If you're going to push that 'wrong+wrong' bs you're going to have to proove quantitaviely why cannabis is 'wrong'.

Youthnoise, legalizing cannabis would do a great deal of good. It would remove the crminal element (gangs, etc) from the market and make the product legitimate and safe. Do you see gangsters 'slanging' cigarettes ?

You still failed to show any proof that cannabis is as harmful as you suggest. Cannabis is less harmful than legal drugs such as caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine, yet it remains illegal due to various 1930s propaganda intended to strike at immigrants and african-americans.

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YouthVoice,
Two points:
A) What do two wrongs have to do with anything?
B) I am just saying that if it was legal, the companies that made it would be known about by the government and probably more trust worthy.

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A)Making it legal; wrong. People smoking mariguana; wrong. Therefore, making it legal so that people could smoke it, would not be right.
B) I can see what you mean, mariguana in the streets may have other chemicals. I only agree with making marijuana legal for medical purposes, but not for people to just get high whenever they feel like it. I don't see how making it easier for people to attain mariguana would be any good.

YouthVoice,
Two points:
A) What do two wrongs have to do with anything?
B) I am just saying that if it was legal, the companies that made it would be known about by the government and probably more trust worthy.

Then show us scientifically backed evidence supporting your opinion rather than unbacked rhetoric, please.

I don't agree that marijauna should be legal. It is true that even though it is illegal people still use it, but two wrongs don't make a right.

It's okay. This has happen before so I am use to it.

Ah. Sorry for taking issue with your post then. I cannot disagree with 'know thyself'.

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Have you heard of personal accountability; ie an individual is responsible for their own actions, the society or government does not need to make their descisions for them.

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I didn't say that people aren't responsible for their own actions and I didn't say that the government nor society needs to make descisions for them. All I wanted to say, is how do you tell when a person is able to control their actions and when they are not. How do you know when a person is able to not overuse this or anything for that matter and when they just go too far? You really don't know and I don't know, but I think that's the problem. Not the drug or anything like that. It's the people and them not knowing what they are getting into and thinking that they will have total control when they end up not having it.

Samantha, your sources are not scientific. Those sites are rhetoric based anti-drug media campaigns. Please cite medical studies if you would like to prove any of the things you've said

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it can screw with your memory/kill brain cells

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Incorrect. This study, performed in 2002 says that
"cannabis-associated cognitive deficits are reversible and related to recent cannabis exposure rather than irreversible and related to cumulative lifetime use." ie there is no brain cell loss/damage.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12412835&dopt=Abstract

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damage your lungs

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Only if smoked; vaporization and eating are also popular ingestion methods.

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damage your immune system

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"Disturbance of immunological and hormonal functions and long-term impairment of memory, attention, and complex cognitive processes are low"
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=10575282&dopt=Abstract

Article discussing cannabis's anti-cancer effects:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=11269508&dopt=Abstract

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lower sperm count, give you higher risks for inferity

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Neither has been proven in a valid scientific studies; they are scare tactics that have been around since the 30's. Also consider that Rastafarians constantly smoke cannabis and are certainly not unable to reproduce, for example.

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among women, lower libedo/sex drive

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Haha, I have made the aquaintance of several ladies who would CERTAINLY disagree with that.

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or in some cases make you halluninate

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Cannabis is not a hallucinogen, except in very large doses of eaten cannabis, and when one prepares a brownie containing sizeable quantities of herb, I assure you that individual would be intending to hallucinate.

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Now how can we tell who has the well power, control, and knowledge over the drug and who are complete and total idiots? Now that is the question!

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Have you heard of personal accountability; ie an individual is responsible for their own actions, the society or government does not need to make their descisions for them.

I think it should be legal becasue people are smoking it anyway.

I'm not sure but I think my views has already been stated by someone out there in the large cyber world of this wonderful organe site but it won't kill you to hear it one more time, right?

People do marijuana with or without a law in hand so I see there's no real point into getting into the issue if it should be legal or not. It's easy to get the drug and people aren't really afraid of the cops or the drug itself. So people will use it but the thing that makes it wrong is the certain people who use it. The ones who "think" they could control themselves or think they won't get addicted. However, they add up getting addicted and abusing the drug and ruining it for everyone else who does have well power and knows better not to overuse it. Don't overuse anything in life. Too much of something isn't good for you and too much of drugs can really mess you up. It's not the drug that is the problem, it's the people who used them. That's what I think. Now how can we tell who has the well power, control, and knowledge over the drug and who are complete and total idiots? Now that is the question!

*hops into thread offering her two cents*

Yes, marjiana is potentially harmful. While it's not certainly not life threatening, it can screw with your memory/kill brain cells/damage your lungs (like ciggerates), damage your immune system, lower sperm count, give you higher risks for inferity among women, lower libedo/sex drive, or in some cases make you halluninate (sp)

http://www.ecureme.com/emyhealth/natural/n_marijuana.asp

http://freevibe.com/Drug_Facts/mj.asp

But yes, it should still be legalized. Because people do have a right to harm themselves as long as they are not hurting others (thus as long as they smoke in their own private homes I see no issue). Besides, drug selling on streets causes violence and gives money to not so nice people, while it could be used to fund rehab programs. (there's a new idea...)

And marjiana isn't physically addictive (unless it's mixed with another drug (which often happens when something is illegal...). But it can be emotionally addictive. In everyone? Of course not. In some people? Yes. But..it should be thier decision.

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You're right. Logic and science are not my strongpoint. Experience is what shapes my judgement.

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Well, arguments are not made of hopes and dreams. Even PHDs who make claims need to back any anecdotal evidence that they've gathered in their far more than 16 years with copious amounts of research data that correlates with their claim. You have no even attempted this; your claim lacks supporting premises.

