How is pot worse that booze or cigatettes?

[James D Hill]

In all the debates we have talked about pro and con legalizing marijuana I have yet to hear a good comeback on the most basic question of this debate. How is it ok to have legal booze and cigarettes which kill 750,000 people a year while pot kills 0?

There is nothing bad you can say about pot that booze and cigarettes does not do in spades. Pot does not cause violence,passing out,blacking out and loose sexual behavior that booze is capible of doing and pot does not kill like tobacco does. If you become addicted to cigarettes you have a 64% chance of dieing from it. The nunber is 12% if you chew.

With these facts how can we justify telling poeple they can enjoy a rum and coke while watching monday night football along with cigarettes but not marajuana? This had always been the most glaring hypocricy of the war on drugs but is downplayed by those who want to status quo on marijuana laws.

 

[Fruityfact]

In all the debates we have talked about pro and con legalizing marijuana I have yet to hear a good comeback on the most basic question of this debate. How is it ok to have legal booze and cigarettes which kill 750,000 people a year while pot kills 0?

There is nothing bad you can say about pot that booze and cigarettes does not do in spades. Pot does not cause violence,passing out,blacking out and loose sexual behavior that booze is capible of doing and pot does not kill like tobacco does. If you become addicted to cigarettes you have a 64% chance of dieing from it. The nunber is 12% if you chew.

With these facts how can we justify telling poeple they can enjoy a rum and coke while watching monday night football along with cigarettes but not marajuana? This had always been the most glaring hypocricy of the war on drugs but is downplayed by those who want to status quo on marijuana laws.

My thoughts are that cig companies would be devastated if Pot was legalized..and in fact they lobby heavily against the legalization of pot

 

[James D Hill]

My thoughts are that cig companies would be devastated if Pot was legalized..and in fact they lobby heavily against the legalization of pot

The same it true with the beer companies. They spent 10 million to defeat the California legalization messure a few years ago. We are winning here in Washington state.502 will pass and we will see how the feds respond.

 

[James D Hill]

In all the debates we have talked about pro and con legalizing marijuana I have yet to hear a good comeback on the most basic question of this debate. How is it ok to have legal booze and cigarettes which kill 750,000 people a year while pot kills 0?

There is nothing bad you can say about pot that booze and cigarettes does not do in spades. Pot does not cause violence,passing out,blacking out and loose sexual behavior that booze is capible of doing and pot does not kill like tobacco does. If you become addicted to cigarettes you have a 64% chance of dieing from it. The nunber is 12% if you chew.

With these facts how can we justify telling poeple they can enjoy a rum and coke while watching monday night football along with cigarettes but not marajuana? This had always been the most glaring hypocricy of the war on drugs but is downplayed by those who want to status quo on marijuana laws.

Lets hear it all you pot haters. Why is pot worse than legal drugs? You dont have an answer do you because you know the laws are hypocritical.

 

[Intricate]

The only factor keeping weed illegal is the united purpose of a few ultra-rich monopolistic companies who make mad money off legal intoxicants, mainly prescription drugs and alcohol. They don't want to have to face competition from an all-natural decentralized commodity that has medicinal and recreational benefits. If they didn't have such power over our government weed would be legal by now.

 

[MaggieD]

In all the debates we have talked about pro and con legalizing marijuana I have yet to hear a good comeback on the most basic question of this debate. How is it ok to have legal booze and cigarettes which kill 750,000 people a year while pot kills 0?

There is nothing bad you can say about pot that booze and cigarettes does not do in spades. Pot does not cause violence,passing out,blacking out and loose sexual behavior that booze is capible of doing and pot does not kill like tobacco does. If you become addicted to cigarettes you have a 64% chance of dieing from it. The nunber is 12% if you chew.

With these facts how can we justify telling poeple they can enjoy a rum and coke while watching monday night football along with cigarettes but not marajuana? This had always been the most glaring hypocricy of the war on drugs but is downplayed by those who want to status quo on marijuana laws.

I agree with you. It's glaring hypocrisy. Not only is it relatively harmless when compared to alcohol and cigarettes, but it has medicinal uses as well. It's dumb. It's stupid. And I hope the laws will change.

 

[specklebang]

We should make them all illegal and rejuvenate our economy through prison construction and management. It's a service industry of sorts and we're damn good at that. If we can get enough people into the process, health care issues will be greatly reduced. A few MDs and a few PAs at each institution and costs can be carefully contained. They won't be getting any social security or disability checks either. This will created at least 32 million jobs and we can eliminate all taxes on the upper classes so they can finance this project. Not one damn Chinaman will be needed - USA USA USA.

As a landlord, I know the value of long term tenancy as opposed to short term. So stiff sentences are called for in all cases. I suggest 30 years for possession and we can work up from there.









:roll:

 

[radcen]

My thoughts are that cig companies would be devastated if Pot was legalized..and in fact they lobby heavily against the legalization of pot

Many years ago I read a magazine article that claimed cigarette companies were already planning for the day it is legalized. They already have brand names and logos trademarked in anticipation.

