BleepingComputer.com: It's High Time

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,...1889021,00.html?

Legalizing marijuana may be politically risky. But the economic benefits are becoming difficult to ignore.

Discussion of marijuana is a huge controversial topic. I would recommend this for the speak easy, but obviously the speak easy is currently locked.

I would advise little discussion, or short quick, neutral points -- when addressing this matter here! Thanks!

[quote name='Jay-P VIP' post='1207972' date='Apr 4 2009, 01:29 PM']I would advise little discussion, or short quick........[/quote]

Taxed and legal works for me.
Short and sweet-

[quote name='bestof' post='1205900' date='Apr 3 2009, 07:12 AM']Legalizing marijuana may be politically risky. But the economic benefits are becoming difficult to ignore.[/quote]

Riiiight, so it's a good idea to legalise a drug which is slowly becoming stronger and more dangerous on the basis that it makes money....?

This is much more than a political hot potato.

Short and sweet.

I agree with Jay, and I'll top that and suggest this thread be closed all together. This isn't the right forum for it.

m0le I see what you mean but I think once the government got into the mix the growing of the marijuana would become regulated. I am sure they would control the ptency, or quality of it. I think if it were to be legalized they should tax it to hell and gone

I do not know though if it would be entirely moral to legalize it for financial reasons.

If it was legal, then money may have nothing to do with it. It would be sold in tobacco stores and pharmacies.

There may not be economic benefits. Crime would go down slightly, that is about it.

Marijuana, unlike other drugs including alcohol and tobacco is not physically addictive.
It enhances sexual drive, for me anyways, like Viagra, which is available only by prescription.
The tax revenue projected if pot was legal is between 100-300 billion dollars, that would include federal, state and local (city) taxes that would be imposed.......alot of bailout money to be made.

Don't quote me!

First, the use of marijuana seems to be well-established and a common activity amongst many people (and certainly not limited to its use for medical purposes). Its compulsive and obsessive use by some seems to be something to be avoided, but the case against occasional use seems to be another question entirely. In some nations, and in some states in the US, laws appear to recognise some legitimate occasional personal use as allowable.
Second, this illegal use has been the cause of petty crime by its users as well as even more horrible crimes by those who supply it (one has only to read about the cartels' murders in Mexico recently).

While the precise measures are not clear, it does seem that a legal change might be beneficial.

Well, I can say first hand how it is when marihuana is legalized, I lived in Holland, not better not worse. My point is (I never used it b.t.w.), if marihuana is illegal, so must be tobacco.

I use neither marihuana, nor do I smoke, so its easy to say for me.
The only benefit that I see for legalizing marihuana is that the criminality-related part disappears.

So far my ramble...

Mole - Just wondering why you think marijuana is dangerous... If you had read anything from the link that bestof posted, you could clearly find from Time magazine, that marijuana is not that dangerous... from the page that bestof posted, there is a link "Read: Is pot good for you" there is stated that "No one has died from THC poisoning, mostly because 160-lb. person would have to smoke roughly 900 joints in a sitting to reach a lethal dose." and "Another 2001 paper, in Circulation, found a nearly fivefold increase in the risk for heart attack in the first hour after smoking marijuana -- though statistically that means smoking pot is about as dangerous for a fit person as exercise.". Here Time magazine is saying that smoking marijuana is about as dangerous as exercise? Hmm...

Legalizing marijuana would be a great thing to do in my opinion... As even Time magazine has stated, in California alone (this being only medical clubs btw), a 10% tax on marijuana would bring about 1.4 billion dollars to the government... Marijuana has been used for thousands of years for medicinal purposes... Aspirin was originally made from THC (sorry I have no resource for that statement, though with some research I am sure it isn't hard to find).

