Legalizing Marijuana
September 20, 2009 by Barbara Jacoby
Filed under Creating Happiness, Domestic Abuse
I have been hearing a lot of conversation about legalizing and taxing marijuana in California as a way of raising additional revenue to help resolve the budget crisis. Obviously, that is the way things are headed and after reading a certain news story this week, the push is on to do just that.
It is interesting that while the statistics show that the war on drugs has played a major role in the drop in crime in the US, police and retired judges and prosecutors see it as people’s lives ruined for small drug infractions. I guess that would make sense in accordance with how those who abuse alcohol are treated. Unless someone is involved in an accident that takes the life of another person, a drunk driver can rack up any number of arrests for driving under the influence and never have to pay for it in any way except monetarily. And for those who are drunk and beat up their family members, you will usually find them back out on the street the next day with all charges dropped because they will promise their families that it will happen again if they do not drop the charges.
But, there is another factor here that is not being considered and I am speaking from my own experience and for a great many other people that I know who have been the victims of domestic abuse. My ex-husband was an alcoholic and when he drank to excess, he was silly and would eventually pass out. However, once he started smoking marijuana along with his drinking, he became a mean, abusive person who had no problem beating up on me and putting a loaded gun in my face. I never fought back, except to try to get myself out of the direct line of the gun, because all that would do was make him angrier and meaner. And the next day when he sobered up, he was always so apologetic and sorry for what he had done.
So to all of those who are the big proponents of legalizing marijuana, I know that neither you nor your family members have been the victim of those who are users. More than likely, you are a user yourself if you are in favor of such a proposal. And if you are neither of the above, then I would appreciate it if you would take the time to learn more about marijuana and its effects before you would vote for such legislation.
I realize that money can buy just about anything for those who have the funds so it may not matter to the affluent users. I also know that many would argue that if they make marijuana legal and thus easier and cheaper to buy, then there would be even less crime but that is very short-sighted. Please stop to consider the number of marijuana users who also drink at the same time. What about those who move on to other drugs? And what about those who will end up not only ruining their lives but also the lives of many others because of what the drug can do to them?
No one knows what goes on behind closed doors so please consider how the real problems may actually grow by approving a measure like this just for the sake of more money. Consider how you would feel if you had a family member who was in harm’s way as a result. Not even one life lost as a result is worth all of the revenue that may be collected but this is just my personal view and opinion as I have been there.
I am interested in your comments.
I disagree with you that it was the marijuana that made your partner violent. I have seen it used for medical purposes for cancer patients and all it did was provide appetite, prevented nausea and no one got angry and put a gun to someone’s head.
If someone is angry and violent, they are angry and violent…..whether they drink, smoke pot or eat too much sugar.
Thank you for providing your opinion. However, I am the one who lived this nightmare for ten years and I know what he was like when he was sober – pretty darn great. But when he was drinking, he was initially funny and then sometimes became verbally abusive and then usually passed out. But when he added the pot to the alcohol, he became aggressive and mean and accusing and physically violent. and pleasenBelieve me when I say that sugar never brought about any anger or violence.
Hi Barbara –
Thank you for sharing your story with us. Please remember…many domestic violence perpetrators are charming and kind at times…but at the end of the day, they are still abusers. While drugs and alcohol can contribute to violence, abusers are abusers…and blaming abuse on marijuana or alcohol perpetuates non-accountability for abusers. While I understand and appreciate your opinion, your take on this subject can be very misleading to current victims who may read your blog.
Thank you so much for sharing your comments here. I understand what you are saying and do agree that this is often the case. However, in my particular case, it wasn’t. With my ex, we dated and lived together for a year before we got married and there was never even a hint of abuse. After we were married for about 5 months, when he had been drinking to excess and smoking pot, he hit me for the first time. And this was his behavior for the next 10 years until I left. Interesting to me is the fact that he often drank to excess before that first incident but never made a move to violence. And as I learned later, he certainly was not the only one who fits this particular pattern.
look we have outgrown the system. we have to move on and yet keep americas ways. We are a capitolist country we’re not in cuba. start with new ideas equal to the times we are in. we have to realize that we have a high national debt and need to get money flowing into the system without borrowing or raising that debt. we should modify some laws at to let the users use and keep a open mind. have exams to see if you are emotionally, mentally, and physical fit to obtain a license to smoke. and to keep the medical field happy, you give the pharmaceutical companies the rights to deal these drugs straight from the farmers. and then in return with all the income can then lower the prices on other expensive drugs that for example are given to cancer or hiv positive patience. this also creates more tax payers and less criminals. more tax payers, because of the marijuana users who have a record for using will now be wiped clean, and out of jail and apart of the work force. all the income should go to healthcare and our national debt. to solve the medcare problem i have another idea.
You are certainly entitled to your opinion and I thank you for sharing. But after having read the information provided in the other posts here, there is no way that I can ever vote in favor of legalizing marijuana now. Although we certainly need to generate new revenue, it should never be at the expense of the harm that would result to way too many other people. There has to be a better way. You indicated that you have another idea. If you wish to share, I am always open to having you share it here.
I cannot and will not speak for anyone else’s behavior nor will i take responsibility for it, regarding alcohol or marijuana. I can only speak for mine, as well as take responsibility for mine.
I have been a chronic ensomniac for as long as i can remember, since i was a teenager. I have tried every slepping pill made, prescription & over the counter….None of them worked, either they just did not work or the side effects were worse than not sleeping. I also have had Migraines since an auto accident. I am also a Breats Cancer survivor.
