Decriminalizing Marijuana

[Smiling Moose]

Once again, our illustrious Prime Minister at his best,

Chretien was asked how it felt to have bills for decriminalizing marijuana and legalizing same-sex marriages as the exclamation points to his lengthy political career.

"I don't know what is marijuana," Chretien replied.

"Perhaps I will try it when it will no longer be criminal. I will have my money for my fine and a joint in the other hand."

Source: Canoe News

Spoken like a true statesmen.

[Mr. Chater]

amen to that one!

[Black Dog]

Cool.

Beats Harper's retarded statement about he'd rather his kids were drunks than pot heads.

[Pellaken]

if he does it, turnout for teenagers will jump 70%, as they all vote liberal cause "its cool"

[Kiraly]

Beats Harper's retarded statement about he'd rather his kids were drunks than pot heads.

Stephen Harper said this?

[westcoast99]

Kanada Dry

Edited August 11, 2015 by Gugsy

[westcoast99]

Cool.

Beats Harper's retarded statement about he'd rather his kids were drunks than pot heads.

Edited August 11, 2015 by Gugsy

[Neal.F.]

Chretien has been on a one man crusade to burn the social fabric of this country toi rags since he announced his long overdue and protracted departure from public life. he has made gay marriage and the legalization of pot the #1 issues on the country's agenda. he is an utter embarrassment and future generations will be left with the bill.

I have never seen two more bills get so much attention and priority from any government... even conscription and the GST were not rammed wthrough with the same sense of urgency.

And now, the horrible little weasel is about to re-admit Independent MP Jean-Guy Carignan of Quebec-Est to caucus. He's the one who committed the hit & run so

he could get his hair colouring done in time for an all-candidates meeting...... like saying gay marreiage is fine and smoking pot is cool, Crouton is once again setting a stellar example for youth.

The vast majority of caucus do NOT want this man readmitted, and martin has

said that he will kick him out again as soon as he takes over.

Paul martin is holding his first caucus meeting shortly. What is needed is a united front consisting of at least 80% of the Liberal caucus calling on crouton to resign immediately.

I won't hold my breath on that one. Chretien and his one running dog lickspittle Martin Cauchon both need to be awarded "the Order of The Boot".

[Black Dog]

ool? Are you an idiot?

Do you have any idea how dangerous this is for young people? It creates a lifelong addiction, because believe me, marijuana is addictive.

It makes students stupid. Worst of all, some people my age think its' "cool" to smoke pot. Which I hope you would agree that no one should be encouraged to smoke pot.

So when you have this complete moron of a Prime minister, saying he's going to do pot, it is completely inappropriate and inconsiderate to people who have an addiction to pot, and to parents who've had to try to get their children out of an addiction to pot.

Way to go, Jean.

You f***ing moron. 

Have you ever smoked pot, Gugsy? Apparently not, given you know nothing about it.

Instead of continuing to spread the bogus propaganda of the drug crusaders, why don't you try educating yourself on the subject.

Pot is far less dangerous than alcohol and tobacco (both of which are legal and totally socially acceptable). Pot is also no more addictive than booze (certainly less so than cigarettes) and the addicition is purely psychological. Now, do some people burn out as a result of chronic pot use? Yeah. But people also turn into raging, wife-and-kids beating alcoholics or deadly drunk drivers, yet there's no hue and cry to bring back prohibition (probably because they tried that and it didn't work). What it boils down to is you've got to be able to handle your shit, as it were.

I've got news for you: despite the right-wing paranoid fantasies about pot (which are legion) there are many, many pot users who live regular, productive lives. I know I do.

Maybe no one should be "encouraged", as you say, to smoke pot. But what gives you the right to dictate your beliefs to anyone else?

Oh and as for Harper:

"The Senate report really quite distresses me.  It's not simply that I think the recommendations are fairly radical, but I think they almost get to the point or border on almost advocating the use of marijuana," he said.  "As a parent, I simply don't share the view that alcohol is more harmful than marijuana ...  I would be a lot more concerned about my kids abusing pot than abusing alcohol," said Harper, whose children are 3 and 5. - quoted by the CBC, Friday, Sept 6, 2002.

Gugsy: if you're gonna come to play, boy, you better make sure your up for the fight.

