The reason America is more involved with legalizing marijuana is because it is demonized in America where in the rest of the world they just don't really care. Do some research on weed it's like nothing.
~ @SirGiggly
^ This pretty much sums up everything I was going to say.
Americans are "obsessed" with legalizing it because in most places, it seems to already be, or is in the process of, getting legalized. Why do we want in on the "trend"? Positive impacts on economics, people's emotional and physical health, and of course also for recreational purposes.
It's not that bad of a drug, as many have also already said. In the long run, it's a whole lot healthier than drinking or smoking your average cigarette. Alcohol dehydrates you. Alcohol causes people to act in ways that they usually wouldn't act, and when you have enough of it, (which can be hard to gauge with its delayed reactions) you can get blackout drunk and completely loose control of your body, with no memory of what happened at all. Alcohol is a depressant, and can increase numbers of rape cases, along with other crimes.
Cigarettes on the other hand, are full of really bad chemicals, which increase the risk of cancer in potentially almost every part of your body. It ruins your teeth, weakens your hair, wrinkles your skin, destroys your lungs, empties your bank account and comes with a very strong physical addiction, coupled with terrible withdrawal symptoms.
I still wouldn't want to share the road with somebody who blazed a joint 15 minutes ago and hopped into their car. Their motor controls and thought processes would be much slower than when they're not high.But let's pretend that weed doesn't mess you up
~ @builderjunkie012
Everything impacts everybody differently, hence why some drink alcohol, and some don't. Some get addicted, some don't. Some people get social, flirty, angry, happy, sad, etc. I will confess that I have driven under the influence of marijuana before and I didn't personally find it very pleasant, though I do know many people who are capable of driving UTI just fine. Driving while high is a lot safer than driving drunk for you are more relaxed and some/most people tend pay more attention to detail than when not.
[ First hand experience, just in case you were interested. ] It wasn't uncommon for me to get actually really tense (aka paranoid) with my grip on the wheel and consistently making sure I was going exactly the speed limit, not one under, not one over, and stay in the very center of my lane(s), but then I would also occasionally realize I've zoned out and be all "Holy crap, I hope I didn't just run a stop sign back there, somewhere!" I'm not sure how Colorado regulates marijuana influence while on the road but I intend on looking into some more research on it.
Not to sound like a hypocrite, but @builderjunkie012 , I agree with what you said and understand where you're coming from. As one who's done it and knows what the effects could be, I feel a lot safer on the streets knowing that everyone is "sober".
