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Stop Treating Marijuana Like Heroin

nytimes.com

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Re: Stop Treating Marijuana Like Heroin

#51

Post by aaron695 »

oneeyedpigeon wrote: post #24
e40 wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But if you think heroin is a demon and marijuana(or alcohol) is ok you are sadly mistaken. 1 of the 3 is ok, by some definition of ok. My definition: doesn't have serious health effects and users can (and do) live normal lives.

I can't for the life of me work out which one you think is OK. Neither marijuana nor alcohol, in non-excessive quantities, will necessarily cause serious health effects, and people consume either whilst living perfectly 'normal' lives.

Personally I'd rate marijuana the worst.

Obviously many people use heroin and have normal lives.

Alcohol is destroying, but in incidents rather than marijuana which I think is long term damage.

Heroin destroying lives is so complicated because most of it is societal based, it's not the drug destroying lives in current society.

Re: Stop Treating Marijuana Like Heroin

#52

Post by Donzo »

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?

Designers, architects, engineers, carpenters, administrators, teachers, writers, and so forth. I've seen daily marijuana users rise to the top of major industries.

Of course, I've seen other daily marijuana users remain stationed at the front counters of gas stations, but that's my point. I don't think that daily marijuana use is the factor that accounts for the relative successes or failures of these individuals. There are many more variables.

If Joe Gas Station stopped smoking pot, he wouldn't suddenly develop killer business instinct, or the motivation to build a company in his off time.

Re: Stop Treating Marijuana Like Heroin

#54

Post by lrem »

ryanlol wrote: post #33
mbrock wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some of that might be because they are afraid if they go outside they'll be arrested.

Is that actually common? Don't know about the US but haven't seen very much of that in the rest of the world.

Drugs possession is criminal in many places throughout the world. Police departments throughout the world have some kind of quotas. If a quarter is ending and am officer is five cases away from maxing out his bonus, what's to stop him from finding some potheads and cashing in?

Re: Stop Treating Marijuana Like Heroin

#55

Post by blahi »

maccard wrote: post #20
e40 wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But if you think heroin is a demon and marijuana(or alcohol) is ok you are sadly mistaken. 1 of the 3 is ok, by some definition of ok. My definition: doesn't have serious health effects and users can (and do) live normal lives.

Plenty of people have opiod problems and live normal lives.

I once tried to make the argument that heroin addicts do not look like TV leads you to believe, on HN. It did not work out.

Re: Stop Treating Marijuana Like Heroin

#56

Post by Retric »

67726e wrote: post #44
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.

I know both. I have family members who smoke routinely for basically their lives. You would never know, they don't let it interrupt their life. To them it is more like coming home and having a glass of wine and relaxing on the couch with a good book. I also know and lived with roommates for whom marijuana was a real problem. The kind of person who would smoke every day, even coming home on their lunch break and takin…

We seem to be ok with people dropping out and becoming monks, but somehow living a relaxed lifestyle is somehow a major problem. Is it ok for people not to be a cog in the machine that makes your lifestyle possible or not?

Sure, I might be happier if my past self saved even more money, lived a vegan lifestyle, or learned to play an instrument. But, I don't think it's a problem that I have failed to optimize for making this second of my life be the best it could be.

Re: Stop Treating Marijuana Like Heroin

#57

Post by pavel_lishin »

aaron695 wrote: post #51
oneeyedpigeon wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can't for the life of me work out which one you think is OK. Neither marijuana nor alcohol, in non-excessive quantities, will necessarily cause serious health effects, and people consume either whilst living perfectly 'normal' lives.

Personally I'd rate marijuana the worst. Obviously many people use heroin and have normal lives. Alcohol is destroying, but in incidents rather than marijuana which I think is long term damage. Heroin destroying lives is so complicated because most of it is societal based, it's not the drug destroying lives in current society.

> Heroin destroying lives is so complicated because most of it is societal based, it's not the drug destroying lives in current society.

How is this different from marijuana?

Re: Stop Treating Marijuana Like Heroin

#58

Post by pavel_lishin »

nicotinetemp wrote: post #48
fithisux wrote: post #5

And start treating nicotine like heroin.

In my experience, nicotine is no more addictive than caffeine. I vaped large doses of nicotine daily for over a year then quit because I was bored of it. It's been well over a year since I last used any. Whole tobacco is supposedly much more addictive. Tobacco contains monoamine oxidase inhibitors which in animal models increase the addictive effects of nicotine: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16177026 https://w…

I think some people are more prone to nicotine addiction than others. I smoked moderately for about six months, while dating a smoker. Once we stopped dating, I dropped the habit completely. If I'm drunk and everyone around me is smoking, and someone offers me a cigarette, I'll take it and take some half-hearted puffs, and typically toss it half-smoked.

Re: Stop Treating Marijuana Like Heroin

#59

Post by metaphorm »

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…

you may be conflating cause and effect. disappointing lives full of depression, anxiety, and boredom leads to both apathy and drug-use (self medication). it's a mistake to believe the drug use is the underlying cause of a person seeming unhappy and apathetic.

Re: Stop Treating Marijuana Like Heroin

#60

Post by [deleted] »

pavel_lishin wrote: post #58
nicotinetemp wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In my experience, nicotine is no more addictive than caffeine. I vaped large doses of nicotine daily for over a year then quit because I was bored of it. It's been well over a year since I last used any. Whole tobacco is supposedly much more addictive. Tobacco contains monoamine oxidase inhibitors which in animal models increase the addictive effects of nicotine: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16177026 https://w…

I think some people are more prone to nicotine addiction than others. I smoked moderately for about six months, while dating a smoker. Once we stopped dating, I dropped the habit completely. If I'm drunk and everyone around me is smoking, and someone offers me a cigarette, I'll take it and take some half-hearted puffs, and typically toss it half-smoked.

[deleted]
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