Why is the U.S. government so against Marijuana?

Please don't get mad at me and flame for posting this cliched topic, because I'm not arguing that marijuana should be legal. I'm asking, why do you think the government is so against marijuana?

The government spends billions fighting drug cartels that smuggle mostly marijuana. They also spend a significant amount taking down medicinal marijuana stores that are legal is certain states, but not a national level. What is their motive? Why do they spend so much money fighting it, with hardly any positive results? This sounds like a conspiracy theory, but it really makes no sense that they fight it so hard.

Every negative thing said about marijuana, in argument to keep it illegal, can be said about alcohol. In many ways, alcohol is worse. I don't think alcohol should be illegal because I think it's a drug that most people can control, but I it is a more dangerous and more potentially addicting drug than marijuana. So, common sense says, if alcohol is legal, so should marijuana.

Yet, the government ignores all the scientific facts that back that belief, and continure to spend tons of money fighting weed. If they wanted the Mexican drug cartel to go away, all they would have to do is let people grow weed in their backyard. There's plenty of money the government doesn't have to spend. Better yet, sell it in stores and tax, now marijuana puts money in the government's pocket instead of taking it away. Now that is obviously oversimplifying it. I realize that the Mexican drug cartel also imports plenty of meth to the states, but if you take away their marijuana market, their customers would go from (rough estimate according to the documentary I am currently watching on the History channel, Marijuana: A Chronic History) 15-20% of the American population to, I don't know, probably less than 1%. Take out 90% of the Mexican mafia's business, and you take away just as much of their violent, business-related crimes.

That's all I want to say to start the conversation of why do you think the government is so strongly fighting the legalization of marijuana (or even just the decriminalization, making it a small fine like it is in California and Colorado, except nationwide)? Especially when it is a widely accepted theory that legalizing it would hugely reduce drug import-related violence, costs of arresting the millions of Americans that smoke marijuana, etc.

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Also, please don't tell me, don't whine you dumb stoner...it's illegal, that's just the way it is. I'm not whining because it's illegal and I want to be able to smoke it openly. I just think that it's interesting the marijuana is still illegal when alcohol was only under prohibition for 13 years(?). It's a good example of something our government is very stubborn about. Plus if you believe something is wrong, just because the government "says so," you are obviously in the wrong country. This is a country that broke free because of revolution largely sparked by the anger of some dudes didn't want to pay taxes on tea, yet you believe you shouldn't question the government?

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Here are some more of those arguments against those arguments against marijuana.

6000 American people try it everyday (that's from History Channel's Marijuana: A Chronic History). I just think that's interesting, because does it even make sense that something 6000 people try everyday is illegal.

Many people argue that marijuana is a gateway drug, that people are more likely to try worse drugs after trying marijuana. Do you think there is one hard drug user out there that hasn't tried alcohol? No way. So you can't argue that marijuana is anymore of a gateway drug than alcohol, except for the fact that marijuana, being illegal, might put you in the company of people that sell those hard drugs.

Many people blame all the violence in the crime world on marijuana, and it will continue after marijuana is legalized.Those people should be reminded that the majority of organized crime started in the 20s with the prohibition of alcohol with people like Al Capone. After alcohol prohibition ended, doyou think there was anymore people selling beer on the corner?

People say marijuana is addicting. It's a fact that alcohol has a higher dependency rate than marijuana.

Again with all these arguments, I'm not saying alcohol should be illegal. I'm only stating that marijuana is safer, and for some reason it's still illegal. Why? What do you all think?

Lots of big corporations and the illegal drug market alike want to keep it illegal.KHAndAnime

[QUOTE="KHAndAnime"]Lots of big corporations and the illegal drug market alike want to keep it illegal.sick_dope_rad

Reading your post makes my head hurt. And to answer your question, it's just one of those long held prejudices. It goes for pretty much any drug in general. I can't say I disagree with it myself.

.

and similar false passed down beliefs.

[QUOTE="cametall"]Because of the violence the drug trade entails. And if making it legal and taxing it increases its price (i.e. cigarettes), then why would the illegal untaxed trade end?KHAndAnime

Plus if it was legal it would probably be regulated. Then they wouldn't have to worry about potentially dangerous filler products being mixed in.

'Cause they're squares.

It gives them a reason to lock poor people up.

