Would passing legislation to legalize marijuana reduce its consumption?
Studies and Examples in other Countries show that it will probably Decrease Consumption
Firstly, no one can know for sure what the result will be, but I would say that it's use would decrease, or maybe stay pretty much the same as it is now. Many countries have now decriminalized marijuana, and this consistently reduces consumption. Every country that has decriminalized it now has a far lower rate of under 18s smoking it.
Posted by: AnonymousDebatble
Ok so, for people who already smoke marijuana they would smoke more of it cause its a great thing. But it would reduce the number of new comers becuase little stupid spoiled kids would stop thinking they are so cool and would reduce the urge to try.
Posted by: AnonymousYes & No
There may be an initial increase, some older retiring boomers may start smoking again, some like younger 30's-50's with kids and families, may take a hit at a party every now and then, i think teenagers will actually smoke less, most kids smoke to "rebel", think it's cool, or simply to annoy their parents, you could sell most teens alfalfa and they wouldn't know the difference.
Posted by: AnonymousLegalizing Marijuana would reduce consumption.
Studies show that when the drinking age was increased from 21 to 18, teen alcohol consumption went down. By further regulating this drug it decreased consumption. THis can be proven because currently in a study 1000 student, 34 percent of students said marijuana was the easiest drug to get, whereas access to cigarettes and alcohol was much less easy.
Posted by: AnonymousNo, I do not agree that legalizing marijuana would lessen consumption. Rather, it would make it more profitable for the drug dealers.
The argument goes that legalizing marijuana would cause people to use it less. But there is a flaw in this argument. Cigarettes are an addictive narcotic, and they are legal, but it has not lessened the demand for them. If it was legal, the user still has to get it from somewhere, and most users would not make an effort to grow their own, but they would buy it on the open market. With the drug dealer able to apply his trade legally, they would find ways to make it more addictive, thus increasing the demand for it.
Posted by: B StephensIt might break about even, who knows?
I think that people who enjoy smoking pot are going to smoke pot regardless, There might be the Saturday night waitress who puffs from time to time, but she always did that. I think putting canncigs in the vending machine is a big no no, but i think you people, that i never met before, should leave me alone. The poor helpless homesteader, or patient, or weekend waitress who likes the occasional puff(prob one of your kids). Peace friends and great discussions
Posted by: AnonymousLegalize this shit.
teenagers and adults that smoke weed don't care if it is legal or not. They are going to do it anyways. It is not hard to find the drug. It is actually very simple. Drug dealers are all over the place. Yes, it will be easier to get a hold of weed when it is legalized but it's not impossible to get some right now. If we legalize it the government will be able to tax it and make money to help us get out of debt. It would reduce crime and money spent on our borders because the drug cartels main drug is marijuana. We legalize it then thats one less drug to hunt down and would cut their profits on it.
Posted by: danizle
I do not think that that passing legislation to legalize marijuana would reduce its consumption, because it will be far more accessible.
I think it is obvious that, if marijuana is legalized, it will become far more accessible and, by extension, consumption will increase. The sales of other legalized drugs, like cigarettes and alcohol, have obviously not suffered from being legal.
Posted by: ToughEfrain26More people would try it if marijuana was legal
Many people do not use marijuana because it is illegal. If marijuana use was legalized, then more people would try it to see if they liked it. Common sense tells me that if it was legalized, consumption would increase. People do not do things because it could get them arrested or have a criminal record that could endanger getting a job in the future.
Posted by: ddeathnoteLegalization won't reduce consumption.
The reason why some governments like to legalize it is not because they think of people's liberties. They think on the tax they will put on the merchandise. Anyone who has taken a class in microeconomics knows that the few products where supply and demand doesn't change are those that produce addiction: tobacco, alcohol and now....Pot. Demand always is constant, even if the country experiences macroeconomic problems, high unemployment or inflation. Consumption will increase and then remain constant unless, at some point in 10, 20 years, marijuana smokers start having health issues due to its consumption, which it will happen. Then, it will be as vilified as tobacco is today.
