Legalize it?

[DemonXia]

I'm from the Netherlands and pot is legal here within restrictions, but because it is legal here I know I shouldn't do it by just looking at the people who use it everyday. Although they might also use other stuff then just pot, I don't know. I have tried it myself once and I don't like it at all.

And for Same-Sex marriage as it is also possible here, I think they should make that possible in the US as well. I mean When people love each other, no matter what eiter parties gender is, I think they should be able to get married like any other couple.

[CheerfullyInsane]

Um...it is legal in lots of other countries. Perhaps someone from outside the States could weigh in so we can wrap this up?

I think a better question for those of us in the US is, which will be legalized first: pot or gay marriage?

Pot. No way is gay marriage getting legalized on a federal level in the US. Ever.
Even if the Democrats hold both houses *and* control the Supreme Court bench, any politician seriously lobbying for it can kiss his chances of re-election good-bye.
In a country where you can't get elected for anything without professing some variation of the christian faith, gay marriage is DOA.

As to whether pot *should* be legal....
Yes, of course. As should any other recreational drug past, present and future.
Get it regulated, taxed and take some of the social stigma off the users. Not only will it increase the general health (no shared IV-needles, cleaner drugs etc.) it'll also cut off funding to some major players on the international scene. Say goodbye to the Cali Cartels for example.
Not to mention that 80% of the worlds poppies (and thus heroin) is grown in Afghanistan funding some fairly angry guys who don't exactly wish the Western world health and fortune.
Besides, it's not as if it's unheard of......
100 years ago opium derivatives (such as laudanum) were over the counter drugs.
50 years ago you could buy Benzedrine (amphetamine-derivative) in any drugstore.

The counter-argument is that it is the governments business to protect it's citizens against self-destructive behaviour. And apparently that takes precedence over protecting everyone else against the crimes that invariably follows illegal drugs, such as burglaries and muggings.
Not to mention the huge amounts of money it costs to lock up all these drug-dealers. Take away the the immense mark-ups involved in drugs (80,000% from poppies to heroin), and my guess is that you'll find a lot of dealers suddenly unemployed.

Cheerfully

[Bandit224]

In a country where you can't get elected for anything without professing some variation of the christian faith, gay marriage is DOA.

That is only due to the fact that Richard Nixon gave rise to the brain-dead religious right-wing extremists in the United States, as well as America's puritan background. When the rest of America wakes up and votes against them, the country will be restored to its former glory. Unfortunately, with lobbyists backing the extremists, the lobbyists being backed the Supreme Court and the Federal Reserve, and the Federal Election Commission, as well as many other government agencies, being corrupt as all hell, it'll be difficult for people to wake up.

The United States is collapsing into a state of civil war, and they'll take everyone else with them. I think people will eventually wake up before that actually happens.

[tBone]

damn straight, but what should be the legal age to purchase? something tells me it would be 21

It should be 21. I am a firm believer that it shouldn't be in highschool. If not for the same reasons alcohol should not be in highschool

It being 21 isn't going to keep it out of highschool, anymore than keeping alcohol 21 is keeping it out of the hands of highschoolers. Most of the world has a drinking age that is the same as their voting age, so I don't see why it can't be tied to "drinking age".

which is 18 in most places.

Well, the voting age should be 21 too. I am 20, and I know for a fact that me and everyone else I know was sure as hell not matured enough to be considered an adult at 18. I am turning 21 in 3ish months and I still don't feel me or most of the people I know my age have fully matured yet.

As far as it being out of highschool, you clearly have no idea how much easier it is to get pot on a regular basis than alcohol. http://healthland.time.com/2011/12/14/t ... ohol-down/

When they raised the legal age to buy cigarettes in New Jersey from 18 to 19, I personally saw a drastic decrease in the amount of kids smoking at my school.

[Bandit224]

I am turning 21 in 3ish months and I still don't feel me or most of the people I know my age have fully matured yet.

Most people at any age are not matured mentally. I've met several 10 year old people that are wiser, and far more intelligent, than most 60 year old people. I've also met several 60 year old people that are wiser, and far more intelligent, than most 10 year old people.

[tBone]

I am turning 21 in 3ish months and I still don't feel me or most of the people I know my age have fully matured yet.

Most people at any age are not matured mentally. I've met several 10 year old people that are wiser, and far more intelligent, than most 60 year old people. I've also met several 60 year old people that are wiser, and far more intelligent, than most 10 year old people.

