Is Smoking Marijuana immoral?

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My gut feeling says it not immoral, but I have to say it is immoral.

Providing you feel that we live in a land in which in general the laws of society is there for the benifit of its inhabitants. That said you have to choose sides. Either you are against the society that is giving you safe haven or you’re for it. Smoking pot, using drugs and such, you are realy supporting a enduring criminal enterprise.

That was my first point. My second point is that it is immoral by asociation.

My third point is that it is just dumb. It is a learned behaviour that should be unlearned.

Kudos for you for not succumbing to peer pressure. The one who has truely a strong character is the one who has the guts to say NO when he is being pressured, or when he thinks it doesn’t feel right.

When a was working in Holland, I knew this very nice young secretary. She very intelligent, very assertive and very funy. But one day she told me that she often light up a joint in the morning, it’s good for your system. I said that a glass of carrot juice could do trick much better.

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toontje, I’m interested to know what the laws are in the ABC’s and Netherlans Antilles regarding mj? Though I’ve been there often it was never evident and definitely not as open as Holland.

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Smoking weed is definitely not immoral! Although I now only use it ( and other drugs ) as tools for the purposes of meditation and/or spiritual reasons ( I’m Pagan BTW ) I used to smoke it pretty much every day.

Marijuana helped me become who I am now, before I was a lot more prejudiced and unhappy.

Personally, I think everyone should at least try it once to see if it is for them or not. Even if it isn’t for you, you’ll come out of it knowing that little bit more about yourself.

Also, if you really care about this girl then any differences you have shouldn’t reallymatter :wink:

Finally, no-one should give in to peer pressure. Do what you want to do!

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yeah it depends on the person connected, you get a picture of it all, and hahah i can imagine how its attractive to you, just give in to the attraction, don’t be forced to smoke if you don’t want to, if she is nice and sweet and ladidah, just get to know her and you can even make her see that a good time doesnt always need the help of other substances =) as long as the joint thing isnt like O_O I NEED SOME WEED QUICK! then it may be a possibility.

Just think of it as jumping into the unknown to check it out, a mighty adventure to face what you are afraid of (which is probably what it actually is in some weird way i think) =)

edit: heh new_neo that is actually quite true, when you try it once, its like the whole BIG THING OMG ITS WEED thing will go, you realize that people can get a bit of a buzz form it like coffe, sugar, beer or sport/exercise.

also, now I dont thin kits true people are using these things more, do you know how many people would smoke weed in the 60’s? 70’s? 80’s? 90’s? always about the same, maybe less. Just like that awesome quote (i forget it a bit now) something like 'kids are rude to their parents, running out in the streets in riot of immorality, disobediant blah blah, and this was said hundreds and hundreds of years ago.

The early human civilisations (and many ancient ones now) just took drugs most of their day =P

It’s going to be around, its manipulating nature (or sometimes just utilising it) some people are allowed to do it if it wont get you fined or in jail. I perosnally don’t like people smoking it where its illigal like in my home town, but in Amsterdam, the culture has it differently.

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WhiteBoy wrote wrote:

Wait a second. What happened with your last girlfriend?

We are still living together and she means a lot to me but for a long time it seems we were both in it for the wrong reasons. I needed to get away from my parents, and she needed to get away from hers.

I guess it was more of an arrangement then true love though we have had some really nice times together and in my opinion the relationship was something of a succes, it’s just the not kind of relationship that lasts forever because I think now we’re beginning to learn to stand on our own feet.

I’ve been feeling the need to move on and last weekend I told her that I would like to find a place of my own. She wasn’t too happy and I think it made her feel really sad because she really likes me.

It’s been hard for me to forget the fact that she wasn’t that honest with me, even though it was along time ago, if I had known the things that I know about her now I would have never come to Germany to find a place with her let alone engaged in a relationship.

Giving up my country for her wasn’t an easy thing to do but I thought she was worth it. I just wish she would have told me the truth about her past because living with it has been really hard. Now I don’t have the heart to tell her how I feel. Hope I get the strength someday soon. Another reason why I find it uncomfortable being around the girl in my class is because I feel so guilty about having such strong feelings for someone else.

Sometimes I even wonder if I’m really in love with the girl in my class or its just my heart making me believe she’s worth all the sacrifices I’ve made in the past.

The good thing is, this time around, I don’t feel like throwing my whole life away for this girl, I just want her to let me take care of her. I would love to cook her a nice meal, walk her through a park or hold her in my arms. I see a lot of potential in this girl and I would love to have the chance to tell her that she’s special.

I’m waiting for the opportunuty to walk her to the train station - maybe they sell roses there. My goal at the moment is to make her feel both special and needed, even if she doesn’t become my girlfriend, I’ll still get to see her smile more.

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Hey, perhaps I should try some LSD or XTC, or better yet, cocaïne.

At least try it once.

And if it isn’t for me, I’ll come out of it knowing that little more about myself.

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It’s not immoral. It’s just stupid.

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Um, excuse me, but I don’t think you understand what the word ‘moral’ means. [edit]not you Fweeb[/edit] Go read Kant, Bentham, and Nietzsche. Look it up in a dictionary.

