i don't know if anybody watched this yet, but i posted it earlier. I'll try again. It's over an hour long. So be prepared. If you don't have time the first 5 minutes are good too. http://blip.tv/play/AdOVPZCcCg
again... I disagree. When I was 16-18... I was gettin wasted(not proud of it)... if your underage, there is ALWAYS someone of age that will buy for you.. People are gonna do what there gonna do... I understand your theory but its just plain wrong.. again, JMO
Actually, that was my point, you couldn't hear the sarcasm? 18 year-olds already have plenty of access to alcohol. Changing the drinking age would not do much, and legalizing marijuana won't do much to change people's behavior either. I agree, people are gonna do what they are gonna do, might as well make their behavior productive in some way.
And now, a reason not to legalize Marijuana. I don't know how many articles like this society can handle. http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D96M3DP82&show_article=1 OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - A man who tried to mellow out his cat by stuffing her into a homemade bong is facing criminal charges—and catcalls from animal lovers. Authorities cited a 20-year-old man on suspicion of animal cruelty Sunday after catching him smoking marijuana from a contraption that had a cat stuffed inside its 12-inch by 6-inch base. The man told Lancaster County sheriff's deputies the 6-month-old female named Shadow had been hyper and that he was trying to calm her down. The cat was taken to the Capital Humane Society, where she appeared to be in good condition Monday, executive director Bob Downey said. "What the human mind doesn't invent, huh?" Downey said. The suspect did not return voice or text messages left on his cell phone by The Associated Press. Deputies discovered the cat trapped in the device after responding to a domestic disturbance call at a residence the suspect shares with his grandfather, Sgt. Andy Stebbing said. Deputies resolved the dispute and left the house, but they returned minutes later after discovering there was an arrest warrant on the suspect for possession of drug paraphernalia. Upon re-entering the house, Stebbing said, deputies saw the suspect smoking marijuana through a piece of garden hose attached to the duct-taped, plastic glass box, in which the cat had been stuffed. "This cat was just dazed," Stebbing said. "She was on the front seat of the cop car, wrapped in a blanket, and never moved all the way to the humane society." The suspect was cited for misdemeanor animal cruelty and taken to the Lancaster County Jail on the arrest warrant. He was released after paying a $400 fine. Now he faces new charges for possession of marijuana and paraphernalia stemming from Sunday. Stebbing said the animal cruelty charge could be raised to a felony if the cat dies or is found to have suffered injury. Downey said tests would be done to determine whether the cat suffered lung damage. "To the eye, the cat looks OK," he said. "It cowers in the back of its cage like it's a little bit afraid but, obviously, given the way it's been treated, that's not surprising to me at all."
^^ The dudes a nutcase... Not seeing the relevance to legal/not legal, other than the nay-sayers saying "See, told ya! Smoking reefer leads to animal cruelty..."
It's all in the perception of the reader...while people with common sense will hold the individual accountable, unfortunately there are those out there who will blame the drugs... The same holds true for college fraternities, at least the one I was in. I was never hazed or abused, either physically or mentally, or forced to do anything against my will. However, that's immediately where the public's eye goes, especially w/ the aid of mainstream media. It's funny how they only report on the one college kid who had to go the hospital because he drank to much (who just happens to be greek...even though just as many non-greeks do not know their limits), but they fail to mention all the countless efforts that go into community service, scholarships, networking / bonding, leadership roles or philanthropy events. Not to mention the average GPA among Greeks is almost 0.5 points higher than non-Greeks, and their dropout rate is substantially less. btw, the above was taken from my experiences at GT, though I know not all colleges / fraternities are the same...point being, it's perception of the reader, as mentioned before.
The problem with this is that there are societal burdens borne by the rest of us due to the people that take absolute shit care of themselves. Its a big part of the reason health care costs are so high here. I like New York's idea of taxing unhealthy food more though I think they've only done it for soft drinks so far but I'm not sure. Make people pay for what they cost the rest of us. Back on topic; I don't see marijuana legalization happening around here anytime soon though I'd like to. I think that most people that smoke are going to do it anyway, and that you wouldn't see very many new people pick it up if it were legal. It would also make it far safer for those that do use it with government regulation of how its produced and handled and the fact they don't have to deal with an entire illegal distribution system to get it. I just don't see how cigarettes and alcohol, especially cigarettes, can stay legal while marijuana is not.
I tend to disagree. The people who smoke will continue to smoke regardless of whether the laws change, however, I think there will be a large increase in people who did not smoke when illegal who may start if it were legalized. I know many people who do not smoke it strictly because they are law abiding citizens. If Marijuana were to be made legal, many of those people may actually try it. If people who never smoked before tried it, many probably wouldn't like it and would return to a life without, however, some people would like it, and would continue to smoke from that point on.
^^ I see your point, and its valid.. but I just don't see that as much of an issue. Yes, there may be a few new users if it became legal.. but what does that hurt, really? Are these same few people also chain smoking, raging alcoholics as well? Just cuz its legal? As stated before, the hypocrisy behind this whole issue is pretty silly. Cigarettes and booze have been proven to be WAY more harmfull than weed, but since our gvmt decided it was "BAD".. we believe it. I don't even smoke, but my gf does and I'm sick of worrying she's gonna go to jail every time she goes to get a bag...
We're saying the same thing. Not that many new people would be smoking pot all the time. I agree with you that more people would try it but not pick it up as a habit.
"I mean, I know it's illegal, but it's not that fucking illegal. If you're gonna say it like that, make it something a little more illegal, like "Hey, bro! You wanna eat a bald eagle? C'mon, there's only like eight of them left! Tastes just like freedom!"
Regulating pot would make it harder for minors to get it. It's easier for minors to get drugs than it is cigarettes and alcohol.
There were always the gas stations that ignored age limit laws on Cigarettes and would happily sell to minors. They were fined many times, but the owner admitted openly that he still makes much more being one of the few to sell to minors than he is losing paying a fine every couple of months. As for alcohol, if you as a white person were brave enough to walk into one of the dive bars in the "Ghetto" and ask for a 40oz, they never questioned you. I doubt that if Marijuana were legalized it would be any different. There will be a shop that will sell to minors for the extra profits and eat any fines that come along, assuming the cost/benefit measures out.
If they legalize, I would grow and sell tax free which will make it illegal dammit I cant win. :eek3:
so much to say on the topic, but one is important to mention that i don't think has been. when you make a "vice" illegal you create a vacuum of supply that is inevitably filled by organized crime. the most recent example would be meth (i am 100% AGAINST it), the local authorities shut down virtually every local redneck that made the stuff and guess what happened? the latin kings, ms13 and and slew of other latin gangs that were once somewhat obscure finally had a door into the "big" time of organized crime. i'm not for hard, synthetic drugs. but i have this suspicion that a few dozen overdosed idiots/hapless victims are far better than the hundreds killed on the streets that are caught up in the "drug war". this is to say nothing of the huge amounts of money spent at every level of the government to combat these organized criminals who have virtually limitless funds to supply a demand that is equally limitless.