Without having read the thread yet — from past threads, I know there are some pro-legalization folks here — I’ll just jump in and give my two cents:

Time to Legalize Weed?

No.

Just because we can’t stop it from being consumed, doesn’t mean we should give it the stemp of societal approval.

Marijuana may be less noxious than heroin or cocaine or meth…but that doesn’t mean it’s good for you.

I’ve known many many many many pot-smokers in my day, and I don’t like what I’ve seen. Talking to someone who is high is a total waste of time. And after years of use, a person gets into that “pot-head zone” that I find tragic. I’ve never known a pot-head to be insightful, entrepreneurial, or interesting. Sorry. Gotta be honest.

Driving while high is just as dangerous as driving while drunk. Marijuana, like alcohol, slows down response times and seriously impairs judgment. The first time someone gets killed after getting hit by someone legaly high on pot, you (the legalization advocate, whoever you may be) will feel a little guilty.

The second time, you’ll feel really guilty.

The 1,000th time, your guilt will be so overwhelming you’ll go into denial mode.

And don’t give me that hooey about it being “just for adults.” Alcohol is similarly “just for adults” and kids find every imaginable way to get alcohopl and get drunk. If pot is legalized, kid-usage will go way way up.

It may all be a moot point, because Obama has essentially already legalized pot in any state (such as California) that has a “medical marijuana” law. The Obama administration has announced they will not prosecute federal drug laws in medical-pot states.

And, frankly, I know it’s a clich, but in my extensive observation, marijuana is a “gateway drug”: a substantial percentage of users I’ve known have moved on to more extreme drugs, with predictably deleterious consequences.

If you want a nation of spaced-out losers, vote for legalization.