Completely Off-topic Poll

[Drak]

I consider myself a cannaboid expert.

Dude, it's just weed man.

Don't make it out to be more than it really is.

Smoke if you want to smoke, don't smoke it if you got problems with it.

Easy.

You guys are makin me reeeeal uptight man, jussssst relaaaaaax, take it eeeeeeasy.

(As Drak breaks out into his favorite weed song of all time)

Easy skanking (skankin’ it easy)

Easy skanking (skankin’ it slow);

Easy skanking (skankin’ it easy);

Easy skanking (skankin’ it slow).

Excuse me while I light my spliff; (spliff)

Good god, I gotta take a lift: (lift)

From reality I just can’t drift; (drift)

That’s why I am staying with this riff. (riff)

Take it easy (easy skankin’);

Lord, I take it easy! (easy skankin’);

Take it easy (easy skankin’);

Got to take it easy (easy skankin’).

See: we’re takin’ it easy (ooh-wah-da da-da)

We taking it slow, (ooh-wah-da da-da)

Takin’ it easy (easy);

Got to take it slow (slow-slow)

So take it easy (easy skankin’ - da-da-da-da-da-da)

Wo-oh, take it easy (easy skankin’)

Take it easy (easy skankin’ - da-da-da-da-da-da)

Take it easy. (easy skankin’)

Tell you what:

Herb for my wine; (ooh-wa-da-da-da)

Honey for my strong drink; (ooh-wa-da-da-da)

Herb for my wine; (ooh-wa-da-da-da)

Honey for my strong drink.

I shake it easy (takin’ it easy);

Skanky, take it easy (skankin’ it slow);

Take it (takin’ it easy) easy;

Take it (skankin’ it slow) easy;

Take it easy (takin’ it easy);

Oh-oh-ooh! (skankin’ it slow);

Little bit easier (takin’ it easy);

Skanky, take it easy (skankin’ it slow).

Take it easy! take it easy! take it easy!

[Fluke]

I know its just pot, but a while back I took a real interest in the political and medical asspect of it and read up on many things, so I know alot about it. Just loosen up. You realize that an injustice such as this would never be corrected if everyone decided to be sheep. Thats the problem with Americans, they are idiots.

Edited February 9, 2005 by Fluke

[lovekraft]

This has been interesting - some great comments!

...nobody ever gets stoned and decides to beat people up...

That's been my experience as well - it doesn't appear to enhance aggressiveness like alcohol, cocaine or stimulants. I quit because it makes me stupid, but if you can legally watch television, you should be allowed to get stupid by smoking da chronic too.

... Leave it illegal and make punishment harsher for even 1st time users. ..

I'd be willing to bet you're either currently or were formerly in law enforcement - that's the party line! But really, how can we rely on the advice of people who have so much interest vested in keeping it illegal? I seem to remember Eliot Ness saying something similar about alcohol - look what that prohibition bought us! As for the penalties, ever wonder why the US has more people in prison per capita than any place else other than Saudi Arabia?

...At least when you're stoned you have more control over your actions....

Now that's not really very realistic, is it? Don't tell me you've never seen anyone too stoned to walk. Guess what, he can't drive either!

...maybe legalization would increase the supply, driving the resale price down to the point where people just kicked back with a joint and some good friends and worried about more important things... like where they lost their wallet...

Thanks for bringing it into perspective - all the "War on Drugs" has managed to do is drive up the selling price to levels that encourage violence and mayhem, and stiffer penalties only exacerbate the problem. You'll never get rich bootlegging a product that can be purchased cheaply at the corner drug store, or grown in your own back yard - that's why there's so much incentive on both sides of the"War" to keep things illegal. If it's legalized/decriminalized, not only will the price will bottom out as the "drug kingpins" get run out of the business by legitimate enterpreneurs, but thousands of special drug enforcement police will have to find other jobs.

[Fluke]

I'll take some time before anything really happens anyway, though. Like, whenever it's brought up, say, with the idiot...er, President, They just look at you like, "I can't beleave you just said that!" But on the bright side, Soon enough we all will be dead and the next generation will have to put up with this crap. But anyway, more and more people are learning the truth every day. I'd say in a few years the entire country will open up to medical pot and many states to recreational pot.

