Cannabis Legalization

Does it then follow that everything that is in some way interpreted by the brain should be deemed illegal and dangerous?Marijuana is a mind altering (psychoactive) drug with side effects such as distorted perception, difficulty in thinking and problem solving, impairment of judgment and loss of co-ordination which are seriously detrimental to one's driving abilities. High doses have also been associated with an increased risk of depressionhttp://www.justice.gov...Pro makes the mistake of comparing a drug to the internet sex and candy, these are harmless hobbies whereas the use of marijuana is notthere simply is no reliable or conclusive evidence supporting cons claims of marijuana causing complacency"Long term chronic marijuana use is associated with Amotivational Syndrome, characterized by apathy, impairment of judgment, memory and concentration, and loss of motivation, ambition and interest in the pursuit of personal goals"http://www.justice.gov..."Earlier initiates were more likely than later initiates to exhibit problem-related marijuana use, hard drug use, polydrug use, poor grades, and low academic intentions at grade 10. Across ages, initiation was predicted by smoking, frequency of marijuana offers, and poor grades"http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov...Note that this is a medical studythere is no evidence that marijuana itself CAUSES a user to move on to other drugs"The Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia (CASA) released a study Oct. 27 showing that children (12 to 17 years old) who use gateway drugs--tobacco, alcohol and marijuana--are up to 266 times--and adults who use such drugs are up to 323 times--more likely to use cocaine than those who don't use any gateway drugs. Compared with people who used only one gateway drug, children who used all three are 77 times--and adults are 104 times--more likely to use cocaine"http://www.columbia.edu...clearly the statement that NO EVIDENCE exists is misleading and entirely falseHowever, I must point out that point 1c is referring to the health effects of marijuana while 1e refers to the general effects of intoxicationMarijuana intoxication often leads to certain undesirable side effects such as impaired perception and motor skills. More serious side effects include acute psychosis, panic and paranoiahttp://www.nlm.nih.gov...note once again that this was taken from a MEDICAL JOURNAL (emphasis added). The importance of this will be highlighted in forthcoming paragraphsIt most certainly is factualIt is fact that since marijuana is regarded as illegal in most states it is often sold by marijuana/drug dealers. It is fact that the marijuana/drug dealer (let's call him Pete) is committing a crime by selling marijuana, it is fact that Pete is therefore by definition a criminal. It is fact that society frowns upon criminals associating themselves with teens. It is fact that parents especially feel uneasy about such a relationship. As a result of such pressures it is also fact that a lot of teens would not want to associate with criminals. If marijuana was legalized it would no longer be sold by criminals. That barrier against purchasing marijuana will be torn apart. Infact it would be easier for teens to buy marijuana as the intimidation of approaching a dodgy criminal to buy an illegal susbstance will be gone, as so will the social stigma attached to using marijuana (in theory).Pro argues that the sale of marijuana would be regulated and stires would enforce age restriction and require identification. Alcohol is supposedly a good example. Or is it.70% of teens beloew 18 have had atleast one drink,http://www.niaaa.nih.gov...clearly faking an i.d, asking an adult friend, a friend who looks old enough or in certain places (in which the owners are more worried about making profits not chasing away potential customers) isn't a very hard task.Con supported by the REPUTABLE (emphasis added) evidence cited concludes that legalizing marijuana would infact make it easier for teens to buy itFirstly, your source on the matter is weak and unreliableThis is a very interesting remark, made by my opponent, let's look at the sources my opponent listed to support his argument:With taxed and regulated marijuana, federal and state governments would suddenly free up $26 billionhttp://readersupportednews.org...This is an article written by Carl Gibson, a sensationalist journalist who happens to write a lot of conspiracy theory articleshttp://readersupportednews.org...http://www.michaelmoore.com...Is this really a REPUTABLE, "reliable" source with an UNBIAS objective perspectiveThey support marijuana remaining a schedule 1 drug although marijuana is the exact opposite, and opposes any legitimate researchThis is a personal blog of a person who seems to specialise more on writting books about gourmet shaving. What exactly are his credentials in such a matterhttp://leisureguy.wordpress.com...http://leisureguy.wordpress.com...Should we also consult Jamie Oliver for his EXPERT opinion on the use of marijuana?As for your quotes regarding the immune system, they are unfounded He we have conflicting sources, it is up to the voter to make his/her mind on which source is more reputable. Arguing such a topic from a non-expert perspective would be pointless. I assume neither of us are experts with the requisite knowledge to argue such off the top of our headsif legalized, it could be better studiedA lot of studies regarding the use of marijuana have already been carried out and i mean a lot, what do you base this assertion on? what it is about a responsible adult smoking at home after a hard day's work deserves prosecutionIt is against the law, laws are made to regulate against certain behaviour, which at the moment includes smoking marijuana, if we allow sch blatant abuse of the law and the function of the legislature where exactly would we draw the line, what about the legal convictions of the community, which also play a role in determiniig whether an act is a criminal conduct or not. The legal convictions of the community at large stipulate the marijuana be considered as a drug and anyone found in large possession of it be prosecuted (and anyone smoking it, although on a more lenient scale)An analogy cited on the CNBC website legalizing marijuana would be that of gambling. When gambling was leglaized there was a view that illegal gambling would be tried, however the opposite occured"Legalized gambling has not reduced illegal gambling in the United States; rather, it has increased it. This is particularly evident in sports gambling, most of which is illegal. Legal gambling is taxed and regulated and illegal gambling is not. Legal gambling sets the stage for illegal gambling just the way legal marijuana would set the stage for illegal marijuana trafficking.The gambling precedent suggests strongly that illegal drug suppliers would thrive by selling more potent marijuana products outside of the legal channels that would be taxed and otherwise restricted. If marijuana were legalized, the only way to eliminate its illegal trade, which is modest in comparison to that of cocaine, would be to sell marijuana untaxed and unregulated to any willing buyer. http://www.cnbc.com...f)running out of characters, will address next roundg) hearsay, no factual basis3 Smoking marijuana is an ACT act- anything done, being done, or to be done; deed; performance: a heroic act.