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Should weed be legal?

Debate Information

It should be. It has never killed anyone. It is not a dangerous substance. 
passedbillMax_Air29aarong
  1. Live Poll

    Should weed be legal?

    19 votes
    1. Yes
      63.16%
    2. No
      36.84%
I could either have the future pass me or l could create it. 

“We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain .” - Benjamin Franklin  So flat Earthers, man-made climate change deniers, and just science deniers.

I friended myself! 



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    Arguments


  • EdrilEdril 67 Pts   -  
    I wouldn't say it's not dangerous. Breathing smoke is always bad for your lungs. Not to mention it is a psychoactive chemical. Those anti-weed commercials are funny as hell, but there are certain people who should not become stoners. This is rare in my experience, but still.

    That being said, the prohibition era shows that prohibiting recreational drugs just creates a market for crime. When criminals are the only ones who can provide a product, there is no health or ethical controls, making it even more dangerous. 
    Prohibiting marijuana places many (otherwise) law abiding and well adjusted people into jail which is a life changing activity.This is a gigantic waste of money, as well.

    I think we should regulate pharmacology and clinically treat addiction, instead of criminalizing it, feeding the dangerous underground markets and taking a relatively harmless vice and turning it into a life ruining (or ending) crime by banning it.
    PogueDrCerealGeorge_HorseSilverishGoldNova
  • PoguePogue 584 Pts   -  
    @Edril Very true. 
    I could either have the future pass me or l could create it. 

    “We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain .” - Benjamin Franklin  So flat Earthers, man-made climate change deniers, and just science deniers.

    I friended myself! 
  • passedbillpassedbill 80 Pts   -  
    Weed may have killed many people. It is a dangerous drug and should not be legal unless possibly used for medical purposes. That would be medical marijuana.
    DrCerealEdrilErfisflatPogueGeorge_Horse
  • EdrilEdril 67 Pts   -  
    Weed may have killed many people. It is a dangerous drug and should not be legal unless possibly used for medical purposes. That would be medical marijuana.

    Explain how weed has killed anyone.
    DrCereal
  • Max_Air29Max_Air29 84 Pts   -  
    If somebody has too much weed, that could kill them. It is extremely dangerous and does is not beneficial unless it’s used for medical reasons.
    DrCerealErfisflat
  • EdrilEdril 67 Pts   -  

    @Max_Air29

    Can you provide some details about a case where someone overdosed on marijuana?

    DrCereal
  • ErfisflatErfisflat 1675 Pts   -  
    You'd have to smoke a telephone pole sized joint for it to kill you, halfway through it, you'd likely pass out. It is physically impossible to die from marijuana. For those with lung problems or looking for a means to negate the possibility of any lung damage, there are edibles. Cannabis should be as legal or more legal than their harmful, proven killers, counterparts, tobacco and alcohol.
    DrCerealEdrilPogueFascism
    Pseudoscience: noun; a collection of beliefs or practices mistakenly regarded as being based on scientific method.

    Scientific method: noun; a method of procedure that has characterized natural science since the 17th century, consisting in systematic observation, measurement, and experiment, and the formulation, testing, and modification of hypotheses.

    The highest form of ignorance is when you reject something you don't know anything about.

    Wayne Dyer
  • averyaproaveryapro 150 Pts   -  
    I think that it should be legal but restricted. It hasn't killed anyone and it isn't dangerous if you think about it.  Also, it helps a lot of people relieve stress because they just need something to clear their system and weed does that. However, I think it shouldn't be used in public places where there are a lot of people, especially children, who are being exposed to it. I do think it should be legal though. 
  • someone234someone234 647 Pts   -   edited December 2017
    Weed does kill people over long use it both damages brain function and lung function. The latter isn't an issue if you eat it instead of smoking. It kills very slowly though, so that's why one overdose doesn't end up with you dead unless the room isn't well ventilated because then it can kill you.

    I have yet to meet one person who doesn't become much less coherent and intelligent from heavy weed use.

