Discussion Forum: Spring 2012

Public Discussion Forum

Cactus -- Spring, 2012

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Is it time to change the Marijuana laws ?

• Legalize it across the board?
• Partially legalize for medical use?
• For commercial hemp?
• Strengthen the laws?
• Strengthen enforcement?

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POSTS:  Most Recent at Top

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On April 20 at 10:52 PM, Amber from class 23655 said:

I kind of go back in forth on the situation rather or not marijuana should be legalized or not. Even though it is illegal now people still do it. I personally would not want them to legalize it because I feel like it would cause more problems then it is worth. I do feel that enforcement should be done because if it is going to be illegal more action needs to take place , it should be harder to get. I think that however, people are treated badly and looked badly on through out the system and have rights taken away that should not be, there should be a certain point where they need to draw the line   I do feel like however, it should be used for medical purposes only because that seems to really help people when they need it. Marijuana can still be harmful, it causes people to act differently and not in their right mind. It is like drinking and driving it can cause accidents. Marijuana messes with your brain and can cause damage. I think if it was to be legalize then people would want to see other drugs legalized which would just cause a big mess. Yea, it would save money but is that really what they should look at they need to look at what is best for the people and I think that is not what's best. It messes peoples life's up.

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On April 20 at 10:48 PM, Jenna from class 23655 said:

When I was in high school it was pretty rare to find someone that did not smoke pot.  Not only were pot smokers that of regular everyday students, but most of the athletes also smoked marijuana.  Most of the students would get high on the weekend with a group of friends but some would even come to school strung out on weed.  Whenever I would ask my friends why they would ever come to school high when there would be a big chance of them getting in trouble most would say the feeling of being high has become the normal for them and it did not feel right if they were not high.  Also in my high school if one student said they smoked pot, there would be a 50% chance that they were also doing some other drug.  At my senior prom a student got arrested outside of the building because she shot up heroin before trying to enter our prom.  The first drug this girl ever tried was marijuana.  Marijuana is not considered to be a physically addictive drug, but because of my high school experience, I believe that marijuana is a slippery slope drug leading people into hard core narcotics.  For some people that is not the case, and they stop at pot.  The main reason why kids use marijuana is because it is illegal and they feel rebellious doing it.  If the government legalized marijuana then yes more students might stop using it, but only because it isn't illegal anymore, instead they would turn to other drugs like heroin. With that being said I believe that marijuana should be an illegal drug, and law enforcement should be more strict on users.

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On April 20 at 1:43 PM, Taylor from class 23655 said:

There are things that are legal in the United States that not only cause harm to the body, but people have died from them. Alcohol for example causes addiction and people get alcohol poisoning causing them to die. Cigarettes not only causes people to get addiction, but can cause lung cancer. So why is Marijuana illegal? It causes us to feel different, like alcohol, but no reported deaths from it, ever. People say that they see people that smoke Marijuana to go down the wrong path, well honestly that depends on the person. If that happens to you it's not the drug, it's your morals and will-power so it's up to you. But since it doesn't cause death, no addiction, expect mentally, and personally people that are in jail that sell it or buy it are taking up space. There are worse things in the world you can do than sell someone something that is considered to be illegal, yes, but less harmful that alcohol which is legal.

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On April 20 at 11:18 AM, Dwayne from class 23655 said:

Back in high school i didn't know anybody who smoked marijuana, no friends or family. I knew of people that did but not personally, it had no affect on me at the time and so then i would have said i didn't mind if people did. I knew i wasn't going to and so i didn't really care, well much has changed since then. One of my friends i have known all my life, who i considered a brother may as well have walked off the face of the earth the day we graduated. I wouldn't talk bad about any of my friends but all i will say that we didn't see him for a while, and when he we finally did the person we knew was gone. He nearly flunked out of college, and another friend who roomed with him for a short period said at night he would have to go out and find him. Usually he would be passed out on the ground somewhere, and then he would carry him back to the dorm. When we get together he barely speaks and its pretty depressing and heartbreaking to see this happen. I truly hate it, he has turned the college situation around to an extent but i more or less lost a friend after high school.  He lost his license because of a candle related to all of this and doesn't drive, the last three or four times i have seen him he was in such a state that i doubt he even remembered me being there. So because of all of this i have changed where i stand, i think it should be illegal, i realize there is medicinal marijuana that people need. In my opinion if you legalize that then people will do whatever they can to meet the requirements to get that to, they will find a way. I believe it is one of the things that is ruining our country, if you think i am saying extreme things just wait until somebody you have known all of your life is basically gone and you can't really even talk to them anymore though they are still alive. Then maybe your mind will also be changed, as mine was two years ago.

