Gallup: Record 50% of Americans Favor Legalizing Marijuana

[MrRational]

Originally Posted by mb1547

...and she said the biggest problem they had was with tourists who get out of control
vs. local people, who don't treat it as a big deal.

This is the object lesson.
Most of the fear about changing the law that I see and hear spoken about...
is really about change in and of itself.

And there *will* be a learning curve... that's just human nature.
But that too will settle out in short order.

My biggest concern really is having one more thing that can hurt children if they have easier access to it, but I also understand that we make smoking pot "forbidden fruit" with the stigma we have in this country against it. I'll be honest--I struggle with this issue.

Well, may I suggest that you start with the issues as it relates to adults?

Sort out that aspect and how it relates to the day to day...
see what is reasonable and appropriate and productive etc..
because that is what the attempts to change the law is about.

Then... get into the parent based concern for what teens will or won't do...
and how which reasonable measures can be "worked into the rotation".

And as a parent as well... we know that the specific substance or action isn't the problem per se.
These are symptoms of problems. It's about the values and attitudes that were instilled in our kids;
and long before they got the drivers license and took the car out for the day
or went up to the lake for the weekend camping without us there to supervise.

hth

[padcrasher]

Originally Posted by mb1547

I was a kid in the 60's/70's--I'm not stupid. Alcohol was a no brainer then and it's a no brainer now--it's easier buy because people who can legally purchase it can get it easily, and they can pass it on down to kids. Drugs are more difficult from the start. If drugs were legal for adults, they would just as easily be passed on down to kids.

We're lucky that we don't have a huge drug problem in our school district (a few kids, but fortunately the athletes aren't into it, so it's not cool--our district is tiny) but alcohol IS a huge issue. Some parents just give it to their kids and their friends, with the mindset that they'd rather have them drink at home vs. in a cornfield. We've been really lucky with our boys, but there's constant peer pressure. They're popular kids, which really helps.

Personally, I think marijuana possession in small amounts should be decriminalized or be a very minor offense, but they should throw the book at people who deal it.

I felt like you did at one time...but when I looked into the negative effects of pot smoking I just couldn't find any data to back it up that it's that bad. I thought at one time it "destroys brain cells"...but this is false. BTW I don't smoke pot.