OT- should marijuana be legalized?

[Gamecock Lifer]

Nobody thinks it is “healthy” to recreationally use any drug- be it alcohol, pot or tobacco, right? That much is clear. Marijuana is certainly one of the less dangerous “illicit” drugs though.. It also has numerous valuable medicinal qualities. Why is it singled out and been deemed illegal for so long? Ask yourselves that if you are against it.

I know why… It was a tool to control minority populations for generations. From Latino imigrants in the early 1900s to the Black Panthers movements of the 60s and 70s. The history of why it is illegal paints a clear picture. Personally I believe in the social environment we find ourselves in it is shocking that this antiquated mindset still persists.

 

[Lurker123]

I think they use it as an excuse to arrest people when they want to for some other reason more than they arrest people simply for pot. Generally if you are not a dbag to the cops and they catch you with a little dope they will just take it, at most write you a ticket… Not that I would know personally… 👀

I agree and made a similar comment the other day. I call it the Al Capone tactic.

Catch a murderer, but can't prove it? Well, bust him on the pot and/or dealing charge that you can get him for.

 

[DeepfriedCock]

Nobody thinks it is “healthy” to recreationally use any drug- be it alcohol, pot or tobacco, right? That much is clear. Marijuana is certainly one of the less dangerous “illicit” drugs though.. It also has numerous valuable medicinal qualities. Why is it singled out and been deemed illegal for so long? Ask yourselves that if you are against it.

I know why… It was a tool to control minority populations for generations. From Latino imigrants in the early 1900s to the Black Panthers movements of the 60s and 70s. The history of why it is illegal paints a clear picture. Personally I believe in the social environment we find ourselves in it is shocking that this antiquated mindset still persists.

When comparing which is more dangerous Alcohol or Marijuana, it's very easy to tell which is more dangerous. But I'm sure some of the Freedom haters wouldn't mind Prohibition again. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...fzFhqF9R_I5g0e4qv&ampcf=1&cshid=1624242569272

 

[Legendary Cock]

Hell yes it should be. It's safer, less addictive and leads to much less violent crime than alcohol. I say this as someone who enjoys a few drinks on the weekends and doesn't partake in cannabis -- even though it's legal for recreational use here in Colorado.

 

[BattleshipTexas]

If making it illegal would ban it, I would be all for continuing to make it illegal and a crime to possess. But it is illegal in my state, yet ask any 9th or 10th grader where to get weed and you can have some with a couple of hours at most. Therefore, might as well legalize it and get the tax revenue and at least make it safe. Deprive gangsters of some money and give it to NASDAQ companies. Illegality isn't working.

 

[Who Cares_Who Cares]

I generally agree and don't want to wander afield, but possessing child pornography runs counter to that rationale and probably should.

I would say that's not a perfect analogy, since child pornography is necessarily associated with the prior exploitation of a child, whereas there doesn't need to be anything inherently criminal associated with the production of drugs.

Maybe a better counterexample IMO would be something like an atomic bomb. I think you could say that its only possible use would be indiscriminately offensive, and so mere possession of one is a crime. However even here we've seen governments seemingly use nukes responsibly enough to mitigate the conflict that plagued the first part of the 20th century. And it's totally possible to imagine purely defensive or even industrial applications when we start to colonize space. So maybe even this shouldn't be banned. IDK.

 

[Gamecock58]

Pretty straight forward.

Absolutely Not!

 

[BobbyBReloaded1975]

Yes . I smoke at least 4 or 5 times a week and have for twenty years . I don’t drink . I stopped drinking maybe 10 years ago and don’t miss it at all . I go to work every day just like a every one else . If you drink alcohol and you think smoking weed is bad you’re just not educated. The only drawback of legal marijuana is it will cost me twice as much now if I buy it from a legal depot than my “Personal Pharmacist” . However even if it becomes legal everywhere I will still choose to “support the small business man”. Haha

 

[81 Alumnus]

Yes

 

[Silver_Coconut]

Yes . I smoke at least 4 or 5 times a week and have for twenty years . I don’t drink . I stopped drinking maybe 10 years ago and don’t miss it at all . I go to work every day just like a every one else . If you drink alcohol and you think smoking weed is bad you’re just not educated. The only drawback of legal marijuana is it will cost me twice as much now if I buy it from a legal depot than my “Personal Pharmacist” . However even if it becomes legal everywhere I will still choose to “support the small business man”. Haha

What about the people that don't drink alcohol and still think it's bad?