The only thing that i have ever been able to do, that has no adverse sideeffects, is marijauna. It makes me sleepy so i can ACTUALLY sleep…helps with pain…and with the Cancer, it was the only thing that helped my stomach(and many other side-effects) so i could hold down a couple ounces of O.J. .
I have never had a prescription for it’s use. I have never spent my rent or bill $ on it, i budget it in. If i have enough $ to get it after my bills are paid, cool, if not i’m S>O>L.
I have never smoked on a daily basis & do not ‘need’ to.
I also have never smoked when i had obligations of any kind…kids, work or school. Only on my own time & space.
Also, it was not the ‘jump-off drug’ that lead to other drugs.
I have however had problems with alcohol….It runs in my family. So i cut that short soon as i recognized that is where it was leading.
That of course did not stop me from being the typical CO-DEPENDANT and getting involved with alcoholics. Abusive alcoholics, who were abusive ONLY on alcohol….
Personally, i think alcohol should be as illegal as marijuana is now.
With penalties more stiff.
But if legalizing marijuana is a way of raising revenue, i am all for it!
I’d rather be able to buy it lagally (being legal…what a concept?) and help raise revenue ; Then to have my taxes raised or have my insurance premiums raised to pay for a healthcare plan that i wont even qualify for. I am under-insured, not uninsured…i don’t qualify for the new plan.
My insurance only pays $2000.00 a year, everything else gets applied to co-insurance or deductable. I cannot even get my follow-up treatments for my cancer because i cannot afford it.
This whole subject is a matter of personal accountability…and sadly, some people just won’t do that. I do not however think that I should be penalized for thier behaviour.
I am not in a position to judge what you need to do in order to deal with the health issues in your life. But I am in a position to tell you and anyone else who reads this that I am absolutely appalled to learn that you can’t get your follow up treatments for cancer because you can’t afford it. I wish I had the money to change that for you or that I could find a way to change this. Have you ever contacted a group like the American Cancer Society or one of the many others out there to find out if they can help you or direct you to some group who can get you the help you need to change this? If anyone has any ideas/suggestions about how we can help Teresa, please let us know or write to Teresa directly. This is a sad, sad commentary on the state of things for this to happen to anyone.
Thanks so much for posting your comments here. I really appreciate it and am glad that you shared it with someone else who may take a second look. Of course, I am glad that you let me know who was not the recipient although now that you mention it, might also want to think about his behavior when he mixes alcohol and marijuana. And thank you so much for indicating that you think that I am an amazing writer considering that you are an amazing writer in your own right. We will get together soon – I promise.
Some free info on reducing rashes & anxiety:
How to Prevent Rashes Caused by Anxiety
http://www.ehow.com/how_5023472_prevent-rashes-caused-anxiety.html
I can’t thank you enough for all of the information that you have posted here to answer so many of the questions that have been raised in my mind by the posts that I received. I never imagined that from the original concept that I had for the writing that it would head in such a different direction but I am so appreciative for all of the support that you have provided in helping everyone to learn so much more about the reality of marijuana usage. This is greatly appreciated.
For sufferers of anxiety – and anxiety changes the chemistry in your brain too – and can cause migraines.
Some people have been able to be completely cured of anxiety through implementing the steps outlined in the book Deadly Emotions by Dr. Don Colbert.
A healthy human is a human that does not have to be dependent on any substance – whether marijuana, alcohol, other illegal drugs, and legal drugs. If a person needs a drug to alter their state of being or control themselves then that is a symptom of a much deeper problem.
For the poster who uses marijuana to control anxiety and migraines. Total healing is when you don’t need any drug, legal or not legal, to control your anxiety or migraines. Total healing is when you have your mind, body, and spirit in such a state of health that your anxiety is a thing of the past and your migraines are completely gone. For you, marijuana is simply a band-aid that covers a sore in your called anxiety and migraines. Total healing is not having the disorders so you don’t need anymore band-aids.
Anxious thoughts completely change the body into a fight or flight response and this constricts the blood vessels in the brain which cause migraines.
To Karen,
Did you try Zyprexa for your son? This medication has no generic until 2012 and works really well for people who are dependent on marijuana or coke.
It works in a different way than Prozac and some of the other ones. It also has less side effects.
It can also be combined with Ecitlophrame – which does have generics.
Some patients don’t like taking some pharms because it keeps them from the ups and downs that they are addicted to. Many addicted to weed like feeling “high” and like the ups and downs.
The sad thing is when people introduce drugs and alcohol into their life – they find that life is “not as fun” or “not as exciting” or “not as funny” or that they cannot “relax” and “chill” without the drugs. And this is the sign of an addiction – this shows that the brain and body are now dependent on something external for an internally desired response. Due to this, many people will be addicted forever and not able to come off illegal drugs or legal drugs – all because they “smoked out” or “got drunk” in the first place.
Heather
For the poster whose son calmed down on marijuana… was it marijuana use that contributed to the bi-polar or chemical imbalance in the first place?
Once the brain stops producing “normal” chemicals due to a person smoking pot, using coke, or using a pharm – then the brain is a bit lazy and will not always start back up quickly.
Additionally, sometimes the body won’t restart at all. If a person has been using weed or medication of any kind for about 7 years – then all the cells in the body change too. These cells can even change their receptors – meaning that if someone uses pot for 7 years, then quits. They might act bipolar due to the chemical imbalance (maybe the tried to quit take on a job with drug tests). Then when the psychiatrist prescribes several on the market medications – some might not work because the patient no longer has the receptor sites because the body is actually so dependent on weed.
