-------------------------------------------------------------------- LLOYD T: In response to your request for comment or correction on your page, from a link posted by 'Mad Max' on the Prince Rupert Forum of 'hackingthemainframe.com' - I worked for several years as a volunteer therapy group leader in the Maximum Security Ward of the Forensic Psychiatry section of Cape Town's main psychiatric hospital. Many were multiple killers and the outstanding common factor was, not IQ or financial background, but the heavy long term use of marijuana and alcohol from their early teens (before the brain is fully developed). Marijuana has a long history in Africa. Its calming effect frees the user from caring and therefore it was used by Zulu impis (military regiments) before going into battle so that they would not care about their own injuries and cared even less about how many unarmed victims they slaughtered. The same psychopathic use of marijuana was evident in the Congo wars after Belgium withdrew from Africa. Truck-loads of marijuana-high killers would descend on a village and wipe out everyone who got in their way or simply happened to be watching. Obviously marijuana does not make one aggressive, it is simply calming in a psychopathic way. The maximum effect of marijuana is only felt however if smoked through a bottle-neck for the venturi effect, in which the higher temperature causes a chemical reaction in the psychotropic properties that amplify the impact within the brain. The drug of choice in combination with this is Mandrax (usually imported from India), crumbled into a powder and mixed with marijuana, and known in the Western Cape as 'white-pipe'. Over time this has a very destructive effect on the self-control mechanisms of the brain. I think the above aspect is completely lacking in your 'No' section. -------------------------------------------------------------------- BRETT R: I just read your article titled "Should Marijuana be Legalized under any Circumstances?", and there are a couple points that I don't agree with. I don't believe marijuana is a stepping-stone drug as you put it. Just because people that do heroin and cocaine also do marijuana that doesn't really prove anything. Furthermore, if marijuana was legal while the other harder drugs with illegal then people would have no reason to associate with criminals to buy marijuana. That it is self would decrease the use of heroin and cocaine use. The other thing I don't agree with is statement "Legalization would increase the chances of the drug falling into the hands of kids.". Take a look at alcohol, when I was in school not that many years ago is would have been just as easy for me to get marijuana as it was alcohol if not easier. Alcohol was harder because you had to be over 21 and not a lot of people would buy it for minors. With marijuana nobody cared how old you were so long as you had the money. Making it legal would change that. Another issue that I don't agree with is "....drug as morally wrong." Moral issues have no business being in any laws, period. The final point is that marijuana causes long-term physical problems. There are a number of studies that point just the opposite direction. I have never heard of anybody ODing on weed, and I don't think there has been a case of that. There are more people that OD on over the counter drugs than marijuana. Marijuana does have the potential to cause lung cancer just the same a tobacco but no worse. Maybe this is an old article and you have updated information, but I don't agree with a lot of this. Just my two cents. -------------------------------------------------------------------- STEVEN: I was just reading over some of the negatives you have for Cannabis use and I feel most of them are wrong. Lets say I know a good amount about Cannabis. The only reason Cannabis is a gateway drug is because it is classified as a drug and illegal. If you take it out of the hands of drug dealers who also sell other drugs then you stop a lot of kids from being around the other drugs. I coach youth hockey and these kids at 12 can get whatever they want so obviously outlawing it isn't the right thing. 2. Pot will not lead to hardcore crimes. Its a happy peaceful drug. 3. Stoned driving is not that dangerous. Unless its one of your first times smoking. But your body and mind get used to pot and anything you can do sober you can do as well if not better high. Sports, I personally love sports and if Cannabis is used before people I know get even better. Its very instinctual. I know people who get sharp as a scalpel when high. It was only outlawed because of greed and racism. The morally wrong should be up to individuals and not the government. I could give you a million more reasons on why to legalize it. -------------------------------------------------------------------- LAURA H: The legalization of marijuana would be a disgrace to this country. It is a very dangerous drug and could harm anyone who can get it into their hands. I think this topic isn't even worth discussing or debating. If our country wants to risk high health hazards, higher death rates, more people doing crazy things because of drug abuse, more street fights because of more drug abuse then marijuana should be a legal drug. If we legalize marijuana what's going to stop us from legalizing all other drugs or let the legal alcohol level become higher. Why don't we just let all things be legal. That is how i feel about this topic. We must be under the influence of drugs to even consider legalizing marijuana or any other drug that is more dangerous than it is helpful. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Matt & Megan T: I would just like to reply to Laura H. Laura, did you read the Pros and the cons listed? More street fights? You obviously have only listened to the side of this issue against legalization. Marijuana is a drug that makes one feel more relaxed and mellow, i.e. less likely to get into a fight! Legalization would help curb street violence because of less "need" for "Street Justice. Please Laura, before being so holier than thou, read all of the facts. -------------------------------------------------------------------- David B: This page was very accurate and I agree with everything except the argument that the drug would be more accessible for teenagers. When I was under 21 it was far easier to get marijuana that alcohol. There is not a lot of money in bootlegging alcohol so it is not popular at all which means that you have to find someone older who is willing to do all the leg work and put themselves on the line for you to have alcohol. By 16 all you have to do is drive to somebody's house and in areas such as inner city kids can just walk down the block for it any time. This is only my experiences with availability. I suppose either way is arguable, but where this is a fact for me, accessibility being greater with legalization is only an assumption. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Jerry V (aka "a concerned pothead"): Personally, as a seventeen year old I see more marijuana usage than cigarette and alcohol. I smoke marijuana myself (almost everyday) yet I am on the honor roll and suffer no amotivational attitude toward school or any other activities. I believe it is the overall attitude of the student about their school work; most are just looking to blame it on what many believe is just a pleasant experience. Also, as mention by your article, it will increase tax revenue (which is helpful considering that we are in a recession as it is). It will prevent good people going to prison and wasting tax money; moreover, it will force the police to focus on more serious cases (also mentioned in your article), thus freeing up space in the prisons and insuring that our tax money is put into punishing real criminals. Marijuana smokers who become imprisoned are disgraced by family and friends and now have a criminal record, making it hard to get a job and become successful (and obviously successful people help the economy). They'll just get sucked down into becoming real criminals just to make ends meet by means of stealing or otherwise. And about whether it is "morally" right or not, it is none of anyone's business but their own. I may find eating meat is morally outrageous, but is it my right to enforce my beliefs on them? I thought we were supposed to live in the "land of the free". Back off me! Marijuana being used as a "stepping stone" will be greatly reduced. Dealers tend not only to deal marijuana but harder narcotics as well. If the process of going through the dealer is eliminated, then the harder drugs will be more difficult to come by. This thereby significantly lowers the chance of marijuana users starting other more dangerous substances. As an afterword, and as you may already know, the illegalization of marijuana was initially brought out by a competitor of the paper industry. Hemp is a stronger material, it is cheaper, and can be used for various purposes. If hemp rather than trees were used, then we'd have more trees which is very good if you like to breathe (it would help to maintain a more life friendly environment). It would help to save the ever-decreasing rain forests of Latin America. This would help the animal life as well as serve human interest. Concluding my thoughts and feelings, I would much rather hang-out with a marijuana user than an alcoholic; I encourage someone who is upset or angry to smoke a bowl and calm down (it does make people mellow and calm), instead of drinking their problems away getting into a fight. If anyone reads this I would like to thank you for your time, as well as this opportunity to help the legalization of a victimless crime. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Clare: Hi I have studied briefly about this drug, not because of interest really but more because I had to give myself knowledge. I have experienced some very frightening side-effects of marijuana. Somebody very close to me had a drug induced psychosis after under a year of using the drug. He lost all touch with reality, was very violent (harmful towards himself and others). He assaulted police officers, experienced paranoia, hallucinations, delusions, extreme thought disorder etc. He was in the psychiatric ward of a hospital for over a week and is now on anti-psychotic drugs and will likely never fully recover from his experience. All of these things were not in his character and the psychosis was a direct result of marijuana. His psychosis lasted for two months. I am not suggesting that this happens in all cases but as more research is being done marijuana is being linked to many mental conditions. I defend the fact that everyone has the right to make there opinion known and I respect the fact that people are trying to give some information about this drug. I have decided after the experience I have been through that I am devoted to letting people know the serious situations that can come from marijuana. I am seventeen years old and have learned a lot as a result of what has happened. I have read that you suggest that marijuana can cause physical damage but more importantly it can have a serious effect on mental health. I suggest that some information about this topic be addressed to inform people about the more serious negative effects of marijuana. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Casey: I would just like to reply to Laura H and Clare because they have their personal thoughts and feels mixed with the HUGE topic of marijuana use. To Laura H. obviously you have not done your research about the herb, because no matter what web site or book you read you are going to see more pros then cons, what does that tell you? Laura H. you’re a great example of the U.S. government, fascist. The only way marijuana is going to get legalized is if in fact some people on congress are affected by cancer, thus the only thing they have to turn too is the use of medi-pot. Chemotherapy causes nausea, I think every one knows, and the point is, I read this story about a man that couldn’t do any thing, but sit back and watch his wife in pain, knowing that it could be prevented but still being powerless; the point is the nausea ruined her life till the day she died. The husband stated that “it was the worst feeling in the world watching her die painfully”. “I cannot even have some metal relive in knowing she passed painlessly”. To Clare you are talking about two different things, the affect of marijuana, and your personal experience with it, and how it affected that person. Smoking “pot” does not mean your going to be sucked into the gateway of other drugs, it depends on the person and I know any one would agree with me. To quote you; “I have read that you suggest that marijuana can cause physical damage but more importantly it can have a serious effect on mental health”. If marijuana does in fact affect people mentally, tell me why it is used to treat people in some cases of depression. To all the others, Jerry V (aka "a concerned pothead"), Matt & Megan T, STEVEN, BRETT R. All of your research, thoughts, and opinions are that of mine. Being only 16 years old myself, I have some serious views and opinions that are unarguable about the topic, and I am confident and I can make any one look like a fool trying to prove otherwise. For some reason I just cannot understand why it is illegal. I would also just like to say that I think the United States is heading on the road to another great depression and no one sees it. -------------------------------------------------------------------- AARON S: Usually the reason a person who is using marijuana may try harder drugs or move on to them is because they are around people who do them. If marijuana was legalized then they would not be around harder drug use so much. For example, when a person buys drugs they may be around people who pressure them or offer them harder drugs. If marijuana was legalized they would not be around this kind of activity especially if a drug dealer is trying to hook the person on a harder drug. -------------------------------------------------------------------- STEVE M: Legalization would not make it easier for adolesants to get ahold of the marjuana, because of the fact that you could buy it from stores and if there was an age limit adults would not endager getting themselves in trouble for buying the drug for underage kid. Basiclly the same concept as alcohol. -------------------------------------------------------------------- GREG D:
I find some of the logic flawed under the NO column.
1. Studies show that marijuana often preceeds the use of other illegal drugs, but so does ciggaretes and alcohol. In the absence of of marijuana those users will try meth, or even “huffing”. Marijuana is so ubiquitous that it is just one of the first drugs to be found. Someone seeking escape will usually find it, and not because they tried marijuana. So the fact that most who tried hard drugs had first tried marijuana does not mean that they tried hard drugs because of marijuana. Saying that marijuana leads to harder drugs is a logical fallicy that people are supposed to fall for, which is the obviuos intention since the dea calls it a gateway drug. The notable exception to this is that since marijuanan is illeagal, other, more dangerous, illicit drugs are made available to consumers.
2. 14 million marijuana smokers in this country… either they are stupid enough to drive stoned already or they are responsible adults. Leagalizing marijuana does not leagalize driving while under the influence, and no one out there claims it should. There is no evidence to support that legalizing maijuana will lead to more DUIs.
4. Legalizing marijuana may keep it out of the hands of kids. In the netherlands the percentage of the teenage population that has smoked weed is half that of the US. A leagal dealer is not likely to sell to kids and loose his/her licence while an illegal one will sell to whomever. For example alcohol and smoking are much lower than marijuana use in junior high school students. While that does change some in high school, as older students are able to buy ciggarettes or have older friends to buy them alcohol, studies have shown that the younger a person is when he/she does any drug (nicotine, alcohol, marujana) the more likely they are to abuse drugs in the future.
5. Everyone breaks the law. Some cross a street not at a crosswalk, some fib a little on their taxes, some litter. That does not make them more likely to commit other crimes. Even if littering became a felony offence, that does not mean that the litterer is more likely to commit other felonies. Since marijuana use is more benign then the three crimes listed above, its doubtful that consumers will commit other crimes just because there are rediculous punishments for its use.
6. There are no reputable studies that claim any of the below. Even the DEA can only quote other’s opinions, and some well known flawed studies. Marijuana does not cause brain damage according to any marijuana study anywhere(unless you count parents smaking their kids for smoking marijuana). Cancer and lung damage are the result of smoking marijuana, not consumption or vaporization, and since the DEA cracks down on parifinalia like vaporizors, the DEA contributes to cancer and lung damage more then marijuana does. Depression is found In a higher percentage of marujuana users then non users, but depressed people seek out medication to help themselves, and when xanax, zoloft, prozac, etc do not help sometimes marijuana does, and im sure that many depressed people find marijuana first. This does not mean that marujuana causes depression, just like alchohol does not cause depression. We can only hope the that depressed people find marijuana before finding alcohol, meth, or other truly dangerous drugs. Marijuana cause a lack of motivation, but after time most users adapt, or stop using marijuana. Marijuana has never been liked to death, although many other drugs prescribed to help the same ailments that marijuana helps, do.
