POLL: Thoughts about cannabis?

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No, Saber, I agree with you on the High while driving... this should remain criminal. But then like I said, for smoking weed, I believe in pro-choice.

And as for me, the only reason I had little side effects from pot smoking is that I grew my own. I knew which variety it was, what were the effects, and that it contained no chemical products. The only thing chemical I used was 20-20-20 fertilizer. That's why I strongly encourage cannabis consumers to start their own green house. You know what you smoke. And it's better for the budget.

 

Tried once.
And about legalization, it's a drug but since you can kill yourself by smoking cigarettes (legal+lots of cash from taxes), alcohol (also legal) why you can't smoke soft drugs? Cannabis is far less dangerous then cigarettes.

 

If there are taxes put on the stuff then there would still be a black market for it. Cigarettes are legal in Canada but the taxes more than double the price. I know a lot of smokers who would not ask questions if offered cigarettes at a lower price. I imagine legalization would take care of some of the crime involved but definatly not all of it.

As far as smoking pot I haven't smoked it for over two years. Being a parent means you have to be responsible and a hypocrite if it means condemning the stuff when you actually used to use it. Before I had children I was stoned for aproximatly 6 years. I got a sever cough every 4 or 5 months and was a little forgetful during my "wonder years". On the up side I did produce some rather good art.

 

Well, I have to pipe in (yuck yuck!) due to what Disciple was on about. (One of these days I'll figure out how to quote)

This whole rat poison and bleach injected pot stuff is so silly. For some reason myths like this get perpetuated.

It seems to me that pot dealers are in the business of making money and wouldn't do anything to lower their profit margins. So why on Earth would they go through all the trouble of "injecting" rat poison into their pot?? How exactly does one inject such a substance into pot? Why even spend the money? And then what? You're trying to kill off your customer base?

It's just one of those silly myths that gets passed around by stoned college kids. Think, folks, think.

And I am in no way advocating pot smoking. Just had to dispel that myth.

 

Not necessarily applicable to pot, but...


A: It is cheaper to cut your drugs with another substance (bleach, for instance) than it is to provide them with pure stuff.
B: Dealing on the streets isn't a long term business--for the foot soldiers. Yeah, the guy you're selling to may be dead five years from now. So might you.
C: Customers are never in short supply, and are quite replacable. Free samples, anyone?

 

I don't have it. I have done once or twice but I don't understand the whole hubaloo about it. It doesn't taste very nice and it always makes me feel crap for some reason. At least beer is nice to drink whilst it's making you feel crap .

What makes me laugh is when people say 'I sometimes have a few spliffs when I go out drinking', you know straight away they're lying because that combo makes you spew your guts up.

I just prefer beer and cannabis gives me no reason to choose it over beer.

 

Have any of you ever wondered why cannabis is illegal ???

 

Maybe in denmark, but it's legal here.

 

As long as we have socialized health care I'm against legalizing any new damaging substances. Tobacco and alcohol are both too rooted to the society to cleanse but cannabis is not and that's pretty much how I'd prefer it to stay.

 

Bleach-infused weed is no myth. I have witnessed it with my very own eyes.

Speaking with one of the guys, he told me that injecting the plant with some chemical or another traumatizes it and makes it produce more THC, thus making it more potent. As for injecting it in the plant, it injected in the trunk of the plant via the help of a syringe.

More potent weed means fetching a higher price. Drug dealers are no imbeciles. AMaster is right.

Barmy... weed and beer combo doesen't automatically make one puke it's guts out. I have done it for years... and as long as you smoke before drinking, you will be fine. drinking before smoking... bad idea

 

I think it's ridiculous that cannabis is illegal here in the states. It shouldn't even be considered a drug IMO, especially not when alcohol and tobacco are not only both perfectly legal, but both are far more physically harmful than cannabis.

I agree with those in this thread who've stated that smoking cannabis in moderation is harmless. I can attest to this personally. Based on the research I've done on the subject (which is quite a lot) combined with my personal experience, I can state as fact that cannabis is in no way chemically addicting, is far less harmful than either alcohol or cigarettes, and there is no reason to deny its use to responsible adults. I believe if cannabis is to remain illegal, then alcohol and tobacco should be prohibited as well, as it's patently hypocritical to prohibit a practically identical substance based on false information (ie, that it's addicting, that it makes you a junky, etc).

So again - cannabis in moderation is relatively harmless. Of course this should go without saying, as anything done to excess is unhealthy.

My biggest reason for wanting to legalize cannabis is along the same lines as what Chandos said - the drug war. I do think that drugs that are actually harmful and dangerous - cocaine, heroine, methamphetamines, etc. - should be vigorously fought and kept off the streets. These substances are extremely addicting and harmful, most of the negative effects of which are irreversible. Drug Enforcement officers should be allowed to stop wasting their time and effort on something that isn't categorically any more dangerous than what is currently legal and heavily regulated by the government.

Anecdotal evidence for what it's worth: I've met 2 DEA officers in different areas of the country in the last few years, and both agree: their jobs seem futile because far too many man-hours and resources are spent chasing harmless hippies, while far more dangerous substances slip across our borders, and the dangerous criminals and abusers of other substances slip through their nets. Do they speak for all Drug Enforcement officials? Of course not. But you don't need to be one to come to the obvious conclusion that the persecution of cannabis does far more harm - at home and abroad - than good.