And then the person must go back to pot to “feel” and “act” non-violent. However, this could have all been prevented if the person did not do drugs in the first place.
Here is the key to the issue –
How many bipolar babies are there?
How many bipolar children are there?
How many are bipolar at 10 years old?
Notice that many illnesses and brain irregularities have appeared following the teen years.
Additionally, the US has more mental illnesses and personality disorders than many other nations in the world.
A huge wave of abnormalities have occurred now that the hippie generation grew up – and yes, drugs have to do with it.
Also notice how many people have diabetes and how many children have asthma and diabetes… many children end up with asthma due to parents smoking cigarettes or using marijuana.
I know of a couple whose daughter is diagnosed with mental retardation – the mother smoked weed during the first trimester. This couple would do anything to undo the damage – but they can’t – there is nothing money can buy or science offers to undue mental retardation.
Sometimes you have to ask the question about bipolar – which came first, the chicken or the egg? In the cast of bipolar – many times illegal drugs or drinking preceded the changes in the brain that led to bipolar or other disorders.
A movie that explains how the brain reacts to drugs or medications and also to thoughts, the environment, and various stimuli is What the Bleep Do We Know and most Blockbusters have a copy. This movie breaks down the science into a movie line and a cartoon with illustrations of what is happening… it is great to understand what happens in your body when you think a depressing thought, use medications, think lustful thoughts, think hopeful thoughts, or take illegal drugs. So many people have made themselves dependent on weed or medications from the wrong thoughts, wrong music lyrics, and wrong lifestyle choices then they spend their rest of their life needing some kind of medications or drug to undo what could have been prevented.
Many cases of mental illness and bipolar could have been prevented by not using drugs and making wrong lifestyle choices in the first place.
Learn how to talk to teens about marijuana in an effective way that works. Effective means that they actually listen, your delivery method worked. If you don’t make an effective presentation, they won’t listen. However, if you do the research and talk to them like the intelligent adults that they are growing into, they WILL listen.
How to Talk to Teens About Marijuana – So They Actually Listen
http://www.ehow.com/how_5021374_talk-teens-marijuana-actually-listen.html
I am very sorry to hear about your experience with someone who obviously sounds like my ex-husband.
However, I have to disagree with you regarding lumping everyone into the same category. Marijuana use does not constitute violence. Apparently the alcohol and drugs used together created a chemical imbalance within your ex-husband that led to unthinkable and unacceptable violence.
My son is a 420 patient. We have tried every drug available on the market to help with his diagnosis of being Bi-Polar. Everything he used made it worse. It went as far as making him increasingly suicidal. His mood swings on these other drugs were uncontrollable. I almost lost him several times. When we took him off of everything else and he started using the marijuana it was a complete 180. I have my son back. He is happy and can function in society now. He doesn’t drink alcohol. The combination would be deadly for him. I think we need to step back and see the whole picture before a judgement is made in the case of marijuana.
In addition….My boyfriend is an alternative healer. Through the healings I have received my son has received healings. However, the marijuana was key to getting his state of mind on an even level prior to the additional healings, to be effective.
I know violence. My son’s father ….. my ex-husband was an expert at domestic violence. After 18 years of marriage to this man I finally realized he needed to go. I kicked him out. My son supported this due to the violence he experienced from his dad.
I am not an advocate for drug use. However, when western medicine fails we need to look for alternatives. This alternative saved my son.
I hope you have a wonderful day.
Creators eternal love to you.
I thank you so much for taking the time to share your personal experiences with us. My purpose in writing my blog this week was to express my concern about the movements that are underway to legalize marijuana for the express purpose of increasing tax revenues. I chose to do so by relating my personal story in conjunction with those I know who had similar experiences. I did not lump anyone else into my story. I chose to present this subject in this way so that others might take the time to think about this matter and it was never intended to make any type of a statement about the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes.
I am little in the middle with this. I have two people in my family that smoke daily and know a number of friends that do so. My opinion on it though if it were to be legal like drinking or smoking cigarettes, where you can only put certain things into, There would be a list that the legal pot makers would have to do to make it “safe” for public use. People who buy it off the street often buy pot that is laced with some type of a drug that could kill you or make you trip out to the point where you could hurt someone else. That part of legalizing it I’m ok with the part that bothers me is that the only reason they want to do is so California can get the tax money that would be placed on it. The governor needs to think things out better than, cuz doesn’t he know people only smoke because its illegal. Once there is a price tag with taxes on that people will stop buying. Good way to cut back the problem of drugs but bad idea if you’re looking to get loads of money off it
Thank you so much for sharing your story and your reasons for wanting to legalize marijuana. You have a very valid point about the additives to street drugs that can be so very harmful to users. Interesting take on the reason that people smoke marijuana because it is illegal. I actually do see how that could be a motivating factor for some people.
I don’t have much to say on this matter other than the excuses made for the favor of alcohol. You say you’re husband became violent when drinking and smoking but was just a little cutie when he was just drunk. Coming from a family with real alcoholic abuse that seems kind of trite to me. Alcohol has caused so many more deaths and heartache than marijuana possibly could have ever done, not to mention the poor saps in backwards states that have to serve years away from their families for a dime bag. If we keep marijuana illegal then the only true and fair thing to do would be to prohibit the use of alcohol as well. And we all saw how that turned out. People getting murdered over barrels of bath tub gin, speakeasy’s which contained alcohol that was not approved by government nor healthy in any way. People began to see what a cash cow this whole drinking thing really was and lifted the ban. For money. I’m not trying to belittle what you went through, abuse is one of the hardest parts of life, but to say it was marijuanas fault just seems wrong. People getting murdered over drugs is wrong, and I believe it is a step in the right direction to end a war that is not worth fighting anymore.
