Poll: Majority of seniors support medical marijuana

[Xtremehkr]

Link (http://www.cnn.com/2004/HEALTH/12/18/medical.marijuana.ap/index.html)

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Nearly three-fourths of older Americans support legalizing marijuana for medical use, according to a poll done for the nation's largest advocacy group for seniors.

More than half of those questioned said they believe marijuana has medical benefits, while a larger majority agreed the drug is addictive.

AARP, with 35 million members, says it has no political position on medical marijuana and that its local branches have not chosen sides in the scores of state ballot initiatives on the issue in recent elections.

But with medical marijuana at the center of a Supreme Court case to be decided next year, and nearly a dozen states with medical marijuana laws on their books, AARP decided to study the issue.

"The use of medical marijuana applies to many older Americans who may benefit from cannabis," said Ed Dwyer, an editor at AARP The Magazine, which will discuss medical marijuana in its March/April issue appearing in late January.

Among the 1,706 adults polled in AARP's random telephone survey in November, opinions varied along regional and generational lines and among the 30 percent of respondents who said they have smoked pot. AARP members represented 37 percent of respondents.

Overall, 72 percent of respondents agreed "adults should be allowed to legally use marijuana for medical purposes if a physician recommends it." Those in the Northeast (79 percent) and West (82 percent) were more receptive to the idea than in the Midwest (67 percent) and Southwest (65 percent). In Southern states, 70 percent agreed with the statement.

Though 69 percent of those age 70 and older said they support legal medical marijuana use, less than half agreed it has medical benefits. Seventy percent of respondents age 45-49 said they believe in the medical benefits of pot, as did 59 percent of those in the 50-69 age group.

And while 74 percent of all people surveyed said pot is addictive, older respondents were more likely to think so: 83 percent of those 70 and older, compared with 61 percent of those aged 45-49.

Generational lines also divided those who have smoked pot: Just 8 percent of those 70 and older admitted having lit up, compared with 58 percent of the 45-49 group, 37 percent of those between 50 and 59 and 15 percent of the 60-69 set.

National polls in recent years have found majority support for allowing the use of marijuana for medical purposes.

Last month, the Supreme Court heard arguments over whether federal agents can pursue sick people who use homegrown marijuana with their doctors' permission and their states' approval.

The Bush administration has argued that allowing medical marijuana in California would undermine federal drug control programs, and that pot grown for medical use could end up on the illegal market and cross state lines.

The AARP poll of adults age 45 and older was conducted November 10-21 by International Communications Research of Media, Pennsylvania. The margin of sampling error was plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.

Copyright 2004 The Associated Press.

And why shouldn't old people be allowed to get stoned?

[oldschool]

Link (http://www.cnn.com/2004/HEALTH/12/18/medical.marijuana.ap/index.html)



And why shouldn't old people be allowed to get stoned?

because it's against the law dammit. I'm sick and tired of these liberal hippies thinking they are above the law, and that the laws that made this country great are to be trampled all over.

Weed is a gateway drug. This will lead to a new problem: meth addicted grandparents.

[Xtremehkr]

because it's against the law dammit. I'm sick and tired of these liberal hippies thinking they are above the law, and that the laws that made this country great are to be trampled all over.

Weed is a gateway drug. This will lead to a new problem: meth addicted grandparents.

Old Cranks? ;)

[oldschool]

Old Cranks? ;)

hahahaha :D


i think drug laws shouldn't apply to you when you get over a certain age (say 65).

[TimDaddy]

I find it pretty sad. My Mom worked in a factory for about 35 years, until she became disabled due to the repetitive work. She has been on every prescription pain killer, including OxyContin and Celebrex. She worries about becoming addicted to these hard drugs, and rightly so. I try and convince her to take a few puffs of week weed, and she won't touch in because she has been told all her life that it is evil. I'm not trying to get my mom high, I just want her out of pain. I'd rather risk getting addicted to marijuana than some of the crap the government is allowing the corporate pushers to sell.