 

[Gamecock Lifer]

Yes . I smoke at least 4 or 5 times a week and have for twenty years . I don’t drink . I stopped drinking maybe 10 years ago and don’t miss it at all . I go to work every day just like a every one else . If you drink alcohol and you think smoking weed is bad you’re just not educated. The only drawback of legal marijuana is it will cost me twice as much now if I buy it from a legal depot than my “Personal Pharmacist” . However even if it becomes legal everywhere I will still choose to “support the small business man”. Haha

I here this all the time- The number of high level functioning professionals who smoke OFTEN has always astounded me. Doctors, lawyers, POLICE OFFICERS, judges.. I have known rocket scientists who smoke marijuana and do so quite a lot. The notion that pot heads are dopey morons is a fantasy.

I do not get high because I am considering switching jobs and ya never know when someone may piss test you. If not for that, and concerns about it being illegal and me having a daughter who is often in my home and the complications that could bring… I would happily get stoned as often as I wanted to. The laws are what makes it dangerous- if I could possess it legally and buy it from a reputable source there would be no danger of losing my job or my child or my freedom because of it. As it stands, I have to literally find a person who sells an illegal substance on the black market to buy it and we all know that in the end the buying of illegal drugs is funding much more nefarious things than what the average “pot dealer” is up to. The majority of the weed we get illegally in the US is from Mexico or the mountains of the West coast where the cartel is the one making the profits from the sourcing of most it. If it was legal, that would end immediately and BILLIONS of dollars in funding would be lost for the cartel. But, yeah “weed is bad mmmkay”- so let’s keep it illegal and keep funneling money to the sadistic murderers instead of creatinng an overnight multi billion dollar/ HUNDREDS OF BILLIONS OF DOLLARS- industry for US businessmen and literally providing BILLIONS in tax revenue that could help us recover from a catastrophic economic event because that makes sense… somehow… I just don’t get how in 2021 people still don’t see the futility of prohibition and worse- the harm it causes. Good people are losing their livelihoods and at times their families and even their freedom because of the LAWS against marijuana not because of the dangers of the drug itself. It is a sad state of affairs.

 

[Cocky 45]

The bible says to be sober-minded and self controlled, so no I don't think it should be legal, Alcohol and Tobacco should be illegal too, but criminals don't care about laws.

 

[DarkHorse2001]

Marijuana is a non additive drug. lol

unlike alcohol, which is more socially accepted, but more harmful.

 

[world famous 3rd base hecklers]

I love the smell of skunk when driving behind a skunk heads blowing some skunk out of their window...

 

[Forever Fowl]

If it were legalized, controlled and taxed we would have far less crime in SC. It would put many dealers out of business and our prisons would be less crowded. It's not a gateway drug but if widely available it could reduce opioid and other addictions. The medical benefits for pain and seizure control are well established.

 

[king ward]

I would say that's not a perfect analogy, since child pornography is necessarily associated with the prior exploitation of a child, whereas there doesn't need to be anything inherently criminal associated with the production of drugs.

Maybe a better counterexample IMO would be something like an atomic bomb. I think you could say that its only possible use would be indiscriminately offensive, and so mere possession of one is a crime. However even here we've seen governments seemingly use nukes responsibly enough to mitigate the conflict that plagued the first part of the 20th century. And it's totally possible to imagine purely defensive or even industrial applications when we start to colonize space. So maybe even this shouldn't be banned. IDK.

I think both analogies work, but mine is more plausible.

 

[Carolina Doc]

I'm not against making it legal. There are plenty of other legal drugs that are far worse. But I wouldn't rationalize the regular use of marijuana as safe or that one can function on a high level while using the substance.

 

[Gamecock Lifer]

I'm not against making it legal. There are plenty of other legal drugs that are far worse. But I wouldn't rationalize the regular use of marijuana as safe or that one can function on a high level while using the substance.

