Many people assume that marijuana was made illegal through some kind of process involving scientific, medical, and government hearings; that it was to protect the citizens from what was determined to be a dangerous drug.

The actual story shows a much different picture. Those who voted on the legal fate of this plant never had the facts, but were dependent on information supplied by those who had a specific agenda to deceive lawmakers. Check out the link below to see that the very first federal vote to prohibit marijuana was based entirely on a documented lie on the floor of the Senate.

http://www.drugwarrant.com/articles/why-is-marijuana-illegal/

It is a LOT harder to get prescription narcotics than people realize. Doctors are so scared they are going to be sued now. I had a major back injury last May, with surgery in September. I was in and out of the hospital at least a dozen times because no one would treat my pain appropriately. It took just about a year to finally find a pain management doctor who would take me seriously and give me the meds I needed to control my pain.

ive been on many blunt rides, and i rally do think its safe to say that the right weed, or any weed even, really isnt good to get behind a wheel. its definitely not like driving sober. you can just feel like doubley likeliness of crashing

I do hope that the blob's friends in the pharma industry thank him properly. Like leaving Nutley. What an ineffective, posturing fool.

That figures.....his pot bill would increase considerably due to taxation of his week-end weed/smoking binges....therefore less weed = less "munchie" time for the good governor......it's a joke folks....don't even bother to rebuttal this.

More limited government conservatism. I guess he just means limiting government programs that he doesn't like. What a hypocrite.

Well said TCG...Can you see Gov Christie smoking pot and getting the "munchies" ?? WOW..The man with more Chin's than a Chinese phone book would never get his helicopter off the ground then..

Spot on TCG, and while we're at it, let's legalize Prostitution - again, "legalize it, regulate it and tax it." We are missing out on huge revenue opportunities among other things. Let consenting adults make their own decisions about what to do with their bodies...

@Debbie O'Neill

Apples and oranges. Completely irrelevant argument. Grow up.

TCG: In response, one of the main reasons for NOT decriminilizing (sp) or flat out legalizing it is the very fact that we would empty out prisons and the corporate prisons wouldn't like that. They, and their workers (guards, etc) are some of the biggest lobbyists for maintaining the status quo. I read that the gateway drug for ALL drugs is beer. Big pharma and the corporate prison system will ALWAYS lobby against any sort of lowering of penalties for marijuana, for obvious reasons.

@Laxmom - the majority of "dealers" in suburban neighborhoods are just high school kids, most of whom don't have any other wares. Maybe if you go up the supply chain a bit, sure...

@RidgewoodResident.
as a young man, i would let u know that(idk how it is in ridgewood) but ive seen first hand, you would be incredibly surprised how many middle class white people with tons of money sell coke, weed, even acid and shrooms out of their suburbia homes. it really is the truth that they adults supply the more potent drugs

Define NORMAL.......Is normal what YOU say it is or believe? I got a feeling YOU are in the minority on this one..

Would you rather spend your dollars to control an herb or transform that herb into revenue?

And, yeah, what is normal to you? Ignorance and indifference?

Having had relatives on both sides of my family who died as a direct result of alcoholism, I can assure you that it is just as easy to waste your life and get gravely ill from legal booze.

@OhmaKnorr

You're kidding right? No one has ever died from marijuana. Ever. And just because you never experimented with it (and woulda probably had a blast if you had an open mind), doesn't mean you should wish ill on anyone.

It's like saying I hope your family gets hit by a truck because I disagree with you.

Watch out for traffic.

Normal is an odd word to use, if you just change one letter and go to this site you can read what NORML.org is..........lol........

What a pleasant outlook. "I hope people die because they spend their time in a way that doesn't affect me."

Follow the money ...

like?

Nothing would be better than legalizing pot. Big pharma has you brainwashed, sir.

Well we could start by legalizing gay marriage...oh wait, Christie vetoed that one too.

Keep Smoking America

If it ever was to be legalized, BIG Pharma would gobble up all of the revenue and take control of the sales and production

Vegetables are just as easy to grow yet grocery stores seem to be doing pretty well. Americans choose to buy instead of making themselves it will generate a lot of money. I know people who live totally UN-productive lives and they smoke nothing.

I know people who live totally unproductive lives from drinking, should that be made illegal again?

