The right not to be offended?

[AngusThermopyle]

Why is there no recogniation that there are some well-founded negative issues surrounding pot use?

Pot does lower motivation.

Chronic use leads to mood swings and violent outbursts when the user is deprived.

It impairs the ability to operate a motor vehicle.

Long-term use has an effect on memory.

Damn! You're right! I should have seen it.

Thats it, I've had enough, lets re-criminalize Alcohol!!

[DrGreenthumb]

Sure you are. The evidence is your happy and peaceful manner in which you rail against 'conservatives' and those who don't share your views.

How long do you plan on living? Another 10 or 20 years tops?

Retire at 34. OK my happy pal.

I build and sell houses, and also buy houses, renovate and sell them. I made more off the sale of one house than most of the wage earners in this country make in a year. Does it make you unhappy that I have been able to become wealthy at such a young age, even though I have smoked a joint almost every day since I was 19? Too bad, you don't have the right not to be offended by my success. I actually "rail against conservative policies" because doing so increases my happiness. I find it fun to point out the ridiculousness of their positions. I actually enjoy it even more when they get angry and flustered. I also feel that it is my responsibility to oppose bad social policy that is harmful to my fellow human beings. If I can help end prohibition I feel like I will have given back something to the society that provided me the opportunity to live a prosperous, happy life.

[DrGreenthumb]

Why is there no recogniation that there are some well-founded negative issues surrounding pot use?

Pot does lower motivation.

Chronic use leads to mood swings and violent outbursts when the user is deprived.

It impairs the ability to operate a motor vehicle.

Long-term use has an effect on memory.

Just because you repeat things over and over does not make it true or proven.

Pot does not lower motivation for me at all, and I havn't noticed that effect on any of the other pot users I know. I let my employees smoke joints while they work, it keeps them happy and they work harder for me. In fact I make a point of only hiring people that I know are pot users. Sort of an affirmative action program for my brethren.

Stop with the wild generalizations about pot users, you obviously don't know any. Even if you did know any successful potheads, they would never admit their use to you when you so obviously are supportive of laws that criminalize them.

Long term use does not have a lasting effect on memory. The short term memory loss associated with pot use only affects you while you are "high" and may make you forget where you put down your wrench, but will not make you forget how to use it. When the pot wears off so does its effect on short term memory. We have already discussed the "impairment" issue and once again I say PROVE IT. Its easy to prove that alcohol impairs, but cannabis is a totally different story. Pot often makes a user "feel" like he is impaired but the feeling is not substantiated by a corresponding drop in performance ability. This is probably why pot users are more likely to self identify themselves as impaired and choose not to drive while alcohol lowers inhibitions and makes people believe they are sober even when they are showing obvious signs of impairment.

Again, like I said before, nothing is harmless, not even pot. Pot is certainly not harmful enough to justify all the resources spent on criminalizing its use. It is not harmful enough to deny somebody their freedom over.

Edited December 21, 2007 by DrGreenthumb

[Wild Bill]

Why is there no recogniation that there are some well-founded negative issues surrounding pot use?

Pot does lower motivation.

Chronic use leads to mood swings and violent outbursts when the user is deprived.

It impairs the ability to operate a motor vehicle.

Long-term use has an effect on memory.

Michael, if you spend enough money on studies long enough you can come up with negatives for anything! The point is that in the real world the negatives are proven trivial. The people who have experience with pot recognize these claims as just "reefer madness" from those with an agenda, like a virgin from a strict church who is not content with just making her own choice about pre-marital sex but who tries to convince everyone else that "it doesn't feel good if you're not married anyways!"

I keep making references to social conservativism being a negative for Harper's electoral chances. I really think he's making a mistake with his approach to pot. Literally millions of Canadians disagree with him. The Liberals were always smart enough to at least promise legalization and then never deliver. Harper's crew is taking a moral stand that is NOT shared by a very large number of voters, especially in Eastern Canada and Quebec!

Social conservatives tend to have a very naive notion that they actually are some kind of silent majority. They are emphatically NOT! They are about as mainstream as Laurence Welk re-runs; Walter Ostenak the polka player thinking he's more popular than Amy Winehouse or The Bare Naked Ladies.

