Smoking just one cannabis joint raises danger of mental illness by 40%

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HeXploiT

Diamond Member
Jun 11, 2004
4,359
1
76
Originally posted by: sandorski
Originally posted by: Perry404
Originally posted by: sandorski
Originally posted by: Perry404
..dopers continually miss the point in drug education. The problem is the desire to intoxicate. Not the intoxicant.

True. It is a form of blindness.

wow, just wow. Both of you guys are way out there on this subject.

As if it needed to be stated...the blindness to which i refer is called denial.

Denial of the Lies perpetuated by the Clueless. Practically every "reason" used by the Anti-Drug crowd are outright Lies or Half-Truths. Then you jump in with the worst of all, the "Gateway" myth. If you seriously are against Drugs. Then you need a song and dance much more related to Reality, because that old schtick has been ineffective for Decades. You may as well be saying Pot gives you Cooties.

Just learn and tell the truth. At least people will respect your honesty.

Ineffective against what? Do you even know my stance on the issue?
Just what is it you think I'm trying to achieve?
Listen to yourself. You sound paranoid.
 

IGBT

Lifer
Jul 16, 2001
17,945
122
106
Originally posted by: SirStev0
Originally posted by: Perry404
..dopers continually miss the point in drug education. The problem is the desire to intoxicate. Not the intoxicant.

True. It is a form of blindness.

Marijuana causes blindness! ... I think you have a thesis!

..so what do ya think?? it causes reading and comprehension difficulty too?

 

HeXploiT

Diamond Member
Jun 11, 2004
4,359
1
76
Originally posted by: IGBT
Originally posted by: SirStev0
Originally posted by: Perry404
..dopers continually miss the point in drug education. The problem is the desire to intoxicate. Not the intoxicant.

True. It is a form of blindness.

Marijuana causes blindness! ... I think you have a thesis!

..so what do ya think?? it causes reading and comprehension difficulty too?

Well i think there is no question it causes short term memory loss(just after a few years) zaps motivation, inhibits motor functions and causes physical dependence. I have known many pot smokers in my day and i don't think it's a coincidence that so many of them end up living in a cabin in the woods. Eventually the pot becomes more important than anything else. As i've said i have seen this again and again and again and again.
My argument is not a legal one or even an ethical one. It is simply that the drug is far from harmless. Its prolonged use has many repercussions. If someone wants to smoke pot fine but don't justify it just because it's pleasurable. Truth in all things.
 

Hacp

Lifer
Jun 8, 2005
13,923
2
81
Originally posted by: Perry404
Originally posted by: IGBT
Originally posted by: SirStev0
Originally posted by: Perry404
..dopers continually miss the point in drug education. The problem is the desire to intoxicate. Not the intoxicant.

True. It is a form of blindness.

Marijuana causes blindness! ... I think you have a thesis!

..so what do ya think?? it causes reading and comprehension difficulty too?

Well i think there is no question it causes short term memory loss(just after a few years) zaps motivation, inhibits motor functions and causes physical dependence. I have known many pot smokers in my day and i don't think it's a coincidence that so many of them end up living in a cabin in the woods. Eventually the pot becomes more important than anything else. As i've said i have seen this again and again and again and again.
My argument is not a legal one or even an ethical one. It is simply that the drug is far from harmless. Its prolonged use has many repercussions. If someone wants to smoke pot fine but don't justify it just because it's pleasurable. Truth in all things.

Not physical, but mental.
 

HeXploiT

Diamond Member
Jun 11, 2004
4,359
1
76
Originally posted by: Hacp
Originally posted by: Perry404
Originally posted by: IGBT
Originally posted by: SirStev0
Originally posted by: Perry404
..dopers continually miss the point in drug education. The problem is the desire to intoxicate. Not the intoxicant.

True. It is a form of blindness.

Marijuana causes blindness! ... I think you have a thesis!

..so what do ya think?? it causes reading and comprehension difficulty too?

Well i think there is no question it causes short term memory loss(just after a few years) zaps motivation, inhibits motor functions and causes physical dependence. I have known many pot smokers in my day and i don't think it's a coincidence that so many of them end up living in a cabin in the woods. Eventually the pot becomes more important than anything else. As i've said i have seen this again and again and again and again.
My argument is not a legal one or even an ethical one. It is simply that the drug is far from harmless. Its prolonged use has many repercussions. If someone wants to smoke pot fine but don't justify it just because it's pleasurable. Truth in all things.

Not physical, but mental.

You mean the addiction itself? It is physically addictive as well but the acute withdrawal is less sever since the drug leaves the system slowly.
This can actually be worse however as far as physical withdrawal goes. If you have been a heavy smoker it might take 4 months or more to get those chemical's out of your system which means you are having physical craving through that time. They are minimal but still there. Plus some extended withdrawal symptoms like not being able to sleep & irritability can drive you crazy over the period of months convincing many that they really do need the weed to feel ok.
 

sandorski

No Lifer
Oct 10, 1999
70,085
5,618
126
Originally posted by: Perry404
Originally posted by: sandorski
Originally posted by: Perry404
Originally posted by: sandorski
Originally posted by: Perry404
..dopers continually miss the point in drug education. The problem is the desire to intoxicate. Not the intoxicant.

