Weed illegal yet alcohol/cigarettes not?

Why is it that in NZ at least, (other countries are similar) Weed is illegal whereas cigarrettes and alcohol is legal? It makes no sense. Cigarettes do more harm especially long term, alcohol damages brain cells and hangovers whereas with Weed if you...

smoke it regularly like one would with cigarettes you could get lung cancer but you get that with cigarettes too plus waaay more long term effects With weed you could vapourize it or have hash cakes so less health risks than smoking it. With alcohol you do things you wouldnt normally do, injure yourself easily, don't care what you do or what you damage or who you hurt etc whereas on weed you just dont care how much you giggle and eat (munchies). What is the harm in weed? Why is it illegal in most places whereas alcohol/cigarettes aren't?

Also, this is coming from a guy who loves his beer so I'm not against alcohol and cigarettes Im saying if they are legal then why isnt cannibus?

This is a political issue for the ages. Is it a drug? Is it just a drug because of the people that were using it? Does 'harm' constitute the need for classifying a drug's status? Everyone has there own opinion, and very few have the facts. So we can expect more of these discussions until something more sensible is done about the issue.

I have spent my entire life wondering the same thing. In the United States, marijuana became illegal because of the white supremacist hate of Mexicans. Cigarrettes, in the United States are legal and not affiliated with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) because of the great corporations that give money to other rich, white government Republicans.
What I think is so interesting is the total obsessional outrage people have about marijuana. In my state newspaper a few days ago there was an article about how a fire-fighter had a little bit of marijuana in his care. He was fired even though it was proven that he was not high during his job. If there were ten thousand packs of cigarrettes in his car nobody would care.
Peace

So is it because it is classed as a drug? Then why not alcohol/cigarettes banned?

And Shawnie9 its funny because its true. Sad in a way.

cannabis doesnt cause cancer just to let you know
it actually helps shrink cancer cells, the smoke itself is whats harmful
corporations and anti-establishments is what made it illegal in the first place since they cant patent something that grows naturally. people would be able to grow their own medicine. so corps started making up lies about it to prohibit it so they can make more money and eliminate weed from the competition.
alcohol used to be illegal too, but prohibition just doesnt work

lol dont listen to what people tell u, its all misleading information
you need to do your own research and see for urself

These are some of the comments I have copied from a forum

-pharmaceuticals are known to kill more people than illegal drugs

-marijuana is the number 1 cash crop in the world
it serves as a natural medicine and has many other uses
thats why they prohibited it so big companies can make more profit
thanks to bad journalism

-can also help aids patients, aids diminishes appetite
have them smoke a joint and they regain their appetite counteracting the illness

-no one can die from smoking cannabis and has been no known deaths compared to everything else including alcohol, tobacco, etc..

I myself have asthma and smoking opens up my airways making it easier to breathe with no side effects
when medically legalized in my state I look foward to becoming a patient for prescription marijuana. 12 states have already legalized it along with other countries in the world and more following
my job is to educate people that are not aware of the plants uses

re-legalize!

-I did most of my research through websites, books, magazines, and the news
norml.org
high times magazine
etc..

- theres more to it than just getting high
and I believe legalizing it would make this a better world to live in

-God bless the whole crop!

- and for people that dont smoke, you dont need to smoke it to support it

-all the better reason for the government to legalize..
couple reasons why it should be legalized:
-will be removed from black market and stop empowering gang members
-medical reasons
-would be sold like alcohol, remember alcohol was once prohibited too (in stores away from children, have to be 21+)
-would be a law that you cant drive while intoxicated on weed
-prison population would lower (prisons are overcrowding with nonviolent offenders)
-keep patients from being convicted
-would provide millions of jobs for people
-would make us an independent country (fuel, etc.., debt free america)

people with an addiction (including hard drugs) shouldnt be thrown in jail, they need help
theres more people in jail with mental illnesses than there are in mental institutions

the list goes on

- the War on Drugs is a failure, its a war on its own people. policies need to be changed
we pay billions in taxpayers money to keep the war going and neither side is winning
thats just a waste of our tax money
I wonder what they do with all that money..
those greedy bastards just sell drugs back onto the street, you can even check urself on that
there was a time when there was a cia operation transporting drugs overseas into america
the government also provided Rick Ross with plenty of heroin to go around, course making money from it

the truth must be exposed, theyre dirty work must stop!

-Of course we can do something about it, we all just need to unite
screw the federal government
remember slavery?
if no one stood up im pretty sure it would still be going on
people were tortured, beaten, killed and thrown in jail but that didnt stop them standing up for their rights
eventually slavery was abolished
same with alcohol prohibition
eventually became re-legalized

- its like theres some kind of conspiracy going on
I sense the government is up to no good and trying to control us.
credit cards, money, and now they have chips that can be implanted in skin for uselful reasons but if in the wrong hands well were pretty much fuct
they hiding the truth from us
its dangerous to be right when the government is wrong
they got theyre privacy but we dont. they want to know everything were doing on our leisure time

get up stand up!

- marijuanas not anti-establishment because its illegal, its illegal because its anti-establishment

all facts stated have been double-checked and confirmed
want to learn more?
norml.org
americandrugwar.org
hightimes.com
flexyourrights.org
lets all make this a better place to live in!

cigarettes and alcohol are more accepted in society because people started to use them before the dangers were uncovered. Plus the amount of people who do smoke wouldn't want it to be banned so the government can't - if they want votes.

The truth may be that the medicinal effects are very healing to the body. Not smoking it because smoke is toxic to the body but in tea form etc. The FDA knows that in order to make those profits on Meds for the Pharm... Companies they need to keep you dependant on their treatment. Its not because its unhealthy for you. If that was the case then like already said tobacco and alcohol is already established as harmful. Oh and you wont need them to produce it cause you can grow your own. If I was to sell lemonade on the side of the road with a sign that read Warning this product could be hazardous to your health I would be arrested for selling a harmful substance. Hey where can I get tobacco seeds I need to save money. Oops thats might be illegal too. Why can't I find them seeds. Fun mail me

If everyone would stop buying Alcohol and Cigs. Then they would make Weed legal!!! For profits

Why would you want to put something in your body to mess with your brain and your body? Do you not love yourself? When you where born, did your mother look at you and say cute baby? You are breaking someone who loves you heart. Weed, alcohol and cigarettes are bad for your health. Why let a plant control your mind? When you get older, It will take affect on your body. My daddy stopped to late. He is no-longer with us. If you have children, do you want them to do weed alcohol and/or cigarttes?