Is marijuana really that bad?

[ThreeWords]

People who smoke weed, myself included, simply like to. Use is not the problem, excessive use is. Excessive use of anything turns anyone into a pain in the arse, and I'm not just talking about drugs. Excessive use of religion turns people into self-righteous douches. Excessive use of weed turn people into lazy pricks. We're all addicts, just addicted to different things. I find that weed makes the boring less so, and I enjoy the social aspects of smoking with my buddies. As long as I don't hurt other people I don't see why it matters.

Wisdom, and from one of those who apparently should be incapable of reason. The considered and mature point of view displayed by this poster is possibly the best argument; it shows that people who smoke pot are still intelligent and worthy.

Furthermore, furiouspol's argument extends to alcohol, which is demonstrably bad for you. Saddly, the problem only gets worse if you make it illegal; from the example of Prohibition, we can see that things get safer and more trustworthy once legalised.

 

[fundayz]

I don't know who said that Marijuana is less harmful than cigarettes, but... false. It has less tar, but if you smoke it, it has all the same nasty side-effects are tobacco, simply because there is smoke inside your lungs. And that's along with the other side effects.

Right and wrong. Yes marijuana is bad for you, any smoke is bad for you. However, cigarettes have added chemicals that create even more carcinogens than those already found in tobacco; couple with this the high tar levels in tobacco and the fact that cigarette smokers take in multiple times more smoke a day and it is clear that habitual marijuana smoking is less bad than habitual cigarette smoking.

so can cute kittens and video games...doesn't mental instability kinda implies you are a walking time bomb if you don't stabilize

that's the point i was trying to make.

 

[Rigs83]

I swear to jah if this thread goes over ten pages I am never reading this forum again.

This argument has been DONE. A DOZEN TIMES. Go post in one of the other hundred 'is pot bad herpa derp' threads.

In other words...

 

[ThePeaceFrog]

Supposedly it can throw people already pre-disposed to mental instability over the edge.

Yes, but so can drinking, gambling, porn, prescription drugs, etc.

so can cute kittens and video games...doesn't mental instability kinda implies you are a walking time bomb if you don't stabilize

Certain people have a genetic make-up that is pre-disposed to paranoia, schizophrenia and other mental problems. The activation of these genes have been linked to prolonged use of skunk. Most scientists concede using the drug is fine for most people, but I would not want to run the risk of being one of the unlucky genetic carriers. Any drug messes with the natural chemical balance in your body, and so if its not for a real medical reason it just doesn't seem worth it.

 

[Daffy F]

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

True dat.
Personally I might be biased because everyone I know who smokes weed is also a wanker...

 

[Rigs83]

As far as I can tell from what people on here and the weed-smokers I know have to say, weed is smoked for relaxation, socialisation and recreation.

I do all of those things through gaming, [footnote]Here's where I'd say 'it's my drug' but that's a stupid and innaccurate comparison[/footnote] so I don't smoke (or drink anything stronger than Coke, as it happens). But frankly, if people who do smoke can be kind enough to keep their fumes out of my face, then live and let live. As long as it doesn't affect me, then go for it.

Yes, I think it should be legalised. No, I won't try it if it is.

Right, great. See all that up there? That little insight into my opinion?

That's my answer for the next fifteen times this fucking thread comes around too.

Me and grandpa prefer opium

 

[Syphous]

I smoke weed. But you won't see me wearing a cannabis leaf t-shirt. I don't talk about weed unless to say "Can I buy a quarter?". I don't have a nickname like "LOLmarijuana420". The people who do that shit are fucking annoying and not the people I hang out with. Believe it or not, most people I know who do smoke pot are regular everyday people with families, jobs, and a want to relax sometimes.

Smoking weed doesn't make you a douche, being a douche makes you a douche.

 

[omega 616]

snip

For one very simple reason, it costs next to nothing to grow and it can't be taxed.

The government want every last penny you own and 'cos weed is so easy to grow the only way to get money off it is to make it against the law.

