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Marijuana use Question
Of late in the news, more countries are allowing for medical marijuana.
What really suprised me was the news of a few weeks ago that in direct conflict with decades of data that marijuana and it's ingredients does NOT cause permanent brain damage. In fact it helps in recovery of damaged tissues. I don't do drugs but wonder what the freakin' deal is with this plant. I excelled at botany in school and believe it or not I did a paper on cannabis way back in the day before I knew what the hell it was and found it to be a wonder plant with applications in every area of manufacturing, textiles, etc. Read an article on how the federal govt. was banking on it being the supercrop of the past century before the wood industry went berserk and beat em' down. |
yes its rediculous that something like marijuana is illegal
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I smoke one time after time and have pretty hard brain damage:glugglug
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Because if they legalize marijuana, you can be sure that alcohol and tobacco sales will drop.
And there is some heavy duty lobbying in regards to those industries. Budweiser owns us all! |
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I think the same! :winkwink: |
It's a beautiful plant:
http://www.uncletaz.com/marijuana/ma...e_caped%20.gif www.jackherer.com :thumbsup |
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Many strains of the Marijuana plant are very very useful industrially.
Like GregB said...textiles, manufacturing, clothing, etc. But the most popular bi-product of CERTAIN STRAINS of this plant is the DELTA-9-TETRAHYDROCANNABINOL (THC). It gets you high. The intesity and poperties of the high or very dependant the strain, cultivation, and biology of the user. If Palm Trees produced THC, everyone would be freebaseing off of coconut shells, and would revere the Palm Tree as the 'botanical wonder'. I LOVE YOU MARI-JANE! :stoned |
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:thumbsup http://www.overgrow.com/edge/gallery.php
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Voila! I found one of the articles with the references. Quite some startling information.
http://members.aol.com/louzerr0/marij.html Legalization of Marijuana -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It's hard to imagine a plant being outlawed. This plant has been here as long as man and used for centuries for a wide variety of reasons by him. Medicine, fiber, rope, clothing, and paper are merely a few of its uses. The cannabis plant, also known as marijuana, has been illegal in America for some time now. While everyone knows about its illegality, the vast majority aren't sure exactly why. I hope to bring this subject to light and prove that marijuana deserves to be legalized in the United States. In 1936, Popular Mechanics magazine ran a cover story hailing the invention of a new machine which could efficiently strip the fiber from any plant. The magazine predicted that, because of this invention, the marijuana plant would once again become the world's most important cash crop(Biafra). This idea was not embraced by everyone however, says Charles Overbeck. The possibility of cheaper, more durable hemp paper was hardly good news to Hearst Paper Manufacturing, or Kimberly Clark, among others in the timber and paper industry. It meant huge losses of income and possible bankruptcy. The plant also threatened Dupont, who had just patented processes to manufacture plastics and synthetic fibers from coal and oil, and a new process to produce paper from wood pulp("Reefer"). These industries knew they could not compete with the marijuana plant and stood to lose billions of dollars to it. A huge propaganda campaign against marijuana ensued, fronted by William Randolph Hearst, owner of Hearst Paper Manufacturing. Now nicknamed, "The King of Yellow Journalism," Hearst's newspapers featured some of the most anti-marijuana literature around. A story of a car wreck in which a marijuana cigarette was found, remained on the front page for weeks, while alcohol-related wrecks, which outnumbered marijuana-related wrecks one-thousand to one, were hidden in the back pages. Headlines such as, "Marijuana Makes Fiends of Boys in 30 days: Hashish Goads Users to Blood Lust," frightened readers to death of this plant. Concerned parents began calling on their local representatives to protect their families from this so-called "demon weed." And so, in December 1937, the Marijuana Tax Act was passed, outlawing all uses of the cannabis plant in the US(Overbeck "Reefer" ). From around 1,000 B.C. until after the American Civil War, the marijuana plant was the world's largest cash crop. Fabric, rope, lighting oil, paper, medicine, food oil, and a source of protein, were just a few of its uses(Overbeck, "Billion"). It was truly an incredible plant. Hemp, also part of the cannabis family, is a cousin plant to marijuana. It is basically the same plant, just grown with a different technique. Hemp fiber is one of, if not the strongest natural fiber known to man. This fiber is stripped from the leaves, then processed. The processed hemp can be made into a number of products. Paper is just one of them. The advantage of hemp paper is remarkable compared to paper from wood-pulp. A spoken word piece by the artist, Jello Biafra, tells of U.S.D.A. reports on hemp. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's studies show that one can get four times more paper from an acre of hemp than from an acre of trees. Hemp paper can be made at just one-quarter of the cost of paper from wood pulp, and it requires only one-fifth the chemicals. Where wood-pulp based paper can presently only be recycled three times, hemp paper can be recycled at least seven times. Paper is not the only thing hemp is good for. Charles Overbeck attests that hemp fiber is softer than, warmer than, more water-resistant than, and three times as strong as cotton. Hemp was America's leading textile until it lost that throne in the 1820s when Eli Whitney's gin made cotton processing cheaper and more efficient. Hemp remained the 2nd leading textile in the U.S. until it was banned in the 1930s. Cotton then became America's chosen fabric("Billion"). The downside to cotton is that 50 percent of all agricultural chemicals in the U.S. are used on cotton plants. Hemp, on the other hand, is entirely environmental-friendly as it needs no chemicals or pesticides because it has no enemy insects (Overbeck "Hemp for Victory"). The 1930s showed promise for hemp. Henry Ford was growing the plant as part of a plan to build cars from hemp-based plastics, and running them on hemp fuel("Industrial"). Overbeck notes that one-hundred and sixteen million pounds of hemp seed were used to make paint and varnish. Conservative estimates by experts in the 1930s stated that hemp could have pumped as much as $500 billion into the American economy("Billion"). In today's world, that number of $500 billion could be far exceeded. An article on hemp in the pro-marijuana magazine, High Times, tells that relatively few countries today have legalized marijuana outright, but an ever-increasing number are allowing test plots of industrial hemp to be grown. There are around ten-thousand products that contain hemp out on the market today (Ferguson 27). America holds such an influence on the rest of the world, once we realize this plant's potential, it will be legitimized and universally accepted. The oldest argument against marijuana is still one of the biggest? "the only reason people want marijuana legalized is so they can smoke it." Well, what of it? There's no doubt that many people want to legally smoke marijuana. While there are plenty of other reasons for legalization, there is still no good argument of why recreational usage is wrong. In Bruce Goldstein's book, Psychology, among other places, it is said that three major studies were conducted on the effects of long-time marijuana usage. These studies, one in each of Jamaica, Costa Rica, and Greece, all failed to find evidence of physical or psychological damage in long-time users. But others find that there is evidence that lung damage could occur as a result of chronic use(207). It is common belief that marijuana usage causes damage to the brain cells, which causes memory loss, impairment and difficulty learning. Lynn Zimmer and John Morgan's findings in "Exposing Marijuana Myths," prove otherwise. According to Zimmer and Morgan, this claim was based on a study that found damage in the brains of two lab monkeys. The damage was done in an area known as the hippocampus, which is involved in learning and memory functions. Other tests conducted on rodents found similar results. These rodents had to be given the equivalent of two-hundred times the psychoactive dose for humans ("Exposing"). Many agree that marijuana does affect the conversion of information from short-term to long-term memory, but this is only while under the influence of the drug. It has been shown that daily users who quit, regain normal short-term memory in as little as a week, with no evidence of long-term effects. This is far from brain-damage as many claim. Another claim against marijuana is that it is a very dangerous and highly-addictive drug. The addiction part is a tricky subject. Some long-time users are found to have a psychological addiction to marijuana. However, there has been no evidence of physical dependence. If a long-term user were to stop or be cut off from their daily supply of pot, he might feel the urge to smoke but experience no harmful withdrawal symptoms. As for being dangerous? completely untrue. Government studies conclude that marijuana potency has increased as much as 20 percent over the past twenty years, making it more dangerous to users. In fact, this is quite the opposite. The psychoactive effects occur much quicker in higher potency