Drugs

[Penney]

Drugs, Drug laws, Drug orientation throws me around a bit. We have drugs that are labled "bad" but then again we have cigerette companies and booze still being accesible to anyone at a certain age while other drugs, (mainly pot to me) is just plain banned in N.A. (cept Mexico)

What's your thoughts on drugs and their wacky laws + followers?

[ishbog]

Ahhh... the laws against certain drugs probably do more than we know to keep society in order. If everyone was doing crack or LSD, it be a farxed up place...

[ferret]

I get yelled at by a lot of people (even today in fact) about my hatred for drugs. I just don't like drugs no matter what they are. Health issues concern me but more importantly the law concerns me. Drugs are illegal for a reason and they should stay that way. And I'm especially sick of people saying that marijuana should be legal, and I'm sick of them saying that it has no negative health effects -- it does.

[Penney]

But some prefer a life of drugs, I completely understand them though it may be sad its their own body and they wan't to take themselves on journies sometimes, even all the time. If anything I see alchohal more deadly then simple things like pot and mushrooms.

When does the government have the right to stand in my way and my journey?

... And I'm especially sick of people saying that marijuana should be legal, and I'm sick of them saying that it has no negative health effects -- it does.

It does have negative health effects, that is true. I know a few people that have gone pretty sketchy over it in the past but thats more because of the society putting them down and not accepting them because what they do in their pass time.

But Alchohal and Alchohalism is more dangerous, people get alchohal poisoning all the time but no ones ever OD'd on marijuana.

[ferret]

When does the government have the right to stand in my way and my journey?

They don't care about you hurting yourself, they care about you hurting others. There's is hardly a drug out there that couldn't result in you hurting someone else (and that includes pot). And the government has every right to stop you from hurting others.

[Penney]

When does the government have the right to stand in my way and my journey?

They don't care about you hurting yourself, they care about you hurting others. There's is hardly a drug out there that couldn't result in you hurting someone else (and that includes pot). And the government has every right to stop you from hurting others.

But I should have every right to hurt myself. If I was "free" I could but obviously the governments taking away my private life away. Pot is legal in Amsterdam, hell you can buy bricks of hash at most cafe's there, and it's even legal in other countries. Some drugs are more harmful then others yes but both booze and cigerettes are worse to your health and even your families.

If the government didnt want people hurting the ones around them they would ban smoking and booze together.

[ferret]

But I should have every right to hurt myself.

right...that's what I said. What matters is that every drug has some aspect of it that can directly or indirectly hurt other people.

If the government didnt want people hurting the ones around them they would ban smoking and booze together.

Governments are beginning to ban smoking in public places already (especially local governments). And for alcohol, that's why in the US they have blood alcohol level laws - so you're not driving drunk. The law covers everything it should, it's just very hard to enforce.

[Penney]

Oh I wasn't just talking about drunk driving, infact that slipped my mind. I was meaning more of broken homes and OD's.

Those laws are helpful because I really don't think anyone should drive under the influence, especially under influence of alchohal. But that doesn't stop people from obeying the laws of alchohal and then drinking themselves into a stuper, beating up their families- even if later those victims do go to the ahtorities it doesn't take back psychological damage done.

I don't think I've ever heard of someone getting stoned then beating up their families. it just doesn't happen with marijuana as it does with alchohal.

[KILLA-COW]

The illegalisition of weed is plain ridiculos, less dangerous than alcohol, slighty worse than tobacco and still banned, the nanny state is crazy, it's not even as if you get shit for possesion its only possesion with the intent to sell, weed should be legalised, people who do weed become better people.

[ferret]

Short-term side effects of marijuana include:
-Problems with memory and learning
-Distorted perception
-Difficulty with thinking and problem solving
-Loss of coordination
-Increased heart rate
-Anxiety, paranoia and panic attacks

Long-term effects from prolonged THC exposure include:
-irritability
-nervousness
-depression
-anxiety
-restlessness
-severe changes in appetite
-violent outbursts
-interrupted sleep / insomnia

Long-term effects from smoke inhalation include:
-bronchitis
-emphysema
-bronchial asthma
-impaired motor skills
-impaired concentration
-lung damage
-reproductive system damage
-heart attack

now i guarantee that some of those side effects can end up hurting innocent people.

