What are your views on marijuana................?

before you answer read the links below and forget about what the government, commercials and schools spoon fed you.

http://www.drugpolicy.org/marijuana/fact...

for those of you who disagree with marijuana use, i can bet you anything you probably either smoke cigarrettes or even drink alchohol every once in a while, right well then read this...

http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=...

marijuana also has more medicinal use than in just treatment to reduce the effects or chemotherapy and AIDS it can also help with these other diseases and heres how........

http://www.norml.org//index.cfm?Group_ID...

I love mary jane!! marijuana is the most commonly uses illegal substance in the United States. it is used by many people, most of which aren't your stereotypical "druggie", with no life agead of them. Many of them hapen to be very successful, good people. Think about it almost if not every person who reads this paper will know (even if they don't realize it) at least one if not several regular users of marijuana. Its often made out to be much more harmful htan it really is, unfortunatly not every one realizes this.

What many people don't realize is marijuana is much less harmful than alcohol or tobacco. Yet it's the one of the three that gets a bad rap and is illegal. Marijuana isn't even physicaly addicting. You certanly don't see meetings for marijuana like you do with alcohol and AA. Unfortunatly due to American culture the less harmful of the three is illegal.

The most common reason why marijuana can be harmful is that people can often come across laced marijuana without realizing it. Marijuana can easily be mixed with other more harmful drugs with out the buyer realizing it, until they have already used it. This is a dangerous thing that causes many people to do more harmful, hard core drugs without realizing it. If it were to be legalized the government could provide guide lines, like it does with alchol to insure that people knew what they were putting into their bodies.

Marijuana actually has many helpful benefits toward diseases / sicknesses. Marijuana can reduce nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite caused by AIDS. It can Reduce interlobular pressure, which alleviates the pain and slowing and sometimes even stopping the progress of glaucoma. Common side effects of chemotherapy are nausea, loss of appetite, and vomiting, all of which marijuana would help. It can limit muscle pain and relieve tremor nad unsteadiness of gait for multiple sclerosis patients. Marijuana can help prevent epileptic seizures in some patients. It can also alleviate chronic, often debilitating pain caused by myriad disorders and injuries. Each one of these applications have been deemed legitimate by at least one United States court, legislature, and/or government agency.

Due to these reasons and many others many people are going to jail/prison on a daily basis due to simply smoking a little pot These aren't dangerous criminals that would kill or rape someone. Many of them are teachers, lawyers and respected members of their communities. But yet we still pay thousands of dollars of tax payers money to lock up non dangerous "criminals" yearly even though most aren't going to stop after they get out of jail. Don't you think the money spent here is a waste? Couldn't it be going to more useful things such as hospitals, disease research, or better schools? These are the things that would benifit the people of this country. Certanily you would rather benefit the people more than throwing a non violent pot head in jail who was only trying to smoke a joint and relax after a long days work in jail. There is up to forty million regular (note thats just the regular not occasional users) drug users in the United states. If we were to throw all of them in jail it would cost $500,000 per million people, plus the cost and space of building many more prisons. Couldm't that money be spent on building hospitals? There's already about 1.5 million people tax payers are paying to keep in jail over drugs. From 1990 to 2003, nearly 5.9 million people had been arrested for smoking marijuana. Thats a greater number than the entire population of Alaska, Delaware, The District of Columbia, Montania, North and South Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming combined. This country simply can't afford to put 40 million more in jail.

Marijuana should be legalized. It has many uses such as helping sick patients. People are going to smoke it no matter what the government sais, and with out govenment guidelines this can be dangerous. Not to mention the fact that we have no way we can afford to throw all those people in jail. Its much less harmful than alcohol and tobacco, which are legal, so doesn't it make sense that it would be also?

I think all illegal drugs should be legalized regulated and heavily taxed. The DEA is the worst failure in the history of the United States Federal Government. They stop very little.

I'm all for it...

I love my marijuana clients! They all have jobs, they all come to court, they all pay their fines, court costs and most importantly ME!

Yeah, it needs to be legalized. Blame the 2-faced boomers for this one...

And Ottoman (and others), don't confuse legalization with RECOMMENDED...

