Startaling Facts on Marijuana- WebMD

[AUFootball24]

Pot Smoking Not Linked to Lung Cancer (http://www.webmd.com/lung-cancer/news/20060523/pot-smoking-not-linked-to-lung-cancer)


May 23, 2006 -- People who smoke marijuana do not appear to be at increased risk for developing lung cancer (http://www.webmd.com/diseases_and_conditions/lung_cancer.htm)lung cancer, new research suggests.
While a clear increase in cancer (http://www.webmd.com/diseases_and_conditions/cancer.htm)cancer risk was seen among cigarette smokers in the study, no such association was seen for regular cannabis users.
Even very heavy, long-term marijuana users who had smoked more than 22,000 joints over a lifetime seemed to have no greater risk than infrequent marijuana users or nonusers.



Heavy Marijuana Use Doesn't Damage Brain (http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/news/20030701/heavy-marijuana-use-doesnt-damage-brain)


July 1, 2003 -- Long-term and even daily marijuana use doesn't appear to cause permanent brain damage, adding to evidence that it can be a safe and effective treatment for a wide range of diseases, say researchers.



Marijuana May Stall Brain Tumor Growth (http://www.webmd.com/cancer/news/20040815/marijuana-stall-brain-tumor-growth)


Aug. 15, 2004 -- The active ingredient in marijuana may help fight brain tumors, a new study suggests.
Researchers say the cannabinoids found in marijuana may aid in brain tumor treatment by targeting the genes needed for the tumors to sprout blood vessels and grow.



Cannabis May Help Multiple Sclerosis (http://www.webmd.com/multiple-sclerosis/news/20031106/cannabis-may-help-multiple-sclerosis)


Nov. 6, 2003 -- The pain and muscle stiffness of multiple sclerosis may subside when patients take a pill containing the active ingredient found in marijuana, a new study shows. But spasticity may not improve, even though patients may think otherwise.





Why is this illegal again? Discuss.

[WayzUp]

Shouldn't be. That's all there is to it. Alcohol has far more negatives and costs far more in terms of damage done to families and society in general than marijuana ever could.

The two main reasons why it is illegal and alcohol isn't as I see it:
1) In terms of driving/operating machinery under its influence, there's no quantifiable test to determine if a person just smoked as say, a breathalyzer test. Even if they were to do blood/urine/whatever test, there's no way to tell if that person just finished smoking or if they did 2 weeks prior or if they were just at a party where people were.

2) The government can't tax it cuz it's so easy to grow for personal use. Unlike tobacco, most pot smokers can easily grow enough for their own use so the ability to levy 'sin taxes' on it and actually profit from the users' paying for it over the counter (as they do with alcohol and tobacco) wouldn't exist.

Regardless of all the positive uses for marijuana and the hemp fiber from the plant itself, if the government can't profit and/or regulate exactly when, where and how much the public can consume, it will never be legal. It matters not at all to them that alcohol being legal has 100 times the negative impacts cuz they can tax it and test for it's use without infringing upon the users rights. Remember, even to get that blood/urine/whatever sample to test for THC in a person's system, they'd have to get a court order & I would think the defense of "I was around it but never smoked it" would work every time.

[blues_cap]

Shouldn't be. That's all there is to it. Alcohol has far more negatives and costs far more in terms of damage done to families and society in general than marijuana ever could.

The two main reasons why it is illegal and alcohol isn't as I see it:
1) In terms of driving/operating machinery under its influence, there's no quantifiable test to determine if a person just smoked as say, a breathalyzer test. Even if they were to do blood/urine/whatever test, there's no way to tell if that person just finished smoking or if they did 2 weeks prior or if they were just at a party where people were.

2) The government can't tax it cuz it's so easy to grow for personal use. Unlike tobacco, most pot smokers can easily grow enough for their own use so the ability to levy 'sin taxes' on it and actually profit from the users' paying for it over the counter (as they do with alcohol and tobacco) wouldn't exist.

Regardless of all the positive uses for marijuana and the hemp fiber from the plant itself, if the government can't profit and/or regulate exactly when, where and how much the public can consume, it will never be legal. It matters not at all to them that alcohol being legal has 100 times the negative impacts cuz they can tax it and test for it's use without infringing upon the users rights. Remember, even to get that blood/urine/whatever sample to test for THC in a person's system, they'd have to get a court order & I would think the defense of "I was around it but never smoked it" would work every time.

all good points, but one way the government would benefit is they could stop trying to stop it. the war on drugs is the worst multi-billion dollar business i've ever heard of and this would be a place where they could save some money and re-allocate it towards thinning the the flow of herion, crack, etc.

this whole thing baffles me...