Oh yeah, and they've died from it too. Marijuana deaths...0

Read a book about it, it's really not bad for you. The main point here is that everything should be taken in moderation. Weed, alcohol, food...everything. Advocates on here are just saying that weed is a harmless drug that has never hurt anybody, and it doesn't deserve the punishment or the wrap that it's getting. Big pharma pours millions into keeping it illegal.

True, but what is the price of a pound of tomatoes, and what is the price for a pound of marijuana? I'm guessing the tomatoes are much cheaper and for most, not worth the effort to grow. Same with beer. You can have your own little micro brew in your house, but the cost and time involved is not worth it for most. If marijuana was legalized, what would you need? Some dirt and a lamp?

Well, if you wanna do it well it takes a little more than that. But yeah, dirt, lamp, water, and some TLC. It's weed, damn near grow anywhere.

Here's the difference... These people would probably still be leading unproductive lives if they DIDN'T smoke as well. On the flip side, some of the most succesful people I know smoke. I smoked when I was younger, daily. I had the perfect attendance record in school, I went to work every single day, I played sports, was in a band, ran 5 miles every morning, lifted weights at night. Most lead otherwise "normal" lives, and you wouldn't know that they smoke. But to those that say "I know so and so and all they do is sit inside and fry their brain cells", well, could I use the opposite? I busted my ass while I smoked, so does smoking make you MORE productive? Or are lazy people lazy, and productive people are productive, regardless of how they choose to relax after a hard day.

@Chris - "And stop with the alcohol comparisons when it comes to effects." WHY? Let's sit down together and you binge drink vodka and I'll smoke my brains out. Guess who's going to end up in the hospital, and who will just fall asleep?

And you think GWB didn't? He smoked, snorted and guzzled, and even admitted there were years of his life he couldn't even remember.

@OhmaKnorr Nice cop out, try answering the question about what is normal instead of attacking someone.

you say that cannabis is more potent than it used to be. all that means is people, need to smoke less to get their desired effect. cheeseburgers are more fattening and cars are faster, should we be worried about that? show the evidence of anyone getting lung cancer from only cannabis. you can get lung cancer and never smoke a cig or cannabis in your entire life. that is just your opinion not based on fact. driving under the influence is also a false opinion. i have personally driven while getting high and after getting high and never had a single problem. look at it this way....dumb people are going to be dumb, no matter if they smoke or not.

" i have personally driven while getting high and after getting high and never had a single problem."

"dumb people are going to be dumb, no matter if they smoke or not."

Couldn't agree more.

if the problem is that pot can lead to emphysema and lung cancer like cigarettes, then criminalize tobacco. Well, allow chewing tobacco, and hash brownies. there are many legal substances which cause stress and paranoia but somehow we don't see that as enough of a reason to criminalize anything else. Nicotine and alcohol are addictive. Come to think of it, so are complex carbohydrates, as ingestion causes a high and then a crash with cravings for more. The argument seems rather selective. I agree with the concern over road-side testing but the reasons beyond that seem rather unfairly applied.

Smoke it out of a vaporizer then, no carcinogens which is what cause it, not the cannabis itself. There, just cured your emphysema woes. Next?

Extremely potent: All that means is that people need to smoke less to get the desired effect. If anything it's better, as it means less smoke has to enter the lungs to get the same amount of psychoactive chemicals.

As UCLA professor Mark Kleiman writes, citing a University of Michigan study:
"Kids who get stoned today aren't getting any more stoned than their parents were. That ought to be the end of the argument...The average joint is now half its former size, so even if kids are smoking more powerful pot, they are smoking less of it. " 'Not your father's pot' is a great way to convince [boomer parents] to ignore their own experience, personal or vicarious, and believe what they are told to believe."

Can induce paranoia: Yes, while intoxicated.

Addictive: Less addictive than alcohol, as published in UK medical journal Lancet.
According to the Institute of Medicine, fewer than 1 in 10 who use cannabis become regular users.
For casual/recreational users, the potential for dependence is even lower than for medical and heavy

Emphysema: The study only finds risk among daily users. Regardless, I agree that smoking is a bad habit that is unnecessary due to new technology such as vaporizers or methods such as cooking.

