Maher Asks Dodd For "A Good Reason Why...Marijuana Should Be Illegal?"

In this video, Bill Maher asks Senator Chris Dodd for a "good reason" why marijuana should be illegal. Senator Dodd says he supports some legalization.

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Comments

[drblack]

02:47 PM on 09/13/2007

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.

[T.Roll]

02:38 PM on 09/13/2007

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

[ConnieInCleveland]

02:54 PM on 09/13/2007

You need to get out more, or get to know a few different people. I would guess you are a toll, posting long drolls.

[Ammobob]

02:35 PM on 09/13/2007

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

Explains most inconsistencies in life.

[Ammobob]

02:34 PM on 09/13/2007

Legalize Bush! Legalize Bush!

I mean 'weed'. Sorry.

[noamjunior]

02:22 PM on 09/13/2007

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

[ConnieInCleveland]

02:12 PM on 09/13/2007

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.

[ConnieInCleveland]

02:14 PM on 09/13/2007

My bad, that was two questions. I have more questions, but not enough time to ask them all. Maybe in another discussion.

[MichiganJFrog]

02:50 PM on 09/13/2007

"If hemp were used to make plastic bags now filling our landfills, would they biodegrade faster than the ones made from oil?"

Not really. Even easily degradable substances such as paper don't degrade in landfills due to the lack of air.

"Hemp is supposed to take many pollutants out of the air"

I've never heard any such think, and I believe that's basically impossible. If any plant "removed" pollutants from the air, it would clog the stomata and kill the plant.

Then again, I'm not a Botanist either.

[MichiganJFrog]

02:50 PM on 09/13/2007

think=thing Sorry.

[ConnieInCleveland]

03:15 PM on 09/13/2007

The question about the biodegradable qualities of hemp was a question. Plants removing pollutants from the air is fact. Spider plants are supposed reported to remove pollutants from the air in homes. It's their job. They filter the air. Natural filters. I'm not Botanist either, but I do have questions.

[rickrocket]

02:09 PM on 09/13/2007

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.

[azhiker]

02:22 PM on 09/13/2007

Right on Rick. John McCain's wife, Cindy, owns the Budwiser distributership for the state of Arizona. Now you know she really wants people to be able to grow their own at home!

She is a multi millionaire off the backs of people who get liver disease, swallowing disorders caused by alcohol, heart enlargement, alcohol dementia, and on and on and on, not to mention the violent component of alcohol.

This so called "War on Drugs" has been going on for 40 years with absolutely no effect other than employment for: DEA, police and their decoys, bail bondsmen, prison guards (guarding people for selling a plant one should be able to grow at home), drug testing companies, and anybody else that can come up with an idea to "win the war on drugs".

OMG, they never learn a thing from the prohibition of alcohol. So many lives ruined for no reason. Sending people to prison to learn from real criminals is really helping America.

[artsandminds]

01:59 PM on 09/13/2007

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.

[ConnieInCleveland]

02:34 PM on 09/13/2007

Colbert, Stewart, Olberman, Maher - I appreciate them all.

[kwright]

03:30 PM on 09/13/2007

just try posting a dissenting view at brian williams blog. i have never been able to. they were edited out also. and he sucks as a writer.

[incredulousnyc]

01:56 PM on 09/13/2007

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!

[ConnieInCleveland]

02:32 PM on 09/13/2007

Hemp works for me. Cannabis just doesn't come to mind. The government movie "Hemp For Victory", just sticks in my mind.

[Mr.Fitz]

01:39 PM on 09/13/2007

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

[coastalcarla]

01:32 PM on 09/13/2007

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?

[Kungfublood]

01:30 PM on 09/13/2007

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.

[Gordon]

01:25 PM on 09/13/2007

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

[ZanIts1984]

01:48 PM on 09/13/2007

Unfortunately, you can not let the states figure it out since it is Federal and International law that mandates that it is illegal. You can lessen the punishment but you can not make it legal.

Sucks.

[M1nkyb0y]

12:51 PM on 09/13/2007

Smoking anything is not good for your lungs.

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

[misterbone]

12:57 PM on 09/13/2007

Smoking is a very inefficient way of deriving it's effects as well. Pass the butter, please.

[Brettster]

12:44 PM on 09/13/2007

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.