Question: Should the Use of Marijuana for Recreation be Legalized?

Recreational Marijuana should be a lawful choice.

I invite my adversary to discuss the advantages or deficiencies of recreational marijuana. I am convinced that recreational marijuana should be legitimate because it has been demonstrated to possess therapeutic advantages and alleviate discomfort. It is less habit-forming and has less severe adverse effects than numerous opiate-based medications currently prescribed for pain relief. Prohibiting recreational marijuana could consequently be harmful to the treatment of individuals suffering from severe ailments. I look forward to your reply and further discussion on this matter.

It is a common fact that Marijuana has less harmful effects than alcohol, cigarettes, and guns. Although Marijuana is illegal, people continue to sell it as well as smoke it through the black market, and regardless of it becoming legal or not, people will continue to smoke it no matter what the government says. If Marijuana becomes legal, the cops will have less petty things to worry about and may concentrate more on crimes as well as drugs that are actually harmful. Contrary to popular belief, there is an enormous amount of money associated with the taxing of Marijuana. Marijuana is NOT addictive, yet it is completely and utterly legal to smoke cigarettes that ARE in fact, addictive and cause cancer among other side-effects. Not only do cigarettes kill you, they kill the people around you as well. Marijuana is not only a natural herb, it is ten times safer than any other Illegal substance known to man. Marijuana is one of many controversial issues facing America today. It should not be a crime to smoke something natural, and less harmful than products that do indeed harm people that are legal. The number of crimes in the state of West Virginia increase more and more each day, and an estimated half of those crimes are due to selling and possession of the substance. Marijuana is NOT illegal to smoke, it is however, illegal to be in your possession. It's a complete contradiction that shouldn't even exist. There are millions of American's that smoke Marijuana and are not classified as criminals or "bad" people. According to Dr. Melanie Dreher, a famous Reefer researcher who has done countless studies on the effects of Marijuana on the human body and the use of consumption during pregnancy, proves with her countless studies that children being born to a Marijuana consuming mother, has found no link to any form of birth defects and that the children tend to be smarter than children born of non-using mothers. Thus proving, Marijuana has far more advantages than disadvantages. It is fact that there has never been any form of studies done in The United States proving or disproving whether or not Marijuana is harmful or not. However, there have been numerous studies in other countries PROVING that Marijuana does not harm you. In fact, there are several benefits of medical marijuana. It's also true that Marijuana can also benefit someone who's facing a mental illness. It's a proven fact that the use of Marijuana during a woman's pregnancy can decrease nausea and excessive vomiting and can actually help maintain a healthy appetite, and improves the child's birth weight. With all of this being said, America is one of the very few countries that has yet to legalize Marijuana without even considering the scientific resources.

.. To begin with, I am going to evaluate his sources. My opponent sites sources such as: www. drugabuse. gov www. abovetheinfluence. com www. teengrowth. com sites that OBVIOUSLY have a bias. this debate is about a subject which the government STRONGLY opposes, and so there really isn't a way that we can credibly site the government, and expect them to be completely honest. Yes, I did use government sources, but they just provide solid facts about yearly fatalities from legal substances, not substances that they stand solidly against. If we were debating the intelegence of African Americans when compared to caucasians, for example, we wouldn't trust a white supremacy site, now would we? In the same way, we cannot trust websites like www. abovetheinfluence. com, because that would be TOTALLY ridiculous! In the same sense, you cannot quote an organisation about something that they were designed to take a stance against! Now that that has been said, allow me to take apart this semi-truthful warped view of the so called "facts". "Prohibition of Marijuana does control consumption of it because it severely limits ACCESS to it. People who are addicted to Marijuana will go to extreme costs and pay even more to have access to the drug, but legalizing it would mean everyone would have constant access to it and then millions of more pe0ple would increase the number of those addicted to the drug and the side effects it causes. .. .. " To begin, I do not see any proof that marijuana is addictive, at all! I have personally, (along with the majority of the people I know) have used marijuana for YEARS, and I have had to quit for a while (either for court, or a job interview, etc. ) and have NEVER experienced physical withdrawal that an addict would feel. Yes, if you use marijuana every day like I have before, and then abruptly stopped, then you will see some differences, but that happens with everything, including soda. Does that stand to reason that we can become addicted to soda, and therefore will stop at NOTHING to get it? no, because that is ridiculous. Also, if a substance is that harmful to your body, and it is something that people wouldn't do normally, what makes you think that legalizing that substance would cause more people to do it? If heroine were to become legal tomorrow, I still would not use it. I do not need the government to save me from myself, I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. as far as it limiting access, that is a complete lie. Marijuana is generally in the top 10, if not the number one cash crop in pretty much every state in the union. This excerpt was taken from abcnews. com: "Contrasting government figures for traditional crops -- like corn and wheat -- against the study's projections for marijuana production, the report cites marijuana as the top cash crop in 12 states and among the top three cash crops in 30. " The study estimates that marijuana production, at a value of $35.8 billion, exceeds the combined value of corn ($23.3 billion) and wheat ($7.5 billion). Now, how in any way is that limited? "1 in 6 teenage marijuana users become addicted" This is actually based on teenagers who are in rehab for marijuana. Now, the reason those teens are in rehab is because they are given two options by most judges: Do a CRAZY amount of time in jail, where you have no freedoms, or go to rehab, where you can usually still get to live at home, and still have a lot of the freedoms you wouldn't if you were in prison. Now, what would that teen choose? "Marijuana deteriorates memory, attention, and learning skills" cite one study that proves this. "People who have used the drug feel less physically and mentally healthy" actually, speaking from personal opinion, it actually helps me become more creative, and do things like write stories, ( or debate. :D ) and I have not had any negative effects that I can name. Things like poor diet can also make you feel this way, but we shouldn't go around trying to make Cheetos illegal, now should we? "As of 2012 guess how many deaths in the US involved Marijuana" now, if you will, please tell me where you got these statistics for a year that hasn't even happened yet? Until you can, then please do not cite whatever study THAT was. now, I think that I have refuted my opponents arguments adequately. thank you for your time!

"Only one in 10 have a serious problem"If marijuana was legalized and declared not that dangerous, I think over a million people in the U.S would smoke it. That means 100,000 would have a serious marijuana problem. That is a ton of people who would have to fix it, but can't because marijuana is still somewhat addictive, but you're right, not as addictive as heroin. " Marijuana isn't as harmful as tobacco or alcohol yet it is still illegal."I beg to differ here. My dad drinks alcohol maybe once a month and gets drunk at a ballgame maybe once a year, but doesn't have a problem like all of those cartoon people (Peter Griffin...) Here's a list of what marijuana can do [1]:• Increase risk of cancer.• Weaken your immune system.• Difficulty remembering things• Changes how human brain works• Linked to increase in panic attacksTobacco is addictive and cancerous, that is entirely true, but not as bad as the above. Alcohol is the same."Has a few health risks"...A few? That's an understatement. Please check out this website: [2]. It's from well-known school called HARVARD.We can't stop a ton of people from smoking marijuana. But legalizing it is going to make even more people smoke it. It will become in such high demand that prices will skyrocket. Many people may lose their homes, jobs and other things due to bankruptcy and need for marijuana. There are already many people like that, so just imagine what would happen if we gave ourselves an even larger sample size. Farmers will grow marijuana for money instead of other fruits and vegetables, which would lead to health problems even to people who don't smoke it.People who don't want to smoke marijuana would also be forced to smoke it. If people can openly smoke it in cities, like tobacco, then people passing by have the opportunity to get high. While it would be HEAVEN for people who want to smoke it, the consequences would be too dire. Years of rehabilitation would become undone and addicts would be released from jail. Marijuana can also lead to insanity, and who knows what can happen when you are both high and insane.For my last argument, I turn to age [3] problems. 45% of people under 21 would smoke marijuana, leading to a decrease in schoolwork and more minimum-wage jobs and more homeless people. Surely you can see the hidden dangers of marijuana if it is legalized. On to you![1] http://ades.bc.ca...[2] http://cyber.law.harvard.edu...[3] http://www.narconon.org...

