The Legalization of Marijuana

"we should be trying to stop the distribution of marijuana. It effects these kids who get into it. Their school work becomes less important, the way the act changes, and ultimately it can effect the rest of their lives if they start at a young age. The second reason I feel people do the drug is for "recreational use." Do people really not get enjoyment out of other things? If drugs are the only thing people turn to for enjoyment then their is a problem. These people need help."- Why waste time on stopping the distribution of marijuana? It is not very harmful and there are much more important things to focus on. No matter whether we legalize it or not, people will still do it and they will always find ways to get it. If we legalize it, it will make everyone safer and help the economy. We need to be focusing on the war or poverty, the failing economy, and the needless wars we are in. Marijuana is one of the least harmful drugs and things people make a fuss about, we waste so much money on trying to stop its distribution and waste prison space and funds on keep its distributors in jail, and how much have we prevented people from using it? Barely if at all. What you say about all people who smoke marijuana suddenly not caring about anything just isn't true. Look at all the successful people who smoked weed gratuitously: The Beatles, Carl Sagan, The Grateful Dead, Bob Marley, Michael Phelps, Sir Richard Branson, Barack Obama, Michael Bloomberg, Ted Turner, Stephen King, Arnold Schwarzenegger! These people certainly didn't sit around and do nothing, they did not stop caring about everything, and they were all very successful. I agree, if that is the only thing they can do for fun, they need help. But that is the person's problem, not the drug. Lots of people who smoke pot do lots of other things. "There are side effects for marijuana users who DON"T need the drug, and there are side effects for sick patients who DO need some type of drug"- Well some people actually do need marijuana for medication. Even so, we have drugs for erections, bigger boobs, they are all recreational and have side effects but no one makes a fuss about them. Those people certainly don't NEED them. Marijuana is a drug used for recreational use, it is up to the user to decide if the side effects are worth it. "You think legalizing the drug is going to stop theft or even users to stop buying from dealers. People will still steal to get money for the drugs and there will still be dealers trying to sell at lower prices. That still leaves problems of dirty dealing and lacing if dealers are still out there. Just because the drug would be legalized does not mean dealers will stop what they are doing. It would make it even harder to crack down on these dealers since marijuana would be so easily available."- I think that it will make marijuana users and everyone safer because sensible people would buy the legal, clean, safe drug. People who want illegal substances will get them either way. I think it would be easier to track down bad dealers because their weed would be identifiably different from that of the legal kind. "First of all, we do educate kids across the country about how harmful drugs are, and that does nothing anymore. We still have people doing all kinds of drugs. Educating wouldn't change anything, kids are going to do what they want to do. Side effects do occur in almost all cases to some extent. Additionally, people are not responsible. Some people drive after the use or make other stupid decisions. Legalizing the drug would just make everything more readily available for these people to just be irresponsible."- Wait, didn't you just say that we need to educate them on the side effects? That people don't know them? Also, in all the commercials about weed, I have never seen them actually talk about the side effects. You just agreed with me, kids will do what they want no matter if it is illegal or not. Believe me, weed is already readily available. Why do you think so many people are able to smoke it? If we legalized it, it would make it safer and help the economy. Not everyone is irresponsible, some do not drive after getting high. "Sure some of them are, but for the most part they are people who make irrational decisions. We can not trust just anyone to be responsible with drugs. Even today we worry about people drunk driving and alcohol is legal. The same thing could happen with the legalization of marijuana."- It is already happening with weed. Making it legal would not make it better or worse. Unless we are able to make all drugs illegal, what you want will never come to be. Even if marijuana was eradicated, we'd have the same problems with all the other drugs. Marijuana is a pretty safe, barely harmful drug, and I would rather support the use of it instead of other, more serious drugs kids will turn to first without it. "There is no solid, concrete reason why marijuana should be legalized. I have brought up reasons why it should remain illegal and my opponent just disputes them. Their is no reason why it should be legalized. I feel that the negative outcomes that already come from marijuana and the negative outcomes that can continue to come from the legalization of marijuana should be the reasons we keep it illegal."- This is simply untrue. I have shown many economists think it would help the economy. I have shown that it would make the drug safer for those who will use it whether or not it was illegal. I have shown that we waste a lot of money on trying to stop its distribution and jailing those who distribute it that should be used on more important things. I have shown it will keep kids from getting into more harmful drugs. If this is not enough reason to show that it should be legalized, here are more reasons: http://www.alternet.org... http://www.associatedcontent.com...