# The scourge that is the demon weed **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 4, 2018, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-scourge-that-is-the-demon-weed/805860 "2018-01-04T17:54:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2018, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-scourge-that-is-the-demon-weed/805860/121 "2018-01-07T03:29:44Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > \That thing is, for me, this: I won’t be shamed any more. > > I won’t be silent about my pot smoking any more. I won’t keep quiet and on the down low out of fear that I’ll lose my house, my job, my freedom. I’ve been living a lie as far as my pot smoking goes, for most of my life now, and I won’t do it any more. > > I’m a decent person: I earn my money, I vote, I pay taxes and I do what I can do to try and make the world a better rather than a worse place for us all to live.\ As my 88 year old mother has gone through serious medical issues (broken hip, crushed vertebra) she discovered that no meds helped. It took my wife and I about 2 years to get my mom to consider alternatives. Her doctors are no help and just patronizing. With the opinions that she is ‘just gonna die anyway’. I’ve been able to help a little in that I accompany my mother at every doctor visit now with a pad and paper. THAT gets them to be a bit more attentive. One doctor that screwed up actually asks my mom how **I’m** doing. Heh. Just fine. Annywaaay… After our own experimentation, CBD tincture has helped my mom with her migraines. Stops them in their tracks (who knew?) it’s saving her butt and at least that’s not a problem anymore. I did at first have a medical MJ license (certificate ?) as a care giver for my mom and built salves/lotions. That’s not worth it now as I can buy much better stuff over the counter now. I’ll gladly pay the tax, instead of building it myself. Anyway, **Snowboarder** , the stigma certainly exists. And that was the hardest hurdle for my mom to get over. It’s just plain stupid. But I understand that her generation thinks it’s some sort of pathway to hell. When in fact MJ is one of the oldest medicines in use. There are two things against MJ. Assholes like Sessions that want to populate jails, and big pharmaceutical companies. Legalize it, and ‘big pharma’ is way, way behind the 8 ball because it will take years to get anything through the FDA. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2018, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-scourge-that-is-the-demon-weed/805860/122 "2018-01-07T03:33:10Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Anyway, **Snowboarder** , the stigma certainly exists. And that was the hardest hurdle for my mom to get over. It’s just plain stupid. But I understand that her generation thinks it’s some sort of pathway to hell. When in fact MJ is one of the oldest medicines in use. > > There are two things against MJ. Assholes like Sessions that want to populate jails, and big pharmaceutical companies. Legalize it, and ‘big pharma’ is way, way behind the 8 ball because it will take years to get anything through the FDA. Please; call me **Bo**. 🙂 Oh yeah, it’s real, but I’m done with it. Not gonna play that game any more. I’ll lead the way with my example, if necessary. ---
**Author:** ![BeenJammin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beenjammin/32/448_2.png) [@BeenJammin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeenJammin)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2018, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-scourge-that-is-the-demon-weed/805860/123 "2018-01-07T03:39:18Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Legalize it, and ‘big pharma’ is way, way behind the 8 ball because it will take years to get anything through the FDA. You would think. But remember how this all got started. The BP’s have have been lobbying in states that don’t even have medical initiatives in the pipeline to corner the CBD market before it even gets started. It works both ways. The FDA has already green-lighted a number of pharma-proprietary cannabis extracts. This approach is covertly and soley intended to shut out grass roots competition, if and when it ever takes off. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2018, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-scourge-that-is-the-demon-weed/805860/124 "2018-01-07T03:40:58Z")
> [@BuckChongo](#): > > … the day Bezos flips the gro-lite switch on 100,000 acres of feminized Trainwreck and MK Ultra, then pays off the Feds springing El Shorty G from SuperMax to run the whole operation, red white and green drones crowd the urban airspace bringing magic pain relief opiate free to the masses and we are all so happy… What do the Italians have to do with any of this? ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2018, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-scourge-that-is-the-demon-weed/805860/125 "2018-01-07T04:04:11Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > What do the Italians have to do with any of this? Just a little subtle I think. But well done. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2018, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-scourge-that-is-the-demon-weed/805860/126 "2018-01-07T04:17:36Z")
