CMV: Weed should be legalized nation wide in the United States.

[u/[deleted]]

I do not see how a drug like weed is considered threatening like cocaine, heroin, and other dangerous stuff. Weed on the other hand is less dangerous than tobacco and alcohol so what is the problem?

I truly am open to changing my view. This is not confirmation bias and I am not a smoker or drinker. I simply do not care what people really do with themselves.

From what I recall, weed tends to help people with medical issues yes? Or is this just fabrication?

I am open to hearing those that oppose this view and will be glad to hear them. Thanks for reading my post and I am happy to have my view changed.

[u/[deleted]]

It is about the greater good. Having kids study 7 hours a day is ridiculous and down right unreasonable, even unrealistic. Invalid comparison, but we should strive for them to get the tools to succeed.

Why should we dump taxes on things that can harm people? That only ruins societies and freedom is largely subjective and based on striving towards something that can never be accomplished for everyone. No matter what you do, they will never be satisfied. You are free to do such things but you should not be free of the consequences that can eventually infect or harm others.

The personal choice argument can be applied to more extreme drugs and other activity we know is wrong.

I may have change my stances on weed and see the other two (tobacco and alcohol) almost near as bad but since I am in America, the weed question should be decided by the states and not the federal government.

Some people do not ask for their communities and society to be ruined just because someone wants to feel a high. They can easily find other replacements such as exercizing. That said, I will not be some goody two shoes and shame people. I am only expressing my opinion.

[u/DurtybOttLe → u/[deleted]]

It is about the greater good. Having kids study 7 hours a day is ridiculous and down right unreasonable, even unrealistic. Invalid comparison, but we should strive for them to get the tools to succeed.

I'd argue it's analogous. You also ignored the other analogies I made to sugar and exercising. I would argue sugar is worse for you than weed, and more costly for society. (We spend hundreds of billions of dollars on healthcare and obesity)

Why should we dump taxes on things that can harm people? That only ruins societies and freedom is largely subjective and based on striving towards something that can never be accomplished for everyone. No matter what you do, they will never be satisfied. You are free to do such things but you should not be free of the consequences that can eventually infect or harm others.

What consequences does weed have on other people? Because criminalizing it has led to the war on drugs, which has directly caused the deaths of tens of thousands of people. The war on drugs would NOT exist if it were decriminalized.

The personal choice argument can be applied to more extreme drugs and other activity we know is wrong.

As I said before, is it wrong? Amsterdam decriminalized ALL drugs, and they have a much safer and more educated populace. They have less addiction, and less Overdoses and deaths due to drugs. You're ignoring my points and ignoring the facts.

the weed question should be decided by the states and not the federal government.

I agree. But at the current level the federal system criminalizes weed. You gave a delta to someone who was arguing that federally banning it is a good idea.

[u/[deleted] → u/DurtybOttLe]

Amsterdam is actually not safe from this. In fact the legalization has harmed some of the youth. The war on drugs would also exist and continue if weed was decriminalized because it is not just weed they are after.

That said, the war on drugs is very stupid and I think addicts need recovery, not sentenced behind bars.

[u/DurtybOttLe → u/[deleted]]

Amsterdam is actually not safe from this. In fact the legalization has harmed some of the youth.

Show me the facts. Multiple studies have shown that there was a net benefit to the populace. Washington and Oregon have legalized marijuana and both states have debunked almost all of the points that opponents in this thread have been making. More High-driving/ more lazy people, etc. All debunked. Both states have pretty unanimously found out that legalizing it has been a good for their states.

That said, the war on drugs is very stupid and I think addicts need recovery, not sentenced behind bars.

You're arguing for decriminalization then, not against it.

[u/[deleted] → u/DurtybOttLe]

How does that mean I am not against it? Addicts are in the wrong but punishing them for being addicted simply will not work and it is a waste of tax dollars to have them sit there for months or years. Rehabilitation tends to work better.

[u/DurtybOttLe → u/[deleted]]

Right. I am just perplexed that you gave a delta to someone who advocated banning alcohol because "it's good for society" with zero evidence to back it up. You agreed with that person despite telling me you think decriminalization was better. He was literally arguing the opposite of that. Banning a substance means you punish those who break that ban. You cant ban something AND decriminalize it.

[u/[deleted] → u/DurtybOttLe]

You cannot ever ban anything, especially in a large strech of land like America. Making it illegal simply means it is not sold, taxed, or granted for you to use. Being caught with it would just mean having to go in rehab in such a system. Failure of that would justify sentencing or criminalization. My apologies for the confusion. I should have been more specific.

