Why do so many people smoke/like weed?

[Jeffrey]

I really don't get why people like weed so much these days it is becoming a major problem with teenagers. I'm 16 and about 50% of my school smokes weed and talk about, I have tried weed once with my girlfriend, best friend, and 3 other friends then I tried it 2 more times after that. Me and my GF stopped smoking it because half of our face got num/paralyzed for 3 weeks. After that we never smoked it again, but my friends still smoke it like 3 times a month. I think the whole weed is good thing is liberal media BS, I mean it has ruined peoples lives and has long term effects if you smoke it. I'm worried for my generation a lot of people smoke weed which has been proven to be a addictive drug and lowers brain cells! I really just think weed is bad and shouldn't be legalized. (despite my conservative veiw on this I consider myself to be in the middle between opinions so i'm kind of a Liberal and kind of a conservative.)

[Marlene]

What? Weed does not paralyze you. I don't know who laced your stuff but thats probably what happened. And it is not bad. It has been used on people with epilepsy to slow down their seizures.

[mrhyde7600]

my humble opinion...
ARE YOU FRIGGIN NUTS KID?!!? "WEED" has ruined ppl's lives?? Perhaps in a big drug deal gone bad, but really?!!? When's the last time you heard of a pot related car accident, or a guy coming home stoned and beating his girlfriend? YOU DON'T! And I don't know what's wrong with your face, you may wanna get a new dealer, or not be using the term "weed" interchangably with that legal synthetic stuff. THAT crap is not cool. But kid, get over yourself, and toke it easy

[J.]

It's "becoming" a problem with teenagers? You're worried for your generation??
Have you ever heard of the 1960's?

Many people smoke weed because they enjoy it. They find getting high to be fun and pleasurable. Really, that's all it is. Humans love not being sober.

If you can't get over people liking weed, boy are you going to have a hard time as an adult around alcohol.

[Steve]

Jeffrey if it's not for you don't smoke weed. Everyone says it's the best but personally it's makes me totally paranoid. It's not a hard drug and you can't get physically addicted to it, but the psychological addiction effect can be just as captivating.

I've known plenty of people that say it does nothing long term, but regular smoking of it lowers your IQ significantly (many people will try to discredit that statement but I've seen the effects on friends). It also anti-socialises you. Long term use is proven to lower both your social desire and ability.

If it's not appealing to you then don't let anyone talk you into it.

Now that being said I'm not saying it's any worse than alcohol (they both have vastly different effects but are on the same scale as far as I'm concerned). So don't be tempted to try other drugs instead of those (because other drugs have significantly worse effects).

Best thing of all is to stay away from all drugs. They're all toxic in their own way (even alcohol), however I'm no tee-totaler so I'm a hypocrite too I guess.

My drug of choice is alcohol. Not saying it proudly, just that's what it is.


Edit: Erps almost forgot, that whole thing about paralysing your girlfriend's face is really bad and someone modified the dope for that to happen. That's the problem with buying illegal drugs, seems harmless enough right?
Well yeah but you never know in what way a drug is modified (lots of dangerous things can be done to enhance potency) and you never know what dose you're getting.

It's the same with the people using magic mushies. Some had fun, some had a bad trip, some died (admittedly not many) and some had their brains affected or fried (again not many). You just never know what might happen with those.

[Luke]

feels good

[Delk]

As is becoming apparent, week turns brains to mush.

[teeny-tinyspy777]