    I am against alcohol being legal.
    Erfisflat
  • agsragsr 881 Pts   -  
    Legalizing weed would remove the entire black market ecosystem, resulting in economic benefit.  
    I think it needs to be discouraged and employers still need to ensure that their employees are drug free.
    ErfisflatSilverishGoldNova
    Live Long and Prosper
  • ChangeMyViewChangeMyView 61 Pts   -  
    That's the last thing we need, having everyone stoned all the time. I agree that we should fight black market crime, but don't agree to legalize.
  • ErfisflatErfisflat 1675 Pts   -  
    That's the last thing we need, having everyone stoned all the time. I agree that we should fight black market crime, but don't agree to legalize.
    Everyone is already stoned or worse as it is now. I'd rather be around a stoner than a drunk.
    Pseudoscience: noun; a collection of beliefs or practices mistakenly regarded as being based on scientific method.

    Scientific method: noun; a method of procedure that has characterized natural science since the 17th century, consisting in systematic observation, measurement, and experiment, and the formulation, testing, and modification of hypotheses.

    The highest form of ignorance is when you reject something you don't know anything about.

    Wayne Dyer
  • George_HorseGeorge_Horse 499 Pts   -  
    No. I would not want to be killed driving on the highway, for a person high on marijuana to come into my lane and cause an accident. I do not think it should be legalized, it should remain in its current use for medical situations. 
    islander507
    "Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God? " ~Epicurus

    "A communist is like a crocodile" ~Winston Churchill

    We're born alone, we live alone, we die alone. Only through our love and friendship can we create the illusion for the moment that we're not alone.~Orson Welles
  • islander507islander507 194 Pts   -  
    @George_Horse, in that case the same can be said about making alcohol illegal.  I dont think that the argument is about making it legal to drive while under influence 
  • George_HorseGeorge_Horse 499 Pts   -  
    @islander507 I do not approve of alcohol either. It too should not be legalized.
    someone234
    "Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God? " ~Epicurus

    "A communist is like a crocodile" ~Winston Churchill

    We're born alone, we live alone, we die alone. Only through our love and friendship can we create the illusion for the moment that we're not alone.~Orson Welles
  • islander507islander507 194 Pts   -  
    @George_Horse, we already had that during prohibition almost 100 years ago.  I don't think we are going back there, as it caused much illegal activity.
  • George_HorseGeorge_Horse 499 Pts   -  
    @islander507 Really? Is that your best argument? With advances in technology, and the police forces, cracking down on alcohol wouldn't be much of a problem. That time from before was the 1920s, compared to a time now, you can get caught with marijuana, if that [beer] were to be illegal, anyone else can get caught with the new illegal beverage.  
    agsrislander507
    "Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God? " ~Epicurus

    "A communist is like a crocodile" ~Winston Churchill

    We're born alone, we live alone, we die alone. Only through our love and friendship can we create the illusion for the moment that we're not alone.~Orson Welles
  • someone234someone234 647 Pts   -  
    @islander507 I do not approve of alcohol either. It too should not be legalized.
    A fellow crusader in the world of drunks.

    I support a limit of alcohol in the blood etc (same with all drugs). If you got above said amount in your blood, you are forced into rehab.
  • someone234someone234 647 Pts   -  
    @agsr this mentality of defeatism due to the black market being inevitable is scapegoat mentality.

    Crimes will happen if you outlaw things, that is not a reason to not outlaw them.
    agsrislander507
  • islander507islander507 194 Pts   -  
    @George_Horse, that's a valid point.  Thanks.  
    George_Horse
  • whiteflamewhiteflame 689 Pts   -  
    The reality is that drugs can and do have a market, regardless of whether they are legal or not. This is particularly true of marijuana, which has had a very large black market for much of the time that it has been illegal. I fully accept that marijuana, much like cigarettes, can cause a variety of medical problems. I also accept that it's been associated with problems all its own.

    That being said, despite having no interest in trying the stuff, I do think it should be legalized. In the black market, marijuana is unregulated, which means it can be spiked with dangerous materials that make it all the more dangerous to use. It also doesn't help that those black markets are used by drug cartels to line their coffers, particularly as marijuana engenders far more interest in a broad population than most other illegal drugs. Regulation also means getting a decent amount of revenue from taxes, which can bolster local, state and federal governments and help pay for a variety of health issues.

    Beyond that, I do think there's a reasonable point to be made about personal choice and the capacity of individuals to seek out something that makes them feel better. I think treating these people as criminals creates more problems than it solves, turning addictions into criminal issues rather than a health problem, and pushing a lot more people who do fairly petty crimes into an already massively overcrowded prison system.
  • George_HorseGeorge_Horse 499 Pts   -  
    The reality is that drugs can and do have a market, regardless of whether they are legal or not. This is particularly true of marijuana, which has had a very large black market for much of the time that it has been illegal. I fully accept that marijuana, much like cigarettes, can cause a variety of medical problems. I also accept that it's been associated with problems all its own.

