Why Your State Should NOT Legalize Weed

Yesterday I visited our local bookstore and was struck by the abundance of magazine covers promoting marijuana. Later my wife commented that she’s received two ads this week for cannabis products, something she’s never received before! What’s going on?

In case you haven’t noticed or are simply distracted by the busyness of life, propaganda promoting marijuana and its legalization is bombarding us. Should we be concerned about something that is celebrated as a “harmless recreational” indulgence that progressive people should embrace excitedly?

Recently our state newspaper ran a prominent piece by a young woman calling for weed to be legalized. Coincidentally, she works for a statewide cannabis advocacy group. Reading her arguments and questionable statistics made me wonder if we should begin distributing marijuana freely since she opines it is so harmless and beneficial!

What follows is my pushback to the propaganda. Feel free to “borrow” any and all my counterpoints for op-eds you can submit, exposing the seductive logic.

“There are three kinds of lies: lies, dxxxxd lies and statistics,” said Mark Twain. He was pointing out the use of statistics to bolster weak or fallacious arguments. The dope supporter whose article appeared in our newspaper, typical of many, deserved a five star Pinocchio award for her misleading stats and misguided presentation.

Recently, I had an in-depth conversation with a police officer formerly on paid leave who has since retired. He was rehabilitating from a serious injury sustained when he confronted a young man about to commit a crime who was stoned on marijuana. He subsequently assaulted the officer, tearing his rotator cuff. He now faces numerous felony offenses plus decades behind bars, in addition to the impounding of his car containing marijuana and drug paraphernalia.

Olympic gold medalist, Michael Phelps, often appears in the news with his lovely wife and two little boys celebrating his success emerging from rehab and his near-death experience. “Not wanting to be alive anymore” at one point, the champion who smoked marijuana, deceived it would not affect his ability to excel, now swears off any drugs as he encourages youth to emulate his example.

Close to where I live, a 33-year-old woman was sentenced to 30 years in prison for her reckless driving which resulted in the death of a teenager helping change his mother’s flat tire. The THP report showed her high on drugs and impaired in her driving ability as she callously fled the scene of the homicide. She’ll now have many decades to ponder her stupidity, recreational drug usage and the devastation it brought her and a grieving family.

With scores of people killed, maimed, or disabled for life from drunk driving, especially by young people, do we really want to compound the problem by adding marijuana to the mix? Teens can think they are invincible and adding a joint can seem innocuous until the tragedy happens, which it does all too frequently.

Contrary to what drug proponents profess, marijuana and other drugs take a toll—eventually, if not immediately. Drugs don’t deliver as advertised. Why do you think they call it “dope?”

Even pot-smoking, poster boy Willie Nelson, battling emphysema and pneumonia four or five times, admits his lungs have gotten “really screwed up.”

In Willie’s own words, “There’s been a lot of talk about marijuana being harmless, but I think it’s a lot more dangerous to the lungs than most dope smokers realize. Especially the strong marijuana that’s around these days. Each year it seems to get a little stronger … your lungs are not really supposed to breath anything but oxygen—pure, fresh air.”

How about the tragic, premature deaths of both Whitney Houston and Amy Winehouse portrayed in recent documentaries? Both got started on the path to their destruction the exact same way, smoking weed, those “harmless” joints.

Research Studies Should Not Be Ignored As Sergeant Joe Friday used to say on the TV program Dragnet, “Just the facts!” so here they are …

The United States Drug Enforcement Agency states: “U.S. drug overdose kills more people than traffic accidents and gun incidents.” The total number cited was 46,471! If we could ask these victims how many started on marijuana or maintained their marijuana usage along with other drugs, I wonder how many would hang their heads in regret wishing they’d never succumbed to the seduction of the Pied Piper’s enticement onto this pernicious path?

My best friend growing up started experimenting with recreational drugs when he started college with me. What started as a fun escape spiraled into his premature death in his mid-20s. I carry an ache in my heart to this day from this experience.

When marijuana proponents glorify drugs and celebrate its “harmless” even “beneficial effect,” they should take heed to the words of an expert, Dr. Ed Gogek, an addiction psychiatrist. He wrote the following in the uber-liberal New York Times: “I’ve spent 25 years as a doctor treating drug abusers and they are con artists…. Marijuana activists are phony scientists. For years they said marijuana is good for glaucoma when it actually worsens it! They said it is not addictive and this is false! They said it doesn’t increase usage among teenagers and all evidence says the opposite…. It is not harmless! Youth do worse in school and have two times the dropout rate while marijuana permanently lowers their IQ.”

