Glory Days wrote:

eersandbeers wrote: Why is the government paying for rehab? I don't support that either.

because people are irresponsible. they want to ruin their bodies and take risks, but want dont want to be responsible for it. the responsibility for that person gets passed off to everyone around them including the government.

I Wear Pants wrote: I don't see why the government can't just legalize and regulate (tax) marijuana usage and sales and not pay for rehab (though I've never heard of marijuana rehab since it would be like quitting smoking, but without the nicotine withdrawal.)

Footwedge wrote: Power to the stoners!!. Weed is pretty tough on the lungs though. Gave up smokin dope 32 years ago. For me, it made me very paranoid and lazy.

Glory Days wrote:
its not about what you put in, its the effect it has on society. and i have pointed out it does effect others than just the user. but ok. what about DUIs? no one is harmed until you crash into someone. why cant i drive drunk if i want to?

believer wrote:

Footwedge wrote: Power to the stoners!!. Weed is pretty tough on the lungs though. Gave up smokin dope 32 years ago. For me, it made me very paranoid and lazy.

My experience too, Footie.

But I admit there are times (like after a particularly stressful day) when a good relaxing Kona buzz would take the edge off. If the stuff was legal, I'd have some of it at my disposal in preference to liquid adult refreshment!

By the way, my stance on legalizing pot is one reason I label myself center-right as opposed to far right.

cbus4life wrote:Precisely. I'd much rather smoke a little on a lazy Friday night or after a tough day at work than drink.

I, for one, am counting the days. Based on my own experience, i would become a HEALTHIER person if weed were legal, given that i guarantee that my alcohol consumption would drop as a result.

believer wrote: I dunno about "healthier". You would simply transfer the toxin issue from your liver to your lungs...but I understand your meaning.

Writerbuckeye wrote: For those who do smoke, don't believe for a second there is no risk to your health. Putting contaminants into your lungs puts you at risk for any number of diseases, not the least of which is lung cancer. Even though some studies show no DIRECT link to lung cancer risk, there's no way to be certain when you are putting carcinogens into your body.

As a lung cancer survivor, I would hope if marijuana is legalized, people would at least be smart enough to know smoking it puts them at risk, if not for cancer, then certainly for other illnesses like bronchitis and emphysema.

So if it does get legalized -- how about a nice batch of chocolate brownies?

queencitybuckeye wrote: If I sit in my living room, I can drink until I pass out, and it has no effect on anyone. Same with drugs. It makes no sense that one is legal and the other isn't.

When the subject of the topic is "people should be able to do whatever they want without regard to the rights of others", feel free to bring your strawman DUI argument out of the closet.

believer wrote:

Footwedge wrote: Power to the stoners!!. Weed is pretty tough on the lungs though. Gave up smokin dope 32 years ago. For me, it made me very paranoid and lazy.

My experience too, Footie.

But I admit there are times (like after a particularly stressful day) when a good relaxing Kona buzz would take the edge off. If the stuff was legal, I'd have some of it at my disposal in preference to liquid adult refreshment!

By the way, my stance on legalizing pot is one reason I label myself center-right as opposed to far right.

Footwedge wrote:A right winger like you smoking pot? Oh the tyrany of it all. That's what happens when you live in State College, I guess.

Glory Days wrote:

queencitybuckeye wrote: If I sit in my living room, I can drink until I pass out, and it has no effect on anyone. Same with drugs. It makes no sense that one is legal and the other isn't.

When the subject of the topic is "people should be able to do whatever they want without regard to the rights of others", feel free to bring your strawman DUI argument out of the closet.

no different than your strawman "i am going to sit in my house and never leave" arguments. people will and do leave their houses stoned. especially when the effect of marijuana, although not huge, can last up to 24 hours. oh and dont put too much stuff into your body, if you do, someone might find you in your home passed out and call an ambulance or take you to a hospital, which is effecting someone else and costing the government money.

and its estimated every 11 cars you see on the road is a drunk, so obviously many people do it without effecting anyone else.

Glory Days wrote:

queencitybuckeye wrote: If I sit in my living room, I can drink until I pass out, and it has no effect on anyone. Same with drugs. It makes no sense that one is legal and the other isn't.

