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Originally Posted by Janszoon
I disagree with this. If drugs were legalized you'd presumably have to be over 21 to buy them, just like alcohol. So obtaining them would still mean that teenagers would have to engage in illegal activity, just like they do right now. That doesn't really seem like much of a change to me.
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I will have to disagree. Weed is legal in Holland and the legal age to buy it is 16. So far there's not been too much of a problem with underage use from licenced premises, partially because there's a culture there of vendors actually bothering to check IDs and the kids themselves respect the age limits for the most part.
Also, don't know a huge amount about US law, but at the moment (in the UK anyway) it seems that getting arrested for posession of any drug, weed included, can really mess your chances up: some colleges/universities won't accept anyone with convictions (mine didn't) for drugs, you can't travel to some countries (Australia takes a pretty strict stance on this for starters) and the Army usually restricts entry for anyone charged with drugs offenses.
Should it be legalized, they really can't do much beyond what they do for underage drinking: confiscate any contraband goods and tell you to leave the place you're at.
Major difference between these two scenarios. One will ruin your life,the other will be a hassle but otherwise less serious.
It's like anything: responsible use. You have a culture where age limits on things are respected and there's no issue. Bit like Japan: it's common to go into a magazine store and see 'adult' material on the racks right next to kids and teenage stuff, but the kids don't seem to bother to even really regard it.
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