Do you think legalizing marijuana in the U.S. would be a good or bad thing?

This will be a good thing. U.S. would make billions by selling it legally instead of spending money to criminalize it. It would hurt the cartels that traffic marijuana and hurt their business. Also marijuana is not as dangerous as cigarettes. I don't know of anyone who got cancer from smoking marijuana. Do you?

I think it would be a good thing, here in Holland decriminalizing hasn't increased use and smokers don't come into contact with dealers of hard drugs.

legalize. Why not? The police state does not work. Plain and simple. Where is the crime in marijuana?

As all the things, it would have bad and good things. But maybe the good things are sufficient to legalize it.

I don't smoke it, but, I think they should legalize it. Might as well because a good majority smokes it. They legalized alcohol for the same reason.

Prohibition of marijuana is what leads to criminals making money off of it, as well as putting the distribution and regulation in the hands of criminals. Children find it easier to get illegal drugs than cigarettes or alcohol because of the carding process. The only recorded "bad side effects" was a study done on monkeys where they gas-masked them with 15,000 joints worth of marijuana and held it there (without oxygen) to the monkeys faces for five minutes a day. The deteriorated brain cells would happen to any suffocated creature for that long for that duration. There is no substance in the world with as many medical uses, nor as many textile uses. The plant produces as much oxygen as is used to burn it, making a wide-spread crop of it reduce green house gas emissions.

No violent crimes have been recorded by a person under the influence of marijuana, and there are zero deaths a year directly related to marijuana use (while there are 450,000 a year from cigarettes and 10,000 from *caffeine* and 7,500 from over the counter pharmaceuticals). The only violent crimes associated with marijuana are the direct result of prohibition, much like the rise of organized crime in the 20s when alcohol was illegal.

Someone who has just smoked a joint wants to eat some chips and a corn dog and watch Family Guy-- they don't go beat their wives and kids like people do under the influence of alcohol.

The "gate-way" theory is another thing that is a direct result of prohibition: because users have to result to getting marijuana from criminals, they are exposed to dealers of hard drugs.

I have more to say here: http://hubpages.com/hub/soapghost, where there is a more in depth essay and a link to a very well put together documentary about weed prohibition.

It would be Good...Hemp would create NEW money , America has not seen in almost 80 years! The turn-around on hemp is incredible compared to trees. Not just the buds that get you high would make money, but the actual hemp to produce products! SO YES, YES, YES, Legalize, not legal lies!

Yes, it would be a good thing. It is no more harmful than alcohol or cigarettes, and it would take the profits out of the hands of the real criminals and provide tax income for governments. Can't think of anything "bad" that would result. I'm not a pot smoker, and can't imagine that legalization would make me start.

I think it should be legal. If cigerettes and Alcohol are legal which kill many more people and have proven to be more addictive. The only reason marijuana is not legal is because it's to easy to grow your own and they(Big Brother) can't tax it.

Legalizing makes sense in every conceivable way.

Kebennet1 what adverse health effects are you referring to?

The only real adverse effects are those associated with smoking any plant material, except the growing evidence that the cannabanoids present in marijuana actually INHIBIT cancerous cell growth.

If a person uses a vaporizer or eats it there are zero adverse health risks. Do a little more research.

If harm is the measure we use to decide these things, than tobacco and alcohol should be illegal and the death penalty should be the punishment for their use. Your logic just doesn't stand up to reason or the facts.

I notice you also make a stereotyped assumption about drug users in general being recipients of government aid. Please go get an education.

What about the multiple thousands in America who find themselves laid off after decades on the job due to the economic hardships this country is facing.

Wake up! The demographics of the unemployed and people on government aid has changed drastically in the last 15 years.

I believe it should be controlled and legalized only for medicinal purposes. It is a drug and that fact does not change. It has harmful side effects both short term and long term. There is no reason to legalize it as a feel good entertainment for drug users, it's adverse health effects will cost the Government Health-care System (Medicaid-Medicare), thereby costing the Tax payers, just like cigarettes and alcohol have. I am tired of helping to pay the cost for people who deliberatly cause harm to themselves by using cigarettes,drugs and alcohol.