56 replies to this topic

[Magma]

i read most of the posts here, but some are really long so i didnt read em all but anyway...

I think pot shouldnt be legal. Its just like any other drug. It does hurt your judgment while you are under the influence, and that contributes to more accidents of any kind.
I think cigartes, and alchohol should also not be legal but thats a whoel differnt story.

The fact is if it was legalized, nobody could honestly promise to use it in moderation like some of the people who replied to this thread said. Thats the problem with alchohol and other drugs. People ABUSE it. People abuse a lot of things these days including drugs and more people think they can just get away with it one way or another. In the end it just costs the user of the drug to loose more than he ever gained, to the point of sometimes destroying a life in many ways such as the user dying from an overdose, a fatal accent occuring, etc. which ends the users life but also hurts the people who loved the user. Life has no money value to it so in the end all these drugs and alchohol usually if abused (which nobody in this world can promise that they will not abuse it for the addictive qualities of these drugs are very dangerous) ruin lives everywhere. Its a huge chain. A user dies, a family cries, and the pain is felt by family, and friends. These drugs may give you a one time "high" or an awsome time at a party, but the effects are ireversable.
I could have said way more, but eh i think thats enought for now.

[Lange]

Most important stuff has been said. So I'll keep it simple.

Should be legalized because I believe everyone is free to do whatever they want as long as it doesnt affect others. And it mostly wouldnt. You only get high, no big deal. You don't become psychopath and kill people in the streets

Anyway, for those who believe that it can be eradicated... it's an utopy.
It's always gonna be there so you're better get it legal so it gets controlled by the government.

The risk is still there with your kids. They're gonna smoke it no matter if it's legal or not lol....

[Ives]

Most important stuff has been said. So I'll keep it simple.

Should be legalized because I believe everyone is free to do whatever they want as long as it doesnt affect others. And it mostly wouldnt. You only get high, no big deal. You don't become psychopath and kill people in the streets

Anyway, for those who believe that it can be eradicated... it's an utopy.
It's always gonna be there so you're better get it legal so it gets controlled by the government.

The risk is still there with your kids. They're gonna smoke it no matter if it's legal or not lol....

Driving would be a problem too. haha. If someone gets a wicked high from some chronic, then they can CENSORED up while driving.

[Vegas]

Driving would be a problem too. haha. If someone gets a wicked high from some chronic, then they can CENSORED up while driving.

pssh y drive when u can fly high?

and hot-boxing it is wayy better than driving

[Lange]

Driving would be a problem too. haha. If someone gets a wicked high from some chronic, then they can CENSORED up while driving.

Well, some people seem to be able to smoke and drive without any problem ( thats what they pretend anyway).

People are told what to do and what not to do. If it was legalized then you couldnt drive at the same time, it's basically the same as alcool. Still, some people are driving drunk but it's just a small part of it. You can't control everyone's actions.

[Ives]

Well, some people seem to be able to smoke and drive without any problem ( thats what they pretend anyway).

People are told what to do and what not to do. If it was legalized then you couldnt drive at the same time, it's basically the same as alcool. Still, some people are driving drunk but it's just a small part of it. You can't control everyone's actions.

Well it depends. Some people can smoke a little bit and drive - same with drinking. But there's still a chance of an accident and in my opinion - it isn't worth it.

[Lange]

Legal or not, people are gonna keep smoking it.

You're better make it safer. Make more research and release more info in schools.

Right now, all they say is : Drugs are bad for you.

And honestly, I probably wouldnt have tried it if it would have been legal
(or not )

[Grizzly]

Dudes, Cannabis is for little sissy girls.
Go for some hardcore choking game if you REALLY want to kill yourself get high

Legal or not, people are gonna keep smoking it.

You're better make it safer. Make more research and release more info in schools.

Right now, all they say is : Drugs are bad for you.

And honestly, I probably wouldnt have tried it if it would have been legal
(or not )

The governments already put in a good effort in doing that. We have lame programs like DARE now. I think that's a bad approach in this situation though. It's more effective if we involve this kind of informaiton in our media. Look at what they did with cigarettes. It was once cool to smoke, but now it's just disgusting. Propaganda r0x0srz

wait.. I think I read that wrong. W.e I need sleep :blink:

[Frizzle]

People don't realise you aren't killing yourself when you take cannabis.
Ok you are, but you'd probably kill yourself more walking behind a moving car.

