Marijuana pros and cons

[Bluzeman]

Oh, I concur Groucho. One should NEVER exceed 2 joints!

Rick

[Ham]

I remember some "stuff" back in the seventies..

dear brother brought home some kind of cambodian something or another that a friend grew from the seeds..

after not very long, the other two in the room starting speaking like Donald Duck. Thought they were fooling around, until left the room. The whole world was speaking like Donald Duck..

[J0nny Ling0]

It seems to me that the majority of responses here seem to be in the "not favorable towards marijuana use" category. A lot on the paranoia thing, and also on the lack of memory thing. Both seem to be a recurring thing. It seems that many of us who use to smoke way back when have some great memories of our early use of it, but has now changed, as if the "reefer turned on us!" I'll tell ya now, if the negative aspects of dope smokin' never set in on me, I'd probably want to smoke it here and there. But, that is not the case...

[Tom Strange]

btw...Dr Stan Grof (whom i have met) and Dr Andrew Weil have both done extensive research into the subject

I too have done very extensive research into the subject (and many others)... but then I got involved with a cult...

and, as opposed to what some others have posted here, in my youth I always preferred pot to drinking exactly because of the fact that I felt that I wasn't in as much control of myself when I drank... and (research from my bartender days) I'd much rather deal with a bunch of stoners than a bunch of drunks...

LEGALIZE IT, TAX IT, GET THE COUNTRY OUT OF DEBT!

[Ham]

Not to mention, that I'd rather deal with a bunch of glassy-eyed stoners than a bunch of glassy eyed cultists..

I never had the memory problem. But if I did, I probably wouldn't remember it..

[Ham]

LEGALIZE IT, TAX IT, GET THE COUNTRY OUT OF DEBT!

They tried something like that in the sixties, marijuana was actually legal for a short period of time, and look where it got them.. LSD was legal at the time too, and practically a whole generation of kids that would rather go live like the American Indians..

the alternative certainly can appear rather attractive, compared to the "egg sucking" reality society and government had to offer at the time..

the way things are going, I wonder if we're gonna see it all happen again..

[ex70sHouston]

They tried something like that in the sixties, marijuana was actually legal for a short period of time, and look where it got them.. LSD was legal at the time too, and practically a whole generation of kids that would rather go live like the American Indians..

It was never legal in Texas. It was a felony for even an oz. Today I think its a mistiminor if its under an oz,

Personally I don't care because I don't use it.

But if you want to take your life into your own hands you can float down the Guadalupr river and find some nice patchs growing. The danger depends on who catchs you. The grower justs shoots.

[ophelia]

I tired it when i was a teenager, and if I could get away with it, I would try it again, but having to submit to drug testing at place of employment, I will stay away from it, for now!

I think it should be legal though.

[herbiejuan]

I smoked while in High School and pretty much walked away from it upon joining our favorite cult. I never got paranoid, rarely experienced the giggles and really enjoyed the muchies...

The only time I got close to being in trouble with the law was when me n my friend got pulled over by the CHP for driving too slow on the coastal highway moments after finishing up a nice bowl of the stuff. Our windows were up n Gus looked at me and asked me what he should do, I said roll down the window n give the man your license :o well as you can imagine there was this thick cloud of smoke wafting out the window right into the cops face. We knew we were busted and were really surprised when he let us go with a ticket for driving too slow! I think he may have wished us a good evening.

If I am not mistaken it is the largest cash crop grown in the US which gives us a clue about 1) its popularity and 2) the futility of this so called war on drugs.

I say legalize it and spend that drug interdiction resources to combat the drugs that cause significant harm like meth crack and alcohol.

[Ham]

It was never legal in Texas

then again, there were a heck of a lot of things that weren't legal in Texas..

If it makes any difference, no I don't smoke. Anything.

I say legalize it and spend that drug interdiction resources to combat the drugs that cause significant harm like meth crack and alcohol.

I just tend to agree with this. I think a "war" indiscriminately held against such a broad spectrum of substances not to be very logical.

A logical approach would address the worst problems first.

I think the main difference between marijuana and alcolohol.. alcohol has more than a few lobbyests..

[nandon]

then again, there were a heck of a lot of things that weren't legal in Texas..

If it makes any difference, no I don't smoke. Anything.