Thank you for your comments as you know what your experiences were from the abuse of alcohol in your family. I did not say that my husband was a cutie when he was drunk. Rather, I related what this one person was like under the influence of alcohol and how he changed when he used alcohol in conjunction with the marijuana. Alcohol is legal but that doesn’t mean that just because it is, we should legalize marijuana. You are right that many lives have been destroyed by the use of alcohol. For me, that means I want to fight harder to not legalize marijuana and any other drugs.
Marijuana has helped me in so many ways, from my severe anxiety disorder to the crippling migraines I get. I see the argument of the legalization of marijuana to be much like the prohibition era. Everyone thought the world would go to hell in a handbasket if alcohol was legalized. They legalized alcohol, a devestating, addicting and violent drug. But the safest and most helpful medicinally drug must still be illegal? A lot of people are truly ignorant of the effects of marijuana and the human body, I think if people were properly educated on this versus the effects of alcohol etc they would rethink their mindset.
I am so glad that marijuana has helped you since you have used it for medical purposes but I don’t believe that it should be legalized for use by the general population. Here again, I would like to refer you to the posts of Heather Inxs as shown above because she gave me an education about marijuana that makes me so much more opposed to its general usage than just the experiences that I had and those of many others that I know.
I smoked 10+ years, but I’ve quit for 2 years now. During those 10 years, on occasion I would smoke as well as drink along with many other friends and family members. NONE of us ever became violent. I no longer smoke because I chose to spend my money on other things. That does not mean that I am opposed to it- quite the opposite. From my experience of more than a decade of use, I’ve learned that it is a relatively harmless activity; certainly less harmful and addictive that using tobacco or drinking alcohol.
I’m sorry for your experiences, but I believe that this article is filled with the same cliches that non-smokers and closed minded people have been repeating for years.
-If your husband became violent it was because of the alcohol and NOT the marijuana, yet alcohol remains legal.
-The majority of people who move on from marijuana to harder substances do so because they were predisposed to addictive personalities, and found a ‘connection’ from purchasing their pot. If marijuana was legal, there would be far less exposure to the harder stuff. Not everyone who has a beer at Monday Night Football goes on to mainline heroin.
Now I, in turn ask of you, to educate yourself beyond your single experiences with your husband, and see that it is a far less evil substance than you’ve convinced yourself.
Thank you for your comments and the fact that you shared your personal experiences with the use of marijuana. The purpose of my writing was to share my personal story and those of others who I know who also have had an entirely different experience than yours. However, as a result of my writing, I received the posts from Heather Inxs as shown above and I now believe that this substance is actually far worse than I had originally imagined. She has provided a real education for me and for anyone else that may choose to read what she has written.
I need to respond to what you said about the info Heather gave you.
I know the negative effects drugs have on people & thier bodies. Try going thru Chemotherapy…..
I do not currently smoke it at all due to finances. Before that i have gone years in between without smoking, either because of no $ (which means that my health issues where not dealt with)or i simply did not want to.
Again, it’s a matter of personal accountability. I for 1 never did drugs when i was pregnant, EVER, all 4 of my kids.
Then can Heather explain to me why my 10 year old son was diagnosed with Bi-Polar at 3 years old? VIOLENT manic episodes you cannot imagine. The side-effects of all the medication they give for that far outweight marijauna.
I will tell you why. It’s not due to drugs, it’s genetics, passed thru the genes of the parents…etc.
SOme people are just predisposed to certain things, …addiction, being 1 of many things.
I will admit that some people who use marijuana or any drug to excess, can be susestible to other health issues.
People also use marujuana & alcohol to self-medicate.
But marijuana does not cause Bi-polar or any other mental illness.
I am sorry but I do not have the knowledge or background to respond to the questions that you have put forth here. Perhaps someone else can provide an educated response for all of us. If so, it would be greatly appreciated.
I think the idea that people label marijuana as a drug that causes, car accidents, murder, even rape is ridiculous, and shows how ignorant people are about marijuana, and the purposes it can serve other then “using it to get high.”
Whether you call it Hemp, Mary Jane, Pot, Weed; it doesn’t
matter. It is still Cannabis Sativa, or cannabis for short. And it is
still illegal. The use of marijuana as an intoxicant in the United
States became a problem of public concern in the 1930s. Regulatory
laws were passed in 1937, and criminal penalties were instituted for
possession and sale of the drug. “Marijuana” refers to the dried
leaves and flowers of the cannabis plant, which contains the
non-narcotic chemical THC at various potencies. It is smoked or eaten
to produce the feeling of being “high.” The different strains of this
herb produce different sensual effects, ranging from a sedative to a
stimulant.
The term “marijuana” is a word with indistinct origins. Some
believe it is derived from the Mexican words for “Mary Jane”; others
hold that the name comes from the Portuguese word marigu-ano, which
means “intoxicant”. The use of marijuana in the 1960′s might lead one
to surmise that marihuana use spread explosively. The chronicle of its
3,000 year history, however, shows that this “explosion” has been
characteristic only of the contemporary scene. The plant has been
grown for fiber and as a source of medicine for several thousand
years, but until 500~ AD its use as a mind-altering drug was almost
solely confined in India. The drug and its uses reached the Middle and
Near East during the next several centuries, and then moved across
North Africa, appeared in Latin America and the Caribbean, and finally
entered the United States in the early decades of this century.