Yes, you could probably get cancer from smoking it, but then again you can get cancer from smoking anything.

An you say "the average pot smoker" and I'm wondering out of the estimated 30 million pot smoker, do you really know what the average one is? Have you talked to most of them, have you been to every area on the map? (Because we all know that with diffrent areas come diffrent situations, so that average would change right?)

If you find me a source of HARD evidence that cannabis serioulsy harms you in the long run, maybe I'll change my mind on it, because of right now, someone lighting up a cigarette walking down the street, or someone opening up that beer opposite you in the bar is doing FAR worse damage to themselves and probably you.

Second hand smoke blah blah, smoking's banned here (or soon will be) in public places, so that's already taken care of.

I just think laws are stupid on cannabis since say someone's shipping in a few hundred kilos of it from a diffrent country gets put away for 14 years (since it's a Class B drug for dealing, and Class C for possesion), if I smoke a bit too much of it and say have 1/8th of an ounce, I could get the same punishment. Psh.

And Brkn, I would reply to some of your posts, but you don't seem to use any common sense when it comes this topic, and believe me I've been in alot of these topics, you just seem to see it as "WEED + SMOKING = DRUG = BAD" and fail to look at other aspects.

This thread gives me the munchies.

[volycz]

Marijuana affects memory, judgment and perception even in the short-term, as was found in a study conducted by Pope and Yurgelun-Todd published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. It can mess you up in school, in sports or clubs, or with your friends. Several studies, including one reported a few years ago in the American Journal of Public Health, indicate that if you're high on marijuana, you are more likely to do things that could embarrass or even hurt you-such as driving under the influence or engaging in risky sexual behaviors. For athletes, THC's effect on timing, coordination, and movement-which can last for several hours-can seriously hurt performance.
Over the long term, smoking pot can cause you to lose interest in how you look and how you're getting along at school or work. It can also be much worse for your respiratory health than smoking cigarettes; the amount of tar, carbon monoxide, and cancer-causing chemicals inhaled in marijuana smoke are three to five times greater than that inhaled from the same amount of tobacco smoke.
"Let's face it Millions of people smoke Marijuana on a regular basis, and theres no stopping it now, so instead why not make it legalized and help the smoker and the government."

Several studies have linked marijuana use with poor school performance. It's harder to concentrate and retain information when you've been using pot, and every day of school is important to teens in their peak learning years. It should be no surprise that the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse found teens with a "D" average or below more than four times as likely to have used marijuana in the last year than those with an "A" average. You're more likely to drop out - or get kicked out - of school, or out of sports or other activities if you smoke marijuana.

The effects vary from person to person depending on how strong the marijuana is, how it's taken and whether other drugs or alcohol are involved. At first, pot can make people feel relaxed, in a good mood and even silly. Users will likely experience dry mouth, rapid heartbeat, some loss of coordination and poor sense of balance, and slower reaction times, along with intoxication. Blood vessels in the eye will expand causing the red-eye effect.

Smoking marijuana may impair short-term memory while people are using the drug. This happens because all forms of marijuana contain THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol), the main active chemical in marijuana, which alters the way the brain works. After a few minutes, paranoia or anxiousness may set in, then intense hunger (a.k.a. the munchies). Finally, sleepiness. NCADI For some people, marijuana raises blood pressure slightly and can double the normal heart rate. This effect can be greater when other drugs are mixed with marijuana.

more info at http://www.freevibe....s/marijuana.asp

[Thrasher]

I say yes to legalisation I live in the Netherlands and it is here already legal and that works perfect no very large problems with it.

And when your 18 you just can buy it in a "coffee shop"

Hard Drugs shouldn't become legal cause those really are addictive and very damaging to your brains

[Ives]

Marijuana affects memory, judgment and perception even in the short-term, as was found in a study conducted by Pope and Yurgelun-Todd published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. It can mess you up in school, in sports or clubs, or with your friends. Several studies, including one reported a few years ago in the American Journal of Public Health, indicate that if you're high on marijuana, you are more likely to do things that could embarrass or even hurt you-such as driving under the influence or engaging in risky sexual behaviors. For athletes, THC's effect on timing, coordination, and movement-which can last for several hours-can seriously hurt performance.
Over the long term, smoking pot can cause you to lose interest in how you look and how you're getting along at school or work. It can also be much worse for your respiratory health than smoking cigarettes; the amount of tar, carbon monoxide, and cancer-causing chemicals inhaled in marijuana smoke are three to five times greater than that inhaled from the same amount of tobacco smoke.
"Let's face it Millions of people smoke Marijuana on a regular basis, and theres no stopping it now, so instead why not make it legalized and help the smoker and the government."