And, I still say, get in a car wreck, and if it's in your blood, you go to jail...

A bit hazy and blurry.

In my view, marijuana is much more effective if it's actually inhaled.

marijuana has some legitimate uses. but don't expect the government to change it's decades-old stance anytime soon.

i'm for it!

While I don't smoke it myself, I don't think it's any worse than alcohol, so I think it should be legalized.

I think it's a personal choice much like alcohol is. They will not stop it so they should just legalize it. Even though I don't smoke it myself, I feel it should be legalized for personal use.

While marijuana isn't a very harmful substance to the individual, it is harmful to the economy. That is why it is illegal. People who smoke marijuana often are less productive, don't make it to work, and generally just want to sit on their butts. While those statements may seem like stereotypes, come on... You know its true (and the govt. knows it too, thats why they made it illegal).

I have a problem with inhaling carcenogens and inconsiderate smokers who while smoking share their second hand carcenogens with anybody else in their immediate vicinity.

when i was young and a new mother, i was vehemently against its use. now that i'm a grown woman, a grandmother, with more than a lifetime of experience, i can say honestly that it's not the "gateway drug" we were all warned about. i smoked a few joints in my day, both in high school and as an adult, and, trust me, it never made we want to pop pills or shoot up or anything like that. it's got a mellowing effect on most people, gives you the munchies, and pretty much takes any edge away that you may be dealing with. it's organic, natural, and part of the grand scheme of things in the universe. we didn't "create" it, it's a natural plant that's been grown for centuries. that's my opinion, and no, i don't think it should be illegal. it should be available to anyone who's old enough to drink at least. thanks for the soapbox! good luck.

The only trouble with comparison to alcohol that I find - there is no way to measure how much of it did you take. Alcoholic beverages are rated by percent of Ethyl Aclohol by volume. Effects vary, but approximately you know what 100 ml of pure alcohol means to your body. How do you rate or measure marijuana, especially if you don't have much experience? How do you know what is too much, what is safe.

dont smoke anymore, but they should legalize it and utilize its vast industrial uses such as fuel and oil that can be made from it, it could cut way down on the butchering of our forests because it is an excellent source to make paper from, it can be used for many building material also including particl type plywood that is much stronger and more durable than present wood particle board, and it can be formed much like plastic can and has many uses in that respect ....

The war on drugs in its present form is insane.

Legalize it.

My view of marijuana is...it's against the law. Beyond that, I have had no personal experience with it.

There are reports of all sorts claiming medical benefits. Most medical drugs that were derived from illegal sources have had synthetic drugs made to simulate the natural medicines. I see no reason why that could not be accomplished with marijuana if they intend to keep it illegal.

There are quite a few people more interested in using it for recreational purposes, which is really driving the issue- so, I feel that the medical studies are distractions- almost fraudulent.

Don't fool your self and try to justify why you smoke it
..it fcuks your brain up ..which ever way you look at it
..and it's a FACT..

I don't use it but believe it should be legalized. I couldn't use it even if I wanted to because of the Nazi-like random drug tests at work.

Most people I know that do still use it have good paying jobs & lead pretty normal lifes. One was just promoted to an enigneer position in a high tech IT industry. This person does not do other drugs unless you count alcohol.

I don't smoke or even drink now but from what I see It's no more harm full Thain any other legal addiction. It's just an excuse for Workman's comp not to pay out or an employer to use against you. It should be legal for medical uses . Since tobacco has no healthful uses it's the one that should be outlawed.

Legalize it. It will free up valuable jail space and it is less harmful than alcohol. Have you ever seen a stoner beat his spouse (no, you haven't). It has a lot of medical uses too.

Ottoman. It may mess up your brain. Alcohol messes up your lives and your liver. Tobbacco kills your lungs and heart. What's your point. Leave it to the person using it to make that decision.

Yes

I think that marijuana being illegalized is bullshit.
ive been a faithful smoker for 2 years, i recently treid to stop but i realized that it makes me so much less stressed. I mean, about 75% of americans smoke pot actively. but why worrying about legalizing it. theres over a billion people who smoke pot anyways.

[lets think back to the indians, do you think the raindances were wehn they were sober?!]