If Marijuana was legal would you smoke it
 

With the push to legalize it in California, I am curious how many people would smoke it.

I did quite a bit as a teen, but quit because it just burned me out and made me paranoid, so I can only imagine those effects being a lot worse with almost 30 years gone by since I last did it. So really my only Dog in the fight would be the tax revenue it could generate.

Probably not. Wasn't really a fan of it.

I wouldn't, but my sister really need medical marijuana and now has to choose between getting the medical help she needs or keeping her family safe from legal consequences. So, I advocate it being legal for her sake (and others like her).

Depends how far the price drops, I did some as a teen but thats back when it was 40 bucks an OZ, what is it now like 1500-2000 an OZ????

I only smoke it periodically now, because it makes me super paranoid sometimes, and it's not often worth the risk of a bad time for me. This wouldn't change if it were legalized.

I've never smoked it, but if it were legally I might give it a try. Doubtful, but possible. Hard to say.

Surprisingly, the price of weed has remained largely unchanged for like the last 20 years.

Really? We need a plan to provide federal aid to pot dealers immediately. I mean...they arent even keeping up with inflation.

I've smoked marijuana in the past, never as a regular user. I've never once bought any myself - what little I've done myself has been other people's pot. If it were legalized and my work didn't care if I used it on my own time, I'd probably smoke it here and there, but I'm betting my usage would be pretty low.

About the only thing I really have any interest in when it comes to marijuana is sitting down with a really good CD and some headphones. All the rest, eh, doesn't really do much for me.

I already do smoke it every once in a while (blue moon-ish) ;).

Probably would do it more if legal.

This isn't as interesting a poll to me as, say, "if cocaine was legal.."

Never smoked. Never had any interest. But I have no qualms if people want to. Legalize it.

I don't think this applies to me (it's too late for me, save yourselves!), but I think it's an interesting question to those who abstain for purely legal reasons.

If you don't think you would try it on your own, imagine if it were legalized, and you went to a relaxed, casual party with your favorite friends, having fun and sharing drinks/conversation/BDSM. Someone lights up a joint and passes it around the room, when it gets to you, do you try it out, or do you pass it on?

I do it now, so yeah, guess that would continue if it were legalized.

I'd pass on it. I'm a little weary of making it legal as I've seen how it completely kills motivation on kids in the 16-22 age range. A bunch of kids on my baseball team in HS smoked it and ended up dropping off the team (one was really talented).

I guess I look at it like booze, but the fear of it being readily available for 15-20 year olds (like beer is now) would probably be enough for me not to be in favor of full legalization. I'd be completely fine with it being legal with a prescription. My concern is trying to minimize the use by kids under 20.

And a banana costs $10, Mrs. Bluthe.

I just got done roasting five minutes ago.

As for the price question, we're usually running about $350 per ounce of higher quality stuff around here. From there the price goes to $50 per 1/8 ounce and $100 per 1/4 ounce.

Cheap shit varies. I don't like to fuck around with it, but $20 per 1/8 ounce is fairly standard. You can have all grades in between the cheap shit and the good shit.

To minimize legal risk, I have a group of friends, almost like an informal cooperative that will buy in bulk and distribute it among ourselves. Once I've got my stash home from picking it up, it never really leaves.

I've been smoking for 10 years now on a fairly regular basis so the effects are a lot less pronounced than it would be in even an occasional smoker. I feel pretty stoned for about 30 minutes before I feel fully functional.

I would for sure. I love having beers before I go out, when I get home from work, etc...

Would be nice to not have all the extra calories.

Good point, except for the 6 slices of Pizza, 3 bags of Doritos and 2 quarts of Ben & Jerry's you would pound down after blazing. :)

carrots and celery my friend

I think this is a very valid concern, but advocates of legalization would argue that it would be much easier to restrict sales if those sales were controlled, like alcohol. Right now, most kids under 20 are likely getting their weed from other kids under 20. The hope (and certainly plenty of ideas get lost between hope and reality) is that would decrease with legalization and proper controlled sales.

Come to think of it, I'd probably give it a shot if it was baked into something. I don't care for smoking at all but do enjoy fine pasties.

Hemp underwear, you may be on to something RM.

I think even anti-drug groups concede that it is easier for kids to get marijuana that alcohol because the government at least has some regulations on alcohol. There have been plenty of studies that show this. To get beer you need to have a 21+ year old (or at least a fake id carrying) connection. To get weed you just buy it from some other kid.

And not to rag on you twice for the same post by why is weed illegal for me because someone else can't be a good parent? (not you, but your fear of kids under 20 means somebody isn't) Just make it legal for those over 18 and leave the good parenting or poor parenting to the individuals. Sorry but every law doesn't have to have mass restirctions for the children.

I'd leave the room because pot smells vile.