Several studies have linked marijuana use with poor school performance. It's harder to concentrate and retain information when you've been using pot, and every day of school is important to teens in their peak learning years. It should be no surprise that the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse found teens with a "D" average or below more than four times as likely to have used marijuana in the last year than those with an "A" average. You're more likely to drop out - or get kicked out - of school, or out of sports or other activities if you smoke marijuana.

The effects vary from person to person depending on how strong the marijuana is, how it's taken and whether other drugs or alcohol are involved. At first, pot can make people feel relaxed, in a good mood and even silly. Users will likely experience dry mouth, rapid heartbeat, some loss of coordination and poor sense of balance, and slower reaction times, along with intoxication. Blood vessels in the eye will expand causing the red-eye effect.

Smoking marijuana may impair short-term memory while people are using the drug. This happens because all forms of marijuana contain THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol), the main active chemical in marijuana, which alters the way the brain works. After a few minutes, paranoia or anxiousness may set in, then intense hunger (a.k.a. the munchies). Finally, sleepiness. NCADI For some people, marijuana raises blood pressure slightly and can double the normal heart rate. This effect can be greater when other drugs are mixed with marijuana.

more info at http://www.freevibe....s/marijuana.asp

I've always hated freevibe. the accuracy isn't 100% on the article even.

The effects of smoking Cannabis are usually lighter than those of many other recreational psychoactive substances. People are generally capable of carrying out normal actions and activities while high.

POSITIVE

* mood lift, euphoria
* laughter
* relaxation, stress reduction
* creative, philosophical or deep thinking : ideas flow more easily
* increased appreciation of music. More aware of, deeper connection to music.
* increased awareness of senses. (eating, drinking, smell)
* change in experience of muscle fatigue. Pleasant body feel. Increase in body/mind connection.
* pain relief (headaches, cramps)
* reduced nausea, increased appetite (used medically for this)
* boring tasks or entertainment can become more interesting or funny

NEUTRAL

* general change in consciousness (as with many psychoactives)
* increased appetite, snacky-ness
* slowness (slow driving, talking)
* change in vision such as sharpened colors or lights
* closed-eye visuals (somewhat uncommon)
* tiredness, sleepiness, lethargy
* stimulation, inability to sleep (less common)
* blood shot eyes (more common with certain varieties of cannabis and inexperienced users)
* mouth dryness, sticky-mouth (varies with strain)
* interrupts linear memory. Difficulty following a train of thought.
* cheek, jaw, facial tension / numbness (less commonly reported)
* racing thoughts (especially at high doses)
* increased emotional impact of music
* Time sense altered: cars seem like they are moving too fast, time dilation and compression are common at higher doses

NEGATIVE

* nausea, especially in combination with alcohol, some pharmaceuticals, or other psychoactives
* coughing, asthma, upper respiratory problems
* difficulty with short term memory during effects and during periods of frequent use
* racing heart, agitation, feeling tense
* mild to severe anxiety
* panic attacks in sensitive users or with very high doses (oral use increases risk of getting too much)
* headaches
* dizziness, confusion
* lightheadedness or fainting (in cases of lowered blood pressure)
* paranoid & anxious thoughts more frequent
* possible psychological dependence on cannabis
* clumsiness, loss of coordination at high doses
* can precipitate or exacerbate latent or existing mental disorders

WITHDRAWAL SYMPTOMS

* mild to moderate, non life-threatening withdrawal symptoms occur after daily use in some users. These may last for 1-6 weeks after cessation of use and can include anxiety, anhedonia (reduced experience of pleasure), headaches, general unease/discomfort, difficulty sleeping, and a desire to smoke pot. Severity of symptoms is related to frequency of use and individual sensitivity.
* slight loss of appetite
* finding non-stoned life a bit dull, increased boredom

Source

Cannabis Health Concerns
by Erowid

* Every individual reacts differently to every substance.
* Be mindful at every step.
* Know your body. Know your mind. Know your source.

