I hear the endless debate over and over again about smoking pot yet it does not lead anywhere. "Pot is bad and if they legalized it then there would be more deaths." I think alot of people should wake up and realize that pot is not the enemy. Alcohol is more dangerous than pot, with all the accidents that lead in death, domestic violence, alcoholism, organ damage, and many other things. All I can go on is my experiences and the experiences of others, but I believe that the government has instilled fear into America by presenting all this fallacy evidence.
For one thing a person who smokes pot lacks the motivation to do much of anything let alone drive a car. If they do drive a car most people I have known are extra careful because they are paranoid and their senses are more enhanced. I do not recommend driving a car after smoking pot, but this is just to prove a fact. I also was appauled to read my psychology book and its ideas on pot. It said that pot has been linked to cancer, which does not make sense because pot is a naturally growing substance. This could be true if the pot was "laced" with something else. Also I have heard that smoking one joint is equal to smoking 4 cigarettes. This also could not be true because of the fact that cigarettes have rat poison, and alot of other chemicals that would cause cancer.
For example you take 4 guys who smoke pot, place them in a room and let them play cards, or watch a movie. Not much will happen besides maybe laughter, raiding the pantry for food, and forgetting what they were about to say. If they were going to get into a fight they would forget about it seconds or minutes later. But, if you took that same group of guys and have them drink, they will more than likely start a fight, someone will attempt to drive (or successfully drive), and/or maybe something in the house will be destroyed. Of course this is not all cases, but many of these things could occur while drinking comparing to laughter and "munchies" which are harmless.
Another point I might add is the fact that someone can drink themselves into a coma, throw up in their sleep and sufficate, or just die from alcohol poisoning. It is rather impossiable to smoke yourself to death, this is not physically possiable. As for the "frying your brain cells" yes maybe that could happen, but that can also happen if you hold your breath to long in general, smack your head, or experience a concussion.
Also pot has helped many people who have cancer and other diseases eat, and experience less pain. One time I had a stomach ache (which is frequent, but this was one time) and my stomach ache went away. The same thing happened when I was experiencing a headache, the headache went away.
Take into account many of the people in jail are arrested for having, smoking, or carrying devices in which you smoke pot. The time they spend in jail is what our tax money is paying for. While someone was being arrested for pot a murderer, or someone molesting a child or teen could have been committing a crime that may have been prevented instead of wasting the time searching a person's car for pot.
I believe as long as smoking pot does not jeopardize your job, paying your bills, and doing the things you love to do, then I see no problem with it. If you can get all of the important things done then decide to smoke pot then it should not matter. Drug prohibition I believe has actually caused more people to do drugs than anything. Many people want to do things that are not allowed for the heck of it. Your personality is key because if you are predisposed to being angry and violent chances are you will be that way regardless. How could we blame that on drugs? Finally pot has never killed a single person but alcohol has. Have you ever heard on the news someone killing their entire family, or themselves because they were high? I have not so there is the evidence right in front of us. The only harm pot may cause is uncontrollable laughter, weight gain or getting a good nights rest.
The "war on drugs" has shown to be ineffective, but that is another blog.
"I also was appauled to read my psychology book and its ideas on pot. It said that pot has been linked to cancer, which does not make sense because pot is a naturally growing substance."
Tobacco is also a naturally occurring substance, as are a host of other substances which can be burned and inhaled. The carcinogenic qualities of thee natural substances comes from their burning and inhalation; the fact is that pretty much any smoke is carcinogenic. The same way vegetables are generally considered good for you, but burned vegetables are likely to contain carcinogens. Using a vaporizer or ingesting cannabis would nullify any carcinogenic risks as both methods are smoke free. In fact, there has been studies which suggest that cannabinoids found in Cannabis may in fact actually inhibit tumor growth to some degree.
"Also I have heard that smoking one joint is equal to smoking 4 cigarettes."
