posted January 14, 2011 01:20 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by emitres:
therein lies the problem, at least part of the problem with legislation - who is going to make sure that folks aren't smoking around their kids? ( rhetorical question )
driving and smoking? most local law enforcement can't prevent drunk driving either...

i think we can not overlook the reality that the only time we hear about the evils of pot is when a situation like Loughners happens... we don't notice the thousands of " happy going about their business " pot smokers that get up, go to work everyday and live their life in a normal, functional manner...

the issue is the substance itself - most folks will happily overlook the semifunctioning alcohlic in their midst but not the "hophead"... why is that?

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I have NO idea how the government could prevent adults from smoking pot around their kids - or driving while under the influence, and that's the central issue for me on why I really dislike the "pro-marijuana" arguments in general.

I don't believe that (all) people will stay off the roads, and not light up around their kids if the stuff is legalized.

I think it's unfair to children to be exposed to second hand smoke, when they're growing up, and the idea of that truly disgusts me.

I agree, it's easy to overlook the happy "functioning" alcoholics, but in general, people overlook A LOT. I mean, just look at how many people overlooked the named shooter's outrageous behavior that led up to circumstances. My belief is that people really don't know what to do to help people, even though I know a lot of us will try to slip some positive and helpful information to one another under calm circumstances.

posted January 14, 2011 01:24 PM            

there is however no reliable test that can determine when you last smoked, as the recognizable ingredients stay in your bloodstream longer with pot...ie you blood levels will not shoot back up after a few hours, so you could have smoked a week ago and no longer be feeling the effects but test positive...a legal nightmare.

but then if it were legal there might be more effort made to pinpoint just how much stays in your bloodstream for how long and better tests be created.

posted January 14, 2011 03:16 PM            

Also, as you just said, I do hope they come up with better and more sophisticated testing, and agree if we legalize it, the demand will push the science in the right direction.

posted January 14, 2011 07:12 PM            

Canabis is one of the oldest medicinal and spiritual plants.

THE ROOTS OF KANEH-BOSM
The first solid evidence of the Hebrew use of cannabis was established in 1936 by Sula Benet, a little known Polish etymologist from the Institute of Anthropological Sciences in Warsaw.

The word cannabis was generally thought to be of Scythian origin, but Benet showed that it has a much earlier origin in Semitic languages like Hebrew, and that it appears several times throughout the Old Testament. Benet explained that "in the original Hebrew text of the Old Testament there are references to hemp, both as incense, which was an integral part of religious celebration, and as an intoxicant."

Benet demonstrated that the word for cannabis is kaneh-bosm, also rendered in traditional Hebrew as kaneh or kannabus.

The root kan in this construction means "reed" or "hemp", while bosm means "aromatic". This word appears five times in the Old Testament; in the books of Exodus, the Song of Songs, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel.

THEN GOD SAID,
I GIVE YOU EVERY SEED-BEARING
PLANT ON THE FACE OF THE WHOLE
EARTH, AND EVERY TREE THAT
HAS FRUIT IN IT."
GENESIS 1:29-30

THEN THE LORD SAID TO MOSES, "TAKE THE FOLLOWING FINE SPICES: 500 SHEKELS OF LIQUID MYRRH, HALF AS MUCH OF FRAGRANT CINNAMON, 250 SHEKELS OF KANNABOSM, 500 SHEKELS OF CASSIA - ALL ACCORDING TO THE SANCTUARY SHEKEL - AND A HIND OF OLIVE OIL. MAKE THESE INTO MAKE THESE INTO A SACRED ANNOITING OIL, A FRAGRANT BLEND, THE WORK OF A PERFUMER. IT WILL BE THE SACRED ANNOITING OIL. EXODUS 30:22-33
http://www.cannabisculture.com/articles/1090.html

Since ancient times, cannabis seed has been esteemed as a food source and for its curative powers.
http://www.cannabisculture.com/articles/1425.html

All these articles by Chris Bennet are on this site:

)http://www.forbiddenfruitpublishing.com/chris/index.html

This is a 3 part article that gives the history of marijuana and when it was legal and how it was made illegal.
http://www.world-mysteries.com/marijuana1.htm

Did you know, it is estimated that hemp has approximately 25,000 uses? From food, paint and fuel to clothing and construction materials, hemp is used. There are even hemp fibres in your Red Rose® and Lipton® tea bags. And several cars made today contain hemp.

