Jack Layton's Idea of a Wonderfull Drug

[Alliance Fanatic]

Jack Layton described marijuana as a "wonderfull" drug. From what I've seen alot of people of the left agree, but how much do they actually know about marijuana.

http://www.gov.calgary.ab.ca/police/kids/m.../marijuana.html

http://www.marijuana-info.org/

I'd like to hear from Black Dog, Maplesyrup, and Ceaser, why Jack Layton believes marijuana is such a wonderfull drug, even though Calgary Police Service says the contrary.

Is Calgary Police Service full of a bunch of right wing nazi's, I doubt it.

[I miss Reagan]

I'm sure Layton would love more people to use mj. Think of how many more votes he'd get from all the apathetic, lazy pot heads. "Dude when's my welfare check going to get here, I've got the munchies bad!"

[Black Dog]

I'd like to hear from Black Dog, Maplesyrup, and Ceaser, why Jack Layton believes marijuana is such a wonderfull drug, even though Calgary Police Service says the contrary.

The cops, of course, can hardly be expected to be considered an unbiased source on the issue of marijuana. For them, the war on drugs means more money to fund anti-drung task forces and fancy SWAT teams for "COPS"-style raids on grow-ops.

Nevermind that much of the "harmful effects of marijuana" cited by the Cowtown cops are not supported by the evidence.

Let's take a look.

It impairs the motor skills necessary to drive a car.

So does booze, yet alcohol is legal. There is no compelling evidence that marijuana contributes substantially to traffic accidents and fatalities. At some doses, marijuana affects perception and psychomotor performances- changes which could impair driving ability. However, in driving studies, marijuana produces little or no car-handling impairment- consistently less than produced by low moderate doses of alcohol and many legal medications. In contrast to alcohol, which tends to increase risky driving practices, marijuana tends to make subjects more cautious. Surveys of fatally injured drivers show that when THC is detected in the blood, alcohol is almost always detected as well. For some individuals, marijuana may play a role in bad driving. The overall rate of highway accidents appears not to be significantly affected by marijuana's widespread use in society.

It affects the brain and impairs short-term memory, perception and judgment.

Marijuana produces immediate, temporary changes in thoughts, perceptions, and information processing. The cognitive process most clearly affected by marijuana is short-term memory. In laboratory studies, subjects under the influence of marijuana have no trouble remembering things they learned previously. However, they display diminished capacity to learn and recall new information. This diminishment only lasts for the duration of the intoxication. There is no convincing evidence that heavy long-term marijuana use permanently impairs cognitive functions.

It stunts emotional and intellectual skill growth, instilling a feeling of apathy, or an "I don't care" attitude.

There is nothing about marijuana specifically that causes people to lose their drive and ambition. In laboratory studies, subjects given high doses of marijuana for several days or even several weeks exhibit no decrease in work motivation or productivity. Among working adults, marijuana users tend to earn higher wages than non-users. College students who use marijuana have the same grades as nonusers. Among high school students, heavy use is associated with school failure, but school failure usually comes first.

Its use can cause tissue damage to internal organs, panic attacks and paranoia.

Paranoia is a common side effect of pot use that only lasts as long as the high. As for "internal tissue damage" that's a very scary way of describing the possible damage to the lungs from smoking. Like tobacco smoke, marijuana smoke contains a number of irritants and carcinogens. But marijuana users typically smoke much less often than tobacco smokers, and over time, inhale much less smoke. As a result, the risk of serious lung damage should be lower in marijuana smokers.

It may cause birth defects during pregnancy.

Studies of newborns, infants, and children show no consistent physical, developmental, or cognitive deficits related to prenatal marijuana exposure. Marijuana had no reliable impact on birth size, length of gestation, neurological development, or the occurrence of physical abnormalities. The administration of hundreds of tests to older children has revealed only minor differences between offspring of marijuana users and nonusers, and some are positive rather than negative.

Marijuana hurts communities. Violence and other crime have been attributed directly to marijuana use.

This is a laugh. Pot is a depressent and certainly not a drug commonly linked to violent behavior. Now, there may be a link between violent crime and the drug trade, but that has nothing to do with teh drug itself. Indeed, drug-related violence is a byproduct of drug prohibition.

Marijuana-related illnesses and casualties overtax the health care system.

Like the rest of the claims made, there's no attribution and no supporting evidence. I can say that, in 1972, after reviewing the scientific evidence, the National Commission on Marihuana and Drug Abuse concluded that while marijuana was not entirely safe, its dangers had been grossly overstated. Since then, researchers have conducted thousands of studies of humans, animals, and cell cultures. None reveal any findings dramatically different from those described by the National Commission in 1972.