Lung cancer: While marijuana smoke does contain carcinogenic chemicals, studies of marijuana smokers do not show a significantly higher incidence of lung cancer, and an even smaller difference in non-daily users. Some think that this is due to a lack of subjects that have regularly smoked for a long enough time, while others think that it may have something to do with the antioxidant effects of other chemicals in the drug. So that's really still up for debate.

Again, smoking is a bad habit, and people who use the drug should vaporize or orally ingest it.

He did mention in his statement that no deaths have been DIRECTLY attributed to cannabis. Meaning you can't overdose, as with alcohol, and it doesn't have nasty (short-term) side effects, as with some prescription drugs.

Driving under the influence is still going to be illegal even if marijuana is legalized, and officers can still use field sobriety tests to determine impairment, and then take them in for blood/urine tests if they appear impaired. Additionally, if marijuana is legalized, it will be a lot easier for researchers to research detection methods and such than it currently is.

@Ridgewood

Vapes are literally the tits.

Justin, while driving under the influence of marijuana is safer than driving while drunk, you're still twice as likely to get into an accident stoned than sober.

It is.

no its not harlan, a dui is a traffic violation

for your information i haven't smoke cannabis in over a year. i am a responsible father have a great job and i probably make more money in 1 day than you do in a whole year. yeah i must be high.

if i was drunk i would probably do that.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/06/27/us/florida-cannibal-attack/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

"Tests in cannibalism case: Zombie-like attacker used pot, not 'bath salts'"

Having traces in the system is not the same as being under the influence. Also:

-

An expert on toxicology testing said that marijuana alone wasn't likely to cause behaviour as strange as Eugene's.

"The problem today is that there is an almost an infinite number of chemical substances out there that can trigger unusual behaviour," said Dr Bruce Goldberger, Professor and Director of Toxicology at the University of Florida, US.

Dr Goldberger said that the medical examiner's office in Miami is known for doing thorough work and that he's confident they and the independent lab covered as much ground as possible. But it's nearly impossible for toxicology testing to keep pace with new formulations of synthetic drugs.

"There are many of these synthetic drugs that we currently don't have the methodology to test on, and that is not the fault of the toxicology lab. The challenge today for the toxicology lab is to stay on top of these new chemicals and develop methodologies for them, but it's very difficult and very expensive." Dr Goldberger said. "There is no one test or combination of tests that can detect every possible substance out there."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/9360976/Florida-cannibal-did-not-have-bath-salts-in-his-system.html

The most prevalent gateway drug is alcohol. It is readily available to children in their homes and is often the first intoxicant they try. We tried outlawing alcohol once... that didn't work out so well.

Parents who are lax about keeping alcohol away from their kids in their homes are simply too lazy to be bothered about a serious issue...then they end up hysterical when they get a call in the middle of the night and want to know why did this have to happen to us.

Yo, you are a moron.

Smoke some pot and realize that all you're going to do is enjoy everything a little bit more then wake up the next day feeling the EXACT same way you woke up the day before.

Gateway drug: beer, according to studies I've read. For ALL drugs. On the other hand, I once asked a drug/alcohol counselor (who had been an addict) what HIS gateway drug was and he said: SPINNING. Yes, like children do...turning around and around until he was so dizzy he fell down. But because he was an addict, he kept doing it over and over, couldn't get enough. Addictions can occur from anything, if you have an addictive personality.

"Gateway drug" is a semantic phrase made up by the same people who brought you "Just Say No" (how did that work out) and DARE (the single biggest instructor of what and how to get and use drugs young people have). You are clearly an agenda driven person with no ability to synthesize information and form your own opinion. PS: I'm way smarter than you are.

>> You are clearly an agenda driven person <<

People in glasshouses... Unfortunately, I am unable to generalize. I can only base my opinion of the specific cases in Mahwah that I personally know of.

"Only" pot was involved! THAT lead to theft at the workplace, driving while high - and those are LESS serious results (it went MUCH down-hill from there), and that is just ONE sample case.

Not addictive? These Mahwah teenagers would severely disagree with you. The things they were driven to do by their addiction can't be repeated here.

I invite you to attend any of the group therapy sessions on any given day in the various centers here in Bergen County and actually MEET the victims of their own addiction and open your ears and LISTEN to their stories - and with those FACTS in hand, you'll be able to ACTUALLY "think for yourself" instead of just making up your mind.

