Legalize it!

[Schneed10]

Originally Posted by Sheriff Gonna Getcha

PS - I know and like you Schneed, so it doesn't bother me when you talk about pot smokers being morons. I know that you are opinionated but mean no harm. But, I would appreciate it if you made your views known without saying "morons" etc. since a lot of people who read these posts don't know you as well as the rest of us do and could start a fight.

OK sorry, I'll chill on using that word, or any other name calling. I'll put it like this: smoking pot is a bad decision.

There is no convincing me that it's not bad for you. Our Bone Marrow Transplant doctors here at Temple University Hospital don't employ the use of canniboids to treat their chemo patients for nausea. They feel the negative effects on the reproductive system aren't worth it; they prescribe more traditional anti-nausea medications instead.

Temple's lung center is the finest in the country, Dr. Jerry Criner is one of the leading lung specialists in the country. He's currently treating a lifetime pot-smoker for lung volume reduction surgery to relieve emphysema. Obviously he overdid it, and didn't do it in moderation. But still, any pulmonologist will tell you it's bad for your lungs.

I just can't believe the arguments I'm hearing regarding the health factors. They're inconsistent with a number of recent (2006-2007, not 2003) medical studies.

[Schneed10]

Originally Posted by ArtMonkDrillz

I wouldn't hold your breath. Even if one doctor came on here and said that pot is harmful another one could come along and say that it isn't, and vice versa.

Based on what you and Matty posted I think it's pretty clear that there is not a consensus on pot's effects.

That's the thing, the medical consensus is moving to it being harmful. Matty's stuff was from 2003. That's four years old, which is ages in the medical community.

[724Skinsfan]

Originally Posted by Schneed10

That's the thing, the medical consensus is moving to it being harmful. Matty's stuff was from 2003. That's four years old, which is ages in the medical community.

It'll swing back and forth ad infinitum.

[GhettoDogAllStars]

Schneed, I can tell you from experience that it does in fact affect your lungs (no real surprise there). Since I have reduced the frequency with which I smoke, I have noticed a difference. There was a time when I couldn't play intense basketball for more than 10 minutes, without feeling like I was suffocating. Although, that could be related to smoking tobacco for 6 years -- even though I have been a non-smoker for about 4 years now.

That said, I still don't think it should be illegal. I think I deserve the right to do to my body as I wish. It frustrates me that other people think they have the authority to grant, or deny, me that right.

If the only adverse affects are related to inhaling the smoke, how do you feel about eating it? Many of the same benefits can be received through eating it, without many, if any, of the costs. Would you be opposed to the legalization of cannabis pills?

[12thMan]

Originally Posted by 724Skinsfan

It'll swing back and forth ad infinitum.

Pretty much. Anyone that will try to suggest that people that smoke pot are somehow lazier or more incompetent or not as mentally sharp as someone who doesn't are kidding themselves. As previously stated, there is no hard core medical edvidence to suggest this.

In fact, for many years scientist would flip-flop on whether or not a glass of wine per day is good for you. Depending on whom you talk to and who's doing the research, the resutls could definitely vary.

[Schneed10]

Originally Posted by GhettoDogAllStars

Schneed, I can tell you from experience that it does in fact affect your lungs (no real surprise there). Since I have reduced the frequency with which I smoke, I have noticed a difference. There was a time when I couldn't play intense basketball for more than 10 minutes, without feeling like I was suffocating. Although, that could be related to smoking tobacco for 6 years -- even though I have been a non-smoker for about 4 years now.

That said, I still don't think it should be illegal. I think I deserve the right to do to my body as I wish. It frustrates me that other people think they have the authority to grant, or deny, me that right.

If the only adverse affects are related to inhaling the smoke, how do you feel about eating it? Many of the same benefits can be received through eating it, without many, if any, of the costs. Would you be opposed to the legalization of cannabis pills?

I guess what I'm saying is that I concede that my argument for keeping it illegal isn't all that strong. There are some objective reasons for it which I still believe strongly in keeping it illegal (and I won't rehash because I've expressed them already). But there are strong arguments in favor of legalizing it, the biggest of which is that people should be free to eff themselves up if they want to, which I actually buy into. If you want to make a bad decision regarding how to treat your body, you should be free to do so. I think the affect of legalizing will be deleterious to our youth. Us adults, we'll be just fine. But it's the kids I'd worry about with the increased accessibility to pot.

But mainly at this point, I've moved on to expressing my subjective and personal distaste for marijuana and those who smoke it. I agree that you should be free to make decisions regarding your own body (to the extent it doesn't affect others). But I also feel that if you're going to make bad decisions regarding your health, you should be prepared to deal with uppity people like me who consider you an idiot for doing so. Freedom is a two-way street; if you're free to decide to smoke pot, others should be free to look at you with derision, voice their opinions, and shake their heads in disgust.

