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Every textbook that I ever used, every proffessor I ever had, every lab I've ever taken, and every test that I have ever studied pretty much is in support with legalization. Our modern pre-med cirriculum supports legalization. Put it this way, the future doctors, psychologists, pharmacists, and chemists, all study that marijuana is not the worst thing in the world. Yes, there are memory impairments...but only for long term heavy users. Then again, the memory deficits are worse for alcohol (see Korsakoff syndrome). Liver cancer occurs at a higher frequency than cancers with marijuana... there is little to no link with cancer and marijuana Study Finds No Cancer-Marijuana Connection - washingtonpost.com. Neurologically speaking, marijuana is a relatively weak agonist to dopamine...the reward center. What this means is that it is more mentally addictive...no physical addiction exists. I do not recommend driving while on pot, but then again I would not recommend driving under any influence.
The whole legalization debate is dumb and it should be legalized. It simply is not for purely political reasons...not scientific.
Every textbook that I ever used, every proffessor I ever had, every lab I've ever taken, and every test that I have ever studied pretty much is in support with legalization. Our modern pre-med cirriculum supports legalization. Put it this way, the future doctors, psychologists, pharmacists, and chemists, all study that marijuana is not the worst thing in the world. Yes, there are memory impairments...but only for long term heavy users. Then again, the memory deficits are worse for alcohol (see Korsakoff syndrome). Liver cancer occurs at a higher frequency than cancers with marijuana... there is little to no link with cancer and marijuana Study Finds No Cancer-Marijuana Connection - washingtonpost.com. Neurologically speaking, marijuana is a relatively weak agonist to dopamine...the reward center. What this means is that it is more mentally addictive...no physical addiction exists. I do not recommend driving while on pot, but then again I would not recommend driving under any influence.
The whole legalization debate is dumb and it should be legalized. It simply is not for purely political reasons...not scientific.
I am concerned for my safety...and the safety of my family. I don't think making a substance legal makes the road safer for me to drive on. Why legalize that? I don't want to be driving with a large increase of impaired drivers. We would see a dramatic increase of fatal car accidents. No doubt. Could you imagine what teens would do with this stuff it was legal?
1.abdominal cramps or pain
2.abdominal discomfort
3.bloating and gas
4.constipation
5.diarrhea
6.dizziness
7.fluid retention and swelling
8.headache
9. heartburn
10.indigestion
11.itching
12.loss of appetite
13.nausea
14.nervousness
15.rash
16.tinitis
17.stomach pain
18.vomiting
19.abdominal bleeding
20.anemia
21.black stool
22. blood in urine
23.blurred vision
24.changes in heartbeat
25.chills
26.confusion
27.congestive heart failure
28.depression
29.dry eyes and mouth
30.emotional volatility
31.fever
32.hair loss
33.hearing loss
34.hepatitis
35.high or low blood pressure
36.hives
37.insomnia
38.inflammation of nose
39.inflammation of pancreas or liver
40.kidney or liver failure
41.severe allergic reactions
42.shortness of breath
43.skin eruptions or peeling
44.sleepiness
45.stomach or intestinal ulcer
46.ulcer of gums
47.vision loss
48.vomiting blood
49.wheezing
50.yellow eyes and skin
51.peptic ulcers and bleeding may occur without warning
I looked this up in the PDR for a couple of reasons. One, any drug can look reaqlly scary if you study the side effects. Two, the side effects of Ibuprofin look worse than the side effects of mj. Three, the highlighted items could affect your ability to drive. Four, just as in your list, not all users will experience these effects.
In short, your list is somewhat of a red herring intended to scare the reader. It is not an accurate account of what marijuana use is like for the average moderate user.
You are still assuming that use would go up dramatically with legalization, which is unsupportable. People who want mj are already using it.
I am concerned for my safety...and the safety of my family. I don't think making a substance legal makes the road safer for me to drive on. Why legalize that? I don't want to be driving with a large increase of impaired drivers. We would see a dramatic increase of fatal car accidents. No doubt. Could you imagine what teens would do with this stuff it was legal?
Quote:
Originally Posted by *Danielle*
[/b]
I just don't get this mind set. This drug alters your ability to drive a car. Therefore your going to be putting more people in danger. More impaired people driving on the roads = more people getting hurt.
This is something I tried to adress before.
I am not going to say that one will be fine to drive after smoking marijuana. But again, I think that there is a misunderstanding that marijuana use will skyrocket. You are making it sound as if this were legalized that all of a sudden 93 and a half million extra potheads are going to get in their car and start driving. What makes you think that there would be so many extra impaired drivers?
