i smoke up to 10 -15 per day everyday since i was 19 although im pretty fit for a smoker ( according to my doctor on my last checkup) i exercise every 2nd day walk alot and am not overweight. But i smoke and i know its a killer. Have tried cold turkey, tried the anti smoking pills and the anti nicotein patches, I failed on all of them. The only way i can see myself stopping is if they stopped selling them in shops. When i see young ppl just starting up smoking i want to go over and grab the ciggarette of them and stamp it out - they dont realise they just nailed the first nail into their coffin

Ciggarette is a nasty nasty addiction that should be banned from the planet!. Who ever invented ciggaretts should of been shot.

[STEED]

My Bitch of a assistant always goes on saying you want to smoke, drink, eat, and all the rest to death do it. Live today for tomorrow your dead.

By the way she smokes like a trooper and drinks like a fish. :smug:

[nikimcbee]

Why is it still not legal worldwide? What harm does it do? What is the big problem with it?

It must be a full moon tonight:/\\k:

[SkvyWvr]

i can vouch for the fact that for the unlucky few it is anything but harmless...it may take a few years for the negative effects to accumalate but accumalate they do...our mental hospitals are where you will find the unlucky ones

Same goes with alcohol :)

Hey, leave my beer alone.:shifty:

[SkvyWvr]

Why is it still not legal worldwide? What harm does it do? What is the big problem with it?

A wise man once said "everything is legal until you get caught".

[tycho102]

Why is it still not legal worldwide? What harm does it do? What is the big problem with it?

The Incans used to measure distance in units of "a mouthful of coca leaves". In the high altitudes of the Indes, it was a significant tool in their society and economy.

The problem is when you're driving while under the influence (of marijuana or cocaine or ethanol or LSD or morphine or heroin or PCP). The problem is when you're shooting people under the influence. The problem is when you are so addicted, that it prevents you from becoming a productive member of society.

I don't have a problem with marijuana.* I have no issue with the drug contained within. I take issue with the responsibility of using the drug (THC; tetrahydrocannabinol). If there was responsible use of the drug, then I would have no compunction to "legalizing" it.



* I have actually never used it, and cannot even recognize its smell.

[monkee]

Why is it still not legal worldwide? What harm does it do? What is the big problem with it?


Despite the legalization of soft drugs, use of cannabis in the Netherlands is not higher than most other countries in Western Europe: 9.7% of young males consume cannabis at least once a month, which rates the Netherlands 7th in the EU after Cyprus (23.3%), Spain (16.4%), United Kingdom (15.8%), France (13.2%), Italy (10.9%) and Germany (9.9%).[1]
Some critics say that the legalization of soft drugs often leads to quicker consuming of hard drugs. Yet, the percentage of the population which ever consumed cocaine in the Netherlands is still lower than that of the United Kingdom, Spain and Italy. The situation is similar for other hard drugs.


Well... it doesn't cause real problems

[Immacolata]

The continued banning of weed is based mostly on emotions and very little on rational thought. Anyone with half a brain that isn't clouded by moralist issues can see that the benefits of legal weed outweighs the disadvantages of illegal weed. Just put it on the line with alcohol as for testing and operating machinery, and on line with tobacco smoking as for where and when you can do it.

The dopeheads will for ever remain dopeheads, nothing can really be done about it except making them realize that weed isn't good for them. The exact same way you make an alcoholic try to quit the booze. This way the state might even make a tidy extra tax revenue on weed tariffs.

[Eichenlaub]

I live in the Netherlands and I am thankful weed is legal here. If you ask me, it should be legal worldwide. Not for my own consumption though (check my sig), as that stuff simply isn't for me. Did try it a few times, but it didn't really do anything for me. The spacecake I once ate was nice though.

So why would I advise legalising it? Well, because of the laws here the whole scene has been moved to dedicated points in urban areas. Sure, you might find the occasional coffeeshop (not cafés, but coffeeshops - the difference being that in coffeeshops alcohol may not be served) in an odd location, such as close to a residential area, but generally speaking the coffeeshops are almost all concentrated in a handful of locations throughout a city, depending on the size of the population centre.
Generally, our citizens can go about their business without being bothered by dopeheads or dealers as any one who really wants to, has easy access to the stuff already. This means that you can live your entire life here and hardly ever notice the whole thing - you can just circumvent those areas you know. Since it is legal here, the soft-drug related violent crime has dropped from line of sight; it probably moved over to the still illegal hard drugs scene. There is basically only one form of crime left in the soft drugs zone: the growth of it. Dutch laws have one inexplicable discrepancy. It is legal to sell it in coffeeshops, legal to grow it yourself (limited to a number of plants), but illegal to trade in it. And by trading in it, I mean large-scale suppliers delivering stock to coffeeshops. See the loophole? This has forced suppliers to become criminals. How do they do it? Often they rent empty houses or sheds and build a plantation there, including special lighting and climate control. The lights require a lot of current and that's where much of the crime that private citizens actually notice, comes from: that current is often tapped! It cuts costs dramatically and once the harvest is over the suppliers often leave the premises and disappear without a trace leaving the owner with an incredible energy bill and possibly even damage to the building (walls removed or drilled through to accomodate more growth or tapping). It would be best to remove this silly limitation from the law and have legitimate supply companies set up. Make it susceptible to a market-economy and we'll have affordable, legal and good quality joints.

Not to say that there aren't any societal problems with this. I get annoyed when I smell the stuff aboard a public train or when I happily trod downtown doing some shopping and suddenly catching the odor when a dopehead with a particularly fresh supply scampers by. It must be said though, that they're usually harmless and do not cause or mean to cause public disorder or unrest. Compared to the drunks I can see every Saturday night in Eindhoven that is...

It's really not that bad to live with.

I hope it was somewhat enlightening.

Kind regards,

Eichenlaub