Though I tend to be conservative on many issues, one issue I strongly believe in is the legalization of marijuana in Texas. First off, why not? The last I checked, hundreds of thousands of people are dying each year in the U.S. from tobacco and alcohol use, Not Marijuana! In fact, noone is dying from smoking buda. Now I am not going to sit here and try to argue "marijuana isn't bad for you...It doesn't have negative effects, it doesn't make you lazy..." No way. I absolutely acknowledge the fact that smoking marijuana does inhibit your personality in one way or another. With that said, I also believe marijuana is one of the safer recreational drugs out there, as the numbers clearly show. Not to mention that marijuana actually has medical benefits; is a treatment for cancer, glaucoma, etc.. In analyzing the numbers, it seems absurd that marijuana would be illegal before tobacco and alcohol. Then why? "Traditions of men"...(that's my only explanation for the lunacy)...If legalized and taxed, marijuana would produce massive revenues for the state of Texas. Just think of how many marijuana fields we could fit in west Texas..Those massive revenues, combined with the money that the state wouldn't be spending on locking up all these petty ganga smokers and dealers, Texas would be sitting pretty...This current war on drugs isn't stopping anyone from smoking or dealing marijuana..By legalizing it, we could atleast get rid of one of the two by putting local pot dealers out of business..Many of whom are living off their pot dealing profits and never paying their taxes.
So, hopefully one day Texas and the rest of the United States will wake up to this great economic opportunity and legalize marijuana!!!
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3 comments:
A Harmless Drug
Marijuana users have been convicted of victimless crimes and have been incarcerated for using a harmless drug. I don’t see why marijuana is illegal in Texas. It is certainly less harmful to society than tobacco and alcohol. The two highest drug related fatality rates are caused by those who use alcohol or tobacco, which are currently legal drugs for most of the population. Nicotine is one of the most addicting drugs known to mankind. It is also one of the most widely used recreational drugs. It is the primary cause of lung cancer and contributes to a number of other serious health conditions including heart disease. Second hand smoke from tobacco is also toxic. Tobacco is so dangerous that it can kill people who do not even smoke. Marijuana is a much less harmful drug. It is outrageous to see tobacco smokers killing themselves and others while a perfectly reasonable alternative as a social drug is illegal. I believe that tobacco smokers would switch to marijuana if it were socially acceptable, or legal in other words. Alcohol can be dangerous because it causes people to become foolish, distracted, and violent at times. Drunk drivers kill thousands of people a year on the road. Almost any drug can be safely used with moderation, which is the way alcohol is supposed to used. But, how many people do you know who only have one or two drinks? Probably not very many. When was the last time you heard about a marijuana user killing someone on the road? I have seen my fair share of violent alcohol abusers. On the other hand, I have not seen many violent marijuana users. Marijuana is a social drug which is much safer than tobacco or alcohol. I do not see how these drugs can be legal, while marijuana users are going to jail and being fined left and right. Lives have been ruined by the felon title given to marijuana users by the courts for a victimless crime. I say legalize marijuana. Legalizing marijuana would stop a huge amount of illegal smuggling into our country. The nation and state would be a much safer place if smugglers and drug dealers were cut out of the picture and the government regulated the usage of marijuana. Does use of marijuana make a person stupid or lazy, a traditional criticism against users of marijuana? The answer is: marijuana doesn’t make a person stupid or lazy. If one is stupid and lazy before one smokes, one will be stupid and lazy after one smokes. Finally, a marijuana plant can be used to make textiles, medicines, oils, and nutritional supplements. There are many industrial applications in which the plant can be used. There is an explosive potential for it in our market. For all of these reasons, I would hope to see marijuana legalized for social use in Texas.
While I usually don’t hop on the “legalize it” bandwagon very quickly, you make a pretty decent argument for the cause. It IS quite curious that the government seems to prefer booze and tobacco over weed, considering the grip they have on society and death toll associated with them. There’s no doubt that enormous revues would be generated from the taxation of marijuana, but you forgot to mention the decrease in crimes that are associated with the distribution of illegal substances. As a result of making it legal to possess it, all crime associated with its distribution would be no more. That’s a lot of crime! Imagine how many organization’s operations are dedicated to the movement of weed. These groups stop at nothing to see that their business thrives, and the characters involved frequently do not shy away from breaking the law to see that it does. Also (as I’m sure you’ve noticed), alcohol is a far more intoxicating substance. Sometimes I am amazed at its legality considering the alcohol related death figures. Having had extensive experience with both substances, I can say that there is no amount of marijuana that one can intake that could deprive one of their faculties on the level that alcohol does. I agree with you whole-heartedly in that the reason that alcohol is legal and marijuana is not is “traditions of me”. We have written record indicating that the consumption of alcohol has been socially acceptable since the establishment of written record and marijuana didn’t come into the public spotlight until the early 20th century. It still have a strange and unknown characteristic about it that the public hasn’t shaken yet. It would be very interesting to see what the fallout of legalizing cannabis would be.
I agree, marijuana should be legalized.
I think the government's problem with marijuana is that it would make so many drugs unnecessary. Hmm... I wonder how many government officials are financially attached to the FDA or drug companies...?
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