[continuum]

I find it pretty sad. My Mom worked in a factory for about 35 years, until she became disabled due to the repetitive work. She has been on every prescription pain killer, including OxyContin and Celebrex. She worries about becoming addicted to these hard drugs, and rightly so. I try and convince her to take a few puffs of week weed, and she won't touch in because she has been told all her life that it is evil. I'm not trying to get my mom high, I just want her out of pain. I'd rather risk getting addicted to marijuana than some of the crap the government is allowing the corporate pushers to sell.

and this crap is causing strokes and what not. i have some friends that work for pfizer and eli-lilly (whose patent ran out not too long ago for prozac) and they make some cashola. billions of dollars made on drugs that are synthetic and haven't been tested long enough to know the adverse side effects.

and, marijuana is a a lot safer than alcohol in my opinion.

anyone can grow a plant...it takes a lot more time and effort to brew beer or make bathtub gin. :)

the only bad thing about herb is that it's illegal.

oh yeah, I'm not a liberal hippie in my eyes.

[Frump]

There is nothing wrong with weed! but there is something wrong with some people who smoke it. Some people can handle beer and some can't. It should be free choice.

Frump.

[wide]

It's a great idea giving weed to people. Certain symptoms of cancer is lack of appetite, and marijuana is a great stimulant. If it will make people eat, it's worth it.

[TimDaddy]

I'm definately not a liberal-hippy, and I have no desire, err.. little desire, to get high. Personally, I think the laws concerning marijuana should mirror the alcohol laws, but that's unrealistic. There's too much stigma for it to ever be available like alcohol. But, there is as much stigma on a lot of these pain medicines, so I think with enough pressure on our leaders, it could someday become legal in all fifty states for people who could really use it. Some of the most conservative people I know can't figure out why an adult who can buy liquor or go to Iraq and kill people can't smoke a joint in his own home.

[wdlove]

I happen to be in the age group of those polled by the AARP. It would be much better if it were regulated by the government just like any other drug. There are those that are very sick and the marijuana helps them. Why should they have to be a criminal to get medication that helps them. Alcohol and tobacco have terrible side effects, but they are legal.

[MongoTheGeek]

I think its a bit chicken-#*$@

Medical marijuana is a joke.

When they start calling for medical heroin I'll back it.

[BrianKonarsMac]

because it's against the law dammit. I'm sick and tired of these liberal hippies thinking they are above the law, and that the laws that made this country great are to be trampled all over.

Weed is a gateway drug. This will lead to a new problem: meth addicted grandparents.wow, you really are ignorant...

liberal hippies? grow up, take your stereo types back to grade school...

those laws make this country great? o my...

[BrianKonarsMac]

hahahaha :D


i think drug laws shouldn't apply to you when you get over a certain age (say 65). ya once you get over 65 you are too crazy to know what you are doing...so why have any laws apply to them? dude, i really hope you're just being sarcastic, cause you scare me.

[Mac|caM]

because it's against the law dammit. I'm sick and tired of these liberal hippies thinking they are above the law, and that the laws that made this country great are to be trampled all over.

Weed is a gateway drug. This will lead to a new problem: meth addicted grandparents.

More people die each year from alcohol than from dope. If you legalize something, you can regulate it, rather than indirectly supporting the black market for drugs in this country. At my high school, it is easier to get dope than to get booze. And no, dope isn't a "gateway drug". There are some things that are just dumb, like heroin and meth. Mixing everything that is bad for you (purified Sudafed, pure iodine, paint thinner, wood alcohol, lithium batteries, etc.) together and injecting it into your arm is never going to get legalized. Dope has legitimate medical purposes.

[Mechcozmo]

And no, dope isn't a "gateway drug".

Yes, it is. Nearly all heroin abusers have used marijuana before. Because it is so easy to make, compared to other drugs, it is widely abused.

I'm gonna try and watch this thread... my psychology class spent a long time on this topic.

[oldschool]

wow, you really are ignorant...

liberal hippies? grow up, take your stereo types back to grade school...

those laws make this country great? o my...

