Thoughts on use of pot.
 

I read that 75% of Americans support the decriminalization of the use of Marijuana.

Do you?

I'm a live and let live kind of guy. Don't much care what one does in the privacy of their own home. As long as they don't get high and drive or become an otherwise public nuisance, I'm fine with it.

Since I have seen the effects is has on users over the years I do not support its legalization.

Follow the money.

Who and what entities lobbied through its legalization?

Who/what entities stand to benefit?

States will tax it so stand to gain although they (taxpayers) will bear some of the costs of pot use.

It should be legalized, not just decriminalized. The Florida law is a joke, designed to make money for the state, and for the doctors who pretend to be regulating the sale of Marijuana to only those who have a medical condition. In Florida, anyone who wants a license to buy Marijuana can get one, if they are willing to pay exorbitant amounts of money every year to the doctors and to the state. The screening process is totally ineffective.

I tend to agree.

Remember who declared the War on Drugs? For those of you who don't, it was Richard Nixon, and we've been losing it ever since. This ludicrous war on drugs has cost more in deaths, broken homes and shattered lives than drugs ever could.

Time to adopt a rational policy, both for those who want to seek help with drugs and AGAINST the criminal element pushing them which has turned sections of our country into something resembling a war zone.

I’ve seen support groups for Pain killer abuse supplied by Pharmaceutical companies
Support groups for Alcohol abuse.
If have not seen a support group for Marijuana abuse.

Tricky Dick started with Operation Intercept shutting down the Mexican Border Sept 11 thru October 1969. Formally the War on Drugs started June 18, 1971 50 years we lost another War.

Narcotics Anonymous - Wikipedia

Also Alcoholics Anonymous these days according to what I hear from some of its members comprises few "pure" alcoholics anymore, especially among its younger members who are also addicted to marijuana and other mind altering substances.

The War on Drugs acts as a price support guarantee for the Drug cartels, Americans WANT drugs, and they will pay whatever it costs to get them.

Poor kids from the inner-city have to make a choice - stand on a corner and sell drugs and get rich, buy guns, cars, and sex, or flip burgers for less than minimum wage. Since they need to protect themselves and their stash, they need to have guns. Because the other kids have guns, expensive handguns become an affordable cost of doing business, leading to the arms race with the police departments and the formation of gangs to help control turf for drug markets.

The drug war is possibly the worst policy this country has ever conceived of; whether or not you think drugs should be legal, there has to be a better way to deal with the drug "problems."

And let's not conflate the war on drugs and the separate issue of making marijuana illegal. Making MJ illegal started long before Nixon when the government first commissioned a study to determine if MJ was harmful or dangerous, and the report came back that it wasn't. That was not an acceptable outcome, so they announced that "more studies are needed." And the "More studies are needed" has been constantly repeated ever since - almost 100 years now (1937).

There is no doubt that inhaling smoke from a burning plant is hazardous. There is also evidence that marijuana can have adverse side effects. But, it's a matter of degree. And there are safer ways to take MJ - such as tinctures and edibles.

The old "reefer madness" (government slogan predating "brain on drugs") is simply a flat-out lie.

I believe there is still no evidence of ANYONE ever dying from an overdose of MJ, but many die from overdoses of Alcohol.

There is little or no evidence of automobile accidents resulting from or caused by MJ use. (30,000 die in Auto accidents annually, and the majority have Alcohol associated with them)

I don't believe there has ever been a bar fight with MJ as a cause, yet violence is a common side effect of Alcohol.

MJ is known to cause brain damage but about 10% of the brain damage caused by Alcohol.

Alcohol is addictive; MJ is not addictive.

It goes on and on.

If you can't tell, I am in favor of legalization.

There is NO serious evidence of MJ being a problem or a gateway. On the contrary, there is significant evidence that it is useful in treating numerous diseases and health conditions.

To all the people who comment that they have seen how much damage it can do to people's lives, I suggested some people will destroy their lives with some drug - MJ is not a gateway; it is simply inexpensive and readily available. Once a person has contacts with the black market criminals they buy from, it is a small step to get hard drugs from the same market. Pushers will often offer "free samples". But, again, it is not the MJ that causes the problem; it is forcing people to use illegal channels to get drugs.

I would remind everyone what happened when Alcohol was prohibited - mobs (like the Kennedys) got rich, and many people died. Just like what has been happening ever since we decided to make drugs illegal.

I have, they are called pot luck diners - using MJ leads to munchies and that leads to creative ways to snack - LOL!

But, more seriously, there is NO evidence MJ is addictive, so, no need for support groups.

"Marijuana use can lead to the development of problem use, known as a marijuana use disorder, which takes the form of addiction in severe cases. Recent data suggest that 30% of those who use marijuana may have some degree of marijuana use disorder. People who begin using marijuana before the age of 18 are four to seven times more likely to develop a marijuana use disorder than adults."

From: Is marijuana addictive? | National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

It is legal in MA but I didn’t vote for it. The main issue for me is people driving. I have never used it and don’t plan on it. I am trying some Hemp gummies for a few health issues but that is all.

At last count there were 18 States that legalized weed. So far the Federal Government has not. Big disconnect! Prohibition didn’t work and neither has the war on drugs. I would vote to legalize marijuana.

Yeah, we just don’t have enough traffic accidents and mortalities. Thinking with a sharp, clean brain is overrated. Let’s muddle everything.

For those of us who used MJ as a way to relax on weekends in the 60's & 70's, we know that MJ makes you calm, peaceful & hungry. It never makes you violent. Driving is an experience, you S-L-O-W down, stop at green lights, stop for a long while at stop signs. No danger of speeding or having an accident.
Unless you have smoked it, you will believe anything the studies show. I stopped smoking since 1981 and have had no withdrawals ever. Basically, it is a way to really relax & if you do it inside your home & stay put it should be nobody's business. Yes, it will be taxed, as is liquor, so what. The freedom to use it should be legal.
I have seen people addicted to gambling, sex, alcohol & anything else. MJ is not addictive. A person with an addictive personality will get addicted to TV, video games, cell phones, anything.
A good percentage of adults are on "anxiety" medication. MJ would cure that for sure.