Some things I just don't understand. What do you all think about legalizing marijuana? I am not for it, but I guess I understand that there are benifits to it medically.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,139840,00.html

I don't really know where I stand on this issue to be honest. One day I am for it and the next I'm against it. I understand it has medical benefits that could help many people. I think, today anyway, that it would be ok to legalize it.

I think the article was talking about legalizing it just for medical use, but if you do that you might as well make it legal for everyone. I mean if you think about how many people already smoke it now... it wouldn't really change the number of people who use it. I personally don't think it's any worse than alcohol, and that's legal. It would also open up some room in prisons and what not for "hardcore" criminals instead of having to build new ones so it can hold marijuana offenders as well...

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Originally posted by SGreen84:
I don't really know where I stand on this issue to be honest. One day I am for it and the next I'm against it. I understand it has medical benefits that could help many people. I think, today anyway, that it would be ok to legalize it.

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Not sure where I stand either, all I know is that it makes me get the munchies, and I get really quiet, and very red-eyes!!

Yep, that was a very long time ago, and regardless of what Clinton said, everyone else that tried it inhaled!!

The thing that bugs me is that any drug has a long term effect on people if they make a constant habit out of it. So when these folks that are legal to smoke pot are submitted to a hospital five years later for brain decapitation guess who gets to foot the bill? The taxpayers.

Plus we can't even stop it when it's legal, so how the hell are we going to stop it when it's illegal. Who knows though; maybe it will increase the cost from dealers, and slowly have some adverse economic effect in the drug community.

I look at POT as a drug and should be condidered as such, not if it is needed for the medical benefit then it should be used in the hospital till it is no longer needed. But I do think it should be regulated by the states and not the federal goverment.

Joe, I think it would decrease the number of users if it were legal. I can refer back to CG's sig line that I commented on not too long ago. His tag line is:

"The trick in life isn't getting what you want, it's wanting it after you get it."


I think this applies in this case too. Once it's legal and you can have it, not all of the users will want it as bad. I feel alot of them like to do it because they aren't supposed to be.

Many Natural substances are "Very Good" at relieving or eliminating Disease as we know it ,most of us are not Qualified to say if something is (Good or Bad)our Government and Drug companies would lose $Billions of Dollars if treatment was with something that just grew "Naturally" some where .Think about that for a minute
cures that were from Nature .?Did you know that a Great many of the Drugs we use to Cure are a Direct or Synthetic
derivative of naturally occurring substances???
Legalize marijuana ,Maybe ,maybe not ,many different varieties ,would the Government supply full strength or weaken it ?????
I have a 41 year old daughter that suffers from MS (Multiple Sclerosis)and is in Severe pain!!!!!!! Would not think of marijuana as a pain killer ,her words.
Had a Policeman in our area shoot himself to Death recently due to severe pain from MS.
Cocaine at one time was "Legal" and is used in Medicine today, still , it works very well on pain etc.
Our system of Drug company's and Government Bureaucrats needs to be overhauled Big Time ,people are dying because Cures are illegal and not allowed ,something as simple as "Apricot seeds" ILLEGAL .why?????
Big Money Talks ,while everyday people die ,NOT A NICE PICTURE.
I am just a 64 year old man that does much research and have had many people I loved die ,when they should not have.
This should be discussed in more Depth ,at a later time.

God Bless All
JimmyTude

This message has been edited. Last edited by: jimmyTude,

Jimmy, that is very true. I completely understand where you are coming from. All those "high powers" care about though is money.... It makes the world go 'round.

Opinion(and facts) noted, and respected. Thanks for throwin that out there.

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Originally posted by SGreen84:
I don't really know where I stand on this issue to be honest. One day I am for it and the next I'm against it. I understand it has medical benefits that could help many people. I think, today anyway, that it would be ok to legalize it.

I think the article was talking about legalizing it just for medical use, but if you do that you might as well make it legal for everyone. I mean if you think about how many people already smoke it now... it wouldn't really change the number of people who use it. I personally don't think it's any worse than alcohol, and that's legal. It would also open up some room in prisons and what not for "hardcore" criminals instead of having to build new ones so it can hold marijuana offenders as well...

