Guest Post:

Here is a question that I have, why can’t marijuana be legalized but carry similar punishments as alcohol? Alcohol carries similar characteristics while under the influence as marijuana, so why is one illegal and one isn’t?

I think marijuana should be legalized because there are responsible people out there that will use but not put other peoples lives in danger. That is just the same with alcohol, there are responsible people out there that only drink in the comfort of their home or at least have a DD. Why can’t there be laws that legalize marijuana but keep people in check while using. Why can’t you set up checkpoints the same as you do for people under the influence of alcohol? Why can’t you have a law about having a lit joint in public, which is kind of like an open container? If people want to do things in the privacy of their own homes that should be ok. Even have state licensed stores that sell the marijuana and this way it can still be controlled by the government.

I think that the possible explanation to all of this is the government doesn’t want to deal with it. It is easier to classify it as a drug and that it’s illegal than to have to worry about people bringing up the question about other drugs. The government is worried that if they legalize marijuana where does it stop. Well, sorry to say but its never going to stop. There will always be questions on drugs and what their affect is on people.

movies

I don't feel like posting anything serious today, so i thought i would write about some movies. There are a number of movies and even tv shows that have marijuana references in them. Some movies you watch and afterwards you wonder what drug inspired those visuals. Some of my favorite movies of all time have drug references in them.


Most of the odvious classic drug reference movies that come to my mind are comedies. Half Baked, or any of the Cheeh and Chong movies. I actually found a list of popular movies with drugs in them on wikipedia. I noticed on this list that most movies with drugs in them were made from the '90s on. There of course are exceptions, but the majority are newer. I think the reason for this could be that we are getting used to drugs more and more in our society. It's no longer something that we try to hide or avoid. Drugs are out in the open, and putting them in movies just helps relate to the audience. More people now know the effects of certain drugs, so making a movie scene with them is much easier for the director.

Marijuana references have even made their way into our tv shows. One of the most odvious being That 70's Show. Smoking weed in the basement on a popular tv show. Probly not acceptible 30 years ago. Also the classic Simpsons episode on the issue of medical marijuana. Acceptible and funny today, even though weed is still illegal. I think it just shows that more and more people are getting comfortable with drugs or drug references.

Anyways, there are some great movies on the list I linked to above, so if you have a chance take a look. See if a few of your all time favorites are on there. Here is my top ten movies with drugs list. American Beauty, Breakfast Club, Clockwork Orange, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Half Baked, Natural Born Killers, Pulp Fiction, Requium for a Dream, Spun, Super Troopers. Really hard to choose with so many great movies.

Laws founded on myths

Today I would like to present another argument for marijuana legalization in the United States. The laws established in this country outlawing marijuana possession and use are based on false information about the drug. The first laws concerning marijuana were based on the mind-set shown in movies like reefer madness (1936). A movie that today is comedical to most people. Unfortunately many people still believe some false "dangers" of marijuana. I think that anyone who has any experience or knowledge of the drug would agree that it's not addictive, it would not cause you to randomly commit a violent crime, and it will not make you forget committing a violent crime. Marijuana laws in this country were formed based on the idea that marijuana is more dangerous than heroine. Now that these laws are already in place, the government makes a massive amount of money from marijuana fines. To keep this money coming in every year they keep the public believing that marijuana is extremely dangerous. All the government funded commercials and anti-drug programs influences people to believe that marijuana is a serious and dangerous problem. I believe it is working, most of the public believes that if you use marijuana you will commit crimes, and eventually destroy your life. Just like any other drug, marijuana can alter your behavior; however, the drug is not addictive, and does not cause you to commit violent crimes. The only laws that you will break because of marijuana are the laws against possession or use. Laws that were formed not based on facts but on myths. Yet, for some reason these laws are still in place. I believe they will be for many years to come. I don't think that the public will be brainwashed forever; within the next several generations the common public will have realized that marijuana is not dangerous. Perhaps then the laws in this country will come to question and perhaps be overturned.