Alright, I'm just going to give my quick two cents on this. The main argument against weed seem to be this: Weed ruins lives by being a gateway drug and a money-sucker. I'm going to address each part of this argument separately. Firstly, weed is supposedly a "gateway drug." For much the same reason that it isn't a money-sucker, weed is not a gateway drug. Weed, in of itself, is not addictive like cocaine, nicotine, or various other drugs. People all have different personalities. Some have very addictive, dependent personalities, when they find a crutch they can lean on through life, the exploit it to its fullest. In this case, that crutch is marijuana. If they didn't use marijuana, they would simply find another crutch. Some of these other crutches are more dangerous, some less dangerous. They could turn to cutting, alcohol, or cigarettes, none of which are a good move. On the other hand, they could turn to obsessively playing a video game, shopping, or other comparatively harmless activities. It all depends on the personality. If something is dangerous to one person, should it be outlawed? Quite frankly, paraplegics probably shouldn't ski, considering the risk value involved, but that doesn't mean skiing should be outlawed. In the same sense, those with addictive personalities shouldn't use weed. The difficulties appear due to the fact it is nearly impossible to screen those people. People must decide to use weed based on what they know about themselves. If you can't handle your mind, don't use weed. Similarly, if you can't handle your emotions (with the exception of Cooper) don't be a newscaster. If you can't accept failure, don't try anything too hard. Life is filled with moments when you have to examine your personal qualities carefully before making an important decision. Weed is one of those situations. Nikki's brother obviously has an addictive personality, and by that I sincerely mean no offense. On the other hand, I know very successful people who at one point used weed, quit, or still use it occasionally. One person, in fact, used it all through high school and up through her first year of college, smoked it one day, decided she didn't want to any more, and never used it again.
Now, even if one has an addictive personality, it is still possible to monitor when you use marijuana. Even if you're a daily user, in fact! You don't use it right before you go to work, right before a meeting, or on your lunch break. You wait until you go home! Rather, it is not the supposed mental problems associated with pot that ruin lives, but the cost of buying and buying more of the plant. Now we've narrowed down why marijuana in of itself is bad down to the fact that it's the price associated with it, not even the drug itself. What's the easiest way to drive down the price of marijuana? Legalize it!
Now, I understand both sides of the debate. Nikki's brother is a perfect example of why marijuana can in fact be bad, and I realize how hard it is to self-screen regarding drug use. My alternate proposal is to ban all drug use. I see people outside hospitals, heads bald from chemo, holding their metal pole as vital liquids ooze into their bodies. In the hand not holding the pole, is a burning cigarette. Cigarettes are clearly more harmful than pot. If pot isn't legalized, at least ban cigarettes. That's my plea.
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