True. It is a form of blindness.

wow, just wow. Both of you guys are way out there on this subject.

As if it needed to be stated...the blindness to which i refer is called denial.

Denial of the Lies perpetuated by the Clueless. Practically every "reason" used by the Anti-Drug crowd are outright Lies or Half-Truths. Then you jump in with the worst of all, the "Gateway" myth. If you seriously are against Drugs. Then you need a song and dance much more related to Reality, because that old schtick has been ineffective for Decades. You may as well be saying Pot gives you Cooties.

Just learn and tell the truth. At least people will respect your honesty.

Ineffective against what? Do you even know my stance on the issue?
Just what is it you think I'm trying to achieve?
Listen to yourself. You sound paranoid.

Well then why don't you clarify your stance?

re: Ineffective: There certainly are issues regarding Drugs that need addressed. Addiction for some Drugs for eg, but the best way to deal with those issues is to tell the Truth and not concoct some bizarre strawman to keep people away. Once people figure out that the the Strawman doesn't exist, they are certainly more willing to assume the rest of the Anti-Drug message is wrong as well. In that sense, for the few, Pot does become a "gateway", but it is not the Pot that does it, it is the Anti-Drug message based on Lies/Half-Truths.
 

sandorski

No Lifer
Oct 10, 1999
70,085
5,618
126
Originally posted by: Perry404
Originally posted by: Hacp
Originally posted by: Perry404
Originally posted by: IGBT
Originally posted by: SirStev0
Originally posted by: Perry404
..dopers continually miss the point in drug education. The problem is the desire to intoxicate. Not the intoxicant.

True. It is a form of blindness.

Marijuana causes blindness! ... I think you have a thesis!

..so what do ya think?? it causes reading and comprehension difficulty too?

Well i think there is no question it causes short term memory loss(just after a few years) zaps motivation, inhibits motor functions and causes physical dependence. I have known many pot smokers in my day and i don't think it's a coincidence that so many of them end up living in a cabin in the woods. Eventually the pot becomes more important than anything else. As i've said i have seen this again and again and again and again.
My argument is not a legal one or even an ethical one. It is simply that the drug is far from harmless. Its prolonged use has many repercussions. If someone wants to smoke pot fine but don't justify it just because it's pleasurable. Truth in all things.

Not physical, but mental.

You mean the addiction itself? It is physically addictive as well but the acute withdrawal is less sever since the drug leaves the system slowly.
This can actually be worse however as far as physical withdrawal goes. If you have been a heavy smoker it might take 4 months or more to get those chemical's out of your system which means you are having physical craving through that time. They are minimal but still there. Plus some extended withdrawal symptoms like not being able to sleep & irritability can drive you crazy over the period of months convincing many that they really do need the weed to feel ok.

You are totally clueless on the subject. Those symptoms are accurate for Nicotine withdrawal, but not THC/Pot.
 

HeXploiT

Diamond Member
Jun 11, 2004
4,359
1
76
Originally posted by: sandorski
Originally posted by: Perry404
Originally posted by: Hacp
Originally posted by: Perry404
Originally posted by: IGBT
Originally posted by: SirStev0
Originally posted by: Perry404
..dopers continually miss the point in drug education. The problem is the desire to intoxicate. Not the intoxicant.

True. It is a form of blindness.

Marijuana causes blindness! ... I think you have a thesis!

..so what do ya think?? it causes reading and comprehension difficulty too?

Well i think there is no question it causes short term memory loss(just after a few years) zaps motivation, inhibits motor functions and causes physical dependence. I have known many pot smokers in my day and i don't think it's a coincidence that so many of them end up living in a cabin in the woods. Eventually the pot becomes more important than anything else. As i've said i have seen this again and again and again and again.
My argument is not a legal one or even an ethical one. It is simply that the drug is far from harmless. Its prolonged use has many repercussions. If someone wants to smoke pot fine but don't justify it just because it's pleasurable. Truth in all things.

Not physical, but mental.

You mean the addiction itself? It is physically addictive as well but the acute withdrawal is less sever since the drug leaves the system slowly.
This can actually be worse however as far as physical withdrawal goes. If you have been a heavy smoker it might take 4 months or more to get those chemical's out of your system which means you are having physical craving through that time. They are minimal but still there. Plus some extended withdrawal symptoms like not being able to sleep & irritability can drive you crazy over the period of months convincing many that they really do need the weed to feel ok.

You are totally clueless on the subject. Those symptoms are accurate for Nicotine withdrawal, but not THC/Pot.

I'm clueless? :laugh: Dude... you have no idea where i'm coming from...lol

Give it a few more years.:thumbsup:
 

umbrella39

Lifer
Jun 11, 2004
13,819
1,126
126
Originally posted by: IGBT
Originally posted by: thraashman
I love how none of you have read the study, just a brief article on it. And you immediately come in to defend your buddy pot. Well I think we can guess who the pot smokers in ATPN are! I don't care what the study says in the end, I've seen enough of the effects of pot on people that I will never smoke it. I really don't want to end up as stupid as those people are.


