Would you vote to legalize pot today?

[diamondseeker2006]

I am definitely not into any kind of drugs and never have been. An occasional glass of wine is it for me.

But I am going to have to say that alcohol is the most devastating drug I have personally seen as far as ruining people's lives or killing people. I cannot say that I know of anyone's life that has been ruined or anyone killed from the use of mj. I see more people out there abusing prescription pain pills, for that matter.

I certainly think medical mj in pill form needs to be available for appropriate medical use. I am not terribly sure I'd want it completely legal for recreational use, but I would like to see possession of small amounts decriminalized. Surely we have more dangerous criminals to concentrate on catching.

 

[kenny]

... I would like to see possession of small amounts decriminalized.

Glad you mentioned this.
If it's okay in a small amount why is it bad in large amount?

If the answer is a large amount means you're dealing it ... uhm ... again if it is okay to have how is anyone going to get a small amount if no seller can have a large amount?

I'm not picking on you D2006.
I hear this inconsistent thing about small and large amounts all the time.

If using is okay but selling is not where are people supposed to get it?

It doesn't make sense.

 

[ksinger]

... I would like to see possession of small amounts decriminalized.

Glad you mentioned this.
If it's okay in a small amount why is it bad in large amount?

If the answer is a large amount means you're dealing it ... uhm ... again if it is okay to have how is anyone going to get a small amount if no seller can have a large amount?

I'm not picking on you D2006.
I hear this inconsistent thing about small and large amounts all the time.

If using is okay but selling is not where are people supposed to get it?

It doesn't make sense.

Because if the goal is to regulate the sale of pot, then like alcohol, you don't allow just anyone with a pulse to sell it on the street corner.
Society (to the degree that we even have one anymore) gets to determine who gets to sell it and where. You don't expect to buy a bottle of wine from some dude selling it out of the back of his van do you? In fact, that is probably illegal in just about all locations. It should be the same with pot when it becomes legal.

 

[kenny]

... I would like to see possession of small amounts decriminalized.

Glad you mentioned this.
If it's okay in a small amount why is it bad in large amount?

If the answer is a large amount means you're dealing it ... uhm ... again if it is okay to have how is anyone going to get a small amount if no seller can have a large amount?

I'm not picking on you D2006.
I hear this inconsistent thing about small and large amounts all the time.

If using is okay but selling is not where are people supposed to get it?

It doesn't make sense.

Because if the goal is to regulate the sale of pot, then like alcohol, you don't allow just anyone with a pulse to sell it on the street corner.
Society (to the degree that we even have one anymore) gets to determine who gets to sell it and where. You don't expect to buy a bottle of wine from some dude selling it out of the back of his van do you? In fact, that is probably illegal in just about all locations. It should be the same with pot when it becomes legal.

Thank you.
Sorry I didn't make it clear but I was referring to the past when it has been illegal, not the future when it may be fully decriminalized.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Sometimes I think this world would be a better place without alcohol. I am in no way saying or minimize the danger of alcohol. Prohibition didn't work. It's out there, like others said, it is part of our culture. I don't see it ever being outlawed so I guess I don't really think about the possibility. So I guess I see it as a separate issue. I do think alcohol is the most dangerous drug available. A meth addict will, with time and sobriety, recover but wet brain is a sad, sad thing to witness and I have. And half life doesn't matter once when one stays continuously drunk or high. But the responsible drinkers I know, count their drinks, space them out, and don't drive if they have more than a couple within a few hours. Not sure the same can be don't with THC since it effects one's brain for so long. As for prescription medications, I sure wish doctors knew more about addiction and prescribed SAFER medication first. We actually had to send a patient to the ED, which was across the street and owned by the same hospital so they had a report from our charge nurse and access to her medical records, for an ovarian cyst and she ended up on a morphine drip. Huh?!? They KNEW she was coming from our facility and that she was an alcoholic. Prevention, education, and treatment. That's where I wish our resources would go. As for tobacco, I am not a fan, but at least people don't crash into each other b/c of the effects of nicotine. Now that places where I live are smoke free (work, schools, restaurants, airplanes, etc) I guess I don't really care if it is legal. There are lots of ways people hurt themselves and shorten their lives but if it doesn't endanger me or my family I don't really care either way.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

As for tobacco, I am not a fan, but at least people don't crash into each other b/c of the effects of nicotine. Now that places where I live are smoke free (work, schools, restaurants, airplanes, etc) I guess I don't really care if it is legal. There are lots of ways people hurt themselves and shorten their lives but if it doesn't endanger me or my family I don't really care either way.

