You go ahead and choose what to respond to. That was all to make a point, and I think many would be hard pressed to find what is "pretty disgusting there." Considering the fact that I could have said "OMG HOMELESS GUYS TAKE SHITS ON THE SUBWAY I THINK WE SHOULD OUTLAW HOMELESS."

Passing gas is not necessarily "disgusting" but I suppose that's in the eye of the beholder. Sorry I "offended" your dainty sensibilities, perhaps I should be outlawed from posting on GC, hmm?

Personally I commend people who choose to go outside to smoke rather than smoking inside. They're not endangering any children/pets with prolonged exposure to second hand smoke.

You running past =/= prolonged exposure. It does not affect your health. Sorry you get a headache but scents triggering headaches also =/= a health risk.

As a runner, perhaps you should run along less crowded streets. Just because you run doesn't mean people don't have a right to use legal controlled substances where it is legal to use them.

<snip>

And why is that? Shouldn't they have that right to smoke inside. Especially if it's below 0 outside.

ETA: and I'm not the one offended by your comments, but you seem to be offended by mine. Do you smoke pot?

Here are a couple of questions running through my mind about potential problems with legalization in only California:

1. Would it cause problems with enforcing the ban in neighboring states?
2. What is the likelihood that someone would go to a "coffeehouse" in CA then get behind the wheel and drive home to neighboring states?
a). What would be the effect on the traffic accident rates for interstate traffic?
b). How would it affect interstate commerce?

Obviously as someone who doesn't use and probably won't even if it were legal, I don't have a huge invested interest in whether or not it's legalized. However, I don't like when legal controlled substances have different rules between states.

There's nothing stopping me from driving to a Casino in Michigan, a concert in Wisconsin, or a gas station in Indiana. If I can live my life based in one state but visiting several states fairly regularly, how can we expect pot smokers to all live in California?

Well I guess you feign offended pretty well, then.

I think when I said "because they're not endangering their children or pets to prolonged exposure" I covered that pretty well. It's a choice that's their right to make, and bully for them for sacrificing themselves so that their kids don't have to deal with many of the the longterm effects of their addiction.

ETA: Whether or not I smoke pot is none of your business, but since I've already posted it, no I do not. Haven't you already been flamed for point blank asking people questions that are none of your business before?

Fine.

I still don't agree with any of your statements.

And now a word from Mr. Mackey:

http://www.quizilla.com/user_images/...esSPMACKEY.JPG

Oh. QED huh?

I almost used that same video as my sig. Good group.

I personally could give a sht if they make it legal or not, I'm still going to get it and smoke it.
Agreed. Making it legal isn't going to change a thing, at least nothing that's a major change. Sure, you'll have your accidents, but I've seen some idiots getting into accidents just because they don't know how to drive.

No offense, but your post on this issue suck. Here's why. You're pissed because you don't want to smell it and you think it effects your health, because of that you want to keep it illegal. If that's the case, then make transportation illegal too. Cars and buses effect your health too, because you breathe in the pollution daily.

I agree with some of this, but most of your comparisons are pretty shitty. Do you bust your ass in pubilc or while you're at work? Why or why not? Trying to make a point by comparing a natural bodily function to smoking really didn't get your point across. I agree with some of it though and that's because I smoke it.

Anyone else who smokes it should get four going at the same time.

The tobacco companies lied that's why they were losing law suits.

Yes I would say a reference to farting would be a shitty comparison, LOL.

hahahaha good catch. Still would like to know. Would you bust your ass in public?

This.

I'm tired of pot smokers and dealers taking up all the cushy spaces in our prisons because of ridiculous mandatory sentencing policies. I'd much rather save room for murderers and rapists who should be serving sentences far longer than they are right now due to space constraints, wouldn't you?

True story: in college, when I took summer school at U-DUB, we had to write a paper on a legal issue that impacts local and federal government. I chose the legalization of marijuana. Cheerfulgreek, I don't want to hurt your delicate sensibilities, but you really have to grow up. POT is not what is killing America. There is actually no statistically significant data (at least there wasn't when I wrote my paper) proving marijuana causes any long-term health problems. Alcohol, tobacco and prescription drugs cause far more damage.

California, Oregon and Washington already legalized marijuana growing and use for medical purposes. The only problems I've ever heard involving it are when the police "bust" a growing operation that they think is illegal but actually turns out to be licensed! I'm not sure why you think increased access to pot would equal increased use - that certainly is not the case for cigarettes! It reminds me of the old argument that giving kids sex ed and condoms promotes promiscuity, which we know is false.