They don't care about your health otherwise booze and fags would be punishable.

 

[zehydra]

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.

agreed, (people cross the line with alcohol ALL THE TIME)

 

[FolkLikePanda]

Well, I haven't met anyone whos a dick when they smoke pot but I have when they're drunk, maybe because pot is in less abundance than alcohol. Anyway apparently weed is less addictive and less physically harmful than alcohol or tobacco, but I guess it may have more of psychological harm on you, but thats the same with anything thats bad (except for hard drugs) for as long as you don't do it excessively and take it casually. Personally myself I have never tried weed, I have been drunk before and it depends what mood I'm in before I get drunk, usually its happy. I'm guessing getting high on weed has the same effect but exaggerated like say as in if you're happy then you'll probably be chilled whereas if you're in a bad mood then you'll probably be paranoid or soemthing. Like I say I have never tried pot. All in all I have nothing against people smoking pot, if people are worried that people will become harmful from a few drags of it then ban excessive drinking.

 

[Sovereignty]

You know what I dislike? The, "Well it's only as bad as alcohol or cigarettes" argument.

I mean seriously. There are problems with it. It causes HEALTH issues, and impairs your thinking, but wait... Because Alcohol is legal and does similar things that alone is reason for us to legalize it? Are you kidding me? Seriously?

People need to get their shit in line and realize the truth, just because someone else does something BAD doesn't mean you should, doesn't mean you have the right too, and for CHRISTS sake doesn't make it RIGHT.

I mean come on, do we legalize cocaine because cigarettes are addictive like it? What about meth?

People who argue, "Well cigarettes and booze are legal" are effectively saying, "Either outlaw everything bad for us, or legalize it all." So just stfu.

Point out your facts, argue that it's got medicinal properties... But don't claim it should be legal because alcohol or cigarettes are. That destroys your own argument. We're a society run by adults (Even if they don't all seem to be adults), we're not a kindergarten classroom.

Oh and about the "Pain relief" alcohol works wonders. And it can sterilize a wound! Double win.

 

[Fooz]

I just hate how pretentious people are with it. I have the same argument against alcohol. I drink - but I don't take pictures of me in which I am clearly 'wasted' or holding a drink, just to upload to Facebook so everyone can see that I was drinking.

With weed, I know of so many people that will try and slip it into conversation just because they think it will make them seem cool. Also, once again the same with alcohol, I hate the whole idea that it is needed to have fun. That's just sad.

I don't have anything against anyone who smokes it - entirely up to them. But, and I know this is cliché, I have seen how excessive amount can change someone...and it isn't cool.[/quote

i could not agree more dude

 

[AndyFromMonday]

We're a society run by adults (Even if they don't all seem to be adults), we're not a kindergarten classroom.

Wouldn't that mean that as responsible adults we should be able to put whatever we want in our bodies? Shouldn't what we do with our lives be left up to us instead of other people? I mean, from what I've read alcohol related deaths are in the thousands and I've yet to see a death caused by marijuana. A comedian from my country has a saying: "If a guy gets drunk and hits someone on the head he was "having fun", but the guy at the bar who's high and sociable and doesn't hurt anybody is the criminal."

I'd much rather have marijuana legal than alcohol. Yes, it CAN harm your body just like pollution harms your body right now but in regards to how it harms people around you it fares way better than alcohol. Hell, DUE to it's illegalization we're losing millions fighting to get it off the streets. MILLIONS of tax money being thrown at this bullshit "war on drugs" when with all those money you could probably renovate all the schools in at least 3 countries and still have enough money left to buy everyone a goddamn Corsa.

In order to get around the legal system we've got these new batches of sintethical marijuana that's supposed to be not only stronger than the real thing but more dangerous due to how unpredictable it is. Whilst you can't OD from marijuana you can easily OD from that shit and trust me, I've seen it. Face it, marijuana is even more common than alcohol and when this generation has kids their ideals will be the same as their parents. Marijuana will be legal whether this generation or the next. The sooner you legalize it the faster you can grab all the profit.

