response to "legalizing marijuana" kevin dietz

I would like to respond to the post "legalizing marijuana." If your theory about teens using marijuana as a form of rebellion is true, I would have to wonder what would happen if marijuana was legalized. If teens no longer have this form of rebellion, what would they use to replace it. If this thought processes really is true and marijuana is not harmful like you say, why would you want to give teenagers a reason to use some more harmful chemicals or make other mistakes as their form of rebellion. While some of that may be true I personally don't believe that a rebellious stage is the only thing, or even the biggest thing, that makes teenagers use marijuana. As far as the proposed age of 18 for the legal age if it were to be legalized, i think that would be one of the most foolish decisions ever. If our goal was to limit the amount of drugs in our schools and limit the amount of teenagers who use marijuana why would you give the majority of the senor high school class the ability to legally purchase marijuana. It is hard enough to keep kids from distributing at school when it is illegal, imagine if students over the age of 18 had the right to buy and have marijuana, it would be next to impossible to prevent it from reaching students who were under 18.

just another thought kevin dietz

One of the major reasons I am opposed to the legalization of marijuana is the safety issue. People say that it is the safest drug and can not kill people, but it can impair peoples abilities to perform everyday tasks and basic judgment. An increase in driving accidents would be one of the things I would be worried about. Many marijuana users would like to think that they can drive just as well, or better, while under the influence but the facts say that this is not usually the case. A roadside study of reckless drivers, not under the influence of alcohol, showed that one in three tested positive for marijuana(fact). If people are driving under the influence when marijuana is illegal I think the number would only increase if it were legalized. Marijuana does impair peoples ability to drive and people do drive when they are under its influence. This might not be such a big problem, but there is no real way to tell indefinitely if a person is currently under the influence of marijuana. Unless they could make a devise similar to a breathalyzer that could detect marijuana intoxication there would be no way to stop people from driver under the influence. Driving is not he only daily task that can be hazardous. Anyone who uses power tools, heavy machinery, or even something as simple as a stove could be effected by marijuana use and cause themselves or others harm. If we give people the go ahead to smoke marijuana legally I think we would be asking for an increase in injuries and public hazards.

Fact, Office of National Drug Control Policy. Marijuana and Kids: Steer Clear of Pot Fact Sheet. Retrieved on November 25, 2003, from the World Wide Web: http://www.mediacampaign.org/steerclear/factsheet.html#go17

Legalizing Marijuana

Why should it be legalized?
There is always going to be a debate on whether or not marijuana should be legalized or not. In my opinion I think it should be legalized, but with limitations to it. Honestly, there are a lot of people in this country that can get a hold of the product but people refuse to see that “dealing” is happening every day, and it is starting to influence teenagers. A survey was recently taken that shows about twenty percent of 8th graders have at least tried marijana once, and by the time they have graduated high school about 50 percent of kids have tried it, while 22% of that 50 are still current users (1). I think the main reason why most teenagers today get into these bad habits like drinking and smoking marijuana at a young age is because it is illegal. Most teenagers go through a stage of rebellion and the fact that someone is telling them that it is illegal to smoke and drink, makes teenagers want to prove themselves to show “I can do this, and nothing bad is going to happen if I do it”. Although it’s great to declare your independence, it does come with risks if you do start these habits at a young age. That is why the government set up these age limits for when you can buy cigarettes and alcohol.
Marijuana is not a lethal drug. You are more likely to overdose on alcohol than overdose on using Marijuana which is almost impissible to do (2). Drinking alcohol is more dangerous than smoking Marijuana, according to the Eighteenth Ammendment of the Consititution, during 1920- 1933, alcohol was illegal. If the government can change their mind on making alcohol legal, then they should consider changing their minds when it comes to make Marijuana legal if it is less harmful than alcohol.
I believe the government should treat Marijuana just as they do cigarettes and alcohol to make sure it is not getting into the wrong hands. We should be able to set an age limit on the product, for example, maybe it should be the same age as the smoking age, which is 18. By making this product legal may take away the rebellion feeling go away in some teenagers because they know that it is not illegal anymore.