pot, meaning the person inhales much less of the smoke than normal (Zimmer and Morgan "Exposing"). Charles Overbeck states that both the Federal Bureau of Mortality and the Institute of Drug Abuse released information concerning deaths caused by certain drugs. Among these figures we see that tobacco kills 340,000 to 425,000, alcohol kills more than 150,000 Americans. Even over the counter drugs such as an aspirin kill between two-hundred and one-thousand people per year. According to these figures, marijuana kills not one person a year (Overbeck "Hemp World"). Marijuana is called a 'gateway' drug, because it allegedly encourages users to experiment with 'harder' drugs. It is true that most users of drugs like heroin, LSD, and cocaine, started out smoking pot. But it is also true that most marijuana users never try another illegal drug. Casual users account for around 80 percent of the marijuana smoking population. Daniel Benjamin and Roger Miller's book, Undoing Drugs, reveals that 80 percent of all the alcohol in the United states is consumed by 20 percent of the people. The same is true for most other drugs. So, eliminating casual usage eliminates only 20 percent of all that drug. That hardly seems worth all the time, effort, and money put into the 'drug war'(55). PART II Follows ---> |
Nearly $30 billion is spent annually in the war on drugs(Miller and Benjamin 14). A drug war that has been so far, unsuccessful. Most of this money goes to pay for drug enforcement agents, and jail space. Being that marijuana is one of the most widely consumed drugs, its users are common targets of the law. Harmless users are arrested and thrown into an already overcrowded prison system. These people have their reputations ruined over simple possession charges, all so politicians can show their faces on TV and gain a vote by saying that they're winning the war on drugs.
Which brings us to another subject? medicinal marijuana. This topic has been brought to the attention of the American public in recent years. Zimmer and Morgan say that thirty-six states allow marijuana to be used medicinally("Exposing"). However, marijuana is prohibited by federal law, so the state laws are meaningless. Countless studies have been conducted on marijuana, revealing some convincing medicinal properties. It has been found to treat a number of serious and not-so-serious illnesses. Time and time again it has shown the ability to relieve the pain of everything from cancer, AIDS, epilepsy, to migraines. Charles Overbeck tells of a recent federally-funded study at the Medical College of Virginia was shut down after the discovery that cannabis was successful in reducing many types of cancerous growths("Hemp for Victory"). Cancer patients go through chemotherapy treatments which are used to rid the cancer from their bodies. However, many chemotherapeutic chemicals cause undesirable side-effects. These side-effects commonly include nausea and vomiting. The pain caused by their treatment is so severe that many people drop the potentially life saving program. But there is an answer. Studies have shown that marijuana can entirely eliminate side-effects caused by chemotherapy (Fackelmann 179). Glaucoma is a disease in which the pressure in the eyeball becomes dangerously high. Left untreated, glaucoma can cause blindness. Marijuana can be used to lower this pressure and allow the patient to see normally. Currently, eight glaucoma patients in the United States legally obtain marijuana from the government(Fackelmann 179). AIDS patients commonly suffer from what is known as wasting. This is the loss of appetite that causes them to lose weight. This weight loss is dangerous in that, it causes the person and their immune system both become weakened. Again, studies have proven that marijuana can help. Marijuana has been shown to induce appetite, bringing patients up to a healthy weight(Fackelmann 179). These are just a few ways in which marijuana can be used medicinally. In fact, even the government itself has admitted this. According to Kathleen Fackelmann, in 1985 the Food and Drug Administration approved a synthetic version of the active ingredient in marijuana- THC. Prescribed under the name Marinol, it can be obtained legally for treating the nausea from chemotherapy and AIDS related wasting("Marijuana" 179). The down side to Marinol is that it comes in a standard dose, meaning some patients get too much THC, producing undesired side-effects such as anxiety and fearful imaginings and other patients get too little, and thus aren't relieved of their symptoms. This gives inhaled marijuana the leading edge. The patient smokes only as much as they need and can stop before they receive the psychoactive effects or, the high, that marijuana produces. Inhaled marijuana produces the therapeutic effects much more quickly than the Marinol pills which must be digested(Fackelmann 179). Still, despite all this evidence, the Controlled Substance Act classifies marijuana as a Schedule