I kind of wonder about people smoking cigarettes while driving... I know this is a bit off topic, but doesn't lighting it, flicking it, etc., take their eyes off the road?

I do agree about alcohol. I also love beer (won't turn down a good IPA ) but still it's ruined a lot of lives and people making idiots of themselves.

I think pot can be a good thing for many people and bad for others. Anyone who's sick should have the option to try it, though, especially when alternatives are hard pain pills or medications that can cause extreme weight gain. It should be looked at as a medication because it changes the brain, so I'm in the camp of it being a medicine, but I did vote to legalize it because here anyone can get an RX anyway.

 

[iheartscience]

It should be legal, taxed and regulated. And will be within the next couple of decades, I'm sure. I don't smoke pot, and legalizing it won't make me start, but it will keep a lot of people out of jail for minor offenses.

 

[aljdewey]

As for tobacco, I am not a fan, but at least people don't crash into each other b/c of the effects of nicotine. Now that places where I live are smoke free (work, schools, restaurants, airplanes, etc) I guess I don't really care if it is legal. There are lots of ways people hurt themselves and shorten their lives but if it doesn't endanger me or my family I don't really care either way.

T, I think it's funny how differently people can see these things, because I do think that people using tobacco does impact (and potentially endanger) other people. The sole question asked on many health insurance forms is "do you smoke?" because of the unwieldy drain on resources that impact the entire system and ultimately all of us.

While smokers may not directly affect my health, their need for healthcare can place an undue burden on the healthcare system and supporting industries that may make it more difficult for me to get affordable and reasonable access to healthcare myself (and potentially my family). While the danger may not be as directly causal as being hit by a drunk or high driver, it could still impact and potentially endanger me. What if ER staff cannot provide care to my (hypothetical) acutely ill relative because they're tending to a smoker who is coding and arrived at the ER before, and my relative does not survive waiting for care? What if my relative cannot afford adequate healthcare because the premiums are out of reach as insurance companies try to manage the burden of caring for smokers?

 

[aljdewey]

Overall, for me, I think the question would be "is this substance (whatever it is) something that can be used moderately without being abused?"

I am able to enjoy alcohol (a glass or two of wine here or there) without abusing it, even with a strong legacy of alcoholism in my family tree. I recognize there are people who can use alcohol without abusing it, and there are those who cannot.

Is the same true for MJ? Is it possible to use it moderately without abusing it? I'm actually asking, because I have no idea myself, but I do wonder if it's possible to moderately use it (just as some people can drink socially).

 

[monarch64]

It should be legal, taxed and regulated. And will be within the next couple of decades, I'm sure. I don't smoke pot, and legalizing it won't make me start, but it will keep a lot of people out of jail for minor offenses.

This is the most concise articulation of my own thoughts/feelings I've ever read. Thanks, Thing.

I really think it should be legalized, and we should tax the shit out of it. Take all those tax dollars and pour them into health care.

 

[Sky56]

Pot could be used moderately, I've known people who use it in moderation. But, I've also known many people (including myself) who used it compulsively, in large quantities, daily...for years. I am a "all or nothing" kind of person...I have to be a teetotaler for all things inebriating...or be someone enslaved, addicted to chasing that beguiling, momentary pleasure that drugs give.

Thank God I quit pot and other drugs in the mid-Eighties. I am one of those who was unable to control myself. My history with it goes so far back that I was a daily heavy user when I was still a virgin. And I was a "gourmet" about it - I liked the strong stuff, the sinsemilla, Thai stick, hashish - the stuff that one or two puffs puts you into orbit.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Al, you bring up a good point about tobacco. I guess the same can be said for high caloric foods. I would say 90% of my patients do smoke. Probably 50% are overweight or obese. Hurt people don't do the best job taking care of themselves. To answer your question I think any drug can be used in moderation. The problem with THC is, even in moderation, it stays in your system for SO long. I have no doubt it will be legal in my lifetime. I don't like that but I guess I should embrace job security.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Overall, for me, I think the question would be "is this substance (whatever it is) something that can be used moderately without being abused?"

I am able to enjoy alcohol (a glass or two of wine here or there) without abusing it, even with a strong legacy of alcoholism in my family tree. I recognize there are people who can use alcohol without abusing it, and there are those who cannot.