This figure, as far as I know, is based upon the number of potentially carcinogenic components found in Cannabis smoke. But the number of potential carcinogens are not what makes a substance more carcinogenic; the number of active carcinogens are. It has been suggested that marijuana contains more carcinogens than cigarettes, but that doesn't mean that they actually activate as carcinogens against human tissue. This is glossed over in anti-drug propaganda in an economy of truth, designed purely with scare-mongering in mind, with an egregious disregard for the truth.
"As for the "frying your brain cells" yes maybe that could happen"
Ironically, there have been studies which suggest that Cannabis is actually a substance which is responsible for the generation of new electrons in the brain, not destruction. Anti-drug propagandists and the people who buy their lies without question are as lazy as each other, they assume that because their drug of choice, alcohol, kills brain cells, that all drugs do. The people who tell us with smug authority that weed kills brains cells, derive their authority from belief, not knowledge. Believers are generally delusional, thus all the factual information in the world won't make a dent in their ignorance, unless it is presented to them through one of the channels they believe in; for instance, if the collective heads of every Christian church in the world all simultaneously announced the truth about Cannabis for a change, I'm sure we'd suddenly see a big turn around in opinion; the facts won't have changed, just the channel of communication.
"I believe as long as smoking pot does not jeopardize your job, paying your bills, and doing the things you love to do, then I see no problem with it."
This usually happens as a result of Cannabis abuse, not Cannabis us; there is a distinction. Smoking a joint or two in the evening to unwind is one thing, smoking joints all day is something entirely different; it's the difference between having a beer after work and drinking all day. Cannabis, like most things, is fine when used responsibly, but, as with people who over-eat or over-drink, when Cannabis is abused or used inappropriately, it poses health risks.
Needless to say, if a person has a genetic predisposition toward mental health issues, using a mind altering drug, whether it is alcohol or Cannabis, does not fall under the same category as somebody with little family history of mental illness. Mind altering drugs can aggravate mental illness in certain individuals with a greater sensitivity, the same way food can aggravate the sensitivity of somebody with a poor metabolism; I can eat twice what my brother does and do half the amount of exercise, yet he piles on weight, I don't; just like I can drink a bottle of whiskey and still remain good nonthreatening company, while many of my friends would end up in an irrational and violent mess if they did the same.
"Drug prohibition I believe has actually caused more people to do drugs than anything."
I don't think this is necessarily accurate. Drug prohibition is responsible for the vast majority of the funding reaped by various organized crime and terrorist organisations however. Instead of channel tax revenue from drug sales into education and healthcare, prohibition ensures all proceeds go directly to the pockets of an elite of crime syndicates who hold a monopoly on the illegal drugs trade. To make matters worse, prohibition makes criminals out of users, which creates a whole plethora of needless social problems which are then heaped upon the problems already associated with drug addiction and abuse. If we were to suggest that every known alcoholic be imprisoned with sentences inline with those meted out to Cannabis users, the general public would herald the idea as insane.
"Have you ever heard on the news someone killing their entire family, or themselves because they were high?"
Usually people do stuff like that for a myriad of reasons, ranging from mental health issues to circumstantial ones. Unfortunately, the more simplistic majority of our societies in much of the West don't like their news to be too complicated; they generally prefer to have their ignorance massaged and they definitely don't like to be made to feel stupid. It's far more productive in terms of keeping your audience happy, to just tag onto a story that the suspect did drugs; that way the believers can nod sagely and simplify the complexities of such a situation down to 'He smoked drugs and the drugs made him kill people.", instead of weighing up the actual variables of the situation and reaching a proper reason based perspective.
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I am the people my mother warned me about.
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/tuffgong
TUFFGONG
Senior Executive Administrator™
It also causes unexplained urges to kill
I understand your need
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bM_vLk1I6G4&NR=1
(sorry if it is in spanish or whatever)
Saint O Nothin' Says
We were certainly uncertain
At least I'm pretty sure I am
We didn't need the water
BUT we still built that good God DAM!
- Modest Mouse
http://www.wowzone.com/monkey.htm
O, I don't have earphones in the library =/
Saint O Nothin' Says
We were certainly uncertain
At least I'm pretty sure I am
We didn't need the water
BUT we still built that good God DAM!
