I do not think THC should be legalized along with any other illegal drug. If a person needs the drug for medical reasons, their doctor should be able to prescribe it to the patient only after a thourough background check has been completed. If this person then decides to sell the marijuana they were prescribed, a punishment needs to be established. THC is fine for medical use, but only when absolutely necessary because the patient could become addicted. The same goes for any other illegal drug.

This all depends on if you are talking about FRESH marjiuana or chemical packed marjiuana. From the way this artical looks it's the chemical packed majiuana. The fresh kind is so much different from the chemical kind. If you do a little more research you'll find FRESH marjiuana is very good for some medical problems. For, example it mellows out the brain to the point where it helps people with epilepsy greatly. If FRESH marjiuana was legal in the United States it could help greatly with some medical problems and people wouldn't need to take so much medication. It has been said in some states FRESH Marjiuana is legal by doctors prescrition only. If your in one of these states and your doctor says its better for you to smoke FRESH marjiuana then load up on all these medications your taking it would probably be cheaper and better for your body. Remember this is FRESH marjiuana not chemical packed marjiuana. I think depending on how much medication you take and what kind of medical problem you have you should be able to get a prescription for FRESH marjiuana. Since this is a prescrition not just anyone could go and get FRESH marjiuana you would need your doctors consent and signature. The medication people take half the time has worse side effects then what it's used for. If they just took one thing, FRESH marjiuana it would be better for them in some cases. It just depends on what your doctor says.

I think THC should only be available for medicinal purposes if it were to be legalized, and even then it should only be available through perscriptions. I agree with wiki72 that the patient in question should also have an extensive backround and history to make sure they wouldn't be more likely to be addicted and to make sure they're using it for the right reasons. Wiki38 also makes a good point in the uses of THC for epilepsy, I also happen to know that smoking THC helps cancer patients deal with their intense side effects as well. Growing marjiuana is also a form of income for some people in california right now because it is legal so that raises a whole other point, these people know how to grow their drug and they're allowed to do it because they sell it to the government and its safe and chemical free. If we take away that side of the THC industry, loads of people lose their jobs that they've been doing their whole lives.

I've seen the damaging affects of marijuana first hand and it has made me sincere about my opinion that marijuana should remain illegal. It's a gateway drug that leads individuals to crave stronger and greater highs like those found in cocaine and heroine. Not only that, but marijuana can be extremely dangerous. When someone purchases it from a dealer or even a friend, they're risking the fact that it could be laced. This could be anything from prescription drugs, to chemical cleaners, and sometimes even cocaine. I've watched someone close to me nearly die because the weed their friend gave them at a party was laced with cocaine. This person didn't smoke marijuana on a daily or even weekly basis, just occasionally at few parties. It only took one time out of a few occasions for them to get some "bad weed" so that they blacked out into a coma. It scared me straight and now I only look at smoking weed as a waste of time and a waste of life.

Yeahh mann make it legal! I say this for two reasons, one a have a family member who is ill and recent medication with THC it in is helping them, two why not?! Like seriously so many people use it, and everyone knows that people use it illegally so why not just make it legal? People smoke cigs and dip/chew and whatever, weed is not that bad compared to that stuff (honestly in my eyes). Reading on on this article i read Wiki 38, and yeah i agree with them, fresh marijuana is okay and good for medical purposes, you just have to be careful of that mixed stuff (its hard to like actually tell but still). Now i am not saying go do drugs or that smoking up is okay (on a daily basis), i am just saying that medically, yes it should be legalized, why not? As for other drugs...ehh...I mean i cant really have an opinion on that. I can only relate to marijuana because it has helped a family member....so....yeah. Other drugs im not sure?

No marijuana should not be legalized, unless for medical uses. It does bad things to the body, as described in the passages above. To everyone who does smoke it, ITS ILLEGAL FOR A REASON! People want it to be legalized but have absolutely no evidence or background to support this idea.

I do believe that marijuana should be legalized. Agreeing with some of the points that wiki 38 made, Fresh marijuana can prove beneficial to people as a drug used for medical purposes. For people who use marijuana as a recreational drug, i think a legalized version would prove safer then the possibly laced version they recieve now. As Chris Rock explined in one of his stand up acts, weed isn't legalized cause the government doesn't make any money from it. I think if taxed, with government gain from the product, legalizing the drug could prove economically beneficial as well. If someone wants to get the drug, there are certainly possible ways of getting it. The fact that the drug is illegal hasn't stopped people up to this point so I see no reason why it can't become a import for the US. If alcohol can cause dependencies and countless problems and deaths... which is legal, then why not other drugs. I think most drugs should be made legal.

Wiki46

So I guess you think drugs like cocaine, methamphetamine, ecstasy, rohypnol, heroin, etc. etc. should also be made legal. It's okay, because the government can just tax us on the drugs and the economy can be better...yay!