[Hugo]

there are many, many pot users who live regular, productive lives. I know I do.

Hmmm. Are you only left-wing when stoned, or all of the time?

[westcoast99]

Have you ever smoked pot, Gugsy?

Yes Edited August 11, 2015 by Gugsy

[Black Dog]

Black Dog, you said yourself people should not be encouraged to smoke marijuana, so why are you pushing for legalisation?

Because I think it's insane that people can end up with a criminal record for "harming" no one but themselves.

Long term marijuana use leads to:

- Respiratory diseases such as chronic bronchitis.

- Changes to cells in the body which may signal the development of cancer. Cannabis smoke contains substantially higher levels of cancer-causing chemicals than tobacco smoke.

- Problems with attention, concentration and memory which get worse with continued use of cannabis and only partially improve upon quitting.

- An increased risk of developing cancers in the mouth, throat and lung.

- An increased risk of birth defects or leukemia in children exposed to cannabis during pregnancy. It may also disrupt sperm production and ovulation.

- Poor educational achievement and difficulties in learning.

- An increase in symptoms of illness in persons who suffer from heart disease, asthma, bronchitis, emphysema or schizophrenia.

Right back atcha...

Brain Damage

Marijuana is psychoactive because it stimulates certain brain receptors, but it does not produce toxins that kill them (like alcohol), and it does not wear them out as other drugs may. There is no evidence that marijuana use causes brain damage. Studies performed on actual human populations will confirm these results, even for chronic marijuana users (up to 18 joints per day) after many years of use.

In fact, following the publication of two 1977 JAMA studies, the American Medical Association (AMA) officially announced its support for the decriminalization of marijuana.

In reality, marijuana has the effect of slightly increasing alpha-wave activity in your brain. Alpha waves are generally associated with meditative and relaxed states, which are, in turn, often associated with human creativity.

Memory

Marijuana does impair short-term memory, but only during intoxication. Although the authoritative studies on marijuana use seem to agree that there is no residual impairment following intoxication, persistent impairment of short-term memory has been noted in chronic marijuana smokers, up to 6 and 12 weeks following abstinence.

Heart Problems

It is accepted in medical circles today that marijuana use causes no evident long-term cardiovascular problems for normal persons. Marijuana smoking, however, does cause changes in the heart and body's circulation characteristic of stress, which may complicate preexisting cardiovascular problems like hypertension, cerebrovascular disease, and coronary atherosclerosis. Marijuana's effects on blood pressure are complex and inconsistent as of yet.

Hormones

Chronic marijuana use has not been found to alter testosterone or other sex hormone levels. In contrast, heavy alcohol use is known to lower these same testosterone levels.

Reproductive Damage

No trustworthy study has ever shown that marijuana use damages the reproductive system, or causes chromosome breakage. Studies of actual human populations have failed to demonstrate that marijuana adversely affects the reproductive system. Claims that marijuana use may impair hormone production, menstrual cycles, or fertility in females are both unproven and unfounded.

The Immune System

Studies in which lab rats were injected with extremely large quantities of THC (the active compound in marijuana) have found that marijuana (in such unrealistically huge quantities) does have an "immunosuppressive effect" in those lab rats, in that it temporarily shuts off certain cells in the liver called lymphocytes and macrophages. These macrophages are useful in fighting off bacterial, not viral, infections.

But this is only for the duration of intoxication. There also exists some evidence that marijuana metabolites remain in the lungs for up to seven months after smoking has ceased, possibly affecting the immune system of the lungs (but not by turning the cells off).

This said, doctors and researchers are still not sure that the immune system is actually negatively affected in realistic situations since there are no numbers to support the idea. In fact, three studies showed that THC might have actually stimulated the immune system in the people studied.

Cancer

Smoking marijuana has the potential to cause both bronchitis and cancer of the lungs, throat, and neck, but this is generally no different than inhaling any other burnt carbon-containing matter since they all increase the number of lesions (and therefore possible infections) in your airways.

The Gateway Effect

Marijuana use has not been found to act as a gateway drug to the use of harder drugs. Studies show that when the Dutch partially legalized marijuana in the 70's, heroin and cocaine use substantially declined, despite a slight increase in marijuana use.

