Post by Benjamin Morgan on Aug 27, 2007 3:21:14 GMT -5
I googled "effects of marijuana" and skimmed through 5 or so pages that came up. It seems clear that marijuana does no more harm than alcohol and tobacco.
How about this for a source:
www.drugwarfacts.org/causes.htm#item1
Tobacco - 435,000 deaths per year
Alcohol - 85,000 deaths per year
Marijuana - 0 deaths per year
That's sourced from the Journal of the American Medical Association
It's plain to see that alcohol and tobacco kill a few more people per year than marijuana. If anything, we need to start a new thread on how to ban alcohol and tobacco. So why is marijuana illegal and the two deadliest drugs legal?
It started with a racist named Harry J. Anslingeer:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_J._Anslinger
He fought for legislation to be passed in 1930 on arguments as obscene as this:
"There are 100,000 total marijuana smokers in the US, and most are Negroes, Hispanics, Filipinos, and entertainers. Their Satanic music, jazz, and swing, result from marijuana use. This marijuana causes white women to seek sexual relations with Negroes, entertainers, and any others."
"...the primary reason to outlaw marijuana is its effect on the degenerate races."
"Marijuana is an addictive drug which produces in its users insanity, criminality, and death."
"Reefer makes darkies think they're as good as white men."
"Marijuana leads to pacifism and communist brainwashing"
"You smoke a joint and you're likely to kill your brother."
"Marijuana is the most violence-causing drug in the history of mankind."
This all came from a great story I read about marijuana here:
blogs.salon.com/0002762/stories/2003/12/22/whyIsMarijuanaIllegal.html
Most people realize that people get smarter as you move forward through history and dumber (I should say ignorant) as you move back. (With the exception of the Romans - they were some smart f'ers) Back in 1930 people did not rely on evidence and scientific research. So they were very gullible and tended to believe any sort of gossip they heard; especially if it was racism against blacks or Mexicans.
Today, however, we're smart. We rely on facts to come up with our decisions. And the evidence shows that marijuana, though having negative side effects, simply isn't that bad for you...in moderation. But nothing is awful for you in moderation. 5 cups of coffee by lunch will kill you over time, but no one is pushing to make caffeine illegal.
This article shows the enormous revenue our government can generate if we legalize and tax marijuana:
economics.about.com/od/incometaxestaxcuts/a/legalize_pot.htm
It adds up like this: a savings of $7.7 billion dollars annually plus a tax revenue of up to $6.2 billion annually!!!!! These are numbers you can't ignore.
So obviously we've got that going for us. But what about the other issues? Well I would make it illegal for anyone under 21 to use it. Maybe 18, I don't know about that one yet. And there would also be concern for people showing up to their jobs high. Well with alcohol you, as an employer, make a rule for employees not to come to work drunk; so you make a rule for them not to come to work high, or risk being fired. It's simple, really.
This, combined with a new tax system, would create an enormous revenue for our government. Would could (dare I say it) pay off the federal debt! That's something no one has ever even considered possible in recent times. But I could do it.
On a side note: I've give some thought to legalizing other drugs too. The drugs of the more lethal kind (even though I believe alcohol and nicotine are the most lethal). If this were to happen, I would tax considerably as well and create more stringent rules.
How about this for an interesting effect: There would be less crime. Users would be less likely to kill or steal or rob if it's all legal. But that's hearsay, they would most likely not have much money and could still do those things. But I think there would be a drop in crime. Police could focus on more important things. And there would be less convicts in prison that we have to waste our tax dollars on.
So please give feedback. Can you think of other consequences? Good or bad? Please discuss.
How about this for a source:
www.drugwarfacts.org/causes.htm#item1
Tobacco - 435,000 deaths per year
Alcohol - 85,000 deaths per year
Marijuana - 0 deaths per year
That's sourced from the Journal of the American Medical Association
It's plain to see that alcohol and tobacco kill a few more people per year than marijuana. If anything, we need to start a new thread on how to ban alcohol and tobacco. So why is marijuana illegal and the two deadliest drugs legal?
It started with a racist named Harry J. Anslingeer:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_J._Anslinger
He fought for legislation to be passed in 1930 on arguments as obscene as this:
"There are 100,000 total marijuana smokers in the US, and most are Negroes, Hispanics, Filipinos, and entertainers. Their Satanic music, jazz, and swing, result from marijuana use. This marijuana causes white women to seek sexual relations with Negroes, entertainers, and any others."
"...the primary reason to outlaw marijuana is its effect on the degenerate races."
"Marijuana is an addictive drug which produces in its users insanity, criminality, and death."
"Reefer makes darkies think they're as good as white men."
"Marijuana leads to pacifism and communist brainwashing"
"You smoke a joint and you're likely to kill your brother."
"Marijuana is the most violence-causing drug in the history of mankind."
This all came from a great story I read about marijuana here:
blogs.salon.com/0002762/stories/2003/12/22/whyIsMarijuanaIllegal.html
Most people realize that people get smarter as you move forward through history and dumber (I should say ignorant) as you move back. (With the exception of the Romans - they were some smart f'ers) Back in 1930 people did not rely on evidence and scientific research. So they were very gullible and tended to believe any sort of gossip they heard; especially if it was racism against blacks or Mexicans.
Today, however, we're smart. We rely on facts to come up with our decisions. And the evidence shows that marijuana, though having negative side effects, simply isn't that bad for you...in moderation. But nothing is awful for you in moderation. 5 cups of coffee by lunch will kill you over time, but no one is pushing to make caffeine illegal.
This article shows the enormous revenue our government can generate if we legalize and tax marijuana:
economics.about.com/od/incometaxestaxcuts/a/legalize_pot.htm
It adds up like this: a savings of $7.7 billion dollars annually plus a tax revenue of up to $6.2 billion annually!!!!! These are numbers you can't ignore.
So obviously we've got that going for us. But what about the other issues? Well I would make it illegal for anyone under 21 to use it. Maybe 18, I don't know about that one yet. And there would also be concern for people showing up to their jobs high. Well with alcohol you, as an employer, make a rule for employees not to come to work drunk; so you make a rule for them not to come to work high, or risk being fired. It's simple, really.
This, combined with a new tax system, would create an enormous revenue for our government. Would could (dare I say it) pay off the federal debt! That's something no one has ever even considered possible in recent times. But I could do it.
On a side note: I've give some thought to legalizing other drugs too. The drugs of the more lethal kind (even though I believe alcohol and nicotine are the most lethal). If this were to happen, I would tax considerably as well and create more stringent rules.
How about this for an interesting effect: There would be less crime. Users would be less likely to kill or steal or rob if it's all legal. But that's hearsay, they would most likely not have much money and could still do those things. But I think there would be a drop in crime. Police could focus on more important things. And there would be less convicts in prison that we have to waste our tax dollars on.
So please give feedback. Can you think of other consequences? Good or bad? Please discuss.
And think of all the fat ingested through Doritos and late night runs for Taco Bell... crimeny!