Can someone give me some arguements against smoking weed?

Factual Questions
1

One of my close friends is heading off to college in a few weeks. I know something about their college that they don’t — smoking weed is the recreational activity of choice, big time. Everyone is a pothead at this school.

Her and I were discussing alcohol and marijuana use the other day when she said that she favors the use of marijuana over alcohol. I think that it is bulls*** because she gets drunk all the time. Anyway, I have told her hundreds of times about my displeasure about her getting drunk, but now I need a legitimate reason for telling her that smoking weed is bad. I personally think it is disgusting and I lose respect for people that do smoke weed. The problem is, I can’t really explain why I lose respect for them, I just do.

My question is, can you all help me build a cogent argument against smoking weed? I absolutely hate weed with a passion, but I don’t know any hard facts about why it is bad for you. Thanks.

2

The jury is still out on the long term effects of pot.

As for your friend, do this: go to the nearest brick wall and tell it what you think. It’ll do just as much good. Trust me. Your friend is going to whatever she wants to do. She’ll have to learn on her own.

It can’t hurt to express your concerns to your friend. It may not help, though.

3

You don’t know and hard facts about weed, and yet you hate it and lose respect for people that smoke it? Dude, you’re like super uptight. you really need to chill the hell out. Here, hit this…

there ya go. aw yeah…

seriously though, weed is not good for you. I’ll grant you that. however, it’s not all that bad for you either, in the grand scheme of things.

i would wager (with no facts to back me up) that living in a largish city is immeasurably worse for you than moderate marijuana consumption. even just in terms of air pollution.

the fact of the matter is, intoxicants have played an integral role in human society since, well, since society was invented. pipes and casks turn up at archeological digs with such frequency that i’m surprised humans have managed to do much of anything, let alone build pyramids and GPS.

both alcohol and marijuana have had distinguished careers with humanity. without acknowledging that to yourself, you won’t really be able to say anything of import to your friend.
what? no, i’m good. you can kill that shit, mang. anyway, what was i talking about? oh, yeah, my point is that a drugs-are-bad, desire-for-intoxication-belies-a-character-flaw POV is as silly as a drugs-are-awesome, i-wanna-be-torked-alla-time one. so instead of looking for an actual reason for your “Drugs are bad, m’kay?”, do your self and your friend a favor and look at all the info.

jb

4

Since “Everyone is a pothead at this school.” all you have to do is check the level of achievement of former students to determine if smoling weed is a problem.
Peace,
mangeorge

5

I have been thinking of going back to school.
Where is this school located.:wink:

No really, everyone?
How do you know this, was there some sort of survey, or do you just assume this. I seriously doubt everybody is stoned.
Anyhoo, talk to your friend and let her know your concerns.
The rest is up to her, it’s her life.

6

Long term, all evidence points to alcohol doing more damage than almost any other substance (when used heavily).

Pot is safer than alcohol on many fronts.

  1. It is much less likely to induce the type of stupid or antisocial behaviour that will get you a night in jail. (I don’t think anything beats alcohol at bringing out the worst behaviour in people.)
  2. Long term health risks are much worse with alcohol. Heavy drinking over the long term almost certainly will destroy many of your internal organs (especially your liver). The main health risk identified with pot is a somewhat elevated risk of lung cancer. But probably much less than cigarettes due to the much lower total consumption.
  3. You can certainly overdose and die drinking alcohol, it is pretty difficult (if not impossible) to do with pot.
  4. Alcohol can cause a true and dangerous physical dependence as well.

Based on everything we know so far, it appears that pot is far safer than alcohol. Except for the risks from buying material of unknown quality/strength, even heroin appears safer than alcohol.

Sorry to shatter your carefully cultivated (by the government and the media) predjudices, but that is the reality of this as best we know. But, if you study the history of pot’s prohibition, it is very clear that it would outlawed on racial, political, and puritanical grounds… not a sober assessment of its risks to the users or society.

There is always a danger when someone makes the use of any intoxicant a major part of their daily life. However, alcohol is probably the worst risk.

7

Well…actually, you probably have a hard time thinking about a cogent argument agains weed because there aren’t really any sound argument. As already stated, alcohol is a much more dangerous and addictive drug than pot.
The only argument I can think of is that you can be jailed for smoking weed and you can’t for drinking beer. There’s also the lung cancer thing (but once again consuming alcohol on a regular basis is probably also more likely to give you cancer).
The only issue I personnally have with legalizing pot is that there’s currently no way to tell whether someone has recently (as opposed to at some point during the 4 last weeks) smoked pot, hence to prove that he’s DUI (and driving after having smoked pot is as dangerous as driving when drunk)

8

I remember this demon weed smoking professor at my college once gave a “fireside” lecture about weed, maintaining that every study ever done on pot showed no long term side effects. He cited study after study done on people in Jamaica who ate 10grams of hash a day, blah blah blah. I had probably smoked weed everyday for 6 years at the time but was miffed at what I thought was obvious. I stood up during question/answer period and said that while I was pro-weed, “burn-out” was undeniable - bottom line was that most habitual users of weed would admit they suffer some loss to short-term memory (temporary) and some degree of lethary. Of course this is for chronic, heavy users.
HST, If I had to choose whether my kid would smoke pot or drink, I’d choose the former. I think losing respect for a friend because they chose to smoke weed is way self-righteous and already infers a lack of respect for her capacity for good judgement. I agree with jb-farley that there are many other socially acceptable things (like breathing city air) that are probably far worse.
FWIW, I remember some study saying that kids who experimented with drugs (emphasis on experimented) typically turned out to be more well-adjusted adults. I don’t have cites on this but it makes intuitive sense to me. Many people who vehemently oppose drugs have accepted the party line wholesale. They are typically uncritical of authority and their opposition to drugs is a reaction to their own fear of the “loss of control” that they believe will be the result of taking them. Generally not the picture of someone with a mind of their own. Flame away I suppose.

