The 420 Poll

[Dr. Orange]

During the Summer of last year, I have gotten into the usage of Marijuana. I had some knowledge of the effects and hazards of its usage before hand but took the chance. I enjoy doing it even though I barely ever use it. Maybe 2-4 times a month. The reason is mostly because it's illegal and expensive. 

 

Now a week ago, a counselor gave a, I would say, "skit" over drugs in general. Now I really don't mind when one bashes Heroin or Methamphetamine because those are horrible drugs. It's just when he makes Tobacco look better than Marijuana someone gonna get slapped.

Now here where I live. You say you smoke and your an everyday Joe. Drink? Nobody gives what for. Smoke Pot? Your now a deranged bastard with a future of violence and satanism. That's the joke. Last I checked, I'm not evil or Satanic, and nobody can predict the future.

 

For a fact, that Marijuana contain no harmful chemicals compared to cigarettes, THC is a bronchial dilator (Basically a airborne cough drop,) Nonsmokers live about to equal the amount of years as a Marijuana user, and nobody has ever died from Marijuana overdose.

 

Now burning leaves and inhaling them is bad no matter how you do it. But isn't doing a 4:20 break is better than chain smoking jet fuel?

 

And why is pot more frowned upon than say alcohol or tobacco? 

 

http://patients4medicalmarijuana.wordpress.com/marijuana-info/marijuana-vs-cigarettes/

http://www.webmd.com/smoking-cessation/news/20121207/recreational-marijuana-health-effects

 

Thoughts?

[Snys93]

Lol, I'm mainstream.

 

I never smoked at all, so I don't know. I say go ahead and pass its legalization.

[The Shaper]

Marijuana, like anything that can be smoked, will harm your lungs, but I'm not against it for any possible health effects. I'm actually against it because it makes me feel good and relieves stress, which honestly sounds like a personal hell for yours truly. Feeling good? Disgusting. That's a do-not-want situation my friends.  In fact I am not against it whatsoever. Honestly, I think it'd be a much better idea to legalize it, if not for the freedom, but for the money. Think of all the cash spent keeping people in prison, and fighting the war on drugs, governments could put that for use on something else. Not to mention, think of the thousands of dollars coming out of shady transactions that the government does not see a penny of. If it were regulated, a lot more money could come out of it.

 

I'm also supportive of the classic arguments, since a lot of people are put into prison needlessly and it's easily a medium-risk drug at it's worst. Just as well, I'd like to see it legalized to help diminish the power of drug lords and cartels worldwide, but that's an argument for all drugs, and this is just marijuana.

 

So I say legalize it, let whomever wants to have it have it, since this pointless drug war isn't helping anyone nor is it restricting anyone. Not like I'll start using it if it's legalized anyway.

[Vy'drach]

I haven't ever smoked pot nor will I, but I think it'd be better overall if it were to be legalized, and taxed, like just about everything else is nowadays.

 

Now as to why it's so villified compared to cigarettes, that goes way back when to a time when there was the owner of a textile mill that just could not compete with hemp. It was a cheaper, better alternative to his product, and so he put out a lot of propaganda against it and anything associated with it, saying things such as, and if I'm lying I'm dying, that the use of marijuana would cause white women to want to sleep with black men. And of course other things like it'll make you into a blood-crazed serial killer and a satanist, those were other anti-marijuana propaganda messages.

 

And not saying you're guilty of this, HE, but I could really do without the stream of people that chant 420 and have no real idea what the story behind it is. Dunno why it annoys me as I have no part in the stoner culture, but g'damn does it bug.

 

I could also do without the slew of screen names I see daily with "kush" and/or "420" in it. That get's old after about the fifth one that day.

[Prince Elite]

I know people who have smoked the stuff and it has torn their lives apart. Mostly because their families reacted very badly to it. I've never touched the stuff, never wanted to, never will. But even if all they claim about it is good, I would never use it, and I've seen how it can tear people's lives in two. Personally I don't think it should be made legal for recreation. Amen.

[Xortberg]

>topic about pot

>made by "High" Executor

 

lololololol

 

It seems I'm in the majority boat here of people who haven't used it, but don't give a shit if other people do. It essentially serves the same purpose as alcohol, being a substance that alters your state of mind and being used primarily for recreation, but the difference is some people I know are pretty mean drunks. I've never met someone who got mean after getting stoned. From my personal experience, pot just makes you happy and hungry.

