Open Discussion:
In light of the closing of storefront Marijuana dispensaries in Los Angeles, a bigger question begs to be asked: Should marijuana be totally legal, remain a prescription, or banned completely?
How about other drugs? Where do you draw the line with what should be banned and what should not?
What, in your opinion, is the main factor keeping some drugs illegal, while other potent and highly addictive drugs such as Oxycontin make their way into the prescription drug market?
Image of No Drugs courtesy of Shutterstock
I left this out …… oops I’m glad to hear that no one has said that if mj is so bad, then we should make alcohol illegal. You have no idea how often I’ve heard that. Reality is that it’s a hell of a lot easier to keep something illegal then it is to make it legal and then take it away. (not meant to open a new can of worms) I go back to the so called “war on drugs” and how it’s not worked. It’s not worked because people didn’t co-sign it. Your example of the basement users… Read more »
@Andrew. I too am enjoying the discussion on this topic like adults. Back in the day … hippies were the calm group that simply liked chilling out. Many grew out of that stage and moved on. It really wasn’t any big deal in that most grew their own and it didn’t have anything do to with profit. Nonetheless, that generation back then was viewed as somewhat lazy with few real goals other then to have a good time and enjoy life with mother earth. LOL, just writing this brings back some funny, kinda fun times. BTW, Woodstock can never ever… Read more »
You know what they say … don’t “assume” because it makes an ass out of u and me. I assumed that there would have been a lot more responses in favor of legalizing marijuana and I’m happy to see that there isn’t. I’m impressed. That being said I’d like to comment on addictions. Caffeine and nicotine are both physical and emotional addictions. Although withdrawal varies from person to person, people still go through withdrawal. But the hardest part is the emotional. I’ve quit smoking AGAIN and the chemical is long gone from my system but the emotional is always in… Read more »
I appreciate what you’ve posted, Tom B. It’s nice to discuss this topic like adults for a change. I only had one specific complaint about your suggestions – that marijuana use isn’t a victimless crime. You see, several of my friends (though not all) were the sit in the basement with the plants, get stoned and watch TV kinds of guys. A few of us weren’t, myself included, mainly because we were involved in other mostly drug related criminal activity (see secondary deviance, above). Some of us cashed in on the big business, and our lives got complicated from it.… Read more »
From a purely environmental perspective, the production of crystal meth is a disaster. The only way it could be legalized would be to have it heavily regulated, and I think most governments would balk at overseeing the production of such a deadly drug. That’s where I draw the line.
I’ve studied the production processes of crystal meth, and there are 2 reasons it’s an environmental disaster. The first is that the chemical byproducts for the production of methamphetamine are unique to that specific process. You can’t take the byproducts to a chemical waste facility because they’ll know exactly how you got them. That means the only thing you really can do with them is dump them in your back yard. There are processes you can use on the byproducts to reclaim some of it for future use, but you’ll always end up with waste products that are controlled substances… Read more »
For more information on this topic (if you’re at all interested), read, “The Construction and Operation of Clandestine Drug Laboratories” by Jack B. Nimble. The techniques described are applicable to the production of almost any synthetic drug, and some of the processes have cross-applications in the production of organic controlled substances as well.
Wow, I feel kinda dirty now.
The argument for the legalization of “victimless crimes” including drug use, the sex trade, and polygamy (among others) can be summarized by these 7 points. These were pulled from my “Sociology of Deviance” textbook (cross listed as a Criminal Justice class), “Images of Deviance and Social Control.” You can pick your reason, but this is the generally accepted set of reasons within Sociological and Criminological circles. There are others, but they are based on extrapolations of this list. Being labeled a felon or spending more than 3 years in prison significantly increases the likelihood of reoffending, for instance, which is… Read more »
Decriminalisation at least. It’s worked great guns in Portugal.
However, Portugal has universal health care and developed an infrastructure to deal with addiction,
Americans tend to not like government programs. My fear is that blanket legalization of all drugs (as in Portugal) will not lead to any more sympathy to addicts but a boom in commercial addiction treatment. The end result will be the same as it is now, with a lot of people getting rich off of others’ misery.
Some of you know me, so I’m sure you know where I stand on this. So I hesitate going any further reading the responses as well as responding myself. All I can say is that there is a lot of misinformation that many will base their opinions upon so I will gracefully bow out of this thread which is sad simply because people have to be educated … strike that, they NEED to be educated. Having been in the addiction recovery industry for many years I’m comfortable with my view being accurate. I’ve been and continue to be in the… Read more »
I think anyone who argues that marijuana ISN’T addictive just hasn’t smoked enough, personally, but depending on the model of addiction you use (medical, behavioral, social, etc) it’s debatable how addictive it is in relation to other substances or activities. Considering the “Marijuana program” was widely recommended as an alternative maintenance program in the early days of Alcoholics Anonymous, it’s probably safe to say that if it’s not “addictive” in and of itself, it certainly acts as a substitute for other addictions. As for targeting adolescents and children, however, what is your professional opinion regarding whether the “panache” would wear… Read more »
@Andrew. It wouldn’t wear off at all, it would simply make it more accessible. Just as alcohol, there will always be ways to obtain the drug. Kids aren’t using because it’s cool, they’re using because they like feeling good. Something I haven’t seen mentioned is how mj leads to other drugs. It’s more then a physical addiction where the body feels that it needs the drug, it’s an addiction where the mind is looking for that feeling good again. I use the example of roller coasters. When an amusement park introduces a new coaster there are droves of people lined… Read more »
Yes. Regulated and taxed. And while we’re at it, OSHA and health care for sex workers and drug dealers. Make our society safer and kinder through harm reduction.
