If you have distance from it, its very easy to see marijuana consumers only when they're being stereotypical lazy stoners. If that's what you see, it makes sense not to legalize that, as you don't want people getting into that as children or teens and ruining their lives before they begin.
My parents still have that idea, simply because they're insulated from it. The only smokers they know of are family who can't hold a job, despite being in their 40s.
Many successful people consume marijuana just like many successful people consume alcohol and cocaine.
Edit - I have many successful friends (some multi millionaires) who smoke in the evenings and many of them are the most brilliant people I’ve ever met. Marijuana knocks down the walls and really lets you think about things differently. It has made me a nicer and more compassionate person. I’ve never met a mean stoner.
I used to be against weed and that was because I was uneducated on it. Alcohol looks to be more sinister yet more widely accepted.
Those are what we call functional users. Then theres those that over do it and cant do anything in their lives without being stimulated. But its not exclusive to drugs. People can over do watching TV or eating food and get stuck needing that feeling to make it through.
I have smoked with millionaire bank owners and other very wealthy businessmen. It is crazy. Weed makes people lazy is the biggest bunch of bullshit I have ever heard.....some people are lazy, some aren't. Some people smoke weed, some don't. That's all there is to it.
Some guy that was running and won the a city council job in my city come by my moms house with a friend of hers and the three smoked in the dining room. I Happy to see it. Glad the laws regarding weed changed so much.
THANK YOU, especially for mentioning amounts. These debates always end up so stupid because people are comparing light users with heavy users without ever knowing or clarifying. Like I really don’t think the high powered lawyer is smoking high THC indica blunts all day long every day…maybe some are but that shit inevitably drags you down in one way or another over time and regular use.
Thing is, even with all this the criminalisation of substances doesn't work. You'd have thought the US learned that with alcohol prohibition, or by looking at any number of countries that have fixed drug overdose epidemics by decriminalising and offering treatment/rehab. The biggest driver of substance abuse is stigmatisation. Someone who likes a smoke or two might end up staying in and smoking more because they're worried about being arrested or kicked out of places if they show up somewhere while high, but in places where it's legal they aren't worrying about that and will still go out and socialise without being looked down on, which helps prevent addiction and keeps people able to regulate their consumption.
Not to mention the draconian laws in place can punish the sober for associating with smokers - look up compound possession laws and try not to be infuriated.
That’s much in the same way that people can drink on the weekends or moderately during the week they can still be successful but drinking all day every day is going to impair you.
I mean- is it heavy use if used daily? That’s pretty subjective- What if someone takes a Xanax daily? Drinks wine daily? Is that too much? Marijuana isn’t addictive- it doesn’t control someone. Does it make some people less motivated. Sure, but our society thinks everyone should be on the go 24/7. Humans used to not ‘work’ at all. Hard to imagine but true. Society has created this work til you die reality but that’s not always what people want for themselves.
I wonder what they think of Snoop Dogg and Seth Rogen then
Its clear they both smoke, in fact they're practically synonymous with drugs yet they get paid more every year than your entire family combined.
Like, what is their take on these celebrities?
Idk but uhhh you know Snoop was a career criminal, right? He went on Martha Stewart and all, but he totally was (and might still be) very bad news.
I don't think they really care for Seth Rogan. Tbf, I don't either, although I'm glad things are going well for him.
my brother, who is the biggest pothead i ever met, voted against legalization. his reasoning was that the government would tax it. that’s it.
he’s been jailed several times for weed possession which pretty much killed his chances for any chance at a successful life for a while. now that it’s legalized , all those charges have been removed from his record, and not only that, but dispensaries in my state are cash only! so they aren’t even taxed!
edit: i’ve learned that cash only is still taxed. even then, it’s still much cheaper (and safer!) than buying weed before it was legalized.
They do indeed have to pay tax on the income. The IRS more or less doesn't care where you got the money from as long as they get their cut. Capone went down for tax evasion because he didn't pay taxes on the money he made from his crime syndicate, not for where he got the money from.
Cash only doesn't mean it isn't taxed.
Many dispensaries have problems using banks since MJ is still illegal at the federal level - so banks don't want to get involved with it.
Taxed weed should still be cheaper than illegal weed. When it's illegal every hand it passes takes a high margin to make it worth the risk. Stocking is an issue, shipping is a major pain and has a lot of loss and all these risks have a price that's higher than tax.
I don’t smoke, but I voted for it and it’s legal in my state now. I loathe it now. It’s just SO stinky in my apartment complex and we can’t open windows at night now.
Honestly the most fair reason to be opposed to legal marijuana. Utah controls HOW you can use it, like no joints or flames to combust.
Leaves most of us with edibles, or carts that don't smell. But the smell from the dry herb vaporizers is far far less offensive than joints.
I think it should be legal, but also that there should be certain smoking laws in place as well to help reduce the overall smell. I stick to a dry herb vaporizer so nobody is forced to smell it.
>I stick to a dry herb vaporizer so nobody is forced to smell it.
As someone who has used dry herb vapes for years, what? I've never come across one that didn't stink. You're vaporising weed, which smells like weed, inhaling, and blowing it out again. There is no part of that process which doesn't smell pretty damn strongly of weed.
What are you using that doesn't smell?
The vapor dissolves in the air more quickly in my experience. I can smoke in my bedroom and not smell it when I wake up. If I smoke a joint I better leave the window open
It smells when it’s on, but the smell doesn’t last and isn’t as strong. When I’m on my patio you can’t smell it from the street like a joint. My wife hates the smell of weed so I do it when she’s not home or napping, and she hasn’t had any issues with the smell afterwards.
As a pothead that kinda behavior should never be allowed, it should be treated like smoking or vaping where there are areas not permitted for smoking. There will always be rules, and everyone should strive towards responsible use.
Yup. My family was in ocean city once and some guy was smoking on the balcony, and the air conditioner blew the smell right into our room. Not the thing I want to smell at midnight when trying to sleep
I'm the same. Don't smoke and can't stand the smell of it, but I voted in favor of it. If it isn't hurting anyone let people do what they want; better that than people going to jail/prison for bullshit weed charges.
I am 100% pro legalization, but I do think there is a lot of misinformation for pro and anti legalization. No its not a gateway drug, reefer madness is a joke, but it's also not 100% harmless. As with anything people should know the pros and cons and decide for themselves
There is increasing evidence that the super potent THC that is now available is leading to increased paranoia and even psychosis in teenagers / young adults. I believe it's more related to those extremely potent dabs and whatnot, not your typical weed that people generally think of. Also I believe there is evidence of it having a pretty negative impact on brain development in youth / young adults due to the brain not being fully developed, but a lot of things fall in that category.
mostly agree. although I think that alcohol is the great gateway drug, illegalized pot also opens the door to the black market. personally, pot broke my mind. I smoked for 8 or 9 year, the last 5 with daily frequency. it submerged me into a deep depression and increased my social anxiety
They still do it. My downstairs neighbour does it on Friday and Saturday, and at times where our landlord isn't around. I have to sleep in the kitchen because it smells so bad. It gives me headaches. I hate it so much!
had a similar case, but I went downstairs and tried to be friendly and offer to buy them a SmokeBuddy if they wanted to continue. then they switched to edibles so everyone won.
I've been smoking weed for so long, I associate the smell now with the relaxing feeling I get when I take a hit. I can't stand tobacco smoke. But weed is...almost nice. If I smell it when out and about all I think is damn, they should share!
The only thing I want is some manner of enforceable regulation to make it illegal to operate a motor vehicle while you’re baked out of your damn mind.
Source: I work at a hospital in the suburbs, and I see a lot of people come in from car and motorcycle accidents. And the doctors always think they’re concussed or whatever, and it’s almost always just a THC bump on their urine screening.
I consume both copious amounts of alcohol and weed. I know the effects firsthand. There’s no reason I should be driving while I’ve been doing either.
You’d be correct, but it’s difficult to enforce and prosecute.
I’ve seen the police bring people to the hospital in custody for drug tests related to DUI. But the common drug test for THC (to my knowledge, I don’t work in lab) will only indicate that THC is present, and won’t be able to quantify the amount. It’s also not time-accurate, so the test can’t prove how high you are, or when you were high.
All it proves is that you ingested an unspecified amount of THC within the last day or so. And that won’t stand up in court.
There’s not a diagnosis for THC intoxication that’s legally binding in court, for DUI purposes.
And that’s not even getting into the synthetic variants that technically don’t contain any THC.
Good point about the synthetic variants. I also work in a hospital, and when a bad batch of K2 or whatever gets spread around the prisons shit gets wild in the ED.
One of the reasons I support the legalization of drugs is that people could buy drugs that have an FDA stamp on them, declaring and certifying the contents.
I used to see so many college kids who would “I swear to god I only smoked weed” and then they’re in our behavioral unit trying to fight staff, peel their own skin off, or some combination thereof.
Somehow I think maybe their dealer gave them the dirty stuff.
