Posted on 11/21/2004 9:15:23 PM PST by april15Bendovr
But should they be manditory?? I think schools would have to have parental permission to draw blood or take any sample from a student. Big brother is here, and I don't mind him, but we have to draw the line somewhere!
The owner of this web site says he has no problem with libertarians and sees eye to eye with them on most issues.
They're not going to draw blood, they're just going to ask them questions. I'm betting the questions will include things like "Do your parents ever spank you?", "Do your parents use drugs?", and "Are there any guns in your house?".
And you might want to check the sear pin in that mouse button.
This should include random audits of bank statements, credit cards, assets, tax returns, etc. as a condition of employment. A $400 billion underground market can buy off a lot of officials.
Zig-Zag's new 'full sheet', 8x11 papers?
We can pay out of our tac dollars to have more federal workers do the evaluations on these children while taking them out of class, so can we have mental health screenings for government officials while getting them out of there duties as public officials?
In addition to that, let's ask their parents how there were growing up if they saved money or if they had any other tendancies that could point to other problems..
So would these answers be used agains the parents in a court of law? In other workds, are we asking the youth of America to rat on their parents?
I doubt they'd hold up as sole evidence in court. Bureaucracies like state Family Services and Child Protective agencies seem to be able to act on nothing more than allegation.
Left over from Cheech & Chong's "Big Bamboo" album. Circa 1970s. LOL.
And where would the teenager grow and dry the marijuana plants if they were living at home? If you say out in the woods on someone else's land that would still be illegal.
Why, oh, why do the POT NOW people keep comparing alcohol and pot? Is that really the best they can do? It is a completely lame argument, as it's a comparison of apples and oranges. Alcohol use was already widespread and had been since Adam left the grape juice out too long. It was a few thousand years too late to put that genie back in the (wine) bottle. Now then, pot use is nowhere near the use of alcohol use, nor is it "socially acceptable" by any decent standards. Make it legal, and many people who would have never used it before will start.
And, pleeeze, most teenagers have no problem getting their hands on booze.
The WOD will NEVER end drug abuse. I know and fully accept that as a fact of life. We don't live in a Utopia. I know this to be a fact, just as surely as I know the War on Murder, War on Theft, and War on Rape will NOT end murder, theft, and rape.
It's really quite simple. Either you have a government that supports and provides the means for drug abuse, OR you have a government that tries to limit drug abuse and its destructive effects on society. The idea that the former would even be considered is mind boggling.
http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/pubs/intel/02058/02058.html#6
MARIJUANA
1998 - 2001 PRICE AND POTENCY DATA
National Average in US Dollars
1998 1999 2000 2001
Commercial Grade
Pound $250 - $3,200 $100 - $6,000 $100 - $4,000 $70 - $1,200
Ounce 30 - 450 35 - 750 50 - 650 25 - 600
THC Content 4.21% 4.19% 4.68% 4.72%
Sinsemilla
Pound $850 - $6,000 $500 - $7,000 $900 - $8,000 $600 - $4,000
Ounce 160 - 600 160 - 600 100 - 600 80 - 1,200
THC Content 12.33% 13.38% 12.82% 9.03%
Source: The potency data for both commercial grade and sinsemilla marijuana are provided by the Marijuana Potency Monitoring Project, conducted by the University of Mississippi, and sponsored by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).
http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:8XWyuOiNC1kJ:www.usdoj.gov/dea/pubs/intel/01001-intellbrief.pdf+BC+Bud+The+U.S.+Drug+Enforcement+Administration+Intelligence+Division+December+Report+2000&hl=en&ie=UTF-8
1
Introduction
Marijuana and other cannabis
products are the most widely
abused and readily available illicit
drugs in Canada. Canadian law
enforcement intelligence indicates
that marijuana traffickers there
increasingly are cultivating
cannabis indoors. Such indoor
grow operations have become an
enormous and lucrative illicit
industry, producing a potent form of
marijuana that has come to be
commonly known as “BC Bud.”
Canadian officials estimate that
cannabis cultivation in British
Columbia is a billion-dollar industry and that traffickers smuggle a significant portion of the Canadian
harvest into the United States.
