Legalize Marijuana?

[TurkeyOnRye]

What do think of smoking it?

I try to do as little thinking as I can. Too much personal bias gets in the way.

As far as health concerns go, yes, indeed, there are hazards when smoking marijuana. Of course, there are hazards with smoking absolutely anything. If we turn the subject specifically over to cancer, arguable the most prominent health concern regarding marijuana, research has been consistently showing us for many years that there is little to no link between cancer and smoking marijuana. In fact, researchers have observed that the active compounds in marijuana (THC, CBD etc.) can reduce the growth rate of cancers and are now exploring treament options. Of course, there are contrary studies, but they are few and far between and none of them that I have seen have found any direct evidence, merely link studies...not very compelling. You can find more than plenty of related articles on all of this by simply typing "marijuana" and "cancer" into Google.

Leaving cancer aside for a moment though, heavy smokers can sometimes experience forms of bronchitis and a chronic cough that can last as long as they are smoking. There are many other substances in smoke after all, and the body needs to get rid of what remains in the lungs. But, some report little to no irritation at all. It really just depends on a person's sensitivity.

Having said that, if a person wants to completely eliminate their risk of cancer from smoking, they may choose to consume it by baking it into foods or using a vaporizer. A vaporizer, if you aren't familiar, is a device (they come in many forms) that vaporizes the active compounds in marijuana without letting them burn (creating smoke). Vaporizers are becoming increasingly popular for their obvious health benefits.

Whether or not using marijuana has any direct impact on health seems to be beside the point when discussing proposed decriminalization though. This is a personal choice.

*edited*

 

[emiliano]

I try to do as little thinking as I can. Too much personal bias gets in the way.

As far as health concerns go, yes, indeed, there are hazards when smoking marijuana. Of course, there are hazards with smoking absolutely anything. If we turn the subject specifically over to cancer, arguable the most prominent health concern regarding marijuana, research has been consistently showing us for many years that there is little to no link between cancer and smoking marijuana. In fact, researchers have observed that the active compounds in marijuana (THC, CBD etc.) can reduce the growth rate of cancers and are now exploring treament options. Of course, there are contrary studies, but they are few and far between and none of them that I have seen have found any direct evidence, merely link studies...not very compelling. You can find more than plenty of related articles on all of this by simply typing "marijuana" and "cancer" into Google.

Leaving cancer aside for a moment though, heavy smokers can sometimes experience forms of bronchitis and a chronic cough that can last as long as they are smoking. There are many other substances in smoke after all, and the body needs to get rid of what remains in the lungs. But, some report little to no irritation at all. It really just depends on a person's sensitivity.

Having said that, if a person wants to completely eliminate their risk of cancer from smoking, they may choose to consume it by baking it into foods or using a vaporizer. A vaporizer, if you aren't familiar, is a device (they come in many forms) that vaporizes the active compounds in marijuana without letting them burn (creating smoke). Vaporizers are becoming increasingly popular for their obvious health benefits.

Whether or not using marijuana has any direct impact on health seems to be beside the point when discussing proposed decriminalization though. This is a personal choice.
*edited*

Ok let say that we can educate our youth and that they will use it in a safer route of ingestion, do you know how people become dependent on substances that make them happy? So let look at the targeted organ, the brain:

Marijuana users often describe the experience of smoking marijuana as initially relaxing and mellow, creating a feeling of haziness and light-headedness. The user's eyes may dilate, causing colors to appear more intense, and other senses may be enhanced. Later, feelings of a paranoia and panic may be felt by the user. The interaction of the THC with the brain is what causes these feelings. To understand how marijuana affects the brain, you need to know about the parts of the brain that are affected by THC. Here are the basics:
Neurons are the cells that process information in the brain. Chemicals called neurotransmitters allow neurons to communicate with each other.
Neurotransmitters fill the gap, or synapse, between two neurons and bind to protein receptors, which enable various functions and allow the brain and body to be turned on and off.
Some neurons have thousands of receptors that are specific to particular neurotransmitters.
Foreign chemicals, like THC, can mimic or block actions of neurotransmitters and interfere with normal functions.
In your brain, there are groups of cannabinoid receptors concentrated in several different places. These cannabinoid receptors have an effect on several mental and physical activities, including:
Short-term memory
Coordination
Learning
Problem solving
HowStuffWorks "Marijuana and the Brain"

