US Finds Pot Illegal

[Fleet 472]

Very true, Muscletang...

A few weeks ago, a mother took her son to a hospital because of his erratic behavior. She was told that he had irreversible brain damage due to marijuana.

In one test, it took until the 40th person who was addicted to cocaine, LSD, crack, etc. who did not start with marijuana.

Marijuana stays in the fatty brain stem for months after use. It does not leave the body the next day like alcohol does.

I've always stayed as far away from that junk as I could. Who needs it?

[Nicole8188]

I can't say I haven't ever tried it, but I never got hooked like that.

Everyone I know either has done it before and quit, or still does and has totally screwed their life up because of it.

And I can honestly say it is a gateway drug for everyone I know, if you do it long enough and hang around the right people.

[Rally Sport]

Damn Muscletang my friend is kinda like yours with holes in his memory, like i'll be talking to him and then he'll interrupt me and say "what were you talking about?" I got alot of friends and many are smokers, they always offer me up but I never take a hit since it can fuck up my life and I want to go on without being a guy sitting on the couch all day.

[-GS-]

I hear alot of people saying that Marijuana is a gateway drug, I do not agree with that. If anything Cigarettes and Liquor are gateway drugs, becuase thats most commonly the first thing that people get their hands on, and from there they go to marijuana. You can argue the case that marijuana leads them onto other harder drugs, but dont most people still start off with cigarettes/liquor which led them to marijuana in the first place?

Also sorry to hear about the people you know muscletang. But as someone has allready mentioned up above, it effects everyone differently. But of everything i've read about marijuana, i've never heard such severe cases, but that may just be the fact that people dont report this stuff in. Im sure you want it to be illegal, but you do agree that cigarettes and liquor are worse right?

[drewh4386]

When you get high off mary j, it never gets old. But it does become weird. You start to want more. At least thats what my old friends say.

[SnoopisTDI]

I think some people have trouble dealing with everyday issues, and they look for whatever avenues they can find to escape those issues. For some people it's marijuana, for others it's alcohol, gambling, the internet, etc. They just have addictive personalities, and they get lost in their own vices and priorities are lost.

But where marijuana is concerned, I have never seen anything even remotely succesful at proving that it causes chemical dependency. The only "scientific" claim I've ever seen was a research group in the UK that got some monkies hooked on crack or cocaine(can't remember which one), then removed the drug and replaced it with marijuana. Well of course the monkies took whatever they could get because they were crackheads, so they took the marijuana: thus marijuana was addictive. BS. Drugs that cause dependency will cause withdrawl symptoms... tremors, hallucinations, etc. I've never heard of any potheads having withdrawl symptoms, they just want to get high again because they enjoy it.

I know people that smoked weed like most people breathe air, and they graduated college with good grades, got great jobs, etc. I also know people who smoked weed and took their lives nowhere. At the same time, I know people whose lives were already going nowhere when they started smoking, and I know people who were losers, are losers, and will always be losers, without ever using marijuana. My point? Some people are just fuck-ups, and I don't think it has much to do with marijuana.

The people I do know who smoked or currently smoke weed all deny that it's a gateway drug. Some of them however have done everything under the sun, and others haven't touched anything but weed. Also, even if you have smoked weed and then gone on to other drugs, that doesn't mean it's a gateway. If weed wasn't there, I think most people would just skip it and go on to the next drug. I think calling it a "stepping stone" might be more accurate than a "gateway" drug. The kind of people who are likely to do drugs just happen to start their illegal drugs with marijuana.


Myself, I've never tried it. I've done the research, and seen the "effects" of it right in front of me, and can't see any reason to be afraid of it, but I just never thought it was worth the risk, considering a drug charge or failed drug test would ruin my career. BTW, I have a horrible memory.

Another thing that makes me think most of what we hear about marijuana is BS is because of the government propaganda. Did you know shows like The Drew Carey Show, Seventh Heaven, and 90210 (among others), were paid by the federal government to have anti-marijuana shows? Why hide it? Why sneak the government message into television shows? The federal government is writing scripts for primetime tv, and I don't like it! What happened to the good old days of PSA's.

Speaking of PSA's, a little off-topic and much less serious, did you know Busta Rhymes' song "dangerous" was based on a Public Service Announcement from the 80s with little pills singing "you should have a healthy fear of us 'cause too much of us is dangerous, so dangerous!?" Funny stuff.