A better political analogy might be that Harper's Tories look like that lady mayor of Toronto who banned the Ladies from performing in the civic square, not being familiar with the name and assuming it was some vulgar punk band.

Or Nixon not knowing who Elvis was - this is historical fact!

Make no mistake about it. The Tories have misread this one big time and it would be a shame if we ended up with Liberals again because of it.

Edited December 21, 2007 by Wild Bill

[DrGreenthumb]

If the Liberals are smart they will make this an issue in the next election and force some of these social conservatives to come out of the woodwork and look foolish. The conservative views on Cannabis really do make them look foolish and out of touch with reality. I hope Dion is smart enough to take advantage of this.

[Argus]

I build and sell houses, and also buy houses, renovate and sell them.

No doubt Holmes on Homes has visited many of them.

[BubberMiley]

Your first point is interesting. Fine if it is your own body. However, do you accept that other's should not be forced to subsidize your lifestyle choices? Why should other citizens be forced to pay for your health care when the ravages of eating fatty foods, smoking cigarettes, boozing etc. are taken into account?

I wonder if conservatives' opposition to universal healthcare has been lessened since they found they could use it as a means to stick their nose into other people’s business.

[BubberMiley]

And, btw, I've known a number of heavy pot smokers and every one had serious psychological issues they were turning to pot to hide from. I've seen a number of heavy pot smokers at work, too. They vary in their reliability, but overall, are extremely sub-par.

It’s always easiest to make broad generalizations and to excessively simplify issues when you provide nothing more than half-baked anecdotal evidence to support your claim. Providing actual research and documented facts would only expose the true nature of what you post. You're all hot air without the benefit of any insightful puffs of smoke.

[Michael Bluth]

Again, like I said before, nothing is harmless, not even pot. Pot is certainly not harmful enough to justify all the resources spent on criminalizing its use. It is not harmful enough to deny somebody their freedom over.

Not that you'll read them, but here are some studies that prove the points I made earlier.

Canabis doubles the risk of fatal car crashes. Link

Marijuana use and academic achievement. Link

Marijuana and education certainly don't mix. One longitudinal study that looked initially at 4th graders (with equal test results) and later at their 12th grade scores found significantly lower verbal and mathematical performance among heavy-use marijuana smokers.

In college-aged chronic users, another study found that critical thinking skills were affected for 24 hours after marijuana use

Stop with the wild generalizations about pot users, you obviously don't know any.

Of course I know guys who smoke pot. I don't live under a rock. Many of my facts are backed up with anecdotal observation.

[BubberMiley]

It is a natural thing for a normal male to look at a breeding age female and want to breed with her.

Sounds like bitterness about being busted for leering at teenagers to me.

[Michael Bluth]

It’s always easiest to make broad generalizations and to excessively simplify issues when you provide nothing more than half-baked anecdotal evidence to support your claim. Providing actual research and documented facts would only expose the true nature of what you post. You're all hot air without the benefit of any insightful puffs of smoke.

Please look at the citations in my previous post BM.

[BubberMiley]

Surely you are living under a rock.....so typical of you "left" types to be so...what? clueless?

This is what I call the romatiszation of the weed. Clearly this is another in a string of fools who wander in here to champion their pet cause which is getting balsted. No amount of evidence will convince them, because in their drug addled minds, the cause is always "da man"...

Good lord.

Edited August 27, 2010 by BubberMiley

[Argus]

Just because you repeat things over and over does not make it true or proven.

Pot does not lower motivation for me at all, and I havn't noticed that effect on any of the other pot users I know. I let my employees smoke joints while they work, it keeps them happy and they work harder for me. In fact I make a point of only hiring people that I know are pot users. Sort of an affirmative action program for my brethren.

Who else is eager to buy a house worked on by this guy and his crew? LOL!

[Argus]

Sounds like bitterness about being busted for leering at teenagers to me.

On the other hand if I was gay you'd be shrilly defending my right to anal sex with whatever young boy I could find.

[Michael Bluth]

Good lord. My greatest worry is that if I quit smoking pot all the time my writing and spelling would end up like this.

Touché BM.

[DrGreenthumb]

Who else is eager to buy a house worked on by this guy and his crew? LOL!