Your perception of ‘morality’ has everything to do with what you believe to be right and wrong. While not all laws come from moral grounds, most do. Morality may be codefied in law (such as federal statuetes against assault, rape, murder, armed robbery, etc.) but the law exists as such because those who enacted them believe them to be just and moral.

I’ll admit that I made a broad generalization about the escapism. There are many people who take drugs just because they want to and enjoy it. That said, the vast majority of those who take drugs do so as some form of escapism. This is documented fact --you can easily find evidence to this on your own. Lack of education does not a valid argument make.

Renaming escapism as ‘relaxing’ or ‘enhancing’ doesn’t change the fact that you are attempting to change your reality into something ‘more pleasant’.

Again, whether or not you believe it to be moral does not a truth make. I consider it immoral because of its effects on you. new_neo disagrees because of its effects on him.

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Interesting reply Duoas. Concerning drugs and all that, I prefer not to mess with them. period

PS Duoas: do you speak dutch because you put your verb (make for example) at the end of the sentence several time which is a grammar structure form in dutch (but not in english). Or maybe I am saying total nonsense because I’m tired lol

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I used to smoke it because of the ritual. I never smoked it alone and enjoyed being with a buncha people and the feeling of “harmony” with everyone…It was all disillusion on my part. Unless you have some medicinal need for it, you don’t need mind altering substances to harmonize. States of consciousness are more spiritual for me now and I don’t want to be “altered” by chemicals(aside from those found in some food). I don’t think it is immoral to smoke it, but I think it puts a wall between those who do and those who don’t…And there is nothing harmonious about that.

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Heh, no I don’t speak Dutch… It’s just one of the weird joys of English. “X does not a y make” is a common expression. I don’t know from where it came… It seems I’ve been overusing it lately though…

If I have a really bad headache I’ll take an Advil or something, but otherwise I tend to avoid all drugs. Except food. I’m addicted. :stuck_out_tongue:

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Tobacco doesn’t affect your judgement in the same way that pot does.

Have you ever done pot before? Where did you hear that your judgement will be effected? And in what way did you hear that it will be effected?

I used to be addamently against the use of marijuana because the people that I knew were doing it were the types that were flunking out of school and doing nothing with their lives. I just automatically associated pot with failure and idiocy…

Then, last summer, I got a chance to try it. It was the first mind altering substance that I had ever used. I just about freaked out when the high kicked in. I had no idea what to make of it. Anyways, after awhile, I found the experience to be quite an enjoyable one and continued to experiment. I found that while it does tend to make you paranoid, your judgement isn’t effected directly. I will admit, however, that since you do become more paranoid, you tend to be a little more careful :wink:

As far as the morality of smoking pot: I don’t think it’s immoral at all. As you know, it’s used for medicinal purposes all the time. So why is it’s use for recreation any different? Because people become “addicted” to using it? The fact is, people can become addicted to using pretty much anything. So what?

When pot is used responsibly, it’s less dangerous than alcohol. Though you often can’t remember things that happened 2 minutes ago, you are more likely to make the “right” decisions.

It seems to me that most of the people that condemn the use of marijuana haven’t used. I find that unfortunate. They’ve made what I believe to be an uninformed choice. I don’t think that using is immoral. However, I do believe that using might not be right for you.

Marijuana has different effects depending on who you are and what type of weed you are smoking. If you do you’re research, you’ll find that weed culture can be very much like wine culture. There are different types that yeild different effects, that grow in different conditions, etc. For me, I find that if I smoke up tonight, I’ll still have a hard time thinking clearly tomorrow. (“Thinking clearly” means that it might take me awhile to do a simple algebra problem. It doesn’t mean I would have sex with a random person at a party.) So, if I have school the next day or something like that, I wouldn’t do it the night before. RESPONSIBLE USE

I think it should be a personal choice and nothing more. Solo, if you don’t want to use, that’s fine with me and I will not try to force it on you. I can understand that your friends just want you to try it because it’s fun to do. However, if you don’t want to do it, that’s also fine.

I really cannot understand the viewpoint that using pot is immoral. I realize that some people do not use it responsibly, but the same goes for alcohol. Both can be used responsibly and no one gets hurt. (please spare me the bit about later effects. these only occur after severe and prolonged use.)

In truth, pot is the safest mind-altering drug. It’s relaxing, fun, cheap and natural. It’s just the ticket if you’d like to take a break from reality for awhile. And again, responsible use is the key. It would be stupid to do it tonight and then go try to give a speech tomorrow :wink:

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Personnally, I put marijunana on the same level as alcohol. Alcohol is far more dangerous, adictive and unhealthy than pot, but on the other side, pot often make the users “lazy”. Not lazy when they smoke, but all the time. And i think that this is the most dangerous thing in cannabis.

So IMO, it’s not a clever idea to start smoking joints, but it isn’t a morally wrong thing either.

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[quote=“WhiteBoy”"]

And alcohol isn’t a mind-altering drug ?

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Nope. Unfortunately not in the least bit interested either.