[TexasF355F1]

Originally Posted by SnoopisTDI

I think some people have trouble dealing with everyday issues, and they look for whatever avenues they can find to escape those issues. For some people it's marijuana, for others it's alcohol, gambling, the internet, etc. They just have addictive personalities, and they get lost in their own vices and priorities are lost.

But where marijuana is concerned, I have never seen anything even remotely succesful at proving that it causes chemical dependency. The only "scientific" claim I've ever seen was a research group in the UK that got some monkies hooked on crack or cocaine(can't remember which one), then removed the drug and replaced it with marijuana. Well of course the monkies took whatever they could get because they were crackheads, so they took the marijuana: thus marijuana was addictive. BS. Drugs that cause dependency will cause withdrawl symptoms... tremors, hallucinations, etc. I've never heard of any potheads having withdrawl symptoms, they just want to get high again because they enjoy it.

I know people that smoked weed like most people breathe air, and they graduated college with good grades, got great jobs, etc. I also know people who smoked weed and took their lives nowhere. At the same time, I know people whose lives were already going nowhere when they started smoking, and I know people who were losers, are losers, and will always be losers, without ever using marijuana. My point? Some people are just fuck-ups, and I don't think it has much to do with marijuana.

The people I do know who smoked or currently smoke weed all deny that it's a gateway drug. Some of them however have done everything under the sun, and others haven't touched anything but weed. Also, even if you have smoked weed and then gone on to other drugs, that doesn't mean it's a gateway. If weed wasn't there, I think most people would just skip it and go on to the next drug. I think calling it a "stepping stone" might be more accurate than a "gateway" drug. The kind of people who are likely to do drugs just happen to start their illegal drugs with marijuana.


Myself, I've never tried it. I've done the research, and seen the "effects" of it right in front of me, and can't see any reason to be afraid of it, but I just never thought it was worth the risk, considering a drug charge or failed drug test would ruin my career. BTW, I have a horrible memory.

Another thing that makes me think most of what we hear about marijuana is BS is because of the government propaganda. Did you know shows like The Drew Carey Show, Seventh Heaven, and 90210 (among others), were paid by the federal government to have anti-marijuana shows? Why hide it? Why sneak the government message into television shows? The federal government is writing scripts for primetime tv, and I don't like it! What happened to the good old days of PSA's.

Speaking of PSA's, a little off-topic and much less serious, did you know Busta Rhymes' song "dangerous" was based on a Public Service Announcement from the 80s with little pills singing "you should have a healthy fear of us 'cause too much of us is dangerous, so dangerous!?" Funny stuff.

Nice post. Marijuana is not addicting. If anything its the mental want of feeling high as opposed to the physical where the body needs it like heroin. People love the buzz alcohol gives them and want more and more thats how alcohol dependency starts. Every single person I know has quit marijuana without hesitation, myself included.

Some people are prone to be addicted to various substances strictly based on their genes. Some people are just fuck ups and have no determination whatsoever. I know people who are in their 30's and smoked since they were teens and have very very good jobs and live great lives. You would be surprised at the amount of very prestigious people, i.e. doctors and lawyers, etc, that smoke weed. I'll put money on it, that someone in everyones family or friends who no one thinks do drugs are closet users.

Fleet, it's acid that stays in the brain stem, not marijuana.

[-Josh-]

Long but well written on why it should be legal.

