Prohibition is not working, never did never will. Medicinal use has become more acceptable in recent years, but the government needs to open up the research and approve large scale studies.
Many people also need to stop spreading the propaganda I’ve been hearing. It is not addicting. If it were I would have had a serious problem 40 years ago. It was proven in the 60’s it was not physically addicting.
Very little evidence exists to indicate it might be a “gateway drug”. The majority of heroin users have never touched it. IN recent times, heroin use has increased due to the decrease in availability and increase in prices of high strength pain killers. When it costs $150 or more for prescription pain killers and 1/10 of that for street drugs, guess what many people choose. This is very bad, but true.
It does not reduce a persons IQ. If it did I’d be a total imbecile by now. I educated myself to at least 6 years college level, studied far more topics than college ever does, and last time I checked, my IQ was still over 145. It does take longer to assimilate information, but concentration on one topic prevails, and learning is still very possible. One caveat, at younger ages it also does inhibit the learning process. You have to train yourself to learn, and make that a habit, before experimenting with anything, including alcohol. My one main goal has been to learn all I can since I learned to read at age 4. Some of the most brilliant men I’ve ever known have been pot smokers, including a college professor or two. Carl Sagan, instrumental in putting a man on the moon, said in an interview if NASA had been drug testing in 1964 they wouldn’t have let him anywhere near the space program. He and Arthur C Clarke were the ones who came up with freeze dried foods, an ink pen that would write in zero gravity, and many other innovations that made space travel possible.
How many people are killed every year by cigarettes? Alcohol? I looked up the CDC causes of death list a couple of years ago, it said at the bottom in a footnote they had not been able to find one instance in which pot definitely caused a death. Almost all of the car wrecks involving pot also involved alcohol, so it can’t be proven that pot was a primary cause. It is not possible to smoke enough to be fatal, you’ll pass out long before that. I never even managed to smoke enough to even pass out...and I tried...
Medically, I’m sure smoking anything is not healthy, but an article I read not long ago surprisingly said pot not only has not been proven to be related to causing cancer, but may even help prevent it. That has not been proven either, but a link is suspected. I was very surprised, I figured it was contributing to cancer.
That’s why we need more intensive research, too many myths and not enough facts, and way too much propaganda being spread, which people believe without doing any fact checking.
Almost left this part out...I’ve very rarely seen anyone smoke weed and act like something out of a Cheech and Chong movie, what they developed was a parody of pot users, and based on 60’s hippies who were often also using LSD. I’ve done job interviews high and got the jobs, passed written and driving test to get my driver’s license, scored 146 on an online IQ test, learned to fix small engines and several other jobs, all while smoking daily. I’m talking first thing when I got up. At one time I was such a nervous wreck it was the only thing that kept me halfway normal...
Stop spreading the propaganda. I’m not sure if outright legalization is the best thing, decriminalization is certainly needed. Kids under about 20 should not start if they don’t already, get your education first, let your body and brain mature. I know they won’t listen, but they should wait a while before trying it, and avoid it while still in school. It does tend to inhibit the learning process at younger ages.
But most of all, government needs to approve more wide range testing and research. Medicinal uses have been proven even with the limited research possible now, and more will be if they simply open it up.
Some extracts have been developed that have no psychotropic properties, and help with certain specific medical problems, especially seizures. As already noted, many people undergoing chemotherapy can benefit from both its minor pain relieving properties and the ability to alleviate nausea. It is not a great pain reliever, but does help in a small way. If ind if I have a headache, which is very rare, it helps me ignore it and let it simply go away, more than actually reducing pain. But much more wide range research is needed. And removing it from schedule 1. It’s not even in the ball park with the rest of schedule 1 substances.
It isn’t addicting; for you. It doesn’t affect your cognative ability. Check. You are not everyone.
Do you recommend your children smoke it regularly?
it IS a gateway drug and almost every single druggie we admit to the hospital has weed in their system...
ambien is not considered to be addictive but just try stopping it..
I personally don't care what you do....
but I'm suing you for everything you or your family has if your drug use affects me and mine..
in your car....in your boat...in your work....