Stop Treating Marijuana Like Heroin • Hacker News Board

Re: Stop Treating Marijuana Like Heroin

#81

Post by thisjustinm » Sat, Aug 13, 2016, 2:01 PM UTC

The biggest change I've seen since marijuana was legalized here in Colorado is that pot isn't just one type (just like beer isn't just lagers, etc). There's hundreds of strains and some are VERY different than the others (again think Guinness vs bud light vs your favorite IPA, etc).

You can walk into a dispensary here and choose your levels and mix of THC and CBD - want 20%+ THC for an intense high? Maybe 15% CBD with no THC for almost no psychoactive high but a focus on pain relief / relaxing? All that and everything in between is available.

As research into all the other cannabinoids increases I expect to see their breakdowns included on labels as well.

And that's where the analogy to alcohol breaks down - there's typically just one active ingredient in beer but dozens in pot. And the different strains can deliver various ratios of the cannabinoids to create very different effects.

Bottom line is that I could easily see how if you only ever experienced illegal pot i.e. no choice and low quality I think you are likely to hold a different view on it than if you'd experienced the variety and nuance of legal pot.

Re: Stop Treating Marijuana Like Heroin

#82

Post by poof131 » Sat, Aug 13, 2016, 2:02 PM UTC

The DEA needs to go bye bye, and be replaced by the DRA, Drug Rehabilitation Agency. While I respect the risks operational agents take against crime syndicates, the war on drugs is a disaster. Even the government’s own RAND corporation concluded enforcement is far worse than rehabilitation, with rehab being 7 times more effective than policing, 400 times more effective then border interdiction, and 800 times more effective than actions in source countries.[1] Not to mention the privacy violations it’s enabled. If the goal is to reduce drug use, the US policies are stupid. If the goal is for politicians to sound tough and maintain a never ending drug war so they can keep sounding tough, then it’s a success.

And letting the DEA decide what is Schedule 1 is like letting the fox guard the hen house. I’ve never heard of a government agency voluntarily reducing its scope and budget. Just more of our leadership deferring responsibility to so called “experts” with a vested interest. A pretty rampant phenomenon these days ranging from the banks to the military.

[1] http://www.rand.org/pubs/periodicals/rand-review/issues/RRR-...

Re: Stop Treating Marijuana Like Heroin

#83

Post by madaxe_again » Sat, Aug 13, 2016, 2:04 PM UTC

contemporary2u wrote: post #77

The big question is why drugs are illegal at all? Drugs are a multi trillion dollar business. 100's of billions of dollars turning the wheels of the shadow economy every day. Who stands to lose all that money if drugs were legalized? Who is involved in drug business? think of all of the players in the chain.. We know examples of developed countries where drugs are legalized and everyone did not become a junkie over n…

Without the drug economy, it's not clear how the CIA and DEA would remain profitable enterprises, which is what fundamentally matters to them - so until it becomes illegal for the CIA to produce and import drugs, don't expect anything to change. The incentives to maintain the status quo are just too big. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allegations_of_CIA_drug_traf...

Re: Stop Treating Marijuana Like Heroin

#84

Post by kingkawn » Sat, Aug 13, 2016, 2:06 PM UTC

martinald wrote: post #13

While I'm totally for drug (all drugs - not just cannabis) legalisation/regulation, I do think the "dangers" of marijuana have been really downplayed over the last few years. I know a lot of people at university who got into smoking it very often and basically lost 10+ years of their life to complete apathy to anything. Some have now stopped and are totally different people - just 10 years behind. While it doesn't ca…

This is all true, but honestly no matter how superior it may arguably be to lead an active life, some people for their own reasons and experiences just need the break. The idea that one can judge oneself based on accomplishments seems more harmful than helpful, and the pressure of such a culture would seem to be one of the primary motivators for just wanting to chill and get high. If that is how they choose to spend their lives, please remember they get there honestly like the rest of us.

Edit: also wanted to add that the humanity of the world views of many of the people commenting here is a source of great hope for the future for me. You all are thinking hard about how to improve the way we think of each other, and it's really moving to see it evolve each day on this site and elsewhere.

Re: Stop Treating Marijuana Like Heroin

#85

Post by ZoF » Sat, Aug 13, 2016, 2:06 PM UTC

koolba wrote: post #66

sago wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We used to say something similar about MUDs. Don't start, because you'll end up spending days and nights on a terminal in the basement of the library and your work/outside life/everything else will be put on hold. Multiplayer games... the drug of nerd generation X?

