As we know, smoking marijuana (or "Booting the Gong," as they say on the streets) is illegal. And, of course, a lot of people think that's ridiculous, since marijuana is less harmful for the body than alcohol and cigarettes, which are legal over the ages of 21 and 17/18 (depending on the state,) respectively. So why does the government ban pot if it does less damage to the body than other substances that are legal? Conspiracy theorists say it's for government control. I'm not going to cut that as a possibility, because I have my own governmental conspiracy theories, myself. But one friend also told me that, if the government legalized pot, then the entirety of Northern California and that general region would be out of a job. I found that pretty funny, because I didn't quite realize just how many pot growers there are in that region of the United States. Well, I've never really heard a good reason to keep pot illegal.
People say it's wrong to smoke pot. Well, if you notice, in a lot of my notes, I surpass the question of whether or not the subject in question is wrong, because it's irrelevant in politics. What IS relevant is whether or not it should be legal or banned. According to a lot of people, including me, the government should butt out and let us do what we want, UNLESS it affects someone else. Once it hurts another person or violates another person's inalienable rights, then it's fair game for the government to step in and take away that right. So how is pot hurting anyone? For instance, if I decide to waste my life away with pot, shouldn't I have the right to do that? Because I'm not hurting anyone but myself. On the same token, if I decide I just want to try pot one time or smoke it a few times at a relaxed get-together with my friends, shouldn't I be allowed to? Because it's only affecting me. It's my business and no one else's, if that's what I want to do, and it's not affecting anyone but me. That's the point that I'm getting at with this note. The government shouldn't have as much power as it does, because then they start to take away our inalienable right of free choice.
Potential Rebuttle: Well, smoking pot will affect other people if you smoke it, go for a joy ride, and crash into someone. Yes, that's true. But that doesn't mean pot should be illegal. It just means operating machinery while under the influence should be illegal. Oh, but guess what, it already is. Alcohol is legal only for adults, but it is illegal to operate machinery while under the influence. You could make the same argument about alcohol: Oh, well if you get drunk, drive a car, and then hit someone, then you're affecting other people. So does that mean alcohol should be illegal, or does it just mean pot should only be illegal for minors and when you're operating machinery under the influence? I think the latter makes more sense, don't you? The rules on alcohol and the rules on pot go hand in hand. Another rebuttle that my dad brought up: What if you smoke pot in your home, with your baby there. Then that baby has to live in smoke and be forced to get high on fumes all the time, and that's just not fair to the baby, because he/she can't get himself/herself out of that situation. Well, again, this goes hand in hand with smoking cigarettes. We allow people to smoke cigarettes. There are plenty of people who fill their homes with cigarette smoke, and their children just have to endure it. That sucks for the kids. It really does. But THAT is legal. So all I'm saying here is that, if you're going to ban one thing based on these issues, ban the other too, or make them both legal. It just doesn't make any sense the way the government has all this set up. Maybe there could be specific laws. For instance, if you have children living in your home, you can't smoke pot or cigarettes in said home. Yes, that would be difficult to enforce. But the laws on this subject that are already in play are difficult to enforce as it is! Laws are difficult to enforce, period. Even if pot is illegal, there are going to be homes that are constantly filled with pot fumes that children are forced to breathe in. It sucks, but people suck. Kids are always going to be subject to all kinds of issues that their parents have, whether those issues stem from something that is legal or illegal. We can't help/save everyone, and that really does suck. But what can we do, really? And, let me just go ahead and say, if you're a parent that forces your kids into anything like this, maybe you shouldn't have kids, or maybe you should fix yourself up before you decide to have them. But that's your problem, not anyone else's, and it's not the fault of the responsible, occasional pot-smoker either.
This is not a matter of me wanting pot to be legal for myself. If I want to smoke pot, I'll get ahold of some pot. That's not the point. The point is illegalizing pot is a human rights matter. The point also isn't that smoking pot is right or wrong. Some people say it's fine, because it's harmless, and some people say it's simply wrong to do drugs. I hear both of those arguments, so my intentions aren't to pick a side in this. This is simply an issue in human rights - the right to do whatever you want to your own body. This is an area where the government can gain more control over its citizens, which a lot of people agree is not a good thing. A little bit of government control can potentially turn into more and more government control, and then BAM! - We have a communist country that is highly controlled by its government, and the citizens have no say in the matter. Call that just another crazy conspiracy theory, but there are tons of countries out there that have proven that it happens. Whatever, the point is pot should be legalized, because of the human rights issue involved.
Well, here's something else to chew on: I have a friend who has it all figured out. He contends that, if we legalize pot, all of our current governmental/economic problems will be solved. Legalizing pot will obviously bring in a ton of business, probably much more business, since it would be very easy to access, and no one would have to worry about getting into trouble for it. Tons of more people might be willing to give it a try because of these reasons, if not just because the stigma of "Pot is bad" would no longer apply. (However, my theory is that we wouldn't have as many accidents and druggies if pot were legalized, because the legalization of the drug would take the adventure out of obtaining and smoking it. It would be just like drinking a beer with friends.) The point is, this would create more jobs, which we desperately need right now, and of course, the government would tax the pot, bringing into the government more money. It would be yet another way to boost the economy, as it would be something that would be sold/bought often. This would stimulate the economy, and everyone would be happy. Not to mention, peoples' human rights would not be threatened. Yes, of course, that is my stress. Bam, there is one of the ideas that could potentially pick us up out of this horrible economic crisis. Thanks to my friend for bringing this very logical and brilliant idea to my attention.
HAHAHA!!! If this isn't proof enough, then nothing is.
No comments:
Post a Comment