What Grinds My Gears: Pot.

alright. i'm throwing this out there. i smoke pot. not all the time but a bit. and i want to know why the hell it's illegal? like, why not make beer illegal? beer has started wars. worst thing pot has ever done is make caddyshack 1 and 2. and only one of them was a national crisis. beer kills more people then pot. pot just gives you the damn munchies. not saying beer is a bad thing, far from it... just saying. beer, in my eyes, is worse then pot. pot makes food taste better, sex better, hell, everything is better when your higher then the sky

I realize that there have been studies that suggests that marijuana does not leave permanent damage to your body (other than to your lungs), but I would swear that my short-term memory has been destroyed by the stuff. I gave it up years ago because it isn't worth smoking if there is even a slight risk that it ruins your memory.

As far as why it is illegal in the US, well I can't say for sure. Maybe it'd cost too much government money to regulate? Or maybe, since it's easier to conceal than alcohol, too many people (especially those underage) would consume it before work/school/driving. And I don't want to hear anyone say that they drive better stoned than sober - if that is the case you probably shouldn't be allowed behind the wheel.

Plus people consider pot a gateway drug. There are plenty of people who will say it is nothing more than a gateway to Doritos but, in reality, it is the first drug that most people start using before moving on to the heavier stuff. At least that's what I've witnessed from a number of people in my life. Whether those types of people would go on to using heroin or crack in a world with no marijuana could be debated but, again, why risk it?

you got a point there papa

but i member when i used to have sex right after smoking me some and it was WONDERFUL

all aobut your state of mind if you hvae enough will power to stay outta the hard stuff or not i guess never had that prob myself

well, its true. pot is a gateway drug. if you're stupid enough to go on to crack, herion, whatever, your dumb as hell. and driving stoned is better then driving wasted. as for the memory loss, i haven't yet experienced that

I know two (unrelated) people who started on pot and went on to other drugs - one heroin and the other cocaine. Neither of them is dumb as hell. And my point wasn't that driving stoned is as difficult as driving drunk, it's a stupid thing to do regardless. When you're behind the wheel of a 2-ton chunk of metal, why hinder your ability to control said chunk?

Poll needs one more option: "Not against it but not really for me."

Have tried it (brownies and cookies), but it never did much for me bar fuzzy perceptions.

I have no problem with legalization; hemp is good for a LOT of things besides smoking it. There's a lot of politics involved, and a lot of inertia in the system, and a LOT of bad science on both sides. I see it as booze: some folks are affected more than others. For some, it WILL be a "gateway" drug, as there are some folks who should never be around booze.

Agree with the driving-impaired bit: good way to ruin a lot of lives including your own. Doesn't matter what impairs you: booze, pot, pills, or texting--NOTHING should be in the way of you knowing what you're doing behind the wheel.

(Remember, I'm rather older than most of you: I was in high school during the "Summer of Love".)

Best,

Bradamante

Well put brad