..the same bunch of drugies are also eco-theists and believe any "sky is falling" voodoo science like algor's docufraud. I'll bet they were smoking dope while they watched his propaganda reel.

:cookie: on many levels
 

sandorski

No Lifer
Oct 10, 1999
70,085
5,618
126
Originally posted by: Perry404
Originally posted by: sandorski
Originally posted by: Perry404
Originally posted by: Hacp
Originally posted by: Perry404
Originally posted by: IGBT
Originally posted by: SirStev0
Originally posted by: Perry404
..dopers continually miss the point in drug education. The problem is the desire to intoxicate. Not the intoxicant.

True. It is a form of blindness.

Marijuana causes blindness! ... I think you have a thesis!

..so what do ya think?? it causes reading and comprehension difficulty too?

Well i think there is no question it causes short term memory loss(just after a few years) zaps motivation, inhibits motor functions and causes physical dependence. I have known many pot smokers in my day and i don't think it's a coincidence that so many of them end up living in a cabin in the woods. Eventually the pot becomes more important than anything else. As i've said i have seen this again and again and again and again.
My argument is not a legal one or even an ethical one. It is simply that the drug is far from harmless. Its prolonged use has many repercussions. If someone wants to smoke pot fine but don't justify it just because it's pleasurable. Truth in all things.

Not physical, but mental.

You mean the addiction itself? It is physically addictive as well but the acute withdrawal is less sever since the drug leaves the system slowly.
This can actually be worse however as far as physical withdrawal goes. If you have been a heavy smoker it might take 4 months or more to get those chemical's out of your system which means you are having physical craving through that time. They are minimal but still there. Plus some extended withdrawal symptoms like not being able to sleep & irritability can drive you crazy over the period of months convincing many that they really do need the weed to feel ok.

You are totally clueless on the subject. Those symptoms are accurate for Nicotine withdrawal, but not THC/Pot.

I'm clueless? :laugh: Dude... you have no idea where i'm coming from...lol

Give it a few more years.:thumbsup:

taps sarcasm meter..sees "made in China" on the bottom....grows concerned
 

DangerAardvark

Diamond Member
Oct 22, 2004
7,581
0
0
Originally posted by: Perry404
Originally posted by: sandorski
Originally posted by: Perry404
Originally posted by: Hacp
Originally posted by: Perry404
Originally posted by: IGBT
Originally posted by: SirStev0
Originally posted by: Perry404
..dopers continually miss the point in drug education. The problem is the desire to intoxicate. Not the intoxicant.

True. It is a form of blindness.

Marijuana causes blindness! ... I think you have a thesis!

..so what do ya think?? it causes reading and comprehension difficulty too?

Well i think there is no question it causes short term memory loss(just after a few years) zaps motivation, inhibits motor functions and causes physical dependence. I have known many pot smokers in my day and i don't think it's a coincidence that so many of them end up living in a cabin in the woods. Eventually the pot becomes more important than anything else. As i've said i have seen this again and again and again and again.
My argument is not a legal one or even an ethical one. It is simply that the drug is far from harmless. Its prolonged use has many repercussions. If someone wants to smoke pot fine but don't justify it just because it's pleasurable. Truth in all things.

Not physical, but mental.

You mean the addiction itself? It is physically addictive as well but the acute withdrawal is less sever since the drug leaves the system slowly.
This can actually be worse however as far as physical withdrawal goes. If you have been a heavy smoker it might take 4 months or more to get those chemical's out of your system which means you are having physical craving through that time. They are minimal but still there. Plus some extended withdrawal symptoms like not being able to sleep & irritability can drive you crazy over the period of months convincing many that they really do need the weed to feel ok.

You are totally clueless on the subject. Those symptoms are accurate for Nicotine withdrawal, but not THC/Pot.

I'm clueless? :laugh: Dude... you have no idea where i'm coming from...lol

Give it a few more years.:thumbsup:

A few more years of what? Not smoking pot?

I know exactly where you and you're "facts" are coming from: Assachusetts.
 

Rainsford

Lifer
Apr 25, 2001
17,515
0
0
Originally posted by: Perry404
Originally posted by: Rainsford
Originally posted by: Perry404
Originally posted by: XZeroII
Originally posted by: Perry404
Actually anyone with a brain can see that mental illness from pot is immediate.
Ever talk to someone when they are stoned?

QFT

Anyone who thinks that long term use of a mind altering substance is 100% safe is just plain dumb. Even look at long term alcoholics. Even they suffer from brain damage.


I would have no problem with you toking up whenever you want if I didn't have to pay your crappy medial bills when things go wrong. So do us a favor, if you're going to get high all the time, at least be curteous enough to finish yourself off when your done so the rest of us don't have to suffer. I'm already sick of having to pay out of my taxes for idiotic alcoholics medical bill and have to watch out for them driving wrecklessly on the roads, I don't need your stoned @$$ out there contributing to the problem.