PROS CASE(A) It is the personal choice of each individual american as to whether or not they smoke marijuana, regardless of the harms (assuming that the persons are informed on the potential harms). Just as is the case with tobacco and alcohol, each US citizen should be allowed to choose for themselves whether or not they want to use marijuana. As long as the citizen is informed by the manufacturer of the potential harms (as is the case with alcohol and especially tobacco products), it should be the choice of theirs, not the governments, as to whether or not they choose to use marijuana. Each adult citizen is responsible for making these decisions for themselves. (B) Marijuana can be used for medicinal uses. Another reason marijuana ought to be legalized in more areas of the US is that marijuana has useful medical employments. Marijuana is used to treat symptoms of cancer and chemotherapy. Marijuana is also used to treat glaucoma. Marijuana ought to be legalized to help treat those afflicted with diseases that can be treated with medicinal marijuana. (C) Legalizing marijuana would reduce drug related crime rates. With Marijuana legalized, the government would no longer need to arrest all marijuana dealers, only the unlicensed ones. Also governments would not have to arrest users of marijuana. Non-violent drug offenders now account for 1/4 of the prison population (1)"The cost to put a single drug dealer in jail is about $450,000, composed of the following:The cost for arrest and conviction is about $150,000. The cost for an additional prison bed is about $50,000 to $150,000, depending upon the jurisdiction. It costs about $30,000 per year to house a prisoner. With an average sentence of 5 years, that adds up to another $150,000. The same $450,000 can provide treatment or education for about 200 people. In addition, putting a person in prison produces about fifteen dollars in related welfare costs, for every dollar spent on incarceration. Every dollar spent on treatment and education saves about five dollars in related welfare costs. " (2). I await my opponents response response eagerly. Sources1. . http://www.cepr.net...2. . http://druglibrary.org...;

Last time I tried to debate this, my opponent forfeited before finishing the debate. Please only accept this debate if you are going to finish it. My position is that all illegal drugs should be legalized. I'll post arguments supporting this in the next three posts. Definitions: Illegal- Currently banned under US law. Drugs- There are too many illegal recreational drugs for me to mention them all, but specifically, I will discuss heroin, cocaine/crack, meth, ecstasy, and PCP, and any other drugs my opponent wishes to mention. Legalized- Currently illegal drugs would be given the same legal status as tobacco or alcohol.

1. Are you insinuating the penalty for distributing marijuana should be death? I don't understand your argument here because you are comparing opium to marijuana! Opium can kill you and long term affects wreak havoc on your bowels! The war on drugs is not my issue here! The war on marijuana is my concern! It is far more irresponsible and dangerous to drink and smoke cigarettes... where is the war on consumerism? Where is the war on everything that makes people fat and gives them diabetes! Why not outlaw energy drinks and fast food? The key here is moderation, self control, and education.. Not a Nanny slapping my hand when i'm going to make a "mistake"! The laws are very strict already, even more so than Drunk Driving in some cases! Putting people in prison for smoking weed is far more sinister than actually smoking it! 2. I made it very clear that "Health reasons" isn't gonna fly in this debate! If you are going to school and smoking marijuana your parents should be very angry seeing as how they are paying for you to get an education! I think that certain regulations can help to decrease marijuana use on our campus! Let the Schools regulate their own drug problem! I mean we tried the stick, it didn't work, now we can try the carrot (If you want to get an education you have to be clean) I wish people were lazier.. maybe dad would have been home more, maybe they will stop going to bars to get wasted on mixed drinks instead! 3.The government doesn't care about the detrimental effects of marijuana.. There is so much more to it that is has nothing to do with the drug itself! You would have to be insane not to see that this is about money! People have tried very hard to make marijuana the "Boogieman" since the late 30's! That campaign has not yielded despite the changing times... Hmmm someone is making money here! Think of how much money surrounds this "Plant"! Then think its not being taxed! Then think of Free Enterprise! Most importantly think Freedom! People hate what they do not understand, and want to destroy what they hate! Realize that sometimes that something you don't understand is something that somebody loves! If you try and take it away from them! They will find what you love and try to take it from you! btw that something you love could very well be worse than a plant!

Hereby I would like to summarize my conclusions in this debate with the theme "Cannabis Legalization" in which I represented to Con side. I will keep this summary short and will not include unnecessary rebuttals, as Pro was not able to provide any evidence as to positive effects of Cannabis legalization nor did pro do a rebuttal of any of my arguments, but left them unchallenged. Thus I would like to summarize, as established in 2 rounds of debate and after several hours of research, using non-biased, statistical evidence that Cannabis legalization does not provide any benefits to Society nor Humanity. 1. ) Apparent Medical Properties. I will not deny that certain cannabinoids, if administered correctly (thus not smoking) could help with certain health issues. Smoking Cannabis, however, which is the most used method of Marijuana use is unhealthy. It is proven to cause cancer. Marijuana use in general is proven to reduce IQ in mature users as well as hinder important brain development in using teenagers, making them dumber than their non using counterparts and is well known to cause mental illness such as Schizophrenia as well as cognition impairment and memory loss. This means that Marijuana should not be given to people for 'health reasons', or any other reasons for that matter. 2. ) Hemp usage and connected economy to Hemp. Hemp is already a well used resource. Demand, and as such supply has decreased drastically in the 60's due to synthetic fiber, but is starting to have a 'comeback'. However, the U. S. would have to fight for the market as it is dominated by China. Also it should be noted that the most used Hemp plants do not contain THC and as such, could be legalized on its own. This however is a different debate. The Cannabis legalization debate has more to do with drug use than economic production of hemp and as such Cannabis should not be legalized. 3. ) Economy from production of Marijuana A well favored argument of all pro legalization supporters. However, when exact numbers are investigated, such as in the case of Colorado, a Medical Marijuana State, the economy is quite different than pro legalization would want. Fees on enforcement, that now would apparently be gone are spent on medical aid, such as hospitals and psychologists, more drug education and the liking, thus creating a possible minus here. Taxes through sale and such are negated by lost labor and in-productiveness, as well as a general 'dumber' population, meaning a decreased economy, most certainly in the minus. This as such means that it would not be economically intelligent to legalize Cannabis as a whole as it would create a minus in the economy, not a plus. 4. ) Marijuana is not harmful A well liked statement of the pro legalization community, though, as stated above already Cannabis can cause severe health issues. I would also like to refer at this point to the 100% increased road fatality rate connected to Marijuana in Colorado post legalization. A shocking increase that is not unrelated, as the number of road fatalities decreased by 14.8% in the same time frame. Furthermore, though unrelated to this, Denver experienced an increase in crime as well as arrestees influenced by Marijuana post legalization. This concludes that Cannabis is not as 'harmless' as many people want it to be. 5. ) Marijuana would be unavailable to teenagers In fact, states that have legalized Marijuana have 40% more teenagers using Marijuana than non Medical Marijuana states. This thus means that legalization actually makes it easier for teenagers to get access to Marijuana, not the opposite, as always stated. 6. ) Free will Though I agree that people should have a free will to do what they want to, the issue here is that with legalization and lost labor people will turn to welfare. If there was no welfare for lazy stoners (and in fact I know quite a few ones on welfare) this would not be such a grand issue. But unfortunately they'd get welfare. And as such I most definitely do not support legalization. Also as to the point of not being controlled by their habit, Marijuana is addictive with a large amount of heavy users having withdrawal symptoms. 7. ) Other drugs are more dangerous What a stupid argument. Does this mean we all have to use Cocaine because some idiots are using Heroin? Why do people need to justify destroying their health because someone else is apparently doing something worse? What a logic is this? When I used to smoke I knew I was an idiot for doing it, which is why I stopped. Instead of trying to justify something that destroys your body just accept that it is stupid and not worth it. Pro did not provide any evidence as to the above claims, but seemed to have simply stated his opinion. Con provided statistics and other evidence. As such I remain with my starting opinion, that Cannabis should most definitely not be legalized, as it creates no benefits.

"Marijuana is a very addictive drug; it is not as addictive as many other substances but it still is addictive." Let us quote some of my opponent's sources, shall we? "The majority of pot smokers do not develop a marijuana addiction, but some smokers do develop all the symptoms of an actual addiction after chronic marijuana use." (http://alcoholism.about.com...) "Only about 9% will have a serious addiction" (http://www.psychologytoday.com...) http://www.spiritualriver.com... says that out of all of the marijuana users, only 4% become addicted. As far as recoveryguy.hubpages.com goes, for some reason, I cannot access the server, and therefore am not able to quote it. "The reason that many people do not try it is because they do not have access to it or is too expensive for them to buy it from dealers." Obviously, my opponent does not know enough about marijuana to even argue this point. For only 10 dollars, you can purchase something known as a "dime bag", and it will usually have about 7 grams of marijuana in it. This will usually last someone with a medium to high tolerance for marijuana (me) about 3 or 4 days. In fact, I have known several dealers who will sell marijuana cigarettes (Joints) for only 3 dollars. They are also, at least from personal experience, rather easy to come by. Maybe you aren't in the right places? Marijuana is actually more liberally dispensed, because it is not regulated. "...but not everyone does, and others do not care about the damage they could do to themselves..." so are you implying that the government has to tell certain people how to live? If I want to kill myself, then I should have that right completely. "If you investigate further though you will see just exactly who is growing the Marijuana, it is not the states or the government... Tons of Marijuana is grown and the government is doing a rather crappy job of trying to limit access to it..." Limit it?! They are growing it! Let me direct you to a story that was recently on MSN, and also CBS news. "Americans get medical pot from the feds" http://www.cbsnews.com... As far as the marijuana being a cash crop thing, I am willing to let that go, it isn't a focal point to the debate, any way. "You make an assumption that all teenagers in rehabilitation centers were caught, arrested, and then given an unbalanced choice by a judge to then be forced into rehab..." I never said all, but it is the VAST majority. "...Marijuana could cause depression and feel physically weaker and lazier..." It is odd that you would name depression... "Marijuana Treats Depression Patients have, in numerous surveys and interviews, reported anti-depressant and anxiolytic effects of cannabis. Patients who use cannabis to "relax" may be treating the anxiousness sometimes associated with depression. Cannabis aids the insomnia sometimes present in depression and can improve appetite. Better pain control with cannabis can reduce chronic pain related depression." http://www.opposingviews.com... As far as lethargy goes, it is true that marijuana can cause that. But then again, so does: Alcohol, Hydrocodone, codeine, cough syrup, tobacco, Adderall, Ritalin, Paxil, and many more prescription drugs, but those are perfectly legal, and two are legal for recreational use. "As for the 2012 study, relax I made an honest mistake, it should have been 2009..." Well, then, let's quote that 2009 study, shall we? Cause of death1 Number All causes 2,436,652 Cardiovascular diseases 779,367 Malignant neoplasms 568,668 Drug induced2 37,485 Suicide 36,547 Motor vehicle accidents 36,284 Septicemia (infections) 35,587 by Firearms 31,224 Accidental poisoning 30,504 Alcohol induced 23,199 Homicide 16,591 Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) 9,424 Viral hepatitis 7,652 Cannabis (Marijuana) 0 Bottom line is, there are plenty of legal substances, (Caffeine, alcohol, and tobacco, to name a few.) that are MUCH more dangerous, and have a MUCH higher addiction rate than marijuana, but they remain legal. Plenty of functioning members of society use or have used marijuana for medical or recreational reasons (Steve Jobs, The majority of our presidents, 42% of the American people, http://www.time.com...) and the country hasn't condensed and formed a black hole. 50% of Americans now say the use of marijuana should be made legal, (http://www.gallup.com...) and I completely agree. With the facts I have laid out in this debate, I feel like you should too. Thank you for your time! (:

