Marijuana: Godsend or Dangerous Drug

I have strong opinions on this subject so I'm not publishing my thoughts yet because I don't want to influence anyone. I'm interested in how you support your position not on what your position is.

This is for extra credit in our upcoming (February 4, 2008) class Jedi Critical Thinking.

Smoke if you got 'em ... I mean MTFBWY,

Br. John+

Edit to add reading. Please see: http://www.world-mysteries.com/marijuana1.htm While this article is biased concerning the legal issues we face today the historical information is very accurate; I bet y'all did not know most of this.

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The question of dangerosity is a universal one. It depends on the user: on the dependency and the reason for use. Too much of anything is dangerous, and that would include water. A gun does not become dangerous until put into the hands of a person: it coul be use to kill, to save lives, to provide food or to start a race. The same applies for marijuana: you can enjoy it as a potted plant or in the garden, you can use this as a seditive or stimulant to help sort out personal emotional problems, you can take an overdosis, or in consultation with a doctor you can alleviate illnesses (Marijuana has many medical purposes also. The cannabis extract was available as a medicine legally in this country until 1937, and was sold as a nerve tonic-but mankind has been using cannabis medicines much longer than that. Marijuana appears in almost every known book of medicine written by ancient scholars and wise men. It is usually ranked among the top medicines, called 'panaceas', a word which means 'cure-all'. The list of diseases which cannabis can be used for includes: multiple sclerosis, cancer treatment, AIDS (and AIDS treatment), glaucoma, depression, epilepsy, migraine headaches, asthma, pruritis, sclerodoma, severe pain, and dystonia.)

Not many things are dangerous alone. They have to be acted on to be considered dangerous. Skydiving could be considered dangerous. So don't jump out of a plane. Certain types of snakes can be dangerous. So stay out of the forest. *I* can be dangerous. Ya know what? Don't cause any harm to my family, and you'll never see that side of me.

It isn't the plant that's dangerous. It isn't the many ways of using the plant that are dangerous. Except maybe if you are adding it to something else that is also dangerous.....

For example, blazing up a fattie while driving down the interstate could cause a problem... So could driving down the interstate while weaving a hemp blanket. Heck, driving down the interstate poses plenty of risks alone.

It's the intent or ignorance of the person in control of a substance that makes it dangerous.

bunp

I came across this whilst having a good browse, I think alcohol is a far more dangerous drug responsible for more admissions in A+E and more antisocial behaviour. If I remember correctly a conversation with someone a while back marijuana is responsible for five deaths in the UK and they were scraping the barrel as one of those deaths was a customs officer who stuck his head between a boat and the side of the dock and had his skull crushed as the boat rocked:dry: (which should be classed as death by stupidity), alcohol causes a lot more fatalities than that DAILY.

It certainly does have a lot of medicinal benefits and most governments seem to overlook this at the same time as overlooking the effects that alcohol has on society.

I know this isn't a booze vs. marijuana debate but just felt the point should be made.

Everything in moderation!:silly:

So in response to Br.Johns question I'd have to say it's somewhere in between 'Godsend' and dangerous drug.

OK - i too am going to keep (or at least try too) keep a neutral stance

I know there are goodf things and I know there are bad things related to 'weed'

BUT here is the factual points to remember - 'normal' marijuana is 'self regulating' - essentially there are two main compounds (lots more but for thr purposes of simplicity) one gives a high and the other a low - so in smoking/eating regular versions - you get a pleasant sensation and the possible medical benefits which are science fact and proven)

However - cultivated and human engineered versions are not neutral and some are actually potentially dangerous.

So one needs to consider this before screaming blue murder about a bit of pot. Ok - opium is a natural drug as too is cocaine - so where do we or authorities draw the line.

Likewise tobacco and alcohol could be deemed 'natural' - both are highly addictive and proven harmful yet the governments around the globe are happy for us to use them as it lines their pockets.

As for addiction - ok, these too are addictive - but so is gambling, food(s), caffeine and sex.

The key to a sensible debate is realising that one needs to view everything comparable with equal perspective.

Would I want my 12yo eating or smoking weed - No

But neither would I want them smoking, drinking, gambling etc

MTFBWY - A

I believe that it is a drug, in that it causes rapid changes within the body. There is a good amount of data (a Yale study comes to mind) which shows that marijuana has few lasting side-effects, and very low toxicity. It is possible to overdose, but an overdose on marijuana does not cause hospitalization. Essentially, the research I've read says that you vomit, then go to sleep, and wake up hungry. By comparison, poisoning by nicotine or alcohol do require hospitalizations, as overdoses of these legal substances is potentially lethal.

I believe that its intoxicating effects can be equated to those of alcohol: I don't want someone who is high from marijuana driving the bus I'm riding, flying the plane I'm in, or performing surgery on me. I don't believe that a state of intoxication is necessarily healthy or unhealthy, though there are situations in which intoxication is extremely unhealthy.

The problem is that people who are under the influence of marijuana are intoxicated just as surely as those who are under the influence of alcohol. There is only a mild addictive capacity for marijuana, which is mostly psychological in nature. Intoxication is the body's reaction to poisons, and so THC is therefore a mild poison. But as poisons go, there are worse poisons which are more legal.

Medically, pot seems to be able to alleviate pain and nausea. This makes it a good choice for treating the side effects of things like chemotherapy, in which pain and nausea are normal.

I'm in favor of medical marijuana. I'm opposed to complete decriminalization.

As with many things its harm would come in tandem with a lack of responsibility of the user.

Myself I would be for losening the grip of control of this drug and use those resources on the drugs that have are known to be harmful to individuals and society.