Well SConn1, I agree with completely. Pot should be legalized and has absolutely no ties to any of the other "hardcore" drugs. Yet, I have to agree with Hus. If pot was legalized, kids would be turning to heavier drugs. While I'm sure they wouldn't jump to cocaine, they might switch to speed, which can have devastating effects of the heart, or Special K, which I've always considered to be hardcore because of it's status as a "chemical" drug. America shouldn't legalize pot, they have become such an influence in the world, and have too much power, to smoke pot. Let's just legalize pot in Canada. We don't have much to worry about, and Americans would still think of pot as the cool, "illegal" drug. Those enthusiastic Americans could make trips to Canada, which would boost our economy, and after all of our Doritos have been sold, maybe our dollar won't be so bad.

Hey Bakerstreet,
( Imagine Tommy Chong dialect )
You know some of dat stuf dey sell dude, it only takes, like one puff, and you're stoned man,
toke on it more than once man, and you're like wastin' it.......

"What, can't he advocate his position in the hope of changing people's minds?" Change minds on joeloser? What, are you KIDDING???

Legalize it, don't legalize it......I, and many others, including your lawyer, your doctor, your postman, your teacher, your MOM, your neighbor and probably your "beloved president" (bet he gets some really good stuff) will still continue to smoke it.....as a matter of fact, I'd rather the gov't wasn't involved (although I AM for decriminalizing it), they tend to screw things up big time......be careful what u wish for.

thank you for your thoughts baker,,,i disagree, but respect your view...as far as your 50 year arguement goes,,,it was legal for the 1000's of years before that...many of our founding fathers grew it, including washington and jefferson...historical documents were written on it and i think you would be surprised how many non lethargic folk out there smoke and do it responsibly.

take care:)

thanks for your comments,,,the way canada has moved towards decriminalization has been impressive,,,,but i disagree,,,i think there is enough economic and other benefits to go round.

take care and enjoy the stanley cup playoffs! (i'll be rooting for the flyers this year)

lol on the chong comment:)

funny:) i don't think the president smokes tho...lol

You're probably right SConn1 (about the pres.), I guess you aren't supposed to have any intoxicants after re-hab.

Intoxication is frowned upon universally, you overlook that

"universally" hah. Apparently we live in different universes, which intersect only at politicalmachine.com. Lots and lots of people think that occasionally getting drunk is a perfectly valid way to have a good time.

Opinion in this thread is certainly strongly in favor of marijuana legalization. Several states have passed laws legalizing it for medical use. One in three people nationwide support full legalization. Support for legalization is trending upward. Some countries have legalized it. Many places have decided not to enforce marijuana laws.

Anyway, it's irrelevant whether it's "universally" believed or not. 150 years ago, interracial marriages were "universally" deplored. That didn't make it the correct position.

Change minds on joeloser? What, are you KIDDING???

thanks for the comments vin...yes, indeed support has grown over the years,,,nevada came close a couple of years ago getting 40% of the vote for full legalization. i have the feeling we'll see more propositions on the ballot in the future...both for medical and for legalization.

if nothing else, we should be using hemp seed oil to fuel our cars and end our dependece on foreign oil. if we did that, maybe we won't have any more disasters like in Iraq,,,terrorists would lose a lot of their leverage...as would guys like the saudi royal family...then maybe their citizens would do what they should do and overthrow their own goverments and become part of the world community.

Ozzy did alot more than smoke pot...like cocain and meth

ozzy did everythiing,,,but in interviews, he usually refers to alchohol and heroin as his biggest and worst demons.

I wouldn't care if they legalized all substances for consumption. If someone wants to eat, smoke or shoot something, I could care less. It would kill a large aspect of street violence, prevent losers for making "mad" money, and weed out some folks. I'm all for regulating CONDUCT instead of CONSUMPTION. You get high/stoned/whacked or whatever, then you better behave while doing it, including not driving.

Likewise, if you have a drug problem, don't ask me as a taxpayer to bail your butt out of a trouble of your own making.

I educated my son well enough with facts and examples so that he won't rely on the illegality of drugs not to use them.

Why do I think legalization won't happen? Because I believe doctors would lobby strongly against it, not to mention those already opposed to legalization (quite a substantial lot of people). If you could go buy dope over the counter, then you would be able to buy other legal drugs over the counter without having to have a prescription.

VES

thanks for the comments vern,,,i'm not sure i agree with you 100% but i think you make some valid arguements for your viewpoint. i too believe in educating our children properly that does not feature "the boogeyman" as a deterrence. after all, sooner or later, kids figure out that there is no such thing and like with george bush,,,we lose credibility instead of being a source of guidance or a standard of behavior.

Tonight CN8, which every philly cable subscribers know as the comcast channel that doesn't show flyers games, will be doing a live call in show at 8pm about medical marijuana and that canada has now approved it into law...and they cite american medical journals as supporting the move for the US...i know everyone won't be able to, but if you are a comcast subscriber in pa, nj, de and a little of maryland you may want to check it out