The oldest relic of human industry is a piece of hemp fabric (canvas) found in ancient Mesopotamia dating back to approximately 8000 B.C. The oldest surviving piece of paper was made over 2000 years ago in China and was also made from hemp fibre. In 2500 B.C. the pharaohs used hemp in the construction of the great pyramids.

Hemp was so important in England in the 16th century that King Henry VIII passed a law in 1553 which fined farmers who failed to grow at least one quarter acre of hemp for every 60 acres of arable land they owned. There was even a time in history for over 200 years when you could pay your taxes in America with hemp. In 1850 there were more than 8,300 hemp farms in the United States.

Every 3.6 seconds someone in the world dies of hunger. Hemp seeds are the most nutritious and economical solution to end world hunger. With an 80 percent concentration of "good fats" our bodies need for good health maintenance and protein with all eight amino acids plus optimum dietary fibre, hemp truly is a "perfect balance" food source.

The first diesel engine was designed to run on vegetable oils, one of which was hemp oil. In the 1930s Henry Ford produced an automobile composed of 70 percent hemp plastic which also ran on hemp based fuel and oil. In 2001 the "Hempcar" circled the North American continent powered by hemp oil.

The paintings of Rembrandt (1606- 1669), Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890) and Thomas Gainsborough (1727- 1788) were painted primarily on hemp canvas, often with hemp oil based paint. Over 50 percent of all chemical pesticides sprayed are used in the cultivation of cotton. Hemp is eight times stronger than cotton and more air-permeable. Hemp can grow vigorously (up to 16 feet) in 100 days without the use of harmful pesticides and herbicides... healthier for your skin and the environment.

One acre of hemp can produce as much raw fibre as 4.1 acres of trees. Pulping hemp for paper would produce a strong paper that lasts incredibly long and doesn't yellow with age. Also, using hemp as a raw source for paper would eliminate the need to cut down our dwindling old-growth forests which contribute to climate control and clean the air we breathe.

Pot is NOT harmful to the human body or mind. Marijuana does NOT pose a threat to the general public. Marijuana is very much a danger to the oil companies, alcohol, tobacco industries and a large number of chemical corporations. Various big businesses, with plenty of dollars and influence, have suppressed the truth from the people.

The truth is if marijuana was utilized for its vast array of commercial products, it would create an industrial atomic bomb! Entrepreneurs have not been educated on the product potential of pot. The super rich have conspired to spread misinformation about an extremely versatile plant that, if used properly, would ruin their companies.

Where did the word 'marijuana' come from? In the mid 1930s, the M-word was created to tarnish the good image and phenomenal history of the hemp plant...as you will read. The facts cited here, with references, are generally verifiable in the Encyclopedia Britannica which was printed on hemp paper for 150 years:

* All schoolbooks were made from hemp or flax paper until the 1880s; Hemp Paper Reconsidered, Jack Frazier, 1974.

* It was LEGAL TO PAY TAXES WITH HEMP in America from 1631 until the early 1800s; LA Times, Aug. 12, 1981.

* REFUSING TO GROW HEMP in America during the 17th and 18th Centuries WAS AGAINST THE LAW! You could be jailed in Virginia for refusing to grow hemp from 1763 to 1769; Hemp in Colonial Virginia, G. M. Herdon.

* George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and other founding fathers GREW HEMP; Washington and Jefferson Diaries. Jefferson smuggled hemp seeds from China to France then to America.

* Benjamin Franklin owned one of the first paper mills in America and it processed hemp. Also, the War of 1812 was fought over hemp. Napoleon wanted to cut off Moscow's export to England; Emperor Wears No Clothes, Jack Herer.