Certainly- but Safe is a relative term for sure. It is safer than all of the other illegal drugs listed in the same class. Functioning at a high level WHILE high is different than being able to use it in your free time and function at a high level the rest of the time… it does cause impairment while you are under the effects of the drug. It does not cause hangovers the next day though and does not leave users wandering the streets craving it and ruining their lives in the pursuit of their next high the way some of the much more addictive substances do.

 

[coolcock2001]

Imagine the day you can purchase a fatty from Williams Brice concession stand to fire up at halftime

 

[Garnet chicken]

If it were legalized, controlled and taxed we would have far less crime in SC. It would put many dealers out of business and our prisons would be less crowded. It's not a gateway drug but if widely available it could reduce opioid and other addictions. The medical benefits for pain and seizure control are well established.

I respectfully disagree. You get the effect of one drug, you would want the next tier. You are also under the influence when driving. Your reactions are slower. Exactly what level of thc is too much? If you want to get baked at home, go for it.

 

[bucketdad]

Mixed feelings. I dont like the idea of it being regulated and taxed. But I also dont like anyone getting arrested or having a record for simple possession. Not sure there can be a happy medium tho. Guess I'd have to lean reluctantly toward legalizing it.

 

[qastor]

Yup

 

[punydevil]

You get the effect of one drug, you would want the next tier.

True for people who are going to do it anyway, i.e., if they don't use weed they'll use something else like alcohol or tobacco as their gateway. Not true for the typical user. "[T]he majority of people who use marijuana do not go on to use other, 'harder' substances." https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/marijuana/marijuana-gateway-drug

 

[Who Cares_Who Cares]

I dont like the idea of it being regulated and taxed.

I certainly agree that stuff in general is regulated and taxed too much, but I don't really understand this objection in the context of the pot legalization debate.

Currently it's taxed at >100%. Not only is the full amount confiscated on discovery, but additional penalties are levied. Even taxing at an excise rate would constitute a massive improvement in terms of freedom versus the status quo.

 

[jerryusc]

I live in Lancaster County. A relatively poor county. Some years ago the police dept actually hired a helicopter to fly over the county looking for weed growers. All kinds of hell was raised about what a waste of taxpayers' money this was.

Has not happened again.
For the record, I voted yes.

I have a lot of privacy here with trees all around property and no close neighbors so had an outdoor shower with very very cold well water(have county water for house). Was taking a shower one day and heard a helicopter so had to run and hide under trees.
Another time 3 or 4 piper cubs flew over. Did not think to hide this time and one of planes came back for another peek.😊
Made wife mad as hell because of peeping toms.😍

 

[chief2791]

Delta 8, problem solved.

Don't smoke the real stuff, but do use the Delta gummies. I used to wake up in the middle of the night and couldn't get back to sleep, I'd start thinking of work/business, etc., but now I take half of a gummy before bed, sleep all night long.

 

[Balwiles]

Absolutely. And just like with pretty much everything you put in your body, moderation is key and some will not tolerate well. (neurotransmitters)

Over the years, Big Pharma lobbyists have played a big role is keeping weed from being legalized - as it's a direct threat to their industry - pain, neurological, sleep, etc. medications.

Good to see it finally breaking through.

 

[heavycock]

Of course it should be.

I wonder what the responses to this question would have looked like 25 years ago or so? A lot different I would imagine.

 

[Gamecock Lifer]

Imagine the day you can purchase a fatty from Williams Brice concession stand to fire up at halftime

It would prolly cost $75 at the Stadium for one J! BYOW is a better plan.. LOL

 

[Who Cares_Who Cares]

Of course it should be.

I wonder what the responses to this question would have looked like 25 years ago or so? A lot different I would imagine.

I think that's a safe assumption.

Honestly I can't think of ANY issue during my lifetime where public opinion has swung so dramatically.

 

[GarnetBeamer]

LOL...

Brian Shoemaker on Thursday at 5:03 pm - "Please don't start political threads"

Gamecock Lifer on Sunday at 9:59 pm - "Should marijuana be legalized?"

 

[Bubbaglide]

It would prolly cost $75 at the Stadium for one J! BYOW is a better plan.. LOL

It would probably be Doodoo weed.

