What are your opinions on the legalization of marijuana in the US?

Marijuana should be legalized....

PROS:

1. Marijuana has the potential to be an alternative fuel.

2. It can rebuild the textile industry in America.

3. It is not as dangerous as alcohol or cigarettes.

4. It is not a stepping stone drug.

5. It can replace trees as our primary source of paper goods.

6. Medical cannabis plant for recreational use can be taxed and revenue doesn't stop there.

7. Marijuana legalization would create jobs.

8. Legalization would reduce illegal importation of marijuana and other drugs.

9. Marijuana is currently illegal and unregulated. Legal marijuana would be regulated.

10. Marijuana is a recognized treatment for several medical disorders.

11. If hemp is legalized several farmers can get job as it is a major source for the protection of goods in many industries. These jobs are plentiful and these industries will never run out of products.

The legalization of weed would reduce the illegal value of cannabis and other drugs.

12. Oil extracted from the hemp seed is an alternative fuel. Bio-fuels are obtained from the hemp seed.

13. If it is legalized the transfer of currency from American Economy to International Criminal Gangs would be decreased.

14. Eating hash is always better than deadly smoking for health.

15. As Life, Freedom and Enjoyment are written in the Declaration of Independence, consuming hash also our personal rights.

15. Pot legalized countries have less crime rates. It has less toxic than all the other drugs.

16. Followers of medicinal weed claim that it can be a safe and effective treatment for the symptoms of cancer, AIDS, Alzheimer’s disease, Analgesia, Migraines, Seizures, Psychological problems and other medical troubles. They refer a lot of peer-reviewed studies, popular healthcare companies, major government reviews, and the use of weed as medicine throughout world history.

17. All HIV/AIDS patients reported that hash cured nausea and vomiting and enhanced their appetite.

CONS:

Still there are people who stand against medical marijuana legalization. The core basic reason is lack of awareness among people regarding the medicinal uses of marijuana.

People may think that

1. Marijuana legalization would bring increased marijuana use, especially by children.

2. Use and distribution of marijuana is clearly against federal law under the Controlled Substances Act.

3. Marijuana is a harmful, addictive and dangerous drug.

4. It is NOT medicine.

5. Marijuana-related traffic crashes, injuries, and deaths would increase, as they have in "medical" marijuana states.

6. Crime would increase as it has in "medical" marijuana states.

7. Our prisons are not filled with "low level" marijuana users.

8. Hemp will not save our environment.

9. Legalizing and then taxing and regulating marijuana would not offset the cost to society associated with increased use.

We know that smoking tobacco kills an average of 400,000 Americans each year. And the county coroner assures us, in a house fire, the victims died of smoke inhalation long before the flames reached their body. We KNOW the dangers of tobacco. We KNOW the dangers of alcohol. We also know that human lungs and smoke are incompatible. So, why are you pushing for MORE things that are unhealthy for living people. By the way 14 of the gasses associated with the formation of lung cancer, ARE found in tobacco AND marijuana. The latest published results of death by illegal drugs, was in 2009. These statistics also included long term damage caused by smoking marijuana. In 2009, 37,485 people lost their lives to illegal drug use, abuse, or over use. Sadly, this was 1,201 MORE deaths than were caused by traffic accidents in the same year. Had you pushed for the criminalization of alcohol and tobacco, I would be championing your cause. But, I can NOT join you in a push to legalize marijuana. We have too many LEGAL drugs with which we kill ourselves---and each other---already.

I heard that mexicans and black slaves used it after work.

It made them happy and they worked harder than everyone.

This one rich guy owned a bunch of land with trees

But marijuana plants are more effective per square yard of land

at producing paper than trees.

so he was loosing business.

So he pulled some strings to fabricate fake stories in the newspaper

about people going crazy on weed and helped make it illegal.

Im for legalizing all drugs.

It will put bad guys out of business

We all benefit because its taxed

And minors wont have access to it, only adults with ID

And less crime

Its like a win win situation

I think weed will be legal in most of America within 100 years

We legalized gambling and nothing bad happened. We've begun to legalize prostitution in certain parts of the country and nothing bad has happened. So I say just get it over with and legalize drugs. At least you'll take the gangs out of action and get all the teenage runaways that get kidnapped, hooked on drugs and used as sex slaves a much better chance of getting found and rescued if everyone goes to a legal center then a corner.

Marijuana should definitely be legalized. I would agree to have it sold alongside Marlboro cigarettes, and boxes of Samuel Adams. If responsible adults can legally purchase alcohol and tobacco, then why not pot?

