If Marijuana Is Legal, Will Addiction Rise?

Erin - posted on 06/24/2011

1) Yes
2) No
3) Varies from person to person. You need to know when to stop.
4) I bet it will lower to be honest. It wont be taboo, it will be controlled by the government and marketed similarily to tobacco

Kristian Amber - posted on 01/22/2011

Julianne--- I saw that video, after my dad told me to watch it, and I absolutely loved it! It makes the most sense doesn't it? I posted it on here awhile ago, I really hope it helps everyone to understand it a little more. I get so frustrated with people who's opinions are based solely on the opinions of others, with facts no even being considered. To be perfectly honest, if it does get legalized and can be used recreationally, like alcohol, etc, I'll be the first one in line! I used to get so much done during my day! And the benefits of helping my sleep schedule were wonderful! I hate taking Unisom or Tylenol PM to help me sleep. But honestly, it's the only way I can go right now, and it doesn't even help 50% of the time!

Marica - posted on 01/22/2011

Marijuana is not addictive. Its not a gateway to other substances, that's down to individual choice. Its absurd to assume that smoking a fatty will make somebody want to go and have a dig of some heroin.

Marijuana is safe in its natural state, the recent trend of contaminating it to make it weigh more is the only risk factor.

Alcohol is the main evil imo, people dont get stoned and beat their partners, or go out and have fights with strangers. Google professor Nutt's enquirys for the british government and see for yourself if you dont believe. All that crap about cannabis and psychosis is just propaganda, its bs, it cant create what aint there, it may exacerbate an already existing mental illness but it aint in no way addictive or dangerous in its organic form.

As for driving, google fifth gear driving whilst stoned, it doesn't impair concentration at all, actually it does the opposite. I wish they would relax the laws here in the UK, It makes me a tad jealous when read about the relaxation of laws in the USA.

Mary Renee - posted on 12/14/2010

1. Yes, medical marijuana is already legal in California and Hawaii. I think with the rise of prescription drug abuse, people will want to turn to more holistic pain relief through marijuana than synthetic heroin opiates.

2. Depends. I know plenty of potheads that don't even drink alcohol ever! Pot is just their drug of choice to relax and they have no interest in any other substances. That said, BECAUSE marijuana IS currently illegal, I think people who want to smoke pot are more often put in to situations where they are exposed to OTHER illegal drugs like coke and exstacy. If marijuana was decriminalized or legal, I think that it would be even LESS of a gateway drug.

3. No. Not at all. I think alcohol distorts your view of reality WAY more than pot does!

4. MARIJUANA IS NOT ADDICTIVE!!!!! I'll be totally honest. I smoked weed (on occasion) and cigarettes (about 5 daily) before I got pregnant. I stopped smoking weed and never ever thought about it again or even felt tempted too. Cigarettes (even just a few a day) were much more of a addiction than weed.

That said, I would never endorse smoking weed while pregnant or nursing or caring for children.

On the otherhand, I would totally endorse smoking weed in college when you don't have any responsibilities and you can still enjoy it! Hah! And if the legal thing bothers you... go to Amsterdam

Nikkole - posted on 12/14/2010

1.) Yes if it legalized i think it would just make things better!
2.)No i dont think its a gateway drug
3.)I think its even with alcohol and smoking
4.) Marijuana is not addictive but IN my opinion ANYTHING can be addicting video games,candy,food,sex,tattoos, and piercings! Anything can be addicting so it could or couldn't!

Jill - posted on 12/14/2010

1. I hope so
2. A gateway to the fridge or nearest convience store maybe!
3. I dont think it is personally but I would still prefer people to not get high than drive. And its alot less toxic than smoking.
4. I'm fairly confident the addiction will lower. It's common knowledge that when something becomes tabbo that everyone has that little devil on their shoulder telling them to do it. However when it becomes legalized and people are educated on the subject it becomes alot less cool and the numbers drop off.

Julianne - posted on 12/14/2010

http://www.esoterictube.com/the-union-th...


this is an excellent video on the facts of marijuana.