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I've said this before on other forums and stirred up a hornets nest, but I'll say it again. There is no good reason, that outweighs the bad, to legalize pot.

I've heard the medical argument, but even doctors can't agree on this. Many say it has a medical use for chemotherapy and gluacoma patients, but research now suggests those benefits were small. And with the newest types of drugs available today for cancer and glaucoma, the "need" for marijuana to subside the side effects is no longer an issue. Harvard recently said that studies conducted at their medical school concluded in todays medical evironment the medical uses of marijuana simply don't exist as they did 20 years ago. Johns Hopkins Hospital agrees.

On the non-medical side, as for it not being any worse than alcohol, I must disagree. Hear me out. While both have an intoxicating affect on the human body, and this affect does kill brain cells, and brain cells never grow back, you can drink a beer, or a glass of wine, or a Beam & Coke and not become intoxicated. You CANNOT smoke a joint without getting high.

Yes, there are people who abuse alcohol. And there are those that, while not abusers, do get carried away during the Superbowl. These folks get drunk. But the casual drinker, as most drinkers are, has the one with dinner, or the beer or two during the game, and doesn't drink to get drunk. I am one of these. I have a drink once in a while, but I have not been drunk in over 20 years. Not even by accident. So if I go dancing with my wife, or go to the tavern to watch the game, and have one or two beers am I still safe to drive home? Yes, and my brain cells are intact. But if I go to the same tavern, smoke one joint, than try to drive I am dangerous to every one I pass on the road, and to myself. And I have killed brain cells.

We in law enforcement have a hard enough time keeping up with the drunk drivers who are on the roads around our families. I, for one, don't want to have to try to keep up with the heads also. And make no mistake, pot impairs your driving as much as alcohol. And right now, with it illegal, people smoke it in private, where they can't be seen. And many don't want to get caught stoned or in possession so they gather their munchies before hand and once they start smoking, they stay put. But if you tell them, "Okay, now its legal so you can go to the local Pot Bar to smoke and watch the game or play pool", they will be on the road driving home around your family and mine. And while government regulation could mean money into the economy through taxing pot, I just don't see where it is worth the cost of even 1 human life taken by the guy driving stoned.

And for those who think it will cut down on crime by eliminating trafficing, you are fooling yourselves. What is the one thing we hate paying more than anything else? Taxes. Now you tell the pot smoker he can smoke legally but he is going to be taxed for it, what is he going to do? Get it someplace where he doesn't get taxed. The guy on the corner that's still bringing it in from Mexico, or growing it in his green house. Don't think that will happen? How many people make their own beer and wine at home? And they still pay taxes in the form of sales tax on the equipment and mix. How many people still operate stills? This is a wholey illegal activity that can have deadly results, but in the southern states they are in abundance. Even in Oklahoma we shut down the occasional still. And this is 71 years after prohibition was repealed.

Legalizing pot will not make us safer, nor will it lower crime or have near enough effect on the economy to make it worth allowing people to get stoned in public places, then go out and drive, boat, or any number of other things that could get them or someone else killed because they are stoned.

And, yes I understand there would be laws against driving stoned. They already exist. But, you know, some are breaking that law now. Make pot legal and more people will be breaking that law. And I can hear the uproar now...why aren't there stricter punishments for those who smoke and drive? (These argument are being made now about DUI) And the folks making that argument will be the same ones screaming for legalization today.

The personal & professional opinion of a street cop.

Well, I don't know where to start on this one. You did a great job at putting your opinion and feelings into words!! I told you in my first post that I am not too sure where I stand on this topic, and it comes into play now, LOL.

I see, and somewhat agree with some of your points, and others I don't. The main one I don't really agree with you on is with the "casual drinker." Yes, you are right, there are SOME people out there who can quit after one or two drinks. I see that you say you can do that, that's great!! I, however, know many many many drinkers who can't stop after one or two drinks and still drive home. Now let me 'mind you that they CLAIM they can quit, but something always seems to happen when they were "gonna" quit that put another drink into their hands.