The government is against marijuana because it's a health risk. evildead6789

Then why aren't they against alcohol?

does alcohol put people into pysciatric hospitals?

answer: Nope :D

does alcohol put people into pysciatric hospitals?

answer: Nope :D

kungfool69

does alcohol put people into pysciatric hospitals?

answer: Nope :D

kungfool69

does alcohol put people into pysciatric hospitals?

answer: Nope :D

kungfool69

I think it's really funny that everyone is commenting on my name. A lot of people have way sillier names. I think mine is just simple with no number so people are more likely to notice it.

does alcohol put people into pysciatric hospitals?

answer: Nope :D

kungfool69

Well actually they do , but not from one drink, while you can have it from one joint. Alcohol becomes dangerous when you drink to much and daily.

Alcohol doesn't make you high though, you can drink 2 beers and still act pretty normal. If you use a joint, once you feel it, even with a light dose you can't really act normal anymore. You get addicted fast to joints too.

It's dangerous for your mental healthand you should stay away from it. I know what i'm talking about, i have done it, i have seen people doing it and i can't say people who've used it regularly are leading happy lives. Some are indeed in psychiatric hospitals, or have been there, others just live aimlessly without ambition, some started living a life of petty crime because they can't work. Some started an alcohol addiction to get rid of it.

Can't really say it's a good thing though, if you do it a couple of times it can be great fun but on a regular basis it pretty much hooks you for life or destroys. Not after a couple of monts or one year , it takes it's time.

[QUOTE="kungfool69"]

does alcohol put people into pysciatric hospitals?

answer: Nope :D

sick_dope_rad

I think it's really funny that everyone is commenting on my name. A lot of people have way sillier names. I think mine is just simple with no number so people are more likely to notice it.

Yeah reefer madness, i know of it and a lot of stoners use it to justify their behavious, it's over the top, but in the long run it will be a bad trade off. You can sing all the bob marley songs you want, it won't help you in the end .

Because of the violence the drug trade entails. And if making it legal and taxing it increases its price (i.e. cigarettes), then why would the illegal untaxed trade end?cametall

Again, has there been any drug dealers on the streets selling beer since alcohol prohibtion ended?

[QUOTE="kungfool69"]

does alcohol put people into pysciatric hospitals?

answer: Nope :D

evildead6789

Well actually they do , but not from one drink, while you can have it from one joint. Alcohol becomes dangerous when you drink to much and daily.

Alcohol doesn't make you high though, you can drink 2 beers and still act pretty normal. If you use a joint, once you feel it, even with a light dose you can't really act normal anymore. You get addicted fast to joints too.

It's dangerous for your mental healthand you should stay away from it. I know what i'm talking about, i have done it, i have seen people doing it and i can't say people who've used it regularly are leading happy lives. Some are indeed in psychiatric hospitals, or have been there, others just live aimlessly without ambition, some started living a life of petty crime because they can't work. Some started an alcohol addiction to get rid of it.

Can't really say it's a good thing though, if you do it a couple of times it can be great fun but on a regular basis it pretty much hooks you for life or destroys. Not after a couple of monts or one year , it takes it's time.

I feel very sorry about the experiences you've had with people smoking marijuana, but I will argue that those people are types of people that are susceptible to addiction genetically, and would sooner or later find an addiction that would hurt them. I, however, know many people that smoke marijuana, and most of them smoke weekly or less. I've known many more people to be harmed by alcohol.

EDIT: I'd like to add that I think a big part of the way people treat marijuana has to do with the environment their in (and really all things obviously, but right now we're just talking about herb). The people I'm talking about who did it weekly with no negative consequences were friends of mine in Colorado, living in a small hippy town where weed is widely accepted, even more than alcohol. There I knew many people who smoked, including 100% of my honor roll classes.

However, I recently moved to an area of the south where it is hardly at all accepted by the general public. Consequently, the people do smoke it are those stereotypical losers who will probably drop out soon and start selling hard drugs.

The tighter the chain, the harder a dog will try to run away...that's my theory.

if you do it a couple of times it can be great fun but on a regular basis it pretty much hooks you for life or destroys. Not after a couple of monts or one year , it takes it's time.

evildead6789

After HS I started smoking it regularly, $60/week. For 10 years in fact. I went to University. Have a job I love. Have no issues with motivation.

I no longer smoke. Never went through any withdrawals. Not hooked for life.

There is always going to be studies for and against. You show me a study that says pot is addictive, I show you 3 that say different.

maybe becase the senators are mad we're not sharing some with them???:P

[QUOTE="cametall"]

Again, has there been any drug dealers on the streets selling beer since alcohol prohibtion ended?

[QUOTE="evildead6789"]

[QUOTE="kungfool69"]

does alcohol put people into pysciatric hospitals?

answer: Nope :D

sick_dope_rad

Well actually they do , but not from one drink, while you can have it from one joint. Alcohol becomes dangerous when you drink to much and daily.

