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"If someone wants to buy marijuana, then it only makes sense for there to be someone who sells it. Otherwise you still have a problem." Should we legalize chil

by rick888 16y ago

"If someone wants to buy marijuana, then it only makes sense for there to be someone who sells it. Otherwise you still have a problem." Should we legalize child porn (there is a demand)? There are many things that have demand, but shouldn't be legalized. I'm not saying pot is one of them, but you aren't making a very good convincing argument. "This is a problem that most programmers should be familiar with. It's a function minimization problem. Minimize suffering(x)." Who's suffering? People that want to put drugs in their body? It's something you choose to do. You aren't born with a joint in your mouth. "As the cops stand down, we also need the doctors to stand up." Why can't pot smokers just admit that the reason they want pot legalized is so they can get high? It has very little health benefit. It might help people with cancer/eye problems, but those people are in the minority. If there is no down side to becoming an addict, we will have more addicts. If you know that the government will just "rehabilitate" you, more people will be willing to try thinks like heroine and cocaine. If you know that it will basically ruin your life, you might think twice about it. Opiates were legal in China at one point in time...until nearly the entire country was addicted. Why can't we just learn from the past instead of continuing to repeat mistakes?

chc 16y ago
The argument isn't convincing if you rephrase it as "If there is even the tiniest amount of demand for something, it should be legal." That isn't at all what he said, though. He was talking about the issue of partial decriminalization vs. full legalization+regulation. The real argument is, "If we believe something is benign enough to make partaking in it legal, it is yellow-bellied inconsistency to make providing it illegal."
- rick888 16y ago
  "The real argument is, "If we believe something is benign enough to make partaking in it legal, it is yellow-bellied inconsistency to make providing it illegal."" Most of the proponents will never admit that smoking pot has adverse health effects. Everything seems to be rainbows and unicorns when it comes to pot. I want to see some real long-term studies, not from high times magazine. Why can't people admit that they don't give a damn about the 'health benefits' and just want to get high? It's very cowardly to get it decriminalized under the guise of health. Inhaling smoke into your longs that may or may not cause memory loss and paranoia can't be healthy. Pot changes people that smoke it regularly. It never fails. All of my friends that smoke it regularly have had absolutely no ambition in their lives and are still in pretty much the same positions they were in high school (it's been 11 years). Before the pot, they had dreams and goals. If we ever have government run health care, regular drug users either shouldn't be covered or have to pay a ton more. I shouldn't have to pay for you mistakes.
  - danenania 16y ago
    Maybe you just have a lot of deadbeat friends? Some of the most intelligent and successful people I know are regular pot smokers, and many intelligent and successful people will tell you the same (just read the darn thread). You should try doing some research and expanding your horizons before making blanket generalizations about topics you don't understand.
  - chc 16y ago
    Most of your comment has literally nothing to do with the topic (I didn't discuss health impacts at all, much less claim that pot is completely harmless). The small portion that does touch on the topic completely misrepresents or outright ignores what I said. I think you should examine your thought processes on this topic, because you seem to have some strong feelings that prevent you from discussing it rationally. I'm not saying you're right or wrong in your opinion — just that your responses seem more like a strongly felt emotional reaction than a thoughtful examination of the facts and arguments presented to you.

by rick888 16y ago

chc 16y ago

The argument isn't convincing if you rephrase it as "If there is even the tiniest amount of demand for something, it should be legal." That isn't at all what he said, though. He was talking about the issue of partial decriminalization vs. full legalization+regulation. The real argument is, "If we believe something is benign enough to make partaking in it legal, it is yellow-bellied inconsistency to make providing it illegal."

rick888 16y ago
"The real argument is, "If we believe something is benign enough to make partaking in it legal, it is yellow-bellied inconsistency to make providing it illegal."" Most of the proponents will never admit that smoking pot has adverse health effects. Everything seems to be rainbows and unicorns when it comes to pot. I want to see some real long-term studies, not from high times magazine. Why can't people admit that they don't give a damn about the 'health benefits' and just want to get high? It's very cowardly to get it decriminalized under the guise of health. Inhaling smoke into your longs that may or may not cause memory loss and paranoia can't be healthy. Pot changes people that smoke it regularly. It never fails. All of my friends that smoke it regularly have had absolutely no ambition in their lives and are still in pretty much the same positions they were in high school (it's been 11 years). Before the pot, they had dreams and goals. If we ever have government run health care, regular drug users either shouldn't be covered or have to pay a ton more. I shouldn't have to pay for you mistakes.
- danenania 16y ago
  Maybe you just have a lot of deadbeat friends? Some of the most intelligent and successful people I know are regular pot smokers, and many intelligent and successful people will tell you the same (just read the darn thread). You should try doing some research and expanding your horizons before making blanket generalizations about topics you don't understand.
- chc 16y ago
  Most of your comment has literally nothing to do with the topic (I didn't discuss health impacts at all, much less claim that pot is completely harmless). The small portion that does touch on the topic completely misrepresents or outright ignores what I said. I think you should examine your thought processes on this topic, because you seem to have some strong feelings that prevent you from discussing it rationally. I'm not saying you're right or wrong in your opinion — just that your responses seem more like a strongly felt emotional reaction than a thoughtful examination of the facts and arguments presented to you.