Is marijuana really that bad?

Quote:

---

Originally posted by Dalaena
Smoking pot does kill brain cells at an alarmingly high rate. Alcohol does the same thing.

---

THE BUFFALO THEORY!

On one episode of Cheers', Cliff is seated at the bar describing the Buffalo theory to his buddy, Norm.

"Well you see Norm, it's like this...A herd of buffalo can only move as fast as the slowest buffalo. And when the herd is hunted it is the slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first. This natural selection is good for the herd as a whole, because the general speed and health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular killing of the weakest members.
In much the same way, the human brain can only operate as fast as the slowest brain cells. Now, as we know, excessive intake of alcohol kills brain cell. But naturally, it attacks the slowest and weakest brain cells first. in this way, regular consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient machine.
And that, Norm, is why you always feel smarter after a few beers."

Gilgamar,

If I wasn't married I would propose to you. :biglove

That was my favorite argument yet.

Quote:

---

Originally posted by Pyrosama
Public health care should be provided to all people. The problem I have is that people knowingly consume products that are known to cause health problems and are not required to pay higher premiums for health insurance. They pay more for life insurance, so why not health insurance as well? I damn sure would like to benefit some with lower costs as I'm not prone to becoming ill, but I end up having to pay the same as someone else who smokes, does drugs and/or consumes other hazardous products.

---

Once again, all things in moderation. If you don't overdo it, you're not going to put your health at risk. Same with cigarettes and alcohol...only they are highly addictive so likely if you do consume them too much/often on a regular basis eventually you will either have to quit, always crave more and up your consumption, or give in and be unable to consume them in moderation. Should people who eat a big fat steak every night have to pay more insurance? Should people who spray their lawn with chemicals or drive an auto have to pay more insurance due to the increase in toxic chemicals in their lives due to having/using these things? Should people who eat food with certain preservatives/carcinogens/other unhealthy additives have to pay more? It's a slippery slope.

Food is required. Inhaling toxins isn't. Theres a big big difference. One's logical and one isn't *shrug*

The question of "Is marijuana really that bad?" is easy to answer. No, it is no worse than cigarettes. The amount of cancer causing agents in it from what I have heard seems to be no greater, thus, it is no greater a health problem than cigarettes. It is not physically addictive either. You do not suffer the withdrawals that you do with cigarettes, alcohol or your heavier drugs. People who are said to crave it don't actually crave it. It's all mental. It's the same craving peopel who are used to eating lots of foods, having lots of sex, playing a lot of sports, whatever. It is something that people enjoy doing. When they can't do it, it bums them out. Imagine if you couldn't log into Thresh for a week because your Internet dealer was "dry". Same thing.

Now, that is if the drug was singled out and examined only by it's effects on the human body and whatnot.

There are social repercussions from smoking pot. First, while you are high you are NOT smarter. No, your mind is NOT expanded. Usually, you are annoyingly sluggish and unproductive to those who are not high. Second, it does destroy your short term memory. Your brain is the only part of your body that is unable to regrow damaged parts of itself. As such, anything you do to damage it is for the most part permanent. (Or so I have been told by doctors, nurses, others in the medical fields) Thus, while you may readjust yourself in time to incorporate your altered abilities you will not have the same short term memory as you did before you started smoking pot. (Please note that I do not say it makes you completely unable to remember anything. It is nothing anywhere as dramatic as that.)

So, it has no really bad side effects and makes you only mildly forgetful. Why's it illigal?

Money.

The same answer you will get about most things. Think about it like this. You can at any time of the day or night, regardless of what city you live in go out and buy a dime bag. Anybody could. It's not hard.

Why? Because it is so easy to grow. So easy to market and so easy to distribute. Suppose the government were to begin taxing it and allowing distribution of it through companies the way cigarettes are curretly. What happens then? People would still grow cheaper, more potent pot. Taxing it would serve absolutely no purpose.

Is pot bad? No.
Will pot ever be legal? Doubtful.

Because if anything is legal, congress is gonna want it's cut.

About it being legal.

Berkely has already legalized marijuana. Then the federal government stepped in and said they couldn't do that. Like the gay marriage laws.

Oakland currently needs 25,000 signatures to make it legal.

Portland needs 25,000 signatures to make it legal.

We are growing closer and closer to legalizing it.

I'd say within the next 10 years marijuana will be legal in the states.