The CIA has been involved in drug trafficking for many years. The 'war on drugs' is a fraud.

I don't smoke, I haven't smoked in 5 years. I believe it should be legal, id do it if my job would let me. The pros outweigh the cons, PERIOD. IT would be so nice to smoke and get sleepy and go to bed. or chill out, relax and let the visions, sounds and feelings from the weed take over. The US needs to jump on this band wagon and get every state legal.

I am NOT, nor have I ever been in favor of the Legalization of Marijuana. Nor am I in favor of the legalization of carrots, radishes, dandelions, roses, apples grapes, sugar cane, coco, cocaine, opium, caffeine, kola,pineapples, pekoe Tea, camomile, ginseng, etc.

I AM in favor of DE-CRIMINALIZATION of Marijuana.

The is a significant distinction. Legalization implies government control and regulation. Are the other plants, with the possible exceptions of cocaine & opium, legal or illegal?

No. Then why this plant?

Like the other plants mentioned including cocaine & opium, marijuana was neither legal or illegal.

Why this plant?

Favel is correct and accurate.He is referring to newspaper magnate/real estate developer/ tycoon William Randolph Hearst, Patty Hearst's father. He did clear lumber for the paper mills and developed the land using some of the wood for housing. Politicians needed a platform on which to be elected. Prohibition was all the rage in that time. Much like today a non-issue can be made into an issue to gain votes,especially when it can oppress common people and result. in increased revenue.The increased revenue can pad political pockets, which can create civil service employment which then creates a political machine which guarantees votes for the designated politician. Civil service jobs include police, clerks, investigators, prison guards, judges, district attorneys and public defenders. All working together to form a well greased machine.

How responsible is it to rely on the same government who is responsible for Big Pharma, GMAO's in foods, replacing small family farms with mega corporate conglomerate farms, cover-up of war crimes initiated by true pretext of WMD, lying to the citizens, reward wall street criminals by allowing banking and insurance criminals to freely ply their trade without interference never punishing them while the regular common guy gets punished with the baseball game option of "3 strikes and you 're out", to reward those those who violate the constitution,to punish those who defend and protect the constitution by reporting the violators? Trusting this kind of government is like trusting a stone to float on water.

How responsible is that? It seems that we have more pressing matters before us than indulging ourselves in mindless smoking. We need to be more careful . "REMEMBER THE TROJAN HORSE!" The USA Government has been doing mind/brain experiments for years on USA citizens. We need to be cautious of what we ask, because we might get something we do not want.

We must think responsibly or perish at the hands of confidence men who mean us no good. I do not think that marijuana was to ever intended to be a capital enterprise used in this way. For fabric, energy, paper, cosmetics, etc. but not this way.

It saddened me to see the irresponsible celebrations in front of capitol buildings of those states that took the risk of legalizing marijuana. Marijuana smokers are suppose to be cool, not spectacles. It was legalized for private use, not public use.

The reality is that the healthiest thing for your lungs and body is air, plain and simple preferably clean air. Another reality is that your body, is yours to do as you please. If you want to play football, hockey, box. jog, roller-blade, skydive, scuba dive,downhill or water ski, or hang-glide, the CHOICE is yours.

Any choice one makes is risky, has hazards, and is a gamble. Even seemingly the benign choice of playing chess has these elements. Absorption in the playing of the game can make one too sedentary, or late for an appointment.

The underlying theme is RESPONSIBILITY and MATURITY! If one has not the maturity or responsibility they have no business with marijuana or anything else. Back in the time the marijuana smokers "handled their business," because that validated their choice to smoke. They went to work on time, completed theri task, went ot school on time, did their homework. The once the work was completed they would smoke some, not all but some. There were few that were enhanced by a little smoking before the the task was undertaken, but the task got completed.

They stayed aware and informed, they read, had in depth discussions about mathematics, coding, poly-tricks, religion and philosophy. They built and design things. They were responsible. They were also generous. They understood the duality that medicine and poison were two sides of the same coin. There were some who came about later who were irresponsible and that number grew, but by and large most were responsible.

We should put the subject of marijuana on the back burner for now and instead address the issues of Liberty for All, before there becomes Liberty for none. And even then we must continue to be watchful.

I have seen people who thought the same as you, but within five years of regular smoking became giggling idiots with no memory and no ambition.

My Though is This --------> (IT NEVER HARMED ANY BODY) Period. SO yes.