> [@BeenJammin](#): > > Apart from that, from a recreational standpoint, it’s like catnip for people - **literally fucking harmless,** used responsibly. First, I am absolutely in favor of legalization. However, let’s stop pretending that pot is harmless. _Every_ drug[has side effects.](https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/marijuana-use-and-its-effects#1) While most of the side effects are relatively mild, there can be some that are more serious and there are people who shouldn’t partake or approach their initial use with more caution than most. > [@](#): > > Marijuana can also cause more health problems if you have a condition like liver disease, low blood pressure, or diabetes. > > If you’re a man, heavy use could lower your testosterone levels, and your sperm count and quality. That, in turn, can zap your libido and fertility. > > Research shows a link between marijuana use and mental health problems like depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, short-term psychosis, and schizophrenia. While it’s not clear if marijuana causes these conditions, it can make them worse. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2018, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-scourge-that-is-the-demon-weed/805860/127 "2018-01-07T05:00:21Z")
> [@BeenJammin](#): > > It’s about time society got over the whole “drug” thing. Drugs of all kinds are pervasive. Some are great, some not so much. [Bill Hicks] _Not all drugs are good, all right? Some of them … are great. Just gotta know your way around them, is all._ [/Bill Hicks] ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2018, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-scourge-that-is-the-demon-weed/805860/128 "2018-01-07T07:20:38Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > What do the Italians have to do with any of this? When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, you’re stoned. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2018, 9:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-scourge-that-is-the-demon-weed/805860/129 "2018-01-07T09:50:49Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Legalize it, and ‘big pharma’ is way, way behind the 8 ball because it will take years to get anything through the FDA. I’d be positively stunned if major pharma companies did not all have pure, undiluted fuck\_you\_up\_two\_times strains already developped, crossbred and so forth in their collective basements in the eventuality that the legalization movement gains enough momentum that recreational smoking becomes normalized - which it does, worldwide. If anything, I’d wager the most important opposition to legalization, in the US and Europe alike, are a) drug-smuggling cartels (and their underhanded but VERY RICH influence) and b) various intelligence agencies that use drug sales to fill their war chests… and to fuck with non-white people, obviously. ---
**Author:** ![BeenJammin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beenjammin/32/448_2.png) [@BeenJammin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeenJammin)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2018, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-scourge-that-is-the-demon-weed/805860/130 "2018-01-07T15:50:09Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > However, let’s stop pretending that pot is harmless. _Every_ drug[has side effects.](https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/marijuana-use-and-its-effects#1). Not pretending at all. Cite one person who has ever OD’d or died from Cannabis. Just one - anywhere in the world or at any time in recorded history. So if you want go ahead and define yout meaning for the term “harmless” in this context, please go right ahead. Because when compared apples-to-apples, it is literally fucking harmless. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2018, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-scourge-that-is-the-demon-weed/805860/131 "2018-01-07T16:10:17Z")
> [@BeenJammin](#): > > Not pretending at all. Cite one person who has ever OD’d or died from Cannabis. Just one - anywhere in the world or at any time in recorded history. So if you want go ahead and define yout meaning for the term “harmless” in this context, please go right ahead. Because when compared apples-to-apples, it is literally fucking harmless. So you think death is the only thing that’s considered a harmful side effect? [Maureen Dowd](https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/yvqbav/maureen-dowd-freaked-out-on-weed-chocolate-because-shes-stupid)OD’d since she didn’t know how to go about her first try. > [@](#): > > Sitting in my hotel room in Denver, I nibbled off the end and then, when nothing happened, nibbled some more… For an hour, I felt nothing… But then I felt a scary shudder go through my body and brain. I barely made it from the desk to the bed,\*\* where I lay curled up in a hallucinatory state for the next eight hours. I was thirsty but couldn’t move to get water. Or even turn off the lights. I was panting and paranoid,\*\* sure that when the room-service waiter knocked and I didn’t answer, he’d call the police and have me arrested for being unable to handle my candy. Maybe she had no lasting damage but that’s a dangerous situation to be in under any circumstances. Are you saying that doesn’t count as an overdose? ---