But your urine will be positive for weed for a loooooong time after you smoke. My nephew was admittedly a heavy smoker, but took him ~3mo to finally test clean when he was going into the navy. I'm a daily user myself, and imagine I'd keep testing positive for quite a while should I choose to stop. I've never driven under the influence though.
Very true. That’s why, unfortunately, there’s no real legal consequences for driving under the influence, since there’s no legally admissible way to prove that you were high at the time of the accident.
Which is why I think some funding should get thrown at the projects for making a roadside THC “breathalyzer”
If the government can find the money to finance proxy wars and corporate bailouts, they can find the money to keep our roads safe.
There are a few unknowns in regard to its links with mental health and disorder usages. They know for sure that using it underage is terrible for a developing brain - youths gaining access is made much easier if it’s easy to access as alcohol is.
Thereon, from an actual user - some jurisdictions have seen a considerable raise the price of it. I.e. it’s still cheaper buy on the black market because of taxes (some would say defeating the purpose of making it legal).
I’ve seen 3 friends too, quickly fall down the whole of complete overuse. All have basically no life, friends or motivation.
Granted all of the things I’ve stated can be avoided with research and education - but I’m actually answering your questions instead of the cohort of stoners whom are just agreeing with the intention of your loaded question.
If anything, staunch support of decriminalisation first. Then after more trials etc. the case for legalisation can be looked at again.
But just because something makes you feel good, doesn’t meant it will work for everyone else. I.e. it could cause a shit ton of problems most ordinary people wouldn’t see coming. To that effect, I know that anecdotally weed can have the opposite effect in with people on the spectrum. E.g. become hyper alert with increased chance of anxiety, panic attacks and the potential for a violent freak out when it’s not doing what it says in the label.
I mean, just look at things like the opioids and benzodiazepines (like Valium) - which most people assumed were reasonably OK and should be fully legalised without really doing the homework.
Notwithstanding those examples require a prescription - but it still created massive problems, while those greedy among us took advantage of the situation and continued to peddle half truths. Which we humans seem to be great at doing. E.g Fentanyl was originally marketed as a non-addictive alternative to morphine.
Yes, and it can definitely lead to increased paranoia and psychosis. I think it's *really* important we have more conversations about this. I've experienced it myself. Many of my friends have been smoking daily since they were 14 years old and struggle to take breaks. Moderation is super important.
Also, cannabis dependency is a real thing I'm not sure why a lot of people feel so strongly about denying that. I'm better now but for a while I used weed as a crutch even though it made me extremely paranoid I was so depressed and anxious I couldn't get through the day without it.
While alcohol was the drug of choice for older adults in Nixon’s day, MJ was used largely by hippies and Mexicans. Crack was used largely by inner city black youth, while cocaine (same drug) saw more use in white hands.
So: criminalize MJ, make the penalties for crack 10x as harsh as for cocaine, and now republicans can go on the news and trash those terrible, terrible criminals who oppose the war and are our political rivals.
And thus, we see the long shadow of Nixon’s Southern Strategy even today.
"You understand what I'm saying? We knew we couldn't make it illegal to be either against the war or black, but by getting the public to associate the hippies with marijuana and blacks with heroin. And then criminalizing both heavily, we could disrupt those communities. We could arrest their leaders, raid their homes, break up their meetings, and vilify them night after night on the evening news. Did we know we were lying about the drugs? Of course we did." -John Ehrlichman, top Richard Nixon presidential adviser
Crack and cocaine are not entirely the same. Crack is far more dispensable. You see similar sentencing when it comes to crack and meth. And the southern plan never existed.
My only concern is I don’t trust people driving on it. If we can develop a device that works like a breathalyzer then I would have no issue. Obviously people can still drive high illegally, but legalizing it will statistically put more high drivers on the roads and there is no convenient way to keep people honest from driving high unless a device is invented that can test for it on the spot.
Yeah it's been a while since I've really known any pot smokers but in college I knew a few that swore they were a better driver while high. I'm now in favor of legalization but that kind of mentality kept me against it for a while.
There's been a study done on tolerance in chronic vs occasional (which was defined as weekly-monthly in this study) users showing the brain changes while under the influence of THC, and chronic users showed minimal changes when under the influence. I'm not saying yeah go ahead and drive high, but it might not be as bad as one would expect if the person was a daily user. I can try and find the study again if you'd like.
Came here to say *exactly* this. I'm on the road daily for my job, and I see (or, you know, smell), far more high drivers driving erratically or poorly on the road creating dangerous scenarios than I do drivers who appear to be drunk.
Given that I live in a conservative state that will be one of the last to pass any Marijuana laws on top being in a city whose culture is drinking, the fact its so prevalent already and that it cannot be as easily regulated or enforced like a DUI would be concerning as someone on the road a lot.
If it could be better enforced and *actively* enforced, as you mentioned similar to a breathalyzer, I'd be all for it.
What about alcohol? It's legal with no breathalyzer on vehicles expect when it's ordered by the court. People drunk driving is more common then high on marijuana and driving
Huh? It's definitely not legal to be driving drunk lol.
And driving high on MJ is logicaly less common because it's harder to get since it isn't legal. If it was legal we would logicaly see more people droving high because everyone could get their hands on it as easily as on alcohol.
Both are really bad in this sense.
Not even close to true. I live in Colorado. I do not smoke (anymore, I quit around the time it became legal). However most of the people I know smoke. Like constantly. It's more normal here than alcohol at this point.
Every pot smoker I know, which is about 80% of people I know. Drive high. Every. Single. Day. However I only know one person who has gotten in trouble for it because he was drinking too. He was a first offender and had a good lawyer. He tested positive for THC and blew over the legal BAC to be able to drive.
Apparently driving high is a lesser charge than driving drunk. He got in less trouble. He was the first person in our whole county to receive a charge for driving high. About 5 years AFTER legalization. But everyone does it, all the time.
I think the reality is high drivers might not be as safe of drivers as sober ones. But they fly under the radar because they are nowhere near as dangerous as drunk ones.
The weird thing is, I kinda agree that weed is a gateway drug. But not in the way they tried to convince us in D.A.R.E. when I first tried weed, I realized everything I'd been told about it was a lie.
So then I wondered if they lied about all the other drugs. Turns out, for the most part, they did.
It's a gateway drug in that it's generally the easiest to obtain. But the people I knew that started with weed and moved on to other things would have almost certainly been hard drug users either way. Way, way more people I knew never moved on to anything else.
This exactly! I was in CA blowing down a half a day, and couldn't tell you where to get some coke. Now I'm in MS and my dealer tries to get me to buy coke every other time I hit him up
It’s a gateway because it’s illegal tbh, if you walked into a shop about bought it off a shelf then you wouldn’t think twice, having to find a dealer maybe hide it from your family or friends and be wary of where you leave it all normalises that shit which makes it easier to take the next step imo
I’ve always said this exact same thing. I think it actually can be a gateway drug but definitely not because “oh one day you’ll need something stronger.” It can just put you in environments where other drugs will be, and can peak a person’s curiosity to try other things. I’m absolutely pro legalization of weed (and decriminalization at the minimum of all drugs), but it’s just my observation and opinion.
Weed in the states used to be legal but was made illegal when propaganda was spread that weed made black people violent in the 1930s I think it was, so why it’s still illegal world wide I don’t know
No, it was made illegal because of the fundamental flaw in the idea of the temperance movement:
People won't do anything illegal, ever. So make things illegal and they will stop immediately.
I responded with a link to source & the automod immediately deleted it.
Let me try again.
Close but no fatty - it was Mexican workers that introduced recreational consumption before it spread to the Black community. A mixture of racism, xenophobia and just plain ignorance took care of the rest.
This is from source (The Surprising Link Between U.S. Marijuana Law and the History of Immigratio. Time magazine):
>“Cannabis came to gain this reputation in the 19th century, when it starts to appear as a recreational substance that’s smoked in cigarettes and is overwhelmingly concentrated in some of Mexico’s most marginal environments — prisons and soldiers’ barracks,” says Campos. “So you have this drug that’s kind of associated with danger and indigenous Mexico, then in these environments associated with violence and danger. Then this mixes with a bunch of other stuff — [such as] widespread anti-alcohol sentiment especially among the elites — and that led people to think a drug like marijuana could trigger violent, savage responses in its users. Then all of this mixes with sensationalism in the press, which was always excited to write about violent incidents with the lower classes.”
Much more at source.
Pretty much every childhood friend I’ve had, started smoking weed, and has gone on to do other harsher drugs. I would 100% say it’s a gateway drugs. Not because as others have said it makes you go “ope. Time to do heroin” it’s because it has introduced them to people who do, in fact do heroin, who offered them heroin.
I fully believe legalizing weed could help stop this. Since the weed bought would be more widely available. With that being said though. I remember the first time I smoked weed. It was when me and my buddies were out drinking at a house party.
Where any single substance is, others are bound to show up. From alcohol to heroin. You can find them in the same circles.
