I think what bothers me the most, is this is supposed to be a family friendly site. I could care less what you people put in your bodies. You all are saying that "there's nothing wrong with a little weed" compared to alcohol it's nothing. You're probably right....a bullet in the head is much less painful than hanging I suppose. I hope the young people that come here don't have their fears about pot smoking removed because of some of the comments here.
I have my own data also. Who's data are we to believe?? I'm surely not going to believe yours.
]
http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/marijuana
http://1ec3qk2gowcy3luxr31yisiwjdm....ets-Not-Kid-Ourselves-About-Marijuana-WSJ.pdf
Yes, a family website - also a site known for facts and education.
There was a time when alcohol was banned - prohibition. Did the problem get better, or worse?
There's a HUGE push on right now in America in the healthcare field - pushing prescription drugs. For every complaint under the sun, there is a drug that is prescribed. Are these drugs "natural"? Heck no!! It's all high-tech chemistry! My wife and I are allergic to almost every newer drug we've ever been prescribed. Many of these drugs (like hydrocodone, for example) are used by druggies to make meth. Over-the-counter drugs like Tylenol Allergy/Sinus have been removed from market for the same reason. People sniffing spray paint and glues, eating poisonous mushrooms enough to get a sort of "high" off of, there was even a recent story I heard about someone who actually tried to use some known poison (seems like it was a cleaning agent or something) in order to try getting a cheap high. It's crap like this that is bad. REAL bad!
Tnet IS a family-oriented forum. As such, this thread is and has been able to show both points of view without problem. I'm amazed there hasn't been an eruption of sorts yet. That said, marijuana is a natural plant (provided no human tampering). Various venom's, poisons, and other very dangerous plants are also natural. Should we ban every known substance in order to try and keep people from abusing what is in nature? Or should we instead educate, and to pass on a morals and beliefs system that tells to respect such things, whether natural or man-made. To respect; not to abuse. Every time someone gets drunk, they're abusing alcohol. Ends up getting people killed every single day. Cars get people killed every single day. Cigarettes killed people slowly - probably would have been left alone, except that the 2nd hand smoke can have negative effects on non-smokers, thereby invading their personal rights. And when you look back into the majority of the drug-enforcement history, most of these instances that involved death were from drug smugglers carrying LOTS of marijuana, or from people who abuse marijuana.
I think it's time for that distinction to come out. I don't use pot. Was lured to do so as a child, but didn't like what it did to me. I had sense enough to quit. However, it was my former sibling's abuse of it and other drugs, the lies, the stealing that got me to hate drugs with such a passion! I'm much older now. I don't abuse anything.....well ok, except chocolate! Don't drink alcohol, coffee, tea, sodas, kool-aid, not even milk (I like it, but it don't like me!). I drink water. It can be -40°F outside and I still have my jug of ice water in hand!! Was taking hydrocodone for years, as that was the only thing that helped (somewhat) that I wasn't allergic to. I have no doubt that a little marijuana would help with the pain. Doesn't mean I'm going to take it, but the more I learn and the more I think about it, the more I should probably lean that way. I can't stand not being in a clear frame-of-mind! So am reasonably certain that I will never abuse marijuana should I ever go that route. ...But that's just me. It's natural (not synthetic), has no allergic reactions that I know of, and if used responsibly, "should" be very effective in treating many of today's medical conditions, and at a GREATLY reduced cost!! The tipping point in this argument comes from the people who will abuse it. Again, alcohol is legal, and often abused. Prescription meds are legal, and often abused. Cars are legal, and often abused.
There's also an amazing lack of abuse on guns, though I don't want to entice this thread into even more dangerous waters.
People abuse lots f things all the time. The result? Rules or outright bans on MDing - and prospecting - off-road vehicles - fishing - hunting - etc, etc, etc.... Once all things are tallied in, marijuana doesn't pose hardly any threat to an educated, civilized world. ...It didn't pose a threat 200 years ago, before all the education, so why should it now? It ALL boils down to responsibility. Personal responsibility. And if it's wrong for Tnet to support and spread an air of personal responsibility, then I'm certainly in the wrong place.