More people die each year from alcohol than from dope. If you legalize something, you can regulate it, rather than indirectly supporting the black market for drugs in this country. At my high school, it is easier to get dope than to get booze. And no, dope isn't a "gateway drug". There are some things that are just dumb, like heroin and meth. Mixing everything that is bad for you (purified Sudafed, pure iodine, paint thinner, wood alcohol, lithium batteries, etc.) together and injecting it into your arm is never going to get legalized. Dope has legitimate medical purposes.

guys i'm kidding...relax...i don't even live in your country.

i live in vancouver. telling me that weed is good is just preaching to the choir (although i'm sure some choir members haven't been listening faithfully to the pastor every sunday).

[Mike Teezie]

Old folks know there aint nothing wrong with smokin a little homegrown.

Like every other pinko, socialist, athiest, panty-waist liberal (that's tounge in cheek for those not attuned to sarcasm), I support leagliazing marijuana for medicincal purposes.

I even support legalizing it for non medicinal purposes. And I don't even smoke anymore, ever!

[Xtremehkr]

Yes, it is. Nearly all heroin abusers have used marijuana before. Because it is so easy to make, compared to other drugs, it is widely abused.

I'm gonna try and watch this thread... my psychology class spent a long time on this topic.

The same is true of alcohol. Why is alcohol still legal?

And the whole gateway theory has never been proven to be true. Psychology student or not, there is no reasonable basis for that claim. With the reputation heroin has there are deeper reasons behind peoples decision to try it.

Heroin should be legal as well, people need to learn for themselves.

[Xtremehkr]

ya once you get over 65 you are too crazy to know what you are doing...so why have any laws apply to them? dude, i really hope you're just being sarcastic, cause you scare me.

Once you've retired, who cares what you do at home. Would allowing seniors the opportunity to get stoned be as bad or worse than gay marriage?

[Apple Hobo]

When they start calling for medical heroin I'll back it.

Heroin was used for medical purposes. So there's your medical heroin. :D

[Dont Hurt Me]

Way i see it as long as weed is kept illegal it keeps all the low life drug dealers in business. If it was legalized it would be harder for minors to get, it would be safer and cheaper for the consumer and it give govt another source of revenue which at the moment they dont have. This would also free up courts and law enforcement to concentrate and spend our tax dollars going after real crime. Fact is this is political nonsense from some stupid law past years ago made under false pretense and current political correctness blinds the politician from seeing a real solution. So here we are.

[hvfsl]

The problem with weed is that it gets rid of your motivation to do stuff plus after several years of use it can cause mental problems.

Alcohol is good for you in moderation, but is more deadly if mis-used.

[neut]

pot is good for us mmmkay...

http://www.crrh.org/cannabis/


peace.

[sgarringer]

Yes, it is. Nearly all heroin abusers have used marijuana before. Because it is so easy to make, compared to other drugs, it is widely abused.

I'm gonna try and watch this thread... my psychology class spent a long time on this topic.

We're talking about matter of extremes here. I bet a lot of people who abuse heroin also talk on a telephone once a week. So maybe its telephone use that leads to heroin abuse.

I know a lot of people who smoke marijuana, and none of then have any desires to shoot up herioin. People who are interested in that would be irregardless of smoking a little pot or not.

[blackfox]

I have seriously fantasized about becoming a major recreational drug user if I ever make it past seventy.

I figure that at that point any long-term health problems associated will not matter and I can blame it all on senility.

I think I could get away with it, and party with friends like it was 1999 (when it is 2045).

Oregon has medicinal marijuana and is a fairly conservative state. It is best not to confuse the issue with recreational marijuana usage. I have no problem with either, but anything that can ease someone's suffering, with minimal side-effects is something that should be supported imo.

[neut]

I have seriously fantasized about becoming a major recreational drug user if I ever make it past seventy.

I figure that at that point any long-term health problems associated will not matter and I can blame it all on senility.