I just tend to agree with this. I think a "war" indiscriminately held against such a broad spectrum of substances not to be very logical.

A logical approach would address the worst problems first.

I think the main difference between marijuana and alcolohol.. alcohol has more than a few lobbyests..

Agreed. good points.

I am in favor of regulation. Regulation has worked for alcohol when compared to prohibition, why wouldn't it work for MJ or steroids? Regulate it, only allow it to be used in certain places, by certain age groups (21 or 25 whatever) , tax it.

I have never heard a good argument for why its not regulated.

Edited July 24, 2007 by nandon

[nandon]

http://www.drugwarfacts.org/causes.htm#item1

[J0nny Ling0]

Has anyone seen my bong? I lost my bong. Oh there it is, and hey it didn't tip over on the carpet. And hmm, I'm thirsty. Slurp. Mmmm, love to drink bong water, especially when the "water" used is Southern Comfort. It's loaded with super charged THC ya know. Anyone else ever drink it?

[doojable]

Has anyone seen my bong? I lost my bong. Oh there it is, and hey it didn't tip over on the carpet. And hmm, I'm thirsty. Slurp. Mmmm, love to drink bong water, especially when the "water" used is Southern Comfort. It's loaded with super charged THC ya know. Anyone else ever drink it?

<_< Experiential knowlege.....? <_<

[J0nny Ling0]

Unfortunately. I tried it once, but I didn't swallow. I spit it out, yuck! But a few of my friends did it and pretended (I think) to like it.

[doojable]

I'm glad you're still talking about bong water! ;)

[J0nny Ling0]

Oh geez Dooj! The thought! Uggh! Never!

Actually Dooj, I was thinking more along the lines of when Bill Clinton said that he tried pot, but didn't inhale..

Edited July 24, 2007 by Jonny Lingo

[doojable]

Jonny - I SAID that I was glad you were still referring to bong water.

Yea - there's more than one way to get one's THC. You don't have to inhale to partake.

[ophelia]

YES, just do not inhale. I think alcohol is regulated to make people money, the states. The three tiered system only works for the big alcohol company and creates a lot of 'corruption' within the tiers, mostly the last tier. I think there should only be two tiers. Wholesalers and retailers, take out the middle guy, that would save us, the consumer some money. The same thing for marijuana. Can you imagine being a marijuana wholesaler, now that is a job i would want! Because well of course, you will have to "test" the product, and 'know" your product and be able to talk about it.

It would be the most popular job in america.

[J0nny Ling0]

Jonny - I SAID that I was glad you were still referring to bong water.

I know Dooj, I know you were just funnin. But, just the very thought...ugghh!

And Ophelia, would you be the whole saler, or just settle back into "research and Developement" with a big ol hookah pipe? :)

[J0nny Ling0]

This just in! A CNN article about new scientific evidence that marijuana actually does cause "Reefer Madness"!

http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/07/27/marij...s.ap/index.html

Marijuana may increase psychosis risk, analysis says

* Story Highlights

* Analysis of past research reignites the issue of whether pot is dangerous

* Review: Even infrequent use could raise small risk of serious mental illness

* Scientists can't rule out that pre-existing conditions could account for link

* Next Article in Health »

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LONDON, England (AP) -- Using marijuana seems to increase the chance of becoming psychotic, researchers report in an analysis of past research that reignites the issue of whether pot is dangerous.

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Some experts say governments should now work to dispel a misconception that marijuana is a benign drug.

The new review suggests that even infrequent use could raise the small but real risk of this serious mental illness by 40 percent.

Doctors have long suspected a connection and say the latest findings underline the need to highlight marijuana's long-term risks. The research, paid for by the British Health Department, is being published Friday in medical journal The Lancet.

"The available evidence now suggests that cannabis is not as harmless as many people think," said Dr. Stanley Zammit, one of the study's authors and a lecturer in the department of psychological medicine at Cardiff University.

The researchers said they couldn't prove that marijuana use itself increases the risk of psychosis, a category of several disorders with schizophrenia being the most commonly known.

There could be something else about marijuana users, "like their tendency to use other drugs or certain personality traits, that could be causing the psychoses," Zammit said.

Marijuana is the most frequently used illegal substance in many countries, including the United Kingdom and the United States. About 20 percent of young adults report using it at least once a week, according to government statistics.

