Why isn't pot legalized already?

[Galleleo]

If I am correct, dont pin me down on this, but we in the Netherlands have like the most positive numbers when it comes to drug use and stuff. (meaning all drugs). Because everyone knows that forbidding something makes it all the more attractive to do.

[Sleepy Weasel]

It's a gateway drug! The power of pot compels you!

[Ilya]

reality shows make people lame and stupid too, those should be illegal.

yes please

[pv=nrt]

Everything is poisonous, it's just the dosage that kills.

[Vehicle]

Too be honest, I have witnessed first hand that pot is actually a gateway drug, but if you could smoke pot just like you could smoke a pack a menthols, no one would jump right from pot to heroin.

The reason pot isn't leagalized is because the majority of the country doesn't want it to be. And alienating the majority is the last thing a government official wants to do. It's not because it has side effects, or makes you lame, it's simply the majority.

[bloodzombie]

Too be honest, I have witnessed first hand that pot is actually a gateway drug, but if you could smoke pot just like you could smoke a pack a menthols, no one would jump right from pot to heroin.
.

I don't buy that shit at all. People looking for a high will find it, and pot is the easiest to get of the illegal drugs. That doesn't mean that pot leads to other things, it just means that people get that first.

[bloodzombie]

The reason pot isn't leagalized is because the majority of the country doesn't want it to be. And alienating the majority is the last thing a government official wants to do. It's not because it has side effects, or makes you lame, it's simply the majority.

That's not exactly true either. The majority of california voters voted to legalize medical marijuana, but the federal government is still stopping it.

72% of americans say that simple posession of marijuana should not mean jail time.

2 out of every 5 americans believe that it should be treated like alcohol... only illegal for minors

Over 100 million americans have smoked pot at least once, including john kerry, bill clinton, and al gore, and george W doesn't deny it.

but STILL 700,000 marijuana-related arrests are made every year

of those, about 600,000 are simply for posession.

It's true that most drug users started with marijuana, BUT most marijuana users don't go on to try other drugs.

[PUNK rock]

That's not exactly true either. The majority of california voters voted to legalize medical marijuana, but the federal government is still stopping it.

72% of americans say that simple posession of marijuana should not mean jail time.

2 out of every 5 americans believe that it should be treated like alcohol... only illegal for minors

Over 100 million americans have smoked pot at least once, including john kerry, bill clinton, and al gore, and george W doesn't deny it.

but STILL 700,000 marijuana-related arrests are made every year

of those, about 600,000 are simply for posession.

It's true that most drug users started with marijuana, BUT most marijuana users don't go on to try other drugs.

The best potheads can hope for now is decriminlization which is fairly prevalent if I remember. In Ohio, possession of small amounts is treated like a minor traffic violation.

[bloodzombie]

In seattle they passed an interesting law that makes marijuana the absolute lowest priority for law enforcement. This doesn't change the punishment laws, but if you were busted for marijuana posession, you could technically use "that cop could've been doing something else" as your defense.

I don't know if anyone has successfully done that yet, my guess is that cops just don't bother with it anymore. There's alwyas plenty of bike cops downtown, and I've seen people smoking on the sidewalks, but they try to keep it on the down low.

[Ewan]

Recently in Britain they downgraded pot from class B to class C. If you're caught in possesion (and 18+), you get it confiscated and get an informal (unrecorded warning) (unless you're smoking it in the presence of children where you can still go to jail.) For distribution, there's an unlimited fine and up to 7 years in jail.

If you're under 18, they have to inform your parents.

[Ha! Sheesh.]

I think all drugs should be legalized for a variety of reasons, although the one that really sticks out in my mind is FREEDOM. If it's victimless, it shouldn't be a crime. Perhaps I'll elaborate when I have more time to do so.

Here's an interesting website I found a while back (year or so?). I haven't reread it recently, but from what I can recall it had some good points.
DrugSense

[Cylor]

If it's victimless, it shouldn't be a crime.

Who says drugs are victimless? I'd say the parents that outlive their children because thier kid OD'd are victims. It's a bad arguement and would really take this topic off onto quite a tangent. As far as marijuana goes, I don't particularly like it but I don't mind if other people do it. Just don't do it around me (my same feelings on smoking, riding a motorcycle without a helmet, and homeless people).

[Randedl]

As long as tobacco companies are major funders of political parties, viable alternatives will never be legalized.

It's not a question of whether it's better or worse than cigarettes, it is the fact that giving tobacco companies a monopoly over such a market is far more economically beneficial for the powers that be than taking it away would be.

[Kim]

Anyone else laughed their ass off when in Harold and Kumar they showed the Marijuana Kills commercial? Good times.

[Ha! Sheesh.]

Who says drugs are victimless? I'd say the parents that outlive their children because thier kid OD'd are victims. It's a bad arguement and would really take this topic off onto quite a tangent. As far as marijuana goes, I don't particularly like it but I don't mind if other people do it. Just don't do it around me (my same feelings on smoking, riding a motorcycle without a helmet, and homeless people).

Well by that, we'd better outlaw cars- someone might not be able to control her/himself with a car and drive too fast killing someone. Better outlaw guns, someone might not be able to control her/his anger and blow someone to pieces. Better outlaw fast-food- someone might not be able to control her/his overeating and suffer complications (heart attack?) from all the crap inside (oh yeah, and don't forget all the animal victims as well). Oh and of course these could be "accidents"/accidents like overdosing on drugs could be too... Better outlaw teenagers' ability to claim independence from their parents to save parents from being victim to potential heartbreak. Better outlaw skydiving and rock-climbing- someone might overdose the apparatus and plummet to her/his death leaving heartbroken friends/family/etc in the wake.

Oh no, but these terrible drugs are addictive they say. Some might be and some might not be. None of them are if you don't use them. Legality is not an obligation. If you decide to try something, research it thoroughly first and then proceed with utmost caution. If you don't (or even if you do) and something bad happens- too bad, so sad. You made the decision. Seeya later. Thanks for contributing in part to helping alleviate the problem of the disgusting human overpopulation of earth. Perhaps you contributed to natural selection as well. The government shouldn't play the babysitter. Parents are just having kids and throwing them away these days to let the media garbage raise them. Then they bitch and moan that their kids aren't being taken care of. Then they whine to the government to do something about it so they don't have to.

It very often becomes more difficult to avoid overdosing when drugs are illegal, but it's still choice, and risk...and choices and risks are parts of life. Obviously, these parents are becoming "victims" despite the illegality of these drugs. When drugs are illegal, many people don't know what else they are getting mixed in with the drugs. Other undesired substances of great danger can be mixed in as well, causing great harm or even death. Potency can vary greatly making it very difficult to avoid overdosing, for the sources are vast and many and the substances run unregulated. Oh, and you know, alcohol is not illegal (at least not here in the US), and quite a few kids die from overdosing on that too. I wonder what the fatality rate is for bunk-beds... Overdosing (in kids) will continue whether or not drugs are made legal (for the rest of us). Whether people use or not is choice, and it can be made whether or not the substance(s) in question is/are legal/illegal/age-regulated. Take responsibilty for yourselves- don't go whining to mom-pop government.