No. Even now, with such drugs illegal in the US, there are people that abuse them and destroy their bodies, their lives, and the lives of those around them. What do you think it would be like with people driving while legally high on cocaine or heroin? Here's a good one. Imagine all the shenanigans that would ensue with the legalization of rohypnol. Fun stuff.

A lot of people aren't mature enough to enforce self-control and legalizing such drugs (even marijuana) would only provide an impetus to anarchy and social chaos. We don't need more potheads that don't do anything with their lives in this country. We need people that express some responsibility and make progress for society.

Wiki 38

Do you want some more words with that "fresh"?

i dont think that any drugs should be legalized in our government and i think that the fact that people actually think this should happen is really stupid. this would cause so much more havoc than the world already has and its just not worth it. iagree with wiki27 in that the world needs people that are gonna make a change, not more potheads that are gonna make our country look bad.

Wiki 50 definitely pointed out the seriously damaging effects marijuana can have when smoked too often, but they did not even consider any medical side to it. So again, with what wiki 81 added to that, prescribing THC for medical purposes only and only when completely necessary is beneficial. Wiki 11 scared me a little with the way they just blew off smoking marijuana like it was noi big deal...wiki 27, although very much so one-sided and a little abrasive in their argument, makes valid points. I feel like I agree with both sides but still stand in the middle with my original proposal.

no wiki 27 i don not think any other drug except marjiuana should be legalized. likei said medical purposes only. if it were to be given to whoever wants it , yes that would be stupid. i feel medical purposes are the only good reason to legalize it, but besides that theres no other good reason to make it legal. i agree that marjiuana can be bad but it depends on what kind your looking at.
and i only capitalized fresh becuase i felt people would try and say i think chemical marjiuana is ok too and its not, thats the marjiuana that screws you up and hurts your body.

Marjiunana should only be legalized if it is used for medical purposes. If it was legalized people would abuse it and sell it to make profit. The roads would become unsafe and drug addictis would be rampant.

The fact that marijuana use is illegal is just stupid. Marijuana was used widely for medical and recreational use before 1938. It was made illegal by someone who testified in court that it made white women have sexual relations with blacks and mexicans. When alcohal was made illegal it caused people like Al Capone to come into power now that marijuana is illegal it has caused a huge underground industry of violent drug cartels. If marijuana was legal and regulated these drug dealers would be put out of business and kids would be much less likely to smoke it, because you would have to be a certain age to buy it and i dont think that drug dealers ID there customers. Marijuana is not bad for you get over it, there is not one recorded death in the thousands of years its been used and there never will be.

marjiuana should be leagalized for medical purposes only. People already abuse the drug, so making it legal wont do anything besides allow people to smoke and not get put in jail. legalization will only help the government make more money.

I think that marijuana should most definitley be legalized. We are spending billions of dollars each year putting tax paying citizens in jail for using a substance that they choose to use. If we legalized it, we'd be saving a lot of money because the war on drugs is obviously failing. If we legalized it, the government would be making a lot of money from all of the taxes. We should be selling it in convenient stores and regulate it just like we do with Alcohol. It is so much easier for kids to buy marijuana rather than alcohol. Also, if it was legal, we'd be putting all the drug dealers out of business. If U.S. Citizens could buy marijuana at stores, they would much rather buy it at a store rather than on a shady street corner where they can get robbed and whatnot. Crime would also go down because wherever there are drugs, there is crime. If we have one less drug on the street, we have one less thing to worry about.

Marjinana if legalized will allow people to sell and buy it cheapily allowing more people to use it. Other drugs will then start to become more common because people will want to legailze other drugs as well. People could also lace drugs and more diseases and cancers can become more common. Drug wars and fights would become rampant.

No matter if it comes to drugs, alcohol, sexual orientation, or whatever everyone is going to have their own opinions! We're humans. Everyone is going to have different views on anything and everything based on their own history/family history, experience, morals/values and such. With every drug comes addiction, comes side effects, and i believe that if the person so chooses to "use" (if it were legal) is their own choice. Making marijuana legal for medical purposes will bring great research and maybe even a cure for some dieases, but with that comes a huge epidemic for people to get their hands on it more and more (stealing and such). So with making it legal, medically, why not make it all together.

I still think making drugs legal, for any other reason than treating patients that need them, is a very bad idea. I have nothing against marijuana if it can help patients deal with painful symptoms of diseases but recreational marijuana is just a joke and so is anyone who uses it like that.

Drugs do nothing but waste your life away. Sure they may seem cool and make you feel good at first but they make you feel okay with doing nothing. That's the time that you could be dedicating to learning something new, doing something productive, or going to new places.

I agree with wiki11. It is not an addicting drug, so it cannot do too much harm if used for medical purposes. People use it illegally, so it might as well be legalized, but just frowned upon for uses other than medical. If it can help people in medical situations, why not make it legal?

i think that THC should be legalized only because for medical purposes. i do not believe any other drug should be legalized only because what if the drug harms the person more and causes the person to get more sick? Legalize THC but not any other illegal drug!

