WN: Majority of Americans favor legalized marijuana - Washington Time

[alphaparticle]

People can smoke pot and still have good jobs etc, just like people can drink and still be productive. I don't think people need to be taught to do 'public service' (though I'm unsure what is meant by that) by the *state*. The issue here is making the government into a parental figure that we use to try to force people to live what we think are 'decent lives'. Every time that happens the government is given too much power and things quickly go sideways. Ideally the government has minimal power over our lives, and we choose how we want to live. Otherwise, when people who don't like how *you* live get into power, suddenly they will start cracking down on 'hate speech' which may mean repressing Christians. This is a two edged sword, better to keep it blunt.

[JustinM]

quote alphaparticle:  "I don't think people need to be taught to do 'public service' (though I'm unsure what is meant by that) by the *state*."

 

I am not advocating for that in this discussion.  I said "we," not the state, need to teach them how rewarding public service can be.

 

So instead of stating it's too "difficult" to continue enforcing the marijuana ban, you are saying it's too expensive? 

 

I hope you aren't in government and don't do a CBA on whether or not a family member should receive HealthCare or not.  That's a cold and very impersonal way of dealing with problems.  Why don't we go back to the way we were doing things and let a Doctor that cares about saving a patient make those decisions?

 

As for marijuana, instead of making it a criminal offense, make it a civil infraction and charge a fine high enough to discourage the use of it.  Instead of just "giving up" on it, because a CBA says it's a waste of money.

[JDavis]

quote alphaparticle: "I don't think people need to be taught to do 'public service' (though I'm unsure what is meant by that) by the *state*."

I am not advocating for that in this discussion. I said "we," not the state, need to teach them how rewarding public service can be.

So instead of stating it's too "difficult" to continue enforcing the marijuana ban, you are saying it's too expensive?

I hope you aren't in government and don't do a CBA on whether or not a family member should receive HealthCare or not. That's a cold and very impersonal way of dealing with problems. Why don't we go back to the way we were doing things and let a Doctor that cares about saving a patient make those decisions?

As for marijuana, instead of making it a criminal offense, make it a civil infraction and charge a fine high enough to discourage the use of it. Instead of just "giving up" on it, because a CBA says it's a waste of money.

You still have never answered the question of what benefit society receives from the ban on pot.

Let me ask in a different way....

Based on your post on this forum you are a conservative. As such you normally support a smaller less intrusive government. What benefit is there to this un-conservative govermental intrusion into the private lives of individuals?

Why should the government allow alchaol but not pot?

[nebula]

People can smoke pot and still have good jobs etc, just like people can drink and still be productive.

 

From what I understand, lines get a bit blurred here.

 

One glass of wine a day can be beneficial to you and will not impair you. Plus, there is no indication that moderate drinkers become addicted to alcohol.

 

Contrasting smoking marijuana - is it beneficial? How much does it take for impairment to take effect? (I've heard that marijuana can slow reflexes, which can be harmful on the highway.) What is the ease of addiction?

[JustinM]

Marijuana is much more potent than alcohol, people that use marijuana become intoxicated quicker.

 

One could make the argument that alcohol use fits in with the 1st Amendment in that much of the Church uses it with Communion.

 

An example of why I can say this, is during Basic Training when I joined the AF, we were prohibited from consuming alcohol while we were in training status.  However; when we went to Church and participated in Communion, we were permitted to drink it, because of the 1st Amendment. 

 

People can drink alcohol and not get intoxicated, but you cannot smoke marijuana and not get intoxicated by it.

 

There's been enough research to show how devastating marijuana use is physiologically.  It is extremely bad for you plain and simple.  And we all know how the US likes to ban or discourage things that are harmful to us.  Like riding in a vehicle without a seatbelt, riding a motorcycle without a helmet, trans fats, tobacco, prostitution, gambling, etc.  Unless the government is willing to unban all this other harmful behavior, the argument to legalize marijuana is irrelevant.  Like I said, the only people that want marijuana legalized are people that want to get intoxicated by it, legally.

[alphaparticle]

Marijuana is much more potent than alcohol, people that use marijuana become intoxicated quicker.

 

One could make the argument that alcohol use fits in with the 1st Amendment in that much of the Church uses it with Communion.