Basically, IMO, these people that I know that this happens to are problem drinkers that are in denial. They honestly don't think they have a problem with it, but yet they get drunk every nite. Some have been doing it for so long they might not even get drunk anymore, they just drink to get "well," if you know what I mean. I am not naive enough to think that "these people" are only around my neck of the woods.

Again, that is just my view from where I live, but I am still willing to bet any money that that's the norm!! Crimefighter, you're a cop, tell me honestly how many alcohol related accidents or deaths occur, just from where you live. I can gaurantee it outnumbers the ones that involved JUST marijuana. Yes MJ does kill, but not nearly the number alcohol does.

I guess I got carried away on an alcohol vs marijuana post. BUT, if my post is true, and alcohol is more deadly than any other drug out there, and I wanna say even more deadly than all of the other drugs combined, then why is IT still legal?? Again, some days I am for the legalization of MJ and others I am not. To make a standing decision one way or another I would have to weigh the positives over the negatives, and I simply don't have the knowledge or resources to make a determination at this time.

All I can speak of is from my own perspective. When I was going through chemotherapy, I was so neaseaous I couldn't even keep pills or liquids down..BUT..when I was given a prescription for medical marijuana, and used it, I was able to keep not only fluids and my pills down, but got some of my appetite back. I know it saved my life. The pill form...marinol..doesn't work for everyone..and other pain killers are more physically addictive than marijuana is, and that is a fact.

Now I used to be a 'pothead' in high school..that ended abruptly when I joined the Army..would smoke once in a while when I got out, but usually at a neighbors because I didn't have the money to waste on buying it myself. Then came chemo and it saved my life. Nowadays, I rarely smoke...

When my arthritis or bursitis or tmj act up a lot and it is available, I will smoke a joint or two..but that doesn't happen that often when it is both available and I am in pain, and I just don't get into smoking it just for the high anymore. So I will smoke about three or four times a year.

I think it should be at the very least decriminalized for medicinal purposes, and would see nothing wrong with its legalization at all.

I would not like to see a 'pot bar'..think it should be limited to the privacy of one's own home, and the penalties for abusing marijuana by driving or other stuff like that should be severe.

SG...granted, there are more alcohol related accidents than from marijuana, however, as I said, that's because it is legal. People go to the bar, have too many, and try to drive. The smoker, because its not legal, does like amvet said. They smoke at home or a friends home so they don't get caught. And if you are home or at a neighbors house there is no where to drive.

But make no mistake, I have seen just as many people in the ER for just marijuana as drunk drivers. Mostly because you never really know what you're getting unless you grow it yourself. What was it fertilized with? What were the bugs kept away with? And then, was it "cleaned" before you bought it, and if not what did you just smoke? Further more, are you sure it wasn't laced with something else? That has become a problem in OKC over the last several years. We've seen it laced with PCP and LSD. When the unsuspecting buyer smokes it they get more than they bargined for. But the smoker tells the ER that it was just pot.

With federal regulation that could be prevented, but I assure you legalization would lend to pot bars. In fact, they have already existed. I have friends who moved to and live on the left coast who have told me of them. All you need is a prescription to go in, buy your pot, and sit and get high. How are they getting home? And many of these people, according to SFPD, had no medical need. They managed to get the script from a less than reputable doctor just so they could "legally" get high. Even with "Medical decriminalization" this type of abuse will still happen just as it does now with valium, codine, and many other pain killers.

As for the social drinker; I too know people in denial. And I know people who say they are going out to play pool and have a couple who just keep drinking. Not because it was planned or they can't stop, but because they were having a good time and failed to moniter themselves. Many times this problem is self correcting with maturity. But there are still more people who drink without getting druck (socially) than alcoholics, college kids on a bender, or those who flat out say they are going out to get drunk. If there weren't hospitals would be busier than they are now.

Look, for example, at Colorado. Home of the Coors brewery and its micro breweries. Many bars cater to people who want to make their own. You go in, get your mix, blend it and start the fermentation. The bar supplies everything, for a fee, and calls you when its ready. These folks take their beer seriously. And last year there were fewer DUI arrests and DUI related accidents in CO than there were in Oklahoma. And its not because fewer people drink, its because more of them drink responsibly. And the bars are more likely to tell you that they will no longer serve you because you have had too much. If more places did this, there would be fewer DUI's everywhere. But you can't do this with marijuana unless you tell the smoker they can only have one hit.