Joseph Califano, head of the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, declares without qualification that “pot smoking adversely affects motor skills and does serious damage to the brain over the long term.” It is a fact that objective studies repeatedly show that regular users find their IQ dropping and all cognitive functions hindered. Finally, a recent study from Northwestern University established clearly that teen “potheads” had brain abnormalities related to poor short-term memory performance. Healthy individuals who did not use marijuana scored 37 times better on average than users—not just addicts—who had smoked pot in the past. The National Institute of Health makes it clear: “One in six youth who try marijuana before age 18 will either abuse it or will become addicted.” Those are dangerous odds, parents. Is this what we want for our children and grandchildren? What’s Happening in Massachusetts? The state of Massachusetts jumped on the bandwagon to legalize marijuana. After a number of months, a study was done to discover the impact on young people. The results are sobering and startling: currently 1/2 of youth ages 18–25 have smoked marijuana in the past month!

In the classic film The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy finally pulled back the curtain and exposed the deceiving mastermind behind the façade. May we do likewise amid celebrities and other pot promoters who glamorize toking up, some under the ruse of the “medical marijuana” argument (which can have some medicinal benefits but it’s not the only alternative).

A little while ago, in the mall where I daily exercise, a middle-aged mother darted from the coffee shop and stammered these words amidst her tears, “They just found my daughter dead!” She proceeded to tell me about her 27-year-old daughter who met a young fellow who influenced her to start smoking dope. Prior to this encounter, “she had never been involved with any drugs” but this was the gateway to her death and her mother’s devastation.

Here’s the deal: Scripture says, “Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools…” (Romans 1:22). People will accuse us of being “fear mongers,” but we must not back down. Let’s winsomely and confidently communicate the truth about this massive deception permeating America today.

Well your doctors told you so... so it must be. LOL. No doubt they are out of date, and certainly out of time most of the time.

The results of one’s (solitary) “experience” are not clinically significant. Period. But a nice story nevertheless, anecdotally.

FRiend, glad you are doing right. The studies are not “so-called”. They are the major reason marijuana/THC is listed as Schedule I (in the US and the equivalent in Europe/UK). Psychoactive, clinically significant in sufficient statistical peer reviewed basis— to justify said listing.

Like the ad’s say (disclaimers)— “your experience may vary” .Yesss indeedy! Good fortune. Stay clean.

“And the DU trolls come out of their cover.”

If you consider people that disagree on this issue to be “DU Trolls”, then you have no argument strong enough to push.

Frankly I’ve heard more DU reasoning by the people wanting to keep this illegal.

*They want a Federal ban, a waste of money, time, and a granting of power to the Feds they should not have inside the various states.

*Their reasoning is that they and the state knows what’s good for you as their rationale.

*Character assassination: The “dope smoking pothead loser” trope, while the backwoods hick drinking his moonshine or guys down at the local watering hole, or the image of their dad drinking a six pack and smoking a cig out on the boat or while hunting is seen as “all-American”. They are all doing the same thing, but one is “evil”?

*And then citing studies of the health effects of people that obviously sit and inhale all darn day, while the effects of people that smoke tobacco or love to down beer are somehow culturally disconnected from the far more prevalent lung, throat, and mouth cancers that occur, and the bad kidneys from drinking most of your life. Basically selective outrage.

I dont even like the stuff, but it is just making us look like hypocrites to support busting some dude for a ounce of weed, and thus ruining his life, while a guy can walk down the street with two six packs of booze, 3 cartons of cigs, or a 5th of rum.

“The far left knows the damage and it is probably part of the plan along with opioids to destroy our nation.”

______

So is President Trump part of the leftist plan to destroy the nation?

See => https://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3679445/posts?page=138#138

The prohibitionists continue to spout their ignorant propaganda because they have never actually had ANY experience with marijuana. They believe the BS, and are completely closed minded that they might be wrong.

I doubt we can help any of them see the light. Eventually, they'll end up on the wrong side of history.

There used to be some awesome pot / WoD threads here back in the day.

I’ve found that the same people who are on the pot bandwagon here on FR tend to be the same people who absolutely DESPISE the police; not just the misbehaviors, but the entire police function. Some even applaud when police are assaulted or disrespected.

In my childhood, one of my cousins was prone to such hyperbolic generalizations. His propensity for outrageous puffery was so bad, friends would often start laughing whenever he opened his mouth. His was a classic case of being a walking joke, and it followed him throughout his life.

Friend, plenty of decent, cop supporting conservatives, also support the decriminalization of marijuana.

I don’t consider weed to be benign. But then, I don’t consider doughnuts to be benign either. Same with Vodka and bacon.

They each bring their own risks.

My biggest problem regarding marijuana is that I think it is a massive threat to big pharma and the health care/insurance industry in general. They hate it! And the reason is that it works for a lot of things they charge big bucks for. I now know simply too many people who’s lives have been changed for the better thanks to Medical marijuana. And for all we know, a toke a day could eliminate your risk of cancer. There is still so much we don’t know, but we still have a century of evidence from people who use at all levels.

They are the major reason marijuana/THC is listed as Schedule I (in the US and the equivalent in Europe/UK).

