thatmariolover
12-02-2009, 02:57 PM
BaB's been on my case to post more so let's shake things up a bit. I am a fairly dedicated advocate for the legalization and regulation of cannabis.
The most common arguments I get being an activist for cannabis law reform are answered by common sense.
The first is that those of us who want cannabis law reform think it’s 100% safe. That’s a complete fallacy. Very few of us pushing for legalization of cannabis think it’s completely safe. But we do know (and are supported by countless studies) that it causes far less damage both to health and society in comparison to alcohol. To stop one single episode of psychosis you would need to stop 5,000 young men aged 20-25 from ever consuming cannabis. Which is the primary health concern with cannabis itself among the adult population (obviously smoke of any sort is unhealthy, which is why many of us push for responsible users to invest in a vaporizer).
The second argument I get is that by legalizing it we would be putting cannabis into the hands of children. No responsible adult pushing for the legalization of cannabis (and there are a lot of us) thinks that it should be accessible to teens. Legalizing cannabis would only serve to protect our children. As long as it's illegal it will be easier to get at than alcohol because we depend on back alley crone’s to sell it on the underground. There’s no way to ensure it’s not being sold to children, nor to ensure that there aren’t toxic additives or verify the strength of strains being sold. Regulating the sale of cannabis would only serve to protect our children and society as a whole. Dealers don’t card - many don't care.
Cannabis itself has a virtually nonexistent toxicity; it is primarily the smoke itself that causes concern. Even the smoking risks have less social costs associated with them when compared to drinking alcohol. In addition, Vaporization virtually eliminates the concerns of carcinogens in cannabis while still providing the active ingredients. And in terms of dependence, only 9% of those that consume cannabis become dependent; as opposed to 35% with nicotine or 15% with alcohol (both legal). In fact, despite the lax regulation of cannabis in the Netherlands, Dutch users are among those that use the least per capita.
Right now, cannabis is going untaxed. Did you know that cannabis is America's biggest cash crop, despite its legal status? Anywhere corn can grow, cannabis can grow. Legalizing it would lower the price significantly and allow for a large taxation. Such taxation would help support those with dependency issues. Not to mention help state governments stay within their budgets.
I think what we need to ask ourselves is whether or not it makes sense to keep cannabis illegal. To me, it's a no-brainer. Prohibition didn't work for alcohol and it isn't working for cannabis.
What do you think?
The most common arguments I get being an activist for cannabis law reform are answered by common sense.
The first is that those of us who want cannabis law reform think it’s 100% safe. That’s a complete fallacy. Very few of us pushing for legalization of cannabis think it’s completely safe. But we do know (and are supported by countless studies) that it causes far less damage both to health and society in comparison to alcohol. To stop one single episode of psychosis you would need to stop 5,000 young men aged 20-25 from ever consuming cannabis. Which is the primary health concern with cannabis itself among the adult population (obviously smoke of any sort is unhealthy, which is why many of us push for responsible users to invest in a vaporizer).
The second argument I get is that by legalizing it we would be putting cannabis into the hands of children. No responsible adult pushing for the legalization of cannabis (and there are a lot of us) thinks that it should be accessible to teens. Legalizing cannabis would only serve to protect our children. As long as it's illegal it will be easier to get at than alcohol because we depend on back alley crone’s to sell it on the underground. There’s no way to ensure it’s not being sold to children, nor to ensure that there aren’t toxic additives or verify the strength of strains being sold. Regulating the sale of cannabis would only serve to protect our children and society as a whole. Dealers don’t card - many don't care.
Cannabis itself has a virtually nonexistent toxicity; it is primarily the smoke itself that causes concern. Even the smoking risks have less social costs associated with them when compared to drinking alcohol. In addition, Vaporization virtually eliminates the concerns of carcinogens in cannabis while still providing the active ingredients. And in terms of dependence, only 9% of those that consume cannabis become dependent; as opposed to 35% with nicotine or 15% with alcohol (both legal). In fact, despite the lax regulation of cannabis in the Netherlands, Dutch users are among those that use the least per capita.
Right now, cannabis is going untaxed. Did you know that cannabis is America's biggest cash crop, despite its legal status? Anywhere corn can grow, cannabis can grow. Legalizing it would lower the price significantly and allow for a large taxation. Such taxation would help support those with dependency issues. Not to mention help state governments stay within their budgets.
I think what we need to ask ourselves is whether or not it makes sense to keep cannabis illegal. To me, it's a no-brainer. Prohibition didn't work for alcohol and it isn't working for cannabis.
What do you think?