Do you have an answer to how many extra people would be using it and driving with it? How many more people will be using it? I don't mean to sound snarky, but I would sure like to know how many more users would come about with legalization. Also as I mentioned, we have to take into account that it is hard to know how many people us it now because no one wants to fess up to it.
What I have been trying to say is that the base users of marijuana are already using it. It's relitively easy to get, so more or less everyone who wants to try and use it, is already using it or already has.
Also, do you have any Idea how many people die from marijuana related car wrecks? again, I don't mean to sound snarky, I genuinely want to know.
I am not going to say that one will be fine to drive after smoking marijuana. But again, I think that there is a misunderstanding that marijuana use will skyrocket. You are making it sound as if this were legalized that all of a sudden 93 and a half million extra potheads are going to get in their car and start driving. What makes you think that there would be so many extra impaired drivers?
Do you have an answer to how many extra people would be using it and driving with it? How many more people will be using it? I don't mean to sound snarky, but I would sure like to know how many more users would come about with legalization. Also as I mentioned, we have to take into account that it is hard to know how many people us it now because no one wants to fess up to it.
What I have been trying to say is that the base users of marijuana are already using it. It's relitively easy to get, so more or less everyone who wants to try and use it, is already using it or already has.
Also, do you have any Idea how many people die from marijuana related car wrecks? again, I don't mean to sound snarky, I genuinely want to know.
I just fear of my doctor being high if I need him for an acute illness when he is on call. Will he be to impaired because he enjoyed a joint or 2 at lunch? It's legal right? How about my dentist...will he be able to do an emergency root canal on me after his mid-afternoon legal toke at home? It is a mind altering drug. Unlike Motrin...If it is legal then people would have open access to it. More people would use it. Are you really trying to tell me that if it were legal, no other users would dabble in it? It would not gain anymore users if there was no consequenses for its use? I know people who have tettered on the idea of using it...but didn't because they were unaware of how to get it or they were in fear of using due to random drug testing done at their jobs. So yes, I think the fact that there are consequenses for it's use does make some people not use it.
1.abdominal cramps or pain
2.abdominal discomfort
3.bloating and gas
4.constipation
5.diarrhea
6.dizziness
7.fluid retention and swelling
8.headache
9. heartburn
10.indigestion
11.itching
12.loss of appetite
13.nausea
14.nervousness
15.rash
16.tinitis
17.stomach pain
18.vomiting
19.abdominal bleeding
20.anemia
21.black stool
22. blood in urine
23.blurred vision
24.changes in heartbeat
25.chills
26.confusion
27.congestive heart failure
28.depression
29.dry eyes and mouth
30.emotional volatility
31.fever
32.hair loss
33.hearing loss
34.hepatitis
35.high or low blood pressure
36.hives
37.insomnia
38.inflammation of nose
39.inflammation of pancreas or liver
40.kidney or liver failure
41.severe allergic reactions
42.shortness of breath
43.skin eruptions or peeling
44.sleepiness
45.stomach or intestinal ulcer
46.ulcer of gums
47.vision loss
48.vomiting blood
49.wheezing
50.yellow eyes and skin
51.peptic ulcers and bleeding may occur without warning
I looked this up in the PDR for a couple of reasons. One, any drug can look reaqlly scary if you study the side effects. Two, the side effects of Ibuprofin look worse than the side effects of mj. Three, the highlighted items could affect your ability to drive. Four, just as in your list, not all users will experience these effects.
In short, your list is somewhat of a red herring intended to scare the reader. It is not an accurate account of what marijuana use is like for the average moderate user.
You are still assuming that use would go up dramatically with legalization, which is unsupportable. People who want mj are already using it.
I posted factual information. Too bad Motrin is not a mind altering drug. Nice try though. You are comparing apples too oranges...
Not to mention...that smoking MJ can, and does cause an increased likelihood that young adults might try harder drugs...AND...can cause serious motivational problems AND can be an impediment to learning capabilities...
I am concerned for my safety...and the safety of my family. I don't think making a substance legal makes the road safer for me to drive on. Why legalize that? I don't want to be driving with a large increase of impaired drivers. We would see a dramatic increase of fatal car accidents. No doubt. Could you imagine what teens would do with this stuff it was legal?
First off the impairment to coordination is a loose correlation. This means that a significant number of people performed well under both situations (stoned vs. sober). So the "large increase" statistically will not happen. I happened to find a data sheet that contained many of your arguments. It was dated 1984. More recent studies indicate that while coordination is impaired, it does not meant that driving impairment will be to the extent as alcohol.
"Marijuana and Actual Performance", DOT-HS-808-078, noted that "THC is not a profoundly impairing drug....It apparently affects controlled information processing in a variety of laboratory tests, but not to the extent which is beyond the individual’s ability to control when he is motivated and permitted to do so in driving".