No, the major reason they are listed as such is that anything less would result in far fewer $$$$'s going to the pharmaceutical companies, who have no interest in actually creating cures, but life long patients.

I've had high blood pressure all of my life. I've taken, at times, up to 5 different medications at once for high BP, and yet those 5 different medications do less to help the high BP than partaking in the devil's lettuce.

Personal experience does WONDERS when it comes to understanding pot. I have a very close friend who has a major seizure disorder. Multiple seizures a day or week. He can take pharmaceuticals that make him sleep 16 hours a day and a complete zombie when he is awake (and still have a couple seizures/week), or he can smoke regularly, function normally throughout his day, and have NO seizures.

Of course, this is hard to believe, until you see it - experience it - personally. It does a whole lot to open blind eyes when it is personal experience.

“I watched as my two brothers succumbed to the lower standards of dopers. Neither had any ambition. Neither became a success story.”

I am a ‘it depends’ kind of person. I know plenty of my share of people who are your stereotypical burnouts. However, I also know plenty of people who have smoked pot every day since the 80’s who are very successful. In particular, one has built and sold several businesses in the pet industry and holds several patents and is a multi millionaire. A second is a very successful engineer who works for the cell companies, and designs and implements the infrastructure for much of northern Nevada and California. A third does big real estate in San Diego area. All three started from nothing and came from lower to middle middle class. I remember taking one of my friends kids on a winter/snow camping trip deep in northern Nevada with those three in particular, and the subject of pot came up (this was before it became legal everywhere). The consensus was to be smart, and he did point out that between the 4 of us sitting around the campfire, there was over a million a year in income. However, that same kid now in his mid 20’s smokes pot like a chimney, and I do see the burnout starting to grow. So I am not sure what the solution is, some people can do it, but it is fully detrimental to others, and I have seen it actually helpful to yet others. Either way, I don’t want to see people arrested and careers ruined for firing up the bong (yes I know people dont use bongs anymore) once in a while. Furthermore, with it being illegal, the consequences of the black market are even worse.

I said marijuana/THC.... that is what is listed Schedule I psychoactive (the list is extensive btw, and significant, legally).

CBD. Cannabidiol. True medical “cannabis” derived. Zero THC. That’s the ticket. But not the ticket the weed pushers want, can assure you— just saying. All relief— no stone- CBD, and no habituation. Period.

Don’t doubt your anecdote at all. It is the CBD- cannabidiol in the “product” unfortunately (smoked?)— that is the active agent that is clinically significant. It is not the co-present THC psychoactive component (despite many efforts to convince legislators that it is).

Would recommend (unless it is too expensive vs. grow your own weed with it’s tars, carcinogens and ... THC) getting the most pure CBD oil you can (soon to be 99% from Patented Israeli sourced non-THC producing Hemp varietals— see Tel Aviv University). CBD oil and ‘vape’ it. BP reduction, yep, calming yep. Major component of recently FDA approved special indication for seizures. CBC- It is receptor central nervous system mediated, so brain and tissue receptors exist for it and they dominate at receptor level. Why it is confused with THC in the same “dose” which has no cogener action.

What should also be able to be done is... legally purchase CBD only hemp plants so people can afford at a minimum... the CBD effects. Rather think it would be impossible to smuggle out the Patented plant seeds for CBD only cannabis from Israel. Kind of like way back when, when people in the US tried to smuggle out the silk worm larvae as well as the correct mulberry plants to grow them (and the silk they produce) for harvest. Good luck and you are on the track.

Hemingway was CIA— you know that? His ghost is coming to slap you... LOL.

As such you should be informed. The Schedule I listing was based on the clinical application of that day— which included psychoactivity.... and a poorer definition of CNS dependency for the agents considered (agents=chemicals). And the listing was described differently.

No fan of Nixon, btw. Except he paid all his life for destroying Communists. My problem with him was the Quaker side and starting the freaking EPA— the tool for total control over a Free Republic.

Here's the best argument against legalizing marijuana:

My state is in the process of legalizing it now. It's still in the works and hasn't even been legislated yet, but I'm already hearing ads on the radio from non-profit groups offering to help people overcome their pot addiction.

The whole thing is nothing more than an emerging industry that is seen by governments as a huge source of untapped tax revenue.

This isn't going to end well under any circumstances.

“Something tells me you haven’t tested your legal opinion on that yourself.”

A law being unconstitutional and the courts being willing to declare it unconstitutional are two separate things.

It’s a plain fact, though, that everyone used to understand the limits of the constitution required an amendment to be passed in order to grant the federal government authority to regulate intoxicants, since that is exactly what we did when they wanted to ban alcohol. No politicians would have bothered with that if they actually had the constitutional authority to just pass a law instead.

Therefore, anyone who decides to defend the opinion that the government now has authority to ban substances without an amendment is in the unenviable position of having to imagine that new constitutional authority can somehow appear out of thin air, just like the liberals imagine when they want to do things like legalize abortion.

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