Discussions

Just to set the story straight, because you smoke pot does not make you a stoner. If you have a glass of wine with dinner does that make you an alcoholic? Iv smoked for 15 years, have an excellent job, have a wife and two children. I quit drinking quite a few years ago because it was addictive and altered the way I acted in a negative way. Pot on the other hand has only improved my mood and attitude. I don't smoke till I can't see and walk around like a zombie, but even if I did it would be better then getting belligerently drunk. Having a rough upbringing or having parents who are addicted to hard drugs makes you use hard drugs, not smoking pot. Any other pot smokers out there smoke a joint and think, hey, I could really go for some cocaine? NEVER. The media has made it seem like if you use pot you are a drug addict and that is by no means true. Alcohol ruins family's and lives, not pot. For all of you against pot I would suggest, if you have a really bad day and find it hard to snap out of your mood, Have 1 puff off a joint, not a whole joint not 5 puffs, just 1 and tell me how your mood changes and if you feel like a drug addict after... "hungry, happy, sleepy" those are your side effects.

As the Surgeon General of the United States once said, MJ is safer than aspirin.  
 
Reduced crime, increased tax revenue, decreased health care costs, decreased traffic fatalities. See the data from the states that have legalized it.  
 
I don't see a down side, most arguments against it are based on fear and the unknown. I don't smoke myself but I've known many people of all walks of life that are occasional users including doctors/lawyers/military officers and even police officers. It's much safer than alcohol.

So let me get this straight, from what many people have stated on this thread, that alcohol has destroyed more lives and is more addictive than pot, and also tobacco is more addictive and is more detrimental to a person's health than pot. Yet alcohol and tobacco are legal because society could not foretell how terrible they would be in the future. As someone has said already, it is much harder, if not impossible, to remove something once it has taken hold of a society. It took generations to see the folly of tobacco and alcohol acceptance, so why take a huge risk and allow marijuana to become common place in our society? My question is why do people insist on having mood altering substances anyway? I really don't understand why that would be desirable by anyone. If your life sucks that much then do something to change it for the better instead of masking your problems with substance abuse.

.....post people have indicated their belief that opposition is based on fear and the unknown. It seems to me that there is reason to fear. There are health costs associated with regular MJ use as well as the incidental costs ( accidents while under the influence etc) but those are costs we are assuming now with no restitution coming from tax collection to offset these costs. One can assume that legalization will certainly not reduce the level of MJ use and, in all likelihood, will probably increase it if only for a short time.as for the unknown, there is cause for concern there as well. Legalization will certainly take revenue from the current underground source but will they look to replace that revenue? If so, and it's certainly reasonable to think they would seek to, how will they do so? I for one don't know if or how they will but it certainly cause for concern. This issue is complex and a considered opinion should include these and other points surrounding the issue.

I love how people justify it by saying "doctors and lawyers do it too". Those people are the exception to the rule. Just go down to the MLC and you will see what I'm getting at. Sure there are lots of doctors and lawyers to drink but the reality of it is that a lot of people coming and going from that place aren't doctors and lawyers.  
 
I'm sure a lot of abusers sit in their parent's basements smoking up thinking "man, I could be a doctor... if I wanted to". Perhaps we should make a 4 year or more university degree a requirement to purchase pot.

CRP said "I love how people justify it by saying "doctors and lawyers do it too". Those people are the exception to the rule. Just go down to the MLC and you will see what I'm getting at. Sure there are lots of doctors and lawyers to drink but the reality of it is that a lot of people coming and going from that place aren't doctors and lawyers.     I'm sure a lot of abusers sit in their parent's basements smoking up thinking "man, I could be a doctor... if I wanted to". Perhaps we should make a 4 year or more university degree a requirement to purchase pot. "

Are you stating that all marijuana users are abusers?

CommonTater said "    CRP said "I love how people justify it by saying "doctors and lawyers do it too". Those people are the exception to the rule. Just go down to the MLC and you will see what I'm getting at. Sure there are lots of doctors and lawyers to drink but the reality of it is that a lot of people coming and going from that place aren't doctors and lawyers.     I'm sure a lot of abusers sit in their parent's basements smoking up thinking "man, I could be a doctor... if I wanted to". Perhaps we should make a 4 year or more university degree a requirement to purchase pot. " Are you stating that all marijuana users are abusers? "

Hit a little close to home with you?  
 
Also, Yes. Anyone that requires a mind altering substance to get through life, be it smokes, alcohol, pot or other, is an abuser. Respect yourself, then you can seek the respect of others.  
 