I was able to get booze any time I wanted from the age of 15 to 21. Heck, some stores in the sticks of IL (where I grew up) sold it to me when I was 16 without checking ID. If pot was in every Circle K or convenient mart across the nation, I'd guarantee use by kids would skyrocket.

It's one thing to know a guy who know's a guy who can get you some weed. It's quite another to see it sitting there in every store on the corner. All it takes is an older cousin/brother and you can score pot like we used to score booze. Given Pot is currently illegal, I see no real reason to legalize it (ie, legitimize it) for non-medicinal purchase.

I don't know, there was one guy in HS I knew that could score weed and he wasn't able to get much. I could get a bottle of beer any moment I wanted from 15 up. I have to think that the fact that beer was legal and pot wasn't is a big factor in that setup.

Many people on the coasts don't realize that pot isn't quite as easy to score in middle America. There are always people that can get it (if you really want it), but if you are a 17-year old kid in Waterloo, IL (where some family of mine lives), you will have a hard time finding pot on a random Friday night unless you are really dialed in with that crowd. Beer, on the other hand, is something you have to actually try and avoid as it's pretty much everywhere.

Just the chance that legalizing pot leads to the same situation is enough for me not to support it. Now, if it ends up being legal, I'm not going to go out and campaign against it - but I don't think I would vote for it.

Well, I don't think we necessarily have to jump to weed being available on every corner, once it becomes legal. Surely, they could choose to regulate it more strongly than alcohol (dedicated weed shops, mandatory ID), and even most advocates wouldn't complain.

To piggyback off your analogy, I too was able to buy beer at the 'right' corner market, from pretty much my 18th birthday on. On the other hand, I wasn't able to get a drop of liquor until I was 21, as liquor can only be bought at state-run liquor stores in Oregon, which are highly regulated and very effective (to the point that everybody hates them). I would imagine that weed sales would be more like that model (which is already in place in California dispensaries), rather than a big weed display at 7-11.

Ditto in Utah and they keep very inconvient hours too. I could only imagine something similar if Marijuana did become Legal, selling it in a 7-11 would not work at all.

Being one of the more active smokers here, of course I would. I'd like to think I am a very functional smoker, in that it actually enhances my ability to do certain things like monotonous or very endurance intensive labor. It certainly hasn't stopped me from getting promotions and raises, although I don't do it AT work..

And before that raises an alarm, I don't mean operating heavy machinery, just manual labor stuff.. Hands and feet. I find that my endurance and overall physical and emotional stress are reduced to the point that I could do whatever I am doing for long periods of time (like years of unloading trucks at a place like wal mart as I have done in the past, or producing music at home in my makeshift studio, or doing chores around the house) without fear of ever being "burned out" mentally or physically at all. In fact, if I could have smoked in school, I probably would have done my homework more often. I know that isn't really a good thing though, and I don't condone school age children toking up, just making an observation. I think it affects some people more positively than others.

What cracks me up is that the more we crack down on smokers, the more we wat to legalie marijuana

I'm not sure if I would or not. I tried it 2 or 3 times in my early twenties, and it was kind of fun, but it just seemed to be a different kind of lifestyle. I tend to 'tow the line' pretty straight in life, for the most part, so it was hard to get past the stigma.

That said, I truly believe it is no more dangerous than alcohol, which is legal and has little to no stigma at this point. So would the stigma go away on weed if its all the sudden legal? I mean, could I look my dad in the eye and say "I had a couple joints at a party last weekend" if he asked? What about my son? I don't know.

So that's my answer: I don't know. Which sadly has no option on the poll.

Not only would I not smoke it, I would start kicking people's asses for being stoned around me.

There's nothing funnier than beating the hell out of a bunch of stoners who can't even motivate themselves to defend.

No way I'd do it. I've worked with some moderate to heavy pot-smokers and their memory is shit. I mean, you tell them something and they'll forget it a short while later. Or you'll say "remember when I said this a week ago" and they'll give you a blank look. Or you'll try to explain something beyond a basic "look at this" and they'll just give you a blank stare. I know these people weren't the brightest, but I've never had that experience with anyone other than people who smoke marijuana.

dola...

So I don't sound like I'm just being a hater: I smoked more than my share of dope in high school and college. I don't have a problem with pot. I don't have a problem with people who smoke pot.

But as I've gotten older, I have zero patience and tolerance for stoned people who attempt to interact with me. I'd sooner beat you down than have to talk to you about your dumbass cosmic awakening.

I smoke pot all day long, and I couldn't agree more. Just because you like marijuana doesn't mean it has to be your identity. I know people who could bore me to death talking about wine, but at least they don't wear wine pants, wine shoes, wine backpack, put wine in their hair, and talk about the healing power of wine all day.

Just watch a few episodes of "The Joy of Painting", and it'll be like getting buzzed for free (since it's on PBS).

I love you Bob Ross.

As long as we're simply going off of small-sample personal experiences here, the majority of my friends that are/have been regular pot-smokers are highly motivated, very successful people with great memory.

