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Remember that old Mormon Rap? Well, “I’m a fine young man, I’m living clean. Don’t smoke, don’t drink if you know what I mean.” But I think if I had to choose, I would rather have alcohol illegal than marijuana and LSD. My friends tell me stoners don’t wrap cars around power poles or get in fights. I may be totally wrong. Does alcohol burn brain cells? Does marijuana? What’s the ideal stance? While we are on the subject, what about entheogens in general? Should doctors and therapists have the option to prescribe and administer entheogens and marijuana?
I have fairly strong opinions on this one. I didn’t grow up in the church, and drank to quite an excess during my late teens. I had actually quit drinking alcohol before I even started investigating the church, since some of my friends thought I had a problem with it. They were likely correct. Also smoked up and did LSD, but never to the extent that I drank, and only in the company of other people, whereas I often drank alone. (This could give some of you some insight into the baggage I carry that makes me really fear bringing up kids outside the church).
I won’t say too much about LSD except to say that I think it is illegal for good reasons.
Pot/marijuana on the other hand, while still a harmful narcotic, is quite arguably nowhere near as destructive a drug as alcohol. Far more people destroy their lives and the lives of those around them because of alcohol abuse than marijuana use. I admit, perhaps part of that is due to the fact that fewer people become serious stoners due to pot being illegal, but I really think it has more to do with the nature of the drug itself. Pot mellows you out and calms you down, alcohol can do quite the opposite (until you pass out). Plus alcohol is far more addictive for many people, in a lot of cases for genetic reasons. The main argument I always hear against marijuana use is that it could be a stepping stone to heavier drugs, but for many people that just isn’t the case. To me, it is a contradiction to have a drug as addictive and destructive as alcohol legal when pot isn’t. Plus, IMO, it would be a huge blow to the illegal drug trade if pot was legalized.
I personally have no desire to ever drink or smoke up ever again, but I support the legalization of marijuana because I simply don’t view it as dangerous as alcohol, and given that I just don’t see it as realistic to even contemplate making alcohol use illegal, it seems unreasonable that one should be legal and not the other.
Oh, and alcohol definitely does destroy brain cells… I always thought that was what the hangover was, but I could be wrong.
Don’t even get me started on the arguments surrounding tobacco use… IMO the most deadly of any of the drugs mentioned.
Never thought I would be talking about this in this forum!
Thanks, asha. It sounds like you have a good pragmatic grasp of the issues. It may be reasonable to acknowledge that Governor S (the Arnold) may be standing for the right and the advancement of the work of righteousness in taking this position. It also occurs to me perhaps this thread is not very reassuring to our traditional loved ones that we are above reproach in our indivituative or universalizing faith. Moderators, feel free to delete if asha doesn’t mind. Sometimes I don’t know what gets into me. Have I no sense of the place?
Nah, I don’t mind… delete away! It is an interesting topic, but I agree that it probably belongs in another forum. 
As a member of the Church, I oppose legalization of marijuana for anything other than as a prescription medicine. As a citizen who wants consistency of regulation, I don’t want marijuana to be illegal and alcohol to be legal.
I’m totally at peace taking two different stances and don’t feel hypocritical in the slightest about it.
I’m with asha on this one. Legalize marijuana and deal a big blow to the drug cartels. And it is certainly less harmful than alcohol and less prone to addiction. I also find it ironic that you cannot join the FBI if you have tried marijuana more than 15 times, but with alcohol, anything goes. That’s a bias straight out of the 1936 camp classic Reefer Madness. But I do agree there should be some regulation on marijuana, for example, an age limit to prevent young children. I actually know of many members who, while they themselves wouldn’t partake, are pro-legalization on purely political and pragmatic grounds.