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On April 20 at 10:03 AM, Dylan (no address) said:

Marijuana laws in today's society, apart from the states that have legalized it medicinally, are very strict and unneeded. It is time to change these laws.  To date, there have been no recorded deaths related to cannabis, where on average, about 2.5 million people die a year from alcohol related causes. Now I personally do not use the substance, but I believe if alcohol is legal, upon a certain age, then another mind altering substance such as marijuana should be legal.  It just does not make sense for alcohol, which has proven to be more dangerous, to be legal when marijuana has no recorded deaths to date. Even if it is not made legal across the board, I think it should still be legal for medicinal uses or commercial growth, especially in Kentucky where the leading cash crop right now is hemp.

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On April 20 at 8:35 AM, Melissa from Powell County said:

        I do not feel marijuana should be legalized across the board because I feel it is a gateway drug, but when it comes to medical use I feel it should be used especially for those with cancer. I had a friend who had lung cancer and with all the treatments she became very ill. She wasn't able to eat which made her very weak and it seemed that she would soon reach her end. She was taken to the hospital and given what the doctor refered to as a pill that was much like marijuana. Her husband said after about an hour she giggled a little but began to eat. Being able to eat resulted in an increase in her strength. As a result she was able to return to work and seemed perfectly fine for about three more weeks. After that the cancer spread to her brain and she lost her battle. I will never forget her last three weeks at work, she was able to laugh and be her normal self. I have two children and if I become ill and I could be given something to help ease my pain and cause me to eat in order to maintain my strength for my girls I want it! I would want anything that would buy me some extra time to make sure my babies know I love them, and to make sure they would be okay. When we think of marijuana we think about the high, sometimes it's about more than that. For medical uses it could increase the quality of life. I should have that option if I choose. God allowed it to grow for some reason, it doesn't have to always be a bad thing!!

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On April 19 at 11:19 PM, Hillary from class 23655 said:

Is it time to change the Marijuana laws? I think that it is time to make some slight changes with these laws. My opinion is that Marijuana should be partially legalized for medical use. I have this opinion because ten years ago my mother lost her life to a very aggressive lung cancer, and during this time she went through radiation and chemotherapy. The chemotherapy was almost to much for her to take she was sick all the time and had no appetite. If Marijuana was made legal for partial medical use then maybe she could of been more comfortable, and her sickness would of not been so bad. The Marijuana would of helped her gain an appetite and it would of taken some of her pain away, because she was in constant pain. So in my opinion marijuana should be legal for medical use to help cancer patients and any other patients that are suffering from terrible illnesses.

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On April 19 at 6:38 PM, Jamison from class 23655 said:

At the very least, marijuana should be legalized for medical use.  Programs in California and Colorado, among other states, have been very beneficial to those who have a medical need.  I have a friend in the Colorado program.  He suffered a back injury and without medical marijuana would be unable to get out of bed.  Even the Federal Government has a program, "In 1978 the US government started the Compassionate Investigational New Drug (IND) program. Although closed for new patients in 1991, it still supplies 320-360 marijuana cigarettes monthly to each of the four seriously ill patients remaining in the program." Why would the government continue to supply patients in a program after the program closed if there were no medical benefit?

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On April 19 at 3:23 PM, Kathy from POL 101 said:

All my life I have been told not to do drugs and especially marijuana because it is a gateway drug that leads to more harmful drugs. I still believe that this is true because I have seen for myself as I grow older and I lose friends because of their increasing use of drugs. Growing up in Mount Vernon, KY all my life I have seen the effects of drugs not only in my community but in my own family which is why I am so against people using any type of drug. Marijuana may be harmless to some but to me it is a addictive substance that leads to more deadly drugs like cocaine, heroine, and meth. So to answer the question I would have to say no I do not think Marijuana should be legal. I think that the country should be united against it's war on drugs and should not be a state issue because this causes the country to be divided on such a controversial issue as the legalization of Marijuana.

