aehchua
12/7/2013 6:51:00 PM
On Saturday, December 7, 2013 9:39:09 AM UTC+13, baldeagle wrote:
> Is it really harmless?
I don't believe it is harmless, but neither is alcohol. It does cause certain physiological changes. I believe it is less harmful than alcohol. Also, what little science has been done (there is legal marijuana in the US, but it is hard to procure) has demonstrated various benefits, such as cancer fighting. So harm must be balanced against benefits.
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> I remember, opium was also touted as harmless. Opium was touted as harmless ...it too has it good use...it can be refined into pain killer ...for stopping the pain of people dying of cancer...and other medical use. But is it good for the society...as recreation drug.
"Good for society" depends on the implementation. I would have marijuana legalized, taxed, and regulated. I would not have marijuana be completely "open."
Also opium derivatives (e.g., morphine) are still used as painkillers, so I'm not sure where you are going with this argument.
> Opium was sold to China ...made millions and millions of Chinese into opium addicts...addicts who did not care about anything in life except to get their hands on opium. They did no care about national pride and honour, ....the need to fight the invasion by the white devil...they willingly accepted humiliation by the White devils as long as they could get the next fix.
I believe marijuana is a habit forming, not an addictive drug. It leads to psychological, not physical dependency. Again, you can't look at a drug in a vacuum. You have to compare it with others like caffeine, alcohol, methamphetamines, cocaine, heroin. No government in the world bans all mind and body altering substances. The question is WHICH of these should be made legal.
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> The same is happening to millions of drug addicts in the USA...and this has indirectly contributed to the decline in the USA.
The "decline of the USA" is a very vague term. If the word is used to describe violence, marijuana users are LESS likely to commit violent crimes than the general population. Marijuana RELAXES the individual.
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> For us in Singapore, I am worried that it will do the same thing to our kids who could lose their dynamism ..their drive to be the best.
Legalizing marijuana doesn't mean allowing everyone to consume it. I would prefer that marijuana be put under the same laws as that of tobacco and alcohol.
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> More sinister, there is nothing to stop those who smoke marijuana from graduating to hard core drugs.
There's nothing to stop people who use caffeine from graduating to hard core drugs too. Or plain water for that matter.
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> I certainly don't want Singapore to become a haven for drugs... accompanied by all the society ills....gang wars, murders, prostitution, kids killed by drug overdose, kids turn into drug pushers, a huge population who will not get a job but choose to live on food stamps (welfare) ...like what is happening to the USA.
Blanket statement where no link has been established between the purported cause and claimed effect.
Do you support the criminalization of tobacco, alcohol, betel nut and caffeine too?
Cecil Chua