Quote:
Originally posted by Conundrum:
Quote:
Originally posted by Kaiser:
[b]
Quote:
Originally posted by NY Madman:
Whether you believe it or not, your drug use does harm other people. I doubt you grow your own marijuana for your personal consumption, so your drug purchases are most likely subsidizing a wide swath of related peripheral criminal activities including murder. Maybe even the murder of law enforcement personnel both in and out of this country. Possibly terrorism too.
uhhhh... maybe.... but that's the government's fault. If it weren't illegal we'd be paying premiums for "certified 100% organic" weed from small American farms... crap like that.

All of the LEO deaths, the tremendous cost etc etc fall squarely on the people who drafted and enacted these retarded laws - not on the guy who just wants to buy a little of something he's too scared to grow himself.[/b]
X2, I'd grow for myself or friends/family if it were legal, but we do agree whereas it will never be legal. There's too much money at stake for the Government. It's not cheap running all this propaganda machine and the Law enforcement to keep busting street level users and not the Cartels that bring it here. Most Men cannot admit when they have been wrong, doesn't come easily anyways, so since most Government is run by Men, they're not going to admit wrong and like I said before will fight tooth and nail to keep the status quo.

I still owe ya a beer if you're in Phoenix NYMM. We agree most of the time so I know we'd have a great discussion and I would look forward to the opportunity. [Argue] [drink] [/QB]
NYMM, this is another example of where my posts weren't read. You're typically very good at backing your arguments with facts and documentation, but that's been gloriously absent from this argument, probably because you're an ex cop and can't accept the fact that something you enforced for X number of years might not have been worth enforcing. You bought into the anti drug propoganda machine hook, line, and sinker. You, of all people should be able to see through that, and look at facts (not US government studies with skewed results either) to back your arguments.

Just like alcohol, if you don't want to do it, you don't have to. Health effects of long term drinkers are considerably more severe than your pot heads and stoners. You're naiive to think that even those who are daily smokers are unproductive members of society. I know a lot of people between leading the SWANKy club, running my own website similar to XOC (nissan4wheelers.com), and working for a huge corporation. You'd be surprised who smokes pot. I'm not saying this to justify right vs. wrong; I'm simply refuting your factless arguments. I respect your opinions normally, so show me something convincing the other way.

Legalization takes the criminal element out of the picture. I don't think anyone disagrees that organized crime benefits from it being illegal. The US Government and its people certainly do not. The economic impact alone should be argument enough to leglalize it, but unfortunately, our politicians and a good chunk of the populous bought into the government propoganda that's been spread for over 60 years that it's an evil drug.

As for the guy who has 3 relatives that developed schizophrenia from smoking weed, I call bullshit. They probably weren't stable to begin with. Give me the medical proof.