I drug, meaning a drug that has no medical value and may be addictive(Fackelmann 178). Clearly marijuana must have some medical value if so many people are willing to risk jail time by growing and using it to relieve the pain of their illnesses. Lynn Zimmer and John Morgan's research states that, a years supply of three 5 mg capsules a day of Marinol, cost around $5,000("Exposing"). This is an awful lot of money for someone to be spending when they know they don't have to. Home-grown marijuana would cost them virtually nothing. In the United States, one cannot own a patent on a medicine that has all natural ingredients. If marijuana were a legalized medicine, there would be no way to profit from it. So, obviously, large pharmaceutical companies do not care to see marijuana legitimized in their industry. Once, again economic factors play a role in keeping marijuana banned. Benjamin and Miller's book compares and contrasts drug criminalization to prohibition of alcohol in the U.S. From 1920 until 1933, the sale and consumption of alcohol was outlawed. In this time a black market was created. It was a risky business, so prices and profits were very high (Undoing Drugs 18). Due to the risk involved, the bootleggers would only sell harder liquor, because they could turn more profit from it. As a result consumption of beer dropped sharply during Prohibition, but the consumption of harder liquor rose steadily each year. Eventually, the government realized this problem. After Prohibition was repealed, the consumption of hard liquor dropped by more than two-thirds(Benjamin and Miller 21). From these facts, we can assume that, while legalizing marijuana would possibly cause an increase in recreational usage, it would also cause a decline in the use of 'harder' drugs such as heroin or crack. In Amsterdam, Holland, the government has decriminalized possession of small quantities of marijuana and hash, and ironically, the consumption of these drugs actually fell. Marijuana is openly sold in "coffee shops" around the city. The only restrictions are that they cannot advertise and that there are limits on how many of these coffee shops can be in a given area (Benjamin and Miller 234). The liberized marijuana laws in Amsterdam have in fact, reduced usage of harder drugs. Holland also has what they call "tolerance zones," where addicts of drugs such as heroin, are encouraged to come forward and receive treatment rather than a prison sentence. As a result, Holland's per-capita death rate from drug overdose is less than half of what it is in the US (Benjamin and Miller 234). Even with their liberalized marijuana laws, recreational consumption rates in the Netherlands, are still similar to neighboring European countries, and lower than those in the US (Zimmer and Morgan). These figures make Holland's drug policy something worth looking at. With all this evidence, I hope I have proved that the legalization of marijuana has far more advantages than disadvantages. This plant has the potential to improve health, cut crime, save tax payer money, raise capital for many businesses as well as our government, save jail space, and guarantee basic human rights. Quickly approaching the 21st century, I think it's about time America take a look at its drug policy and see that it needs some work. When weighed out, the case in favor of marijuana legalization becomes overwhelming. Works Cited Benjamin, Daniel K., and Roger Leroy Miller. Undoing Drugs: Beyond Legalization. Basic Books, 1991. Biafra, Jello. I Blow Minds for A Living. Cassette. Alternative Tentacles Records. 1991. Jello Biafra Page Fackelmann, Kathleen. "Marijuana on Trial." Science News. 22 March 1997: 178-9+ Ferguson, Sarah. Ed. "The Business of Hemp: Past, Present, and Future." High Times. April 1996: 26-9+ Goldstein, E. Bruce. Psychology. Brooks/Cole Publishing Co., California. 1994: p207 "Industrial Hemp Facts." 1997. Online. Internet. Available http://www.vt.edu:10021/org/NORML/hemp.html Overbeck, Charles. "The Billion Dollar Crop." 1996. Online. Internet. 1996. Available http://www.parascope.com/mx/hemp01.htm - - - "Reefer Madness." 1996. Online. Internet. 1996. Available http://www.parascope.com/mx/hemp02.htm - - - "Hemp for Victory." 1996. Online. Internet. 1996. Available http://www.parascope.com/mx/hemp03.htm - - - "Hemp World Order." 1996. Online. Internet. 1996. Available http://www.parascope.com/mx/hemp04.htm Zimmer, Lynn. and John P. Morgan. "Exposing Marijuana Myths: A Review of the Scientific Evidence." 1995. Online. Internet. 1995. Available http://www.drugtext.nl/TLC/mjmyth.html or Exposing Marijuana Myths... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Take PBS' marijuana knowledge quiz here Made from recycled and recyclable material. © 1998 -Me. Don't Steal. |
There is no need for Herbs to be illegal , but the Gov. will not allow due to the fact it could help our country out and god knows the Gov. would never do anything to actually help there own country......