Use of marijuana is relatively safe. There are no confirmed deaths caused by marijuana alone, although deaths can and do result from injuries sustained while intoxicated. When combined with alcohol, cannabis decreases driving ability and can contribute to traffic accidents.

Negative Health Effects: A list of health-related references can be found on the Cannabid References Page. A very good introduction to the negative health effects of cannabis is the paper "Adverse Effects of Cannabis" by Hall W, Solowij N published in The Lancet, 1998 (14(352):1611-6). A brief summary of these can be found on the Cannabis Basics Page.

Some people may experience panic attacks (including extreme feelings of dread, accelerated heart rate, feeling as if they're going to die) from smoking cannabis. [See the Psychedelic Crisis FAQ for information about such an occurrence.]

Chronic smoking of marijuana can lead to respiratory ailments associated with smoke inhalation. A 1995 study suggests that use of a bong or water pipe does not necessarily lower the overall ratio of particulate matter to THC and may be counterproductive. In other words, it lowers the particulate matter, but it also lowers the amount of THC. For the same effects, a person may have to smoke more...thus raising particulate matter back to a level equal to that inhaled from unfiltered sources (joint or pipe).

Politics & Health: The political climate around cannabis and other recreational psychoactive substances has made it complicated to find balanced opinions about its safety and risks. The Federation of American Scientists has an interesting article on the issue of cannabis-risks and the political motivation on those on both sides of the issue.



Medical Marijuana Use
Marijuana has many possible medical uses. Positive effects are claimed for ailments such as cancer, AIDS, and glaucoma. AIDS can cause a loss of appetite known as the "wasting syndrome" which can lead to drastic weight loss and weakness. Chemotherapy used in the treatment of cancer causes nausea resulting in an inability to keep down food. Marijuana's healing nature for these two illnesses is a result of it's ability to increase a person's appetite as well as relieving nausea allowing a patient to regain weight. Marijuana reportedly helps glaucoma patients by reducing occular pressure which can cause damage to the eye.

Source

[Frizzle]

Hahahahaha. Sorry Saif, your source is totally unreliable, the toxins from cannabis smoke? You're chatting shit right there mate, that's totally untrue. I'd like to see the data they get that from.

That evidence is void in this debate.

[Ives]

Not to mention, thats more about kids schoolwork. Marijuana actually doesnt do permanet damage unless your a longtime smoker, which even then it shouldnt reduce grades by all too much if they have proper study habits. Not to mention, that basis of the study does not mention the kids could have been doing harder drugs.

And as for lung cancer - Joints can cause lung cancer thanks to the paper. Though technically everytime you smoke something it damages your throat.

[Grizzly]

Marijuana isn't that harmful as a drug. The symptoms are arguably less severe than symptoms from long term smoking or drinking.

HOWEVER, it is a gateway drug. Most people who smoke marijuana won't stop at just that. They'll eventually look for more powerful drugs like cocaine and heroine.

[Frizzle]

Find me proof of that then.

How can someone have a need for something they never had in the first place?

[jaredennisclark]

Marijuana isn't that harmful as a drug. The symptoms are arguably less severe than symptoms from long term smoking or drinking.

HOWEVER, it is a gateway drug. Most people who smoke marijuana won't stop at just that. They'll eventually look for more powerful drugs like cocaine and heroine.

It's true. Ask any crack/meth-head what made them start and you'll get the same answer: "Marijuana."

[jcrdude]

It's true. Ask any crack/meth-head what made them start and you'll get the same answer: "Marijuana."

Conversely, if you ask any pothead if they've tried crack or meth, that bullshit study would have been called bullshit.

[luvsmyncis]

WTF, hasn't there been like 10,526 threads posted about marijuana since March 7th, 2006? Why, of all of those threads was THIS ONE brought back?

[Melchoire]

A) Ridiculous grave dig.
B) As a former meth addict, I can tell you first hand that marijuana wasn't even close to my first drug ever... nor alcohol or nicotine.

Cocaine.

I didn't use marijuana for two years after I started experimenting with drugs and it was one of the last in a very, very extensive list.

