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#41
10-23-2005, 04:08 AM
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Re: I\'m joining NORML.
Kudos to you....I've been a member for a decade or so. Having spent more time in the Department of Corrections than I should, I can say that the 'Drug War' is a colossal failure. It's filling the prisons with far, far too many non-violents who would be much better in rehab and addiction centers than mixing with the max, violent, and/or level Es in prisons. (trust me, the populations do mix. The Martha Stewart prisons are few and far between.)
Might I also suggest www.mpp.org (marijuana policy project) and www.drugpolicy.org K79057 
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#42
10-23-2005, 04:25 AM
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Re: I\'m joining NORML.
[ QUOTE ]
The premise that the government needs to intervene in personal decisions is itself flawed, and in particular goes against the tenor of the philosophies that founded this country. [/ QUOTE ] So, what about heroin or cocaine? People who use those drugs are similarly making a personal decision to use them. Do you think these, and every other hard substance, should also be legalised because it's a 'personal decision'? If your answer is no, then while your premises may be true, your argument is flawed. How far do you take the principles outlined in your post? Where do you draw the line, and how do you know that's the right place to draw it? How do you know that pot resides on the "good" side of that line, how do you quantify it, and how do you prove it? Do you even think there should be a line? Should the government just give everyone total and complete freedom to do anything? (Queue: Simpsons episode, "Do what you feel like day").
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#43
10-23-2005, 07:42 AM
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Re: I\'m joining NORML.
[ QUOTE ]
So, what about heroin or cocaine? People who use those drugs are similarly making a personal decision to use them. Do you think these, and every other hard substance, should also be legalised because it's a 'personal decision'? If your answer is no, then while your premises may be true, your argument is flawed. [/ QUOTE ] For harder drugs, the positives of enabling personal freedoms do not outweigh the negative externailities of more widespread use. For weed I think they do. This is a very subjective value assesment (how does one compare personal freedom to economic DWL and more personal externalities?) but for the vast majority of controlled substances the answer is intuitivly obvious, imo, once an extensive analysis is complete.
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#44
10-23-2005, 09:30 AM
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Re: I\'m joining NORML.
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ] What about people like me who use it as a surrogate for alcohol because it doesn't have the addictive qualities of alcohol. [/ QUOTE ] i agreed with your entire post except this part. marijuana can create addicts too, but the comparison to alcohol is good, as in my semi-educated on the subject opinion alcohol seems to be just as harmful if not more than marijuana. [/ QUOTE ] Alcohol is much more dangerous than pot. Alcohol consumption can kill. I've never heard of a pot OD. Also, keep in mind that your body likes THC. In fact it stores it. On the other hand, your body goes into overdrive to remove alcohol from your system, as it's a poison.
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#45
10-23-2005, 09:39 AM
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Re: I\'m joining NORML.
there are receptors in the brain that are ONLY triggered by cannabis - they have no other purpose then to fire when exposed to marijuana or other THC - it is a BIOLOGICAL trait, not a learned or adapted trait - they're in people who have never smoked before.
The body/brain seems to be engineered in such a way to take maximum advantage of the chemical. RB
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#46
10-23-2005, 10:38 AM
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Re: I\'m joining NORML.
[ QUOTE ]
Alcohol is much more dangerous than pot. Alcohol consumption can kill. I've never heard of a pot OD. [/ QUOTE ] That's because there have been none. Ever. Not one documented case of death by overdose of cannabis.
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#47
10-23-2005, 10:44 AM
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Re: I\'m joining NORML.
[ QUOTE ]
Might I also suggest www.mpp.org (marijuana policy project) and www.drugpolicy.org [/ QUOTE ] Good suggestions. MPP strongly backed Question 9 on the Nevada ballot that lost 60% to 40% a couple of years ago.
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#48
10-23-2005, 11:15 AM
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Re: I\'m joining NORML.
[ QUOTE ]
For harder drugs, the positives of enabling personal freedoms do not outweigh the negative externailities of more widespread use. For weed I think they do. This is a very subjective value assesment (how does one compare personal freedom to economic DWL and more personal externalities?) but for the vast majority of controlled substances the answer is intuitivly obvious, imo, once an extensive analysis is complete. [/ QUOTE ] Actually, I think there is much more persuasive arguments to legalize heroin than cannabis, though of course all drugs should be completely legal. Pure heroin in controlled doses is not inherently harmful - marijuana is. High black market prices often force heroin addicts to resort to crime in order to feed their addictions - this is hardly the case for marijuana users. Heroin produced and sold by criminals may vary in strength/be impure and can cause lethal overdoses - when was the last time someone OD'd from getting stronger chronic than they expected? Restrictions regarding drug paraphernalia spread HIV and other diseases among heroinists. Marijuana can be produced locally - illegal heroin feed international crime syndicates and may even fund terrorism.
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