If you were arguing for legalization of medicinal mj, what is your best argument?

I’m for the complete legalization of all drugs. It’s rather difficult for me to formulate a pro-legalization of marijuana for strictly medical purposes other than to say that there is no reasonable argument against it. Period.

I would back up @tom_g‘s argument. If we believe in “freedom”, then perhaps we should start with the freedom of one’s own body.

I propose the complete legalization of all so-called “street” drugs, “prescription” drugs and alcohol. That’s for starters.

Yes, I agree that there will be problems. What? There aren’t problems already? I would say that having the largest percentage of one’s own citizens in jail for crimes that have not directly harmed others is a pretty huge problem.

No, I do not condone rampant, irresponsible or wanton drug use by anyone. I also don’t agree with what a lot of people say, but having a strongly-enforced First Amendment hasn’t damaged the country that I can see. I disagree with all religions, but I would never dream of prohibiting any.

Freedom. I like the idea.

EDIT: Just to add one thought on this. What if research demonstrates that marijuana or other drugs really do have “no medicinal value”? Would we then go back to, “Well, there you go. That’s all the reason we need to outlaw it!” No. Complete legalization with no other regulation than other food products get. I’d be okay with “government regulation” of purity, quality, processing facilities, etc. (until we can get rid of all of that, too), but I propose “complete freedom” with no other qualifications or reservations.

The fact that there is no rational argument against legalisation.
You do not need a reason to make something legal, you need a reason to make something illegal.

Either legalize it completely or outlaw it. Don’t put doctors in the position of being the conduits for marijuana.

Okay then based on the poll, what do you think it would take to force the legalization across the US?

Force? An act of Congress or a Constitutional Amendment.

Medical and recreational it’s already happening one state at a time.

It takes tremendous amounts of force (and lies) to maintain marijuana and other drugs as illegal because they are so “dangerous”. If we can agree to remove the force and threat of force, legality would follow.

So pot heads have nothing to talk about ever again.

I am also for across the board legalization. I think if a connecting adult wants to kill himself with heroin, that’s his right. And since drugs have been around since the first caveman ate a funny mushroom, we can be assured they’re not going anywhere, so why not take the power out of the hands of criminal organizations, and put it back into our economy?

For marijuana specifically, the justification for criminalisation harks back to racism and discrimination against black jazz and blues musicians in the early 20th century. The plant should never have been made illegal in the first place.

@livelaughlove21 hahaha! Dirty hippies…j/k

Thanks everybody, I think some people such as cancer patients and other pain-ridden or appetite-less folks, should be able to use it at will with no penalties and neither should their suppliers be subject to legal ramifications. A family member of mine passed that had never partook, but with stomach cancer, it was very helpful. Peace.

I hate my phone.

Consenting, not connecting.

Here’s an anecdotal argument from my life, but an argument nonetheless.

Following my second surgery on my bowels I had a really hard time. My main problems were that my appetite disappeared completely, and what little I did manage to choke down usually came back up, and pain of course. This went on for a month. I dropped to about 80 pounds.

For the pain they gave me narcotic pain killers, but those made me more nauseous and contributed to my problems with eating. Not to mention they are addictive.

After a couple of weeks I had to go back to the hospital and my doctor was starting to talk about a feeding tube or maybe IV nutrition. I don’t know much about feeding tubes because I’ve never had one, but I can tell you all about IV nutrition from having had it in 2009.
First point is that it’s expensive. Just the liquid nutrition itself is about $1000 per day. Then there’s the procedure to insert the tube, which requires anesthesia. I don’t know how much that cost but anything requiring anesthesia tends to be pricey. All in all the ordeal is probably six figures, depending on how long you’re on it. This cost went to my insurance company, and in turn, got put onto the people paying into the system.

Second point is that it’s risky. My stay on IV nutrition came to a swift end when the IV site got infected, I went into septic shock, and I nearly died.

Anyway, back to 2011. I got lucky because my condition resolved itself just in time and no major action needed to be taken. But god knows I could have been helped by medical marijuana. It would have been much less expensive for the taxpayer, and much less risky.

Anyway, it’s just an anecdote I know, but my situation is hardly unique. Appetite problems of all kinds, from my bowel surgery to cancer, are largely treated with much more risky and expensive means than is necessary, because marijuana is illegal. Sure, some people will find loopholes and will abuse the system, but is that the end of the world? A lot of people will be legitimately helped. I feel it is that some people will wrongly obtain marijuana, than to let people die or suffer because they couldn’t legally get the drug that would have helped them.