I don't drink or smoke, pot or anything else. I do drink coffee, about a pot or 2 a week.

It is my opinion that all drugs should be legal.

Just as it isn't my right to tell a woman whether or not she should be able to have an abortion, it should not be my right to tell her what chemical to put in her body.

Also, with our prisons overflowing, we can definitely afford to decriminalize actions that have absolutely no victim.

I'd rather catch the rapists and murderers and thieves than the pot heads, and I'm certainly not going to waste my time as an RLSH to track down drug users.

Honestly, the only drug issue I have a problem with is drug dealers that target teenagers and kids, that's wrong, and I'm working on a case now about that.

I defintitely agree with you on the point about drug dealers. The college and the high school in Gettysburg are both ripe with drug trade. To be expected, but I still do not like the people that the drugs involve.

I'm a strong believer in personal freedoms. As long as I'm not hurting anyone else, I should be allowed to do whatever I choose with my body, my money, my time, my speech, my beliefs, etc. We can have regulations to ensure that a given product is safe, or that there are warning labels on certain dangerous products, but ultimately it is up to the individual to decide whether they feel the benefits outweigh the risks/costs.

I've read a fair amount about marijuana, and talked to a variety of people -- researchers, users, pro- or anti-marijuana advocates, etc. With all that I've read, heard, and seen, it seems very clear to me that marijuana should be legalized.

Yes, there are some potential risks associated with marijuana use, especially when smoked. However, there are also potential benefits -- medicinal, recreational, and spiritual. And there are some amazing uses for industrial hemp, which is something we could legalize even if we keep marijuana illegal.

It's been pointed out a couple of times now that marijuana is currently illegal. This is true, at least in states where medical marijuana statutes have not been established. However, this fact means different things to different people on these forums.

To the patrol-oriented RLSH, the anti-marijuana laws mean that you may feel compelled to go after people who you see dealing pot, using pot, etc. And the law supports you in this.

To the activist-oriented RLSH, the law can mean either one of two things. If you support the law, you can advocate for anti-drug programs and speak out against any efforts to legalize marijuana. If you oppose the law, you can speak out in favor of efforts to legalize.

Therefore, it's actually a very relevant discussion to have among RLSHs. We have a variety of perspectives and possible actions on the issue, so it's good to talk them all out amongst ourselves as respectfully and reasonably as possible.

Personally, I support legalization. It's fine if you put warning labels, or prosecute people for driving while high, giving/selling it to minors without parental consent, etc. But making it illegal has a variety of social and economic and political costs that the other posters have already mentioned.

And even though marijuana use is illegal, I personally refuse to report people for "victimless crimes." Yes, they are breaking the law -- but since I disagree with the law, I will not choose to enforce it. As long as you're not hurting anyone, it's your business, not mine.

Second hand smoke kills.

You can not say your not hurting anybody by smoking it yourself, because by doing so you are venting chemicals and fumes into the air that children breath, and forcing them to basically smoke it as well. There are so many poisons in smoke from marijuana cigarettes or even normal cigarettes, including rat poison,and its all been proven as scientific fact.

And for the record, marijuana is illegal in EVERY state in the united states of America, because the laws making it illegal are on the federal level, and that trumps any state law. It may not be enforced as much in states that try to pass medical exemptions, but the fact is the cops will still arrest you and throw you in jail - its their job to do so and they can go to jail them selves if they don't - if they catch you using it.

"Weed" is illegal. Possessing it in any form is a federal crime. Using it is a federal crime. Knowing somebody uses it and not turning them in, is a crime. This entire thread, is basically asking if a crime should still be a crime, and supporting criminals is not what we do here on this forum, because we are Real Life Superheroes, and RLSH dont do drugs or support doing drugs.

Marijuana cigarettes do not necessarily have rat poison in them. I've never heard of that in my life. I would imagine the pharmaceutical grade marijuana is extremely pure, and it is difficult to spike weed with anything as most buy it in whole buds and roll them by hand.

I do agree that there should be federal regulations on both, maybe preventing them from being smoked in public areas, but making them illegal, that's not something I can get behind. Too many of my friends are major pot-smokers. I wouldn't want to see them in prison for it.

I had locked this thread for a reason; will the mod who unlocked it please pm me.

How dare we say marijauna be legalized.Where are your morals. as a first hand witness to the effects of drug use and how it destroys lives, all drugs should be banned that are not of medical use.Untold numbers die from drugs each year.Many people die because of the ignorance that these drugs take your problems away,its cool,or any other foolish myth.your problem will still be their when your high is gone and your not cool.Your destroying your life.NO MATTER WHAT

Nightghoul, that is your opinion and yours alone. Please put the slightly patronizing and negative tone away. This is a forum, and we are here to share our opinions.

Sometimes I wonder how many people who say "I should be able to do whatever I want as long as it doesn't hurt anybody else" really even care whether or not it hurts anybody else. That is not directed at anyone in the forums. It is just something that I wonder about in general.

I think that it should at least be decriminalized.

The regular longterm use of marijuana leads to decreaced mental capacity. This leads to a person becoming a non-productive member of society and therefore both a drag on the social welfare system and a burden on the economy.

Also, the large scale sale of marijuana has been tracked back to major crime syndicates and even terrorist organizations. In short, buying pot supports criminals in their other illegal endeavors, and could even endanger the lives of others.

Yes, it is fun to light up and then eat a box of Corn Pops, but we've got to draw the line somewhere and say, "Here, and no further."

Say NO to drugs!

Well now I'll have it known that I don't use nor do I have any friends that do

But the studies I have read (I will try to find them)
say that it is not addictive and actually builds up in your system
so that it takes less and less to get high

now as for that self destructiveness letting someone
poison them self with it is (In my eyes) the same as letting someone drink after all you're
killing your liver with booze, your liver with Tylenol
and yes your lungs with the pot but that can be fixed with a vaporizer, there is no way to (safely) by-pass your liver


Now Silver brings up a good point(As always)
what with the financing
but that part of the problem could be minimized or even done away with if it were
legalized and grown by the gov.

now that was my two bits but this a wonderful debate
and I hope we can stay on track and keep it
nice and civil thank you

Marijuana use affects short term memory, and it also has an effect on short term memory.

for the record- the regular, long-term use of marijuana that leads to diminished brain capacity thing. I can almost guarantee you that these people never picked up a book. bear in mind, I live in Ca, theft of marijuana is a punishable offense, at least around the lake. so it serves to reason I've met a lot of smokers. in my experience, the idiots are the ones that do nothing but smoke and watch fodder. Half Baked, SpongeBob Squarepants, and that ilk. or the ones that play video games all day. these people generally lack any kind of true intellectual stimulation. how many stoners do you guys know that read anything but porn? go to art or history museums?

I guess what I mean is that it's more due to the entertainment they choose than their' choice of intoxicant. alcohol causes more problems for society and your' health than marijuana. anybody wanna go to the bar? I hear they've got liver and kidney failure there! how many alcoholics read? end up homeless? how many college frat boys need to die before people look at booze the way they look at weed?

I happen to live in a county that would probably suffer economically if marijuana was fully recriminalized.

Some stoners think they are intellectuals, but if they had anything to begin with it quickly takes a back seat to torching a bowl and polishing off a Sam's Club sized bag of Doritos...

I guess what I don't understand is how any RLSH's could smoke marijuana and still be active. I mean for one, it destroys your motivation to do anything. But more so, don't most RLSH's get involved with the police pretty often?? What if you got caught?

I think that it would set a really bad example if a Real Life Superhero was to be caught in possession, or under the influence, of illegal substances.