Con has failed to address nearly all of my arguments. I extend 2 to 4.I shall first defend argument one. "Drug cartels, i understand, cause a black market because of marijuana. Even if Marijuana were leagalized, drug cartels would still continue with selling other illegal drugs. Are you suggesting that we make all illegal drugs legal?" Con falsely states that it is the cartels themselves creating the black-market. This is untrue. Even without cartels, considering there is sufficient demand, black markets would be formed by individuals. With regards to question whether we make drugs legal, the answer is that this argument does support making all drugs legal (I do as well!), but it is not relevent to the debate. Con fails to address the rest of my arguments concerning crime.Con defends his assertion that the high is too powerful. He does this without sources to back it up and inspite of the evidence provided. He also asserts that "It is the objective of the government to ensure the safety of an individual and the people around that individual."This is evidently false if one looks at the amount of legal unhealthy foods and non-mandated exercise. My opponent proposes the following scenario;" Imagine if someone that were high were driving home. That person could become easily distracted and not only put themselves in danger, but other people that are nearby or on the road."Though I have already countered this argument (seemingly ignored by con), I shall reiterate it. If I were to hollow out a water-melon and place it upon my head whilst driving, due to my lack of vision I would find exceedingly difficult to drive safely. Even accounting for the possibility that I might strike a few gingers or justin Bieber fans down in my blinded state, the consequences would likely be disastrous.Now my opponent suggests that because one can blind oneself with a watermelon used as a helmet, creating a dangerous situation when in a vehicle, that we should ban the possesion and use of watermelons everywhere. Anyone with an ounce of common sense can see that this is ridiculous, and rather we ought to just ban the wearing of watermelons on ones head whilst driving a vehicle.Similarly, becuase one can drive under influence of drugs, does not mean that drugs in general should be illegal.I hope that con provides better arguments in the next round.

I can not spell, It is a hit or miss subject for me, if my spell check can fix it then good. My last debates have been more of testing ground for me, so I hope I can do better. legal legalize the plant, should it or should it not be mad legal is the qushtin. I will try to avoid the brick wall layout as most of the voters complained about that. so have fun guys and remember I can not spell to good so if you want clean writhing with out spelling arers then I am not it.


Question: Should the Use of Marijuana for Recreation be Legalized?

Marijuana's Impact on Mental and Physical Health

Marijuana does indeed have an impact on the brain, and while some may argue that alcohol causes more harm, the debate isn't about which substance is worse. According to Dictionary.Reference.com, marijuana affects the hippocampus, a region associated with memory. This means that using marijuana can impair the ability to create new memories and may hinder future task performance. The DrugAbuse.gov website explains that short-term psychotic reactions to high THC concentrations are distinct from long-lasting schizophrenia-like disorders associated with cannabis use in vulnerable individuals. This is particularly relevant to medical marijuana use. For example, giving marijuana to a cancer patient with a weakened immune system could potentially lead to mental disorders. Why risk giving a cancer patient a substance that might cause a mental disorder when there are other, safer medical options available? Many marijuana users experience negative effects, such as panic or anxiety attacks, which can have long-lasting psychological impacts. HealthyPlace.com states that marijuana use increases heart rate by 20-50% within a few minutes to a quarter of an hour, and this effect can last up to three hours. Blood pressure increases while sitting and decreases while standing. Considering these harmful effects—panic attacks, memory impairment, and heart and blood pressure changes—it's puzzling why someone would enjoy marijuana. If marijuana didn't cause these harmful effects, it might be considered a harmless drug. However, many people prioritize smoking marijuana over important tasks like schoolwork, which could help improve their grades and contribute to the United States' academic performance. Encouraging people to use their minds for more productive pursuits would benefit our future. Lastly, consider the amount of money spent on marijuana. The average person who smokes once a day spends around $10 per day, totaling $70 per week. This is a significant amount of money that could be better spent on healthier activities like a gym membership. Moreover, the money spent on marijuana often goes into illegal funds, potentially leading to legal consequences for both the seller and the user.

Hereby I would like to summarize my conclusions in this debate with the theme "Cannabis Legalization" in which I represented to Con side. I will keep this summary short and will not include unnecessary rebuttals, as Pro was not able to provide any evidence as to positive effects of Cannabis legalization nor did pro do a rebuttal of any of my arguments, but left them unchallenged. Thus I would like to summarize, as established in 2 rounds of debate and after several hours of research, using non-biased, statistical evidence that Cannabis legalization does not provide any benefits to Society nor Humanity. 1. ) Apparent Medical Properties. I will not deny that certain cannabinoids, if administered correctly (thus not smoking) could help with certain health issues. Smoking Cannabis, however, which is the most used method of Marijuana use is unhealthy. It is proven to cause cancer. Marijuana use in general is proven to reduce IQ in mature users as well as hinder important brain development in using teenagers, making them dumber than their non using counterparts and is well known to cause mental illness such as Schizophrenia as well as cognition impairment and memory loss. This means that Marijuana should not be given to people for 'health reasons', or any other reasons for that matter. 2. ) Hemp usage and connected economy to Hemp. Hemp is already a well used resource. Demand, and as such supply has decreased drastically in the 60's due to synthetic fiber, but is starting to have a 'comeback'. However, the U. S. would have to fight for the market as it is dominated by China. Also it should be noted that the most used Hemp plants do not contain THC and as such, could be legalized on its own. This however is a different debate. The Cannabis legalization debate has more to do with drug use than economic production of hemp and as such Cannabis should not be legalized. 3. ) Economy from production of Marijuana A well favored argument of all pro legalization supporters. However, when exact numbers are investigated, such as in the case of Colorado, a Medical Marijuana State, the economy is quite different than pro legalization would want. Fees on enforcement, that now would apparently be gone are spent on medical aid, such as hospitals and psychologists, more drug education and the liking, thus creating a possible minus here. Taxes through sale and such are negated by lost labor and in-productiveness, as well as a general 'dumber' population, meaning a decreased economy, most certainly in the minus. This as such means that it would not be economically intelligent to legalize Cannabis as a whole as it would create a minus in the economy, not a plus. 4. ) Marijuana is not harmful A well liked statement of the pro legalization community, though, as stated above already Cannabis can cause severe health issues. I would also like to refer at this point to the 100% increased road fatality rate connected to Marijuana in Colorado post legalization. A shocking increase that is not unrelated, as the number of road fatalities decreased by 14.8% in the same time frame. Furthermore, though unrelated to this, Denver experienced an increase in crime as well as arrestees influenced by Marijuana post legalization. This concludes that Cannabis is not as 'harmless' as many people want it to be. 5. ) Marijuana would be unavailable to teenagers In fact, states that have legalized Marijuana have 40% more teenagers using Marijuana than non Medical Marijuana states. This thus means that legalization actually makes it easier for teenagers to get access to Marijuana, not the opposite, as always stated. 6. ) Free will Though I agree that people should have a free will to do what they want to, the issue here is that with legalization and lost labor people will turn to welfare. If there was no welfare for lazy stoners (and in fact I know quite a few ones on welfare) this would not be such a grand issue. But unfortunately they'd get welfare. And as such I most definitely do not support legalization. Also as to the point of not being controlled by their habit, Marijuana is addictive with a large amount of heavy users having withdrawal symptoms. 7. ) Other drugs are more dangerous What a stupid argument. Does this mean we all have to use Cocaine because some idiots are using Heroin? Why do people need to justify destroying their health because someone else is apparently doing something worse? What a logic is this? When I used to smoke I knew I was an idiot for doing it, which is why I stopped. Instead of trying to justify something that destroys your body just accept that it is stupid and not worth it. Pro did not provide any evidence as to the above claims, but seemed to have simply stated his opinion. Con provided statistics and other evidence. As such I remain with my starting opinion, that Cannabis should most definitely not be legalized, as it creates no benefits.

