Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
You honestly need to do some research if you are comparing pot usage to the heavy drugs, theft, robbery, and murder. I don't smoke pot but feel it should be legalized. .
Just curious. Do you live in an apartment complex where cigarette smoke comes through the walls? What happens when dope smoke comes through the walls? What happens when you are sitting outside having lunch and people all around you are dope smokers?
Maybe if cigarette smoking was nipped in the bud before it started, farmers would be growing some other product, people wouldn't have become addicted and died of lung cancer, and the federal government wouldn't have had to pass a bazillion pain in the butt, intrusive and expensive laws to regulate and tax it.
Can someone give one good argument as to why pot should not be legalized? I can't think of anything, the potential benefits as I see them are:
1.) Reduced speeding on law enforce related to pot.
2.) Tax revenue from growers and retailers which currently pay no taxes. You could also add additional taxes to retail sales much like the sale of tobacco products.
3.) Reduce drug related crime.
4.) Reduced the number of dangerous individuals coming into the country to smuggle drugs.
Cannabis legalization will probably increase the use of a drug that will increase cancer rates, decrease productivity and increase mental illness.
Ok - so perhaps you might add some great clarity to your argument?
For example might you clarify where you disagree and why?
Might I clarify for your first:
In the UK, when Cannabis was decriminalize use increased, suggesting that legalization would also increase use. CA would also become a legal place to smoke Cannabis, surrounded by states where it is illegal, which suggest it would become a center of drug tourism.
Cannabis is often smoked, so increased used could cause increased cancer rates. It has been linked to increased mental health incidence, so an increase in mental health problems would be expected. It also tends to cause a degree of lethargy, so I'd suggest a reduction in productivity.
If you have one, then might you state your counter-argument?
Just curious. Do you live in an apartment complex where cigarette smoke comes through the walls? What happens when dope smoke comes through the walls? What happens when you are sitting outside having lunch and people all around you are dope smokers?
You can always move, thats what people did for a thousand tears before they got to lazy to put themselves in an environment they liked. Now its just easier to ban something some folks dont like.
Quote:
Maybe if cigarette smoking was nipped in the bud before it started, farmers would be growing some other product, people wouldn't have become addicted and died of lung cancer, and the federal government wouldn't have had to pass a bazillion pain in the butt, intrusive and expensive laws to regulate and tax it.
Actually without tobacco our country would be a far different & likely less advanced place. Tobacco & cotton built the early US economy. The govt doesn't have to pass laws & tax it. But they have become dependant upon the funds it generates & at the same time the population has become a bunch of whiny liberal crybabies who beg for regulation of everything they find inconvenient.
If nothing else they will soon legalize pot so they can tax it & recoup some of the revenue lost thru the war against tobacco.
Ok - so perhaps you might add some great clarity to your argument?
For example might you clarify where you disagree and why?
Might I clarify for your first:
In the UK, when Cannabis was decriminalize use increased, suggesting that legalization would also increase use. CA would also become a legal place to smoke Cannabis, surrounded by states where it is illegal, which suggest it would become a center of drug tourism.
Cannabis is often smoked, so increased used could cause increased cancer rates. It has been linked to increased mental health incidence, so an increase in mental health problems would be expected. It also tends to cause a degree of lethargy, so I'd suggest a reduction in productivity.
If you have one, then might you state your counter-argument?
1. The UK didn't decriminalize it.
They simply lowered it from a class A narcotic to a class B. This changed the penalty from a 5 year stay in prison, to a 2 year stay in prison.
2. If you read the link I posted, it will answer your questions.
Use didn't increase in Portugal by a significant amount. There is little to no evidence that cannabis increases cancer rates, and there are a plethora of uses that don't contain smoking of plant material, mainly cannabutter and vaporizing.
Lets look at alcohol prohibition effects in the United States, shall we?
Before the prohibition, alcohol usage was around 70% of the country, including children as young as 12 who were regular drinkers. After prohibition, the number dropped to around 10%. After prohibition was repealed, the number of American drinkers is still only around 40%, and alcohol is by far a considerably more dangerous drug than marijuana.
"They simply lowered it from a class A narcotic to a class B. This changed the penalty from a 5 year stay in prison, to a 2 year stay in prison."
From B to C in fact, but that resulted in the police no longer arresting for precession for personal use, which effectively decriminalized it.
"There is little to no evidence that cannabis increases cancer rates"
Smoking anything increases cancer rate
"Lets look at alcohol prohibition effects in the United States, shall we?
Before the prohibition, alcohol usage was around 70% of the country, including children as young as 12 who were regular drinkers. After prohibition, the number dropped to around 10%. After prohibition was repealed, the number of American drinkers is still only around 40%, and alcohol is by far a considerably more dangerous drug than marijuana."
I have suggested that the declassification of Cannabis from b-c drug in the Uk let to an increase, you have cited Portugal and noted that there was an increase. So, you have two examples of Cannabis decriminalization where use increased, why try and draw comparisons with alcohol when you have data on Cannabis that proves your wrong?
I don't see the validity of comparison arguments, the question surly just needs to be asked in absolute terms
"They simply lowered it from a class A narcotic to a class B. This changed the penalty from a 5 year stay in prison, to a 2 year stay in prison."
From B to C in fact, but that resulted in the police no longer arresting for precession for personal use, which effectively decriminalized it.
"There is little to no evidence that cannabis increases cancer rates"
Smoking anything increases cancer rate
"Lets look at alcohol prohibition effects in the United States, shall we?
Before the prohibition, alcohol usage was around 70% of the country, including children as young as 12 who were regular drinkers. After prohibition, the number dropped to around 10%. After prohibition was repealed, the number of American drinkers is still only around 40%, and alcohol is by far a considerably more dangerous drug than marijuana."
I have suggested that the declassification of Cannabis from b-c drug in the Uk let to an increase, you have cited Portugal and noted that there was an increase. So, you have two examples of Cannabis decriminalization where use increased, why try and draw comparisons with alcohol when you have data on Cannabis that proves your wrong?
I don't see the validity of comparison arguments, the question surly just needs to be asked in absolute terms
Well stated and well done with the use of citations. It would be great, for those of us reading the conversation, if you did the same, Mattos.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
