Forums / Off Topic / Legalizing Marijuana

would be the price of pot would then drop so low. due to over saturation of the market, that it would'nt be worth it, and don't think the government is'nt making big money off of " illegal" drugs as it is. Why don't they want the same kind of legal drug policy as Canada???...there's no profit it it.

does not seem to be hurting bud, miller, coors, etc.
jim beam, jack daniels, wild turkey, etc.
thunderbird, boones farm, etc.
phillip morris, winston, camel, etc.
You can bet your ass every government entity down the line is cashing in on these.

That seems to work out okay, wit the government taking a large slice out in taxes. As I understand it, big tobacco already has trademarked the names they would use should pot become legal.

yep, a few tweaks on the old lucky strike non filter equipment , big money in the short run.
Respectable profits in the long run.

read a book by the name of "The Emporer Wears No Clothes".damn right the feds make plenty of money with it being illegal.companies like Dupont and DOW chemical were both behind marijuana becoming illegal in 1934.not to mention oil companies going back to that era as well.These companies make damn sure the feds still get their cut of the money even to this day otherwise things might have already changed.research has found that many of the chemicals made from oil and made by companies like DOW and DuPont can be made from hemp oil.guess who had everything to lose by weed staying legal?I am against drugs.I am not against a dried plant being used for medicine and many other things.Even for me,back in my late teens and into my 20's I found that cigaweed helped me with my bronchial asthma and my severe allergies.none of the current meds do anything close to this but with a wife and kids I just cant bring myself to toke it up anymore.i dont want to put their lives at stake.

I always loved smoking dope. Makes you feel good, you don't get the "beer shits", you don't have a hangover the next morning, sex can last for hours.
If presently illegal drugs were legalized, they could be taxed, which would add billions to the coffers of states and the federal government (a similar argument was used when Prohibition was overturned).
I don't use marijuana now, and haven't in years. When the penalties became horribly over the top, I quite. I never had the desire to go to prison just to prove some point, or to "make a statement". The possibility of such a penalty is, however, the only reason I don't use it.

and cigarettes for the better part of two decades (neither of which I do anymore, beer and high power weapons is my game now..lol...JK!). My company instituted a no drugs, random testing thing back in 99' so that was the end of that. I really don't see smoking weed as a big problem to society like blow, meth etc. I never commited any crime (except getting high) nor did anyone I ever knew, to support my "habit" if you will.

On the other side of the coin, I watched my ex-wife go to jail, loose everything that she ever had (including two children and a good husband) and have to leave the State because of methamphetamines and warrants for her arrest.....My older brother's life went down the shitter on coke back in the 80's, fortunately he pulled out of that "tail spin" with much help from my dad, pop shipped him to NM to live with my sister among other things. Alex is an Executive chef at Glen Lion resort/community here in UT today making a 6 digit income.

I guess that my point might be that drugs in general are a bad idea, even pot is very hard on the lungs.

I have with your argument about legalizing and adding millions or billions to the coffers...it doesnt' matter how much money you add though, haven't you learned anything yet about governement spending? There is already too much money in DC...they waste it, that's the point, so using more tax money for the government off of drug sales...well, I think that is absolutely the worst way to go! As for any drug or alchohol...overall they are all bad ideas. After you legalize marijuana, do you think it will stop there? There will be studies showing cocaine, moderately used is not harmful...then someone will push for that and so on and so forth. I just think it's a bad road to go down. On top of those things, then there is the undermining of parents authority. As you stated ecaman...the only reason you don't use now is because it's illegal and not worth doing time. Well, that is a tool a parent can use on their children...the narrative of people going to prison because of drugs, parents are being bombarded these days and their influence over their children is being decayed...this will further push that agenda. In addition, a lot of lost job opportunities with drug use too...many job test, including the one I just got, so I would be out from consideration if I came up positive on my urinalysis. Just my humble opinion.

Pot got me into serious trouble when I was younger. I was lucky that it wasn't worse. It was part of the drug culture back then in the 60's that DID lead to worse things. I messed up a pretty promising career over it. But I changed my environment, got away from the crowd, and managed to get out of it. It's not that pot is evil incarnate; it's just that it isn't good and, IMO, saps your strength and will to do better with your life. With pot (and any drug) it's all about me. Plus, there is no doubt in my mind that meth, coke, etc. are very very bad news and mess up lives even worse.

