ADN

weed will never be legalized, it's too hard to monopolize (immortal technique said that). do you think he's right, is that one of the main reasons?

Eh, it may not ever be legal to have in bulk quantities, but they are already legalizing a personal amount...

imho... weed should be legalized. it makes no sense whatsoever to keep it illegal.

I do not believe it will drive more youngsters into trying this out. As it is enough persons are trying it already. With pot being surrounded by a shroud of illegality, they are much more close to the really dangerous drugs out there. Which makes the nonsense "stepping stoned theory" a self-fullfilling prophecy.

I have done enough weed in the past and doing so I have been really close to the other drugs: crack, heroin, cocaine, speed, lsd, xtc. A good friend of mine continued down that line and is still regularly having treatment. If we would have been able to buy it legally, we would have not had access to all the others.

Also, weed is less harmful than alcohol - or even tobacco. You can stop weed in the blink of an eye. You can not quit smoking or drinking that easily.

Well, I'm an old guy with an old guy's attitude toward this subject, so this argument is nothing new, but maybe a few of y'all aren't aware of these facts.

First, the fact that hemp (and by extension marijuana) is illegal in the U.S. has absolutely nothing to do with its narcotic qualities and never has, ever.

Hemp was outlawed in the U.S. in 1937, and William Randolph Hearst was one of the major ramrods in making that happen. Why? Because Hearst was in the newspaper business, and he also had vast timber holdings in the western U.S. As most of us know, hemp yields five times the paper fiber per acre that timber does, and it's a higher quality fiber. Essentially, Hearst was protecting his investment.

Also in 1937, a product called nylon was invented, which as we all know is a petroleum-based fabric. Similarly, Dow Chemical was a major supporter of anti-hemp legislation. Why? Because essentially, anything that can be manufactured from oil can be manufactured from hemp (yes, that includes motor fuel, oils, and plastics) but of course the environmental risks are considerably reduced with hemp. "Big Oil" didn't want the competition, so along with Hearst, Dow, and others, American industrialists bankrolled the legislation to outlaw hemp.

The idea that marijuana is a "gateway" drug is complete BS.

As George Carlin said, "Mother's milk leads to heroin, there's no doubt about it. In fact, mother's milk leads to everything!"

Aint that some shit..

Surely weed couldn't replace oil though...Could it?

The fact that anyone can grow it indoors pretty much takes care of of your chances of becoming a tycoon.

reasons simply don't matter anymore. at this point it will most likely never get outright lagalized simply because it is now more an ideal than anything else. We all know its illegalization is a joke, but over the last several decades it has been beaten into the masses that weed is simply a bad thing, and questions are not asked nor are they accepted. Weed is no longer just weed. It is now all lumped in together along with every other illegal substance, to become a representative scapegoat that gives the ignorant an excuse why crime, slums, homelessness, and unemployment are simply not their fault.

anything that can be manufactured from oil can be manufactured from hemp (yes, that includes motor fuel, oils, and plastics) but of course the environmental risks are considerably reduced with hemp

^^^I really need to know if this is true...if so, is it cheaper than using oil?

bump..

You know, a year ago I would have been against decriminalizing it. That's not to say that I support it now, though. I just don't care. It's not an issue that is important to me.

A year ago I would have listed all the negative side affects of smoking, however, if I were to do that now, I'd be a total hypocryte. Why? Simple: whenever I go out to the bars, I go with the intention of getting completely shit faced.

It's true that marijuana fucks up your judgment and your coordination, you can't deny that... but you should see him at 2 AM when the bars close. I'm literally hanging off of my friends.

So, I've just become indifferent toward the issue...

As for the government taxing it... are you kidding me? You're damn right the government would start taxing it. Hell, they're charging over $8 for a pack of cigarettes right now. That's about $10 or $11 American. For a pack of smokes!