Indoor Cannabis Cultivation Rises in Canada
Canadian growers produce cannabis plants with powerful buds, often using sophisticated hydroponic
cultivation techniques. While the term “BC Bud” literally refers to the bud of the female cannabis plant
grown in British Columbia, the term has become synonymous in the popular media for high-potency
Canadian-grown marijuana. Such marijuana has a THC
1
content ranging from 15 percent to as much as
25 percent, far more potent than the naturally grown cannabis plants of the 1970s, which had a THC
content of only 2 percent.
Marijuana traffickers in Canada employ the most current methods of growing cannabis. Growers isolate
and clone selected female plants for sinsemilla production, and they use high-tech equipment to
electronically regulate temperature, light, and nutrients in hydroponic greenhouses that enable them to
grow up to six marijuana crops per year. According to the Canadian Government, a cannabis grower
operating a 50-plant hydroponic operation that harvests three crops of 15-percent potency can realize an
annual profit of Can$225,000.
Here is an AP report about driving while high.
Millions In U.S. Do Drugs, Drive
WASHINGTON, Sept. 16, 2003
An estimated 11 million Americans, including nearly one in five 21-year-olds, have driven while under the influence of illegal drugs, the government says.
The numbers announced Tuesday were especially high for college students. Eighteen percent of students surveyed said they drove while on drugs last year, compared with 14 percent of their peers who weren't in college.
John Walters, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, said the statistics show a failure to convince drivers that drugs impair driving as much as alcohol does. His office is kicking off an ad campaign titled "Steer Clear of Pot" to warn teens about driving while smoking marijuana.
"Marijuana is not the soft drug. Marijuana is not the casual rite of passage," Walters said at a news conference. "We have been sending the wrong message."
Walters said marijuana can affect concentration, perception, coordination and reaction time for up to 24 hours after smoking it.
Citing a separate study, the Office of National Drug Control Policy reports approximately one in six high school seniors in the U.S. admitted to driving under the influence of marijuana.
And 41 percent of teens surveyed by Students Against Drunk Driving (SADD) and Liberty Mutual said they were not concerned about driving after using drugs.
In an effort to raise public awareness of the problem of drugged driving, television advertisements will run during September and October, to impress upon teens the dangers of driving under the influence of marijuana.
Nineteen-year-old Theodore Stevens of New Jersey told reporters that he believed smoking pot and driving wasn't dangerous despite getting into four accidents in three years. He says he's lucky none of those incidents caused serious injuries.
"Sometimes I believed it increased my driving performance," said Stevens, who has been in drug treatment for four months after being charged with possession of marijuana, cocaine and heroin. Stevens began smoking pot when he was 14.
The report, compiled by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, used 2002 data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. The survey questioned 68,000 people. Researchers then extrapolated the percentages to the population as a whole. A federal statistician said the margin of error was plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.
For 21-year-olds, the rate of those who reported driving under the influence of drugs was 18 percent, the highest of any age group. That dropped off to 14.5 percent for 22-year-olds. Unemployed adults age 26 to 49 also had a high frequency of driving while drugged — 9.3 percent, compared with 5.1 percent for drivers employed full time.
Among racial or ethnic groups, American Indians reported the highest rate of driving while drugged, at 6.3 percent compared with 5 percent of whites, 4.5 percent of blacks, 3.7 percent of Hispanics, 3.1 percent of Pacific Islanders and 1.3 percent of Asians.
Dr. Jeffrey Runge, head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, said there were approximately 38,000 crashes last year involving drivers impaired by marijuana. But Runge said he didn't know how many fatal accidents were caused by drugged drivers. State data collection is spotty, Runge said, and many drivers who are driving while drugged are also drinking.
"While we don't have fixed data, impairment is impairment," he said.
You're never going to make your case in the face of objective criticism by avoiding the questions and changing the subject.
http://www.marijuana-anonymous.org/Pages/detox.html
Detoxing from Marijuana
What is Detoxing?
Detoxing is the way in which your body gets rid of the toxins accumulated from years of using. It happens the first few days or weeks after getting clean and/or sober. It is also the very beginning of getting used to dealing with reality and real feelings with no numbing agent.
Can there be physical effects from quitting marijuana?
