It's less harmful than alcohol so I can't see how people can justify alcohol being legal & cannabis being illegal. Overall I think people have a right to do what they want with their bodies but the lack of information on the effects of long term use could cause people to end up with serious health issues. I knew people in college who insisted that weed is not only not bad for you but that it is good for you, that your brain "needs" it. The reality is like any drug it does have some negative side effects (decreased dopamine levels with frequent use, increased heart rate which could cause an increased risk of heart attack). It would be awesome if the medical community would be willing to seriously investigate the pros & cons of using cannabis both medicinally & recreationally but with the current federal laws that is very hard and not exactly profitable research.
I do think my state will end up legalizing it. MA is just too liberal for there to be any other outcome. I'm ok with that because hopefully that will mean I can get CBD oil cheaper. I use it topically to help with my chronic pain & it's one of the few things lessens the burning & stabbing sensation in my leg. Plus it smells yummy
I am definitely for the legalization of Marjuana both medicinal and also recreational - it has proven to be LESS harmful for grown adult humans then both alcohol and tobacco and those are both legal. We just need to pass the nationwide legalization so we can ID buyers to ensure kids under 21 do not get access and also just tax the fuck out of it as we have a HUGE deficit in our budget and this could only help! I think that children should NOT smoke marijuana as it has been proven to cause cognitive development issues in those under a certain age but those over the age of 21 should be able to get medicinal grade/quality product from a store and smoke in the privacy of their own home. It is a plant, locking up a disproportionate amount of poor and urban youth over it and ruining their future(s) is a farce perpetrated by the corporate prison systems of the USA - ...Legalize and tax it man - smoke up y'all, I have actually debated moving to Seattle as they seem to have the right idea!
I'm in California, it will become decriminalized here. Hell, drug possession as a whole has now become a misdemeanor because of the prison population problem.
Personally, it's been long overdue to decriminalize. All that money cartels make bringing it across the borders suddenly dries up, all those otherwise decent people imbibing a drug less harmful than alcohol aren't breaking the law anymore.
I don't partake, and wouldn't consider it until it was decriminalized at the federal level. But I don't drink either, except frankly I despise drunk people. Stoned people though don't tend to start fights when high as far as I've seen.
People are allowed the freedom to ruin their lives in many ways. I don't do drugs and I don't partake of alcohol but so long as someone isn't putting anyone else in jeopardy, such as drinking or smoking and operating heavy machinery, and the state isn't on the hook to pay drug-addled stoners entitlements so they don't have to work, then let people live their own damn lives.
Love you, too