 

[England my lionheart]

Sorry I read it wrong:sorry1:, But you tell us that you smoke cannabis and you capacity for good judgement remains the same, what I say is that a persons that have such lack of judgement as to get drunk and injury himself, that person has not a good sense of judgement even before they are affected by a drug. What's with the famous people that had vices that they could not control, you say “I work a lot at heights and have never had any problems the next morning” I pray that this work on hight is not in a in hierarchical sense. Well any ways this convinces me that this crisis was caused either by drunks or stoned CEOs and government officials, They should be drug screened before allow them to do their jobs.

I sometimes work on high buildings but i neither drink or smoke while working as for the CEOs the cause is simply greed and incompetence and nothing to do with drink or drugs.

 

[Zephyr]

If we decriminalized it, it would free up tons of much needed prison space, as well spend money on better things like catching rapists and murderers.
Ah, but in the same line of thought, why not legalize rape and murder?

Rape and murder have victims. If a guy decides to smoke a joint after dinner, who is it harming? So what do you say we just make everything that effects the mind illegal. Yup, let's go ahead and ban alcohol, and caffeine, and prescription painkillers, and anti-depressants, and so on. After all, every single one of these has caused more physical harm, dependence, and deaths than cannabis.

As for the machine workers, if they're high on the job they should be fired no doubt. Operating machinery high is just a bad idea and could get somebody hurt. Just like if you were trying to do it drunk, though alcohol has a much greater effect. On the other hand, if they failed a drug test because of an after-dinner smoke, what good is firing them going to do? So long as they aren't baked at work it shouldn't affect productivity or safety or anything. Having THC in your system doesn't mean it's affecting your brain at all anymore. I have yet to find any way somebody could stay high for more than a day, so somebody doing something that hurts nobody in the privacy of their own home shouldn't be a problem.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not suggesting people should get high all the time. If people shouldn't wander the streets drunk, they probably shouldn't do it high. Same with driving, or operating heavy machinery. Hey, if somebody commits a crime high, go ahead and make it a stiffer penalty even.

You brought up how weed affects the brain. Let's look over some of those effects. First, it just messes around with receptors and chemistry and whatnot. Guess what, almost everything does. The quote also says it affects learning and problems solving, and sure, I'll agree. After all, Carl Sagan thought up tons of brilliant ideas stoned. Weed doesn't impair learning or problem solving, it just changes them. Ever wonder why so many artists and musicians get high? It's because it makes you think of your music in a different way, and find new ways to go about things.

Edit: remember, weed caused 9/11 and is the reason America is secular. Also, it forces people to get abortions and turns people into socialists. Also, if weed were legalized, people would turn gay and want to get married. I think I covered all my bases there. Maybe something about it raising taxes too?

 

[Inky]

I think a substance should be controlled if it's highly addictive, and if it leads to permanent mental or physical harm when a typical amount is used (whatever's typical for that particular drug). That is an example of the government protecting us from ourselves, but I don't mind that in a few cases like this. I don't think pot is addictive or harmful enough to be illegal, so I hope the ban on it gets lifted.

 

[DallasApple]

Look I smoked it..(a long time ago and more than once AND I inahled)..I have no interest in smoking it again but if I wanted to its as easy to get as driving to the store to buy a six pack.

Legalize it for Gods sake.

Love

Dallas

 

[DarkSun]

Rape and murder have victims. If a guy decides to smoke a joint after dinner, who is it harming?

My brother is still banned from this house for abusing marijuana and harming a seven year old during an anxiety attack. Marijuana is not victimless.

 

[BucephalusBB]

My brother is still banned from this house for abusing marijuana and harming a seven year old during an anxiety attack. Marijuana is not victimless.

He knew he could have his attacks when using marihuana. Marihuana isn't addictive enough to stop yourself when needed. His attack was his own fault.

