Posted on 02/02/2019 8:52:12 AM PST by yoe
Having witnessed violent “skunks” on the street a number of times, I know that smoking marijuana can cause psychosis/schizophrenia and leads to extremely violent behavior. Anyone in the medical profession who has not bought into the political correctness on dope as being “healthy” will tell you the same thing.
I remember one skunk one night as I was walking to my car weaving back and forth across the street through traffic, ranting and raving, attacking signs and magazine stands. You could smell him from 100 feet away.
We have violent drug addicts all over the place here.
7. Arrogance!
Sometimes ganja breaks down walls that were constructed to keep the ego in check. There’s nothing less fun than a condescending, derisive prick of a pothead.
Zing!
8. They’re not as intelligent as they like to believe
Intelligence comes from reading books, applying yourself to learning and actually facing life challenges… It does not come from watching back-to-back episodes of Breaking Bad for five hours straight while your buddies giggle like Cindy Brady.
AKA Dunning-Krueger effect
As someone with advanced degrees and experience in the mental health profession, I have access to and understanding of scholarly, peer reviewed research.
My interest recently turned to whether marijuana is genuinely addictive. Discussion of addiction always requires a thorough grasp of how addiction is defined, as opposed to personal opinions.
Here it is from the American Society of Addiction Medicine:
“Addiction is a primary, chronic disease of brain reward, motivation, memory and related circuitry”..
In a readily available article, (updated 2018), the NIMH referenced the already established syndrome of “marijuana use disorder*, which includes *physical withdrawal symptoms*. That cannot be over emphasized. Physical withdrawal is the cardinal sign of addiction.
Indeed, NIMH goes on to refer to that degree of dependence as *addiction*.
The most recent, properly done research is proving that weed is absolutely addictive. There are many evil doers who would like to keep us all lazy and stupid. Which makes it a bit odd that NIMH would tell any truth at all.
The proper use of medical marijuana is something I support 10,000%. Much avoidable suffering has been eased this way.
No you don't - from the fact that some marijuana users are violent you know squat about any causal relationship between the two. They may be loonies who use marijuana in a misguided attempt to self-medicate, or their propensities to marijuana use and violence may have a common cause.
And let's not forget the many marijuana users who don't get violent.
“They lost jobs, families, their self-worth, and spent time in jail. All so they could just lay back and groove.”
Most of those issues are BECAUSE of jail and propoganda. Giving someone a record/stigma over a plant is ridiculous and can ruin their lives. Thanks God this is happening less these days.
In legalized states, I personally know countless motivated succesful individuals who simply treat it as a relaxing herb after a very hard day. Or a natural way to relieve countless ailments. Or something for artists and designers to help inspire creative thinking when they hit a wall on a project. I know people who use cannabis daily and have the highest awards in their industry.
It is simply a medicinal plant and can be used for GREAT things when properly applied.
Of course I do know people who became addicted and not motivated for other things. But it is not a physical addiction and that also happens with countless other hobbies (TV, video games, porn, even reading news like FR). It is natural for a fraction of people to become obsessed with something and have other things “suffer”. We only have so much time on this earth and who has the right to tell us how we spend it?
Forcing all to live the same is the philosphy of fascist states from where no creativity comes. Freedom to live your personal life as you please is what makes America creative and great!
Perfect.
Don’t you mean: “Like, man, total BS!!!!”
More perfection.
Fmr. Speaker John Boehner “I’m All In on Pot”
Only long term pot smokers will know that this is complete and utter bullshot.
https://www.thenewamerican.com/world-news/item/19291-pot-use-is-devastatingly-dangerous-analysis-of-20-years-of-studies
excerpt:
Perhaps the harshest critic of marijuana use is Dr. Michael Savage, who aside from being a well-renowned talk-show host is a trained epidemiologist and has authored more than a dozen books on health and nutrition.
During a 2010 radio segment — at the end of which he named approximately two dozen chemicals found in cannabis smoke — he said “Marijuana is far more dangerous than tobacco....” Savage, who nonetheless believes in the drug’s decriminalization, continued, “Mainstream marijuana has ammonia levels that are up to 20 fold greater than that found in tobacco.
Hydrogen cyanide, nitrogen oxide, and some aromatic amines, which are all carcinogenic, were found in marijuana smoke at concentrations three to five times those found in tobacco smoke.”
I’m always amazed at the amount of dopers that are on FreeRepublic and defend this vile crap in the face of overwhelming evidence it’s bad for you.
It’s a weakness of modern ways of thought that holds, “If something doesn’t harm a majority, it’s wrong to intervene against it because of a harmful effect on a minority”.
I don’t know the marijuana data well enough to have an opinion. I am fairly familiar with similar data about pornography, though.
There is a significant subpopulation of men who are moved to action they would not otherwise take because of exposure to pornography. This causes thousands, and maybe more, of rapes and other violent crimes which would be prevented by simply returning to the complete ban that every normal society on earth has always had.
If marijuana releases certain pathways that make predisposed individuals crazy, it should be forbidden. Let’s see the data.
The proper use of medical marijuana is something I support 10,000%. Much avoidable suffering has been eased this way.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I don’t debate with the stoners because it is useless. When you ask them if all drugs should be legal if they believe the government has no business telling us what we can take then they usually flip out.
But I agree with you on medical cannabis when it is for a real purpose. My son has brain cancer. His last stay in the hospital lasted from Labor Day to Christmas. He wouldn’t eat. He “went away” mentally. His weight was down 40 pounds.
He is now adding medical cannabis pills to his medications and the change is unbelievable. Strong appetite, weight is coming back, regained his voice, much better physically etc.
“I know that smoking marijuana can cause psychosis/schizophrenia”
Nonsense. There is absolutely no accepted medical evidence to support that assertion.
However, people who are ALREADY crazy can be triggered by pot. That is well known and inarguable. But not an otherwise healthy psyche.
Crazy people should not smoke pot.
Also, ingesting an overdose of THC can cause a TEMPORARY “psychosis” in anyone. As can a pint of whiskey.
Alcohol is well known to lead to violence in some of its users - so I take it you support banning that drug.
Why be deliberately stupid?
My answer is "Yes - but legalizing marijuana is a slam dunk, so let's be prudent and start with that."
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.