Why I Changed My Mind On Weed • Hacker News Board

Re: Why I Changed My Mind On Weed

#91

Post by tptacek » Thu, Aug 08, 2013, 4:34 PM UTC

timtadh wrote: post #84

angersock wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'll go one further--it's clearly safer (in all respects) than either alcohol or tobacco. My only fear with legalization is that it will get pulled from the grassroots production into industrial methods, and that in turn will lower its safety (as was the case, for example, with cigarettes and the additives in the paper for them).

The biggest safety problem with MJ is (as the original article hinted) the tendency in some people (especially teenagers) to increase the probability of them developing psychosis. This is why it is so apples to oranges. Yes, there are carcinogenic problems as well but the main problem is the increased risk of psychosis.

I'd be more concerned about its interaction with anxiety disorders, which are very common and underdiagnosed.

Re: Why I Changed My Mind On Weed

#92

Post by angersock » Thu, Aug 08, 2013, 4:35 PM UTC

timtadh wrote: post #84

angersock wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'll go one further--it's clearly safer (in all respects) than either alcohol or tobacco. My only fear with legalization is that it will get pulled from the grassroots production into industrial methods, and that in turn will lower its safety (as was the case, for example, with cigarettes and the additives in the paper for them).

The biggest safety problem with MJ is (as the original article hinted) the tendency in some people (especially teenagers) to increase the probability of them developing psychosis. This is why it is so apples to oranges. Yes, there are carcinogenic problems as well but the main problem is the increased risk of psychosis.

I don't mean to sound like a jerk here, but can you link the relevant studies?

We've had over half a century of malicious and premeditated disinformation on the topic of drugs--especially marijuana--and so forgive me if I'm skeptical of a claim which does reek somewhat of "think of the children!".

Re: Why I Changed My Mind On Weed

#93

Post by rhizome » Thu, Aug 08, 2013, 4:35 PM UTC

Radix_ wrote: post #76

tptacek wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

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?"

Re: Why I Changed My Mind On Weed

#94

Post by mapster » Thu, Aug 08, 2013, 4:35 PM UTC

tptacek wrote: post #16

dave_sullivan wrote: post #11

Better late than never I guess, but what changed his mind really? "I actually did more research and was shocked, shocked by what I found!" or "I'm making a documentary and the tides of public opinion continue to shift, writing's on the wall, time to change my tune..." Maybe (probably) I'm being overly cynical, but people like him have lent support and legitimacy to a machine that literally destroys people's lives for…

He wrote that he's "shocked, shocked" at what he found as a device to get more people to read the piece. I'm sure that editorial decision was commercial and not public-spirited, but still. Yes, you are being overly cynical. My guess is that you agree with virtually everything in the article, and, instead of being pleased that someone has not only come around to your position in the most public fashion possible, but a…

It would be refreshing if Gupta had said "I finally opened my eyes to the truth that was in front of me all along' as opposed to an opener for an expose 'shocked at what I found...', as if there was a hidden conspiracy against the plant. all in a day's work, and a book to follow I presume. overall I like the Doc and am hopeful his revelation will enable others to do likewise.

Re: Why I Changed My Mind On Weed

#95

Post by Jazonk » Thu, Aug 08, 2013, 4:36 PM UTC

bjourne wrote: post #71

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 si…

Portugal is also ahead of us - they have decriminalized all drugs. Their attitude towards drug abuse is that it needs to be treated instead of punished. http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/evaluating-drug-d...

Re: Why I Changed My Mind On Weed

#96

Post by rhizome » Thu, Aug 08, 2013, 4:37 PM UTC

michaelwww wrote: post #67

I think people are forgetting his target audience, which is probably older. I doubt many young people watch CNN. Even the title "Why I Changed My Mind On Weed" sounds like it was written for the Readers Digest, which I used to read as a kid because my grandmother would give me her copies.

What does his audience have to do with him being unprincipled and self-promoting?

Re: Why I Changed My Mind On Weed

#97

Post by mikeash » Thu, Aug 08, 2013, 4:38 PM UTC

madaxe wrote: post #45

ahoy wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Food coloring also reacts very badly with a small subset of the population, but we aren't banning M&M's

HFCS reacts badly with the majority of the population, inducing adiposis. So does MSG. Don't forget about the pesticides you chow down on with every meal, or the chloride in your water, or the phthalates in your soda, or the BPA in your nalgene, or... The US is terrible for substance safety. Dire. Awful. Hell, on the note of colouring, you still use bloody anthracine red, which has been banned for decades in the rest…

MSG reacts badly with the majority of the population? Source?

Re: Why I Changed My Mind On Weed

#98

Post by scythe » Thu, Aug 08, 2013, 4:38 PM UTC

tptacek wrote: post #82

mistercow wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

This isn't a debate I think is worth having. I'm just saying that there's practically no reason to believe Gupta was an appropriate choice for CNN as an expert in radiological hazards, but there is some reason to believe he should know what he's talking about re medicine.

There is also the article, wherein he describes four pages worth of research he did, and in medical school they teach you a good bit about how to read scientific papers, because doctors have to do that sort of thing (eg. GSK releases lamotrigine, do you give it to your patients?).

So, unless he's intentionally and maliciously lying (unlikely), he presents plenty of good and valuable information, and as a media correspondent is probably better than most at conveying that to people.

Re: Why I Changed My Mind On Weed

#99

Post by nnash » Thu, Aug 08, 2013, 4:38 PM UTC

gadders wrote: post #60

gregpilling wrote: post #51

I am a medical marijuana user. I have fibromyalgia (a catch all label for constant pain), and it helps some with neuropathic pain. My doctor is kept informed about how much I am using, and I have to get my card renewed each year. MJ works, but at best it dulls the pain, and also helps to make the pain less 'front and center' and instead kind of makes it more something that is in the background. I was never a stoner,…

Interesting that you don't get high any more. I wondered whether MMJ would fall into the category of "do not drive or operate machinery" whilst using.

>Interesting that you don't get high any more.

At 5 joints a day OP probably has built up a pretty high resistance to THC. Speak to enough every-day smokers and you'll find they go on breaks every once in a while to address this.

>I wondered whether MMJ would fall into the category of "do not drive or operate machinery" whilst using.

Depends on the strain, if you're smoking Indicas then yes you should not operate machinery.

Re: Why I Changed My Mind On Weed

#100

Post by rhizome » Thu, Aug 08, 2013, 4:38 PM UTC

piokoch wrote: post #61

I am wondering why British employers are testing employees for drugs usage. Is this justified? Are cannabies, etc. really affecting badly people? If yes, then it makes sense for the employer to spend its money on tests. If no, it means that employers in UK are victims of some kind of paranoia against cannabies.

Not every drug test covers pot. It's much more expensive to test for marijuana than alcohol, meth, heroin, etc., so they usually just cover those.