In 1995, based on thirty years of scientific research editors of the British medical journal Lancet concluded that "the smoking of cannabis, even long term, is not harmful to health."

So "stick that in your pipe and smoke it."

[Slavik44]

well marijuana should not be considered wonderfull, but perhpas decriminalization coudl be considererd. Then the police could simply ticket users and get on their way, however I wonder if it would cause an increase in use of the drug? As if more peopel are using it, we could see it as a cuase in more auto accidents then we would have to start MAPS, so people wouldn't lose their way on the road.

[Alliance Fanatic]

The cops, of course, can hardly be expected to be considered an unbiased source on the issue of marijuana. For them, the war on drugs means more money to fund anti-drung task forces and fancy SWAT teams for "COPS"-style raids on grow-ops.

Nevermind that much of the "harmful effects of marijuana" cited by the Cowtown cops are not supported by the evidence.

Yeah you know their just out their on the streets risking their lives to make sure that your safe from thugs on the street. Did you look at any of the links dealing with marijauna. Besides that Police Constables have to deal with the horrible effects of social liberalism in the downtown core every day.

I am supportive of decriminalizing only small amounts of marijuana, that is it.

Like the rest of the claims made, there's no attribution and no supporting evidence. I can say that, in 1972, after reviewing the scientific evidence, the National Commission on Marihuana and Drug Abuse concluded that while marijuana was not entirely safe, its dangers had been grossly overstated. Since then, researchers have conducted thousands of studies of humans, animals, and cell cultures. None reveal any findings dramatically different from those described by the National Commission in 1972.

Thats from 30 years ago. I had a friend who smoked marijauna in grade 8, now in grade 12 he's been arrested five times, and is basically a perma-fry. I blame marijuana dealers for his demise.

[caesar]

Since when are cops medical experts. Marijuana is a good drug for many uses. Like any drug it can be abused.

It has less dangerous side effects than many prescription drugs it can replace.

[caesar]

Jack Layton is not alone in his beliefs.

Quote:

Marijuana is the safest therapeutically active substance known to man. . . safer than many foods we commonly consume."

-- Judge Francis L. Young

DEA Administrative Law Judge

September 1988

[idealisttotheend]

Besides that Police Constables have to deal with the horrible effects of social liberalism in the downtown core every day.

I've spent some time in downtown Calgary and MJ is the least of anybody's problem, trust me. Harder drugs yeah, but there are more problems with drunks than potheads.

I had a friend who smoked marijauna in grade 8, now in grade 12 he's been arrested five times, and is basically a perma-fry. I blame marijuana dealers for his demise.

I went to school with a couple of people like that too. Actually in my personal experience marijuana does cause at least medium term problems with memory and learning when heavily abused (but that's just from two cases it's not scientific).

The fallacy is Post Hoc. Marijauna is likely not the cause of your friend's problem. If he is abusing it then he/she probably has problems that are leading him/her to "self medicate." They use marijuana to deal with problems in their lives or psychiatric issues. If it wan't marijuana it would be something else and even if it was nothing else they'd still have the problems. Of course they should learn better ways of dealing with their problems but like caesar said it actually can have fewer side effects than medication especially in young people.

[playfullfellow]

They should dicrimalize small amounts of marijuana. Why ruin a persons life for a bit of weed? I know people who smoke it once in a while and I know people who smoke it a fair bit. Aside from the guys that are stoned 24/7, I have not seen much long term ill effects. Besides, letting the personal users off with just a fine or losing their weed if they have too much would clear up a lot of space in our legal system. The police have far more important issues to deal with everyday.

[Black Dog]

Yeah you know their just out their on the streets risking their lives to make sure that your safe from thugs on the street. Did you look at any of the links dealing with marijauna. Besides that Police Constables have to deal with the horrible effects of social liberalism in the downtown core every day.

I read the links. It's the same tired propaganda that the drug warriors have been spewing since day one. Very little of it is supported by the facts.

Thats from 30 years ago. I had a friend who smoked marijauna in grade 8, now in grade 12 he's been arrested five times, and is basically a perma-fry. I blame marijuana dealers for his demise.

Correlation does not equal causation. And just because one individual goes chronic (most pot users use it only moderately), that's not an argument for continuing the draconian policies of drug prohibition (which, I should also point out, have done nothing to reduce drug use. Marijuana, as well as other drugs, is on the increase.)

[Alliance Fanatic]

Jack Layton is not alone in his beliefs.

Quote:

Marijuana is the safest therapeutically active substance known to man. . . safer than many foods we commonly consume."