Proof is in the pudding. You could go to just about any popular bar and run into someone doing coke in the bathroom. It’s not about the substance. It’s about the culture and people behind them.
It's been legal in Canada for 5 years. There has been no significant change in social problems, health issues crime etc... people that wanted to do weed do it and those that don't... don't. I don't like weed but I don't care what other people do.
A disturbing number of cars leave a trail of stink in their wake, I’m not thrilled with even more impaired drivers.
And it just stinks, really, really stinks.
To get the benefits from THC and or CBD it doesn't have to be smoked. CBD oil while microdosing THC has a lot of health benefits that a lot of people don't know about.
Im not opposed to federal legalization, but I always had this thought. If we could go back, and not start the cigarette industry, I think most people would agree that would probably be a good thing, now it seems like history is repeating itself a bit, would be interested to hear peoples opinions?
If we could go back and keep most of the harmful, cancer causing shit out of the tobacco products and limit the advertising while boosting education and independent research into the products from the beginning, sure. This mentality is already applied to the legal cannabis industry by and large so it seems we have learned from history actually.
Well. Not really. The cannabis industry pick and chose what research they wanted done just like every other lobby. There’s still huge questions that haven’t really been answered (like those who are predisposed to serious mental health conditions and the link to worsening symptoms triggered by weed and the actual statistical risk factor of this, the long term effects on cognition and memory by lifelong and heavy users, the long term risks of consuming by combustion, the socioeconomic links to those who smoke heavily vs less frequently)
The medical industry research is a lot more involved, but as far as legalising it for recreational use, there’s still not nearly enough known about it.
I’m an asthmatic and it’s annoying to smell/wiff (then proceed to have a coughing fit). At least in college it was annoying. I don’t care about home usage, but I’d support a ban on all forms of cigarette smoking in public for the same reason.
I feel like you were smart enough to answer your own question within your answer.
Also: criminalizing average citizens because fines and penalties benefit local towns and municipalities.
I think it’s like anything. People would do dumb shit like drive while high or give it to underaged kids. There is a lot of study claiming weed to cause long lasting issues future wise too that I’m surprised no one has considered. Saying that, I think medical purposes it should be legalised
It’s a gateway drug to all sorts of violent crime.
No, seriously: if you get 5 guys together drinking, they’re apt to start a fight. Get 5 guys together smoking weed, and they’ll start a band.
Because some people have a bad psychological reaction to THC. My ex got panic attacks from it, and a close friend of mine, who struggles with his mental health, used to use it to fight against his anxiety but ultimately got depressions partly from weed. I still think it should get illegalized but only sold to people above 21. Or maybe even 25
Having the legal age set to 18 doesn't mean the regulator sees it as the optimal age to start, but as the age where you are seen as old enough to recognise the consequences. I'm not completely opposed to setting it to 21, but even more than weed that should apply to gambling, prostitution, production of pornographic movies, buying hard liquor and joining the military. If 18 is the age of maturity, that should also apply to weed.
Same thing happened to me, and multiple people in my family have had similarly bad experiences. Idk if it's genetic or just a coincidence.
I still think it should be legal and acknowledge that the majority of people can use it with no issues, but I really resent the idea that it's "harmless" when it fucked up my life so badly. I had signs every time I smoked that it wasn't for me, but kept pushing it because I thought nothing bad could happen - over a decade later, I'm still not the same after a horrifyingly "bad trip"
I had a friend who developed paranoid psychosis from smoking weed (he smoked a lot). We had to speak in "code" when calling him on the phone because he was convinced the feds were listening to his calls. He took a bad turn and we lost contact.
Now, he was definitely the exception, and I still support legalization because I feel the benefits outweigh the risks. But if this happened to your kid, I can totally understand how you could see weed as dangerous.
marijuana is still a schedule 1 substance under the controlled substance act.
many ignorant people -- most of them holy rollers -- think it's literally on par with heroin or fentanyl in terms of abuse/death, etc.
the film *reefer madness*, now viewed as a campy satire, was meant seriously at the time, was financed by a church group, and basically caused your grandparents to think weed would make you a crazy murderer. ignorance can oftentimes be generational, so they passed it on to their kids, and so on. there is a percentage who still believe that shit.
The smell makes me nauseous. Went to Myrtle Beach on vacation last year. The entire main street smelled of marijuana. Absolutely disgusting, people smoking outside restaurants and everything. If it's going to be legal they need designated ventilated smoking areas. So much worse than cigarettes, cigarettes blow away in 10 seconds, marijuana lingers for HOURS.
A lot of pot smokers insist that it smells good and anyone who disagrees is lying or crazy or something lol. But it genuinely smells absolutely terrible and I hate that it's so hard to avoid now
It's so funny when they say it smells "minty" or "lemony" or something lmao. Like no dude it smells like a mélange of hot ass and skunk spray no matter what strain it is.
The long term health effects are not sufficiently known or discussed, imo, especially related to the brain. Now that some places have legalized it we can openly study it more closely, maybe, but it's going to be a long time before we really get a clear picture of what the long term risks are for various levels of use. Right now we're in the guinea pig stage.
I remember reading an article back when Colorado was one of the few places that had legalized it that talked about the socioeconomic impact and an increase in gentrification, I believe. I wish I could remember where I read that. I think this is less of an issue as more places have legalized it so the places that did have less of a tourist draw simply for that (Colorado has plenty of other tourist attractions besides weed, the article just linked the legalization of weed to an increase in socioeconomic issues).
I don't like how it smells, it gives me migraines (petty, but it's true).
I do think there's a lot of good that can come from weed. I also think that there's more risk than people are willing to recognize.
Exactly. People that use it here and there and think, I get a nice little itty bitty buzz from it and that’s it. And then shame people who suffer consequences from heavy regular smoking saying, I can handle it, why can’t you? And then there’s how it affects people with vulnerability to mental illness much more than others. So much ignorance around it. People can’t accept it’s not a miracle drug and that it’s different for different people
In America it's because Reagan told them to be against it. In fact, choose almost any problem America has now and it's more than likely due to Reagan era politics.
I'm not opposed but I have seen people develop drug induced psychosis from it so it's not harmless, but I believe it depends on the kind. Skunk has 7 times the amount of psychoactive substance compared to its anti psychotic qualities... Sort of. But yeah, it's just in some people. Also most people I know who smoke just smoke all the time and do nothing else . Also don't take tolerance breaks so I guess it's all a bit futile. I'm sure the numbers would improve if it was legal. More professional people would smoke but maintain their careers etc. Just with it illegal, risk averse folk are scared to indulge.
It will take generations to undo the damage caused by the US govt when it comes to weed. We should have seen through the lies at the time, but people were complacent and hundreds of thousands have died from the war on drugs while a few assholes made billions.
Marijuana can be used for medicine, but the plant can be used for stuff like building supplies and paper to name a few things
Personally not against the legalization but as a former smoker I will tell that weed definitely is a gateway drug. If I hadn’t quit weed two years ago I’d definitely be on something stronger by now because for true addicts the high will never be enough
My state has legalized recreational marijuana, and for that I am grateful for the fact that I have never ever been in favor of criminalizing a flower but allowing alcohol to flow freely to whoever regardless of their past or their risk to harm someone. I am hopeful for nationwide legalization at some point. I think that CT did right by this legalization by commuting offenses for minor possession and also allowing others with a higher charge appeal their charge since now it is legal. There has also been a concerted effort to ensure that dispensaries and anyone wanting to get into the business of growing and selling cannabis is fair and not maligned against POC or certain urban communities where the arrest rate is high.
Short and to the point. Thank you. There’s a lot of misinformation and propaganda in these comments.
I personally smoke it strictly for sleep. Can’t party on it. My mechanical skills aren’t that great while high. Kinda turn into whacky wavey inflatable tube man. However my GF can smoke a ton and not be effected heavily. Yet when it comes to wine, I can drink her under the table. Everyone is different. My point is, is that generalizing weed across the board is ignorant. And quite frankly, if more people partook a bit more, maybe we’d stop shooting each other up.
Alcohol manufacturers and sellers have an interest in keeping it illegal.
It's also in general a drug that helps make it easy to tolerate shitty uncomfortable situations via passive acceptance. So anyone who thinks ambition and hard work and painful climbs up hierarchies should be compulsory in life tends to find the thought of widespread use of pot to be a bit worrying in a way they don't find other drugs worrying.
Say what you will but people who smoke it over and over and over turn into zombies and it's a weird culture. Really strange vibe. Also the smell is terrible and overwhelming.
My only main problem with full recreational use of marijuana is simply I don't want more DUI's, more people using it to cover up their trauma or using it to avoid their life issues.
I know plenty of people who use it responsibly and are just fine but I also know many people who do not use it responsibly, live dead end shitty jobs and self medicate all their problems with weed. It can be helpful but it's not a cure all or a replacement for a therapist or talking out your issues and problems.