    That being said, despite having no interest in trying the stuff, I do think it should be legalized. In the black market, marijuana is unregulated, which means it can be spiked with dangerous materials that make it all the more dangerous to use. It also doesn't help that those black markets are used by drug cartels to line their coffers, particularly as marijuana engenders far more interest in a broad population than most other illegal drugs. Regulation also means getting a decent amount of revenue from taxes, which can bolster local, state and federal governments and help pay for a variety of health issues.

    Beyond that, I do think there's a reasonable point to be made about personal choice and the capacity of individuals to seek out something that makes them feel better. I think treating these people as criminals creates more problems than it solves, turning addictions into criminal issues rather than a health problem, and pushing a lot more people who do fairly petty crimes into an already massively overcrowded prison system.

    Here's a point I saw: " marijuana is unregulated, which means it can be spiked with dangerous materials that make it all the more dangerous to use."

    So even legalized, can this NOT still happen? 

    "Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God? " ~Epicurus

    "A communist is like a crocodile" ~Winston Churchill

    We're born alone, we live alone, we die alone. Only through our love and friendship can we create the illusion for the moment that we're not alone.~Orson Welles
  • MindMasterMindMaster 18 Pts   -   edited December 2017

    Effects of marijuana :
    Increased heart rate in the short term.
    A chronic cough and frequent respiratory infections
    Mental and cognitive issues, including problems with learning and memory, hallucinations, anxiety, panic attacks, and psychosis, especially in youth.
    A 2012 study indicated people who smoked marijuana before age 17 were 3.5 times more likely to attempt suicide than those who started smoking marijuana later in life.
    Those dependent on marijuana had a higher risk of experiencing major depression and suicidal thoughts and behaviors.
    Subsequent research published in 2014 indicated daily adolescent users were 18 times more likely to become dependent on marijuana, seven times more likely to attempt suicide and eight times more likely to use other illegal drugs in the future.

    Overdoses:
    On June 23,16 people in Houston"s Hermann Park overdosed on K2 and were hospitalized.
    On July 12, 33 people on a single block in Brooklyn, New York, were suspected of overdosing on K2.
    A few weeks after the Brooklyn episode, 20 people in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, were treated for kush overdoses in a two-day period. Kush is unlike heroin, where people overdose and generally die quickly. People on kush wander into traffic, have seizures or strokes not easily traced back to the drug or are left paralyzed and fighting for their lives.
    Emily Bauer, a teenage girl in suburban Houston, suffered five strokes related to her 2013 overdose. Doctors said 70% of her brain tissue was dead and she would never recover. However, as of 2016, she was slowly regaining some functioning.
    One of the newest banned synthetic pot substances, MDMB-CHMICA is thought to be responsible for 42 overdoses and 29 deaths in Europe.

    High while Driving:
    Drugged driving caused more than 28% of deaths in 2010, compared to 16% in 1999.
    Marijuana was the primary drug responsible for this increase, contributing to 12% of 2010 crashes versus 4% in 1999.
    Marijuana was the primary drug responsible for this increase, contributing to 12% of 2010 crashes versus 4% in 1999.
    Most tests look for delta 9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive substance in marijuana, and 11-OH-THC, its active metabolite.
    A combined use of alcohol and marijuana dramatically increases a driver's risk of death.
    A report by the American Automobile Association (AAA) found that the percentage of drivers who were high on pot during fatal accidents in Washington state more than doubled between 2013 and 2014, with 85 deaths involving THC in 2014.
    In 2007, 8.6% of weekend nighttime drivers tested positive for THC versus 12.6% of drivers in 2013 to 2014, a 48% increase.
    Utah officials said the number of fatal car wrecks in the state in which drivers tested positive for marijuana rose from 11 in 2012 to 38 in 2015, an increase from 6% of crashes to 15%. Analysts said the uptick in marijuana-related crashes may be tied to legalization in nearby states. Concurrently, the percentage of drivers in fatal crashes tested for drugs increased from 42% in 2011 to 62% in 2015.
    Legal cannabis linked to 66% rise in traffic deaths in Colorado: Study reveals a surge in fatal motor accidents since the state went green in 2013.
    Overdose stories:
    http://www.huffingtonpost.ca...
    http://www.foxnews.com...
    It has killed many people.
    ErfisflatGeorge_Horse
  • CYDdhartaCYDdharta 1823 Pts   -  

    Here's a point I saw: " marijuana is unregulated, which means it can be spiked with dangerous materials that make it all the more dangerous to use."