I do not think THC should be legal, maybe for medical purposes only. Drugs should not be legalized because people abuse them. Some people are not mature enough to respect that if they were legal they would be for medical use only. If it were not for the people taking advantage of the drugs, Marijuana could be legal.
No drug can do everything you want it to, sometimes prescripted drugs are not even needed when given, so i dont understand why people need illegal drugs, its a waste of time, money, and a life.

i think THC should remain legal. No one needs it, and if they really need it badly enough, it must be because their life is in danger and they should go to a doctor to have it prescribed for them. Medically, i see that THC provides many advantages. The only way anyone should be able to get their hands on it is through a doctor who has been completely checked and trusted. too many kids and even adults are getting hurt my marijuana when its illegal. Making the drug legal would only make this situation much worse.

I think THC should remain only legal by prescription,for medical purposes. The only way the government would make it legal is if they can make money out of it. The people who do use it regularly for non-medical purposes are getting it one way or another so it doesnt really matter if the government legalizes it or not. I do not think the government should legalize it though because it will be more accessible which is not a good idea.

THC should remain legal only for medicinal purposes. It would be irresponsible to legalize a drug that increases heart, lung, and mental health problems and impairs learning and intelligence. Also, as a gateway drug that causes compulsive drug seeking and leads to the abuse of other drugs, even medical prescriptions should be closely monitored to stop illegal distribution.

and wiki5 - just because the war on drugs is 'failing' as you said, that doesn't mean we should give in to immature drug seekers. Legalizing marijuana wouldn't take one drug off the street, it would stay out there causing major health and mental problems, it would just be more available to people who wouldn't have tried it before when it was illegal.

No, THC should not become legalized. Anything that does harm to your body in any way shape or form should not be legalized. I believe that no drugs should be legalized because of their harmful efects on people. I truely believe that the drugs are going to be used anyway so why would you promote something that is harmful to people. It is their own fault if they chose to do it illegally, we shouldn't give everyone the choice to use it, let them alomst have to work for it and hope they don't caught.

I think that THC should be legalized but only for the people that need it. For instance people that are sick and in the hospital should be allowed to have it. Also if it is legalized for everyone the restrictions on everything should be enforced. But overall THC should not be legalized nor any other illegal drugs. These drugs only cause harm to others. Also like driving drunk people would drive high bringing more problems to our state.

@wiki 64

If all harmful things should be illegal then why isnt drinking or smoking. What bout cars? There is always a risk of harm and those are illegal. I agree that drugs should not be legalized but if someone sick really needs it then they should be able to get it.

Marijuana shouldn't even be legalized for medical use because it would just give people an excuse to take advantage of the drug. There are hundreds of pain killers available with or without a perscription, so people do not have a reason to use marijuana for medical purposes.

i think that because it is illegal, it makes people want to do it more. but i still dont think it should be legalized, because its just too harmful for the body. theres got to be other things that can help someone if their life is that much in danger that they need a harmful drug. but if it wasnt such a big deal, it probably would already by legalized.

i think it should be legalized but they should treat it like alcohol you have to be 21 to purchase it and all the other rules that apply. it would create jobs and have revenue(sp) coming in. i believe that it should be with out a doubt legal for medical purposes. if the person is nearing death or something they should be able to get that high if they choose

I still stand by my other post, but I forgot to add I don't believe any other drugs should be legalized **at the present time**.....if at some point in the future someone finds that hey you know what meth cures skin cancer (I know it's a horrible example that doesn't make sense but hopefully you get the drift) then this debate would be brought about again. I'm all for giving people who are suffering from an extreme illness an escape from the pain...if this means that a person whose complications from having cancer would be relieved from smoking marijuana, then yes call me satin because i'm gonna let them smoke. I personally have never done drugs or witnessed a bad reaction to them (which is understandably rough) but I have seen suffering and theres nothing a person wants more to do then see someone close whose suffering feel better even if its only for a short time.

To all those who think this choice is either black or white, there has to be some give and take in this situation. I think that marijuana should only be given to those patients who can find no other medication to ease their symptoms. But these prescriptions need to be controlled and well regulated otherwise you will get some people who will try to get the marijuana legally and turn around and sell it.

There has never been a death related to marijuana?? Are you sure about that? What about the person that gets in the car and drives, makes a mistake, and kills a family. We should not directly connect that to the drug? Are you sure about that? Some of you have said that THC is not bad for you...but is it GOOD for you? Long term problems from smoking still apply....lung cancer along with a variety of others.

I think that THC should be leagalized becuase the more you restrict somone not to do something they are provoked to do it. I mean almost eveyone does it and people will continue to do it legal or not. To be honest with you i really dont care about whether or not marijuana is legal because I dont do it and I really havent had someone in my family need it. But, if it was illegal and marijuana did help patients and was only used ofr medical purposses than it would be fine with me, but the patient should be monitered and keep track with the amount they are taken.

i think that marijuana shouldnt be legalized for anyone in the us to get. i think that would make it more popular and kids would use it more then they do now. Although i think it should be legalized for patients with specific medical problems to get a prescription, because if its helping them with whatever disease they have then it should be given to them for their benefit.

