The problem health-wise with marijuana, as previously mentioned, is that it's unpredictable. Studies and even anecdotal evidence that we all love so much shows there is a link with schizophrenia. In a report I read some time ago, it said that basically all who smoke know someone, often some, who have had "bad trips" on cannabis. A large portion of these people experience personal crisis and may suffer with anxieties for a long time after, possibly their entire lives. We're not talking heavy users here, but casual smokers or even complete newbies.

The thing about alcohol abuse is you generally have to do it a lot and turn it into an addiction before it screws up your life. You know driving drunk is dangerous - it's predictable. The thing about cannabis is you never know if or when it's gonna happen and newcomers to the drug are likely at a disadvantage because they lack experience with the drug.

People underestimate the health dangers of cannabis. The fact that some people smoke their entire lives without noticing any profound negative effects doesn't mean it's gonna go that well for every other person who uses it.

I'd prefer decriminalization before legalization. I think it's ridiculous the way smokers have been chased by the law in the US, but on the other hand, I believe legalization will have a negative effect and if it's the best alternative, it's only because it's a lesser evil. In my opinion, society does not need to embrace a new way to mess with our heads unless it's the very last resort.

I had beef in mushroom & white wine sauce for my dinner. I guess I better be careful not to be a raging drunk by the end of the night :laughing:

Driving drunk is dangerous but someone who's drunk doesn't often think this. From first hand experience I know that this is the case. Stoned driving often leads to me being completely tuned in and aware of almost EVERYTHING that's going to happen. I don't remember how I got home when I drunk drove or what speed I was doing, which route I took home or anything. Stoned driving you'll be lucky if I hit 30mph.

I don't mean to split hairs, but nobody has a "bad trip" using marijuana. That's more a term associated with using LCD. However, yes, there aren't only positive experiences with marijuana. However, curiosity and suspicion based on 70 plus years of United States propaganda lead me to question how many of these "psychotic breakdowns" are really related to cannabis, and how many are the product of suggestion where it was simply blamed for an underlying psychological disorder.

I believe we most likely disagree fundamentally on our stances and individual takes on drug use and what it constitutes. I not only believe they should be legal, I actually believe that everyone should experiment with altering their mind in some way. So I don't see it as the lesser of two evils, I actually see it as a step toward progress in the way we develop both as a species and as individuals. Experiencing different states of altered mind and body offers much in the way of perspective and general outlook on life. My opinion may not be shared by many and it doesn't take into consideration the dangers associated with any kind of drug use. I guess what I'd like to see is a free society where these things can be experimented with without shame, fear of legal repercussion or pressure to use them in a dangerous way. Basically, where drug experimentation is safer.

Conan, I love you. You know that right? :)

That's assuming legalization will lead to a massive surge of new pot smokers, legalization would allow it to pass through quality control, users would then have a fair idea of the THC levels. I don't think leaving quality control to the black market is the better evil, not when the market is so huge and shows no signs of declining.

I have had my bouts of paranoia when I used to smoke it (regularly anyway) and I've found all my bad trips are a result of mixing it with other intoxicants, I'm sure most smokers here will probably tell you the same.

As someone else has already pointed out, this argument can just as easily be applied to hard liquor. After all, I can easily do a shot or two of bourbon in less time than it would take to suck in lung full of weed.

I disagree, but let's assume you're right for a moment: What about this potential for abuse is so terrible that it should be illegal?

I don't even smoke and I've so far met 3 people in real life who have suffered anxieties after cannabis use. Two are friends of mine, the third is the mother of a close friend. All of them suffered anxieties for long periods afterwards, in my friend's mothers case so bad that it never left her. So, I've no trouble believing the studies that show such negative health effects of cannabis.

The only drug these people indulge in regularly that I can think of are caffeine and alcohol and I can't remember any of them telling me they were also drunk when it happened, so I don't believe that it's simply something that happens when you "mix".

Cannabis does make you slightly paranoid, I'm not going to lie. BUT it's only during smoking I get it occasionally, not to say that goes for everybody though.

Since we're sharing completely non-scientific anecdotes, here are some of mine: Of all the dozens of regular pot smokers I've known in my life, exactly zero have experienced any kind of long-lasting anxiety as a result of smoking. I do, on the other hand, have a a relative who is a permanent resident of a mental institution because of extreme brain damage caused by alcohol.

I have literally never experienced paranoia from smoking weed.