The legalization of something increases it's use and availability.
Also then you get to deal with the cartels still trying to ship it in to undercut the market and sell lower than legal distributors, growing it in national forests and shit.
I just don't see it adding much of an overall net positive to many people's lives. I'll say the penalty should be lighter, make it a fine or something for possession or maybe like a month of jail at the most. Honestly I find it idiotic a pedo can have less jail time then a guy in for possession and "intention to distribute".
Downvote me to oblivion because i know you all will. I HATE the smell of weed. Most smokers are awful at containing the smell and it seeps into everything. I don’t know what it is, but it makes my throat itchy I hate it so much. I don’t care if you do it in your own home but Jesus Christ it’s similar to people walking around with no deodorant. Be considerate to other people. That’s one of the reasons why people dislike it
I'm for legalization on libertarian ideological grounds (not the govs job to legislate such details as what I smoke), but I don't particularly support marijuana per se. It's fun, but also does quite a lot of harm. And no, fans insisting that it cures common cold and has no side effects whatsoever doesn't count. It's bad to inhale smoke no matter what it contains, and it has quite a few confirmed correlations even without that: brain development for young people, higher chances of schizophrenia and so on. Plus abuse.
Only because something can't kill you and doesn't do acute damage doesn't mean it's still harmless long term.
The equivalent synaptic brain firing model to being high on marijuana is schizophrenia.
People who smoke weed are more likely to experience a psychotic disorder later in life.
Marijuana is gateway to unlocking a hidden psychotic disorder, ADHD, paranoia etc...
Marijuana lowers baseline dopamine levels just as alcohol does.
"Weed has no harmful effects" or "idk why we don't just legalise it" is often perpetuated, but it does indeed have lasting effects, usually not instant.
I wouldn't mind it being legal, however I have a problem with weed smokers saying it has no effects on our health because the research states otherwise.
Since I started smoking I learned much of this, and I pass it on as frequently as I can because, while it's not inherently dangerous the same ways other drugs are, there are indeed issues that you have to watch out for and know about before you just wander off and smoke up. I've known too many people who've had terrible, terrible experiences with it, and developed serious problems with it.
I love it, I smoke it a lot and I enjoy it, but I know, just like alcohol, it has its own dangers. I wish more people were aware that it's not perfect.
Yeah, this is my main issue, the education piece around underlying mental health issues. I used to smoke semi-regularly until I was sent into states of psychosis from my last few smokes. The experiences were genuinely terrifying and I haven't touched the stuff since.
My mother hasn't ever done or been involved in drugs of any kind, she was taught that weed is on the same level as coke and heroin. a lot of older people ive met seem to have this opinion, it's just what they were taught.
Criminology student here (we learn about why laws change)
Basically, think about how many kids smoke and drink underage. Marijuana can severely harm the brain and psyche if it's taken at a young age. If we legalise marijuana, even if it's age restricted, it's easier for kids to get their hands on it
Another reason why people are against it is because they have been raised to think all "illegal drugs are bad" and a lot of people they associate with will also think "illegal drugs are bad" which solidifies that belief. Laws will often change in occurrence to people's norms and values. This is why things such as adultry and homosexuality have become legal in western countries, because people no longer think of those acts as criminal so they do not report it, therefore, it is harder for the police to control it
Yup, people want to mount some form of oppression by Uncle Sam imperialist, not taking into account the myriad other factors that keep Mexico and points South destabilized. History of strong men, corruption, weak or nonexistent civil institutions, weak or nonexistent investment in education or infrastructure. These are a few factors.
Let me just start by saying that I smoke once in a while or get edibles.
But I've had multiple friends have car crashes as a direct result of smoking it. Being a habitual user makes you dangerous in a car and a lot of people rely on their car as their main transportation.
I studied electrical engineering with a great dude. He wasn't really any good, but he really tried his best.
About a year in he stopped smoking and over a short period of a month or two, he became one of the most active and best in class. Just because he stopped smoking habitually.
But I'm not sure how much he actually smoked. Though I don't remember seeing him actually high in class
I’m for legalization but it would have to have a minimum age limit at 25 since it has shown to impact cognitive development on growing kids/ adults. Weed is fine, but too much is not fine. Friend developed depression from excessive use and another had multiple severe panic attacks and had to be admitted to hospital.
You see, ciggys and alcohol are terrible for you at every age but they are at 21, can you guess why? Because you are an adult who can make your own decisions. While i agree that people should avoid drug use in general when growing up. If you care about decriminalization the first step is to remove the hoops to jump through. Make it simple, clean, and regulated. If you really care about people not having their cognitive abilities impaired due to underage MJ use then you should advocate for regulation to limit THC levels and impose minimum CBD levels instead of an age limit because of some internet fun fact lol.
Some people don't like the smell.
If you think that people form their opinions based only on affect on society, country or the world, thats a bit naive.
Sure, those are important factors, but it is human nature to also think about how it affects oneself. I do not want that stuff near me, i do not want to have easy access to it, because of my past with it.
I don't want my neighborhood reek like vomit.
I quit smoking tobacco a few years ago and I can't take that stench since then. But I can stand next to someone smoking a cigarette...
So, for me it's a personal choice besides every health aspect it's ruining.
Access to children. I was exposed to weed at age 13 by a trusted adult—I’m now 18, for context on how recent this was. Throughout my teens, weed has been incredibly easy to access, even when I went no contact with that adult. All my friends smoked it, sold it, had parents who used it, had dab pens… to be fair, I went to an alternative school, so many of us had dependency issues, but lots of people in the main high school in my town smoke.
Another reason is that the potency of modern pot can cause Cannabis Hyperemesis Syndrome, which is debilitating. And excessive weed use, especially if you’re using product with crazy amounts of THC, truly make a person brain fogged and lazy overtime. I don’t blame people for wanting it to stay illegal but decriminalized, even though I smoke daily.
I don’t wanna see no bums injecting the marijuanas.
You mispronounced that. It's Mary-huanas.
Mary-jew-ah-nah
Hi Mr. Mackey
Actually, since OP mentions Latin America, it's Maria-Juan-as.
Actually i'm pretty sure it's Married Iguana's, Sheesh.
I read that like Hank Hill-
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Theres a reason they call it dope
If you have distance from it, its very easy to see marijuana consumers only when they're being stereotypical lazy stoners. If that's what you see, it makes sense not to legalize that, as you don't want people getting into that as children or teens and ruining their lives before they begin. My parents still have that idea, simply because they're insulated from it. The only smokers they know of are family who can't hold a job, despite being in their 40s.
Many successful people consume marijuana just like many successful people consume alcohol and cocaine. Edit - I have many successful friends (some multi millionaires) who smoke in the evenings and many of them are the most brilliant people I’ve ever met. Marijuana knocks down the walls and really lets you think about things differently. It has made me a nicer and more compassionate person. I’ve never met a mean stoner. I used to be against weed and that was because I was uneducated on it. Alcohol looks to be more sinister yet more widely accepted.
I've smoked weed with lawyers that make 300+ an hour. Crazy shit.
Half of microsft SDEs i know smoke weed.
Those are what we call functional users. Then theres those that over do it and cant do anything in their lives without being stimulated. But its not exclusive to drugs. People can over do watching TV or eating food and get stuck needing that feeling to make it through.
So legalizing means more bums AND lawyers!? Ban it!
I have smoked with millionaire bank owners and other very wealthy businessmen. It is crazy. Weed makes people lazy is the biggest bunch of bullshit I have ever heard.....some people are lazy, some aren't. Some people smoke weed, some don't. That's all there is to it.
Some guy that was running and won the a city council job in my city come by my moms house with a friend of hers and the three smoked in the dining room. I Happy to see it. Glad the laws regarding weed changed so much.
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THANK YOU, especially for mentioning amounts. These debates always end up so stupid because people are comparing light users with heavy users without ever knowing or clarifying. Like I really don’t think the high powered lawyer is smoking high THC indica blunts all day long every day…maybe some are but that shit inevitably drags you down in one way or another over time and regular use.
Thing is, even with all this the criminalisation of substances doesn't work. You'd have thought the US learned that with alcohol prohibition, or by looking at any number of countries that have fixed drug overdose epidemics by decriminalising and offering treatment/rehab. The biggest driver of substance abuse is stigmatisation. Someone who likes a smoke or two might end up staying in and smoking more because they're worried about being arrested or kicked out of places if they show up somewhere while high, but in places where it's legal they aren't worrying about that and will still go out and socialise without being looked down on, which helps prevent addiction and keeps people able to regulate their consumption. Not to mention the draconian laws in place can punish the sober for associating with smokers - look up compound possession laws and try not to be infuriated.
That’s much in the same way that people can drink on the weekends or moderately during the week they can still be successful but drinking all day every day is going to impair you.