Is the same true for MJ? Is it possible to use it moderately without abusing it? I'm actually asking, because I have no idea myself, but I do wonder if it's possible to moderately use it (just as some people can drink socially).

Yes, I think it can be used in moderation. We have to consider that there are many people who have addiction issues so regardless if it's pot or other habits, such as shopping, which for most, we buy clothes when we need a couple of outfits or want to update our wardrobe, etc., but then there are the people who max out all their credit cards and buy so many clothes that they have unopened bags piled up and that clearly is an unhealthy addiction to those individuals. Some people are have to be addicted to something so it's about the person, not the substance...if a person gives up one addiction, do they suddenly have NONE or do they replace it with something else? Two relatives of mine were heavy drinkers and when they gave that up, both became born again and all their conversations are about that. Now, they have a different addiction...

It comes down to the individual and they tendency to have or need habits to get through the day.

 

[Maria D]

Is the same true for MJ? Is it possible to use it moderately without abusing it? I'm actually asking, because I have no idea myself, but I do wonder if it's possible to moderately use it (just as some people can drink socially).

Yes, most definitely. I can use marijuana, and alcohol for that matter, moderately. I hate the feeling of being really stoned or drunk.

Potato chips and nutella are another story. No control whatsoever!

 

[msop04]

This is a very interesting thread, and I have enjoyed reading everyone's posts, regardless of their feeling regarding pot. My opinion is that MJ should be made legal -- in any amount. Do I think it's dangerous? It can be... but so can any other mood-altering agent. My reason for wanting it to be made legal is that, frankly, it affects my pockets. Instead of insisting on this ridiculous "War on Drugs" that we've clearly been losing miserably and spending millions, if not billions on... why not use common sense?? MJ could be manufactured, regulated by the FDA (like any other drug), sold legally and TAXED. That's a huge source of income that our country so desparately needs, not to mention drastically cutting jail expenses.

Now I know the next thought for some would be, "...well what about our children?? Do we need to put them at risk? What about those who will abuse the h*** out of it if it's legal??" To that I say that those who seek to be high, drunk, etc will do so, regardless of legality. I would much rather the product's ingredients be controlled and regulated than not. To those who have the strong belief that MJ is a "gateway drug, " guess what?? SO IS EVERYTHING ELSE. Those who have the genetic predisposition for addiction will always push the limits, they will always seek the feeling of that "first high," whether they do it with alcohol, MJ, heroin, meth, or daddy's Rx meds...

I can't remember who posted about the half-life of MJ as compared to EtOH, but this is correct. MJ is lipophilic (fat loving) and will hang around in the bloodstream longer than EtOH. However, the impairment levels are very different. Even though a person may test positive for MJ, it doesn't mean that they have been impaired longer or more severely than the person who got drunk. It literally just means that metabolites of MJ are still present in the body and we have a test that can detect them. I am a pharmacist and have done residencies in both inpt and outpt abuse clinics. In school, we are not taught based on feelings or opinions -- only data. I would say that I know the chemical tendencies and how they can affect the body very well. (I better, right??! ) I can honestly say that from the studies I've analyzed, as well as IRL experiences I've witnessed, alcohol abuse is much MUCH more devastating than that of MJ -- physically, emotionally, and socially.

America needs to get off it's high horse, admit defeat, and take some positive action on what we CAN do -- regulate. I truly think a lot of the hold up is that our government doesn't want to admit that we've lost the "War on Drugs," and we will never win... People are going to partake in MJ if they want -- we can't stop it, but we can be more responsible regarding it's use.

This is just my opinion, of course.

 

[msop04]

Regarding testing, there is a drug screen that will show metabolites of alcohol in the body for up to 80 hours after ingestion. It's called ETG. Like with marijuana testing, someone may test positive for alcohol, but that does not mean that they have any level of impairment whatsoever.

 

[Demelza]

Al, you bring up a good point about tobacco. I guess the same can be said for high caloric foods. I would say 90% of my patients do smoke. Probably 50% are overweight or obese. Hurt people don't do the best job taking care of themselves. To answer your question I think any drug can be used in moderation. The problem with THC is, even in moderation, it stays in your system for SO long. I have no doubt it will be legal in my lifetime. I don't like that but I guess I should embrace job security.

But why is this a problem and why would it impact someone's ability to use marijuana in moderation? My understanding, and the poster above confirmed it, is that it doesn't matter that THC stays in the system longer than other drugs since it doesn't mean the person remains impaired for the length of time it takes for the drug to leave the system entirely.