Should marijuana be legalized in the U.S (And EXPLAIN WHY or WHY NOT)

Isn't it legal in California or a state already?

It's a medicine and people need it.

It's legal to grow it in North Cali, but not legal to distribute. And it is a medicine, and yes, people DO need it!

hell no

So if you grow it you can use it yourself? Or is that only growing it?

They probably should, just to tax it
Either way I'll never do it.

Definitely.

ive done it once just to say ive tried it. Its not really my kind of thing i dont need that to make me happy

Yes, it is not the government's right to determine how persons may conduct their lifestyle providing the positive effects outweigh the detrimental.

It should be legalized everywhere. In fact, I support all drugs to be legalized except meth.

No.

Reason: Drugs are green and fluffy things that feed on brains. And they don't like bunnies.

Where I come from, police tolerating use of marijuana has led to a huge monopoly. The gangs are extremely sophisicated and have all types of weapons. (remember that RCMP are a far less proportionately numerous police force than most places). So in small communities of 1600 where there are only about 5 police and 50+ gang members, do the math, the police can't really do much. Or they just don't care, it varies.

Actually, I know of places where it's actually the police behind the trade. Opening up "candy stores".

Weed is being laced with all sorts of additives and there is a meth lab for every gro-op, even though almost no one consumes meth alone.
There is even a lot of fiberglass added in, since weed is sold by weight. (weed= 10$ a gram, even if it's cheap smoking it won't do you any favors, trust me)

Also if people try and grow their own and sell it they will f*** you up. My friends dad tried to grow his own and sell and a bunch of hells angels eventually broke down their door and fired blanks at the whole family.

Needless to say, I don't do drugs because whoever does them become addicted and extremely mentally/physically unhealthy because of all the crap. ( I wouldn't do them anyway). And drug related suicide/poverty is pretty high in number.

The place is becoming really screwed up, I plan on leaving when I grow up.. don't want my kids in an environment like this. I've had friends who almost got unsuspectingly whacked in the back of the head with a golf club by drug crazy KIDS and I was in the woods once at nighttime when a truck full of suspicious cargo with 4 people walking by with it with guns passed by me (I hid in a bush lol). I was with a friend then too. He actually ran away breaking branches almost revealing my spot until they judged it was an "animal or something"...

So they have everyone by the balls now. This is what happens with relaxed tolerance.

TL;DR

I say that if you are going to tolerate drugs (wich I am strongly against in all shapes and forms) then you might as well legalise pot to prevent something like this happening. Don't give the monopoly to the wrong people and ruin lives like this. The rural Maritimes and the Territories are particularly screwed up like this and politicians completely ignore it.

Marijuana is laced with additives because people can only get it from their local shady drug dealer who's in it for the money, unless they have good connections. Gangs only control the drug trade because it's illegal, in demand, and thus profitable. Since it's already illegal, what difference does it make if they do other crimes (Murder, burglary) in relation to marijuana, too?

If the drug were legal, I could go into my local herbal medicine shop, perhaps gas station or other cigarette vendor, or elsewhere to get safe marijuana certified to be pure.

Not exactly sure what you mean, because in kinda of means all the difference, since I expect illegal weed to be more mentally corrosive than the less selectively bred and natural legal weed. Less money for gangs = less gangs.

And then there's this:

If it is legalized, it might reduce smuggling and whatnot by Mexican drug cartels into the U.S and maybe the other small-time gangs who are just in it for easy money.

legalized for use as a prescription drug and should be severely monitored

Yes exactly. It will also cut the prize of weed by much, causing less people to be in it for the money. Meaning less people selling it, meaning
it can get regulated better, meaning less impure stuff on the street.

SgtGumbo, what I mean is what's it matter if you commit other crimes if you're already going to get 10 years in jail for selling marijuana if caught? For example, murder. There's also the issue of gangs (Already illegal) selling drugs because it's profitable and illegal. Gangs would still exist post-legalization but their biggest money maker, drugs, wouldn't work anymore.

It would also pretty much instantly clear up the Mexican cartel issue, too. Why are they fighting to the death over this stuff? Money and America's huge market. When that market is oversaturated, there's no more money to be made -- no need for cartels. Sure, maybe they'll pick a new crime to major in such as car theft or prostitution, but that's an issue of the gangs and not the drugs.

As for stuff like driving while high? Well, that'd be illegal just like drinking and driving. People will still do it, but they'll also face harsh punishments.

I support legalization of all drugs except crack/cocaine. My neighbors are a bunch of crackheads, and if they are the perfect stereotype for all crackheads then crack should not be legalized.

I'm sorry, but I do not think that legalizing drugs is a good idea, although prescriptions for medical use are acceptable.

I can't think of any condition or disease that requires the use of weed to cure it.

Eww no... It's legal for medical purposes only. Telling kids don't do drugs is important, so some should be illegal.

Although I do not like drugs, or what they do to the body, I think as Americans we all have the right to do whatever we please to ourselves as long as we don't infringe on other people's rights. Even if drugs such as marijuana are legalized, they need to keep harsh penalties for DUI and distributing it to minors.

Bladepaul, Marijuana is a proven pain reliever and a cancer killer, it's perfect for people who are on chemo-therapy.

It's also legal for them for that purpose.

To throw out a point often used but no less true in my mind:

I believe that a person owns their own body. Like Mcharger said, they should be allowed to put what they want inside their own body, regardless of how harmful it is. If they drive while high? Well, give them a DUI, possibly an even harsher DUI than one involving alcohol. Smoking marijuana in a public space? Ban that, much like is happening with cigarettes.

I don't think the argument "Telling kids don't do drugs is important, so some should be illegal" is very powerful, either. We tell kids not to drink alcohol -- And we should, alcohol has effects on the developing brain and a minor is too young to comprehend the potential disasters alcohol can cause -- but it's still legal, if you're an adult (Well, 21 if you're American.) Legalized marijuana would still be told to kids as a bad substance, just like cigarettes and alcohol. Some will still use it either way, just like cigarettes and alcohol.

If an adult doesn't own his own body and the right to put what he wants inside of it, provided the use of marijuana (Or any other drug) doesn't harm others, such as smoking in public places causing unwanted consumption ("Contact highs") and/or driving while under the influence, then how free are they really?

So I guess suicide, self-mutilation and other disgusting acts should also be legal?

Hope they never make Marijuana legal in Australia (which they probably won't.) America however, it'll come eventually... The government will tax it and make billions and everyone will be annoyed that they have to pay more tax.

I'm personally against banning cigarettes, but that's because they smell like absolute @$%^, infringe on everyone else around them and pollute the place as they are stomped into the ground. Fortunately the Aus. Government is cracking down on Smoking. Now you have to smoke in a special area in pubs and you can't smoke it large public places. (Though people do it still in the city.)