Thank you for your response. In pro's argument she says: "Plus, it would be unrealistic and unproductive to criminalize anything that could be potentially harmful." It can be harmful in more ways than you think. We now have aproblem with drinking and driving. Can you imagine adding driving high and drunk to the list of problems. According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse: "According to the 2014 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 10 million people aged 12 or older reported driving under the influence of illicit drugs during the year prior to being surveyed.4 NSDUH findings also show that men are more likely than women to drive under the influence of drugs or alcohol. And a higher percentage of young adults aged 18 to 25 drive after taking drugs or drinking than do adults 26 or older.4" The institute also says: After alcohol, marijuana is the drug most often found in the blood of drivers involved in crashes. Tests for detecting marijuana in drivers measure the level of delta-9- tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), marijuana"s mind-altering ingredient, in the blood. But the role that marijuana plays in crashes is often unclear. THC can be detected in body fluids for days or even weeks after use, and it is often combined with alcohol. The risk associated with marijuana in combination with alcohol, cocaine, or benzodiazepines appears to be greater than that for either drug by itself.3," The National Institute of Drug abuse is obviosly a credible source. Another problem is second hand smoke. Second hand smoke from cigarettes is bad but second hand smoke from marijuana can be equally or more damaging to others. The Canadian Cancer society says: "People who smoke marijuana tend to inhale more smoke per puff and hold it in their lungs for as much as 4 times longer than people who smoke tobacco cigarettes. This means that smoking 2"3 marijuana cigarettes can expose you to roughly the same amount of smoke as 20 tobacco cigarettes." This is also a very credible source. People have a right to do what they want but when it harms them and others it can not and should not be easily accessible. Pro argues that the country can profit off people harming there bodies. Cigarettes, alchol abuse, sugar, chemicals etc are already a problem. I don't think adding marijuana is a very smart desicion.

The government is not "shoving down its morality in law". The government is trying to protect its citizens from stupid people who will do stupid stuff on drugs, and who will do stupid stuff to get those drugs. If the "distribution of weed and how it is dangerously used" is none of the Government's business, then what is? People complain about how crappy the Government is because it is over protective. And in the parts it is not protective, people complain that it needs to be more so. If marijuana was made legal, the Government would immediately get complaints from people against it, saying that they are not being protected from a drug that can do harm to the body, and harm to victims of people addicted to a drug. Prohibition will never completely stop drug abuse, but that does not mean that prohibition should be stopped. Nothing is ever fool proof. According to [1], prohibition has decreased the use of marijuana, even though it has not stopped it. As I mentioned in round two, marijuana is indeed proven to be less of a risk than cigarettes and alcohol, but that does not mean that marijuana should be legalized. That is just a poor decision to not ban cigarettes and drinking too much alcohol. Legalizing marijuana would not change "absolutely nothing". It would make the situation worse. Teenagers would have next to zero consequences (besides physical) when smoking weed, and more teens would be going to school high, not giving a care about school work and getting good grades. School grade point averages across the country would plummet. Also, teachers could smoke marijuana without getting fired. Weed should not be treated differently from cigarettes and alcohol. However, cigarettes and alcohol should be treated more seriously. People are not responsible enough to take their body's health seriously. Having a restraint on these poisons will at least decrease the amount of injuries and deaths because of the abuse of these drugs. "Con is acting as if Marijuana is the equivalent of cocaine." Marijuana IS NOT nearly as dangerous as cocaine. People on weed are almost never as dangerous. I did mention in round two that some dealers line their marijuana with other substances (sometimes cocaine, the source cited in that argument), which could cause the user to act in a similar manner as someone on the other drug. 1.http://en.wikipedia.org...

Why should marijuana be illegal? It isn't a nasty concoction of a drug; like meth. It is a plant that grows in the ground and does no harm to anybody. So many people do it anyway, so why not just legalize it and stop people from being taken away from their families and friends. Opinions please!

To address your list of "Short-term Hazards", all of these things are also associated with using other legal drugs or even just being highly fatigued and should be of no concern to the general public or government. The only one that could involve others is "Poor Driving Skills". I would say decreased reaction time, and I agree this is bad, but your argument implies that more people would drive under the influence of marijuana if it became legal. In places around the world where legalization and decriminalization strategies have been implemented in the past, consumption rates have actually decreased. To address the "Long-Term Hazards": "Respiratory problems", "Heightened risk of infections, especially the lungs", and "An increased risk of developing lung, head and neck cancers" - That's not what the research says. The only long-term, respiratory consequence of smoking marijuana is an increased lung capacity. Medical professionals are learning more every day that THC (the active ingredient in marijuana) can be used to treat various medical conditions. Some studies show that certain cannabinoids retard the growth of cancer. "Poor short-term recall" and "Inability to shift attention normally" - I'm not sure what you mean by this. There is absolutely no long term, irreversible cognitive damage done by smoking marijuana. "Inability to understand complex information" and "Lack of motivation" - I am offended. I am a senior Industrial Engineer major / Mathematics minor at Texas A&M University with a 3.3 GPR. I was salutatorian of my high school. I am not graduating until May but I signed a job offer at the beginning of this school year at the multi-national corporation I interned at last summer (I'm not saying the name of the company as I don't want to offend anyone associated). I promise you that smoking marijuana since high school has not negatively impacted my ability to "understand complex information" or given me a "Lack of motivation" "Decreased sperm count in men" and "Irregular menstruation in women" - The only research on this I've seen is in a documentary called "Super High Me" and the man's sperm count actually increased during a period of heavy usage following a period of abstinence. "many school children would have access to it." - I challenge you to actually research or think logically about this point because I think it is important to realize why you are wrong. Ask any middle or high school student whether it is easier for them to get marijuana or alcohol. Invariably, the answer will be marijuana. The reason? Drug dealers don't ID. Just as alcohol was easier for minors to get under the prohibition of alcohol, marijuana is easier for children to get under this prohibition of marijuana. "Furthermore, my opponent speaks about job creation if marijuana is legalized. This is simply tedious to mention" - I think you are vastly underestimating the profit margins these corporations will be making and the number of people they will have to employ to become successful. Look at the thousands of jobs that have already been created and the millions of dollars of tax revenue generated in the states who have legalized just medical marijuana. If marijuana were to be legalized nationwide for everyone, these benefits could grow exponentially. "After all, "prevention" is better then "cure"." - Even if this true, I think we can agree, we will never prevent an entire country from using drugs. The failed war on drugs has been pretty strong proof of this. The best way to handle this issue is to get the drug that generates the most profit in the world out of the hands of criminals and into safe, FDA regulated shops. As you can see, I have done a staggering amount of research on this topic and I believe all signs point to legalization. It has been a great success in the places it has been implemented and it is about time America realizes this. Just as prohibition of alcohol failed by every measure, so is the prohibition of marijuana.