 

[Ozabud]

I like the prison idea... Imagine never having to worry about the person next to you being intoxicated at all. If a person needs pain medication they can just get intoxicated, go to prison, and have all medical needs taken care of without disturbing the sober citizenry with their intoxicated babble, unpredictable dangerous behavior, and emotional lack of morality. Imagine what society could accomplish if there was no buzzing going on----LOL I can't do it... :roll: can anyone say '1984'

 

[Jango]

Marijuana is only worse than cigarettes and alcohol because it is illegal. There are many reasons why it is illegal, but if applied fairly to the other two, they'd be banned in an instant. Destroyed even. Maybe a contributing factor for marijuana being shunned is because it doesn't kill us, actually helps us in ways, and makes us happy while expanding the mind. Doctors say that it impacts our motivation, so maybe the powers-that-be don't want drones dropping out of the workforce?

 

[Sherman123]

The only factor keeping weed illegal is the united purpose of a few ultra-rich monopolistic companies who make mad money off legal intoxicants, mainly prescription drugs and alcohol. They don't want to have to face competition from an all-natural decentralized commodity that has medicinal and recreational benefits. If they didn't have such power over our government weed would be legal by now.

I think this position, which I hear advanced all the time, is silly and conspiratorial and obscures a much simpler reason. Whatever the original reason for marijuana's criminalization it has become deeply ingrained in popular consciousness with a certain image and a connotation of ill-health and 'badness'. This is why voters consistently defeat decriminalization efforts and legalization efforts stall when push comes to shove in most cases. This is being slowly broken down by new demographics, but its a persistent problem and it's wrong to chalk it up to Marlboro or Anheuser-Busch.

 

[HonestJoe]

In all the debates we have talked about pro and con legalizing marijuana I have yet to hear a good comeback on the most basic question of this debate. How is it ok to have legal booze and cigarettes which kill 750,000 people a year while pot kills 0?

It isn't worse, though that doesn't mean it's better. It just different. Similarly, just because there are bad things which are legal is not in itself a reason to make anything that isn't as bad legal too.

There is a whole load of complex social, legal and political history that has led to this situation and yes, a whole load of hypocrisy but stating that is only identifying part of the problem. It doesn't lead to a solution.

 

[Helix]

My thoughts are that cig companies would be devastated if Pot was legalized..and in fact they lobby heavily against the legalization of pot

why wouldn't they just release marlboro green? it would be their first non-addictive, non-fatal product.

 

[HonestJoe]

why wouldn't they just release marlboro green? it would be their first non-addictive, non-fatal product.

Why would they bother? I don't think the potential market would be worth all the costs, complications and negative publicity of establishing an entirely different product line, at least not in the short term.

To be honest, I'm not convinced tobacco companies would make a big issue of resisting legalisation of cannabis since it's often used with tobacco and other cigarette products. I can see the alcohol companies being against it though.

 

[Helix]

Why would they bother? I don't think the potential market would be worth all the costs, complications and negative publicity of establishing an entirely different product line, at least not in the short term.

because if they don't, someone else will. even if it's legal to grow in the garden, a lot of people will want pre-rolled just for convenience. i seriously doubt the local dealer is still going to be the most efficient packager / distributor.

To be honest, I'm not convinced tobacco companies would make a big issue of resisting legalisation of cannabis since it's often used with tobacco and other cigarette products. I can see the alcohol companies being against it though.

most likely you are correct.

 

[James D Hill]

It isn't worse, though that doesn't mean it's better. It just different. Similarly, just because there are bad things which are legal is not in itself a reason to make anything that isn't as bad legal too.

There is a whole load of complex social, legal and political history that has led to this situation and yes, a whole load of hypocrisy but stating that is only identifying part of the problem. It doesn't lead to a solution.

We are not looking for a solution but to fix the double standard. There is no solution to the fact that the human animal love to get stoned and drunk and letting the moral crusaders dump on our personal freedoms is most certenly not the solution. Prohibition did not work and neither is the war on drugs and I am sure you agree with that much.

 

[James D Hill]

In all the debates we have talked about pro and con legalizing marijuana I have yet to hear a good comeback on the most basic question of this debate. How is it ok to have legal booze and cigarettes which kill 750,000 people a year while pot kills 0?

There is nothing bad you can say about pot that booze and cigarettes does not do in spades. Pot does not cause violence,passing out,blacking out and loose sexual behavior that booze is capible of doing and pot does not kill like tobacco does. If you become addicted to cigarettes you have a 64% chance of dieing from it. The nunber is 12% if you chew.

With these facts how can we justify telling poeple they can enjoy a rum and coke while watching monday night football along with cigarettes but not marajuana? This had always been the most glaring hypocricy of the war on drugs but is downplayed by those who want to status quo on marijuana laws.

The reason I wrote this thread is the fact that some of the most stupid and hypocritical aspects of the war on drugs/marijuana is this very queston. I have heard "well we just don't need another intoxicant for people to get addicted to" and to me this is the stupidest argument of all and one of the most comman. This attitude assumes the war on drugs is working and that keeping pot illegal will keep people from smoking it. I have news for you guys. People are still smoking marijuana at a record level and if it was such a bad drug then people would be dying or getting sick. They are not.

