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Originally Posted by Delta9
There is evidence that marijuana can induce psychosis and other mental problems, that is true. Though it is only for those with a genetic predisposition, this does represent a threat to society and members of it in many ways.
But this is true of any drug. Caffeine can induce psychosis in the exact same way. Same as alcohol, or even anti-depressants. Many forms of legal behavior do as well, those who are genetically predisposed are at risk of psychosis from violent imagery as well as addictive behaviors such as gambling.
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These side-effects are universal, they are not only due to "pre-dispositions." That rebuttal has already been attempted. The sources I've used throughout this long debate have indicated that they are indeed
side-effects, not people with genetic pre-disposition to certain mental conditions. Would you care to provide me with some evidence that weighs caffeine on the same level as marijuana in terms of the mental side-effects? I'd gladly address that bit of your argument if you do. As for alcohol, I've already told you my position on that. It's no different than marijuana (probably worse), it should be illegal as well. Anti-depressants are different though. Why? Because they have a beneficial purpose. They are not "recreational drugs" People aren't prescribed anti-depressants for their selfish pleasure. They're prescribed anti-depressants in order to relieve the emotionally painful symptoms of mental conditions that they did not choose to induce.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Delta9
You cannot attempt to protect the minds of free citizens, at least not without revoking their constitutionally held freedoms through due process.
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You think society's trying to protect the minds of those on the drugs? Hah! Not at all. Society's protecting those around the idiots doing the drugs. Society's protecting those around people who are using substances that induce such mentally unstable and unpredictable side-effects. The individuals on the drugs are selfish and don't deserve society's protection. So society punishes them for being selfish, illogical, irrational, etc. It's no different than speeding in a motor vehicle.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Delta9
Is schizophrenia illegal? No, we admit that we do not know what is the best for a persons psyche, so we allow those who wish to indulge in insanity to go unmedicated despite the inherit risk involved.
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Schizophrenia isn't illegal because schizophrenia is a condition that people cannot help. People with legitimate mental conditions are assisted. We're not talking about schizophrenia or legitimate mental conditions. We're talking about selfishly induced side-effects, schizophrenia-
like symptoms,
cannabis psychosis, drug-induced hallucinations, impaired cognitive abilities, paranoia, etc. all because of a choice to selfishly "indulge" on some stupid drug. There's a
huge difference, and people who choose to initiate that kind of risk are punished for good reason.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Delta9
If we did not we would be wrong, we would be forcing addictive drugs into people system for no other reason than because it pacifies them, making them less of a risk to others. We have the freedom to be mentally unstable if we chose, because if we didn't all it would take to control someone is to declare them mentally unstable.
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We don't have the "freedom" to induce mental instability at the risk of the safety of law-abiding, upstanding citizens around us, no. That's a
major fallacy. If someone is born with schizophrenia or if they develop schizophrenia as a human mental condition, they are assisted, as with any other
legitimate mental condition, because it was not of their choosing--but they're still kept under watch, because such unstable conditions are indeed hazardous and risky. Recreational marijuana is a choice to induce such side-effects for no reason other than to get a selfish "pleasurable" high at the risk, health, etc. of those around the user. It's unacceptable in this society by
all logical standards