* For thousands of years, 90% of all ships' sails and rope were made from hemp. The word 'canvas' is Dutch for cannabis; Webster's New World Dictionary.

* 80% of all textiles, fabrics, clothes, linen, drapes, bed sheets, etc. were made from hemp until the 1820s with the introduction of the cotton gin.

* The first Bibles, maps, charts, Betsy Ross's flag, the first drafts of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were made from hemp; U.S. Government Archives.

* The first crop grown in many states was hemp. 1850 was a peak year for Kentucky producing 40,000 tons. Hemp was the largest cash crop until the 20th Century; State Archives.

* Oldest known records of hemp farming go back 5000 years in China, although hemp industrialization probably goes back to ancient Egypt.

* Rembrants, Gainsboroughs, Van Goghs as well as most early canvas paintings were principally painted on hemp linen.

* In 1916, the U.S. Government predicted that by the 1940s all paper would come from hemp and that no more trees need to be cut down. Government studies report that 1 acre of hemp equals 4.1 acres of trees. Plans were in the works to implement such programs; Department of Agriculture

* Quality paints and varnishes were made from hemp seed oil until 1937. 58,000 tons of hemp seeds were used in America for paint products in 1935; Sherman Williams Paint Co. testimony before Congress against the 1937 Marijuana Tax Act.

* Henry Ford's first Model-T was built to run on hemp gasoline and the CAR ITSELF WAS CONTRUCTED FROM HEMP! On his large estate, Ford was photographed among his hemp fields. The car, 'grown from the soil,' had hemp plastic panels whose impact strength was 10 times stronger than steel; Popular Mechanics, 1941.

* Hemp called 'Billion Dollar Crop.' It was the first time a cash crop had a business potential to exceed a billion dollars; Popular Mechanics, Feb., 1938.

* Mechanical Engineering Magazine (Feb. 1938) published an article entitled 'The Most Profitable and Desirable Crop that Can be Grown.' It stated that if hemp was cultivated using 20th Century technology, it would be the single largest agricultural crop in the U.S. and the rest of the world.

The following information comes directly from the United States Department of Agriculture's 1942 14-minute film encouraging and instructing 'patriotic American farmers' to grow 350,000 acres of hemp each year for the war effort:

'...(When) Grecian temples were new, hemp was already old in the service of mankind. For thousands of years, even then, this plant had been grown for cordage and cloth in China and elsewhere in the East. For centuries prior to about 1850, all the ships that sailed the western seas were rigged with hempen rope and sails. For the sailor, no less than the hangman, hemp was indispensable...

...Now with Philippine and East Indian sources of hemp in the hands of the Japanese...American hemp must meet the needs of our Army and Navy as well as of our industries...

...the Navy's rapidly dwindling reserves. When that is gone, American hemp will go on duty again; hemp for mooring ships; hemp for tow lines; hemp for tackle and gear; hemp for countless naval uses both on ship and shore. Just as in the days when Old Ironsides sailed the seas victorious with her hempen shrouds and hempen sails. Hemp for victory!'

Certified proof from the Library of Congress; found by the research of Jack Herer, refuting claims of other government agencies that the 1942 USDA film 'Hemp for Victory' did not exist.

Hemp cultivation and production do not harm the environment. The USDA Bulletin #404 concluded that hemp produces 4 times as much pulp with at least 4 to 7 times less pollution. From Popular Mechanics, Feb. 1938:

'It has a short growing season...It can be grown in any state...The long roots penetrate and break the soil to leave it in perfect condition for the next year's crop. The dense shock of leaves, 8 to 12 feet above the ground, chokes out weeds.

...hemp, this new crop can add immeasurably to American agriculture and industry.'

In the 1930s, innovations in farm machinery would have caused an industrial revolution when applied to hemp. This single resource could have created millions of new jobs generating thousands of quality products. Hemp, if not made illegal, would have brought America out of the Great Depression.

