Bellow is some more info I thought you guys would like to know to debumn your myths about why marijauna should be legal so put down your bongs and roach clips and take a read...

"Fact 1: We have made significant progress in fighting drug use and drug trafficking in America. Now is not the time to abandon our efforts.

The Legalization Lobby claims that the fight against drugs cannot be won. However, overall drug use is down by more than a third in the last twenty years, while cocaine use has dropped by an astounding 70 percent. Ninety-five percent of Americans do not use drugs. This is success by any standards.

Fact 2: A balanced approach of prevention, enforcement, and treatment is the key in the fight against drugs.

A successful drug policy must apply a balanced approach of prevention, enforcement and treatment. All three aspects are crucial. For those who end up hooked on drugs, there are innovative programs, like Drug Treatment Courts, that offer non-violent users the option of seeking treatment. Drug Treatment Courts provide court supervision, unlike voluntary treatment centers.

Fact 3: Illegal drugs are illegal because they are harmful.

There is a growing misconception that some illegal drugs can be taken safely. For example, savvy drug dealers have learned how to market drugs like Ecstasy to youth. Some in the Legalization Lobby even claim such drugs have medical value, despite the lack of conclusive scientific evidence.

Fact 4: Smoked marijuana is not scientifically approved medicine. Marinol, the legal version of medical marijuana, is approved by science.

According to the Institute of Medicine, there is no future in smoked marijuana as medicine. However, the prescription drug Marinol—a legal and safe version of medical marijuana which isolates the active ingredient of THC—has been studied and approved by the Food & Drug Administration as safe medicine. The difference is that you have to get a prescription for Marinol from a licensed physician. You can’t buy it on a street corner, and you don’t smoke it.

Fact 5: Drug control spending is a minor portion of the U.S. budget. Compared to the social costs of drug abuse and addiction, government spending on drug control is minimal.

The Legalization Lobby claims that the United States has wasted billions of dollars in its anti-drug efforts. But for those kids saved from drug addiction, this is hardly wasted dollars. Moreover, our fight against drug abuse and addiction is an ongoing struggle that should be treated like any other social problem. Would we give up on education or poverty simply because we haven’t eliminated all problems? Compared to the social costs of drug abuse and addiction—whether in taxpayer dollars or in pain and suffering—government spending on drug control is minimal.

Fact 6: Legalization of drugs will lead to increased use and increased levels of addiction. Legalization has been tried before, and failed miserably.

Legalization has been tried before—and failed miserably. Alaska’s experiment with Legalization in the 1970s led to the state’s teens using marijuana at more than twice the rate of other youths nationally. This led Alaska’s residents to vote to re-criminalize marijuana in 1990.

Fact 7: Crime, violence, and drug use go hand-in-hand.

Crime, violence and drug use go hand in hand. Six times as many homicides are committed by people under the influence of drugs, as by those who are looking for money to buy drugs. Most drug crimes aren’t committed by people trying to pay for drugs; they’re committed by people on drugs.

Fact 8: Alcohol has caused significant health, social, and crime problems in this country, and legalized drugs would only make the situation worse.

The Legalization Lobby claims drugs are no more dangerous than alcohol. But drunk driving is one of the primary killers of Americans. Do we want our bus drivers, nurses, and airline pilots to be able to take drugs one evening, and operate freely at work the next day? Do we want to add to the destruction by making drugged driving another primary killer?

Fact 9: Europe’s more liberal drug policies are not the right model for America.

The Legalization Lobby claims that the “European Model” of the drug problem is successful. However, since legalization of marijuana in Holland, heroin addiction levels have tripled. And Needle Park seems like a poor model for America.


Fact 10: Most non-violent drug users get treatment, not jail time.

The Legalization Lobby claims that America’s prisons are filling up with users. Truth is, only about 5 percent of inmates in federal prison are there because of simple possession. Most drug criminals are in jail—even on possession charges—because they have plea-bargained down from major trafficking offences or more violent drug crimes. "

(http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/demand/speakout/)

I agree with that. It is very true.

I just really think that marijuana should be legalized. We have thousands upon thousands of people in jail for possesing and selling this plant. I dont think this is necessary especially when you consider some of the ridiculous sentences these people get. We have rapists and murderers getting less time in jail than people who like to get high because of mandatory minimums. The conviction rate is over 90% in drug trials!

My point is we are putting the wrong people in our already overcrowded underfunded jails. There is no reason for this plant to be so powerful over our society. The drug war has gone to far.

here is a cool comic book parody of "A christmas carol" that is an entertaining and educational read.

fair enough Jookly, my point was that just because something is herbal, it isn't safe.

Things shouldnt have to be good for you to be legal. Infact it is just not the case.

Just to let all of insane, high, pot-heads know: tobacco and alcohol are "herbal" too. Lots of things are natural, that doesn't make it good for you. Besides, I am sure that most of the pot-heads in here are vegitarians being hypocritical.

I agree with marine. If you are going to quote the Bible, read it first and get it right. Do not use the Bible to support your point on this board, and bash it as lies on another board. That is shameful.

Legalize all of it.

Bauhaus, you are once again refusing to accept the facts. Are you stupid? Did you not read the qoute at the end? (The conclusion is probably reasonable). if you are not going to listen then facts than you will never get anywhere outside of a liberal college.

You people say that legalizing marijuana will take the thrill away and people will stop using it? This runs contrary to your belief that marijuana is so great everyone should do it, so why do you advocate this? Also tobacco and alcohol are legal and there still is a thrill with using. If you say there is not than please explain the amount of deaths that come about each year from these products?. Also for this to be a valid point I would like you to take a look at alcohol consumption during prohibition vs post prohibition. More people drank when prohibition was lifted, and more people were harmed as a result.

she's right

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if marijuana is legalized, people won't think that it is cool to do it any more.

