Weed should be legal

Poll - Total Votes: 36

Yes

You can only vote on one answer.

Weed is becoming more and more accepted around the world, something that’s been made clear by the fact that its legalization is increasingly being considered across many countries and states. One of the advantages of legalizing marijuana is that it could reduce the amount of criminal activity around the drug, as it eliminates the need for dealers to illegally distribute the substance in back alleys.
My dealer is a real sweetheart i'd love for him to have his own shop.
Legalizing weed would also end the unnecessary and cruel police crackdown on dealers and consumers.
Government-regulated and tested marijuana could be safer for the consumer compared to what is available on the street today.

Finally, marijuana has been proven to treat certain medical conditions, such as chronic pain, reducing inflammation, and easing the symptoms of diseases like Anxiety, AIDS and cancer. Legalizing pot would make it much easier for anyone needing relief from such conditions to access the drug. All in all, the potential health, social, and financial benefits of legalizing weed seem to outweigh any potential risks.

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Richard65 · M

Look at the origins of the ban on weed and you'll see it was predominantly inspired by racism because it was imported into the USA by Mexican immigrants.

In the 1930s Harry J. Anslinger, head of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, turned the battle against marijuana into an all-out war. Some believe that he was motivated less by safety concerns—the vast majority of scientists he surveyed claimed that the drug was not dangerous—and more by a desire to promote his newly created department. Whatever the impetus, Anslinger sought a federal ban on the drug, and to this end he initiated a high-profile campaign that relied heavily on racism. Anslinger claimed that the majority of pot smokers were minorities, including African Americans, and that marijuana had a negative effect on these "degenerate races," such as inducing violence or causing insanity.

Many countries subsequent banned the drug following pressure from the USA. However, today the ban is being lifted by many countries. I know in the UK the ban is inspired a lot by the authority's fear of people driving under the influence.

LordShadowfire · M

@Richard65 Actually, the racist bit was really a distraction. You see, Dupont Oil had developed this new fabric called nylon, which they were trying to get people to use instead of hemp. People weren't buying it. Literally. Hemp rope is superior to nylon in every single way. So Mr. DuPont stirred up xenophobia against Mexicans, and created all sorts of fear around marijuana, which was a new word in the public vocabulary at that time. The first law to be proposed on the subject was the Marijuana Tax Act. The new terminology for hemp confused the voting public, and they were fooled into voting against their best interests.

MethDozer · M

@LordShadowfire There's also William Randolph Hurst who pushed hard to have it made illegal because he didn't want hemp competing with his timber paper profits.

There was no one actor against marijuana. It was attacked by mulitple large money interests.

Carla · 61-69, F

@MethDozer this👆

LordShadowfire · M

@MethDozer I forgot about Hearst. Yeah, he and DuPont worked together to attack hemp, which really means that the war on cannabis helped bring about the environmental crisis we're facing today.