what is your opinion on marijuana?

I think its stupid to talk about all psychoactive drugs as if they all worked the same way and were all equally addictive. That way you're putting alcohol, cannabis, caffeine, lsd, shrooms, opioids, benzos and many more in the same level.
I havent read that guys books, but that quote you gave us doesnt sound like it tells us about cannabis, more like about benzos or alcohol.

Also, lets think that cannabis is as addictive as alcohol. Many people would get addicted to it and it would ruin their lives. But would they seek help? No way, because they know they're using an illegal drug, they're criminals. But if cannabis was made legal, these people would have bigger changes of going to seek help for their addiction because the guilt of doing something illegal would be gone.

upon further consideration, it seems to me that the "doctor" is implying that the tolerace affect is permanent. as though it would take an ever increasing amount of the drugs to achieve the same effect, even after stopping for an extended period.

the "withdrawl" from marijuana is realatively minor. the worst ive ever expierianced was a loss of appetite that lasted no more than two days. there was no pain or depression.

if you(HowlLessWolf) are going to debate a specific topic, please keep your references specific to that topic.

Man, I'm getting the munchies just by getting high off this thread. Seriously though, I don't see pot as harmful as cigs or alcohol. However, I'd say to keep it illegal since we don't need anymore legal substances in society. Regardless of what you think the benefits of pot is, its still a substance and substances are more often than not abused by people. Thats all I gotta say on this matter.

Legalization would at least be an indicator that we're willing to treat drugs like a hazard instead of a taboo.

There will never be a flat-line where both parties agree upon a subject, I have seen both cases where people get addicted to it, and cases where people can easily give it up all together. I have also seen study results that show that marijuana has an effect on growth speed of tumors, but I doubt that even conclusive evidence would cause you to abandon your beliefs that it is bad. Though proven less harmful than alchohol, not so sure about ciggaretes, it does the exact same thing as any drug, lowers brain function. And though you all say that it makes one "dumber" that would only be for the duration, it may influence ones willingness to put forth the effort to give an intelligent answer, but it does not by any means make them retarded for smoking it. Laboratory tests have shown that cannabis diminishes the short term memory – but only when a person is intoxicated with it. There also many rumors which float around with marijuana that most of the population take for fact. Point something out and I'd be glad to stand where I do on the topic, i agree it should be legal, but I'm sure that before long California will Legalize recreational use and it will start a chain that will be major to say the least. (Mostly due to the fact that once it happens, state law and federal laws will be conflicting and the government will be required to state a policy for the entire nation and not each state individually making laws on its own accord.)

You all wanna know something funny? You all got the wrong idea of why Marijuana was made illegal. It's first major appearence was sometime in the 1940's, but it wasn't about people smoking it. It was all about hemp. We all know that hemp could be used as clothes, accessories, and even paper, which was a higher quality. beacuase of the major hype it made, people began to by more hemp products, which made the other companies start to loose a large profit.

When their profits dropped, they were in fear of going out of business, so they did what they had to do. They bagan to make a slander campaign against marijuana, using the whole smoking it the target. This got a lot of people's attention, even those in the government. In a short time, marijuana was made illegal, classified as a dangerous drug, and all growth of it was halted.

Now that you know this, here's something to think about. Should Marijuana be illegal if the "dangers" were an ulterior motive? I don't think so.

Also, Dow or DuPont(i forget which) invented plastics around then, and the Hearsts were worried about massive timber holdings being devalued as a source of paper.

to demonize it, racial stigmas were attatched. black blues musicians and mexican migrant workers were the primary users. very few white people were even aware of it's use as a drug.

there was also the hilarious "Reefer Madness"(originally "Tell Your Children") propaganda film used to influence parents.
[size=1]i could have sworn i already said all this, but i can't find it in this thread[/h]

Thank you, that was very informative. +rep

Still doesn't really change my opinion though. The benefits of weed are outweighed by the disadvantages.

125 years old woman says marijuana is the key to long life

Well, I wont agree nor disagree that weed is the key to long life, but after reading that article I couldnt help but think that IF weed causes lung (or any other) cancers, that woman should have one. After her long life of toking every day she should have had cancer if weed causes it, but she was totally healthy.

Just thought I'd share this, cause some people might find it interesting.

I'm curious to see what you consider the benifits and disiadvantages. please elaborate.

* The question marks I add to the pros/con implies that it is just a rumor/myth.

Pros:

-Increases appetite
-Eases the pain of joints in distress
-It feels good
-Might enhance the libido
-Easier to quit than nicotine and alcohol?
-Leads to long life?
-Promotes inspiration?



Cons

-Increases appetite
-Negatively effects short-term memory and concentration
-Negatively effects the respiratory system
-Negatively effects the immune system
-Increases paranoia or fear
-Bad skin, eyes and teeth
-Increases the risk of heart attack
-Might decrease the libido
-Withdrawal symptoms from pot use includes: Strong craving for marijuana, decreased appetite, insomnia, weight loss, aggression, anger, irritability, restlessness, and strange dreams
-Demotes motivation?
-Lung cancer?
-Gateway effect?

That's one thing that really irks me about the marijuana debate - there are a lot of things that are true and false at the same time. And it's not just a matter of opinion, or one guy talking out of his ass and saying that another guy's wrong.

