An article on CNN, about legalizing marijuana use, really got me thinking about that subject. Well really, that got me thinking about alcohol v. marijuana. For the record, I'm not Rick James (b*tch) and I have never been "in love with Mary Jane." However, we did go out a couple of times or more. As for alcohol, I have had my share. In fact, I have had my share and the shares of a couple of other people over the years. Let me also state, that I am not a medical doctor (love doctor, but that is a topic for another post), nor do I have any vast knowledge on chemical dependency. Now that we have all of that out of the way..
My big question here is.... What exactly is the difference between marijuana and alcohol, as far as legalization goes. I haven't yet decided, which side of the legalization argument I fall on. Speaking from personal experience, I'm not sure that I can think of a drastic amount of difference between marijuana and alcohol. They are both mind altering substances. Abuse of either can have negative effects on ones mental and physical well being. Some will argue that marijuana is a gateway drug. I can only speak to that from personal experience. I have never done any other drugs. I am of the opinion, that you are always going to have people that are going to be experimenters. Now, that is not a justification for drug use. What I mean by that is, there are going to be people that will use marijuana and then move on to other "harder" drugs. By that same token, there are going to be people, like Rick James, that fall in love with Mary Jane. I really can't see how marijuana could be considered a gateway drug, but alcohol is not.
There was a time, of course, when alcohol was illegal. Some make the argument that we're wasting money arresting people that are using marijuana recreationally, for lack of a better term. I believe that that was one of the arguments posed, when it came time to legalize alcohol (I'm not 100% certain of that fact). I'm not sure that we can call that a valid argument. The fact is, right now, marijuana use is illegal. If someone is arrested while engaging in an illegal activity, then I can hardly consider that a waste of time.
Flatulent Fuzz
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5 comments:
I've engaged this discussion many many times, both publicly and privately, with a variety of actors who come down at various places on the spectrum.
My personal view is that the legalization of marijuana would be a very bad move, and I think I can make a pretty good argument on that side of the issue. I also have personal experiences with the drug which help to inform my position.
One of my arguments has always been that I'm not particularly excited about the prospects of having "pot" readily available for purchase at the corner drug store, so to speak. And that's what we'd have if marijuana were legalized to the extent that alcohol is. Not to mention that in a capitalist society like ours, legalization of pot would drive the price down so that more people would be more able to use the drug more often. Another prospect I'm not particularly excited about.
You mention cautiously the term "recreational use" in association with using marijuana, and rightly so in my opinion. I personally have a hard time making a clear distinction between a "recreational user" of pot and a "dependent" on the drug. The "recreational" users I know (and I do know some) "take a trip and never leave the farm" virtually on a daily basis. In other words, they don't miss many days, if any, of "recreational" pot smoking. Yes, they keep it confined to their homes and have certain hours of the day set aside for their use for the most part, but that's largely, if not wholly due to the illegality of their habit.
In addition, the stereotypical "pothead", meaning for our purposes here someone under the influence of the drug acting a certain way (abnormally), is very real and perfectly legit from my experience. That's all we need in our already over-indulgent, our-tolerance-knows-almost-no-bounds society, a situation in which would-be stoners would enjoy protection from the force of law.
But anyway...
To the best of my knowledge, smoking marijuana has an immediate and permanent affect on your blood vessels and possibly your brain.
Oh, and alcohol and cigarettes are both considered gateway drugs.
I'll stick to chocolate-lol.
Nice blog. I appreciate the sense of humor.
Mom-
Thanks for the kind words. I hope that you will add me to your regular rotation of blog visits.
Flatulent Fuzz
How could I not?
That restroom etiquette post is too humorous to miss.
If Marijuana is a good thing than it should be legalize otherwise not.
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