Marijuana can even be used as “Biomass” fuel, where the pulp (hurd) of
the hemp plant can be burned as is or processed into charcoal,
methanol, methane, or gasoline. This process is called destructive
distillation, or ‘pyrolysis.’ Fuels made out of plants like this are
called ‘biomass’ fuels. This charcoal may be burned in today’s
coal-powered electric generators. Methanol makes a good automobile
fuel, in fact it is used in professional automobile races. It may
someday replace gasoline.
Marijuana has many medical purposes also. The cannabis extract
was available as a medicine legally in this country until 1937, and
was sold as a nerve tonic-but mankind has been using cannabis
medicines much longer than that. Marijuana appears in almost every
known book of medicine written by ancient scholars and wise men. It is
usually ranked among the top medicines, called ‘panaceas’, a word
which means ‘cure-all’. The list of diseases which cannabis can be
used for includes: multiple sclerosis, cancer treatment, AIDS (and
AIDS treatment), glaucoma, depression, epilepsy, migraine headaches,
asthma, pruritis, sclerodoma, severe pain, and dystonia. This list
does not even consider the other medicines which can be made out of
marijuana-these are just some of the illnesses for which people smoke
or eat whole marijuana today. There are over 60 chemicals in marijuana
which may have medical uses. It is relatively easy to extract these
into food or beverage, or into some sort of lotion, using butter, fat,
oil, or alcohol. One chemical, cannabinol, may be useful to help
people who cannot sleep. Another is taken from premature buds and is
called cannabidiolic acid. It is a powerful disinfectant. Marijuana
dissolved in rubbing alcohol helps people with the skin disease herpes
control their sores, and a salve like this was one of the earliest
medical uses for cannabis. The leaves were once used in bandages and a
relaxing non-psychoactive herbal tea can be made from small cannabis
stems. Also cannabis, as any other biomass fuels, are clean burning
and do not increase the amount of CO2 the atmosphere, therefore making
breathing easier for may people.
Attempts at legalizing marijuana in the US going on for a long
time. But just recently two states, California and Arizona, voted to
legalize it for medical purposes only, but the US government still
enforces the federal law, stating that federal law overrules state
law. As said by Dr Cliff Schaffer: “In all my study and review of the
information regarding this issue, one question keeps coming back to
me. Let’s assume – for the sake of argument – that marijuana has no
medical value whatsoever, despite the fact that it has a several
thousand year history of medical use and that a prescription drug is
made from its primary active ingredient. Let’s assume – for the sake
of argument – that all these medical marijuana patients are just
fooling themselves. Even in that case, what would we stand to gain as
a society by punishing sick people and putting them through an already
overloaded criminal justice system? Even if they are deluding
themselves-what benefit is there to prosecuting sick people?”
In conclusion to this, it is important to state that there
have been hundreds of studies showing that smoking cannabis is
potentially harmful to the brain and body and the same number of
studies almost, if not totally, contradicting what these have stated.
Get your facts straight before you dismiss the many uses of marijuana, which is nowhere nearly as harmful as methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine. You can’t overdose on marijuana. Stop making it seem like it’s the worse drug out there, when obviously it’s not.
Everything keeps referring back to alcohol/marijuana. There are a lot of marijuana users who NEVER drink alcohol in any form and I don’t understand why when talking legalization that alcohol is brought into the picture. The two are not comparable in any way shape or form, to group the two together is not a true representation. I am sorry for your abuse but in all honesty this is the first I have ever heard of violence being one of the results of smoking ganja, I would sooner blame it on the alcohol as to the smoke. Thank you for allowing me to voice my opinion.
I appreciate your taking the time to provide us with your point of view. Thank you so much for your feedback. I did not intend to compare alcohol to smoking marijuana. Rather I was relating my personal experience and that of others that I know who have experienced what happens to some people when the two are used in combination. With regard to the use of marijuana, if you wish to do so, I would like to direct you the information that Heather Inxs has shared above in her comments.
Maybe the public schools should mandate anatomy, psychology, neurology, and pharmacology – then this debate would be more understood. For instance, eating mold grown on bread in your home vs penicillin cultured in a lab.
I can’t begin to thank you enough for all of the information that you have shared here. My purpose in writing my blog this week was to express my concern about the movements that are underway to legalize marijuana for the express purpose of increasing tax revenues. I was hoping that by sharing my experience and those of others who have lived the same experience, I might be able to engage others into thinking about the issue. I never expected the response that I have received. I must say that I sincerely appreciate what you have provided here. While I am a child of the ’60′s and have seen the devastating effects that marijuana had on many of my friends at that time, I had no idea about any of the science behind the use of marijuana, how it is devastating to young people, the resulting healthcare costs, etc. You have truly enlightened me and I do hope many others as well. I am most grateful to you for taking the time to share all of this knowledge. It is appreciated so much more than you will ever know.
“Another study highlighted by officials, published in 2001, suggested that people who were not depressed but used marijuana were four times more likely to develop depression years later than those who never used the drug.”
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,155396,00.html
And if depression develops, depression rewires the brain structurally. And the chemicals released from the brain will contribute to issues in the brain – so even though THC isolated might help Alzheimer’s – that does not mean smoking pot will reduce Alzheimer’s. For instance, even though penicillin can help with the recovery from some conditions – does anyone grow mold on their bread in their home and eat it? No, they don’t. Why? Because penicillin is cultured in a laboratory so they can isolate what they need to make the medication. Eating mold will make you sick just like smoking marijuana is harmful to the brain. Isolated chemicals or fungus used to create a medication is totally different.