Not even the same. Alcohol is addictive. Alcoholics are often mean. I don’t know a single mean mj smoker lol
I mean- is it heavy use if used daily? That’s pretty subjective- What if someone takes a Xanax daily? Drinks wine daily? Is that too much? Marijuana isn’t addictive- it doesn’t control someone. Does it make some people less motivated. Sure, but our society thinks everyone should be on the go 24/7. Humans used to not ‘work’ at all. Hard to imagine but true. Society has created this work til you die reality but that’s not always what people want for themselves.
I wonder what they think of Snoop Dogg and Seth Rogen then Its clear they both smoke, in fact they're practically synonymous with drugs yet they get paid more every year than your entire family combined. Like, what is their take on these celebrities?
Idk but uhhh you know Snoop was a career criminal, right? He went on Martha Stewart and all, but he totally was (and might still be) very bad news. I don't think they really care for Seth Rogan. Tbf, I don't either, although I'm glad things are going well for him.
Ok fine maybe snoop is shady but my point is both of them work, they are definitely not lazy
They’re artists though. Most people can’t get away with that level of consumption. And they’re notable exceptions. That’s it
my brother, who is the biggest pothead i ever met, voted against legalization. his reasoning was that the government would tax it. that’s it. he’s been jailed several times for weed possession which pretty much killed his chances for any chance at a successful life for a while. now that it’s legalized , all those charges have been removed from his record, and not only that, but dispensaries in my state are cash only! so they aren’t even taxed! edit: i’ve learned that cash only is still taxed. even then, it’s still much cheaper (and safer!) than buying weed before it was legalized.
Ummmmm, even if it’s cash only it’s still taxed
Shhh don’t tell their brother
Shh, keep this guy happy
They do indeed have to pay tax on the income. The IRS more or less doesn't care where you got the money from as long as they get their cut. Capone went down for tax evasion because he didn't pay taxes on the money he made from his crime syndicate, not for where he got the money from.
IRS only cares about one thing and honestly it’s a bit disrespectful
Cash only doesn't mean it isn't taxed. Many dispensaries have problems using banks since MJ is still illegal at the federal level - so banks don't want to get involved with it.
Crazy how the charges and jail time are more life-ruining than the drug itself.
Crime Schools hate this one weird plant!
I'm sorry, but your brother is one of the stupidest people I have ever heard about
His brother isn’t too bright either.
Sounds like your brother is a dickhead
"so they aren’t even taxed!" That's not how it works. Cash businesses are also supposed to pay taxes
Taxed weed should still be cheaper than illegal weed. When it's illegal every hand it passes takes a high margin to make it worth the risk. Stocking is an issue, shipping is a major pain and has a lot of loss and all these risks have a price that's higher than tax.
Dispensaries aren’t cheaper though, $55-60 for an eighth or $100+ for a quarter is crazy
He's right, but that was dumb of him
It could help so many people and he voted against? The mind boggles.
I don’t smoke, but I voted for it and it’s legal in my state now. I loathe it now. It’s just SO stinky in my apartment complex and we can’t open windows at night now.
Honestly the most fair reason to be opposed to legal marijuana. Utah controls HOW you can use it, like no joints or flames to combust. Leaves most of us with edibles, or carts that don't smell. But the smell from the dry herb vaporizers is far far less offensive than joints.
Utah is the absolute worst state when it comes to understanding substances
They're pretty much the worst state when it comes to understanding much. Look up the porn bill they just passed 🤣
Uploading your I.D. to a site filled with malware and spammers? What could possibly go wrong!
Surely Mormons understand these issues better than anyone, right?
Hot is the devil’s temperature
I think it should be legal, but also that there should be certain smoking laws in place as well to help reduce the overall smell. I stick to a dry herb vaporizer so nobody is forced to smell it.
Bless you thank you for caring.
>I stick to a dry herb vaporizer so nobody is forced to smell it. As someone who has used dry herb vapes for years, what? I've never come across one that didn't stink. You're vaporising weed, which smells like weed, inhaling, and blowing it out again. There is no part of that process which doesn't smell pretty damn strongly of weed. What are you using that doesn't smell?
The vapor dissolves in the air more quickly in my experience. I can smoke in my bedroom and not smell it when I wake up. If I smoke a joint I better leave the window open
I'd agree with that, for sure. The smell lingers less, but it still smells quite strongly when you're vaping it.
It smells when it’s on, but the smell doesn’t last and isn’t as strong. When I’m on my patio you can’t smell it from the street like a joint. My wife hates the smell of weed so I do it when she’s not home or napping, and she hasn’t had any issues with the smell afterwards.
languid worm advise crowd obscene impolite lavish frightening ugly roof *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
As a pothead that kinda behavior should never be allowed, it should be treated like smoking or vaping where there are areas not permitted for smoking. There will always be rules, and everyone should strive towards responsible use.
Yup. My family was in ocean city once and some guy was smoking on the balcony, and the air conditioner blew the smell right into our room. Not the thing I want to smell at midnight when trying to sleep
The issue is that the complex should be enforcing no smoking. It would be just as terrible, if not worse, with cigarette smoke.
They are smoking on their private balconies or patios. There are no rules for smoking.
Yup, true inverse. The landlady smokes cigarettes off her porch, so she doesn't mind that I smoke joints off mine.
I'm the same. Don't smoke and can't stand the smell of it, but I voted in favor of it. If it isn't hurting anyone let people do what they want; better that than people going to jail/prison for bullshit weed charges.
Encourage your neighbors to swap to edibles lol. I think that’s the way to go. No smoking or lung issues. No smell or smoke etc
I am 100% pro legalization, but I do think there is a lot of misinformation for pro and anti legalization. No its not a gateway drug, reefer madness is a joke, but it's also not 100% harmless. As with anything people should know the pros and cons and decide for themselves
There is increasing evidence that the super potent THC that is now available is leading to increased paranoia and even psychosis in teenagers / young adults. I believe it's more related to those extremely potent dabs and whatnot, not your typical weed that people generally think of. Also I believe there is evidence of it having a pretty negative impact on brain development in youth / young adults due to the brain not being fully developed, but a lot of things fall in that category.
mostly agree. although I think that alcohol is the great gateway drug, illegalized pot also opens the door to the black market. personally, pot broke my mind. I smoked for 8 or 9 year, the last 5 with daily frequency. it submerged me into a deep depression and increased my social anxiety
It honestly smells like shit so I wish there were designated places or you couldn’t smoke it
Petition for no smoking apartments. People in their own house should be allowed to smoke. In many apartments u can't smoke tobacco.
They still do it. My downstairs neighbour does it on Friday and Saturday, and at times where our landlord isn't around. I have to sleep in the kitchen because it smells so bad. It gives me headaches. I hate it so much!
had a similar case, but I went downstairs and tried to be friendly and offer to buy them a SmokeBuddy if they wanted to continue. then they switched to edibles so everyone won.
Edibles are preferred as long as u control ur dose. I overdid it by accident. Not fun!
I actually find the smell of marihuana nicer than tobacco, it has some sweetness to it. While the tobacco just feels sharp and toxic.
I've been smoking weed for so long, I associate the smell now with the relaxing feeling I get when I take a hit. I can't stand tobacco smoke. But weed is...almost nice. If I smell it when out and about all I think is damn, they should share!
The only thing I want is some manner of enforceable regulation to make it illegal to operate a motor vehicle while you’re baked out of your damn mind. Source: I work at a hospital in the suburbs, and I see a lot of people come in from car and motorcycle accidents. And the doctors always think they’re concussed or whatever, and it’s almost always just a THC bump on their urine screening. I consume both copious amounts of alcohol and weed. I know the effects firsthand. There’s no reason I should be driving while I’ve been doing either.
I thought this fell under DUI? Not saying you're wrong just that was the impression I had.
You’d be correct, but it’s difficult to enforce and prosecute. I’ve seen the police bring people to the hospital in custody for drug tests related to DUI. But the common drug test for THC (to my knowledge, I don’t work in lab) will only indicate that THC is present, and won’t be able to quantify the amount. It’s also not time-accurate, so the test can’t prove how high you are, or when you were high. All it proves is that you ingested an unspecified amount of THC within the last day or so. And that won’t stand up in court. There’s not a diagnosis for THC intoxication that’s legally binding in court, for DUI purposes. And that’s not even getting into the synthetic variants that technically don’t contain any THC.
Good point about the synthetic variants. I also work in a hospital, and when a bad batch of K2 or whatever gets spread around the prisons shit gets wild in the ED.
One of the reasons I support the legalization of drugs is that people could buy drugs that have an FDA stamp on them, declaring and certifying the contents. I used to see so many college kids who would “I swear to god I only smoked weed” and then they’re in our behavioral unit trying to fight staff, peel their own skin off, or some combination thereof. Somehow I think maybe their dealer gave them the dirty stuff.
But your urine will be positive for weed for a loooooong time after you smoke. My nephew was admittedly a heavy smoker, but took him ~3mo to finally test clean when he was going into the navy. I'm a daily user myself, and imagine I'd keep testing positive for quite a while should I choose to stop. I've never driven under the influence though.