Looking back on it, I have to say that it took a long time for me to understand what 'the character of a man' meant. I let myself become self indulgent with pot, to the exclusion of things like duty, honor, and self-restraint. I bitterly regret my own behavior. I'm happy with where my head is at today, but it took way too long to get here. Knowing what I know now I would 'just say no' because it simply is not worth it.

all in all I believe that I would have done much better in life had I not started smoking pot, it makes one lazy and attracts the wrong kind of friends and wives. My bro got me high when I was 12, I really don't blame him for the most part, if not him somebody else. I quit for the 4 years that I was in the Coast Guard and then started again after I was discharged, shame on me!.......It is hard to think how things might be different today had I pulled my head out...

As a father of 3, I agree with Pkato's argument about undermining parents authority, we have damn little authority anymore. In my situation, I have much more "powerful" tools to combat the problem....Remember what happened to your mom, etc.?? She want's to pretend that it never happened (I would be ashamed as well), but the fact is that it did happen and everyone saw it and it needs to be a lesson to our children.

of this post was to make people think, and if so inclined, to comment.
Mission accomplished.
I do believe it is going to be at the forefront of our society for a while.
All eyes on Cali and Colorado.
I have not made a firm commitment to either side yet.
Thanks for the input, but I'm still on the fence.

one that gets you (us) thinking! I will be 41 at the end of the month and I have no desire for getting high anymore, nor would I wish this apon my kids. I see all kinds of problems either way the law goes, so whatever happens happens, it is what it is!

I too wanted to see if people would respond. They did!
Drugs certainly cause problems, but most seem to be because they're illegal. Small time dealers, even small time users get in lots of legal problems.
I've always had a problem with prohibitions on social behavior, whether it's alcohol, drugs, prostitution, or whatever. I just don't like legislating morality. I detest the "moral police" who want to look down their blue noses at people who don't behave the way they think they should. I don't believe that they have the right to censure the behavior of others. It's not that I'm still a '60's hippie/beat or whatever; I've felt this way all my life.
There are things that we shouldn't do, because of the damage they can do, but I feel that most of these things are OK in moderation. The problem seems to be in keeping them in moderation.
Also, if all the damage were done only to those who abuse various substances, that would be fine. The problem is that so many of the abusers hurt others, both physically and emotionally.

I for one was quite surprised at the number of basically"pro pot" people here.My main thought on pot is that so you smoke a bunch of shit,eat a bunch of shit,dont remember a bunch of shit.wasnt no killin,robbin and such anywhere in there!

Also very hard for me.. Ive deleted and started this over four times, this is my last attempt, it brings up memories of a time in my life im not real proud of.. The bottom line... I don't know..

I can tell you the one time i didn't want to fight was when i was stoned, and a Prison yard is about as safe as an old folks home if the Inmates have refer..

That being said i could smoke if i wanted to from the time i retired.. and Nope not going to happen.. All of Hamp, and Schuyler's comments apply to me.. That being said i don't think it causes half the issues as Alcohol.. The addiction level is about the same as Megan Kelly, and it already is the largest cash crop in a number of states so its pretty foolish that we;

A) Don't make money on it..
B) Insure Criminals do..

I also have a real problem with "moral police" .. We all have to make our own choices, guess it's the slippery slope it would put us on..

in Mass. if youre caught with less than an ounce it a $100. fine but get this if you're on the street walking and they catch you all you have to tell them is I don't have a ID on me and you can give them whatever name you want. That said.
Cons
It takes another tool away from the police in a stop to be able to search a vehicle/person.
It is a addiction, that could lead to harder drugs.
Most prople who seem to smoke it are just plain lazy and never seem to want to make anything out of themselfs. Makes them alittle to mellow.
Pros
Treat it like alcohol no one under 21 is allowed to buy it and tax the hell out of like cigaretts and alcohol. Strict fines/jail times for anyone selling it to a minor.
Don't know of anyone ever getting into a accident and killing someone or starting brawls because they were stoned.

I personally don't get into either drugs or alcohol, thats my descision I believe on getting high on life and setting a example for my kids. Hard to tell your kids something is wrong as they are watching you do it. Now I'm no saint I don't mind a beer now and then I just don't let things control my life or use them to escape my problems. Well besides scratch tickets and buying guns.