Don't Take Away Someone's Rights?

[Jesus_lol]

dont forget alcohol. alcoholism ruins as many lives as drugs do(aside from the industry surrounding it vs drugs, but that is due to the illlegality of the substances. prohibition era alcohol industry was identical to today's prohibition drug industry) and yet it is legal.

[zabbazooey]

[quote name='Anomaly' timestamp='1332731842' post='2408540']
Would that go for all drugs, or just some drugs? If only some drugs, which ones and why?
[/quote]

Marijuana. No one has ever OD'ed on good old mary jane.

[Jaime]

[quote name='Lil Red' timestamp='1332724091' post='2408391']
is that a no?
[/quote]

you didn't use the magic word

[4588686]

[quote name='RezaMikhaeil' timestamp='1332731314' post='2408533']
If drugs were legalized, the drug trade wouldn't be what it is.
[/quote]

I agree. But that is not the case at the moment. So as it stands I think a case can be made that drug use currently isn't necessarily a victimless crime. I think someone growing weed in their closet and smoking it is entirely harmless, though. Unless they allow it to overtake their life.

[RezaMikhaeil]

[quote name='Anomaly' timestamp='1332731842' post='2408540']
Would that go for all drugs, or just some drugs? If only some drugs, which ones and why?
[/quote]

I'm actually for all drugs to be legalized.

[Anomaly]

[quote name='zabbazooey' timestamp='1332734687' post='2408570']
Marijuana. No one has ever OD'ed on good old mary jane.
[/quote]I've never seen anyone OD on pot either, and I've performed extensive personal research. However, I have observed many of the effects in myself and others listed below. I do not agree pot smoking is entirely harmless. I think in a democratic society, the majority can consider and choose what is worth the problems to general society. We already have problems with drunks and innattentive drivers. We have too many children born with behavioral problems caused by their mom's drug use. It's debateable if legalizing marijuana trades the problems with illicit drug trade for additional problems from marijuana use. It's certainly not a slam-dunk argument that marijuana use will have no detrimental effects to society.

---------------------------------------


Although legalization activists and many marijuana users believe smoking pot has no negative effects, scientific research indicates that marijuana use can cause many different health problems.
Marijuana is the [url="http://alcoholism.about.com/od/drugs/a/nsduh_drugs.htm"]most commonly used illicit drug[/url] in the United States. When smoked, it begins to effect users almost immediately and can last for one to three hours. When it is eaten in food, such as baked in brownies and cookies, the effects take longer to begin, but usually last longer.
Has smoking weed become a problem for you?
[b][url="http://alcoholism.about.com/od/pot/a/Marijuana-Problem-Screening-Quiz.htm"]Take the Marijuana Screening Quiz[/url][/b]

[b] Short-Term Effects[/b]

The short-term effects of marijuana include:[list]
[*][url="http://alcoholism.about.com/cs/pot/f/mjkids_faq13.htm"]Distorted perception[/url] (sights, sounds, time, touch)
[*]Problems with [url="http://alcoholism.about.com/od/pot/a/blaan060315.htm"]memory[/url] and [url="http://alcoholism.about.com/b/2009/02/05/teen-brains-damaged-by-heavy-marijuana-smoking.htm"]learning[/url]
[*]Loss of coordination
[*]Trouble with thinking and [url="http://alcoholism.about.com/od/pot/a/social.htm"]problem-solving[/url]
[*][url="http://alcoholism.about.com/cs/pot/f/mjkids_faq07.htm"]Increased heart rate[/url], reduced blood pressure
[/list]
Sometimes marijuana use can also produce anxiety, fear, distrust, or panic.

[b] Effects on the Brain[/b]

The active ingredient in marijuana, delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol or THC, acts on cannabinoid receptors on nerve cells and influences the activity of those cells. Some brain areas have many cannabinoid receptors, but other areas of the brain have few or none at all. Many cannabinoid receptors are found in the parts of the brain that influence pleasure, memory, thought, concentration, sensory and time perception, and coordinated movement.
When high doses of marijuana are used, usually when eaten in food rather than smoked, users can experience the following symptoms:
[list]
[*][url="http://alcoholism.about.com/cs/lsd/f/lsd_faq01.htm"]Hallucinations[/url]
[*][url="http://bpd.about.com/od/glossary/g/delusions.htm"]Delusions[/url]
[*][url="http://alcoholism.about.com/od/pot/a/blaan060315.htm"]Impaired memory[/url]
[*][url="http://adam.about.net/encyclopedia/Confusion.htm"]Disorientation[/url]
[/list]
[b] Effects on the Heart[/b]

Within a few minutes after smoking marijuana, the heart begins beating more rapidly and the blood pressure drops. Marijuana can cause the heart beat to increase by 20 to 50 beats per minute, and can increase even more if other drugs are used at the same time.
Because of the lower blood pressure and higher heart rate, researchers found that users' risk for a heart attack is four times higher within the first hour after smoking marijuana, compared to their general risk of heart attack when not smoking.