Here is a compilation of research gathered and explained by a former President Scholar recipient from Stetson University sent to various government officials and writers who were not educated on the effects of marijuana use on the brain or on the economy.
This is an excerpt from a letter to President Obama – #2 idea to reduce healthcare costs:
2) Educate the public about the health risks & mental risks that drugs pose.
Psychosis or mental illness that was in the DNA and brought out by pot or coke use is VERY costly to the governmen. For instance, if I break my arm, it will cost $6000 to have set … Read Moreand repaired. If someone were to have mental illness in their family and smoke pot and then have the illness manifest, they might need $500 to $1000 per month for their medications as well as $250 per psychiatrist visit and $250 per week or biweekly therapist visits. These individuals NEED their therapy and NEED their medications OR they will go back to the drugs or harm or kill themselves or their families.
Harmed family from a person who needs their medications will cost even more as those children because adults who need anxiety or depression medications and therapy themselves to deal with abuse at the hands of a mentally ill person who could not get their medications.
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Here is a letter to a writer who published without knowing scientific facts – based on popular opinion – democracy or popular opinion is mob rule – that is why the US is technically a democratic republic.
Dear Kathleen,
I believe that as a writer, your interest is to publish accurate information. I would like to share with you a cut and pasted… Read More weblink regarding marijuana and aggressive testicular cancer from this past week, as well as a post on a Dr. Phil website, recommending a DVD – What the Bleep Do We Know which shows in “Hollywood fashion” with a movie, animation, more special effects than the Triple X movie, and interviews (like national geographic) from some of the most brilliant scientists and researchers, and a cut & pasted set of research regarding marijuana and psychosis.
With all this said, marijuana use potentially costs our government millions, maybe billions, due the health effects, employment productivity losses, healthcare/medicaid costs due to premature births & birth defects due to drug use, and the cost of educating and treating young people with addictions. A teen addicted to marijuana attending Pace … Read MoreCenter in Florida costs taxpayers over $1000 per month and a teen at Stewart Marchman costs even more. Many of the teens have parents who also use or did use in the 60s or who are dealers.
It is my hope that you will at least research these links and articles, as well as watch What the Bleep for the movie version of an explanation that everyone can understand, and add links to the truth to your article so that you would not misinform or mislead readers. Marijuana is capable of damaging the brain’s receptors in a similar method as coke. Many people who have used marijuana or coke even once end up having problems with their brain’s chemistry in later years and end up having to spend thousands a year in pharmaceuticals. This drives up the cost of healthcare for all people and also taxes because many are unemployed and claiming unemployment and/or disability while still needing medications like Zyprexa which do not have generics and cost upwards of $500 per month depending on dosage.
I have sent this email in hopes that you will openly consider what I have cut & pasted to improve your wisdom & accuracy as a writer, as I believe that writers are critical people in our society.
If you want to contact me, please feel free. If you are interested in my background, I will be happy to provide more information. I have not completed … Read Moremy PhD yet; however, I have worked under some amazing professors in psychology, finance, management, technology, and education. I believe that you will find this whole world of research fascinating and I would love to see your future writings after your delve into these topics more fully, based on facts rather than public opinion, speculations, or popular myths.
The movie I mentioned can be found at blockbuster or rented on the online sites, NetFlix or Blockbuster. If you sit through the whole movie – the story line is good – the research amazing & the other information on the DVD is great. If you get the orange case one – it randomly selects.
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http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20090209/hl_hsn/marijuanalinkedtoaggressivetesticularcancer
Cut & paste from a Dr. Phil post:
Will send via another email.
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This is more information regarding marijuana.
Legalizing marijuana to pull CA out of financial crisis seems very short-sighted. I have worked with thousands of students, who when weaned off the marijuana in a special school costing taxpayers $1000 per month, were able to finally finish school or take care of their children properly.
There is … Read Morenothing sadder than holding a baby with a lifelong birth defects like developmental delays or mental retardation because his young mother did not know she was pregnant and smoked a bunch during the early term in the pregnancy. Many of these parents will also not tell the majority of people “why” their child is messed up either for fear of prosecution so thousands of children are born with defects with an “unknown” origination when the parents know fully and have told me, for instance.
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Legalizing marijuana will contribute to the rise of healthcare costs. It might be a quick fix for CA that will cost the US taxpayers and government for years to come. Using the reasoning, that it costs CA $1 billion to deal with drug users is a ridiculous argument to legalize it. http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20090313/us_time/08599188495600
Change … Read Morethe system to increase the fines – can confiscated drug money be used to offset costs too? When people are released from jail, take a portion of their income to “pay for their cost in jail” just like child support is taken out of paychecks. And if they don’t work, have it deducted from their tax returns or state assistance or disability. If CA wants to find a way to restructure things so their budget works better, they can – it will take more work and sacrifice.
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Here is an actual case study example – name removed due to privacy issues.
If someone has been using pot since a teenager like S on that show, then they do not learn to develop any REAL coping skills in life so that they do not NEED pot or alcohol to calm down, chill out, or deal with a bad day at work or any of the many emotional things that life will hand us.
The brain is lazy. If every time someone is upset, they grab pot or alcohol, the brain learns not to produce it’s own chemistry of chemicals used to calm a person down. Then as the years pass, a person will indeed NEED pot or alcohol to calm down. … Read More
Attributes like peace, joy, self control are behaviors that must be developed and worked out. It helps if someone has parents that are modeling these behaviors but it is also very possible to develop them through faith in God (Jesus) and exercising your fruit of the spirit.