[Woe Kitten]

Short-term side effects of marijuana include:
-Problems with memory and learning
-Distorted perception
-Difficulty with thinking and problem solving
-Loss of coordination
-Increased heart rate
-Anxiety, paranoia and panic attacks

Long-term effects from prolonged THC exposure include:
-irritability
-nervousness
-depression
-anxiety
-restlessness
-severe changes in appetite
-violent outbursts
-interrupted sleep / insomnia

Long-term effects from smoke inhalation include:
-bronchitis
-emphysema
-bronchial asthma
-impaired motor skills
-impaired concentration
-lung damage
-reproductive system damage
-heart attack

now i guarantee that some of those side effects can end up hurting innocent people.

Your missing Skitzophrenia in that long-term list tbh

Me and my mates used to smoke fuck loads back in my teens. I gave up and they still smoke... two of them are homeless, one has skitzophrenia, one lives on a council estate with his girlfriend and two kids (on benefits), and one still has recuring hallucinations. All of them moved on to much harder substances.

I'm not saying weed is bad or anything like that. But personally I think the evidence is pretty clear that it doesn't help the majority of people to live happier more fulfilled lives than they would if they didn't smoke.

[KILLA-COW]

the chances of negative health effects are so rare, people never amplify the fact wee is a good healer and has been proven to have positive health effects. Also I think a group of stoned teens pose FAR less threat than those who face a gang of drunker teens.

[Penney]

The illegalisition of weed is plain ridiculos, less dangerous than alcohol, slighty worse than tobacco and still banned, the nanny state is crazy, it's not even as if you get shit for possesion its only possesion with the intent to sell, weed should be legalised, people who do weed become better people.

Saying it makes people better is a bit far but I can attest that it lets minds become more open. My friends and I used to be very narowminded ignorent fasciest fools, openly fasciest saying at school "we're better then the weed smokers" as we had labled them. Until last summer we just fell into it. My two friends and I came out of it more open minded, calmer, and more relaxed then we use to be. In short we're not running around with our head up our own asses having closed minded opinions about things... as much.

[ferret]

the chances of negative health effects are so rare, people never amplify the fact wee is a good healer and has been proven to have positive health effects. Also I think a group of stoned teens pose FAR less threat than those who face a gang of drunker teens.

that is not true. The worst health effects come later in life and are compounded by all the use put together.

And as far as stoned teens compared to drunk teens, well, I didn't want to bring this up, but I had a college friend who went out on a joyride with a buddy when they were really high. He apparently couldn't control the car and went over the median in a divided highway and struck an SUV with a 4-year old and a baby in the backseat. Those people only had injuries, but the passenger (my friend's friend) was killed when their car flipped over into a water filled ditch. -- Not pleasant.

And also, it is not "healthy" or a "healer" at all:

Although marijuana is known to have negative effects on the human body, there is a raging debate over the use of medicinal marijuana. Some say that marijuana should be legalized for medical use because it has been known to suppress nausea, relieve eye pressure, decrease muscle spasms, stimulate appetite, stop convulsions and eliminate menstrual pain. Because of its therapeutic nature, marijuana has been used in the treatment of several conditions including: cancer and AIDS (to supress nausea and stimulate appetite), glaucoma (to alleviate eye pressure), epilepsy (to stop convulsions, and multiple sclerosis (to decrease muscle spasms).

Others believe the negative effects of marijuana usage outweigh the positive. There are currently nine U.S. states that have legalized marijuana for medical purposes: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Nevada, Oregon and Washington.

as you can see they use it medicinally to assuage pain -- not to make you healthy or heal your illnesses.

[Penney]

Again I don't feel you should drive under the influence of anything, it's just not safe and then you actually are physically hurting others, but thats the same reason alchohal is banned from use when driving. Driving + drugs obviously should be a no. But still theres DUI deaths involving booze then pot.