My opponent starts off Round 3 by mentioning that the U. S. spends $193 billion on illicit drugs. However, he misses the aboluste crux of his own statistics. This $193 billion is BECAUSE the drugs are ILLICIT in the FIRST place. If we were to legalize pot, a huge percentage of this $193 billion would be taxed and therefore would be fueled back into America's economy. All my opponent says is that the economic costs outweigh the benefits. This is due to a misinterpretation of his own statistic. Furthermore, he fails to refute my own contention about economic benefit. The point is that we can tax marijuana to create bilions of dollars in revenue in every single state of the United States. Furthermore, we will save hundreds of billions of dollars by not locking up nonviolent offenders. This is a costly expense that is not worth it. It is not my fault that my opponent completely misunderstands my second contention. As I stated in the 2nd round and reiterated in the 3rd round, police officers can solve other crimes if they do not make "smoking pot" their first priority. If police officers spent their time solving true crimes, like muder and rape, then there would be less danger and violence in society. My opponent has not refuted this contention, either because he misunderstands it or refuses to address it. He goes on about these speculative arguments about why people might or might not be purchasing cannabis, but there is no evidence and no logic. Please let my 2nd contention hold for the rest of the debate. I already presented a statistic from the Drug Policy Alliance, stating that even though blacks are no more likely to use cannabis than their white counterparts, they are 4 times as likely to be arrested for it. My opponent finally comes back with some statistic saying that blacks commit more crimes per capita, but these crimes are not specific to marijuana infractions. They could come from other crimes, such as murder or rape. This makes my opponent's refutation non-topical. My opponent might show that blacks commit more crimes than whites, but he does not show that this is true for marijuana arrests. Clearly, our system of incarceration and criminal justice is very racially skewed against black people, and the only way to fix this is to legalize cannabis so that police officers no longer have an excuse for "going harder on" African-Americans. My opponent actually supports my 4th contention without even knowing that he is doing so. YES, marijuana from drug cartels is certainly more dangerous than marijuana from a licensed recreational store, and that is PRECISELY the point of my argument. By legalizing marijuana, the government can watch after marijuana and take away the incentive of violent drug cartels to enter the country and sell sketchy weed. Keeping it above the counter, in the eyes of doctors and enforcement officials, leads to safer weed The only question that the opposition could ask now is: why legalize it in the first place? And, as my opponent has failed to respond to for now 2 rounds, keeping marijuana illegal does NOT deter consumers from using it. I'm not sure why my opponent fails to refute this. As will be a challenge for my opponent for the rest of this debate, just because the government says that something is illegal does not mean that people will not use it (examples: illegal production of alcohol in the 1920's, while it was still prohibited). So, none of my opponent's initial contentions about the health risks of marijuana hold: even if marijuana was unhealthy, keeping it illegal does not solve for this. My opponent again tries to bring up this ridiculous idea that marijuana can kill you. I already struck down this contentoin when I mentioned that marijuana has led to zero recorded deaths in all of human history. It is not dangeorus as my opponent wants voters to believe. Quite to the contrary, marijuana has powerful medicinal benefits, such as its ability to cure anxiety, pain, stress, insomnia, and the symptoms of cancer. My opponent's claim that any kind of smoke contanis carcinogens is blatantly untrue. I would ask voters to hold him accountable to irrefutable evidence for the next round, however it is too late in the debate for that. My opponent also has no meaningful response to my last contention. Americans should be able to do whatever they want, provided that what they are doing does not infringe upon the rights of others. All my opponent says is that "it goes against the rights of others". There is not a single reason, let alone any piece of evidence, to believe that this is true. Private marijuana use within one's own home should not be the concern of anyone else, because it does not harm anyone else (and, as I have shown, it doesn't even hurt the person who is using it). My opponent makes some speculative argument that cannabis can lead to other crimes, but he has still not shown any viable evidence for this. I appreciate my opponent's effort, however he has failed to maturely or convincingly refute any of my 5 contentions. Legalizing weed creates money, saves money, solves other crimes, reduces institutional racism, creates a safer society, and promotes basic freedoms to which responsible Americans should be entitled. Even though my opponent tries to say otherwise, marijuana is not harmful, and it does not lead to increased crime.

To start off I have never once smoked pot in my life. So I'm not some stoner complaining. I support the legalization of marajuana because the prohibition of marajuana has failed miserably. Actually, the war on drugs has inadvertently caused more human suffering then it has prevented. But I'm not saying that if people are gonna do something regardless of laws that we should legalize everything. I think that marajuana is not as harmful as we have been led to believe and that it can actually be a great benefit to society.

P1; It seems that 'prohibition' of Cannabis has little effect on it's usage. This would suggest that legalisation wouldn't affect that factor at all. [1] P2; The drugs in Cannabis that give that 'high' are also extremely low in toxicity making it impossible to overdose. So that leads us to the long term effects. P3; There's not real evidence for the long term effects. This is because of the illegality of the drug. A lot of the tests done have been proven to be inaccurate and having very bad methods, and a lot of them could have been bias. P4; There is also the argument of personal choice. It's not like you're putting anyone else's life in danger. You could mention 'driving high' but sleep deprivation or just mere reckless driving is a lot more likely to 'cause accidents. Like I mentioned in my earlier point though, it is unlikely to increase usage much if at all. All 'prohibition' does is victimise users and waste police time and money better spent elsewhere. [2] P5; The United States Government, itself, filed for and was awarded a patent (#6,630,507) on cannabinoids as neuroprotectants, useful in the prevention and treatment of a wide variety of diseases including stroke, trauma, auto-immune disorder, HIV dementia, Parkinson's and Alzheimers. P6; Making it illegal means there's a black market for it, meaning it fuels crime, I don't need to point out how that's bad. P7; You can also tax it which would bring in more money for governments. P8; You can also use the hemp from Cannabis for many products including paper. It is a lot more renewable than cutting down the rainforest. I'll leave it at that for now. :) 1. http://healthland.time.com... 2. http://news.bbc.co.uk...

Hello, Its nice to debate you again. Marijuana is listed as an addictive and harmful substance by the DEA. I am not going to disagree that marijuana can not be addictive I'm just saying that its addictive potential is being overstated. The article that i have listed in the bottom shows that on 10 - 30 percent of users are addicted and only one in 10 have a serious problem. Of course, addiction is a major problem but, you may be overstating the case. You also compare the use of pot to tobacco, this brings up another argument. Marijuana isn't as harmful as tobacco or alcohol yet it is still illegal. Tobacco is one of the leading causes of cancer and kills thousands every year. Alcohol also causes many healthy issues in people and is a leading cause of violence. Should we ban alcohol and tobacco too? We tried to ban alcohol in the 20's and that was a miserable failure just like the ban i pot is today. i disagree with comparing marijuana to heroine, heroine is obviously far more addictive. I disagree that this should even be a point. So what? Someones life style is no concern of mine. Yes, a majority of stoners are losers, but that is just a stereo type. A list of "losers and hippies" include Barrack Obama, George W. Bush, Al Gore, Rand Paul, Brad Pitt, John Lennon, Steve Jobs, Oprah and many more. I'm just saying that just because something is associated with something negative doesn't mean that it should be illegal. Marijuana does have health effects but so do many other things. You can get cancer from the sun and air. Just because something that has a few health risks doesn't mean we should continue a policy that has resulted in the creation of an underground black-market, Millions of non violent people being incarcerated and tens of billions of dollars spent to all stop the use of a plant. people have been using marijuana for thousands of years and will continue to. Their is no way to stop that. So my opinion is that prohibition doesn't work and can be inadvertently more harmful then the thing it is banning. So prohibition of a substance should only be used when that substance is something really harmful, and i don't think marijuana is as harmful as we have been led to believe. http://norml.org... Great website to check out http://www.psychologytoday.com...

PROS CASE(A) It is the personal choice of each individual american as to whether or not they smoke marijuana, regardless of the harms (assuming that the persons are informed on the potential harms). Just as is the case with tobacco and alcohol, each US citizen should be allowed to choose for themselves whether or not they want to use marijuana. As long as the citizen is informed by the manufacturer of the potential harms (as is the case with alcohol and especially tobacco products), it should be the choice of theirs, not the governments, as to whether or not they choose to use marijuana. Each adult citizen is responsible for making these decisions for themselves. (B) Marijuana can be used for medicinal uses. Another reason marijuana ought to be legalized in more areas of the US is that marijuana has useful medical employments. Marijuana is used to treat symptoms of cancer and chemotherapy. Marijuana is also used to treat glaucoma. Marijuana ought to be legalized to help treat those afflicted with diseases that can be treated with medicinal marijuana. (C) Legalizing marijuana would reduce drug related crime rates. With Marijuana legalized, the government would no longer need to arrest all marijuana dealers, only the unlicensed ones. Also governments would not have to arrest users of marijuana. Non-violent drug offenders now account for 1/4 of the prison population (1)"The cost to put a single drug dealer in jail is about $450,000, composed of the following:The cost for arrest and conviction is about $150,000. The cost for an additional prison bed is about $50,000 to $150,000, depending upon the jurisdiction. It costs about $30,000 per year to house a prisoner. With an average sentence of 5 years, that adds up to another $150,000. The same $450,000 can provide treatment or education for about 200 people. In addition, putting a person in prison produces about fifteen dollars in related welfare costs, for every dollar spent on incarceration. Every dollar spent on treatment and education saves about five dollars in related welfare costs. " (2). I await my opponents response response eagerly. Sources1. . http://www.cepr.net...2. . http://druglibrary.org...;


Question: Should the Use of Marijuana for Recreation be Legalized?

All substances should be decriminalized.

C1: The Marginal Substance Consumer
While it's argued that decriminalization would increase substance users, the notion of 'marginal substance usage' is largely an opinionated argument lacking solid logic. Historical data indicates that during the early 1900s, when substances were freely accessible, addiction rates were significantly high. For instance, in 1880, opium and cocaine were legal for consumption without medical supervision, leading to high addiction rates. The UK has faced similar issues with more liberal drug laws, such as allowing doctors to prescribe heroin, which have all contributed to increased addiction rates. Before cocaine was banned in 1915, its usage and addiction rates were very high, which was a major argument for its prohibition. The facts are clear: decriminalization increases addiction rates, and getting addicted is not marginal. Marijuana, the least addictive of illegal substances, is still highly addictive, and even moderate long-term use can lead to health problems and addiction. Even if we assume there is "marginal" substance usage, it can still lead to addiction, and substance addiction has been linked to violence.

C2: Substances are Enjoyable
The argument that decriminalization would lower prison populations is false. Only a small number of inmates are in jail solely for substance usage, usually with a violent crime attached. So, decriminalization would barely make a dent in prison populations. It's true that substances can be "fun," but their long-term effects are negative and sometimes hidden until they cause harm. For example, marijuana has a toll on the lungs and affects T-cells, making it harder for the body to fight infections. Cocaine, while pleasurable, ruins normal brain-to-body communication and increases the risk of heart attack and other long-term complications.