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no illegal drug should be legal

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That is known as circular argument and is fallacious, hence of no merit in a setting such as this. As I've shown through my posts of research, statistical data, logical reasoning, and anecdotes, cannabis is far safer than any other commonly used drug, including alcohol(which is PHYSICALLY addictive, commonly overdosed on, and proven to kill brain cells), tobbacco (which has been directly linked to cancer and heart disease deaths as well as various other unpleasentries), and even soda (which over time acidifies your blood pH level and weakens your bones and organs). Cannabis is not physicaly addictive, cannot produce a lethal dosage (one would need to smoke several tonnes of cannabis within an hour to receive a toxic response, whereas one raw potato may well kill you), has been shown to combat the development of tumors in test subjects, etc.

It is not illegal out of any concern for your health. If you care about the truth and not just 'being right' you might want to look up information on Harry Anslinger, the interests of his relatives in DuPont, and his need for a new careeer following the end of alcohol prohibition.

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I dont know why I still bother debating this issue with you as you are like some sort of wall that magically aquired a negative IQ and hearing disabilities.

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You can belittle my intellect all you want I really dont give a s***.

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You are unable to support your statements with logic and science so instead you choose to go off on tangents that make no sense, perhaps to villify your sense of self-righteousness.

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You're right. Logic and science are not my strongpoint. Experience is what shapes my judgement.

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Tylenol is a drug, to name one, but there are many more. Should they be illeagal? Because if you want tons of people to die, I guess thats a reasonable request.

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Maybe I instead of saying "no drug should legal" I should have said no illegal drug should be legal. Happy?

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Now I'm not just going to be talking about marijuana. There are others things that can be "ingested" that the government frowns upon. Why, you ask? Because it is just a natural response to protect people from things that can harm them.

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It is not the role of the government to manage your body and your affairs; that was neither the intention of the founding fathers or our better presidents. As Abraham Lincoln put it best,

"Prohibition works great injury to the cause of temperance. It is a species of intemperance within itself. It goes beyond the bounds of reason. It attempts to control man's appetite by legislation and makes crimes of things which are not crimes. Prohibition laws strike a blow at the very principles upon which our government was founded.  "

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And some people just dont have the common wits to protect themselves.[/qhote]
Then it is the responsibility of their family and friends, not a legislative system, to keep them out of trouble. Cannabis is far safer than jail, in anycase; why does jailing individuals who do no harm ot other make sense ? You claim

[quote]Its better to do it that way than to wait for someone to die before making these laws.

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Now, don't muddle the issues, kid, because nobody has ever died of cannabis and this IS a cannabis discussion.

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I've never done a drug in my life and surprise surprise I'm one of Alaska's top artists at 16.

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Are you suggesting some sort of correlation between lack of drug use and art skills ? If so, you might want to talk to my friends Lewis Daniel Armstrong, Salvador Dali, Arthur Conan Doyle, Edgar Allen Poe, etc. Cannabis or even hard drug use does not preclude creation of masterful works.


So your argument is that since:
People will die if it is legal because everyone is much dumber than you,
You're depressed
Politican love us
It is the role of our public servants and not ourselves to tell us what to do.

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it shouldnt be legal.

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Not very logical premises in themselves, let alone in their task of supporting your conclusion that cannabis should be illegal.

I dont know why I still bother debating this issue with you as you are like some sort of wall that magically aquired a negative IQ and hearing disabilities. You just muddle any issues with your emotional whining about how people don't deserve choices and freedom. You are unable to support your statements with logic and science so instead you choose to go off on tangents that make no sense, perhaps to villify your sense of self-righteousness.

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No drug should be legal including alcohol.

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At one point in history alcohol was illeagal. It was a hectic time, because alcohol is a celebratory drug that many people enjoy. Also, are you including medical drugs? Tylenol is a drug, to name one, but there are many more. Should they be illeagal? Because if you want tons of people to die, I guess thats a reasonable request.

First of all i never said anyone could OD on marijuana. I was just commenting on your statment about what the government tells us what we can and can not ingest.

Second, I was not trying to be funny at all. I dont remember cracking a smile when I wrote that.

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"Why do you believe that the government has any say in telling you what you can ingest anyway?"

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Oh, I'll tell you why.

Now I'm not just going to be talking about marijuana. There are others things that can be "ingested" that the government frowns upon. Why, you ask? Because it is just a natural response to protect people from things that can harm them. And some people just dont have the common wits to protect themselves. The people who come up with these laws are not mindless vermin. They have families and friends they wish to protect and they spread the same "tough-love" to the rest of the country. Like over-protective parents, you'll hate them now but you'll thank them later in life. Its better to do it that way than to wait for someone to die before making these laws.

I'm probably the most depressive person at my school. I hate my life, I hate being around people, I hate being depressed, I barely utter a sentence throughout the day, I stay locked up in my room when im not in school, and I still dont see any reasons to do be involved with drugs at all. Its a pointless hobby that produces nothing to be proud of. I've never done a drug in my life and surprise surprise I'm one of Alaska's top artists at 16. So no it shouldnt be legal. No drug should be legal including alcohol.

If you dont like these laws barring you from whatever it is you want to ingest then that's just tough. They wont be changed for a very long time. So just move out of the country and save the government a s***load of headaches.

Logical thought processes and debate are essential to the resolution of a claim regarding any given topic and are hence nessecary in supporting ones claim as well, straightedgekid; nobody is getting pissy(well, i'm not).

*hisses like a cat then scampers away* Wow you people get serious on these boards! Sheesh!

Earth, that is a retarded metaphor worthy of only you. Cannabis can't be od'ed on in anycase. Please answer my question, "Why do you believe that the government has any say in telling you what you can ingest anyway?" instead of dodging it with a failed attempt at witticism.