Alcohol doesn't make you high though, you can drink 2 beers and still act pretty normal. If you use a joint, once you feel it, even with a light dose you can't really act normal anymore. You get addicted fast to joints too.

It's dangerous for your mental healthand you should stay away from it. I know what i'm talking about, i have done it, i have seen people doing it and i can't say people who've used it regularly are leading happy lives. Some are indeed in psychiatric hospitals, or have been there, others just live aimlessly without ambition, some started living a life of petty crime because they can't work. Some started an alcohol addiction to get rid of it.

Can't really say it's a good thing though, if you do it a couple of times it can be great fun but on a regular basis it pretty much hooks you for life or destroys. Not after a couple of monts or one year , it takes it's time.

I feel very sorry about the experiences you've had with people smoking marijuana, but I will argue that those people are types of people that are susceptible to addiction genetically, and would sooner or later find an addiction that would hurt them. I, however, know many people that smoke marijuana, and most of them smoke weekly or less. I'veknown many more people to be harmed by alcohol.

Well you're right , that's the difficulty of the discussion. There are people who can function with it , and lead happy lives but the majority of the people don't do it and there's a reason for that. So should we give people less freedom to protect the others, i don't know i'm no politician.

The fact is in a country where you pay a lot of taxes, health care is pretty much free and you get a lot of money from wellfare or health care (if you're not able to work anymore) it's a political debate wether to forbid is or not because if people can't function anymore because of the use (or misuse) of certain drugs then they become a cost and burden for society.

Off course i don't know about the usa, the cost for someone who doesn't work there will be a lot less than here so it changes the discussion. Allthough someone who can't function anymore because of drug addiction and has to start stealing or dealing drugs to survive , you have to put em in jail so they cost money too and they become a bad influence.

I know the fun that there's to be had with marijuana and it's all fun in free time and especially in your studentyears but adulthood comes with responsibilites andif fun endangers those responsibilities then you have a problem.

It's a difficult subject, i don't think people should go tojailif they use marijuana (and they don't go to jail for that here , i don't know about usa) but if it starts to become a problem and you become a problem for your neighbourhood and society i think they're should be counseling.

Problem is where do you buy it then , if you legalize itit's likesaying it's ok, while it's certainly not ok, at least not for everyone. If you let it in the crime circuit, people get accessto other more dangerous drugs.

Maybe a good deal is that somebody can sell it if he grows ithimself and can only sell a small amount a year so that it becomes expensive, i don't know, like i said i'm no politician and i'm glad because it's a difficult subject to decide over.

Your right about the dosing with alcohol, that it's set in later, but beer isn't strong, you have enough time to adapt. Strong liquor is another story

maybe becase the senators are mad we're not sharing some with them???:P

mlbslugger86

Well maybe we would if they would put in on a sack instead of trying to smoke up everybody else's stash! Plus they are always messing up the rotation. They all seem to think it's puff, puff, filibuster, puff, puff, pass.

Because change is scary

Well you're right , that's the difficulty of the discussion. There are people who can function with it , and lead happy lives but the majority of the people don't do it and there's a reason for that. So should we give people less freedom to protect the others, i don't know i'm no politician.

The fact is in a country where you pay a lot of taxes, health care is pretty much free and you get a lot of money from wellfare or health care (if you're not able to work anymore) it's a political debate wether to forbid is or not because if people can't function anymore because of the use (or misuse) of certain drugs then they become a cost and burden for society.

Off course i don't know about the usa, the cost for someone who doesn't work there will be a lot less than here so it changes the discussion. Allthough someone who can't function anymore because of drug addiction and has to start stealing or dealing drugs to survive , you have to put em in jail so they cost money too and they become a bad influence.

I know the fun that there's to be had with marijuana and it's all fun in free timeand especially in your studentyears but adulthood comes with responsibilites andif fun endangers those responsibilities then you have a problem.

It's a difficult subject, i don't think people should go tojailif they use marijuana (and they don't go to jail for that here , i don't know about usa) but if it starts to become a problem and you become a problem for your neighbourhood and society i think they're should be counseling.

Problem is wheredo you buy itthen , if you legalize itit's likesaying it's ok, while it's certainly not ok, at least notfor everyone. If you let it in thecrime circuit, people get accessto other more dangerous drugs.

