- Joined
- Oct 18, 2007
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I traveled around the world to interview medical leaders, experts, growers and patients. I spoke candidly to them, asking tough questions. What I found was stunning.
We have been terribly and systematically misled for nearly 70 years in the United States, and I apologize for my own role in that.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta: Why I changed my mind on weed - CNN.com
Here's a winning quote:
I hope many people read this, but I doubt the one's who should will.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta: Why I changed my mind on weed - CNN.com
Here's a winning quote:
I hope many people read this, but I doubt the one's who should will.
I would read it but Im too stoned and will read it later.Dr. Sanjay Gupta: Why I changed my mind on weed - CNN.com
Here's a winning quote:
I hope many people read this, but I doubt the one's who should will.
Word of caution to all dope heads out there. Be careful what you wish for. If it becomes legal across the board, by the time government taxes it to death, special interest groups have their say, lawyers find ways to file lawsuits over it; lots of people will be wishing it was illegal again. And jail time is never going away for that product, the charges will just be a little different. Just like booze.
Word of caution to all dope heads out there. Be careful what you wish for. If it becomes legal across the board, by the time government taxes it to death, special interest groups have their say, lawyers find ways to file lawsuits over it; lots of people will be wishing it was illegal again. And jail time is never going away for that product, the charges will just be a little different. Just like booze.
So if the legalization of pot reduces the deficit, creates jobs, helps many people with health issues, lightens the load on courts, police, and prisons.....that's something we should be careful about wishing for?
And I don't know anyone who wants pot to be 100% legal for all.
Most are perfectly happy with the idea of it being controlled in the same way alcohol is.
At the very least controlled like any prescription medication is.
And why do people who support the decriminalization of marijuana automatically get labeled as "pot heads"?
That's a very ignorant viewpoint isn't it?
Oh, they'll read it, but only to know how to spin against it to protect their agenda.Here's a winning quote:
We have been terribly and systematically misled for nearly 70 years in the United States, and I apologize for my own role in that.
I hope many people read this, but I doubt the one's who should will.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta: Why I changed my mind on weed - CNN.com
Here's a winning quote:
I hope many people read this, but I doubt the one's who should will.
I used be staunchly against legalizing marijuana. Now I am more ambivalent about it with a slight bias towards only legalizing it for medical use, but not recreation. Thus, I was interested to read the article. I have to say that my favorite part was the following:Dr. Sanjay Gupta: Why I changed my mind on weed - CNN.com
Here's a winning quote:
I hope many people read this, but I doubt the one's who should will.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta said:We now know that while estimates vary, marijuana leads to dependence in around 9 to 10% of its adult users. By comparison, cocaine, a schedule 2 substance "with less abuse potential than schedule 1 drugs" hooks 20% of those who use it. Around 25% of heroin users become addicted.
The worst is tobacco, where the number is closer to 30% of smokers, many of whom go on to die because of their addiction.
There is clear evidence that in some people marijuana use can lead to withdrawal symptoms, including insomnia, anxiety and nausea. Even considering this, it is hard to make a case that it has a high potential for abuse. The physical symptoms of marijuana addiction are nothing like those of the other drugs I've mentioned. I have seen the withdrawal from alcohol, and it can be life threatening.
I do want to mention a concern that I think about as a father. Young, developing brains are likely more susceptible to harm from marijuana than adult brains. Some recent studies suggest that regular use in teenage years leads to a permanent decrease in IQ. Other research hints at a possible heightened risk of developing psychosis.
Much in the same way I wouldn't let my own children drink alcohol, I wouldn't permit marijuana until they are adults. If they are adamant about trying marijuana, I will urge them to wait until they're in their mid-20s when their brains are fully developed.
I used be staunchly against legalizing
marijuana. Now I am more ambivalent about it with a slight bias towards only legalizing it for medical use, but not recreation. Thus, I was interested to read the article. I have to say that my favorite part was the following:
That's my favorite part because it acknowledges the harm that marijuana can do those who use it. That acknowledgment is so rare among those who advocate legalization and the fat that such proponents are so reluctant to admit that pot can hurt people is one of the THE BIGGEST TURNOFFS of the pro-legalization movement. It's very hard for me to get behind a movement full of supporters who either incredibly ignorant or incredibly deceptive. Who spread myths like "nobody gets addicted" or "it's entirely harmless except for a bad trip once in a while." So seeing a pro-legalization article that acknowledges the harm that pot can do to people makes me feel better about the movement and edges me closer to supporting its position.