I think I could get away with it, and party with friends like it was 1999 (when it is 2045).

you'd have a better chance doing it now, then quiting after a few years... younger bodies rebuild themselves; a seventy y.o. body may just keel over after a few puffs if one is not used to it. ;)


peace.

[rainman::|:|]

I think its a bit chicken-#*$@

Medical marijuana is a joke.

When they start calling for medical heroin I'll back it.

Heroin has been used medicinally for a long time. Marketed by Bayer as shown above 100 years ago. It's still used in medicine today.

Of course you already knew, but morphine is just heroin, processed a different way. All of the opiate-based drugs are similar. They're the foundation of modern pain management. Opiates have been the standard in medicine for thousands of years.

Also of interest...
Cocaine is used medicinally during facial surgery. It has to be very pure, worth a fortune. They spray it on the soft tissues to do reconstructive work.

LSD has been used therapeutically since it's creation. Same with Ecstasy, although scientists are just now winning back the FDA's approval on testing... It was actually used in psychology for a while before it found the recreational market (mainly on the west coast and Colorado, in the early '80s).

Just about every drug, recreational or no, has a use. Pot is no exception. I'd rather see a grandparent on marijuana than celebrex... in fact, I do have a grandparent using marijuana to manage her cystic fibrosis. It's the only drug that's effective in painkilling, and it doesn't give her high blood pressure, or strokes, or orange pee, or any of the other side effects of synthetic drugs.

paul

[continuum]

Kindergarten is a gateway to grades 1-12. Uh oh. :)

This whole gateway drug thing is crap...like someone else mentioned earlier, most people who delve into heroin abuse have some underlying mental ailment like depresession or abuse of some sort. Yeah, there are those that will try it just for the hell of it. I have two old high school friends who went overboard on heroin...started snorting it then one of them started shooting. He was a successful graphic arts editor for Rolling Stone and Details magazines among others. He just liked to party and it grabbed control of him. It just depends on the person. Look at all the other idiotic things that people do in this world. It's like saying getting a driver's license is a gateway to high speed car chases through L.A. Alcohol, pharmaceuticals (legal ones), Afrin....people get hooked on this stuff too. Not with such serious repercussions but it's an example of how it comes down to the person and addiction.

If pot wasn't meant to be used for medical reasons, God wouldn't have put it all over this planet in such plain view.

[Jovian9]

How about Aspirin being the gateway drug?
You are taught that taking drugs makes you feel better........so whether or not it is legal or illegal, it is still a drug. And I'm sure most people get into Aspirin for aches and pains before they smoke weed.

Or how about life being the gateway drug?
How about the society you live in and the values you are taught by those close to you being the gateway to drugs, alcohol, crime, college, success, faith?

You're not going to do heroin b/c you smoked weed first. Seriously. Is it in the Recreational Drug Users Manual that in order to do heroin you must first train your body by smoking weed. No hard drugs until you smoke weed.

I did LSD long before I ever smoked weed. I drank a beer long before I ever did LSD. I smoked a cigarette long before I ever drank a beer. I had Tylenol, Excedrin, Aspirin, etc. long before I ever smoked a cigarette. I've done a lot of different drugs and weed was no gateway for me.

People (in general) are too quick to make excuses for other people to alleviate their own worries about things they deem inappropriate in their own lives.

[MentalFabric]

From the point of view of someone who [purely hypothetically speaking, of course :rolleyes: ] smokes quite a lot of pot -

a) it's not physically addictive, the only real addiction that can come from marijuana is the addiction to lazyness, but the elderly don't tend to do all that much anyway!

b) I've lived in London my whole life but am technically also an american citizen, so once when on holiday in florida (sanibel island to be precise), and had flu-like symptoms and a stomach ache, I was prescribed vicoden. I hadn't even asked for any kind of medication, let alone a fun highly addictive and damaging drug on which it is possible to overdose and die (not actually possible with marijuana). But in my opinion, Marijuana is a far, far, far better pain killer.

c) Medically vapourised marijuana has no proven physical downsides, and even those claimed are better for you than aspirin.

d) Do you really think old people like being old? I reckon' a whole load more of them would if they could all take marijuana. And the nice herby smell would replace that horrific stench the eldery have…

[wdlove]

I don't think that the smell of burning rope would be considered all that pleasant. At least that is my opinion.