Maybe a good deal is thatsomebody can sell it if he grows ithimself and can only sell a small amount a year so that it becomes expensive, i don't know, like i said i'm no politicianand i'm glad because it's a difficult subject to decide over.

evildead6789

I'm going to go with an extreme to make a point. Everybody loves sex. There are some people who are obsessed with it. There are some of those that are so obsessed with sex that they spend valuable time, that they couldinstead for something productive, looking at porn. There are some people so severely obsessed, that they decide to go out and rape a woman and emotionally damage them forever.Does that mean we should illegalize sex? Hell no!

My point is, we should not build our freedoms around the exception. The few that are not mentally stable should not define what the rest of us get to do. Just because there are a few pyromaniacs out there, doesn't mean the rest of us shouldn't get to buy matches. Just because there is quite a few people out there that drive irresponsibly and end up killing somebody, doesthat mean the rest of shouldn't get to buy a car?

Our freedoms should be based around how much they limit others freedoms (and I'm talking about with normal, sane use). A person that smokes weed every once in a while, is not at all likely to go hurt somebody, specifically because of marijuana. A person on crack cocaine, is very likely to go rob somebody, so it is obvious, to me, why marijuana should not be put on the same level as other illegal drugs.

does alcohol put people into pysciatric hospitals?

answer: Nope :D

kungfool69

[QUOTE="evildead6789"]

Well you're right , that's the difficulty of the discussion. There are people who can function with it , and lead happy lives but the majority of the people don't do it and there's a reason for that. So should we give people less freedom to protect the others, i don't know i'm no politician.

The fact is in a country where you pay a lot of taxes, health care is pretty much free and you get a lot of money from wellfare or health care (if you're not able to work anymore) it's a political debate wether to forbid is or not because if people can't function anymore because of the use (or misuse) of certain drugs then they become a cost and burden for society.

Off course i don't know about the usa, the cost for someone who doesn't work there will be a lot less than here so it changes the discussion. Allthough someone who can't function anymore because of drug addiction and has to start stealing or dealing drugs to survive , you have to put em in jail so they cost money too and they become a bad influence.

I know the fun that there's to be had with marijuana and it's all fun in free timeand especially in your studentyears but adulthood comes with responsibilites andif fun endangers those responsibilities then you have a problem.

It's a difficult subject, i don't think people should go tojailif they use marijuana (and they don't go to jail for that here , i don't know about usa) but if it starts to become a problem and you become a problem for your neighbourhood and society i think they're should be counseling.

Problem is wheredo you buy itthen , if you legalize itit's likesaying it's ok, while it's certainly not ok, at least notfor everyone. If you let it in thecrime circuit, people get accessto other more dangerous drugs.

Maybe a good deal is thatsomebody can sell it if he grows ithimself and can only sell a small amount a year so that it becomes expensive, i don't know, like i said i'm no politicianand i'm glad because it's a difficult subject to decide over.

sick_dope_rad

I'm going to go with an extreme to make a point. Everybody loves sex. There are some people who are obsessed with it. There are some of those that are so obsessed with sex that they spend valuable time that they could be improving themselves, instead looking at porn. There aresome people so severely obsessed, that they decide to go out and rape a woman and emotionally damage them forever.Does that mean we should illegalize sex? Hell no!

My point is, we should not build our freedoms around the exception. The few that are not mentally stable should not define what the rest of us get to do. Just because there are a few pyromaniacs out there, doesn't mean the rest of us shouldn't get to buy matches. Just because there is quite a few people out there that drive irresponsibly and end up killing somebody, doesthat mean the rest of shouldn't get to buy a car?

Our freedoms should be based around how much they limit others freedoms (and I'm talking about with normal, sane use). A person that smokes weed every once in a while, is not at all likely to go hurt somebody, specifically because of marijuana. A person on crack cocaine, is very likely to go rob somebody, so it is obvious, to me, why marijuana should not be put on the same level as other illegal drugs.

I've never said it should be put on the same level with other illegal drugs but i think you would be surprised how many people would have problems with marijuana in modern day society. In the netherlands for instance they have a lot more problems with people (especially youngsters) that have problems with mj, they even have to build extra hospitalsfor it.On the other hand they have a lot less problem cases involving other drugs. Simpy because they can easily get mj everyday without coming into contact with other drugs.

The comparison with matches, cars and sex doesn't add up. You can get addicted to sex however butforbidding that well, it's what makes the world go around. Cars can be a hobby but i doesn't change chemical balance of your brain, well if you're speeding it does but it's not a hallucinogen.The comparison with matches, with all do respect, doesn't hold up at all. Lighning a match just produces fire and that's it. There's no high or come down there.

