Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Why I Changed My Mind On Weed

edition.cnn.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

361–370 of 381 posts

Re: Why I Changed My Mind On Weed

#361

Post by SimHacker »

dkarl wrote: post #360
mscarborough wrote: post #331

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You don't have to put on a tin foil hat, as soon as marijuana is federally legal, Monsanto, Philip Morris, Camel cigarettes will be all ready to grow their own. It's kind of obvious that these folks have the farm land, distribution networks, and a lack of morals (not that MJ is immoral, but it would require a huge about-face), so they could just as easily do weed as tobacco. Replant fields and create some new packagi…

Growing and selling marijuana will give cigarette companies their first favorable publicity in decades.

Except that their pot will suck like McDonald's hamburgers, since they'll make it out of Green Slime.

Re: Why I Changed My Mind On Weed

#362

Post by rhizome »

foobarbazqux wrote: post #343
lolcraft wrote: post #341

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, but this population prone to schizophrenia would have: a) to know they're predisposed to this condition; b) to know that weed would worsen it; c) to believe that this effect on schizophrenia would be bad enough to outweigh smoking a joint. Or have another factor linked to schizophrenia that makes them avoid weed. It's possible, in principle , but I think you're stretching it too far. And it's assumed the distri…

Oh, I meant the opposite, that if being schizophrenia-prone made you cannabis-prone (self-medication, effectively), that more people overall smoking pot might not mean that more schizophrenia-prone people were smoking pot, because that population would already be saturated. I'm not saying that my hypotheses are correct, I'm just pointing out that if we're going to be scientific about whether cannabis induces schizoph…

you're kind of truther'ing on statistics.

Re: Why I Changed My Mind On Weed

#363

Post by rhizome »

michaelwww wrote: post #335
rhizome wrote: post #319

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Sure, he's a tool...but now he's our tool."

has Gupta let you down some how? You sound bitter. I'm not that much interested in him or the issue. He's getting on the marijauna train or to quote some Dylan: The times, they are a changin'... You don't need to be a weatherman to know which way the wind blows... Gotta serve somebody ;-)

You're damn right I'm bitter. Did you know there are actual people languishing in actual prison due to the incurious mindset he supported for years? You're inhuman if you don't see a problem with that without speculating that I'm affected personally by this jackass.

On the contrary, I stay the hell away from people like him, and he has a lot more to answer for than is satisfied by his upper-crust PR-driven atonement assigned to him by the church of TV for the purpose of lining his wallet. Same goes for Obama and AG Eric Holder.

How's this for Dylan?

    Let me ask you one question
    Is your money that good?
    Will it buy you forgiveness
    Do you think that it could?
    I think you will find
    When your death takes its toll
    All the money you made
    Will never buy back your soul.

Re: Why I Changed My Mind On Weed

#364

Post by michaelwww »

rhizome wrote: post #363
michaelwww wrote: post #335

Earlier quoted context omitted.

has Gupta let you down some how? You sound bitter. I'm not that much interested in him or the issue. He's getting on the marijauna train or to quote some Dylan: The times, they are a changin'... You don't need to be a weatherman to know which way the wind blows... Gotta serve somebody ;-)

You're damn right I'm bitter. Did you know there are actual people languishing in actual prison due to the incurious mindset he supported for years ? You're inhuman if you don't see a problem with that without speculating that I'm affected personally by this jackass. On the contrary, I stay the hell away from people like him, and he has a lot more to answer for than is satisfied by his upper-crust PR-driven atonement…

Now I understand your point of view, which I share. Much of this nation's drug war is an outrageous assault on civil liberties, from "we'll drop the charges if you forfeit assets" to swat teams breaking down the wrong door and shooting the family dog. People are still in prison for convictions long ago on outdated marijuana laws. Gupta is not hugely guilty here, but "choom gang" Obama and Holder are for continuing this madness, and now we're finding out the NSA data is being shared with local law enforcement.[1]