The problem is bigger than people know or want to admit. If you look at the deaths, violence and costs of the damage chemical's do on paper it rivals that of a major war every year. Now this is not to say that the "war on drugs" is the right way to go or that drugs should even be illegal. Only that the damage they do is astounding. The lies they tell people are cunning. They convince us that we are just using them for fun but the truth is we begin to become psychologically Dependant on them even before the physical addiction.
People who believe pot is harmless are wrong. Pot is a gateway drug. Period. Once you try it(of course because it's "safe") your fear of other drugs is diminished and because it feels good you are encouraged to try others. It's as simple as that. It's all a world of deception. You people that like chocolate cake...if they made chocolate cake illegal would you get all freaked out? Would you march in the streets to make it legal? No. You wouldn't waste your time. Neither would people if green beans were made illegal. Instead you would find something else to fill the chocolate cake or green bean void. Now pot...or other drugs...people feel the need to march in the streets over these plants. Why? Because they are hooked and can't let them go. Oh i'm sorry...they aren't hooked...they can quit whenever they want to. They just WANT to break the law and march in the streets.
Hey you with the buds in your pocket...what do you think that WANT is?
It's addiction creeping up on you.

I'm beginning to think YOU'RE stoned here. The concept of a "gateway drug" is ludicrous, otherwise everyone who enjoys a beer before dinner would quickly become a heroin addict. Of course no drug (legal or otherwise) is without side effects, but nobody is arguing otherwise. But that doesn't mean they should all be illegal, or that it shouldn't be up to responsible adults to decide how to safely use drugs. This idea that pot is some sort of magical drug that turns otherwise normal people into raving addicts is silly. It's illegal because fighting pot is good politics, end of story.

The argument for alcohol cannot prevail in that case because a majority of the public has been brainwashed into believing that alcohol is not a drug.
I'm sure you are already aware that a great deal of Americans think alcohol=ok drugs=bad.
The truth is that kids/people smoke pot and because they enjoy it and their fear of other drugs is diminished. Really it's a simple concept. The whole reason it is a gateway drug is because so many claim it is "safe".

That's ridiculous, nobody has such a simplistic view of drugs. Are you honestly arguing that people perceive a difference between alcohol and weed but not between weed and heroin? From a "OMG, drugs are bad!" person's perspective, splitting hairs might make sense, but for the people who actually USE weed, I doubt it's quite so black and white. True, your typical pot smoker may not agree with your typical alter boy that "Reefer Madness" was a documentary, that doesn't mean he's going to think heroin suddenly became safe.

Alcohol might be a special case, you're right. Perhaps a better analogy would be to the concept of "gateway crime"...say, speeding with quickly lead to mass murder. After all, once you break the law and do something dangerous, suddenly all law breaking and dangerous activities become safer and your fear of them is diminished...right?

In any case, pot is pretty safe compared to lots of other things people do. You are way more likely to die from smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol, taking prescription medication, or eating too much red meat than you are from smoking pot. Nothing is perfectly safe, but pot is about as close as any vice out there.
 

Rainsford

Lifer
Apr 25, 2001
17,515
0
0
Originally posted by: Perry404
..dopers continually miss the point in drug education. The problem is the desire to intoxicate. Not the intoxicant.

True. It is a form of blindness.

Do you two listen to the words that you're typing, or are you just drifting off at the keyboard? Because for people arguing so strongly against a particular drug, it seems odd that you'd embrace the idea that the problem is really in the USER, rather than the substance. Don't get me wrong, I agree with a lot of that, but it seems like you forgot what you were arguing right in the middle of the whole discussion.
 

HeXploiT

Diamond Member
Jun 11, 2004
4,359
1
76
That's ridiculous, nobody has such a simplistic view of drugs. Are you honestly arguing that people perceive a difference between alcohol and weed but not between weed and heroin?

Absolutely! Maybe you are out of touch with a large portion of America.
Ask people if they think it is a sin to drink. Then ask them if it is a sin to use pot. What type of answers do you think you'll get?
Although alcohol (when abused)is more dangerous than pot you will find that a great deal of people think it's safer or "better" than pot. This is because it is legal so there is a different psychology surrounding alcohol.
Now let me tell you why they perceive pot and heroin to be the same.
All illegal drugs, through the "drug war" and anti-drug propeganda, are lumped together in the education system.
So when does this information matter? It matter to 7th-12th graders because this is where people start using drugs.
Of course it doesn't matter to a 25 year old who is a little better informed so the gateway idea is very real but only for youth. You and I know better. When you are 14 you don't. If a 14 year old uses pot it is a fact that he will be much more likely to experiment with other drugs simply because he perceives it to be ok now that he thinks pot is ok.
Heck i did. All my friends did.

Alcohol might be a special case, you're right. Perhaps a better analogy would be to the concept of "gateway crime"...say, speeding with quickly lead to mass murder. After all, once you break the law and do something dangerous, suddenly all law breaking and dangerous activities become safer and your fear of them is diminished...right?

