Getting High For Your Health

What if a field caught fire?
Dustin H

Wooohoo!!! I see no reason why cannabis should remain illegal. Without conclusive peer reviewed evidence that it has serious health effects greater than any other recreational or consumer product be it coffee or beer (Coupled with the fact that there is peer reviewed evidence to support the contrary), I see no reason why this substance should be so frowned upon.

To date there've been literally thousands of studies proving the safety and medical efficacy of marijuana. It is beyond all question that marijuana contains major medical benefits and that its risks are minor, even when smoked.

But this makes not the slightest difference to the DEA and ONDCP. It is not their job to determine whether marijuana has medicinal benefits or whether its risks are so minor that it is "far safer than many foods we commonly consume" (DEA Chief Administrative Law Judge Francis L. Young, 9/6/1988).

Their job is simply to *oppose the legalization of marijuana* at any cost, and to enforce the federal marijuana prohibition, regardless of the amount of misery it causes, the number of lives it costs and the fact that it has not reduced the rate of marijuana use in our country one bit.

But it is not their job to worry about that. They are legally mandated to not only quash every attempt to legalize the production and sale of marijuana, but also every attempt to reschedule it out of Schedule I (where it resides alongside Heroin).

So we live with the prohibition. But after thirty years we've learned one thing clearly about it, and that is it does *not* have the ability to remove the demand for marijuana from our country. Ten thousand years from now, a hundred thousand years from now, there'll *always* be demand for marijuana in our country. And where there's demand there will be supply.

What are we going to do? ..allow the drug dealers and narco-cartels to control this product, or take control of it ourselves by certifying reputable businesses to produce and sell it?

As a country we need to stand up and demand an end to the federal prohibition. Research into the medicinal uses of marijuana should *not* be illegal, medically-prescribed marijuana should *not* be illegal, personal consumption of marijuana by adults in their own home or in specified establishments ("coffeeshops") should *not* be illegal, and the growing of industrial hemp for making into clothing and other purposes should *not* be illegal.

Don't be silent, demand the legal production and sale of marijuana by certified businesses!

@jway: BRAVO!!!!!!! Well spoken my good sir!!

would you call that a pipe dream..... but really have you ever heard of someone killing someone high on pot?????????

@mfine1: If someone kills someone(As in homicide, not manslaughter or self-defence), whether they are high or not is pretty much irrelevant XD That's like saying "Have you ever heard of someone killing someone while wearing a red shirt!!!!".

Hah, my grandma once said: Everything is good in small doses.
Doesn't take a genius to figure out that there are some ingredients in some products (THC in MJ) that cannot be taken from anywhere else, but yet have certain positive effects on the body (in small quantities, that is).

- DiGGY

As long as the only people that vote are 90+ year old super conservative bible belt dwelling zealots it will be illegal forever. Hopefully as younger generations start running things it will change. But right now witch burners are still running the show..so forget it.

To Mfine1,

What world do you live in thousand's of people have been killed over Mary. So they could Just jack the bud for there use and sale. Yes it would be great if they sold it at your corner store and make the money on the tax stamp. But not in your lifetime will you ever see it sold by the government in the USA. If you enjoy it that much go live in Columbia. Then when you get there steal a couple of kilos. and say good by to your life see people to die for it.

My wife has psoriasis and the only thing that has ever helped combat the sores is a hemp lotion that is expensive and hard to find. The stores that used to sell it regularly have over the years stopped carrying the product because it has a pot leaf on the bottle . Stupid huh? I hope that the U.S. legalizes it on a national level so that the stigma of it being something terrible will lessen because the medicinal values of marijuana are proven.

I believe one of the major reason pot is still illegal is because it is a mind opening drug, and who in power wants a bunch of open minded people running around? The rats might not want to be in the cage any more.

And of course there are many existing corporations who will and have done everything in their power to make sure it became and continues to be illegal. Hemp has countless practical uses. To name a few: Paper, clothing, rope, fuel, building material, etc. And it lives up to its name, weed, it grows like a weed, needs relatively little water compared to most crops, can grow in relatively poor soil... In other words it is an efficient crop.

It has has countless medicinal uses, STRESS for instance, depression, pain, insomnia, etc, etc. It has many applications in the field of developmental disabilities, which I worked in for 7 years, and i could not believe it wasn't used in certain cases, it was the plain answer and alternative to heavy meds that didn't really work and caused many side effects that in some cases were as bad as the condition itself. It has no "serious" side effects that i am aware of.

And how much of our tax money is spent with this "war on drugs"? It is rediculous how many people spend time in jail for selling or being in possession of a relatively harmless substance. When was the last time you saw somebody who was stoned assault someone or drive like a madman More likely they are at home munching potato chips. Alcohol and tobacco are much worse and are they illegal?

And after a hard day at work I think many people look forward to 4:20, it makes some of our crappy lives a little easier.

And to those anti-marijuana commercials... the ones that say you are a loser for not going out and "making something of yourself" and blame it on marijuana... First of all maybe we don't all want to go to that stupid job making money for someone who doesn't really earn it, selling something that people don't really need. And maybe it helps people realize that is not what life is about, being a pawn that is.

Excuse my rant.

Oh yeah, and many very successful and respectable people smoke marijuana regularly.

