California is thinking about legalizing it

[Violet]

3) I'm not sure about the public, but if I were in charge I'd make it illegal for people to smoke in public and in their cars. People should be able to do whatever they like in their own homes though. What if there are children? Well if a parent wants to smoke or take drugs in front of children, I have no problem with it. As long as they don't neglect the child, I see no reason for the government to get involved. People smoke cigarettes in front of their children, drink in front of their children, etc. Marijuana is provably less dangerous than both of those habits.

And I don't think even parents should have the right to fuck up 'their' children's lives. (@smoking/alcoholics) If someone has children, why would they be willing to subject the children to a substance that has already affected them in demonstrably negative ways that they are well aware of. And if they are not aware of the effects of their smoking/drinking... then what makes one assume that they have any right to protect and raise those children in the first place? Parenting needs much more regulation imo... as is parents simply have too much free reign to do what they will to children.

Other than that I wholly agreed with your 1, 2, 4, and 5 of your post, Adrian

---

Yup, we do agree on that. It may be the sole example. Governments job is not to keep me safe from myself, nor is it to legislate everything. I mean a fishing license? Here you need a busking license. You can beg for money, but if you pick up a guitar you need to fill out the paperwork and pay the gummint.

It would be a poor ideal of the government not to keep its people safe from themselves... as what is a government to do if there are no more people to govern? Keeping people alive and well is largely the point of legislation in the first place...

I like a world with no guns, but if we have guns lets be as fair and intelligent about it as we can. I would also like a world with no drugs, but if we have to have drugs, lets not lock kids up with real criminals because they prefer a joint to a beer.

I don't care much for a world with no guns or drugs... they are very useful tools in their own right that do a lot of good for societies and individuals within societies. IE: I wish I lived in a world where cars didn't crash... but I most definitely don't wish to be in a world with no cars

I have to go work on bending spoons with my mind.

Thanks,
-Pip

How's that coming so far?

---

Second-hand smoke can hurt the child (as it can anyone), and I would consider that child abuse. I'm not entirely certain, but I think California already passed a law banning you from smoking in the car with a kid.

I don't disagree, but take you're average campfire, and stand in the midst of the smoke. That's pretty damn rough on your lungs too...