    So even legalized, can this NOT still happen? 


    Is that a problem with potato chips, or ketchup, or Honduran cigars?  Is there any consumer product where this is a problem with factory new goods?
    whiteflameErfisflatFascism
  • whiteflamewhiteflame 689 Pts   -  

    So even legalized, can this NOT still happen? 

    Is it possible that, in a system where marijuana is legally grown, processed, packaged and distributed under strict FDA regulations that toxins could be spiked in? I suppose so, but it seems far less likely. Even if it does happen, under a legal system, there is recourse - the company will be investigated and shutting down if necessary. Under a system where this is all illegal, users can’t exactly contact the FDA to report dangerous substances in their weed.
    Erfisflat
  • ErfisflatErfisflat 1675 Pts   -  
    @islander507 I do not approve of alcohol either. It too should not be legalized.
    A fellow crusader in the world of drunks.

    I support a limit of alcohol in the blood etc (same with all drugs). If you got above said amount in your blood, you are forced into rehab.
    I disagree. No one should be forced into rehab for being a drunk.  Theyre not harming anyone except themselves. Now if I were a habitual drinker and driver, that would be different. 
    Pseudoscience: noun; a collection of beliefs or practices mistakenly regarded as being based on scientific method.

    Scientific method: noun; a method of procedure that has characterized natural science since the 17th century, consisting in systematic observation, measurement, and experiment, and the formulation, testing, and modification of hypotheses.

    The highest form of ignorance is when you reject something you don't know anything about.

    Wayne Dyer
  • ErfisflatErfisflat 1675 Pts   -   edited December 2017

    Effects of marijuana :
    Increased heart rate in the short term.
    A chronic cough and frequent respiratory infections
    Mental and cognitive issues, including problems with learning and memory, hallucinations, anxiety, panic attacks, and psychosis, especially in youth.
    A 2012 study indicated people who smoked marijuana before age 17 were 3.5 times more likely to attempt suicide than those who started smoking marijuana later in life.
    Those dependent on marijuana had a higher risk of experiencing major depression and suicidal thoughts and behaviors.
    Subsequent research published in 2014 indicated daily adolescent users were 18 times more likely to become dependent on marijuana, seven times more likely to attempt suicide and eight times more likely to use other illegal drugs in the future.

    Overdoses:
    On June 23,16 people in Houston"s Hermann Park overdosed on K2 and were hospitalized.
    On July 12, 33 people on a single block in Brooklyn, New York, were suspected of overdosing on K2.
    A few weeks after the Brooklyn episode, 20 people in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, were treated for kush overdoses in a two-day period. Kush is unlike heroin, where people overdose and generally die quickly. People on kush wander into traffic, have seizures or strokes not easily traced back to the drug or are left paralyzed and fighting for their lives.
    Emily Bauer, a teenage girl in suburban Houston, suffered five strokes related to her 2013 overdose. Doctors said 70% of her brain tissue was dead and she would never recover. However, as of 2016, she was slowly regaining some functioning.
    One of the newest banned synthetic pot substances, MDMB-CHMICA is thought to be responsible for 42 overdoses and 29 deaths in Europe.