2 years after coke?!?!?! You're wierd Cody

[Maeghan]

Marijuana affects memory, judgment and perception even in the short-term, as was found in a study conducted by Pope and Yurgelun-Todd published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. It can mess you up in school, in sports or clubs, or with your friends. Several studies, including one reported a few years ago in the American Journal of Public Health, indicate that if you're high on marijuana, you are more likely to do things that could embarrass or even hurt you-such as driving under the influence or engaging in risky sexual behaviors. For athletes, THC's effect on timing, coordination, and movement-which can last for several hours-can seriously hurt performance.
Over the long term, smoking pot can cause you to lose interest in how you look and how you're getting along at school or work. It can also be much worse for your respiratory health than smoking cigarettes; the amount of tar, carbon monoxide, and cancer-causing chemicals inhaled in marijuana smoke are three to five times greater than that inhaled from the same amount of tobacco smoke.
"Let's face it Millions of people smoke Marijuana on a regular basis, and theres no stopping it now, so instead why not make it legalized and help the smoker and the government."

Several studies have linked marijuana use with poor school performance. It's harder to concentrate and retain information when you've been using pot, and every day of school is important to teens in their peak learning years. It should be no surprise that the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse found teens with a "D" average or below more than four times as likely to have used marijuana in the last year than those with an "A" average. You're more likely to drop out - or get kicked out - of school, or out of sports or other activities if you smoke marijuana.

The effects vary from person to person depending on how strong the marijuana is, how it's taken and whether other drugs or alcohol are involved. At first, pot can make people feel relaxed, in a good mood and even silly. Users will likely experience dry mouth, rapid heartbeat, some loss of coordination and poor sense of balance, and slower reaction times, along with intoxication. Blood vessels in the eye will expand causing the red-eye effect.

Smoking marijuana may impair short-term memory while people are using the drug. This happens because all forms of marijuana contain THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol), the main active chemical in marijuana, which alters the way the brain works. After a few minutes, paranoia or anxiousness may set in, then intense hunger (a.k.a. the munchies). Finally, sleepiness. NCADI For some people, marijuana raises blood pressure slightly and can double the normal heart rate. This effect can be greater when other drugs are mixed with marijuana.

more info at  http://www.freevibe....s/marijuana.asp

And this is different from alcohol... how?


I'm completely for the legalization of marijuana under a few stipulations.

1. Higher restrictions for medical marijuana licenses. Instead of being all, "Owww, my head hurts. I need the ganja.", it would be restricted to those that have been scientifically proven to REALLY need it, like cancer patients and such.


2. Higher taxes on recreational marijuana, lower on medical. People always say, "As long as we tax the shit out of it", but I don't think it's fair for those who truly need it.

3. Age restrictions. Of course. State the obvious, kthnx.

4. Otherwise, treated as alcohal on every other level. No "high" in public. No "stoned" driving. No underage posession.




I don't understand how alcohol is safer than pot.

And they can't really make alcohol illegal because they've tried that before... It didn't work.

[Frank274]

I don't understand how alcohol is safer than pot.

And they can't really make alcohol illegal because they've tried that before... It didn't work.

Pot was originally made illegal because it posed as a threat to cotton farmers. And, as well all know, the rich control the land, therefore they control the law (well, back in the day at least).

We did a demonstration in my sociology class last semester. We were given a piece of paper with a bunch of "fake" drugs and their side effects, and were told to rank them 1-4, 1 being illegal, 4 being available to all. After we ranked them, we found out that they were real drugs and their side effects. Turns out, a class of college students would make alcohol 100% illegal and make pot available to those over 21, based on side effects.

I'm all for the legalization of pot. Tax it, make it available to people over 18 or 21, and make the law similar to the law of alcohol (driving, in public, etc)

[Hurricane]

i am for decriminalization for marijuana. it'll keep petty criminals out of the jails and leave space for more murderers, rapists and thieves. If someone wants to get pot, they'll get pot and all the potheads I know are against legalization due to the fact that big business will undoubtedly lace it and fuck it up just like cigarettes are supposed to be just tobacco but end up having more than 1,000 chemicals in a tiny death stick.

[Maeghan]

News flash: You dont know whether youre pot is laced or not, unless you grow it yourself.

I bet there are a surprising amount of substances in pot from a dealer.

[Bryan]

News flash: You dont know whether youre pot is laced or not, unless you grow it yourself.

I bet there are a surprising amount of substances in pot from a dealer.

News Flash: You'd have to be retarded to buy laced pot. The only time I've seen laced pot is when the dumb Mexicans put embalming fluid on some brick weed to make a couple extra bucks. No dealer is going to 'lace' pot, it's already cheap enough.