The Case Against Legalizing Marijuana

* Daily Nexus /
* Opinion /

The Case Against Legalizing Marijuana

Shaeffer Bannigan

Published Monday, April 27, 2009

Issue 113 / Volume 89

Many people blame the government for the war on drugs because the government refuses to legalize the drug. But the war on drugs isnâ??t as shortsighted as proponents of legalization would like to think. Legalizing marijuana will not solve all of our drug war problems and certainly wonâ??t make our country a better place to live.

Advocates of legalization propositions say that a federally regulated marijuana market will drive the cost of marijuana down, decrease the crime rate and thus decrease the wasted efforts put forth by the Drug Enforcement Administration. The federal government spends billions of dollars each year in an effort to undermine drug distribution throughout the country. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, in 2006, about 6,000 people a day used marijuana for the first time, a total of 2.2 million Americans. Of these, 63.3 percent were under age 18. So when the government legalizes pot for people over 21, as any of its attempted legislation has stated, it wonâ??t suddenly eliminate the demand for marijuana of those underage users. The war on drugs will continue.

The concept that marijuana is less harmful than cigarettes or alcohol may be a true statement to some degree but isnâ??t a cause for legalization. Standards should not be set on degree of harmfulness, but degree of helpfulness. Also, letâ??s not forget that the tobacco industry wonâ??t just step aside to let a brand new business take over the market. Should marijuana become legal, who do you think will first start the mass manufacturing? My guess of Marlboro is a good one. But Camel is a decent choice, too. And if Marlboro wants to keep people smoking pot just like it does with tobacco, it may start putting a couple â??harmless ingredientsâ?� into the mixture to help a little. After that, itâ??s anyoneâ??s guess as to which of the three drugs is the worst for you.

While the revenue stream may be helpful to the economy from a monetary standpoint, at what cost do we seek out this fortune? Juxtapose thinking only with a monetary mindset, why shouldnâ??t California lower the drinking age to 18? Our tourism industry will increase tenfold, with millions of 18 year olds trekking across our border in search of their stateâ??s forbidden fruit. Besides the fact that the federal government would revoke several of our subsidiaries, the reason we donâ??t do this is because of the health impact it would have on the general public and state-to-state relations. Having a bunch of 18 year olds driving across the border to get drunk and then driving back home isnâ??t a good thing. The cost outweighs the benefits, just like with marijuana. The cost is far worse than the potential monetary benefits.

Iâ??m all for medical marijuana. If youâ??re in pain, itâ??s no different to be prescribed marijuana rather than morphine or Vicodin. But Iâ??m not about to push for the full legalization of the latter two drugs either. Legalization is incentivizing, and the costs of incentivizing weed among our nationâ??s youth are scary, at best. While there may be some four million people smoking weed in our country now, imagine encouraging it among the rest. I canâ??t think of a better way to stimulate our economy than to inject into it a tool that entirely destroys ambition and motivation. Excuse the language, but nothing says â??fuck itâ?� like a big dose of THC in the morning. Instead of mandatory 15 minute â??smoking breaksâ?� for cigarette-smoking workers, employers will have to implement new hours for pot-smoking workers: 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday through Wednesday. Nike may have to change their slogan from â??Just Do Itâ?� to â??Just Donâ??t.â?� I can see the potential now.

Daily Nexus columnist Shaeffer Bannigan can see a red-eyed, stoney version of Joe Camel now.

The government has become so ingrained into people's lives, that one day, along with issuing a social security number, you will also be issued a death date, or expiration date because you've outlived your usefulness and have become a burden on the corporation the country will have become. If it isn't one already. :D

And the number smoking marijuana is more like 40 million +. :jointsmile:

I know right? Where does that 4 million come from? Just Cali. alone probably exceeds that number.

I agree w/ this dick though, legalization of pot would be a cluster fuck. Keep it medical, this fuckstick isn't considering that Vicodin, Valium, nor any other Medical Drug will ever be legalized for recreational use. So why pot?

Shit, I would still grow my own even if it was legal. Why the fuck would I spend money on Joe Camal weed when I can grow my own dankness right in my house?

tha's the best argument they have as to why not to legalize it? wow.

that guy is a tool.

i definitely wouldn't buy marlboro or camel. or any other brand for that matter.

and it's our capatilistic governments fault for not doing a better job regulating the tabacco industry!

our country is turning into more of a joke everyday. it's our job, neigh, our RIGHT, given by the decleration of independence:

"But, when a long train of abuses and usurpations,
pursuing invariably the same object,
evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism,
it is their right, it is their duty,
to throw off such government, and
to provide new guards for their future security."

so basically, if you have the ability to change something you have the RESPONSIBILTIY! and if there is a government that is in place, that's not for the people, then it is YOUR (OUR) responsibility to overthrow that goverment and put a new one in place for OUR future success!

our fore-fathers knew that this country would run into problems. they just never guessed in a million years that it would be capitalism that would be our downfall.

gypski, it's too late! the goverment is just one big corporation!


just like they said in the end of the second harold and kumar movie, something to the effect of, you don't have to love your government, you just have to love your country!

keep freeing minds brothers! pretty soon there won't be enough sheep (people) to count, therefore no one will be able to sleep so they will have no choice but to fight the system!



