If marijuana is so dangerous, what's going to happen in Colorado and Washington?

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Just asking to the opponents of legalization. Imagine Colorado and Washington ten years from now. Assuming no other states legalize in the meantime, what type of negative effects are going to hit those states that aren't present anywhere else and what type of difficult and terrible things will the residents of those states have to deal with?

[King]

Abuse by neighboring state highway patrol.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Abuse by neighboring state highway patrol.

Nebraska's already doing that IIRC.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Increased obesity due to increased sales of munchies.

[Mad Deadly Worldwide Communist Gangster Computer God]

Increased obesity due to increased sales of munchies.

Coinciding with record profits for the Taco Bell, Kellogg's, and Hershey's companies.

[AggregateDemand]

With a bit of luck, the presence of danger will increase social/individual responsibility amongst the populace. Reform will ensue.

Pipe dream, I know.

[Person Man]

Abuse by neighboring state highway patrol.

Nebraska's already doing that IIRC.

Amazingly, not so much between Steamboat Springs and Ft. Collins and Laramie and Cheyenne.

[Mad Deadly Worldwide Communist Gangster Computer God]

With a bit of luck, the presence of danger will increase social/individual responsibility amongst the populace. Reform will ensue.

Pipe dream, I know.

Does the presence of marijuana provoke responsibility in a way that alcohol, cars, and guns do not?

[AggregateDemand]

With a bit of luck, the presence of danger will increase social/individual responsibility amongst the populace. Reform will ensue.

Pipe dream, I know.

Does the presence of marijuana provoke responsibility in a way that alcohol, cars, and guns do not?

Our alcohol regulations suppose that drunk drivers are everywhere, and the police need random checkpoints and warrantless searches to make society safe. Our vehicles are designed to withstand meteor strikes. Our gun laws are written as if a majority of gun owners are criminals.

I'm hoping (in vain) that marijuana will somehow cause people to question the system.

[Franzl]

Our gun laws are written as if a majority of gun owners are criminals.

[AggregateDemand]

Bro, when I buy a firearm, they check my background. If I attempt to openly carry a firearm, the police will gun me down in broad daylight. If you want to buy/own a gun, you are guilty until proven innocent.

It is what it is. You can defend it if you like, but you can't deny it.

[DC Al Fine]

Just asking to the opponents of legalization.

Who actually opposes marijuana legalization on this forum?

[Mad Deadly Worldwide Communist Gangster Computer God]

Just asking to the opponents of legalization.

Who actually opposes marijuana legalization on this forum?

Adam, windjammer, TJ, Simfan, Supersonic, RogueBeaver, Miles, and Cassius have all said they're against it one time or another.

[DC Al Fine]

Just asking to the opponents of legalization.

Who actually opposes marijuana legalization on this forum?

Adam, windjammer, TJ, Simfan, Supersonic, RogueBeaver, Miles, and Cassius have all said they're against it one time or another.

Interesting. That's more than I expected.

[Never]

Just asking to the opponents of legalization.

Who actually opposes marijuana legalization on this forum?

I am somewhat opposed, because I don't see the benefit of making a recreational drug legal to the general population. I'm not an expert on how people get addicted to drugs, but it is plausible that people who start out using marijuana move on to harder drugs in order to get more satisfaction. On the other hand, when it is used medically, marijuana surely can't be any worse than the painkilling drugs that people often receive in hospitals, and people do get addicted to prescription drugs as well.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Just asking to the opponents of legalization.

Who actually opposes marijuana legalization on this forum?

I am somewhat opposed, because I don't see the benefit of making a recreational drug legal to the general population. I'm not an expert on how people get addicted to drugs, but it is plausible that people who start out using marijuana move on to harder drugs in order to get more satisfaction. On the other hand, when it is used medically, marijuana surely can't be any worse than the painkilling drugs that people often receive in hospitals, and people do get addicted to prescription drugs as well.

Well duh. If you buy drugs illegally, then odds are you will be more likely to come around more illegal drugs. If it can be bought legally, it's not an issue. No one is going to buy marijuana at a legal pot store, get bored with it, and then decide to seek out a meth dealer as a result.