 
 
Edited by CRP, 2015-08-21 16:36:29

Does that mean that everyone taking communion is an abuser too. Or is there an acceptable amount of any of the substances that are ok. I know my family would be upset if you were calling them abusers.

So people who take pain medications, sleep medications, and prescribed mental health meds are abusers?

Opinionated said "So people who take pain medications, sleep medications, and prescribed mental health meds are abusers? "

Don't feed the trolls

BrandonBoy8880 said "    Enfyre said "There is already medical marijuana available to patients, so that's not really an issue.     Personally, why not just legalize it for out of public use, so people who want to waste away their lives stoned on some dumb plant can do that, and stay out of normal peoples way. " Why would you consider non-users to be "normal people"? To me it sounds like you think that marijuana users are abnormal, dumb, and can't function in our society: personally it sounds like an uneducated comment. Many professionals use marijuana and easily function in the day to day. Realistically the amount of marijuana users has increased steadily in Canada over the past few years. Who knows, one day in the near future all of us "stoners" might be considered the norm and we will be wanting the non-users, like Enfyre, to stay out of our way! Great topic for discussion, don't let the so called "normal people" influence your decision! "

Should have clarified. When I say normal I mean sober, not under the influence, etc.  
 
Stoned people aren't normal, and if you are still normal when smoking weed, then your probably smoking some ditchweed schwag.  
 
Plus, I wasn't referring to medical users or occasional recreational users, I'm particularly referring to the chronic users who smoke all day because they don't have the capacity to deal with reality.  
 
 
 

CRP said "    CommonTater said "    CRP said "I love how people justify it by saying "doctors and lawyers do it too". Those people are the exception to the rule. Just go down to the MLC and you will see what I'm getting at. Sure there are lots of doctors and lawyers to drink but the reality of it is that a lot of people coming and going from that place aren't doctors and lawyers.     I'm sure a lot of abusers sit in their parent's basements smoking up thinking "man, I could be a doctor... if I wanted to". Perhaps we should make a 4 year or more university degree a requirement to purchase pot. " Are you stating that all marijuana users are abusers? " Hit a little close to home with you?     Also, Yes. Anyone that requires a mind altering substance to get through life, be it smokes, alcohol, pot or other, is an abuser. Respect yourself, then you can seek the respect of others.         Edited by CRP, 2015-08-21 16:36:29"

Today I learned I abuse marijuana because I like to vape on my time off when I'm relaxing a few hours out of the week.  
 
Amazing logic. It's no wonder young people can't take the crap you throw at them seriously.  
 
/s  
 
Edited by Opportunities Abound, 2015-08-21 19:43:47

CRP said "Everyone has their own addictions but I've never seen people get more butt-hurt over it than stoners. If pot is what is driving your election decisions, you aren't old enough to be voting, regardless of what your drivers license says.     We don't need legalization, we need decriminalization. "

Hahaha i like this post. I dont think anyone said im only voting for the Liberals because they are trying to legalize marijuna. I know i sure didnt. It was a post to start a debate on the good at the bad on it. Its the old school generation that think its taboo or the Gateway drug. When its not even close to a gateway drug. An advil which im sure you take is a drug. Are you against them? Take enough of them and that will do some damage to you get and you high. Know your facts before you speak. Oh and trust me kids now a days are smarter then you think.  
 
Edited by chewk, 2015-08-21 22:59:36

Reefer Madness 1938 this will explain everything!LOL.  

THC (the ingredient in Marijuana that gets you high) has never been linked to a single cause of death.  
 
Look it up. You can't overdose on it, it's not linked to cancer, it's not physically addictive, it doesn't lower IQ.  
 

Does THC cause any physical or mental impairment at all, from what I have seen from people who become stoned it does, mental or physical imparent causes accidents and accidents can lead to death. Still believe THC doesn't cause deaths, for some reason I disagree.

That line of thinking could be applied to almost anything. Caffeine, sugar, alcohol, prescription drugs, over the counter drugs...but if I have a couple grams of pot in my pocket, I'm a criminal.  
 
The statistics just don't add up. If pot is so bad and dangerous, then why do we continue to allow other drugs, that are proven to be far worse and have a much higher impact on society, to remain legal?  
 
Sure, pot isnt "good" for you but in this country, an 8 year old can go to 7-11 and buy a Redbull. If he drinks enough of them, it can kill him. This we don't care about?  
 
Marijuana is an issue this election but jeez, people, it's the smallest issue on the table and we're being distracted by it.  
 