If each time someone is upset, they grab for something external (pot, alcohol, yoga, chocolate, sex whether with their spouse or random partners) – the person is not developing the internal character and fortitude that lies within them (the fruit of the spirit for those who are saved).
These character traits must be worked out, usually through … Read Moretrials and tribulations which help us grow up emotionally if we handle them properly or they can stunt people into childish behaviors and addictions.
For instance, a breastfeed baby runs to a mother to breastfeed every time they are upset at first. Then they learn to rely on other things like toys, just a hug, or a kiss. Eventually, they learn to comfort themselves, many times by repeating what their mother told them like “this will heal” “you are strong” “it will be okay” “trust God” etc. And finally when they are adults and have children the cycle starts over.
Always running to pot or alcohol or using it for the duration of a lifetime is a clear sign of emotional weakness. It is the relying of something external to temporarily soothe what is going on internally. And this crutch is actually an idol on a spiritual level – people trust their pot and alcohol more than they trust God (Jesus) and a life spent … Read Morein this manner is going to be empty. Alcohol and pot are like water than does not quench the thirst. In fact, in my amplified bible Beersheba means Well of Oath, so beer is similar in meaning to well. Ironic, since beer (nor pot) is NOT truly fulfilling or people would not be signing in on this board to admit that they are adults STILL using it.
If you want see the effects of thoughts or pills or drugs on the brain in an easy to understand movie that actually explains the brain chemistry and science related to this, check out What the Bleep Do We Know from Blockbuster or go to the website. It is a movie with a lot of science and knowledge.
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March 13, 2009
Dear President Obama,
I do not believe that legalizing marijuana will contribute to lowering health care costs due to marijuana’s affects on dopamine production in users. As well as the lost productivity, memory loss, birth defects, unplanned pregnancy, and additional special schools and drug treatment centers needed to correct all the youth who will gain more access to this substance. … Read More
We wonder why the youth don’t “just say no” to drugs. It is because the adults and writers keep redefining drugs to boast economics and serve short-term short-sighted self interests. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1003570-6,00.html
Please reviews this research.
Thank you,
Heather Inks
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Actual Research – if you have ever worked with a psychopath or had a family member stalked or murdered by one – this will hit home.
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Study: Even Infrequent Use of Marijuana Increases Risk of Psychosis by 40 Percent
Sunday , July 29, 2007
LONDON —
Using marijuana seems to increase the chance of becoming psychotic, researchers report in an analysis of past research that reignites the issue of whether pot is dangerous.
The new review suggests that even infrequent use could raise the small but real risk of this serious mental illness by 40 percent…. Read More
Doctors have long suspected a connection and say the latest findings underline the need to highlight marijuana’s long-term risks. The research, paid for by the British Health Department, is being published Friday in medical journal The Lancet.
“The available evidence now suggests that cannabis is not as harmless as many people think,” said Dr. Stanley Zammit, one of the study’s authors and a lecturer in the department of psychological medicine at Cardiff University.
Marijuana is the most frequently used illegal substance in many countries, including the United Kingdom and the United States. About 20 percent of young adults report using it at least once a week, according to government statistics.
Zammit and colleagues from the University of Bristol, Imperial College and Cambridge University examined 35 studies … Read Morethat tracked tens of thousands of people for periods ranging from one year to 27 years to examine the effect of marijuana on mental health.
They looked for psychotic illnesses as well as cognitive disorders including delusions and hallucinations, bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety, neuroses and suicidal tendencies.
They found that people who used marijuana had roughly a 40 percent higher chance of developing a psychotic disorder later in life.
For example, Zammit said the risk of developing schizophrenia for most people is less than 1 percent. The prevalence of schizophrenia is believed to be about five in 1,000 people. But because of the drug’s wide popularity, the researchers estimate that about 800 new cases of psychosis could be prevented by reducing marijuana use.
The scientists … Read Morefound a more disturbing outlook for “heavy users” of pot, those who used it daily or weekly: Their risk for psychosis jumped to a range of 50 percent to 200 percent.
One doctor noted that people with a history of mental illness in their families could be at higher risk. For them, marijuana use “could unmask the underlying schizophrenia,” said Dr. Deepak Cyril D’Souza, an associate professor of psychiatry at Yale University, who was not involved in the study.
Dr. Wilson Compton, a senior scientist at the National Institute on Drug Abuse in Washington, called the study persuasive.
“The strongest case is that there are consistencies across all of the studies,” and that the link was seen only with psychoses — not anxiety, depression or other mental health problems, he said.
Scientists cannot rule out that pre-existing conditions could have led to both marijuana use and later psychoses, he added.
Scientists think it is … Read Morebiologically possible that marijuana could cause psychoses because it interrupts important neurotransmitters such as dopamine. That can interfere with the brain’s communication systems.
Some experts say governments should now work to dispel the misconception that marijuana is a benign drug.
“We’ve reached the end of the road with these kinds of studies,” said Dr. Robin Murray of King’s College, who had no role in the Lancet study. “Experts are now agreed on the connection between cannabis and psychoses. What we need now is for 14-year-olds to know it.”
In the U.K., the government will soon reconsider how marijuana should be classified in its hierarchy of drugs. In 2004, it was downgraded and penalties for possession were reduced. Many expect marijuana will be bumped up to a class “B” category, with offenses likely to lead to arrests or longer jail sentences.
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“Experts are now agreed on the connection between cannabis and psychoses. What we need now is for 14-year-olds to know it.”
We also need Americans who aren’t in the research labs to know it too. [my comment - Heather Inks]
If I could buy the world a joint…we’d be in a MUCH better place!