 

An example of why I can say this, is during Basic Training when I joined the AF, we were prohibited from consuming alcohol while we were in training status.  However; when we went to Church and participated in Communion, we were permitted to drink it, because of the 1st Amendment. 

 

People can drink alcohol and not get intoxicated, but you cannot smoke marijuana and not get intoxicated by it.

 

There's been enough research to show how devastating marijuana use is physiologically.  It is extremely bad for you plain and simple.  And we all know how the US likes to ban or discourage things that are harmful to us.  Like riding in a vehicle without a seatbelt, riding a motorcycle without a helmet, trans fats, tobacco, prostitution, gambling, etc.  Unless the government is willing to unban all this other harmful behavior, the argument to legalize marijuana is irrelevant.  Like I said, the only people that want marijuana legalized are people that want to get intoxicated by it, legally.

Yes. All that stuff should be unbanned. I'm for legalizing prostitution, against seatbelt and helmet laws etc. People, so long as they aren't putting others in direct danger, should be free to live their lives as they see fit without the state babysitting them.

[alphaparticle]

 

People can smoke pot and still have good jobs etc, just like people can drink and still be productive.

 

From what I understand, lines get a bit blurred here.

 

One glass of wine a day can be beneficial to you and will not impair you. Plus, there is no indication that moderate drinkers become addicted to alcohol.

 

Contrasting smoking marijuana - is it beneficial? How much does it take for impairment to take effect? (I've heard that marijuana can slow reflexes, which can be harmful on the highway.) What is the ease of addiction?

 

I don't care if it's beneficial. How does that relate to whether or not it ought to be legal? Cigarettes are not beneficial, but they ought to be legal. By the way, driving while intoxicated puts others at direct risk and can be illegal, just as if you are drunk.

[Steve_S]

Marijuana is much more potent than alcohol, people that use marijuana become intoxicated quicker.

 

One could make the argument that alcohol use fits in with the 1st Amendment in that much of the Church uses it with Communion.

 

An example of why I can say this, is during Basic Training when I joined the AF, we were prohibited from consuming alcohol while we were in training status.  However; when we went to Church and participated in Communion, we were permitted to drink it, because of the 1st Amendment. 

 

People can drink alcohol and not get intoxicated, but you cannot smoke marijuana and not get intoxicated by it.

 

There's been enough research to show how devastating marijuana use is physiologically.  It is extremely bad for you plain and simple.  And we all know how the US likes to ban or discourage things that are harmful to us.  Like riding in a vehicle without a seatbelt, riding a motorcycle without a helmet, trans fats, tobacco, prostitution, gambling, etc.  Unless the government is willing to unban all this other harmful behavior, the argument to legalize marijuana is irrelevant.  Like I said, the only people that want marijuana legalized are people that want to get intoxicated by it, legally.

 

In bold is quite an exaggerated insinuation and is offensive to me, personally. I believe it should be legal and I most certainly do not, nor would I, smoke it. There are a lot of dangerous things that are legal that I don't do. Are you discounting the possibility that some people simply view this as an intrusion into the private lives of individuals? It's a bit offensive to me that you simply assume that because one holds a position on something that they want to participate in it. I think that all sorts of things that I think are harmful should be legal. Also, the argument to legalize marijuana is simply not irrelevant when it comes to comparing it with all of those other things. There are two states, right now, where it's legal recreationally and where all those other things still remain illegal (prostitution is legal in Nevada, by the way) and the federal government has basically said that they aren't going to prosecute people who use it in those states.

 

It being "extremely bad" for you is no reason to ban it (scientific evidence clearly shows that being a regular marijuana user is far less physiologically damaging over time than being an alcoholic). Making someone do it should be banned, yes, putting other people in danger while you're using it should be banned, yes. I'm simply not totalitarian in mindset, this is why I think it should be legal. Also, from a pure feasibility standpoint, we unequivocally cannot stop it, that has been proven.

[missmuffet]

It is legal in my state.Everywhere you go you smell it.People's eyes are glaring red.The grocery store,gas stations,restaurants etc.

[alphaparticle]

It is legal in my state.Everywhere you go you smell it.People's eyes are glaring red.The grocery store,gas stations,restaurants etc.

Yes, it is legal in my state also. Funny, I didn't notice any difference at all.