Julianne - posted on 12/14/2010

1. i hope so.

2. Marijuana is non addictive, it is habitual though saying its a gateway drug is like saying someone is going to start doing crack because they ate sugar..

3. Studies show that marijuana is the least dangerous of "drugs" even less dangerous than caffeine.

4. Actually i think addictions will go down because people being caught with small amounts of marijuana wont be thrown in rehab as punishment.

Amy - posted on 12/14/2010

They are trying to pass laws in the states right now that will make each person have to have a special license just to grow corn in your back yard. so even if they do in 5-10 years, you'll likely need to pay some huge amount of money to get it or grow it. Gateway schmateway. If you're gonna do drugs, you're gonna do drugs. To say it's better or worse....people would be less violent on pot than with alcohol. they'd just be more mellow and probably come up with some funny stuff. perhaps less likely to kill other people as well. Any drug if used improperly can cause harm. Obviously. Will addiction rise? No clue, but dorito sales will!

Kristin - posted on 12/13/2010

1) I hope so, it really helps some seriously ill people.
2) It is a gateway here in the US because of how most people get it. Your corner dealer is going to hand out freebies of addictive stuff along with that $40 sack.
3) It is equally impairing, but non addictive. Unless you consider getting lazy addictive.
4) I can see more users, but it's not addictive.

Kristian Amber - posted on 12/13/2010

1. Yes, at least I hope so, benefits outweight the risks.
2. No, unless by gateway you mean gateway to the munchies
3. No, it has been proven that marijuana has been used to help fight medical problems caused by tobacco and alcohol.
4. No, more people will becomes users, yes that's true, but it is non addictive and has been proven not to be. It has been said to be addictive to scare people away from trying it and getting arrested.

My thoughts on this, Marijuana has been proven to medically aid people with several different disorders. It cannot kill unless a person smokes 15,000 joints in 20 minutes. If you can do that, then I'd worry. It has been proven that the affects of marijuana use are less than habitual coffee drinkers. There are no withdrawal symptoms like can be had from quitting smoking cigarettes, stopping cocaine and/or heroine use. Proven --> out of every 104 pot users is 1 cocaine user, and less heroine users. Ted Turner was smoking pot when CNN came about, Proven.
It has been proven that far more violent crimes have been caused by emotions rather than pot use. Proven not to cause cancer, brown lung or anything! Proven ---> 0 deaths caused by pot... EVER
Back in WWII they made pot illegal because it caused soldiers to not want to fight... anyone else see a problem with not wanting to go to war?
88% of arrests made for simple possession rival the number of arrests made for murder, rape and assault COMBINED.
There are no proven medical drugs that have as many benefits as marijuana.
Pharmeceutical companies don't want it legalized because they will lose money ($602 Bil annually globally) because its cheaper to grow your own medicine. Marijuana is considered the safest medicine known to man.
Man made medicine kills over 100,000 people yearly, not one death related to marijuana alone.
DEA will lose funding if they don't have to go after growers, users and distributors anymore.

Off the usage portion, hemp, made from marijuana plants, is not allowed to be grown in the US. Has been proven to make clothes that last longer than cotton, can make biodiesel for cleaner fuel, can make paper (1st 2 Declarations of Independence were made on Hemp paper and still have not yellowed with age), not to mention you can eat it (without getting high, it has lots of fiber and protein, you can use it for lotions, makeup, etc.
People have been disillusioned as to why pot is bad. Mostly its because the government does not want to lose money, which is ridiculous considering if taxed it could bring us out of our economic recession. PROVEN.
Wouldn't it be nice to have extra money for schools, roads, healthcare if this were legalized? Taxes for those particular things would go down, even though pot would have its own tax. Okay, so what's the problem? It has more benefits all the way around, but yet we still don't allow it. Why not?
Yes, it has been proven that if used excessively from CHILDHOOD, it can cause certain issues if you have a FAMILY history of schitzophrenia.... Thats it. Define excessive use.
Yes, monkeys were killed by being forced to inhale smoke from marijuana, but they were not given adequate oxygen to not cause brain damage. Let me know if you know anyone who is force fed pot smoke (the equivalent of 20 joints in 5 minutes) through a gas mask without being able to take a breath of oxygen after every inhale. Yes, then they probably would have brain damage.