However, while there are some exceptions, one hit is enough to impair you to the point you should not drive. Because it is smoked it is almost immediately absorbed into the blood stream where the THC is carried to the brain. Alcohol, in the average person, takes approximately 20-30 minutes to hit the brain...one drink. And by this point it has proccessed through the kidneys and liver where the majority of the intoxicating effects are purged. And afetr any hour all effects have cleared. That's why you can have a beer, an hour later have another, an hour later have another, and an hour later drive home not impaired.

The effects of marijuana can last up to 2-3 hours. So you have one joint and drive home an hour later and you are doing so while impaird. And make no mistake, there are people out there just waiting for legalization to open a pot bar. Afterall, if its legal and its an untapped money making business, why wouldn't you?

Amvet...how long ago was your chemo and where? Just curious because one of our deputies just went through chemo within the last two years with vertually no side effects. That, and because I know it couldn't have been here in "God Bless" Oklahoma since we have no legal medical marijuana law here. Just wondering.

And I hate to sound like an azz, but the comment about arthritis, in my opinion, is just a cop out. I have arthritis in my neck, both knees and an elbow. My doctor has told me its not "too" bad yet, but there are still days when I really regret buying a 2 story house. But a little heat rub, ibuprofen, and time is all it takes to get me moving again. And any doctor will tell you, unless its cripling, that movement is the best therapy. So, I'm sorry, but with so many other options for arthritis treatment it just sounds like an excuse to smoke. Now, I don't know your condition, how bad it is, or your medical history, but it just sounds like an excuse.

And other pain meds are addictive only if you allow it, most of the time. Some people have an addictive personality that only manifests when they are given pain pills, or whatever. But they are the exception. I spent 2 weeks on pain pills after I went down on my bike in August. But by the second week I was down from 2 at a time to one, and only before bed so I could sleep. When I no longer "needed" them to manage my pain I still had some left in the bottle. I flushed them. Its a matter of being responsible.

Those who smoke, whether once in a while or every other day won't stop because its legal. They believe there is no harm in it and legalization will, for them, prove their point. They will still smoke, and some more than before if its cheaper. Abuse will increase...at first. Then it will, like with alcohol, hit a leveling off point. Abuse won't go any further up, but it won't go down either. And these people will be driving.

And can you imagine the legal mess with new laws for it? Afterall since one joint gets you high then obviously popping around the lake on a boat is a bad idea. So now you have to make a new law to prevent this. So instead of one law saying its illegal you have hundreds making it illegal in some places and instances to avoid those types of problems...like we have with alcohol. But remember, we've had 70 years to get our alcohol laws right. And they still aren't. You won't be able to legislate marijuana over night.

So again, because it has a greater and more immediate intoxicating affect than alcohol, and there is no concensus, even in the medical community, that there are any "real" health benefits, and because even legalized you will not prevent, but possibly increase, abuse, I see no reason or agrument good enough to condone legalization.

Man, Crimefighter, what a great, detailed, informative post. To be honest, I was sort of on the fence, but your comparison of the physiological effects has pretty much swayed me to your side of the argument.

amvet, you would be surprised at the advances they've made in nausea medication recently. When I went through chemo this summer I had a major problem with nausea, despite the anti-nausea steroids they would pump into me.

But they tried six different medicines on me to combat the nausea, and a couple were incredibly effective. The best (at $25 a pill) was a little tab that melted on the tongue and stopped the nausea in about 15 seconds.

I think that a lot of pain sufferers who want to use marijuana are conveniently dismissing other courses of treatment in order to make a stronger case for legalization.

I will say this, though - for someone who is terminally ill and facing a painfully protracted death, they should get anything they want as long as it doesn't endanger others.