It's also worth noting that it seems like he supports the use of medical marijuana, but doesn't take a position on recreational use.
Jeeez...
So we're not dumb enough ? Legalize a harmful substance based on what ? Alcohols worse ?
Jeeez...
So we're not dumb enough ? Legalize a harmful substance based on what ? Alcohols worse ?
And why do people who support the decriminalization of marijuana automatically get labeled as "pot heads"?
That's a very ignorant viewpoint isn't it?
Not sure how anyone who was ever a teenager could have strongly negative opinions about weed.
I used be staunchly against legalizing marijuana. Now I am more ambivalent about it with a slight bias towards only legalizing it for medical use, but not recreation. Thus, I was interested to read the article. I have to say that my favorite part was the following:
That's my favorite part because it acknowledges the harm that marijuana can do those who use it. That acknowledgment is so rare among those who advocate legalization and the fat that such proponents are so reluctant to admit that pot can hurt people is one of the THE BIGGEST TURNOFFS of the pro-legalization movement. It's very hard for me to get behind a movement full of supporters who either incredibly ignorant or incredibly deceptive. Who spread myths like "nobody gets addicted" or "it's entirely harmless except for a bad trip once in a while." So seeing a pro-legalization article that acknowledges the harm that pot can do to people makes me feel better about the movement and edges me closer to supporting its position.
It's also worth noting that it seems like he supports the use of medical marijuana, but doesn't take a position on recreational use.
Because some of us got through our teenage lives, and our adult lives, without needing to indulge, or experiment, with it. Anyone who thinks that marajuana is a harmless drug, is a fool. It's a drug, ergo by definition, it is harmful in some form, just as prescription drugs are and any other drug you can name is. I think the same about alcohol and have been a teetotaller for almost all my adult life. I think there is no difference between either drug, they are both harmful. People who indulge in one drug and carry on about how "this drug is not as harmful as that drug" are deluding themselves.
The bottom line is that I have lived, and continue to live, my life without drugs because I have never needed any of them. I depend on ME, not some drug to relax, or to temporarily change my personality, or to cope with life. Anyone who experiments or indulges in any drug, has a need to do so. I am not talking about an addiction, I am talking about a need to either do what everyone else is doing, or a need to escape, or a need to find a way to relax, or any other number of needs one can think of. I know that as someone who has never tried marajuana and doesn't drink alcohol, I will be ignored or ridiculed by those who do indulge, for whatever reason, and that's ok, I don't mind. I have political discussions and I am howled down on a daily basis in my staff room....I cope(I am the oldest person in my faculty, surrounded by the youngsters who think they know everything, lol. They all drink....the women go home to glasses of red or white, the men go to the pub and, as I don't drink alcohol or any other drugs, and as I am pro-Israel and don't understand parents who nurture their teenagers "anxieties" and make excuses for their teenagers who suffer from LSD (lack of self-discipline), I am at loggerheads with my fellow teachers on a daily basis. I could never be a Year Advisor....my pastoral care would consist of "Are you over it yet?"
Anyway, perhaps I am not the person to be making a comment on drug use, having never indulged, but, just can't help myself.
My son-in-law is even more conservative than I am....probably why we get on so well and I really like him. His only comment on drug use is that firstly, drug users no matter what the drug of choice is, are losers full stop. If a person wants to take drugs who cares, however, if they OD or need help it should be denied. No ambulance for overdoses, no health treatment....made you bed, lie in it and suffer the consequences of your choices. He was in the Army for 10 years (he met my daughter when she was in the Army) and he is a teetotaller, never drank in his life, never smoked and never indulged in other drugs. No wonder I like him so much! Unfortunately, both my son and daughter occassionally drink alcohol...sigh, I went wrong somewhere!
No based, at the very least, that it has actual medicinal benefits. Many of the
pharmaceuticals that people take for pain now, for instance, are far more addictive and cause more harm than marijuana. I don't happen to believe it causes any harm, there are no studies showing serious health concerns.
Would you be OK with relegating alcohol to medical use only?
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