Again, this was mentioned by some of the leading neuroscientists in the nation...I was in their classes. Alcohol is way worse. Marijuana has little adverse effects.
Drinking water will lead people to drink alcohol. This is the same logic as marijuana and harder drugs. Absurd sounding, isn't it? Well this isn't absurd sounding:
Drinking alcohol may lead you to smoke marijuana which may lead you to harder drugs. Therefore we should ban alcohol since it may lead to harder drugs.
But if we put the two together:
People who drink alcohol are likely to drink water. Since people who smoke marijuana are likely to drink alcohol, then they are likely to drink water. Marijuana users are likely to use harder drugs. So we should ban water due to the relation of hard drugs and marijuana.
See what I mean? You can do that with anything. It shows a weak causal link. There are tons of other variables involved. It's not that simple.
First off the impairment to coordination is a loose correlation. This means that a significant number of people performed well under both situations (stoned vs. sober). So the "large increase" statistically will not happen. I happened to find a data sheet that contained many of your arguments. It was dated 1984. More recent studies indicate that while coordination is impaired, it does not meant that driving impairment will be to the extent as alcohol.
"Marijuana and Actual Performance", DOT-HS-808-078, noted that "THC is not a profoundly impairing drug....It apparently affects controlled information processing in a variety of laboratory tests, but not to the extent which is beyond the individual’s ability to control when he is motivated and permitted to do so in driving".
Again, this was mentioned by some of the leading neuroscientists in the nation...I was in their classes. Alcohol is way worse. Marijuana has little adverse effects.
Drinking water will lead people to drink alcohol. This is the same logic as marijuana and harder drugs. Absurd sounding, isn't it? Well this isn't absurd sounding:
Drinking alcohol may lead you to smoke marijuana which may lead you to harder drugs. Therefore we should ban alcohol since it may lead to harder drugs.
But if we put the two together:
People who drink alcohol are likely to drink water. Since people who smoke marijuana are likely to drink alcohol, then they are likely to drink water. Marijuana users are likely to use harder drugs. So we should ban water due to the relation of hard drugs and marijuana.
See what I mean? You can do that with anything. It shows a weak causal link. There are tons of other variables involved. It's not that simple.
NO, it is not the same logic. Water is not mind altering. MJ is.
You just need to admit it. MJ is a MIND ALTERING DRUG. People can not function correctly while on it. Period. We all know that when people can not function mentally, they can not perform the task at hand corectly. IF it is driving a car, operating machinery, or taking care of a child...you are not in the right mental status to function safely. You can try to compare it to water or motrin...it is not the same thing. Are you really telling me that using drugs legally will not put others in harms way? Seriously?
To us normal folk, who are not smokers...we do not need any more mentally impaired and unsafe people driving around. I would like my kids to have the motivation and cognitive thought process to learn and be successful. It is completely unhealthy to smoke anything so I would prefer if they could not have easy access to something that is nothing more then a substance with detrimental effects on their brains and their general health.
Last edited by *Danielle*; 11-24-2008 at 09:18 PM..
NO, it is not the same logic. Water is not mind altering. MJ is.
You just need to admit it. MJ is a MIND ALTERING DRUG. People can not function correctly while on it. Period. We all know that when people can not function mentally, they can not perform the task at hand corectly. IF it is driving a car, operating machinery, or taking care of a child...you are not in the right mental status to function safely. You can try to compare it to water or motrin...it is not the same thing. Are you really telling me that using drugs legally will not put others in harms way? Seriously?
To us normal folk, who are not smokers...we do not need any more mentally impaired and unsafe people driving around. I would like my kids to have the motivation and cognitive thought process to learn and be successful. It is completely unhealthy to smoke anything so I would prefer if they could not have easy access to something that is nothing more then a substance with detrimental effects on their brains and their general health.
It is the same logic...sorry but it is. The rationale is that since one this is prevelant with the other thing, then the first causes the second. Hence the water example. The properties are not involved...hence why I put water. This is why I even stated that it sounds absurd.
You did not address the fact that marijuana and impairment was a weak correlation.
You failed to mention the fact that alcohol is legal, yet is worse.
You also failed to retort the countless lives marijuana has saved, like my sister in law. Typically cancer patients are more likely to die from high stress (cortisol increases cancer risk...this is the stress hormone) as well as lack of eating. Marijuana decreases stress.
Driving impairment due to marijuana, according to many scientists, is not significant. At least according to current data. Data from 1984 suggests otherwise, but it also stated that cancer can be caused by marijuana. This was disproven. Newer data is usually more accurate.
I understand your concern. Although studies indicate that impairment may not occur, it may occur. Hence why driving under any influence is not a good idea. BTW motrin is mind altering. Cough syrup causes driving impairment.
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