1. University of Michigan. News and Information Sevices. December 18, 1997. Drug use among American teens shows signs of leveling after a long rise. February 4, 2010.
2."Top Ten Reasons Marijuna Should Be Legal." AlterNet. Birocreative, 1 Sept. 2007. Web. 6 Feb. 2010. .

reply to "Medicinal Marijuana"

In reply to the post "medicinal marijuana" I would like to say a few things. To start off I would like to clarify that the use of medical marijuana is used only to treat symptoms of certain illnesses, not treat or cure the illnesses themselves in any way. It is mainly used for the relief of nausea, vomiting, and to alleviate curtain kinds of pain. This can be helpful for some people but there are alternative drugs that can be used to treat these symtoms that are legal in all states. Maxalt, Atarax, Metoclopramide, Transderm Scop, and Antivert are just a few medications I have found that are used to treat various kinds of nausea, and none of them are illegal or sold by shady characters on street corners. I'm sure everyone who has ever had a surgery knows that there are a wide variety of medications used to treat pain, many of these are also prescribed to treat chronic pain or pain caused as a side effect of another illness. Unfortunately these drugs also have a tendency to be used and sold for recreational use. I have several opionons about these drugs as well but that is not the purpose of this blog so I will not get into them. There are, on the other hand many non chemical alternatives for the relief of pain. Physical therapy, meditation, acupuncture, hypnoses, massage, hot and cold pack treatments, water therapy and many others have been proven to be just as, if not more, effective for the relief of chronic pain.

first post kevin dietz

When it comes to the legalization of marijuana, my initial response is no. Whether it is for medicinal use or recreation, I don’t think it makes a difference. I have heard many sides of this argument before and nothing from the standpoint of legalization makes me think that the benefits would outweigh the negative consequences. I understand that medical marijuana can be helpful to increase apatite in patients undergoing chemo therapy and other cancer treatments that make it difficult to eat, but it seems counterproductive to prescribe a chemical that can actually cause cancer to a cancer patient (safety). The other problem with legalizing just medical marijuana is that it would make it extremely hard to regulate and prevent it from being used for recreational purposes. One of the major arguments for legalizing marijuana for all uses is that we could tax it as we do cigarettes and alcohol and make quite a bit of money for our government. I have a hard time believing that people would pay this high tax when they have been obtaining marijuana illegally for cheaper. If people have the option of saving money and purchasing or selling marijuana illegally why would they opt to buy or sell it legally and pay the extra tax?

(safety)"California rules that marijuana smoke can cause cancer" Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment. 22 june 2009

Medicinal Marijuana

Since the legalization of medicinal marijuana in several states, it has created an inconsistency amongst the nation. Along with this legalization, there have not been many guidelines or laws put in place to monitor the distribution and consumption of medicinal marijuana. This can eventually lead to a negative outcome if laws are not put in place.
Where do I stand on this topic? Medicinal marijuana, nationally, should either be legal or illegal nationally. Recreational marijuana should not be legalized. If I were a sick person in a state that did not administer marijuana as a drug and it could potentially help me, I would be upset that someone else in another state is getting more help because their state legalized marijuana. By creating a more uniform and national legalization, we can better contain and create boundaries on usage and distribution, along with being able to help everyone, not just residents of certain states. If marijuana is to maintain illegal, then I suppose it wouldn’t be any different than it is now.
Medicinal marijuana has proven to be a very successful treatment through several studies and trials. With the legalization of medicinal marijuana, we could be able to treat a variety of conditions and potentially further study the drug for any other benefits. This is a potential opportunity for advancement in the United States medical and scientific fields.
Overall, being uniform and consistent about medicinal marijuana laws is very important. Its benefits would not only for the United States to develop national standards, but also to monitor states. By having these national standards, we can create data and research on how effective it is as a drug across the nation, how much is being distributed and what conditions it helps. Also with medicinal marijuana being backed by the federal government, states can obtain federal grants to create studies and further explore marijuana usage.