BTW, Do you know how much reefer it takes to keep you from walking?? I have gotten very very high in my how ever many years (?) of being a stoner, and I've realized that dont happen unless you fall asleep.

Edited February 9, 2005 by Fluke

[LukeR]

One real problem for legalization is in regards to driving. I mean, you get breath tested to see if you are drunk- you cant be tested to see if you are stoned. I mean, they can tell that you have smoked marijuana in the past 3 months (or is it 2 weeks (?) ) but not HOW stoned you are.

I think thats a problem; I think we all agree that driving when drunk or stoned is a bad thing.

(this assumes, of course, that more people will smoke and drive if pot is legalised)

People have raised some really interesting points here though!

Take care all,

Luke

[Drak]

Just loosen up. You realize that an injustice such as this would never be corrected if everyone decided to be sheep. Thats the problem with Americans, they are idiots.

You DO realize when you point the finger at the American Public like that, you have four more pointing right back at you.

You don't seem that intelligent to me at all for all your uhhh, 'research'.

Just your basic joker smoker.

Intelligent people are smart enough to understand that inflammatory words like sheep, injustice, and idiots tell far more about the person running off at the mouth than what that person actually has to say.

I think you played your hand out with those remarks and showed your true purpose here.

Truly intelligent individuals don't make broad sweeping generalizations like that, because they are intelligent enought to realize how inane and inflammatory that is, and inflammatory remarks seldom lead to intelligent conversations.

You asked us for our opinions, but then you impose your opinion over top of the whole thing in a far more crass way than any other poster here has done.

What I see is that you have an axe to grind, and you are subtly introducing your axe under the guise of a popular opinion poll, which is rather deceitful, especially to yourself.

Go have a smoke and chill out.

[bigdguitars]

is it really worth busting people for smoking pot? aren't there better ways to spend money? There is an issue when other things are in the pot...

I would really like to see it legal and have law enforcement bust people for other things....

if people are so freaked out about driving while high we can toughen the laws for DUI and DWI by just leaving them in jail for a week or so, don't you think people will stop drinking and driving then....

yes if it was legal wouldn't the gov love the tax rev.... I would only buy my weed at whole foods organic weed that would be great!!!! sorry for the ramble....

[Gorecki]

Keep in mind everything was made illegal during prohibition but only alcohol was legalized out of all things (including this topic).

When it comes down to it, IMO it’s all about money. Not what’s best for you or is good or bad for you…it’s money. Government couldn’t find a way to tax and confine the production and/or import of this and other ‘things’ and therefore they remained illegal.

Once upon a time ‘Coke’ and ‘PEPsi’ and ‘7-UP’ were not named because they contained Caffeine, they contained Cocaine.

The sad thing of it all is that alcoholism is a huge problem world wide. The US is 13th in the world for alcohol consumption.

I simply don’t understand how anyone could derive that alcohol is more politically correct, but it is. It’s more PC to be a functional alcoholic than to suffer from sleep deprivation and allergies?!?

[marksound]

Once upon a time ‘Coke’ and ‘PEPsi’ and ‘7-UP’ were not named because they contained Caffeine, they contained Cocaine.

←

http://www.angelfire.com/ga/struitt/pepsi.html

"1906-- ... The federal government passes the Pure Food and Drug Act, banning substances such as arsenic, lead, barium, and uranium, from food and beverages. This forced many soft drink manufacturers, including Coca-Cola, to change their formulas. Pepsi-Cola, being free of any such impurities, claimed they already met federal requirements."

[AlGeeEater]

I heard somewhere that one joint is about 124 ciggs or whatever. For some reason i dont belive it. I could post all my heath packets on weed if you want. Half of the junk they tell you are far out.

[crafty]

There is no reason for it to be illegal. Its really isnt worse then ciggs. Hell, it came from nature! Ciggs have rat poison and cancer junk in it. Id rather smoke weed then ciggs.

Not true. Marijuana has about 1000 more cancer-causing chemicals than your average cigarette. Keep in mind, tobacco is a natural plant too, it's the process of preparing and smoking the tobacco that it becomes dangerous.

Also, for those of you who say that marijuana doesn't cause you to lose reaction and motor skills when you're driving, you're wrong too. When I was in high school, a friend of mine and his mother were killed by a driver high on marijuana.

