Possible Debate: Alaska May legalize Marijuana.

[DawnCt1]

Sorry, I don't have a link but I did hear this on the radio this morning as part of a news segment. While it has been on the national media that Alaska's voters has a good chance of legalizing marijuana, it has already been decriminalized for personal use,I heard a statistic on the radio that I hadn't heard before; Alaska leads the nation in drug dependency, child abuse and unemployment. Since marijuana use has been tolerated for a while and it seems what its citizens are asking for is more accessibility, is there a link? Is it a good idea. I believe marijuana is an "antimotivational" drug that encourages slothfulness and further drug use. I have heard all of the arguements about alcohol but when I buy a bottle of wine, I know the content of alcohol and it does not remain in my system for 30 days. Any opinions?

 

[vettechick99]

Here's something I found.

Alaska Marijuana Legalization Initiative One Step from 2004 Ballot 1/2/04
An initiative that would legalize the possession, growing and sale of marijuana has officially achieved the number of signatures necessary to be placed on the November 2004 election ballot. All that remains is for slow-moving state officials to certify the signatures.

Under an Alaska appeals court ruling in August, marijuana possession by adults in the privacy of their homes is already legal. An initiative that would have legalized marijuana and established a commission to study reparations for people arrested under the marijuana laws mustered only 40% of the votes in the November 2000 election.

This time, the initiative's organizers, Free Hemp in Alaska, have been a little bit less ambitious. According to the measure's language, "Persons, 21 years or older, shall not be prosecuted, be denied any right or privilege, nor be subject to criminal or civil penalties for the possession, cultivation, distribution, or consumption of" hemp. The measure defines hemp broadly to include "hemp, cannabis, or marijuana, or any part or preparation of the plant Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, Cannabis americana, or any species or variety of plant of the genus Cannabis."

Initiative organizers had had problems with the state official in charge of certifying initiatives, Lt. Gov. Loren Leman. A prominent foe of drug reform, Leman is known for leading a 1999 effort to undo the state's medical marijuana law. In January 2003, Leman threw out hundreds of booklets filled with qualifying signatures, citing violations of state law. But in September, an appeals court judge ordered him to reinstate those booklets, calling the elections office run by Leman "a snake in the grass" and describing the signature-gathering errors as "trivial rules violations."

Late in November, Leman notified organizers that they had reached the 28,782 signatures necessary to qualify for the ballot. His staff told the Juneau Empire this week that they expect certification to take place "within a couple of weeks."

Visit http://www.freehempinak.org to read the Alaska initiative online.

Personally, I think all drugs should be legalized and put under a prescription basis. And I certainly don't think marijuana is worse than alcohol, which kills so many people each year by disease or accident. Not to mention how alcoholism ruins lives.

 

[Christine]

I would probably have to do a lot more research before I could form an opinion that I'm comfortable with on this one, but, I do feel that marijuana is no worse or more evil than alchohol. Alcholol use has just become so acceptable because it is has been around so long. I feel that it is just as "antimotivational" as marijuana and I believe achohol abusers demonstrate much more violent behavior than marijuana abusers--just the nature of the beast. I find most "potheads" to be very agreeable.

 

[shortbun]

I'm for decriminalization and legalization for medical use.
You have described "pot heads" not occassional pot smokers.
The world is not all Cheech and Chong! Do I want my child
smoking pot? Not on your life! Do I think adults should be
able to make informed decisions on their own? Yep! Would
I discourage my DS from ever trying it? Yes, just as I have
cautioned him about alcohol.

I do not believe that pot smoking leads to the use of other drugs. I grew up in the 60's and 70's when pot and LSD
use were common. Most of the stories I heard re pot leading
to the "heavy" drugs were later discovered to be urban legend.

 

[EsmeraldaX]

I agree with vettechick99.

I think that we waste so much $$ every year putting away people for minor drug offenses. It does not stop anyone from doing it.

I think we should legalize everything, tax the heck out of it to buy it, educate kids when they are young / in school about the dangers like we do now with tobacco and alchohol and do away with federally funded rehab programs.

Basically do all you can to make people aware of the reasons NOT to do drugs, tell people, you can choose to be a pothead and you won't go to jail just for being one. BUT with that right comes responsibility and if you screw yourself up because of a choice you made, then don't come crying to us to use tax dollars to help you. And any crime committed while under the influence of a drug should be treated the same way we treat crimes committed under the influence of alchohol too.