If the DEA stopped hunting, prosectuting and incarcerating marijuana users tomorrow, that would free them up financially and logistically to actually do some good in battling these other more harmful substances. They would stop destroying and infertalizing crop fields in South America, for example, which forces native peoples to burn deeper and deeper into the rainforests to clear land suitable for farming. And since cannabis is so profitable on the black market, the best way for these people to scrape a living is to continue planting and cultivating cannabis, only to have it destroyed by DEA agents in prop-planes. If cannabis becomes legal, it's black market value drops dramatically, and therefore removes the incentive for cultivation.

It's ridiculous that marijuana is treated the same as these other substances. NO ONE has ever died from a marijuana overdose, because it simply isn't possible (barring a severe allergic reaction, choking on it, etc). NO ONE has ever become chemically addicted to marijuana because, again, it simply isn't possible. Marijuana contains no chemically addictive properties whatsoever, and anyone who claims to be/have been a "marijuana addict" is either exaggerating, confusing habital addiction (overuse of something you enjoy with results in symptoms similar to withdrawal when parted with said activity) with chemical addiction (where the body actually becomes physically ill when deprived of the substance), or just flat out doesn't know what they're talking about.

I say this as a person who has (stupidly, I admit) experimented with more harmful substances. I know the difference between wanting to do something you enjoy and missing it in its absence, and having every part of your body repeatedly tell you that you NEED MORE. NOW. Cannabis does not - and CAN not - do that to you.

edit - WOW what a rant. Maybe I should light up a J to calm down...

 

That was nicely said, DR.

And about the marijuana overdose, I heard it was possible... but you'd have to smoke 1 1/2 times your body mass... so,since I weigh 180 lbs, I would have to smoke 270 POUNDS of weed to OD.

 

Marijuana does no damage, alcohol eventually washes out of the system (with only some liver damage), but tobacco's effects are quite damaging and permanent, not to mention that it's chemically addicting rather than just psychologically. I say Big Tobacco should start making joints instead.

EDIT:
If the government could start some kind of organized change-over to switch the roles of tobacco and marijuana, things wouldn't even have to change so much. Marijuana could be regulated like tobacco is, tobacco could be illegal, and no giant industries would be destroyed. If anything, the new MJ companies might be forced to expand due to their customers living longer, healthier lives of consuming.

[ November 19, 2005, 21:51: Message edited by: Felinoid ]

 

Hehe, agreed, Big Cat. I always dreamed to go buy a pack of Durban Poison at the convenience store...

 

I'd like to add a little something to how and why the suspicious "extras" such as waste opiates are put in the cannabis products: Where I'm from, many people instead of buying plants/leaves/buds/flowers from private individuals who grow their own stuff, go to organized dealers and buy pre-made lumps that have to be mixed into tobacco before smoking. These lumps usually have the consistency of silly putty and there can literally be anything extra in it, because it's cheaper for the dealers to cut down the amount of the actual stuff and throw in, well, anything they please. This kind of stuff comes to people, through many middle men, from organized criminals - and these should be clearly distinguished from people who grow their own stuff.

In many cases the extras are relatively harmless things like spices. Waste opiates are sometimes used in this manner because they can't be sold as proper opiates. Although this I've only heard from someone who apparently knows about this kind of stuff, I haven't witnessed it myself.

 

Also, on something DotW said, Smoking while drinking is really bad...

And Susipaisti, I've heard of THC oil laced with ink. It leaves an unpleasant aftertaste. I've also heard of hash cut with melted down vynil records (those old black ones)...

 

It should be pointed out, that for all intents and purposes, marijuana is legal in the United States. Any reasonable person could acquire a small quantity of pot within a couple hours if they are willing to travel to an urban center. There are certain legal risks, but in most states possession of a small quantity, if even prosecuted, is treated as a misdemeanor offense. That is assuming prosecution: I personally have had a police officer confiscate an eighth of an ounce with no further consequence. I have had friends with similar stories. Legal troubles are more a consequence of circumstance: Get caught with pot in the wrong environment and there will be trouble. The legal irregularities are a negative potential incurred by smokers, but hey, they are good at "feeling" things out, right?

As far as addiction: It is entirely to certain people. But so are almost all addictive substances, hence the potential for moralizing. I cannot handle marijuana: If I decide to smoke once, I am guarenteed a good month or two of accomplishing nothing other than getting stoned, playing computer games, and forgetting plenty. That is why I don't smoke, although if it were harmless, I would smoke continuously.

But if you can handle it, toke away. Just don't start too young; I thing a lot of the educational problems of America are directly related to teenage marijuana consumption.

 

Alas, LNT, no one can really do studies to prove that educational issues are a result of marijuana, because you can't really go up to a failing student, ask "do you use marijuana frequently," and make the conclusion they fail because of it.

 

I must admit, I'm having *thoughts about cannabis* all day and night, even in my dreams...

And -now i know what smiley the boards really need next, I just realized, there's no :smoke: smiley so for now i have to use this...

@Death Rabbit - Nice post, exactly my words if I could speak english

 

Then light up one, Lynadin!

Just kidding.

No smoke smilie, but there's this one