Decriminalization of marijuana DEBATE

i agree...if u commit a crime while under the influence of either alcohol or marijuana than u should still be held liable for the action u commit, but i dont think marijuana itself should be a crime.

That's my point, you would still be responsible for your actions but not penaltized 2x for them.

Exactly. Where did anyone say that just because you were under the influence, it is excuseable? I think you are taking peoples words out of context...

alcohol on the other hand shouldnt be double penalty because u dont know what ur doin asmuch so its not the persons fault.

I wasn't trying to argue against him saying that it shouldn't be double penalty. He said it's not the persons fault if they kill someone while drunk.

I'll throw my hat into this ring.

Let me start off by simply stating, I don't do any type of "drugs". I have tried pot in the past, not saying I'd never do it again, but it's just not for me right now.

Getting all this out, I now will share my point of view.

Do you remember how the mafia got it's start? During the prohibition of alcohol they used to sell it illegally, and this is how they got their money. You know the things that go along with the mafia; violence and death. Now, think of the violence that would be reduced if you could buy pot from your local Walgreens. ALSO think of the money your government could make by taxing it. That's less tax they would decide to take out of YOUR paycheck.

I basically have the feeling with drugs of this; if it can be found in nature (such as pot, cocaine, mushrooms) it should be legal. Things such as X and Meth should NOT be legalized.

My main view is this, it's whoever's body to do whatever they want, and until they go harming someone else, then it's not anyone else's decision to make.

Wow, have you ever tried yayo or shrooms? If you have, you would definitely not be saying they should be legalized. Pot is one thing, those are another story...

right now Canada's court systems are severly clogged up. And it's not major indictable offences (like hollly jones case/murder cases) that are filling the courts. It's minor summary convitions that we already know are going to be handed out probation sentences anyways. So, why not decriminalize marijuana and give those pot smokers small fines instead of probation/jail time. That way, the court system will not be clogged and REAL cases can make their way to trial a lot sooner, therefore making everything a heck of a lot more effecient for everyone.

just my 2 cents

Wow, have you ever tried yayo or shrooms? If you have, you would definitely not be saying they should be legalized. Pot is one thing, those are another story...

If it naturally appears in nature, who are YOU to tell someone the can't use it?

Hey, I never said you can't use it, I just said, from personal experience, with cocaine and mushrooms legalized, that would be a very very very very bad thing. Cocaine is very addictive, and ruins peoples lives everyday. I have family members that are fucked for life because of that shit, and mushrooms! Holy shit, if you aren't a strong willed mind, you will lose every sense of reality you ever thought you had. Those two drugs are not to be fucked with. Trust me.

Anyway, just because it is grown naturally, why does that make it alright to use? Anyway, mushrooms are grown from cow shit, and that is just down right disgusting.

Ok, well, if they leagalize marijuana all the drug dealers will be out of business... lol.

But here is some info I got from one site about the affects of the so called harmless drug Marijuana...

Marijuana affects your brain. THC (the active ingredient in marijuana) affects damages the nerve cells in the part of the brain where memories are formed, making it hard to remember things.

Marijuana affects your self-control. Marijuana can seriously affect your sense of time and your ability to do things that require coordination-like driving. In 1998, nearly 77,000 people were admitted to emergency rooms suffering from marijuana-related problems. This was an increase of more than 373 percent since 1991.

Marijuana affects your lungs. There are more than 400 known chemicals in marijuana. A single joint contains four times as much cancer-causing tar as a filtered cigarette.

Marijuana affects other aspects of your health. Marijuana can limit your body's ability to fight off infection. It can increase your heart rate and lead to frequent chest colds. Some research even shows that long-term marijuana use can increase the risk of developing certain mental illnesses.

Marijuana is not always what it seems. Before it is sold, marijuana can be laced with other dangerous drugs without your knowledge. "Blunts"-hollowed-out cigars filled with marijuana-sometimes have substances such as crack cocaine, PCP, or embalming fluid added to them.

Marijuana can be addictive. As with alcohol and many other drugs, not everyone who uses marijuana becomes addicted, but some users do develop signs of dependence on the drug. They may experience such withdrawal symptoms as loss of appetite, sleep problems, weight loss, and shaky hands. In 1995, 165,000 people entered drug treatment programs to kick their marijuana habit.

when i go to skool high, it makes me focus, im sure the only reason i passed science is becuase it was the only class that i was actually HIGH for, other i was just burnt out so i could give a fuck less, but n e wayz i voted yes, tho it doesnt matter cuz its already decriminalized

I really don't care what you do in canada anyway.

