You know - the Cannabis issue… 
Feds gettin’ “cranky,” big dollars flowing, people worried about something.
It’s awesome! 
I don’t doubt that but I see this line of discussion a dead end so I pointed it out. It wasn’t meant as a criticism of you or your beliefs even though this is the pit.
It appeared that you were trying to explain your position in a way to appease those who hold the view that marijuana is a dangerous drug and frankly, we need people like you doing your thing but to paraphrase Bo, “I’m done with it. Not gonna play that game any more.”
It’s time to elevate the discussion and it seems like this is the forum to do so. It’s a shame that this is in the pit really. The issue is too important ( admittedly to me ) for it not to get a serious discussion.
Not entirely. I *do not * believe that marijuana is a dangerous drug. I do believe it carries a certain amount of risk(same as any drug) for some people.
Granted, it’s physically safe in that you can’t poison yourself but being paralyzed for eight hours(as Dowd experienced) is dangerous in itself. A small number of people have been known to have a bad experience with even a rookie dose(5-10mg) or can’t handle the experience psychologically.
The fact that this can happen should not be kept from those who want to experiment.
I think the claims that it’s “harmless” are just as dishonest as the distortions spread by the likes of Reefer Madness and the rantings of AG Sessions.
What is needed is for the risks and cautions to be acknowledged, not buried.
Sunday Sessions Cocktail.
Named for Bo Sessions.
.1 gm Mendo Breath. Indica. For lunar orbit mode.
.1 gm Root Beer Float. Sativa Hybrid. For really sweet smoothness.
.1 gm Blue Raz. Sativa Hybrid. For energy and focus.
Grind to [preparation instructions redacted, you know, kids are watching]
.3 of a $12.50 gm works out to about be about $3.75. About half the price of a 6 pack of beer.
Sessions could have the last word. Interim appointments.
Of course people need to be able to know the risks before taking anything. I’m going to go so far and say that americans are very aware that all medications have side effects. The companies don’t advertise them openly rather on a quick scroll or fine print. Many of these medicines are considered harmless but truly we all understand that there are exceptions to the rules and as consumers it’s on us to know what we’re buying.
On the other hand, fighting ignorance by feeding it’s basic fears doesn’t seem overly helpful. The opposition is only going to hear “it is harmful, they’re admitting it.”
I don’t know, maybe a comparison would work better. It’s safer than water might convey it’s safety while admitting it’s not 100% harmless.
Now if we only had some gigantic world wide repository of knowledge that a person could quickly and efficiently gather this needed information from before someone decided to ingest something they’re unfamiliar with existed that would be helpful.
She was not paralyzed “for eight hours”. Couch-lock effects fade fairly quickly, but might leave one not in a mood to get up for quite a while. But honestly, anyone who has used cannabis knows that 20 minutes can sometimes feel like a week.
Yup, absolutely zero chance that she was physically or mentally paralyzed for 8 hours. It is hyperbole, also known as exaggeration. Which is in common enough usage, especially in media and literature, that it requires no defense or explanation other than identifying it as such.
Note to self. Do not do shrooms with Maureen Dowd. For sure wet blanket.
That I did not know.
I dunno. I don’t smoke weed anymore. Don’t really care too either. Did it in my youth, and after one afternoon of smoking it up, I spent the evening in the ER after I started puking blood. (I don’t know that it was the weed that made me puke blood, but that’s what I think, that it was laced with something)
I think it’s dumb to smoke dope, but not any dumber than a lot of stuff that’s fully legal now, and I’d rather have it legal, regulated, quality tested and lab verified for the different varieties, and safer to use and aquire than when I was a degenerate youth. I’d rather see Idaho growing weed as a cash crop and reaping the tax benefits instead of wasting the resources to fight it
It would be absolutely stunning if this were not the case. Nevertheless…Jesus, who would want that? Commercial stuff can be so strong already it’s a tightrope to find the sweet spot between “pleasantly buzzed” and “FuckingwreckedohmygodIforgothowtobreathe!”
OK, that’s a bit of an overstatement, but you definitely have to know what you’re getting. If this were alcohol we’d be looking at Schnapps & Everclear in nominally identical packaging. Pharma is screwed this time.
Another vote here for “not dangerous but not harmless.”
There is at least one case I know of in which some dude got stoned and fell off a balcony in CO. No, that is not a poisoning death, but we should acknowledge that impairment creates risk.
Just from personal experience, some people in college seemed not able to handle the weed. Some people seemed to lose their sense of priorities with chronic pot use, more or less knocking their lives off course, at least from my POV.
I have read contradictory things re: cancer, but I suspect it increases one’s lung cancer risk at least a little. Need more info on this topic however.
That said, I think the vast majority of pot user experience it as literally harmless. That’s fine, but let’s not pretend. Mmmkay?
What of it ? :o
I picked up the colloquialism here I believe (or possibly thanks to Jon Stewart ? I don’t even remember), and initially used it “ironically” when trying to sound like a hick ; but now it’s just a thing I say when talking to/about Murricans. I dunno, I like it.
Plus it’s nice to have a distinction between second person singular and plural, like real languages have 
AIUI, “You” used to be the plural, and “thee” the singular. Usage of “thee” changed and it was eventually dropped leaving us with only “you” for second person matters. I can’t be arsed to provide the cite for that, but I reckon the French are actually to blame for it all. I have no plans to cite that, either. 
As a general rule, inhaling smoke of any sort is bad for you and increases your risk of chronic diseases can lung cancer. Fortunately, for those concerned, there are other ways to consume pot than smoking it.
Actually, I don’t think there’s much proof to show that marijuana smoking increases your odds of lung cancer.
I’m not saying it doesn’t, I’m saying that there isn’t any proof that it is nearly as dangerous as tobacco or even microwave popcorn.
But I think we can conclude that smoking pot increases your chances of eating microwave popcorn.
Definitely of eating Taco Bell.
It doesn’t have to be as dangerous as tobacco or microwave popcorn to still be bad for you. Like I said - inhaling any sort of smoke is generally not a good thing for your health. “It doesn’t cause cancer” doesn’t mean it’s good or even OK.