Should they legalize Marijuana?

Yes they should. The stuff grows out of the ground and is smokable with no tampering from man needed. It is a God given gift and should be a right. It would cause less problems than alcohol does and alcohol is legal!

If they did legalize it, they could collect taxes on it. :0) I am not a marijuana user. I don't smoke either. I see your point about harder drugs and the fine line. If I were to vote on it today, I would vote no.

Yes they should legalize it.

yes they shoul then so many people wouldnt smoke it, the thrill would be gone!

I personally believe they should legalize it. I know a lot of people believe it is a gateway drug and they are entitled to that belief but studies and for me life experiences have shown me it is only a gateway drug for those that are going to take other drugs anyway. Studies have shown it is no more addictive than alcohol and tobacco. Just like some people choose to abuse those things some people will choose to abuse marijuana but keeping it illegal will not change that fact. And as far as during the rebellion years legalize at 21 like alcohol. They will still try marijuana because it will still be illegal to them just like a lot of young people still drink alcohol because it is illegal to them. I know a lot of people who causally smoke pot and they are not addicted nor have they move on to different drugs (I know one person that has been smoking since the 60's) I have seen cigarette smokers more addicted. I can go on vacation with a pot smoker and they wont use it or feel the need to use it the whole trip but I cant say the same for a cigarette smoker that has the whole group stopping every 30 minutes to an hour so they can have a smoke.

It should not be illegal to begin with.

Whether they do or not it doesn't affect me, so I don't really have an opinion.

I do know that a lot of time and money is being wasted here in Ca, since we legalized it for medicinal use. Everytime a store jumps through the State's hoops and opens, the Feds come in and close it. Why did my legislators waste all that time passing this law when they knew that the Federal Law wouldn't change? I guess it was to make a statement.

It really doesn't make much difference to me. I'm curious as to what you think about cigarettes, though. Many young people try those, too, (and become completely addicted) and they are in fact legal, so what's the difference there?

NO, NO, NO

No.

I don't personally partake of it, and find much fault in it, such as the ability to render the user content in doing nothing, but it should be decriminalized at minimum. I'd rather have the jails filled with pedophiles and murderers than someone who got busted with a dime bag. (I probably dated myself with that last remark!)

As far as being a gateway drug, each case is individual. There is an enormous amount of users who have never tried anything stronger and are productive individuals. Many users "grow out of it," and use only occassionally once they have completely matured.

I pray my children will not try this, but I'd rather be aware of it than oblivious.

I think it should be legalized. I think that hemp plants can be used for a many things including: skin balm and rope. The benefits of smoking it can help many different diseases and aid with a natural form of pain management.
I don't think marijuana is a gateway drug and I do think that alcohol can be more dangerous of a substance.

No, but then I'm against alcohol, too.

No, I don't think they should legalize marujuana. Yes it is a natural, god made plant, but that doesn't mean that it's good for you. Opium is also made from a plant, so should we legalize that also??? No...

It would never end, there will always be something else that someone thinks should be legalized just because...

No I don't think it is a gateway drug, I think each individual makes their own choice as to what "vices" they will indulge in. And they all have their own reasons for those choices.

And yes, I have tried marijuana and no it wasn't a one time try. I smoked for better then a year when I was 19. I did not get "hooked" but I do know people that are and have lost or almost lost loved ones because of it. I did quit after that time and have not used since. And have not tried any other drugs, I never felt the need. But I do feel that using, definitely, affected my short and long term memory.

And, yes, my children and their friends know I did use. I don't believe in hiding my mistakes from my children but I also am not naive enough to belive that my experiences will deter my children from making their own mistakes. But I also don't want to make it easy for them to make those mistakes.

And if keeping marijuana illegal makes it a little more uncomfortable for them to use then thats how I want it.

I am also against cigarettes and alcohol. I don't understand the need to 'use' these things to get artificial happiness. And yes I do ocassionaly have a beer or glass of wine, no I do not smoke cigarettes. They are nasty and smell awful.

Is it addictive? possibly, but not any more than alcohol or tobacco. Is it good for you? No, especially smoking it. Should it be your choice? Yes, especially for cancer patients.

I'm with you on this one Karen. When we start legalizing potentially dangerous items, we are setting your young people up for potential harm. For one thing, I don't see comparing regular cigarette smoking to smoking weed, you do not get a buzz from regular smoking and it you get in the car and drive after regular smoking, you head is clear. I smoked when I was younger and also weed a few times and yeow the drinking but still there have to be limits somewhere. Like they said above, don't make it too easy.

