<p>How is weed any worse than alcohol or cigarettes?</p>
<p>I just feel it would be wrong to introduce another vice into our society. The argument that cigarettes are not worse than weed, or vise versa is not relevant. You have to be pragmatic and face the facts: cigarettes are going no where. They are here to stay, with all the money that is involved and what not.</p>
<p>Weed, alcohol, and cigarettes are all bad.</p>
<p>Although I think some are worse than others.</p>
<p>For example, I think alcohol is okay for you if you don't have that much of it.</p>
<p>Alcohol can even have some health benefits when used in moderation, and all of its effects are easily repaired by the body unless its taken in excess quite often. Alcohol doesn't "kill brain cells" or any of that other crap people say.</p>
<p>But smoking (anything, not just weed) is stupid, pure and simple. There are no health benefits whatever (don't give me the medical marijuana bit, thats ludacris - pain relief is not marijuanas primary effect and should not be used as such), and the damage to lungs and respiratory system in general are often life-threatening. Even people who don't smoke 3 packs a day are at risk for these health problems like cancer, COPD, etc. </p>
<p>Your digestive system is pretty stong, and metabolizing alcohol isn't that hard on it. The respiratory system has some good defenses as well, but once you're in the lungs, most of that is gone in favor of being able to facilitate quick gas exchange. Intentionally inhaling smoke is just stupidity. So from a a health standpoint, weed is just as bad, if not worse, than cigarettes. But there is also the societal problem that its main effect is "getting high".</p>
<p>Alcohol is not BAD. It is bad for kids 'cause they're not fully developed yet. It can be bad if you have too much of it, but so can food.
I know this isn't good, but sometimes I have vodka (screwdrivers) when I'm bored. o well. It's relaxing tehehehe.</p>
<p>Actually, a lot of alcohol has been proven to be beneficial in moderation. Beer was just found to decrease the rate of prostate cancer and wine has been proven to help the heart.</p>
<p>The reason why legalization of marijuana would not be good is because the government would never legalize marijuana at its current potency. If marijuana would be legalized, it would be with a THC level of around 5%...However, good quality marijuana, such as chronic, can have THC levels of over 20%. There would still be a black market for marijuana even if it is legalized.</p>
<p>Plus the fact that the alcohol corporations are one of the 5 most heavily taxed industries in the US...with cigarettes being the #1. There is no black market for alcohol because it is very dangerous to produce at home. This is not the case for marijuana. People would just be growing it themselves instead of buying the heavily taxed marijuana that would be produced by the companies.</p>
<p>note: I do support marijuana for medicinal purposes.</p>
<p>ps: Icarus, there was a study just released by UCLA that showed that marijuana is does not increase the risk of lung cancer...so no, it doesnt have often life threatening side effects of the respiratory system. <a href="http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_33975.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_33975.html</a></p>
<p>Hawaii is trying to legalize it.
There is saying that goes: "Our island's on ice because marijuana is illegal"</p>
<p>That's kind of stupid, but I do support the legalization.</p>
<p>Its not any worse, they should all be banned.</p>
<p>Why should something that helps you, such as beer and wine, be banned?</p>
<p>Thats like saying aspirin or ibuprofen should be banned.</p>
<p>What we need to do is make the DWI laws more harsh so that people think that their first time getting caught is like a free pass...because it is.</p>
<p>And lower the drinking age. I am guessing US probably has more under 21 drunk driving accidents than any other country.</p>
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<p>"Why should something that helps you, such as beer and wine, be banned?"</p>
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<p>if you think drinking a depressant is benneficial, then you deserve to drink it. It doesnt matter what study you read, nothing can be proven and so many studies have been false in the past that, you shouldent even consider putting toxins in your body.</p>
<p>My Family is a wine maker is Sicily, its where my name comes from and we have alot of history in wines. We even named our own grape after ourselves. I can tell you that there aint no good in consuming toxins. I know that first hand.</p>
<p>If you drink or smoke, and have other addicions whether it be food or sex it just means that you are a very weak person. Those who do not are stronger people. A person who can say they dont rely or need anything will be alot better off.</p>
<p>I only drink natuarrly occuring liquids, water and juice from organic fruits.</p>
<p>how is wine, caused by the fermentation of sugar, unnatural?</p>
<p>and i love how you just scoff at years of research by the leading universities in the world...im sure YOU have done much more qualified research in your lifetime!</p>
<p>The key word is moderation.</p>
<p>Making something illegal does not descrease it's use. If marijauna was legal it probably wouldn't be nearly as much of a problem.
And the drinking age definitely should be lowered.</p>
<p>If prohibition hasn't taught anything to the overwhelmingly controlling hitlers--want to take everybody's freedom of choice away, then I don't know what will: weed, whether legal or not, is out there in ABUNDANCE... in fact it wouldn't take me but a few phone calls to hook a sack!</p>
<p>I come from a Greek-American family. Those people drink wine like milk! I am very used to alcohol in moderation and see no problem with it.</p>
<p>Alcoholism is very bad for family and community, but drinking in moderation is something that is embedded in human civilization. Everyone from professors to doctors and presidents to bankers drink a glass of wine at dinner on occasion. It is silly to think a free country shouldn't allow that. In fact I feel that the drinking age should be lowered to 18...because that is when we are allowed to vote and be drafted. Also, I feel that the sooner someone is exposed to it in a good and healthy light, the easier they will be able to handle it. (like my greek family)</p>
<p>I think most people are much more likely to do something only becuase it's illegal. I really don't like drinking alchohol, but I would do it only because I'm not supposed to. 18 year olds are legally adults in everything but drinking.</p>
<p>If you are 16 you can drive multiton vehicles, if you are 18 you can buy long guns...Why do you have to wait till 21 to drink fricken fermented sugars? America honestly has some of the world's most retarded laws.</p>
<p>I am Italian and Irish, I live with my Irish side of my family. I know what heavy drinking is, my uncle drinks 2 shot of 195 proof pachine every morning. Where we live in the bronx, on 1 street within 5 blocks of bronx size, we have 26 pubs, we then have another ave on the norther part of our town, that has 18 pubs within 3 blocks. We have bars for every type of irish person, notherern or southern. The Bars and local stores will serve alchohol no matter what kind to any person of any age. US and NY state laws dont apply here, well then do put nobody cares, beause the majority of the NYC police force in thr bronx in our area is of irish decent as well as the firemen and EMT.</p>
<p>i know what heavy and modrate drinking does. But hey its your body.</p>
<p>bobbobbob, may I ask if you suffer from a mental deficieny, becauce your comments are just idiotic you need to use googlea tad more.</p>
<p>People under 21 ARE allowed to consume alcohol in the U.S. They just have to have one of their parents present (with permission from them). 21 isn't some arbitrary number the gov't pulled out of its butt; it's the age that people are generally mature enough to handle drinking according to research. Texas does a lot of research on the subject for "drinking and driving prevention" purposes and I remember from one study that either 1 or 2 teens in 3 killed in car wrecks in texas were involved with alcohol at the time. And you would be interested in giving kids EASIER access to alcohol? Maybe you guys should check out some logic courses at college.</p>
<p>I love that cop-out that if I can do other dangerous things then I should be able to drink alcohol. If you're so worried about keeping laws similar then why don't you complain about how low those age requirements are instead of using them to justify youth consumption of alcohol.</p>