Marijuana is a gateway drug. Now, it may not be a gateway drug for everyone, but in my experience I have SEEN it be used as a gateway to get people introduced to illegal drugs. Legalizing marijuana is not going to solve the nation's drug problem, either. You're still going to have cocaine, heroin, meth, PCP, LSD, and other drugs that people are still going to pimp out their children for a hit. Most people who have started on the "harder" drugs started with marijuana and/or alcohol. Plain and simple.

Prohibition didn't work because 99% of the country drank some type of alcohol. Less than .01% of the country REGULARLY smokes weed. Also, notice how the organized crime syndicates didn't go away after Prohibition was repealed. They simply grew and became more dangerous in other trades later on, especially with the unions.

[Daniel Sorbera]

Thats the problem with Americans, they are idiots.

O you did not just go there. I think it's time too send in two texas rangers to kick your [[[[

true alot of americans are idiots. And I 'm sure that alot of people from where ever the hell your from are complete idiots also.

Edited February 9, 2005 by Godin SD

[Gorecki]

I'm gonna bow out of this one and go watch my copy of 'Reefer Madness'.

[bigdguitars]

yes we are all idiots, there is always someone who knows something more than us, I am going home to smoke a j then shoot lacquer in my face cause I am stoned.....

see that would be a dumb thing to do. you know sniffing lacquer can get you high too but thats not illegal? I think perceptions are way off... even if weed was legal, you still could get fired for smoking it, and still a lot of people would avoid it. Heck booze is legal and lotsa people try to avoid it? would be the same with weed...

why is it that people in other countries can have booze legal, but here in america we have some pomp and circumstance about people turning 21. if you grow up respecting something then most likely you wont abuse it. how can you go to war for the USA at 18 but not buy a beer till you are 21? You think things are messed up here? come on now, we need another revolution!

[Fluke]

Thats the problem with Americans, they are idiots.

O you did not just go there. I think it's time too send in two texas rangers to kick your [[[[

true alot of americans are idiots. And I 'm sure that alot of people from where ever the hell your from are complete idiots also.

←

Dude, Every one where I am are Idiots or Hicks or just plain crazy.

But my reason for being "hostile"(?) is just because everyone seems to be a closed minded red neck and when I deal with that long enough I just kinda snap, so please dont take offense to anything I say while I'm freaking out.

Dont insult my intellect over a bit of rambling, I would say people everywhere are dumb, but I've never been outside the U.S.

And I'm not (completely) blaming citizens for there ignorance, When you understand how the government takes advantage of human nature you'll know why I call people sheep.

But unlike 98% percent of community places on the net, PG actually has smart people in it. I was shocked, but in a good way.

Oh, About the weed thing, You must realize that it affects everyone differently; some get really depressed, some have thoughts within thoughts (or most ?), Some get sick, and yes, some can even safley drive while on it. Say whatever you want but I've know this one from experience, and it only takes one exception to prove that there are exceptions. But yeah, Don't toke and drive.

-Fluke (not a pot head btw)

[skibum5545]

Prohibition didn't work because 99% of the country drank some type of alcohol

Not true. Traditionally, women didn't drink much (or at all) before prohibition. After, well... just check out the bar dating scene.

Marijuana has about 1000 more cancer-causing chemicals than your average cigarette.

As impressive as that statistic is, there are two things wrong with it:

1. No source.

2. It's worse to inhale a bunch of 4 different kinds than a little bit of 1000. The statistic sounds good and all, but doesn't say jack about the relative dangers. Also keep in mind that things are carcinogenic to different degrees (carbon versus asbestos versus plutonium, for example).

Marijuana is a gateway drug.

Just because there is a correlation does not mean a cause and effect. Did the marijuana -make- them want to try stronger drugs, or was marijuana one stop on the long list of drugs they wanted to try. It shows up earlier on the progression because it is cheap and plentiful, but that doesn't mean it leads to other drug use. Again-- source?

Legalizing marijuana is not going to solve the nation's drug problem

Who said it would? It would decriminalize a non-problem, though.

For those of you who say that marijuana doesn't cause you to lose reaction and motor skills when you're driving, you're wrong too.

