Mary Jane

[Crucial]

Its not illegal in all countries so I hope this doesnt get deleted because its "drug related" but if so, ohweeel.

The back story

I was watching t.v and one of those Abovetheinfluence.com

comercials came on, it was a dog telling a girl to quit smoking pot because we never play anymore. I thought it was pretty sad, I figured they should use there money to battle against a more destructive drug like cocaine crack or heroin. So I went to the website to find out more information and leave an email to them suggesting they tackle a bigger problem. little did I know they were lying to the kids.

Taken from there website.

Marijuana has a chemical in it called tetrahydrocannabinol, better known as THC. A lot of other chemicals are found in marijuana, too—about 400 of them, some of which are carcinogenic.42

Pot affects a user’s judgment, motor coordination, and short-term memory. Weed can cause increased heart rate and make some users extremely anxious or paranoid. Smoking marijuana also causes some changes in the brain similar to those caused by long-term use of cocaine and heroin.43

Research found that students with an average grade of “D” or below were more than four times as likely to have used marijuana in the past year as students who reported an

If none of these "facts" upset you, then I might be overboard. Heres one I really liked.

Smoking marijuana also causes some changes in the brain similar to those caused by long-term use of cocaine and heroin.43

Research found that students with an average grade of “D” or below were more than four times as likely to have used marijuana in the past year as students who reported an A""

They use the word similair. So the sentence can be almost truthfull and cant be proved wrong.

Thats my 2 cents.

[Deptore]

The kids with the A average were just smart enough to lie.

[TheNewGuy]

Or smart enough not to do drugs. Or study so much they don't have time to party.

[Tantangel]

It causes similar affects being that it has those affects, just not a really high affect of those other drugs as per studies using various methods of cat scans and various other expensive medical tests. Nothing to really cause over the top extreme affects like withdrawals from the other drugs. The study with the students with a D average was done through anonymous polls in schools (basically a small portion of schools in the U.S. compared to the amount of people in the U.S.) and they asked what average grades and whether or not they used such and such drugs in their life and how often used. They basically just took everyone with that D average and compared it to those with C, B, and A average students rather than individually compared them to each category and said they were 4 times likely to smoke marijuana.

Now do those 'facts', as you say, scare me? If they did, just about every poll and average statistic would scare the utter living hell out of me. To be even closely accurate to an 'average', they have to poll about 10% of the population, the more people who take it, the easier it is to find an average, the less amount of people take it, the more likely it is you wont find a true average. So really their 'facts' are real, but there is a chance they could be taking them out of context just a bit like every poll ever presented to people by anybody and just like how you could have people in power showing polls of how they're supported doing such and such by taking a majority poll and then taking the area who supported you the most and how they voted and it could mean that the true average was 32% people supported you and the rest didn't, but because 98% of a population of 300 supported you, they used your poll average instead.

[Iyorvin]

That's like saying masterbation causes similar results as sex.

[L-A]

Or smart enough not to do drugs.

Got it in one.

L-A

[Calron]

Not really sure what point you are making. At first you seem to say that marijuana is not that bad for you, and then sympathize with its affects.

Not only does marijuana have many carcinogenics; it also has some components that are outright toxic to your system. The fact is, you don't ever really even know what is in the specific substance that you are using.

Marijuana blocks chemicals in your brain from flowing, resulting in a chemical imbalance and the short period of being "high". Then, when the drug begins to deplete there is an overflow of the blocked chemical into pockets in the brain which accounts for the "low".

To be perfectly honest, it makes me both roll my eyes and cringe every time I hear/see someone say that marijuana, or cigarettes are "not that bad for you". It is not a matter of who you are, or whether you think you have good judgment or something like that. Marijuana messes with your brain on a chemical level and its use will cause permanent effects. The effects of marijuana are proven; they aren't something you can have an opinion on. It is the same as saying that global warming doesn't exist, or that cigarettes don't cause lung tarring and thus damage and/or cancer.

[Iyorvin]

The irony? Mary Jane, or Cannibus, the actual plant, would of prevented many of the current global warming problems.