**Author:** ![BeenJammin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beenjammin/32/448_2.png) [@BeenJammin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeenJammin)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2018, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-scourge-that-is-the-demon-weed/805860/132 "2018-01-07T16:19:44Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Are you saying that doesn’t count as an overdose? Sure it was an overdose, but it wasn’t harmful. Bet she doesn’t do THAT again. :rolleyes: “overdose” in this context means you DIE. Too many ibuprofen over a few years means you DIE. Lots of other examples. Pot is harmless. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2018, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-scourge-that-is-the-demon-weed/805860/133 "2018-01-07T16:25:25Z")
> [@BeenJammin](#): > > Sure it was an overdose, but it wasn’t harmful. Bet she doesn’t do THAT again. :rolleyes: The fact is, there are plenty of people who have had a similar experience. Overdosing does not have to involve death. Ever heard of “rookie cookies”? Colorado established 10mg as a standard dose and requires packaging to use that when determining the number of doses on the label. I’ve seen in California, levels as high as 250 mg listed as a single dose. ---
**Author:** ![BeenJammin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beenjammin/32/448_2.png) [@BeenJammin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeenJammin)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2018, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-scourge-that-is-the-demon-weed/805860/134 "2018-01-07T16:25:33Z")
So @runningcoach - you got stock in GW Pharma or maybe one of the beloved Kentucky distillers? ---
**Author:** ![BeenJammin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beenjammin/32/448_2.png) [@BeenJammin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeenJammin)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2018, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-scourge-that-is-the-demon-weed/805860/135 "2018-01-07T16:26:53Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > The fact is, there are plenty of people who have had a similar experience. Overdosing does not have to involve death. Of course not - that’s not what we are talking about. We are talking about the relative harmful effects. Relative to other commonly available drugs, pot is harmless. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2018, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-scourge-that-is-the-demon-weed/805860/136 "2018-01-07T16:28:16Z")
> [@BeenJammin](#): > > So @runningcoach - you got stock in GW Pharma or maybe one of the beloved Kentucky distillers? No. I even said I’m in favor of legalization. But acknowledge it’s a mind-altering drug, that’s what it’s been used for right from the start and acknowledge that it has side effects that can be serious. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2018, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-scourge-that-is-the-demon-weed/805860/137 "2018-01-07T16:29:21Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > So you think death is the only thing that’s considered a harmful side effect? > > [Maureen Dowd](https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/yvqbav/maureen-dowd-freaked-out-on-weed-chocolate-because-shes-stupid)OD’d since she didn’t know how to go about her first try. > > Maybe she had no lasting damage but that’s a dangerous situation to be in under any circumstances. > Are you saying that doesn’t count as an overdose? An overdose for _her_. With edibles I go out of my way to reach where she was, only I enjoy the intensity. So, yes, _subjectively_ she od’d, just like the people who get weirded out and paranoid after taking a single hit of weed that turns out to be a non-psychoactive fake weed. ---
**Author:** ![BeenJammin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beenjammin/32/448_2.png) [@BeenJammin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeenJammin)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2018, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-scourge-that-is-the-demon-weed/805860/138 "2018-01-07T16:31:57Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > No. I even said I’m in favor of legalization. > But acknowledge it’s a mind-altering drug, that’s what it’s been used for right from the start and acknowledge that it has side effects that can be serious. Actually “from the start” and “to this day” it has been used (for centuries) as a therapuetic agent for a variety of maladies in many different cultures around the world. The ones lucky enough to not be influenced by our profit-driven society never stopped. “Serious” you say? Please explain. Did the woman in your example miss her flight? ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2018, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-scourge-that-is-the-demon-weed/805860/139 "2018-01-07T16:32:01Z")
It’s more accurate to say that pot is not harmless, but _is_ significantly less harmful than a vast number of other drugs that are sold illegally on the streets, prescribed every day by doctors, or freely available on store shelves to anyone who wants to buy them. ---
**Author:** ![BeenJammin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beenjammin/32/448_2.png) [@BeenJammin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeenJammin)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2018, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-scourge-that-is-the-demon-weed/805860/140 "2018-01-07T16:38:11Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > It’s more accurate to say that pot is not harmless, but _is_ significantly less harmful… Statements about Cannabis’ harm value are meaningless until you define the term “harmful” in this context. Pot is physically harmless. Ingestion of vast amounts does no physical harm. It CANNOT kill you, in literally any use case. It cannot do physical harm to the human body. Now define your terms, and either agree or disagree. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-scourge-that-is-the-demon-weed/805860.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-scourge-that-is-the-demon-weed/805860.md?page=8)