[b] Effects on the Lungs[/b]

Smoking marijuana, even infrequently, can cause burning and stinging of the mouth and throat, and cause heavy coughing. Scientists have found that regular marijuana smokers can experience the same respiratory problems as tobacco smokers do, including:
[list]
[*]Daily [url="http://adam.about.net/encyclopedia/Cough.htm"]cough and phlegm[/url] production
[*]More frequent acute chest illnesses
[*]Increased risk of [url="http://adam.about.net/encyclopedia/infectiousdiseases/Lung-disease.htm"]lung infections[/url]
[*][url="http://adam.about.net/encyclopedia/infectiousdiseases/Acute-upper-airway-obstruction.htm"]Obstructed airways[/url]
[/list]
Most marijuana smokers consume a lot less cannabis than cigarette smokers consume tobacco, however the harmful effects of smoking marijuana should not be ignored. Marijuana contains more carcinogenic hydrocarbons than tobacco smoke and because marijuana smokers typically inhale deeper and hold the smoke in their lungs longer than tobacco smokers, their lungs are exposed to those carcinogenic properties longer, when smoking.

[b] What About Cancer?[/b]

Although one study found that marijuana smokers were three times more likely to develop cancer of the head or neck than non-smokers, that study could not be confirmed by further analysis.
Because marijuana smoke contains three times the amount of tar found in tobacco smoke and 50 percent more carcinogens, it would seem logical to deduce that there is an increased risk of lung cancer for marijuana smokers. However, researchers have not been able to definitively prove such a link because their studies have not been able to adjust for tobacco smoking and other factors that might also increase the risk.
Studies linking marijuana smoking to lung cancer have also been limited by selection bias and small sample size. For example, the participants in those studies may have been too young to have developed lung cancer yet. Even though researchers have yet to "prove" a link between smoking pot and lung cancer, regular smokers may want to consider the risk.

[b] Other Health Effects[/b]

Research indicates that THC impairs the body's immune system from fighting disease, which can cause a wide variety of health problems. One study found that marijuana actually inhibited the disease-preventing actions of key immune cells. Another study found that THC increased the risk of developing bacterial infections and tumors.

[b] Effects of Exposure During Pregnancy[/b]

Several studies have found that children born to mothers who used marijuana during pregnancy exhibit some problems with neurological development. According to those studies, prenatal marijuana exposure can cause:
[list]
[*][url="http://alcoholism.about.com/cs/pot/f/mjkids_faq13.htm"]Altered responses[/url] to visual stimuli
[*]Increased tremulousness
[*]Problems with sustained attention and [url="http://alcoholism.about.com/od/pot/a/blaan060315.htm"]memory[/url]
[*]Poor [url="http://alcoholism.about.com/od/pot/a/social.htm"]problem-solving skills[/url]
[/list]

[cmotherofpirl]

My old boss smoked weed every day after work. Over the years he went from brilliant to average to mediocre to institutionalization and death.

[Jesus_lol]

good thing all the people i know who smoke tobacco and drink alcohol their whole life stay the same healthy person till the very end after living a long healthy life.

[Slappo]

[quote name='Jesus_lol' timestamp='1332774203' post='2408711']
good thing all the people i know who smoke tobacco and drink alcohol their whole life stay the same healthy person till the very end after living a long healthy life.
[/quote]

Ikr?!

[zabbazooey]

Haha well all I'm saying is smoking a little pot now and then is perfectly harmless.

Too much of anything is bad for you. If someone I knew smoked pot all the time, yeah they would be pretty brain-dead.

Edited March 27, 2012 by zabbazooey

[Anomaly]

It's a given that society has enough legal vices that are detrimental to society as a whole if over-indulged. Tobbaco, alchohol, gambling, the interweb. Does the need for freedoms need to saddle society with any more? Worth the discussion, but in a democracy, majority rules.

[Ice_nine]

MAGIC BROWNIES *nom nom nom*

wait, what is this thread about?

[EmilyAnn]

[quote name='zabbazooey' timestamp='1332806538' post='2408931']
Haha well all I'm saying is smoking a little pot now and then is perfectly harmless.

Too much of anything is bad for you. If someone I knew smoked pot all the time, yeah they would be pretty brain-dead.
[/quote]

So the raging damage it causes to people in other countries is of no consequence to you?

I'm sorry but this attitude is just short-sighted and selfish. There are countries that are ravaged by the drug trade and because of it held back from making any real economic progression, and all for some idiots in the first world who are too bored with all the other privileges they've been given in life.

[Jesus_lol]

do you know why there is no raging problems in other countries feeding the trade of alcohol in the USA?

its because it is legal.

if pot was legal, the illegal drug cartels would cease to exist. when was the last time you saw two whiskey makers/bartenders/liquor store employees shooting it out?

[zabbazooey]

[quote name='EmilyAnn' timestamp='1332837193' post='2409059']
So the raging damage it causes to people in other countries is of no consequence to you?

I'm sorry but this attitude is just short-sighted and selfish. There are countries that are ravaged by the drug trade and because of it held back from making any real economic progression, and all for some idiots in the first world who are too bored with all the other privileges they've been given in life.
[/quote]

Not if you get it from a dispensary. There are many people who grow their own as well. I'm not saying everyone does.

But Jesus_lol is right, if it was legalized, all drug cartels (at least with the pot trade) would cease to exist.

[url="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/laura-carlsen/how-legalizing-marijuana_b_777837.html"]http://www.huffingtonpost.com/laura-carlsen/how-legalizing-marijuana_b_777837.html[/url]

Edited March 27, 2012 by zabbazooey