I was going to say something but I forgot what I was going to say:uhoh:

Prescription drugs are tightly regulated and if you get caught abusing prescription drugs you go to jail. The same would apply to marijuana if it were approved for medicinal use and rightly so. I'm not current on the debate but I don't really know why we need medical marijuana. What gap would it fill? Despite valild arguments for medical use, it seems like the argument quickly becomes a front for those who would want it legalized for recreational use, as we've seen in this thread.
To legalize it for recreational use is to condone its use and we would have a rise in users. How hard is it to get cigarettes when someone can obtain them and transport them legally without fear of prosecution and then distribute them to minors? Alcohol is dangerous, I got that. But lets work on alcohol instead of introducing a new problem.

Yes for medical use only. Some people actually do use it to counteract sides of medication. Now in my opinion it should still be illegal for non medical use.

Excessive use of pot can and DOES create imbalances in the brain that leads to other issues. I've seen this firsthand.

Smoking pot can and does often lead to the use of other illegal drugs. THAT I can say first hand. I've quit a lot of stuff and the only major monkey on my back is butts and I'm trying to lick that.

Because Alcohol is legal, pot should be too? Like the doc said above, work on the alcohol problem instead of introducing a new one. I come from a long line of alcoholics and have been pretty good about keeping it out of my son's life. I can't and won't do to him and my immediate family what was done to generations of my family. This "familt trait" stops here and I don't want another legal choice to be available too.

1) Legalize, or at least decriminalize possession of everything. Not just pot and not just for medicinal purposes.

2) Treat drug abuse as a health problem.

3) If legalized, tax and regulate manufacture, sales, advertising and marketing, distribution, and possession of recreational drugs.

4) Clearly establish standards and safeguards for legitimate recreational drug distribution channels.

5) Impose a mandatory death penalty for anyone intentionally and willfully operating outside of #4.

I can see the Tax's on this being higher than Cigarettes.

Definetly gotta legalize it for medical use. I dont think anyone can actually say the on going war on drugs has done a bit off good, from marijuana to heroin. They need to change their stance on this, more education and treatment. Drugs being illegal makes a black market, profits for criminals, criminals with guns, murders. If they cant keep drugs out of high security prisons how do they ever expect to keep them out of people homes in a free society? The price of hard drugs has dropped , while the purity has soared! 1981 1 gram of heroin $329, IN 2003 IT WAS $60. Cokes prices have dropped 14% in just the last year, lowest prices in 20 years. Hard drugs are now more readily available in higher purity then ever before! WHy waste another 3 billion in columbia??? Why not take that 3 billion and start aggresive treatment and education programs?? I toatlly agree with everything fishweewee has said. Just because crack or heroin was legal doesnt mean , people would run out and start shooting up and smoking.