Marijuana legalization

Joseph Kern11 said:A 'Joint' is just as bad as five cigarettes

Well, if those five cigarettes are perfectly legal, shouldn't a Joint be legal too?
And what about high-quality skunk?

I think I saw someone mention earlier that the health risks from marijuana are pretty much on par with smoking cigarettes.
It actually reminds me of this one time—I almost lost my lunch because a bus driver lit up a cigarette while I was riding; even though I was sitting way in the back, the headache was absolutely brutal.
So, I totally get why people argue that both are harmful.

Do you honestly think we should use the LD50 as the main metric for deciding which substances stay legal?

Personally, I feel like both should be banned in public spaces (like grocery stores or malls), even if I think it makes sense to allow both tobacco and marijuana in private homes or at a pub.
Maybe we should even consider restrictions at home if there are kids around.

It all sounds lovely in theory, but smoking isn't exactly the only way to go about marijuana legalization... I’ve never been much of a smoker myself, but I fully intend to try my hand at some hash brownies sooner or later.

fadedtrucker19 said:That all sounds great and all, but smoking isn't the only way to consume marijuana... I don't smoke at all, personally, but I am definitely planning on trying some hash brownies sooner or later...

People chew tobacco, too.

Are you seriously suggesting that eating "hash brownies" poses zero risk, and therefore marijuana should be fully legal?

The actual topic here is marijuana legalization.

edit:
Oops, looks like this got moved over to the health section 😕
Damn, you guys just shut down my best argument.

If we finally got marijuana legalization passed, everything would just get better.
People who don't see that are just clueless, right?
And those fighting against it are probably just making bank off the status quo.

Doesn't matter though. People will eventually see them for what they really are—the same types peddling heroin and other junk to kids.

Honestly, people are gonna lose it on them. That day is coming.

I suppose advocating for full marijuana legalization is foolish—though I am definitely in favor of decriminalization, meaning treating possession of a specific amount as a mere misdemeanor rather than a crime. Maybe penalties for dealers should actually be increased, since they will likely face harsh consequences regardless; as it stands, this kind of legislation just seems to benefit the dealers and their backers.

I wonder why this thread was moved over to health? It feels more like a political issue at its core—I mean, we already know quite a bit about marijuana legalization because there are several serious, high-quality, and primarily independent studies out there that have already weighed in!

Gerald Cox38 said:Me and the rest of the weed crowd are "fighting" for marijuana legalization.

Tell us what you think—should marijuana be legalized, at least for medical use?

screw you and all your clueless buddies
Grow up and face reality.

Look, debate is fine and all—but I don't get why the anti-marijuana crowd always fixates on joints and smoking. It’s exhausting. People, listen: you don't just have to smoke it!

People tend to overlook the fact that there isn't just one way to smoke.

In the States, a joint is often lumped in with herbal cigarettes or tobacco rolls.
That makes it significantly more toxic, obviously... you're inhaling unfiltered tobacco and paper along with everything else.

But when we're talking about pipes or joints made without any tobacco involved, I honestly don't see much difference in terms of harm between the two.
I'm convinced that study was definitely targeting joints rolled with tobacco. If anyone has a link claiming otherwise, I'd love to see it... though I doubt it would change my mind. 🙂

How many people actually wreck their health working soul-crushing jobs before anyone thinks to just ban those roles entirely—let alone go after employers and workers with actual criminal charges?

Down with the hypocrites and the exploiters. Long live FREEDOM.

Exactly!

Criminalizing marijuana use is just pure stupidity.

If weed causes any kind of harm, it’s only harming the person actually using it, not anyone else. At worst, marijuana impacts an individual's own health.

If marijuana is truly such a massive health risk, then why on earth are we throwing people in prison instead of sending them to a doctor?

Since when does anyone cure a sinus infection in a jail cell? Who’s ever treated bronchitis behind bars? Who’s ever dealt with a stomach ulcer in prison?

Beer is the first step toward alcoholism, cigarettes lead straight to chronic lung disease, and driving a car is a direct path to fatal accidents—but we don't act like those are crimes. Has our society really reached a point where being stubborn matters more than using common sense?

Kudos to everyone here... you can tell a new generation is rising up, one that hasn't been completely brainwashed by the media propaganda machine. Pretty soon, we’ll rise above the crowd of people who think they have the right to dictate how someone else should live their life—provided, of course, they aren't hurting anyone else in the process.