I’m with asha and hawkgrrrl except I’m would be even more liberal about it. The culture surrounding illegal drugs is very dangerous, and threatens the people involved in the culture, as well as innocent bystanders. I say not only do we make it legal, but we stick our pharmaceutical companies on it, develop “safer” drugs (not the hard ones) with dosage amounts, clean ingredients etc. and then tax the heck out of it. Furthermore, our prison problems would be dramatically reduced (at least in CA), and we would save a ton of money in that regard. The benefits of legalizing marijuana faroutweigh the demonstrable negative consequences. I am
veryopposed (if you couldn’t already tell) to passing any legislation that dictates what people can and can’t do unless there is verystrong evidence that it directly impacts other innocent bystanders (like it directly hurts other people, etc.). I am opposed to making legislation based on moral grounds like pornography, homosexuality, drugs, alcohol, smoking, etc. If someone can show that those directly have a negative effect on someone other than the consumer then we ought to consider legislation. Part of this stems from my opinion of the government’s role in our life. I’m waxing a bit political here but in my opinion our gov’t needs to butt out of our lives, and by extension the lives of people I don’t necessarily agree with (who choose to engage in pornography, adultery, drugs, alcohol, and other social ills at their own expense).
“I teach the people correct principles and let them govern themselves” is one of the most brilliant statements ever coined, and one for which I greatly respect Joseph Smith. Too bad we don’t follow it more in gov’t and even in the church.
However, I must say, that I am adamant against drunk driving and anything else that puts innocent bystanders in harms way. I just don’t think the answer is legislation.
I think for any legislation one of the key issues always is (or should be) enforcability. that leaves only two options. Either legalize marijuana or increase enforcement by a lot. If the US would put the same military power to fighting drug cartels as it currently spends abroad i think it would die out quite fast. that said i don’t think it’s a good idea to smoke pod. any happiness gained from drugs of any kind of no rue happiness at all.
Fwiw, I’d much rather decriminalize use than send troops into foreign countries to wage war over it. Old-Timer wrote:Fwiw, I’d much rather decriminalize use than send troops into foreign countries to wage war over it.
Amen to that!!I think all drugs should be de-criminalized. Locking people in prison for self-medicating not only destroys their life (makes it so much worse), but also denies them access to the correct help they need. The “War on Drugs” makes the illegal drug industry super-profitable, which makes huge incentives for people to be in that business. Marijuana is a weed that grows anywhere and everywhere in the US (and probably Europe too, I don’t know). The DEA spends millions of dollars a year just trying to control “ditch weed” that spontaneously sprouts up all over the place. How much money would you need if you wanted to buy a bag of dried dandelions from your neighbor? LOL. That’s how you kill drug trafficing permanently as a violent, high-profit business I smoked pot a few times as a teenager. I also did LSD a couple times in those days of my youth. In my opinion, LSD is a dangerous drug. It essentially makes you temporarily schizophrenic/psychotic. I just can’t see anyone taking that on a regular basis and not being dangerous to people around them.
Pot though? I personally see it as less harmful than alcohol in almost all regards. I think the reason for it being illegal are purely political, and it has no basis in medical reasoning (alcohol=ok, marijuana=bad?).
I have no desire to smoke pot. I have a general view that it is all a form of medication. Couldn’t we change something else about ourself or our life? Probably that would be better.
Quote:Couldn’t we change something else about ourself or our life? Probably that would be better.
Amen, Valoel.asha wrote:(This could give some of you some insight into the baggage I carry that makes me really fear bringing up kids outside the church).
Well, there is no guarantee raising kids in the church will keep them from the stuff. I was born and raised in the church and did all of those things. We used to ditch seminary to get high.
Thanks for being the pothead downer, curt! 😆 Yep, it doesn’t instill a lot of faith in our children when the most harmful drugs like alcohol are legal, and marijuana is not. How are we supposed to get them to respect the rest of our laws when they see such hypocracy?
I don’t want my kids/grandchildren using any drugs but if I had to make a choice between the two, I’d choose marijuana for them any day.
That’s hard to type.
My opinion only…
Mileage may vary.
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