A very good video/documentary to watch, regardless of which way you believe on this topic is:
The Union Documentary
Just google The Union Documentary on weed in your search engine and watch it. It is kind of long, about an hour and forty five minutes, but well worth it! I will be recommending this video to anyone who wants to know more about marijuanas benefits/shortfalls, why it isn't legalized yet and if/when it will become legalized.
Sorry, I know this was long, but I just had to get it all out there! LOL!

Minna - posted on 11/24/2010

1.do you think marijuana will be legalized soon?? (5-10years)
Maybe not, but I sure hope so.
2.do you feel it is a “Gateway” drug
No
3.is it worse then drinking alcohol and/or smoking
Absolutely not.
4. If Marijuana Is Legal, Will Addiction Rise?
Not at all. In fact, if it is legalized it cam be regulated for safety and taxed by the government. Imagine how quickly our deficit would shrink if every oz of pot sold yielded a little governmental income? Sooo... better for our bodies, and better for our nation? Count me in!

Barb - posted on 11/18/2010

Time magazine article on medical marijuana: http://www.scribd.com/doc/42706458/Times...

Nikki - posted on 11/17/2010

1. I hope so, law enforcement costs tax payers so much
2. No not really, I think everyone is different, I only tired pot a couple of times when I was young, I didn't like it. I agree with Ebony on the alcohol/gateway drug effect, a lot of my friends and myself when I was much younger used harder drugs and it was mainly because you had a better buzz for longer that alcohol, cheaper too.
3.No I don't think so, I know a few people who smoke pot and they are pretty mellow and harmless, I also know a lot of aggressive drunks, I would prefer to be in a room of stoned people rather than drunk people.
4. It is possible, but impossible to know at the same time, being an illegal drug it really is difficult to get correct statistics on those who consume it, therefore statistically the rate might rise but it may not be a correct reflection on the numbers. If it became legal I certainly wouldn't be inclined to use it.

In Australia they have driving under the influence tests for not just alcohol but for pot, cocaine, and another one which I can't remember. I think it would be important to make it the norm to test for pot along with alcohol when it comes to random breath tests.

♏*PHOENIX*♏ - posted on 11/17/2010

I believe Alcohol is the true gateway substance…once people try that they usually try other drugs

Alecia - posted on 11/17/2010

1) i think it should be, but with a senate and house full of old fuddy duddies, prbly not.
2) i do not feel that pot is a gateway drug. i know many ppl who have smoked a long time and never done anything else, or even interested in anything else.
3) i really believe alcohol is waaay worse for u. its a poison!!! not that pot os great for, but less ppl do really dumb things on pot and usually dnt drive when their stoned!! but drunks drive all the time and kill ppl. at least pot is natural and grows from the earth
4) i think that "addiction" wont rise. u cant be physically addicted to marijuana. u can be phsycologically addicted, but not physically, so therefore less hamrful than cigarettes. I strongly feel that making pot legal would help save law enforcement TONS of money and its a safer stress reliever than most prescription drugs (i would never take most prescription drugs...the side effects alon r scary!!)

and i want to say im glad u posted this bcuz i was thinking of doing it!

Alison - posted on 11/16/2010

What do we know about second hand smoke? I have googled it and found nothing substantial.

Alison - posted on 11/16/2010

I am not really all that concerned about whether it should or should not be legal and whether it will or will not. I don't think it will have a huge impact on society.

However, I am concerned about walking down the street and being forced to smell the stinkyest of all stinks. I am always offended when I catch of whiff (which happens often enough in Montreal). I would hate for the frequency of those experiences to increase.

In a previous apartment I had neighbours who would smoke pot just below my daughter's bedroom window. I was not too thrilled about that and enjoy having the power to call the police if it comes to that.

