Legalize the Green
May 21, 2009 • written by Andrew Kemmis
From the possible legalization of marijuana in California to pictures of Olympic athlete Michael Phelps taking hits off a bong, the news is filled with pot. Everyone’s talking about it, and no wonder; it’s a hot topic. Everyone has their facts and theories on this one little plant. Legalize it, don’t legalize it, smoke it, give it to glaucoma patients, give it to AIDS patients, give it to stoners, what to do? Well, I say legalize it. And I’ll tell you why: the human race has a right to do what it will when it comes to victimless crimes or crimes that can only hurt the one doing it, which marijuana usage falls under. Hear me out here:
Yes. Marijuana is harmful. A study done by Dr. William M. Bennett, Professor of Medicineat Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland (http://members.optusnet.com.au/~apfdfy/Research.html#A%20publication%20of%20Drug%20Watch%20Oregon.%20Volume%202,%20No.%202.%20March%20l995) showed that one joint of marijuana has the carcinogens of about 13 cigarettes. But take into account the average cigarette smoker has; if you take a pack- or two-a-day smoker versus a guy who smokes 2 to 3 joints in a day, and not, statistically, everyday, who’s gonna have the nicer lungs? Both are harmful, but one is illegal, even though cigarettes are amazingly addictive both physically and mentally, whereas cannabis has less of an addiction rate than caffeine.
People will quote that, along with lung damage, you also have diminished mental capacity; short-term memory loss and general lethargy. However, those symptoms usually wear off after the high. Granted, the dude in question under the influence shouldn’t be driving or anything, but neither should a man who’s drunk. Man has an inherent right to do whatever he pleases as long as the only one hurt is himself. If someone drives a motorcycle without a helmet, he’ll be the one hurt worse in a wreck, not the telephone pole or tree. Your own life is free to gamble with. Stop limiting the freedom of the human race to clean up the gene pool by removing themselves from it!
For more information, check the state of South Carolina Legislation Online,
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amen
i agree legalize it!
GO GREEN!
I say go green. Only move it HERE! ^^
GET IT ON!
do whatever, i ain’t planning on doin pot, legal or not
I say legalize it, why not?
LEGALIZE IT, THERE IS NOT A THINKING PROCESS INVOLVED IN THIS TOPIC
i dont care! im not going to do drugs anyway!
the color green makes me sick
you all disgust me. legal or not, using marajuana is polluting your body, destroying it, and hindering it from filling the purpose that it was meant for. You can say “uh, its my body and my choice” all you want, but I’m telling you you were meant to be better than that. while its true that you have the choice, i would personally have you all remember what this stuff does, and how it ruins lives. think about THAT every time you think about lighting up. same with cigarettes and alcohol and other drugs.
The mindset behind marijuana legalization is not to actually promote marijuana smoking. I don’t use it, and I hate hanging around with people under the influence of it, but it is a personal choice, and you have to understand the reasons behind the legalization. we cut down entire rainforests to get at resources that can be made with a fraction of the price, almost zero emissions, and with hundreds of times more output. You realize to create one hundred reams of paper requires you to cut down and use up to five mid-size trees, trees that takes decades if not centurys to grow? You can create that much from one 5-acre field of hemp. And getting it from hemp requires less than half of the chemical soup needed to create standard paper, creates way less carbon emissions, and you can raise another 5-acre field within six months! Our environment needs this. And that only uses the stems. whats left, the leaves, where most of the THC lies, well, why not sell it legally and let the government make it a taxable commodity? We did it with cigarettes. Why not help relieve the national debt, save the environment, and enjoy a profitable new industry as well? thats killing three birds with one stone.