transquebecniece Posted April 12, 2005 Report Share Posted April 12, 2005 You American by chance? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> What the hey does that have to do with ANYTHING?! No offense, CapK, but make it all legal and you just sit back and watch how many MORE scores of people need a little special "coddling," here, there or ANYWHERE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jesse Posted April 12, 2005 Report Share Posted April 12, 2005 In order for there to be "organised crime," it must first be illegal. By having pot illegal, you're fueling the criminal ellement, don't you see that??? Jesus, it's not that much of a stretch. Wow if only we had known that the entire criminal element in this country could be stopped by merely legalizing pot. Its obvious in a discussion such as this one side will never convince the other of there opinion. But perhaps some of you are right and we should legalize drugs and instead concentrate our efforts on hunting down and making accountable all those intent on slaughtering us by the tens of thousands with proscription drugs and medical errors in hospitals.(sarcasm) No im not american but that doesnt matter as on both sides of the border people have the right to an opinion. Your probably right i might need assistance or someone in my family will one day.But i have the right to my opinion as much as anyone else does, so i will agree to disagree. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jesse Posted April 12, 2005 Report Share Posted April 12, 2005 And no i dont have those numbers on drug deaths but we cant really call each other on that one since nobody has put up numbers on prescription drug deaths either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jesse Posted April 12, 2005 Report Share Posted April 12, 2005 I knew when i made my last post someone would find statistics to prove me wrong. I find it disturbing that despite being legal, alcohol consumption killed 85,000 people in the United States in 2000 and was a contributing factor in 16,653 of the 43,000 motor vehicle deaths and 435,000 people died in 2000 as the result of tobacco use. Now let me get this straight some posts so far have suggested that if drugs were legalized like alcohol and tobacco it would drastically reduce the current problems associated with these drugs. hmmmm lets see according to those statistics in the year 2000 17,000 people died from all illicit drug use, and a total of 520,000 people died from legal alcohol and tobacco. So what appears to be working better for keeping people alive the war on drugs or legalizing. Now that im playing with the big boys i wont have to point out the obvious that comes out of those statistics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helilog56 Posted April 12, 2005 Report Share Posted April 12, 2005 Now that im playing with the big boys i wont have to point out the obvious that comes out of those statistics. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> :up: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jesse Posted April 13, 2005 Report Share Posted April 13, 2005 Well i was including all drug use not referring only to pot, and your right i dont think they would come in droves looking for it but is there not the potential for drug use if legalized to become over time as large and wide spread of a problem as alcohol. If a kid breaks into your truck for money to buy weed how is legalizing going to change that he would still need money for those drugs legal or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jesse Posted April 13, 2005 Report Share Posted April 13, 2005 Capt. Krusty i agree there must be a better way to do things but i just dont think legalizing would be that better way. About abolishing slavery and womens right to vote as examples of idealistic ways that some didnt accept just like we dont accept legalizing drugs, hardly comparable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ray Posted April 13, 2005 Report Share Posted April 13, 2005 Comparing the US and Netherlands. http://www.drugwarfacts.org/thenethe.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skidz Posted April 13, 2005 Report Share Posted April 13, 2005 Been following this thread, and there are some very valid points on both sides. Here are my comments: 1) I once dated a graduate student who's research was on the potential health risks of legalizing "soft" drugs like pot. One of the conclusions of the study was that it is impossible to define accurately the long-term effects on health by these drugs as the current illegal status of these prevents researchers from conducting wide-ranging and long-term studies on them. This being said, there have been documented cases of mouth, throat and lung cancer in people who regularly smoked marijuana and it's derivatives and didn't smoke any other substance. The hypothesis was that smoking anything, be it tobacco in any form, marijuana, crack, or tree bark on a regular long-term basis could cause cancer. 2) I don't think the health risks associated with pot or any other drug for that matter are an absolute justification for rendering it's use illegal. If this were so, cigarettes, alcohol, and all heavily processed foods sould suffer the same fate, as all of them are as bad if not more so than soft drugs like pot. We live in democracies on both sides of the border, and just as we have freedom of opinion, as evidenced by these forums, we should have freedom of choice in our vices. Legalizing or not legalizing pot is a social issue, not a health issue. 3) The Netherlands does not have a higher level of pot consumption among it's population because it is legal. Kids will always be attracted to anything taboo. Just as with tobacco, alcohol and premarital sex, parents hiding their heads in the sand isn't the solution. Personally, if had kids, I'd rather see them smoke the occasional joint than see them develop a pack-a-day nicotine habit. Most kids (including myself back in the day) will "experiment" with things like pot, mush and ecstacy. The vast majority don't develop life-long habits and addiction to these. How many of you have spent most of your adult life trying to kick the nicotine habit you picked up in grade school or high school ? 4) Addiction is a disease. Not tobacco, not alcohol, not dope. A person with addictive tendancies will get addicted to whatever they can get their hands on (take the Davis Inlet kids, for example). Treat the disease... 5) Legalizing marijuana and controlling it's distribution and sale, as is the case with alcohol and tobacco, allows the state to collect taxes that can be used to offset to a degree the social and health costs that are already there today as a result of marijuana use. Put in place the same rules, and sure, you'll always have people who'll try to make a profit outside the law, as is the case with alcohol and tobacco. Repress these people. By and large, users will go get their bud at the "Pot Store", just as the vast majority of smokers and alcohol consumers obtain their products from legit outlets... My 2 bits... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helicopterjim Posted April 13, 2005 Report Share Posted April 13, 2005 Don't forget that driving to work is more dangerous than flying and neither one should be illegal! Alcohol is a drug and I'm a drug addict! Someone arrest me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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