Marijuana

[brigid12]

I think a lot of times when people pull out information on alcohol killing more people than marijuana that it’s often because they use marijuana. I think they are looking for a way to rationalize it to seem more acceptable and overlook and evidence to the contrary.

 

[SquallLeonheart]

I think a lot of times when people pull out information on alcohol killing more people than marijuana that it’s often because they use marijuana. I think they are looking for a way to rationalize it to seem more acceptable and overlook and evidence to the contrary.

Totally false, I do NOT use marijuana, although many of my friends do.

Now back to alcohol, from NCADD, it kills 2.5 MILLION people a year.

The harmful use of alcohol (defined as excessive use to the point that it causes damage to health) has many implications on public health as demonstrated in the following key findings:

• Harmful use of alcohol results in the death of** 2.5 million** people annually, causes illness and injury to millions more, and increasingly affects younger generations and drinkers in developing countries.

• Nearly 4% of all deaths are related to alcohol. Most alcohol-related deaths are caused by alcohol result from injuries, cancer, cardiovascular diseases and liver cirrhosis.

• 6.2% of male deaths are related to alcohol, compared to 1.1% of female deaths.

• 320 000 young people aged 15-29 years die annually, from alcohol-related causes, resulting in 9% of all deaths in that age group.

• Almost 50% of men and two-thirds of women do not consume alcohol.

• Harmful alcohol use is one of four common risk factors, along with tobacco use, poor diet and physical inactivity, for the four main groups of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) – cardiovascular diseases, cancer, chronic lung diseases and diabetes.

• Alcohol is the world’s third largest risk factor for disease burden; it is the leading risk factor in the Western Pacific and the Americas and the second largest in Europe.

The harmful use of alcohol is also associated with several infectious diseases like HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). This is because alcohol consumption weakens the immune system, reduces inhibitions, effects judgment and has a negative effect on patients’ adherence to antiretroviral treatment.

 

[Havard]

Now back to alcohol

Why are you turning the discussion back to alcohol?

 

[SquallLeonheart]

Why are you turning the discussion back to alcohol?

Hi, just to point out that acohol is legal and marijuana is not (in most states)
Therefore, I am saying it should be legalized and decriminalized in every state.

 

[edwest2]

Hi, just to point out that acohol is legal and marijuana is not (in most states)
Therefore, I am saying it should be legalized and decriminalized in every state.

A very bad idea.

asam.org/pressroom/read/2012/07/30/asam-opposes-state-ballot-measures-to-legalize-marijuana

Just type marijuana rehab into google.

Peace,
Ed

 

[Havard]

Hi, just to point out that acohol is legal and marijuana is not (in most states)
Therefore, I am saying it should be legalized and decriminalized in every state.

You do see how your posts about alcohol could be used to argue that neither should be legal, though, right?

Consolidating arguments for different substances doesn’t necessarily work, unless the substances are sufficiently similar not only in effect but in usage. For the most part, each one should be addressed by its unique risks and benefits.

 

[ClearWater]

Hi, just to point out that acohol is legal and marijuana is not (in most states)
Therefore, I am saying it should be legalized and decriminalized in every state.

Alcohol may kill more people than crack, cocaine. Should we legalize that, too, then?

 

[SyroMalankara]

This argument is silly and very US centric. The fact is, marijuana has been tolerated in most of the world, just as alcohol has. Where alcohol was illegal, people still drink - SEE IRAN for example. Iran has anti-alcohol police and arrests people for drinking. It sounds silly to Americans, but the US policy sounds ridiculous to most of the rest of the world. Especially regarding mandatory 20 year sentences and removing children from homes for recreational marijuana use by adults. It’s more than a little over the top.

All the arguments made against marijuana, have and can be made about alcohol…

foxnews.com/world/2012/06/27/islamic-republic-plans-to-execute-two-for-consuming-alcohol/

The US police like to show themselves confiscating bricks of marijuana and arresting people, here are Iranian police doing the same with beer:

mohabatnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4925:iran-confronts-its-alcohol-problem&catid=35:inside-iran&Itemid=278

 

[ClearWater]

This argument is silly and very US centric. The fact is, marijuana has been tolerated in most of the world, just as alcohol has. Where alcohol was illegal, people still drink - SEE IRAN for example. Iran has anti-alcohol police and arrests people for drinking. It sounds silly to Americans, but the US policy sounds ridiculous to most of the rest of the world. Especially regarding mandatory 20 year sentences and removing children from homes for recreational marijuana use by adults. It’s more than a little over the top.