William Randolph Hearst (Citizen Kane) and the Hearst Paper Manufacturing Division of Kimberly Clark owned vast acreage of timberlands. The Hearst Company supplied most paper products. Patty Hearst's grandfather, a destroyer of nature for his own personal profit, stood to lose billions because of hemp.

In 1937, Dupont patented the processes to make plastics from oil and coal. Dupont's Annual Report urged stockholders to invest in its new petrochemical division. Synthetics such as plastics, cellophane, celluloid, methanol, nylon, rayon, Dacron, etc., could now be made from oil. Natural hemp industrialization would have ruined over 80% of Dupont's business.

Andrew Mellon became Hoover's Secretary of the Treasury and Dupont's primary investor. He appointed his future nephew-in-law, Harry J. Anslinger, to head the Federal Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs.
Secret meetings were held by these financial tycoons. Hemp was declared dangerous and a threat to their billion dollar enterprises. For their dynasties to remain intact, hemp had to go.

These men took an obscure Mexican slang word: 'marihuana' and pushed it into the consciousness of America.

posted January 14, 2011 08:15 PM            

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0psJhQHk_GI

posted January 14, 2011 08:16 PM            

They say marijuana is dangerous. pot is not harmful to the human body or mind. marijuana does not pose a threat to the general public. Marijuana is very much a danger to the oil companies, alcohol, tobacco industries and a large number of chemical corporations. Big businesses, with plenty of dollars and influence, have suppressed the truth from the people. The truth is, if marijuana was utilized for its vast array of commercial products, it would create an industrial atomic bomb! The super rich have conspired to spread misinformation about the plant that, if used properly, would ruin their companies.

Where did the word ‘marijuana’ come from? In the mid 1930s, the M-word was created to tarnish the good image and phenomenal history of the hemp plant – as you will read. The facts cited here, with references, are generally verifiable in the Encyclopedia Britannica which was printed on hemp paper for 150 years:

✔ All schoolbooks were made from hemp or flax paper until the 1880s. (Jack Frazier. Hemp Paper Reconsidered. 1974.)

✔ It was legal to pay taxes with hemp in America from 1631 until the early 1800s. (LA Times. Aug. 12, 1981.)

✔ Refusing to grow hemp in America during the 17th and 18th centuries was against the law! You could be jailed in Virginia for refusing to grow hemp from 1763 to 1769 (G. M. Herdon. Hemp in Colonial Virginia).

✔ George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and other founding fathers grew hemp. (Washington and Jefferson Diaries. Jefferson smuggled hemp seeds from China to France then to America.)

✔ Benjamin Franklin owned one of the first paper mills in America, and it processed hemp. Also, the War of 1812 was fought over hemp. Napoleon wanted to cut off Moscow’s export to England. (Jack Herer. Emperor Wears No Clothes.)
✔ For thousands of years, 90% of all ships’ sails and rope were made from hemp. The word ‘canvas’ is Dutch for cannabis. (Webster’s New World Dictionary.)

✔ 80% of all textiles, fabrics, clothes, linen, drapes, bed sheets, etc.,were made from hemp until the 1820s, with the introduction of the cotton gin.

✔ The first Bibles, maps, charts, Betsy Ross’s flag, the first drafts of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were made from hemp. (U.S. Government Archives.)

✔ The first crop grown in many states was hemp. 1850 was a peak year for Kentucky producing 40,000 tons.Hemp was the largest cash crop until the 20th century. (State Archives.)

✔ Oldest known records of hemp farming go back 5000 years in China, although hemp industrialization probably goes back to ancient Egypt.

✔ Rembrandt’s, Van Gogh’s, Gainsborough’s, as well as most early canvas paintings, were principally painted on hemp linen.

✔ In 1916, the U.S. Government predicted that by the 1940s all paper would come from hemp and that no more trees need to be cut down. Government studies report that 1 acre of hemp equals 4.1 acres of trees. Plans were in the works to implement such programs. (U.S. Department of Agriculture Archives.)

✔ Quality paints and varnishes were made from hemp seed oil until 1937. 58,000 tons of hemp seeds were used in America for paint products in 1935. (Sherman Williams Paint Co. testimony before the U.S.Congress against the 1937 Marijuana Tax Act.)