Jane - posted on 11/14/2010

1) yes
2) No
3) No
4) No

Short and sweet!

Amanda - posted on 11/14/2010

1) I think it will be legalized within a few years. At least medical marijuana.
2) Nope...I think it's all about the persons behavior. If they have addictive behavior than there is a chance they will be more influenced to try other drugs, but if they are a self confident person than they'll be able to say no.
3) I think drinking has a higher death rate...oh wait yes it does. You hear all the time about drunk drivers and them killing people on the road. Innocent people at that. You don't hear about drivers under the influence of marijuana swerving or killing anyone. And smoking cigarettes causes lung cancer, and numerous other health risks. So I'd have to say that marijuana would probably be the smarter choice.. say you just want to sleep or eat! Lol
4) And no I don't think addiction would rise. I think that the gov't would make more money, by taxing the crap out of it. And marijuana isn't physically addicting. So it's all in your head if you want to get addicted.
I think cancer patients could really benefit from it. For nausea, better their appetite to gain weight, for headaches and pain. I don't think everyone would necessarily need to smoke it but to at least get it in some form would actually be rather beneficial!

Dawn - posted on 11/09/2010

Good one Barb!! There are too many angles to this discussion...I ride the fence with most everything!! I feel that for me and others I have known, pot was a gateway drug...it was the first step, the drug to try first and then when those effects began to wean, harder stuff was more accepted. I think personality tends to play alot into the use of other drugs and the addictive properties of them. Some people may be able to smoke a little pot here and there during their experimentation phase, others don't try any drug at all, and others can't get enough of the high, so they learn to keep it going or get it stronger or substitute it by other means. Since Carol and Joy so bravely told their stories, here is mine:
I first tried pot when I ws 14, a freshman in HS. I continued throughout the year until a smoked some laced with PCP..what a trip!! I refrained from smoking about 6 months because of my fear of having another unknown experience affect me in that way. As I became friends with another group of kids, I began to experiment with pot again. The next year, my junior year, I was a seasoned pot smoker, getting high in the mornings before school because "everyone else was" and it was "cool". I got involved with a boyfriend who more connected then anyother friends I had...I was soon experimenting with LSD and coccaine. Because I was careful with my doses, my experiences with these harder drugs were good and pleasent. I continued using and experimenting with different drugs (like horse and cat tranqilizers which were oh so popular in the mid-90's!). By the beginning of my 2nd year of college, I was smoking pot alone throughout the day to maintain a high and had started sniffing heroin...by that summer I was injecting myself with needles. Two years later I was injecting myself with cocaine and heroin to get that bigger high. After an overdose and a battle with Hep B, I became clean from heroin...that was 11 years ago. I haven't touched a "hard" drug since but have had periods of excessive drinking, excessive sex and excessive fitness throughout the years. I feel I have been "even keeled" for many years now, but it has taken a lot of soul searching to make myself a happier person without using drugs or other extremes to get me there. And as I say all this, I still battle with cigarettes, something that I strain with everyday now...I recently underwent heart surgery for some damage caused by my prior drug lifestyle, and worsened by pregnancy...I thought I had conquered that evil as well, but it crept back up and bit me again. Some people are just born with different wiring, so again, blanket statements about the effects of something don't work because they don't apply to everyone.

Barb - posted on 11/07/2010

Marijuana... because your friends just aren't that funny

Joy - posted on 11/06/2010

1.do you think marijuana will be legalized soon?? (5-10years)

I think it will be longer than 10 years before it is legal nationwide but I do think that eventually it will be legal and I'm ok with that.

2.do you feel it is a “Gateway” drug

I used to smoke pot (a lot) and it wasn't a gateway drug for me or anyone I knew. Did I do other drugs? Yes I did, but it was a choice. It's not like I ever smoked a joint and then while high said, "Hey, I think I'll give crack a whirl." As a former crack addict, I can honestly say that smoking pot had nothing to do with me smoking crack.

3.is it worse then drinking alcohol and/or smoking

I think alcohol and smoking cigarettes are far more harmful than marijane.

