You do realize we've been through all this right? All of it. I don't mind discussing it again, I just thought I'd make sure you remembered that it's all been discussed back in the [at least] 6 part debate in its entirety with 30 or so pages to each part. Tell you what, I'll even find the post in which I responded to this exact same question of yours. How's that for service?
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Originally Posted by Locke9-05
Symptoms of Marijuana abuse - WrongDiagnosis.com
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- Distorted perception
- Poor driving
- Anxiety
- Panic attack
- Psychosis
- Hallucinations
- Paranoia
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And this one:
Howstuffworks "How Marijuana Works"
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In addition to the brain, the side effects of marijuana reach many other parts of the body. Marijuana is filled with hundreds of chemicals, and when it is burned, hundreds of additional compounds are produced. When marijuana is inhaled or ingested in some other form, several short-term effects occur. Some of the marijuana's side effects are:
* Problems with memory and learning
* Distorted perception
* Difficulty with thinking and problem solving
* Loss of coordination
* Increased heart rate
* Anxiety, paranoia and panic attacks
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There's that, and of course, there's this:
Cannabis psychosis
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Originally Posted by Dr Brian Boettcher Consultant Psychiatrist Shelton Hospital
The International Classification of Disease indicates the following symptoms due to Cannabis.
“There must be dysfunctional behaviour, as evidenced by at least one at of the following:
(1) Apathy and sedation
(2) Disinhibition
(3) Psychomotor retardation
(4) Impaired attention
(5) Impaired judgement
(6) Interference with personal functioning.
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As for Article 1 Section 8, it can be found back in the same post, but here, I'll organize it separately for you:
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Originally Posted by Locke9-05
U.S. Constitution - Article 1 Section 8 - The U.S. Constitution Online - USConstitution.net
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Originally Posted by USConstitution.net
The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common defense and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States
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Access the link I provided. Click on the word "welfare."
It brings this up:
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Originally Posted by USConstition.net
Welfare
welfare n. 1. health, happiness, or prosperity; well-being. [<ME wel faren, to fare well] Source: AHD
Welfare in today's context also means organized efforts on the part of public or private organizations to benefit the poor, or simply public assistance. This is not the meaning of the word as used in the Constitution.
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There you have it. Congress was charged with preserving the overall state of well-being of the United States.
The Discussion section or "why?" of the Preamble (on USConstitution.net) also mentions this:
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Originally Posted by USConstitution.net
promote the general Welfare
This, and the next part of the Preamble, are the culmination of everything that came before it - the whole point of having tranquility, justice, and defense was to promote the general welfare - to allow every state and every citizen of those states to benefit from what the government could provide. The framers looked forward to the expansion of land holdings, industry, and investment, and they knew that a strong national government would be the beginning of that.
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The government was charged with preserving that state of welfare, Shiva and as the numerous sources that have been provided have shown time and time and again, a substance as selfish and unnecessarily risky, outwardly unpleasant, unhealthy and harmful as marijuana impedes upon that well-being. Therefore it is up to the government to act in the best interest of those who are being put at unnecessary risk by the selfish use of said substance.
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So to re-iterate, such a mindless indulgence, a substance without any beneficial use to the collective of this society is simply not ideal. This is not "every many for himself land," it's not an anarchical society, it's a collective society, we all work and live around each other and benefit and are affected by the actions of each other whether directly or indirectly. For a government to function, the people must forfeit some of their rights (namely the right to "do whatever they want without consequences") so that they can therefore have an authority to protect the most important rights--the unalienable rights, such as life, property, freedom of religion/speech/etc. That does not go for things that pose a definitive risk to the order and
welfare of the populace and that's exactly what I was pointing out to you in Article I Section VIII. Drugs like marijuana have no benefit to society, when observed in medical and scientific settings, they've been shown to alter brain chemicals and thought patterns in unpredictable ways and cause odd, unusual and potentially unstable side-effects. All this simply for "a short high?" Or maybe the excuse is just to "relax..." There are plenty of safe ways to relax besides ingesting substances that toy with human emotion and cognitive abilities.
The government knows all of this, and the government must assert its authority to preserve the welfare of the populace according to the Constitution and according to Locke's own principles of how a government must function. No man has any "right" to smoke "weed." You have the right to property and you have the right to express yourself in safe ways that don't conflict with your fellow men, you have the right to religious freedom, you have the right to live... All of those are the rights of yours that the government can and will protect and enforce. But smoking weed is not one of them. Far from it. It infringes upon the very rights of those who wish to live their own lives free of obstruction and free of selfish, reckless, and potentially dangerous illegal activity. A person can choose to do what they will within their own home naturally, but if they're caught there's no reason to not enforce a law that is reasonable to preserve the welfare of the commonwealth as according to the Constitution itself.