Wiki83 - You said this..."It would be irresponsible to legalize a drug that increases heart, lung, and mental health problems and impairs learning and intelligence". If we legalized it and sold it to adults over the age of 21, it would make it much harder for kids to get the drug. And as I said before, the war on drugs IS failing miserably. We have to change something. And by the way, Barack Obama has admitted to using marijuana frequently as a kid... If this drug really is that bad, how come he is the President of the United States?

No matter what, people will have their own opinions about this topic, wether they have used this drug or not. But I still believe if we legalize it and regulate it like we do with alcohol, it will reduce crime and make it harder for kids to get this drug.

Ok Naug I'm talking about the health effects of marijuana it has been proven that there is no link to lung cancer and people who use marijuana, in fact it has actually been proven to reduce size of cancerous tumors in the lungs (if you have any). To say that marijuana causes lung cancer is false information and you shouldn't be putting false information on this site and yes im sure about that. For someone to get in a car and drive under the influence is a whole different offense thats just like someone driving drunk.

13 - It is not false information, read some more studies. As with any "study" there is varying opinions, I choose to believe there is an increased risk.

This is taken directly from http://www.gdcada.org/statistics/marijuana.htm
Effects of Marijuana on the Lungs
Someone who smokes marijuana regularly may have many of the same respiratory problems that tobacco smokers have. These individuals may have daily cough and phlegm, symptoms of chronic bronchitis, and more frequent chest colds. Continuing to smoke marijuana can lead to abnormal functioning of lung tissue injured or destroyed by marijuana smoke.

Regardless of the THC content, the amount of tar inhaled by marijuana smokers and the level of carbon monoxide absorbed are three to five times greater than among tobacco smokers. This may be due to marijuana users inhaling more deeply and holding the smoke in the lungs.

Considering the negative effects of THC, I do not think it should be legal. I do not think any illegal drugs should be legal. Despite arguements, I am skeptical of drugs like marijuana have any real positive effects. Another claim about the positiveness of drugs that i'm skeptical about is that of the 1960's Harvard professor Timothy Leary, who claim that LSD had positive effects on its users. While people do use illegal drugs anyway, what will come out of making them legal? Only oppurtunity for more people to get them and more and more health problems. I've seen what can happen when people use drugs. There is no good that can come from legalizing them.

I agree with wiki 31 that restrictions on certain things will just provoke people to use them in secret, like they did during prohibition. Stiil, we have stricter security today. Police are more prepared to deal with lwbreakers ands smugglers. And with the news circulation the way it is now, those secrets won't remain secrets for very long. The best thing to do is leave things as they are.

I agree with wiki 50 on that marijuana should not be legalized for use of medical purposes. its just another drug that people are going to take advantage of and what if it makes the patient gets more ill from taking the drug?

Wiki 27, you completely exaggerated my point. I tried explaining that alcohol and other drugs are taken advantage of so often and look at the result. Drunk driving kills countless people and alcoholism ruins millions of lives, but we keep that legal and fail to make changes. Recreational drugs continue to make it to the street for any person who wants to obtain the contraband so why shouldn't the government and the American people benefit off of something that already goes on? Im not saying lets put heroin into the hands off any person who wants it, but people who take major pain killers have the ability to make substances that can be just as dangerous. If we allow these drugs why not marijuana? Legalizing it could also take a lot of people out of jail that were arrested for posession or use. Freeing up some of this space could be beneficial as well.

I agree that there are health risks if you smoke marijuana. If it werent harmful everyone would be doing it, and it would be most likely legal. i dont know all the harmful effects of marijuana but i do know that it affects how a person reacts, and i somewhat believe it makes people change for the worst, they become edgy without it and addicted to it although if you ask people who do it they say they arent but do it almost every week.. which i believe is having an addiction.

I think marijuana should be legalized. Its someones own choice whether they do it or not. A lot of times people do things they arent supposed to just for the thrill of it. If it becomes legalized then some people might say oh well its not as much fun cuz im not breaking the rules. im not saying thats the reason it should be legalized because people are obviously going to use marijuana when it becomes legalized who didnt use it when it was illegal but still its someones own choice whether to do it or not. if it becomes and issue where things are just getting really out of hand with it then the law would be fixed. People do use it for medical purposes and in some states you cant get for medical purposes and with it legalized that wouldnt be an issue.

I think marijuana should be legalized. Definitely with limits-- probably similar to those alcohol has-- but legal. Yes, there are health risks, but I honestly don't see how different they are from smoking cigarettes or drinking alcohol, both of which are currently legal. If an American adult can choose one of those things, why can't they choose marijuana as well?

