As of late, it seems that the movements to legalize Marijuana have gained some steam. Now this, in my opinion, is a horrifying idea. Maybe I'm not cool. Maybe I'm not hip. But if doing a drug that is a potential threat to the well being of myself or others is what it takes to be “cool,” than I want no part of the adjective. Now I understand that there are “pros” that go along with the legalization of the drug. Some argue that in moderation, weed is not worse than tobacco or alcohol. I don’t understand how this statement can even be considered a pro. In legalizing weed, the drug becomes nothing more than another substance for people to blame their bad decisions on. And while this may in fact be true, in many cases, weed is not used in restraint. Just like tobacco and alcohol, people often breach their limits; whether it is in a time of stress or in the midst of a good time, self control often goes astray.
I am disappointed to pronounce that my family background is checkered with substance abuse. So perhaps I am a bit biased to the proposal…or maybe I just have firsthand experience as to why legalizing any drug, even the one considered to be the most “harmless” would do more bad than good. My father’s brother, my very own uncle, is a person I am far from proud of. As a young adult, he smoked pot. But as he got older, as he got bolder, he became more and more interested in further extreme highs…which meant the use of heavier, more dangerous drugs. To this day, almost thirty years since he began to stroll along the road of substance abuse and heart ache, his infatuation with drugs is stronger than ever. Only now, in the place of Mary Jane, sits heroin and crack on the pedestal that is his addiction. I haven’t seen him in over a decade. The pain he has caused my family is a hurt that I can never forgive. And it all started with a single joint.
Marijuana is a gateway drug. Nothing or no one can convince me otherwise.
Whatever happened to getting high off of life? Times are far from easy these days…but sometimes we need to do, or not do, things for the greater good. A temporary high isn’t going to erase anybody’s problems. Cloud Nine may be a pleasant escape for the brief moment you sit upon it, but the moment you fall though, the moment a reality of substance abuse sets in, you realize that Cloud Nine isn’t your home. It’s not where you can live…and I believe most people will feel its true and lethal effects long after the high is gone.
So…what do you think?
I love reading your blogs by the way. But i agree with you 100%, i myself have never smoked anything, not a puff or huff or anything. The legalization of it is stupid, and like you said what goes up must come down. You can't live in that perfect moment for the rest of your life, you just have to face reality.! Great JOB!
ReplyDeleteI think that you are right. I would hate it if they legalize this because personally, i think it "messes people up" even though they think it helps, in reality it just makes everything worst. Its such a waste of money. Way spend money on something like that.
ReplyDeleteI personally do not smoke, to start off with. And i agree with you that weed is definitely a gateway drug, because after a while the high goes away, and in order to get the same high that you got before, you need to do something else.
ReplyDeleteMy personal opinion is that, if alcohol, and cigarettes are legal, then marijuana should be also, weed is actually better for you then cigarettes are and it has a less addictive rate then caffeine does. But the problem with my opinion, and I know this, is that people always abuse the drugs, alcohol, all of the drunk driving accidents, and cigarettes, just kill your lungs, throat and mouth.
I think that if weed is legalized then there should be a age limit, just like everything else, even though many people don't listen to that, and a certain amount before you can get arrested for it, and absolutely no driving!
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ReplyDeleteI'm going to be really out of place here, but I have to disagree with you. I base this on the amount of people going to jail for being in possession of marijuana, taking up space in jails instead of the real criminals. I also heard a story once from my psychology teacher that a friend of hers had cancer, and no medication made her feel well enough, so her doctor, under the table, suggested marijuana. She got it and it took away the physical pain enough for her to play with her kids again. Let's face it, it's illegal now, and still millions of people across america smoke it daily. So what's the point in wasting our tax money on putting people in jail, who are doing nothing to harm anyone else? They may decide it's ok to harm themselves, and that's freedom of personal choice. But it's the police's job to protect their respective citizens, and people smoking marijuana aren't the ones harming others. I've smoked marijuana before on more than one occasion, and even fell into a bad habit of doing it too often. But never once did I ever consider moving on to synthetic drugs (i.e. cocaine, heroin). That's just the choice the person makes and who they're around to introduce them to these drugs. But in no way shape or form does marijuana cause anyone to move on to harder drugs.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments everyone!
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, I am of course aware that many people smoke pot illegally today. I just feel that in legalizing weed, so many more people, who now would not risk getting in trouble, would want to try it. And like alcohol and tobacco, it would be abused by many. Perhaps it's not as "addicting" or "as bad for you" as tobacco or alcohol, but it would still be just another substance for our troubled world to fall back on. We don't need any more of those! We have too many already. I also feel that making marijuana legal would give off a bad impression to kids...sending the vibe that drugs are okay.
And Danielle, I agree with you absolutely no driving! Driving while intoxicated and driving while high are both dangerous endeavors have the same potential for tragedy.
And thanks for your perceptive Justin. I didn't mean that marijuana "causes" folks to to move onto other, more dangerous drugs. I've just seen and heard of people who have gotten curious about what else is out there...which in most cases have ended badly. While I still stand strongly by my beliefs, you've brought up some good points. So thank you.
I am going to go with Justin on this one. Many people who do smoke marajuana are stupid teenagers who just wanna try it. About half of them quit eventually with almost no harm done, unless they were stupid and drove while high( and if they do I think they are complete idiots ) I personally will never use and have been known to stop talking to friends that do. I do however have/had are many family members with cancer.
ReplyDeleteI would support legalizing marajuana for medicinal use because when it is used this way, it does reduce pain and nausea for patients and lets them live their lives a little longer. When I say this, ask yourslef, if you had cancer and were in such pain everyday that you couldn't or didn't want to get out of bed and the legal drugs weren't working, wouldn't you want to have another option?
This is where I stand though I do understand that marajuana is a gateway drug and don't like people who do drugs recreationally. I do also have a family member who we don't speak to because he does do drugs and my family has no tolerance for it now.
I think that it should be illegal because ive seen what it can do to people ive watch one of my friends destroy his life because all he wanted to do was to smoke and get high all the time. he lost his job got kick out of his house. then i watched him got from house to house untill he could not go anywhere these drugs that they say cant hurt you could hurt you more then you think when you let it take over your life so i think it should be illegal in every state.
ReplyDeleteWith marijuana, I think many peoples opinion sways. There are definitely positives and negatives about legalizing it. While yes, it has been proven to help many cancer patients, many people abuse it. I have a friend who has literally told me that they don't think they'll ever stop, that they couldn't imagine their life without smoking weed everyday, and this person realizes that later on in life there will be consequences. Every person that I know that has told me they smoke, isn't really a bad person. and it's sad to hear that your uncle had taken his drug addiction to higher levels. but I agree with Justin. It's all logical. there is nothing in marijuana that makes you addicted. it's not like smoking a cigarette with nicotine. you could smoke pot once and never be addicted. the whole 'legalization' deal is still way up in the air. I feel it should be legalized for medicinal purposes, but for personal everyday life, it's your own choice. it's like alcohol or tobacco. you chose whether you're into that type of scene and if it's not your style, you typically stray far away from it.
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