C3: Current Users
While it's true that prohibition increases substance potency, decriminalization exacerbates the problem by increasing demand. The argument about reducing jail populations due to substance usage arrests is refuted since most arrests involve violent crimes. Only a small percentage of drug-related crimes involve simple possession. The DEA is also moving many of these inmates towards treatment centers instead of jail.

C4: Gangs
Decriminalization would not end gang violence. The government would likely limit substances to those 18 or 21 and above, meaning the black market for those under the age limit would still exist. High taxes and regulations on substances could lead to higher gang violence rates, as seen

"Should video games be illegal? What about sports or talking to women?"Say what you will, I've heard it before. Quite frankly, I've never heard a case of a f***ing mexican cartel geting in a shootout over the latest copy of Call of Duty or some s*** like that.You made a good point about the harmful affects, so I'll give you that one."a gross overexageration of the munchies"I don't think so. It may seem like an exaterattion to you, but some of my friends are potheads. I can tell you from personal experience of being around someone who's high but not high myself that they ate every bag of lays in my house. Maybe I took it too far, but as I said I'm a bit of a d*** about the way I argue.And as for the gateway drug thing that you wrote an entire f***ing seminar on, if weed becomes legal then how does it stop being a gateway drug? People take pharmacudicals all the time illegally, so making it legal might make it worse, because teenagers can get in a whole lot more trouble, and now someone who actually needs that weed for cancer or something can't get it because some idiot names Brody needed to get his weed."I am not trying to be rude but "it completely does" is not an arguement."Okay, fair enough. What I was trying to say is that weed, like any other mood changing substance, causes crazy psychadelic affects. These things can cause certain people to do reckless and impulsive things, mainly because they're just so calm about everything. Alchohol does this too, but instead of calmness, drunks get pissed about everything. I'm not trying to say weed's a bad thing, I'm just trying to get people to drop the subject. It's not like it's hard to find or anything. Are you too lazy to visit a nearby park that you'd rather wait in a line to get some more pot?

Thank you for your response. In pro's argument she says: "Plus, it would be unrealistic and unproductive to criminalize anything that could be potentially harmful." It can be harmful in more ways than you think. We now have aproblem with drinking and driving. Can you imagine adding driving high and drunk to the list of problems. According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse: "According to the 2014 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 10 million people aged 12 or older reported driving under the influence of illicit drugs during the year prior to being surveyed.4 NSDUH findings also show that men are more likely than women to drive under the influence of drugs or alcohol. And a higher percentage of young adults aged 18 to 25 drive after taking drugs or drinking than do adults 26 or older.4" The institute also says: After alcohol, marijuana is the drug most often found in the blood of drivers involved in crashes. Tests for detecting marijuana in drivers measure the level of delta-9- tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), marijuana"s mind-altering ingredient, in the blood. But the role that marijuana plays in crashes is often unclear. THC can be detected in body fluids for days or even weeks after use, and it is often combined with alcohol. The risk associated with marijuana in combination with alcohol, cocaine, or benzodiazepines appears to be greater than that for either drug by itself.3," The National Institute of Drug abuse is obviosly a credible source. Another problem is second hand smoke. Second hand smoke from cigarettes is bad but second hand smoke from marijuana can be equally or more damaging to others. The Canadian Cancer society says: "People who smoke marijuana tend to inhale more smoke per puff and hold it in their lungs for as much as 4 times longer than people who smoke tobacco cigarettes. This means that smoking 2"3 marijuana cigarettes can expose you to roughly the same amount of smoke as 20 tobacco cigarettes." This is also a very credible source. People have a right to do what they want but when it harms them and others it can not and should not be easily accessible. Pro argues that the country can profit off people harming there bodies. Cigarettes, alchol abuse, sugar, chemicals etc are already a problem. I don't think adding marijuana is a very smart desicion.

http://www.cannabisnews.org... Further more, I believe the use of marijuana is, in the majority, for status quo among young people. Should it be legalized, this would be more accesible to younger audiences. Thus creating a dangerous enviroment in whice no one could be 100% sure of their saftey and the safety of their children. Also, while the affects of marijuana are largely unknown, I myself have used marijuana and I know the negative affects it can cause. Mind you I have been clean of any drugs for over a year. In conclusion, I believe leagalizing marijuana is a bad idea for these reasons. Thank you for the opportunity to state my beliefs on such a controversial topic. Good luck to you.

I just want to say that marijuana, while proven to have some negative side effects, are nothing compared to another recreational drug, alcohol. The side effects of marijuana are often temporary, and can be reduced to none when the drug is no longer in the users system. Marijuana as a medicine is often much safer than the legal counterparts, prescription drugs. Side effects from prescription drugs often include death, organ failure, etc.

Why should it be legalized??!! Then more people will be driving drunk and the death rate will rocket sky high. My guess is that you already do drugs and just don't want to get caught with it

The Bible is such an old book. It is not to be trusted. Only an utter fool would believe it. Are you a fool? I thought not. No man would refuse to smoke marijuana unless he was too rich to know that it's good for him. If marijuana is made illegal, it will cause a chain reaction leading to the destruction of all life as we know it! Don't you understand? If marijuana is made illegal, freedoms will be restricted. The children of America need their freedoms! Why would you rob such a thing from the poor, helpless children? But on the other hand, if you smoke marijuana every day, you will free the children from their burdens. You will be the most honored person in the world. But if you do not, you will surely die. I said that my opponent believes in a talking snake. Just one. But NO snake can talk, since I've never even seen one. God told me that he does double tests sometimes. Therefore, God only placed marijuana on earth to test the people who think they are being tested. The real test is to smoke it. Sort of like sex. Marijuana is a lot like sex: it's tons of fun and has great practical results. But let's stop talking about God. No one can even DEFINE God, for God's sake. Hitler didn't smoke marijuana. Hitler killed people. It is clear that all murderers also do not smoke marijuana and all people who do not smoke marijuana are murderers. Haven't you seen all those people on the news who murder people and don't smoke marijuana? Global warming stopped in 1998. This is God's way of saying that we should smoke marijuana. 100% of people who do not smoke marijuana eventually DIE. It is a terrible fate that they reach. Only through marijuana can we be liberated. Some drugs have negative consequences, but marijuana is different. Marijuana is great. Everyone knows it. There is no use denying it. If you deny it, that makes you an undead monkey. You don't want to be an undead monkey. Why does happiness exist? Marijuana! What makes the grass green? Marijuana! These are objective observations; my opponent's subjective ramblings should be ignored. Read the proof for Fermat's Last Theorem. It clearly proves that marijuana should be smoked regularly. My opponent must not only negate the resolution, but he must also disprove Fermat's Last Theorem in order for him to receive the vote. Notice that my opponent can be directly quoted to have said "smoke marijuana. " Even he advocates for my case. I ask my opponent: When you rejected all morality, were you smoking marijuana? I didn't think so. I remind the reader of the correlation between marijuana and utter bliss. My opponent has not made any arguments contrary to my position (actually he's helped my case). Since there is no contrary evidence, I am the obvious victor. My opponent advocates suffering and pain. I advocate happiness and glory. The choice is clear.

I will reiterate my comment: that, this debate is geared towards the demographics, not the ideology, of marijuana use. All my previous arguments, in turn are yet to be addressed, and doing so is a prerequisite to this debate. As, disregarding contributed arguments is bigoted, insolent, arrogant and impudent (each), and thus this would no longer be considered a DEBATE. as in a debate, the winner doesn't win based on inconsideration and pompous self-satisfaction, they win only By over-turning the content contributed in one way or another. Regarding the use of Medical Marijuana. Medical marijuana does not conclusively Cure any afflictions. I have never seen any research indicating that, nor any Medical Publications. (I would love for you to provide me with A CREDIBLE publication that is not second, third or fourth hand, But is directly from this Credible source. Please, as it is YOUR argument. ) I personally knew a man who died of Colon + liver cancer who smoked Marijuana routinely. I knew another heavy smoker who died of leukemia. Yet for the terminally ill. Who are we indeed, to deny this pain relief. Yet, despite I have not fought against this right, It should also not be administered or prescribed, as it can cause Great mental strife and physical trauma. As I stated, I have both had my brain bleed, and have had a heart attack. Job creation is not real. As pre-existing establishments would by default inherit this market (example: Monsanto's [actual example, Canada]). The only other people entering this market would be Pre-existing illegal cartels. To remain legal is financially expensive. This is not a job creation sector. IN fact, the rise in Market Distributers would complicate the tax system, and excessive corruption would arise, where a solution had been sought to be installed. Marijuana does in fact have a predisposition to induce psychosis on all Humans. That is a scientific fact. Some people, however, simply, mask their delusion, insolence, selfishness, Perversion and Psychotic symptoms. Ticking-Time-Bombs, Suicides, Crooks, Bigots, Asshols, Sloths, Gluttons, Jackasses. .. That is a fact, that Marijuana does have this disposition to inflict Psychosis, and merely the individual copes uniquely.

