There is a big discussion in the states now over this.. the US Goverment is afraid that it will hamper there drug laws... (woooo poor babies). I have friends moving to Canada (who dont even smoke) but feel that is a progressive direction for goverment.

Its already leagal for medicinal purposes in California. I think we may have been one of the first states to do such a thing. My friend got it prescribed cause she gets cramps on her period. Go fig.

I think one of the troubling things is that in California it is legal.. but by federal law it is illegal... which I believe that federal law supercedes state... making it Illegal.. but yet..it is the people of Cally's choice.. but big brother.. doesn't want it to happen...

I'm all for legalized marijuana. Logically, the US should have done it already. I mean, seriously. If Bush and Saddam would just sit down together and smoke a bowl, they'd be buddies for life. Everyone would be so much more laid back and creative. It'd be a positive turn for society. Only downturn I see is for the people who use it as a gateway drug or as an escape, but... oh well. People do that with alcohol already. Can't expect everyone to be responsible.

if you're not going to go all-out on something, don't do it. people argue that marijuana will provide people with an escape but so do cigarettes and alchohol. and why aren't those made illegal? simple. many politicians smoke and/or drink (george bush was addicted to cocaine) so they would never ban either entirely. marijuana is (in some but definitely not all people) more helpful than harmful (it helps people in extreme pain or anorexics) so it's definitelly a good idea for it to be legalized (though maybe only medicinal i dunno). of course the USA won't do that because it would distract america from all the terrorist threats and sadaam which would make people see george bush for who he really is.... i've got to stop ranting about bush

i dont smoke marijuana but i know a lot of people who do, and i honestly dont care. if cigarettes can be legal, than marijuana should.

you guys know about that court case in cali about the guy that was growing it for a hospital, right? that was so wrong!

What happened with that??
I had a friend who had cancer... the only way the guy could have any peace in his life was to smoke... The kemo made him so sick he couldnt stand... but the weed really helped him..

Yes federal law is the supreme law, but the states are also aloud to have their own laws. The only way a State's law can be shot down is if the Supreme Court finds it to be unconstitutional. I don't remember any part in the constitution that says that smoking a joint or what not is against this countries policies.

You can see this kind of thing in the case that just went through the Supreme Court on California's three strikes law. It went saying that it is not fair to put a person in jail for life if their third strike is something like stealing a piece of pizza to eat. Personally I agree with that and don't like the law, but the Supreme Court decided to uphold California's law in a 5-4 vote on Thursday. It was brought there on the grounds of cruel and unusual punishment. So they had to find something in the constitution in regards to the law to even bring it to court, and they would have to do so with the marijuana legalization policy.

California I do know is not the only state to have legalized it for medicinal purposes, because I do know people in other states that have a perscription for it.

As for making it legal all around, it's considered a prescription drug, not something like cigarettes are, even though it is similar. To say making it legal all around, not just as a prescription is like saying hey people like the way they feel when they take a valium, lets make that readilly available to anyone who wants to feel just lovely, by letting them buy it at a convience store, and not under the supervision of a doctor. Marijuana can impare people's response time and their train of thought, which I think, even though alcohol does it to, is one of the reasons people are reluctant to make it legal in any form other than prescription.

Ok thats it for my rant.

oh, so you didn't hear ravein...

http://quickstart.clari.net/qs_se/webnews/...s.RaKi_DF5.html

basically, this guy was deputized by the state so that he could grow marjuana for medicinal purposes. then the feds arrested him for growing marjuana. the judge ordered that the jury was not to be told that he was deputized or that what he was doing was legal by state law. so he was found guilty. now the jury is trying to reverse the verdict.

yes, i agree, our law is shit. pure shit.

WHEEEEEE! MORE INSANITY AND CHAOS!

I have never used marijuana myself, but I know that it is helpful for certain people who are sick (I voted for medical purposes only). The little I do know about marijuana is like LoLo said... it impairs peole's response time and their thinking processes. The thought of it being okay for an airplane pilot, a doctor going into surgery, or a firefighter going into a burning building to save a baby being on drugs is kinda scary to me...

I hate marijuana. Despite that, I think it should be decriminalized unless one is big into dealing...like...causing horrible amounts of crime and all that. It's ridiculous that we waste space in jails on regular stoners who got caught with enough weed to hide under their fingernails when the room could be used for people like rapists and other nasties.

Decriminalization for...under...say...an ounce or two of the awful stuff. Mass quantities shouldn't be legal. But that's just me.

theres also a whole debate over it at the moment in england and the government promised to take weed down a cless so now everyone thinks its legal to carry it, but its not yet its still illegal so loads of ill informed people are getting arrested.
well i think it should be legal for recreational use, small amounts and that, but like alcohol, no smoking at work!besides, the only reason the gvernment dont like it is coz they get no taxes from it!

I think weed should be legalised. It's been moved down a class in the UK, and there was an experiment in Brixton (I think) whereby police only cautioned people who were found carrying small amounts, rather than arresting them. I think if it were treated the same way that alcohol is it would be a good thing. It would certainly cause less aggro that alcohol does.

If the government made it legal they would get taxes from it. Look at all the wonderful taxes on cigarettes. You would think that would push them more to legalize it.

not really because the government doesn't want to look like hippies (because they spent so much time fighting the hippies for some reason). but cigarettes and alchohol are legal because some people in government smoke and drink. damn hypocrites

Ya - and I bet they never, ever smoked in college (or mebbe they never inhaled )

They reclassified it as a class C drug in the UK (from a class A) so it's now at least recognised as bein illegal but not as bad as, say, heroin or E. It's still illegal though.

It's flippin nonsense anyways. The big argument for not decriminalising it is cos "they" reckon a dope-head is likely to move onto harder stuff once they get used to the hit. As an ex-dope-head, I can say I never ever wanted to try any of them chemical things. I know a lot of other people the same. In fact, everyone I know who has done E or LSD or the other crap has never used cannabis that much anyways.

As for alcohol - I work for a company that makes additives for beer (among other stuff). There's so many chemicals in it these days it's no wonder people are goin off the rails and beatin on each other At least being stoned mellows ya out...

I don't think legalisin it is the way forward tho... decriminalising would make more sense. Like in Holland. At least it'll help remove the criminal element (plus I won't get sold a half ounce of truck tyre)

(PS you'll have to excuse potential disjointed - I just had me a nice bottle of chianti and me brain isn't workin too well )