Posted by: AnonymousI do not believe legalization will reduce the consumption of marijuana.
All legalization of marijuana will do will be the increase of use. Because of many of the stringent laws against it now, many people do not use marijuana, even though they want to. Legalization would only allow those people who were too afraid before to do so.
Posted by: 5c0IeakLegalization of marijuana will increase its consumption because people that were following the law will now also take part in consumption.
There are many people that would do a drug of any type, but are too afraid to due to the legal ramifications of using these drugs. If marijuana were made to be legal then this would open the floodgates. Tons of people would use marijuana and this would in no way reduce the consumption of it. Marijuana is a naturally growing plant and typical humans like a release. If it were legal people would use it all the time. Many people feel this is a good idea, but I choose to believe that people will not choose to do the right thing. It is unfortunate, but this is human nature.
Posted by: T RichmondNo, legalizing marijuana would only increase consumption, and cause problems for society.
Passing legislation to legalize marijuana would only be asking for trouble. Marijuana is a gateway drug and has been shown to lead to increased use of other drugs, such as heroin or cocaine. Allowing it to be legal would only encourage more people to try marijuana, which would lead to increased crime, decreased drive, and more trouble for society. Many people who would not try marijuana because it is a crime would now feel like the door has been opened to use it.
Posted by: TedieDelightPassing legislation to legalize marijuana will have little to no effect on consumption rates.
Almost anybody who wants to smoke marijuana already does so even with the threat of punishment. The only positive thing that will come out of legalizing it is emptying the prisons of criminals of victimless crimes (the marijuana users themselves). It's a sad day in the world when someone that sells a plant gets a higher prison sentence than someone who commits murder.
Posted by: RayEarIf marijuana were legal to use, people would be more likely to use it and therefore consumption would increase.
When a commodity is illegal to obtain and consume, there will logically be less people willing to get into legal trouble for using it. If a substance is legal to use, people will feel less reserved about using it and therefore the overall numbers of users will increase. If either alcohol or tobacco were to become illegal, then numerous people would begin to stop enjoying them for fear of getting arrested and incarcerated.
Posted by: P0nyCareLegalize it! (Hear me out)
Let's do a comparison, there are an average of 75 thousand alcohol related deaths in the United States every year, yet this highly destructive, dangerous drug remains legal. 0 people die from marijuana use, it's IMPOSSIBLE to overdose on weed! Just because it becomes legal does not mean that you have to smoke it! Take a stand for your fellow Americans to push for the legalization of marijuana so that hundreds of thousands of good, hard working American citizens are not arrested, imprisoned, and labeled as criminals on their permanent records for the rest of their lives. Marijuana=Peace. Blaze on USA!
Posted by: abdubzI THINK THAT THE LEGALIZATION OF MARIJUANA DOES NOT
reduce its consumption because the consumption is based on each individual and not in the legalization. I think that Education can reduce marijuana consumption. when people really knows the damage of the marijuana then they prefer to go to the right way.
Posted by: AnonymousIt would increase consumption.
Legalizing marijuana would not reduce its consumption, on the contrary it would increase it. If marijuana is legalized it would be readily available and more people would have access to it. The notion that its' use would decrease because it is legal is incorrect. Legalization would make it more accessible to people who would otherwise have no access.
Posted by: AverageHoward86No I do not think if it was legal the consumption would decline because more people would feel free to use it, knowing they would not get in trouble so it would be more common than not.
If marijuana was legalized, I think people would feel free to smoke it because there would be no consequences. It is illegal as of right now and yet plenty of people use and distribute it. If it were legal, younger kids and others could a hold of it and total usage would increase, not decrease.
Posted by: I33IessLegalizing marijuana would not reduce its consumption, because it would allow for easier access.