I have seen so many cases of the opposite effect that I find this
nothing more than propaganda, like all the scare tactics of the past.
I would like to refer you to the contribution below that has been submitted by Heather Inks. Thank you.
I thought about that after I submitted my comment that I may have jumped the gun and realized that you didn’t necessarily generalize everybody who uses marijuana in the abuser category. I do apologize and appreciate your perspective. But I do also believe marijuana is not even near as bad as alcohol and think it is unfair that is it treated as such. Would you think it would be a good idea to make alcohol illegal? I believe we should have a right to say what goes into our body and what doesn’t. Especially if it is something that grows naturally and you will NEVER be able to fully regulate. Our jails are filled with small time marijuana users who never really committed any crime except possession of it. It is time we start punishing real criminals and not small time users. Punish the abuser, not the user! It’s not fair to punish everybody for the acts of a few irresponsible people.
I think to generalize ALL marijuana users as abusive, is ridiculous! My brother has a medical recommendation because it helps with his muscle spasms, as he is a paraplegic from a car accident he was in when he was 15. He didn’t start using it till he was 18. He is one of the most relaxed, amazing and heroic people I have ever met! There truly are people who benefit from this NATURAL GROWING plant!
To state that hemp products were of no interest to the people is FALSE! Partly why Hemp became illegal, from my understanding and knowledge, because it would be competition with the wood and cotton industries. NOT because it wasn’t useful. Here is a statement I found on Wikipedia
“USDA Bulletin No. 404, reported that one acre of hemp, in annual rotation over a 20-year period, would produce as much pulp for paper as 4.1 acres (17,000 m2) of trees being cut down over the same 20-year period. This process would use only 1/4 to 1/7 as much polluting sulfur-based acid chemicals to break down the glue-like lignin that binds the fibers of the pulp, or even none at all using soda ash. The problem of dioxin contamination of rivers is avoided in the hemp paper making process, which does not need to use chlorine bleach (as the wood pulp paper making process requires) but instead safely substitutes hydrogen peroxide in the bleaching process. … If the new (1916) hemp pulp paper process were legal today, it would soon replace about 70% of all wood pulp paper, including computer printout paper, corrugated boxes and paper bags.”
Thank you so much for your comments. I am not exactly sure where I may not have been clear enough but I don’t think that I implied that medical marijuana was not a good thing. In fact, I never addressed that aspect in my blog. For what it is worth, I do favor medical marijuana. The problem that has arisen here in CA is in the manner in which it is dispensed. In addition, I did not state or imply that every person who uses marijuana is/will be an abuser. It is rather difficult to write everything in a one-page blog but based upon what I know, I would never share it with children or consider it to be a “recreational drug”. As for the hemp, perhaps there would be interest as part of the green movement although I haven’t heard it mentioned, but again, I never said that it wasn’t useful. I happen to be old enough to know that most people preferred other materials for their products whether or not it was because of the competition with wood and cotton. And if you don’t have a market for something then no one will be interested in producing it.
I think all 50 states should legalize and tax, marijuana, and I also think we should capitalize on the hemp. It’s good for clothing, sturdy backpacks, paper, shoes/sandals, and more… not to mention it’s medical use… Then since state and federal tax will be in place, it will help the debt status…
With the industry growing it will bring in more jobs, which means less unemployment, and then of course hemp production will help save trees and forests, which means a healthier environment all the way around… and since it’s easier on the environment, it’s better for human/animal life too… so, better all the way around.
Thank you so very much for your thoughtful comments. Medical marijuana has been legalized in CA and it has been a real nightmare. They have centers where people take their prescriptions for filling and there are all sorts of people hanging around and people bringing in fake prescriptions, etc. It has gotten so bad that they had to close some of them because they couldn’t be monitored due to shortages of police, etc. With regard to the hemp, it was used in manufacturing a variety of products many, many years ago but people were not interested in the products. I don’t remember why but I think that when a lot of the synthetics came into being, that was what people chose instead. It would be unlikely that manufacturers would spend the money to change out their equipment again in what might be seen as a return to the past.
I have never used marijuana, nor have I been involved with people who have. I can only imagine how bad it would be to add marijuana to drinking. Three of my abusers were alcoholics. And it really altered their state of being so much that I didn’t recognize them and it scared me. Adding marijuana would have been devastating. It must have been so scary for you and I’m so sorry you had to endure such abuse. The only time I took a drug when I was 14, I was sexually abused by my friend’s father and the whole thing was painfully bizarre. I never wanted to feel that out of control ever again. I feel like it would be giving up for them to legalize marijuana. Sort of like “if you can’t beat’em, join’em” kind of attitude. They have no idea how out of control things will be if they legalize marijuana. Drug money is not clean tax money in my opinion. It just feels dirty and terribly wrong.
When power and money are what is most important in your life, then I don’t think that we have much of a chance to get the legislators to listen. However, that is no reason for not trying. Thank you for your comments which show that you have an actual grip on the situation. I never have tried marijuana or any other drugs for that matter but I have seen the devastation that they do. Dirty money is right.
Your points are very well taken. However, I am not sure where you live as our jails are not filled with the small time users here in Los Angeles as they shouldn’t be. The users who are prosecuted are those who make themselves noticeable to the law and most often end up paying fines until they become repeat offenders by again making themselves visible repeatedly to the police. With regard to comparison to alcohol, based upon what I have learned, I do believe that marijuana is definitely worse even if it is something that is grown naturally. I have no objection with regard to what people put into their own bodies unless and until it infringes upon the rights and lives of other people.