In cross examination, ask people this: “If I have my own country, do I have the right to make pot legal?” (they say yes) “so you support my right to make my own choices no matter how bad they are?”
This approach is intuitively better for most people, because they will admit that they don’t have any ownership over folks in another country.
After reading some of the comments posted here it is hard to believe that they are made on a site that supports personal choice and self ownership of one’s mind and body. I know personal anecdotal stories don’t have much scientific weight but I have to remark that as a RN and with years of ICU experience I have never seen an overdose caused by smoking cannabis. The number one harmful drug that I saw on a daily basis was nicotine; it causes chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, (COPD), lung cancer, and other breathing problems. If cannabis caused any problems with lung function it was with bronchitis, caused by chronic smoking, usually it clears up when the individual quits smoking. Lung doctors where I worked have commented that you don’t see the same lung problems caused by nicotine with cannabis users. Others drugs like tricylic antidepressants, Tylenol, opiates, (prescription pain medicine), and of course alcohol were very common overdoses. Of the illegal drugs the most dangerous was cocaine, it causes many cardiac problems. Meth, (speed) also causes medical problems. One would think that if cannabis was such a big medical problem that the hospitals would be overflowing with its victims. The War on Drugs which is really a war on cannabis results in over 700,00 arrests annually and has become a big business, for instance everyone convicted of possession of small amounts of cannabis in Texas have to attend drug rehab and report to a probation office all at their own expense. It also gives the impression that people are seeking rehab for addiction problems with cannabis.
The idea that it causes people to waste their time and their life smoking cannabis seems to me to be beside the point. Some of us make choices in our best self interest and others of us make poor choices. Who decides the proper course to set for one’s life? Is it the individual or do we need a state committee to do it for us. Personally I think a life spent in the accumulation of wealth and material possessions is just as empty as one spent smoking cannabis all day long. People have to be free to make their own decisions and as long as those decisions don’t interfere with your equal right, then we shouldn’t intervene by using the force of law.
You are way off man, I have to wonder if you even have tried it. Smoking was the turning point for me starting to question things about society, and eventually led to me finding things like Austrian economics and philosophy. I can read faster and for longer periods of time while high. I can think better while high. Thanks go getting high I am no longer a Christian religious fanatic. There are even some theories that psychedelic plants such as weed were a major contributing factor as to why our ancestors evolved the minds that we have now. The main thing is you have to do make sure you get proper rest in between, if you try to be high 24/7 it will really wear you out, then you might start to exhibit the effects you just mentioned. Those are people with no self control.
It seems to have some really promising effects as well, possibly curing cancer. I think we have barely scratched the surface of it’s benefits. I also think if people got high off weed as much as people drink beer, they would think more about society and what is wrong with it.
If you smoked more you might not be so prone to use logical fallacies like “anyone who has been through high school can verify this”. [;)]
Also why are you being slothful and posting on a forum? Go do something productive. [H]