    High while Driving:
    Drugged driving caused more than 28% of deaths in 2010, compared to 16% in 1999.
    Marijuana was the primary drug responsible for this increase, contributing to 12% of 2010 crashes versus 4% in 1999.
    Marijuana was the primary drug responsible for this increase, contributing to 12% of 2010 crashes versus 4% in 1999.
    Most tests look for delta 9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive substance in marijuana, and 11-OH-THC, its active metabolite.
    A combined use of alcohol and marijuana dramatically increases a driver's risk of death.
    A report by the American Automobile Association (AAA) found that the percentage of drivers who were high on pot during fatal accidents in Washington state more than doubled between 2013 and 2014, with 85 deaths involving THC in 2014.
    In 2007, 8.6% of weekend nighttime drivers tested positive for THC versus 12.6% of drivers in 2013 to 2014, a 48% increase.
    Utah officials said the number of fatal car wrecks in the state in which drivers tested positive for marijuana rose from 11 in 2012 to 38 in 2015, an increase from 6% of crashes to 15%. Analysts said the uptick in marijuana-related crashes may be tied to legalization in nearby states. Concurrently, the percentage of drivers in fatal crashes tested for drugs increased from 42% in 2011 to 62% in 2015.
    Legal cannabis linked to 66% rise in traffic deaths in Colorado: Study reveals a surge in fatal motor accidents since the state went green in 2013.
    Overdose stories:
    http://www.huffingtonpost.ca...
    http://www.foxnews.com...
    It has killed many people.
    Those overdoses, all that I've fact checked so far, are from synthetic cannabinoids. This is irrelevant to this discussion and misleading. We all know those are bad. 
    Fascism
    Pseudoscience: noun; a collection of beliefs or practices mistakenly regarded as being based on scientific method.

    Scientific method: noun; a method of procedure that has characterized natural science since the 17th century, consisting in systematic observation, measurement, and experiment, and the formulation, testing, and modification of hypotheses.

    The highest form of ignorance is when you reject something you don't know anything about.

    Wayne Dyer
  • CYDdhartaCYDdharta 1823 Pts   -  
    Erfisflat said:
    Those overdoses, all that I've fact checked so far, are from synthetic cannabinoids. This is irrelevant to this discussion and misleading. We all know those are bad. 
    I wouldn't say they're irrelevant to the topic at hand, overdoses from synthetic cannabinoids make a good argument for legalizing marijuana. 
    whiteflameErfisflatFascism
  • ErfisflatErfisflat 1675 Pts   -  
    The effects are either very mild (you can increase your short term heart rate just by exercising) and the other side effect has already been resolved by promoting edibles. The last objected effects are from underage consumption and can also be drastically reduced from legalization with age restrictions.

    The overdoses are ALL synthetic cases and no one to date has overdosed on cannabis, despite the millions of people using the plant for whatever purpose. Comparing those numbers to literally any other substance, even some food which has caused many deaths per year, cannabis would seem like the perfect, and perfectly harmless drug. Add on to the fact that USGS quietly admits that cannabis is capable of curing the cancer caused by these substances, I'd say there is no good reason to keep it illegal anymore. Especially not in the same class with heroin.

    As discussed, the next section includes cases for synthetic cannabinoid and is irrelevant to the discission. Synthetics will eventually be eradicated once the real thing is legalized.

    Sources on the "high while driving" section please.

    The huff post link is a bait and switch. Quote from the article.

    "The Huffington Post set out to compile a list of every person who has ever died solely as the result of a marijuana overdose.

    Here’s what we found:

    There are no recorded instances of anyone dying from a fatal dose of marijuana alone."



    Did you even read the article? Whatever agrees with you in the search results right? "@mindmaster"



    Pseudoscience: noun; a collection of beliefs or practices mistakenly regarded as being based on scientific method.

    Scientific method: noun; a method of procedure that has characterized natural science since the 17th century, consisting in systematic observation, measurement, and experiment, and the formulation, testing, and modification of hypotheses.

    The highest form of ignorance is when you reject something you don't know anything about.

    Wayne Dyer
  • ErfisflatErfisflat 1675 Pts   -   edited December 2017
    @Erfisflat you ever been a child to an alcoholic? Ever been a wife to one? Ever been in a car so terrified for your life knowing that if you tell him not to drink and drive he'll get even angrier and hit you worse?

    Yes, and no. There is a huge difference between What you said:
    "If you got above said amount in your blood, you are forced into rehab." And cases of drinking and driving and domestic abuse. One could get really wasted on his 21st birthday and catch a cab home and pass out, never hurting a soul. You're suggesting this merits forced rehab. There are already laws in place for those cases you mentioned.

    Alcohol creates lives too.
    Pseudoscience: noun; a collection of beliefs or practices mistakenly regarded as being based on scientific method.

    Scientific method: noun; a method of procedure that has characterized natural science since the 17th century, consisting in systematic observation, measurement, and experiment, and the formulation, testing, and modification of hypotheses.

    The highest form of ignorance is when you reject something you don't know anything about.

    Wayne Dyer
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