August 9, 201313 yr http://edition.cnn.com/2013/08/08/health/gupta-changed-mind-marijuana/index.html Great article.
August 9, 201313 yr http://edition.cnn.com/2013/08/08/health/gupta-changed-mind-marijuana/index.html Great article. You're right, great article.
August 9, 201313 yr There were in fact hundreds of journal articles, mostly documenting the benefits. Most of those papers, however, were written between the years 1840 and 1930. The papers described the use of medical marijuana to treat "neuralgia, convulsive disorders, emaciation," among other things. :lol2: Treating the skinny folks with a case of the munchies.
August 9, 201313 yr Dr. Sanjay Gupta: Why I changed my mind on weed - CNN.com Great article. :lol: I thought you had changed your mind!
August 9, 201313 yr I'm a BIG anti drug guy...BUT...if "weed" has a legitimate purpose as a medicinal drug and can help people that have cancer, certain diseases, etc. then absolutely it should be used as a medicine. Why not? My only argument would be that people who don't need it medically shouldn't be smoking it in order to just "get high".
August 9, 201313 yr Legalize it, slap a tax on it and let's move on to more important issues facing this country.
August 9, 201313 yr I'm a BIG anti drug guy...BUT...if "weed" has a legitimate purpose as a medicinal drug and can help people that have cancer, certain diseases, etc. then absolutely it should be used as a medicine. Why not? My only argument would be that people who don't need it medically shouldn't be smoking it in order to just "get high". Why?
August 9, 201313 yr I'm a BIG anti drug guy...BUT...if "weed" has a legitimate purpose as a medicinal drug and can help people that have cancer, certain diseases, etc. then absolutely it should be used as a medicine. Why not? My only argument would be that people who don't need it medically shouldn't be smoking it in order to just "get high". Are you against people drinking alcohol to just "get drunk"?
August 9, 201313 yr I see zero downside to legalizing marijuana. I see two: We are yet to have a sufficient testing method for testing marijuana "intoxication". It stays in your system for days. Obviously, there are certain tasks and functions that should not ever be allowed for someone to perform while high on marijuana, but how to we know when we test them if they smoked weed five days ago, five hours ago, or five minutes ago? To the best of my knowledge, they haven't created a sufficient test for that that doesn't involve blood sampling and analysis. Makes the idea of a police officer's field sobriety test a nightmare. It could create more availability amongst youths. Sure, there are some youths who smoke pot right now, even when it requires knowing a dealer, etc...but when your older brother can buy it for you legally, or when you can "shoulder tap" someone at a gas station to buy you some pot, I could see its use becoming more prevalent amongst youngsters. Even the author of the article FKYW posted said that studies still show that weed is bad news for kids. Those two things being said, I'm still in favor of legalization. Put some money into researching and developing a proper marijuana intoxication test, and I say its a good thing.
August 9, 201313 yr ^To point #2, they already have easy access to it. Cigarettes are far more harmful to kids than weed would be.
August 9, 201313 yr I'm not crazy about the idea of legalizing marijuana but I do sometimes wonder if the billions of dollars spent annually between Federal, State and Local law enforcement agencies are really preventing anyone who wants to use marijuana from doing so? Somewhat like during prohibition, society was so against or apathetic towards laws against selling alcohol that the laws were largely ignored and lead to a problematic black market (ie the Chicago Outfit with Al Capone).
August 9, 201313 yr ^To point #2, they already have easy access to it. Cigarettes are far more harmful to kids than weed would be. I disagree with you there. Yes, it's already relatively easily accessible to kids, but I think the process of having to find a pot dealer and everything involved in the illegal trafficking makes it at least a little more difficult to get than it would be if you could just buy it at the store with a fake ID, or if you could just dip into your parents' legal stash, or if you had an older sibling buy it for you, or something like that. Also, cigarettes are addictive and are a huge cancer risk, yes - but marijuana is also a cancer risk when smoked. And I've also never heard anyone allege that smoking tobacco leads to a permanent decrease in IQ or heightens the risk of developing psychosis with kids. I do want to mention a concern that I think about as a father. Young, developing brains are likely more susceptible to harm from marijuana than adult brains. Some recent studies suggest that regular use in teenage years leads to a permanent decrease in IQ. Other research hints at a possible heightened risk of developing psychosis. Much in the same way I wouldn't let my own children drink alcohol, I wouldn't permit marijuana until they are adults. If they are adamant about trying marijuana, I will urge them to wait until they're in their mid-20s when their brains are fully developed.
August 9, 201313 yr I disagree with you there. Yes, it's already relatively easily accessible to kids, but I think the process of having to find a pot dealer and everything involved in the illegal trafficking makes it at least a little more difficult to get than it would be if you could just buy it at the store with a fake ID, or if you could just dip into your parents' legal stash, or if you had an older sibling buy it for you, or something like that. Also, cigarettes are addictive and are a huge cancer risk, yes - but marijuana is also a cancer risk when smoked. And I've also never heard anyone allege that smoking tobacco leads to a permanent decrease in IQ or heightens the risk of developing psychosis with kids. Getting a fake ID would be harder then getting pot. And I couldn't disagree with you more on which is worse between cigarettes versus pot. There is concrete proof of the damage tobacco causes. With pot your talking about research hinting at possible risk.
August 9, 201313 yr I disagree with you there. Yes, it's already relatively easily accessible to kids, but I think the process of having to find a pot dealer and everything involved in the illegal trafficking makes it at least a little more difficult to get than it would be if you could just buy it at the store with a fake ID, or if you could just dip into your parents' legal stash, or if you had an older sibling buy it for you, or something like that. Also, cigarettes are addictive and are a huge cancer risk, yes - but marijuana is also a cancer risk when smoked. And I've also never heard anyone allege that smoking tobacco leads to a permanent decrease in IQ or heightens the risk of developing psychosis with kids. When I was in high school I didn't know a dealer. It would've probably taken me all of 10 minutes if that, to arrange to buy some pot though.
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