4. If Marijuana Is Legal, Will Addiction Rise?

I don't think addiction rates will rise. First of all, marijuana is not a physically addictive drug. Can it become habit? Yes. But if you stop smoking pot, there are no physical withdrawal symptoms like with heroin, cocaine or alcohol. I think if it were made legal, usage of marijuana in particular would rise temporarily in a frenzy of people all excited that they can do it legally. But then after the "new" has worn off and people realize that it's not forbidden fruit anymore, it will lose a lot of its appeal for people and its usage will actually drop.



P.S. I'm white and have a wide mix of friends from several different ethnic backgrounds and I can only think of one person who dislikes anyone based on race. And that's my cousin who works in the construction industry in Miami, Florida and he doesn't hate Mexicans...he hates Cubans. I don't share his opinion on that. I don't hate anyone and neither do the majority (save that one) of the people I know.

Johnny - posted on 11/06/2010

1. I hope marijuana will be legalized soon. Then strictly regulated and monitored. It is easier here for kids to get pot than alcohol. I think legalization and regulation might actually make it harder for them to get. It would be nice to see a marijuana store open in 10 years, with big posters behind the counter sharing the health risks just like you see when buying alcohol or tobacco.

2. No I don't think there are any specific drugs that are really "gateway" drugs. Some people are always going to look for the next best high. They could have started out sniffing their felt markers in elementary school. I was a recreational pot user for 4 years during which I didn't try any other drugs, stopped smoking cigarettes, barely drank alcohol, and didn't increase my marijuana usage over time.

3. No, I'd say it's equally as harmful as smoking and alcohol. I do think smoking it presents perhaps a greater danger than people realize, because of the lack of filters. Like another poster mentioned, baking or nebulizers are a safe alternative. I began using marijuana to relieve pain from interstitial cystitis when I started requiring more than just Advil for the pain. I had the choice of a higher level of chemical pain killer, or pot. I don't regret the choice for a second. Once I was better, I just continued using it because it helped me sleep, which was a blessing after a lifetime of insomnia. That being said, it does bother me that because marijuana has medical uses that kids think that means it is "healthy". More education is necessary.

4. I do not think that marijuana is a particularly addicting drug. When I stopped smoking cigarettes, it was really really hard. And I'd been a purely party smoker. I never bought packs of smokes, I'd just buy a couple of a friend for a party. But it was hard to quit just that. I'd smoked pot for 4 years, almost every day, and I just quit cold turkey. No side effects, no real cravings. Where I live, marijuana is hugely popular, commonly used, and rarely enforced (I've never met anyone ever arrested for marijuana possession here). I seriously doubt legalizing it would change anything about the users. What it would change is how it is grown and brought to market. It would remove it from the hands of organized criminals, stop the production in the basements of houses which puts families at risk of house fire, carbon monoxide poisoning, and home invasion. It would be nice if people who wanted could just grow a few plants of their own in their home, where they would know what was in it for sure.

Barb - posted on 11/06/2010

Dawn, I have wondered about the psychology of marijuana being a gateway drug because it is an illegal drug and labeled "bad".

Do you think you may have tried other drugs because it was pounded into you that marijuana was a bad illegal drug and then when you tried it and realized it wasn't so horrible and terrible like they described?
Did you then think that perhaps they were lying about the other drugs and decided to try those?

Dawn - posted on 11/05/2010

1) Yes, I see it gradually becoming legal in all states.....some states have already decriminalized it up to a certain weight (1 oz in MA). Even though the CA's Prop 19 was voted down, there were 46% in favor...I think that says alot!!
2) I have mixed feelings about this...........I think that ideally pot is a harmless substance. However, it is used as a drug and I think that in turn lowers some peoples negative perceptions of other drugs and/or makes some people curious about trying something more potent. I personally didn't stop at pot and don't know many, if any, persons who have only smoked marijuana and have used nothing else in the form of illegal drugs...of course that is just me and my situation!
3) I believe that marijuana is fairly safe, although it is proven that the pot of today is much more potent then that of earlier times... if there is more a health risk involved with this, I have not read anything about it. I say more research about smoking it should be done...I would think there must be harmful effects from it.
4) I don't think there will be MORE addiction because of it, but I do think there would be less crime and that is a plus!! I disagree with some people saying marijuana isn't addictive...maybe it isn't physically going to make you sick like an opiate or alcohol would, but it absolutely has the potential to become addictive psychologically. I again am just using my personal experiences here, but I do think that marijuana can ruin lives just as much as other drugs.