 

I'm curious, Elite. You yourself admitted that most of the cases where pot has "torn lives apart" was just because of families overreacting. In that case, why don't you support its legalization?

[The Shaper]

I know people who have smoked the stuff and it has torn their lives apart. Mostly because their families reacted very badly to it. I've never touched the stuff, never wanted to, never will. But even if all they claim about it is good, I would never use it, and I've seen how it can tear people's lives in two. Personally I don't think it should be made legal for recreation. Amen.

Well Elite, that's on them. If someone's family decides to react badly to marijuana use, marijuana can not and should not be blamed for that for the same reason that you wouldn't blame food because someone eats too much of it. Anyone who freaks out over pot use is probably ill-informed of it's effects, or thinks that consuming it will automatically turn their family members into hippies and lazy bastards who never leave home.

 

Otherwise, I'd like to know how it tears apart lives, if you'd like to explain that to me that is.

[Vy'drach]

  you wouldn't blame food because someone eats too much of it. 

 

To be fair, someone did successfully sue McDonald's for making him fat, from what I hear. Was many years ago, granted, but I did hear that.

[Drasiana]

That was a case of the guy suing McDonalds, not lobbying to ban chicken nuggets. There's a difference.

 

But yeah, as it's been said, a parents' shitty reaction to their kid smoking weed based on fearmongering media misinformation isn't the kid's fault, and blaming him for what his family did to him is sort of gross. MARIJUANA DESTROYS LIVES is a hilariously untrue and misguided statement. You'd be amazed at how many very successful people toke up once in a while. Some of the most productive people I know are at their highest productivity when they're stoned and, while that naturally doesn't apply to everyone, you have to consider that weed is like virtually any consumable in that it effects different people differently...but the vast majority of people who get stoned just wind up eating all the potato chips and giggling at stupid things. If someone is smoking so much weed that it impairs their daily life, then there is something in their daily life that is causing them to self-medicate with marijuana, just as an alcoholic might be drinking as escape from depression, so on and so forth. Again, isn't the weed's fault.

 

edit: your poll has no option between "frequently" and "i tried it once"

[Vy'drach]

My point was that people are able to rationalize things very oddly, and it was also a personal reaction compared to another personal reaction. The man, I believe his name was Caesar, believing it was all McDonald's fault that he couldn't stop eating it and got fat, and Elite's belief that it was marijuana's fault that the family reacted badly to it and tore the person's life apart.

[Prince Elite]

My point was that people are able to rationalize things very oddly, and it was also a personal reaction compared to another personal reaction. The man, I believe his name was Caesar, believing it was all McDonald's fault that he couldn't stop eating it and got fat, and Elite's belief that it was marijuana's fault that the family reacted badly to it and tore the person's life apart.

Well it did. Maybe the drugs themselves were innocent but the fact is, if people feel so strongly about it that they don't want you in their lives anymore. Why do it just to get a kick. Family or the drugs. Pick one. I'd rather have all my family then lose them over something like that. And even if they do make it legal, people are still going to feel the same way about it. My friend's family would not simply take them back because it wasn't illegal. For the purpose of my thesis, all legalizing it would do would make it easier for the situation to happen more and more. People have a strange mentality when it comes to drugs, sure. But changing people's mentality is extremely difficult. I know I'm never going to see weed as a good thing, so yes, my stance remains the same. All it is doing is making it easier for people to ruin their lives. People who have a genuine medical need can be prescribed it, and fair enough if there is need. But for recreation, the negatives far outweigh any positives. 

[Vy'drach]

Well it did. Maybe the drugs themselves were innocent but the fact is, if people feel so strongly about it that they don't want you in their lives anymore. Why do it just to get a kick. Family or the drugs. Pick one. I'd rather have all my family then lose them over something like that. And even if they do make it legal, people are still going to feel the same way about it. My friend's family would not simply take them back because it wasn't illegal. For the purpose of my thesis, all legalizing it would do would make it easier for the situation to happen more and more. People have a strange mentality when it comes to drugs, sure. But changing people's mentality is extremely difficult. I know I'm never going to see weed as a good thing, so yes, my stance remains the same. All it is doing is making it easier for people to ruin their lives. People who have a genuine medical need can be prescribed it, and fair enough if there is need. But for recreation, the negatives far outweigh any positives. 