Currently the government allows you to smoke a substance that kills 3.5 million people a year, worldwide. The tobacco companies strive to make this product more addictive (and it’s already more addictive that heroin!). In fact, the government not only allows it, but funds it. However, marijuana, in its 5,000 year history, has yet to produce 1 documented case of death. It has been proven to have absolutely no long-term affects on the brain, and is less addictive than caffeine! Yet, marijuana is illegal. Why isn’t tobacco? There are 2 reasons for this. And none of them are because tobacco is better than marijuana. One- the government can easily tax it- politicians *like* this. Two- Politicians also like votes. Taking away the county’s precious nicotine would surely put a dent in their chances in the next election. These same two reasons apply to why alcohol is legal.
Why is marijuana illegal? Once again, there are two reasons for this, and neither of them is, “because it’s worse than alcohol”. One- It would be hard to tax (compared to tobacco and alcohol). Unlike alcohol and tobacco, marijuana grows with extreme ease and virtually no work thus people can use marijuana with out paying Uncle Sam. The politicians have no will to legalize it for this reason. Two- It has been illegal for long enough that every one has grown accustom to shunning it. The only people that use it are the ones that lack respect for the law- and most are into things that should be illegal, thus giving all pot-smokers a bad name. There for, all the “good” people are poised against it simply because the government says it’s a “no-no”, thus will not support legalizing it. Once again this will cause politicians to veer from it for fear of losing precious votes. So the situation really boils down to nothing more than greed, and politics.
In a fair discussion, poor Mary Jane would be innocent until proven guilty, but sense the law has poised you against her, a fair discussion is impossible. So I’ll have to answer the more common question; why she should be legal. There are five whole answers for one. And none of then are because I like it. One- Liberty. You have the right to “hurt” your self if you so choose. Tobacco smokers are not allowed to smoke in restaurants, the same should apply to weed. It should be perfectly fine as long as you’re only hurting your self. Because you get high off it, similar to being drunk, I think it should only be available to 21 and up, to ensure it is in mature hands. Hindus, Buddhists, Rastafarians, and other religions smoke marijuana as part of spiritual and religious ceremonies. They deserve freedom to practice their religion. The First Amendment of the constitution- which was written on hemp paper- states that the government cannot prohibit the free exercise of religion. Two- It would be regulated. You never see a dealer on the street corner selling booze. That’s because they are legal. Kids get marijuana in this way because the people that sell it don’t care how young you are or what else was put in the marijuana they just want money. If it where regulated, it would be a lot safer. Three- Cost. We spend billions of dollars every year keeping people from doing something that has never cause a single case of lung cancer! We could tax marijuana and make millions but instead, we lose billions keeping a pot head from “hurting” himself. I don’t care to spend all my taxes on such a hopeless, fruitless cause. Four- Prohibition doesn’t work. If any thing it causes the “forbidden fruit” effect causing more people (especially teens) to want it more. We should have learned our lesson when it failed so miserably with alcohol in the 1930’s- which (not surprisingly), is when marijuana was made illegal. Five- Marijuana has many good uses. It can be used to stimulate appetite, relieve stress, relieve nausea, and treat AIDS, asthma, and cancer patients. The cannabis has industrial uses such as rope, cloth, paper and fuel. Marijuana also leads to non-violence and pacifism.
Basically, there are five good, solid reasons why it should be legal, two why it isn’t, and none why it shouldn’t. I’m not encouraging that you become a “pot-head”, just persuading you to believe that the law should not stop it. Tobacco kills over 400,000 Americans a year, marijuana only causes 734,000(American) arrests a year. No I’m sorry, marijuana doesn’t cause arrests, the politicians and your wasted billions in tax dollars are what make are what make this constitutional violation happen.

Now this guy knows what he's talking about! ... i heard a few of those phrases before so i think he copied it from somewhere but even if he did atleast he's spreading the word!

POT has no real help for medicle uses as you know.. IT is a bad drug. You might all think not but adrenachrome, you think that pot doesnt kill anyone, well your fucking wrong Drugs are the worse thing that could happen to somone... It can fuck somones life up bad. Even if they dont do it, when people get stoned they can get crazy and they can get mellow, mostpeople in my town get crazy and spraypaint signs, drop giant rocks off bridges onto oncoming cars, shoot people with bb guns and paint ball guns, vandilize houses.. and steal, and that happens everywhere im sure, would you like to get stoned one night, pass out dead cold for 24 hours and find out that all ur weed and all of ur other shit is gone?

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Personally, I hope they legalize marijuana so more people will die, either directly from it or from one of its effects. Which means less social competition for me in the future if more idiots are dead in it.

I win.

It doesn't matter what the people think, marijuana will always stay illegal... THERE IS NO MEDICLE USE, it is 100% bad, there is no upps beacuse in the end, you fuck your own life up. Why waste all ur money on drugs to do it, just kill yourself.

dude...marijuana isn't all that bad...its not like u dont know what ur doing

It doesn't matter what the people think, marijuana will always stay illegal... THERE IS NO MEDICLE USE, it is 100% bad, there is no upps beacuse in the end, you fuck your own life up. Why waste all ur money on drugs to do it, just kill yourself.

Slaynish, that was quite possibly the most ignorant comment ever. One of my Ex's Mom has MS and smoke marijuana to calm her down and help her from being sick from her medication. Before she smoked, she would constantly be throwing up and getting very sick, but now she can deal with it and cope with it because of the medicinal implications of marijuana. Its not all bad.