Everyone I know who wants to use marijuana uses marijuana and this has been true since high school. I honestly don't think use will increase.

So there was this interesting documentary in 1999 about the "drug wars" and how it was started, basically on a logic fallacy.

While there is no medical relevancy to smoking marijuana (yet), it does have pain relieving effects for people who do suffer chronic diseases who cannot take their narcotics.

Tokkeing up is not the issue here... There are laws in place for DUI, inappropriate selling, like the RICO statues, and illegal transports. Let the other states put their laws in place. And as far as smoking indoors, it can occur in gaming casinos and places that have the huge HEPA filters.

When I was visiting family in SoCal and was at one casino, I was playing this penny slot that was "paying out". Ding dong girl sat next to me and lit a cigarette. Now, while I don't mind folks smoking, doing it right next to me was rude and I was winning on my machine. Why should I leave? Fortunately, her machine took her money and she left. I was fine with that... But within 30's my throat hurt after she lit her butt.

The thing about cancer sticks is the crap that's added to them...

The worst that can happen to your weed is someone or some animal urinates on it...

And in casinos, ALL areas are the smoking section, even in the "non-smoking" section... Just like Paris, France...

What's QED?:confused:
Zephyrus, if that's how you feel about my posts then that's o.k. I don't take offense to that. o.k. so you smoke pot. Who cares? I couldn't care less. For all I care, do acid, smoke crack, LSD, sniff cocaine, do whatever...I don't care, it's your body. Just do it on YOUR property or in YOUR OWN home. That's all I'm saying.

Some of you are a lil' too young to remember this:

Nat E. Dred

Nat E Dred 2

CG...the only thing I would like to point out about your last statement is thateverythign else you just mentioned is either addictive or deadly (usually some fo those goes hand in hand), marijuana is not. Thus the big argument about legalizing it especially as someone so abundantly pointed out earlier with govt's slowly enacting laws for teh cessation of smoking of cigarettes.

Yes, there is a certain anger that comes out about people who smoke weed even stereotypes and to a point I feel the same way but eventually the govt is going to have the final say so on what to do about the herb....

couldn't care less

Carry on, folks.

Daemon, I see your point, but if the govt. wants to make it legal, that's fine. If people want to get high, then sobeit, just do it at home.

o.k. I get it.
I don't want to talk about it anymore.

All tobacco products should be smoked in a basement in the middle of nowhere.

I feel the same way about alcoholic products.

People have to be responsible...

They have the right to drink but they have to be responsible for any actions incurred by their drinking.

If marijuana becomes legal I am sure that axiom will stand as well.

And, there are a lot of places where you cannot have an open alcohol container. Many parks, etc. ban alcohol. Just because it's legal doesn't mean people are going to be smoking it everywhere and anywhere.

I think the strongest arguments for legalizing it are:
1) Being able to regulate what people are actually getting. When you buy from someone on the street, you really don't know what you're getting.
2) It's another "sin" that would be taxed and therefore would be a revenue maker for government.
3) Our penal system is busting at the seams and it seems like a better use of resources to focus on those committing violent crimes or crimes against society.

I've said before that I pretty much ascribe to the idea that if it doesn't infringe other people's rights, it should be legal.

Those who say that marijuana is not harmful to your body though are fooling themselves. There is plenty of research that shows that it's harmful to the lungs, brain and liver. My next door neighbor died of liver failure related to his marijuana use. The liver has to filter those toxins, just like it does with alcohol. He wasn't a drinker, but his liver was overtaxed because he smoked a lot of marijuana. We're talking a few joints every day.

A medical marijuana proposal did pass on the November ballot in Michigan. Some folks with Crohn's Disease feel it helps their symptoms a lot. I think if I got really really sick again and a doctor suggested it, I would try it for that. I'd rather not get that sick again though :)

Here's what the National Institute on Drug Abuse has to say about marijuana: http://www.nida.nih.gov/infofacts/marijuana.html
Looks like there's still no positive evidence that smoking pot leads to lung cancer, and the effects on the brain and heart appear to be only acute so far. I've never read anything linking pot to liver damage, and I think it would be difficult to prove...not saying it didn't happen in your neighbor's case, AGDee, I've just never heard or read that before.

It goes right back to what she was saying...

It depends on what was in the weed he was smoking!

