Cannabis - The Miracle Plant

[Ozrat]

Apparently somebody has died from marijuana.
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) - A man changing a flat tire choked to death on a bag of marijuana he had stuffed down his throat in an apparent attempt to hide it from police who stopped to help him, authorities said.

Yet once again, marijuana has been falsely blamed in the death of a life. Sure, it's possible that somebody may get stoned, drive a vehicle and die in a horrible crash. But that's not to say that it was the marijuana itself that killed the poor stoner.

In fact...

Don't people die from smoking pot?
Nobody has ever overdosed. For any given substance, there are bound to be some people who have allergic reactions. With marijuana this is extremely rare, but it could happen with anything from apples to pop-tarts. Not one death has ever been directly linked to marijuana itself. In contrast, many legal drugs cause hundreds to hundreds of thousands of deaths per year, foremost among them are alcohol, nicotine, valium, aspirin, and caffiene. The biggest danger with marijuana is that it is illegal, and someone may mix it with another drug like PCP.
Marijuana is so safe that it would be almost impossible to overdose on it. Doctors determine how safe a drug is by measuring how much it takes to kill a person (they call this the LD50) and comparing it to the amount of the drug which is usually taken (ED50). This makes marijuana hundreds of times safer than alcohol, tobacco, or caffiene. According to a DEA Judge ``marijuana is the safest therapeutically active substance known to mankind.''

I also remember from another source that in order to die from the toxins found in weed, you'd have to smoke forty pounds in one hour. Seriously! Before you could pull that off, you'd die from the lack of oxygen, abundance of carbon dioxide, heat from the smoke, water vapor from the smoke, etc. There's no way you'd die from the weed itself.

We should also take into consideration the obvious health benefits that users can get from tokin'.

And don't ignore what we can do with hemp as well.

So why is the plant still illegal?

Erowid Cannabis Vault
Cannabis FAQ <---- I higly recommend reading this baby all the way through.
Cannabis Health Concerns
Cannabis Effects
Exposing Marijuana Myths:
A Review of the Scientific Evidence

 

[Montez]

A man changing a flat tire choked to death on a bag of marijuana he had stuffed down his throat in an apparent attempt to hide it from police who stopped to help him, authorities said.

Whoa, that dude must've been stoned out of his mind to do something like that.

Joking aside, you might as well ask why LSD is still illegal and possession of it will land you in jail longer than first degree murder will. You stoners have it easy compared to trippers. And no, I don't do either.

 

[Bradylama]

Wait, nevermind.

 

[Ozrat]

Actually, Cannabis and Lysergic acid diethylamide are both listed as a Schedule I Controlled Substances as of 2001. As far as the law is concerned, there is no difference between the two, which is just wrong. They are both equally seen as being worse than murder, child molesting, and whatever else is out there that isn't as evil is smoking a couple of joints every now and then.

I have yet to see a reasonable and educated argument against Cannabis.

More on drug legal information

 

[welsh]

Wait a moment- didn't we already have this discussion?

 

[Ozrat]

Well, I did a search and I didn't really see anything so I just made up a thread.

We've done small debates about Cannabis in the past, but they were in unrelated threads.

Hence the new thread.

C'mon welsh, I'm sure you have a couple of pages to write about this subject. By the way, when did you break the 2000 posts barrier?

 

[Bradylama]

There's no real significant argument for the criminalization of Cannabis because the benefits of legalization outweigh all others.

Unless of course you account the possibility of Cannabis becoming as accepted as alcohol consumption, thus becoming yet another detriment to society.

 

[Grizzly~Adams]

Has anybody seen these Partnership for A drug free America Commercials? There fucking hilarious....

especially the one where its like "blah blah killed a man in a driving accedent, under the influence of... Marijuana." Or the one where they have the stoners in a car run over a little kid on a bike.

There almost as funny as the 50's commercials where they show the people under the influence of "demon" weed killing there mothers with frying pans.

Yeah its rediculous that it hasen't been legalized yet. I still haven't heard anybody have an argument that can prove that smoking marijuana isn't as justifed as cancer sticks, drinking liquer, taking prozac, vicotin, etc.

I also once read and article on how the most "dangerous" Marijuana comes from Canada.

Aren't they going towards legalizing in Canada and England anyway?

