Home Secretary: I smoked cannabis

[Vylo]

My friend died from heroin and cocaine abuse, but I am still for legalization. Had it been legal, it would have lost its taboo appeal, and he also could have sought out help for his problem more easily.

 

[SteveAtheist]

My friend died from heroin and cocaine abuse, but I am still for legalization. Had it been legal, it would have lost its taboo appeal, and he also could have sought out help for his problem more easily.

Three of my uncles deaths were drug related. All of the drugs in question were illegal so I do not see how keeping drugs illegal somehow prevents people from abusing them. My grandfather's death was alcohol related, which was legal. Drugs are available, illegal or not, and the demand will keep them available. It all boils down to personal responsibility and accountability.

The 'war on drugs' has been and will continue to be a joke and comparing cannabis, which the original article was about, to harder drugs that people can actually die from is ridiculous. You might as well make caffeine illegal because people O.D. on cocaine.

 

[JFox1]

Alcohol does as well, let's ban that.

That's already been tried during the Prohibition from 1920 to 1933. It didn't work very well. People went to speakeasies and also made moonshine.

 

[Robbie_James_Francis]

As for the anti-carcionogenic properties of cannabis, this is all I can find at the moment. I'll try to find more soon.

Anyway, it is absurd to say that you draw the line at cannabis because of heroin. Firstly, prove a link. Secondly, show us why you ridiculous 'line' is valid, or even more valid than other lines that are drawn.

Your argument against cannabis, as with all arguments against cannabis, are based on nothing more than ignorant prejudice and submission to fallacious propaganda.

 

[Allister]

FaithGuardian, people will always smoke cannabis, regardless of how harmful you believe it to be, in the same way i know the effects of tobacco but still smoke. Your heroin pictures are terrible and a method needs to be introduced to stop simple "pot-heads" from becoming heroin users. I used to and occasionally still do smoke cannabis, unfortunately I have to go to some dodgy guys home which is normally full of crack heads and negotiate for a quarter of cannabis while refusing to indulge in his harder drugs without offending him. It is not a pleasant experience. Many people would break under pressure and agree to take his harder drugs, i have many friends that have. We would save many more people if Cannabis was legally sold in off-licenses and tobacconists by respectable and decent members of society for a fair price and without fear of arrest. The happy customer would buy his weed, chocolate, milkshake and frozen garlic bread and return home for a fun filled evening watching movies and discussing the true meaning of existence. A much better vision of society, i think.

 

[CCGirl]

Sorry, but.... Erm, where do you get that information?
It is quite flawed. Erm, actually it is false.
I worked with the military police on this issue for several months, and have gotten a fair deal of objective information on marijuana, crack, extacy and other drugs. I have never heard it contains any of your supposed anti carcinogens. How could it contain any anti-.carcinogens. It isn't fruit seeds or blueberries we are talking about here. It's smoke. Smoke filled with tar. And inhaling smoke is harmful for you. Regardless of the type. It damages your airways and deposits unhealthy components in your loungues. The 'anti-carcinogen' argument is not valid. It isn't like it contains any antioxidants. It may be used on cancer patients for medicinal purposes, but that would not be to get rid of the cancer, just the pain.

But yes, THC is taken more quickly into the bloodstream through other means than pills.
Of course you don't want the high if you want to use it for medicinal purposes, do you? Don't want your short term memory affected, nor your motor skills. Nor your reflexes. And as getting high once affects all of these, and potentially more, for days after the high has ended. There are many valid arguments for banning people who have smoked from driving for periods of up to several days after the high.
If you want to smoke, it's your brain you're affecting. Most likely the effects will only be temporary and you will not suffer any long term effects. In all likelihood you won't.
But your school grades are not going to change. If you get a low grade, that grade stays. And marijuana's effect on both short term memory and higher brain functions certainly doesn't do the grades any favor.
So smoke if you wish. But be sure to not believe the propaganda you read about it being completely harmless - it contains carcinogens, tar and causes certain effects in all it's users as covered above. And more severe effects in a very very small percentage.