-- Judge Francis L. Young

DEA Administrative Law Judge

September 1988

That's a qoute from what 15 years ago.

Besides that marijuana is not a wonderfull drug, and it should not be endorsed by any politician. If I were to tell kids to go out and drink and drive, I'd probably get in a load of shit. Jack Layton should'nt be spreading the message that its okay to do "soft" drugs, because it is'nt. At my school for example, about 1/3 of kids do drugs, most of them, if not all, are failing at school, have lost most of their brain cells, and will probably be working behind the counter at Mcdonalds for most of their life. Ask any police constable and they would say that marijauna is not a wonderful drug, and should not be legalized. It is also believed that marijuana is directly attributed to harder drug use, the reason why is some pot is spiked with harder drugs, in order to get users addicted. Most pot dealers also tend to deal harder drugs also.

Besides that I'd trust law enforcement officials any day over a left wing hot head.

[Hugo]

I believe in personal freedom. It is a safeguard against tyranny and the creator of a rich, vibrant and dynamic society. I cannot see how dictating to citizens what they may do with their own bodies gels with that.

It is a fact that marijuana is harmful. It does cause respiratory diseases and so forth, because inhaling any kind of smoke is bad for you. It doesn't matter if it comes from tobacco, marijuana, or a wood fire. The fact is, however, that many things are harmful. Junk food is harmful. Soda loaded with sugar and caffeine is harmful since the sugar causes diabetes and high caffeine doses can cause heart palpitations and nervous problems. There's substantial evidence that coffee is bad for you, BBC Radio 2 reported a few years ago that of the >1000 chemicals in coffee, 27 were tested on rodents and 19 found to be carcinogenic. Based on the incidence of traffic accidents, you could say that driving was harmful.

The point that I'm making is that life is full of risks. However, I believe that the best agent to assess these risks for themselves is not the government but the individual. By all means let them make an informed decision, but ultimately it is up to them. Certainly citizens can make bad choices, but it's their choice to make and I don't believe an all-powerful nanny-state should be mollycoddling citizens through life.

I say legalise drugs. I would definitely restrict access to children, as tobacco and alcohol are restricted now, because children are of diminished responsibility and so not yet able to make important decisions for themselves. I would also, as is the case with tobacco and alcohol now, conduct campaigns to inform people of the risks of these drugs so that nobody may claim they were unable to make an informed decision. You could pass a law stating that harmful substances must have a special tax levied on them which will pay for the public information campaigns about them.

Regarding the medicinal use of marijuana, I think it's irresponsible to be promoting reefers for this purpose. THC is available in pill form already, although apparently it's not potent enough. I think research should be directed at making a suitably potent ingested or injected vector of THC so that patients who need the drug can take it without running the risk of lung cancer, bronchitis and all the other harmful side-effects that go with smoking. A friend of mine was prescribed heroin and I don't remember the doctor telling him he had to use heroin of dubious purity with needles that may or may not be clean after he had liquified it himself with a teaspoon and lighter. Let's not add to the suffering of the sick with harmful drug vectors.

[Black Dog]

That's a qoute from what 15 years ago.

So? It's still valid.

At my school for example, about 1/3 of kids do drugs, most of them, if not all, are failing at school, have lost most of their brain cells, and will probably be working behind the counter at Mcdonalds for most of their life.

Maybe you should be looking at what else is going on in their lives. Again, correlation does not equal causation.

Ask any police constable and they would say that marijauna is not a wonderful drug, and should not be legalized. It is also believed that marijuana is directly attributed to harder drug use, the reason why is some pot is spiked with harder drugs, in order to get users addicted. Most pot dealers also tend to deal harder drugs also.

The "gateway drug" theory is yet another popular tool of the anti-pot crowd. It too, is a myth. What the gateway theory presents as a causal explanation is a statistic association between common and uncommon drugs, an association that changes over time as different drugs increase and decrease in prevalence. Marijuana is the most popular illegal drug in the United States today. Therefore, people who have used less popular drugs such as heroin, cocaine, and LSD, are likely to have also used marijuana. Most marijuana users never use any other illegal drug.

Besides that I'd trust law enforcement officials any day over a left wing hot head.

You hear that Hugo, you left-wing hot head?

Regarding the medicinal use of marijuana, I think it's irresponsible to be promoting reefers for this purpose. THC is available in pill form already, although apparently it's not potent enough.

Not only that, research is showing that other cannabinoids or combinations of cannabinoids show more therapeutic potential than THC alone. As well, pure THC appears to cause more anxiety, depression, or unease than the combination of cannabinoids found in the natural plant.

Smoking isn't the only way to ingest cannabis anyway. It can be cooked, too.