WN: Majority of Americans favor legalized marijuana - Washington Time

[JDavis]

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.

 

A remarkable post form one that claims to be a conservative.  I guess you are not really for smaller government after all.

 

as for your last statement, I also take great offense at it.  I have no desire to smoke pot, I am very content with my beer a night.  But I do not feel it is my place to tell others what they can and cannot do in their own living room.    I guess I am the true conservative here.

[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.

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

 

I have.

[JDavis]

 

 

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.

 

I have.

 

 

Do you believe there was a huge increase in users once it was legal?

[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?

 

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.

 

 

That depends - one glass of wine does not deem you unsafe to drive.

 

But how many joints does it take to deem you unsafe to drive?

[Steve_S]

 

 

 

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.

 

 

That depends - one glass of wine does not deem you unsafe to drive.

 

But how many joints does it take to deem you unsafe to drive?

 

 

I have no idea. I'm sure there's a scientific way to quantify this, just like 0.08 percent blood alcohol level has helped to quantify impaired driving. But that's not really a legitimate argument in my mind either way.  If someone is driving impaired then the endangering is on them. Right now cops arrest people for driving impaired on marijuana all of the time. My assumption is that the classic field sobriety test is used to determine this, as it's still used in alcohol cases as well, even when a breathalyzer is present. Sometimes people pass the breathalyzer and fail the field sobriety test and vice versa. Most state laws have leeway in this sort of thing and a lot of it is left to the discretion of the officer on the scene. The bottom line here is that no matter how much you've drank or how much marijuana or whatever else you've smoked, a cop is going to arrest you if he feels you're impaired, even if you beat the case later in court, or in rare cases arrange for someone to pick you up or for you to take a cab from the scene if he feels you're unable to safely drive but don't meet the legal parameters for an arrest, because getting someone who is impaired out from behind the wheel is the important thing in the minds of most officers. Again, though, this should have no bearing on whether or not something is legal. Endangering the life of someone else is different than doing something harmful to yourself and they should not be placed into the same category in my opinion.

[JustinM]

If you are truly offended by my statement, you need to get thicker skin, otherwise I think that's an over the top reaction and I have no reason to retract what I said. 

 

Totalitarianism?  Really?  That's a sensational statement to make.  Keeping something banned that has been banned for decades is not totalitarian.  How about banning something that wasn't banned before people got addicted to it?  What is that called?  Ask tobacco smokers, I'm not one, but ask them if they think it is totalitarian to tax them 1-2-3-5 dollars a pack, or the banning of public consumption of it. 

 

The whole live and let live argument coming from people here is disturbing at the least.  Are we not supposed to be salt of the earth, yet here you are advocating for more ways for people to get intoxicated, pushing society further away from God in the process. 

 

Plain and simple, I've never heard of a person wanting to smoke marijuana and not wanting to be intoxicated by it.  But, millions of people, who don't have a drug/chemical dependency can drink a beer, glass of wine, etc. socially and be satisfied and not be intoxicated by it.

 

You cannot compare a casual drinker to a "casual" marijuana smoker.  That's apples and oranges, and the whole basis for that argument is preposterous.

[JDavis]

Perhaps instead of people getting thicker skins you should refrain from making overly broad, stereotyping statements that make accusations against people you know nothing about....

And you do not bring people to Christ by forcing them to think and act like you

[JustinM]

Regardless, my opinion is that marijuana is and should remain illegal, it's not totalitarian to feel that way either.  There are no real benefits to smoking marijuana, I don't want my children to be exposed to any intoxicating substances.  It's too expensive to keep it criminalized, but making it a civil infraction, like a traffic citation, may be the best way to deal with it.  I guess some people get relief with certain medical conditions, but I wonder if, in this case, the cure would be worse than the disease.

[JDavis]

Regardless, my opinion is that marijuana is and should remain illegal, it's not totalitarian to feel that way either.  There are no real benefits to smoking marijuana, I don't want my children to be exposed to any intoxicating substances.  It's too expensive to keep it criminalized, but making it a civil infraction, like a traffic citation, may be the best way to deal with it.  I guess some people get relief with certain medical conditions, but I wonder if, in this case, the cure would be worse than the disease.

 

If you dont want your children to be exposed to any intoxicating substances then teach them well and hope they learn the lesson.  The legality of these substances have no bearing on if your children will be exposed to them.

 

As for if the cure would be worse than the disease, try telling someone going through Chemo that is using marijuana to be able to control the nausea and vomiting that comes with it so that they can actually eat enough for their body to survive the Chemo that the pot is bad for them.

 

and I cant help but notice you are sticking to your statement that the only people that want marijuana legalized are people that want to get intoxicated by it, legally, even though you have been told that it is a false statement.

[JustinM]

The whole live and let live argument coming from people here is disturbing at the least.  Are we not supposed to be salt of the earth, yet here you are advocating for more ways for people to get intoxicated, pushing society further away from God in the process.