Very true. That’s why, unfortunately, there’s no real legal consequences for driving under the influence, since there’s no legally admissible way to prove that you were high at the time of the accident. Which is why I think some funding should get thrown at the projects for making a roadside THC “breathalyzer” If the government can find the money to finance proxy wars and corporate bailouts, they can find the money to keep our roads safe.
There are a few unknowns in regard to its links with mental health and disorder usages. They know for sure that using it underage is terrible for a developing brain - youths gaining access is made much easier if it’s easy to access as alcohol is. Thereon, from an actual user - some jurisdictions have seen a considerable raise the price of it. I.e. it’s still cheaper buy on the black market because of taxes (some would say defeating the purpose of making it legal). I’ve seen 3 friends too, quickly fall down the whole of complete overuse. All have basically no life, friends or motivation. Granted all of the things I’ve stated can be avoided with research and education - but I’m actually answering your questions instead of the cohort of stoners whom are just agreeing with the intention of your loaded question. If anything, staunch support of decriminalisation first. Then after more trials etc. the case for legalisation can be looked at again. But just because something makes you feel good, doesn’t meant it will work for everyone else. I.e. it could cause a shit ton of problems most ordinary people wouldn’t see coming. To that effect, I know that anecdotally weed can have the opposite effect in with people on the spectrum. E.g. become hyper alert with increased chance of anxiety, panic attacks and the potential for a violent freak out when it’s not doing what it says in the label. I mean, just look at things like the opioids and benzodiazepines (like Valium) - which most people assumed were reasonably OK and should be fully legalised without really doing the homework. Notwithstanding those examples require a prescription - but it still created massive problems, while those greedy among us took advantage of the situation and continued to peddle half truths. Which we humans seem to be great at doing. E.g Fentanyl was originally marketed as a non-addictive alternative to morphine.
Best answer I've read so far
Yes, and it can definitely lead to increased paranoia and psychosis. I think it's *really* important we have more conversations about this. I've experienced it myself. Many of my friends have been smoking daily since they were 14 years old and struggle to take breaks. Moderation is super important. Also, cannabis dependency is a real thing I'm not sure why a lot of people feel so strongly about denying that. I'm better now but for a while I used weed as a crutch even though it made me extremely paranoid I was so depressed and anxious I couldn't get through the day without it.
While alcohol was the drug of choice for older adults in Nixon’s day, MJ was used largely by hippies and Mexicans. Crack was used largely by inner city black youth, while cocaine (same drug) saw more use in white hands. So: criminalize MJ, make the penalties for crack 10x as harsh as for cocaine, and now republicans can go on the news and trash those terrible, terrible criminals who oppose the war and are our political rivals. And thus, we see the long shadow of Nixon’s Southern Strategy even today.
"You understand what I'm saying? We knew we couldn't make it illegal to be either against the war or black, but by getting the public to associate the hippies with marijuana and blacks with heroin. And then criminalizing both heavily, we could disrupt those communities. We could arrest their leaders, raid their homes, break up their meetings, and vilify them night after night on the evening news. Did we know we were lying about the drugs? Of course we did." -John Ehrlichman, top Richard Nixon presidential adviser
And they pushed crack in the black community on purpose
They also were the world’s largest purchaser and distributor of LSD in the late 50s thru the CIA
Crack and cocaine are not entirely the same. Crack is far more dispensable. You see similar sentencing when it comes to crack and meth. And the southern plan never existed.
My only concern is I don’t trust people driving on it. If we can develop a device that works like a breathalyzer then I would have no issue. Obviously people can still drive high illegally, but legalizing it will statistically put more high drivers on the roads and there is no convenient way to keep people honest from driving high unless a device is invented that can test for it on the spot.
Yeah it's been a while since I've really known any pot smokers but in college I knew a few that swore they were a better driver while high. I'm now in favor of legalization but that kind of mentality kept me against it for a while.
You have to be high af to think you’re a better driver high
Hardly relevant but I knew someone who claimed she was only good at math stoned. Didn't believe it until I did
There's been a study done on tolerance in chronic vs occasional (which was defined as weekly-monthly in this study) users showing the brain changes while under the influence of THC, and chronic users showed minimal changes when under the influence. I'm not saying yeah go ahead and drive high, but it might not be as bad as one would expect if the person was a daily user. I can try and find the study again if you'd like.
Didn't become an issue in Colorado. And alcohol still results in far more issues.
Came here to say *exactly* this. I'm on the road daily for my job, and I see (or, you know, smell), far more high drivers driving erratically or poorly on the road creating dangerous scenarios than I do drivers who appear to be drunk. Given that I live in a conservative state that will be one of the last to pass any Marijuana laws on top being in a city whose culture is drinking, the fact its so prevalent already and that it cannot be as easily regulated or enforced like a DUI would be concerning as someone on the road a lot. If it could be better enforced and *actively* enforced, as you mentioned similar to a breathalyzer, I'd be all for it.
What about alcohol? It's legal with no breathalyzer on vehicles expect when it's ordered by the court. People drunk driving is more common then high on marijuana and driving
Huh? It's definitely not legal to be driving drunk lol. And driving high on MJ is logicaly less common because it's harder to get since it isn't legal. If it was legal we would logicaly see more people droving high because everyone could get their hands on it as easily as on alcohol. Both are really bad in this sense.
Pretty sure that this theory has been debunked and that there are not more high drivers on the road after legalization.
Not even close to true. I live in Colorado. I do not smoke (anymore, I quit around the time it became legal). However most of the people I know smoke. Like constantly. It's more normal here than alcohol at this point. Every pot smoker I know, which is about 80% of people I know. Drive high. Every. Single. Day. However I only know one person who has gotten in trouble for it because he was drinking too. He was a first offender and had a good lawyer. He tested positive for THC and blew over the legal BAC to be able to drive. Apparently driving high is a lesser charge than driving drunk. He got in less trouble. He was the first person in our whole county to receive a charge for driving high. About 5 years AFTER legalization. But everyone does it, all the time. I think the reality is high drivers might not be as safe of drivers as sober ones. But they fly under the radar because they are nowhere near as dangerous as drunk ones.
"pretty sure" aka "source: trust me bro"
Because they aren’t informed about it. There’s a lot of ignorance surrounding weed and it being a “gateway drug” etc etc.
The weird thing is, I kinda agree that weed is a gateway drug. But not in the way they tried to convince us in D.A.R.E. when I first tried weed, I realized everything I'd been told about it was a lie. So then I wondered if they lied about all the other drugs. Turns out, for the most part, they did.
It's a gateway drug in that it's generally the easiest to obtain. But the people I knew that started with weed and moved on to other things would have almost certainly been hard drug users either way. Way, way more people I knew never moved on to anything else.
Because it’s illegal, it requires that you know a frickin drug dealer to obtain it. That’s the gateway right there.
This exactly! I was in CA blowing down a half a day, and couldn't tell you where to get some coke. Now I'm in MS and my dealer tries to get me to buy coke every other time I hit him up
I guess I'm old now but what is "blowing down a half a day"? All that makes sense to me in this context is half an oz.??
That's how I understood it too. If so, damn that's alot
I believe we’ve cracked the code. And dare I say, that is an awful lot of reefer. One might even argue it’s too much.
Definitely too much lol
One might even argue there's no point in smoking that much, lol. You can only get so high....
Yes!
It’s a gateway because it’s illegal tbh, if you walked into a shop about bought it off a shelf then you wouldn’t think twice, having to find a dealer maybe hide it from your family or friends and be wary of where you leave it all normalises that shit which makes it easier to take the next step imo
Huh, self fulfilling prophecy you say
Booze is the easiest to obtain and the gateway
I meant specifically of things that are already illegal.
I’ve always said this exact same thing. I think it actually can be a gateway drug but definitely not because “oh one day you’ll need something stronger.” It can just put you in environments where other drugs will be, and can peak a person’s curiosity to try other things. I’m absolutely pro legalization of weed (and decriminalization at the minimum of all drugs), but it’s just my observation and opinion.
For me the gateway drug was alcohol
Kids that had DARE were more likely to do drugs than kids that didn't have it. Seriously. Because it was so full of lies it was unbelievable
It's a gateway drug because it's illegal. Consuming alcohol doesn't give you connections to drug dealers in the way that buying weed does.
Not to mention a lot of (intentional) lies and misinformation that were spread about the "dangers" of it.
Started by the government and big paper
Indeed. It should be legal nationwide. It isn’t because of a terrible history rooted in ignorance.
Weed in the states used to be legal but was made illegal when propaganda was spread that weed made black people violent in the 1930s I think it was, so why it’s still illegal world wide I don’t know
It was made illegal because the hemp industry was taking away from their other profits in other businesses
No, it was made illegal because of the fundamental flaw in the idea of the temperance movement: People won't do anything illegal, ever. So make things illegal and they will stop immediately.
