While I absolutely don’t agree with atzanteol, this statement is also utterly ridiculous. You own both marijuana and oregano with the intention of consumption. One of them is addictive, can cause psychosis, and can destroy lives.
All drugs should be decriminalized. So should weed. Maybe it even should be legal. But let’s try to not repeat the same mistakes we did with alcohol. Nowadays I think most people would agree that alcohol can be consumed in moderation, but its overall effect on public health is devastating and alcoholism is a real problem that affects way too many people, also people you wouldn’t think of. Science revised its guidelines of claiming a little drink a day is fine or even healthy to the best choice is no drink at all.
Its dangers were downplayed for so, so long. And now that we are legalizing weed I see the exact same sentiments about it that alcohol used to have. Marijuana is not an innocent, harmless substance. It can easily be abused and cause damage to individual lives, families, and friends.
I am making the argument for both, that is exactly the point I am making. I see too many people demonising alcohol and calling marijuana not dangerous in the same sentence, comparing it to oregano. Both substances are dangerous. And of course marijuana is addictive, what are you talking about? You can absolutely become both physically and mentally addicted to it. You can develop a tolerance, and you can trigger psychosis in predisposed younger people. I’ve seen all three cases in university and it wasn’t pretty.
Again, I am not advocating for the criminalisation of possession or consumption. I am only advocating for not downplaying that mj is a drug. Right now, the narrative parallels that “a glass of wine or two won’t hurt”, “let’s have a beer with friends”, “let’s get the champagne to celebrate”, “alcohol is fine at social events” that we used to hear some decades ago about alcohol. It didn’t end well. Why are we doing this again with weed now?
You’re absolutely right that awareness and responsible use matter, in fact I think responsible use is highly important with any substance. However we can’t ignore the real harm caused by government fear-mongering and criminalization. Alcohol and cigarettes—both legal and socially accepted—kill hundreds of thousands of people every year through addiction, cancer, and overdose. Yet marijuana, which has never caused a fatal overdose and carries far lower risks, has been demonized to the point where people face lifetime prison sentences just for possession. That’s not just hypocrisy—it’s a systemic failure that ruins lives over a substance less dangerous than what’s sold at every liquor store.
Meanwhile, places like Amsterdam have shown us a better way. They’ve normalized marijuana and psilocybin mushrooms for decades, treating adults like adults. The result? No societal collapse, no crime waves, no public health disasters—just a culture of responsible use, education, and harm reduction. Their success proves that when we trust people to make informed choices, they do so safely and enjoyably.
The real danger isn’t marijuana—it’s a legal system that locks people up for it while turning a blind eye to alcohol’s devastation, and a culture of fear that prevents honest conversations about responsible use. Let’s follow Amsterdam’s lead: focus on education, not criminalization, and treat adults like adults.
I 100% agree with everything you said. I am very much pro legalisation of weed and decriminalization of all drugs. Unless you are cooking up tons and tons of fentanyl you shouldn’t be in jail.
To me, education and awareness includes not equating marijuana and oregano.
While I absolutely don’t agree with atzanteol, this statement is also utterly ridiculous. You own both marijuana and oregano with the intention of consumption. One of them is addictive, can cause psychosis, and can destroy lives.
All drugs should be decriminalized. So should weed. Maybe it even should be legal. But let’s try to not repeat the same mistakes we did with alcohol. Nowadays I think most people would agree that alcohol can be consumed in moderation, but its overall effect on public health is devastating and alcoholism is a real problem that affects way too many people, also people you wouldn’t think of. Science revised its guidelines of claiming a little drink a day is fine or even healthy to the best choice is no drink at all.
Its dangers were downplayed for so, so long. And now that we are legalizing weed I see the exact same sentiments about it that alcohol used to have. Marijuana is not an innocent, harmless substance. It can easily be abused and cause damage to individual lives, families, and friends.
Huh?
Marijuana isn’t addictive. If you’re going to try to make that argument then you can’t look away from alcohol, which is addictive and legal.
I am making the argument for both, that is exactly the point I am making. I see too many people demonising alcohol and calling marijuana not dangerous in the same sentence, comparing it to oregano. Both substances are dangerous. And of course marijuana is addictive, what are you talking about? You can absolutely become both physically and mentally addicted to it. You can develop a tolerance, and you can trigger psychosis in predisposed younger people. I’ve seen all three cases in university and it wasn’t pretty.
Again, I am not advocating for the criminalisation of possession or consumption. I am only advocating for not downplaying that mj is a drug. Right now, the narrative parallels that “a glass of wine or two won’t hurt”, “let’s have a beer with friends”, “let’s get the champagne to celebrate”, “alcohol is fine at social events” that we used to hear some decades ago about alcohol. It didn’t end well. Why are we doing this again with weed now?
You’re absolutely right that awareness and responsible use matter, in fact I think responsible use is highly important with any substance. However we can’t ignore the real harm caused by government fear-mongering and criminalization. Alcohol and cigarettes—both legal and socially accepted—kill hundreds of thousands of people every year through addiction, cancer, and overdose. Yet marijuana, which has never caused a fatal overdose and carries far lower risks, has been demonized to the point where people face lifetime prison sentences just for possession. That’s not just hypocrisy—it’s a systemic failure that ruins lives over a substance less dangerous than what’s sold at every liquor store.
Meanwhile, places like Amsterdam have shown us a better way. They’ve normalized marijuana and psilocybin mushrooms for decades, treating adults like adults. The result? No societal collapse, no crime waves, no public health disasters—just a culture of responsible use, education, and harm reduction. Their success proves that when we trust people to make informed choices, they do so safely and enjoyably.
The real danger isn’t marijuana—it’s a legal system that locks people up for it while turning a blind eye to alcohol’s devastation, and a culture of fear that prevents honest conversations about responsible use. Let’s follow Amsterdam’s lead: focus on education, not criminalization, and treat adults like adults.
I 100% agree with everything you said. I am very much pro legalisation of weed and decriminalization of all drugs. Unless you are cooking up tons and tons of fentanyl you shouldn’t be in jail.
To me, education and awareness includes not equating marijuana and oregano.
Not just Amsterdam. Have a look at the map here.