So, there's really no question about it: INDIVIDUAL FREEDOM TO CHOOSE FOR ONESELF MUST BE PROTECTED. Laws should exist to protect us from those fringe individuals trying to FORCE THEIR WILL onto others and effectively STRIP AWAY THEIR LIBERTY.

Unfortunately, that's exactly what's happening to us right now. But instead of being driven by a few deviants, it's being done by the government itself—officials who maneuvered themselves into power through manipulation, presenting fake alternatives as if they were the only option. It's probably the biggest scam and criminal act ever pulled on the American people, all designed to suppress us and push this idea of "voluntary" servitude.

I'm not even surprised by this state of affairs, honestly. The main players involved are even more primitive than the characters hiding behind names like tomy108 and e39 in this thread. Not to mention that most of the electorate lacks even basic critical thinking skills; for them, truth is whatever shows up on the nightly news, while actual facts and reality feel light-years away.

Let's not kid ourselves when it comes to stuff like this. This isn't just about cannabis; it's about HUMAN FREEDOM, which is already under threat in some places and has been pushed to the absolute limit in others. Here in the States, we're headed down a pretty dark path. If we lose our FREEDOM, we lose everything worth living for. I don't want to leave a world behind for my kids that is restricted, manipulated, and built on LIES.

Marijuana should be legalized based on the simple principle that no one has the right to prevent us from doing something, provided it doesn't cause harm to anyone else.
It wouldn't be a bad idea to start by addressing current discrimination and then gradually move toward full legalization.
I truly believe that within the next decade or so, we will see legalization here in the States.

It feels pretty selfish to think this only affects you and nobody else. What about your moms, dads, or siblings? Do you ever stop to wonder how they feel watching you go down a bad path? You really need to snap out of it while you still can. Isn't there better stuff out there than weed? Just look toward the future for a second. One day you’re gonna have kids of your own. Would you honestly want them smoking this stuff? Cheers.

Sandra Gomez56 said:It seems rather selfish to focus only on avoiding personal harm without considering the broader impact; what about your parents, your siblings, or your family at large? Have you ever stopped to wonder how they feel watching you struggle? I truly believe we need to wake up while there is still time. Surely there are more productive pursuits than marijuana. We should all try to look toward the future, especially when we consider that one day we may have children of our own—would you really want them picking up this habit? Best regards.

I would argue that if an adult is living independently, their choice to smoke weed doesn't impose anything on their parents. If you look at how things are handled in places like Colorado, you see a different perspective entirely.
Watching us "decline"? I am honestly confused by that notion... nobody is actually falling apart because of weed, particularly when it is used recreationally. To reiterate for the hundredth time, it isn't destroying your brain, and the physical toll is significantly less than what you'd see from alcohol or cigarettes.
The only way someone actually ruins their life is if they get caught by a cop with a single joint in their hand and end up stuck in a federal prison for years—and that is where the real ruin happens. That is exactly why legalization is such a necessary step.

I honestly can't get enough of these hippies. "It won't hurt your brain." Yeah, right. Give me a break. 😍

There has never been any conclusive evidence to suggest that marijuana actually destroys brain cells. Period.

fadedtrucker19 said:That all sounds lovely and all, but smoking isn't exactly the only way people go about using marijuana... I don't smoke at all anyway, but I'm thinking about trying some edibles—maybe some hash brownies—sooner or later...

I guess I'll sign 😉

Alex Fox4 said:I mean, if an adult living on their own smokes weed, it doesn't affect their parents at all. Do you know how things work over in the Netherlands?
what kind of "downfall" are you even talking about... nobody's life falls apart from smoking weed, especially not just recreationally. It's not gonna wreck your brain, and honestly, it’s way less damaging than alcohol or cigarettes (for the hundredth time).
The only way you "fall apart" is if the cops bust you with a joint in your hand and you end up in prison for a few years... that's why we need legalization.

Are you actually sure about what you're saying???? What does "recreational" even mean? Like, "sometimes I do, sometimes I don't"? And what happens if tomorrow you decide you want something stronger recreationally? I'm not against it being legal in the Netherlands—that's a long way away—but not here in our backyard. I'm sorry we don't see eye to eye, but that's just how I feel. I wish you could just say I was right for once.