I don't have an issue with it. It's safer than alcohol. There are more alcohol related problems in this country than there are problems with pot. It should be legal in every state, just put a high tax on it.

I don't think it's a valid comparison because marijuana is not legal so a lot of people don't use it. A lot of people are subject to random drug screens which will show that they've used marijuana in the last few months and they can be fired for using it. That's a deterrent for a lot of people.

The availability is also very different. I can go into any convenience store, 7-11, grocery store, etc. and buy alcohol. I don't have a clue how to purchase marijuana.

If it is legal everywhere, available everywhere, and employers stop caring whether the individual uses marijuana, those numbers may change.

My ex-husband had to do a drug test for his job. He told them he uses medical marijuana (he's in California) and they said it shouldn't be a problem. I was worried about what "should" means. But he clearly would have failed that part of the test and did get the job. So possibly, and I don't know, there is a (and I think valid)sliding scale on importance of some drugs over others. Plus, he might have gotten himself a pass by fessing up before the fact.

And by the way, it has been both a godsend and a destroyer in his life. His MS is in virtually complete remission (although he's also been doing some extensive chiropractic rehabilitation so it's hard to say which thing had the most impact) and he is off all pain meds, and that was a substantial amount. Also, he spends his entire life in his mancave, has no friends, no social life, no fun and will probably end up unemployed and homeless. So yeah, yin/yang.

It would completely be up the company's discretion, just as it is with nicotine. There are several employers in Michigan who won't hire someone who tests positive with nicotine.

Quite frankly, his remission might be just as due to Paris Hilton wearing a pink dress as it is to anything he did. MS is one confusion making mf'ing disease. That's my experience, anyway.

Re legal pot, everyone will get over it once they realize legal pot is to illegal pot as Miller Lite is to moonshine.

Why isn't it a valid comparrison? At one time alcohol wasn't legal either, and it wasn't easily obtainable at your convenient store like it is today. You can get fired if you come to work drunk just as you would for failing an illegal drug test.

Make it legal, and then you would be able to have access to it like you would alcohol. I would think it would be like buying cigarettes. They should sell it in packs and then tax the crap out of it. Big revenue.

Zero tolerance work policies make as much sense as zero tolerance policies at schools. If you have managers with brains in their heads, they are equipped to see whether that drug use is a problem.

Some drugs (not marijuana) are probably in that zero tolerance category. If one of my employees tested positive for meth or PCP, they'd be out the door post haste. Marijuana? I'm not going to worry about what they do on their free time.

That said, this is a forum about Greek Life, so anyone who is reading this, this is not my endorsement of active chapter members consuming illegal narcotics.

Who** gets to determine which (currently illicit) drugs are good versus bad? There is data to support the good and the bad. And since most marijuana smokers aren't doing so for a medical condition or religious purposes, why is their desire to get high more "individual rights" than people who want to use PCP?

Tobacco (smoke and chew), alcohol, and other leisurely "indulgences" can be used to illustrate individual rights including the right to ruin your life. If people want to smoke weed, enjoy yourselves regardless of whether the weed is raw or mixed with other stuff. I truly am not opposed to freedoms. But stop acting as though you're using the unequivocally "harmless and helpful" substance. LOL. That's all.

**I think it was the former governor of Minnesota(?) who was on CNN last night warning Colorado about what the federal government can randomly do without warning. This also ties to letting states and employers operate without the control of the government. Which gets us to the debate regarding when the government should step in and which powerful people's opinions matter regarding this. For instance, some people want the government not to control their company profits but they want the government to control uteri and marriage. How convenient.

The Feds need to legalize marijuana. I've always been against legalization but with the states slowly legalizing it I see nothing less than legal nightmares down the road if the Fed Gov keeps their current laws in place regarding MJ.

Jane Velez-Mitchell on HLN just asked whether everyone in Colorado is high. That made me think of BAckbOwlsGirl's post.

I don't know why it was illegal in the first place. I hear and read about all kinds of alcohol related deaths, but I haven't seen any kind of MJ issues like I've seen in alcohol. Somebody who has never consumed alcohol can try it, have too much of it, and die from alcohol poisoning. But a first time user of MJ is just going to get high and hungry as hell. Some of the laws are ass backwards. For real.