Being wise and intelligent don't necessarily reflect maturity. Maturity is used to indicate how well someone responds to a given situation and is something that is learned from experience above everything else. Then there is the fact that our frontal lobe, which affects our decision making, isn't fully developed until our early 20s. Even then it isn't fully developed.

Sure, there are a few people who get the experience and develop their frontal lobe faster than others or slower than others, but they are the exception. Most people accumulate both of these by their early 20s, hence why adulthood should be unlocked in the early 20s.

TBH, the higher it can be set, the better. Up to a reasonable point. I would rather only have people who actually understand the consequences of their actions be able to drink/smoke vs being able to drink/smoke at an earlier age because "i want to".

[Velo]

I am turning 21 in 3ish months and I still don't feel me or most of the people I know my age have fully matured yet.

Most people at any age are not matured mentally. I've met several 10 year old people that are wiser, and far more intelligent, than most 60 year old people. I've also met several 60 year old people that are wiser, and far more intelligent, than most 10 year old people.

Being wise and intelligent don't necessarily reflect maturity. Maturity is used to indicate how well someone responds to a given situation and is something that is learned from experience above everything else. Then there is the fact that our frontal lobe, which affects our decision making, isn't fully developed until our early 20s. Even then it isn't fully developed.

Sure, there are a few people who get the experience and develop their frontal lobe faster than others or slower than others, but they are the exception. Most people accumulate both of these by their early 20s, hence why adulthood should be unlocked in the early 20s.

TBH, the higher it can be set, the better. Up to a reasonable point. I would rather only have people who actually understand the consequences of their actions be able to drink/smoke vs being able to drink/smoke at an earlier age because "i want to".

People younger than 21 can have full time jobs, live on their own or have started families... You can legally get married and start having kids at 18. I find it inconceivable that anyone could be thought responsible enough to raise a child, yet not to drink alcohol or smoke.

If you want to keep the tough decisions away from young people, raising the age you can buy alcohol and such isn't the way to go. Besides, an 18 year old can get his/her hands on smokes/drinks if they want to. Legalizing it just increases the chance they'll do it with some form of supervision.

[masterstroke]

The age for purchasing alcohol and tobacco products should be 18.

You can enter into a contract, vote, and enlist in the military at age 18. (You can enlist in the military at age 17 with parents' consent in the U.S.).

If you're old enough to die for your country, you're old enough drink and buy tobacco products. If not, then raise the age of responsiblity for everything back to 21 (voting, entering into a contract, ect).

I tired of the nanny state mentality that has developed in the U.S. Too many people telling others how they should live their lives.

[tBone]

People younger than 21 can have full time jobs, live on their own or have started families... You can legally get married and start having kids at 18. I find it inconceivable that anyone could be thought responsible enough to raise a child, yet not to drink alcohol or smoke.

If you want to keep the tough decisions away from young people, raising the age you can buy alcohol and such isn't the way to go. Besides, an 18 year old can get his/her hands on smokes/drinks if they want to. Legalizing it just increases the chance they'll do it with some form of supervision.

A) Having a job is irrelevant. That has more to do with responsibility. I had a part-time job at 14 and a nearly full-time 17.

B) I am a firm supported the child birth should be regulated. There should be a system in place that prevents those in situations un-fit for children from having kids.

C) This has nothing to do with "tough decisions". This is about safety. How many incidents of drinking and driving are for those under 21? A lot less than there would be if the drinking age was 18. The reason for this isn't because they are not drinking, it is because they know if they get caught, they are going to be royally fucked.

[tBone]

The age for purchasing alcohol and tobacco products should be 18.

You can enter into a contract, vote, and enlist in the military at age 18. (You can enlist in the military at age 17 with parents' consent in the U.S.).

If you're old enough to die for your country, you're old enough drink and buy tobacco products. If not, then raise the age of responsiblity for everything back to 21 (voting, entering into a contract, ect).

I tired of the nanny state mentality that has developed in the U.S. Too many people telling others how they should live their lives.

Everything should be 21. While I agree that there may be too many laws, a good portion of them are their for a reason. I mean if you want a bunch of 16 year old drunk drivers driving around your town, more power to you.