Do I think people -should- get high? Absolutely not. I personally don't see the appeal to smoking anything, and alcohol just makes people make stupid mistakes. But just because I feel that way doesn't mean everyone does; they should be free to choose for themselves. It won't make the country fall any further apart.

I think it's hard to generalize whether 'other' drugs should be made legal, but for the most part I'd say no. The vast majority of other drugs-- cocaine, morphine, heroin-- are highly addictive and highly destructive. I think it's a bit rash, honestly, for people to jump from saying marijuana should be legalized to saying -everything- should be.

i honestly agree with everything that wiki70 had to say, i dont even have anything to add. It was pretty much spot on with how i feel about the situation as a whole. i just think that the 'limits' need to be somewhat strict and it should mainly be used for medical use

wiki 70 why put an age limit on marijuana like alcohol because as a teen you know that people dont abide by the rules and still drink under the age of 21 so that mean people would totally abuse leagal marijuana

i think that marijuana should not and never be legalized. there is a reason why it has been illegal in the first place. this drug just does no good for you or your body. when smoking anything there are health risks and cause lead you to do really stupid things. even for medical issues i still dont think that it should be legalized. there are plenty of other drugs out there to use that pot

as far as what wiki40 said about how the drug does no good for your body well like wiki70 said cigarettes do basically the same thing to your body as marijuana and cigarettes are legal. I get why people see legalizing marijuana wouldnt be a good thing but i still feel like legalizing would cause a tremendous amount of problems.

Either way, if it is legalized or not, people are going to find ways to get it. Even if it was legal for adults, it would make it easier for kids to get. They would be able to sneak some from there parents or get there friends to buy some for them. Why should we be working on legalizing more drugs that are just going to be abused by people.

Marijuana and any other illegal drug for that matter should stay illegal. They are harmful to the person taking it and it could also hurt others(ex. A person under the influence causes a car accident). I don't think drugs will ever be legalized because the only people who want them to be are the ones that use them. They want it to be legal so they a more easily obtainable. They are too high/stupid to realized that the drugs are bad from them. They hate the people who want to keep it illegal when really we are doing them a favor. We are trying to help their health. Legalizing it is not to help. Alcohol is legal for people over the age of 21 and there are still millions of people that abused. The only way a person should use marijuana is if they are dying of cancer and their doctor prescribed it to ease the pain.

i think that marijuana should not be legalized although i think if it was there would be less of a urge almost to do something that is illegal. You hear some people say that once you turn 21 the urge to drink goes away cause it's not illegal anymore i think the same would go with marijuana, if it's legal what population would do it? you have to consider that to when you look at the big picture.

Drugs should not be legalized. More people would start buying and using drugs more often. Drug users still find a way to get their hands on the drugs they want even though they can get caught and spend many years in jail. If drugs were legalized then those drug users would buy them more easily and more often. Drugs should not be used by the public for their own purposes.

I belive that marijuana should only be legalized for medical purposes. If it could help someone who is sick, it would be great. However, the idea of making it legal to the public is a terrible idea. There is already a voluminous amount of crime related to drugs around the world today. If people wasted their money on drugs, it could cause them to have financial problems and lead them to commit some form of criminal act.

No form of drug that is illegal today should be legalized. No possible good comes out of using drugs such as heroine, cocaine, or ecstasy. Which is why you should allow it to be easily accessed by individuals.

If drugs are used for medical reasons then that makes a difference in this conversation. Drugs should be illegal to the public for use without a prescription and be illegal to be resold. Only hospitals and doctors should be legally able to give out and use drugs. Drugs do have a positive side if used for medical reasons, but they are very harmful for the person using them. A 26 year old nurse from st. claire's in dover just died a few days ago from overdosing on drugs. Drugs are very harmful and make a person make stupid decisions. Drugs should only be used for medical reasons.

IT is completely different if we are talking about for medical purposes. If it can help some one to live, then give it to them, but don't give it out to the world. IT may be able to help people, but it can also KILL them. I agree with Wiki57 that drugs should only be given out for medical reasons.

even if you are for drugs being legal, people are always going to find a way, or a story to tell you why they shouldnt be. and the people who say that they should be illegal always will have an example of a problem the drug has caused. Now that they are already out for how many years its going to be hard to stop, they will never be gone, illegal or not.

THC should not be legalized because the health risks and addiction risks are too great to be allowed. I dont think any illegal drug ahould be legalized because it just allows the public easier access to harmful drugs.

Marijuana should not be made legal. It is not just the abuser who is affected, but other innocent people as well. In the above article, it was stated that marijuana intoxication distorts perception, impairs coordination, and makes it difficult for individuals under the influence to think clearly and problem solve. This is a huge problem because if these people then venture into society from the comforts of their own home, they can make some really stupid and careless mistakes. Take for instead if someone who was just smoking marijuana gets into a car. Further, then that person is not "all there." Their mind isn't on the road and their reaction time is almost cut in half.This puts many lives at risk. I do believe however that under certain circumstances, marijuana should be given to someone who is in need of it, for medical purposes. Their dosage would be monitored and every visit documented. Because if someone keeps coming in, with one exuse after another, then doctors would start to question them.

