should weed be legal?  

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Smoking everyday=/=addiction. Addiction implies that you'd struggle to not smoke it, that you'd have withdrawals, that you're dependent on the substance.

There are plenty of people who never tried to stop drinking alcohol or smoking cigarettes. Just because you don't try try to quit (and therefore don't have withdrawals) doesn't mean your not addicted.

"Addiction is the continued repetition of a behavior despite adverse consequences, or a neurological impairment leading to such behaviors"

Adverse consequences for someone who smokes every day are at a minimum opportunity cost in terms of the money spent on the weed (unless you grow your own) and what ever the health affects of smoking are (which, ill concede are probably less than cigarettes)

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I've heard someone describe "tunnel vision" as what they're looking at be what's focused on. Like watching something on your television becomes like a movie theater where everything else isn't "in sight".

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Smoking everyday=/=addiction. Addiction implies that you'd struggle to not smoke it, that you'd have withdrawals, that you're dependent on the substance.

There are plenty of people who never tried to stop drinking alcohol or smoking cigarettes. Just because you don't try try to quit (and therefore don't have withdrawals) doesn't mean your not addicted.

"Addiction is the continued repetition of a behavior despite adverse consequences, or a neurological impairment leading to such behaviors"

Adverse consequences for someone who smokes every day are at a minimum opportunity cost in terms of the money spent on the weed (unless you grow your own) and what ever the health affects of smoking are (which, ill concede are probably less than cigarettes)

Well I didn't say that if you don't try to quit that it doesn't mean you're an addict, I have absolutely no idea where you drew that conclusion but my point was that it doesn't necessarily mean that you're dependent if you use a substance every day. Any definition of addiction is going to imply a need, and you don't necessarily need something if you use it every day. There's a difference between using something every day and using it compulsively, and that's what addiction implies. You aren't a water addict because you drink water every day, you're a water addict if you're drinking it every 20 minutes or something like that. You aren't a sleep addict because you sleep every night, you're a sleep addict if you spend your day thinking about the next time you're going to take a nap. You aren't a marijuana addict because you smoke pot every day, you're a marijuana addict because you always want another rip.

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Someone who's an addict will get extremely sick when they go off a substance. They may need medical attention or chemical substitutes in order to help their body adjust. Think of someone detoxifying in the drunk tank or needing a drink in the morning just to stave off a massive headache and be able to function; or the scene in Trainspotting when he's trying to go off the crack, with the puke and shit buckets; or the jittery freakout attacks from someone trying to quit cigarettes. Any pothead can stop on a dime without adverse side affects or needing a crutch to lean on until they detoxify. Chronic users of weed are not addicts.

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No gtagrl, most chronic uses are addicted.They do have withdraw. I know. You cannot present any evidence to refute this. Your point is invalid anyway however. Gambling addicts don't have the withdrawals your describing, but are still very addicted.

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Adverse side effects are not the same as withdrawal symptoms - if mumzy comes to visit and I cease weed immediately for a week, I get a minor headache the first day and after that, nothing. You can't compare them because they're not even in the same ballpark. People that go off sugar or caffeine experience withdrawal symptoms, but it doesn't stop them from being able to function. Have you never met someone that's a barely functioning alcoholic, and seen them wake up with the shakes? You can't compare that to someone going off weed.

Gambling addicts have stress from not being able to gamble, their withdrawal is mental. Their mind is thinking ahead about how to wheedle a 'loan' or an advance payday cheque or selling shit they "borrowed" from a family member in order to get their next fix. Addicts are unable to control their cravings, withdrawal makes them physically ill, and they are willing to blow their lives, homes, relationships, savings, cheat/steal/lie to get their next fix. They are in denial about how strongly their addiction has a hold on them, and are willing to sacrifice everything to keep it up. They need help from an outside source in order to go clean.

Welp, we may as well agree to disagree on this, Qd. If you want to be judgmental about chronic weed users, you go right ahead.

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You don't have to be severely addicted to be addicted. There are obviously consequences from smoking pot every day. Chronic users continue to use despite these consequences. Full stop. That fulfills every element of the definition of addiction.