[Buster Channel]

I disagree, I just recently graduated highschool and you would not believe how many kids use tobacco, alcohol, and pot. Just about every kid I knew used one or the other. I think 18 should be the legal age to buy alcohol. All 21 does is make something thats already available a little harder to get. And ironically the substance that is illegal (marijuana) is the easiest to get out of the previous list. I think that younger people need to be better educated about using alcohol in particular. Seeing that alcohol relatated motor vehicle accidents are dramatically less in the U.K than in the U.S means something. But as far as pot goes if it were legalized the legal age of purchase would probably be 21. Seeing that pot does impare you to a certain extent. I figure MADD or some interest group would flip their shit about it

[Human]

The age for purchasing alcohol and tobacco products should be 18.

You can enter into a contract, vote, and enlist in the military at age 18.

If you're old enough to die for your country, you're old enough drink and buy tobacco products. If not, then raise the age of responsiblity for everything back to 21 (voting, entering into a contract, ect).

I tired of the nanny state mentality that has developed in the U.S. Too many people telling others how they should live their lives.

+1
The marriage and having kids by 18 has been mentioned.

It is also legal to go into porn by 18.

Doesnt make sense AT ALL then not to be able to buy alcohol till 21.


Did a quick look at the wiki article on marijuana. Seems like tobacco is worse then pot.

Anyone know why marijuana was banned in the first place and tobacco not?

[tBone]

The age for purchasing alcohol and tobacco products should be 18.

You can enter into a contract, vote, and enlist in the military at age 18.

If you're old enough to die for your country, you're old enough drink and buy tobacco products. If not, then raise the age of responsiblity for everything back to 21 (voting, entering into a contract, ect).

I tired of the nanny state mentality that has developed in the U.S. Too many people telling others how they should live their lives.

+1
The marriage and having kids by 18 has been mentioned.

It is also legal to go into porn by 18.

Doesnt make sense AT ALL then not to be able to buy alcohol till 21.


Did a quick look at the wiki article on marijuana. Seems like tobacco is worse then pot.

Anyone know why marijuana was banned in the first place and tobacco not?

Because of original misconceptions about cannabis. By the time the misconceptions were cleared up the tobacco industry had taken off and have been lobbying against it.

[tBone]

I disagree, I just recently graduated highschool and you would not believe how many kids use tobacco, alcohol, and pot. Just about every kid I knew used one or the other. I think 18 should be the legal age to buy alcohol. All 21 does is make something thats already available a little harder to get. And ironically the substance that is illegal (marijuana) is the easiest to get out of the previous list. I think that younger people need to be better educated about using alcohol in particular. Seeing that alcohol relatated motor vehicle accidents are dramatically less in the U.K than in the U.S means something. But as far as pot goes if it were legalized the legal age of purchase would probably be 21. Seeing that pot does impare you to a certain extent. I figure MADD or some interest group would flip their shit about it

A) Just because everyone has access to it, does not make it right.
B) That is exactly what an age limit is suppose to do, make it harder for minors to get.
C) Cannabis is the easiest to get because... it isn't regulated by the government, derp.
D) People do need to be educated in the matter, schools like to play it off like it isn't a problem when it is.
E) What does the UK do differently?
F) Mind impairment substances should not be in highschool, hence why it shouldn't be available to 18 year olds.
-The argument could be made for the legal age to be 19 or 20 which is when most teens graduate, this would probably be acceptable. Boils down to "choice vs health". I personally choose health.
-By health I mean the health of the community, not the person. You are more likely to make bad decisions when you drink or smoke, especially if you haven't matured, that could affect the lives of the people around you.

[SissyTashi]

C) This has nothing to do with "tough decisions". This is about safety. How many incidents of drinking and driving are for those under 21? A lot less than there would be if the drinking age was 18. The reason for this isn't because they are not drinking, it is because they know if they get caught, they are going to be royally fucked.

Keeping the drinking age to 21 does nothing except encourage the overconsumption of it. Same with weed. "Oh, we can't have it, that means WE HAVE DO TO SEVEN POUNDS OF IT AT A TIME!"

Education and responsible use is what will stop drinking and driving and other binge/drug related shit. Not keeping it criminal or keeping the age-of-use at an even more arbitrary, and needlessly higher, number.


E: And... high school is where 18 year olds hang out? I was out of high school when I was sixteen, and would have been in college had I not waited a bit. So... Do you have two grades we don't or something?