- Modest Mouse
I believe the whole world population should mind its own pot business, while use some pot common sense in its use!
Work and pot, drive and pot are combinations which are plain stupid!
Other than that, people could try to be less judgmental in regard to individuals who chose to smoke pot, especially those who can only seem to come up with the negative aspects of it.
http://www.wowzone.com/monkey.htm
Well, Tuffgong pointed out why I laughed at the comment about cannabis being natural growing thus noncarcinogenic.
There's a great deal of research going on that shows that marijuana actually inhibits cancer growth, rather than causing it. They're trying to develop drug therapies using the main active ingredient in marijuana, but some suspect that it's a combination of the different substances in marijuana that make it so effective.
Maybe I'll do a post on this; I've certainly been gathering enough research on the subject (for personal reasons, mostly).
~C
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So was I right that it doesn't cause cancer? Or was I wrong. I don't know. lol. it is late.
Sorry to disappoint you, but I am voting for Lewis Black.
DrifterDani~
The smoke causes cancer, but saying something does not cause cancer because it grows naturally is just silly. It's similar to saying something is not harmful because it is natural, yet snake venom can kill you, as can numerous kinds of berries and mushrooms.
In fact, when ingested properly, most believe that marijuana does the opposite of cigarettes; instead of causing cancer, it can kill and reverse it.
~C
Check out the latest entry in the Between The Lines column!
Want the highest rated list to change? RATE those blogs, then!
Yeah that is kind of silly to say... I guess I didn't think about it. I just have never heard of pot causing cancer. I think I might delete my recent blogs and just start over...I am having major issues this contest because I am having alot of bad things going on right now.
Sorry to disappoint you, but I am voting for Lewis Black.
DrifterDani~
Well, they've come out saying pretty much everything causes cancer. Weed, however, causes a much lower amount then say, the leached chemicals from inside all the bottled water we love to drink. In the end, you really just have to go with your own opinion... right now cigarettes and alchohol are legal mostly because of the huge revenue the government makes off of taxes.
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"Put your best foot forward, just watch what you step in..."
http://www.wowzone.com/monkey.htm
Nice entry, Dani! I totally agree with you on the issue that marijuana isn't the biggest threat out there. Although I'm not one who likes the idea of people smoking pot, I have to say that alcohol is one of the biggest problems. Maybe I think this because I'm on a college campus and half the people here seem to be alcoholics-in-training, but it certainly has more downsides than marijuana.
~ *~
This is a signature, an automated thingy that pops up when I comment, not a demand to see my blog!
Mind Control is Easier Than You Think
No need to apologize. Everyone does or says something not well thought out now and then, and for those of us who are blessed, someone brings our error to attention, and because we are honest people, we get it.
I thought the same thing when you said that because pot is natural it's not carcinogenic.
Good for you to keep searching, and to admit where you flubbed.
I'm sorry you're having a hard time, but I've been following your blogs, and you're a bright girl. You don't need to fall back on excuses.
I like to admit when I am wrong. Sometimes I will debate things and then realize that my debate was flawed. In all honestly I believe not enough testing has been done on pot, to really see the effects on people...but that is also just an opinion.
Thanks for following my blogs I have been trying to follow yours as much as possiable, it can be hard to keep up with everyone though, but that challenge I enjoy.
I appreciate all of your input!
Sorry to disappoint you, but I am voting for Lewis Black.
DrifterDani~
you have a very confusing blog. you keep talking about how weed can kill you, and then you say that its not harmfull and alcohol is much worse and all that other stuff. you list many many facts and myths and you change your point of view alot..... the bottom line is marijuana is completely safe, all it does is make you hungry. and every single person that i know who has ever smoked pot and drove a car... they drove pretty fucking good, if not better than when they were sober.... there is nothing wrong with smoking a joint and if you smoke a joint it isnt going to alter your mind in any way to the point where you would want to kill someone. so why would you say that? give an example of someone who killed someone just because they smoked a joint... there are no examples.