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On April 19 at 11:50 AM, Kathy from class 23655 said:

 Should marijuana be legalized? In my opinion it should not be legalized. Most people who deal with substance abuse problems did not start out on cocaine or other drugs, they started with marijuana and when that was not enough of a high they move on to bigger and better things. If legalized more people would have free access to it, which I believe would lead to bigger drug problems in the United States. Marijuana aslo contains 50%to 70% more e carcinogenic hydrocarbons than cigarette smoke. Some studies even show a relation between high use and marijuana and increased rates of depression and schizophrenia. As well as any other drug, Marijuana effect you brain by slowing you thinking and impairing your coordiantion. Its not just a rights issue, drinking and smoking are legal and so should marijuana. No, it shouldn't alcohol is highly regulated and in some places illegal to sell, and yet we still have major issues with the problems it can cause in the home and on the road. We do not need something else to add to America's problems. I don't even think it should be used to treat end stage cancer patients or AIDS. Yes, it may help with symptoms and pain, but there are other legal and regulated drugs that can do the same that we know more about. Right now there are not enough facts to know if the dangers of marijuana out weigh the risk.

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On April 18 at 1:15 PM, Aimee from class 23655 said:

I believe that there are pros and cons to the legalization of marijuana, and personally I am undecided on whether or not it should be legalized. On a positive note, if marijuana were legalized, it would boost the economy, and free up space in jails. I do believe that if marijuana is legalized is one state, for medicinal or recreational purposes, it should be legalized in all fifty states, in order to ensure that crimes across state lines are reduced. However, I have seen the negative effects that the use of marijuana can have on an individual, which makes me believe that marijuana should be kept as an illegal substance. Sure, marijuana doesn’t seem like a big deal at first, but once the high finally starts to wear off, it leads you to crave more dangerous drugs. Someone very close to me started off smoking marijuana in high school, and it eventually led to him trying heroin and cocaine, and becoming addicted to pills. I’ve seen firsthand the effects that this drug use has had on this young man’s life. He has trouble finding and keeping a job, has strained relationships, and has lost all custody and visitation rights to his three year old son. Not only does his drug use affect him, but the people around him who love and care for him. I can understand and agree with points on both sides of the fence, but ultimately I would have to say that I believe marijuana should remain illegal.

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On April 17 at 11:56 PM, Chase from Lexington said:

I want to follow up my post from last night.

One good way to look at the legalization of marijuana in our nation would be by comparing it to the policy and success of another nation with marijuana legalized or decriminalized. This is very rare however. But the most popular example that comes to mind is in the Netherlands. In the Netherlands, marijuana has been decriminalized. Their policy allows people to buy, use and grow for personal use only. The only public place allowed are in their coffee shops which are similar to speakeasies. In these coffee shops, customers of age can come in and purchase and consume marijuana like you would food at a restaurant. Because of the relaxed policy on marijuana, the Netherlands has become a very popular tourist destination. People come from around the world and visit these coffee shops, many of which do not even smoke marijuana in their own country or have not tried it, but because of the rational laws, they feel they have the freedom to try it without prosecution. If marijuana were legalized in the United States, it could likely model the Netherlands's coffee shop idea to attract tourism and people curious about it in the first place and wanting to avoid breaking the law. This brings me to the point marijuana anti activists commonly make which is suggesting that marijuana use would increase in the United States if legalized, turning the nation into a bunch of lazy stoners. Looking at the Netherlands however suggests otherwise. It is reported that a mere 9.5% of young adults smoke marijuana in the Netherlands at least once a month. You can compare this to surrounding countries where marijuana is not legal such as finland (8%), Norway(9.6%), France( 16.7%) Germany(11.9%), and many others with more or less the same use. The Netherlands is actually on the lower average of monthly users. One problem facing the Netherlands is the trafficing and transportation out of the country with marijuana. This is the biggest danger, because depending on your country, you may risk getting into big trouble by bringing what is safe and legal from one country over to another. This goes to show that them most dangerous thing about using marijuana is the laws against it.

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On April 17 at 11:39 PM, Josh from POL 101 said:

Is it Time to Change the Marijuana Laws?