 

 

However, the family is not faultless because they are freaking out about something for the sole reason of dated propaganda and stigma born from that propaganda. Not saying the person should have ostracized his family in favour of weed, but his/her family should not of had their head up their asses in the first place and used their cranium crammer and looked into the truth about marijuana, rather than using the "POT IS BAD BECAUSE PEOPLE SAID REASONS!" logic.

[Drasiana]

You realize that correlation doesn't mean causation, right? Like the fact that your friend smoked weed and had dickheads for parents doesn't mean that everybody else who smokes weed also has dickhead parents. Replace "weed" in your story with "any other thing that somebody could possibly like doing" and look at how stupid and even harmful that argument is. DON'T DO SOMETHING BECAUSE OTHER PEOPLE DON'T LIKE IT is the worst possible justification in of itself that you could use and "the negatives far outweigh the positives" is actually something that's been heavily disputed and even disproven in some regards here.

 

If your friend was a nice, outstanding dude who just happened to smoke weed--and didn't have some horrible glaring personality flaws--then the fact of the matter is that his parents were terrible fucking people and he should never had have to have "chosen" one over the other because a parents' love isn't meant to be conditional. The idea that he specifically "chose" weed over his parents here is also flawed: he was probably disgusted by the idea that his parents were trying to make him choose between their love and a plant and their petty attempts to extend their control over him.

 

I also don't know how "legalizing will only make these things WORSE" makes any amount of sense to you. Legalizing it will make people stop and consider that it wasn't as bad as they were led to believe it was.

[Prince Elite]

You know, I'm almost tempted not to respond because I know this will fall on deaf ears. However, it's for that reason that I must speak my mind. If you want to ask a question, ask it, don't insult me and THEN ask it.

Okay ladies and gentlemen. It all boils down to a simple question: Can you change mentality? 
Answer: No.

 

I can't convince you that weed is wrong nor can you convince me that is is good. Even if marijuana was legal, these supposed "dickhead" parents would still have kicked the person out because the mentality of it doesn't change. Just like how you will read this and think that I'm being stupid, and I will read your responses and think the same. 

 

Marijuana is illegal, first and foremost. People say how medically wonderful it is and that there are no health defects. Oh yes, but they don't tell you how you're 4 times more likely to develop heart disease when you smoke the stuff regularly due to lower blood pressure and increase in heart rate. Furthermore, dental problems, lung problems (three times more tar, and 50% more carcinogens than cigarettes) increased risk of lung infection, weaker immune system, brain development issues. The list is quite substantial and frightening. Now A lot of people will say "Well these were never proven, so it can't be true." That's what they said about cigarettes. These results don't just appear, they appear because there's something in it. Someone might say "Water gives you lung cancer" and they check the water and what do they find, NOTHING that does. (Unless the water was poisoned) These studies have found the potential health defects, but people don't want to give up their fix.

 

Now that we've gotten that out of the way. I will address the issues regarding mentality. 

 

In the example Dras so carefully labelled "Dickhead parents" a the parents kicked the subject out. It was for two reasons, one they were illegal, two, because they had a negative outlook on drugs. I asked them if drugs were legal, would they have done the same. Answer: Yes. They would have kicked their child out anyway. Note: my friend was 20 at the time. Later, it turned out that their youngest son started using marijuana because his older sibling had used it. The boy was 14. He is still part of the household. The older sibling was jobless, and using what little money they had to purchase the weed in the first place.

 

With this in mind and after seeing many stories on the internet revolving around the same thing. It has become painfully obvious to me that most parents, do not want their children to take drugs of any description including weed. This is because the mentality of it doesn't change. Even if weed were legal, the families would not simply think "Oh it's not illegal so it's okay."  I wouldn't want my children when the time came to be smokers at all.