I believe that marijuana should not be legal. Though people still use it illegally, that does not mean we should succumb to the few illegal members of society and make it legal. THC clearly has negative effects, though people do not consider it as harmful as other drugs such as heroine. A drug is still a drug. Responding to those who say that marijuana should be legal since smoking and alcohol are do not have an argument. Though those drugs are legal, marijuana is not the same thing. If we make marijuana legal, teens and other people who are easily influenced will think that it is okay since it is allowed by the government, but that is not the case. The only exception should be in extreme cases for medical purposes. Prescriptions for marijuana would not work as some people mentioned because people will take advantage of them. I do not believe that any illegal drug should become legalized. They are obviously illegal right now for a reason, and unless any of these drugs are discovered to cure cancer, which it won't, they should remain illegal.

I completely agree with wiki33. The physical and mental statuses that are affected would indeed cause a huge problem. If everyone was under the influence in society and making bad choices, it would lead to possibly more deaths or even cause a huge disturbance in the economic market . Furthermore, the idea of driving while high could cause a lot of deaths that could have been prevented from happening.

I do not believe that illegal drugs should be legalized. The more and more drugs we legalize, then when all is said and done, all drugs will then be legal and society would have a big problem on their hands. If people were to have unlimited access to any type of drug then they will abuse it. It is like eating a bag of chips, once you start munching, you can't stop and you keep reaching into the bag to get another chip because no one is stoping you. Drugs will now be the chips. Like wiki88 stated, they are obviously illegal right now for a reason. And once they are legal, there is no turning back, because if the government then goes back and changes their mind, they will be in for a whole lot of trouble.

Wiki 88 is right, just because people use marijuana illegally doesn’t mean we should help them out and make it legal. It also means that the people who are prescribed marijuana and use it legally should not be able to use it. Who are we to say that the people who are legally using marijuana can no longer use it? Obviously they, a long with their doctor, have discussed the negative effects and that positive out weigh the negative.

I don't think that marijuana should be legalized. If it were to ever be legal, people definitely take advantage of it. I know of people who smoke and they are very secretive about it, which i guess gives them some kind of boundry. If it was legal though, i feel like they would have no limits and just be stupid about it. When it comes to those who are suffering, it's hard to say yes or no but i don't see why they can't just use painkillers or other forms of medication

Marijuana should NOT be legalized. Its really not good for you, putting toxic chemicals such as THC into your body destroys it. Athletes for expample should not be smoking because it only harms them and puts the team down. The fact that there are addictive potentials and heart risks just read no to marijuana all over it. The only reason why it should be legal is for medical purposes like cancer fighters.

No I do not think that THC should be legalized in the United States. It would be morally unethical to put people at risk for illness and other dangers such as car crashes by making it readily available. Marijuana intoxication distorts perception, impairs coordination, and makes it hard for people under the influence to think clearly. These effects make it extremly risky and dangerous for others surrounding someone under the influence of marijuana.

It doesn't matter if drugs are legal or not because people are going to use them no matter what. Since it is a general consensus that drugs are not good for you, they should stay illegal. If someone would like to do drugs, then it is up to them to break the law and find their own way of getting them. I agree with wiki14 in that there is no good being done when legalizing drugs.

I think medical marijuana should be legalized because if it would be beneficial for the patient, we should take advantage of it. As for whether or not it should be legalized for the public, i don't feel strongly about either sides. While marijuana isn't good for you, neither are cigarettes, which are legal. They are more addictive and give you cancer, whereas marijuana isn't that addictive and there is no proof that marijuana causes cancer. Also, alcohol is legal, which causes more distortion that marijuana.

i think marijuana should be legalized. If it was legalized then the gov't could start regulating it and actually know what's going into it. Also the gov't would put a tax on it like cigarettes so thet could get so more money in our down economy. Oh and wiki88 if you're saying that just cause drugs are bad for you they should be illegal? With that logic then anything with the potential to hurt someone should be illegal like fast food, tanning booths and cars. I'm pretty sure that fast food kills more people than marijuana does and tanning booths can give you skin cancer. Lets not forget that automobile accidents kill more teens then anything else in the united states.

i agree with 88 that drugs should stay illegal. drugs are no good for you and should never be legalized. it doesnt matter wether it is for medical purposes or anything. if marijuana was legalized then i believe people would take advantage of it an abuse the lagalization.