Because it's illegal
Prohibition Statistics
• Prison Population (BBC 2006)
-United States: 2,193,798 (overall population 313,900,000)
-China: 1,548,498 (overall population 1,344,130,000)
-Russia: 874,161
-Brazil: 371,482
• Alcohol Prohibition (MSNBC)
A) Arrests for drunkenness and disorderly conduct up 41%
B) Homicides, Assaults, and batteries up 13%
C) Number of Federal convicts up 561%
D) Federal Prison Population up 366%
E) Total spending on penal institutions up 1,000%
Host "We have the same exact kind of enormous jumps in incarceration, crime, and prison expenditure under this current pot prohibition."
• Each year the United States spends 350 billion dollars on the war on drugs.
• On any given day in the United States 1 in 9 African American males between the ages of 20 and 34 is incarcerated.
• Mexico declares war on drug cartels in December of 2006 (BBC)
A) 2006: 270 drug related deaths
B) 2009: 16,337 drug related deaths
This is where the Mexican Government has stopped releasing these figures.
• Judge Jim Gray (Reason TV)
- Stated In 1990 we were only half as successful in prosecuting homicides as we were in 1980 due to the Reagan administration ratcheting up the drug war. This due to prosecutorial resources being devoted to drug related "offenses".
- In Holland marijuana use is legal for everyone 16 and older. Coffee shops include marijuana. The minister of health recently held a press conference in which he stated that marijuana use within his country was half that of the United States both for adults and teenagers. He claimed that they had succeeded in making pot "boring".
• Drug offenders in prisons and jails have increased 1,100% since 1980. Nearly 6 in 10 persons in prison for a drug offense have no history of violence or high-level drug selling activity (November Coalition)
• According to the UN, drug prohibition has seen increases in the use of opiates, cocaine and marijuana to the effect of
-Opiates 34%
-Cocaine 27%
-Marijuana 8.5% (Worldwide presumably. CNN)
• According to DEA: (Google Tech Talks)
- 4 million drug users in 1965 (2% of overall population)
-112 million drug users in 2003 (46% of overall population)
• Wholesale cocaine costs 60% less / Heroin costs 70% less (Google Tech Talks)
• Heroin overdose rate: (Google Tech Talks)
- 1979 = 28 deaths per 100,000 users
- 2003 = 141 deaths per 100,000 users
• Approximately $30,000 per year per inmate
• 39 Million drug arrests under drug prohibition
• 1914 = 1.3% addicted to drugs/ 2002 = 1.3% addicted to drugs (Google Tech Talks)
• % of crimes resolved by arrest or other means (Google tech talks)
- 1965: Murders 91%
- 2006: Murders 60.7%, Forcible rape 40.9%, Robbery 25.2%, Aggravated Assault 54.0%, Burglary 12.6%, Larceny-theft 17.4%, Motor vehicle theft 12.6%
• Decriminalized Drugs
1. Netherlands 1976
2. Portugal 2001
3. Mexico 2009
4. Argentina 2009
• Marijuana use by tenth graders in Netherlands: 28% / Marijuana use by tenth graders in the United States 41% (Google Tech Talks)
• Marijuana use: U.S. lifetime prevalence = 37% / Netherlands = 17% (Google Tech Talks)
• Heroin Use: U.S. lifetime prevalence = 1.4% / Netherlands = 0.4% (Google Tech Talks)
• After decriminalization, Portugal drug use by ages 13-15 decreased by 25%/ 16-19 decreased by 22%
- Heroin overdose deaths decreased by 52%
- HIV infections reported by drug users decreased by 71% (Google Tech Talks)
• Netherlands homicide rate per 100,00 population: 1.5/ U.S. homicide rate per 100,00 population 5.6 (Google Tech Talks)
• United States imprisons more of its' own population than any country in the history of the world. (TV Show "QI")
Cited video titles are listed as follows:
1. End the Failed War on Drugs -- Cenk on MSNBC
2. Did You Know -- War on Drugs Edition
3. Portugal Legalizes Drugs. Crime Usage Falls.
4. Mexico's War on Drugs: War on Drugs Edition
5. United States of Prison
6. CNN: Time to End the War on Drugs?
7. Drug War Failure in Mexico
8. What Happened When Portugal Decriminalized Drugs?
9. The War on Drugs has Failed
10. Stephen Fry on American Prison Facts
11. Jim Gray on The Six Groups Who Benefit From Drug Prohibition

BBC Prison Statistics: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/uk...2page1.stm
Drug Prohibition Statistic Playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL...4A018B8275

"The prestige of government has undoubtedly been lowered considerably by the prohibition law for nothing is more destructive of respect for the government and the law of the land than passing laws which cannot be enforced. It is an open secret that the dangerous increase in crime in this country is closely connected with this."
-Albert Einstein

"Prohibition will work great injury to the cause of temperance. It is a species of intemperance within itself, for it goes beyond the bounds of reason in that it attempts to control a man's appetite by legislation, and makes a crime out of things that are not crimes. A Prohibition law strikes a blow at the very [most basic] principles upon which our government was founded."
- Abraham Lincoln
For information as to why drugs are illegal see my answer here: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?...131AA1kW4Z
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQit8wnYpiU