BS, plai and simple. Marijuana has little real value. Though this ‘party line’ is constantly harped on, no industries would start switching over to pot resources. Heck, they’d be lobbying like hell if it were real. We already have sythetic or natural materials that perform better or cheaper than pot in all of those categories.
Well, haven’t seen any really good arguments against, and all the good ones for are taken.
I’m really tired of hearing the “you want another drug on the market/more inebriates/more addicts” argument. If pot were legal, it wouldn’t create a new market- people who want to smoke pot will, legal or not, unless, like me, they work in an industry where you have to undergo a drug test to get/keep a job (and don’t get me started on random testing, or I can turn this into a Pit thread real quick). Probably if it were legal, a lot of people like me who drink because smoking pot would get us into serious trouble employmentwise would switch to or back to, pot, which is demonstrably less physically and socially harmful than booze.
From personal experience, I’ve found that the short-term memory problems pot can create are minor. I have more short-term memory problems since I quit than when I was smoking daily- course that could just be age.
Here’s another look into the mindset that prompted marijuana prohibition.
http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/History/murd3.htm
Sorry Colinito67, but
Cecil pretty much destroyed a lot of this already.
The arguements about Hemps properties are unrealistsic: Hemp paper is rough, uneven, and takes ink poorly. Hemp Fabric is strong and sturdy, but not as versatile as Cotton for mixing with fibers (although it can be done), nor can it be used on its own for lighter fabrics without lots of working.
As for using it for fuel…well its called biomass, and it can be done with lots of things that grow. There’s a host of reasons we don’t use biomass in our cars.
The oil from Hemp may be good for you, but will anyone actually want to eat it? There’s some vile tasting shit that’s quite healthy…guess what, people ain’t gonna eat it.
Finally, while Hemp is easy to grow, it isn’t easy to harvest. Even though Hemp was outlawed in the late 30’s, some farmers did continue produce the stuff “illegally” (working on the distant rural farm where they ain’t never hearnd o’ no fedral lawz). They eventually gave up farming it in the 50’s because it wasn’t profitable and was a pain to harvest, even with the relatively new equipment.
Hemp has uses, but it ain’t no wonder product.
Just to summarize some other arguments, there is still no reliable test that can show marijuana intoxication or impairment. There is also a basic premise of law which must be redefined.
I once attended a lecture in 1989 where the president of NORML stated that there was a saliva test in development which could show recent (i.e., within three hours) use of cannabis. He felt that the perfection of that test would overcome the primary hindrances to marijuana legalization. Right now, marijuana cannot be legalized for a couple of very simple reasons:
[ul][li]It is very difficult to “prove” driver intoxication if s/he is using only marijuana, yet few people would argue that marijuana can impair a driver’s ability to react or make good decisions. Since there is no recent-use test, there is no way that authorities can condone its use in general.[/li]
[li]It is impossible to determine from today’s tests whether or not someone is using dope recreationally in his/her own free time, or if s/he is doing it on the job. Some, such as tort lawyers and the insurance companies they sue feel that they cannot reasonably assume that airplane pilots, train engineers, ship’s pilots, bus drivers and others who have a larger responsibility to the public are sober on the job if they test positive for THC.[/li]
[/ul]
Thirteen years later, that test ain’t available to the public, and I’ve scarcely heard of it since. It either didn’t work or it was put down by The Man.
There is another argument, usually not mentioned because it is so basic. Federal, state and local laws in America generally do not condone any sort of recreational drug abuse which causes intoxication. It’s still illegal to be drunk, often even in the privacy of one’s home. You can’t drink a whole bottle of Robitussin and wander around in public, despite Robitussin’s legality. This argument is constantly upheld by the courts and the legions of people who march to the beat of the hand upon a thick book.
So if you want to make marijuana legal, you have to show that you can reliably demonstrate public intoxication, and you must convince lawmakers that recreational drug use can be safe and legal.
Why not just write Attorney General Ashcroft and ask him to consider such things? I’m sure he’ll be very interested in your correspondence.
–Sofa King, a dedicated pot-smoker.
