For those who think marijuana has ANY harmful effects..please read in their entirety the Vancouver University study that is still going on.
The studies that have shown negative effects have ALL been flawed. The "kills Brain cell" thing came from a researcher who hated marijuana and was going to prove that it is bad. He generated most of the so called negative effect studies in the late 70s and 80s.
For the brain cell thing he took some chimpanzees and put a gas mask on them that made the Chimps inhale a continuous stream of marijuana smoke for over two hours. He did not supply any oxygen to the Chimps so they had brain damage.
Most studies showing illegal drugs ill effects are flawed. No way were researchers going to sacrifice their government grants in order to tell the truth.
Marijuana has been shown in long term real life studies of actual people to be beneficial in moderate amounts and not harmful in heavy amounts.
That doesn't mean everyone should smoke like crazy. Some people shouldn't drink coffee , they get too hyper.

I was gonna clean my room until I got high
I gonna get up and find the broom but then I got high
my room is still messed up and I know why
- cause I got high [repeat 3X]

I was gonna go to class before I got high
I coulda cheated and I coulda passed but I got high
I am taking it next semester and I know why
- cause I got high [repeat 3X]

I was gonna go to work but then I got high
I just got a new promotion but I got high
now I'm selling dope and I know why
- cause I got high [repeat 3X]

I was gonna go to court before I got high
I was gonna pay my child support but then I got high
they took my whole paycheck and I know why
- cause I got high [repeat 3X]

I wasnt gonna run from the cops but I was high
I was gonna pull right over and stop but I was high
Now I am a paraplegic - because I got high [repeat 3X]

I was gonna pay my car note until I got high
I was gonna gamble on the boat but then I got high
now the tow truck is pulling away and I know why
- because I got high [repeat 3X]

I was gonna make love to you but then I got high
I was gonna eat yo pussy too but then I got high
now I'm jacking off and I know why
- cause I got high [repeat 3X]

I messed up my entire life because I got high
I lost my kids and wife because I got high
now I'm sleeping on the sidewalk and I know why
- cause I got high [repeat 3X]

I'm gonna stop singing this song because I'm high
I'm singing this whole thing wrong because I'm high
and if I dont sell one copy I know why
- cause I'm high [repeat 3X]

Afroman

There's NO REASON for it, it's just our POLICY!

Explains most inconsistencies in life.

Legalize Bush! Legalize Bush!

I mean 'weed'. Sorry.

the demagogery on pot and homosexuality are interestingly related. Just as many of the supporters of the GOP "anti- gay" agenda turned out to have perversion far beyond the norm- (gay sex in public, sex with minors, sex with prostitutes), many of the anti-pot crowd are themselves substance abusers and addicts- Rush, W, Cheney (anyone who drunkenly shoots someone has a substance abuse problem), Bill Bennet, etc

Since there are people here who care about hemp, I have a question. If hemp were used to make plastic bags now filling our landfills, would they biodegrade faster than the ones made from oil? Hemp is supposed to take many pollutants out of the air, and it can be used to make the same products as oil, would hemp crops instead of corn also help the environment? Kindof clear the air.

The only reason pot is illegal is because you can grow it at home, therefore it is untaxable. Also, there are huge lobbies in Washington paid by the alcohol industry and the pharmaceutical industry to make sure that pot doesn't bite into their profits. It is NEVER about public safety or well-being, it is always about money.

If it was about public safety, cigarettes would be illegal and it would be illegal for cars to be manufactured that can exceed the speed limit.

Why is Maher given this opportunity to question anyone? Every time he posts on Huffpost, all dissenting views are edited out. This guy is more part of the DLC side than the "progressive side". He was pro war un-till it became "in" to be against it.
On Larry King he said "this is my president, we need to support him, he also said the inquiry into Attorney General Gonzalez firing the 9 US Attorneys was much to do about nothing. There are many people who were much more out on the limb when so many wore silent, such as Stephen Colbert.

TO ALL WHO LIVE IN THE REAL WORLD WHO SUPPORT LEGALIZATION:

IF YOU WANT TO HELP THIS CAUSE, IT'S MASSIVELY IMPORTANT TO STOP CALLING THIS PLANT BY IT'S SLANG TERMS. WHEN YOU SAY MARIJUANA, THE RIGHT WING NUTJOBS BLOOD STARTS TO BOIL. SAME GOES FOR: POT, WEED, HERB, TREES, SMOKE, GANJA, WHATEVER. IT'S THE Cannabis sativa PLANT! IF WE BEGIN TO CALL IT CANNABIS, IT'S SEEMS LESS ILLICIT, MORE LIKE WHAT IT IS...A SPECIES OF PLANT! DON'T USE THE "EVIL DRUG" WORDS CREATED BY HEARST AND OTHERS!

If you are worried about other people smoking pot, do some research on what the negative effects might be from scientific sources.

You'd think our government would have learned some lessons from the failure that was prohibition in the 30's. Making it illegal and throwing people in jail and spending billions on "programs" does nothing but waste people's time and money (and ruin a lot of people's lives). Anyone on this thread that thinks that Bill's question was inane or silly needs to pull their head out. It's a very relevant question that brings up a very relevant issue. Just like all of the other ridiculous "Wars" that they keep waging on everything under the sun, this one is a total waste. After decades of throwing money at the war on drugs, more people are doing them than ever before. And since we did such a bang up job in Afghanistan with the Taliban, now we have a huge surge in teenage heroin use. Good job guys! That's MUCH better than weed, isn't it?

The TV tube causes communication between brain cells to slow down, leading to impaired cognitive function and a-motivational syndrome. TVs emit x and gamma rays which have been conclusively linked to cancer.

Let the states figure this one out. This shouldn't be a federal issue.

Smoking anything is not good for your lungs.

But, oh that green butter can make any day better.

Bill Maher is officially my favorite person in politics now. There's really no one like him. Thanks Bill for FINALLY asking these questions and cutting through the fog every friday.