[AU Blaaaaaaaake]

I think the only reason Marijuana is still illegal is because it is, in theory, sort of a gateway drug.

You could argue that alcohol is as well, but for Marijuana I think it just leaves some heavy users desiring a stronger high... this leads people into crack/meth/E etc.

[Bulldog Bry]

I think the only reason Marijuana is still illegal is because it is, in theory, sort of a gateway drug.

You could argue that alcohol is as well, but for Marijuana I think it just leaves some heavy users desiring a stronger high... this leads people into crack/meth/E etc.

The only reason I've ever felt that mary-hoo-wanna could be considered a 'gateway' drug is not so much that you crave other drugs after you get high, but because of the people you inevitably have to hang around to GET weed. We've all caught ourselves sitting next to that guy who looks like an unkempt Ted Nugent while we're waiting for someone else to pack the bong. It's only the next day that you realize "Holy crap, that guy was scary". It's usually those scary people who HAVE cocaine, shrooms, acid, etc, and the mere fact that it's available is what makes it desirable. Well, that and wanting to alter your image of the Ted Nugent guy.

[timNem]

:laugh: I seen those guys too and I smoked my share of it back in the day. What is funny is people say that it helps them think clearly :laugh: . ANd they say that they are not addicted to it but they somehow can't get by without it. I understand that in most cases your body doesn't have a chemical dependancy like it would with Heroin or Meth but I do believe that people can be addicted to getting high.

The only reason I've ever felt that mary-hoo-wanna could be considered a 'gateway' drug is not so much that you crave other drugs after you get high, but because of the people you inevitably have to hang around to GET weed. We've all caught ourselves sitting next to that guy who looks like an unkempt Ted Nugent while we're waiting for someone else to pack the bong. It's only the next day that you realize "Holy crap, that guy was scary". It's usually those scary people who HAVE cocaine, shrooms, acid, etc, and the mere fact that it's available is what makes it desirable. Well, that and wanting to alter your image of the Ted Nugent guy.

[USC66]

I posted on this a while back. While the reports posted here offer encouraging news to people who want Marijuana legal, the reason behind it's illegality is Money. This has always been the case. Hemp is one of the strongest fibers known. If marijuana was legal, it would put half of the cotton industry out of business. It is also a very reliable and great source for pulp. This would deeply effect the timber industry. Anytime you want to know why something that doesn't make sense is the way it is, look to see who stands to lose the most money.
WayzUp has a good take on it too. It would be really hard to regulate.

[timNem]

Thats absolutley right. Its like herbs and alternative medicine can't be FDA approved simply because you can't patent Ginseng or anything else that is natural. Don't you think the pharmaceutical companies maybe..just maybe had something to do with this law? What is sad is that there have been claims that people have come up with cures for certain diseases with natural substances, but since you can't patent that and it also being illegal to administer that. Like you said the bottom line is its about profits.

I posted on this a while back. While the reports posted here offer encouraging news to people who want Marijuana legal, the reason behind it's illegality is Money. This has always been the case. Hemp is one of the strongest fibers known. If marijuana was legal, it would put half of the cotton industry out of business. It is also a very reliable and great source for pulp. This would deeply effect the timber industry. Anytime you want to know why something that doesn't make sense is the way it is, look to see who stands to lose the most money.
WayzUp has a good take on it too. It would be really hard to regulate.

[CrimsonTide12xs]

Another reason it's illegal is because the government is making money from it. Think of all the fines they get from busting people for it. Plus in Memphis it usually gets "lost" mysteriously and ends up right back on the street. And yes the war on drugs is a waste of tax payers money. Look at the history of the world, drugs in one form or another have always been around. If people want to do it they will find a way, trying to stop it does not work. I watched a documetary about this on HBO with Woody Harrelson as the narrator. He went through every year beginning in the 1920's showing how many billions have been spent on this "War on Drugs" and it has not gotten any better. Just more $$$$$$$$$$$$ down the drain.

[gatorunvrsty]

I posted on this a while back. While the reports posted here offer encouraging news to people who want Marijuana legal, the reason behind it's illegality is Money. This has always been the case. Hemp is one of the strongest fibers known. If marijuana was legal, it would put half of the cotton industry out of business. It is also a very reliable and great source for pulp. This would deeply effect the timber industry. Anytime you want to know why something that doesn't make sense is the way it is, look to see who stands to lose the most money.
WayzUp has a good take on it too. It would be really hard to regulate.

