Marijuana.

Drinking irresponsably hurts people, who does drinking responsably hurt? Smoking pot irrresponsably hurts people, does smoking pot responsably hurt people, and how?

No no... I never said that you can't believe that smoking, etc are morally wrong. I'm just saying that when you prevent me from making my own decision about using such substances (i.e. making these substances illegal to consume), you overstepped your boundaries. Because then whose moral code are we to follow? Vegans believe it's morally wrong to consume animal products. Illegal meat and milk! Jehovah's Witnesses do not accept blood transfusions because they believe it goes against God's teachings. No blood transfusions for anyone!

You are welcome to hold whatever opinions to want, and no one says you have to condone anything. This is a hypothetical discussion... if you were in charge of the laws, would you make marijuana legal? The question is, do you think the government should determine its citizens' moral code, or do you think people should be able to decide for themselves (when the only party involved is the individual, of course)?

Enlighten us on how an individual smoking pot to relax or for a buzz or because he's really had a rough day in his own time in his house without going out for a drive or anything like that is hurting other people? Pot doesn't make you into a crazy berserk monster, it makes you really, really mellow and very hungry.

But I personally don't see a problem with alcohol or smoking weed as long as it's not in excess; I'm a firm believer that anything in excess is wrong.

Just like everything in life, moderation is key. I think the issue with opinions such as Tessa's is that they have a dillusional perception of what pot/drinking does to you simply because they don't have experience with the drug. Pot isn't like other drugs, if you do it in moderation and in the appropriate situation no one is getting hurt.

I think we've had enough of picking on one person's opinions... let's move on.

Not really a question but I still wouldnt mind a response from Mellisa_W.

I know I was questioning her opinion but an answer would still be appreciated.

I think it's great that you feel so strongly about not drinking smoking or doing drugs. I felt a lot like you when I was in HS. I graduated in 2001 without ever smoking or drinking to fit in with my friends.. but as my lifestyle changed and I grew and saw different people, places, and situation.. my mind changed about the ideals that I held so long.

I realized that my ideals weren't really what I thought they were because I hadn't seen and experienced enough to judge it. Now I'm not saying that someone SHOULD do something that makes them uncomfortable or experiment with drugs. I experimented with pot and I can take it or leave it. I think certain people just have more addictive personalities than others and those are the ones that get into trouble.

I have tried it in the 70's, wasnt impressed by it at all. My brother enjoyed it, now in his 40's still smoking it and basically a burn out. I married a guy in my early 20's. We lasted 3 years. Now in his 50's he still smokes it and he's a burn out. His brother is a burn out. Thats long term effects of a harmless drug. The problem is to many people dont do moderation. Its like drinking, some are able to, but an awful lot of people dont know when to stop.

If they ever made it legal it should be for home use only.

Oh, please excuse me then. I took it the wrong way.

In that case, if you go pretty far back into this thread, I believe I have actually said that it is probably best that it IS legalized.

I have nothing to prove to you. I am confident in my own opinion and I do not need your approval to be confident in it.

Either way, I think I've already said all that needs saying. So, the rest of you can fight this out.

a common misconception when one smokes pot that they all become burnouts, my friends dad smokes, and he still runs a golf course and just led a massive remodeling of the back 9 and handled it pretty well, not at all burnout, weed doesn't hinder anything i do, if anything it makes whatever you are doing seem easier, like when i smoke it's like my mind clears, i wouldn't be able to concentrate on writing a paper, my mind just keeps bouncing around all over the place making no sense, but when i smoke, WHAM, the planets align, confeti falls, baby jesus comes out of his crib and blesses me with the power to accomplish any task, whether it involves writing a paper, or digging a basement with a machine, marijuana is there.

I couldn't agree more. YES some people turn into burnouts .... but I have a sneaky suspicion that they would still be lazy bums to this day without the pot

My step dad smokes pot and always has. He is not a burnout. He is a maintenance man for an apartment complex. At his age that kind of work causes him a lot of aches and pains. Pot helps relieve some of the pain especially when advil does nothing for him.

I like it because it helps me sleep at night. I have a terrible sleep disorder, what is the difference between smoking a joint and taking regular sleep aid medication that really DOES run the risk of a CHEMICAL dependancy? Pot helsp me get to sleep and sleep through the night. of course I still have the occassional night where I can't sleep but that is better than not sleeping every night like it used to be.

