Originally posted by
[email protected] 26 2006, 02:57 AM
Drugs are bad, and they do have a compelling effect on the lives of the user and others. However, imposing restrictions on them and making a black market out of their aquisition makes the knowledge of the drugs vague and simply exacerbates any problem that would occur from drug use.
This guy seems to be a great example the anti-humanist, wishing death upon those who fall victim to the vice. That kind of thinking is much more dangerous for someone than smoking a joint every day would be.
Anyways, Marijuana has some very bad effects and can be very psychologically addictive. I have two close friends that cannot quit. I hope you quit, or at least do not do it regularly.
Marijuana is the least addictive drugs and among the least intoxicating too.
Look at how it compares to other drugs, legal and illegal:
http://www.drugwarfacts.org/addictiv.htm
I should really find that Chomsky interview. It's quite interesting. Chomsky says the war on drugs is really a class war. And that's where legality comes in, not on what is truly the most harmful. ;)
Also... just some things I looked at that are interesting to note.
1) Few marijuana users develop dependence, 9 % of total in one study while 15 % of drinkers become dependent on alcohol, 23 % of heroin users get hooked and a third of tobacco users
2) There is little evidence that it carries a risk of true addiction
3) Heavy use and complaints of inability to stop are unusual
From: http://www.medicalmarijuanaprocon.org/bin/...96.311236304462 (http://www.medicalmarijuanaprocon.org/bin/procon/procon.cgi?database=5-C-Subs-4.db&command=viewone&op=t&id=1&rnd=196.311236304462)
Furthermore,
5) Cannabis does the less harm to the body than amphetamines, alcohol or tobacco
And,
6)In 1972, after reviewing the scientific evidence, the National Commission on Marihuana and Drug Abuse concluded that while marijuana was not entirely safe, its dangers had been grossly overstated. Since then, researchers have conducted thousands of studies of humans, animals, and cell cultures. None reveal any findings dramatically different from those described by the National Commission in 1972. In 1995, based on thirty years of scientific research editors of the British medical journal Lancet concluded that "the smoking of cannabis, even long term, is not harmful to health."
7) None of the medical tests currently used to detect brain damage in humans have found harm from marijuana, even from long term high-dose use. An early study reported brain damage in rhesus monkeys after six months exposure to high concentrations of marijuana smoke. In a recent, more carefully conducted study, researchers found no evidence of brain abnormality in monkeys that were forced to inhale the equivalent of four to five marijuana cigarettes every day for a year. The claim that marijuana kills brain cells is based on a speculative report dating back a quarter of a century that has never been supported by any scientific study.
8) For twenty-five years, researchers have searched for a marijuana-induced amotivational syndrome and have failed to find it. People who are intoxicated constantly, regardless of the drug, are unlikely to be productive members of society. There is nothing about marijuana specifically that causes people to lose their drive and ambition. In laboratory studies, subjects given high doses of marijuana for several days or even several weeks exhibit no decrease in work motivation or productivity. Among working adults, marijuana users tend to earn higher wages than non-users. College students who use marijuana have the same grades as nonusers. Among high school students, heavy use is associated with school failure, but school failure usually comes first.
9)There is no convincing scientific evidence that marijuana causes psychological damage or mental illness in either teenagers or adults. Some marijuana users experience psychological distress following marijuana ingestion, which may include feelings of panic, anxiety, and paranoia. Such experiences can be frightening, but the effects are temporary. With very large doses, marijuana can cause temporary toxic psychosis. This occurs rarely, and almost always when marijuana is eaten rather than smoked. Marijuana does not cause profound changes in people's behavior.
From: http://www.drugpolicy.org/marijuana/factsmyths/
Etcetera. Etcetera.
Psychologically addictive, I don't know, maybe, but certainly not to the dramatized extent most people think. Don't they actually say chocolate is psychologically addictive? :lol:
Another interesting thing to research is marijuana related arrests... ;)
Really silly.