[Joe Republic]

No one is going to buy marijuana at a legal pot store, get bored with it, and then decide to seek out a meth dealer as a result.

No one?  At all?  What about people who have developed a high THC tolerance, and want to try a quicker and easier high?

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Well the same thing could occur with alcohol without pot being legal. Actually the same statistics that show that marijuana is a "gateway drug" would show the same with alcohol. How many hard drug users tried alcohol before that?

[Never]

Well the same thing could occur with alcohol without pot being legal. Actually the same statistics that show that marijuana is a "gateway drug" would show the same with alcohol. How many hard drug users tried alcohol before that?

I see what you're saying. Personally, I don't think alcohol benefits society either, but that's a different story. Recreational drugs just seem like a slippery slope.

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

I support legalising, but if I was going to take a devil's advocate position then:

- High taxes mean the black market for marijuana still is rampant, but now demand is higher and the drug is hard to control.

- Their is still no fantastic way to test for THC use for drivers.

- Federal laws mean cannabis businesses need to use hard cash, because they can't use banks - this means they are targets for robbery.

- Demand rises. We don't know what effects more people smoking marijuana will have on society.

As I said, I'm in favour and think most of these arguments are kind of bogus (although I think many legalisation proponents ludicrously overemphasize its importance), but you never know what crazy things can happen, until you do it.

[The Free North]

No one is going to buy marijuana at a legal pot store, get bored with it, and then decide to seek out a meth dealer as a result.

No one?  At all?  What about people who have developed a high THC tolerance, and want to try a quicker and easier high?

Do you not think that in return stores will begin offering new strains targeted to individuals with higher tolerance?

[Mad Deadly Worldwide Communist Gangster Computer God]

No one is going to buy marijuana at a legal pot store, get bored with it, and then decide to seek out a meth dealer as a result.

No one?  At all?  What about people who have developed a high THC tolerance, and want to try a quicker and easier high?

How often does that happen?

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

I support legalising, but if I was going to take a devil's advocate position then:

- High taxes mean the black market for marijuana still is rampant, but now demand is higher and the drug is hard to control.

- Their is still no fantastic way to test for THC use for drivers.

- Federal laws mean cannabis businesses need to use hard cash, because they can't use banks - this means they are targets for robbery.

- Demand rises. We don't know what effects more people smoking marijuana will have on society.

As I said, I'm in favour and think most of these arguments are kind of bogus (although I think many legalisation proponents ludicrously overemphasize its importance), but you never know what crazy things can happen, until you do it.

Let me just point out the third is already moot, the DOJ has basically said banks will be allowed to deal with legal marijuana businesses.

[AggregateDemand]

I am somewhat opposed, because I don't see the benefit of making a recreational drug legal to the general population. I'm not an expert on how people get addicted to drugs, but it is plausible that people who start out using marijuana move on to harder drugs in order to get more satisfaction. On the other hand, when it is used medically, marijuana surely can't be any worse than the painkilling drugs that people often receive in hospitals, and people do get addicted to prescription drugs as well.

I'm sympathetic to those who question the marginal-benefit of legalizing marijuana; however, I'm convinced most of them are neglecting the cost of the status quo. During the last decade, we've averaged roughly 700,000 arrests for marijuana possession per year. The arrest rates for racial minorities are much higher than for whites. The social costs of the war on marijuana are extraordinary.

[Cobbler]

I'm not someone that gets very passionate about this issue, and when people do, it kind of gets on my nerves. But I will say that I think the people that truly oppose legalization are Baby Boomers that don't want their kids to try it (but, hypocritically, likely smoked it themselves as kids), cowardly politicians, and people who haven't tried it.

It is not harmful, we waste a bunch of time/money/lives arresting people over it, and it has some health/medical benefits as well. Basically, if you don't support making alcohol illegal as well, then you have a double standard.

And I don't buy the argument that someone that believes in limited government can say that we should only legalize it if there is a "marginal benefit" of making it legal. Is that the standard we use in this country? That everything should be illegal unless we see a marginal benefit in legalizing it? Because that would be interesting to see how many legal things we can apply that to.