To conclude, I am a supporter of the complete legalization of marijuana (and all other drugs for that matter, although I don't ever see that happening!) I think we would solve budget, crime and border issues if all illegal drugs were legalized and controlled. And, IMO there is only positives to the legalization of marijuana (I say this because I can see downfalls to the legalization of other drugs). Did you know that until the 1930's, hemp was a major industry in the US?? Here is a great link about hemp and all of its usefullness: http://www.hempfarm.org/Papers/Hemp_Fact... If marijuana was made legal, we would see an increase in hemp farming...that would be good for the economy for sure!!

Lise - posted on 11/05/2010

1. yes
2. yes - absolutely
3. yes to smoking, and no to alcohol
4. I think the number of users will increase

Jackie - posted on 11/05/2010

1. Should be
2. nope.
3. HELL-to-the-NO. Name one death due to mary-jane. "I'm sorry, what? Oh yeah, that's right. You Can't."
4. Pot is not addictive. It becomes somewhat of a lifestyle that would be hard to break away from if you were to quit but it's not addictive like, oh, I dunno... booze or cigarettes.

Mylene - posted on 11/05/2010

1)yes
2)no
3)no, as long as you're not dumb enough to drive while stoned. (just like drunk driving)
4)nope

Barb - posted on 11/05/2010

LOL Loureen, sugar is the gateway drug? i love it

Charlie - posted on 11/04/2010

1. hope so
2. No , sugar is ;)
3.alcohol is much worse costs more money , does more damage , kills more people .
4. no , anyone who has smoked pot knows its EASY to find if you want it .

Barb - posted on 11/04/2010

1. people have been thinking it will be legalized since the 60's, if it wasn't then and through the 70's i really don't know if it ever will be.

2. yes and no. marijuana itself is not a gateway drug. the effects of the drug do not make you want to try other drugs for a better high. however, if you are getting the marijuana from a drug dealer and not a drug store, a drug dealer will eventually offer you another substance. so the 'gateway' is the method of obtaining the drug, not the drug itself.

3. no, marijuana is not worse than smoking alcohol or cigarettes. Every year more than 400,000 people die from cigarettes. and millions of people die from alcohol and alcohol related accidents/violence. You will not find any deaths related to marijuana. Gang violence yes, but wasn't gang violence bad during alcohol prohibition? And wouldn't that just be another reason to legalize and regulated it?

4. maybe, but addiction to marijuana is a comparable addiction to caffeine.

Liz - posted on 11/04/2010

Marijuana not addictive so therefore addiction can't rise. No I do not feel like its a gateway drug. Everyone makes a choice to do what they do. Its not a substance fault. Thats like saying to a drunk that hit his wife "its ok cause you were drunk." I feel like its better than alcohol because you still have the ability to make decisions and to function when your high. I hope it will become legal.

Lyndsay - posted on 07/24/2010

1. I think marijuana SHOULD be legalized. It has many medical benefits and is not really harmful (except maybe to your memory, lol), and a large portion of the population smokes it anyway.
2. I don't think pot is a gateway drug. I think cigarettes are a gateway drug. Usually if a person is smoking pot, they've already smoked cigarettes and have stopped getting an effect from those. I think that statement is a poor, flimsy excuse for conservative people who don't want to even consider the possibility of legalizing marijuana.
3. I think marijuana is much better for your physical health than either smoking cigarettes or drinking alcohol. Personally, it blows my mind how alcohol can be legal when marijuana is not, since alcohol impairs you much more than smoking pot.
4. I don't think addiction would rise. As it is, it is easily accessible. Just go downtown and find that one guy who's always sitting on the street corner, I bet you he's got some for sale.