 

You don't pick your family. That is a saying I have spent many hours pondering. It's because at the end of the day, regardless of the situation. They are your solid rock amongst the dirt that washes away in the foul weather of your life. I treasure my family above all, I would hope you all did too, and seeing firsthand how weed tore apart my friend's family because they saw fit to not only smoke weed in their house, but also in front of their brother, that is what my point is. It DOES rip families apart. and above all the things I love in this world. I love my family, and the thought of fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, brothers and sisters torn apart like that. Pains me. I would not value anything over my family.

 

If there was a coin that was placed in the middle of the road, and you were ordered not to touch it on pain of many severe repercussions  This coin is worth a small amount. Would you pick it up? Would you risk so much, for so little? Wouldn't it just be easier to simply leave the coin be and not take the risk. Sure the kleptomaniacs among us would go for it. But I would not. My mentality of the situation is that it's not worth it. When the poll comes, the mentality of your nation will be revealed and should the poll pass and weed becomes legal, then most of what I have said will be moot. But the fact remains that it does tear people's lives apart. And why go through that for such a small gain? Maybe that is just my opinion, but I'm entitled to mine just as much as you are to yours. 

 

In summation: I believe that weed is wrong, it tears families apart and therefore ruins lives. If it were made legal, certain families would still have negative opinions of it, and the issue would still happen regardless of legality. If it were made legal, then so be it your nation has spoken. But my thoughts on the subject remain and I think legalising it would simply enable more problems for society and families.

 

I wrote this because when you speak out against the tide, which I seem to be doing. You have be strong in your convictions and let your voice be heard.

[Xortberg]

You know, I'm almost tempted not to respond because I know this will fall on deaf ears. However, it's for that reason that I must speak my mind. If you want to ask a question, ask it, don't insult me and THEN ask it.

Okay ladies and gentlemen. It all boils down to a simple question: Can you change mentality? 

Answer: No.

 

No, you can change mentality. I, for one, used to be one of those people who thought weed was terrible and you should never ever smoke it. Nowadays, not only do I not think that, I accept my family members who do smoke it. Kinda like how I used to think the gays were the devil, mostly because I was a Christian who had been raised to believe it was a sin, and now I'm an atheist faglover. 

 

Because, y'know, my mentality was changed.

 

I can't convince you that weed is wrong nor can you convince me that is is good. Even if marijuana was legal, these supposed "dickhead" parents would still have kicked the person out because the mentality of it doesn't change. Just like how you will read this and think that I'm being stupid, and I will read your responses and think the same. 

 

Marijuana is illegal, first and foremost. People say how medically wonderful it is and that there are no health defects. Oh yes, but they don't tell you how you're 4 times more likely to develop heart disease when you smoke the stuff regularly due to lower blood pressure and increase in heart rate. Furthermore, dental problems, lung problems (three times more tar, and 50% more carcinogens than cigarettes) increased risk of lung infection, weaker immune system, brain development issues. The list is quite substantial and frightening. Now A lot of people will say "Well these were never proven, so it can't be true." That's what they said about cigarettes. These results don't just appear, they appear because there's something in it. Someone might say "Water gives you lung cancer" and they check the water and what do they find, NOTHING that does. (Unless the water was poisoned) These studies have found the potential health defects, but people don't want to give up their fix.

 

You list all these negative health effects, but don't cite any sources to back them up. And even so, just because some health risks exist doesn't mean we should stop people who want to toke up from doing so. I'd wager alcohol kills far more people than marijuana ever has. Same for cigarettes. And, if I may bring in a personal anecdote as potential evidence since I'm too lazy to waste my time looking up credible sources, I know SEVERAL people who smoke pot. Like, pretty much half of my family does. Compare them, who smoke only every so often, to my mom, who chain smokes cigarettes too much for me to count. Even if marijuana has some serious health risks, it's not addictive in the same way tobacco is.

 

Now that we've gotten that out of the way. I will address the issues regarding mentality. 

 

In the example Dras so carefully labelled "Dickhead parents" a the parents kicked the subject out. It was for two reasons, one they were illegal, two, because they had a negative outlook on drugs. I asked them if drugs were legal, would they have done the same. Answer: Yes. They would have kicked their child out anyway. Note: my friend was 20 at the time. Later, it turned out that their youngest son started using marijuana because his older sibling had used it. The boy was 14. He is still part of the household. The older sibling was jobless, and using what little money they had to purchase the weed in the first place.