It is very sad that countless people have died from not only drunk drivers, but alcohol poisoning. Tobacco kills around half a million people a year in the US alone. How many people here have ever known someone that has over-dosed on MJ? Obesity kills hundreds of thousands of people a year in the US as well, where's the regulations on fat serving companies? The point is our priorities are F#@$% up. The government made it illegal, and now they want to control it as much as possible, but it's backfired on them. I buy cigarettes and get carded every time, I go into a bar and I'm lucky if they ask. I'm 24.

I think there is some truth in Dustman's statement...
Definately, the government is going overboard with power... It tries to control anything that has potential money in it. And we all know that MJ is a gold mine. Imagine if they made it legal, but only available in government controlled outlets. Here in Quebec, Canada, the only place where you can buy hard alcohol is the Quebec Alcohol Society outlets (SAQ) controlled of course by the government.
- DiGGY

People please consider the negative impact legalizing marijuana would have on employment! How many jobs would be lost in the DEA, FBI, federal judges, state police, county sheriffs, city police, municipal judges, jail guards, prison guards, bail bondsmen, rehab centers, etc. Shame on you for even considering legalization!

Live from Earth, "*#@_^)!$"!

To Earthlingbob,

You must be kidding.

Earthlingbob that the best reason I've ever heard to not legalize it. OR NOT! That's a joke if you think they don't have other projects to work on besides chasing down stoners. Imagine how much more control we could have over the VERY serious drugs that cause violence and wars (ie cocaine and meth) if we were to triple the man power in those areas? Who said people are going to loose jobs if we legalize MJ? Oh that's right-only you. Most ridiculous claim I have ever heard. I'd be more worried about all the pot dealers who I support from getting a "day job." Where are they going to make money once it's legalized?

--- bootleggers and speakeasies --
-- the REPEAL OF PROHIBITION of marijuana --
Should not this be the topic for discussion? It's ridiculously hilarious to think that we have to "decriminalize" to like a speeding ticket, or present evidence of being fatally ill, going blind from glaucoma, or be seriously incapacitated and disabled in order to get it. Is that what they did back in the days just for a shot of whiskey?

When THC enters your blood stream it passes by the THC Receptors in the Brain which use a part of the chemical compound and create Dopamine Which Speeds up your Neurons connection and your Erratic thinking! So From thinking so fast, your able to slow down your perceivable time giving you more time to think either on what your doing, or on your life in general and how amazing it is.

Seriously, Life is Short, So Make it Last as Long as You Can. DE CRIMINALIZE MARIJUANA< I WANT TO GROW IT LIKE A TOMATO PLANT AND EAT IT.

~ You fall somewhere in the Balanced Frequency of Nature. Someone Along the Infinite Spectrum of Life.

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If there was no drug war there would be no killing over them. Plain and simple. It could be a business like any other, taxed and regulated. Oh, and yes many people with great positions use substances (not just MJ). It might be sad, but the reaches of self-medication is far and great. It's not really feasable to stop everyone, and very silly. Alcohol, however legal, I have had personal family experiences that are far more damaged because of it. It is the one of the worst I have witnessed, but mj hasn't done anything like that.

MJ was legal in the US until 1928...I think it should be legal now, and we should be allowed to grow enough for our own use. If they sold it in shops the price would probably be outrageous. Buying a tax stamp would be alright if it was yearly and at a reasonable price. Obviously the government is once again only being greedy. Some of our leaders, and very prominent people use it, even police officers and lawyers, teachers, medical professionals etc. I have never done anything crazy while "under the influence" of MJ , but I am a recovered alcoholic and I ran my truck off a bridge while drunk. I thank God that I did not die in that wreck. Alcohol should be illegal I think and I agree that no one would lose thier jobs if MJ was legalized. That way they could concentrate meth cookers etc.
Well it really does make me angry that MJ is "illegal", but for now that's the way it is so I say toke on if you can !!!

I just forgot to add that MJ is a plant put here by God and it just grows naturally. Natural high... alcohol and meth etc. are things that are concoctions made by people. Although alcohol has been around since ancient times it will probably always remain legal because of all the tax revenue the government rakes in off of it.

As someone who uses medical marijuana, I can honestly say that my quality of life has improved dramatically. There is a very limited medical marijuana law in the state I live in, only allowing it's use for alleviating symptoms from terminal diseases. Fortunately I don't have a terminal illness, but use marijuana with my doctor's blessing. I feel that if a reputable doctor prescribes or recommends marijuana to a patient, it shouldn't matter what local or federal laws are in place. MD's have a better understanding of marijuana's medicinal effects than any politician could ever hope to have. Once the religious zealots die off and extreme right wingers are forced to have open minds, it will only be a matter of time before marijuana is legal. I doubt it will happen in my lifetime, but I actively advocate for changes in local state laws. So far, possession of less than one ounce has been decriminalized in my home state. If someone is caught with 28 grams or less it is considered about as serious as a speeding ticket. $100 fine and nothing is added to a criminal record. It's a start.

Oakland , CA just passed a new law (voted into act with 80% of the votes by the way) to tax MJ sales to help with its deficit. It's a great start, and soon many other cities or states will soon realize how much profit there is to be made on taxing something that sells regularly already. 80%!!!!! The people need it, the city of Oakland needed it.