4.1 acres of trees converted to paper can be done with 1 acre of cannibus.

Save algae, cannibus is one of the greatest photosynthesizers(sp) out there.

The seed of the cannibus plant can be broken down into oil and refined into gasoline that can run in modern engines, while putting out 80% less C02.

Rope, rubber, plastics, can all be created from cannibus, except these ones can be broken down in less then 10,000 years.

Sorry, but if a few punks want to stoke up, it isn't my concern. So you will never hear me preach against it. The pros far outweight the cons, and the facts presented above in these posts weigh cannibus far to the extreme.

And comparing a global crisis like global warming to a person denying the effects of weed is extreme. Obviously it has some health benefits if doctors are perscribing it to patients......

[Pali]

Study of long-term health effects of marijuana that I found quite interesting: http://www.nida.nih.gov/ResearchReports/Marijuana/Marijuana3.html

And despite who is posting it, no, this site does not say "Marijuana's harmless", nor is that a statement I would make. However, I still maintain that marijuana does not deserve to be classified along with cocaine, heroin, meth, or even oxycodone in terms of potential for abuse and negative effects of long-term use.

P.S. Those AboveTheInfluence commercials I find rather pathetic. Telling kids not to smoke pot will not stop them from smoking pot, it will just mean they know jack about it when they do try. Abstinence-only education, when it comes to ANY activity, is freaking stupid. Educate people on the activity and the risks/benefits involved, then let them make up their own minds once you've given them the information they need to actually do it.

[TheNewGuy]

Iyorvin, there are cannabis plants without the "bad" chemicals in them. Dunno about the US, but in Sweden we grow them, and use them. Mostly burn to produce heat, energi etc.

And about marijuana and danger. It's far from as bad as meth, heroine, cocaine etc. But comparing it with that stuff ain't fair. Would be like saying; "Well, DDT ain't that toxic... Compared to cyanide!"

[inscribed]

...a global crisis like global warming...

sorry, writing that pretty much counteracts any sort of logic that was mustered in the previous paragraphs.

did i derail the crucial's weed thread? oh i hope so.

[Dale]

I had strait A's in school and I smoked pot. Actually it helps you focus. Problem is, it makes you focus so hard on one thing you often don't realize other things going on around you.

[Pali]

I had strait A's in school and I smoked pot. Actually it helps you focus. Problem is' date=' it makes you focus so hard on one thing you often don't realize other things going on around you.[/quote']

This is true. I find studying far easier while high because I can focus on it much more easily.

[Dale]

Or playing video games.

[L-A]

Placebo effect - you expect it to be so, so it is.

L-A

[Dale]

More of an observation than an expectation.

[Pali]

You expect it to be so based on past experiences of it being so. Not based on being told that it is how it should be.

[Bl3h]

Don't judge it till you try it.

[Deykari]

Just don't judge in general.

These threads annoy me, because unless they're made in a pro-drug or anti-drug forum, you'll always have people arguing for and against it, unwilling to have their view budged.

My view? Let people be. If someone wants to smoke pot, let them be - in my eyes, it's not any worse at all than drinking alcohol, which is considered a lot more socially acceptable. Can't remember who made the comment about smart people not taking drugs, but that's not true - there are reasons why people take drugs, regardless of any potential downsides, and just because you disagree with them that doesn't make them wrong.

For the record, I don't smoke pot, or anything else. The only drug I dabble in is alcohol. I am aware of the known negatives involved with drinking alcohol, just as I'm sure (at least, I'd hope) many of the people here who smoke pot are aware of any potential negatives of smoking it. Does that make people 'not smart' if they continue to use these drugs anyway, or is it just that you disagree with people using them because your own perspective is that you shouldn't be taking something that is potentially harmful?

