Pot Sinful?

[dairygirl4u2c]

ty

[Fishmaker]

People will disagree with me, I am sure.

Personally, I don't like pot.

If it is legal, however, then smoking it in moderation is as much of a sin as drinking in moderation. Which is no sin at all.

[prose]

Um. That was me, not Chad by the way.

Whoops.

Hubby needs to learn to log out.

[CrossCuT]

[size=1]Just because something is legal doesnt make it ok.
We are bound by the laws of God not by the laws of the land.
We are also temples of the Holy Spirit and should respect our bodies as such even if it is in moderation.
[/size]

[I'm Mr. Snikkers]

I think it's sin to smoke pot period.

[jeffpugh]

Smoking pot is a sin because it has the effect of causing a person to loose control of him/herself. This control is given to us by God in order that we may make choices and not be like animals. Control of oneself is a great gift that is not to be abused. Same goes with getting drunk. Drinking in moderation is okay, but pot can not be moderated. The effect is immediate.

[prose]

I could argue that the effect of alcohol is immediate too.

(again, I am TOTALLY opposed to pot)

However, I can't see how it would be any more of a sin than smoking or drinking. What about for "medical purposes"? Is it a sin then? I don't believe so.

Also, I don't think that a person completely loses control after smoking pot. I have seen many well controlled pot heads.

Edited February 27, 2007 by prose

[jeffpugh]

It would be interesting for you to give details on that... because alcohol's immediate affect is slightly loosening a person up, unless they take it in high dosage, which in that case they lose control. As for "medial purposes", I could not really say. Apparently the medical stuff is not as strong as the illegally grown, though I couldn't tell you from experience fortunately. As for controlled 'pot heads', I guess there comes to a point of immunity, hence the reason why it is a gateway drug...
Thoughts?

[prose]

Well, I think that cigarettes make you immediately dizzy upon your first inhalation, so I think you may have a point about building up tolerence.

I think the majority if the "Gateway drug" issue is that other drugs are often available through the same dealers. If you buy one illegal thing, why not more? Also the tendency to look for different highs. But that can be said of alcohol also.

Also to note is that alcohol has much the same effects. Someone who NEVER drinks can feel intoxication from the first drink. AND different alcohols affect people differently. For instance, I can drink a decent amount of Rye and Coke with little effects, but one or two glasses of wine and I can feel "buzzed".

From [url="http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/hemp/medical/ch5.htm:"]http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/hemp/medical/ch5.htm:[/url]
[quote]The inhalation of marijuana smoke, or the ingestion of THC, the psychoactive derivative of cannabis, has a number of bodily effects. Among these the most dependable are the effects on the heart and vascular system. The most immediate effect of cannabis use by all routes of administration is an increase in heart rate of 20-50 per cent over baseline which occurs within a few minutes to a quarter of an hour and lasts for up to three hours (Huber et al, 1988; Jones, 1984). Changes in blood pressure also occur which depend upon posture: blood pressure is increased while the person is sitting, and decreases while standing. A sudden change from a recumbent posture may produce postural hypotension and fainting, an effect which may explain the feeling of "light-headedness" and faintness that is often the earliest indication of intoxication in naive users (Maykut, 1984). Increases are also observed in the production of the catecholamine norepinephrine, although these lag behind the cardiovascular changes, and their mechanisms are not well understood (Hardman and Hosko,
1976).[/quote]

[prose]

From the same site:

[quote]Alcohol and cannabis have a number of effects in common, although the mechanisms of these actions appear to be different. The recent identification of the cannabinoid receptor (Howlett et al, 1990), and an endogenous ligand for that receptor, have confirmed the hypothesis that the central activity of cannabis is receptor-mediated (see pp 29-31 above). While the mechanism of action of alcohol is still in question, most explanations are concerned with the effects of alcohol upon the structure and chemistry of the cell membrane. Both drugs are considered to be CNS depressants, especially in high doses, and both have substantial analgesic properties. Since these effects of the two drugs appear to be approximately additive (Siemens, 1980) it is
possible that the toxicity of high doses of Æ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) (Rosencrantz, 1983) may be potentiated by alcohol, although there is very little evidence to support this conjecture. Neither the metabolism of alcohol nor that of THC appears to be altered by the presence of the other drug (Siemens & Khanna, 1977).

Alcohol and THC also appear to have similar psychotropic effects. The perceived stimulation and euphoria at low doses are common effects, as well as a tendency toward behavioural disinhibition over a range of doses (Hollister & Gillespie, 1970). This interaction is generally perceived by users as enhancing the intoxication produced by either drug alone (Chesher et al, 1976), although contrary results have been reported (Manno et al, 1971). However, larger doses in combination are often reported to be aversive (Sulkowski & Vachon, 1977; Chesher et al, 1986).

The effects of alcohol and cannabis combinations on psychomotor performance are more complex. The majority of studies have reported that both drugs produce impairment on a variety of psychomotor tasks,
and that the interaction is approximately additive. However, a number of studies have reported that at low doses there is less than an additive effect. Chesher et al (1976, 1977) found a reduction in impairment late in intoxication after a combination of oral THC (0.14-0.21mg/kg) and alcohol (0.5-0.6g/kg). A further study in which the THC (0.32mg/kg) was administered one hour before the alcohol (0.54g/kg) found no apparent antagonism (Belgrave et al, 1979).

Another study using three doses of smoked marijuana in combination with alcohol showed a lower-than-expected impairment in the group which received the lowest dose of THC (5mg) and the lowest dose of alcohol (0.54g.kg) (Chesher et al, 1986). Peck et al (1986) also reported an apparent antagonism, but only on a composite "stopping" variable derived from driving performance. In most of their measures, the combination of alcohol and cannabis produced additive impairments.

Siemens (1980) has proposed that alcohol may reduce the availability of THC through a pharmacokinetic interaction demonstrated in animals (Siemens & Khanna, 1977). Given that there is substantial evidence for
cross-tolerance between alcohol and THC (Newman et al, 1972), it is possible that low doses of THC and alcohol in combination may enhance the acute tolerance to alcohol (Hurst & Bagley, 1972) late in intoxication.[/quote]

Edited February 28, 2007 by prose

[got2luvjc]

I don't think people should smoke pot. some people drink to get drunk, yes, but others do it solely for the taste and keep it in moderation, and stop when they feel any effects of the alcohol. I've never smoked pot, so I don't know what it feels like, but from what I understand, people take it for the dazed feeling and not just because they like how it smells or tastes. I think we should have full control of our body, to the best of our ability (I say that because there are some people who cannot control our body due to illnesses). Because if we do not have control of our body, how can we willingly choose to do God's will?

I chose "I refuse to speculate" in the poll, because I'm not speculating on whether or not it's a "sin" or just a bad decision... cuz not all bad decisions are sins

Edited February 28, 2007 by got2luvjc

[dairygirl4u2c]

so prose. if you think the effects are the same as alcohol and cigarettes and are willing ot cite documents in support of it, why don't you just get the balls/ovaries to support it? or are you also against alcohol and cigarettes?

[prose]

I am against breaking the law. That is why I oppose pot. If it was legal, I would consider it an adult's decision to make.

Oh, and if I grew a set of balls, my husband would be worried.

Edited February 28, 2007 by prose

[got2luvjc]

yeah, I don't like breaking the law either....


though I do speed while driving... ggrrrrrrrrr bad Lisa!!

[dairygirl4u2c]

note the question said in courtries where it's legal. i'm not sure if your commends on ebing against it because it's illegal are despite the poll, or if you never took the polls question into consideration.