Is marijuana really that bad?

[DiMono]

http://www.drugpolicy.org/marijuana/factsmyths/

This one has a lot of truths, and a LOT of falsified information. Anyone reading this should read it with a big pinch of salt.

Why don't you elaborate on which parts you believe are falsified, rather than just leaving us hanging like that?

 

[sgwee]

http://www.drugpolicy.org/marijuana/factsmyths/

This one has a lot of truths, and a LOT of falsified information. Anyone reading this should read it with a big pinch of salt.

thank you for clarifying, I am not for marijuana, I posted that too quickly. it was very pro marijuana, but maybe with multiple sources we can get closer to a more general consensus on this topic of debate

 

[TomLikesGuitar]

Are you addressing the question of whether or not pot should be legal or are you relating personal experiance for its own sake?

If the former, you don't achieve much. Legislating vices is out of fashion, and I'd say because it conflicts with ideals of freedom and doesn't work.

If the latter, what you say has its own value, but it should be mentioned you seemed to have been a heavy user (you smoked every day) and took other drugs (which you compared to weed), so I don't think your insight can be applied globally.

That's a legit question... I certainly think it should be legal. Not so much because of fashion, or freedom, but simply because, as you said, it doesn't work. It doesn't help at all.

I've been around for a while. And there was a long time where I said I'd never smoke. And there was a long time where I said I'd only smoke a little. And there was a long time where I said I'd never smoke before I had something important to do. And there was a long time where I said I'd only smoke once a day.

The fact of the matter is that weed DOES alter your mindset, and it does it for the worse. It takes a lot longer than other drugs to do so, and as such, you are less likely to notice, and more likely to just integrate the changes to yourself into your life.

If you want to honestly succeed in life, and be ultimately happy, don't do any drugs. I'm not saying these things are impossible to do with drugs, but they are way easier without.

 

[Phoenix09215]

Yeah its not that bad, theres a stigma about it though, just as there a stigma about smoking cigs and drinking. Lots of people who doesn't have one of three basic vices think their better. Not to mention you got those damn "stoners" giggling and arguing about and won't shut the fuck up about pot. Just like you have those bastard teens smoking cigs hanging outside of tocobell in the parking lot wearing hoodies and acting "cool".

I bet the reason alcohol was banned in the U.S during prohibition was because of those damn "flappers" and beatnecks. Image can go a long way.

I know this will sound redundant, but if it wasn't a big deal it wouldn't be a big deal. The stigma against smoking and drinking is because they are each proven to cause hundreds of thousands of deaths each year. And smoking is disgusting. The stigma against marijuana is because we're told so. No other reason, just the government saying "you shouldn't do that because it's bad." If there wasn't such a big deal made about it, there wouldn't be the mystical allure toward it, and it would be just another thing that some people do and some people don't do.

I'm sorry I didn't hear the rest of what you said over your subtly hatred.

Okay no that I got that out of my system. The stigma over smoking is because of those constant anti-smoking truth ads that have been bombarding our T.v airwaves for a good 10 years or so.

And yes I agree if everyone was just kind and courteous about everything we did there would be hell of a lot less problems in the world.

The problem is that although Marijuana isn't that bad, people with still take advantage if it were legalized... now I'm not sure how you might do that just yet but believe, some idiot will do something that will cross the line... always.

You cant base your entire argument for abusing something on "just go with me on this" the only reason it is banned and this is 100% fact, is because "it makes blacks think they are equal to whites. They will rape our white women, and they will make the devils music (Jazz)" http://www.drugwarrant.com/articles/why-is-marijuana-illegal/ And nowadays because of a lot of bullshit propoganda (They made monkeys OD on weed bacause they forced them to inhale nothing but PURE THC for 15 minutes straight with no oxygen then said well, obviously it's dangerous.) http://www.drugtext.org/sub/marmyt1.html here is a list of facts and here http://taimapedia.org/index.php?title=Marijuana_is_bad is a list of many a medical study showing beefits and possible side affects. It isnt a harmful drug, youu can abuse anything, food, drinks oxygen. Stop the stupid drug war that nixon started and stop the killing in mexico of drug cartels..

Well I actually said that from a neutral point of view but yeah, your right. I don't think it should be illegal. I've tried it and compared to when I tried alcohol for the first time, nothing happened that got me in to trouble... But my point is that when you give people nice things, idiots always find a way to ruin it. And, I can say with total confidence that if marijuana were legalized it wouldn't take long until there were totally reasonable arguements for making it illegal again...