Would you please be so kind to provide the link as to the source of the claim you assert regarding marijuana intoxication?

Dear Liz,
I love you,
Best regards,
This Guy

Based on your productivity argument, we should legalize methamphetamine. Productivity would skyrocket, though our dental bills would probably eat up most of the financial benefits.

If you're going to make the productivity argument, then factor in the decreased expenses on the prison system, which could be put towards education, law enforcement that actually keeps us safer, or a nice tax cut. Also factor in the tax revenue from growing and selling.

In fact, why don't you take a look at this report, endorsed by Milton Friedman, as well as two other Nobel laureates and over 500 economists.

According to the report, legalizing marijuana would save $7.7 billion annually. If taxed with standard sales tax, it would yield $2.4 billion in revenue. And if taxed like alcohol and cigarettes, it would yield $6.4 billion in revenue.

http://www.prohibitioncosts.org

"Based on your productivity argument, we should legalize methamphetamine. Productivity would skyrocket, though our dental bills would probably eat up most of the financial benefits." hahahahaha!!

Ok, so then why don't we have laws against alcohol and tobacco, which can also be harmful to fetuses???

High fructose corn syrup ----> obesity ------> heart problems ------> heart attack ----> death. I think high fructose corn syrup should be made illegal by your logic. But i'm willing to roll the dice and enjoy my coca-cola, all 16+ ounces of it.

Moderation and good sense. Easy.

Again, can you provide anything that supports this claim such as a link to a website regarding heart defect issues in a newborn specific to marijuana.

YOURE LYING! AND THATS THEIR GENETICS FAULT, NOT THE POTS FAULT, IGNORAMUS!

Arguments for why it won't?

Fewer than 1 in 10 who use it will begin to use it on a daily basis.

Deaths due to driving under the influence are not deaths caused by marijuana, they are deaths caused due to moronic behavior. Weed doesn't impair your judgement in the same way alcohol does, and there's no excuse for driving when impaired.

How about just having your kids NOT use any mood altering chemicals that affect the brain and live their lives with sharp and clear minds?

LK, the fact that either ONE of those two choices are acceptable while driving explains the resulting accidents. Scary how some "parents" can't figure out how to say "No, absolutely NOT. Neither!".

I only hope that the impaired driver will hurt him-/herself and doesn't rob another family of their parent or child.

Yes! So we have strict laws against driving while under the influence of a controlled substance, be it booze or drugs. That makes sense. Spending our tax dollars arresting people for simple possession, and dragging them through the legal system does not make sense.

Driving under the influence is still illegal, even in states where marijuana is legal.

Besides, if people are willing to break the law and drive under the influence, do you think they're unwilling to break the law and buy drugs illegally? As Hookerman said, make penalties for DUIs harsher, and leave people to do things int he privacy of their homes alone.

Addictive and hazardous? Go ahead and list your facts, please. Not what the moving picture box said.

It is a sad state of society where political decisions are made based on ignorance and lobbyist propaganda rather than scientific fact.

It's also a sad state of the land of the free when individuals don't have the freedom to make a choice for themselves, take individual responsibility for their decisions, and then face the consequences. Welcome to the nanny states of America.

Based on that logic, then cell phones should be illegal... if you can't own one, then you can't text while driving with one.

@hookerman

Spot on. Everyone opposed is under the belief that if you smoke a little bit, you instantly become this debilitated, drooling retard that can't operate in society. Jamokes against it just regurgitate what the tv box told them.

I agree with you 100%.
If it is treated like a parking ticket, then some will just consider it no big deal. I double parked, I smoked a joint, I drove home while talking with my friend on the phone after I had a joint.
Its all good.

Should alcohol be illegal then, tryingtosurvive? You don't even get a ticket for that!

If pot's not addictive then stop using it for a few years. If you have any urge to want to use it again then that's called addiction. Such BS is spoken in order to condone getting that chemical good feeling.

Bro, then cheeseburgers are addicting by your standards. Cheeseburgers make me feel good. I'm not happy when I don't eat a cheeseburger. You can be mentally addicted to anything. But THC, doesn't have any physically addicting properties that you speak of. You won't exhibit physical signs of withdrawal if you were to stop cold turkey, not like heroin, meth, or pills.