Read, decide, VOTE!  
 
Marpet

I guess I'm on the camp that say legalize it, and I know that there are a lot of other chemicals out the there that are dangerous to ones health, as well as our children but when people say read and become informed that has to go for both sides. The effects of THC on developing minds,as well as fetuses, is just starting to be understood, and people will have to understand that maybe not use of it,but abuse of it could have consequences. Do we really need another group of children who may be mentaly affected similar to children with FAS. I'm not against people using pot and don't believe it should be a criminal offense but the will be a cost to society.  
 
Sort of a strange society we live in, we all want the right to do what we with our bodies and yet I have to put on a seatbelt when I get into a car, guess I must think differently cause it just doesn't make sense to me.

marijuana is SAFER THEN ALCOHOL!!!! There is no tar in your system or anything. ive been smoking it vaping it eating it. and guess what im still here. DO YOUR DAM RESEARCH!!! No one has died from it..and people die from alcohol and smokes!  
 
If it does become legal...he will most likely follow somewhat of what the states have done.  
 
Also....kids get their hands on booz and smokes...they will find a way. deal with it. teach them. and DONT LIE TO THEM about a harmless plant!

yeah someone did die from it...and young adult. know why? they had an edible which you need to be careful with...especially if its your first time. and yeah they fell off a belcony and died. NATURAL SELECTION! CAUSE THEY WERE YOUNG AND STUPID! No different then alcohol.  
Legal or not. Ill smoke it till the day i die.  
 
You people who are against it...are going to HATE the future

don brown said "I guess I'm on the camp that say legalize it, and I know that there are a lot of other chemicals out the there that are dangerous to ones health, as well as our children but when people say read and become informed that has to go for both sides. The effects of THC on developing minds,as well as fetuses, is just starting to be understood, and people will have to understand that maybe not use of it,but abuse of it could have consequences. Do we really need another group of children who may be mentaly affected similar to children with FAS. I'm not against people using pot and don't believe it should be a criminal offense but the will be a cost to society.     Sort of a strange society we live in, we all want the right to do what we with our bodies and yet I have to put on a seatbelt when I get into a car, guess I must think differently cause it just doesn't make sense to me. "

I agree that it should be decriminalized at the very least and what the laws would look like in legalizing it would still need to be worked out. I'm sure that underage drinking and smoking are problems but what would our kids have their hands on if these things were prohibited? At the very least there is government control on the potency of alcohol and the availability of tobacco to minors. I would support an age limit of 21 as there is strong evidence to the long term effects of MJ on developing minds but I would support that for alcohol as well. I don't think anyone disagrees with you on the effects of abuse but that's not the debate. There will always be those who abuse whatever substance is in front of them (caffeine, nicotine, sugar, alcohol, food, sex, tv, internet...) but the war on MJ is costly, impotent, and makes criminals out of otherwise law abiding citizens.  
 
And far to often, the people screamimg about turning our kids into zombies have a Zanax in one hand and a bottle of vodka in the other, while driving back to work from a 3 martini lunch after gorging on enough high fat food to feed a family of 3. A couple hours in front of the tv watching DWTS should make them feel better.  
 
I disagree with your analogy with seatbelts. Seatbelts are proven to save lives.  
 
Undoubltedly, there will be a cost to society but at least it can be a measured cost and one that can have funds from the sale of MJ put towards education and rehabilitation for those who need it. How much money from the sale of alcohol and tobacco is put into education and medical help for those who abuse it?  
 
Prohibition means zero control over the production, distribution and sale of the product and trying to control it has been a thorn in the governments side since this war started. Prohibition doesn't work, just like it didn't for alcohol.  
 
Its time we started acting like adults, stopped telling people how to live their lives and offer them a safe, controlled product that can be taxed so that criminal organizations aren't the only ones getting rich.  
 
Marpet

Cat lady, sorry to say it but your posts contradict one another, don't lie to your kids it's a harmless plant, then you say your have to be careful when you eat it, why would you have to be careful if it's a harmless plant.  
 
Sorry for stirring the pot, but how does one do research when you just gave us two different statements on the safety of pot. What do you have to say about the research done on neurological development of not fully developed minds or fetuses. Yes I agree, one should do the research.

Marijuana might not harm cause immediate fatal harm to a person, but not all harm is immediate.  
 
Behind every stereotype is a grain of truth, stereotypes of marijuana users being less motivated than their non-user counterparts does have some truth behind it, there are scholarly articles about how marijuana can permanently damage the part of the brain attributed to ambition.  
 