            I believe that the only reason marijuana should be legalized is for medical use only.  My aunt currently has cancer and is battling the affects of chemotherapy on her body.  Marijuana is supposedly known for reducing the vomiting and nausea that comes from the intensity of chemotherapy.  After seeing how bad she is struggling with it I wish she could have access to this drug.  This is the only reason I believe that it should be legalized.  However, if it is released and able to be sold for medicine, being the immature and greedy nation that we are, there will be the people out there who would take advantage of that and abuse it.  When people use marijuana recreationally, they are obviously not of sound mind, which causes them to make decisions that they would not normally make.  For this reason, the drug that supposedly has no negative affects on the body can become very dangerous.  Thus, leading me to believe that marijuana should no be legalized across the board, but only partially, for medical use.

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On April 17 at 2:33 PM, Melissa (no address) said:

In my opinion, I think that Marijuana should be partially legalized for medical use. I say this because, in my experience, marijuana has led to lost friends, lives, and futures plummeted because of one of the following reasons; 1) people become comatose by it and think that smoking weed is the one and only thing to do in life. "if you aren't high you aren't living" resulting in people to just want to sit on the couch and not be productive members of society. 2) I've personally seen people put smoking weed in front of buying groceries, diapers, or even giving the attention and love to their family. 3) getting high off of marijuana was only the starting point for some people, and once that high wasn't good enough they went to pills, crack, meth, etc. and eventually getting high took their life. these sacrifices are not worth the high that one can recreationaly get. I am completely on board with legalizing it for medical use only because say you were an cancer patient and marijuana was the one "pain reliever" that could put you at ease for a bit, wouldn't you want it? That was one of the original intentional uses for marijuana, and was a rather good and effective one, so why should the patients that could truly benefit from it suffer because others abuse the "herb"?

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On April 17 at 10:31 AM, Justin (no address) said:

Before deciding to legalize anything across the board, one must consider the future implications if legalizing marijuana was successful. More than likely down the road supporters of other more harmful drugs may demonstrate there feelings of legalizing it as well. If you legalize marijuana, is that were we as a society draw the line? No, I feel that many would begin to push the line. A standard must be set and if that standard is manipulated you leave room for change that may not be wanted or be the best for the United States of America. Marijuana should not be legalized. But I do feel that many young people's lives are being ruined because they are being arrested for marijuana possession and they are being stigmatizedas criminals. So, ultimately, I do not believe that marijuana should be legalized but, I think that things need to be changed so that so many youths are not stigmatized as criminals because they utilize marijuana.   

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On April 17 at 5:40 AM, Chase from Lexington said:

I am currently a student at EKU and would like to post publicly on the discussion board with the message as follows.

The right to possess, grow and or use marijuana should be a right entitled to all American adults. Legalizing it would, increase taxable revenue, save money, jail space and officers valuable time, and most importantly, give citizens more freedom to exercise rights. The war on drugs is a failing war with no victorious end in sight. The most popular foreign importer of marijuana in our country, Mexico, is one of the primary targets. The drug business is illegal, and thus unregulated, so anything goes as long as those in charge of business avoid the law. As a result of this, instead of businessmen with a valuable, taxable product distributed with secure regulation to ensure the most ethical and safe way possible, you get violent and often ruthless cartel and gang members fighting each other and anyone who interferes with their priorities as long as they have the bigger guns and power. Many people die, especially in areas near the Mexican border because of drug related crimes. Our nation is aware of these problems and the violence that goes on because of it, but instead of taking the product and being the ones to make profit themselves or allowing legitimate business owners to do it, they choose to 'handle' the problems by trying to catch the members of the cartel and prosecute them one at a time while all of it still goes on, a costly operation to say the least. This gives those controlling the underground market a monopoly, allowing them to name their own price and enjoy high profits. Fighting the cartels and gangs and prosecuting users of marijuana individually is not the way to handle the problem, as you can see by the little progress made. One reason this is not effective is because other than a couple head honchos in the drug business, those working it are essentially disposable and easily replaced in no time. Once government money is used to catch, prosecute and then jail those who are caught in the drug cartels or gangs, their position is replaced by someone else who will probably just take more precautions to act illegally or suffer the same fate as his preceding member.

