As for marijuana, studies abound that it is much more carcinogenic than tobacco cigarettes.

What people do with their bodies is their business, provided that they don’t turn to taxpayers to address their illnesses (Social Security, socialized medicine, etc.)

But I see side effects from alcohol and drug use aside from health issues. Today, people frequently have a few drinks, smoke a joint or whatever in their homes, and so on. The problem arises when their judgment is impaired, and they do things they wouldn’t otherwise do.

Specifically, people often send ill-considered e-mails. It is so easy to do, and people will send an e-mail when they wouldn’t make a telephone call.

Case in point: A partner in a law firm drank a few beers, fired off an e-mail to the firm’s president,and reconsidered the next morning. He sent an e-mail apologizing, and explaining that he had a drink or two and regreted the decision.

The firm’s president e-mailed him: “Be in my office at 2:00.” There, the president said: “I don’t care if you drink, whether you have a drinking problem or what. I want you out of this firm. Now get out.”
And that was that.

Arguments that marijuana should be legalized because alcohol is legal carry no wait with me. I do neither. I’ve never seen anything good come from either alcohol or marijuana use. Nor do I smoke tobacco. I respect my body too much to do any of those things. As for alcohol being legal, just because it is legal to do something does not mean one should do it.

Jeremy: Which constitution are you referring to? And what constitutional provision does marijuana restriction violate?

maybe your friend was broken to begin with?
I have been high on many an occasion and i remember just fine.
the only times I don’t remember things are when i got too drunk in my youth, and blacked out.
that’s legal right now so that’s ok though right?

I’m also sorry for my gramer’ and ’sytnacks.’

I feel the same contempt for the drunken idiots who stumble out of bars on weekends, so i understand.
but they are not all stereotypical alcoholics are they?
why should marijuana users be different?
we aren’t all brain-dead idiots who crave doritos constantly.
I suspect this image is implanted in the uneducated populace to secure the validity of unconstitutional law.
look into marijuana law, and why it was demonized in the late 30’s. I won’t offer any guidance but that, find out yourself.
while your at it, check out the income tax. if you’re not willing to believe unconstitutional law can be enforced with plain old fear and misinformation.

I had a friend in high school. He was in a class for the entire semester and just one year later, he couldn’t remember me or the class. “I was stoned most of the time.” he said. I never smoked and, surprise, I CAN remember several losers like him.

BTW: “HIGHly motivated,” and “on the BALL,” are absolutely precious. It is truly great how you carefully did not write, ‘MY lawyer’, ‘MY surgeon,’ or ‘MY stockbroker.’ Thanks, Jeremy. Oh, and I love the ‘gramer’ and ’sytnacks.’ Do you by any chance shill for the DEA?

just a plant. no process, no additives, grow and enjoy.

as opposed to alcohol which is poisonus rotten grain.

on the overall murder list, we rank 24, they rank 51 out of 62.

it is no secret that drug law in the U.S., like prohibition law in the 30’s, creates a vast black market.
prohibition caused the rise of the mafia and ushered in an age of violence in americas cities.

marijuana prohibition does the same, it gives money to gangs and cartels, money that could be the governments, that could be used for schools and medical services.

there comes a time when any sane american must ask, do we want our cities infested with gangs and violence, or should some people be able to get high in the same way people are allowed to get drunk.

it’s really that quetion, we so far have chosen violence and gangs, which i guess has more entertainment value.

You seem to think that I was trying to make some kind of a point. Did I not simply write a narrative? Did I condemn either pot or alcohol? No. The insinuations you read into my narrative exist in your mind. I have heard, you know, that smoking pot can make a person paranoid. I am sorry, you two, but you really make this too easy.

Which is amazing for a country with a high population density (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_co untries_by_population_density)
NL = 395 Pop per km² (25 on list) Which makes it comparable with Rhode Island (387.35 Pop per km²)
US = 31 Pop per km² (180 on list)

What is to be said about this approach is that it will make the usage better controllable (and taxable for the government), which also helps when you want to do something about this because you have your target group in the open. I agree that it sometimes is useful in the medical world, but just like alcohol, drugs is still a substance that can be addictive and when used in too high of a volume can be dangerous, not only for self but when used before accessing the public road can be lethal.