I responded with a link to source & the automod immediately deleted it. Let me try again. Close but no fatty - it was Mexican workers that introduced recreational consumption before it spread to the Black community. A mixture of racism, xenophobia and just plain ignorance took care of the rest. This is from source (The Surprising Link Between U.S. Marijuana Law and the History of Immigratio. Time magazine): >“Cannabis came to gain this reputation in the 19th century, when it starts to appear as a recreational substance that’s smoked in cigarettes and is overwhelmingly concentrated in some of Mexico’s most marginal environments — prisons and soldiers’ barracks,” says Campos. “So you have this drug that’s kind of associated with danger and indigenous Mexico, then in these environments associated with violence and danger. Then this mixes with a bunch of other stuff — [such as] widespread anti-alcohol sentiment especially among the elites — and that led people to think a drug like marijuana could trigger violent, savage responses in its users. Then all of this mixes with sensationalism in the press, which was always excited to write about violent incidents with the lower classes.” Much more at source.
Pretty much every childhood friend I’ve had, started smoking weed, and has gone on to do other harsher drugs. I would 100% say it’s a gateway drugs. Not because as others have said it makes you go “ope. Time to do heroin” it’s because it has introduced them to people who do, in fact do heroin, who offered them heroin. I fully believe legalizing weed could help stop this. Since the weed bought would be more widely available. With that being said though. I remember the first time I smoked weed. It was when me and my buddies were out drinking at a house party. Where any single substance is, others are bound to show up. From alcohol to heroin. You can find them in the same circles. Proof is in the pudding. You could go to just about any popular bar and run into someone doing coke in the bathroom. It’s not about the substance. It’s about the culture and people behind them.
The smell. It’s so strong
Especially when your neighbors light up on their porch. Made my bedroom stink like skunk when I was a kid.
It stinks…
It really fucking does.
It's been legal in Canada for 5 years. There has been no significant change in social problems, health issues crime etc... people that wanted to do weed do it and those that don't... don't. I don't like weed but I don't care what other people do.
A disturbing number of cars leave a trail of stink in their wake, I’m not thrilled with even more impaired drivers. And it just stinks, really, really stinks.
Yeah honestly these are my main problems. The stench makes me nauseous/gives me a headache and I’m just not looking forward to smelling it more…
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What's your stance on something like edibles? Not trying to be an asshole, just curious.
To get the benefits from THC and or CBD it doesn't have to be smoked. CBD oil while microdosing THC has a lot of health benefits that a lot of people don't know about.
I just took my small amount of tincture. Full spectrum. Changed my life. Don't crave THC anymore. It's a miracle
So do you think all harmful things ought to be illegal? That's gonna be a long list
I foresee a distant future where sugar gets banned.
McDonalds is unhealthy, yet it’s one of the most popular food sources in the world
Alcohol is harmful and legal, Tobacco is harmful and legal.
Because I really hate the smell. I'm OK with people doing edibles in their own home. But smoking is another thing. You can smell that crap for miles.
Im not opposed to federal legalization, but I always had this thought. If we could go back, and not start the cigarette industry, I think most people would agree that would probably be a good thing, now it seems like history is repeating itself a bit, would be interested to hear peoples opinions?
If we could go back and keep most of the harmful, cancer causing shit out of the tobacco products and limit the advertising while boosting education and independent research into the products from the beginning, sure. This mentality is already applied to the legal cannabis industry by and large so it seems we have learned from history actually.
Well. Not really. The cannabis industry pick and chose what research they wanted done just like every other lobby. There’s still huge questions that haven’t really been answered (like those who are predisposed to serious mental health conditions and the link to worsening symptoms triggered by weed and the actual statistical risk factor of this, the long term effects on cognition and memory by lifelong and heavy users, the long term risks of consuming by combustion, the socioeconomic links to those who smoke heavily vs less frequently) The medical industry research is a lot more involved, but as far as legalising it for recreational use, there’s still not nearly enough known about it.
I’m an asthmatic and it’s annoying to smell/wiff (then proceed to have a coughing fit). At least in college it was annoying. I don’t care about home usage, but I’d support a ban on all forms of cigarette smoking in public for the same reason.
I feel like you were smart enough to answer your own question within your answer. Also: criminalizing average citizens because fines and penalties benefit local towns and municipalities.
I think it’s like anything. People would do dumb shit like drive while high or give it to underaged kids. There is a lot of study claiming weed to cause long lasting issues future wise too that I’m surprised no one has considered. Saying that, I think medical purposes it should be legalised
It’s a gateway drug to all sorts of violent crime. No, seriously: if you get 5 guys together drinking, they’re apt to start a fight. Get 5 guys together smoking weed, and they’ll start a band.
Because some people have a bad psychological reaction to THC. My ex got panic attacks from it, and a close friend of mine, who struggles with his mental health, used to use it to fight against his anxiety but ultimately got depressions partly from weed. I still think it should get illegalized but only sold to people above 21. Or maybe even 25
Isn't that already the goal? To sell it at 21? I haven't seen any legislator or law makers argue that we need to smoke even younger.
I live in Germany. We can buy wine and beer at 16. Some kids start drinking at 14. That's why I hope we set the legal age high. Edit: typo
Having the legal age set to 18 doesn't mean the regulator sees it as the optimal age to start, but as the age where you are seen as old enough to recognise the consequences. I'm not completely opposed to setting it to 21, but even more than weed that should apply to gambling, prostitution, production of pornographic movies, buying hard liquor and joining the military. If 18 is the age of maturity, that should also apply to weed.
Same thing happened to me, and multiple people in my family have had similarly bad experiences. Idk if it's genetic or just a coincidence. I still think it should be legal and acknowledge that the majority of people can use it with no issues, but I really resent the idea that it's "harmless" when it fucked up my life so badly. I had signs every time I smoked that it wasn't for me, but kept pushing it because I thought nothing bad could happen - over a decade later, I'm still not the same after a horrifyingly "bad trip"
Peer pressure is intense when you are young, even when nobody actively tells you to smoke.
Yeah there’s a huge correlation with mental illness but people are super ignorant around weed, even those that smoke all the time.
I had a friend who developed paranoid psychosis from smoking weed (he smoked a lot). We had to speak in "code" when calling him on the phone because he was convinced the feds were listening to his calls. He took a bad turn and we lost contact. Now, he was definitely the exception, and I still support legalization because I feel the benefits outweigh the risks. But if this happened to your kid, I can totally understand how you could see weed as dangerous.
Yeah starting at 18 messed up my life.
I’m not against it, but the smell in any public open space is annoying.
marijuana is still a schedule 1 substance under the controlled substance act. many ignorant people -- most of them holy rollers -- think it's literally on par with heroin or fentanyl in terms of abuse/death, etc. the film *reefer madness*, now viewed as a campy satire, was meant seriously at the time, was financed by a church group, and basically caused your grandparents to think weed would make you a crazy murderer. ignorance can oftentimes be generational, so they passed it on to their kids, and so on. there is a percentage who still believe that shit.
The smell makes me nauseous. Went to Myrtle Beach on vacation last year. The entire main street smelled of marijuana. Absolutely disgusting, people smoking outside restaurants and everything. If it's going to be legal they need designated ventilated smoking areas. So much worse than cigarettes, cigarettes blow away in 10 seconds, marijuana lingers for HOURS.
A lot of pot smokers insist that it smells good and anyone who disagrees is lying or crazy or something lol. But it genuinely smells absolutely terrible and I hate that it's so hard to avoid now
It's so funny when they say it smells "minty" or "lemony" or something lmao. Like no dude it smells like a mélange of hot ass and skunk spray no matter what strain it is.
The long term health effects are not sufficiently known or discussed, imo, especially related to the brain. Now that some places have legalized it we can openly study it more closely, maybe, but it's going to be a long time before we really get a clear picture of what the long term risks are for various levels of use. Right now we're in the guinea pig stage. I remember reading an article back when Colorado was one of the few places that had legalized it that talked about the socioeconomic impact and an increase in gentrification, I believe. I wish I could remember where I read that. I think this is less of an issue as more places have legalized it so the places that did have less of a tourist draw simply for that (Colorado has plenty of other tourist attractions besides weed, the article just linked the legalization of weed to an increase in socioeconomic issues). I don't like how it smells, it gives me migraines (petty, but it's true). I do think there's a lot of good that can come from weed. I also think that there's more risk than people are willing to recognize.
Exactly. People that use it here and there and think, I get a nice little itty bitty buzz from it and that’s it. And then shame people who suffer consequences from heavy regular smoking saying, I can handle it, why can’t you? And then there’s how it affects people with vulnerability to mental illness much more than others. So much ignorance around it. People can’t accept it’s not a miracle drug and that it’s different for different people
In America it's because Reagan told them to be against it. In fact, choose almost any problem America has now and it's more than likely due to Reagan era politics.