A better way to handle the inevitable problem? Simply take the market away from these violent scum and give it to American citizens who treat the product for what it is ethically and what is is worth. If marijuana were legalized and you could get it in a shop like you would buy liquor in a liquor store, nobody would go through these cartel members or even drug dealers that exist all over the country. One problem with marijuana being illegal is that its sellers will not check for an id(not that there is a legal age anyways) but the point I'm making is that they will sell it to kids. If legalized, it would be sold in some stores with strict age limits. 21 is an appropriate age for marijuana. Many people subscribe to the misconception that if marijuana were legalized, it would be more attainable for kids. If the legal age were 21, this would not be the case. I am willing to say with confidence that in high school, it was way easier to find someone to sell me pot than it would be to find someone 21 willing to spend their time buying alcohol for a minor. The reason for this goes back to the fact that underground sellers of drugs don't discriminate at all. Pot could be available from fellow students and classmates of mine. Everybody knows a guy to find pot from. But if you were to ask around in high school for someone who knows anyone and is good enough friends with an adult to buy alcohol you are often left with nothing. The average 21+ person has no interest in buying alcohol for a bunch of kids and the same would be true for marijuana if legalized.

If regulated right, legalization of marijuana can be a great thing for our nation. I would propose that all production, cultivation, and any other aspect of business when it comes to marijuana should be exclusive to the US only and not allow for high volumes of foreign imports of marijuana. This would be a great stimulus to help give our economy a push. It would open many jobs in the country and increase the agriculture business significantly. The fact of the matter with marijuana is that its users are going to continue using no matter what. Whether it is legal or not, millions of people use marijuana and will continue to do so and the same goes for people against it. Those who oppose marijuana will continue to not choose to smoke it and not surround themselves with people who do. It is a fair and understandable choice either way. Smoking marijuana is a victim less crime.

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On April 16 at 6:58 PM, Amanda from Stanton said:

Personally, I believe that marijuana should be legalized. In other countries that have legalized such drugs, the crime rates have went down substantially. If it is not illegal to distribute or use marijuana then there will be more time for the court system to focus on bigger problems. Also, marijuana has far less chemicals added to it than does cigarettes. I've never heard of anyone overdosing on this substance, like people have on alcohol which is legal. And if it's even a thought that it can be used for medicinal purposes than can it really be so harmful? I'm sure there are options for legalizing the substance such as an age limit. Bottom line is, I do not think it is as dangerous as most people make it out to be as long as it is used responsibly just like every other mind altering substance that is legal.

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On April 16 at 5:07 PM, Chelsea from Richmond said:

There are several very logical reasons why marijuana should be legalized in the United States across the board. First, the billion dollar black market which would be shifted from an underground system that we use taxpayer dollars to "end", which is never going to happen, to a legitimized system where legitimate companies could control, distribute, and regulate the sale of marijuana. Second, the amount of money saved in the legal system, removing millions of non-violent offenders from behind bars. Third, the statistics. Marijuana is one of the safest drugs that exists, much safer than alcohol, or even Tylenol. Not a single death has ever been attributed to marijuana overdose. It's not toxic enough. It's a ridiculous double standard to allow individual's to drink, but stop them from growing a harmless plant in their backyards. The Baby Boomers are currently running the country, and they more so than anyone know that it's harmless (by comparison).
 

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On April 15 at 1:43 PM, Mary from POL 101 at EKU said:

I do NOT think that marijuana should be legalized!! I have had horrible family experiences with family members having drug abuse problems. No, marijuana is not the final drug that they are on but every family member that I have that is addicted to drugs have told me at least once that the first drug they ever tried was pot and then eventually that high wasnt good enough for them. I think that legalizing marijuana would lead to even more drug abuse cases.
Secondly, I think this is a federal government issue not a states, because if you let each state decide if they want to legalize it or not you are going to have people from other states going to states that do legalize it to get marijuana.
This is just my personal opinion and based on my beliefs.