I would agree with that.

In any case, pot is pretty safe compared to lots of other things people do. You are way more likely to die from smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol, taking prescription medication, or eating too much red meat than you are from smoking pot. Nothing is perfectly safe, but pot is about as close as any vice out there.

You are only more likely to die from smoking cigarettes because more people smoke cigarettes than pot. Remember the number 420?
I can pretty much guarantee you that if you have ten people that smoke pot every day for forty years half of them will die from cancer and emphysema.
There is nothing "safe" about pot and many of them are the same chemical's that are found in cigarettes.

 

DangerAardvark

Diamond Member
Oct 22, 2004
7,581
0
0
Originally posted by: Perry404
That's ridiculous, nobody has such a simplistic view of drugs. Are you honestly arguing that people perceive a difference between alcohol and weed but not between weed and heroin?

Absolutely! Maybe you are out of touch with a large portion of America.
Ask people if they think it is a sin to drink. Then ask them if it is a sin to use pot. What type of answers do you think you'll get?
Although alcohol (when abused)is more dangerous than pot you will find that a great deal of people think it's safer or "better" than pot. This is because it is legal so there is a different psychology surrounding alcohol.
Now let me tell you why they perceive pot and heroin to be the same.
All illegal drugs, through the "drug war" and anti-drug propeganda, are lumped together in the education system.
So when does this information matter? It matter to 7th-12th graders because this is where people start using drugs.
Of course it doesn't matter to a 25 year old who is a little better informed so the gateway idea is very real but only for youth. You and I know better. When you are 14 you don't. If a 14 year old uses pot it is a fact that he will be much more likely to experiment with other drugs simply because he perceives it to be ok now that he thinks pot is ok.
Heck i did. All my friends did.

Alcohol might be a special case, you're right. Perhaps a better analogy would be to the concept of "gateway crime"...say, speeding with quickly lead to mass murder. After all, once you break the law and do something dangerous, suddenly all law breaking and dangerous activities become safer and your fear of them is diminished...right?

I would agree with that.

In any case, pot is pretty safe compared to lots of other things people do. You are way more likely to die from smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol, taking prescription medication, or eating too much red meat than you are from smoking pot. Nothing is perfectly safe, but pot is about as close as any vice out there.

You are only more likely to die from smoking cigarettes because more people smoke cigarettes than pot. Remember the number 420?
I can pretty much guarantee you that if you have ten people that smoke pot every day for forty years half of them will die from cancer and emphysema.
There is nothing "safe" about pot and many of them are the same chemical's that are found in cigarettes.

Ridiculous. The means DO NOT justify the end. You think a 14 year old doesn't know the DARE program is full of shit? Just because you were a bumbling retard in the 9th grade doesn't mean we should condescend to kids with this silly propaganda campaign.

 

HeXploiT

Diamond Member
Jun 11, 2004
4,359
1
76
Originally posted by: DangerAardvark
Originally posted by: Perry404
That's ridiculous, nobody has such a simplistic view of drugs. Are you honestly arguing that people perceive a difference between alcohol and weed but not between weed and heroin?

Absolutely! Maybe you are out of touch with a large portion of America.
Ask people if they think it is a sin to drink. Then ask them if it is a sin to use pot. What type of answers do you think you'll get?
Although alcohol (when abused)is more dangerous than pot you will find that a great deal of people think it's safer or "better" than pot. This is because it is legal so there is a different psychology surrounding alcohol.
Now let me tell you why they perceive pot and heroin to be the same.
All illegal drugs, through the "drug war" and anti-drug propeganda, are lumped together in the education system.
So when does this information matter? It matter to 7th-12th graders because this is where people start using drugs.
Of course it doesn't matter to a 25 year old who is a little better informed so the gateway idea is very real but only for youth. You and I know better. When you are 14 you don't. If a 14 year old uses pot it is a fact that he will be much more likely to experiment with other drugs simply because he perceives it to be ok now that he thinks pot is ok.
Heck i did. All my friends did.

Alcohol might be a special case, you're right. Perhaps a better analogy would be to the concept of "gateway crime"...say, speeding with quickly lead to mass murder. After all, once you break the law and do something dangerous, suddenly all law breaking and dangerous activities become safer and your fear of them is diminished...right?

I would agree with that.

In any case, pot is pretty safe compared to lots of other things people do. You are way more likely to die from smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol, taking prescription medication, or eating too much red meat than you are from smoking pot. Nothing is perfectly safe, but pot is about as close as any vice out there.

You are only more likely to die from smoking cigarettes because more people smoke cigarettes than pot. Remember the number 420?
I can pretty much guarantee you that if you have ten people that smoke pot every day for forty years half of them will die from cancer and emphysema.
There is nothing "safe" about pot and many of them are the same chemical's that are found in cigarettes.

Ridiculous. The means DO NOT justify the end. You think a 14 year old doesn't know the DARE program is full of shit? Just because you were a bumbling retard in the 9th grade doesn't mean we should condescend to kids with this silly propaganda campaign.