Mental ones sure, I agree with you there. But like I said, I can haz cheeseburger.

Yes food is addicting as well, you're absolutely right, and so are benzo drugs, pain killers, alcohol, nicotine, street drugs and many other substances. Which ones do you prefer to be addicted to? Which ones are good for your health?

I'm not addicted to any of them, everything in moderation and you'll be aight. I'm just saying that it's wrong too make weed illegal citing that it's an addictive substance when as we both know, everything can be an addictive substance. If I had to be addicted to something though, it would be weed bc it's so harmless and I'll never ever OD on it.

"" it's so harmless"" If your brain could talk, it would say you're disrupting the work it has to do.

Again, you have no clue what you're talking about. If my brain could talk I'm sure it would say, "That ricky guy doesn't know shit about shit."

Good call brain, we're dawgs.

@Ricky

"If pot's not addictive then stop using it for a few years"

Fewer than 1 in 10 cannabis users begin to use cannabis on a regular basis.

Also, that logic is faulty. I COULD stop doing a ton of things, but I don't, because I gain pleasure from them, enough that the benefits outweigh the consequences. I COULD stop eating meat for a year - I'd rather not. I could stop listening to music for a year, but why would I? For most people, the benefits that they feel outweigh the consequences, which are very mild.

It's different from cigarettes, for example, where your body would physically have reactions and go into withdrawal if you tried to quit.

smart man. Moderation in everything.

Because it impairs your judgement and I don't want you sharing the road with me while your mind isn't sharp. Why can't you and others live your life without having any mood altering chemicals affecting your brain?

So I take you've never had a beer or glass of wine Ricky?

Ricky, driving under the influence is not legal in any state where marijuana is decriminalized or available for medical reasons. I would happily agree to a bill that legalized cannabis and then tripled the penalties for all DUI charges.

Also, can we ban alcohol, based on your logic?

Why can't you accept what other people do in their homes, that has no effect on you? Even if you disagree with others lifestyle choices, why insist on forcing your own morals on them?

""Also, can we ban alcohol, based on your logic?"""
There are less potent chemicals than alcohol that the FDA only allows sale by prescription only. If alcohol wasn't so ingrained in the economy wheel of this country, it too would only be available by Rx only. It has destroyed lives and relationships, causes tremendous health problems which we all end up paying for. Why bring another chemical into society's acceptance.

You realize that it's already on the way to acceptance, and nothing can be done to stop it, only slow it down? It's just a matter of when the next generation gets into office.

The point is also that laws should be consistent throughout. It defies logic as to why a more dangerous substance would be legal, while a less dangerous one would be illegal.

"""They give cancer patients marijuana""" which is the way it should be meaning available by prescription only. As for cupcakes, yes sugar is also addicting and it causes its share of health problems since according to you, it makes people 'fat'.

According to me? I think every doctor in the history of forever has got my back the "too much sugar" argument.

+1

What Republican said you can't drink Soda?

The changes in the law does not allow driving under the influence. So I'm not sure what point you are trying to make.

@Debbie

I sensed sarcasm b/c that's an oft-used argument to NOT decriminalize marijuana. On your team on this one. Not trolling, relax. Which of my comments is immature?

You wouldn't pay big "bux" The price would actually go down because it is no longer dangerous to grow and transport -- which compounds the actual price of the product. Companies would now grow in huge bulk, which would also bring the price even lower because growers currently can only operate in relatively small instances so as not to trigger federal enforcement.

And branding also plays a part into it. I would rather buy product from Johnson & Johnson over "Jojo" if it was available. And people don't drive miles and miles to search for gas, they go to where it's convenient first, then cheap.

"People need to stop telling others how to live their life." That's whatcha call a self-contradiction.

If you need mood altering chemicals in your body in order to enjoy your life, something somewhere along the way went wrong with your life. I won't stop telling others how to live their lives when I have to share the road with them, when I have to pay so much more in health insurance costs because people smoke, drink, take too many drugs, etc.

Ricky, as has been stated many times in this thread.

1. Driving under the influence of marijuana is already a crime, will still be a crime, and is a crime in every US state which has decriminalized or made available for medical use marijuana.