 

Dras only referred to them as dickheads because she was assuming, as you led to believe, that he was an average dude who was just smoking pot on the side. If he was a 20 year old living with his parents using his only money to buy pot, that's a different story, and I imagine they'd have reacted the same way if it had been something like tobacco or alcohol. And if I'm wrong, and they would have tolerated them but not weed, the Dras was indeed right to call them dickheads.

 

With this in mind and after seeing many stories on the internet revolving around the same thing. It has become painfully obvious to me that most parents, do not want their children to take drugs of any description including weed. This is because the mentality of it doesn't change. Even if weed were legal, the families would not simply think "Oh it's not illegal so it's okay."  I wouldn't want my children when the time came to be smokers at all.

 

Stories on the Internet are not credible. Period. Especially stories regarding drug use.

 

I mean, sure. Some stuff you can take seriously. But unless you provide me with actual, credible sources for these sources that lead you to believe that the majority of parents would kick their kids out over something so trivial as weed, then I can't take you seriously.

 

You don't pick your family. That is a saying I have spent many hours pondering. It's because at the end of the day, regardless of the situation. They are your solid rock amongst the dirt that washes away in the foul weather of your life. I treasure my family above all, I would hope you all did too, and seeing firsthand how weed tore apart my friend's family because they saw fit to not only smoke weed in their house, but also in front of their brother, that is what my point is. It DOES rip families apart. and above all the things I love in this world. I love my family, and the thought of fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, brothers and sisters torn apart like that. Pains me. I would not value anything over my family.

 

The blatant attempt at making an emotional appeal here rather than try to provide any credible, logical argument kinda offends me. Look, don't like pot? Fine. Don't smoke it. Nobody's saying that if it was legal you'd have to, thus tearing apart your "solid rock amongst the dirt that washes away the foul weather of your life." And if you're submitting your personal anecdotes as evidence that it does tear families apart, the consider my personal anecdotes that me and my family get along just fine even though some smoke and some don't. Same for a close friend of mine whose parents smoke, and he doesn't give a shit. Because, you know, family is fucking stronger than that unless you have serious issues.

 

If there was a coin that was placed in the middle of the road, and you were ordered not to touch it on pain of many severe repercussions  This coin is worth a small amount. Would you pick it up? Would you risk so much, for so little? Wouldn't it just be easier to simply leave the coin be and not take the risk. Sure the kleptomaniacs among us would go for it. But I would not. My mentality of the situation is that it's not worth it. When the poll comes, the mentality of your nation will be revealed and should the poll pass and weed becomes legal, then most of what I have said will be moot. But the fact remains that it does tear people's lives apart. And why go through that for such a small gain? Maybe that is just my opinion, but I'm entitled to mine just as much as you are to yours. 

 

This is a terrible analogy, but I'll bite anyway. These "terrible repercussions" aren't a natural thing; they're repercussions that have been manufactured by an incorrect belief that marijuana can do this:

 

 

And most of those misconceptions come from the fact that it's classified as a drug much the same way cocaine or meth are. If it was made legal, sure it might take some time, but holy shit guess what? SO DID THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT. I know, classy. Comparing the struggle of a bunch of potheads to the struggle of blacks who were being discriminated against. 

 

But if you can look past the fact that they aren't equivalent problems, the comparison is valid in a way. There was a time when a white man marrying a black woman - or the reverse - would "tear families apart" even though it had been made legal. Sounds much like the claims you're making about pot, yeah? Now imagine how much different society would be if we'd just been like "Welp, we don't want our FAMILIES torn apart! Let's just go ahead and keep those interracial marriages on the illegal side of the law."

 

Are you beginning to see the flaw in your stance here? Change is necessary. We, as humans, have been changing the way things were done since FOREVER. If we had always been too scared of the repercussions to make the changes, we'd still think the world is flat. But guess what? We know the world is round, that the Earth revolves around the sun, that diseases cause sickness instead of demons. We're on our way to accepting homosexuality and atheism. Peoples mentalities? Those things you say can't be changed?

 

They're always changing. 