 

[James D Hill]

In all the debates we have talked about pro and con legalizing marijuana I have yet to hear a good comeback on the most basic question of this debate. How is it ok to have legal booze and cigarettes which kill 750,000 people a year while pot kills 0?

There is nothing bad you can say about pot that booze and cigarettes does not do in spades. Pot does not cause violence,passing out,blacking out and loose sexual behavior that booze is capible of doing and pot does not kill like tobacco does. If you become addicted to cigarettes you have a 64% chance of dieing from it. The nunber is 12% if you chew.

With these facts how can we justify telling poeple they can enjoy a rum and coke while watching monday night football along with cigarettes but not marajuana? This had always been the most glaring hypocricy of the war on drugs but is downplayed by those who want to status quo on marijuana laws.

Some of the same types of people where behind prohibition against booze that are now for the prohibition of marijuana. Yes the moral crusaders where the hammer but big corporations where also behind it and supported both prohibitions with cash. What is and was the motivation? Well we all know what the moral crusaders are about but the corporations want a sober workforce so that is why Henry Ford was so important to the temperance movement and corporations are against legalizing marijuana. I feel corporations should not have that kind of power and most certemly not the social conservatives and the do gooders.

 

[HonestJoe]

We are not looking for a solution but to fix the double standard.

I don't think it is as simple as a double standard. Alcohol, tobacco and cannabis are different. There are even significant differences within each of them (shandy is different to absinthe for example). They should all be considered separately in relation to laws and regulation. Any argument regarding cannabis should be made about cannabis.

There is no solution to the fact that the human animal love to get stoned and drunk and letting the moral crusaders dump on our personal freedoms is most certenly not the solution. Prohibition did not work and neither is the war on drugs and I am sure you agree with that much.

Based on your argument about the number of deaths from alcohol and tobacco, legalisation doesn't work either. If you really want to try to find solutions, feel free to join all the people actually looking for them (first step is to spot the plurals). If all you care about is you being able to do whatever you want, at least be honest about that.

 

[TheLastIndependent]

Marijuana should be legalized. It will bring jobs and revenue. Furthermore, it is much safer than many legal leisure substances. A night of drinking can kill you directly. You would have to smoke something like 150 pounds of Mary in and hour to OD.

 

[James D Hill]

I agree with you. It's glaring hypocrisy. Not only is it relatively harmless when compared to alcohol and cigarettes, but it has medicinal uses as well. It's dumb. It's stupid. And I hope the laws will change.

I am glad we agree with something my conservative friend. I think it is a freedom issue and I always thought conservatives should support legalization due to their stance on liberty but alas pot got mixed up in the anti war movement and was considered a hippy drug and right wingers hate both of those movements. You know the saying "Damn pot smoking hippies" that far righties like to say. I am glad you are intellegent enough to see and thank you for agreeing with me.

 

[James D Hill]

I don't think it is as simple as a double standard. Alcohol, tobacco and cannabis are different. There are even significant differences within each of them (shandy is different to absinthe for example). They should all be considered separately in relation to laws and regulation. Any argument regarding cannabis should be made about cannabis.

Based on your argument about the number of deaths from alcohol and tobacco, legalisation doesn't work either. If you really want to try to find solutions, feel free to join all the people actually looking for them (first step is to spot the plurals). If all you care about is you being able to do whatever you want, at least be honest about that.

It is a double standard in the first degree. You can't stop people from drinking and you can't sop people from smoking pot so so pragmitism is the answer. You can't stop it so why even try. You are right the high is differant. Pot does not make you punch your best friend in the nose over a football argument like booze does. Pot does make a pretty girl wake up with a fat guy like myself. Pot does not make you a crazy fool like booze can. You are right thaey a differant.

 

[OrphanSlug]

I am not going to necessarily say that pot is worse than booze or cigarettes, but as with most things it depends on context. You can do most anything along these lines much to much and it be a problem one way or the other. For me personally it comes down to the point of and the effectiveness of the "war on drugs." With that it becomes clear the war on drugs is nothing short of an epic failure. In terms of pot specifically, if legislated, restricted, monitored, and taxed like booze or cigarettes then I suspect most of the problems associated with would diminish some. Especially the crime element and associated incarceration costs. While I personally may not like the idea of yet another drug for us all to see used much to much, I do see clearly the hypocrisy over saying this vice over here is ok but this one over here is not. So lets spend billions and quite a few lives as well fighting something that we seem to have a demand for. What I do not see is Pot causing a problem legalized any more than what you could associate with booze or cigarettes now.

 

[mlsj2012]

How is pot worse than booze or cigarettes?
Well actually, it depends what you plant in the pot. If it is a very poisonous plant in the pot, it will kill you much quicker than the abuse of booze or cigarettes.

 

[HonestJoe]

It is a double standard in the first degree. You can't stop people from drinking and you can't sop people from smoking pot so so pragmitism is the answer. You can't stop it so why even try.

You can't stop people driving at 100mph down residential streets, robbing banks or molesting children. That isn't a reason not to do anything about them.

You are right thaey a differant.

If you recognise that they're different, why do you consider treating them differently as double standards? Do you think coffee should be treated the same as crack?