There is a growing movement in the United States to legalize pot and allow people to smoke marijuana and decriminalize it. Many in the justice system say that these issues are just low level and are filling up our courts unnecessarily. Indeed they do cost the tax payer huge amounts of money and they cost huge dollars.

This issue was re-introduced in an online think tank in which one guest think tanker who was an admitted pot smoker compared marijuana and its abuse with alcohol and the problems alcohol causes in our society. He stated and I quote:

It's effects are medically less impacting on a person's body and mind than alcohol, and yet it is treated as though it is more serious. When people see the effects on friends or family, they realize that they've been lied to. But hanging out with dealers or trying progressively more dangerous drugs may cause serious problems. i could go on. Read Marijuana Myths Marijuana Facts.

Of course this comment did not sit well with the anti-legalization of marijuana think tankers and so it was immediately challenged by a fellow think tanker who asked another question of the illegal drug user and marijuana users:

May I ask you why all folks who are for the legalization of drugs always point to Alcohol as the basis for their argument? They always say alcohol kills people or alcohol has more long term affects from abuse than marijuana, therefore marijuana should be legalized too? Why do all druggie who want to legalize drugs say this. I am not going to read any books on Marijuana.

Wow, indeed we have a very hot topic here and one, which perhaps needs to be re-considered after things calm down around here? Indeed there is a big push for the legalization of marijuana in the United States and it is an issue, which will be addressed and must be looked at on a more careful basis. But it does appear both sides are pretty adamant about their views and therefore it will continue to cause heated debates. Consider this in 2006.