RE: Obama Hates Medical Marijuana And He Doesn't Care What The States Think
June 28, 2013 at 4:54 pm
(June 28, 2013 at 9:10 am)Doubting Thomas Wrote: To a certain extent, but it does tend to hurt society to a certain extent when someone becomes addicted. Drugs like crack cocaine or methamphetamine are highly addictive, and there's not really any such thing as an occasional user. It's also highly unlikely that a crack or meth user is going to remain gainfully employed for long, so they either have to resort to public assistance or crime. This is why I generally don't have a problem with marijuana, because it is not addictive like the harder drugs are. You never hear of anyone going to rehab for a marijuana addiction. It's apparently able to enjoy it recreationally without having it interfere with your life.
First I would just like to point out the addiction doesn't necessarily mean you stop being productive, there are different levels of addiction. There are many high functioning alcoholics that drink themselves into a stupor every night, but show up on the job the next day sober and ready to work. But I agree that there are also many unproductive addicts as well. The problem is that many addicts are afraid to seek help because they are fearful of being arrested for their drug use. Decriminalization will at the least take care of a large amount of problems that current addicts face, but it still allows for cartels to create an unregulated product that can hurt the consumer.
(June 28, 2013 at 9:10 am)Doubting Thomas Wrote: The other problem I have with hard drugs like methamphetamine is that the production of meth results for 9 lbs. of toxic waste for every 1 lb. of drug manufactured. All this toxic waste will have to be dealt with, though it could be argued that drug companies being regulated with what they do with their waste is better than a couple of rednecks brewing it up in their trailer park and then throwing the toxic waste outside on the ground or pouring it down the sink.
Exactly, with legalization comes regulation.
(June 28, 2013 at 2:40 pm)pineapplebunnybounce Wrote: The war on drugs and say no to drugs campaigns were basically misguided and insincere. They tried to say that all drugs are exactly the same, they're all dangerous they're all bad for you. When it's clearly not. There was a fake study saying ecstasy will give you a big hole in your brain, it was government funded. Then this whole gateway drug thing about marijuana. Well it worked out really well, didn't it?
And now people who want to legalize drug are doing the exact same thing. They're saying all drugs are equally safe. No they're not. Alcohol is more dangerous than marijuana. Cigarettes actually cause lung cancer. Ecstasy does kill your brain cells but doesn't really cause addiction. Drugs are not all the same. Of all the crimes committed while intoxicated, alcohol related ones are the majority. Drunk driving is a real problem, and some people get violent tendencies when on alcohol. Can you say the same for other drugs? No.
All drugs aren't the same, I don't want to give you the impression that that's what I think. But there is no group that tells you how to use drugs responsibly and for recreational use. When you buy regulated prescription medicine there are instruction on the bottle and the pharmacist also tells you. "Take with food, once in the morning and once in the evening, don't take more than 6 within 24 hours. Side effects may include nausea, headache, constipation, etc." When you get ecstasy from your dealer he doesn't give you instructions and tell you how to use it. But if you were to get ecstasy from a legalized vendor he would have to tell you. "Keep well hydrated and don't take more than 2 in a 8 hour period. Side effects may include a complete sense of euphoria and a rollover the next morning." Plus an unregulated dealer can give you impure ecstasy, and cut it with paint thinner. Under FDA regulations paint thinner would absolutely not be a valid ingredient.
(June 28, 2013 at 2:40 pm)pineapplebunnybounce Wrote: Society has never really viewed recreational drugs scientifically. It's mostly a taboo/societal norm thing. For a long time parents would get mad at kids who do weed, but drink alcohol themselves. When alcohol is more harmful. So things like prohibition and war on drugs, it's more about people's idea of drugs, than what the drug actually does.
Agreed.
(June 28, 2013 at 2:40 pm)pineapplebunnybounce Wrote: And no, addiction isn't a conspiracy trumped up by the war on drugs, I have worked with ppl with addiction, and there are a lot of centres for rehab. I mean, it's real ok? People do go into withdrawal if they stay off their drugs for too long.
I'm not saying addiction is a conspiracy, just that the assertion that if you take a drug once you will most likely become an addict. The link I posted in one of my previous posts shows that is not true.
(June 28, 2013 at 2:40 pm)pineapplebunnybounce Wrote: Not a single country has legalized hard drugs. Do you not think that it's rather impractical to jump into this without knowing what to expect? Yea, thanks for bringing up portugal. They decriminalized and it worked for them. Decriminalization is not just to get rid of the illegal drug trade, it's because I think it's wrong to jail people who are sick. And it doesn't cause more drug use. Also, why is everyone so sure that once we legalize the very rich and powerful cartels will just up and disappear?
Yes not a single country has legalized hard drugs, and we still have very prevalent and powerful cartels. There are two parts to our current drug issues. One contains the problems that come from the consumer like addiction and incarceration. The second contains problems that come from the vendor's side such as violence used in competition, and unsafe products. Decriminalization alleviates the problems of the first, but legalization alleviates both.