[Harlow]

I think it's matter of tradition. If those pretentious europeans discovered coffee, corn, potatoes and maryjane instead of coffee, corn, potatoes and tobacco; history would've taken a funny twist.

 

I would love it to be legal and for people to realize most taboos against this plant are unfounded. It's also funny to try to see people put tobacco in a better light. One's positive facts definetly outweights the other one. Marijuana is addictive in the same way shopping can be addictive (let's ban that by the way!) which, in the worst case scenario, it's being broke most of the time. I don't want to attack you nor what happened to you Elite, but do you think what happened to your friend would've been better is alcohol was in the scene instead? 

 

Plus, it isn't only for a buzz. Cordage, textiles, cement, paper, water cleaner, food (you eat heroine poppyseed, right? why not?). The point is the plant has lots of usages other than just enjoying it. And no, people won't smoke their clothes or puff part of their houses in order to get high because it's impossible. THC it's mostly present in lonely female flowers.

 

Netherlands did not burn when they legalized it. Nor Colorado or Washington (I'm hoping Florida comes next) and if those states grow prosper, hope the whole country realizes why.

 

BTW, it creates business oportunities, look at this!

 

And even though it's a silly comic, this is how I feel abotu commercial cigs. Heck I'm not even that against artisan natural tobacco (Most of the fat, brown ones. The ones bars for them exist)  Those made by a hispanic farmer somewhere in a Communist or Unsafe country.

 

[Faisul]

Concerning the effects of marijuana on health, there are so many contradicting papers on the matter that just looking at them without considering where they came from is a profoundly confusing exercise. However, without having anything to cite and straying into the dangerous territory of appearing to pull stuff out of my ass, my impression is that the amount of studies negative towards marijuana use sponsored by tobacco companies or the DEA or other agencies with a real big dog in the fight to keep marijuana illegal is vastly greater than those from neutral research institutions. It's almost as if there's a pattern to the many decades of stigma!

Having said that, we're still dealing with a psychoactive stimulant, which to purists means it's dangerous, and it very well might be on some level - but so is coffee. Coffee is a stimulant. Alcohol will wreck your shit, nicotine - along with the tar and carcinogenic crap in cigarettes - kills more people daily than goddamn war. The overwhelming impression I have from current research is that compared to all these things - even coffee - weed isn't going to slowly kill you. It'll make you hungry, chronic use will likely make you lethargic and forgetful, but the chronic use isn't iself a problem with weed unlike with nicotine or alcohol. Depending on the severity of alcoholism, withdrawal will literally kill you. They had to outright suffocate monkeys with nothing but weed smoke, no oxygen involved, to try to "prove" that marijuana can kill you.

[Dr. Orange]

Prince Elite, on 06 Feb 2013 - 04:27, said:

 

Marijuana is illegal, first and foremost. People say how medically wonderful it is and that there are no health defects. Oh yes, but they don't tell you how you're 4 times more likely to develop heart disease when you smoke the stuff regularly due to lower blood pressure and increase in heart rate. Furthermore, dental problems, lung problems (three times more tar, and 50% more carcinogens than cigarettes) increased risk of lung infection, weaker immune system, brain development issues. The list is quite substantial and frightening. Now A lot of people will say "Well these were never proven, so it can't be true." That's what they said about cigarettes. These results don't just appear, they appear because there's something in it. Someone might say "Water gives you lung cancer" and they check the water and what do they find, NOTHING that does. (Unless the water was poisoned) These studies have found the potential health defects, but people don't want to give up their fix.

Umm ... did you check the links?

 

I can't say any research was put into this statement. I mean if there was, please, post the links here for I know I for one would like to see this. Because ...

1st: Pot is a plant leaves. There is no tar in it whatsoever. 2nd: Not addictive for there is no Nicotine. Maybe for the effects. 3rd: No known immune system issues of brain development proven. Memory loss yes. 4th: Pot increases not decreases heart rate. Now lung problems and dental issues yes because inhaling any type of burned substance can do this. Even incense can do this.

Personally I prefer "Dragon's Blood."

 

All I really need to say here. Because everyone posted while I was at work. 

