One day this country will have an honest conversation on marijuana legalization, but it ain’t happening any time soon, even with evidence like this:
The largest study of its kind has unexpectedly concluded that smoking marijuana, even regularly and heavily, does not lead to lung cancer.
The new findings “were against our expectations,” said Donald Tashkin of the University of California at Los Angeles, a pulmonologist who has studied marijuana for 30 years.
“We hypothesized that there would be a positive association between marijuana use and lung cancer, and that the association would be more positive with heavier use,” he said. “What we found instead was no association at all, and even a suggestion of some protective effect.”
Ok hippie. Don’t you think its time you grew up. Face facts, college is over, sucessfull adults don’t smoke pot.
Another example of people deciding the laws before the studies. At least they didn’t doctor the study to match the law they wanted. The only difference between this and smoking is they never made a bogus claim that secondhand marijuana was deadly.
OK, succesful adults don’t smoke pot; you know, people like Denis Leary, Keith Richards, Bill Clinton (oh, thats right, he never inhaled), and a bunch of folks I know that make a hell of a lot more money than I do that like to burn one every once in a while.
What a couple of ignorant gits!
1. Beaucoup successful adults do whatever relaxes them — and can afford to stay out of the slammer. I won’t name him; but, I remember being at a soiree with the CEO of a Fortune 10 military-industrial giant (I was boffing an official in corporate leadership otherwise I never would have been invited).
The dude was smoking the best blonde hash I ever smelled. It’s how he got through social evenings with the commoners.
2. Learn more than the first 4 letters of the alphabet. Learn the tiniest bit of legal history. The only motivation for criminalizing pot was the government’s inability to collect taxes on it. Now, there’s a surprise.
Every major tobacco company in the US maintains a “test farm” of marijuana. First — to be ready to hit the streets if legalized. Second — and more important — to keep the execs supplied.
Stroll past the acre-size “cottages” on the Newport RI waterfront some summer evening. You’ll get a contact high.
It amazes me that people always think of themselves that they are so high minded and sophisticated since they want to legalize the use of cannabis. How strange it is that you don’t see people trying harder to ban tobacco, even outlaw it. I know it’s futile, but it seems to me that trying to create more vice is more counterproductive than trying to prevent vice.
Somebody better call Willie Nelson and tell him he’s a failure. Them that wants to, will. The conservatives will change as the economic toll of maintaining prisons continue to rise. That’s why many countries decriminalized small amounts. It had gotten too expensive.
John Wofford, entertainers and sports stars don’t count, they live in their own world and are a bunch of morons as far as I’m concerned. As for Clinton, I’m sure he was refering to his college years.
It’s strange logic that:
doesn’t cause cancer = not bad for you
So, poisons, crack cocaine, alcoholism, gambling, bus surfing, suicide, sexual abuse, and rape are not bad for you. Interesting.
As for the idea that smoking marijuana doesn’t lead to lung cancer, smoking tobacco doesn’t lead to lung cancer, either. Otherwise, everyone who smoked tobacco would get lung cancer. There are a lot of news articles picking up this study and making inaccurate statements about what the study is saying. They’re not saying that smoking marijuana doesn’t cause cancer. They’re saying that marijuana doesn’t have a positive relationship that increases your chances of acquiring cancer. There’s a difference, because smoking tobacco DOES have a relationship with acuisition of cancer, but doesn’t cause cancer. To say that marijuana doesn’t cause or lead to cancer is like saying that it’s just like tobacco.
In addition to my previous comment, it might not be a bad idea to legalize it in order to take funding away from organized crime. However, I expect a lot of people (myself included) would be uneasy with this because it is a bit like letting criminals set the agenda. On the other hand, by legalizing it, you are probably hurting the truer criminals (those that organize, grow, and peddle it) more than the pedestrian criminals (those who smoke it), and are probably relieving some strain on the courts somewhat.
Anyway, I’d rather confront reality head-on than waste time escaping from it with drugs like these.
There are so many unknowns with this drug, though. After all of the problems that we have dealing with the fallout from tobacco, it will look very stupid if some other unknown comes out of the woodwork years down the line after we’ve turned marijuana into a cultural trend.
FACT: you have to train your body to inhale smoke of any kind, because your body puts up a natural defense to it (choking). With that in mind, when is inhaling smoke of ANY kind good for you?
The threat of marijuana is economic.The drug companies know chronic pain suffers who smoke use much less of their addictive drugs to control their pain.The debate in the medical and legal professions is over pot is not a serious problem in our country.A D.A. in Wi. recently said that when he took Marijuana away from Aids patients he knew at least half of them would be dead within 6 months.We have been arguing about this for 40 years now and I am sick of it.
CRIPES!
Hey gquaglia, does George Washington count as successfull? Or did he live in his own world, was he a moron? What about John Lennon? Was he successfull, how about being a moron? Remember opinions are like assholes, everybody has one. Think man, before you open yours.
-=grey=-
“Every major tobacco company in the US maintains a “test farm” of marijuana. First — to be ready to hit the streets if legalized. Second — and more important — to keep the execs supplied”
Not that this would really surprise me, but do you have any evidence or support for this claim?
1. REALLY, and smoking crack, crank, and cocaine, Makes you rich, and smart??
12. YEs he is…but not in this world, only his own..
Think about it people…
Truth?? FINALLY?? at least a SMALL part..
Greymoon, how about a link or proof that Washington was a pot head. As for Lennon, read my other post, entertainers don’t count, as drugs are a prerequisit for them anyway. Maybe you want to live in a world where everyone goes around stoned all the time, but I don’t.