I have taken care of a lot of the elderly as a nurse. They don't have an odor anymore so than any other age group. It's mostly about hygiene, but it can also be from illness.

[neut]

I don't think that the smell of burning rope would be considered all that pleasant. At least that is my opinion.

I have taken care of a lot of the elderly as a nurse. They don't have an odor anymore so than any other age group. It's mostly about hygiene, but it can also be from illness.

the plant actually smells very good (we're talking about real marijuana plants not that brown **** people call weed) ... and can immitate a sage or pine smell (also skunk and cat-piss, but you wouldn't be giving that **** to the ederly). when smoked it acts like an incense and can be quite enjoyable for all in the room. :)

as far as old people stinking ... everyone stinks; we just don't notice when we're around someone all the time. maybe we shouldn't eat so much meat? (http://www.travelwizard.com/healthwellness/mcdougall-articles-aug02-meat.html)


peace.

[wdlove]

A very interesting article neut. Timely article from travelwizard.com. Heard a discussion on the radio last evening about flatulence on airplanes.

[DickArmAndHarT]

I happen to be in the age group of those polled by the AARP. It would be much better if it were regulated by the government just like any other drug. There are those that are very sick and the marijuana helps them. Why should they have to be a criminal to get medication that helps them. Alcohol and tobacco have terrible side effects, but they are legal.

If marajuana was controlled by the goveremtn they, like most things would mess the drug up. It would ended up to be pumped up with chemicals abd become no different from ciggaretss.

[continuum]

If marajuana was controlled by the goveremtn they, like most things would mess the drug up. It would ended up to be pumped up with chemicals abd become no different from ciggaretss.

are you stoned now? marajuana ciggaretss goveremtn....

just giving you a hard time :)

[MentalFabric]

I don't think that the smell of burning rope would be considered all that pleasant. At least that is my opinion.

I have taken care of a lot of the elderly as a nurse. They don't have an odor anymore so than any other age group. It's mostly about hygiene, but it can also be from illness.

Everyone I know who has smelt nice pot burning likes it. People often comment that my room has a nice herby smell :-)

RE stinky old people, dude, it's most obviously true. C'mon, you can smell them a mile off. Like the obese stink of feces, they stink of decay -.-

[wdlove]

Everyone I know who has smelt nice pot burning likes it. People often comment that my room has a nice herby smell :-)

RE stinky old people, dude, it's most obviously true. C'mon, you can smell them a mile off. Like the obese stink of feces, they stink of decay -.-

You should try to respect your elders. It also depends on what you consider to be old. Not all the obese stink, like I said its a matter of hygiene. The smell of decay would come from end stage cancer that is on the outside of the body via a fistula of some type, another would be gangrene or death of tissue.

[whenpaulsparks]

i disagree with medical marijuana because (a) there are equivalent legal drugs out there, (b) it's illegal for a reason, and (c) its not like these people that are "needing" it are in serious pain and can't go on without it, its really trivial, and since it's trivial, why legalize it for medical use, just so (like adderall) it can get into the streets and sold?

while i disagree with it for medical use, i also disagree for general use (like tobacco and alcohol) because there is no good reason to legalize it. so that people can get high? that's part of the reason why it's illegal. its a gateway drug, like it or not, and look at it this way... the reason why cocaine/heroin/etc is not as big as it could be is because marijuana is illegal. people wanting to get a high start with tobacco and alcohol, move to marijuana, and then realize that selling/using/possessing is illegal, and thats about the risk that most people are willing to take. kindof like speeding. most people go about as fast that's illegal that they can go with little chance of getting pulled over (5-10 mph over), but only relatively few go faster than that. tobacco is harmful for you, so who says that they won't move on to meth? (when the biggest excuse of marijuana not being a gateway drug is that harder drugs are harmful, and marijuana isn't). so if you have a gateway "buffer" drug made illegal, whether its harmless or not, it will thwart harder drug usage. its statistics.