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soooo....is qd is addicted to being a fuckhead then? :lol:

what!?? i was just asking ffs.....

HUR HUR HUR WHAT A KNEE SLAPPER

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To bring this back on topic...

Then addiction as you describe it also applies to sugar and caffeine, both of which are legal, as is booze and tobacco. So legalize weed. How many cans of pop do you drink each day, Qd-pie? :)

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To bring this back on topic...

Then addiction as you describe it also applies to sugar and caffeine, both of which are legal, as is booze and tobacco. So legalize weed. How many cans of pop do you drink each day, Qd-pie? :)

Everyone knows caffeine and sugar are addictive, studies show sugar can be just as addictive as cocaine in some cases. We also get the legalize weed aspect, and no one said not to. Point is, daily smokers depend on it and are addicted, whether withdrawal is as major as another type of drug is out of the question.

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To bring this back on topic...

Then addiction as you describe it also applies to sugar and caffeine, both of which are legal, as is booze and tobacco. So legalize weed. How many cans of pop do you drink each day, Qd-pie? :)

Eating some sugar or some caffeine doesn't have negative consequences, smoking some pot doesn't have negative consequences.

Eating a lot of sugar or drinking a lot of caffeine does have negative consequences, likewise smoking pot everyday also has negative consequences.

Anyone who has engorged themselves to a point where they are obese is probably addicted to sugar.

And, you can definitely have caffein withdraw, and, overdose to the point of dying on caffeine, if we are to use your rubric of what is "addicting"

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Smoke pot if you want to. If you don't, don't. Some people get high. As long as they're not hurting anyone else, let them. Who am I to tell someone else what to do.

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I'm for legalizing pot. I'm also for being realistic about the consequences of smoking pot every day.

I'm for legalizing pot because:

Anyone who wants to smoke pot, can.

Pot should be taxed, I wants some of that tax revenue.

It's probably less addicting/harmful than cigarettes and alcohol.

The cost/benefit of keeping pot illegal in terms of law enforcement is way out of balance.

And their is probably more organized crime (and thugs) as a result of pushing large amounts of pot sales underground.

Those are a much better argument for the legalization of weed than " if is totally groovy and good for you"

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They should do what Colorado and Washington have done. Make smoking allowed only in residential places. Then they should do the same with cigarettes.

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Those are a much better argument for the legalization of weed than " if is totally groovy and good for you"

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weed's addictive, just like anything in the world that you love... you can become addicted no matter if it's scientifically proven to not be... if you're hooked, you're hooked... when i've quit before, there's a few days of uneasiness, a few days to adjust to not getting stoned all the time... it's probably more mental than anything, but there are withdrawals... i am not one to say it's not addictive, i know first hand that it's addictive...

being able to quit on a dime doesn't mean it's not addictive, it just means you have stronger willpower...

but that's like, just my opinion, man...

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I've never smoked weed but I figure that people will smoke it anyway, we may as well legalise it and control how it is distributed, make sure that it is taxed and then put dealers out of business. Smoking cigarettes is legal yet I and many others have never smoked cigarettes, this is personal preference. Making weed legal wont make people randomly decide to start smoking it. I do think weed has some negative effects that we may not even be fully aware of yet but as I said, if people want it they will find a way to get it.

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That's not a good way to look at it, and you certainly don't want it taxed or put dealers out of business (not that legalization would). If weed is legalized and taxed, the government will make it just as addictive and poisonous as cigarettes.

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That's not a good way to look at it, and you certainly don't want it taxed or put dealers out of business (not that legalization would). If weed is legalized and taxed, the government will make it just as addictive and poisonous as cigarettes.

If other states follow what Colorado and Washington have done, then government will not get involved, or will have little influence. Instead of corporations getting involved in marijuana itself, they'll use the market for smoking devices, grinders, papers, etc. to make their money. Also count in edibles and stuff. Plus, the two states currently allow you to grow a set amount of plants for your own production, which you can't do with tobacco, and dispensaries have to grow something like 70% of their own marijuana. New time period, new laws, new product, new generation of business.

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