LaCi - posted on 07/24/2010

"I'm a little confused as to what Americans dislike Mexicans……???



Are you saying in general? Or white Americans, black Americans, or asian…what Americans are you speaking of??"



Well it was banned in the early 20th century, so it was mostly white people. Although now it seems both white and black hate mexicans. I don't encounter many asians or natives in my daily life, so I don't hear any of their viewpoints.



Here's the beginning of another of our racial wars:





"The Mexican Connection



In the early 1900s, the western states developed significant tensions regarding the influx of Mexican-Americans. The revolution in Mexico in 1910 spilled over the border, with General Pershing’s army clashing with bandit Pancho Villa. Later in that decade, bad feelings developed between the small farmer and the large farms that used cheaper Mexican labor. Then, the depression came and increased tensions, as jobs and welfare resources became scarce.



One of the “differences” seized upon during this time was the fact that many Mexicans smoked marijuana and had brought the plant with them, and it was through this that California apparently passed the first state marijuana law, outlawing “preparations of hemp, or loco weed.”



However, one of the first state laws outlawing marijuana may have been influenced, not just by Mexicans using the drug, but, oddly enough, because of Mormons using it. Mormons who traveled to Mexico in 1910 came back to Salt Lake City with marijuana. The church’s reaction to this may have contributed to the state’s marijuana law. (Note: the source for this speculation is from articles by Charles Whitebread, Professor of Law at USC Law School in a paper for the Virginia Law Review, and a speech to the California Judges Association (sourced below). Mormon blogger Ardis Parshall disputes this.)



Other states quickly followed suit with marijuana prohibition laws, including Wyoming (1915), Texas (1919), Iowa (1923), Nevada (1923), Oregon (1923), Washington (1923), Arkansas (1923), and Nebraska (1927). These laws tended to be specifically targeted against the Mexican-American population.



When Montana outlawed marijuana in 1927, the Butte Montana Standard reported a legislator’s comment: “When some beet field peon takes a few traces of this stuff… he thinks he has just been elected president of Mexico, so he starts out to execute all his political enemies.” In Texas, a senator said on the floor of the Senate: “All Mexicans are crazy, and this stuff [marijuana] is what makes them crazy.”







http://www.drugwarrant.com/articles/why-...

♏*PHOENIX*♏ - posted on 07/23/2010

@Jenny...
That's what im talkin bout! :-)

Nichole - posted on 07/23/2010

Marijuana is illegal because the government doesn't see it as being a huge profit. It's too easily grown.

I think it might be legalized soon. I think it is still on the fence, so I can't put an educated guess one way or another to that.
Do I think it's a gateway? No, at least no more than drinking is.
Is it worse? No, but I don't smoke and I drink rarely. (But, remember, in moderation, some alcohol is GOOD for you)
As far as addiction goes, no more than is already addicted. If it's legalized, the same market that smokes it now it going to continue to smoke it. I think it will LOOK like addiction is on the rise because people won't be hiding it anymore.

All in all, I don't smoke it. I wouldn't be bothered if it was legalized but at the same time I don't walk around telling people not to drink or smoke cigarettes. As long as you aren't blowing smoke in my daughter's face or my face I don't care. I don't think it is any worse than cigarettes or alcohol. I have never see or heard of anyone tweaking out from smoking or hurting anyone and it really isn't harmful to the body. (No more than smoking cigs and drinking, in fact, I think both of those are by far worse excessively)

Jenny - posted on 07/23/2010

Marijuana does NOT cause lung cancer http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/con...

Marijuana does NOT cause brain damage
http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/news/...

Jenny - posted on 07/23/2010

Most people who smoke weed don't smoke three joints a day. Also, it can be avoided completely by baking or using a vaporiser. I also don't see how they conducted the study in the article so it's hard to say if it is flawed.



