Marijuana vs. cigarettes

I wanted to hear some opinions on the legalization of marijuana. I'd like to hear them in the context of why cigarettes are legal while marijuana is illegal.

I say that cigarettes are a ton more addictive as well as lethal and it's a bit hypocritical for marijuana to be illegal, but all viewpoints are welcome.

I guess I should throw it out there that my grandmother died because of her addiction to cigarettes, and I've not known one person to have a negative health side effect from marijuana (and I know plenty of weed smokers). I also smoke neither of them.

[bills217]

Cigarettes are legal because there are big cigarette companies that have highly-paid lawyers.

Not true of marijuana.

Yeah, I've heard that theory. I've also heard that marijuana is easy to grow on your own and therefore can't be taxed, whereas growing tobacco and being able to smoke it is a real capital intensive endeavor therefore normal people have to buy it and have it taxed.

[jcx]

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Yeah, I've heard that theory. I've also heard that marijuana is easy to grow on your own and therefore can't be taxed, whereas growing tobacco and being able to smoke it is a real capital intensive endeavor therefore normal people have to buy it and have it taxed.

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If pot was legal and available at 7-11 it could certainly be taxed. Most people would prefer to buy from a corporate supplier that used quality control methods rather than from a dude on a street corner selling God knows what.

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If pot was legal and available at 7-11 it could certainly be taxed. Most people would prefer to buy from a corporate supplier that used quality control methods rather than from a dude on a street corner selling God knows what.

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I wasn't saying it could never be taxed. I was saying you can grow it on your own, unlike tobacco, which might be one reason why it was criminalized. Imagine if you could just grow tobacco in your back yard (or closet, as my parents did) and easily smoke it. How many people would grow their supply instead of buying it?

[jcx]

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If pot was legal and available at 7-11 it could certainly be taxed. Most people would prefer to buy from a corporate supplier that used quality control methods rather than from a dude on a street corner selling God knows what.

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I wasn't saying it could never be taxed. I was saying you can grow it on your own, unlike tobacco, which might be one reason why it was criminalized. Imagine if you could just grow tobacco in your back yard (or closet, as my parents did) and easily smoke it. How many people would grow their supply instead of buying it?

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Some would, sure. But many people live in apts or dwellings with no avail land. If pot was cheap enough, I believe only the true purists would grow their own (I do not smoke pot). Beer is relatively cheap and easy to make if you buy a homebrew kit. How many people really bother?

[TomCollins]

Marijuana is a gateway drug, unlike alcohol and tobacco.

Most people that use drugs that I know began with alcohol and tobacco. I think it's safe to say that most drug users begin this way. It was that way for me. I never smoked cigarettes, but I have no doubt that I would never have tried any of the drugs I have if I never began drinking alcohol.

[theweatherman]

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Marijuana is a gateway drug, unlike alcohol and tobacco.

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Thats such bull.

Yeah, it's complete bull. My guess is it's just a dumb rationalization to make a distinction between making a lethal drug (tobacco) legal while making a comparatively harmless drug (marijuana) illegal.

I wonder how many people have made the leap from not doing any drugs (tobacco and alcohol) to smoking weed. My guess is that the percentage of people that smoked cigarettes and/or drank alcohol before they moved on to weed is staggeringly high.