I agree with 29. People are gunna use it reguardless of whether or not it is legal. The government might as well take advantage of this considering it would add a huge new market and boost the economy. They would be able to reguate it and make sure no other drugs included with the marijuana. They could also take out some of the tar in it which would make it healthier.

people will use it regardless, but i think it still should stay illiegal. it is extremely dangerous, and will harm the body in many ways. people would definitely take advantage of it if it were to be legalized. people should just stay away from drugs, and making them legal will not help them stay away.

yes there is a very high chance and no matter how secure they try to keep it medically, it will get out. but making it legal for medical reasons will do more good than harm. There would just have to be a strict and secure way to keep the medical marijuana safe from others who will abuse it safe.

i don't think it should be legalized because it causes death directly and indirectly. It damages the body, and leads to things like car accidents, etc.
however, medical marijuana should be legal but with many restrictions. there are many people out there with diseases that make their lives miserable, therefore making it a necessity to have something to sooth their pain.

i agree with wiki74.. i dont think it should be legal for everyone, just for medical reasons. and yes it probably will make easier access to more people. But it shouldnt be legalized for everyone, just for medical purposes.

i agree with wiki81 in that it should be used for medical reasons. If a person is suffering and dies and the drugs will ease their pain, they should be able to take them. They are about to die from a terrible illness and are in a lot of pain, so they should be able to end their life in less pain.

yeah, like i said before, if someone is suffering with cancer or such a disease and it would benefit their well being to smoke marijuana but legalizing it for everyone is not right, its dangering your personal health. i understand people will still be able to get it even if its not legal but legalizing it would make smoking marijuana okay. and its not.

i definitely think it should not be legalized. yeah it may help some people who are sick to get better, but still people wont understand to use it for that purpose. honestly i think all kinds of drugs that are illegal are GROSS and should stay illegal cause obviously theres something about them that makes them to be considered illegal. making it legal just gives people an excuse to do drugs and claim its for health reasons. people who do drugs just do it because they obviously have nothing better to do with their lives. or because its what their best friends are doing and they wanna fit in. in some cases i think that it should be legalized but that would be a big risk to take as it may help with some medical problems it could also cause health problems, just like smoking cigarettes does.

It confuses me that people say marijuana shouldn't be legal because it isn't healthy or because if used irresponsibly people might get into car accidents. I don't dispute that smoking anything is awful for the body or that driving under the influence is an excellent way to ruin some lives, but by that logic shouldn't cigarettes and alcohol be illegal, too? It just seems like rather selective caring.

Just kind of critiquing a bit but it would be better if the information was credited, not that I'm arguing with the content. And it's a little perturbing to know that this has been animal tested, that aint right. I do also have a problem that the article is written a bit in subjective opinion. It'd be nicer if the we'd just get fed the information without the 'it kills babies' overtone. Anyways..back on topic.. I agree that it should be legalized(shocker, i know) for whatever purposes. From my standpoint, it's all about responsibility. And the sad fact is that the majority of the public gets thrown right out of the window. If people could control themselves and have a healthy grip on things there wouldn't be huge problems where you hear about extreme acts of stupidity. Although the majority of people who do become avid pot smokers are incredibly repulsive and one dimensional. It does absorb their lives and it becomes the foundation of their existence (and I'm only generalizing, but from experience this applies to MOST not ALL). For the most part, they can't think forthemselves and it most cases it leads to the next bigger "high". It'd just be nice if people could handle themselves.

i agree with wiki75 because i too can think or at least 7 or more people who have said things like if marijuana was legal they would use it not as medical reasons but so they could get "high" without getting caught and how life would be so much better with all drugs legal which is completely pointless. if people really want to ruin their lives because they think that its the cool thing to do even though its absolutely disgusting i dont have a problem. in some cases i do think that it SOMETIMES should be legal but honestly in this society now none of us are responsible for a situation like that it doesnt help that much medically, because honestly it causes just as much problems as it can (not cure but) help. like wiki75 said it would give them no limits and give them the opportunity to be more stupid with it and take advantage of it. and i also think that since younger kids look up to older kids they would take advantage of it too because they see people doing it and thinking that its ok when its not. if somethings illegal it should stay that way. maybe if people were more responsible they would be able to handle it but we all know that will most likely never happen. illegal or not that doesnt stop people from using it, but thats their life they wanna throw down the drain. keeping it illegal just puts a stand point to it.

For other drugs? Never ever. I don't have a problem with occasional tobacco/marijuana/alcohol usage in constrained quantities, emphasis on occasional and constrained. Sure, have fun sometimes, but be smart about it. Control the situation before it gets out of hand. Like a few close friends and family enjoying labor day weekend in the backyard. I don't see a problem with that. It's when people get stupid and seek more and start self destruction and what-not. But honestly? even though i would support its legalization, nobody would be able to handle it, but that's where i draw the line. Other thing like shrooms or coke or whatnot? Nah. That's where lines get fuzzy and habits get addictive in an extremely negative fashion. People can loose themselves so easily its scary. It's probably better these drugs remain illegal. Like I've stated 120 times, it's responsibility, common sense, and your head on straight, which nobody has anymore especially in the states.

ps im talking about recreational cuz the topic doesnt just pertain to medical..i think?