2. What makes you think that people willing to break the law by driving under the influence aren't willing to break the law by buying controlled substances?

3. While you should never be under the influence of either while driving, it is a lot safer to drive stoned than drunk. With your logic, we should ban alcohol as well. We could also go even further and ban cell phones, because some people are stupid and use them to send messages while driving.

4. Rather than punishing only those who put people at risk by driving, you're punishing the larger group of all marijuana users, when only a minority are driving when stoned. Not only does this punish "innocent" people, but it puts a large burden on the judicial system, the prisons, and the public budget. It would be much more effective to have a solution which targets the problem itself, such as making the penalties for DUI much harsher or allowing insurance companies to discriminate based on prior conditions caused by drug use.

5. What are the negative effects of vaporized or orally ingested cannabis that put such a strain on the health insurance system? Do tell.

""With your logic, we should ban alcohol as well""" We certainly should. It has destroyed lives and relationships, caused many deaths due to accidents and poor health. But it cannot be done because it is a spoke already ingrained in the giant economy wheel. Why bring in another chemical into society for acceptance that really should be available by prescription only. It's yet another step backward.

So the other four points still stand then?

Basically you're admitting what we already know. Alcohol is legal because of corruption and money, and cannabis is illegal because of corruption and money. It's really fascinating that some of the biggest donors against legalization are pharmaceutical companies, alcohol and tobacco companies, and synthetic fiber companies. But you think it's okay, just because one already has the financial backing.

Also, it's only a matter of time before it gains acceptance, and all you can do is stall.

Exactly!

Most people who use it may argue that they aren't escaping anything, but rather enhancing life. You aren't in some alternate reality when you're on pot, everything is just better -- tastes, smells, music, things feel better.

It's like addiding a glass of wine with dinner: you don't need it but it compliments the meal, tastes great, and makes you feel good...in moderation.

Why do you feel the need for any mood altering chemicals for "enhancing life" whether it be alcohol, nicotine, benzo drugs, street drugs, pot or whatever? So sorry that many out there never learned to enhance their lives without using chemicals. Very sorry to hear this.

I don't feel the NEED to do it, I want to do it.

No one wants your pity. And change "many" to "some" and you might be more accurate. I mean, look at the poll right now -- 96% want it decriminalized.

In addition to alcohol, any type of caffeine (coffee, soda, chocolate) has mood altering chemicals, as does sugar products (such as those containing high fructose corn syrup). Nicotine certainly alters your mood and has severe health consequences, as does fatty food.

So the point is; how come people can legally eat anything they want, consume as much alcohol and caffeine as they’d like, and use any type of tobacco product…. Yet we throw them in jail for just possessing marijuana. This what makes no sense at all, and is just a waste of our law enforcement and judicial resources.

"""consume as much alcohol and caffeine as they’d like, and use any type of tobacco product""" Just because people can find many other ways to ruin their mental and physical capacities, is that any reason to add yet another (by making pot legal)?

No one is talking about making it legal, we're talking about decriminalizing it. Christ, the whole point of the article and this bill is that it's ridiculous for someone to be penalized to such a degree for possessing such a harmless herb. It still wouldn't be legal.

Thanks for looking out for the entire United States though, you're just trying to protect us from ourselves, gee thanks ricky.

"" such a harmless herb"" You might think it's harmless but it's a mood altering drug and impairs concentration, decision making, etc as it disrupts brain chemistry.

""mood altering drug and impairs concentration, decision making, etc as it disrupts brain chemistry."" I'm not saying it doesn't do those things.

I'm saying so is damn near every substance that we've been over -- not a good reason for it be a criminal offense to possess it though. YES it has an affect on you and your brain, but that's not the argument here. The ultimate argument is that should it be a criminal offense to possess it, and it shouldn't because comparable drugs (even drugs that do much more harm) are legal, let alone just decriminalized.

Just stop, you're not right.

Sounds like a line straight from DARE "I don't understand why people NEED mind-altering substances to have a good time."

The reality being that aside from addicts, nobody NEEDS them to have fun, but they are one of many things in the world that are enjoyable. Why not do them? Just because they are "SUPER EVIL CHEMICALS OH NO". Seems to be the gist of your argument, as the points about DUI, negative health effects, and addiction potential have already been rebutted.