 

[DiMono]

I've seen a girl who had a fever smoke a small amount and the fever went away

Fevers go away on their own, so this isn't really evidence.

My fault, I failed to specify: the fever was gone before she finished the portion of pot she was smoking. It wasn't "hey, I smoked a joint a couple hours ago and now I'm better," it was "I just took a few puffs from a joint a minute ago and now my fever's gone."

 

[Floppertje]

You know what I dislike? The, "Well it's only as bad as alcohol or cigarettes" argument.

I mean seriously. There are problems with it. It causes HEALTH issues, and impairs your thinking, but wait... Because Alcohol is legal and does similar things that alone is reason for us to legalize it? Are you kidding me? Seriously?

People need to get their shit in line and realize the truth, just because someone else does something BAD doesn't mean you should, doesn't mean you have the right too, and for CHRISTS sake doesn't make it RIGHT.

I mean come on, do we legalize cocaine because cigarettes are addictive like it? What about meth?

People who argue, "Well cigarettes and booze are legal" are effectively saying, "Either outlaw everything bad for us, or legalize it all." So just stfu.

Point out your facts, argue that it's got medicinal properties... But don't claim it should be legal because alcohol or cigarettes are. That destroys your own argument. We're a society run by adults (Even if they don't all seem to be adults), we're not a kindergarten classroom.

Oh and about the "Pain relief" alcohol works wonders. And it can sterilize a wound! Double win.

why is that so bad? it's a perfectly valid argument... if you make it illegal because it's harmful, it's not that strange to bring up the point that alcohol and cigarettes are more harmful and they aren't illegal. so why should marihuana be?
the only difference is that alcohol and tobacco are socially accepted while marihuana isn't (yet).
as for you argument that we're a society of adults: i agree. so just legalize it and let us make up our own minds on wether or not we use it.
people who want to do it anyway, so why not legalize it and funnel the money to the government instead of criminal organizations.

besides, how often do you get to troll drug lords? ^^

 

[spartan231490]

I don't know about you guys, but marijuana is one of those things that I think should be legal but that I wouldn't use myself. Legal issues aside (for now), it's far less dangerous than alcohol or cigarettes, and has proven medical benefits. In fact, nobody has ever died from a weed overdose, but I've seen a girl who had a fever smoke a small amount and the fever went away, and I have a cousin who uses it medicinally for pain management as prescribed by her doctor.

So why spend all that money trying to stop people from using it and putting people in jail for 25 years for possessing a tiny amount? Why not legalize, regulate and tax it and keep people out of jail and money in the hands of the government?

If you legalize it, you would still need to create an infrastructure to produce and transport it to distributers, which costs time and money. This time will allow the current dealers to drop thier prices and be competitive with the "new" stuff, with the added convenience of knowing the customers. Since they grow thier own, and don't have to pay for transportation, and are already used to oporating illegally and without tax, they will be able to offer reduced prices. both legally and illegally, so u don't generate as much tax revenue as u might think. Also, those farms that would now be growing marijuana would no longer be making food or whatever they are making now, and the same for the transportation industry now moving marijuana instead of anything else. It's not as economically benifitial as you might think. You would have to do some math and surveys and ect, but it might even be contraproductive from an economic standpoint. They also don't spend much more money on law enforcement because of the weed laws than they would be if it was legalized.

 

[Sovereignty]

We're a society run by adults (Even if they don't all seem to be adults), we're not a kindergarten classroom.

Wouldn't that mean that as responsible adults we should be able to put whatever we want in our bodies? Shouldn't what we do with our lives be left up to us instead of other people? I mean, from what I've read alcohol related deaths are in the thousands and I've yet to see a death caused by marijuana. A comedian from my country has a saying: "If a guy gets drunk and hits someone on the head he was "having fun", but the guy at the bar who's high and sociable and doesn't hurt anybody is the criminal."

