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| quote: | Originally posted by Theresa
I really don't think people have truly thought it all the way through.
Would you be comfortable having a pilot flying your plane after he just smoked a bowl? Would you think it is safe for people to be blitzed while driving (and please don't give me the "I drive better stoned" shit... ok maybe you do  but not everyone does.)? Would you be ok with half baked morons wandering around, and not paying attention to what they are doing all the time?
MOST of the population has a requirement to be productive in someway for a majority of their waking time. Either a job, or schooling usually.
Weed really doesn't do much to perpetuate productivity - in fact it usually severely hinders it. Now the gov't certainly can't force people to only use it during their off-time if they choose to make it legal. This will put the society at risk for stoners all over feeling comfortable enough to blaze at any time, including during the hours in which they should be productive. Put two and two together... you get a lot of people not doing shit all, or you get a lot of rules from institutions stating that it is banned anyway.
Since we don't really have a proper way of testing the level of intoxication from THC (like a breathalyser for alcohol), there will be mandatory drug testings, and things like driving under the influence cannot be monitored much at all.
Not to mention that weed isn't as "clean" as it once was. Weed can really fuck you up these days... and not in a good way.
Sure, legalizing it and letting the gov't control it could change that... but then you have companies adding shit to it to make it addictive, or taxing the hell out of it, or putting specific requirements on it... blah blah blah.
This is a hindrance more than it is a benefit. The cons in my opinion seriously outweigh the pros to actually legalizing it.
At this point, people smoke it anyway if they really want to, and most don't get caught, or if they do, it's a warning or a small fine. At least with it not being legal, people are taking precautions by not being fucked off their asses when they shouldn't be.
P.S. THC isn't as harmless as a lot of people like to think. |
We have laws restricting drunk driving, flying, and boating. Why can't the same be done for marijuana? Who cares if someone is half-baked? If they aren't a danger to you, you shouldn't care. Productivity-wise, are people showing up drunk all the time to work? Maybe in a very VERY few cases, but the majority of people know they should not show up to work drunk or high. Productivity will not fall. Alcohol and cars have been around for more than 100 years. Were there breathalyzers back in the 1920's, 30's, 40's etc.? No. Technology will quickly meet the demand for a device which detects marijuana on the breath or something of the sort. Marijuana is stronger today of course. But as with any cash crop, it is in the growers best interest to grow the best plant possible. No one's adding angel dust to weed for god's sake...
A lot of people, particularly the conservative kind, are scared by too many assumptions about marijuana. It's just my belief that a lot of these assumptions have no basis behind them. Is it bad for the lungs, yes. Does it impede motor skills, yes. But like the substances which are legal and used by many people, there are laws to curtail the possibility of danger caused by the drug, such as intoxicated driving.
You also have to think about the criminal element of the drug trade. Because marijuana is illegal, it is sold by black market drug dealers. Now, in many cases, drug dealers are not only selling marijuana, but also cocaine, or meth, or whatever. This helps the DEA assertion that marijuana is a "gateway" drug, when it really is not. Also, people die from the commerce of illegal drugs, when cartels or gangs battle for territory. It is just much better for society to be open and free about marijuana. Keep fighting against the hard drugs though...
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