""The ultimate argument is that should it be a criminal offense to possess it, and it shouldn't because comparable drugs (even drugs that do much more harm) are legal"" Yes there are many other substances out there that are harmful, why have yet another one made legal? Is it for your convenience so you don't have to constantly looking over your shoulder? Is it for your convenience so you can walk down the street using it without nervously looking around?

For me it’s neither, since I don’t use pot. It’s so we don’t continue to waste tax dollars on law enforcement, court time, and jail cells on those caught for simply possession. Just look at the stories here on the patch on pretty much a weekly basis about the WT Police arresting some person for possession. I frankly think my tax dollars, which supports this police dept, can be put to much better use. Many have opined that the WT Police Dept is over-staffed, and making regular bust for possession isn’t going to solve that.

What I find hypocritical about conservatives (and I’m not saying you are one) is that they decry any kind of regulation on cigarettes, food, etc., as representing a ‘nanny government’ whose over-extended reach seeks to protect us from ourselves. For some reason, that argument flies out the window whenever the issue is pot decriminalization.

I'd also rather have my tax dollars go towards other causes besides locking up "criminals" who have committed crimes with no victim. I'd rather live in a state that values freedom over nanny state laws.

So you have established causality! Thank you Quincy, Medical Examiner! Im sure your multiple degrees helped your cut and paste those thoughtful words.

"There is an almost infinite number of chemical substances out there that can trigger unusual behavior," Bruce Goldberger, professor and director of toxicology at the University of Florida, told the Associated Press. "There are many of these synthetic drugs that we currently don't have the methodology to test on, and that is not the fault of the toxicology lab. The challenge today for the toxicology lab is to stay on top of these new chemicals and develop methodologies for them, but it's very difficult and very expensive. There is no one test or combination of tests that can detect every possible substance out there."

But, since it's "not" a gateway drug, that person had no reason to use anything else but pot, right? So -- pot it was!

Andy.

Many people who use harder substances have tried marijuana. No one denies that.

The point is that if you reverse the statement, it is not necessarily true.

The reason that gateway theory is so logically flawed is that it takes a fact like, "most users of hard drugs have used marijuana." and tries to say, "most users of marijuana will use harder drugs". The second is just NOT true. And even if it was true, which it is not, it would not prove causation.

So basically, opponents of marijuana legalization take a fact like, "most users of harder drugs have used marijuana" and twist it into, "marijuana makes you want to try other drugs."

So your saying decriminalization of marijuana would mean more people would go around driving while impaired, Why do you assume this? The penalties for this would not change as a DUI would still be a DUI, so I'm not sure why more people would now break this law.

A certain percentage of people overestimate their fitness to drive while impaired.

Consequently, the more people are UNDER the influence, the same percentage of people who still consider themselves fit to drive will now represent a larger number of DUIs.

There's an easy solution, which is to raise the penalty for DUI charges. In fact, I would gladly support this, not just for marijuana but for all substances.

Not to mention, legalization of marijuana would assist research, which would speed up the development of intoxication tests, similar to the Breathalyzer.

>> can the government restrict my right to drive <<

You don't HAVE a "right to drive".
You are only licensed to excercise your privilege to drive...

minus the right v. privilege thing, it's a good point.

I don't believe the lawmakers are working on a change to DUI laws?

You are trying to inject a fear of something that's not even on the table.

(Can a license/a privilege be revoked by the issuer/grantor? Certainly. It's your personal choice to maintain your adherence to the conditions of the license - or decide you no longer need it.)

states that have decriminalized marijuana or have legalized it for medicinal purposes have had DECREASED fatal driving accidents. it is believed to be caused by people replacing weed with alcohol. its not dangerous people, stop believing everything you hear in the media. smoke a freaking joint already. Agree completely with you, YEM

I'd work for you. What type of business?

This is about weed though.

I did not say that the majority of all drug dealers are suburban high school kids.

I said that the majority of dealers IN SUBURBS are (suburban) high school kids.

And again, my post does say that yes, your statement is more applicable if you move up the supply chain (i.e. "Where suburban kids get their weed to sell."). But most suburban, underage users do not buy directly from the source, or even outside of town.

Of course kids use other substances. But by far, the most commonly used substances are alcohol and cannabis. As you said yourself, you "work with addicted teens", meaning you probably have a higher than average ratio of exposure to users than sober kids.