And Dam thats a fine fine plant |
Do I even need to comment my thoughts on this subject?
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marijuana is bad, mmkay?
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it's a plant. what could be more natural that that. and it sure is all about the money, regarding access or restrictions and limits to it's use.
i've never understood it, besides the obvious, restricting humans from a plant, any old plant, if they want to do whatever they want with it. it's a plant. truly absurd. i've never heard of anyone getting high and violent, can't say the same for booze. harder on the system too, booze'll kill ya. |
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kinda like rolling up a rubber tree and smoking it?? i have nothing against it, and quite frankly wouldn't give a damn either way if it was legalized. i used to smoke, but i've pretty much given up everything. i consider myself pretty much a recovering alcoholic, now i only drink once every few months or so. it's wierd, i don't really even have a desire to get drunk any more. it's really wierd. maybe if i went out to bars more or something, but at parties and stuff i really just don't drink... wierd. can't even remember the last time i got high... it's been a while. i guess my thing is, especially when i need to be doing things, why incapacitate myself? hrm.. i need a vacation :) |
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Ja, you noticed that too? :) |
I can tell you this much:
The advert campaigns on the internet by anti-pot fags are based only on opinions made up by the people making the banners. Things they say like "One joint is the same as 4 cigarettes." How fucking subjective could you get? I know few people who smoke joints to themselves (believe me...there is no buzz on number 3 if you smoke 2 big fatties early in the day. :) Not to mention that they could be talking "light" cigs. But I don't give them the credibility of a study at all - so light or not doesn't really matter :) Another great one: "Marijuana takes your energy away." Now - Just because there are Acacia's (its this grotesque little bug that sits on the wall and does its best to wait to smack you in the back of the head when your not looking) on this board - "Someone I know" will be sitting down after 8 hours of filling 53 foot trailers with 100lb boxes all day (Noone else I know can do 4 of them in an 8 hour day with one "helper" :). The problem is that there is NO RELAX MODE. There is a proverbial ROCKET THE ASS OMFG GOGOGO! There are times when you get stupid on the stuff - but that is the point - like booze - you go to a place you are going to stay or whatever and work it. Things can get confusing if you didn't make your plan ahead of time - but for fuck sakes -I'm a rookie in perl and I can still code like a mofo (get the results I want in any case :). And SITTING ON A FAT LAZY ASS for days will also make the stuff put you to sleep. That is the human - not the drug - being lazy. So my opinion - plainly spoken is that whoever does these campaigns and spreads phobia HAD BETTER THINK about what they are saying before I shoot those OPINIONS down with FACT. Not to mention that many many VERY intelligent and well respected people (not rockstars but DOCTORS) use the stuff and don't mind their babies being able to smell the stuff. (Of course you don't let em get enough to goo their lungs :) I like that question ;) BTW. A room full of Jack smells like love. Sometimes the fuckers can get right kibbly compared to other strains, though. And no -I don't ;) Cheers to all, /Allister |
I do not sniff the coke, I only smoke sensimilla!
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