 

[Ozrat]

Yep, they are heading down the smart track in Canada.
O CANADA, O CANNABIS

"I DON'T THINK a kid 17 years old, who has a joint, should have a criminal record," outgoing Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien told the New York Times last week. I'm no Chretien fan, but on this, I must agree.

Who would have thought that when my generation came of age, U.S. marijuana laws would be basically what they were when we were young? Or that millions in taxpayer dollars would be spent to prosecute and incarcerate users?

On his way out of Canada's highest office, Chretien proposed a Cannabis Reform Bill -- dubbed "soft pot" legislation -- to change the penalty for possession of up to 15 grams of marijuana from jail time to fines of $150 for adults or $100 for minors.
...
But it's clear the Bush administration strongly opposes any softening of drug policy across the border, lest it increase drug use in the U.S.A. Too bad:

Americans might benefit by seeing what happens in a Canada that has, in essence, decriminalized personal possession of marijuana.

From what I understand, there's a large number of European nations that are, if not already, decriminalizing Cannabis and other drugs.

Another good source is NORML

 

[Ratty Sr.]

Weed should be illegal, and so should cigarettes. Both are a danger to public health and should be banned. Alcohol, on the other hand, shouldn't be prohibited, because a drinking person damages only his own health, whilst smokers also damage health of people around them. Maybe we should also found concentration camps for smokers, where they can smoke each others to death as much as they want, without endangering non-smokers.

 

[Montez]

Weed should be illegal, and so should cigarettes. Both are a danger to public health and should be banned. Alcohol, on the other hand, shouldn't be prohibited, because a drinking person damages only his own health, whilst smokers also damage health of people around them. Maybe we should also found concentration camps for smokers, where they can smoke each others to death as much as they want, without endangering non-smokers.

Sorry to burst your bubble Ratty, but you're in more danger from car emissions than you are from second-hand smoke. Unless you're trapped in a closet with someone chain smoking Lucky Strikes second hand smoke isn't going to do anything to you. Not to mention what Kharn said above, that alcohol is responsible for more deaths and health risks, both directly and indirectly, than pot, cigarettes, and drugs combined.

 

[Ratty Sr.]

Weed should be illegal, and so should cigarettes. Both are a danger to public health and should be banned. Alcohol, on the other hand, shouldn't be prohibited, because a drinking person damages only his own health, whilst smokers also damage health of people around them. Maybe we should also found concentration camps for smokers, where they can smoke each others to death as much as they want, without endangering non-smokers.

Dude, smoking weed doesn't hurt anybody. Smoking joints does, because of the tobacco in the joints (Ozrat, you fucking weed ignoramus, do not GET MY FUCKING STARTED ON THIS AGAIN). So if you prohibited tobacco, weed doesn't hurt anybody.

Alcohol causes more deaths and injuries than weed, tobacco and coffee combined, so I'm seriously not following your arguments. Never heard of drunk driving? Or drunk, raving agression?

Yeah, but that's different... kind of. Tobacco smoke will inevitably damage everyone in the same room with the smoker. A drunk person, on the other hand, will hurt people IF he is crazy enough to drive while drunk and IF he is crazy enough to get drunk in spite of the fact he can't control his aggression when intoxicated. Hmmm, it's hard to draw a line between the two, but a legal line should be drawn. My point is, smoking is deadly for everyone and drinking endangers other people only under specific circumstances. Harmful effects of smoking on both smoker and people around him are inevitable and consequences of drinking can be prevented, so the two clearly aren't the same. That, and I don't want to give up booze.

 

[Montez]

Something I've never heard mentioned when people talk about legalizing marijuana - would it be a good idea to let corporations get ahold of it? Think about all the crap that's added into cigarettes, all the chemicals they add to get people to smoke more or stick with a particular brand or put you in "flavor country". Would you really want your pot soaked in all that shit? It might be inconvient and semi-risky to get pot now, but at least its probably pretty natural when you buy it. Legalizing it would make it easier to get and remove any fear of punishment, but it also means RJ Reynolds, Philip Morris and the rest are going to be adding all sorts of crap to it that will give you cancer, emphysema and heart disease just as much as cigs will.