✔ Henry Ford’s first Model-T was built to run on hemp gasoline and the car itself was constructed from hemp! On his large estate, Ford was photographed among his hemp fields. The car, ‘grown from the soil,’ had hemp plastic panels whose impact strength was 10 times stronger than steel. (Popular Mechanics, 1941.)

✔ In 1938, hemp was called ‘Billion Dollar Crop.’ It was the first time a cash crop had a business potential to exceed a billion dollars. (Popular Mechanics, Feb. 1938.)

posted January 14, 2011 08:17 PM            

“…[When] Grecian temples were new, hemp was already old in the service of mankind. For thousands of years, even then, this plant had been grown for cordage and cloth in China and elsewhere in the East. For centuries prior to about 1850, all the ships that sailed the western seas were rigged with hempen rope and sails. For the sailor, no less than the hangman, hemp was indispensable… Now with Philippine and East Indian sources of hemp in the hands of the Japanese… American hemp must meet the needs of our Army and Navy as well as of our industries… The Navy’s rapidly dwindling reserves.When that is gone, American hemp will go on duty again; hemp for mooring ships; hemp for tow lines; hemp for tackle and gear; hemp for countless naval uses both on ship and shore. Just as in the days when Old Ironsides sailed the seas victorious
with her hempen shrouds and hempen sails. Hemp for victory!”

Certified proof from the Library of Congress, found by the research of Jack Herer, refutes claims of other government agencies that the 1942 USDA film ‘Hemp for Victory’ did not exist.

Hemp cultivation and production do not harm the environment. The USDA Bulletin #404 concluded that hemp produces four times as much pulp with at least four to seven times less pollution.

posted January 14, 2011 11:04 PM            

" Cannabis sativa L. subsp. sativa var. sativa is the variety grown for industrial use, while C. sativa subsp. indica generally has poor fibre quality and is primarily used for production of recreational and medicinal drugs. The major difference between the two types of plants is the appearance and the amount of Ä9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) secreted in a resinous mixture by epidermal hairs called glandular trichomes, although they can also be distinguished genetically.[14] Oilseed and fibre varieties of Cannabis approved for industrial hemp production produce only minute amounts of this psychoactive drug, not enough for any physical or psychological effects. Typically, hemp contains below 0.3% THC, while cultivars of Cannabis grown for marijuana can contain anywhere from 6 to over 20%.[15] "

PS - you're right, our society does have a tendancy to overlook many things... we always seem to be worried that we are tolerant but in so doing have we forgotten how and where to draw the line?

posted January 14, 2011 11:15 PM            

'Marijuana and hemp are different varieties of the same species of plant, Cannabis sativa L. There are different varieties of Cannabis, just as Chihuahuas and wolves are different breeds of Canis lupus. They are scientifically different and cultivated in different ways.
Marijuana is the flowering tops and leaves of psychoactive varieties of Cannabis that are grown for their high THC content.

It is used legally in some states, excluding Wisconsin, for medical reasons, and is used for recreational purposes as an illegal drug.

Unlike hemp, marijuana has a high THC (delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol) content and a low CBD (cannabidiol) content. CBD blocks the psychoactive effect of THC in the nervous system. That means in all plants in the Cannabis family, there is a chemical that will induce a psychoactive effect and another that will block it. The illegal drug is cultivated to have a THC content of anywhere from 3 percent to 22 percent. The ratio of CBD to THC is less than one.

Hemp, or industrial hemp, is a cultivated, low-THC variety of Cannabis. It is grown for its seeds, oil and fiber.

Industrial hemp has a low THC content compared to its CBD content. THC is typically less than 1 percent. Certified varieties in Canada and Europe are bred with the THC level purposefully decreased to less than .3 percent, the same THC level under recommendation if hemp farming is legalized in Wisconsin.

