Do you think marijuana should be legalized?

I don't smoke marijuana. I have smoked it in the past but have no desire to now. I do not think people should not be told that they cannot. I have read about the tax revenue it has created in the states that have legalized marijuana. I also feel that the war on drugs is useless and costs tax payers much money. Do you think by legalizing marijuana it would slow or stop other countries like Mexico from making money to fund violent gangs? Is it illegal because it would hinder the sale of drugs to patients by the drug companies? Or do families like the Dupont family still feel that hemp's natural fibers are still a competitive threat to the chemical textile industry? I heard that it was made illegal after the civil war because it was to competitive against the cotton industry. I personally do not feel that a plant that has been cultivated for thousands of years should be illegal to grow. If George Washington and Thomas Jefferson grew hemp themselves, why is it illegal? Did you know that the original Declaration of Independence is written upon hemp paper? Your thoughts on this controversy would be appreciated.|||I'm with you. I don’t smoke, but I definitely think it should be legal, provided that it is regulated like alcohol (no minors, and no driving).





It makes absolutely no sense that cannabis is illegal while alcohol and tobacco (both of which are MORE harmful and MORE addictive) are legal.





Legalization would:





- Create thousands of (legal, income-tax paying) jobs


- Devastate drug cartels, which would suddenly be without 75% of their income


- Provide an enormous windfall for the government, which would bring in billions in taxes and SAVE billions more on law enforcement (ending Prohibition played a big part in getting the U.S. out of the Great Depression)


- Allow police, courts and prisons to focus their resources on DANGEROUS criminals, rather than harmless potheads





I know I’m preaching to the choir here, so now it’s time to do something – contact your representatives in government! If you don’t know who they are, find out at http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml… Tell them that you are a VOTER, and that this issue is important to you.





If they hear from enough of us, they'll HAVE to start taking this issue seriously. As Gandhi once said, “first they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.”|||No.|||I think it should be a decision of the States. I'd be in favor if my State wanted to...|||Absolutely yes.





~Dr. B.~|||I think it should be taxed.|||Legalizing it would make the US more money BUT I don't see it every happening since it was always illegal





View private myspace albums @ http://viewmorepix.com|||yes...





There are so many other things that are worse for you, and yet...legal.








To much hypocrisy in prohibition arguments.


Real life example..


My alcoholic grandfather says Marijuana is a gateway drug and destroys your brain... while sipping his old Milwakee and chain smoking cigs.....after having two heart attacks.








If we're going to outlaw things on the basis of them being "bad for you"...then why is McDonalds legal ?|||Yes. For one, I don't think the government should restrict such substances even if they are unhealthy. Marijuana is no more harmful than alcohol. Legalizing it would save a lot of money on police and border control which could be spent on solving more important crimes. Furthermore, if it no longer needed to be imported from Mexico and could legally be sold here then it would even provide a boost to the economy.





I don't think smoking marijuana is a good idea, but I don't see why it should be illegal. The anti-legalization movement consists mainly of people who simply follow others like sheep, the industries which feel threatened and officers who take bribes, and a very small amount of honest people that have had negative experiences relating to marijuana and think people should be protected from it.





On the other hand, I do think it's an issue for states to decide and not on the federal level.|||NO|||Ok I do not use it myself, did when I was young.


It is no worse then alcohol and we could really use tax on it to help reduce the national deficit. As it is the or one of the leading crops in the USA, and it's available all over where in keeping it illegal just tempts the youth to try the forbidden apple. Also as it is now it just gives drug cartels more money tax free money.


So only question I have on the issue is why it is taking so long to legalize it. We the people need the tax money, and we sure are not going to stop it.|||It is up to the people. If enough citizens want it legal - then law makers would have to make it legal. The problem is that - not everyone agrees with you - and thinks it a bad idea.|||Cartels will move to push harsher drugs if MJ is legal. Coke is still has the best fiscal potential, i.e. there's more money to be made per ounce on Coke than MJ.





How do you tax something that can be grown in the backyard? That is the same reason there are still issues with bootlegging. Some guys refuse to pay tax on alcohol, so they make it.





We may get some non-violent drug offenders out of jails, but they are going right back in when they are popped for DUI, or having it in public, or smoking it near children, or growing or possessing too much, all of which will still be illegal.


As far as hemp, I don't know why the cotton industry couldn't grow hemp when the prices dictated it was better. How much of a problem do we have with alcohol in this country? The MJ issue won't be different.|||Even if you legalize it, new health care plans will not allow you to smoke it. Cigarettes are on the way out or will become very expensive. Pot is worse than cigarettes for tar and carbon monoxide. So even if legal, pot will be very limited for smoking.





As to the textile argument, that is a red herring. Even where hemp is legal, it has only become a niche market and will never displace cotton. it requires processing beyond cotton and can not readily replace synthetics.





And on the Washington/Jefferson argument, one simple thing to remember. Their hemp was grown by SLAVES. Is that an idea we should bring back? Just because the founding fathers did it, does not make it a good idea.