HEH!

There's also plenty of research out there showing that it's not all that harmful. Obviously breathing in smoke into your lungs isn't the healthiest thing....I understand that. I researched this topic extensively in college and pretty much every major analysis that I drew from stated that, while pot can pose some health risks....the risks are nowhere near those associated with cigarette smoking and drinking alcohol.

As far as liver problems.....my research indicated that even in subjects that had Hep C or cirrhosis of the liver....marijuana was not found to facilitate the liver's deterioration. I'm not calling you a liar by any means....but that is honestly the first instances I have read/seen/heard of where a death was solely blamed on marijuana use.....and as far as I know, there are still zero documented cases of an overdose. You'd basically have to smoke 1000+ joints at once, and even that is a debatable number. Some say it's higher.


.......This is why vaporizers are good to own, especially high quality ones like a Volcano. No smoke, no carcinogens...only THC filled air vapor.

I don't know if this was ever mentioned, but another reason to legalize it (which is actually decriminalizing it, I don't think it can be completely legalized...you can still get a ticket in the Netherlands, I believe), is that it eliminates that connection to drug dealers. Now kids can buy pot from drug dealers and then say....so what else do you got? Buying hard drugs from a guy you don't know much about pushes people away.

I myself don't smoke pot but I use to like other drugs.

People on both sides need to realize that there are benefits to both legalization and prohibition.

Economically: I feel that in a time of economic downturn it would beneficial to begin to regulate, tax, and commercially grow marijuana here. It is the number one cash crop in America and our government is receiving zero revenue as well as spending a lot of money to imprison marijuana drug offenders (I believe that this makes up 40% of all prisoners in jail for drug-related offenses.)

Crime rates: As previously mentioned, the number of prisoners would be drastically reduced and there would be a decrease in gang activity because they would not receive funding from marijuana sales.

Effect on youth: As the law stands today, it is just as easy for a 16 year old to purchase marijuana as it is for a 21 year old or a 40 year old- and sometimes easier due to the networking opportunities provided by high schools. Many young people die in dealing with drug dealers and street gangs, I personally knew two people who were viciously murdered over a drug deal. http://drugreport.wordpress.com/2006/08/02/98/ If Marijuana were legalized, high school students and other underage groups would most likely go through an older sibling or use a fake id to purchase it- much like alcohol today.

Effect on public health: Assuming that marijuana usage would drastically fall with legalization, (a disputed topic) there would be public health risks associated with smoking such as increases in lung cancer and DUI deaths. I feel that the tax revenue received from taxation would cover the public health care burden and that revenue would also be used to train police officers to identify when people are under the influence of marijuana while driving. I feel that most public places would ban the smoking of marijuana because of the health risk (especially to children.)

[hijack]

So my folks visited Maui and all we got were these lousy T-shirts, one with a marijuana leaf on it. My brother and I asked my dad if he knew what that was, and he didn't... Then, my brother said it was marijuana!!! Shocked, my dad said he liked the leaf and they were kind of put off by the fact they didn't know what the "kids" know these days...

[/end hijack]

It's easier to jail them and use them for cheap labor than it is to send them to school. Jail is big business. ;)

Plus if it were legal to commercially grow it here it could cut down on some of the trafficking behaviors over borders, although it wouldn't stop it completely, considering they still have other drugs AND trafficking people is big business.

Weed farming.....hmmm...and what's to stop them from smoking up all the profits?

LOL

Tee hee

I am just worried that I get splashed by the nasty bong water...

Really, it will wreck havoc on our public health system because we are on the brink... You think that peanut issue was bad... Let a bunch of pot growers grow their crops and not manage it public health wise properly... It won't just be a some bug issue, but a fungal or insecticide issue...

That doesn't mean that we cannot do it, because weed tends to grow anywhere in a greenhouse with UVB lighting and monitored by hydroponics. There is some new plastic recycled netting product that helps these plants grow.

People who smoke the weed still have to be monitored because THC narcotic is just a different beast. The pleasure centers in the brain are initially heightened, then wane over increase "smokage". People with chronic diseases, have a differing effect that is not understood other than it alleviates pain. That still does not mean you can be like "Uncle Joe" smoking it while on oxygen!

Has anyone else here seen the British movie Saving Grace, with Brenda Blethyn and Craig Ferguson?

Great movie

One of my favorite parts of it, showing the harms of marijuana: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AX4C4ntPy6Q