Bottom line: No death has been contributed to marijuana in thousands of years of use. Zip, zero, nada. IMO it is the safest substance on earth when used properly (avoiding through adolesance and if prone to certain mental conditions).

Jennifer - posted on 07/23/2010

1) No...well definately not in the UK where I live.
2) Yes
3) Yes - "Smoking pure cannabis is more harmful to lungs than tobacco, a health charity is warning.
A study by the British Lung Foundation found that just three cannabis joints a day cause the same damage as 20 cigarettes. " - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/241971...

&

No - alcohol is much more harmful in the longrun
4) Yes

♏*PHOENIX*♏ - posted on 07/23/2010

@sherri

Alcohol was once illegal, but they legalized it and taxed it! Also cigarettes kill, and alcohol kills….so they are worse then marijuana

And your right there is no reason to do research on something you disagree with…but hey if you did you would really know what you’re disliking. To me it sounds like you oppose it more so because it’s illegal vs. its bad for you……

Im jus sayin :-)

♏*PHOENIX*♏ - posted on 07/23/2010

Im a little confused as to what Americans dislike Mexicans……???

Are you saying in general? Or white Americans, black Americans, or asian…what Americans are you speaking of??

The majority of “American Government” is white and of European descent……

But your right about the gov taking property...doing what they want pretty much.

LaCi - posted on 07/23/2010

Marijuana is illegal because americans have always disliked mexicans. It remained illegal because the american government realized they could seize everyones property for felony possession of marijuana. It's definitely illegal for a reason, profiting at citizens expense.

Sherri - posted on 07/23/2010

Nope never did drugs have no intention of it EVER!! Do not condone it and never will either. They are illegal for a reason and I believe should stay that. No reason to do research on it as no one I associate myself with does drugs and so wouldn't have a real reason to research it.

♏*PHOENIX*♏ - posted on 07/23/2010

@Sherri,,,,,
Just curious…..have you done any research on marijuana???? As far as comparing it to alcohol and cigarettes

♏*PHOENIX*♏ - posted on 07/23/2010

@Sherri
A gateway drug means,,,,,when you try one drug it leads to others

Sherri - posted on 07/22/2010

1. No never
2. Not sure what this means
3. Yes
4. Most certainly

Rosie - posted on 07/21/2010

definitely think i should be legalized soon. i'm kindof torn as to if it's a gateway drug-i actually think alcohol is more of a gateway drug than marijane, but marijuana is also used by alot of people who start doing other things.
no i don't think it is worse than alcohol or smoking. in fact i think it's better than both of those. nobody's ever died from smoking too much marijuana, but people die from too much alcohol all the time. and smoking tobacco, well, it's something thats done multiple times a day. i would assume most marijuana users wouldn't smoke that much, therefore not as much crap going into their lungs, and as heather mentioned there are other ways to get the effects of marijuana-brownies anyone!!
i don't think marijuana is addictive, at least i've heard it's not. although i have 2 friends who smoke it all the time. there really isn't a time that i havn't seen one of them high. it's become his new norm, and i think he would feel completely fucked up if he were not high. i think that is a problem. the other one didn't smoke as much, but still couldn't figure out that being high all the time probably wasn't the best thing.

Heather - posted on 07/21/2010

ok...here we go...

1) yes, I think that it is moving in that direction...medical marijuana anyway.

2) No, I do not think it is a gateway drug...I know plenty of pot smokers who have never tried anything else...including alcohol. I do think that people who are open to trying marijuana, are generally more open to trying other drugs than people who have never tried marijuana (does that make sense?)

3) In my opinion, it is absolutely no worse than drinking and smoking...it does far less harm to the body than drinking and smoking...and you dont have to smoke it...there are many ways to get the THC without smoking it.

4) No, I dont think it would...marijuana is not physically addictive, it may actually be lower since your taking away the "taboo" away



I am all for the legalization of medical marijuana...it actually does help many people with all sorts of different medical conditions...I believe once its legal for medical use... legalizing it all together, wont be that far behind.