I can very well understand your pro arguments and the permit in the netherlands shows that more people get addicted , hospitalized and some handicapped for life. On the other hand they have less problems with harddrugs. I think they're should be a better solution than a permit and a couple of coffeeshops in every city.

Saying that mj is simply ok is not good, that's like saying cigarettes are healthy, and you can say cigarettes are worse than mj, for you blood vessels maybe, but i've never seen someone hospitalized for cigarettes (not in their teens or twenties anyway), or that they have concentration problems or anxiety problems.

These problems also come with time, if you can manage to smoke a joint a week , that's very good of you but a lot of people don't have that kind of discipline. In the long run , using mj everyday is a major health risk ( i know not for everyone, there are cases of heroin users that live to be ninety andfunctionedall their lives.Look at the addiction with legalized drugs and those don't make you high.

[QUOTE="sick_dope_rad"]

[QUOTE="cametall"]

Well actually they do , but not from one drink, while you can have it from one joint. Alcohol becomes dangerous when you drink to much and daily.

Alcohol doesn't make you high though, you can drink 2 beers and still act pretty normal. If you use a joint, once you feel it, even with a light dose you can't really act normal anymore. You get addicted fast to joints too.

It's dangerous for your mental healthand you should stay away from it. I know what i'm talking about, i have done it, i have seen people doing it and i can't say people who've used it regularly are leading happy lives. Some are indeed in psychiatric hospitals, or have been there, others just live aimlessly without ambition, some started living a life of petty crime because they can't work. Some started an alcohol addiction to get rid of it.

Can't really say it's a good thing though, if you do it a couple of times it can be great fun but on a regular basis it pretty much hooks you for life or destroys. Not after a couple of monts or one year , it takes it's time.

evildead6789

I feel very sorry about the experiences you've had with people smoking marijuana, but I will argue that those people are types of people that are susceptible to addiction genetically, and would sooner or later find an addiction that would hurt them. I, however, know many people that smoke marijuana, and most of them smoke weekly or less. I'veknown many more people to be harmed by alcohol.

Well you're right , that's the difficulty of the discussion. There are people who can function with it , and lead happy lives but the majority of the people don't do it and there's a reason for that.

from what i can gather fro this thread, the general theme is self control. we could be talking about any number of different issues here and the same will apply. Driving fast, doing drugs, drinking to much, excessive self love, etc. We are turning into a Nanny society because a select portion of us cannot function properly in a real word governed by rules.

Two simple answers, money and power.

[QUOTE="evildead6789"]

[QUOTE="sick_dope_rad"] I have to disagree with your method of dosing. To me alcohol is worse because it takes a while to set in. Young people will take many shots very fast because they don't feel it yet, then they get alcohol poisoning. With weed, it is very easy to dose your self because of how fast it sets in. You know if you want more or not. One joint certaintly can't put you in a psychiatric ward, unless you're crazy anyway and the weed just breaks down that wall. After like 25 bong hits, you might feel like you're crazy, but 2 hours later you feel normal again. Alcohol is not as forgiving.

I feel very sorry about the experiences you've had with people smoking marijuana, but I will argue that those people are types of people that are susceptible to addiction genetically, and would sooner or later find an addiction that would hurt them. I, however, know many people that smoke marijuana, and most of them smoke weekly or less. I'veknown many more people to be harmed by alcohol.

kungfool69

Well you're right , that's the difficulty of the discussion. There are people who can function with it , and lead happy lives but the majority of the people don't do it and there's a reason for that.

from what i can gather fro this thread, the general theme is self control. we could be talking about any number of different issues here and the same will apply. Driving fast, doing drugs, drinking to much, excessive self love, etc. We are turning into a Nanny society because a select portion of us cannot function properly in a real word governed by rules.

All very nice but what are the rules, in some countries it's forbidden in other's not, some countries don't even know if they forbid or not.

It would be heavily taxed if it becomes legal.

It would be heavily taxed if it becomes legal.

rockerbikie

It should be taxed to some extent, perhaps a rate comprable to alcohol. If they legalized it and ended up treating it like tobacco, though, where every election cycle or so some level of government inevitably raises taxes on it just because they can then I agree, that would be a mistake.

1. Pharmaceutical Companies make a huge profit off people buying their drugs (which btw are far more addicting than cannabis) And marijuana would in fact offer a natural way for people to solve numerous problems such as depression.

2. Tobacco and Alcohol companies would see a huge cut in profit if cannabis became legalized

3. Drug cartels (especially those in Mexico) profit big time from selling cannabis in the U.S.

4. Propaganda spread by the govt is still very strong even today with all the facts available indicating that cannabis is a non-harmful drug.