Didn’t mean to rant on, but a majority of the scientific/medical community agrees that marijuana is mostly harmless and should be leagal. It is only Socially conservative politicions and the people they appoint to high places in the FDA and DEA that disagree and I am sure we all know by now how science and fact takes a back seat to beliefs and desires in our current adminitration.
-------------------------------------------------------------------- Christenah M: In regards to number 2 on the list under No, "Also, there's always the possibility that the lapse in judgment caused by drug use will lead to harder crimes like rape or robbery." I was wondering if anything like that has actually been documented because I just feel that to be high enough to want to commit to something like that, well you'd probably have to smoke alot. And smoking alot of pot doesn't usually have an agressive affect on most people, unless it's reacting with other medication they are taking, but if it was legal, it'd practically be perscription and reactions like that wouldn't happen. Also, smoking alot usually causes most people to want to relax, as opposed to plan a robbery and be able to carry it out without getting caught. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Lawrence J: I would like to point out a few incorrect statements on your webpage. Driving stoned is a give and take situation. Number one you are usually more careful but it is easier to distract you. I dont think its fair to say its even comparable to driving drunk. Driving drunk completely impairs your sense of coordination while marijuana for the most part does not. Marijuana users do drive sometimes this is true but there is no proof that they are more likely to be in a car crash or cause one. All studies I have seen have been based mostly off drug tests that prove the victim or accused has ingested marijuana sometime in the last 2 weeks to 1 month. How is that accurate? Secondly you say "Also, there's always the possibility that the lapse in judgment caused by drug use will lead to harder crimes like rape or robbery." I find that to be absolutely untrue, although I may be taking the statement incorrectly. In my interpretation that statement means people under the influence of marijuana are more likely to commit said crimes because of judgement lapses. If thats what you mean that is untrue for this substance. Empathy is a big part of being stoned. As for stealing thats not even related in my opinion. My second dispute with your arguments is that Marijuana has never linked to brain damage even by heavy users. Amotivational Syndrome is an idea that was invented during reefer madness and ill be honest with you. When I was a adolescent 13-17 I definately had no motivation. I was a teenager. If you look you will see that almost all of those studies have to do with teenagers. Responsible adults have the drive to not be lazy. Marijuana does not halt that drive. In EXTREMELY heavy usage it can make you not want to work. But to call that a syndrome that is not accurate in my opinion. As for the memory loss, problem solving, brain damage of any kind, and depression, Im sorry sir but those statistics are definately not true. Did you know that marijuana has even been shown to protect brain cells in certain situations? Marijuana Does Not Damage Brain Cells Period. The Studies that came up with that answer have been discredited publicly. My final disagreement is with this statement: Because of drug-related arrests, people who have committed or are likely to commit more serious crimes can be taken off the streets. People who produce, sell, traffic, or use illegal drugs have already established themselves as people who will break the law. Anyone who commits drug-related felonies isn't likely to be constrained in committing other felonies, such as robbery, rape, murder, etc. If such people are in prison because of drug charges, they aren't able to go out and commit other crimes. Also, it often occurs that there isn't enough evidence to imprison felons for the serious crimes like murder; however, if they can be imprisoned for something, society is much better off. At a minimum, they will be off the streets, unable to wreak more havoc. I have to be honest I dont think this statement is fair in any way. I certainly DO NOT condone the felonies you describe. I simply think that it is not effective to go after someone under the assumption that they WILL commit crimes. That is illegal. Lets say that I am drug dealer for the sake of argument. I only sell marijuana. I sell it to my friends and share with my girlfriend. I have a job and I go to it 5 days a week. I live in Chicago in a busy district. I, according to you, have already established myself as someone who will break the law. Therefore according to your logic I am going to commit rape, murder, larson, etc. Or at least am more likely to. My good sir, we all break the law, you yourself have broken the law on occasion. Does that mean that you are much more likely to go out and steal cash from a mini-mart because you got a speeding ticket or got drunk one night and fell asleep on a park bench? One crime does not lead to another in most cases and certainly not in this one; the committing of a crime takes a conscious effort, a thought or force of will and pursuant action and each crime is a separate instance of this; nor can you pursue or stereotype a group of people because they have broken A law and that means they will break More laws. I myself have used marijuana and I am certainly not going to go kill or rape or anything else.