Quote:

---

Originally posted by Sier
Food is required. Inhaling toxins isn't. Theres a big big difference. One's logical and one isn't *shrug*

---

You need to read Enosekel's post carefully.

Enosekel said, "Should people who eat food with certain preservatives/carcinogens/other unhealthy additives have to pay more? It's a slippery slope."

There are ton's of healthy food out there that don't contain preservatives/carcinogens/other unhealthy additives. Enosekel is not referring to food in general, but to the junk/unhealthy food.

And yes, while food is required, eating patato chips and french dip is not and is also bad for your health. I believe that is the point Enosekel was trying to make.

Quote:

---

Originally posted by KianierI'd say within the next 10 years marijuana will be legal in the states.

---

While I beleive marijuana will be legalized sooner or later, I think 10 years is getting a bit too hopeful. =)

It's also legal in the city of Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Having been raised by hippy/musician parents, whose friends included bikers, hippies, and other musicians, I have been around a lot of pot smokers in my life. Most of them were really cool, mellow, laid back, open minded, and intelligent people. Most of them had their shit together. Good jobs, nice homes, reasonably happy families (nobody's perfect :) Note: When I say nice homes and good jobs I am saying they were content in their situation, not necessarily living in a mansion with a 6 figure salary.

The few that were whack jobs, well, they'da been whack jobs with or without the pot. They had addictive personalities. And what I mean by that is they were addicted to everything they got their hands on. Drugs, crime, booze, caffeine, tobacco, and anything else you can be conceivably addicted to.

So my personal experience is that the use of pot doesn't increase your chances of a screwy life. YOU do.

Growing up with parents who occasionaly smoked wasn't a big deal. I knew they smoked when I was fairly young. They were always honest with us. We heard about their crazy days when they did hard drugs. We heard the funny stories and the scary stories. Because of that I never got into drugs and alchohol when all my friends were. Just didn't seem like a happy thing to me. Pot never was included in my reckoning of hard drugs, mainly because my parents NEVER had any scary stories for it.

I didn't really start smoking it until about three years ago. I was going through a very stressful situation and without that, I probably would have KILLED my ex. Every day was like.....torture...for me. And I really had no easy way to deal with and NO support system in my area (as far as family and very close friends). Now, I don't smoke pot very often at all. Maybe once in every six months or so. It relaxes me, I enjoy being able to let go and truly enjoy my environment. Slow down a bit I guess.

So I suppose in my personal experience, pot isn't a big deal. It doesn't bother me if responsible people use it responsibly. I can see many benefits for it. I have met a few older folks who use it for medical reasons and it helps them immensly w/o the nasty side affects similiar pharmaceutical drugs might have (sp?). But idiots are idiots, and people will pick out those idiots and use them as their example of how pot affects people. *shrugs*

Right now, the ONLY bad thing I can see about pot is that it is illegal. You CAN get in real trouble for smoking it. If it were to become illegal, people who really shouldn't be in the court system wouldn't be. It would eliminate a lot of nonsense that is happening in US courtrooms. People who could benefit from it's medicial properties would FINALLY have access to it w/o worring about jail time.

So that's my two cents. People here are already imbedded in the fact vs. fact war. I just figured I'd toss in my personal experiences, for what they are worth :)

Blessings,
Krysaliss

I dont think I can make any points that have not already been made. I wish the governement would step in and tell me what I can and cant do. (Oh, it already does)

It'd be interesting for a government to merely control what is bad for society, rather than just the individual. In the more left wing countries/states/provinces/areas you find that you tend to have more and more choice to decide what is good or bad FOR YOU. I say its interesting because to be honest I would lean towards a libertarian point of view. Which to some extent can be extremely RIGHT wing.

I'm more in favour of punishing people who do bad things, than people who do things which harm no one but which society deems as bad. ie if someone wants to smoke pot all day every day I have no problem with them (unless its my taxes paying for it ), however someone who beats up a pensioner should be punished. anyone taking drugs who don't go on to harm anyone should not be bothered in the slightesyt. If its crack, Heavy, weed, coke, K or speed. If people do things to harm others in society, I support either punishment or rehabilitation. Ouside of that I'm basically a libertarian (Malacasta is gonna slap me =) ) .

-tharun

(as someone who has tried most drugs, not been addicted, dislikes the fact that they're illegal, and doesn't plan to start mugging grandmothers for drugmoney any time soon)