[1] http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=7a7_1375808882

Re: Why I Changed My Mind On Weed

#365

Post by rhizome »

michaelwww wrote: post #364
rhizome wrote: post #363

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're damn right I'm bitter. Did you know there are actual people languishing in actual prison due to the incurious mindset he supported for years ? You're inhuman if you don't see a problem with that without speculating that I'm affected personally by this jackass. On the contrary, I stay the hell away from people like him, and he has a lot more to answer for than is satisfied by his upper-crust PR-driven atonement…

Now I understand your point of view, which I share. Much of this nation's drug war is an outrageous assault on civil liberties, from "we'll drop the charges if you forfeit assets" to swat teams breaking down the wrong door and shooting the family dog. People are still in prison for convictions long ago on outdated marijuana laws. Gupta is not hugely guilty here, but "choom gang" Obama and Holder are for continuing th…

NSA data is also being shared with the IRS:

http://rt.com/usa/dea-nsa-irs-snowden-216/

Re: Why I Changed My Mind On Weed

#366

Post by duaneb »

foobarbazqux wrote: post #245
duaneb wrote: post #227

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not clear whether the schizophrenia induced is stimulated or just aggravated—i.e., was the person already a schizophrenic with a high threshold for psychosis that the weed lowered? I don't think we'll know for a long time.

You can't "already have" schizophrenia without having the symptoms of schizophrenia (assuming you aren't on medication that completely controls the symptoms). The reason is that schizophrenia and almost all other mental illnesses are diagnosed on the basis of behavior. The current thinking is that there's a genetic predisposition, and then certain environmental factors like child abuse (linked to mental illness in ge…

> You can't "already have" schizophrenia without having the symptoms of schizophrenia (assuming you aren't on medication that completely controls the symptoms).

Yes you can, you can be genetically predisposed before the symptoms appear.

Re: Why I Changed My Mind On Weed

#367

Post by Radix_ »

rhizome wrote: post #93
Radix_ wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

He's an extremely visible character expressing medical opinions on a regular basis to a large portion of the US population, shouldn't he have already done his research instead of being a tool? Does the past no longer exist, no such thing as "damned because he did ?"

Gupta's defense is the sort of defense that will reach people like my mother convincing them that marijuana is not evil and has real medical uses. That outcome is a good thing and I do not wish any harm to his reputation now because it will be against my interest and I'm hoping/assuming having "done the research" this time will give persons like you ammo for pushing him to defend his position in the future.

I don't think the past goes away but generally I'd rather not condition people to not admit mistakes. And here I'd rather win now than be right now. Then maybe be right in the future.

Re: Why I Changed My Mind On Weed

#368

Post by mcv »

SimHacker wrote: post #361
dkarl wrote: post #360

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Growing and selling marijuana will give cigarette companies their first favorable publicity in decades.

Except that their pot will suck like McDonald's hamburgers, since they'll make it out of Green Slime.

And I'm sure they'll figure out ways to make it more addictive.

Re: Why I Changed My Mind On Weed

#369

Post by whiddershins »

millstone wrote: post #287
whiddershins wrote: post #219

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Even if what you are saying is correct, what exactly is the harm in that? There is obvious harm in preventing people from having access to a drug which mitigates their symptoms. There is obvious harm when you imprison someone for a drug related crime. There is obvious harm when you prevent a business from legally existing and profiting from the sale of the substance. Where is the obvious harm when a user recreational…

This is a reasonable question if you think of medical marijuana like most prescription drugs: primarily serving medicinal users, where some recreational users might get it by posing as medicinal users. But this is not the case, at least not in California. Medicinal marijuana primarily serves recreational users. Medical users get it by posing as recreational users. By that, I mean that you don't get a prescription for…

I don't see how you've demonstrated any harm whatsoever.

Re: Why I Changed My Mind On Weed

#370

Post by pekk »

angersock wrote: post #254
pekk wrote: post #237

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If I am trying to get relief for pain and insomnia, why would I begin with the assumption that I am looking for a strain of THC at all? Why not get medical advice on how to treat the pain/insomnia/underlying conditions?

Because that advice is likely parroting what a pharma sales rep told the doctor over a sales dinner?

It is strange to pretend that the only valid drug to use for pain or insomnia is THC. What does that have to do with pharma sales reps?
Post reply on HN