legalizing marijuana

[limabeanerson]

I’m kind of torn on this topic. I personally don’t smoke it (tried it a few times when I was young and did not like it) but I’m not sure it should be illegal. Politically I lean libertarian which would say legalize it but I guess I just don’t know enough about the topic.

I do have a question…Being that this topic is in the apologetics section, Does the Church have an official stance on this? Is smoking pot a sin on its own? Meaning, it would be sinful to break the law, but if it were legal to smoke it, would it still be a sin?

 

[DarkNight]

Oh, and he took it for his fatal cancer for three decades and counting. Perhaps his experts weren’t so expert after all.

These doctors are experts regarding cancer. No one is an expert regarding malignant pheochromocytoma. Pheochromocytoma is seen in between 2–8 in 1,000,000, with approximately 1000 cases diagnosed in United States yearly.Epidemiology
Of the 1000 cases/year, only 20% are malignant. Pheochromocytoma.
When my brother was diagnosed, there had not been enough people who lived long enough to conduct a clinical study.
In patients with metastatic pheochromocytoma, average life expectancy is about 5 years from the time of initial diagnosis. Life ExpectancySteve Kubby took a step doctors could not take at the time - to save his life he had to break the law.
Having survived 35 years longer than the average life expectancy, I would say he made the correct decision.

I am angry that our government pretends to care about health care but refuses to legalize marijuana for medical use.

 

[catholictiger]

I’m kind of torn on this topic. I personally don’t smoke it (tried it a few times when I was young and did not like it) but I’m not sure it should be illegal. Politically I lean libertarian which would say legalize it but I guess I just don’t know enough about the topic.

I do have a question…Being that this topic is in the apologetics section, Does the Church have an official stance on this? Is smoking pot a sin on its own? Meaning, it would be sinful to break the law, but if it were legal to smoke it, would it still be a sin?

i am surronded by friends who are very aginst the legalization of pot and they are ushually spot on with cahtolic teaching, but i don’t know what the church says about it

 

[pnewton]

to break the law.
Having survived 35 years longer than the average life expectancy, I would say he made the correct decision.

I am angry that our government pretends to care about health care but refuses to legalize marijuana for medical use.

And the peyote and 'shrooms? Desert? I am all for medical use of marijuana, but I find it hard to accept this man as a spokesman. Rather, after 35 years, it seems he is more of a pothead than a man dying of cancer. I see no more courage than any other drug abuser that gets caught. More likely, he found a good game to put the “con” in convict.

 

[pnewton]

Interesting article on a study about psychadelic mushrooms and its effect on the fatally ill. As someone that has indulged in this substance a lot it makes a lot of sense.

news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20100907/sc_livescience/hallucinogeniccomfortsfatallyillpatientsinstudy

From your article:

The patients who took psilocybin reported a general reduction in their anxiety over the next six months, with the biggest reduction coming at the one-month and three-month marks. Also, a significant lessening of depression was seen at the six-month mark.
The patients said they felt the drug contributed to their emotional improvement, Grob said.

Does anyone else see this not as medical treatment, but just getting high to escape? Not that I am averse to that, but it is a different issue than medical use.

 

[DarkNight]

And the peyote and 'shrooms? Desert? I am all for medical use of marijuana, but I find it hard to accept this man as a spokesman. Rather, after 35 years, it seems he is more of a pothead than a man dying of cancer. I see no more courage than any other drug abuser that gets caught. More likely, he found a good game to put the “con” in convict.

So you chose to deny the facts and prefer to call him a pot head, drug abuser and convict based on the fact that his use of medical marijuana has kept him alive for 40 years. He is not “cured” (as is obvious from what happened when he was imprisoned) - he is in a constant fight with the tumor.
But, that is the same mind set that our government has.
As a result, people are living in agony and, in cases like my brother, not even being told about the possibility of this medicine.

And would you call me a drug abuser because I take barbiturates every day?
I have epilepsy and have taken pheno-barbital, a well known barbiturate, for over 40 years to control my seizures. Luckily for me, the government doesn’t deny them to me unlike the way they deny medical marijuana.

Read; inform yourself. Life is not black and white. And there is no time limit on how long drugs may need to be taken.

 

[pnewton]

And would you call me a drug abuser because I take barbiturates every day?
That depends. Do you also do mushrooms and peyote?

