Smoked a joint lately? Eaten a special brownie? A recent MTF survey about teen marijuana use reports that 10.9% of eighth graders, 23.9% of tenth graders, and 32.4% of twelfth graders have used marijuana within the last year. An article recently published in The Arizona Republic suggested legalizing marijuana use for everyone. Coupled with the already high use of the drug, the legalization of pot in America would cause an explosion of use of the drug among teens.
The article expressed many reasons why the legalization of pot would be useful. There could be a tax put on the drug , just like on tobacco, which would help fix the American economy with the enormous amount of income the legalization would supply. Drug cartels and the violence brought with them would completely be halted as americans no longer supplied the large portion of money that the crime lords would need from marijuana. Those too sick to work and too poor to buy marijuana from pharmicists could grow their own for physical comfort. And lastely, although unlikely, with the decrease of crime rates throughout Mexico, the Mexican economy could possibly rebuild itself, decreasing the number of illegal immigrents coming into America.
Of course there are many negative aspects of this legalization. Along with the rotting of every American brain who uses this drug, we would basically be surrendering to the Mexican drug cartelsand all that they stand for. And if America is really supposed to stand for the epitome of justice, advancement, and standing for what you believe in, we all might as well kiss our powers goodbye on the world stage and among the United Nations. If the American people became really stupid, we could see the crowds of hobbos and hippies return from the undead and the American economy would be thrown down the toilet in a swirl of green peace signs and red hearts.
Personally, I am two-sided on this topic. The positive aspects of the legalization of marijuana are overwhelming, but the negative ones are just as persuasive. I really don’t think our country needs a repeat of the 60′s, but America may already be too stressed to not get high. Thoughts? Opinions? Comments? I’d like to know them.
-FATMAN
Most Americans are already retarded, a bit of peace and less hostility wouldn’t hurt.
“The positive aspects of the legalization of marijuana are overwhelming, but the negative ones are just as persuasive.”
Um… that someone might get TOO bored?
Marijuana use isn’t terribly destructive, it’s just stupid.
Yes, fall92, as a matter of fact marijuana users getting too bored WOULD be a negative aspect. If those users are stupid enough to use the drug, whats to stop them from getting into something even more detrimental once they’re bored of it? If you haven’t used the drug, how can you be so sure it isn’t destructive? If you have used it, aren’t you just as stupid? I personally have never used it, thats why I’m remaining neutral on this topic and only pointing out the facts of its possible legalization.
I wanted to share a quote from Hunter S. Thompson that pertains greatly to this article: “It might be a little rough on some people for a while, but I think it’s the only way to deal with drugs. Look at Prohibition: all it did was make a lot of criminals rich.”
First off lets dispel two useless arguments.
Argument 1
People are going to do it either way
(people are going to murder, speed, and every other crime too. That is not justification for legalization)
Argument 2
It will boost the economy.
(so will producing and mass marketing assault weapons, grenade launchers, heroin, pirated DVD’s, and any other black market item.)
Also not justification
The actual problem at hand is how harmful are the affects of marijuana. I honestly can’t say that I have any real knowledge of this but I once heard a lecture on the radio from a guy with a Ph D in medical botany, who said that marijuana itself has good medical(notice not recreational) potential but the chemicals and other things added to the leaf in consumer production make it too dangerous to use, especially for recreational use.
Yes, there are many people who say that the plant in it’s natural state is “fine,” but the drug dealers and those involved with the sales add chemicals that are harmful yet addictive, so the user keeps coming back for more. That’s why more and more people are buying “organic” tobacco and rolling their own cigarettes because they feel that they are not smoking in all of those chemicals that the “big companies” put into their cigarettes.
Just a quick update but there was another recent article put up on msn.com about the effects of the possible legalization of marijuana on the economy.
Web Adress: http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/StockInvestingTrading/a-budget-cure-marijuana-taxes.aspx?gt1=33002
Great quote by the way, Fruit.