Is it less harmful than alcohol? Depends on the amount of usage and person using it. By default I would say yes, it is if you drink enough.
But low amounts of drinking versus low amounts of smoking... Alcohol in small amounts is healthy. Smoking THC isn't. Smoking anything isn't...

You can never, ever, OD on Marijuana, and it also does not contain any tar. I have a prescription for medical marijuana, and you can use a vaporizer, which is recommended by doctors.

 

[Vylo]

You could OD, if you ate like a pound of it before losing conciousness.

There has never been a reported case of cannibas OD. As I jest above, the only way to do it would to be to consume large amounts of a concentrated form. Otherwise you will fall asleep before you can OD.

 

[Robbie_James_Francis]

FaithGuardian, people will always smoke cannabis, regardless of how harmful you believe it to be, in the same way i know the effects of tobacco but still smoke. Your heroin pictures are terrible and a method needs to be introduced to stop simple "pot-heads" from becoming heroin users. I used to and occasionally still do smoke cannabis, unfortunately I have to go to some dodgy guys home which is normally full of crack heads and negotiate for a quarter of cannabis while refusing to indulge in his harder drugs without offending him. It is not a pleasant experience. Many people would break under pressure and agree to take his harder drugs, i have many friends that have. We would save many more people if Cannabis was legally sold in off-licenses and tobacconists by respectable and decent members of society for a fair price and without fear of arrest. The happy customer would buy his weed, chocolate, milkshake and frozen garlic bread and return home for a fun filled evening watching movies and discussing the true meaning of existence. A much better vision of society, i think.

Absolutely. There is an extremely effective way to recude hard drug use, drug addiction and drug-related deaths. It's called legalisation.

 

[Robbie_James_Francis]

You could OD, if you ate like a pound of it before losing conciousness.

There has never been a reported case of cannibas OD. As I jest above, the only way to do it would to be to consume large amounts of a concentrated form. Otherwise you will fall asleep before you can OD.

Quite right. As I've found from experience, when a group of people are all lying on the floor or sitting against the wall with the room spinning discussing deep philosophical issues, no-one can even move to reach the rizlas, let alone roll a joint.

 

[MrJim]

FaithGuardian, people will always smoke cannabis, regardless of how harmful you believe it to be...

"People will always" arguments are an iffy basis for substantiating an argument. I used to consider myself libertarian, but realized there needs to be some sense of order and law in society.

I used to deal in illegal drugs~the Ozarks grow the very finest pot in the world. We take pot from the growers and sell/trade for coke & crystal, taking our cuts in the middle of it all. I would much much rather be in a room of stoners than a room of drunks. That being said, opening the doors wider in not a good solution. Alcohol leads to alcoholism in the worst cases; pot leads to coke, acid, crank, heroin in the worst cases. Seen 'em both. After the pot is legalized, why not coke? It's fairly tame compared to horse or acid. Or what's wrong will legalizing acid? I did my share with no long term side effects effects effects...

Legalization leads to increased availability, which inturn makes it easier to get.

(We used to have these discussions back in the day~mid/late 80s, and decided that legalization would be a good idea. Figured there'd be a great market for expertly handrolled joints and that there'd be no lack of employees at the rollin' factory. Most of us were too lazy to learn to roll well, so we just grabbed the pipe or bong . We figured we'd sell them 5 per pack for $50. This would be for premium Ozark Skunk Bud. We'd have different prices for different grades, with the lowest being a 5-pack @ $1.00 for Mexican Shake )

 

[CACTUSJACKmankin]

i dont see how marijuana is any different in recreational use or harm than the legal recreational drugs: alcohol and tobacco. This secretary is a hypocrite, shame on her for continuing the demonization of something that no longer needs to be demonized. marijuana isn't heroin or cocaine or lsd or mdma. its not even close to the hardcore drugs so why is it illegal?

 

[Allister]

What annoys me about the home secretary, and i saw the interview live, is that she admitted smoking cannabis but denied enjoying it. I saw those pictures that were released and she appeared to be having a great time.

 

[TheReasoner]

You can never, ever, OD on Marijuana, and it also does not contain any tar. I have a prescription for medical marijuana, and you can use a vaporizer, which is recommended by doctors.