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On April 13 at 1:43 PM, Elizabeth from EKU class 23655 said:

I believe that marijuana should not be legalized for any purposes. I think that if the government begins to allow marijuana for medical purposes only, then it might start there, but pretty soon people will try and twist the law to turn it into marijuana being legalized for every reason. I also think that marijuana is a gateway drug. I have seen people in my hometown destroy their lives from drug addiction, and many of them got their start from marijuana. High school students smoke marijuana thinking it will do no harm, setting their selves up with false trust through statistics they find on the internet, but they do not know the real damage that it may do to their bodies and futures. Most people I know from my hometown are hooked on prescription pills, and their addictions seemed to have stemmed from their prolonged use of marijuana in high school. Also, if an individual who smokes marijuana has addiction in their families, they may have a greater chance of becoming addicted to marijuana or other drugs in the future.  I have watched an addiction to prescription pills destroy my brother’s life, and on different occasions he has confessed to me his use of marijuana many times in high school. I would hate for this trend to continue with others in the future. I know that even though if marijuana is legal or illegal people will continue to do it, but maybe if it remains illegal completely and there is stricter enforcement on marijuana laws, maybe the number of marijuana users in the United States will decrease.

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On April 13 at 11:19 AM, Sydney from EKU class 23655 said:

    I think marijuana should be legalized across the board. Legalizing marijuana would earn the government more money in taxes off of the drug, just as cigarettes and alcohol do. Which brings me to my next point, according to the American Cancer Society about 20,000 men and women will be diagnosed with liver cancer each year (which is caused by alcoholism a majority of the time) and about 230,00 men and women are diagnosed with lung cancer each year (which is caused by smoking a majority of the time.) Marijuana does not even have record of the deaths because it is argued that is it not dangerous to kill, however it is not legal. Both alcohol and cigarettes are legal, but yet have more deadly stats than marijuana. States now are starting to legalize marijuana for medicinal use, which in the end will lead to the states legalizing the drug and recreational use as well. It baffles me why they do not want to go ahead and legalize marijuana when it is very clear to see that there are more dangerous drugs that have been legalized in the past.

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On March 22 at 9:46 AM, Brooke from Richmond said:

            I personally think that marijuana should be legalized. It is a proven fact that it has fewer chemicals than cigarettes do. Cigarettes which are legal are more toxic than marijuana and on average kill more Americans than marijuana. Also we have legalized alcohol and it causes more fatalities either via overdose or drunk driving than marijuana does. Marijuana is proven to ease the pain of cancer patients and terminally ill patients and it is less harmful than morphine or some other pain medicine. If marijuana is legalized I think it should be a federal law and not a state law. If marijuana laws are left up to the state then it can cause many problems. For example if you were smoking marijuana in Ohio where it was legal and crossed the border into Kentucky where it was illegal you could be caught and arrested or fined. However if it is a federal law then all states have to adhere to it causing much less confusion.

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On March 22 at 7:27 AM, Bradley from Richmond said:

When it comes to the legalization of Marijuana I feel that it should be made legal for one reason: money.  If marijuana was legalized it would serve as a great boost to the U.S. economy.  Just like tobacco has an amazing tax on it today, the same thing could be done with marijuana.  The tax on marijuana could be incredibly high and people would still purchase and use marijuana.  Instead of the government losing money on marijuana because of the millions of dollars people are making illegally, it could be made legal and all the money could be used beneficially for the U.S. economy.  Millions of people already use marijuana while it is illegal, marijuana is already a multi-million dollar industry but the US is not making any money off of it.  By making it legal the U.S. could see a great change in the economy by opening another huge industry.
 

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On March 21 at 9:49 PM, Kaylin from POL 101 said:

i think that it is time to make marijuana legal. From the research that i have done i have not seen any health risk that is related to it. there are way many more health risk when drinking alcohol or smoking cigarettes. i honestly do not see anything wrong with it other than its illegal. if the united states made marijuana legal it would cut down on the crime rate as far as getting put in jail for having it on you it will also free up the jail for the real criminals. if made legal then the united states could tax it and make profit off of it and start paying of the debt that it has. i know people say that when you are high that you cannot function the same but it is the same way if you were drunk. so if it did become legal then you can place laws on it like laws are placed on drinking.