How very true! Exactly the reason why most legalization attempts will never be taken seriously; go to any gathering where there’s a NORML table set up trying to convince the world of the miracles of hemp, and you’ll probably smell that familiar aroma in the air…
“Dude, you can use it for, like, clothes…(snicker)…really…” wouldn’t make it too far in congress.
no, it might not create more inebriates, but it might well make people under the influence feel more comfortable about being high in public.
First off, I didn’t really like your misquote of my statments. Secondly, I dolove to get high. But that is not where it ends. I do not use the environmental or medicinal benefits of marijuana as a magic trick or as a pointless laundry list furthering my belief that it should be legalized.
Perhaps it is because I am a vegan that I can appreciate the benefits of hemp.
-Dr. Bronner’s soap- it is great because it is all natural, cruelty-free, and vegan. It works well, and most products contain hemp. I doubt Dr. Bronner throws hemp into the ingredients just for shits and giggles. What it does in this capacity I’m not quite sure of. I use the soap for basic sanitary needs as well as a household cleaner.
-Lip Balm. Try finding vegan lip balm, I dare you. It is so hard. Everything has beeswax in it. There are two brands I’ve found that are vegan, and they use hemp seed oil in it (I’m guessing as an alternative to beeswax). My lips thank hemp for vegan lip balm.
-Food. (to answer another person’s argument- yes, it tastes really good). Like I said, hemp seeds are rich in omega fatty acids. These are really healthy. You find them in fish. I cannot eat fish. I depend on products with hemp seed in it for this nutritional requirement.
I do want full legalization/decriminalization. But, short of that, I am afraid that these anti-hemp measures that have been looming over us will finally take. As an environmentalist, I am in favor of any product that will lessen our dependency on non-renewable resources. As a humanitarian, I think it is a necessity that medicinal marijuana be legalized.
Not excuses, but convictions.
To the poster who talked about his mother and cancer. I too sympathize with you. But, facts remain that marijuana does ease the nausea associated with chemotherapy. It also builds an appetite, which I understand is a big problem with chemo- patients can’t eat for days or even weeks without gagging.
The truth is, your mother would have been spared a lot of pain in her last few years if she had used marijuana medicinally in this capacity. Since she had lung cancer, it would probably be best that she (or other lung cancer patients) ingest marijuana rather than smoke it. Although I am skeptical about claims that marijuana causes cancer, it is best to play it safe when things get that serious.
The book “Marihuana:Forbidden Medicine” has quite a few testimonials. You may be interested in it. I remember one chemo patient who dreaded the therapy and had to stuff a towel under the door for weeks after it because the smell of food caused extreme nausea reported that after his first time using marijuna medicinally for this, actually got something to eat on the way home from the hospital.
colin
On the whole matter of driving while high - I’ve tried it once I had to go somewhere even though I knew I shouldn’t drive. I found that I overreacted even though I did drive more carefully than normally.
If I drink I think I can drive, when I’m high I know I can’t.
Alcohol beling legal and weed not is imho a big joke.
Colinito67: with respect, although hemp is undoubtedly a useful material, I strongly suspect it’s inclusion in many products is a marketing gimmick - certainly I believe this would be the case for most products where the label includes a prominent hemp leaf motif.
The addition of hemp to Dr. Bronner’s is a recent and rather cycnical effort to cash in on the “all natural” craze. Dr. Bronner is no longer being run by the crazy old man (he died a while ago).
Again, hemp has its uses, but its not a miracle product. I object to it being used as a smokescreen for real motives, wether I agree with them or not.
This brings up another thing-- what about contact high?
If I am sitting at a bus stop, waiting for a bus to go to work, and there is someone smoking a joint to ease their pain and nausea also waiting for the bus, am I supposed to move away from the bus stop just so I don’t get a contact high from the “prescription drug”?
I think a lot of people are forgetting that marijuana doesn’t just affect the person using it. It’s bad enough I have to deal with second hand smoke from cigarettes.