I do not think that any drug should be made legal. The reason behind it is just common sense. All one needs to do is take a drug, in this case marijuana and drive, or do something else and then they ruin someone else's life just because they decided they needed to get high. And that's without taking into account the risk of addiction. It's already somewhat difficult to control addictions to prescription drugs, as we've seen happen recently. Michael Jackson was theorized to be addicted to prescription drugs and to have been killed from them, and in TV Shows and things it is also shown to be a real problem. Take Dr. House and his addiction to Vicoden (I don't think I spelled that right). Now if it's a problem with legal prescription drugs, and illegal ones are already rampant become legal, wouldn't that increase the rate of addictions and problems caused by those drugs?

Uh no why would we ever legalize a drug a drug like that? Obviously it doesn't do anybody any good, soooo why would you want to. And people who smoke will always smoke no matter if its legal or not, so why make it legal and make it easier for them. Thats basicly saying lets make it easier for these people to screw up their lives. This really makes no sense, what would anyone have to gain from making it a legal drug? If they made it legal, thats saying that its ok to do, which means younger kids will start doing it. And in general more people will do it, and thats just what we need more pot heads.

Obviously they wouldn't legalize marijuana to the public... they would only legalize it for medical purposes. If they made it legal to the public, it would be extremely harmful and just plain stupid because it is bad for you and it can cause death and sickness. If people were actually responsible.. it would be a different story, but since people do not care what effects marijuana can have on their own body and others', legalizing it is out of the question.

wiki 70, soo what your saying is you'd rather have people dying in car accidents and screwing up their lives, just beacue its not fair to single out marjuana?,Its ok your not going to hurts marijuana's feelings. I don't think marijuana cares if u single it out or not. I see kinda what your saying but its not...really relevant. I agree they should all be illegal, but I don't see why you want to legalize it beacuse of that. Wiki 16, good point, you'd think that the micheal Jackson thing would make people think, but apprently not. I love house btw, my fav : )

wiki 47, marijuana would not do anything to help in the medical feild. There are alraedy enough "prescription" drugs that people are getting addicted to, why would u need to add one more?

I do agree, to some extent, that legalizing marijuana for medical purposes such as a pain killer for cancer patients would be beneficial, but I think it is too risky. I have sympathy for the people that could really use it, but I also have fear that by legalizing it for medical use, it would be too easily accassable to unresponsible hands. That is why I am stick with my gut feeling that legalizing marijuana would be unethical.

wiki35, that is actually incorrect. Marijuana has been seen to be useful for medical purposes in the past as a pain killer for cancer patients, and it has in studies been used to help cure things such as insomnia and other mental illnesses for a brief period of time. (that period being what is generally known as being "high") As such, it isn't an amazingly effective treatment for some of those diseases, but it means that it does have medical uses. I am not at all saying that I support legalizing it, because as I said in my last post the risk of addictions and abuse far outweighs the positives. And, there are as you said many other alternative prescription drugs that also do the same thing. Now, I do agree with your reasoning, but I do feel the need to correct there and show that there are medical benefits from it, or so the studies tell us.

i do not think it should be legalized in th united states because it is harmful to the person taking it and by allowing it it is telling people it is okay and it isnt. also once you legalize one people are garunteed to want to legalize ore and no drug should be legal because all in all it is harmful to you and the people around you.

however i do agree with wiki 56 that it should be approved for medical reasons. when someone is deathly sick anything that can help that person live longer should be allowed. Why should we deny someone help that can dramatically or even partially change their condition.

No, I don't believe that this should be legalized because it would in affect be popularized. Though it may have certain medical values, I would rather see time and energy be put into finding alternatives to help people rather then into the regulation of marijuana use among people. Since THC is known to lead to certain long term health consequences, I don't believe having a larger amount of this on the street is a very good option. Other medical options are available to those suffering, and I don't believe THC is a viable alternative.

I agree with wiki41 in saying that marijuana distorts perception and changes behavior. For this reason, even if it might lessen the degree of a certain medical condition, it also negatively affects the user and the people around the user. Putting the public in jeopardy by legalizing and popularizing this drug further just seems ridiculously unethical to even consider.

i dont believe that this should be legalized at all because it would overall affect the world. it would cause such an upset because people would be using all the time. there are most definitely other alternatives to finding ways to help people, and we need to work on those before making marijuana legal.

I do not think marijuana should be legalized, unless it is used for medicational purposes ONLY. However, I have mixed feelings about it because I think it is equally as bad as cigarettes. Both increase risk of disease and heart attack. Cigarettes have no beneficial side effects, but marijuana does. In a way I can agree with the legalization of marijuana but if I had to pick i do not think it should be. I do not think cigarettes should even be either

I also agree with wiki33. He/she stated that those who are under the influence of marijuana can also hurt others. That is another reason to keep marijuana illegal. It has the same effects as alcohol though in certain aspects. I feel that marijuana is made out to be worse than it is. It has a combination of side effects that both alcohol and cigarettes do, but they are the only ones that are legal. Maybe marijuna should be legal after a certain age just like alcohol. I think the laws are hypocritical.