I'd much rather have marijuana legal than alcohol. Yes, it CAN harm your body just like pollution harms your body right now but in regards to how it harms people around you it fares way better than alcohol. Hell, DUE to it's illegalization we're losing millions fighting to get it off the streets. MILLIONS of tax money being thrown at this bullshit "war on drugs" when with all those money you could probably renovate all the schools in at least 3 countries and still have enough money left to buy everyone a goddamn Corsa.

In order to get around the legal system we've got these new batches of sintethical marijuana that's supposed to be not only stronger than the real thing but more dangerous due to how unpredictable it is. Whilst you can't OD from marijuana you can easily OD from that shit and trust me, I've seen it. Face it, marijuana is even more common than alcohol and when this generation has kids their ideals will be the same as their parents. Marijuana will be legal whether this generation or the next. The sooner you legalize it the faster you can grab all the profit.

It's still relying SOLELY on, "Well this guy killed someone, I should be able to kill someone too."

It's first grade logic that was debunked when we were all little kids. I remember the talk from parents and teachers vividly. "Just because little Johnny threw a rock, doesn't mean you should do it too."

Legalizing one substance and not legalizing another might be an odd lapse of judgment... But that DOESN'T make it right to legalize other substances by any means!

If you were fighting for the legalization of ALL substances, then sure. I am a supporter of total freedom. If you wanna go on ebay, by some arsenic, and drip it in your eyes... I feel you should have the right to do just that.

But the fact is people are mainly arguing just to legalize pot. And their supporting argument is like I said before, childish.

No my child, just because little johnny can drink a 40 legally, doesn't mean you should be able to smoke a blunt legally.

Argue all you want for marijuana to be legal by it's own merits. Just for the love of God don't argue it should be legal because other crap that kills us is.


Oddly enough I would support legalizing marijuana btw, so long as they ADDED THE STIPULATION that driving while high should be held in the same light as a DUI!

 

[MNRA]

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

And:

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?

I don't want to get dragged into a long-winded discussion on pros and cons because I've so far found it futile to discuss with people. I'm not saying anything about people in this thread, nor about the general escapist population, I'm just doing more interesting things in life than having a drawn out discussion.

1: Some of the facts posted on this wesite is probably very well documented and a lot of the "facts" are indeed myths propragated by some sort of moral-police who are very detached from scientifc media.

2: That being said, the site starts out by posting supposed facts and then myths about marjuana. I did not read the linked articles but some are "only" five years old so they might be generally well made. My PROBLEM with the site is that for one it claims that "Marijuana's Harms Have Been Proved Scientifically"- is a myth. It is NOT a myth. One can easily go on Pubmed and search for "THC and brain damage" and find a multitude of studies showing that it CAN have damages. I'm not saying that you can't find articles that disprove this theory as well, only that claiming that it is a MYTH -as a whole- is a very bold statement that should not be there, even if it's based on a "only" 15 year old editorial from the lancet.

Granted the lancet is a very well respected paper. But it is only reffenced in two examples, one article from 1985 and one from 1987. As a matter of fact, a minoriy of articles they refference are written after the year 2000. Not a damning fact in itself, but to "ignore" research after the millenium is to ignore a huge body of knowledge.

Like I said. I don't want to get drawn into this discussion to far. I just want everyone who goes into a facts/myths page (there are several) to be aware that they are fully able to make bold claims that have no basis in truth. And that they can blindside you by posting very well documented studies at the start and follow up with less reliable research further down once you start trusting the site. And a bunch of other bewildering techiques. They might not do it. But be prepared that they may be.


http://www.drugpolicy.org/marijuana/factsmyths/ may be a very good site. It might be completely impartial and alturistic in its attempts to inform the public. But it's still wrong. And it still uses sweeping generilazations about current written knowledge about marjuana.

 

[DiMono]

They also don't spend much more money on law enforcement because of the weed laws than they would be if it was legalized.

Nope, just 42 billion dollars annually [http://hightimes.com/legal/ht_admin/2463]. Plus the 113 billion dollars people spend on weed each year. Add it up and that's a swing of 155 billion dollars a year. Insignificant, I know.