Will Pot Be Legal In Your Lifetime?

[knapplc]

Following close on the heels of this story, and the resulting (apparent) lack of interest/concern throughout the college football world, I was wondering - have attitudes toward pot changed so much that you think it will be legalized in the next, say, 50 years?

 

Have we gotten to the point where pot is considered OK, or are we still worried about the "gateway drug?" Bear in mind that many states already allow medical marijuana, and many other states are openly debating legalizing it altogether.

[Husker_x]

Well, legal is a complicated idea in our current climate. Decriminalized is a very attainable goal, I think. Half of the US population has tried pot at some point, and there's no reason to think that number is going to drop dramatically. It seems a lot of progress is being made on the medical side of things. From everything I've read, that's basically a covert legalization, because you can get a toe ache and be prescribed cannabis for it.

 

I hope it's legal sooner rather than later. That one cell of one prison is filled by someone for smoking pot is an immoral travesty in our supposedly free country. If you want a destructive drug to go after, one that's killed countless hundreds of thousands, try alcohol. No thinking person could even begin to think cannabis is as dangerous as booze.

[bhamHusker]

I think that the efforts to legalize or at least decriminalize is gaining momentum. Legalization has significant popular support now, and I think it's only a matter of time before the laws are changed to match the attitudes of the people.

[GM_Tood]

I think it will. Too much $ the government could make on this not to imo.

[Whistlebritches]

Maybe, but I don't think it's going to happen in the next 25 years. As gen X and Y move towards retirement age I think there is a real possibility of it happening. Not so much because of gen X and Y (though that will help) but because the older voters like my parents likely won't be around. They've been beat over the head for so long about how bad all drugs are that they're not even open to the idea.

 

First thing that needs to happen is to get the federal government to respect the rights of the states to make their own laws governing it. California pot dispensaries still get raided by federal officers despite the fact that the are legal by California law. I had hopes that President Obama would be more open to legalizing it but from what I read he's every bit as entrenched in this war on drugs as his predecessors.

 

There's also a problem with employers. Legal or not, as long as employers are screening for it, it's going to keep people from using it.

 

I don't use it and I think it's ridiculous that it's illegal.

[CornHOLIO]

Why is tobacco legal?

[knapplc]

Why is tobacco legal?

 

Because Sir Walter Raleigh said so.

[Lyons in the Sea of Red.]

It's a fine line, and what whistle said is probably a pretty good synopsis of what I think will happen. The argument for a gateway drug has its boundaries imo. If you are going to get into harder drugs, I think that it would happen regardless.

[95huskers]

legalize it, tax it, defeat the deficit!

[ccm420]

alcohol is a gateway drug, nicotine is a gateway drug. pointless argument

 

deaths associated with tobacco and alcohol outnumber deaths from all "illegal" drugs COMBINED. and its not even remotely close.......

 

physically impossible to consume enough marijuana in the time frame needed to kill yourself.

 

so tired of the social taboo around marijuana.....but it will fade with time.

[strigori]

legalize it, tax it, defeat the deficit!

This. The gov wants a new source of income, and this would be that, and would mean massive savings in no longer policing it, court costs, prison costs and so on.

 

The reason its a 'gateway drug' is due to the lies kids are told about it in school and DARE type programs. They try pot and wonder about how much they have been told about the rest of the drugs has been lies.

 

Also, I think a very good argument could be made that legalizing pot would reduce usage and demand for the harder drugs, as there would now be a legal way to get high, and lets face it millions of Americans want to get high.

[Enhance]

When I did a research analysis on this very topic four years ago, I found out that the government could make upwards of $12-14 billion dollars a year from taxing and legalizing marijuana. With how much money it costs to incarcerate someone, they're out of their minds to not decriminalize it.

 

The truth of the matter is that marijuana, physically, can't kill you like meth or ecstasy can. Having done marijuana in my lifetime, I know first hand what the effects are like, and I personally feel that being drunk is far more debilitating than being high. Furthermore, the campaign adds they have against marijuana use are complete BS. I don't know anybody that would get high, and then watch their friend die in the middle of a street, like one of the ads suggested.

 

Doing marijuana might get people interested in doing stronger, without question illegal drugs, but people are going to do that anyways. I had a friend who did acid long before he tried marijuana (goes to film school...figures).

[krc1995]

I am in support of legallizing it, but I am afraid that other drugs would be next. I just don't see the point in making criminal something that grows naturally and is minimally processed.

[The Dude]

Furthermore, the campaign adds they have against marijuana use are complete BS.

[rawhide]

Pot is not without it's dangers. I believe tobacco and alcohol are as bad or worse.

 

I do not know if any long term effect studies have been done with any accuracy.

 

Bottom line: under the influence of any drug still makes you dangerous behind the wheel. so ccm420 understands

 

Since I'm older, I don't think pot will be legalized in my lifetime but ya just never know.