All the arguments made against marijuana, have and can be made about alcohol…

foxnews.com/world/2012/06/27/islamic-republic-plans-to-execute-two-for-consuming-alcohol/

The US police like to show themselves confiscating bricks of marijuana and arresting people, here are Iranian police doing the same with beer:

mohabatnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4925:iran-confronts-its-alcohol-problem&catid=35:inside-iran&Itemid=278

 

[ClearWater]

This argument is silly and very US centric. The fact is, marijuana has been tolerated in most of the world, just as alcohol has. Where alcohol was illegal, people still drink - SEE IRAN for example. Iran has anti-alcohol police and arrests people for drinking. It sounds silly to Americans, but the US policy sounds ridiculous to most of the rest of the world. Especially regarding mandatory 20 year sentences and removing children from homes for recreational marijuana use by adults. It’s more than a little over the top.

All the arguments made against marijuana, have and can be made about alcohol…

foxnews.com/world/2012/06/27/islamic-republic-plans-to-execute-two-for-consuming-alcohol/

The US police like to show themselves confiscating bricks of marijuana and arresting people, here are Iranian police doing the same with beer:

mohabatnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4925:iran-confronts-its-alcohol-problem&catid=35:inside-iran&Itemid=278

The US penalties are quite different.

norml.org/laws/item/federal-penalties-2

 

[Havard]

This argument is silly and very US centric. The fact is, marijuana has been tolerated in most of the world, just as alcohol has. Where alcohol was illegal, people still drink - SEE IRAN for example. Iran has anti-alcohol police and arrests people for drinking. It sounds silly to Americans, but the US policy sounds ridiculous to most of the rest of the world. Especially regarding mandatory 20 year sentences and removing children from homes for recreational marijuana use by adults. It’s more than a little over the top.

All the arguments made against marijuana, have and can be made about alcohol…

foxnews.com/world/2012/06/27/islamic-republic-plans-to-execute-two-for-consuming-alcohol/

The US police like to show themselves confiscating bricks of marijuana and arresting people, here are Iranian police doing the same with beer:

mohabatnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4925:iran-confronts-its-alcohol-problem&catid=35:inside-iran&Itemid=278

There is a clear difference in the usage of these substances.

Recreational alcohol consumption MAY BE self-medication, and therefore MAY BE problematic.

On the other hand, recreational marijuana use is BY DEFINITION self-medication, and therefore is NECESSARILY problematic.

 

[SyroMalankara]

I disagree… with your contrast…

Recreational alcohol consumption MAY BE self-medication, and therefore MAY BE problematic.

Recreational marijuana use is MAY ALSO BE self-medication, and therefore MAY BE problematic.

 

[1newcatholic]

There is a clear difference in the usage of these substances.

Recreational alcohol consumption MAY BE self-medication, and therefore MAY BE problematic.

On the other hand, recreational marijuana use is BY DEFINITION self-medication, and therefore is NECESSARILY problematic.

By your definition, recreational coffee drinking is “by definition” self-medication, and “necessarily” problematic.

There is no inherent sin in smoking or ingesting marijuana, any more than any other chemical–this includes smoking recreationally where it is permitted, or medicinally where it is permitted. If you live in an area where it pot is criminalized, on the other hand, smoking pot is breaking the law, and carries civil penalties, if not spiritual penalties.

Although some people will abuse pot or become addicted to it, it does not therefore follow that all pot should be prohibited, anymore than coffee should be universally prohibited because some people get headaches or behave erratically while influenced by caffeine.

As with any chemical or drug, pot should be used carefully and in moderation. It should never be used to an extent where it endangers life, and its consequences should always be considered. Not all things that are lawful are expedient.

However, there is no spiritual prohibition against prescribed medications, and even “recreational” use is permissible if done safely and in moderation.

 

[Tigg]

Aren’t EBT cards for food?

Ed

Here’ya go…

Sen. Jeff Sessions said the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services told him EBT cards, the debit cards used by those eligible for food stamps and cash assistance, can be used at legal marijuana shops.

newstome.blog.ajc.com/2014/09/10/ebt-cards-can-be-used-for-marijuana/

 

[Tigg]

Hi, I have seen numerous threads about legalizing marijuana, but I just had to comment that alcohol has destroyed more families, killed more people, and will continue to do more damage to the family and the world than marijuana ever could. Fact.

I wonder if you’ll still be able to say this in a few years. I live in a state that has legalized marijuana and we are only beginning to see the negative effects. Reports of a higher potency marijuana are coming out with more frequent usage. Law enforcement is unable to handle the newer problems such as hash explosions which endanger the lives of neighbors and children. (A couple was recently charged with child endangerment after they blew out the windows of their home trying to make the homemade stuff.) Inter-state drug trafficking is now in the news and marijuana dispensaries outnumber pharmacies, liquor stores – even McDonalds in certain areas. Children have been poisoned from eating the edibles. We are seeing a rise in erratic driving, (as if texting and alcohol were not enough.) Kids sit in classrooms stoned because of the devices now on the market that tout smokeless, odorless means of smoking pot wherever you are. The list goes on and it is both frightening and sometimes amusing to hear “what’s next.”