Zammit and colleagues from the University of Bristol, Imperial College and Cambridge University examined 35 studies that tracked tens of thousands of people for periods ranging from one year to 27 years to examine the effect of marijuana on mental health.

They looked for psychotic illnesses as well as cognitive disorders including delusions and hallucinations, bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety, neuroses and suicidal tendencies.

They found that people who used marijuana had roughly a 40 percent higher chance of developing a psychotic disorder later in life. The overall risk remains very low.

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For example, Zammit said the risk of developing schizophrenia for most people is less than 1 percent. The prevalence of schizophrenia is believed to be about five in 1,000 people. But because of the drug's wide popularity, the researchers estimate that about 800 new cases of psychosis could be prevented by reducing marijuana use.

The scientists found a more disturbing outlook for "heavy users" of pot, those who used it daily or weekly: Their risk for psychosis jumped to a range of 50 percent to 200 percent.

One doctor noted that people with a history of mental illness in their families could be at higher risk. For them, marijuana use "could unmask the underlying schizophrenia," said Dr. Deepak Cyril D'Souza, an associate professor of psychiatry at Yale University, who was not involved in the study.

Dr. Wilson Compton, a senior scientist at the National Institute on Drug Abuse in Washington, called the study persuasive.

"The strongest case is that there are consistencies across all of the studies," and that the link was seen only with psychoses -- not anxiety, depression or other mental health problems, he said.

Scientists cannot rule out that pre-existing conditions could have led to both marijuana use and later psychoses, he added.

Scientists think it is biologically possible that marijuana could cause psychoses because it interrupts important neurotransmitters such as dopamine. That can interfere with the brain's communication systems.

Some experts say governments should now work to dispel the misconception that marijuana is a benign drug.

"We've reached the end of the road with these kinds of studies," said Dr. Robin Murray of King's College, who had no role in the Lancet study. "Experts are now agreed on the connection between cannabis and psychoses. What we need now is for 14-year-olds to know it."

In the U.K., the government will soon reconsider how marijuana should be classified in its hierarchy of drugs. In 2004, it was downgraded and penalties for possession were reduced. Many expect marijuana will be bumped up to a class "B" category, with offenses likely to lead to arrests or longer jail sentences.

Two of the authors of the study were invited experts on the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs Cannabis Review in 2005. Several authors reported being paid to attend drug company-sponsored meetings related to marijuana, and one received consulting fees from companies that make antipsychotic medications. E-mail to a friend E-mail to a friend

Edited July 27, 2007 by Jonny Lingo

[pond]

the fact folks who do not smoke pot thinks those who do are crazy is not new.

the fact is many small companies can not afford drug testing.

if it is legal then the abuse would go into the work place making for intoxicated workers, more illness, more accidents more trouble .

[Ham]

Scientists cannot rule out that pre-existing conditions could have led to both marijuana use and later psychoses, he added.

That's the whole problem with these cheap tests.. it is soooo easy to prove a correlation between two variables, but to prove CAUSATION.. they'd have to supply clean, untainted weed, to separated age groups.. track the people through life, ensure that they are huffing the prescribed amount of THC..

I don't think a legitimate study could even come close to jumping the legal hurdles, let alone the liability they'd assume..

I really think it is the other way around.. the pressure of society and effects of mental illness very well might drive a person to heavy marijuana usage. I have met a few individuals who simply could not handle day to day life without it. Honestly, I think they were actually safer to society when they were high.

[pond]

I think it is more than peer pressure as well.

the teens that go through the drug stage are "finding their self" well hello what is a parent for?

the blame game doesnt work.

your right I tell ya I would rather have some folks stoned than straight talking to me.

self medication is the reason many do abuse drugs and alcohol.

so what about our ability to have health care affordable health care for all americans? and what about the school system demanding compliance and the dr. having a pill at the ready for even toddlers who seem depressed today?

the issue of why and how and when is it a problem is massive really.

our society wants drugs to fix ills that are complex but they do not .

[GrouchoMarxJr]

Some experts say governments should now work to dispel a misconception that marijuana is a benign drug.

An expert has been defined as a "damn fool a long way from home"...Carl Sandburg.

Follow the money...this kind of research is usually funded by government sources that are looking for "favorable" results that fit their agenda....I've seen them before, they are mostly baloney.

Edited July 28, 2007 by GrouchoMarxJr