Originally Posted by Barefoot (Post 841917)

OK, let's use common sense as you suggested. When people were told to stop drinking during Prohibition, they went to bootleggers. And that is what is happening today, drug pushers are bootlegging marijuana and often selling it to children. Better to have it legalized and restricted to adults.

I haven't seen anyone suggesting we all become anarchists. Perhaps a tad of exaggeration here?

Anarchist
1. a person who advocates or believes in anarchy or anarchism.
2. a person who seeks to overturn by violence all constituted forms and institutions of society and government, with no purpose of establishing any other system of order in the place of that destroyed.
3. a person who promotes disorder or excites revolt against any established rule, law, or custom.

Originally Posted by Bucco (Post 841922)

May I ask a question of those who advocate legalization of RECREATIONAL marijuana with all due respect.....

What is the purpose of smoking marijuana ? I know that society wants to rid us of all smoking, but why do people smoke marijana ?

Originally Posted by Golfingnut (Post 841926)

The primary reason to smoke marijuana is to get the same buzz as one does with alcohol, but does not have the hangover; therefore can function the next day with no ill effects nor loss of productivity.

Originally Posted by wendyquat (Post 841548)

Oh go ahead and legalize it! I can see the "dumbing down" has already started!

Originally Posted by gomoho (Post 841945)

Once again "one man's opinion" - my experience, particularly with youth smoking marijuana is they may be functioning, but there are ill effects and a definite loss of productivity. Actually now that I think of it I know a guy in his 30s that smokes daily who has probably cut his potential in half cause too many times he just can't get it together enough to get the job done. Oh yeah, and then there is my good friend that was a mortgage broker that just wasn't quite on his game if he was smoked up the night before. It's all in perspective and whose eyes you are seeing this through.

I will never forget the day on of my son's friends told my husband and I that he was convinced his mind was sharper and he DROVE better when he was high. That is how a mind under the influence thinks - not real capable of rational thinking.

I believe it would be interesting to have someone that use to smoke speak up about looking back and if they felt their productivity suffered or anything else in their life. I know when I was young and smoking I thought I was in the best form ever - mind sharp and could do anything (if only I could get off the couch). Looking back I see what was really going on and it was fun for a while when I was young, but when I needed to get serious about life I got serious about life and learned to have a good time without the buzz.

Originally Posted by Golfingnut (Post 842005)

He, you would fund I am correct. Give it up and except reality?
Being an old cute is not helping anything.

Originally Posted by gomoho (Post 842009)

Could you please repeat this in English??? Not sure what you are saying.

Originally Posted by DonH57 (Post 842019)

I'm sure people smoke pot for same countless reasons they drink beer, eat steak, cross the road, or any other activity. It's their thing I quess.

Originally Posted by Bucco (Post 842041)

The only reason I asked the question is that I tend to "hit the books" on issues and after doing some extensive reading at various medical and psychiatric sites, I was wondering why anyone would want to happen to their mind and body was this does.

I am not speaking of heavy use....if you read that it is flat out scary, the long range proven things that happen to you, but even regular old 1 or 2 a day really plays with your mind and it has NO relationship to alcohol. Fact is, police will NOT be able to id drivers who are on it without a blood test administered and that is not going to happen without a warrant....thus will be tough to prove that the driver who hit you was stoned.

It works NOT like alcohol on a change in your personallity with just ONE.

I dont know...you folks seem like you have studied it all and got it all together and are ok with your kids and grandkids partaking....I find it rather offensive. AS DOES ALL medical groups in the USA....NOT ONE supports recreational use for the mental and phsychiatric reasons I alluded to.

Ok.....let it go....I surely do not want anyone in my family altering thier personality or damaging their pychiatric health......and I also read that ONE marijuana is equal to FIVE regular ciggs....so the lung damage etc is also there. If you read about heavy usage, it is flat out terrifying.

But, you folks are on board...remember you oft times get what you wish for !!

Oh, and ALL studies at this point lead to this FOR SURE being a gateway drug, meaning this is just a step.

Nuff out of me....

Originally Posted by Bucco (Post 842041)

The only reason I asked the question is that I tend to "hit the books" on issues and after doing some extensive reading at various medical and psychiatric sites, I was wondering why anyone would want to happen to their mind and body was this does.

I am not speaking of heavy use....if you read that it is flat out scary, the long range proven things that happen to you, but even regular old 1 or 2 a day really plays with your mind and it has NO relationship to alcohol. Fact is, police will NOT be able to id drivers who are on it without a blood test administered and that is not going to happen without a warrant....thus will be tough to prove that the driver who hit you was stoned.

It works NOT like alcohol on a change in your personallity with just ONE.

I dont know...you folks seem like you have studied it all and got it all together and are ok with your kids and grandkids partaking....I find it rather offensive.

AS DOES ALL medical groups in the USA....NOT ONE supports recreational use for the mental and phsychiatric reasons I alluded to.

Ok.....let it go....I surely do not want anyone in my family altering thier personality or damaging their pychiatric health......and I also read that ONE marijuana is equal to FIVE regular ciggs....so the lung damage etc is also there. If you read about heavy usage, it is flat out terrifying.

But, you folks are on board...remember you oft times get what you wish for !!

Oh, and ALL studies at this point lead to this FOR SURE being a gateway drug, meaning this is just a step.

Nuff out of me....