I seriously, seriously doubt there would be a HUGE increase in the amount of drug users. The people who already do it would continue to do so, the people who care about their health and their families health would not. I really do not think legalizing it would encourage more people to do it.

Legalizing and regulating drugs would take a lot of crime off the streets. Gangs whose existance depended on dealing illeagl drugs would start to disapear. Violence would decrease.

Smoking and liquor are legal and I don't do either of those nor do alot of people I know. My BF smokes (tobacco) and I can tell you right now if it were made illegal tomorrow he'd continue to do so.

I can understand the arguments against legalization. I just don't agree.

 

[wvrevy]

I'm for legalization of any drug that is provably less harmfull than alcohol or tobacco, both of which will kill you if used often enough. The reason this will never happen is that politicians lump marijuana in with actually dangerous drugs like cocaine, which is patently absurd.

I always thought you needed a reason to make something illegal, not a reasno to make it legal. Take a joint, a shot, and a cigarette to your doctor and ask him which is the least harmful to your health. Then take the same three to your congressman and ask him why that one is the only one it's illegal to possess

 

[MosMom]

I find most "potheads" to be very agreeable.

Unless you get some bad bud man!



Seriously though, I don't find marijuana to be any worse than alcohol. Just as you can sip a glass of wine without a problem, another can smoke a joint at a concert and that is that. Not everyone who smokes marijuana is a pothead. Not everyone who drinks is an alcoholic. I love these "it isn't as safe as we thought" commercials for marijuana. I would LOVE someone to start a hard hitting anti-booze campaign as they have done with pot and cigarettes. Alcohol is the ultimate hypocrite drug.

However, alcohol has caused me undue harm and grief in my lifetime and I'm not very fond of it. It is also killing my mother.

 

[Bob Slydell]

Wouldn't you have to be on drugs to move to Alaska in the first place?

...no offense to any Alaskan residents we may have here on the DIS...

 

[snoopy]

Originally posted by DawnCt1
I believe marijuana is an "antimotivational" drug that encourages slothfulness

Depends on the person. Some folks find pot enhances their creative drive and motivation.

 

[EsmeraldaX]

Originally posted by MosMom

Seriously though, I don't find marijuana to be any worse than alcohol. Just as you can sip a glass of wine without a problem, another can smoke a joint at a concert and that is that. Not everyone who smokes marijuana is a pothead. Not everyone who drinks is an alcoholic. I love these "it isn't as safe as we thought" commercials for marijuana. I would LOVE someone to start a hard hitting anti-booze campaign as they have done with pot and cigarettes. Alcohol is the ultimate hypocrite drug.

ITA

 

[DemonLlama]

I think the criminalization of drug users is a waste of time and money.

Drug use stems from problems in our society that aren't easy to capture in a sound bite or anything the general public wants to hear about, so we focus all our energy on the effect (drug use) and not the multiple and complex causes.

However, throwing our hands up and legalizing all controlled substances, and then telling those who end up in the trash can that they got what they deserved isn't going to help, either.

I agree, alcohol and tobacco are hypocritical, in that we demonize marijuana. But I've seen too many people (friends and students) become just as dependent on pot and it does do them harm. They may be mellow, but they also don't function or think as clearly as they did before they began using.

I am all for legalizing pot as a medicine, and removing it from Schedule I (in the same category as cocaine and heroin). It should be available for people in chronic pain, like Vicadin or Valium is, but not generally available as one more recreational drug.

 

[wvrevy]

Originally posted by DemonLlama
I agree, alcohol and tobacco are hypocritical, in that we demonize marijuana. But I've seen too many people (friends and students) become just as dependent on pot and it does do them harm. They may be mellow, but they also don't function or think as clearly as they did before they began using.

I'm sorry, but this is just plain wrong. Marijuana is NOT addictive. Period. Yes, people can come to be emotionally attached to using it, but that is true of anything from biting your fingernails to anything else, NOT just marijuana. It is a myth that people become "addicted" to marijuana, just as it is a myth that people become addicted to LSD, mushrooms, or any number of other things that politicians like to demonize. Do you also consider "watching tv" to be addictive ?