Now the U.S. govt is structured in such a way that outside interests hold far more power than the truth. Money is more powerful than the vote. Its easy to see how our politicians can be easily bought out by these coporations and individuals. As much as I wish to see cannabis legalized, I see no such thing in the near future for the U.S.

1. Pharmaceutical Companies make a huge profit off people buying their drugs (which btw are far more addicting than cannabis) And marijuana would in fact offer a natural way for people to solve numerous problems such as depression.

2. Tobacco and Alcohol companies would see a huge cut in profit if cannabis became legalized

3. Drug cartels (especially those in Mexico) profit big time from selling cannabis in the U.S.

4. Propaganda spread by the govt is still very strong even today with all the facts available indicating that cannabis is a non-harmful drug.

Now the U.S. govt is structured in such a way that outside interests hold far more power than the truth. Money is more powerful than the vote. Its easy to see how our politicians can be easily bought out by these coporations and individuals. As much as I wish to see cannabis legalized, I see no such thing in the near future for the U.S.

tutt3r

Yeah, entities that would be adversely affected by legalization:

Tobacco and alcohol vendors, like you mentioned

Pharmecutical companies, like you mentioned

Synthetics manufacturers

Oil industry

Building supplies manufacturers

Textile industry

Paper manufacturers

Logging industry

Agricultural speculators

So-called moralist opponenets (when it becomes obvious that their false claims about the downfall of society if pot is ever legalized are proven to be, well, false)

Politicians, and this one is twofold. First off, how many politicians are actually going to go out on a limb in support of legalization? Even if they believe in it, they're not willing to risk political capital for something so polarizing. Two, how many opponents, regardless of their stance on the issue, can gain political capital so long as there are people who are vehemently opposed to legalization?

Like I said, money and power.

1. Pharmaceutical Companies make a huge profit off people buying their drugs (which btw are far more addicting than cannabis) And marijuana would in fact offer a natural way for people to solve numerous problems such as depression.

2. Tobacco and Alcohol companies would see a huge cut in profit if cannabis became legalized

3. Drug cartels (especially those in Mexico) profit big time from selling cannabis in the U.S.

4. Propaganda spread by the govt is still very strong even today with all the facts available indicating that cannabis is a non-harmful drug.

Now the U.S. govt is structured in such a way that outside interests hold far more power than the truth. Money is more powerful than the vote. Its easy to see how our politicians can be easily bought out by these coporations and individuals. As much as I wish to see cannabis legalized, I see no such thing in the near future for the U.S.

tutt3r

1. Yeah , right the world is one big conspiracy. Some drugs are more addicting than cannabis for sure but they aren't prescribed just for fun. There are numerous health and natural shops that sell natural antidepressants (like st john's worth), tranquilizers (valerian) and tons of others. Off course if cannabis is such a good and harmless medicine why don't they sell that

2. A lot of people who smoke cannabis also smoke and drink, teenagers are not grownups. There aren't a lot of teenagers which wil do both because they would have a meeting with the toilet every day. Grownups that are used to smoking mj, cigarettes and drinking do it all togheter.

3. Drug cartels do profit from that but not in the netherlands

4. I don't know where you get your facts but cannabis isn't a harmfull drug. They actually opened up people's brains and saw extensive changes , while with cigarettes this isn't the case, even not with moderate daily alcohol use. While with moderate daily mj use these changes occur. The changes are similar to people that are psychotic and/orother psychiatric diseases that involve dopamine and serotoninecells malfunction.Again this is with people that used daily.

[QUOTE="tutt3r"]

1. Pharmaceutical Companies make a huge profit off people buying their drugs (which btw are far more addicting than cannabis) And marijuana would in fact offer a natural way for people to solve numerous problems such as depression.

2. Tobacco and Alcohol companies would see a huge cut in profit if cannabis became legalized

3. Drug cartels (especially those in Mexico) profit big time from selling cannabis in the U.S.

4. Propaganda spread by the govt is still very strong even today with all the facts available indicating that cannabis is a non-harmful drug.

