Posted on 03/08/2012 8:30:25 AM PST by AnTiw1
Of the many roles Pat Robertson has assumed over his five-decade-long career as an evangelical leader - including presidential candidate and provocative voice of the right wing - his newest guise may perhaps surprise his followers the most: marijuana legalization advocate.
"I really believe we should treat marijuana the way we treat beverage alcohol," Mr. Robertson said in an interview on Wednesday. "I've never used marijuana and I don't intend to, but it's just one of those things that I think: this war on drugs just hasn't succeeded."
(Excerpt) Read more at mobile.nytimes.com ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090805110741.htm
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-471106/Smoking-just-cannabis-joint-raises-danger-mental-illness-40.html
http://www.justthinktwice.com/factsfiction/fiction_marijuana_is_harmless.html.
http://www.justthinktwice.com/consequences/drugged_driving_you_get_high_and_drive.html
We can each post links till we're blue in the fingers - but how do they stand up to scrutiny? Let's look at your first link:
"Marijuana is harmless"
Straw man - nobody on this thread said that.
"Marijuana is not addictive"
Straw man - nobody on this thread said that either.
"Research shows that kids who use marijuana weekly are nearly four times more likely than nonusers to report they engage in violent behavior."
Correlation is not causation - all this proves is that kids who break some laws break other laws. What a shock.
"In 1999, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) published a review of the available scientific evidence in an effort to assess the potential health benefits of marijuana and its constituent cannabinoids. The review concluded that smoking marijuana is not recommended for any longterm medical use"
What a distortion. Here's an exact quote: "there is no clear alternative for people suffering from chronic conditions that might be relieved by smoking marijuana, such as pain or AIDS wasting."
I don't have time to dissect every factual and logical error in every link you toss up. Suffice it to say that links don't win debates.
As opposed to the metality of the PRO-POT types...
Maybe that should be in your tag line, "I am pro pot"...
There’s lies damn lies and statistics. That’s why the numbers only “do it” for liars. We all know that on some level pot, and tobacco, and booze, and cough syrup, and sudafed, aren’t completely harmless. Any time you’re screwing around with the body’s chemistry, especially in a way that’s specifically designed to get you high, something is getting dinged up and if you do it enough bad things happen. So all blathering about “harm” is just a BS strawman. The question is whether or not it’s any of the government’s damn business, and the answer is not if we want this to be a free country.
Should we ban alcohol so kids won't use it?
Actually, since kids report that they can now get marijuana more easily than cigarettes or beer, it follows that the best way to restict their access to drugs is to make them legal for adults only (thus giving those who sell to adults a disincentive to sell to kids - namely, the loss of their legal adult market).
Cannabis can precipitate the first episode of psychosis If someone has a predisposition to a psychotic illness, such as schizophrenia, use of drugs such as cannabis may trigger the first episode in what can be a lifelong, disabling condition. There is increasing evidence that regular cannabis use precedes and causes higher rates of psychotic illness.
Source? Not everything you find on the Internet is true, y'know.
Psychotic illnesses are characterised by: Delusions – for example, the person believes they have special powers. Hallucinations – for example, the person hears voices or sees things that aren’t really there. Thought disorder – for example, the person has difficulty organising their thoughts. When people experience psychotic symptoms, they are unable to distinguish what is real. They lose contact with reality.
Sounds like the last time I got drunk.
I gave substances up, of all kinds decades ago...I gave up booze(much more recently) because of a physical illnesses that could not take it...not because it was psychologically destructive in moderation....which it was not...
To misquote a dirtbag homo pedophile drug addict, Alan Ginsberg, who wrote this quote for all the wrong reasons....
I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness....
I don't remember the 60's
I don't see a response there to any of my points above.
"Do you think that driving while high is safe?"
Um ... no. Does ANYONE think that? What in the world was the point of you posting this link?
BTW you obviously missed the dates of the supporting articles in the reference section...
I had friends like you....didn’t realize how efffed up on pot(or their drug of choice) they were....as they lost everything, then wondered why.
Um yeah...
That will go over with conservatives....
Hell even some libs aren't even that goofy...
it's statistically less harmful than tobacco or alcohol
if you think prohibition is for our own good, then why not outlaw alcohol and tobacco, those two drugs alone account for 93% of all drug related deaths...answer?
reminder...alcohol and tobacco are the sole cause of over 1,000,000 deaths per year...cannabis is the sole cause of ZERO deaths per year
what are YOU doing to outlaw dangerous drugs like alcohol and tobacco...and how can i help? ;^)
Nope. Not yet. Let me educate you on my motivation to call for the zot to Lib joe.
It was not personal. I can't ever recall FReeping with him before. I really don't know anything about his prior history.
But I am convinced he was a liberal. This place is crawling with liberals. See my tagline for further input on what I consider a liberal is.
I hate liberals. I am a social conservative. I vehemently disagree with their liberal social policies and political views. And I'm not ashamed of my moral convictions as opposed to their immoral views. Like how they want to surrender in the WOD.
So yeah. I gloated over the demise of Liberal Joe. I believe there is no more divisive issue that tears apart the fabric of Free Republic than the issue of SoCons vs. libertarians, and I am more than just a monthly contributor, I put HOURS each day into this site FReeping the truth and keeping a lookout for liberal trolls that need removing.
Am I fearful of an opposite viewpoint? Nope. As is evident on this pro-dope thread - I am in the minority about this issue. But I relish to chance to counter that opposite viewpoint and SPEAK MY MIND never the less.
And when I score a win for the right side - I'll gloat if I want to.
Sorry if that ticks you off.
So I will put you down as PRO-POT...
Check...
And I’ll put you down as no good filthy liar.
Check.
I’m pro FREEDOM and respect for the Constitution. Both of which are being destroyed by the WOD, which YOU said had failed.
No, the conservative answer = small government. Period. I'm sorry you don't get that.
Advocating for Government to punish and imprison people for what they do to their own bodies is "it takes a village" rubbish.
As we can see in Ron Paul threads that attrat an almost identical audience they are far from the majority. But put Marajinan or Pot in the thread title and they are Johnny on the spot...
Gee that is a tick confusing given your posts...
I’m pro freedom. Some painfully stupid people supporting a WOD that they themselves admitted has failed might confuse that with pro pot. But that’s their own fault for supporting a war they know has failed, a situation which tends to lead to confusion as their basic position is confused.
Of course, he doesn't want alcohol outlawed because that's his drug of choice.
Despite all the harm it causes, which he professes to care about when it's drugs that are not alcohol.
does that come with a t-shirt?
Their rights end where mine begin. A corner stone of how our systems works.
Your drug use inspires my kid to do something stupid, that effects me. Your show up at my business as an employee stoned, screw up and injure yourself or another co worker or a customer, that effects me.
That is the responsibility thing that separates you libertarians from Conservatives. Why great Conservative leaders never ran as libertarians. There is a point where rights intersect in a community and society. Every man has a right to do as he pleases as long as its effects do not impact anyone beyond his island. However no man is an island completely unto himself is he?
You laugh, I was just thinking that is what was needed...
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.