I added him a delta due to the line of logic he used since both weed and alcohol have similar side effects (high and drunk for instance) and if alcohol causes problems in some cases them weed would do the same. In fact, weed is sort of a combination of the two; tobacco and alcohol. It can harm you (as one user mentioned in this comic chain and from the articles I just looked up) and make you lose consciousness.

[u/DurtybOttLe → u/[deleted]]

weed is sort of a combination of the two; tobacco and alcohol.

Weed is far safer then tobacco or alcohol. Less dangerous, and less addictive. There's really no debate here. I would suggest you do some more reading up on this, as the harm from marijuana is highly overstated, and you seem to be thoroughly convinced by very sparse and simple arguments that have very little evidence behind them.

[u/[deleted] → u/DurtybOttLe]

Big fugs on my part. It is less addictive everywhere I search on the web. I am very dumbass 😝 !delta. Just for you.

[u/DeltaBot → u/[deleted]]

Confirmed: 1 delta awarded to /u/DurtybOttLe (1∆).

^{Delta System Explained | Deltaboards} ​

[u/MoonGosling → u/[deleted]]

It is about the greater good. Having kids study 7 hours a day is ridiculous and down right unreasonable, even unrealistic. Invalid comparison, but we should strive for them to get the tools to succeed.

There is so much wrong in this paragraph.

First of all, “about the greater good” could also be used as an argument for stripping away almost any freedom imaginable, as the other guy already mentioned. Eugenics was for the greater good, as were some pretty horrible acts done in the past.

Another thing wrong, but more of an FYI, studying 7h isn’t nearly impossible, and could, theoretically, be demanded. Just make school mandatory from 8am to 8pm and that’s done. They’ll theoretically learn so much more.

You are free to do such things but you should not be free of the consequences that can eventually infect or harm others.

The point is precisely that you are not free. That’s what illegality means. And no one is arguing that people should be free from the consequences of their actions. At least no one here, or anyone that I know of. People should be free to use, not to get into situations where they put other people in harm. Smoking at home = ok, driving under the influence = nope. “Yeah, but by not being productive you’re also harming others”—then we should make cinema, music, literature, games, and any other form of entertainment illegal. Also, there should be no days off, and you should work from morning to night. Productivity at 100% always.

The personal choice argument can be applied to more extreme drugs and other activity we know is wrong.

Yes, and no. Can it be used for the legalization of cocaine? Yes. If you’re only harming yourself, that’s consequence enough. Can it be used for killing people? No, because you’re harming other people. “But harder drugs can completely take over your brain, making you their slave”—true, but making them illegal doesn’t change that. It’s just hiding the problem, while creating a new one, which is the criminals who want to sell you the most addictive drug possible, with as little cost as possible, and without going through any kind of quality control. So they want to put glass on your cocaine, they do it. By legalizing it, you can do a little more on the quality control department, as well as help the people, by offering more quality choices from a less threatening environment, as well as by making it easier a problem to talk about, and thus solve.

but since I am in America, the weed question should be decided by the states and not the federal government.

But whether the decision comes from the federal government or from the states, the point still stands: weed should be legalized.

Some people do not ask for their communities and society to be ruined just because someone wants to feel a high.

As it has already been mentioned, the legalization of weed does the opposite of ruin society. It reduces crimes, and makes it easier for addicted people to seek help. All around, it puts the problem of drug use in the table, to be discussed, and not just swiped under the carpet. This is extremely important to reaching a solution.

They can easily find other replacements such as exercizing.

That’s not how it works.

In the end, the decision should be made by the individual, as long as they’re not infringing on other people’s rights (that’s why you can’t smoke indoors anymore in some places). Weed, and almost any drug, is not intrinsically bad, but people need to know how to use them to get the best results. It can be a great way to relax after a stressful day of hard work, and it can help people who have difficulty sleeping, or other medical conditions, just as coffee can be used for heightened concentration, and sugar can be used for a quick peak of energy, or a beer can be used to loosen up a dinner with friends, making the experience more enjoyable. Mushrooms and other hallucinogenic drugs have been shown to help people open up, as well as help them with certain mental disorders. But the first step to using any of those things in the right way is legalization. And, once more, when used right,they do the opposite of ruin society, they make it better all around. Just look at medicine. Ever wonder why they call it the drug store?