[Xtremehkr]

i disagree with medical marijuana because (a) there are equivalent legal drugs out there, (b) it's illegal for a reason, and (c) its not like these people that are "needing" it are in serious pain and can't go on without it, its really trivial, and since it's trivial, why legalize it for medical use, just so (like adderall) it can get into the streets and sold?

while i disagree with it for medical use, i also disagree for general use (like tobacco and alcohol) because there is no good reason to legalize it. so that people can get high? that's part of the reason why it's illegal. its a gateway drug, like it or not, and look at it this way... the reason why cocaine/heroin/etc is not as big as it could be is because marijuana is illegal. people wanting to get a high start with tobacco and alcohol, move to marijuana, and then realize that selling/using/possessing is illegal, and thats about the risk that most people are willing to take. kindof like speeding. most people go about as fast that's illegal that they can go with little chance of getting pulled over (5-10 mph over), but only relatively few go faster than that. tobacco is harmful for you, so who says that they won't move on to meth? (when the biggest excuse of marijuana not being a gateway drug is that harder drugs are harmful, and marijuana isn't). so if you have a gateway "buffer" drug made illegal, whether its harmless or not, it will thwart harder drug usage. its statistics.

Have you read the thread?

[brap]

Refine it into a compound which doesn't have to be smoked (oh, how arcane, and bad for the respiratory system). Research into its effects upon the brain - I'm sure there are tens of thousands of willing volunteers - tax it, and distribute. Everyone wins.

While this is what I believe should happen, I don't care whether or not it's being distributed medicinally. It's no different to these herbalist Oriental ****** remedies, ground up horns and bear bile, or acupuncture, or whatever.

Course, that'll only be cool if smoking is totally banned in public...

[sgarringer]

i disagree with medical marijuana because (a) there are equivalent legal drugs out there, (b) it's illegal for a reason, and (c) its not like these people that are "needing" it are in serious pain and can't go on without it, its really trivial, and since it's trivial, why legalize it for medical use, just so (like adderall) it can get into the streets and sold?

while i disagree with it for medical use, i also disagree for general use (like tobacco and alcohol) because there is no good reason to legalize it. so that people can get high? that's part of the reason why it's illegal. its a gateway drug, like it or not, and look at it this way... the reason why cocaine/heroin/etc is not as big as it could be is because marijuana is illegal. people wanting to get a high start with tobacco and alcohol, move to marijuana, and then realize that selling/using/possessing is illegal, and thats about the risk that most people are willing to take. kindof like speeding. most people go about as fast that's illegal that they can go with little chance of getting pulled over (5-10 mph over), but only relatively few go faster than that. tobacco is harmful for you, so who says that they won't move on to meth? (when the biggest excuse of marijuana not being a gateway drug is that harder drugs are harmful, and marijuana isn't). so if you have a gateway "buffer" drug made illegal, whether its harmless or not, it will thwart harder drug usage. its statistics.

Merry Christmas from the department of Misinformation!

You step all over youserlf when you state that tobacco and alcohol are a gateway to marijuana. If you arguement is that marijuana is illegal because its a gateway, then we need to outlaw those other substances.

Come on now. Use your head. People do what they want to. Marijuana does have uses that aren't covered by other, harmless drugs. Its one of a small number of pain killers that doesn't cause physical addiction.

Anyway, I've wasted enough time in this thread. Someone keeps deleting my posts here and in the threads on the war in Iraq. When I delete posts on forums I'm responsible for, I have the balls to email the person and tell them why... So far, 3 posts, 1 thread missing, 0 private messages / emails.

[MentalFabric]

You should try to respect your elders. It also depends on what you consider to be old. Not all the obese stink, like I said its a matter of hygiene. The smell of decay would come from end stage cancer that is on the outside of the body via a fistula of some type, another would be gangrene or death of tissue.