 

[megatron]

Something I've never heard mentioned when people talk about legalizing marijuana - would it be a good idea to let corporations get ahold of it? Think about all the crap that's added into cigarettes, all the chemicals they add to get people to smoke more or stick with a particular brand or put you in "flavor country". Would you really want your pot soaked in all that shit? It might be inconvient and semi-risky to get pot now, but at least its probably pretty natural when you buy it. Legalizing it would make it easier to get and remove any fear of punishment, but it also means RJ Reynolds, Philip Morris and the rest are going to be adding all sorts of crap to it that will give you cancer, emphysema and heart disease just as much as cigs will.

Wouldn't people just grow their own? Since it's a weed it should be pretty easy to grow mabye. I reckon it'd also help the sales in gardening tools, plus it's probably more useful than most other plants. Plus it'd be cheaper, like people rolling there own or buying packs.

 

[Wooz]

Ah. The problem is you have to know how to grow it properly, how to take care of the female plants, when to "collect" the weed, ekcetra ekcetra.
I have a friend that grows it in his house, on the balcony. The cops here are too busy tracking down metaamphetamine and ecstasy-like production labs to suspect and raid every house that has a weird-looking plant on one of its windows...
However, if the cops catch you with weed, you're in major trouble.

 

[megatron]

weed isn't as negative as alchohol though, I don't see why everyone else has to have no fun because of dumb kids and dumber parents also opening a bottle requires less skill than preparing a joint/bong.

Why are children always brought up in arguments anyway? It seems if anyones talking about guns, drugs, religeon whatever people always seem to bring them into it. Why? If some kids dumb enough to get drunk and blow his head off, he wouldn't have been much value to society anyway. I don't know about you but my parents actually told me what was dangerous and what I shouldn't do. I'm not dead yet, so it seems to work.

 

[Grizzly~Adams]

Im not an avid Tobacco smoker, eventhough i enjoy an occasional Cigar. Even i roll my lesser pot with it sometimes. I like the taste of kind bud alot better than Tobacco, which to me just makes seem really harsh on your throught and lungs. Thats just a matter of opinion I guess.

Yeah, there are a lot of idiots in the US that smoke pot just because its the rebelious cool illegal thing to do. Im sure the same attitude about pot would be simaller, concidering that there are a lot a people who refuse to drink here. Hence another reason why it is so stupid that its still prohibited.

 

[Briosafreak]

Very interesting discussion.

Now we need a group hug and to pass a "doobie" (hey, i`m old, so what?).

Please tone down the discussion a bit, thanks in advance.

 

[Brother None]

Oh, uhm, Grizzly, I kind of vatted the whole offshoot of that debate. We were both getting way too nasty and pointless in it, it served no purpose, hope you don't mind. Let's try and get this debate back on some kind of railroad track....

Why are children always brought up in arguments anyway? It seems if anyones talking about guns, drugs, religeon whatever people always seem to bring them into it. Why? If some kids dumb enough to get drunk and blow his head off, he wouldn't have been much value to society anyway. I don't know about you but my parents actually told me what was dangerous and what I shouldn't do. I'm not dead yet, so it seems to work.

Well, children aren't responsible for their own actions, are they?

If an adults acts like a child, he's locked up, but kids get away with everything.

There're good reasons for age prohibitions, and I think they shoudl stay. I still believe the age of 16 for alcohol and 16/14 for sex in holland are way too low...

 

[megatron]

Well parents can't hold there kids hand up till they're old enough to make good decisions for themselves. Part of being a kid is learning for yourself to make you good at making decisions later.

I think children are just used in arguments/laws to make something seem more than it actually is, children are used a lot in the media to increase emotion (happy kids=awww. Sad kids=awww) and it just seems silly. Most adults rarely make logical decisions anyway, I'd rather laws rely more on mental age than actual age.

14 will be young for someone to have sex as there body isn't developed yet, that law makes sense. But if someone thinks it's a good idea to risk fucking someone at 14, that's there decision. I don't think people should be punished because of all the stupidity in general, stupidity should be punished in the form of letting them do what they want. The government should spend money on helping illegal activities to burn it out instead of trying to fight a war they can't win. Laws should be re-thought, then just have a few instead of hundreds. The only thing that should matter is death which is permanent, also a few other laws which may harm people (economically, physically or mentally) then just let people do what they want basically. Survival of the luckiest.

what

Anyway, the drug laws are dumb. It doesn't make any sense to get equal jail-time for getting stoned than murdering someone, but we can't do anything about it except correct each others perspective. For instance I'd like to hear Kings opinion on it.

what the fuck am I talking about.