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On March 21 at 9:27 PM, Katherine from Bodhead said:

 I am from a family with a history of addiction: alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, meth and some other drugs I’m not sure of. I have seen firsthand what marijuana use leads to: destruction of families, homes and lives. When I was seventeen years old, my older cousin had her child taken away from her. Why? Because she had an addiction to illegal drugs and other substances.  Her efforts to obtain that level of high were far more important to her then her own flesh and blood; therefore her eighteen month old daughter was considered neglected and placed in my parents’ home in permanent custody. My cousin will let you know that it wasn’t cocaine she tried first or meth, it was pot. No It’s not the first puff off a joint that causes  destruction to lives like this, it’s not even the 100th puff, it’s the feeling that one can’t ever satisfy their high unless they try a more progressive and hard-core drug.  An addiction to trying to find a greater high is why I feel marijuana should never be legalized.  Although many do not see the harm in marijuana because the drug itself seems so harmless, I see what marijuana use leads to and I don’t want that for anyone.

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On March 21 at 8:43 PM, Braxton from POL 101 said:

Much like with any controversial topic, the legalization of marijuana has its pros and cons. In my personal opinion i feel like the laws on marijuana should not be changed. There are to many draw backs to having marijuana becoming a legal drug. I view the use of marijuana much like speeding. The is a law that says "do not speed", and I can guarantee that every person who had driven has sped at some point in their life. It is going to happen. Much like with the use of marijuana, its out there, and even if there is a law against it, it is still going to happen. Law enforcement knows that people speed, and they know people smoke weed. Now, lets say you pull the speed limit off every road in America, what will happen? Everyone will be doing a buck twenty down the interstate and the deaths of americans will sky rocket. If you legalize marijuana, it will change american society as we know it. People will run wild and there will be nothing to stop them. I think that people who favor marijuana should be ok with how things are, just like drivers with speeding, you do it, people know you do it, and the law is there to keep order and clarity amongst the american people.

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On March 21 at 6:37 PM, JoVonda from Louisville said:

To legalize marijuana or not? This has been a very intense topic for some time now but, I  do believe we should make this a states decision/issue  like it basically already is.  According to http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org there are 16 states and DC (Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, DC, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhoda Island, Vermont and Washington) that have already legalized marijuana for medical purposes. My opinion is as simple as this look at the statistics on how many people die with smoking cigarettes playing a factor? Or how many vehicle accidents and/or violent crimes have been tied into alcohol? Yet there both legal. We all have are own opinion on this very controversial matter but statistically marijuana isn’t playing a major roll in deaths and/or violent crimes. I feel as if we should stop filling are jails and prisons with petty crimes like marijuana users and people who sale  it and spend more time on the many murders and rapist walking our streets.

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On March 21 at 1:38 PM, Erica from POL 101 at EKU said:

When it comes to the issue of legalizing marijuana, I oppose this idea. I see nothing wrong with keeping this drug illegal, especially since it serves no purpose aside from medical use. People already illegally abuse this drug and it does nothing but cause problems in their lives and the lives of the people around them. People make poor decisions daily when driving a car under the influence, or causing harm to someone because they were, “high.”  You cannot name any good reason for the use of marijuana to be legal, and this country has plenty of problems, especially related to the usage of drugs, we do not need to multiply this issue any more.

On March 20 at 8:09 PM, Sheena (no residence identified) said:

I believe that marijuana should be legalized; our liberty rights would tie into this. The government has the right to limit someone’s decision only when it can endanger others. Not saying that marijuana doesn’t have the ability to make people do unlawful things, but if alcohol is legalized then I believe that marijuana should be too. Many studies shows that most accidents are caused by those under the influence of alcohol, although marijuana is illegal at this time, many people still use it and drive, but we have never heard of someone causing an accident because of the illegal use of marijuana.

On March 20 at 2:47 PM, Kirstie from Richmond said:

The question of, “Should the marijuana laws be changed” is a very controversial one. I generally am on the fence about this issue. If I was to choose I would say, yes, the marijuana laws should be changed. I believe that through dual federalism the choice of whether marijuana should be legal or illegal should be left up to each state. It should not be universally illegal in the whole country. Through dual federalism there is a clear line between the state and the federal government. This clear line would help regulate the issue among the states if they had the choice to decide the legality of it. Each state could determine if making marijuana legal would benefit or hurt them, they could then go from there in determining what to do. I also believe that medical marijuana should be legal in all states. If it is for a medical purpose and is proven to help, why challenge it?  Of course the amount a patient is given should be regulated and should be monitored to make sure they are using it correctly.