 

edit: your poll has no option between "frequently" and "i tried it once"

 Fix'ed just for you. :3

 

 

>topic about pot

>made by "High" Executor

 

lololololol

[Drasiana]

Okay ladies and gentlemen. It all boils down to a simple question: Can you change mentality? 

Answer: No.

 

Well we're off to a hilariously incorrect start. Hopefully I have time to respond to this before the public witch trials.

 

 

I can't convince you that weed is wrong nor can you convince me that is is good. Even if marijuana was legal, these supposed "dickhead" parents would still have kicked the person out because the mentality of it doesn't change. Just like how you will read this and think that I'm being stupid, and I will read your responses and think the same.

 

"I'm not willing to hear other people's opinions, so you shouldn't either. Also spouting completely inaccurate statements is the same thing as having an opinion."

 

 

Marijuana is illegal, first and foremost.

 

Except for the places where it isn't.

 

 

People say how medically wonderful it is and that there are no health defects. Oh yes, but they don't tell you how you're 4 times more likely to develop heart disease when you smoke the stuff regularly due to lower blood pressure and increase in heart rate. Furthermore, dental problems, lung problems (three times more tar, and 50% more carcinogens than cigarettes) increased risk of lung infection, weaker immune system, brain development issues. The list is quite substantial and frightening.

 

It would be nice if this included anything resembling a source.

 

Also funny: the part where medical marijuana is, y'know, prescribed to cancer patients.

 

 

It was for two reasons, one they were illegal, two, because they had a negative outlook on drugs. I asked them if drugs were legal, would they have done the same. Answer: Yes.

 

Wait, what? "They kicked him out because it was illegal" isn't a valid reason if they would have kicked him out anyway. That's a completely moot point.

 

 

They would have kicked their child out anyway. Note: my friend was 20 at the time. Later, it turned out that their youngest son started using marijuana because his older sibling had used it. The boy was 14. He is still part of the household. The older sibling was jobless, and using what little money they had to purchase the weed in the first place.

 

That isn't the weed's fault, it's your friend having no financial management skills. Lots of 20 year olds suck at that, by the way. It's not always weed they spend all their money on, sometimes it's My Little Pony figures or video games or fancy coffee. The point is weed isn't sitting on his shoulder going "buy me, buy me!" like some shitty PSA has led you to believe. The weed wasn't helping your friend with his laziness, sure, but it wasn't its fault, your friend was just lazy to begin with. Actually, it sounds like THAT'S why they kicked him out: they wanted to force him to get a job and learn to be responsible instead of smoking weed all day and letting mommy and daddy take care of him. And because you aren't a trustworthy narrator, being that yours is a singular perspective twisting your friend's story to further your own agenda on the internet, his parents could actually be many things: reactionary dickheads who are more worried about their public image than their son's health and safety, maybe parents who just want their kid to earn some responsibility, who knows. We don't and you might not either.

 

And you missed my point about "the choice". It wouldn't surprise me if your friend "chose" weed because he resented the fact that his parents made him fucking choose to begin with. If I was that kid I would interpret that as my parents not caring enough to help or understand me. Parents have put more effort into helping their children with, y'know, actual addiction problems like meth or cocaine or whatever that actually DO completely fuck you up, than what you make it sound like these parents thought.

 

But, you're an unreliable narrator, because you want to paint your friend in as good a light as possible and find a scapegoat for all his issues.

 

 

With this in mind and after seeing many stories on the internet revolving around the same thing. It has become painfully obvious to me that most parents, do not want their children to take drugs of any description including weed. This is because the mentality of it doesn't change. Even if weed were legal, the families would not simply think "Oh it's not illegal so it's okay."  I wouldn't want my children when the time came to be smokers at all.

 

Ah yes, stories on the internet: almost as accurate as Wikipedia and Fox News.

 

And uh, considering society equates illegal = bad and legal = good, in general, then yeah, the government saying "hey it turns out this isn't that bad so it's legal now" will make other people think "huh it must not be so bad because they legalized it". Obviously this doesn't apply to everything (see: gay marriage) but you're trying to pass off a specific opinion as the opinion of the masses.