Alright you can stop with the insults i think we're all adults here.
I believe in sharing the truth with kids about drugs.
Obviously there is a propaganda campaign but that is not to say that marijuana is not dangerous and if that's what you believe then you are simply lacking information.
 

DangerAardvark

Diamond Member
Oct 22, 2004
7,581
0
0
Originally posted by: Perry404
Originally posted by: DangerAardvark
Originally posted by: Perry404
That's ridiculous, nobody has such a simplistic view of drugs. Are you honestly arguing that people perceive a difference between alcohol and weed but not between weed and heroin?

Absolutely! Maybe you are out of touch with a large portion of America.
Ask people if they think it is a sin to drink. Then ask them if it is a sin to use pot. What type of answers do you think you'll get?
Although alcohol (when abused)is more dangerous than pot you will find that a great deal of people think it's safer or "better" than pot. This is because it is legal so there is a different psychology surrounding alcohol.
Now let me tell you why they perceive pot and heroin to be the same.
All illegal drugs, through the "drug war" and anti-drug propeganda, are lumped together in the education system.
So when does this information matter? It matter to 7th-12th graders because this is where people start using drugs.
Of course it doesn't matter to a 25 year old who is a little better informed so the gateway idea is very real but only for youth. You and I know better. When you are 14 you don't. If a 14 year old uses pot it is a fact that he will be much more likely to experiment with other drugs simply because he perceives it to be ok now that he thinks pot is ok.
Heck i did. All my friends did.

Alcohol might be a special case, you're right. Perhaps a better analogy would be to the concept of "gateway crime"...say, speeding with quickly lead to mass murder. After all, once you break the law and do something dangerous, suddenly all law breaking and dangerous activities become safer and your fear of them is diminished...right?

I would agree with that.

In any case, pot is pretty safe compared to lots of other things people do. You are way more likely to die from smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol, taking prescription medication, or eating too much red meat than you are from smoking pot. Nothing is perfectly safe, but pot is about as close as any vice out there.

You are only more likely to die from smoking cigarettes because more people smoke cigarettes than pot. Remember the number 420?
I can pretty much guarantee you that if you have ten people that smoke pot every day for forty years half of them will die from cancer and emphysema.
There is nothing "safe" about pot and many of them are the same chemical's that are found in cigarettes.

Ridiculous. The means DO NOT justify the end. You think a 14 year old doesn't know the DARE program is full of shit? Just because you were a bumbling retard in the 9th grade doesn't mean we should condescend to kids with this silly propaganda campaign.

Alright you can stop with the insults i think we're all adults here.
I believe in sharing the truth with kids about drugs.
Obviously there is a propaganda campaign but that is not to say that marijuana is not dangerous and if that's what you believe then you are simply lacking information.

So what's the endpoint of your side of this debate? You don't support government regulation on pot, you don't support propaganda in schools and you admit cigarettes and alcohol are as or more harmful than pot.

Do you just want people to say that smoking pot is more harmful than not smoking pot?
I'll admit that.
As carcinogenic as heavy cigarette smoking?
Sure, if you somehow manage to go through 2 packs of joints a day.
Gateway drug?
This is the big one. It's also a cornerstone of the anti-drug campaign. The logic you use to justify this one is the same logic that keeps HPV vaccinations from being administered and prevents education on safe sex.

You claim that marijuana is more taboo in our society, thus once that taboo is broken there's nothing preventing them from trying harder drugs. I would disagree with you on two points.

First, pot is no longer as taboo as it once was. Also, underage drinking and smoking have taboos attached to them. My point is that, these days there isn't some huge leap of morality between smoking a cigarette behind the gym and toking up behind the gym.

Secondly, you point out that the anti-drug campaign is a big reason why marijuana is supposedly lumped in with harder drugs. I would argue that kids are smarter than you think they are, but beyond that you don't fight this phenomenon by using more scare tactics like the "gateway drug" label. You fight it with the truth. You break the taboo and distance marijuana from harder drugs.
 

ericlp

Diamond Member
Dec 24, 2000
6,133
219
106
I think the key word we are missing here is MODERATION. moderation is the key to any thing...

Be it eating junk food, fast food, drinking, smoking cigs or dope to even drinking coffee.

I really think that the information on MaryJ is always hyped because it's not legal and since alcohol is legal then the bad effects and mis use are down played. It's not really what drug is worse then the other one. It really comes down to if you like it and can do it safely with moderation then I am sure your better off then the rest of the addicts out there.

I think most dope smokers remember when all the false information was told by the government then later found to be way off target. I am sure that in 6 months to a year they will be proven wrong again. As, if I remember correctly smoking dope is about as safe as it gets. Unless of course your stash is tainted with other drugs....

 

manowar821

Diamond Member
Mar 1, 2007
6,063
0
0
Everything I would've said has already been touched on, and quite eloquently might I add...