So your whole argument is that we shouldn't make it legal because someone might abuse it? Should we ban everything else because some people abuse it? The rest of society shouldn't have to be punished because some hypothetical idiot might go to far.

Okay, if I'm being honest I really don't care whether they make it legal or not. All I'm trying to say is that if it did become legal then there will be the idiots who will somehow take advantage of this and it wouldn't be long before there were arguements to make it illegal again. Please can people stop trying to argue with me because I don't really have a strong opinion here... I just have a lot of friends in favour so I find all of the arguements for and against quite interesting. It means I can join in on their debates :3

 

[frans909]

Marijuana might not kill you, but it sure turn a person into an intolerable wanker.

Nonsense. It works different on everyone. Some people get energy from it, some lose energy from it. Some become hyper active, others become very apathic and mellow. But for anyone who's still in school, smoking pot is NOT a good idea.

 

[WilliamRLBaker]

No not really though for me it is since I'm allergic to THC.

 

[DuctTapeJedi]

Anti-marijuana laws have been clogging up the American legal and prison systems for years with non-violent, non-serious offenders. The amount of money saved in court and prison costs alone would justify legalization, let alone the possibility of a tax, could significantly improve America's current financial situation.

And as to why it's illegal in the first place, I have no idea. Alcohol and cigarettes kill tons of people, but the death rate for marijuana users is virtually zero.

 

[DiMono]

I used to have a friend (lost touch with him) who had just about the worst case of smoker's lung you could imagine, and had never smoked a cigarette. All he did was hang around with people who smoked, and the smoke from their cigarettes ruined his lungs. Now, obviously secondhand pot smoke will also affect those around you, and I don't mean to suggest that it won't; but secondhand pot smoke can't kill you. Secondhand cigarette smoke can. If cigarettes could be consumed in such a way that the only person affected was the smoker, I don't think I'd have a problem with it. But they stink and they harm people who want nothing to do with them purely by proximity, and that's no good.

Should we ban vehicles and industry then? The fumes from those are far more lethal than anything from a cigareete, and yet people drive around in their cars, dirtying the air for all and sundry.

I strongly support the move toward electric cars for specifically this reason. Global warming aside, as that's a topic for a different thread, car exhaust is awful, and I'd rather breathe clean air than dirty. Still, tremendous strides have been made to cutting down emissions from car engines, while no such efforts have been made on behalf of cigarettes. I'm not sure whether there's an argument in that sentence, but I think it's a relevant observation.

Also, the secondhand smoke scare doesn't really hold water for me, as half-decent ventilation pretty much reduces the risk to near zero, so unless you're in a submarine, you should be fine. Before the ban kicked in, I hung out in smokey places more often than not, and I was fine then, as I am now. Hell, I knew someone who was raised by smokers and she can still go out doing long distance running. Your friend must've been in some airtight rooms with smokers for long periods of time to rot his lungs that way... or he was having crafty fags and told no-one.

Your statement here only really makes sense if you're going to assume that I'm talking about people on opposite sides of a room. If you're standing next to someone who's smoking, then the quality of ventilation is irrelevant because their smoke reaches you long before the vents have a chance to affect it. As for your friend who was raised by smokers, the simple fact that the parents smoked isn't enough information to know whether it was an impact. If they only smoked out of doors and never in their car with her, then the impact of the cigarette smoke would have been minimized. Can you elaborate?

 

[RobCoxxy]

Marijuana might not kill you, but it sure turn a person into an intolerable wanker.

As does alcohol.

Your argument is invalid.

 

[Zenn3k]

I smoke pot on a semi-daily basis (not every day, but close).

Its relaxing, its my "beer after work"...except that I don't really care for alcohol very much.

I get stoned, I watch some TV, I eat, and when I'm coming down, I play video games.

I find the TV I watch is more enjoyable, the food I eat tastes better, and it improves my concentration when I'm "coming down" and makes me very good at whatever game I'm playing or doing.

For example, in Black Ops:
K/D while not stoned at all - about 1.10
K/D while high - about 0.75
K/D while stoned, but coming down off the high - 2.50 - 3.00

This is just a personal example, but at least 2 friends of mine have similar experiences.

I never experience moments where I feel out of control or crazy and in general it makes me a more talkative and friendly person (I tend to be quiet and moody in normal life).