> We used to say something similar about MUDs. Don't start, because you'll end up spending days and nights on a terminal in the basement of the library and your work/outside life/everything else will be put on hold. > Multiplayer games... the drug of nerd generation X? MUDs, MUSHes, Doom, Quake, Starcraft, shit posting on Reddit, dropping knowledge bombs on HN[1] ... the venue changes but it's all the same waste of t…

>MUDs, MUSHes, Doom, Quake, Starcraft, shit posting on Reddit

This is my progression as well :^)

Re: Stop Treating Marijuana Like Heroin

#86

Post by martinald » Sat, Aug 13, 2016, 2:07 PM UTC

pmyjavec wrote: post #78

martinald wrote: post #13

While I'm totally for drug (all drugs - not just cannabis) legalisation/regulation, I do think the "dangers" of marijuana have been really downplayed over the last few years. I know a lot of people at university who got into smoking it very often and basically lost 10+ years of their life to complete apathy to anything. Some have now stopped and are totally different people - just 10 years behind. While it doesn't ca…

Do you have any real evidence to back anything you've said up? Sorry, but you can't quantify 10 years behind, it's just purely subjective. Just because you know people who are lazy and use cannabis, proves very little I'm afraid. Do they drink beer also? Not attacking you, but it's comments and attitudes like this that help politicians justify silly things, such as, "The war on drugs". The war on drugs is one of the…

I am 10000000% against the war on drugs. This is obviously anecdotal. I am simply saying that cannabis has a very dark side to it which robs young people of a lot of their productivity and ambition.

They usually never drink alcohol I find - or very little.

I know about 5 people who fell into this trap and when (some) of them packed it in have enormous regret. My point is that this isn't talked about with cannabis.

Re: Stop Treating Marijuana Like Heroin

#87

Post by madaxe_again » Sat, Aug 13, 2016, 2:09 PM UTC

martinald wrote: post #13

While I'm totally for drug (all drugs - not just cannabis) legalisation/regulation, I do think the "dangers" of marijuana have been really downplayed over the last few years. I know a lot of people at university who got into smoking it very often and basically lost 10+ years of their life to complete apathy to anything. Some have now stopped and are totally different people - just 10 years behind. While it doesn't ca…

And alcoholism? Does that not affect ones life and health too?

Hell, I know people who eat far too much and have lost aspects of their lives - but nobody is talking about outlawing food or alcohol.

Re: Stop Treating Marijuana Like Heroin

#88

Post by sfifs » Sat, Aug 13, 2016, 2:10 PM UTC

contemporary2u wrote: post #77

The big question is why drugs are illegal at all? Drugs are a multi trillion dollar business. 100's of billions of dollars turning the wheels of the shadow economy every day. Who stands to lose all that money if drugs were legalized? Who is involved in drug business? think of all of the players in the chain.. We know examples of developed countries where drugs are legalized and everyone did not become a junkie over n…

Past experiences with widespread drug availability and addiction suggest social cohesion is lost as people become dependent on the next fix.

Look up the history of opium war in China or for more recent experiences, drug problems in Punjab India or the drug dependency in the Middle East .

Re: Stop Treating Marijuana Like Heroin

#89

Post by [deleted] » Sat, Aug 13, 2016, 2:11 PM UTC

pbhjpbhj wrote: post #37

Donzo wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And I have anecdotal evidence of people smoking marijuana everyday for 10-20 years and remaining extremely productive. Oftentimes drug use is a symptom of a greater psychological problem/issue. Perhaps the underlying issues are causing the negative behaviors and the drugs are only enabling it.

>anecdotal evidence of people smoking marijuana everyday for 10-20 years and remaining extremely productive. // What roles, in what areas, have they risen to in this time?

[deleted]

Re: Stop Treating Marijuana Like Heroin

#90

Post by madaxe_again » Sat, Aug 13, 2016, 2:13 PM UTC

martinald wrote: post #86

pmyjavec wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you have any real evidence to back anything you've said up? Sorry, but you can't quantify 10 years behind, it's just purely subjective. Just because you know people who are lazy and use cannabis, proves very little I'm afraid. Do they drink beer also? Not attacking you, but it's comments and attitudes like this that help politicians justify silly things, such as, "The war on drugs". The war on drugs is one of the…

I am 10000000% against the war on drugs. This is obviously anecdotal. I am simply saying that cannabis has a very dark side to it which robs young people of a lot of their productivity and ambition. They usually never drink alcohol I find - or very little. I know about 5 people who fell into this trap and when (some) of them packed it in have enormous regret. My point is that this isn't talked about with cannabis.

Wait, you see them not drinking alcohol as a problem? Alcohol is a drug with a far, far darker side than weed. My wife's father died of alcoholism, not smoking pot.