 

[auntpolly]

Remember when Las Vegas tried to legalize it a few years ago? I really never heard the end of that story but I assume the Federal government had something to do with nipping that in the bud.

Drugs should be legalized. So should prostitution.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Interesting....

Honestly, I don't know the "right" answer. Alot of people could benefit from it's use. At the same time people can go into a bad place from misuse.

At the same token, you can't stop it either. We waste too much money and energy on it busting people for pot.

I don't know. I think it is one of those darned if you do, darned if you don't things much as the same way alcohol is. Meaning some folks abuse it and some drink responsibly.

 

[jrydberg]

Not that I feel particularly strongly either way about this, but the argument that alcohol causes more problems isn't exactly a winning argument. Just because we allow people to ruin things with alcohol doesn't mean we should do the same with marijuana.

My two cents (for what it's worth) -- make your argument that marijuana is not particularly harmful. Don't base it on marijuana not being as harmful as other things.

 

[DemonLlama]

I should start out by saying that emotional addiction can be just as harmful, but marijuana affects the chemicals in the brain and therefore brings about physical reponses that make it different from external influences (such as TV, or the DIS boards ).

Will weekend users lose enought brain cells to make any difference? Maybe not. I've seen diminshed capacity in too many people becuase of an over dependence on pot to be able to make a blanket statement that this drug is as harmless as drinking tea.

From http://www.scvmed.org/scc/assets/docs/98416choices_0302.pdf

Every year, over 120,000 people seek treatment for
primary marijuana addiction. Yet even health care
professionals still ask whether marijuana is addictive. The
American Society of Addiction Medicine states that “A drug
is addicting if it causes compulsive, often uncontrollable drug
craving, seeking, and use, even in the face of negative health
and social consequences. Marijuana meets this criterion.”
Recent research shows that marijuana causes physical
dependence, tolerance, and a characteristic withdrawal
syndrome when heavy users abruptly stop using. In other
research, subjects reported irritability, stomach pain,
aggression, and anxiety when they stopped getting THC
(marijuana’s main psychoactive component) orally. The
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has found that
regular marijuana smokers suffer withdrawal symptoms
when they stop using, and may continue using to prevent
the irritability and discomfort associated with withdrawal.
According to NIDA Senior Investigator Billy Martin, “The
fact that people do seek treatment for marijuana dependence
is evidence of marijuana withdrawal in humans.”

http://www.scvmed.org/scc/assets/docs/98416choices_0302.pdf

Does the government go too far in banning the drug? Absolutely. But swinging too far to the other extreme will have serious consequences, too.

 

[LisaSt]

Good Job if they do it Canada is on that same road it is decriminalized here also. In the post above it states the addiction factor well the government should ban cigarettes to then as they are far more addictive than pot is.

 

[wvrevy]

I'm sorry, but I've used and quit marijuana (as a teenager), caffeine (more than once), and nicotine (recently), and there is absolutely no way you are going to convince me that marijuana falls anywhere near those other two in terms of physical dependance. Again, anyone may become emotionally attached to something to their detriment, but that does not mean that their attachment is as a result of the "addictiveness" of their attachment.

Take gambling as a perfect example. Their are lots of "gambling addicts" out there. When you win a game and get money for it, it releases endorphines into your system making you feel good (and, presumably, changing your brain chemistry temporarily in the process). Does that mean that it is the fault of the game that someone become "addicted" to it ?

While not exactly a "healthy" activity (it's impossible for inhaling any kind of smoke to be a "healthy" activity), marijuana is far less damaging than any number of products readily available over the counter and off the shelves at your corner drug store. And last time I checked, the government was supposed to be in the business of protecting us from criminals (which potheads certainly aren't) and from foreign agression...NOT from our own decisions (which is why I'd also never favor outlawing smoking, no matter how bad it is for your health).

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I have to agree. I find cigs & caffeine far worse for me as far as addiction.

I finally quit cigs 14 months ago and I am dying for smoke ALWAYS. That is my personal demon.

Caffeine, I NEED to quit & I have cut back. I find this to be my worst problem.

 

[faithinkarma]

Hi LisaSt Long time no see !!!

I figure if they legalize it, they can tax it. Save money by not chasing after it, make money by selling it. Win/win