Marijuana has well-organized supporters who campaign for its legalization and promote its use through books, magazines, and popular music. They regard marijuana as not only a benign recreational drug but also a form of herbal medicine and a product with industrial applications. Marijuana's opponents are equally passionate and far better organized. They consider marijuana a dangerous drug -one that harms the user's mental, physical, and spiritual well-being, promotes irresponsible sexual behavior, and encourages disrespect for traditional values. At the heart of the ongoing bitter debate is a resilient weed that can grow wild in all fifty states. The two sides agree that countless lives have been destroyed by marijuana but disagree about what should be blamed: the plant itself, or the laws forbidding its use. As the twenty-first century rolled around, the legalization of marijuana became a hot topic. Before now, the issue was kept in the back of people’s minds. It never truly became a reasonable issue because it was never openly discussed. In the 1960s, if you knew whether or not someone had ever smoked marijuana, you could make a pretty intelligent guess about his or her political views. These days, marijuana isn’t quite as potent a symbol of the cultural divide. Much of the recent controversy has surrounded laws passed in 1996 by voters in California and Arizona legalizing marijuana use for certain medical conditions. For the several thousand years that humans have been acquainted with marijuana, they have considered it one of the hardiest and most versatile plants around. Marijuana has now replaced corn as America’s top cash crop. Many Americans –four million- regularly use marijuana more frequently than they do all other illegal drugs combined (Mack 21). These people are no more criminals than people who like to have a drink to relax after work. Therefore, the federal government should follow the lead of voters in Arizona and California and at least allow the medicinal use of marijuana. James Inciardi, director of the Center for Drug and Alcohol Studies at the University of Delaware, writes about the description of drug prohibition and the issues that surround it. There is a long history behind drugs being illegal. Prohibition is something that we all know about but do not really know the history of or reason for. The first drug prohibition law was set into play in 1909 against opium. There was no real reason for the original prohibition laws. American lenders thus created a distorted social response for the original emerging problems early in the century. They created a demand for drug control that was based upon hysteria, misinformation, and hatred of racial minorities and foreigners, who allegedly shared the blame for these drug problems. Then came the rise of prison inmates. During periods when alcohol or drug prohibition laws are vigorously enforced, the number of homicides and prisoners rises dramatically. This has been the case in many countries. The rise in prison populations since 1980 has been the greatest in U.S. history. Much of this rise is due to drug enforcement or to problems generated by drug laws, although it is impossible to tell precisely how many people are in prison as a result of drug enforcement because of the manner in which records are kept. When President Bush Sr. constructed the newest drug plan envision, it would only be a few years away when two out of three federal prisoners in this country would be drug offenders (Inciardi 30-47). To conceive and develop a more just and compassionate drug policy, it is necessary to transform how we view drugs, particularly drug addiction. Drug use, drug abuse, and drug addiction are distinct from one another. Using a drug does not necessarily mean abusing the drug, much less becoming addicted to it. Drug abuse issues are essentially matters for medical attention. I do not believe that drug use should be considered criminal behavior. Advocates for harsh drug policies with severe penalties for drug use often cite violent crime as a direct result of drug use. Drugs alone do not cause crime. Legal prohibition of drugs leads to inflated street value, which in turn incites violent turf wars among distributors. The whole pattern is reminiscent of the proliferation of organized crime during the time of alcohol prohibition in the early twentieth century. That policy also failed. Another practice that has received constitutional blessings of the Supreme Court has been harsh mandatory minimum sentencing. Mandatory Minimum Sentences require judges to follow strict guidelines in handing out sentences to those individuals convicted of certain specific crimes, very often drug related crimes. These laws remove discretion from the hands of judges. Some say that such uniformity of sentencing is needed, while opponents point out that it prevents judges from acting independently in cases with extenuating circumstances. We should have listened to President Jimmy Carter when he said, “Penalties against possession of a drug should not be more damaging to an individual than the use of the drug itself" (Schlosser 107). Many judges are involved in an individual and organized revolt over the injustices of the drug war, especially those imposed by mandatory minimum sentences. Some come out for legalization in despair over the injustices bred by vigorous, malicious enforcement of drug prohibition (Trebach 26). This puts many offenders in position to face years in jail for what seems to be no crime at all, and at least not one such as murder, in which some murderers must spend less time in jail than drug offenders. It is obvious that something needs to be done about the fact that non-violent drug offenders sometimes receive more jail time and punishment than blatantly violent criminals. Eric Schlosser gives the figures that in the state of Indiana, a person convicted of armed robbery will serve about six years in prison; someone convicted of rape will serve about eight; and a convicted murderer can expect to spend twenty-five years behind bars. These figures are actually higher than the national average: eleven years and four months in prison is the typical punishment for an American found guilty of murder (13).