Ditch weed is hemp found growing in the wild, usually near places where it was once cultivated. It has a low THC level.

posted January 15, 2011 12:12 AM            

quote:

---

PS - you're right, our society does have a tendancy to overlook many things... we always seem to be worried that we are tolerant but in so doing have we forgotten how and where to draw the line?

---

posted January 15, 2011 04:40 AM            

Marijuana is marijuana, whether male or female. They both have thc. The male pollinates, the female regenerates via seeds.

Hemp is the general name used in days of old for both male and female plants.

Cannabis sativa is the botanical name for the plant, whether male or female.

The male plant was used for rope and other things, as it's fibers were tougher. The female seeds are used for food, oils and other things seed produce (besides more plants .

I live in Pennsylvania, where much of it is farm land. My one apartment I had was out in the country by an old farmhouse. One day I walked through the field and found bunches and bunches of cannabis growing. I took a plant to my brother (an expert, LOL) and he explained to me that where I found the plants was an old hemp farmstead. He said they were male plants and explained the difference.

From that point on, I was intrigued. I dried the plant and burnt it on charcoal incense bricks. The smell was exactly the same as a rolled doobie. I never smoke the stuff, but more than likely I got a "contact high" just from the smell. I just set it on my alter during meditation.

posted January 15, 2011 01:53 PM            

quote:

---

Originally posted by Sedona722:
emitres,

I live in Pennsylvania, where much of it is farm land. My one apartment I had was out in the country by an old farmhouse. One day I walked through the field and found bunches and bunches of cannabis growing. I took a plant to my brother (an expert, LOL) and he explained to me that where I found the plants was an old hemp farmstead. He said they were male plants and explained the difference.

From that point on, I was intrigued. I dried the plant and burnt it on charcoal incense bricks. The smell was exactly the same as a rolled doobie. I never smoke the stuff, but more than likely I got a "contact high" just from the smell. I just set it on my alter during meditation.

---

posted January 15, 2011 02:07 PM            

i do believe there will come a time when that changes, and those who use responsibly now will continue to do so... and those who don't won't...just as with anything else... in the end, the argument shouldn't really be about the substance itself, but those who use...

PS - don't worry about being a Downer Debbie ( have never heard that before, must be an "american" thing ) you are entitled to see things as you see them - i may not always agree with you, but that is irrelevant... my only advice to you ( if i may be so bold ) would be to remember to do the same and not let your temper get the better of you, fiery ram that you are

posted January 15, 2011 06:00 PM            

I like your response and I agree mostly. I do not smoke pot, never did. Just burned it occaisionally on charcoal incense blocks.

Actually, I did smoke it twice in my life and each time I was mellow and hungry, LOL.
I did both times on a dare, because I don't indulge in recreational things, including alcohol.

I am a retired RN, working over 40 years in the ER and CCU. I have seen a lot in my career. The street drugs of all types and still the most harmful and lethal has been alcohol related.

Anyone who over indulges in alcohol is a danger to themselves and others. I have seen people arrive in our ER via car with friends who were in respiratory arrest due to the high blood level. They needed to be intubated and on a ventilator. To say nothing of the MVA's (motor vehicle accident) where severe injury and death occurred.

I have never seen a pot smoker come to our ER with any problems as those type of people don't come to the ER with problems. Now don't get me wrong, stoned people did visit, but not because of weed. More like they slipped on the ice, fell and broke a wrist, or something similar. Anybody can slip on the ice here in Pa. Stone cold sober or stoned, !

The second worst ER drug visits were the cocaine and crack users. Horrible stuff. They come in with serious cardiac rhythm disturbances, very high tachyarhthmias.

Pluto squared, I do not believe pot is harmful, truly I don't. I feel so strongly it should be legal in the USA.

Recently I helped a friend do a college report on whether it should be legal. We looked at stats, pros and cons. The best arguments for it's legality was the Canadian legalization for it.

Mostly I can use my experience from being around stoners in private life and professional life and I see no harm in the long run with marijuana. Simply marijuana. Mixing it with alcohol or other drugs, then I say it is a problem.

Unfortunately, the problem with legalization of it doesn't assure us that the problem users of more than just MJ will continue to do the same.