-shake

get your guns boys, time for a revolution!

that's no joke fluid! i'm 30 now and i believe that if things don't change drastically (and they won't) that we will have civil war in this country (again) before my lifetime is up.

our country is going to hell in a hand-basket.



-shake

no doubt! the sad thing is we're true americans. we believe in the same things the fore fathers did, not some corporate agenda.

money talks, everyone else get's stepped on!


-shake

Quote:

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Originally Posted by headshake

tha's the best argument they have as to why not to legalize it? wow.

that guy is a tool. . . .

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no shite, that is the same thing i thought. i think i could make a stronger argument for prohibition than that. :jointsmile: was this actually published somewhere? :stoned: :D

I agree with Headshake " thats the best they got!!

This Guy needs to do better research.

Deaths from alcohol overdose in the thousands

Deaths from alcohol related accidents. in the tens of thousands.

Families destroyed from alcohol related abuse in the millions.

Deaths from marijuana overdose 0.

Deaths from marijuana only related accidents. 0 ( most accidents where MJ is involved another drug such as alcohol were also used).

Families and lives destroyed from marijuana use. In the Millions only because it is illegal.

I also love his argument that we will need smoke breaks at work. Give me a break. Like an employer is going to give you a marijuana break just like they give you a beer break.

WTF was this guy thinking when he wrote this? This is a poor ass excuse for an argument.He compares weed and beer so much in this then goes and says we will need a weed break? Just like we get a beer break right?

well i will agree with the crime thing. most street crime is because of crack or meth not over herb. dont get me wrong i do know that it happens occasionaly but i been down with far more people for shootin some one over a rock than a bud. as a matter of fact i aint never been in the joint with someone who shot another for reefer.

now i do beleive that it will have an impact on non-violent crime most people locked down over pot are there for posession or dealing.

and the economy thing that is our best argument we got right now. by legalizin we also get hemp. wich right now we import from spain or india. why?

underage drug use well dont seem that the partnership for a drug free america is doin much either. but underage drinking and smokin is nothin like it was when i was a teenager. so progress has been made with 2 substances both legal.

one other thing i agree with this guy on the argument that alchohol and tobaco are far worse than pot does not strenghten our case but strengthens the case against booze and cigerrettes. it like choosing the lesser of two evils wich is still choosin evil. we have to make our case about the benifits of decrimilizing.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by apocolips31

WTF was this guy thinking when he wrote this? This is a poor ass excuse for an argument.He compares weed and beer so much in this then goes and says we will need a weed break? Just like we get a beer break right?

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no doubt! that's so offensive is it not? I'm not convinced the guy that wrote this article ever toked up. he's probably just comparing it to something he has tried, beer. rule #1 don't knock it till you've tried it. i agree, this guy totally shows his ignorance with the weed break comment. and that truely is the battle, ignorance. I just love when I'm around someone who's never done a drug in their life, and when they find out I toke, they start treating me like a crack addict!

1) ok first of all what a sorry argument, 2) so if pot MAY.. be safer than alcohol and tobbaco but that isnt means for legalization doesnt that mean we should make tobbaco and alcohol illegal..? 3) "Standards should not be set on degree of harmfulness, but degree of helpfulness." and after he says pot is safer he says this lol, i never new alcohol and tobacco were so helpful did you guys? 4) what a complete ignoramus:wtf:

I would just like to toss in a sincere warning, regarding legalized/taxed cannabis theories ... be careful what you wish for ! ... if you think marijuana prohibition has been bad, wait until Uncle Sam thinks you're cheating him outta his tax dollars :wtf: ... remember how they finally nailed Al Capone ? :beatdeadhorse:

they still issue tax stamps in several states. they do in texas. i know they did in arizona at one point in time (not sure if they still do). it was stated though that you had to have the weed with you to apply for the tax stamp. timothy leary took it to the supreme court and part of it was deemed to violate the 5th ammendment because you had to have the marijuana on you to get the stamp. so they wrote the controlled substances act.

now they just use the stamp to throw more charges on you should you get busted selling.


-shake