[Sheriff Gonna Getcha]

It's hard to argue with that post Schneed.

[MTK]

Originally Posted by Schneed10

That's the thing, the medical consensus is moving to it being harmful. Matty's stuff was from 2003. That's four years old, which is ages in the medical community.

There has been more recent research, one study concluded that pot doesn't have any long-term link to cancer

[Hog1]

Originally Posted by Sheriff Gonna Getcha

Are you assuming, however, that there is a causal relationship between your friends' laziness and weed? Maybe they were lazy to start with. I too know heavy users who are outstanding employees at various jobs. I also know a few alcoholics who are jorribly lazy and mean.

I am attributing in these particular instances, they are who they are. There use of the weed is what IT is.
Yes, because of there dependance or maybe............Adoring love of it, (if you don't like the word dependance) and it's use, has had profound and lifelong negative effects. I have no idea whether they are the norm, or the exception. Fact is they are lifelong potheads who have adopted losing, and uselessness as their career path.

Note: I do not suggest anywhere that alcohol abuse is more preferred than that of Cannabis.

[Schneed10]

Originally Posted by Mattyk72

There has been more recent research, one study concluded that pot doesn't have any long-term link to cancer

This makes sense, our lung docs here at Temple agree with this. But it still causes emphysema.

[MTK]

Originally Posted by Schneed10

I guess what I'm saying is that I concede that my argument for keeping it illegal isn't all that strong. There are some objective reasons for it which I still believe strongly in keeping it illegal (and I won't rehash because I've expressed them already). But there are strong arguments in favor of legalizing it, the biggest of which is that people should be free to eff themselves up if they want to, which I actually buy into. If you want to make a bad decision regarding how to treat your body, you should be free to do so. I think the affect of legalizing will be deleterious to our youth. Us adults, we'll be just fine. But it's the kids I'd worry about with the increased accessibility to pot.

But mainly at this point, I've moved on to expressing my subjective and personal distaste for marijuana and those who smoke it. I agree that you should be free to make decisions regarding your own body (to the extent it doesn't affect others). But I also feel that if you're going to make bad decisions regarding your health, you should be prepared to deal with uppity people like me who consider you an idiot for doing so. Freedom is a two-way street; if you're free to decide to smoke pot, others should be free to look at you with derision, voice their opinions, and shake their heads in disgust.

I'm sure we could look at your lifestyle and find some questionable decisions in there regarding your health. Difference is I wouldn't shake my head in disgust or judge you. Your life is your own and as long as your decisions don't directly effect my life, to each his own.

[Schneed10]

Originally Posted by Mattyk72

I'm sure we could look at your lifestyle and find some questionable decisions in there regarding your health. Difference is I wouldn't shake my head in disgust or judge you. Your life is your own and as long as your decisions don't directly effect my life, to each his own.

If you smoke weed around me, then it affects me. I have to smell the crap and it grosses me out, and watching people do it makes me feel dumber by association.

I don't ever come in contact with you guys so I don't have a problem if you're smoking it; so you're right, I should clarify. The concept of smoking weed doesn't bother me. But doing it around me, that's when I'd drop the judgment on a pot smoker.

[MTK]

Originally Posted by Schneed10

If you smoke weed around me, then it affects me. I have to smell the crap and it grosses me out, and watching people do it makes me feel dumber by association.

I don't ever come in contact with you guys so I don't have a problem if you're smoking it; so you're right, I should clarify. The concept of smoking weed doesn't bother me. But doing it around me, that's when I'd drop the judgment on a pot smoker.

Ok I can understand that. I don't have a problem with people who smoke cigarettes, it's their choice if they want to shorten their lives, but if someone is blowing cigarette smoke in my direct area then I have a problem with it.

[Sheriff Gonna Getcha]

Originally Posted by Mattyk72

I don't have a problem with people who smoke cigarettes, it's their choice if they want to shorten their lives, but if someone is blowing cigarette smoke in my direct area then I have a problem with it.

I certainly understand that. Just don't be that person who is 30 feet from a smoker and can't possibly smell the smoke, but who coughs (a la "I've got the black lung pop") to make a point.

[MTK]

Originally Posted by Sheriff Gonna Getcha

I certainly understand that. Just don't be that person who is 30 feet from a smoker and can't possibly smell the smoke, but who coughs (a la "I've got the black lung pop") to make a point.

No, I'll just glare and shake my head in disgust.

I smoked cigs for 5-6 years, I quit back in '97. Best thing I ever did.