Wow. . .when I posted this I didn't expect to get all this awesome feedback. As I said in my Post I am against it. I was asking a lot of my coworkers and such the other day about the issue, and the response I got from most ex-pot smokers was consistantly the same. Why would you do it. . . all it does is screw you up, and makes you worthless for a few hours, than an entire day, than your doing it regularily, etc etc. So why would we want to substitute one form of disease for another. What I mean is: you have cancer, you smoke pot. 5 years later you are still smoking pot even though the chemo, or whathaveyou is over. And like CrimeFighter said, "You CANNOT smoke a joint without getting high," not to mention all it takes is one puff. That scares me. Pot is ILLEGAL for MANY reasons, and that is the bottom line. Thanks.

Pain is Bad!!! Chemo ,makes most everyone very very sick etc.
If anyone knows someone that got high on Pot
with just one puff(hit) that was SUPER POT or
that person wouldn't know a High if it Bit them
on there Butt.
Medical use of Marijuana is getting a Bad Press
from ???EVERYONE ,hey I for one think Mary J
should be legal for severe pain ,there is no one that I know that can tolerate SEVERE CHRONIC
PAIN ,NO ONE.If Marijuana helps ,lets do it.

B-17 Is illegal in our country (USA) Why you might ask ???BECAUSE IT HELPS WITH MANY CANCERS
EVEN CURES CANCER .
Drug companies will not allow a cure that is Natural,NO MONEY IN THAT!!!!!!!
Garlic ,Onions ,Vitamin C ,Blueberry's are good for many Cures ,just to name a few ,but hey don't tell your Doctor ,he will tell you NO NO NO .

Stop ,Look and Listen ,ever wonder why some men and women live longer then others ,could be in their Genes ,could be there life style .could be the way they look at life and how they handle stress .Could be.
Just for today ,I will live with an Attitude of Gratitude.OH MY.
Think about this please.
God Bless All
JimmyTude
PS:It is all good.LIFE.

okay, for the record, my chemo was in Cali, in 1996/7 NOT in the OK state, that is for sure.
and I don't know what new medications they have for neausea out there now, but back then, it was what worked for me.

and as far as my arthritis being an excuse to smoke, well I don't need one. I think it should be legal, period, and would basically smoke whenever I wanted to. But even though my life isn't very active for a variety of reasons, most of the time I want to keep my wits about me, and it just so happens that when I do have arthritis, I really don't care and I feel better too, and yeah, I'll admit, I enjoy the high.

But I have NEVER driven under the influence of ANY substance period. And I think that it is possible and doable to use marijuana responsibly just like alcohol.

Now I hope the supreme court renders a favorable decision for the use of medicinal marijuana, and hope that eventually marijuana is completely decriminalized and legalized.

My personal reasonings on this subject vary slightly from the norm. I see some of Crimefighter's arguments as valid. I don't believe there would be that many who would jump on the band wagon just because it was legalized though. I smoked some when in my teens and once or twice during my twenties and thirties. I have not smoked for over 10 years now (pot or cigs), though, and not because it isn't legal. It's because I don't like not having my wits about me. I have been cursed with high blood pressure and there are times when I have dizzy spells. I'm not absolutely sure it has anything to do with the blood pressure, but I'm not all that crazy about being light headed. I like having all of my faculties present at all times.

Having said that, there are times when I will go camping and take a twelve pack or case of beer. I always wind up regretting it the next day, because as I've gotten older...the pain is prohibitive. The one benefit that I think makes marijuana a better choice than alcohol is you don't get hang-overs from weed. If I were to smoke, I wouldn't drive anywhere ever. Another beneficial side effect of weed is that it makes you more laid back. I don't think I've ever seen anyone bent out of shape while they were smoking weed. Drunks, on the other hand, are notorious for bar room brawls and street fights.

My personal opinion...the wrong drug is legal.

first of all .. most people don't smoke pot ..they realize it is an illegal substance .,, and does have serious side effects ..
I have no problem with marijuana being given as a prescription for releif of various medical conditions, as are opium based medicines for pain. But it should not be sold over the counter to just anyone over 21 .. ..
there are serious problems with grass .. spacial disorientation, lack of concentration, deadened reaction time ..if you don't think that .. let me ask you this: would you want to go on a combat mission with someone that's on grass??