Now the U.S. govt is structured in such a way that outside interests hold far more power than the truth. Money is more powerful than the vote. Its easy to see how our politicians can be easily bought out by these coporations and individuals. As much as I wish to see cannabis legalized, I see no such thing in the near future for the U.S.

evildead6789

1. Yeah , right the world is one big conspiracy. Some drugs are more addicting than cannabis for sure but they aren't prescribed just for fun. There are numerous health and natural shops that sell natural antidepressants (like st john's worth), tranquilizers (valerian) and tons of others. Off course if cannabis is such a good and harmless medicine why don't they sell that

2. A lot of people who smoke cannabis also smoke and drink, teenagers are not grownups. There aren't a lot of teenagers which wil do both because they would have a meeting with the toilet every day. Grownups that are used to smoking mj, cigarettes and drinking do it all togheter.

3. Drug cartels do profit from that but not in the netherlands

4. I don't know where you get your facts but cannabis isn't a harmfull drug. They actually opened up people's brains and saw extensive changes , while with cigarettes this isn't the case, even not with moderate daily alcohol use. While with moderate daily mj use these changes occur. The changes are similar to people that are psychotic and/orother psychiatric diseases that involve dopamine and serotoninecells malfunction.Again this is with people that used daily.

Hmmm...so let's get this straight, you think the supposition that all drugs are prescribed for completely altrusitic purposes is more likely than the supposition that pharmecutical companies spend money to keep cannabis legalized because it has positive health effects that could negate or lessen the need for some of its drugs? Yeah, okay.

The more likely scenario is that people who smoke pot still smoke pot, but only now buy it legally while the rest of the country goes about their lives as they did before. Studies show that initially pot use would increase only marginally at best with legalization. The reason the tobacco and alcohol companies oppose this is two-fold, the first reason being that any competition is bad. Cannabis has the potential to cut into their business, and in a cost/profit model that warrants an effort to keep it off the market no matter how negligible the predicted hit would be. Two, the execs know that cannabis is a much calmer high, can provide some of the same effects as tobacco and alcohol without most of the negative side effects, and is not physically addictive like tobacco and alcohol. Profits for those industries might not go down significantly at first, but if more people start to realize these factors it could mean a decrease in popularity of tobacco and alcohol over time. Finally, when you're talking about new customers to the market they typically have a limited amount of money they can spend on such things, most people would have to make a choice between two or all three drugs and like I said cannabis being legal just means one more competitor and worse potential projections.

I have never seen a credible study linking cannabis with psychosis, the studies I have seen ahve had horribly flawed methodology. Cannabis has not been proven to cause lung cancer or bronchitis, cigarettes have. Cannabis has been proven to not be physically addictive, both alcohol and cigaretts have. Cannabis has not been cited as the sole factor in a fatal car accident, alcohol has. Cannabis has proven to not only not damage major organs but to actually improve circulatory health and improve the health of organs like the eyes, alcohol has been proven to adversely affect many organs such as the kidneys, liver, and heart, and to cause long-term circulatory system damage and increased risk of heart attack. The only proven adverse reaction of cannabis is that extended use can cause minor brain tissue deterioration and memory loss, and even then it's far less than that caused by alcohol.

[QUOTE="evildead6789"]

[QUOTE="tutt3r"]

1. Pharmaceutical Companies make a huge profit off people buying their drugs (which btw are far more addicting than cannabis) And marijuana would in fact offer a natural way for people to solve numerous problems such as depression.

2. Tobacco and Alcohol companies would see a huge cut in profit if cannabis became legalized

3. Drug cartels (especially those in Mexico) profit big time from selling cannabis in the U.S.

4. Propaganda spread by the govt is still very strong even today with all the facts available indicating that cannabis is a non-harmful drug.

Now the U.S. govt is structured in such a way that outside interests hold far more power than the truth. Money is more powerful than the vote. Its easy to see how our politicians can be easily bought out by these coporations and individuals. As much as I wish to see cannabis legalized, I see no such thing in the near future for the U.S.

theone86

1. Yeah , right the world is one big conspiracy. Some drugs are more addicting than cannabis for sure but they aren't prescribed just for fun. There are numerous health and natural shops that sell natural antidepressants (like st john's worth), tranquilizers (valerian) and tons of others. Off course if cannabis is such a good and harmless medicine why don't they sell that

2. A lot of people who smoke cannabis also smoke and drink, teenagers are not grownups. There aren't a lot of teenagers which wil do both because they would have a meeting with the toilet every day. Grownups that are used to smoking mj, cigarettes and drinking do it all togheter.

3. Drug cartels do profit from that but not in the netherlands

4. I don't know where you get your facts but cannabis isn't a harmfull drug. They actually opened up people's brains and saw extensive changes , while with cigarettes this isn't the case, even not with moderate daily alcohol use. While with moderate daily mj use these changes occur. The changes are similar to people that are psychotic and/orother psychiatric diseases that involve dopamine and serotoninecells malfunction.Again this is with people that used daily.

