The feds will still go after it as an illegal drug when presented as recreational and the will keep the stigma going on forever. Furthermore it will keep a lot of talented people out of good job opportunities for smoking a joint after work instead of having a glass of wine.
Totally. It’s not impossible to harm yourself with weed/THC, especially if it’s in combination with certain other drugs or medications or interacting with certain health conditions. And some of the doses you can get now in the dispensaries I’ve also noticed are pretty massive. The synthetic cannibinoids are potentially more dangerous, having even more blood vessel constrictive properties than typical cannabinoids (can increase stroke and heart attack risks). But weed doesn’t hold a candle to the dangers and damage of perfectly legal alcohol or tobacco. And there’s plenty of other still illegal without a prescription but more dangerous drugs that are lower on the schedule list than relatively safer ones like marijuana and psychedelics (pretty much all schedule I).
100%
Don’t even get me started on psychedelics. Psylocibin is the only antidepressant that has ever worked for me. 1.5g of shroomies will improve my mood for 2-4 weeks. I’m convinced the only reason they’re still Schedule I is because they work too well.
Psychedelics should absolutely be decriminalized at the very minimum. Anybody that has ever actually taken psychedelics regardless of their stance before dose one can agree with this sentiment.
Honestly, I really think they should be legal for medical purposes and potentially even recreational purposes. Yes, people shouldn’t probably be getting fucked up on acid or mushrooms out in public, but people shouldn’t be on alcohol either. Difference is, I don’t see anyone on psychedelics going and committing crimes while they are high.
My only thing about psychoactive substances is that you should probably still get screened for recreational purposes as they can seriously exacerbate certain mental illnesses if you are not careful, however almost any substance can do this with different disorders.
“People shouldn’t be getting fucked up on acid or mushrooms out in public, but people shouldn’t be on alcohol either.”
I’m on team decriminalization…and I think it’s going to be extra hard in the US because of our car addiction. I have never driven on psychedelics, nor do I ever intend to, but I’m concerned that someone will make a bad judgment call and drive to the convenience store (because that’s the only reasonable way to get places in most of the US) and it could end in tragedy. I see this as an extra hurdle we have to tackle, but it doesn’t change my stance on decriminalization.
We don’t have a lot of police in my area for the amount of people, so I would not count on them to recognize many drunk/drugged drivers. Traffic is largely unpatrolled and I have only been pulled over for anything twice in ~20 years.
I would be fascinated to hear about what driving on psychedelics is like from anyone who is willing to fess up to having done it (or has a story about a “friend”). Sounds like a bad idea, but I’m not an authority on the topic.