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Why I Changed My Mind On Weed

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Re: Why I Changed My Mind On Weed

#71

Post by bjourne »

rickdale wrote: post #5

One of the biggest issues with marijuana in this country is the lack of research behind it. Here in Michigan where over 60% of the people voted for medical marijuana, they just outlawed medibles. Meaning no pot brownies for patients. Which makes no sense when applying medical marijuana. Caregivers and patients are outraged because they feel like they know more than the judges or politician do, and I have to agree. On…

The US is not lagging behind. When it comes to marijuana liberalisation, it is definitely leading the way. With the exception of Netherlands, attitudes to marijuana is pretty strict in Europe. The US has the most pot smokers/capita by a long shot.

Also, Hollywood movies seem to portray it as some cool party drug, that hippies and pseudo-intellectuals use. The drug is present in most American Pie-style movies, many sitcoms and animated series like Family Guy.

Personally I believe marijuana going mainstream is an engineered phenomena. Hollywood is able to create perceptions and demands where none was before. Older generations weren't miserable all the time because they couldn't smoke pot. New generations found out about it by the marketing.

Re: Why I Changed My Mind On Weed

#72

Post by aswanson »

I dont smoke but I drink. I think alcohol is a more dangerous drug in terms of causing addiction and inciting violence. When was the last brawl you saw started when weed was the agitator? Nicotine in cigarettes are far more addictive than thc.

Re: Why I Changed My Mind On Weed

#73

Post by [deleted] »

Shivetya wrote: post #19

I found it interesting they did not comment on the means of using weed. Smoking it cannot be much better for you than smoking cigarettes. Even after the Feds remove it from the list there will be regulation governing its sale. You can grow tobacco all you want; most people don't because prep is much harder than marijuana; but run afoul of a few laws should you try to sell it. It would certainly reduce the jailed popu…

[deleted]

Re: Why I Changed My Mind On Weed

#75

Post by smacktoward »

arc_of_descent wrote: post #9
tareqak wrote: post #6

Honest question: How many drug companies' bottom lines would be affected if marijuana was legalized right now? Reminds me of the quote: If you're not a part of the solution, there's good money to be made in prolonging the problem.

The problem with drug and tobacco companies is that marijuana is a garden weed. Anyone can grow it (if it becomes legal). Or rather, no large investment to start a weed farm. Tobacco and drug manufacturing plants require a significant larger investment. So the lobby for anti-marijuana is strong and controlled by rich people.

Eh, I dunno. Brand names are powerful. Standardization is powerful. If marijuana were legal I could see there being a lot of money in being the McDonald's of pot. Low price, universal availability, and lots of advertising can lift a mediocre product quite high.

Re: Why I Changed My Mind On Weed

#76

Post by Radix_ »

tptacek wrote: post #8
nakedrobot2 wrote: post #4

the headline should read "over-credulous member of establishment is finally swayed by overwhelming evidence to the contrary, although he has to travel to the ends of the earth to be convinced"

Or, "it's not enough that he agrees with me, agrees publicly with me, and apologized for disagreeing with me; the manner in which he arrived at his agreement with me is offensive, so let's make that a topic of conversation."

I love this argument. It needs to become a reflexive and memetic response whenever anyone places someone in a damned-if-you-do situation for improving their position.

Re: Why I Changed My Mind On Weed

#77

Post by tptacek »

dragonwriter wrote: post #62
tptacek wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's an article of faith that cannabis is a major contributor to US incarceration, but I think that's a belief worth questioning. I looked into this briefly for a thread a year ago and in the states I researched, domestic violence was far and away the leading cause of incarceration. In many major metro areas, you're more likely to be ticketed for cannabis than arrested. I haven't taken the time to come up with a conc…

> It's an article of faith that cannabis is a major contributor to US incarceration, but I think that's a belief worth questioning. I looked into this briefly for a thread a year ago and in the states I researched, domestic violence was far and away the leading cause of incarceration. Its been a while since I saw figures, but last I did domestic violence was at the top of the reasons people were sentenced to incarcer…

Wow, that's a good point that I hadn't considered when I was looking at the stats.

Re: Why I Changed My Mind On Weed

#78

Post by vectorpush »

tptacek wrote: post #22
Shivetya wrote: post #19

I found it interesting they did not comment on the means of using weed. Smoking it cannot be much better for you than smoking cigarettes. Even after the Feds remove it from the list there will be regulation governing its sale. You can grow tobacco all you want; most people don't because prep is much harder than marijuana; but run afoul of a few laws should you try to sell it. It would certainly reduce the jailed popu…

It's an article of faith that cannabis is a major contributor to US incarceration, but I think that's a belief worth questioning. I looked into this briefly for a thread a year ago and in the states I researched, domestic violence was far and away the leading cause of incarceration. In many major metro areas, you're more likely to be ticketed for cannabis than arrested. I haven't taken the time to come up with a conc…

In many major metro areas, you're more likely to be ticketed for cannabis than arrested.

Depending on certain attributes that in practice cause one to end up in cuffs nonetheless.

Re: Why I Changed My Mind On Weed

#79

Post by mistercow »

tptacek wrote: post #37
apalmer wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What are his pharmacology credentials? Anyways far as I can tell his big revelation here is "yeah when i told you i looked at the facts before i really didn't but this time i did!". Makes me take all of his conclusions with a grain of salt. Does seem clear indication that the american mainstream is getting acceptance for the idea of medical ganja though.

I'm going to go with his license to prescribe drugs and his neurosurgery practice on that one.

The license to prescribe drugs is largely useless as an indicator of pharmacological expertise. We let chiropractors prescribe drugs in this country (Edit: I was mistaken; we don't). The government has no idea what it's doing in its process for deciding who gets that power. I have encountered plenty of doctors who clearly had no idea what they were doing when it came to pharmacology, to the point of prescribing drugs together with dangerous interactions and not informing the patient of the risk.

As for his neurosurgery practice... what? Why would you think that would make him an expert on pharmacology? Because they both fall under the wide umbrella of "medicine"?

Not that I disagree with him on this issue, but your reasoning seems incredibly shaky here.

Re: Why I Changed My Mind On Weed

#80

Post by fnordfnordfnord »

whiddershins wrote: post #63
madaxe wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I lost 70lbs smoking pot. Health is better than it has been in years. Munchies go both ways, you just have to learn to "flip the switch". I'm a filthy criminal.

For reasonable comparison: I know a guy who lost ~25 lbs when he QUIT smoking pot. So, this stuff is really complex. MJ is not a panacea.

Actually, it may be the closest thing to a panacea yet in medicine considering its potential to impact: pain management, obesity, diabetes, cancer treatment, psychiatry. I'm not aware of any other drug with such potentially wide-ranging applications, especially considering its risk of patient harm.
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