@petethepothead
“In the United States, we live in a constitutional, democratic republic. Simply because the majority votes for people to write their laws, it doesn’t necessarily mean those laws are right or just. Even if 98 percent of the population believes something is right or wrong, that doesn’t make it so.”
Yes, I understand and agree completely. That was not my implication. I was saying that, in the institution we live in, it is more sensible to advocate change via institutional processes rather than simply breaking the laws you disagree with. If you think that pot should be legalized, that’s fine, but you’re not a freedom fighter if you just get high with some friends in a basement somewhere. I will say that I think it’s irresponsible to simply break laws that you don’t like, but I don’t think you should just be blindly following the law no matter what, as if it was the moral authority.
@PnL
My comment was not directed at you. Your argument mainly focused on the notion that marijuana is less harmful than tobacco products and alcohol. I agreed with this, I just disagreed with your conclusion.
@TaoSan
No, the representatives won’t always pass laws in our best interest. But when they don’t, we should address that issue within the institution rather than outside of it.
@uberbatman
If marijuana has no effect on the body, then why do people smoke it? If it alters the state of the mind, that has potential for danger. The role of a government is to protect its citizens from danger, whether that danger is internal or external.