There's also plenty of articles on links to psychosis. Makes sense, keep abusing the part of the brain that processes reality, and it might eventually wear out to some degree or another. Same concept as sugar, keep abusing your pancreas by eating large amounts of processed sugars, don't be surprised when it eventually wears out and you get diabetes.  
 
Call marijuana non-fatal, sure.  
 
Call it an alternative treatment to some diseases, sure.  
 
Call it a better use of the countries financial resources to just decriminalize or legalize, sure.  
 
Call it as whatever reason you feel its necessary to smoke or consume this non-essential plant, whether it be for a cheap thrill or as a crutch to deal with the stresses of life in a prosperous, democratic, free country with social safety nets, and opportunies galore.  
 
Call it whatever you want.  
 
But don't call it completely harmless.  

...do you really think that those who advocate legalization are doing it so that we can make it available to kids and pregnant women? Do you think it isn't available to them now?  
 
As far as the death from edible MJ, your trying to muddy the water.  
 
If i go out a drink 3 beers and then drive, get into an accident and die, the cause of death wont be alcohol poisoning but severe trauma brought on by drunk driving. The death wasn't caused by ingestion of MJ but the decisions made while on it. That's 2 very different things. I have yet to see one example were a person has smoked themselves to death on MJ or overdosed by eating clean plant. That can't be said about alcohol, sugar, nicotine, even water. Christ, too much exercise could kill you.  
 
There are going to be negatives but they already exist. Were just punishing those who choose to partake and hand hand all the money to criminal organizations.  
 
Marpet

Most pot sold on the streets don't come from "Criminal Organizations".  
 
It's small time growers, people with their basements and spare rooms lit up, or tending a few plants in the bush, just for extra cash on the side.  
"Mom and Pop" Growers is the term commonly used.  
 
Anybody can order seeds online and plant them in the bush, if they were inclined to do so.  
It's a heavily saturated market with very little profit margins.  
 
Criminal organizations are more involved with Cocaine, with their cross border supply networks, where a $500 pound from south america can be diluted into 5 pounds and sold to street dealers at $1500/ounce, making $120,000 profit.  
 
Whereas a wholesale lb of pot is $1600, partitioned and sold to street dealers makes a couple hundred bucks.  
 
Next time say "mom and pop growers" instead of "criminal organizations"  
 
(I found the numbers on google)  

Enfyre said "Most pot sold on the streets don't come from "Criminal Organizations".     It's small time growers, people with their basements and spare rooms lit up, or tending a few plants in the bush, just for extra cash on the side.   "Mom and Pop" Growers is the term commonly used.     Anybody can order seeds online and plant them in the bush, if they were inclined to do so.   It's a heavily saturated market with very little profit margins.     Criminal organizations are more involved with Cocaine, with their cross border supply networks, where a $500 pound from south america can be diluted into 5 pounds and sold to street dealers at $1500/ounce, making $120,000 profit.     Whereas a wholesale lb of pot is $1600, partitioned and sold to street dealers makes a couple hundred bucks.     Next time say "mom and pop growers" instead of "criminal organizations"     (I found the numbers on google)   "

I stand corrected.  
 
Marpet

Annetta said "In Colorado there have been some cases where individuals overdosed on MJ candy...and either turned violent or died as a result. I do not have the news links handy--I read these things, Snort "idiots" and do not bookmark it. There have been cases where you g children have eaten adult "candy" and had serious health effects from it. I so not call it entirely safe. "

I follow what's happening in Colorado fairly closely. I never heard or read of any one eating candy and becoming violent or overdosing. Using overdosing is not the right word but you can ingest too much THC and you won't feel very good and the trip won't be much fun for a few hours but that's about all. So without links I call BS, sorry.  
 
As for kids eating "adult" candy the same could be said for kids getting a hold of Mom and Dad's alcohol, prescription drugs or even ingesting chemicals such as a drano, all of which are legal and in almost every house.  
 
In fact it has been shown that certain doses can treat kids with diseases or seizures who react negatively to pharmaceuticals. An a really good example of that is Charlotte Figi an 8 year old girl who suffers from seizures. Here is a link to her story:  
 
http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/07/health/charlotte-child-medical-marijuana/  
 
I also suggest watching Dr. Sanjay Gupta's special called WEED (there are 3 parts) you might think differently about this "dangerous drug".  
 
Part 1:  
 
Part 2:  
 
Part 3:  
 
 
Edited by GuyR, 2015-08-22 19:02:40

He's just not ready.