Why should I respect someone because they managed to live into decrepitude? 98% percent of people are jackasses, the elderly are no different. ALL obese people I've met reek. It's a lot harder to keep yourself clean when you're obese and/or elderly. I don't really care where the smell comes from… I'm gonna kill myself before I deteriorate that much. It's better to burn out than fade away :-P

[wdlove]

Why should I respect someone because they managed to live into decrepitude? 98% percent of people are jackasses, the elderly are no different. ALL obese people I've met reek. It's a lot harder to keep yourself clean when you're obese and/or elderly. I don't really care where the smell comes from… I'm gonna kill myself before I deteriorate that much. It's better to burn out than fade away :-P

If you are using the figure of 98% that would seem to be putting me in your description. That description is personally hurtful. IMHO I have met many and elderly and obese that are just as well kept if not better than the younger and thin. You may end up not being long for this world. :( :o

[Mechcozmo]

a) it's not physically addictive, the only real addiction that can come from marijuana is the addiction to lazyness, but the elderly don't tend to do all that much anyway!

It is addictive. Just like cigarettes. The chemicals in marijuana replace your brain's natural chemicals, and over time, your brain comes to depend on those chemicals instead of natural ones. True that marijuana is not as addicting as some other drugs, however it is still addicting.


b) I was prescribed vicoden. I hadn't even asked for any kind of medication, let alone a fun highly addictive and damaging drug on which it is possible to overdose and die (not actually possible with marijuana). But in my opinion, Marijuana is a far, far, far better pain killer.

Vicodin should not have been prescribed if you had not been in a situation that caused you major physical trauma. Vicodin is not highly addictive, but with continued use the hydrocodine in Vicodin is what you will get addicted to. Taken correctly Vicodin is not damaging. In fact, marijuana can be more so because when smoked it does a huge amount of damage to the lungs. You can overdose and die on anything. Drink enough water and you will over-hydrate yourself and various cells in your body will actually explode because they try and absorb all the water.

c) Medically vapourised marijuana has no proven physical downsides, and even those claimed are better for you than aspirin.
Aside from the addictive nature of THC, sure, and the fact that aspirin has been showed to do a large amount of things for you body that are helpful-- e.g. blood thinning

d) Do you really think old people like being old? I reckon' a whole load more of them would if they could all take marijuana. And the nice herby smell would replace that horrific stench the eldery have…
Maybe you should realize that death happens, age happens. You shouldn't try to find some miracle that will make your life perfect.


Refine it into a compound which doesn't have to be smoked (oh, how arcane, and bad for the respiratory system). Research into its effects upon the brain - I'm sure there are tens of thousands of willing volunteers - tax it, and distribute. Everyone wins.

There is a pill (forgetting name...) that is related to marijuana but is taken via a pill. It has been prescribed for a while, now, but some people claim that "smoking it is...uh... better....yeah..." (taken from a T.V. news spot done on some activist)

Course, that'll only be cool if smoking is totally banned in public...
Come to California. No smoking in public areas, only in designated areas. Little wonder why it smells better over here ;).

[MentalFabric]

[QUOTE=Mechcozmo]It is addictive. Just like cigarettes. The chemicals in marijuana replace your brain's natural chemicals, and over time, your brain comes to depend on those chemicals instead of natural ones. True that marijuana is not as addicting as some other drugs, however it is still addicting.

have you ever been addicted to pot then? I'm guessing not... :-P
personally, every other 3 months is drug free. I have no problem…


Vicodin should not have been prescribed if you had not been in a situation that caused you major physical trauma.

Then a certain Dr. in Fla. doesn't know what he's doing ^.^ but yeah. I realised this… it's kinda misleading how they have such mixed up policies :-P

Vicodin is not highly addictive, but with continued use the hydrocodine in Vicodin is what you will get addicted to. Taken correctly Vicodin is not damaging. In fact, marijuana can be more so because when smoked it does a huge amount of damage to the lungs. You can overdose and die on anything. Drink enough water and you will over-hydrate yourself and various cells in your body will actually explode because they try and absorb all the water.