I guess it's not much of a surprise; people are still debating about whether smoking cigarettes actually gives you lung cancer or not and the real effects of second-hand smoke on those nearby, and studies are constantly coming out saying that (small amounts of) alcohol can be good for your health and bad for your health. But I still hate that there is so much wiggle room with regard to the effects of weed. It's as if the only consensus people can reach is that it can make people feel good, and it gives them the munchies.

Legalized or not people'll still smoke weed.

Looks like I learned something new today, thanks. I'll do more research and revise my pros and cons criteria. So far, I found accounts of research studies that suggest that pot may also help prevent cancer.

That is why i keep asking people where they get their info. the biggest thing holding the legalization back is the lack of knowledge on the subject.


and since you mentioned the gateway effect, by that logic, alcahol is also a gateway drug, but even more so as it's legally available. the only way weed could be a gateway drug is that you have to get it from the same places as the other illegal drugs, and are there fore exposed to stuff you wouldn't otherwise be. "i see you enjoy the herb good sir. while you're here buying that, would you care to try som crack laced with PCP, dipped in LSD and spironkled with heroin?". if it were legal, people wouldn't be exposed to the other stuff.

I have never heard of weed having negative effects on the immune system. Do you have some kind of proof on that one? All of the people I know who smoke weed are sick very rarely. And I had my first flu in 2 years just few days ago (and surprise, surprise, I havent smoked in 2 months). Ofcourse, it could be that people who smoke weed dont just hang out in big crowds where people usually get their flu.

Paranoia. Yes, weed can cause it, especially some sativa strains. But if weed was legal, people could choose which strains to buy from coffee shops/dispensaries and if they get paranoid easily, they'd have the oppoturnity to choose the strain that doesnt cause that much paranoia.
+ keeping weed doesnt help the paranoia. When people do get paranoid because of weed, it really doesnt help them that they know they're doing something illegal and that if a wrong person finds out they're high, cops will get them. So if weed was legal, it would help with the paranoia issue.

Bad skin and teeth. I want you to explain that. The only way I could imagine people get bad skin because of weed is that they smoke frmo a bong and all the shit from their face sticks to the bong and gets back on their face when they use the bong the next time (or if smoking with more friends, you'd get your friends' face shit and they'd get yours).
But I dont understand the bad teeth part. If you smoke it with some tobacco mixed in, yes, but then its the tobacco that causes bad teeth, not the weed. I guess some people might be a bit lazy with brushing their teeth when high, or because of the munchies they eat more candy and that causes it...
And the bad eyes. Seriously now. Yes, you get red and swollen eyes. But only when you're high, eyes get normal after that. And imo the looks arent a good reason to keep it illegal. "it would make people ugly with pimples on their face and red and swollen eyes, lets keep it illegal".
To me that part sounds like you're just trying to get the cons list longer than the pros. Or you're just very superficial, but I hope thats not the case here.

Withdrawal... Yes, strong craving for the weed, some get milder, some stronger. I personally get way stronger cravings for sugar than weed. Decreased appetite, that lasts for few days only, so its not a bad thing. Usually its a good thing after few days/weeks/months of munchies. Insomnia also lasts only for few days, and thats because weed usually helps people to fall asleep and without that help it can be harder to fall asleep for a while, but it doesnt last that long. Weight loss, not a bad thing to most of the people, because people dont lose more than few kilos. Irritability and restlessness dont last for so long either. People are usually more irritated when they have a hangover after drinking too much. Strange dreams, umm, so? Whats so bad about strange dreams?
And agression and anger are the ones I dont believe in. People who are generally agressive could get agressive at this point, but I dont believe a person who's not prone to get agressive to get agressive at this point either. And agressive people getting agressive after they quit smoking weed, its not weeds fault, its just that the person is agressive to begin with.


Laggi: have you tried the hemp bodybutter from bodyshop? Its quite expensive (200ml for 17 euros), but one package lasts for very long. I know that the psoriasis is a totally different case, but for some people its the only thing that helps on their very very dry skin.

Another positive effect from pot is that THC/CBD is one of the few knowns substances able to help brain cell formation. Contrary to the popular belief that you never get any new brain cells, and that pot kills brain cells, brain cell formation is a very, very slow process. But both CBD and THC actually speeds up this process, and also acts like a neuroprotectant.

Source: Division for Toxicological Sciences; Oxford University Press

[/quote]

I guess it's not much of a surprise; people are still debating about whether smoking cigarettes actually gives you lung cancer or not and the real effects of second-hand smoke on those nearby, and studies are constantly coming out saying that (small amounts of) alcohol can be good for your health and bad for your health. But I still hate that there is so much wiggle room with regard to the effects of weed. It's as if the only consensus people can reach is that it can make people feel good, and it gives them the munchies.[/quote]

For the whole acohol thing, there is only one type of acoholic beverege that is healthy, and that is a specific red wine.

Not to derail this thread, but I've heard a lot of times that alcohol in general can be good for you. So many times, in fact, that it's really mind-boggling. Sometimes it's a certain kind of alcohol (like red wine), and other times it's alcohol in general. Here's a very short article saying pretty much that: http://www2.potsdam.edu/hansondj/healthissues/1074864884.html

Most confusing are the studies concerning alcohol's effects on women.

This article says that alcohol can lower the risk of heart disease in some women: http://www.dutchdailynews.com/alcohol-good-for-womens-heart/

This article says that alcohol can increase the risk of breast cancer in women: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/features/article5940695.ece

I haven't delved too deeply into the subject, but it certainly does seem perplexing.