Entirely within the example, not pertaining to rationality per se, and I’m not sure you even hold the position you were arguing about:
1) good use is not restricted to relaxing on a Friday. It also includes effective pain relief with minimal and sometimes helpful side-effects. Medical marijuana use may be used as a cover for recreational use but it is also very real in itself.
2) a young doctor dropping out of university is comparable and perhaps lesser disutility to getting sent to prison. You’d have to get a lot of doctors dropping out to make legalization worse than the way things stand now.
My actual position on the medical marijuana issue is best summarised as “I don’t know enough to have developed a firm opinion either way”. This also means that I don’t really know enough to properly debate on the issue, unfortunately.
Though, looking it up, I see there’s a bill currently going through parliament in my part of the world that—if it passes—would legalise it for medicinal use.
Entirely within the example, not pertaining to rationality per se, and I’m not sure you even hold the position you were arguing about:
1) good use is not restricted to relaxing on a Friday. It also includes effective pain relief with minimal and sometimes helpful side-effects. Medical marijuana use may be used as a cover for recreational use but it is also very real in itself.
2) a young doctor dropping out of university is comparable and perhaps lesser disutility to getting sent to prison. You’d have to get a lot of doctors dropping out to make legalization worse than the way things stand now.
My actual position on the medical marijuana issue is best summarised as “I don’t know enough to have developed a firm opinion either way”. This also means that I don’t really know enough to properly debate on the issue, unfortunately.
Though, looking it up, I see there’s a bill currently going through parliament in my part of the world that—if it passes—would legalise it for medicinal use.
Have you read “Marijuana: Much More Than You Wanted To Know” on Slate Star Codex?
No, I have not.