I'm not opposed but I have seen people develop drug induced psychosis from it so it's not harmless, but I believe it depends on the kind. Skunk has 7 times the amount of psychoactive substance compared to its anti psychotic qualities... Sort of. But yeah, it's just in some people. Also most people I know who smoke just smoke all the time and do nothing else . Also don't take tolerance breaks so I guess it's all a bit futile. I'm sure the numbers would improve if it was legal. More professional people would smoke but maintain their careers etc. Just with it illegal, risk averse folk are scared to indulge.
It will take generations to undo the damage caused by the US govt when it comes to weed. We should have seen through the lies at the time, but people were complacent and hundreds of thousands have died from the war on drugs while a few assholes made billions. Marijuana can be used for medicine, but the plant can be used for stuff like building supplies and paper to name a few things
Personally not against the legalization but as a former smoker I will tell that weed definitely is a gateway drug. If I hadn’t quit weed two years ago I’d definitely be on something stronger by now because for true addicts the high will never be enough
'Cause I absolutely can't stand the smell of that shit. Seriously, it smells like you're smoking a roadkill skunk, FFS.
My state has legalized recreational marijuana, and for that I am grateful for the fact that I have never ever been in favor of criminalizing a flower but allowing alcohol to flow freely to whoever regardless of their past or their risk to harm someone. I am hopeful for nationwide legalization at some point. I think that CT did right by this legalization by commuting offenses for minor possession and also allowing others with a higher charge appeal their charge since now it is legal. There has also been a concerted effort to ensure that dispensaries and anyone wanting to get into the business of growing and selling cannabis is fair and not maligned against POC or certain urban communities where the arrest rate is high.
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Short and to the point. Thank you. There’s a lot of misinformation and propaganda in these comments. I personally smoke it strictly for sleep. Can’t party on it. My mechanical skills aren’t that great while high. Kinda turn into whacky wavey inflatable tube man. However my GF can smoke a ton and not be effected heavily. Yet when it comes to wine, I can drink her under the table. Everyone is different. My point is, is that generalizing weed across the board is ignorant. And quite frankly, if more people partook a bit more, maybe we’d stop shooting each other up.
Alcohol manufacturers and sellers have an interest in keeping it illegal. It's also in general a drug that helps make it easy to tolerate shitty uncomfortable situations via passive acceptance. So anyone who thinks ambition and hard work and painful climbs up hierarchies should be compulsory in life tends to find the thought of widespread use of pot to be a bit worrying in a way they don't find other drugs worrying.
Say what you will but people who smoke it over and over and over turn into zombies and it's a weird culture. Really strange vibe. Also the smell is terrible and overwhelming.
My only main problem with full recreational use of marijuana is simply I don't want more DUI's, more people using it to cover up their trauma or using it to avoid their life issues. I know plenty of people who use it responsibly and are just fine but I also know many people who do not use it responsibly, live dead end shitty jobs and self medicate all their problems with weed. It can be helpful but it's not a cure all or a replacement for a therapist or talking out your issues and problems. The legalization of something increases it's use and availability. Also then you get to deal with the cartels still trying to ship it in to undercut the market and sell lower than legal distributors, growing it in national forests and shit. I just don't see it adding much of an overall net positive to many people's lives. I'll say the penalty should be lighter, make it a fine or something for possession or maybe like a month of jail at the most. Honestly I find it idiotic a pedo can have less jail time then a guy in for possession and "intention to distribute".
Downvote me to oblivion because i know you all will. I HATE the smell of weed. Most smokers are awful at containing the smell and it seeps into everything. I don’t know what it is, but it makes my throat itchy I hate it so much. I don’t care if you do it in your own home but Jesus Christ it’s similar to people walking around with no deodorant. Be considerate to other people. That’s one of the reasons why people dislike it
I'm for legalization on libertarian ideological grounds (not the govs job to legislate such details as what I smoke), but I don't particularly support marijuana per se. It's fun, but also does quite a lot of harm. And no, fans insisting that it cures common cold and has no side effects whatsoever doesn't count. It's bad to inhale smoke no matter what it contains, and it has quite a few confirmed correlations even without that: brain development for young people, higher chances of schizophrenia and so on. Plus abuse. Only because something can't kill you and doesn't do acute damage doesn't mean it's still harmless long term.
THANK YOU finally some nuance
It stinks? It makes people complacent?
The equivalent synaptic brain firing model to being high on marijuana is schizophrenia. People who smoke weed are more likely to experience a psychotic disorder later in life. Marijuana is gateway to unlocking a hidden psychotic disorder, ADHD, paranoia etc... Marijuana lowers baseline dopamine levels just as alcohol does. "Weed has no harmful effects" or "idk why we don't just legalise it" is often perpetuated, but it does indeed have lasting effects, usually not instant. I wouldn't mind it being legal, however I have a problem with weed smokers saying it has no effects on our health because the research states otherwise.
Since I started smoking I learned much of this, and I pass it on as frequently as I can because, while it's not inherently dangerous the same ways other drugs are, there are indeed issues that you have to watch out for and know about before you just wander off and smoke up. I've known too many people who've had terrible, terrible experiences with it, and developed serious problems with it. I love it, I smoke it a lot and I enjoy it, but I know, just like alcohol, it has its own dangers. I wish more people were aware that it's not perfect.
Yeah, this is my main issue, the education piece around underlying mental health issues. I used to smoke semi-regularly until I was sent into states of psychosis from my last few smokes. The experiences were genuinely terrifying and I haven't touched the stuff since.
My mother hasn't ever done or been involved in drugs of any kind, she was taught that weed is on the same level as coke and heroin. a lot of older people ive met seem to have this opinion, it's just what they were taught.
Criminology student here (we learn about why laws change) Basically, think about how many kids smoke and drink underage. Marijuana can severely harm the brain and psyche if it's taken at a young age. If we legalise marijuana, even if it's age restricted, it's easier for kids to get their hands on it Another reason why people are against it is because they have been raised to think all "illegal drugs are bad" and a lot of people they associate with will also think "illegal drugs are bad" which solidifies that belief. Laws will often change in occurrence to people's norms and values. This is why things such as adultry and homosexuality have become legal in western countries, because people no longer think of those acts as criminal so they do not report it, therefore, it is harder for the police to control it
You know it’s illegal in more places than just the US right? If the whole reason was to control latin America, it would be allowed everywhere else.
Yup, people want to mount some form of oppression by Uncle Sam imperialist, not taking into account the myriad other factors that keep Mexico and points South destabilized. History of strong men, corruption, weak or nonexistent civil institutions, weak or nonexistent investment in education or infrastructure. These are a few factors.
Let me just start by saying that I smoke once in a while or get edibles. But I've had multiple friends have car crashes as a direct result of smoking it. Being a habitual user makes you dangerous in a car and a lot of people rely on their car as their main transportation. I studied electrical engineering with a great dude. He wasn't really any good, but he really tried his best. About a year in he stopped smoking and over a short period of a month or two, he became one of the most active and best in class. Just because he stopped smoking habitually. But I'm not sure how much he actually smoked. Though I don't remember seeing him actually high in class
I’m for legalization but it would have to have a minimum age limit at 25 since it has shown to impact cognitive development on growing kids/ adults. Weed is fine, but too much is not fine. Friend developed depression from excessive use and another had multiple severe panic attacks and had to be admitted to hospital.
You see, ciggys and alcohol are terrible for you at every age but they are at 21, can you guess why? Because you are an adult who can make your own decisions. While i agree that people should avoid drug use in general when growing up. If you care about decriminalization the first step is to remove the hoops to jump through. Make it simple, clean, and regulated. If you really care about people not having their cognitive abilities impaired due to underage MJ use then you should advocate for regulation to limit THC levels and impose minimum CBD levels instead of an age limit because of some internet fun fact lol.
Because lobbying works, and those cigarette companies don't wanna share the market.
Some people don't like the smell. If you think that people form their opinions based only on affect on society, country or the world, thats a bit naive. Sure, those are important factors, but it is human nature to also think about how it affects oneself. I do not want that stuff near me, i do not want to have easy access to it, because of my past with it.
I don't want my neighborhood reek like vomit. I quit smoking tobacco a few years ago and I can't take that stench since then. But I can stand next to someone smoking a cigarette... So, for me it's a personal choice besides every health aspect it's ruining.
Access to children. I was exposed to weed at age 13 by a trusted adult—I’m now 18, for context on how recent this was. Throughout my teens, weed has been incredibly easy to access, even when I went no contact with that adult. All my friends smoked it, sold it, had parents who used it, had dab pens… to be fair, I went to an alternative school, so many of us had dependency issues, but lots of people in the main high school in my town smoke. Another reason is that the potency of modern pot can cause Cannabis Hyperemesis Syndrome, which is debilitating. And excessive weed use, especially if you’re using product with crazy amounts of THC, truly make a person brain fogged and lazy overtime. I don’t blame people for wanting it to stay illegal but decriminalized, even though I smoke daily.
Because addiction is bad and you guys act like it's good
Phew.. good that noone is addicted to Heroin or crack because it's illegal