If so, then, yes, I would think you have a drug problem. If you wish to idolize this man, that is your business. I am not impressed.

I call him a convict based on the fact he was convicted of drug possession. As far as denying the facts, let me just say I suspect what you are calling facts are not factual.

As to your brother, you are ignoring that I have said I am not opposed to medical marijuana use. It is only this particular person’s credibility I doubt.

 

[DarkNight]

If you wish to idolize this man, that is your business. I am not impressed.

I call him a convict based on the fact he was convicted of drug possession. As far as denying the facts, let me just say I suspect what you are calling facts are not factual.

As to your brother, you are ignoring that I have said I am not opposed to medical marijuana use. It is only this particular person’s credibility I doubt.

You would have allowed my brother to have used medical marijuana?
For how long until you labeled him a drug addict and then had him arrested? And you would then deny him the drug that was keeping him alive, preferring to allow him to die.
If you would allow my brother then why not Steve Kubby? They suffer from the exact same tumor.

I do admire (not idolize) those who choose to do the right thing despite our government.
Without the Steve Kubby’s of the world these medical uses for marijuana (and other plants) would remain untested because the government made it illegal to perform such studies.

Do your own research and prove that Steve’s situation is not as I have identified.
I will be waiting for links.

 

[bingbang]

From your article:
Does anyone else see this not as medical treatment, but just getting high to escape? Not that I am averse to that, but it is a different issue than medical use.

You don’t have experience with psychedelics, do you? If you did, you might understand. You are completely wrong in your assumption. These people did these drugs as therapy, not to escape. If it was just an escape, it would last only as long as the high. These people said they felt better months afterwards, from just one mushroom experience.

I bet that you cannot name one prescription drug that would have a similar effect with one time use.

 

[pnewton]

Do your own research and prove that Steve’s situation is not as I have identified.
I will be waiting for links.

articles.latimes.com/keyword/steve-kubby

medical marijuana activist who long argued that he needed the drug to cope with his cancer surprised a judge and supporters Friday morning by announcing that a synthetic substitute provided to him in jail has proved an effective replacement. Thanks to Marinol, a pill form of THC, the primary psychoactive ingredient in pot, Steve Kubby is “smiling and happy,” lawyer Bill McPike said. “In fact, he said it’s the best he’s felt in years.”

tahoedailytribune.com/article/20100806/NEWS/100809933

Kubby was convicted in 2000 with felony drug possession of psilocybin and mescaline, but was acquitted of possession of marijuana for sale charges, according to an article in the Sierra Sun.

americansfordrugfreeyouth.org/absolutenm/templates/default.aspx?a=100&template=print-article.htm

 

[jilly4ski]

I think this is a good reason to keep marijuana illegal.

youtube.com/watch?v=QJynLFgXUN4

 

[Spirithound]

And would you call me a drug abuser because I take barbiturates every day?
I have epilepsy and have taken pheno-barbital, a well known barbiturate, for over 40 years to control my seizures. Luckily for me, the government doesn’t deny them to me unlike the way they deny medical marijuana.

If so, then, yes, I would think you have a drug problem.

Excuse me? DarkNight may have a problem, but it is a medical problem, not a problem with his/her prescription drugs. A drug used according to doctor’s orders is by definition not an addiction, it is a medical treatment.

 

[pnewton]

Excuse me? DarkNight may have a problem, but it is a medical problem, not a problem with his/her prescription drugs. A drug used according to doctor’s orders is by definition not an addiction, it is a medical treatment.

I would like to sincerely apologize for my honest mistake. It seems I deleted a quote box and my statement got mixed up with the quote. It should have read:

That depends. Do you also do mushrooms and peyote?

• If so, yes…*

Meaning, if one is taking a variety of miscellaneous recreational drugs, then one has a drug problem (in my opinion). It may be debatable, but it was my opinion that was asked for. In any case, I appreciate DarkNight’s restraint if he too did not catch the meaning of my post. Again, it was my mistake.

 

[Spirithound]

I would like to sincerely apologize for my honest mistake. It seems I deleted a quote box and my statement got mixed up with the quote. It should have read:

That depends. Do you also do mushrooms and peyote?

• If so, yes…*

I am sorry too. I mis-parsed, and didn’t read the quote attributed to DarkNight close enough.
Peace