In spite of numerous years of being told that there are no physiological effects from marijuana addiction, many of our recovering members have had definite withdrawal symptoms. Whether the causes are physical or psychological, the results are physical. Others have just had emotional and mental changes as they stop using their drug of choice. There is no way of telling before quitting who will be physically uncomfortable and who will not. Most members have only minor physical discomfort if any at all. This pamphlet is for those who are having trouble and wonder what's happening to them.
Why do some effects last so long?
Unlike most other drugs, including alcohol, THC (the active chemical in marijuana) is stored in the fat cells and therefore takes longer to fully clear the body than with any other common drug. This means that some parts of the body still retain THC even after a couple of months, rather than just the couple of days or weeks for water soluble drugs.
Can this affect a drug test?
The experiences of some members have shown that if you quit marijuana and expect to take a drug test you should not go on a crash diet at the same time. Fasting, or a crash diet, can release the THC into the bloodstream very rapidly and can give a positive reading. This has happened to several of our members, but each time only with crash diets and major weight loss, not with just eating less than usual.
What are some of the more common symptoms?
By far the most common symptom of withdrawal is insomnia. This can last from a few nights of practically no sleep at all, up to a few months of occasional sleeplessness. The next most common symptom is depression (that is, if you're not euphoric), and next are nightmares and vivid dreams. Marijuana use tends to dampen the dreaming mechanism, so that when you do get clean the dreams come back with a crash. They can be vivid color, highly emotional dreams or nightmares, even waking up then coming back to the same dream. The very vivid, every-night dreams usually don't start for about a week or so. They last for about a month at most and then taper off. "Using" dreams (dreams involving the use of marijuana) are very common, and although they're not as vivid or emotional as at first, they last for years and are just considered a normal part of recovery.
The fourth most common symptom is anger. This can range from a slow burning rage to constant irritability to sudden bursts of anger when least expected: anger at the world, anger at loved ones, anger at oneself, anger at being an addict and having to get clean. Emotional jags are very common, with emotions bouncing back and forth between depression, anger, and euphoria. Occasionally experienced is a feeling of fear or anxiety, a loss of the sense of humor, decreased sex drive, or increased sex drive. Most all of these symptoms fade to normal emotions by three months. Loss of concentration for the first week or month is also very common and this sometimes affects the ability to learn for a very short while.
What about physical symptoms?
The most common physical symptom is headaches. For those who have them, they can last for a few weeks up to a couple of months, with the first few days being very intense. The next most common physical symptom is night sweats, sometimes to the point of having to change night clothes. They can last from a few nights to a month or so. Sweating is one of the body's natural ways of getting rid of toxins. Hand sweats are very common and are often accompanied by an unpleasant smell from the hands. Body odor is enough in many instances to require extra showers or baths. Coughing up phlegm is another way the body cleans itself. This can last for a few weeks to well over six months.
One third of the addicts who responded to a questionnaire on detoxing said they had eating problems for the first few days and some for up to six weeks. Their main symptoms were loss of appetite, sometimes enough to lose weight temporarily, digestion problems or cramps after eating, and nausea, occasionally enough to vomit (only for a day or two). Most of the eating problems were totally gone before the end of a month.
The next most common physical symptoms experienced were tremors or shaking and dizziness. Less frequently experienced were kidney pains, impotency, hormone changes or imbalances, low immunity or chronic fatigue, and some minor eye problems that resolved at around two months. There have been cases of addicts having more severe detox symptoms, however this is rare. For intense discomfort, see a doctor, preferably one who is experienced with detoxing.
How can I reduce discomfort?
For some of the milder detoxing symptoms, a few home remedies have proven to be useful:
* Hot soaking baths can help the emotions as well as the body.
* Drink plenty of water and clear liquids, just like for the flu.
* Cranberry juice has been used effectively for years by recovery houses to help purify and cleanse the body.
* Really excessive sweating can deplete the body of potassium, a necessary mineral. A few foods high in potassium are: melons, bananas, citrus fruits, green leafy vegetables, and tomatoes.
* Eliminate fat from the diet until digestion is better.
* Greatly reduce or eliminate caffeine until the sleep pattern is more normal or the shakes are gone.
* The old fashioned remedy for insomnia, a glass of warm milk before bedtime, helps some people.
* Exercise not only helps depression and other unpleasant emotions, it helps the body speed up the healing process.
Conference Approved Literature
©1992 Marijuana Anonymous
All Rights Reserved
P-04
6/96
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