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I draw the line at who’s being harmed. If it’s nobody but yourself, it should be legal (provided you’re a consenting adult of sound mind).
Ergo, marijuana should be legal; tobacco should be outlawed (secondhand smoke). You can poison yourself all you want, but you have no right to spread it to others.
Marijuana can result in second hand smoke…
True, but it does no damage to the body. No harm, no foul.
Actually, it does. Marijuana smoke has more tar than tobacco smoke.
That depends on how it’s grown. A three week final flush cuts carcinogens by an incredible amount and makes it darn near harmless. The problem with that is that it also cuts into profit margins quite a bit, because the last two weeks of a plant’s growth cycle is when it puts on generally about 25% of it’s weight. It’s when the buds “fill in.”
Since most of what’s sold on the street is commercially grown, it’s not flushed properly. However stuff grown yourself or grown by a health conscious organics only nutter isn’t nearly as bad for you.
I think there is just something about human beings that enjoys escaping from the stresses of reality, whether it be through drugs, the imagination, media (books/movies/video games/internet), etc. I don’t know a single person who doesn’t escape reality at least every once in awhile. So what difference does it make what my method of release is from anyone else’, so long as no harm is coming to anyone other than myself? I’m talking about getting high/drunk here, and neglecting to comment on other drugs like nicotine and caffeine, because they don’t seem less like recreational drugs than others, though I’m… Read more »
*they DO seem less like recreational drugs
Well this certain parts of reality, as in this society, can be painful. But, I find reality itself quite enjoyable. In that, I find be able to soak up the sun quite nice. I find the air in my hair to be refreshing. Swimming in the pool feeling the water against my body. Smelling roses. Being in the tall grass. Listening to waves crash. Speaking to cute girls. And, climbing the mountains. I don’t find getting stoned, rotting on a couch, getting the munchies to horde, to be that great (nor productive). Marijuana induces sloth, which is why I don’t… Read more »
Agreed.* It all comes down to your statement: “So people will drink. People will smoke. People will do crack.” If people want it bad enough, they’ll get it.
*for the most part
Except what happens when society starts to fail? What happens when more people then not live an unhealthy lifestyle? Worst still what happens when those unhealthy become the overwhelming majority and expect “society” (aka those who are fit and healthy) to take care of them? What happens when the healthy become non existent? Do you believe a drugged out society can function? Nothing bothers me more then a socialist who smokes, later gets throat cancer, and wants system that pays for his mistakes…because he believes we are equal special snowflakes. There are consequences to doing drugs, but people just want… Read more »
Not that conservatives are any better believing in individual healthcare choice for simple sake of freedom. At least the conservative smoker dies on his own without society being dragged along with him.
The crazy thing about healthcare, is that it should be about health. Crazy concept.
Health is internal. Rather then about the system, which is external.
In my opinion it doesn’t matter because people who will do it will do it anyway. We have a culture and society that supports it regardless of what the law says. Laws if they do suppress will just drive it underground. Any laws that promote it just promote more problems. A society that worships hedonism is one that does drugs (not talking medicine here) for immediate gratification. It helps when society collapse around you. The momentum cannot be stopped. People demand their drugs. And, they claim it has no effects on their daily function. Even the ones that are legalized… Read more »
Then again, being healthy was never a virtue in early America either.
America, Liberal in its emancipation, will die as one.
Just a quick interjection here. Let’s not generalize what “conservatives” think. I’m a conservative and have very strong opinion based upon more then “It’s our values and traditions.” But even at that, the values and traditions have substance. So, let’s not generalize and group oif people .. okay?
The world is full of generalities. I, unfortunately, have neither the time nor the space to fill out every exception on the planet (or person who thinks they are an exception, etc).
The point of generalities is too make a general statement about the world–what you see as the norm. It is to condense a very complex world and proceed from there.
Otherwise we [ I ] would be writing endlessly.
I’m excited to see where this goes. My answer, for the most part: Yes, if we’re talking exclusively about marijuana–but with some regulations. I don’t think it should be illegal to use it or possess it, but I think there needs to be some kind of permit required to sell it. I’m open to needing prescriptions to buy it, and that’s obviously going to cause illegal drug trade–but what’s new. If it wouldn’t be illegal to possess it then it wouldn’t matter. But then there’s the question of proving that you have a prescription when caught with it…don’t know how… Read more »