A lot of people are quite happy to do so. Like most people who are buying a home they have their own inspector check out the house first. I have never had a complaint from anyone. Not even from any of my renters. I'm not sure what you are trying to imply. Usually I rent the house out first, often paying the tennant to do the renovating with their own friends etc. I pay them enough in one lump sum that they have enough for the down payment on the house. I have even helped people get approved to buy the houses by guaranteeing the mortgage myself at my credit union. The financial institution also always inspects the property before they will approve a mortgage.

[BubberMiley]

On the other hand if I was gay you'd be shrilly defending my right to anal sex with whatever young boy I could find.

Absolutely not. I'd tell you to leave the teenagers alone, pervert.

[guyser]

A lot of people are quite happy to do so. Like most people who are buying a home they have their own inspector check out the house first. I have never had a complaint from anyone. Not even from any of my renters. I'm not sure what you are trying to imply. Usually I rent the house out first, often paying the tennant to do the renovating with their own friends etc. I pay them enough in one lump sum that they have enough for the down payment on the house. I have even helped people get approved to buy the houses by guaranteeing the mortgage myself at my credit union. The financial institution also always inspects the property before they will approve a mortgage.

Dont worry about it. He is just bitter all the time. He had to live amongst immigrants once, they were dirty, he never recovered.

Besides, he attacks you, not the message. He lost.

See, he equates gays with little boys. Must have gone to the Keng School. His arse would be in jail and he thinks we would defend him.

Oh and dont forget... LOL

[guyser]

Not that you'll read them, but here are some studies that prove the points I made earlier.

Canabis doubles the risk of fatal car crashes. Link

Did you look at those mb?

from the first link....

with 2.5% of the crashes directly attributed to cannabis use. Alcohol was the direct cause of about 29%.

It also said "tested positive for cannbis use" but one can test positive three days later.

Also, 681 tested + for pot, 2096 tested + for booze. Since we know that booze metabolizes at a given rate, those numbers seem skewed.

Should we ignore the $7 BILLION drunk drivers cost us at the expense of grabbing somebody who smoked a doob? The point being we are trying to kill ONE bee, and ignore the massive nest in the corner.

40% of all traffic related fatalities is caused by drunk drivers in Canada.

I would think we are better off looking at that than trying to bust some person for smoking a doobie.

[Michael Bluth]

Should we ignore the $7 BILLION drunk drivers cost us at the expense of grabbing somebody who smoked a doob? The point being we are trying to kill ONE bee, and ignore the massive nest in the corner.

40% of all traffic related fatalities is caused by drunk drivers in Canada.

I would think we are better off looking at that than trying to bust some person for smoking a doobie.

There are numerous drunk driving programs out there. Nobody is arguing drunk driving should be ignored.

Tackle both problems.

[guyser]

There are numerous drunk driving programs out there. Nobody is arguing drunk driving should be ignored.

Tackle both problems.

But one is tackled by imprisonment for doing it in ones house or anywhere else (well it CAN be) and the other is legally sanctioned.

Make it a level playing field. Drink...? and risk getting busted. There, now we are on equal footing.

[Michael Bluth]

But one is tackled by imprisonment for doing it in ones house or anywhere else (well it CAN be) and the other is legally sanctioned.

Any actual evidence of someone being imprisoned for smoking pot in their house?

As I said earlier, decriminalization is a half measure.

Legalize pot, get the criminal element out of cultivation/distribution, but crack down heavily on stoned driving.

[BubberMiley]

I am talking about wake and bake, are toasted at lunch and smoke before and after dinner...they are in a constant state of high.

Aaah...the good life. Amazing how well one can function once you get used to it. So much so that no one even knows I am. Even my employees.

[Michael Bluth]

Aaah...the good life. Amazing how well one can function once you get used to it. So much so that no one even knows I am. Even my employees.

Yeah, just like myself and my fellow employees of our former boss never knew he was high all the time.

Took me less than a week at the company to figure that one out.

[guyser]

Any actual evidence of someone being imprisoned for smoking pot in their house?

Aside from this guy....

http://osgoode.yorku.ca/media2.nsf/83303ff...33;OpenDocument

Not many, since they dont make the papers.

As I said earlier, decriminalization is a half measure.

Legalize pot, get the criminal element out of cultivation/distribution, but crack down heavily on stoned driving.

Agreed for the most part, but decrim first, then lets see the results.