Originally Posted by DougB (Post 842057)

Dude, that's a real buzz killer.

Originally Posted by JB in TV (Post 842068)

I think many on TOTV would be very surprised to see how many people they know who smoked marijuana, perhaps even heavily, in the old days, and went on to lead very normal lives, had very succesful careers and now call TV their home. Without going on to "hard drugs"

Originally Posted by Golfingnut (Post 842062)

He means well and has some good input, just so far out of reality for today, he is hard to follow.

Originally Posted by Golfingnut (Post 842015)

People over 65 should shut up an listen io those younger.

Originally Posted by JB in TV (Post 842068)

I think many on TOTV would be very surprised to see how many people they know who smoked marijuana, perhaps even heavily, in the old days, and went on to lead very normal lives, had very successful careers and now call TV their home. Without ever going on to "hard drugs"

Originally Posted by TexaninVA (Post 842079)

Does that advice pertain to you as well?

Originally Posted by Golfingnut (Post 842015)

People over 65 should shut up an listen io those younger.

Originally Posted by Golfingnut (Post 842015)

People over 65 should shut up an listen io those younger.

Originally Posted by Golfingnut (Post 842065)

BUT, well beyond his time and should not be up this late talking to adults.

Originally Posted by Russ_Boston (Post 842098)

No vote here from me but I'll make a very easy prediction:
Pot will be legal, such as Colorado, in at least 30 states within 15 years. I think back about 20 years to the states who didn't have Lottery or Casinos. As time went on they saw all the money they were losing. Now I don't know of ANY state that doesn't have some form of Lotto. And many states (not just Indian nation Casinos) have casinos and more to come such as Massachusetts. That number will reach all 50 very soon.

I also predict that there will be zero subsequent problems discovered. In other words as time passes and studies are done there will be no significant increases in car accidents or decreases in test scores etc. A hundred years from now people will say "Marijuana used to be illegal?" What were they thinking? Much the same as we say about a law almost 100 years ago that prohibited alcohol sales. Remember, not all laws were created with great forethought. At one time in this great nation we didn't allow women to vote or blacks to eat in the same restaurant as whites. Not all change is bad!

Originally Posted by gamby (Post 842145)

Answer is NO;

Tax dollars are the motive for this . The same reason Cigarettes are still for sale.

I've seen so many people start off with booze in their teens then POT then Heroin.
One person in mind just died on Xmas day from drugs. He lost everything in his 20s wife,3 great kids , job, and any friends.
He spent his life in and out of Prison. Turns out 2 of his brothers took the same route starting with booze and POT then Heroin.

Originally Posted by rp001 (Post 842232)

Once and for all, Pot is Not a gateway drug. People fall victim to their own neediness and it could have just as easily been sugar addiction. I question the validity of this post!

Originally Posted by JourneyOfLife (Post 842296)

The poll numbers are fairly interesting.

If the TV political leanings (generally speaking) are any indication, one might conclude that there are a larger number of conservatives or conservative leaning people that took this poll and the medical poll on the other thread.

Of course it is not scientific or random... but still.

If this poll is any indication of a cross-section of people from different states... I agree with the observation Russ made in an earlier post on this thread.

Originally Posted by JourneyOfLife (Post 842296)

The poll numbers are fairly interesting.

If the TV political leanings (generally speaking) are any indication, one might conclude that there are a larger number of conservatives or conservative leaning people that took this poll and the medical poll on the other thread.

Of course it is not scientific or random... but still.

If this poll is any indication of a cross-section of people from different states... I agree with the observation Russ made in an earlier post on this thread.

Originally Posted by TexaninVA (Post 842275)

In my experience, and personal observation, pot is very much a gateway drug. That's not to say all who use pot graduate to a higher drug, but those who get there got started with pot. I agree that the neediness and lack of self confidence is a factor as well. Pot for many is a crutch, just like booze is to some people.

Originally Posted by joerocker (Post 842312)

People can't have "crutches"? Why not? Not everyone is as emotionally strong as another. Religion is a "crutch" too. I'd be more in favor of banning that over marijuana.

This "gateway" discussion always get's so twisted. Marijuana is just one of MANY drugs that an addictive personality will go through during his lifetime. It usually starts with caffeine then moves to nicotine then on to alcohol and marijuana after that cocaine, pills, finally heroin. It's the PERSON not the drug.

Punishing everyone because a few can't handle themselves is not the answer. If sugar was outlawed for you because too many are getting fat because they ABUSE it, how would you feel? It's the same. Marijuana when used moderately, is not a problem for anyone. I lived in a marijuana friendly state, it's not a problem to society. The abusers are the problem to society. And abusers find something to abuse.

Originally Posted by quirky3 (Post 842301)

Actually, I was thinking that the survey numbers reflect a clear shift in the political leanings of the TOTV respondents. As of this morning, they favor legalization of recreational marijuana almost 3 to 1, and legalization of medicinal marijuana about 6 to 1. Perception is sometimes VERY different from facts!

Originally Posted by joerocker (Post 842312)

People can't have "crutches"? Why not? Not everyone is as emotionally strong as another. Religion is a "crutch" too. I'd be more in favor of banning that over marijuana..

Originally Posted by ilovetv (Post 842327)

It's not a shift. It's the little-publicized fact that most people here choose to think on their own, about individual issues and candidates, and do not vote blindfolded and straight down the party line.