A big pro, besides medical use, is more than likely the border problem and drug cartel will be better. Weed is the biggest thing they ship over the border from Mexico and Central America.

We will still have to deal with the cocaine, heroin illegal crossing over, but I think marijuana is still the bigger money profit business and that would be assuaged with the legalization of it.

Methinks I have some Libartarian beliefs in my Conservative beliefs.

posted January 15, 2011 08:27 PM            

quote:

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Sedona said: Pluto squared, I do not believe pot is harmful, truly I don't. I feel so strongly it should be legal in the USA.

Recently I helped a friend do a college report on whether it should be legal. We looked at stats, pros and cons. The best arguments for it's legality was the Canadian legalization for it.

Mostly I can use my experience from being around stoners in private life and professional life and I see no harm in the long run with marijuana. Simply marijuana. Mixing it with alcohol or other drugs, then I say it is a problem.

Unfortunately, the problem with legalization of it doesn't assure us that the problem users of more than just MJ will continue to do the same.

A big pro, besides medical use, is more than likely the border problem and drug cartel will be better. Weed is the biggest thing they ship over the border from Mexico and Central America.

We will still have to deal with the cocaine, heroin illegal crossing over, but I think marijuana is still the bigger money profit business and that would be assuaged with the legalization of it.

Methinks I have some Libartarian beliefs in my Conservative beliefs.

---

I appreciate your medical experience in this matter; that compared to other street drugs, and to alcohol, people have not presented with health issues caused by Marijuana in your career.

However, like you mentioned mixing of Marijuana and other drugs, as well as other issues such as operating a vehicle under the influence or exposing children to second-hand smoke are real possibilities...

I'm sure at some point, soon, Marijuana will be legal in many states, and will pave the way for our country to see how responsible Americans really are with this drug.

My experience with Marijuana includes friends using and mixing, and habitually using Marijuana. And, while there were other factors involved with these people (namely drug & alcohol addiction) these experiences have heavily shaped my opinions. These people, as well, argued that Marijuana was completely harmless, while smoking pot around their 4 year old children, and also having friends deal out prescription pills in front of their children... (another thing that people believe is safe - doctor prescribed drugs).

I resent the irresponsibility of the belief that opening this legal doorway will have "no" consequences. It will have consequences. How big or how small the consequences are, is left for debate, and to be seen - also, unfortunately UNSEEN, because what people do behind closed doors we will not know.

posted January 15, 2011 08:37 PM            

quote:

---

Originally posted by emitres:
PS - don't worry about being a Downer Debbie ( have never heard that before, must be an "american" thing ) you are entitled to see things as you see them - i may not always agree with you, but that is irrelevant... my only advice to you ( if i may be so bold ) would be to remember to do the same and not let your temper get the better of you, fiery ram that you are

---

Emitres, when someone addresses me as honestly and calmly as you are, right now - I listen. When someone approaches me with arrogance, making blind presumptions, or judgments of my character, I don't... the little iron doors in my ears slam shut, and smoke comes out the chimney.

I wish I were as peaceful as a Pisces or Libra sun sign, maybe as easy going and friendly as a Sagittarius... but, that's just not me.

posted January 16, 2011 05:12 PM            

Also, I wonder whether a stoned or drunken state may open people up to possession.

posted January 16, 2011 08:36 PM            

PS - i can sympathize with your sentiments... no one likes to be judged and it does make it so difficult to have open and frank discussions about important matters... my mother is a fiery aries too - talk about hot-head.... not just an aries but italian to boot
i think i told you once before that i really do enjoy reading your posts - i will always be willing to converse with you

listenstotrees - that is really quite fascinating... i no longer believe in soul possession, at least, not as traditionally depicted but you do raise a very interesting point - can substance abuse lead to a mutating of ones soul? or does it only affect the "brain" and body?

posted January 16, 2011 09:52 PM            

What an excellent and interesting tangent to bring up. I do wonder if alcohol and drugs have an serious effect on our spiritual lives.