Well, maybe not always, but at least since 1797...My memory gets a little fuzzy after that.
Posted on 08/15/2018 9:06:53 AM PDT by fwdude
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.
Let’s Get Serious
“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.
Yes, it will bring out the pot “dudes and dudettes”. Have been pilloried (or attempted to, they are not smart enough vs. clinical experience and accuracy) for saying just this. But keep in mind, these are folks who are just like John Boehner (imho)— who is the head lobbyist now for the “cannabis” industry (and whose daughter is married to a jamican (bl)posse Rastafarian with dreadlocks) and who really should have stayed as a bar owner and golf caddie. He clearly is at minimum a commode hugging drunk, and maybe a lot more. But... what a tan.
For the sake of the ALL mighty dollar- these rationalizers can rationalize anything... cause they were “stoned and they missed it” and are quick to spew how great they are (to re-assure themselves). The Fall of Rome approaches.
Well, maybe not always, but at least since 1797...My memory gets a little fuzzy after that.
Have you lost a close relative, one who is still living, to drugs? Really awful to watch, for decades.......
Just because a person wants to do something doesn’t mean that person is addicted to that thing, even if they want to do it really darn badly all the time.
Physical addiction to a substance is totally different.
I feel a decriminalization would work better. Still illegal to buy or sell, but growing your own pot plants should be legal, or just not illegal. But then the State wouldn’t get its tax bite......
Defending pot isn't. Defending freedom is supposed to be.
Thank you for your personal input into this discussion.
I also had a childhood friend, close friend of the family, who spiraled out of control ONLY after he was introduced to weed. He tried his best to get me to try it, and even became extremely judgemental when I refused. Our relationship slipped out of sight after that. He subsequently went to prison for several stints. A very intelligent guy when I knew him, but he thought he was too intelligent to fall victim to pot’s effects.
Good points. Nevertheless we ought to decriminalize possession and regulate similar to alcohol use. I have no problem with reasonable advocacy against usage, but I have a real problem with jurisprudence and laws aimed at potential crimes as opposed to actual crimes.
No.
“Alcohol is bad for you, Prohibition is worse.
Same thing here.”
I agree you can make every argument in this article for alcohol as well. It’s not about weed it is about trying to legislate bad choices. That never works.
BanRepublic isn’t a very catchy name.
I’m one with Ben Shapiro on this one. I think using it recreationally is stupid. I also think it should be legalized nationally and let the states choose for themselves. It is not only cheaper that way (no laws to enforce nor dealers to lock up.
Freedom means not only the freedom to succeed but also the freedom to fail. And the ability to be fully responsible for the results.
The “War on Drugs” has been a complete failure. We all lost the war. The abuse of Civil Asset Forfeiture and the weaponization of banking laws are reasons enough to repeal all drug laws.
While those on FR are at it, they should check out the personage of John Morgan— the terminal substance abusing, old before his time.... “champion” of the People ambulance chasing tort lawyer who never goes to court and has network offices in 4 or 5 states besides Florida. A character suitable for a book by Elmore Leonard (were he still alive). A skin suit of protoplasmic facile machine liberal greed machine, who spends most of his time when not doing 15 sec... “dial #law, that’s all” giant rake in for initiation of case “trust fund” deposits and ratcheting up his fees to do nothing. Who raised money for obamaumao in his home, complete with fully attended NBA players (mostly orlando magic and their pals). He’s been behind “medical” marijuana and uses the example of his permanently disabled brother (who jumped into a body of water at Disney and achieved quadraplegia, sued and won negligence— their’s not his). So typical but a POSTER boy for self-indulgence and “its not my fault” irresponsibility. And.. pal of the pole smoker jeb mentee— Charlie Crist who is not in the House, and should be living together with one of his male hookups. OK rant over and probably TMI. But all true.
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.
I’d suspect that they had a few too many run-ins with them growing up (or even now.)
“defending pot is NOT a conservative position”
Trying to tell others what is or is not conservative is not conservative.
No prison time for the siblings, but much destruction of lifestyle/life for buying into all that the Libs push. Weed was just the beginning. And sadly, it is still a factor.
So, you would abolish all speed limits? Freedom, right?
So, you don’t want to ban same-sex “marriage?”
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