At the age of thirty-eight, Mark Young was arrested at his Indianapolis home for brokering the sale of seven hundred pounds of marijuana grown on a farm in nearby Morgan County. He had no history of violent crime. Young’s role in the illegal transaction had been that of a middleman – he never distributed the drugs; he simply introduced two people hoping to sell a large amount of marijuana to three people wishing to buy it. No confiscated marijuana, money or physical evidence of any kind linked Young to the crime. He was convicted solely on the testimony of co-conspirators who were now cooperating with the government. On February 8, 1992, Mark Young was sentenced by Judge Sarah Evens Barker to life imprisonment without possibility of parole. (Schlosser 13) If legalization does not occur, we should at least start treating the possession of marijuana for personal use as a non-criminal act or minor violation such as a traffic offense. Legalization would create many good things such as: suffering would be eased for millions because doctors would face less control on the use of painkilling drugs, the number of criminal cases would decrease considerably, prison population would be cut in half, and most importantly there would be the huge reductions in crime and violence because so many innocent bystanders are hurt in murders and maimings that are involved in the entire drug trade industry.
I readily admit the possibility that we could legalize drugs and continue to have massive drug abuse, crippling levels of crime, and violence, the rapid spread of AIDS, the collapse of our cities and vicious racial conflict. However, it is much more conceivable, and indeed more likely, that legalization will allow us to greatly curb all of those searing problems. Thus, legalization is not a solution but a door that must be opened if we hope to come to grips with the problems that are tearing us apart.(Trebach 99) With what author Trebach had to say, it seems to be a very reasonable opportunity to legalize marijuana to help control problems that already exist in our society. James Inciardi explains that drug laws and drug enforcement have served mainly to create enormous profits for drug dealers and traffickers, overcrowded jails, police and other government corruption, predatory street crime carried on by users in search of the funds necessary to purchase black market drugs, urban areas harassed by street-level drug dealers and terrorized by violent street gangs (5).
Alison Mack, a science and medical writer in Delaware, explains that long before marijuana acquired its reputation as a substance of abuse, it was regarded as a folk medicine in several cultures. In the United States, patent remedies contained extracts of the marijuana plant well into the 1930s (42). By that time, doctors were far more likely to prescribe opiates or synthetic drugs for conditions once treated with marijuana. Cannabis is remarkably versatile. Over the past two decades, research in this area has begun to deonstatrate how THC and related natural and synthetic cannabinoids exert their effects on individual cells. Scientists have also discovered that the human body produces substances that act on cannabinoid receptors and that this “cannabinoid system” appears to influence movement, memory, immunity, and pain sensation. The more research reveals about the diverse effects of various cannabinoids, the greater the likelihood that scientists will develop cannabinoid drugs that effectively treat specific symptoms, with minimum adverse side effects (So 2).
The states of California and Arizona, now along with six other states, allow people to cultivate their own marijuana and consume it for medicinal purposes. They allow qualified patients and their care givers the right to posses and grow their own marijuana for personal medicinal purposes without violating state drug laws. Inciardi goes on to describe different medical uses for marijuana. He says that it reduces pain from post-surgery, it lowers the doses of medication that seizure patients must take daily, and it dilates bronchi and reverses a bronchial spasm (which is what asthma is). Marijuana not only slows weight loss but gives cancer and anorexia patients an appetite. In cancer patients, marijuana also slows the growth of tumor cells and prevents nausea and vomiting, which is beneficial for AIDS patients as well. Additionally, since marijuana gives a somewhat altered state of mind, it has been successful in treating depression patients (Trebach 87). The last major upbeat point for medical use is that there are no overdoses on marijuana because it has a “negligibly therapeutic ratio”; that is, you do not have to use much to get the desired effect. Some might argue that marijuana is still terribly bad for your health because it contains four times as many cancer causing agents as tobacco. However, the average marijuana smoker smokes four joints a day compared to cigarette smokers who smoke 21 cigarettes per day (Hendid 34). Since marijuana is illegal yet still less harmful than other legal “drugs” in our society, it should be legalized because there is no scientific basis for the line between legal and illegal drugs. “Any drug can be used successfully, no matter how bad its reputation and any drug can be abused, no matter how accepted it is” (Trebach 24). The Marijuana Tax Act successfully curtailed marijuana’s spread until the 1960s, when recreational use of the drug surged far beyond previous levels. In response, Congress passed laws to control and classify drugs, known as the Controlled Substances Act. It has remained largely unchanged since it was first made. Since then, the decriminalization of marijuana is gaining momentum in the United States. Voters in eight states and the legislature in the ninth have passed medical marijuana laws. Legalization advocates argue marijuana can be used to make products such as textiles and paints and can be used medicinally. They also believe that enforcement punishes productive members of society and wastes government resources. “A lot of money goes into the war on drugs that could otherwise be put into drug treatment facilities or educational programs,” says Randall Parker, a member of Rutgers University Marijuana Supporters. Karen Mahabir, staff writer for New Jersey’s Bergen County newspaper The Record, gives the statistic that during the year of 2001, police in New Jersey made 22,449 arrests for marijuana, the vast majority of which were for possession (2). Opponents say that the arrests lead to the “bigger fish” but some say arresting recreational users makes no more sense than the prohibition against alcohol in the last century. Karl Bauman studied students in college and younger and found several interesting results. For the number of children who use or will use drugs, there is a substantial increase in drug use between grades seven and nine and a lower rate of increase in teenage drug use between grades ten and up. When college students were asked about the beneficial and harmful nature of drugs and why they use drugs, they came up with both positive and negative answers. For the most part, their positive answers consisted of things such as: satisfaction of curiosity, kicks, self-elevation, escape from problems, and reduction of boredom. Their negative answers involved things such as medical risks and possibility of legal problems. Through research, it is correct to conclude that people use drugs because it is a behavior that allows individual choice (13).