Vicodin is highly addictive compared to the likes of marijuana… which i will maintain to the grave is not physically addictive. I do realise you can overdose on anything, but there's a difference between say destroying your bladder with alcohol and just ingesting so much of a substance your body juts can't take it on a mass level. With marijuana, you would 'white-out', basically pass out and become unable to continue smoking far far before you reach the limit your body can take, to awake within a few hours with no permanent damage.

Aside from the addictive nature of THC, sure, and the fact that aspirin has been showed to do a large amount of things for you body that are helpful-- e.g. blood thinning

uhuh, CBD's in marijuana are physically healing. I was comparing NEGATIVE side effects.

Maybe you should realize that death happens, age happens. You shouldn't try to find some miracle that will make your life perfect.

Yeah, i know dude, life sucks/isn't worth living/likely nothing would make life perfect, but I'm not looking for one… I just happen to think that it's wiser to spend what little time you have experimenting than trying to extend your worthless life by limiting it further

[Xtremehkr]

Oh well, it had a pretty good run before becoming political.

Couldn't this have been a medical debate.

Cannabis is one of the worlds oldest known medicines. Chinese Emperors wrote about the medicinal qualities of cannabis thousands of years ago.

[solvs]

If you are using the figure of 98% that would seem to be putting me in your description.
From what little I know of you wdlove, you seem to be in the other 2%. I am pleasantly surprised at your open-mindedness on this issue, and not resorting to being like the 98% MentalFabric is complaining about. Despite the fact that he seems to be becoming that which he claims to hate. Were I not afraid of being banned, I'm not sure I would show such restratint.

This is a tough issue, and there are no easy answers. I'm not sure I've made up my mind on the subject, but it does seem to have it's postives, and fewer negatives than I would have thought. I appreciate the discussion... trolls notwithstanding.

[Mechcozmo]

Yeah, i know dude, life sucks/isn't worth living/likely nothing would make life perfect, but I'm not looking for one… I just happen to think that it's wiser to spend what little time you have experimenting than trying to extend your worthless life by limiting it further

Wow. I really hope that you get some help because my life sure as hell isn't worthless. And what if I experiment with murder? Or if I mix two drugs and kill myself at the age of 20? To quote The Restaurant at the End of the Universe:
"Life is wasted on the living"
Zaphod's great grandfather says this (he is a ghost). It makes a lot of sense when I hear something like "life isn't worth living" etc.

[neut]

Over the top in your reply. No name calling. Reported.

ah ... the kid's fine. nothing a good PM can't fix. ;)

at least this isn't the highway (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=road+rage+shotgun&spell=1) where we can pulll shotguns on each other. :D

marijuana's legality is a dead horse. we all (i.e. those who know what the **** they're doing) know the benefits of it far out weight the use by morons who cannot control themselves ('addicts' ... btw im an alcoholic by nature so i know what addition is and it's all in our ****ing heads ... what isn't?). the only real opponents are the lumber, cotton, petroleum, and prescription drug industries ... which this plant could very well tame.

if all else was wiped out (within plant and human sustaining reason) ... this plant could very well carry us into the next evolution.


so, why is it illegal? oh yeah, because some morons think we would go around murdering everyone if murder wasn't illegal. the same people who think of all the other **** people are thinking up in their heads that is perverse and grotesque so they can make it illegal. you know ... republicans. :) hey, we're already in the political threads here. ;)

all things die. stop worrying about it. and all will make much more sense. :) it's just plant.


peace.

[Awimoway]

I have chronic pain issues -- sciatica from herniated disks, high arches in my feet, arthritis, etc., and I have tried a lot of different treatments. Of everything I've tried, the only one that comes close to helping is marijuana. It's not without its side effects, either, but some of those can be avoided. Ingestion avoids the risks of smoking (and the hazards of smoking it are a bit overblown in my opinion, but I digress), and the effects last three times as long, which is useful for my purposes, at least.

As someone pointed out in an article I read several months ago, the problem with legalizing marijuana for medicinal purposes is that it's also fun, and that makes people very suspicious of it.