What, you think that any hugely read paper would release an article about a TRUSTWORTHY independent study that concludes "Marijuana is not as dangerous as alcohol or even cigarettes"? What kind of world do you think we live in? A world where facts and the truth are valued? Please.
 

piasabird

Lifer
Feb 6, 2002
17,168
60
91
I would like to say I dont care to call everyone that ever smoked pot stupid or somehow less worthy of an individual. However, it is an illegal activity. Perhaps the worst thing that was ever done was to make pot possession a misdemeaner and make it look like it was not a real crime. However, there are probably plenty of people who can get no ill effects from an occassional hit. Alcohol when used in moderation is not that bad for you. However, even alcohol can cause serious physical and mental disorders if used on a daily basis to excess.

What I would like to say, is that when I watch cop shows it seems a lot of the people being arrested for drugs or pot seem to have other legal problems as well. For instance they may be stealing to get money for their drugs. Also to get the drugs you may have to associate with some people of somewhat questionable character.

Drugs are horrible when they are illegal and you get caught. I saw this quite often in the Army. We would have guys getting busted all the time for Pot and other things like crack cocaine. When I was in the army after receiving my initial boot camp and advanced specialty training I arrived at a unit that was an MP Company. The very first day there, I was offerred a dime bag of pot and I refused the offer for the sale. I am not a narc and it did not phase me much because this was the late 70's and pot was pretty common. However, a few months later, I am working in the office and they bring these guys in with handcuffs on. If I had accepted the offer to buy some, I would have been in some serious trouble. When you are dealing with illegal drugs, my advice is to trust no one and stand up for what your parents taught you. Hopefully, you grew up in an environment where they taught you right from wrong. If not you just have to decide what is right.
 

alchemize

Lifer
Mar 24, 2000
11,489
0
0
Originally posted by: piasabird
I would like to say I dont care to call everyone that ever smoked pot stupid or somehow less worthy of an individual. However, it is an illegal activity. Perhaps the worst thing that was ever done was to make pot possession a misdemeaner and make it look like it was not a real crime. However, there are probably plenty of people who can get no ill effects from an occassional hit. Alcohol when used in moderation is not that bad for you. However, even alcohol can cause serious physical and mental disorders if used on a daily basis to excess.

What I would like to say, is that when I watch cop shows it seems a lot of the people being arrested for drugs or pot seem to have other legal problems as well. For instance they may be stealing to get money for their drugs. Also to get the drugs you may have to associate with some people of somewhat questionable character.

Drugs are horrible when they are illegal and you get caught. I saw this quite often in the Army. We would have guys getting busted all the time for Pot and other things like crack cocaine. When I was in the army after receiving my initial boot camp and advanced specialty training I arrived at a unit that was an MP Company. The very first day there, I was offerred a dime bag of pot and I refused the offer for the sale. I am not a narc and it did not phase me much because this was the late 70's and pot was pretty common. However, a few months later, I am working in the office and they bring these guys in with handcuffs on. If I had accepted the offer to buy some, I would have been in some serious trouble. When you are dealing with illegal drugs, my advice is to trust no one and stand up for what your parents taught you. Hopefully, you grew up in an environment where they taught you right from wrong. If not you just have to decide what is right.

Proof that you don't need to smoke dope to ramble and be completely pointless.
 

thraashman

Lifer
Apr 10, 2000
11,063
1,464
126
Originally posted by: Acanthus
Originally posted by: yllus
Originally posted by: thraashman
I love how none of you have read the study, just a brief article on it. And you immediately come in to defend your buddy pot. Well I think we can guess who the pot smokers in ATPN are! I don't care what the study says in the end, I've seen enough of the effects of pot on people that I will never smoke it. I really don't want to end up as stupid as those people are.
I always find this kind of post nonsensical. What do you expect to happen on a Web forum, people to post an article about a study and 50 people to reply with, "Interesting, I shall reserve comment until I read the full study"?

Based on historical evidence (anecdotal and not) this is extremely dubious. Smoking one joint jumps the danger level by a full 40%? Okay, let's go by another study saying that 16.8 per cent of Canadians used marijuana in 2004, and only 6.1 per cent in Holland did the same. But Canada has an incidence rate of mental illness of 22.10%, and Holland a rate of 22.10% (Source). Why didn't those ~5 million Canadians who smoked at least once hugely spike our rate of mental illness.

Lastly, what an idiotic thing to end your post with. I don't do any kind of drug. I don't even like beer. I don't have to be a KKK member to defend their right to think and say what they wish to say.

Might be ownage of the year.

Well no, ownage of the year would include thraash working for the govt and getting fired somehow through actions of the users in this thread.

But still, its up there :p

How is that ownage of the year? I never said myself whether I agree or disagree with the study, I reserve my take on the study for when I read it ... which will likely be never. So I'll just ignore it. I was referring to how everyone in the thread was immediately jumping on the "this study is BS" band wagon. This is the same type of behavior you see when you challenge the beliefs of someone in anything. They knee jerk react without proof or even listening to the opposing arguments. Which is what everyone did. I am actually impressed someone took the time to find a study that contradicted the one in the OP. I say kudos to him for that, THAT'S how to make a valida argument against.