When the subject of the topic is "people should be able to do whatever they want without regard to the rights of others", feel free to bring your strawman DUI argument out of the closet.

no different than your strawman "i am going to sit in my house and never leave" arguments. people will and do leave their houses stoned. especially when the effect of marijuana, although not huge, can last up to 24 hours. oh and dont put too much stuff into your body, if you do, someone might find you in your home passed out and call an ambulance or take you to a hospital, which is effecting someone else and costing the government money.

and its estimated every 11 cars you see on the road is a drunk, so obviously many people do it without effecting anyone else.

Glory Days wrote: because it doesnt matter. people will claim medicinal purposes for certain conditions. yet i can show a more efficient, safer, legal, and man madel drug to do the same thing, but no one will care. they want marijuana. here is some "propaganda".

http://www.justice.gov/dea/ongoing/marinol.html

health effect propaganda:
http://www.drugabuse.gov/PDF/RRMarijuana.pdf

marijuana addiction propaganda:
http://www.marijuana-addiction.net/

http://www.uhs.wisc.edu/display_story.jsp?id=736&cat_id=38

Physical Dependence
Two decades ago, addiction medicine doctors and counselors believed that the difference between substance abuse and substance dependence was whether tolerance and withdrawal were present. Now it is known that, although tolerance or withdrawal may occur in individuals with addiction, the condition of addiction can exist without any sign of tolerance or withdrawal. Still, a common question of interest is, does marijuana produce physical dependence (that is, tolerance or withdrawal)?

By the twenty-first century, the answers to these questions are clear. Tolerance does develop to THC (the active chemical in marijuana). Moreover, withdrawal definitely occurs in some users. The effects of this withdrawal are generally the opposite of the effects of intoxication: anxiety and insomnia instead of relaxation; loss of appetite rather than hunger; excessive salivation instead of dry mouth; and also decreased pulse, irritability, and sometimes tremor. People who have used marijuana as a way to control underlying anger may also experience irritability, increased mood swings, and even an increase in aggressive behavior, as symptoms of withdrawal.

Drug development can generally be divided into phases. The first is the preclinical phase, which usually takes 3 to 4 years to complete. If successful, this phase is followed by an application to the FDA as an investigational new drug (IND). After an IND is approved, the next steps are clinical phases 1, 2, and 3, which require approximately 1, 2, and 3 years, respectively, for completion ( Table ). Importantly, throughout this process the FDA and investigators leading the trials communicate with each other so that such issues as safety are monitored. The manufacturer then files a new drug application (NDA) with the FDA for approval. This application can either be approved or rejected, or the FDA might request further study before making a decision. Following acceptance, the FDA can also request that the manufacturer conduct additional postmarketing studies. Overall, this entire process, on average, takes between 8 to 12 years.[2] Figure 1 summarizes the drug approval process. It is not surprising that from conception to market most compounds face an uphill battle to become an approved drug. For approximately every 5,000 to 10,000 compounds that enter preclinical testing, only one is approved for marketing.[8] A 1993 report by the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment estimated the cost of developing a new drug to be $359 million.[9] Newer figures place the cost at more than $500 million.[10]
Source: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/405869_4

krazie45 wrote: It is impossible to overdose on marijuana. So your last argument is bunk.

Glory Days wrote:

no different than your strawman "i am going to sit in my house and never leave" arguments. people will and do leave their houses stoned. especially when the effect of marijuana, although not huge, can last up to 24 hours. oh and dont put too much stuff into your body, if you do, someone might find you in your home passed out and call an ambulance or take you to a hospital, which is effecting someone else and costing the government money.

and its estimated every 11 cars you see on the road is a drunk, so obviously many people do it without effecting anyone else.

Glory Days wrote:

krazie45 wrote: It is impossible to overdose on marijuana. So your last argument is bunk.

you CAN overdose, but people dont die from the overdose. its most common when eaten.

derek bomar wrote:

krazie45 wrote:

Glory Days wrote:

krazie45 wrote: It is impossible to overdose on marijuana. So your last argument is bunk.

you CAN overdose, but people dont die from the overdose. its most common when eaten.

First of all that wasn't my quote, but I'll address it anyways. Studies have shown that the ratio for the amount someone needs to consume to overdose on marijuana compared to how much is needed to get high is 40,000-1. For some perspective if it took 3 hits to get you high it would take 120,000 hits to overdose. No one has obviously ever done this.