Evidence for God from Science

Jerry Brown actually sounds somewhat sensible - he must be HIGH! Or maybe aliens have abducted the real JB?

http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2014/0 ... legal-pot/

Philip wrote:Jerry Brown actually sounds somewhat sensible - he must be HIGH! Or maybe aliens have abducted the real JB?

http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2014/0 ... legal-pot/

Yes.. Every once in awhile Jerry Brown can actually say something smart.

Is smoking pot really that bad, though? Drinking alcohol is a far more common behavior than smoking pot (and will continue to be even if every state legalizes marijuana), and its ability to do harm to someone's ability to think, work, etc. is as bad or worse than pot. And since prohibition ended, its not like drinking alcohol has damaged America's ability to keep up with the rest of the world.

Jerry Brown is right to say that extreme amounts or abuse of marijuana is bad and will probably inhibit someone's ability to contribute to society. But that argument can be extended to virtually anything, not just pot, so to me it's a moot point. But to assume that by legalizing pot we will see a dramatic rise in pot abuse is just silly. Alcohol abuse didn't suddenly become a nationwide epidemic after prohibition ended despite similar fears. There's no reason to think that we will see a huge rise in pot smokers if its legal, either.

And I say this as someone who does not smoke pot, and have no real intention to start (legal or not). I know people who smoke, and lots of people in college use pot occasionally. No one that I know is actually damaged or perpetually inhibited in their academics because of pot abuse.

to assume that by legalizing pot we will see a dramatic rise in pot abuse is just silly. Alcohol abuse didn't suddenly become a nationwide epidemic after prohibition ended despite similar fears.

If you make a substance FAR more easily available and legal and take away the stigma and risk of arrest and fines, you give it legitimacy and make it appear novel and innocuous in uninitiated minds - which means a LOT more people will have access and be much more inclined to use it. That's only common sense. Just because one drug (alcohol) already has widespread abuse, does not mean we should legalize another substance to buzz brains and judgment. At least alcohol can be enjoyed in moderation (I do, occasionally). But the entire point of smoking dope is to get high. And it is a VERY psychologically addictive drug and a lot of fun. I know because when I was 17-18, I spent a lost 18 months dating Mary Jane, a literal time wasted. And I couldn't always find it without risking arrest, dealing with connections I didn't know well. And I totally wasted that period of my life just partying and getting high. If pot had been legal and easily available, who knows when I would have ever stopped. Actually, I had a spiritual re-awakening that gave me the strength to stop.

Also, the historic truth is that alcohol consumption and related problems significantly declined during prohibition, and rose once again post-prohibition. http://www.nytimes.com/1989/10/16/opini ... ccess.html