 

[BucephalusBB]

LOL, I almost caught myself thinking that you could not speak for drugsusers as you don't have the experience and you're way off all the time.
Theists use that thought on me as atheist as well

 

[DarkSun]

Maybe the reason that the people you know did not react badly to marijuana was because they were not a part of the 19 percent of the US who will have a pre-existing mental illness this year (while 6/25 will have a mental illness some time later in their life), or maybe they weren't a part of the 5.2 million people whose conditions are considered serious.

Notice that people with mental ailments also react differently to alcohol and even nicotine and caffeine, too? Some people are also allergic to peanuts, so why not ban peanuts?

A quarter of US citizens will experience some form of mental illness during some point of their lives.

So that's 75,000,000 people who could potentially react badly if everyone smoked marijuana.

And 5.2 percent of US citizens have a mental illness that is considered serious.

That's 15,600,000 people who have a high potential to react badly to marijuana.

In comparison, about two percent of people are allergic to peanuts in the US (GM vaccine for peanut allergy shows promise - 10 July 2003 - New Scientist).

Now that's only 6,000,000 people who will have a bad reaction, given that everyone has peanuts.

And twenty percent of these people are going to grow out of their allergy as they get older (Twenty Percent Of Kids With Peanut Allergy May Grow Out Of It).

So really, that's only 1,200,000 people who will be allergic for life.

Now. When you compare the 75,000,000 people who might possibly react in an abnormal way to marijuana during their life-time, to the 1,200,000 people who could possibly react badly to peanuts in life.... you really start to see which is a bigger threat.

The person that is bi-polar, smoking calms her down, and helps her control it. Same for the guy I know who is a bi-polar, paranoid schizophrenic with ADHD. And this dude NEEDS to smoke when he's waiting for his medication refill, because his schizophrenia (which was induced from heavy meth and pill use), has put ideas into his head that has put him in jail and state hospitals many times. Marijuana silences the voices he hears, which only works to his advantage.

Well, according to a lot of studies, a significant number of other people with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, clinical depression, manic depression or any other mental illness may react badly to marijuana use.

This site made by Harvard clearly illustrates what I've been saying.

Health_Concerns: WHAT ARE THE MEDICAL DANGERS OF MARIJUANA USE?



I must preface these statements with the remark that there is still a great deal of research to be done concerning the effects of marijuana on the health of humans due to the fact that widespread marijuana use has only become prevalent in this country within the last three decades, so the effects of long-term use are just beginning to become apparent. I should also add that in making these observations, I have concentrated on the risks of smoking natural marijuana, since it is the most effective method of ingesting its active cannabinoids.



Marijuana has often been touted as one of the safest recreational substances available. This is perhaps true; many reputable scientific studies support the conclusion that cocaine, heroine, alcohol, and even cigarettes are more dangerous to the user’s health than marijuana. In addition, the celebrated pharmacological properties of cannabis have led thirty-six states to permit its use as a therapeutic drug for, among others, those suffering from AIDS; various painful, incurable and debilitating illnesses; the harmful side effects of cancer chemotherapy, and glaucoma. Additional research is being conducted concerning the use of marijuana on the treatment of anxiety and mental disorders.


Nonetheless, it would be fallacious to conclude that because the chemicals in marijuana have been found to present fewer dangers than some very harmful substances, the medical or recreational use of marijuana is perfectly safe. In a recreational context, marijuana has been shown to affect health, brain function, and memory. And in a medical context, marijuana is like any other powerful prescription drug: it has potentially dangerous side effects, and the decision to use it to treat patients must involve the same balancing test as the one required for chemotherapy or AZT: do the therapeutic effects of the drug outweigh its harmful effects? Though there are many more studies to be done on this issue, current data shows that the answer to this question may not always be "yes."

(source: THE MEDICAL DANGERS OF MARIJUANA USE )




And here's another quote I would like to show you from the same site, for those not inclined the read the entire thing.

The most potent argument against the use of marijuana to treat medical disorders is that marijuana may cause the acceleration or aggravation of the very disorders it is being used to treat.

If twenty-five percent of people in the US are going to have a mental illness at one point in their life; having this drug around may not be a good thing.


Admittedly, maybe some people are helped by the drug. But what about the countless others claiming that it does more harm than good?

 

[DarkSun]

He knew he could have his attacks when using marihuana. Marihuana isn't addictive enough to stop yourself when needed. His attack was his own fault.