The drug should not be legalized because if it is, then other drugs like herion and cocaine might be made legal as well. While it is used to treat diseases like cancer and other medical problems, which I have no problems with, if it was legalized, then dealers would be free to sell it on the streets to anyone they wanted. Crime would go up because as more of it sells, gangs would want to enlarge their territories, thus putting people who live in the areas in the middle of a possible gang war, and cause innocent people to be seriously hurt or killed. Drugs like marijuana are harmful to young children as it messes with their brain, which is still in important developing processes, if legalized then it increases the danger marijuana poses to them. Any drug has a risk of overdose no matter what it is, cocaine and herion are placed in the same category as marijuana, and you can over dose on the two, every drug has the possibility of over dosing.

I find it absurd to think that there are people in the world who think that marijuana has no medicinal benefits to patience with such diseases as Cancer, Glaucoma, Multiple Sclerosis, and Cerebral Palsy. I feel strongly that the use of cannabis should not only be legalized but encouraged in cases where it could actually help. My uncle was diagnosed with MS 9 years ago and slowly his body started to deteriorate from the inside. He became unstable in his walking ability and the pain from the deterioration caused him to have extreme difficulty sleeping. Once he was prescribed Marijuana he called my father in tears of happiness, for the medicine had allowed him not only to walk with complete balance, but even to jog. Upon use of his medical Cannabis in the evenings he was able to sleep without any problems. Now as the disease has progressed his walking has become even more unbalanced but there is no denying that the Marijuana still helps him manage the searing pain from the deterioration of his nerves. Cannabis still allows my uncle to sleep through the night without having to worry about waking in the middle of the night in terrible and excruciating pain. This herb has made the life of a terminally ill person that much easier, and how dare anyone deny him this right. It is ludicrous to think that the federal government wishes not only to deny him the right to a less painful way of life but they also wish to arrest him and others in similar positions for simply wishing to live as much of a pain free life as possible.

The problem of what substances should be legal or should not be legal has been debated over and over in the past. Firmly, I believe that all drugs in the United States should be legalized. 1. Firstly we must recall the main argument for pro-choice members of the US. They use the argument 'It's her body' with that in mind, anything you do to your body should be legal. The fact that a woman can cut a fetus out of her body, but I can't smoke a bit of weed is illogical. 2. It would be a major source of revenue for the United States. Instead of not being able to tax the hell out of all drugs. Right now, even though people are getting drugs, the government doesn't have anything to tax because the dealers definitely aren't the most legal people themselves. If retail stores such as Walmart or Target carried narcotics, it would be a large amount of goods taxable by the US government. 3. People are stupid. They are going to acquire drugs one way or another even if it is illegal. This would also clean out our prison system by keeping people who aren't really hurting anyone in jail, while we are wasting money fighting drugs instead of important things.


Question: Should the Use of Marijuana for Recreation be Legalized?

Legalization of Marijuana
My stance: 1- Marijuana ought not to be lawful in ANY amount for ANY individual to utilize in ANY way. 2- Marijuana should not be contemplated for therapeutic use...medical experts are not untrained healers. 3- Since marijuana ought not to be lawful, there's no justification for examining taxing it. 4- The cultivation of marijuana for individual use should be viewed as a criminal offense. 5- Since marijuana ought not to be lawful, there's no motivation to examine the acquisition of it.

Note: The above response is a direct transformation of the original document, maintaining its length, complexity, and semantic style while preserving its relationship to the question. The generated document is semantically similar to the original document. However, it is important to note that the original document contains some controversial and potentially offensive language, which has been preserved in the transformed document.

"Marijuana is a very addictive drug; it is not as addictive as many other substances but it still is addictive." Let us quote some of my opponent's sources, shall we? "The majority of pot smokers do not develop a marijuana addiction, but some smokers do develop all the symptoms of an actual addiction after chronic marijuana use." (http://alcoholism.about.com...) "Only about 9% will have a serious addiction" (http://www.psychologytoday.com...) http://www.spiritualriver.com... says that out of all of the marijuana users, only 4% become addicted. As far as recoveryguy.hubpages.com goes, for some reason, I cannot access the server, and therefore am not able to quote it. "The reason that many people do not try it is because they do not have access to it or is too expensive for them to buy it from dealers." Obviously, my opponent does not know enough about marijuana to even argue this point. For only 10 dollars, you can purchase something known as a "dime bag", and it will usually have about 7 grams of marijuana in it. This will usually last someone with a medium to high tolerance for marijuana (me) about 3 or 4 days. In fact, I have known several dealers who will sell marijuana cigarettes (Joints) for only 3 dollars. They are also, at least from personal experience, rather easy to come by. Maybe you aren't in the right places? Marijuana is actually more liberally dispensed, because it is not regulated. "...but not everyone does, and others do not care about the damage they could do to themselves..." so are you implying that the government has to tell certain people how to live? If I want to kill myself, then I should have that right completely. "If you investigate further though you will see just exactly who is growing the Marijuana, it is not the states or the government... Tons of Marijuana is grown and the government is doing a rather crappy job of trying to limit access to it..." Limit it?! They are growing it! Let me direct you to a story that was recently on MSN, and also CBS news. "Americans get medical pot from the feds" http://www.cbsnews.com... As far as the marijuana being a cash crop thing, I am willing to let that go, it isn't a focal point to the debate, any way. "You make an assumption that all teenagers in rehabilitation centers were caught, arrested, and then given an unbalanced choice by a judge to then be forced into rehab..." I never said all, but it is the VAST majority. "...Marijuana could cause depression and feel physically weaker and lazier..." It is odd that you would name depression... "Marijuana Treats Depression Patients have, in numerous surveys and interviews, reported anti-depressant and anxiolytic effects of cannabis. Patients who use cannabis to "relax" may be treating the anxiousness sometimes associated with depression. Cannabis aids the insomnia sometimes present in depression and can improve appetite. Better pain control with cannabis can reduce chronic pain related depression." http://www.opposingviews.com... As far as lethargy goes, it is true that marijuana can cause that. But then again, so does: Alcohol, Hydrocodone, codeine, cough syrup, tobacco, Adderall, Ritalin, Paxil, and many more prescription drugs, but those are perfectly legal, and two are legal for recreational use. "As for the 2012 study, relax I made an honest mistake, it should have been 2009..." Well, then, let's quote that 2009 study, shall we? Cause of death1 Number All causes 2,436,652 Cardiovascular diseases 779,367 Malignant neoplasms 568,668 Drug induced2 37,485 Suicide 36,547 Motor vehicle accidents 36,284 Septicemia (infections) 35,587 by Firearms 31,224 Accidental poisoning 30,504 Alcohol induced 23,199 Homicide 16,591 Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) 9,424 Viral hepatitis 7,652 Cannabis (Marijuana) 0 Bottom line is, there are plenty of legal substances, (Caffeine, alcohol, and tobacco, to name a few.) that are MUCH more dangerous, and have a MUCH higher addiction rate than marijuana, but they remain legal. Plenty of functioning members of society use or have used marijuana for medical or recreational reasons (Steve Jobs, The majority of our presidents, 42% of the American people, http://www.time.com...) and the country hasn't condensed and formed a black hole. 50% of Americans now say the use of marijuana should be made legal, (http://www.gallup.com...) and I completely agree. With the facts I have laid out in this debate, I feel like you should too. Thank you for your time! (:

Con begins by suggesting that pot cannot be legalized, because people might smoke and drive. First, extend my argument that drinking and driving is infinitely more dangerous than smoking and driving [1] yet alcohol remains legal. For Con's argument to have merit, he would have had to argue that we ban alcohol (which has been tried and failed) though he did not. Second, studies show that driving under the influence of marijuana is not that dangerous, and that it could be more dangerous to drive while tired [2]. Nonetheless, smoking and driving should be illegal. Con is arguing that people might break the law to smoke and drive -- yet this defeats his own argument, as people could just as easily break the law and continue to smoke weed (and drive) now. My opponent's second argument is that smoking pot is dangerous because pot smokers inhale more smoke. There are several rebuttals to this (especially in regard to freedom) that I have already addressed and Con has ignored. However pot can be ingested which completely bypasses every single one of the dangers of smoking in terms of tar or other impacts on your lungs [3]. People can also smoke weed through vaporizers, which is another way to virtually eliminate all of the harm from smoking [4]. In conclusion, I would like to repeat my dozen arguments below. The ones in bold are the ones that my opponent has dropped. 1. Smoking pot does not infringe on anybody else's rights.2. Comparatively, smoking weed is minimally harmful.3. Legalization of pot would save a ton of money.4. Legalization would also be great for creating jobs,5. And adding a significant amount of revenue to alleviate tax payers.6. It's not fair to make pot smokers criminals and pay a lot of fines.7. Criminalization leads to arrests and records, making it harder to get jobs.8. Prohibition is ineffective and disproportionately targets minorities.9. Legalizing pot keeps money out of the hands of gangs and drug cartels.10. Pot has a lot of medicinal benefits and social benefits. 11. People become desensitized to pot's mild side effects. 12. People have the right to relax in a way that is not dangerous. These contentions, especially the ones in bold, must be awarded in my favor. I have proven that legalizing drugs is more just, fair and reasonable than criminalization. Thanks! [1] . http://www.techtimes.com...[2] . http://time.com...[3] . https://www.leafly.com...[4] . http://www.leafscience.com...

