It'll come from the states or not at all, or I'm just high, or something.

I'm all for legalization, of course, cause I like to get high. But I'm not so high as to not notice a self-serving argument. There are plenty of good reasons to legalize pot, but I keep mine to the fact that I like it, it ain't nobody's business if I do, and it don't hurt nobody. Legalizing pot is not going to lower the national debt, decrease street violence, solve global warming or vastly improve anyone's sex life. It will likely not have any serious effect on much at all. And that should be the best argument for legalization for anyone.

Those hippies who tout the imminent declaration of global love and economic plenty are, at the end of the day, doing their cause a disservice, IMHO.

Who loves ya, Sofie?

One quarter of all the world’s prisoners are in American jails, many of them for pot.  Until the power of the Prison-Industrial Complex is broken, I don’t expect pot to be legalized.  As a taxpayer, it pisses me off to pay for the police work, court costs, and incarceration costs to stuff our prisons with pot smokers who come out traumatized and hardened by their experiences behind bars.

I don’t currently indulge, but as someone with serious eye problems, I believe the day is coming when it will be necessary to smoke myself silly in order to preserve my vision.  I don’t consider it the government’s business to prevent me from using a treatment that has a proven track record with minimal dangerous side effects.

fnord wrote:

One quarter of all the world’s prisoners are in American jails, many of them for pot.  Until the power of the Prison-Industrial Complex is broken, I don’t expect pot to be legalized.  As a taxpayer, it pisses me off to pay for the police work, court costs, and incarceration costs to stuff our prisons with pot smokers who come out traumatized and hardened by their experiences behind bars.

I don’t currently indulge, but as someone with serious eye problems, I believe the day is coming when it will be necessary to smoke myself silly in order to preserve my vision.  I don’t consider it the government’s business to prevent me from using a treatment that has a proven track record with minimal dangerous side effects.

We supply my super-Catholic dad with glaucoma with weed. He said that his optometrist has detected an improvement in the pressure levels. If my mom ever finds out I give my dad pot, I am in some deep kimchi.

fnord wrote:

I have had detached retinas, and I have lens implants that were put in place after cataract removals.  I’ve had laser treatments for secondary cataracts and my eyes have silicone bands around them inside the eye sockets.  My eyes must be half plastic by weight and are a marvel of medical engineering.  Glaucoma runs in my family and I am being watched for it.  The niacin I take for my cholesterol and triglycerides has lowered my eye pressure, which is a good thing.

Smoke pot. It works.

I know you're not exactly in a pot smoking part of the country, but figure it out.

We can't let you go blind. It'll screw with your racism if you can't see people's color.

Smoochies!

This is why I stopped.  I started having paranoia attacks after years of enjoyable toking.  I dislike taking smoke into my lungs, so I would have to go the brownie or Green Dragon route if I were to start indulging again.

sigmoid freud wrote:

...And since I quit tobacco 5 years ago (cold turkey, no problems, seems I was one of the lucky ones not physically dependent), I'd be reluctant to smoke anything.

It took me an upper-reperatory infection and winter time temps of 3 (not including wind chill) to get me to quit smoking...By the time I was two weeks without a smoke, I decided to keep it going. Three years later, and I can't even believe that I smoked for 17 years.  I consider myself one of the lucky ones since I haven't slipped back.  In the same time I cut back on the green as well for various reasons, but fear of smoking anything was part of it.  Now I par-take about three or four times a year and ITS FRIGGIN AWESOME!  Mostly because it affects me the way I remember when I was in highschool (goodTimes...GoooodTimes...)  I'm still off of the tobac (the truly evil weed) but I am all for the legalization, regulation and taxation of grass and all of its affiliated products.  If there was ever a time for a renewable taxable product, now is the time.  I'll leave the discussion of all of the ancilary products that grass can create for later posts

Buuuuut, I feel as if I'm preaching to the converted here anyway.  I'd entertain any arguments against personal liberty by the way!

sic wrote:

sigmoid freud wrote:

...And since I quit tobacco 5 years ago (cold turkey, no problems, seems I was one of the lucky ones not physically dependent), I'd be reluctant to smoke anything.

It took me an upper-reperatory infection and winter time temps of 3 (not including wind chill) to get me to quit smoking...By the time I was two weeks without a smoke, I decided to keep it going. Three years later, and I can't even believe that I smoked for 17 years.  I consider myself one of the lucky ones since I haven't slipped back.  In the same time I cut back on the green as well for various reasons, but fear of smoking anything was part of it.  Now I par-take about three or four times a year and ITS FRIGGIN AWESOME!  Mostly because it affects me the way I remember when I was in highschool (goodTimes...GoooodTimes...)  I'm still off of the tobac (the truly evil weed) but I am all for the legalization, regulation and taxation of grass and all of its affiliated products.  If there was ever a time for a renewable taxable product, now is the time.  I'll leave the discussion of all of the ancilary products that grass can create for later posts

Buuuuut, I feel as if I'm preaching to the converted here anyway.  I'd entertain any arguments against personal liberty by the way!

That's awesome that you've kicked the cigs. Nothing but trouble, those things (I smoke 3 or 4 Marlboro Lights a day). I was able to kick them every time I was hospitalized with my kidney problems, and when I was pregnant, but I resumed my half-assed habit each time they sent me home from the hospital.

Weed, though. It's funny. I'm usually okay if I run out for a day or so, but I enjoy it too much to ever give it up totally. It's like a security blanket.