Dey

[Tantangel]

I have to agree with Deykari on this (yes, hell JUST froze over, I'm not a newbie). If people smoke, let them smoke. You're not smoking around me are you? Exactly my point, why's it my business? The only time it'll ever become my business is if you're at my house or if you're my roommate or an actual RL friend and then I might interject and try to get you to quit, but only once will that ever happen (except for cigarettes, I REALLY hate people who smoke in a room with me and no ventilation). Drinking is definitely more socially accepted, until you drive somewhere while under the influence. I've gotten a few people to quit smoking cigs which their health has increased a ton since then as well. Everyone here will agree or disagree about the benefits/downsides of smoking marijuana though, no matter what.

Now is it alright that those facts may upset some people? Yeah, you're entitled to your opinion. That's the thing though that never belong on this forum ever and I'll put them down here: Religion, Political standing and what's illegal/legal in various countries. They can seriously turn out to be very bad flames and people acting childish. Now I'm going to get back to my worship of Discord and chaotic nature.

[Calron]

Drinking alcohol in moderation is not bad for you if you are over 25 or so, since your brain is fully developed at that point, nor does it have permanent effects.

Marijuana and cigarettes are not the same.

Saying that marijuana has beneficial uses does not prove anything. Herpes will also reduce the size of a tumor, giving terminal patients with metasticized inoperable cancer longer to live. So by that logic, how come people don't go out and try herpes.

[Tantangel]

Yeah, but alcohol in moderation is different than getting hammered every day or every weekend like most people do who drink. Never said Marijuana and Cigarettes were the same, I said that I have made a few people stop smoking them along with hating people who do smoke them in the same room as I am without ventilation. They may have a few similar chemicals in them, but not the same thing overall. Yeah, it has beneficial uses for people in pain mostly, the other affects it gives people can be achieved by doing other things. Like I said though it's your choice to smoke, not the rest of us. Yeah, Herpes virus can reduce sizes of tumors, but only for so long before it starts growing again. So yeah, it'll give them a few months more to live. But telling people to stop smoking marijuana is fruitless. Whether it's legal or illegal anywhere, the people who smoke it now will continue to smoke it whether you want them to or not. To be honest this thread needs to be locked, it'll go nowhere but down. Like Deykari said, if this were an anti-marijuana forum or a pro-marijuana thread, things could be discussed very easily. This is a game forum however, and there's people who smoke and people who don't and postings like this just don't ever do well. If you want to smoke, smoke, if you don't, don't. Otherwise no one will budge on their views of this topic unless by some miracle people decide that they'll agree one way or the other no matter what.

[Deykari]

Drinking alcohol in moderation is not bad for you if you are over 25 or so' date=' since your brain is fully developed at that point, nor does it have permanent effects.[/quote']

That's not the point. I drink more than a moderated amount of alcohol, aware of what damage it can do to me, but I do it anyway. If somebody chooses to smoke pot, aware of any potential problems, and it doesn't affect other people, I don't see a problem.

Different people have different views on whether drugs are right or wrong, which we're all entitled to. It's a pointless argument that's constantly brought up, and will continue to be brought up, because some people are more tolerable towards drugs than others.

This is a game forum however' date=' and there's people who smoke and people who don't and postings like this just don't ever do well. If you want to smoke, smoke, if you don't, don't. Otherwise no one will budge on their views of this topic unless by some miracle people decide that they'll agree one way or the other no matter what.[/quote']

Agreed.

Dey

[TheNewGuy]

Dey, you have spelled the last "Martineius" wrong in your sig.

EDIT: There, much better

[Mmm Coffee]

Herpes will also reduce the size of a tumor' date=' giving terminal patients with metasticized inoperable cancer longer to live. So by that logic, how come people don't go out and try herpes.[/quote']

I wonder if herpes patients are told that at their clinicals.

As for the herb discussion, my $0.02 is this:

If you're high and you want to do something completely idiotic (let's use the "I think I can fly" cliche) and you seriously injure or kill yourself - hey, I hope it was a great time buddy, but it's not my problem.

If you, in any way, harm someone else (I don't mean just physically either) - then it has become a problem. People making bad decisions give otherwise relatively harmless herbs a bad rep.

I occasionally smoke up but when I do it is when I have as little-to-no responsibilities that could be affected by sitting on the couch eating Ben and Jerry's.