Pretty much my answer, too.

I know a couple of very successful executives who smoke regularly as well as a couple of people who are just barely functioning. I don't think dope changed the trajectories of any of those people. Another small sample.

Considering I've never puffed a cigarette, I doubt I'd try marijuana.

Just don't find it appealing.

Bingo. I find it interesting how people who would normally be expected to espouse the "personal responsibility" ethos seem to suggest that people who smoke marijuana fall under some kind of spell, and that it's the marijuana that changes them and not decisions that these people make of their own accord.

I'm not going to dispute the idea that using marijuana might make it easier for some people to fall into a pattern of less motivation in their lives, but I don't for a second believe it causes everyone to use it to become demotivated slackers - the responsibility still lies primarily with the individual.

Just like some people can't handle drinking responsibly, some people can't handle smoking pot responsibly.

Fair enough. I have very limited experience with pot, so being around my former co-workers is the only experience I have. It was the eerie similarities between them that really stuck with me. I know it's a small sample size, but having worked with them for over a year, it is a small sample size that will always stick with me.

I agree with this assessment too. I would never say I get any benefit out of marijuama, outside of plain ol' enjoyment, but I don't think marijuana necessarily makes you lazy or unmotivated, any more than lazy, unmotivated people tend to appreciate the effects of marijuana. I would also argue that those type of folk who are immediately recognizable and grab your attention as typical 'pot-heads', typically aren't the heavy regular users, who are more likely to manage the effects with almost no visible signs, blend in a lot easier, and are much less likely to be intent on announcing their usage to you.

Oh goodness, this is so false. I am born and raised and still live in a small town in Wisconsin and have never had problems finding it since I've been 15. Yeah, maybe a dry spell here or there.

Last I knew, the number one cash crop of Kentucky was marijuana. Kentucky feeds middle America's hunger for marijuana quite well.

Just to play devil's advocate here. We have a lot of kids in that 16-22 age range who are on some pretty scary depression and anxiety medicaitons. If weed helps get kids off that stuff, isn't it a plus for them too?

Just because someone motivated to find pot can do so doesn't make it easily accessible. If I had to call a guy who then called a guy to get a can of beer every time I wanted to drink in HS, I would have done it a heck of a lot less than I did. Legalizing pot both improves access for average kids and legitimizes its use by kids.

Why do you think 50% of teens regularly drink alcohol compared to only 18% of teens use pot? I guess the fact that one is illegal has nothing to do with it...:rolleyes:

I'm not against marijuana use with prescription, I think it should be allowed then.

Once again, 50% of teens drink and only 18% use pot. Do we really want to see that 18% turn into 50% just so some middle-aged people can feel better about their 2-3 time a week weed use? Most adult people who want to smoke weed can do so fairly easily right now without much of a fear of going to jail. Once it's legalized, access to teens becomes infinitely easier and now we've opened a whole new can of worms to deal with.

If 50% of teens were using pot now, I'd say we may as well just legalize it to make the process safer. But, with such a low number, it seems like taking a chance that the numbers will rise from 18 to 50 after it's legalized is way too much of a gamble for me to take.

Finally, I agree with what many (like dawgfan) have said about adults using weed without any major issues. I know some people who smoke and they are very smart/successful/motivated. I also know a lot of people who drink alcohol who are very successful. However, I also know a lot of teens who have screwed their life over by drinking and I don't feel the need to see the number of teens who use pot (most often irresponsibly and before they are ready) double or triple to match alcohol.

Just because alcohol is legal doesn't mean we should legalize pot. There are a lot of very dangerous aspects to underage drinking that cost numerous lives a year. We have the ability to prevent that with pot, yet (for some reason) people still want to legalize/legitimize it for teens.

What on earth are you talking about here? I'm hitting on your point that somehow there were geographical differences in accessibility. That's not true.

My point was that access is very limited to teens (especially those not on the coasts). Nationally, 18% of teens use pot (it's much higher in California/New York than in midwestern states). Nationally, 50% of teens drink (with no real difference between middle america and the coasts).

I feel that some who are in the west coast on this board think weed is a lot more accessible to teens than it actually is (because the teen % is higher in california than nationally). If weed was easy to get, a heck of a lot more than 18% of teens would be using. Just like if beer was illegal, a lot less than 50% of teens would be drinking.

But it's more to do with the attitudes in middle America than it is the accessibility. I will agree there is a more lax attitude about it on the coasts but that does not at all mean it is hard to come by. Teen drinking, while most would not like to admit it, comes with a lot more relaxed attitude. If little Sally gets caught drinking, it's chalked up to teens just being teens. But if little Sally gets caught smoking a joint she's turning into one of them dopers you see on that television show Cops.

Dola

And to make it clear, I would MUCH rather see teens smoke marijuana than drink alcohol. If I had to choose one, obviously.

I'll admit I chose both, and alcohol had much more negative consequences than marijuana.