True, but it still isn't 'anti-carcinogenic'

 

[Robbie_James_Francis]

True, but it still isn't 'anti-carcinogenic'

Do you care to try to refute the evidence that says cannabis contains several anti-carcinogens? Or would you rather go along in a haze of 'drugs = bad' ignorance like most of society, assuming rather than thinking?

 

[TheReasoner]

Do you care to try to refute the evidence that says cannabis contains several anti-carcinogens? Or would you rather go along in a haze of 'drugs = bad' ignorance like most of society, assuming rather than thinking?

What evidence?
Hearsay from a propaganda site?

How can smoke prevent cancer when smoke by it's very nature is carcinogenic?

I don't ignore evidence. But you have presented none.
And I certainly am not a sheep of society. Are you doing any thinking, or are you blindly accepting what you read because you want to?
What you are arguing for is a multi-billion dollar industry. Don't think they don't advertise their products. They do. And this whole debate reminds me of the tobacco debate.
Why would a tobacco firm sell goods that killed it's users? Bad financial move, removing one's customer base. The argument you present was also presented there. "Think, don't just accept".
Well, I do think. I do reason. Cogito ergo sum. And if you knew me, I believe the last words out of your mouth about me would be the ones you just uttered.

 

[Mr.Pious]

Well, we can't allow for total freedom.

Before and after heroin.
Of course heroin and cannabis are radically different. But the freedom to use what you wish... Well, that would legalize what is shown above.
Strong images, I know. but, the ones I chose are mild. There are much worse examples.
People in their twenties looking like they were 50. And deathly ill. Skinny as needles. With huge open sores all over their bodies. What few teeth they have are rotten. Eyes sunk in and voice completely without life and character.

Again, this is not anything close to cannabis. But we cannot legalize this hell. Because hell it is. A hell it could cost you your life leaving after just one shot. And it will cost you your life if you stay in the hell of heroin abuse.

It cannot be legalized, and a clear line should be drawn. I say we draw that line at cannabis. The effects of a high last for such a long time you are affected negatively for days after a high. It could increase traffic accidents, and it would reduce overall school performance if it became any more commonplace. It would harm our competitivety internationally.
The beauty of alcohol is - if you get drunk you are generally fine after just a day of hangover. Same can't be said for cannabis. The effects are much much milder. But they dissipate too slowly.

I don't do heroin because I don't want to, its legal standing means nothing to me. It would be as easy as a couple of phone calls and I could go score some heroin, but I don't. Making something legal isn't going to make more people do it, if anything it will make it harder for children, the most suscetable(sp?), to get a hold of it.

 

[marblehead]

Annual Causes of Death in the United States


Tobacco 435,000
Poor Diet and Physical Inactivity 365,000
Alcohol 85,000
Microbial Agents 75,000
Toxic Agents 55,000
Motor Vehicle Crashes 26,347
Adverse Reactions to Prescription Drugs 32,000
Suicide 30,622
Incidents Involving Firearms 29,000
Homicide 20,308
Sexual Behaviors 20,000
All Illicit Drug Use, Direct and Indirect 17,000
Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs Such As Aspirin 7,600
Marijuana 0

From: http://www.drugwarfacts.org/causes.htm#illicit
​

 

[thenewageriseth]

Marijuana affects your judgment...

Yes it does. I agree, cuz I had a bad experience with a marijuana smoker who was supposed to be my friend, and my next door neighbor accused my father once of something he didn't do (she accused him for talking to her father wrong and that wasn't the truth, especially the way my neighbor's father looked at her like she done lost it)!

 

[SteveAtheist]

Yes it does. I agree, cuz I had a bad experience with a marijuana smoker who was supposed to be my friend, and my next door neighbor accused my father once of something he didn't do (she accused him for talking to her father wrong and that wasn't the truth, especially the way my neighbor's father looked at her like she done lost it)!

Having a bad experience with a pot smoker is just the same as having a bad experience with a person. They are stupid people who do stupid things all the time, and the stories you relate probably had nothing to do with weed and had more to do with people just being people.

 

[cyberfugue]

At least she didn't claim not to have inhaled.