legalization of marijuana

My opponent has made it clear to the viewers that marijuana is not as negative as it appears. May I state that marijuana is a DRUG, I repeat it is a DRUG! Due to the help of drugs, including alcohol and tobacco, people and families are effected by it everyday. Whether a child is being beat by their drunk father or being exposed to second hand smoking (which kills more people than first hand smoking) by the mother. If all three of these drugs cause corruption, why would we want to add to the problem? Problems with tobacco: -nicotine which causes addiction -narrowing of arteries -carbon monoxide which causes the oxygen amount in blood to decrease -killing of brain cells -weakening of bones . http://www.drugfree.org... Problems of alcohol: -addiction -killing of brain cells -birth of mentally challenged children(caused by mother drinking while pregnant) -increase of aggressive behavior . http://www.drugfree.org... Problems of marijuana -distortion of perception(sight, smell, hearing, etc. ) -decreased memory and learning capability -loss of coordination -trouble with thinking and problem solving . http://alcoholism.about.com... Do any of these seem beneficial for people? My opponent has stated in the comments box that marijuana creates the "perfect employee". First let me define key terms. Perfect: without flaw Obviously since marijuana consumers experience the problems above, it does NOT create the perfect employee. Nobody is perfect which make humanity so superior. He also stated that people who consume marijuana are nice, funny, well focused and many other characteristics, he stated apply. People should be like this without the chemical regardless. Now, let us take an understanding that not only marijuana, but many other drugs that are legalized cause health issues. These health issues lead to criminal activity. Does making another potentially bad drug legal justify the behavior people experience caused by it? No. .. it simply does not. If the nation experiences enough problems with alcohol and tobacco, why add another bad product to the list of legal substances? It has come to an understanding that people already smoke it. Well there is a number for people who smoke it out of the total amount of Americans in the US. And every single person has a different mind. Who ever is to disagree with the fact that the number of consumers will increase due to individual opinion, clearly they do not posses the capability for thinking outside their mind. Clearly if marijuana makes people feel positive, like my opponent made very clear, will they give up that good feeling? No, as long as they want to consume it, they made it clear they will keep consuming it. It is very true that drug consumers are willing to break the law. Now, I did not say my opponent stated the "Red Light District" idea. I stated that my FATHER and as well as many other associates conceived that thought. Like I made very clear before, if they are willing to consume it, then they will consume it when ever and where ever. My opponent did state that it is not right for people to smoke marijuana out in public, but it is acceptable to posses it. For as long as they posses it, they will consume it. He said that it is only reasonable if they do it in their home because they should be able to do what ever and when ever in their own home. Well, what if killing people made somebody happy and that person murdered civilians in their home. Does it make it okay for that person to do it in their home and not in public? No! There are laws that apply to being out in public like for example, obviously it is against the law to walk about in public naked. But besides those specific laws, everything else should apply. That murderer for example would still be charged for murder crimes. My opponent has stated that he is infact a marijuana consumer himself. He said that he is offended by society stereotyping consumers as stoned bugs. Do people really think that if marijuana is legal then it will change people's view points of marijuana consumers? Our nation even stereotypes alcohol and tobacco consumers. Frankly, I do not agree with stereotyping people. But that is a non controllable problem and nothing can be done about that. So, the answer to my question is NO. People will still stereotype marijuana and drug consumers and that is just the way some people think. The economical side of this topic is the question whether taking drug money will help the US get out of this recession. No, it will absolutely not. Marijuana will absolutely cause more problems if it is to be legalized. Does the money from alcohol and tobacco make that much of a difference in our economy? No, it does not. So how exactly is it suppose to contribute to our needs financially? And may I add that my opponent also mentioned that in some parts of the world, because of the legalization of marijuana, the consumption rate went down. That is because people felt ease with it being legal. Now, if I was wrong about the increase of consumers, that means less money for the government if they were to tax it. Therefore, it was an "all for nothing" action to take. Why should people be able to eat McDonald's, ski and many other things? .. .My opponent has mentioned in the comment box. Well there is a difference between smoking pot and other things people do. These things do not cause as many health problems (except for legal drug consumers and those who eat fast food everyday). They are not harmful to the people as much. Drugs on the other hand have caused violence, dropping out of school, riots, gangs and many other criminal activities. So, people should be able to do what ever they please as long as they are not violating the law by doing it. We ban certain things only for people's safety. Although, many drugs that are legalized, cause problems. Then again like I simply questioned above, why add another bad chemical to the list of legal substances? Drugs like marijuana are a health issue and a social issue. For those who have read my side, you have now a better understanding of why it is wrong. By legalizing marijuana, you only get more problems. My resolution is simple. .. do not legalize it. Avoid these problems and the ones that are already active from getting any worse. For those who are currently in possession of it, I only recommend that you talk to somebody as to why you take it. From there, you should find another way of making yourself happy that isn't harmful towards your health. We have been taught in school many times to avoid drugs and simply those who consume it, I think it is safe to say they did not pay attention in school, were ignorant, thought it was cool, but overall just simply were unaware of the dangers of drugs. Smoking pot reflects a lack of character and individual internalized issues. .. .