I say it should be legalized. There are many good opinions here, and i commend you Karen for an article with decent conversation and none calling names. It seems Most article about anything controversal have name calling, bad mouthing etc! sop kudos to you'1
NOW,
As for it being a gateway drug?! It would seem the pot smoker has to go to the local drug dealer for his what id Genine call it? dime bag?! Sothere youhave crack addicts, and heroin addicts and ????? saying hey this is way better than that?!!!
I think if it was legal the gate would be closed! Would you go to a dealer for cigarrettes if they sold them at the corner store?
BTW No i don't smoke it! LOL I did once but i didn't inhale! (or was thatexhale?!LOL)

August 2 will mark the 70th anniversary of Congress's criminalization of marijuana. I do not think it should be decriminalized for recreational use. Not all plants that are naturally growing are good for you. One of the worse things the drug can do is destroy a person's ability to move information from short-term to long-term memory. It is bad enough I have to endure the smell of cigarettes that lingers on the clothing of people who smoke. Why should the smell of marijuana replace that? It's enough that some students think it is fine to use it before coming to school. The odor is so unusual that there is no mistaking it for anything else. If anything, there should be a mandatory life sentence for anyone who is caught with it. No exception for the elderly. Congress, however, should consider its useful medical purposes and allow doctors to prescribe it.

There's a big difference between use and abuse. Anyone who has a strong mind to begin with won't allow any "outside force" to take control of their life and will remain in charge. You never hear of people arrsted for driving while stoned, but what about driving while intoxicated? Cigarettes and alcohol are more highly addictive than pot. Not only that, pot has proven medical benefits for those undergoing cancer treatments, glaucoma patients and stomach disorders. The only reason the government won't legalize pot is because people will be able to grow it privately and the government won't be able to make any money from it in the way of taxes. That's why they limit the amount of alcohol private citizens can make without stepping in for their tax dollars. I say ban alcohol and legalize marijuana.

People who smoke pot and drive tend to drive much slower than necessary. :-)

I believe that it should be legalized as a therapeutic drug, prescribed by physicians and controled as are the psychotropic drugs of today. I am not speaking as an expert because I believe I have only smoked about a ton to date. I have seen it used as a therapeutic drug to ease the "phantom" pain of two friends of mine who are wheel chair bound from loss of limbs in Viet Nam and will attest to its effectiveness in relieving their pain from the missing legs. I have read articles on its effectiveness in relieving pain in some cancer patients, glaucoma and other diseases. It is easier to grow than tomatoes and let's be serious, pot is no longer a drug of choice. It has been replaced by the methadones and the amphetamines of todays drug culture, quicker to addict, difficult to interupt the addiction, higher highs, on and on ad infinitum. Making it harder to obtain does only that, makes it harder to get. Education has and is effective, and I have spoken in schools, colleges, universities, county jails and state prisons about my own personal experiences and the continuing daily fight to hold them in check. You see, the diseases of Addiction are not curable, just arrestable as far as use and quality of life. Once the disease has taken ahold of an individual it owns them, the brain continues to process and deteriorate as if the sick one had never stopped using. If use is re-established the disease becomes immediately active and the struggle becomes fresh again.

I don't know. I know from very brief personal experience marijuana made me lazy ...

Yes, but the question is incorrectly phrased. It should be "Should WE legalize...". This country has been under the thumb of Them for too long. Look at the Constitution sometime; this country us run by Us, not Them.

STOP, FULL STOP.

Marijuana is a controlled substance. It is illegal, not to prevent its use, but to prevent the consequences of its use. Tolerating laws that preempt the right to make personal decisions risks all liberties. Marijuana affects the mind, newspapers affect the mind. Tom Sawyer affects the mind. Photographs of coffins affect the mind. Love, Kindness, Hate, Prejudice, Lust, Music, Dance, Art, Poetry, History, Mathematics, Teachers, Crooks, Speeches, Church, Flags, Insignia, Brand Names, Television, Radio, the Internet, Shoes, Fashion Statements, Nudity, Crucifixes, ALL AFFECT THE MIND.

Marijuana is illegal because it affects the mind.

These drugs are not illegal,
ADDERALL (Amphetamine) BUSPAR(Buspirone) CATAPRES (Clonidine) CYLERT (Pemoline) DESIPRAMINE (Norpramin) DEXEDRENE (Dextroamphetamine) PROZAC (Fluoxetine) RITALIN (Concerta) (Methylphenidate) STRATTERA (Asomexetine) TENEX (Guanfacine) TOFRANIL (Imipramine) WELLBUTRIN (Bupropion). They are restricted to prescription use only, but they are legal and widely prescribed for a single purpose, to affect the mind. They affect the mind so the individual is easily controlled. Marijuana affects the mind so the individual is beyond control.

Marijuana is illegal because it LIBERATES. Wellbutrin is legal because it enslaves.

This comment requires this disclaimer: "If you don't understand why I ride a motorcycle, my feeble attempts to explain will fail."

No.

Although I don't smoke marijuana, cigarette, and rarely ever ever a drink containnig alcohol, I agree that it should be de-criminalized. Like Genine said above, I'd rather see my tax money going to putting away pedophiles, gandbangers, and drunk drivers who kill, domestic abusers, along with all the other criminals that commit truely heinous and harder crimes.

yes

absolutely not!