Of course it slows reaction time and motor skills. I don't encourage, suggest, or condone driving high. However, its effects aren't as great as those from alcohol, which must be kept in mind when writing new DUI/DWI laws, were it to be legalized. The legal limit isn't .00000 BAC for alcohol, so why would that be true for marijuana?

[lovekraft]

Marijuana is a gateway drug. Now, it may not be a gateway drug for everyone, but in my experience I have SEEN it be used as a gateway to get people introduced to illegal drugs.

That's a logical fallacy - the fact that hard drug users have also used da ganj' does nothing to imply a causal link, unless coffee, aspirin and chocolate are also important "gateway drugs". Keeping it illegal may make it more acceptable to use illegal drugs, but that's a social problem, and legalization would impact that.

Traditionally, women didn't drink much (or at all) before prohibition.

No, women didn't drink much in public - there's a huge difference! Most of the patent medicines aimed at femaile problems were loaded with alcohol, opium or both. There were plenty of upper-crust Victorian ladies that were raving alcoholics, but they didn't fall down in public (it simply wasn't done!). Of course, "fallen women" have traditionally been drunks and addicts, at least in popular fiction.

As for all these stoned drivers everybody's so worried about, if they can't pass a field sobriety test, videotape 'em and nail 'em! I know for a fact that a person can be successfully prosecuted for DUI under the influence of antihistamines - why would this be any different?

[Maiden69]

I won't go into much detail, but I say NO!  Last thing you want is a freaking high asswipe at the wheel of a car running in the streets, is bad enough with the idiots that drink and drive to have more idiots driving high, and then what, are they going to "blow" to see if they are legaly intoxicated,  pplleeaassee!!!

Ban alcohol aswell then

←

I wish I could, I don't drink or smoke so I don't care, and believe me in the 3 years I was a cop I made a few guys wish they had never gotten a drink in their life.. My best friend was killed by a drunk driver, so you probably now my feelings thowards it.

Algee, you just get high and everything aroung you slows down, I love to g oto concerts and pick on the stoned ones, you can rip them in the mosh pit and they don;'t even know what hit them.

Lizard read above, plus how can you prove that the person was stoned wjile driving? The 1st thing a cop does is breathalizer, and usualy when people get stoned they drink at the same time, so you blew .10 DWI, why bother going to get a blood test to see what else is in the system?

These are from the Vaults of Erowid, a non-anti-drug website (neutral to the issue; does not support or discourage anything; just the facts).

Yeah, erowid neutral...whatever.

Lovekraft, you got me, cop for 3 yrs and military for 15.

Lot of history and stuff happened to make me change my mind, friend killed, caousin shot for being with the wrong guy (nice happy dealer), another cousin currently in jail for carjacking (started with pot while in the Army in Germany), I think everything is bad in excess, but drugs got no place here. And you know why we got so many poeple in jail percapita thna Saudi, because we don't kill them or cut their hand and feet because of a felony!

And POt is a gateway regarding what most poeple say. MAybe not for people that just do it to have fun and get high, but for the ones that use it to get out of reality, the ones that want to forget the reality that they live in, those are the ones that abuse it the most, like alcohol, and then once they don't get the same buzz they use to go to harsher drugs, or combinations of different ones.

I think that it should remain illegal, there is nothing good to get out of legalizing it, And not too controlable to keep it from being exploited.

[skibum5545]

Traditionally, women didn't drink much (or at all) before prohibition.

No, women didn't drink much in public - there's a huge difference! Most of the patent medicines aimed at femaile problems were loaded with alcohol, opium or both. There were plenty of upper-crust Victorian ladies that were raving alcoholics, but they didn't fall down in public (it simply wasn't done!). Of course, "fallen women" have traditionally been drunks and addicts, at least in popular fiction.

[crafty]

Here's a good source of info, with links to other good sources as well:

JustFacts.org at UMD

Best quote: " A recent study in New Zealand found that 99% of other illicit drug users had previously used marijuana. However, a majority of marijuana users studied (63%) did not progress to the use of other illicit drugs."

[silvertonessuckbutigotone]

Here's some lyrics that pertain to the subject, and for now this is all I will say.

"Why is marijuana not legal? Why is marijuana not legal?

It’s a natural plant that grows in the dirt.

Do you know what’s not natural?