I enjoy it immensely and would love for it to be legal so it would be easier to get.

 

[DiMono]

It's a shame we can't inject polls into posts, as I'd like to put one here: for those who currently don't use pot (of which I am one), if it were made legal would you start using it?

I wouldn't. I simply have no interest in trying it.

 

[Woodsey]

One anti-marijuana legislator stated it would be much easier for teenagers and kids to get marijuana like how they can get cigarettes and alcohol.

Dealers aren't fussy about age and ID, many shop keepers are - I don't see how it's easier really.

 

[minimacker]

Marijuana is the opposite to Caffeine.
It calms you instead of making you more energetic.

That's about it.


You can't overdose on it. It doesn't cause any damage. Makes you relaxed, not aggressive. Alcohol has a WAY higher kill ratio.

 

[Stephanos132]

I used to have a friend (lost touch with him) who had just about the worst case of smoker's lung you could imagine, and had never smoked a cigarette. All he did was hang around with people who smoked, and the smoke from their cigarettes ruined his lungs. Now, obviously secondhand pot smoke will also affect those around you, and I don't mean to suggest that it won't; but secondhand pot smoke can't kill you. Secondhand cigarette smoke can. If cigarettes could be consumed in such a way that the only person affected was the smoker, I don't think I'd have a problem with it. But they stink and they harm people who want nothing to do with them purely by proximity, and that's no good.

Should we ban vehicles and industry then? The fumes from those are far more lethal than anything from a cigareete, and yet people drive around in their cars, dirtying the air for all and sundry.

I strongly support the move toward electric cars for specifically this reason. Global warming aside, as that's a topic for a different thread, car exhaust is awful, and I'd rather breathe clean air than dirty. Still, tremendous strides have been made to cutting down emissions from car engines, while no such efforts have been made on behalf of cigarettes. I'm not sure whether there's an argument in that sentence, but I think it's a relevant observation.

I disagree on electric cars. Unless someone discovers some amazing, non-chemical battery, they're still an environmental hazard and far too unreliable to justify. Also, certainly these days, it's entirely likely they'll be recharged from a house powered by a fossil fuel burning power stations anyway. For all their faults, conventional fuel burners are the only viable choice really. Compared to massive cargo tankers, cars are pretty much a drop in the ocean anyway.

Also, the secondhand smoke scare doesn't really hold water for me, as half-decent ventilation pretty much reduces the risk to near zero, so unless you're in a submarine, you should be fine. Before the ban kicked in, I hung out in smokey places more often than not, and I was fine then, as I am now. Hell, I knew someone who was raised by smokers and she can still go out doing long distance running. Your friend must've been in some airtight rooms with smokers for long periods of time to rot his lungs that way... or he was having crafty fags and told no-one.

Your statement here only really makes sense if you're going to assume that I'm talking about people on opposite sides of a room. If you're standing next to someone who's smoking, then the quality of ventilation is irrelevant because their smoke reaches you long before the vents have a chance to affect it. As for your friend who was raised by smokers, the simple fact that the parents smoked isn't enough information to know whether it was an impact. If they only smoked out of doors and never in their car with her, then the impact of the cigarette smoke would have been minimized. Can you elaborate?

Only if said smoke was blown right at your face would I be inclined to agree there, and if someone did that to you, you're well within your rights to punch the fucker, if you ask me. If there is a prevailing air current heading away from your breathing space, you should be able get away without smokey lungs.

She's not my friend, and she was a bad example anyway, so disregard that one.

Regardless of all that, I see no non-politically motivated reason to not legalise marijuana. I would, however, also advocate that if it gets to the point where your working life and/or family are negatively affected that your employer and/or family members respectively can stage an intervention and force the issue of rehabilitation.

 

[blankedboy]

It used to be perfectly fine, and did next to no damage whatsoever. That was back in the 60s.
Now it just gets spiked with other drugs, and it'll do alot worse stuff to ya than if you were 50 years earlier...

 

[Woodsey]

One anti-marijuana legislator stated it would be much easier for teenagers and kids to get marijuana like how they can get cigarettes and alcohol.

Dealers aren't fussy about age and ID, many shop keepers are - I don't see how it's easier really.

Seriously if you are all ready breaking the law by selling it anyway why the hell should you care if you're selling it to a teen or an adult?

If you're trying to make a point against what I've said I think you've misunderstood me, or else I've now misunderstood you.