Whatever his reasons were for smoking it, he still chose to smoke it. So you're right, he did choose it and it was his fault.

But the thing is, it wasn't every night that he would have these problems, so he felt that the risk of continued use was justified.

 

[BucephalusBB]

Whatever his reasons were for smoking it, he still chose to smoke it. So you're right, he did choose it and it was his fault.

But the thing is, it wasn't every night that he would have these problems, so he felt that the risk of continued use was justified.

Is it legal there? I mean, did the law stop him? As that is the maintopic

 

[BucephalusBB]

LOL, you removed that other post, I was just about to quote it

 

[DarkSun]

LOL, I almost caught myself thinking that you could not speak for drugsusers as you don't have the experience and you're way off all the time.
Theists use that thought on me as atheist as well

... Are you talking to me?

 

[DarkSun]

Is it legal there? I mean, did the law stop him? As that is the maintopic

No, it's illegal. No, the law didn't stop him.

But I hardly think that wouldn't be so if marijuana were legal and accepted.

LOL, you removed that other post, I was just about to quote it

Haha.

Sorry for deleting that post. I'm not really sure how to respond to it, actually. Because I have told you a few times that I have had experience with marijuana users, and none of it was as harmless as everyone is describing it to be. Maybe I'm unlucky.

 

[BucephalusBB]

... Are you talking to me?

Yeah, you quoted me on my "way off" comment
I was just about to say that I didn't mean you were way of all the time, but that there are some things you blame marihuana for wich you should blame the user for it.

 

[BucephalusBB]

No, it's illegal. No, the law didn't stop him.

But I hardly think that wouldn't be so if marijuana were legal and accepted.

No the matter would remain the same, legal or illegal.
The only difference would be that in a legal environment the drugs would be controlled and not stuffed with other substances to make it feel "better".
Totally not saying this was the case where you live ofcourse, but I had some german marihuana once.. I feel sorry for the germans

 

[DarkSun]

Yeah, you quoted me on my "way off" comment
I was just about to say that I didn't mean you were way of all the time, but that there are some things you blame marihuana for wich you should blame the user for it.

Probably.

Even still, it's not as if there are a shortage of people who might react to marijuana the same way.

No the matter would remain the same, legal or illegal.

Do you think that people might be encouraged to smoke marijuana if it were made legal, though? Some people would use the law as a form of justification for smoking it, and then whatever problems the drug currently have might escalate.

The only difference would be that in a legal environment the drugs would be controlled and not stuffed with other substances to make it feel "better". Totally not saying this was the case where you live ofcourse, but I had some german marihuana once.. I feel sorry for the germans

Hahahahaha.

I've heard stories about drug mixing here, too. I'm not entirely sure whether that happens a lot, though.

But yeah, if it happens in Germany frequently, then I'd feel sorry for the Germans as well.

 

[BucephalusBB]

Even still, it's not as if there are a shortage of people who might react to marijuana the same way.

Probably not, although I know of only one case, and that's the one you have been presenting here..

Do you think that people might be encouraged to smoke marijuana if it were made legal, though? Some people would use the law as a form of justification for smoking it, and then whatever problems the drug currently have might escalate.

You can get Marihuana in shops here. Doesn't mean that suddenly everybody thinks that marihuana is as safe as can be. Actually, it is even easier to get information about the stuff here.
I think that people who always wanted to use/try it will have a step less to take indeed. The rest will not start it, illigal or not.

 

[DarkSun]

Probably not, although I know of only one case, and that's the one you have been presenting here.

Marijuana Makes It Worse: Severe Mental Illnesses - Bipolar Disorder & Manic Depression Treatment Help, Symptoms & Signs of Depression

There is the statement made by a doctor working in a mental illness hospital. I posted this earlier, if you recall. From his first-hand experience, he has claimed that those who use marijuana to treat their illness are generally made worse because of it.

Below his statement are an entire group of people with psychiatric disorders who agree with him.

I see no reason why an entire group of people would want to make such consistent lies.

And if they're all right, and marijuana use does aggravate neurological disorders, what does that say about the twenty-five percent of Americans who will experience one at some point during their life?