I started smoking marijuana when I was 15 (about a month before I turned 16), I started college when I was 16... Stopped smoking marijuana when I turned 18 (didn't want an actual record, figured a juvenile record would be okay, but not an adult record), dropped out of college 4 months later... When I was 19 started working for the state, nearly lost my job, started smoking marijuana, then they didn't want to let me go. My point in this is, marijuana is not dangerous, though yes it can be abused, but so can video games... I have seen more people wast away on video games, then I ever will of marijuana... I have medical problems, sometimes I wonder if I might already be dead, or how close I might have come to death by now, if not for marijuana...

Yes of course we all hear and see those stoners who just sit on a couch doing nothing... Is that much different then some grown man sitting in front of a tv screen or computer screen all day playing video games? Is that any different then the majority of the younger crowds spending all day and night playing video games? Is that worse then on a nightly basis seeing 10-40 drunk asses trying to start fights, simple because they are drunk? Is that worse then drinking a bottle or two, and then having to get your stomach pumped so you don't die of alcohol poisoning? hhmm... I would much rather be a stoner any day...

Interesting point there.

burn1337

Aspirin was originally made from THC

Actually I had a mild Heart Attack a few years ago and take one small Aspirin tablet a day, as do most people with Heart Problems. What it does is to make the Blood to stop Clotting, together with other Medicines. Problem is a slight scratch can make you bleed like a stuck Pig. The Blood is so thin it refuses to Clot.

Whilst taking Aspirin a simple Visit to a Dentist, without him knowing about it can be very Fatal. On your Theory same could apply to smoking Pot?

Just my two cents?

burn1337, Aspirin is derived from willow bark. http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blaspirin.htm And btw Aspirin is something I swear by. it has always eased me when I needed it and I will never replace it with tylenol. I do use Ibuprofen occasionally.

Well I think if the drug cartels are willing to off people for the mary jane, then the money will likely be worth the legalizing of it. Imagine the cartels crumbling. The criminals would be all.. Wait.. Dude.. WHAT? ehhee
The lives saved in that fashion would way outpass lives ruined by the everyday user. Everything under the sun has good and bad qualities.

Quote burn1337: Aspirin was originally made from THC (sorry I have no resource for that statement, though with some research I am sure it isn't hard to find).

Not quite accurate, according to the following quote:" 400 BC
Greek physician Hippocrates prescribes the bark and leaves of the willow tree (rich in a substance called salicin) to relieve pain and fever.

1832
A German chemist experiments with salicin and creates salicylic acid (SA).

1897
Chemist, Felix Hoffmann, at Bayer in Germany, chemically synthesizes a stable form of ASA powder that relieves his father's rheumatism. The compound later becomes the active ingredient in aspirin named - "a" from acetyl, "spir" from the spirea plant (which yields salicin) and "in," a common suffix for medications.

1899
Bayer distributes aspirin powder to physicians to give to their patients. Aspirin is soon the number one drug worldwide."

The above time line taken from: The History of Aspirin, who inveted aspirin and what is it's history.

It is possible you may be thinking about this relationship for a THC derived pain inhibitor: "Researchers are developing a marijuana-derived synthetic compound to relieve pain and inflammation without the mood-altering side effects associated with other marijuana based drugs.


They say the compound could improve treatment of a variety of conditions, inctluding chronic pain, arthritis and multiple sclerosis. Their findings were presented at the 224th national meeting of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society.

The compound, called ajulemic acid, has produced encouraging results in animal studies of pain and inflammation. It is undergoing tests in a group of people with chronic pain and could be available by prescription within two to three years, the researchers say.

"We believe that [the compound] will replace aspirin and similar drugs in most applications primarily because of a lack of toxic side effects," says Sumner Burstein, Ph.D., lead investigator in the study and a professor in the department of biochemistry and molecular pharmacology at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester. "The indications so far are that it’s safe and effective," he added."

The above quote taken from: Marijuana-derived compound targets pain, inflammation

Actually taken a high dose of aspirin, 4 tabs or so, will cloak the THC in your system......if your so inclined to do so.