I used to know a guy that suffered terribly from ADD. He was a terrible student in highschool because he just could NOT concentrate even though he was very smart. In college he tried smoking pot. He was able to focus on the task at hand without drifting off to other things. His grades went up and he was a better student all around. he only used it when he needed to be able to concentrate.

My brother smokes pot before he plays hockey (he is a goalie). he says it gives him such a clear perception of what is going on on the ice. now he is a good goaltender with or without the pot but when he has had just a little puff before a game it clears his head.... calms him down.... and allows him to "see" the puck. He doesn't over think his movements. he just focus' on the puck.

P.S.- and NONE of these people are burnouts. They all hold full time, successful jobs. Have families. A nice clean house.

As Denis Leary said "smoking pot doesn't lead to other drugs..... it leads to carpentry." that makes me laugh because it is true sometimes LOL you will come up with some wierd and wacky ways to put things together or to make your own "smoking device" LOL

There are are some universal wrongs, such as murder, incest, etc. Otherwise, every culture has their own set of morals that a majority of the population adheres too. But these norms differ from country to country or culture to culture.

Even in our own country there are many moral issues that are relative to the individual.

For example, some people think it's wrong to have sex before marriage. Others disagree. Some people think it's wrong to eat meat. Others disagree. Some people think it's wrong to be gay. Others disagree. Some people practice polygamy. Others think it's wrong. Some people think it's okay to smoke pot. Others do not. I could go on of course, but I'm sure you get my point. One side isn't more right than the other. I'm vegetarian, I think it's morally wrong to eat meat produced by factory farms. I'm not going to try to force you to be vegetarian though, because I realize that morality is relative when it comes to many issues.

Anything in excess is harmful .

ive smoked and i still do. i have alot of friends who smoke also, being in highschool at the moment. i think it depends on how you use it. i used to smoke everyday but have come down to just using it whenever im out with friends. it doesnt mess me up socially or academically. infact the valedictorian at my school also smokes pot.

advertisements and some people say false things about marijuana. i think it is alot safer (if not the safest) drug there is, in my opinion. i dont drink and i see how people act when their under the influence of alcohol.
i think it should be legalized and taxed.

ive seen people smoke for their first times out of bongs and hate it. i wonder why... marijuana also helps me sleep. now, i mainly smoke before i go to sleep, that is if its indica.

there are two types of marijuana. indica and sativa. indica is the one that gives you that tired couch-lock feeling. on the other hand, sativa is the one that gives you that more upbeat, "i wanna go out and do something" feeling. smoking helps me concentrate more. i can be working out in the yard or fixing, and weed helps me concentrate alot more on one thing. it also helps alot on my creativity. weed brings out the music, i can smoke and then listen to music or watch a video and easily know/feel what its about.

then, there are the ones who abuse it and give it a bad name. i hate drug dealers and the ones who smoke it excessively and cause problems. i get my bags from friends.

i also dont smoke to get away from reality. people shouldnt think that why people smoke. there may be a few who do that but whatever. marijuana is alot safer than alcohol.

and people who spend all of their money to get marijuana are stupid. i think i spend more money on munchies than weed.

No, not all pot smokers will become burn outs. Moderation is the key. The problem is, some dont know what moderation is. What I might think of as moderation, someone else might not. So who decides? During the 3 years I was married to my first husband, his smoking pot was every night and it wasnt just smoke a joint and go to bed. In the course of the night with his friends coming over (my brother included), these guys would smoke a few joints. The night would leave a group of guys stoned out of their minds. My old neighbor smokes pot (she's my age) and no, she's not burned out either. The key is moderation, but like some people who drink, they don't know when to stop. Some people start their day drinking and continue all day until they finally pass out, then start the next day the same way. My ex didnt start his day smoking pot, he went to work but as soon as he got home he started smoking, his night ended in the kitchen at 2 in the morning then he'd go to bed.