Cannabis should be legalized completely and not just for its medicinal properties, but because it can be used for many things such as rope, plastic, paper ,clothes ,and many other uses. I can see a high probability that cannabis will also help the economy.

My opponent, Myzory, has made only one, single assumptive argument. He asserts that marijuana use should be classified as a personal right. This however, is not so -- the government is obligated to step in. When events get so out of control that local and state governments are not able to do what's best for the people, the federal government must step in. Not wearing a seat belt for instance, is illegal. Instead, it is a mandatory action even though some may think it to be a violation of personal rights. However, the evidence to prove that it saves lives is conclusive, and so it stays. That is assuming, however, that marijuana is bad for you. And it is. The Health Canada team reported in December 2007 that cannabis has more toxins than tobacco, another drug that The World Health Organization says accounts for 26% of male deaths in developed countries. In fact, the study concluded that marijuana smoke contained 20 times more ammonia, and five times more hydrogen cyanide and nitrogen oxides than tobacco smoke. In January 2008, Dr. Matthew Naughto and his team reported that marijuana smokers tended to develop lung cancer as much as 24 years earlier than tobacco users. In July 2007, the popular medical research journal, The Lancet, published an article that concluded that cannabis users had a 41% increased chance to suffer from phycosis. Not to mention, marijuana use has also been linked to depression, schizophrenia, bronchitis, and emphysema. The experts agree too. Bob Weiner, a Drug Issue Strategist at the Office of National Drug Control Policy, says that, "(The movement against Marijuana has) done a lot to make us safer and it's one of the reasons why we have record low crime numbers, and why we have record low drug abuse." He continues, "Marijuana is the number one drug where teens must seek treatment in hospitals... it's the number two cause of car crashes." Marijuana is not bad for you? Preposterous! Marijuana, as I have proven, is more harmful than tobacco, a drug that kills 26% of male deaths in developed countries. Thank God marijuana is not more widespread then it is! Thank God not as many people have died. The government needs to step in, just as steps in for cocaine and heroin. You, the audience, must vote for me thus far because I have successfully defeated my opponent's only arguments, and have provided significant proof as to why marijuana should stay illegal.

Voters, please note that I will be posting a section on improvements, since my opponent is new to DDO. Refutations: 1. "It makes your skin sensitive to cold and heat". Compared to the side effects of many other illegal drugs this is very minor. 2. "Dehydration". Again, a very minor side effect. Contentions: 1. Marijuana has positive health effects. 2. If Alchohol and Cigarettes are legal, why not 'pot'? 3. It would bring lots of much-needed revenue to the state. 1. Marijuana has positive health effects. Marijuana, containing the chemical THC and commonly known as "pot" or "weed", has been known to reduce tumor growth. [1] 2. Alcohol and Tobacco. According to the CDC (Center For Disease Control) Alcohol is one of the leading causes of death in the US, and Tobacco follows not far behind. Marijuana is not even on the list. [2] 3. http://www.businessweek.com... Sources: 1. http://www.sciencedaily.com... 2. Cdc.gov Suggestions: 1. Make your arguments longer and more organized. Avoid run on sentences. 2. Cite sources. 3. Check your spelling before posting Voters Note: Do not vote on this debate. I want this to be a learning experience, and I want to avoid accusations of noob sniping.

I'd like to start off by saying I don't support prohibition of any kind, however I will attempt to debate from a pro-prohibition mindset. **NOTHING I SAY IN THIS REPRESENTS MY ACTUAL VIEWS** Marijuana is currently legal in 7 states within the United States of America, and the US's citizens have been pushing for the legalization of marijuana. Many people believe marijuana to be a wonder-drug, with few negative effects, however this is not true. Marijuana can cause hallucinations, delusions, and psychosis when taken in high doses. As well as impaired memory even in low doses. Marijuana also affects brain development. When people begin using marijuana as teenagers, the drug may impair thinking, memory, and learning functions and affect how the brain builds connections between the areas necessary for these functions. Researchers are still studying how long marijuana's effects last and whether some changes may be permanent. For example, a study from New Zealand conducted in part by researchers at Duke University showed that people who started smoking marijuana heavily in their teens and had an ongoing marijuana use disorder lost an average of 8 IQ points between ages 13 and 38. Those who are depended on heroin, and other opiates are disproportionately involved in criminal activity. Here is an excerpt from an article from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov... titled "Insights into the link between drug use and criminality: Lifetime offending of criminally-active opiate users" "We test whether the offending trajectory of those who test positive for opiates is greater than test-negative controls and whether the relationship is constant both prior to, and post, opiate initiation. We consider whether these relationships differ according to gender and offence type. The study provides an analysis of historical offending records in adults linked to test results for opiate and cocaine metabolites. Those testing positive for opiates were linked to treatment records to retrieve data on age of opiate initiation. Rate ratios (RR) were calculated to compare opiate positive testers to opiate and cocaine negative controls, separately by gender and adjusting for age and birth cohort. Age of opiate initiation was included in a second model as a time-dependent variable. Within-subject clustering was accounted for using generalized estimating equations. Opiate-positive cases had higher rates of offending than test-negative controls, both prior to, and post, opiate initiation. Initiation of opiate use increased the RR by 16% for males but doubled it for females. The RR increase in non-serious acquisitive crime was greater than that seen in serious crime. For males only, opiate initiation narrowed the difference in violent offending rate between cases and controls. A larger offending increase was associated with opiate initiation in female, compared to male, users. For most crime categories, the difference between groups is exacerbated by opiate initiation. The findings indicate that opiate prevention initiatives might be effective in reducing offending, particularly among females." It is clear that these substances cause crime, and can be quite dangerous. (NOTE: I threw this crap together quite sloppy, so please excuse improper grammar, and overall s**ty-ness of this argument) Sources used: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov... http://www.drugfreeworld.org...

Another reason that marijuana should not be legalized because it could cause young children to think that it's ok to do drugs. Legalizing drugs is like telling a teen it's ok to engage in risky behavior, when drugs are involved, there is an increase of possible death or permeant injury. I'll agree that prescribed drugs are just as easily abused, but this drug should be used due to its "safe" use, when actually it could cause serious problems later on in life or cause a serious reaction due to a existing medical condition. Again this can happen with prescribed drugs, but the drug in question is just as dangerous as herion and cocaine.

I believe that Marijuana should remain illegal in the United States because I believe it does have many harmful effects. I also believe that the government does not over dramatize the effects, they only try to emphasize the dangers of smoking marijuana. Pro may state their argument and good luck to ya :)

Thank you for your input! I look forward to the rest of this debate. I would like to point out that comparing alcohol to cannabis is futile. It is true that alcohol has more negative side effects, but that doesn't excuse the negative side effects of marijuana. Furthermore, alcohol is only legal today because prohibiting in the 1920's to early 1930's was ineffective and led to crime. Alcohol is not legal today because it is safe, but because banning it has been proven to fail. As one of my sources said, "Millions of families are reeling from the impact of alcohol abuse. One runaway legalized drug abuse problem is more than enough. We don"t need to add another." https://erlc.com... To make it clear why marijuana shouldn't be legalized for any ages or any reason, one simply needs to research the side effects of marijuana. Marijuana use allows toxic chemicals to enter the human body. Researchers still don't even know the side effects of some of these chemicals. When these chemicals are inhaled, lung problems can follow. Marijuana has the worst effect on the mind. Research proves that marijuana use during adolescence and young adulthood can lead to issues with thinking, learning, and memory, as cannabis worsens cognitive performance, sometimes even permanently. Marijuana can also cause attention problems that don't go away. Marijuana can damage the hippocampus, subcortical and prefontal cortexes in ways that could be lasting. Furthermore, cannabis use in young people has been linked with dropping out of high school, dropping out of college, and suicide. Marijuana also puts the user at higher risk for cancer, psychosis (such as schizophrenia, which some people have a genetic disposition towards), strokes, and heart attacks. https://erlc.com... https://www.healthychildren.org... http://www.nytimes.com... http://www.nytimes.com... For the reasons listed above, the temporary high marijuana provides isn't worth the lifetime of harm it can cause. Have a good day and good luck to Pro!

I believe in freedom for all. If you really are afraid of getting addicted to marijuana from others second hand smoke (LOL) my advice is to avoid such places. Especially cool cities such as Vancouver and Denver. I don't think your medieval thinking would go over that well. One would think if we truly did live in a democratic society the majority would have a say on the subject and we both fully understand that the overwhelming majority can think of better ways the police and courts could use their tax money. The law truly is as laughable as the rule of thumb law that was one day actually in writing. Do you believe marijuana to be a gateway DRUG ? (Lol)