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Marijuana is not COOL...

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Originally posted by cinderella120:
Yeah i would rather have herbal in me than have a cancer stick going into me. I believe that we should just be able to smoke. Like in Africa there is no drinking age and the teens there are all like "Why should we go out for beer when everyone can have it?"

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thats how it is in europe.

Yeah i would rather have herbal in me than have a cancer stick going into me. I believe that we should just be able to smoke. Like in Africa there is no drinking age and the teens there are all like "Why should we go out for beer when everyone can have it?"

also, marijuana is herbal and so really, it isnt as bad for you as cigarettes and alcohol...its all natural so wouldnt you rather have that in you instead of a cancer stick that WILL kill you?

i have to find myself agreeing with Bauhaus, red eyes can and will be fixed if someone goes and smokes pot.

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Originally posted by jamaica17:
if marijuana is legalized, everyone will get high and everyone will have bloodshot eyes and go into rehab.

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The red eyes can be fixed with visine or clear eyes. And if you have to go to rehab for pot, you have other issues to deal with.

if marijuana is legalized, people won't think that it is cool to do it any more. For a while it'll be like oh so cool but after a while it gets old. Like drinking and stuff, people under 21 that drink really think that they are cool until they actually turn 21 and they see that its not that big a deal.....so i say legalize it and end all the fight....people are still gonna smoke illegal or not...they walk around bloodshot anyway so it really won't make that big a deal now will it?

if marijuana is legalized, everyone will get high and everyone will have bloodshot eyes and go into rehab.

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Originally posted by marine16:

Marijauna has killed zero people? I don't think so. Why don't you give me some proof. i list one example below and can give you many more upon request. You might compare these numbers to tobacco and alcohol related deaths but that is irrelevant. The numbers are scewed because those products are legal and marijuana is illegal. As a result, tobacco and alcohol are more easibley obtainiable.

(In what seems likely to be a very controversial report, two forensic toxicologists from Oslo, Norway have recently published a paper describing six cases of possible marijuana-related death (L. Bachs and H. Morland, Acute cardiovascular fatalities following cannabis use. Forensic Science International, Vol124 (2-3):200-203, December 27, 2001).

http://www.forensic-drug-abuse-advisor.com/200201marijuana_related_deaths.htm

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are you stupid or just slow? those people could have smoked pot a week before they died, it stays in your system for up to a month. And did you not read the comment on the bottom of that article?

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COMMENT: The conclusion is probably reasonable, but there are some very significant problems with the data. The postmortem intervals were not given for any of the cases, and some of the blood THC levels were quite high, given that anything much over 3 ng/mL is considered an intoxicating level, and is rapidly cleared (less than an hour) from the bloodstream. THC is stored in the body, which means that some, if not all of the active THC detected in the postmortem samples could have been released from deep tissue stores after death. Postmortem THC concentrations are so rarely measured, thus not much is known about what happens after death. Three of the individuals had enlarged hearts, and an enlarged heart is a powerful and independent predictor for sudden cardiac death (SCD), even without the added stimulus of marijuana smoking or increased heart rate. The odds are that the 17-year-old with the enlarged heart had a form of congenital heart disease known as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy - but without microscopic examination it is impossible to know. That still leaves the other five cases where coronary artery disease was noted.

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let me say it again.. YOU DONT HAVE TO SMOKE POT TO GET HIGH!!!!!

you can eat it or vaporize it. So lung problems can be put out of the question. Keep smoking Marijuana illegal then, and legalize oral consumption of marijuana.

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Marijauna has killed zero people? I don't think so.

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I think what most people mean when they say marijuana doesn't kill people is that you can't OD on it like you can with alcohol or hard drugs.

It can completely mess up your thought processes and co-ordination, leading to death through accidents, and if you mix it with things like PCP it can cause death through central nervous system suppression/shut down, but by itself, sitting with your buddies smoking weed will not kill you.

Plus, the evidence relating to marijuana as a carcinogenic drug is anyting but conclusive, particularly as many of those studies didn't separate marijuana smokers from cigarette smokers. No doubt inhaling hot resin into your lungs can't be beneficial, but so far there is nothing to prove that marijuana smoke is as dangerous as cigarette smoke. Even if they carry the same dangers, the number of people who will die from lung cancer because they smoked weed will be far fewer than the number for people addicted to Players Light, because heavy smokers of cigarettes smoke like 20-40 per day, but heavy smokers of marijuana are more likely to smoke like 6 per day...and heavy smokers of marijuana are harder to find.

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You cant not say that since marijuana is legal in Holland and they have a lower crime rate we should legalize marijuana to lower our crime rate. The two are not related.

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Cinderella can totally say that. How much crime in North America is drug-related? By making any drug illegal you create a black market for it. When that happens then usually some level of organized crime is involved, which automatically connects drug activity with other types of crime. Also, if a drug is illegal and someone is an addict, they may be driven to do things to get the drug that would be completely unecessary if it were legal. The very fact that pot smoking would no longer be a crime would technically lower crime rates.

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Longitudinal research on marijuana use among young people below college age indicates those who use marijuana have lower achievement than the non-users, more acceptance of deviant behavior, more delinquent behavior and aggression, greater rebelliousness, poorer relationships with parents, and more associations with delinquent and drug-using friends.

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Did you ever stop to think that maybe the marijuana use came after the acceptance of "deviant" behavior, deliquency, parental problems, rebelliousness, school failure etc? Perhaps as a way to cope with these things or as just another way to rebel? It's false logic to assume that A caused B just because A and B have occured at the same time.

Of course people who use drugs will have more friends who use, they aren't going to be hanging around with DARE supporters are they? People hang out with others who are like them and share interests and habits.

Not necessarily, but still... Sunset had a point