Hmmm...so let's get this straight, you think the supposition that all drugs are prescribed for completely altrusitic purposes is more likely than the supposition that pharmecutical companies spend money to keep cannabis legalized because it has positive health effects that could negate or lessen the need for some of its drugs? Yeah, okay.

The more likely scenario is that people who smoke pot still smoke pot, but only now buy it legally while the rest of the country goes about their lives as they did before. Studies show that initially pot use would increase only marginally at best with legalization. The reason the tobacco and alcohol companies oppose this is two-fold, the first reason being that any competition is bad. Cannabis has the potential to cut into their business, and in a cost/profit model that warrants an effort to keep it off the market no matter how negligible the predicted hit would be. Two, the execs know that cannabis is a much calmer high, can provide some of the same effects as tobacco and alcohol without most of the negative side effects, and is not physically addictive like tobacco and alcohol. Profits for those industries might not go down significantly at first, but if more people start to realize these factors it could mean a decrease in popularity of tobacco and alcohol over time. Finally, when you're talking about new customers to the market they typically have a limited amount of money they can spend on such things, most people would have to make a choice between two or all three drugs and like I said cannabis being legal just means one more competitor and worse potential projections.

I have never seen a credible study linking cannabis with psychosis, the studies I have seen ahve had horribly flawed methodology. Cannabis has not been proven to cause lung cancer or bronchitis, cigarettes have. Cannabis has been proven to not be physically addictive, both alcohol and cigaretts have. Cannabis has not been cited as the sole factor in a fatal car accident, alcohol has. Cannabis has proven to not only not damage major organs but to actually improve circulatory health and improve the health of organs like the eyes, alcohol has been proven to adversely affect many organs such as the kidneys, liver, and heart, and to cause long-term circulatory system damage and increased risk of heart attack. The only proven adverse reaction of cannabis is that extended use can cause minor brain tissue deterioration and memory loss, and even then it's far less than that caused by alcohol.

Some things you say are actually true but these are always the same arguments given by users and pro-mj people. Some things you say are however not correct. There's a relation between cannabis and psychosis and it's widely known in scientific and medical backgrounds.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100301165726.htm

I don't know about usa but in my country it's forbidden to drive around while being high on mj and they test you as much as with alcohol tests.It has been proven that your concentration drops with 70 procent while being high on cannabis. Alcohol can be worse however because you become reckless and have less concentration on the same time while with cannabis you become less reckless so there's a difference but still it's forbidden here while driving and i think that's a good thing.

The fact that alcohol damages your organs is true but only in certain quantities, if you drink a glass a wine a day it's actually good for your heart and bloodvessels and the effects on your brain cells are not as extensive as from mj in low doses. Alcohol works on gaba receptors and inhibites them, so it's a tranquilizer. Alcohol, when drinking enough you will lose touch with reality because you don't have any inhibition anymore, you don't have fears or anxiety anymore. So alcohol in bigger doses is indeed very dangerous.

MJ however is a hallucinogen like lsd (allthough not that powerfull),it changes the serotonin and dopamine receptors. So it alters reality a little , well for the user then, so actually what it does it brings you in a mild psychosis. Psychosis is just being delusional, even a little , people who are psychotic have an altered brain state all the time. Alcohol doesn't make you delusional, it calms you down, there's a difference.

It's not because alcohol can be dangerous that mj isn't especially if you look at the effects. For some people it's even a scary experience at low doses, while with alcohol this isn't the case, they could feel ashamed afterwards but there won't be a disconnection with reality.

Still , there are sorts of mj, stronger and lighter one, and i'm sure lighter ones used moderate won't have a lasting effect on most people. Just like drinking a glass of wine a day is the same, but most users smoke more than a few hits from a mild plant. They smoke to be high. Not to mention that the percentage of people that got crazy , sick or handicapped after a few glasses of wine is a lot less than people who smoked one joint.

Apart from that there are over fifty substances that cause cancer in tobacco smoke an there are over fifty in smoke from mj. The percentage of tar is significantly higher in mj smoke and even higher in hasj smoke.

I don't know where you get your info from, but it's not correct.

They cant tax it, therefore it's illegal. At least Obama is lax on marijuana enforcement at a federal level. So now, states can choose if they want to legalize it. If the U.S. actually taxed it, it would bring 8 billlion dollars in revenue.

[QUOTE="narutosup"]tl;dr they can't tax it, that's whythegerg

No its not. People anywhere can grow marijuana w/o being taxed.