I don't smoke it and never have. Never smoked cigarettes either. I do occasionally have an adult beverage when I am in for the evening. Never have one and drive. Seems like I remember all the "stoners" being pretty mellow in the 70's but those dudes could eat an entire 7-11 when they had the munchies. I guess I am one of the folks that just don't feel well informed enough to vote yea or nay. It would generate revenue. I think you would still have private sales. but it might curtail some crime except maybe at the local mini mart or Food Lion.

 

[BattleshipTexas]

Nobody thinks it is “healthy” to recreationally use any drug- be it alcohol, pot or tobacco, right? That much is clear. Marijuana is certainly one of the less dangerous “illicit” drugs though.. It also has numerous valuable medicinal qualities. Why is it singled out and been deemed illegal for so long? Ask yourselves that if you are against it.

I know why… It was a tool to control minority populations for generations. From Latino imigrants in the early 1900s to the Black Panthers movements of the 60s and 70s. The history of why it is illegal paints a clear picture. Personally I believe in the social environment we find ourselves in it is shocking that this antiquated mindset still persists.

That's ridiculous. You must see everything through a racial lens. The Black Panthers were violent, no one would have cared about them if they didn't kill bank guards. Why make alcohol legal then? why not use that for control? Everything really isn't about race.

 

[cocks rule]

I assume the price would drastically decline if it were legal, because then it could be produced on an industrial scale like tobacco and vegetables.

The opposite would happen. If you bought government weed it would be much more expensive. Taxes and regulations would drive prices much higher than the street cost today.

 

[Who Cares_Who Cares]

The opposite would happen. If you bought government weed it would be much more expensive. Taxes and regulations would drive prices much higher than the street cost today.

No, if they taxed it too much, people would just go back to buying it on the black market. It wouldn't get MORE expensive. It's already outrageously expensive considering it's an easy-to-grow weed, and the only reason for this is because prohibition makes it risky to produce, transport, and market.

 

[ToddFlanders]

Legalize it and clean the jails out of all those in there for buying, selling or trafficking it. Then have an open and honest discussion of what other drugs should receive the same treatment. The war on drugs has been won - by the drugs. Time to figure out a workable solution that doesn't waste resources and stupidly add to the prison population for an unwinnable situation.

 

[Flameout12]

Currently living in a legalized state, I can say that there are numerous un-factual comments in this thread.

Some of y'all need to up your cannabis IQ.

 

[Gamecock Lifer]

That's ridiculous. You must see everything through a racial lens. The Black Panthers were violent, no one would have cared about them if they didn't kill bank guards. Why make alcohol legal then? why not use that for control? Everything really isn't about race.

I did not say everything is about race. Marijuana prohibition IS though. I am not condoning the Black Panthers, insinuating I am is ridiculous.

How racism contributed to marijuana prohibition in the US

As the marijuana legalization debate continues, it's important to examine the connections between media portrayal, public perception, and fluctuating laws.

www.businessinsider.com

Educate yourself before you come at me, I am no race baiter. The facts are it was made illegal in the US as propaganda to combat a flood of Mexican immigration.
“Harry Anslinger took the scientifically unsupported idea of marijuana as a violence-inducing drug, connected it to black and Hispanic people, and created a perfect package of terror to sell to the American media and public. By emphasizing the Spanish word marihuana instead of cannabis, he created a strong association between the drug and the newly arrived Mexican immigrants who helped popularize it in the States. He also created a narrative around the idea that cannabis made black people forget their place in society. He pushed the idea that jazz was evil music created by people under the influence of marijuana.”

 

[Gamecock Lifer]

Legalize it and clean the jails out of all those in there for buying, selling or trafficking it. Then have an open and honest discussion of what other drugs should receive the same treatment. The war on drugs has been won - by the drugs. Time to figure out a workable solution that doesn't waste resources and stupidly add to the prison population for an unwinnable situation.

Treatment over punishment- would save BILLIONS for the government, allow police to focus on dangerous, violent crime (whole also reducing violent crime through the act of legalizing drugs) and save countless lives.

 

[coolcock2001]

It would probably be Doodoo weed.

Have you ever been to a place where it's legal? No "schwag" type weed exists. It's high end stuff with the day's specials written on a chalkboard like a microbrewery