80 year old dudes with hard-ons. That’s not natural.

But we got pills for that.

We’re dedicating all our medical

resources to keeping the old guys erect,

but we’re putting people in jail for

something that grows in the dirt?"

-Underwear Goes Inside Of The Pants by Lazyboy.

for more information, and funny lyrics, here http://www.anysonglyrics.com/lyrics/l/Lazy...e-The-Pants.htm .

[Lizard_King]

Maiden how can you say that usually when people get stoned they drink as well? Hw can you say that usually when people get stoned they drink? Just because you were a cop for 3 years and in the military for 15 doesn't mean jack sh!t. You have your opinion and that's all. You made a few guys wish they had never had a drink in their life? Is that some sort of threat?

I'm speaking from experience, when I did smoke pot, I only drank alcohol maybe two times while I was stoned. If you're going to make comments like that, at least say that it's your opinion instead of trying to get people to believe that it's a fact.

Yes I'm sure your cousin was hijacking cars because he couldn't afford a dime bag, or he was just so strung out that he didn't know what was going on. Yeah right. Just stick to the facts. Don't get me wrong, I'm not putting your cousin down, and I'm not trying to piss you off at all. I've been in jail myself, I served 4 years in IDOC. But I'm not going to try to use a stupid excuse like I was high on pot and that's why I did it. Because that's a bunch of bs. Now I can say that I have done some really stupid and crazy sh!t while I was on meth. But not on pot man. Pot makes ya mellow. No pot is a gateway drug because that's what the law enforcement and rehab programs say it is.

I'm done talking now, I'll continue this a little later on, right now I'm heading to band practice. Later

[AlGeeEater]

Just because you were a cop for 3 years and in the military for 15 doesn't mean jack sh!t. You have your opinion and that's all. You made a few guys wish they had never had a drink in their life? Is that some sort of threat?

I'm speaking from experience, when I did smoke pot, I only drank alcohol maybe two times while I was stoned.

←

I agree with that too. Just because you're in the military and such, doesnt mean anything about drugs. Its just you have some sort of conflicting opinion. I know my cousin used to get stoned everyday on weed, dad had a keg, and never EVER touched it. Maybe it was because he was to stoned? I doubt it though.

[TGwaH]

One real problem for legalization is in regards to driving. I mean, you get breath tested to see if you are drunk- you cant be tested to see if you are stoned. I mean, they can tell that you have smoked marijuana in the past 3 months (or is it 2 weeks (?) ) but not HOW stoned you are.

←

I was just wondering if no test exists because the product it is testing for is illegal. I mean, how could you obtain a sample to make sure your test worked. If there product were legal (or at least decriminalized) it would stand to reason that a test would follow quite quickly. After all, the breathalyzer came along far after alcohol. But once the technology was available it was developed quite quickly.

It's a chicken and egg thing I think.

[Maiden69]

Maiden how can you say that usually when people get stoned they drink as well? Hw can you say that usually when people get stoned they drink? Just because you were a cop for 3 years and in the military for 15 doesn't mean jack sh!t. You have your opinion and that's all. You made a few guys wish they had never had a drink in their life? Is that some sort of threat?

Good for you, opinions are like assholes, everybody got one!

And why I can say this... For experience. I love Metal, an have all my life, I've been going to concerts since 11 with all my cousins and buddies, seen a lot of my friends get stoned, and drink beer by the truck load doing so, so did I, hard liquor, did too, until 21, once I hit 21 and I saw how stupid I got and my friends too, I decided to stop and use my money more wisely. Never tried drugs, don't know why, just didn't see it appealing, or maybe the though of my dad ripping my head out of my shoulders helped? Can't say for sure, but out of a group of 20 that usualy hang around, just 3 of us never did sh*t.

And that comment was directed to lovekraft, not you, and not to put in perspective on the point of my opinion.

THere are a few ways to test for drugs, one is a blood test, takes a while and is very accurate, the urine or piss test, (a lot of employers are having their to be emplyees take this one) which is accurate, but only a hand full of labs do this nation wide, and a hair test, can tell if you did a roach several months ago, or if you abused heavy for years.

All this tests are expensive, not like a breathalizer that you can set up at a police station or the hand held units that ain't too accurate!