Primarily, legalization of marijuana would allow easier access to the drug. As opposed to the lengthy process of finding a black market dealer of the drug, one could, under legalization, walk up to a gas station, for example, and buy the drug. Not only would it allow easier access for current users, it could also attract new users who hadn't tried because of the effort required in getting access to it.
Posted by: PuzzledCharles70I don't think that legalizing marijuana will reduce its consumption, because I think it will actually increase its consumption.
Marijuana is very easy to obtain. Just ask any 14-year old. Anyone can lay their hands on marijuana on any given day, without a problem. The only thing that keeps some people from using marijuana is the fact that it is illegal. If it were legalized, not only would most people use it, but there would also be an increase in minors breaking the law and using it. Right now, a large number of teenagers use the drug and, if it were legalized, I believe this would just increase, because it would be even easier to get the drug.
Posted by: I0ckHeadLegalizing marijuana wouldn't reduce consumption, because people will use it, regardless of its legality.
Bag it, tax it and get this country out of debt. Whether it's legal or illegal, people will use it. And legalizing it won't decrease or increase the number of people who enjoy it. We might have a happier society though, when people are free to use it openly. It would also allow our prisons to make room for true criminals, and not casual drug users.
Posted by: N3vinFaceLegalization will not reduce the consumption of marijuana. The removal of criminal penalties and the increased access would cause the use of marijuana to increase.
Right now legal limitations restrict the use of and access to marijuana. If those criminal penalties were removed the consumption of marijuana would dramatically increase. Legalizing marijuana would create a whole new set of problems because of the increase of availability from the removal of criminal penalties. So removing criminal penalties is a bad idea.
Posted by: TasticBranNo, legalizing marijuana would probably cause a small increase in consumption as a few more people would try it.
Marijuana should be legalized as a matter of justice and freedom, but such legalization would probably do little to reduce its consumption. Consumption of marijuana would probably increase slightly. First off, while most people who want to smoke marijuana do so regardless of the laws against it, a few people have avoided trying it because of the laws and would try it after legalization, and some of them would remain regular marijuana users. This small effect has been observed in other countries that have reduced controls on drugs. Another effect that would slightly increase consumption is that marijuana smokers who sometimes have difficulty finding the product due to the underground channels from which it is currently available would be able to find it more regularly after legalization.
Posted by: tacomoonLegalizing marijuana will not reduce its consumption.
It will, however, increase tax revenues for the country as a whole and could replace tobacco as one of the country's main cash crops.
The other thing that legalizing marijuana would do is free up jail cells and prison space, and free up the vast amount of the tax money used to run these facilities, whether they are privately or federally owned.
Instead of wasting tax dollars and court time on petty possession charges, we could now utilize those dollars and time to fight real crimes and go after the real criminals.Posted by: jacarandaLegalizing something makes it more acceptable, and encourages those on the margin to participate
It is tempting to think that marijuana use is so high in the US because it is illegal - that the majority of those who smoke marijuana do so because they enjoy breaking the law, and that legalizing pot would actually reduce marijuana consumption. While there are a number of positive benefits to legalizing marijuana - FDC oversight, reduction of crime, increase of tax revenues, etc. - I believe that it is unrealistic to expect that marijuana use would decrease, especially in the short term. There are almost certainly a number of people who would be willing to try marijuana, except for the fact that it is illegal. I believe that the number of people who are in that camp greatly exceeds the number who would quit just because it was no longer illegal.
Posted by: Iuk45GrinderProhibition does not work - not then, not now
My grandfather delivered bootleg whiskey during the depression, anything to make money for his family. Many now turn to dealing drugs to support themselves and/or family members. Reducing the use of marijuana is a red herring used by judgmental folks, much like those who were finally able to "force" legislators to make alcohol illegal. Those making the most money have a lot invested in not legalizing marijuana, and many legislators are afraid to speak out in favor of legalization, which begs the question: Why? Follow the big money, not the street money. Marijuana is safer and less dangerous than the propaganda admits. We all know that. Yes, I have inhaled - in the 60s.
Posted by: Anonymous