If the stepping stone theory were true, use should have gone up rather than down. In reality, it appears that marijuana use tends to substitute for the use of relatively more dangerous hard drugs like cocaine and heroin, rather than lead to their use.

That said, there are also benefits to pot.

Marijuana is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known. No one has ever died from an overdose, and it has a wide variety of therapeutic applications:

Relief from nausea and increase of appetite;

 

Reduction of intarlobular ("within the eye") pressure;

 

Reduction of muscle spasms;

 

Relief from chronic pain.

Marijuana is frequently beneficial in the treatment of the following conditions:

Marijuana is frequently beneficial in the treatment of the following conditions:

AIDS. Marijuana can reduce the nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite caused by the ailment itself and by various AIDS medications.

 

Glaucoma. Marijuana can reduce interlobular pressure, thereby alleviating the pain and slowing -- and sometimes stopping -- the progress of the condition. (Glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness in the United States. It damages vision by increasing eye pressure over time.)

 

Cancer. Marijuana can stimulate the appetite and alleviate nausea and vomiting, which are common side effects of chemotherapy treatment.

 

Multiple Sclerosis. Marijuana can limit the muscle pain and spasticity caused by the disease, as well as relieving tremor and unsteadiness of gait. (Multiple sclerosis is the leading cause of neurological disability among young and middle-aged adults in the United States.)

 

Epilepsy. Marijuana can prevent epileptic seizures in some patients.

 

Chronic Pain. Marijuana can alleviate the chronic, often debilitating pain caused by myriad disorders and injuries.

Each of these applications has been deemed legitimate by at least one court, legislature, and/or government agency in the United States.

Many patients also report that marijuana is useful for treating arthritis, migraine, menstrual cramps, alcohol and opiate addiction, and depression and other debilitating mood disorders.

The problem with marijuana smokers, such as yourself, is most refuse to admit they have a problem.

I have a problem right now with pot. I'm almost out.

Hmmm. Are you only left-wing when stoned, or all of the time

All the time.

[westcoast99]

I have a problem right now with pot. I'm almost out.

Edited August 11, 2015 by Gugsy

[Black Dog]

What a responsible person you are, Black Dog. Your priorities are spending your income on illegal drugs to give you a buzz.

Hey, there's people in this world who buy Celine Dion albums. I guarantee that does more harm to society and general good taste than I could ever do by buying the odd quarter. See, that's the beauty of this thing ya call "freedom": any fool can spend his money on any thing he wants just as long as noone else is harmed.

I smoke pot on occassion. I also get up for work every damn day, pay my taxes and keep my nose clean. I don't need some self-righteous busybodies telling me my business.

[Cameron]

Hot topic.

Let me ask you both. You have provided us with many counter-facts in this discussion. Which ones are the true legitimate facts? I know that I've heard of and read many studies that state the opposite of each other. How, then, can we be certain that we are taking the right path in this saga?

[Mr. Chater]

if he does it, turnout for teenagers will jump 70%, as they all vote liberal cause "its cool"

haha, i would have to agree, that would really screw up the Right's hope. haha, maybe then the Right Leaders would push upon another 'cool thing', and before you know it; it will be a war. haha

[Black Dog]

Let me ask you both. You have provided us with many counter-facts in this discussion. Which ones are the true legitimate facts? I know that I've heard of and read many studies that state the opposite of each other. How, then, can we be certain that we are taking the right path in this saga?

Well, the issue is clouded because there have been very , very few clinical trials done on marijuana over the years. Not to mention that many of the "facts" that you commonly hear about pot from drug crusaders are no more than paranoid, sensationalist fantasies (the "gateway drug" is a good example). The history of pot prohibition is tainted with such distortions and paranoia. Check out the documentary "Grass", which, though unabashedly pro-weed, gives a good overview of the history of cannabis prohibition. For example: many early anti-pot laws were, if you'll pardon the pun, smokescreens for placing restrictions on racial minorities (pot being extremely popular with Mexican immigrant labourers,black hipsters and other "undesirables" during the '20s). Anyway, it's an interesting subject but at the end of the day, I think the question comes down to: given that pot is so easy to aquire, even after 75 years of prohibition, wouldn't we be better off spending the money we currently throw away in the ultimately unwinnable war on drugs on other things?

[Cameron]

Good points BD