Thats fine. However, I wouldn’t make too many accusations in either directions until you have. Theres nothing wrong with trying it (IMO). If it becomes a problem (ie. those bums I knew from school) then you should prolly stop :wink:

My very close friends were stoned quite frequently in high school. I don’t need anyone to “tell” me anything.

I disagree. Although I can see your point of view. Stoned people are extremely boring to be around unless you’re stoned as well. Point taken.

Coincidence?

As it turns out, yes. As I began to experiment with marijuana, I found that damn near every one that I knew was doing it occasionally. I’d be hanging out with some friends, smoking a jay and all of a sudden that smart kid from math class would show up and want to take a hit. Fancy that, eh? If I had a nickel for every time I heard “wow…when did you start smoking weed?”…

And of course paranoia is just another word for “sound judgement,” right?

Please don’t misunderstand me. I don’t mean to say it’s a smashing idea to get completely ripped and then go into work. You’re pretty much worthless when it comes to following a thought for more than 20 seconds. What I’m trying to say is that you know well enough not to drive around stoned (assuming that was your idea of good judgement beforehand). You get the idea…

But the truth is, a mind-altering drug is still a mind-altering drug no matter how “tame” it is compared to the other options. I have made the choice to stay away from that kind of stuff altogether.

Like I say, I think it’s perfectly logical to make the decision that it’s not right for you. It’s when you try to make this decision for others that I begin to have a problem…

However, this is a personal choice. I apologize to you, Dante, if it seems like I was personally attacking your beliefs.

Props to you for recognizing that! Thank you for your maturity. It makes a debate like this actually worth having. :slight_smile:

Not lazy when they smoke, but all the time. And i think that this is the most dangerous thing in cannabis.

True…sometimes. I know some damn lazy people. They also happen to smoke pot. Pot can make a working person lazy (it’s called couch-lock) if it’s the right strain (which is called Indica.) However, other strains produce euphoric highs without the couch-lock (sativa.) I would argue that it’s no the pot making the person lazy. It’s just that lazy people like to smoke pot because it makes doing nothing seem like more fun.

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IMHO, it’s much more immoral to jail a perfectly non-violent, otherwise law-abiding citizen who uses marijuana. Additionally, there has not been a single proven, recorded case of anyone dying as a direct result of marijuana usage (just don’t drive and smoke).

Try smoking a joint and then using blender. Man, that’s a lot of fun…

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Facts please!

Google #1: http://www.allpotseeds.com/bad-effects-of-pot.html

Please note that this is a pro-cannabis site. It is carefully worded to minimize the extent of the effects of the drug, particularly if smoked responsiahem --minimally; and cast doubt on the studies that disparage usage.

Of particular note is that it lists and does not deny any of the bad effects of marajuana, including: impaired short-term memory and learning capacity, difficulty thinking and problem-solving, loss of motor control, lowered reaction time, distortion of the senses, reduced physical condition (including elevated heart-rate), increased anxiety and paranoia, inclucation of apathy, potential natal complications, and possible addiction.

The main points of the page are: plan ahead and don’t smoke too much and its effects are so minimal (compared to other drugs) that it is pointless to prosecute against it.

Google #2: http://www.nida.nih.gov/Infofacts/marijuana.html

This is from the fellows at the National Institute On Drug Abuse, whose job it is “to lead the Nation in bringing the power of science to bear on drug abuse and addiction.”

They have some interesting statistics on the extent of pot use in the USA. The very first paragraph notes that about 3 million people used it daily in 2002. (Also, these numbers don’t tend to fluctuate much, so today is likely a similar number.) I would be so bold as to classify this as “heavy use” (as did the author of the Google #1 page).

What strikes me personally is the youth of those first smoking pot. A twelve- to seventeen-year old is a child, still trying to gain an identity and an understanding of himself and the world around him. I don’t personally see how using mind-altering drugs helps that… but away with my own soapbox now…

Google #3: http://familydoctor.org/485.xml

This page is from the American Academy of Family Physicians. The next time you go to the doctor, look for an AAFP plaque on his wall.

It really just lists some of the more unpleasant effects of marajuana use, including physical addiction.

Google #4: http://www.well.com/user/woa/fspot.htm

This page is from the Federal Division of Alchohol and Drug Abuse.

The most signalling points from this page are the developmentally adverse effects marajuana has on children. The younger you are when you start using it, the more it stunts your life.

fin
I’m tired of typing now. People may justify marajuana use with the fact that, when taken sparingly, it has a minimal impact (when compared with other drugs). Good for them.

I won’t take it. I don’t want to be around it. In my personal experiences with friends who have used it I’ve always felt hurt when I see how they have harmed themselves (this is through personal observation, and not from reading some website, study, or book).

I recommend against trying it. I suppose I just prefer the harder road. But everything I want out of life caries a heavier price than just taking it easy.

My opinion.

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[quote=“-efbie-”]

And alcohol isn’t a mind-altering drug ?[/quote]

Too much will alter and destroy your brain, and liver, but beer is fine to drink once in a while, but I don’t wanna drink it.

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Blender is my favorite drug.