This is precisely why it was criminalized in the first place. Timber and paper industry magnates feared hemp would present a very real challenge to wood in paper production. The owners of these companies had big friends in Congress, and they conspired to come out with films and stories designed to scare the s.it out of people. Do any of you remember seeing some of those black and white films they released showing supposed marijuana users jumping out of windows and going insane? Ridiculous. But, at the time, it hadn't been used widely enough for people to realize the films were propaganda and total BS. It worked. As far as a gateway drug, I've been in this field for 12 years, and everybody I know considers alcohol the gateway drug. It's common knowledge that alcohol is indeed a drug, and nearly every addict started their using career by drinking a beer. But, alcohol eventually takes too long to take effect, and addicts want instant gratification. That's what motivates them to try more potent chemicals. Alcohol is, by far, the most dangerous drug on the planet. It kills more people. It hospitalizes more people. And it's the most dangerous to detox from without medical assistance. It destroys more lives than all the others combined. But, at this point, there's too much money in keeping it legal. It's much easier to attack tobacco and other drugs.:brick: In fact, 40% of all deaths that are not from natural causes are related to alcohol use. 40%. How can that be? Because when someone dies in a DUI crash, the cause of death is listed as the crash. If someone falls off a ladder to his death, the COD is listed as head injuries or blunt-force trauma. It doesn't say that the guy drank a six-pack before climbing up on the ladder. If a drunk husband kills his wife, it's listed as homocide by gunshot. But, all hospitals have been recording whether alcohol has been a factor in deaths and accidents for some time now, and it's been published that in almost half of all unnatural deaths, alcohol has been a factor.:ohmy: The worst thing I've ever heard of anyone doing after smoking too much pot is not share the M&M's.:laugh: But, it can make one lazy and dull the senses, so if anyone chooses to do it, please keep it at home and not on the road. And, while it's not physically addictive like alcohol, cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine; it can be mentally habit-forming, and make one uninspired or interested in doing anything but getting high.

[lacene]

well, this thread certainly has me startaled.....I need something to calm my nerves down.......

[gatorunvrsty]

well, this thread certainly has me startaled.....I need something to calm my nerves down.......

R U poking fun at "startled", or did you just fire up a fatty?:laugh:

[GamecockDieHard]

I'm turning all of you in to the authorities. You're obviously all a bunch of potheads!

Seriously though, it's only a gateway drug, 'cause the guy they're buying it from is making it a gateway drug. "Got any weed?" "Nah, but I got some (fill in the blank)." I'd say the vast majority of pot smokers only smoke pot. I knew an old alcoholic in California (about 70 years old), his physician successfully saved the guys liver (and life) by convincing him to smoke a joint instead drink a pint of whiskey every day.

[Bulldog Bry]

I'm turning all of you in to the authorities. You're obviously all a bunch of potheads!

Seriously though, it's only a gateway drug, 'cause the guy they're buying it from is making it a gateway drug. "Got any weed?" "Nah, but I got some (fill in the blank)." I'd say the vast majority of pot smokers only smoke pot. I knew an old alcoholic in California (about 70 years old), his physician successfully saved the guys liver (and life) by convincing him to smoke a joint instead drink a pint of whiskey every day.

That's hilarious.

"Doc, I'm starting to get the shakes, what do I do?"
"Don't worry. I'll write you a prescription for a hog leg blunt. Pick up some twinkies on the way home"

[azamugg]

I love to smoke some weed...........what was I just talking about?

[sheluvsbama]

Pot Smoking Not Linked to Lung Cancer (http://www.webmd.com/lung-cancer/news/20060523/pot-smoking-not-linked-to-lung-cancer)




Heavy Marijuana Use Doesn't Damage Brain (http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/news/20030701/heavy-marijuana-use-doesnt-damage-brain)




Marijuana May Stall Brain Tumor Growth (http://www.webmd.com/cancer/news/20040815/marijuana-stall-brain-tumor-growth)




Cannabis May Help Multiple Sclerosis (http://www.webmd.com/multiple-sclerosis/news/20031106/cannabis-may-help-multiple-sclerosis)






Why is this illegal again? Discuss.In Europe they talk about how the laws in the US are very unfortunate because they oftentimes ruin the lives of decent people who get in legal trouble because of it. Very sad because we all know how dangerous alcohol is and how people drink at bars and drive home all the time endangering us all.