Herbert Hendid and Ann Pollinger conducted a study in 1984 of 150 participants, 99 men and 51 women, in which the majority had “some college”. Out of these participants, after two to five years after first using marijuana, these 150 people began using daily and spending, on average, $81 per month on marijuana. The majority had tried a wide range of drugs but very few were regular users. Very few indicated regular consumption of alcohol and half were tobacco users. “Heavy marijuana use functioned in the context of the individual’s overall psychosocial development” (40). Marijuana encourages contemplations. Subjects said that it increased their understanding of themselves and others, making them more philosophical and insightful. After analyzing this study it seems as if marijuana use does not harm people’s relationships with significant others or society.
Natalie Myer, a daily marijuana user, gives her insight into why marijuana should be legalized. She explains that people who smoke marijuana on a regular basis do not always fall into the stereotype of losing ambition in their lives. Like her father, heads of corporations smoke marijuana everyday and have been smoking for years and are still extremely successful. She thinks that there should be an age restriction, just as there is with alcohol and cigarettes, if marijuana is legalized. Natalie thinks that since you have to be eighteen to buy rolling papers, a pipe or a bong, you should have to be eighteen to buy the marijuana to smoke out of them as well. She says that marijuana does not have the “party effects” such as alcohol. Stoned, no one gets violent or sexual. Also, we know that there will always be drivers that drive under the influence. Drivers under the influence of marijuana are not as blatantly dangerous as drunk drivers. Drunk drivers run red lights while stoned drivers drive thirty-five on the interstates and stop at green lights. Neither option is good, but the marijuana alternative is safer. We know that no matter how strict the DUI laws are, there will be people who disobey them. Also, you can literally drink yourself to death whereas with marijuana, it is literally impossible (So 4). There would be tons of other benefits that would come from legalizing marijuana, such as the manufacturing of textiles, alternatives to gasoline and who knows what else. And lastly, there would not be uproar of people who started smoking marijuana. At least people would become more educated and informed about marijuana so then it would not be so frowned upon and have to be hidden and kept a secret.
I support the legalization of marijuana. As I see it, alcohol and cigarettes are much more dangerous. I do not think that I need to go into detail posting numbers on the deaths of the two; we hear it all the time, and rightfully so. Alcohol is more socially destructive. Cigarettes are more addictive. And so, there has never been emergency room admittance or a recorded death linked directly to marijuana; unlike alcohol and cigarettes where there are incidents as such very often (So 4). The legalization of marijuana would have a very negative impact on international drug cartels, such as Mexico, and might pave the way for legalization of other drugs that could then lead to destruction of larger drug operations in Colombia, Bolivia, and in South East Asia. Marijuana is accused of being a gateway drug, but in reality there is not evidence of that, except for the fact that marijuana is illegal and much less lethal than the "harder drugs". Therefore it is conceived that it must be a gateway drug. If marijuana were legalized not only could we cap potency, but we could also block out harmful substances that are laced into the drug. The other accusation of marijuana is its effects. Of course clear decision making is lost, but much like alcohol it can be restrained to a safe potency. Of course age restriction laws should be in place, and this would severely cut down on underage-smoking since marijuana would no longer be on the streets, but in the stores.
Any sensible plan for legalization will work as long as it adheres to certain basic principles of realism in which people actually relate to drugs. Legalization is as much an approach to drug policy as it is a specific plan. First, we must stop thinking about drugs and drug users in terms of war and hate. The two words “drug” and “war” are now so joined in the minds of our leaders that they tend to think of them as one, “drugwar”. A new word might be introduced - drugpeace. That word and the ideas associated with it could form the foundation for the profound ideological change that must take place if we are to move down the road away from war and toward a vast range of peaceful options.
We can recognize that drugs include not only currently illegal substances but also alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, over-the-counter pain relievers, and prescription drugs. We can learn to distinguish among use, abuse, and addiction. We can support one another in recognizing drug-related problems and seeking help. With compassion, we can cultivate reflection and analysis of drug policy. In the safe space of our own communities, we can begin to prevent destructive relationships with drugs. We can go beyond our own walls and bring our perspective to the interfaith community, other nonprofit organizations, and elected officials. Through acceptance of one another and the encouragement of spiritual growth, we should be able to acknowledge and address our own drug use without fear of censure or reprisal.