MGB (#9): “…because it is a bit like letting criminals set the agenda.” When I read that line I immediately thought of the immigration bills being bandied around congress. As the husband of a legal immigrant, illegals piss me off. As the brother of a pot smoker, I can’t see the harm. Damn conundrums!
gquaglia, pertaining to Washington try “The Writings of George Washington” in the library of congress. I will leave it to you to do your own research, the process just might educate you. Seems to me the proclamation that ‘entertainers and sports stars don’t count’ is YOUR opinion. Pretty sure I already covered opinions. As for ‘Maybe you want to live in a world where everyone goes around stoned all the time…’ , now your just making things up!
Washington did grow hemp, a very important crop during that era, but that doesn’t mean he smoked marijuana. There is no evidence to indicate he ever did, so stating this as fact destroys credibility.
#16 Don’t know if I trust any info from a pro pot website. In fact I did a search on it and all the sites that mentioned Washington and pot were all pro pot. Something more credible please.
#17, it’s not just like the immigration bills. It’s like any desire to legalize something simply because there are so many criminals in the system that it’s not practical to process them all 🙂 It’s like any situation where criminal behavior has become normal behavior and the system can’t deal with it as a criminal offence anymore.
Greymoon, I have read Washington’s writings, and not once does he mention smoking marijuana. He writes of growing hemp numerous times though. I would have no problem with Washington having smoked marijuana if it were true, but I do have a problem with misinformation. He lived an agrarian lifestyle, so he grew many things, hemp was just one of those things.
For more information, listen to this NPR interview with Joseph Ellis, a Washington biographer.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4159117
slowth, you are correct in that he did grow it, we are not discussing growing it. There is indeed concise evidence that he also in fact did smoke it. I refer you also to “The Writings of George Washington” in the library of congress. If that does not do it for you try visiting Mount Vernon and getting researcher privileges. Facts not evident make them no less a fact. And just for fun lets quote him “To err is natural; to rectify error is glory.”
Greymoon, your right it is my opinion that entertainers and sports stars don’t count. This scewing country puts this bunch of misfits and loosers on such a higher plain that many are considered more important then people that actually should be there, such as teachers, doctors, firefighters and cops. Hollywood types are the worse type of rollmodels, with their open drug use, promiscuous life style and just plain wacky behavior. Most entertainers would be pushing a lawmower or waiting tables if not for their fame and most pro sports stars, and rap artists for that matter would be in jail.
Sigh, slowth I suggest you re-read the writings then. You’re right, no he does not say “Me and the homies were smoking pot down by the ag barn today”, Yes thats an exaggeration, but you may also want to try doing indepth research with your eyes open and try researching some of the people and items he writes to and about. It is a fact, I’m sorry you refuse to believe it. But hey we agree to disagree I hope.
gquaglia re:#25
no comment
Society has became so used to the box that whenever someone tries to suggest
Something may be wrong in the box they are treated like a criminal. And made out to be deviants .Can anyone tell one documented proven positive that comes from consuming alcohol? I bet its based on who you ask if your asking a doctor who has some tie to person with the last name of Anheuser Or Busch You will get the standard response. That its great to mix in with supper or great in moderation. So have we became so programmed to not be able to think what’s in our best interest and make our own decision .
gquaglia.
My father’s pain and suffering was greatly reduced by pot both during the chemo and the later stages when he was waiting to die.
And yes he tried the drug company pseudo THC & it was crap.
Wanna call me names?
gquaglia
What difference does it make that a successful person wants to smoke a joint every once in a while? Are you saying that NO successful people smoke pot? Not media people, just plain businessmen. They’re not hippies. Give me a break. Get out and see some of the world, you’re little microcosm doesn’t seem to be that diverse to me.
What’s the difference of smoking a joint and having a few glasses of scotch?
Though I do agree with you with the sports stars held up on a pedestal. I mean, sports makes some the most money, yet contribute the least to society. They really teach us nothing. You can’t really say that about movies though as there are movies that do ennoble us and some that can teach or make us think. For every 10 Porkies movies out there, you get a Schindler’s List or Hamlet or Apocalypse Now….or even The Passion of the Christ. What can baseball or football do for us other than placing a bet on a winning team. And I don’t want to hear about “it teaches us teamwork”. Yeah…right.
But if a stock broker or lawyer wants to smoke a joint at the end of the day or at a party…so bet it. Let them.
Sound the alarm, I have no problem with medical use of marijuana if prescribed by a doctor. I think the Feds are wrong on that one. If it helps someone, them I’m all for it. I’m not for people walking around stoned 24/7 which would be the case for many if it was legal.
One building contractor says to another: “I think the new guy with the pony tail has been smoking some a that wacky tobaccky… He just came up and asked me if Tuesday comes before or after November”.
“Bill Clinton said he didn’t inhale the pot. Hey, if I put a pastrami sandwich in my mouth… what am I, not gonna eat it?” – Jackie Mason
(Whatever you do, don’t drive a vehicle while smoking this stuff. You may suddenly find yourself at a McDonald’s drive-in window, not knowing how you got there, ordering two vanilla shakes and three bags of super-fries. Very dangerous!).
Hey! It’s been great reading all the “Pro” comments
and skipping all the intellectual parrots.
I smoked it a lot and I’m definitely NOT sucessfull.
Ironically I’m not sucKcessfull enought to safely use
it anymore or aquire it anymore in this nazi clime.
Basically only the suckcesspool or the connected can
safely use it. All others are headed for prison labor
or quitting/probation. I guess you would say I’m clean,
I don’t use refined sugar, caffine, tobacco, alcohol,
pharaceuticals, preservatives, meat, etc, etc. I just think
about resuming with the Weed some day when it’s legal again.