response 1 of 41:

Sep 11 15:48 UTC 2003

Do I have to copy-paste my response? 

response 3 of 41:

Sep 11 16:48 UTC 2003

But what if people miss it??

response 5 of 41:

Sep 11 17:05 UTC 2003

My post up in the other was in essence that I think people should strt
focussing on the effects of pot-addiction and prolonged pot use rather that
"judgement impairing" and "accident causing" issues that a lot of people are
harping about. These are caused by other factors also, like alcohol, and
harping on these isn't going to change anyone's minds about these drugs.

My opinion is that as recreational drugs that are used once in way, I see very
little harm done, but people need to be made aware that becoming dependant
on these as pick-me-ups and as a means to escape reality is harmful. And I
see very little being focussed on this issue.

I don't think pot should be illegal. If pot is illegal, then alcohol should
be made illegal too. And I've not heard of people high on pot breaking into
bar fights.

response 7 of 41:

Sep 11 18:29 UTC 2003

I don't buy that.  The argument equating marijuana with alcohol works like
this:  In a free country, doing something should be illegal if and only if
there are strong reasons for it to be illegal.  If a given argument for
outlawing marijuana also applies to alcohol, then either a) alcohol should
also be outlawed, or b) the reason in question is not a strong enough reason
to justify outlawing marijuana either.
  Personally, I am not familiar with any reasons that smoking pot should be
illegal that aren't pretty weak. 

response 9 of 41:

Sep 11 19:57 UTC 2003

Heh.  It's true that while I've been accosted by drunks on multiple
occasions, I've never met a belligerant stoner.

response 11 of 41:

Sep 12 01:30 UTC 2003

As one kid is about to enter his teenage years (he's 12, I mean) and 
the other is only a few years away from that, I think about drugs as 
something I hope doesn't affect their lives.  I regard myself as 
beyond my drug-abusing years.  If I were going to get into drugs, or 
become an alcoholic, it would have happened over the last two years, I 
expect.

For the boys, I'd rather not have them smoke either marijuana or 
tobacco.  I'm about equally against them both; tobacco because of my 
own background, marijuana because of the law and because I regard it 
as an entry-level "drug".

I probably won't have much to do with how my stepson lives his life, 
but my son will know -- he knows now -- I am firmly against him using 
these two things.  As he gets older, I'll talk with him more about my 
views, and the rules in our home, and consequences for not following 
the rules.

I expect ther boys will drink alcohol.  I hope if they do, they do it 
the way I do, an occasional beer and not much more than that.  My son 
has a sip of my beer occasionally.  I hope it's not bad for him.  I 
hope I'm showing him how I treat alcohol and that he'll adopt my view 
for himself.

I don't really know anything about the other drugs besides alcohol.  I 
wouldn't want the kids to be the way I usually think of habitual drug 
users.  I think of a drug user as a guy sitting in the middle of the 
floor with his mind fogged to the point of not being able to care 
about his life, other than the need to get high again.  Robbing houses 
to steal anything worth $50 so he can get his fix.  I don't know if 
it's an accurate portrayal of any drug users, but it's what I think 
of.  I don't want anything like that for my kids.

I am against experimentation with drugs.  As with marijuana and 
tobacco, he knows now I am against him using such things.  When he 
gets older, I'll go into more depth and establish rules and all that.

I don't think I'll close the boys out of my life, no matter what they 
do.  I don't think I'll run a "my way or the highway" home.  I'll 
always be here to do what I can for them, the best I can do, whatever 
that is.

If they need a ride because they can't drive, they can call me, even 
if it's 2:00 a.m.  Even if they did something I don't approve of.  But 
then, I think, they'll owe me some time the next day or so in order to 
explain what happened and for me to lecture a bit.  (I'm a dad.  Dads 
lecture, a bit.)

If I could make all the recreational drugs, marijuana and tobacco 
disappear by waving my hand, anyone opposed had better jump fast to 
sit on my hand, because it'll be positioning itself in "wave" 
formation.  If alcohol were to disappear, too, I'd probably be a 
little sorry, but I'd be waving almost as quickly and nearly as 
vigorously.  I don't get to make that decision for everyone, 
everywhere, so I'll just have to do what my parents did.  Do my best, 
and hope it works out for my children.

response 13 of 41:

Sep 12 06:41 UTC 2003

what do people think about the new anti-pot commercials?  Just for the 
discussions sake.

I haven't formed a firm decision yet.  I am for hemp-- mostly as an 
alternative pulp source for paper and whatnot.  Perhaps 
decriminalizing marijuana would make it so much easier for farmers to 
grow hemp because I can't imagine enforcement trying to tell the 
difference between a hemp plant and a marijuana plant.  One has the 
bud, the other doesn't.

Of course, germane to this discussion are the questions: "How does 
legalization of certain drugs, such as pot, work elsewhere?  What case 
examples do we see there?"

response 15 of 41:

Sep 12 11:38 UTC 2003

There are all kinds of problems with pot. There is a second hand smoke 
issue for sure. I cant imagine that it is good for one's health to 
smoke it. I dont smoke pot too often because I have noticed that it 
makes me think more slowly for a day or so after I use it. 

Making pot legal doesnt necessarily mean that society has to allow 
smoking in public. One can still prohibit the use of marijuana while 
driving. 

resp:13 - I am not sure what marijuana commercials you mean. can you 
describe them?

response 17 of 41:

Sep 12 13:05 UTC 2003

YOu have to be stupid to appreciate them?

response 19 of 41:

Sep 12 14:06 UTC 2003

The one I remember best involves some kids smoking pot in a dad's study.
 They laugh and joke around, then one of them says, "Hey, you want to
see something cool?"  He pulls a gun out of one of the drawers and
shoots the other kid with it.  The message is supposed to be that pot
affects your judgement.

I guess I have two problems with that commercial.  One is that it
logically works just as well as a gun control commercial.  The other is
that it would apply equally well to alcohol.

Overall I don't think these commercials will be effective.  They're too
over the top, too "reefer madness."  I think they do more damage than
good.  Kids have a way of finding out when they're being fed a line, and
if they find out that a lot of what they've been told by adults about
drugs is exaggerated, they're not going to believe genuine information
they're given, either.


Re #18 (which slipped in):  Yeah, I agree.  The problem is that message
doesn't mesh well with the absolutist "Just Say No" message the
government has been trying to push for years.  They've staked a lot of
their credibility on the message that while alcohol can be used
responsibly in moderation, it's impossible for pot and other drugs to be
used that way.

response 21 of 41:

Sep 12 15:06 UTC 2003

Exactly. If they are passing on message like that, they should be targetting
the tobacco and alcohol market first. They're just coming across as hypocrites
IMO

response 23 of 41:

Sep 12 15:18 UTC 2003

There should be more of them, and there need to be a lot more anti-alcohol
ads besides just the "don't drink and drive" sponsored by MADD