[Muscletang]

That was a good paper you have there Josh. The guy made some good points in there I'll give him that. The thing is it came across as "all the problems in our culture will go away and there'll be this great peace all because of legal pot."

The thing about prisons and people getting more time than a murderer is a good point. As I stated above some of his other things seemed a little out there.

[-GS-]

very good information present in that paper, thanks for putting it up Josh.

[xokayxo]

"Drunk drivers run red lights while stoned drivers drive thirty-five on the interstates and stop at green lights." <-that rocks.

as an alaskan resident i can honestly say that quite a bit of the time it sucks here and it's very easy for people to get distressed and turn to drugs or alcohol. SAD (seasonal affective disorder) is also a huge problem up here, what with the 6 months of darkness followed by 6 months of light. not only do we have the highest marijuana use, we also have the highest suicide rate. i know many many many people who smoke weed or have in the past and there is absolutely nothing wrong with them. as for the people who smoke marijuana and totally screw up their lives: as snoopistdi said, some people are just fuck-ups and it has nothing to do with marijuana. why do people smoke cigarettes? next time you see someone light up a marlboro, ask them why they smoke. i bet they wont say, "oh, i'm just ACHING to get lung cancer!! if i'm lucky i'll get emphysema, but i really want cancer." they like the way it tastes, they like how makes them feel, whatever. the exact same goes for marijuana and alcohol. as far as marijuana being a gateway drug, it isnt always that way for all people. but for some people it is- they try marijuana and think "oh, this isnt so bad. let's go smoke crack and do heroin." i dont do either of those so it might not be that extreme, but that's the way i see it. the important thing is that you are happy with your lifestyle and stick to your guns about your beliefs and morals. if you dont smoke or drink or do drugs, go you! you dont need to. and if you do, if it makes you happy, go you as well!! it becomes a problem when someone who once got straight A's in school begins to let their grades drop, or someone who used to be such a high achiever loses interest and just doesnt give a damn anymore.

[thrasher]

It's really a very simple issue. If we as a culture decide that we will allow access to harmful substances such as tobacco and alcohol, then milder, less harmful substances should absolutely be allowed. Marijuana is safer than alcohol. That's a fact. So if alcohol is legal, marijuana should also be legal. That's all there is to it.

[lamehonda]

I would not support the legalization of Marijuana, but I would support the banning of alcohol and cigs. You all have created a very convincing argument against them.

[Cbass]

I agree with Jason, I used to be a pretty regular smoker, day in and day out for years. My memory, short term or otherwise is excellent, and my grades were always in the mid to high 90% range.

My brother on the otherhand, doesn't smoke the stuff at all. A couple years back, he had a head injury because of a crash, and now has severe short term memory damage.

[TexasF355F1]

Holy mother of john! Look who rose from the dead. Nice to see you're still alive and kickin.