9

Here’s what I know about it:
Bad:
-It’s illegal and often socially frowned upon:
While it won’t stop her from becomming President, it could get in the way of a variety of future careers. Especially if she happens to get caught. It will also cost her friends like you.
-It’s unhealthy:
Inhaling the smoke of most plants is unhealthy. Pot contains at least as much tar (more IIRC) and a number of other toxins including carcinogens and since most joints don’t have filters you’re getting more of the gunk than you would with cigs. (per amount smoked)
-It’s addictive:
Wellllllll. Not really, but maybe a little. The main ‘addiction’ is that it makes people feel good so they keep doing it. Some may choose it over what are (to others and maybe, later, the smoker) more important activities. There is a little evidence that long term frequent use may produce phyiologic dependence.

Good:
-It makes you feel good.
-It reduces glaucoma.
-It may treat intractable pain.
-If it is addictive, it doesn’t even come close to coffee or wine.

If you’re going to object be sure you know why you hate it so you can be truthful which will be much more convincing than just saying you don’t like and you’ll loose respect for her. (It may backfire and she might loose respect for your judgement.)

'luck :wink:

PC

10

Llardball, I recommend watching Reefer Madness. This movie has all the factual evidence against marijuana you’re looking for.

I wonder, though; if you need someone else to provide arguments for you, will you then have a ‘legitimate reason’ to tell your friend not to smoke pot? Had you simply asked for more information about marijuana so that you could arrive at an informed decision either way, I think that would be admirable. Instead, you’re looking for ammunition to back up a conclusion you came to based apparently on unsupported bias. In other words, you don’t appear to be interested in the facts, just in having other people tell you you’re right.

Also, I’m thinking this belongs in Great Debates.

11

Also, I doubt anything you could tell her would change a thing. People very rarely change their mind because someone is delivering a moral speech. You could share your concerns (but once again, you won’t have many good arguments), but you shouldn’t try to actively change her behavior. Not only it’s hopeless, but you could ruin your friendship. If you really can’t bear being around weed smokers, just don’t hang out with her.

12

This may not apply if friend is being subsidized by rich daddy and mommy, and/or if friend never gets “convicted,” but:

http://roundup.nmsu.edu/public/012201/opinion/opinion.html

13

I have to second peasea about that. I’ve read some of the reviews* and have been meaning to see it.

PC

*“A propaganda film from 1936 that has become a cult hit because of its dated outlook on marijuana use, Reefer Madness is the height of camp entertainment. Framed as a “documentary,” the film is narrated by a high school principal imparting his wisdom and experiences with the demon weed.”
reefer-madnes-movie

14

[hijack]
have you ever seen “I Accuse My Parents” on MST3K? Okay, now imagine it’s Jimmy’s birthday, he won the essay contest, and he’s stoned out of his gourd.

that’s what Reefer Madness is like.

[/hijack]

15

Also, have her watch “Stoned” the ABC After School Special with Scott Baio. Where is the tongue in cheek smilie?

16

I’ve developed a kind of hypersensitivity to reefer over the past several years… in ninth grade, I’d hotbox a car with a couple of other dudes using a hookah I made out of a trombone mouthpeice every morning before first bell, and be nicely toasted for the next few hours. We would literally pack an 2 dimes to an eighth in every bowl.

Ten years later, one or two small hits off a joint will make me unpleasantly stoned. I get paranoid, think everybody hates me, and could probably drive better if I slammed a twelve pack instead. So now I indulge maybe twice a year.

That’s just me, though. It does different things to different people, just like booze.

17

If she is an 18 year old girl about to enter college, one of the main things on her mind is probably her appearance.

While I agree pot smoking is probably one of the most harmless things you can do to yourself in college, I can say from experience that the major downside is the WEIGHT GAIN.

Munchies are NOT an old wives tale. I gained about 50 lbs in college due to my frequent wake and bakes. If you really want to turn her off to pot, suggest that if she wants to keep/get a girlish figure, she should stay away from it.

And Black, I totally feel your pain – I am there also LOL:smack:

18

Virtually everything has been listed as a side-effect of smoking weed. Here’s most of what has been associated with it:

However, I doubt a great deal of that has been proven. If your friend is going to smoke it, she will. I doubt giving her a stern lecture, citing the dozens of dangers listed above, is going to change her mind.

19

I can tell you smoking pot over a long period of time will make you forgetful and paranoid.

20

geez! Philosopher, i’m surprised there was nothing in there linking marijuana use to hairy palms and feebleness! :eek:

jb