Most of the people I know who smoke pot, I'd call mentally ill to some degree, but that's me sensationalizing their stupidity. I'd say about 50% of my friends or people I've at some point been friends with have tried pot. Of those 50%, about 75% of those have also done other drugs. And a good deal of the people I know who ever smoked pot more than once, do it all the time. They can't stop, regardless of the effect on their personal life or monetary situation. This is called addiction. This is why I call BS when I hear people try to claim pot isn't addictive. And have you ever seen a person who smokes pot regularly. They literally look like their brain has been burned to a crisp, you can actually see where the term burnout comes from. I have no desire to ever be like that, hence my comment about never smoking pot because I don't want to be as stupid as those people.

I really don't know how you would expect someone who works for the government to be fired due to actions in this thread. That just seems like a ridiculous statement.

Oh, and going with the KKK comment. My comment was the equivalent of saying "I'll never be in the KKK, I have no desire to be as bigoted as those people". So how are you defending anything? I never even said I think people shouldn't be allowed to smoke pot. I personally think it should be legalized. We waste too much money fighting this stupid drug, it's not worth it. Legalize it and tax it and maybe the DEA can spend their money fighting something that's worth it.
 

Arkaign

Lifer
Oct 27, 2006
20,736
1,377
126
Originally posted by: thraashman
Originally posted by: Acanthus
Originally posted by: yllus
Originally posted by: thraashman
I love how none of you have read the study, just a brief article on it. And you immediately come in to defend your buddy pot. Well I think we can guess who the pot smokers in ATPN are! I don't care what the study says in the end, I've seen enough of the effects of pot on people that I will never smoke it. I really don't want to end up as stupid as those people are.
I always find this kind of post nonsensical. What do you expect to happen on a Web forum, people to post an article about a study and 50 people to reply with, "Interesting, I shall reserve comment until I read the full study"?

Based on historical evidence (anecdotal and not) this is extremely dubious. Smoking one joint jumps the danger level by a full 40%? Okay, let's go by another study saying that 16.8 per cent of Canadians used marijuana in 2004, and only 6.1 per cent in Holland did the same. But Canada has an incidence rate of mental illness of 22.10%, and Holland a rate of 22.10% (Source). Why didn't those ~5 million Canadians who smoked at least once hugely spike our rate of mental illness.

Lastly, what an idiotic thing to end your post with. I don't do any kind of drug. I don't even like beer. I don't have to be a KKK member to defend their right to think and say what they wish to say.

Might be ownage of the year.

Well no, ownage of the year would include thraash working for the govt and getting fired somehow through actions of the users in this thread.

But still, its up there :p

How is that ownage of the year? I never said myself whether I agree or disagree with the study, I reserve my take on the study for when I read it ... which will likely be never. So I'll just ignore it. I was referring to how everyone in the thread was immediately jumping on the "this study is BS" band wagon. This is the same type of behavior you see when you challenge the beliefs of someone in anything. They knee jerk react without proof or even listening to the opposing arguments. Which is what everyone did. I am actually impressed someone took the time to find a study that contradicted the one in the OP. I say kudos to him for that, THAT'S how to make a valida argument against.

Most of the people I know who smoke pot, I'd call mentally ill to some degree, but that's me sensationalizing their stupidity. I'd say about 50% of my friends or people I've at some point been friends with have tried pot. Of those 50%, about 75% of those have also done other drugs. And a good deal of the people I know who ever smoked pot more than once, do it all the time. They can't stop, regardless of the effect on their personal life or monetary situation. This is called addiction. This is why I call BS when I hear people try to claim pot isn't addictive. And have you ever seen a person who smokes pot regularly. They literally look like their brain has been burned to a crisp, you can actually see where the term burnout comes from. I have no desire to ever be like that, hence my comment about never smoking pot because I don't want to be as stupid as those people.

I really don't know how you would expect someone who works for the government to be fired due to actions in this thread. That just seems like a ridiculous statement.

Oh, and going with the KKK comment. My comment was the equivalent of saying "I'll never be in the KKK, I have no desire to be as bigoted as those people". So how are you defending anything? I never even said I think people shouldn't be allowed to smoke pot. I personally think it should be legalized. We waste too much money fighting this stupid drug, it's not worth it. Legalize it and tax it and maybe the DEA can spend their money fighting something that's worth it.

Sorry, you fail. Pot is bad, but the sheer idiocy of the OP and this "study" in particular is ridiculous to the point of comedy. Countless studies on the subject have yielded that pot is mildly addictive, and has negative health consequences. These negative health consequences are marginal when compared to Alcohol, and somewhat equal to cigarettes. Of course, it's very difficult for an individual to smoke as much pot as cigarette smokers some cigs, so you can't entirely put them on a level status.

You're right on the waste that it is pursuing pot and pot smokers when considerably more serious issues confront us on a daily basis.

Again, though, this so-called 'study' is so off the charts in it's insanity that it's laughable. To think that anybody would take it seriously enough to post it here is unbelievable. It's too much, even for the onion. Maybe the 'Weekly World News' or something. Even the National Enquirer would be too embarrassed to post such tripe.