 

Anyway, so here's a theoretical situation: Your future kid, who you don't want smoking ANYTHING AT ALL, becomes horribly addicted to Evil Weed and obtains All The Cancer and developmental damage. Would you boot them out on the street? Would you consider your child "damaged goods", rage against a plant, and then put absolutely no effort into helping or rehabilitating your child? Congratulations: you are also a Certified Dickhead.

 

 

You don't pick your family. That is a saying I have spent many hours pondering. It's because at the end of the day, regardless of the situation. They are your solid rock amongst the dirt that washes away in the foul weather of your life.

 

Except when they kick you out of the house and refuse to look at you because they refuse to help and understand you.

 

 

I treasure my family above all, I would hope you all did too, and seeing firsthand how weed tore apart my friend's family because they saw fit to not only smoke weed in their house, but also in front of their brother, that is what my point is. It DOES rip families apart. and above all the things I love in this world. I love my family, and the thought of fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, brothers and sisters torn apart like that. Pains me. I would not value anything over my family.

 

His family didn't apparently value their family over everything, because then they wouldn't have so effortlessly lost it. Even if your friend was a TERRIBLE MARIJUANA ADDICT, which isn't a real thing, then his parents were still dickheads for kicking him out instead of getting him help.

 

What I'm trying to say here is this makes no sense.

 

It's based on ONE anecdote about a guy you knew who suffered from "lazy-ass-young-adult" syndrome and now you're waxing poetic with bizarre metaphors and untrue facts you're claiming to be facts, but relieving yourself of the duty of sourcing by handwaving it away as an opinion. That's the funny thing about facts: they aren't the same thing as opinions and when you conflate the two you get a pile of nonsensical word salad about how your friend was kicked out because weed is illegal, but they would have kicked him out if it was legal anyways, because weed tears families apart because of coins in the middle of the road that aren't worth grabbing because your family is there to support you at every turn except for when they kick you out, and weed causes All The Cancer, but that's just my opinion and I won't hear anything else because it's impossible to change people's minds and that's why women and black people are still property, gays can't marry, and Mitt Romney is president.

 

Dude, we get it. You don't like weed. I don't care whether or not you smoke it, the point isn't telling people to SMOKE SO MUCH WEED BECAUSE IT'S SO GOOD FOR YOU, like anything it should be a personal choice and it's fine one way or another. What isn't fine, however, is spouting bullshit "statistics", posting rambling attempts at emotional manipulation based on an unreliable narrative, saying you literally think we're idiots for disagreeing with you, and then saying OH BUT THAT'S JUST MY OPINION AND OPINIONS NEVER EVER CHANGE EVER SO WELP. I know you feel sorry for your friend but I also don't think you fully comprehend his situation, why he was there, and the actual effects of marijuana.

 

edit: disclaimer about how bringing up sexism/racism/homophobia here isn't meant to be a comparison to weed legalization, but the claim that "human mentality can't change".

[DoctorAllosaurus]

If online gaming taught me anything, it's that I really hate that shit. "Hey dude let's play, oh wait gotta go smoke a bowl real quick", 30 minutes later, "kay I'm back" . STOP WASTING MY GODDAMN GAMING TIME STONERS!

[Milkyway64]

I care more about the show in this thread than I do about pot.

[Xortberg]

I aim to please, Milky buddy.

[Fana McCloud]

Okay ladies and gentlemen. It all boils down to a simple question: Can you change mentality? 

Answer: No.

 

My only reason in coming here is to laugh at this statement, I apologize in advance.

 

Bwahahahahahahahahahahahahahaaaaaaaaaa! *Dies laughing*

 

I think what you really meant is "Can you instantly change mentality by sprinkling magic pixie dust on someone?" because the answer to that is certainly no. But human history is a long epic of us learning to accept more and more things into our lives through the struggle to change minds. It shouldn't be legal because people will react badly? Tell that to all the black kids when the schools were integrated during the civil rights movement. MAN was the reaction to that harsh. Now black kids don't get squirreled away into inherently inferior schools because we learned to accept it.

[Sarita]

I got to the end of this topic and then was sad because it was over.

 

For the record, I am in the pro-Mary Jane camp. I could use some chillaxing.

[Drasiana]

I think you should add another question in your poll, HiEx, to ask how many of the EVIL WEEDLORDS here have been kicked out of their house because of the family-destroying side effects.