 

[Havard]

By your definition, recreational coffee drinking is “by definition” self-medication, and “necessarily” problematic.

There is no inherent sin in smoking or ingesting marijuana, any more than any other chemical–this includes smoking recreationally where it is permitted, or medicinally where it is permitted. If you live in an area where it pot is criminalized, on the other hand, smoking pot is breaking the law, and carries civil penalties, if not spiritual penalties.

Although some people will abuse pot or become addicted to it, it does not therefore follow that all pot should be prohibited, anymore than coffee should be universally prohibited because some people get headaches or behave erratically while influenced by caffeine.

As with any chemical or drug, pot should be used carefully and in moderation. It should never be used to an extent where it endangers life, and its consequences should always be considered. Not all things that are lawful are expedient.

However, there is no spiritual prohibition against prescribed medications, and even “recreational” use is permissible if done safely and in moderation.

Comparing coffee to marijuana is silly. Coffee is a mild stimulant that improves cognitive functions. With coffee, you’re going from tired to alert. With THC, you’re going from alert to tired. Well, not tired precisely, as THC is also a stimulant, but by slowing neuroprocessing, you are frustrating cognitive functions in a manner similar to lack of sleep.

Unless one has a medical reason for using marijuana, one should examine the conscience to consider why one wants to take a well-functioning brain and adding chemicals that work against its natural processes.

 

[SyroMalankara]

Comparing coffee to marijuana is silly. Coffee is a mild stimulant that improves cognitive functions. With coffee, you’re going from tired to alert. With THC, you’re going from alert to tired. Well, not tired precisely, as THC is also a stimulant, but by slowing neuroprocessing, you are frustrating cognitive functions in a manner similar to lack of sleep.

Unless one has a medical reason for using marijuana, one should examine the conscience to consider why one wants to take a well-functioning brain and adding chemicals that work against its natural processes.

I’m thinking the easiest response to this is that 95% of musicians are using marijuana when being creative. Yes, I made up that stat, but it seems to improve brain function in certain areas. In addition, marijuana has been around longer and been used by human in different forms for much longer than either coffee or perhaps even alcohol.

 

[SyroMalankara]

I wonder if you’ll still be able to say this in a few years. I live in a state that has legalized marijuana and we are only beginning to see the negative effects. Reports of a higher potency marijuana are coming out with more frequent usage. Law enforcement is unable to handle the newer problems such as hash explosions which endanger the lives of neighbors and children. (A couple was recently charged with child endangerment after they blew out the windows of their home trying to make the homemade stuff.) Inter-state drug trafficking is now in the news and marijuana dispensaries outnumber pharmacies, liquor stores – even McDonalds in certain areas. Children have been poisoned from eating the edibles. We are seeing a rise in erratic driving, (as if texting and alcohol were not enough.) Kids sit in classrooms stoned because of the devices now on the market that tout smokeless, odorless means of smoking pot wherever you are. The list goes on and it is both frightening and sometimes amusing to hear “what’s next.”

Oh come on. This is like Reefer Madness 2.0. Let’s just ban everything… for the kids…

Homes will still explode when someone lights butane to make meth, hash, or deep fry a turkey…

 

[1newcatholic]

Comparing coffee to marijuana is silly. Coffee is a mild stimulant that improves cognitive functions. With coffee, you’re going from tired to alert. With THC, you’re going from alert to tired. Well, not tired precisely, as THC is also a stimulant, but by slowing neuroprocessing, you are frustrating cognitive functions in a manner similar to lack of sleep.

Unless one has a medical reason for using marijuana, one should examine the conscience to consider why one wants to take a well-functioning brain and adding chemicals that work against its natural processes.

My conscience is examined and clear.

Are you judging from a place of abstinence, or a place of experience? Because it sounds like you might not really understand what ingesting or smoking marijuana actually accomplishes, and are extrapolating based on general stereotypes and vague news reports.

That being said, everyone’s experience is personal and unique, even if common patterns emerge, so trust your good judgment. If you’re afraid of it, or contemptuous of it, don’t do it.

 

[1newcatholic]

Oh come on. This is like Reefer Madness 2.0. Let’s just ban everything… for the kids…

Homes will still explode when someone lights butane to make meth, hash, or deep fry a turkey…

I had the same thought.