Should we prohibit alcohol?

The problem I have is that there isn't consistency in American drug policies.  Alcohol is legal for persons over 21 but marijuana is not.  When it comes to health issues alcohol is far more dangerous.

This simply does not make sense to me.

The government should either prohibit alcohol along with marijuana, or highly tax and regulate marijuana much like alcohol.  I'm just looking for consistency in government law and policy.

It's more than that.  It's justice failing.

My experience (in observation) has been that marijuana generally (generally creates an almost instant high, followed by a crashing low, while alcohol (depending on tolerance, of course) generally takes a little longer to have an affect. I know that the effect of both of these really depend on the individual
person. I did read an article that said that studies are being done that show there may be a possible link between marijuana and basically losing your mind (forgive me, I can't remember the exact diagnosis used- it may have been pschizophrenia). Of course, this hasn't been proven, but there may be a link.

I believe, though I may be mistaking, that there is a link between marijuana and the loss of brain cells. Whereas there are plenty of functioning alcoholics.

I have never smoke marijuana myself. For one, it smells nasty. Two, I've seen the "high" and "low" from just one little roll and it just doesn't look like a whole lot of fun- and makes you look stupid. I think another problem with marijuana is that often there are other things it is "laced" with, which cause more problems.

I do, however, know the effects alcohol can have, but that also depends on the person, though those effects have been proven. For some, though, a glass of wine will instantly calm them down. For others, it takes a few more. And for others, it takes a whole liquor cabinet.

I, myself, feel nothing different from one glass of wine. However, I have seen the effects of drinking too much, and it is enough to make me not want to push those boundaries. 

I don't know the reasoning behind the laws, but I've heard this argument before. I think it is worth researching, though I don't see the laws changing anytime soon, even if it was proven that alcohol is worse or that marijuana really isn't all that bad. We've seen with so many things that often what we've been taught, even if it is proven false, we don't change our way of thinking.

I'm sorry about your experience, though. You were judged based on something someone else did. It wasn't right. I can't believe the judge said something like that to you, either. When statements like that are made, they are made out of ignorance, apathy, and a very small box the brain sits nicely in. Often, they are also made out of past bad experiences, inwhich anybody who remotely resembles those experiences, get judged in the same way. (Does that make any sense?)

I was talking about the more immediate effects of using one vs. the other. One blunt will give you a high and a low. One drink of alcohol doesn't generally do much.

I am fully aware of the effects of alcohol, but I also know of intelligent, articulate alcoholics. I've also met people who use marijuana regularly and I can't say the same about them. That's just my observation- and a thought for maybe a reason as to why it's treated as different. Plus, I do read and I read the article about the possible links to marijuana and pschizophrenia (and it was said that this could happen down the road- long after the person stopped smoking marijuana). So, it may not be less harmful than alcohol. Just a thought. Not necessarily a truth.





I reposted this statement on purpose. Often, people stick with what they were taught. And when they hear the same thing for so long, and it's proven to be different, it's hard to change that mindset.

This could be said of a few things. But, if driving under the influence of alcohol is harmful to others, then shouldn't driving while high on marijuana be illegal as well? In that respect, it seems to be equal. In both cases, yes, rehabilitation should be a priority, though I'd say that would also require creating rehabs that actually help. But, that's just from personal observation as well. So, no offense to those who it's worked for...or those who still think it does work.

Probably the most likely reason that Marijuana will never be legalized is that it conflicts with a major industry's profit margins.
Tobacco and Alcohol is already large business and has inroads on the political arena.  To legalize Marijuana would then throw another substance into this market of addictive agents.  The cost of buying farms, merchandising and advertising is a challenging hurdle to overcome.  For the major players in this market, it would be possible to do all that Anxiety is asking to have happen to keep the product clean and safe for the purchasers.  However, the players are not prepared at this time to invest. The major supplier of Marijuana is from outside countries.  They hold the power and advantage to the market should the product become legal. They have the fields, processing plants and with only a minimum effort could package and sell the product in this country.

Why would Tobacco and Alcohol want to give up or share a limited market with an outside vendor? They cannot make the turnaround on Marijuana fast enough to compete in that new market and then would end up on the minority scale of progits. Only when people stop using the products already in place today (alcohol and tobacco) will you see a change in the laws.  Lobbyists do protect their own pockets.

I think the debate here is not whether marijuana should be used, but whether it should be prohibited by the government.

Marijuana is proven safer than alcohol, but I'm not entirely sure how addictive it is as compared to booze seeing as I have never tried it, and reliance on the drug is more a personal issue.

Being that each person responds to drugs differently, putting a blanket law on it seems unethical. I firmly believe we should be stewards of our own body. Letting the government control this aspect of our health is a small loss of our freedom, our ability to choose. The same argument used to keep marijuana out of public hands can also apply to Cigarettes, Alcohol and fatty foods. What if the government one day outlawed Oatmeal Creme Pies? (my personal favorite ... mmmmmm) Yes, that seems extreme, and it is, but this is the type of system you're advocating by outlawing marijuana use.

Viva la Libertarian.