Long term use does have effects on a person. If it's legalized, do you really think people will smoke it only when the babies are in bed? I use to take my daughter out on the porch where she and I would watch the cars go by because my husband didnt think there was a problem smoking it in front of her. He'd say when she's older he'd stop smoking in front of her. I just find it hard to believe making it legal could ever be a good thing. They would smoke more of it because they wouldnt have to worry about being caught with it, buying it would be no problem so they wouldnt have to worry about getting caught buying it, or finding it when they are out.

I dont think these people should be shoved in prisons just because they were caught with pot. I dont find it to be a big crime. It's a dependancy in my book. Some smoke so they can sleep at night. Without it they'd be medicated. My ex is a brillant guitar player. His brother has to smoke it before going to their family dinners or out in public to control his temper. For some its just a social thing. In this town you will see the long term effects of the heavy pot smoking. You see intellegent people who wasted their brains on getting stoned night after night, year after year. As far as I'm concerned, I dont care who smokes it, that's their choice. I'll never change how I feel about it, and will always find it sad to see young people wasting their life on that kind of life style. Some will be fine. SOme will still have great careers and do just fine, but some will lose themselves. I'm not putting down anyone here who smokes. Like I said my brother does. He and I are still close. I just wish he never ever would have choosen the life he did. It's sad seeing the effects it all had on him. I dont no what the answer is. I dont think legalizing it is the right thing, but at the same time I dont think throwing them in jail is the right thing either.

See this is where PERSONAL responsibility comes in. Not all drinkers will become alcoholics but some do. Who decides then what is moderation and what isn't? The person doing it is who. If you become an addict it is no one's fault but your own. people CHOOSE to drink, people CHOOSE to smoke, people choose how much they should or shouldn't have. Of course, Pot does not have the same "addictive" qualities that alcohol or other drugs have. You do not develop a Chemical dependancy on pot. You may be addicted to the way it makes you feel but you don't go through withdrawls the way you would with cocaine.

You say if it is legalized it doesn't mean they will only smoke when the kids are in bed. That is true however, it being ILLEGAL doesn't guarantee that either. people drink while their kids are up, people smoke cigarettes around their kids. it happens all the time, it sucks but we can't save the world from themselves.

PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY!!!!!!!!! No one should say what is moderation and what is not. YOU must control YOURSELF. The person doing it must be in control of themselves. if they can't control themselves then it is no one else's fault.... it is theirs. Legalizing it doesn't make it MORE available... it just makes it more regulated. They did a study in the city I am originally from. I am not positive how they conducted this study but it stated that no matter where you were in the city you wouldn't have to walk more than ten minutes to find pot if you know where to look. Legalizing it regulates it, If regulated and if you buy it from a regulated source you don't run the risk of getting anything laced with a stronger drug, you don't run the risk of getting between a bad drug deal, etc etc. Legalize it, regulate it, tax it.

Let me ask you this.....

Do you think it is OK to drink around your children? Do you think it is OK to smoke cigarettes around your children?

Why tax it?? Why do people insist that the man gets a cut of every aspect of our lives?

To answer your question Sparks, I rarely drink so that has never been a issue. I quit smoking many years ago, my kids grew up in a smokeless home, I just took up the habit again a few years back, so now I have grandkids. When I'm around them I go outside to smoke. When we have company that are non smokers I go outside to smoke. I HATE to see people smoke in cars with little kids or in homes with little kids. I hate going to resturants and while were sitting in the smoking section, seeing people come in with their kids. How stupid! It makes me uncomfortable smoking then.

The question was asked what our thoughts were on this topic, I'm simply saying how I feel and why I feel this way. No one else has to agree with me. I believe what I believe. My ex husband's two best smoking buddies died in their 40's of heart failure. Neither smoked cigs, neither did hard drugs, they just got stoned all the time. My ex is not in great health, he's never smoked cigs a day in his life, was never a drinker. Just loves his pot. As for my views, I was the one who lived 3 years with a guy who if he missed a day without his pot was ready to come unglued. When faced with having to decide on buying milk and food for our 2 year old and his pregnant wife the pot won every single time. Its not all good. There is a negitive side to it. I've not only seen the bad side of it, I lived it for 3 years. What is wrong with letting people know the other side? And why on earth do people get so huffy when someone has a different opinon on a subject?

And one more thing, how will they tax it? Around here people grow their own. Think they'd be honest and pay taxes on it?

Do you think it will ever become legal if the man doesn't get a cut?