Dominic - papers are great. Better is when you go and visit some of the detox/therapy meetings in Bergen County and hear first hand what teenagers (who have shown to be more susceptible to the additive properties) have done to themselves, their families, their employers - and their future outlook.

After gaining FIRST HAND knowledge you'll be able to form a qualified opinion.

http://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/special_subjects/drug_use_and_dependence/marijuana_cannabis.html?qt=dronabinol&sc=&alt=

Another study to show how marijuana is not addictive. There's an article on the internet somewhere that says sending children to rehab for marijuana is a waste of money for the parents because there is NOTHING to rehabilitate the kids for. I have FIRST HAND knowledge because I smoke myself, and actually just stopped for a month and a half until a find a new job. Papers ARE great because they're proof that all the stuff you are saying is BS. Please stop spreading false information, it's getting redundant and annoying.

Oh, and I would like to clarify one more thing. Marijuana has little to no PHYSICAL addictive properties. Meaning no withdrawals (you experience withdrawals from sugar, nicotine, alcohol, and even that cup of coffee you have every morning). Mental addiction on the other hand, could happen to ANYTHING. Whether it be video games, playing with your hair, or pot, it could happen to anything...

Tylenol kills more then marijuana yearly, caffeine kills more then marijuana yearly, and prescription pills kill more then marijuana yearly. You have these ideas drilled in your head, but they are WRONG and you're just too ignorant and thick skulled to understand.

Love how you don't even acknowledge the studies of professional scientists who have way more credentials then some guy preaching bullshit on the internet. I feel bad for you.

Really??? We've heard about people committing acts of violence in a drunken rage many times. Can you provide one story about someone committing an act of violence in a pot induced rage?

Maybe you're called a drone because you constantly parrot government and anti-drug talking points. Maybe you're called ignorant because you ignore the basic scientific facts and spout propaganda. For example, thinking that cannabis causes violence and anger, when the effects have been proven to be mostly mellowing.

No, we're angry because we live in the land of the free, yet a certain group of people think that they have the right to decide how others should live their lives.

As I have said over and over again, if people endanger others by driving, throw them in jail. But the vast majority of those prosecuted for possession have done no harm to anyone.

Also, you'd be a fool to think that prohibition actually works.

Hahaha you're a funny man Ricky. Did you know that with just ONE signature, the President can move marijuana from being a Schedule I drug? The President is the one to propose the legality of the substance to Congress, so yes, the President DOES decide the legality of marijuana. Funny how you couldn't respond to my ANY of my links posted, because it is SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE and studies that prove you wrong. I have been smoking for 2 years and I'm as mellow as can be, don't have any mood changes ESPECIALLY not anger. Funny how you can say it's a "chemical crutch" but there's people at bars every night destroying their brains, livers, and endangering people around them.

So yeah, this is why I call you an ignorant bastard. Because you are one.

Here's one more study showing how marijuana is NOT addictive. From Merck, who probably prescribes most of the pills you're taking (which are addictive)

-http://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/special_subjects/drug_use_and_dependence/marijuana_cannabis.html?qt=dronabinol&sc=&alt=

< thinking that cannabis causes violence and anger>
pot is a substance that disrupts normal brain chemistry, it is a mood changer and that can lead to anger problems, and anger problems in some individuals can lead to more serious issues, and yes many substances disrupt brain chemistry that are legal so why officially relax the law against using pot, we have enough substances that we don't need this as another 'chemical crutch'

Hookerman, how about the guy in Miami that ate the homeless man's face? Only pot was found in the toxicology report.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/27/rudy-eugene-face-marijuana-medical-examiner-results_n_1632253.html

"...makes it much easier to dumb down society."

Pretty sensationalist. Do you care to back up this broad statement? Does alcohol not "dumb" down society? If it doesn't, then why would the passage of a decriminalization bill immediately "dumb down society"?

< Decriminalizing marijuana will do nothing but good for the state> Why can't anyone live their life without a chemical crutch? And that includes nicotine, alcohol, other illegal drugs, I will not mind my own business as long as I share the road with you, pay higher insurance premiums due to the illnesses that develop from substances such as nicotine, alcohol, drugs and that includes weed.