LilShieste
I don’t think that anyone is advocating being able to smoke pot at a bus stop. You can’t legally drink a beer at the bus stop so why assume that pot would be different. If I smoke pot in my living room, you are not affected.
I can accept that, musicguy; but if the drug is prescribed out by a doctor to relieve pain/nausea, what happens when the person needs to “take their medicine” but are not in the comfort of their own home?
LilShieste
^^^ Let’s look to see how a country where cannabis use is tolerated to see how they deal with this “problem”.
In the Netherlands smoking cannabis in a public place is highly discouraged. You just don’t do it…unless you want to be extremely rude. In fact, if a police officer catches you toking up at a train station, they will sternly request that you extiguish it & will likely give you a lecture. There are plenty of “coffee shops” where you can smoke in the open, but the only people who smoke cannabis in other public areas are tourists–who will probably get enough dirty looks to clue them in…
i didn’t read the whole thread, so sorry if i missed this, but i cry a huge, loud “Bullshit!” about “medical marijuana”.
i do not know anyone, or know anyone who knows anyone, or have ever heard of a legitimate case of anyone who has a disease that requires dope being smoked.
the answer to “do you belive that this is made up by stoners to get dope legalized” is a resounding “YES!”
Me? I want to legalize petty theft and speeding for “medicinal” purposes. :smack:
gatopescado—
Would I be correct in assuming that you don’t personally know anyone with AIDS? Or undergoing chemotherapy? Because the use of cannabis is very helpful in alleviating many side-effects of the disease (AIDS) or the treatment (chemo). My girlfriend’s mother was being treated for breast cancer & her physician strongly recommended the use of marijuana to help deal with the side-effects of chemotherapy. Cannabis has also helped many people regain their appetite, reduce nausea, and alleviate minor depression.
I’m really surprised that you’re not familiar with its medicinal use. This isn’t something that’s just been made up–there are literally thousands of people who are using it medicinally right now! I’m not even going to bother pulling up cites because it’s so commonly known. Just do a quick search & you’ll see. It probably won’t change your mind though…it seems as though you’ve already closed your mind to the subject.
<gatopescado
"i didn’t read the whole thread, so sorry if i missed this, but i cry a huge, loud “Bullshit!” about “medical marijuana”.
i do not know anyone, or know anyone who knows anyone, or have ever heard of a legitimate case of anyone who has a disease that requires dope being smoked. ">
http://www.usatoday.com/life/health/brain/lhbra052.htm
"Marijuana eases MS-like tremors
Marijuana-like compounds ease tremors in mice with a condition similar to multiple sclerosis, researchers say in a study that appears to corroborate patients who say pot helps them deal with the disease.
The relief apparently wasn’t because the mice were stoned, but because the compounds hit the right buttons in the nervous system, the British researchers reported in Thursday’s issue of the journal Nature. "
gatopescado> Im sorry you arent informed about the medical uses of cannabis. here maybe this can shed some light on your ignorance.
http://www.aidslaw.ca/Maincontent/otherdocs/Newsletter/Winter9798/17MARIJUE.html
“The Terry Parker Case: Marijuana for Epilepsy
Terrance Parker was four when he first showed symptoms of epilepsy. Seizures became a daily event for him, even with heavy doses of prescription drugs. At the age of 14, Parker underwent a right temporal lobotomy on the advice of his neurosurgeons. The seizures intensified and he experienced his first grand mal seizure in the recovery room. A second temporal lobe cortical resection was carried out three years later, but the seizures continued. It was during this time that an orderly in one of the hospitals gave him some marijuana. Parker noticed that the more he smoked, the less frequent and intense his seizures were. On his physician’s advice he began to keep a diary and noted the direct relationship between having seizures and not smoking marijuana. The physician provided Parker with a letter specifying that he needed marijuana for medicinal purposes.”
An acquaintance who fought Hodgkin?s (he won) said that the nausea was so intense that he would vomit up any pill he took for relief, including his prescribed synthesized THC. But when he smoked marijuana, the symptoms would ease as soon as it hit his lungs.
He also said that the THC pill left him more disoriented and the real thing left him with a clearer head.