Cannabis less harmful than drinking, smoking: report

It should be legalized and controlled as alcohol and tobacco, imprisonment and criminalization cause incomparably more harm then cannabis itself.

Criminalizing drugs the way it is done now, based on politics not science, is the biggest mistake of the law. Young people need to be taught respect for it, treating them like criminals for something as harmless only induces a lifelong aversion and contempt for anything related to law.

Hear hear.

Alcohol is the real gateway drug!

I believe that alchol is far worse than cannabis.
Many who drink are prone to exibit violence while under alchols effect. I have never seen anyone become violent while under the effects of cannibis. I do believe that cannibis should be completely legalized and quailty controlled world wide.

This is common knowledge among those who have smoked marijuana and used alcohol. I don't agree that cannabis needs to be "regulated"; if you find it useful, whether for recreation/relaxation or for medical use, it is easily grown and the government need not be involved -- there are no known cases of death from cannabis usage.

You can bet that the pharmaceutical companies, distilleries and big breweries don't want to see people growing their own herb in their backyards.

The difference in legality between cannabis and tobacco & alcohol is more because of political/historical reasons rather than any common-sense logic. Booze has been around longer than laws, and it is socially integrated to a level that make it almost impossible to eradicate. Tobacco was a major cash crop for years and the echoes of the political influence that that engendered are still being felt. Not to mention that every government in existance makes oodles of money from the sin tax on those products.
If we are to be consistent, we need to either ban everything, or we need to identify which products are harmful enough to ban, vs those where a ban would cost more (socially as well as fiscally) than it's worth. IMO, alcohol and pot are at the same level, while tobacco should be classed with the 'B' stuff.

I'm gonna spark a bowl right now.

Biggest problem is most people smoke WAY too much, and it makes you stupid. But then if everyone is stupid, that opens the door for me to rule the world!
BWAHAHA! Smoke up, stoners!

The biggest problem is most people drink booze - way way to much. It makes them totally stupid and unable to even walk straight let alone think straight. So, keep on ruining your livers and dieing earlier than everyone else. So, please, go drink more so we don't hear from you and bmerc again.

The difference in legality between cannabis and tobacco & alcohol is more because of political/historical reasons rather than any common-sense logic. Booze has been around longer than laws, and it is socially integrated to a level that make it almost impossible to eradicate. Tobacco was a major cash crop for years and the echoes of the political influence that that engendered are still being felt. Not to mention that every government in existance makes oodles of money from the sin tax on those products.
If we are to be consistent, we need to either ban everything, or we need to identify which products are harmful enough to ban, vs those where a ban would cost more (socially as well as fiscally) than it's worth. IMO, alcohol and pot are at the same level, while tobacco should be classed with the 'B' stuff.

I'd rather legalize marijuana. Yes I know the examples of free reign for drugs are very negative when it comes to addiction rates and medical costs however, it would greatly reduce the fiscal strain on the legal system in the US and probably prevent more "dangerous" underage usage. If you look at Europe, the stats on drunk driving are lower in countries with an earlier introduction to alcohol and responsible use. Most likely marijuana would follow suit. Crime rates would go down as prices for drugs would go down. The "import" tax brought on by having to illicitly transport drugs would vanish.

I think the main reason why the US doesn't want to legalize marijuana is more due to the fact that now you'd be turning criminals into market cornering businessmen. In reality are they that far off now?

dont you people get it? it doesnt matter if it is harmless or not. the fact is that the government turns a bigger profit from criminalizing it than from legalizing it. if it were the other way around, bill clinton wouldn't have been so bashful when he admitted that he had tried it at least once in his life.. he would have celebrated it!

dont you people get it? it doesnt matter if it is harmless or not. the fact is that the government turns a bigger profit from criminalizing it than from legalizing it. if it were the other way around, bill clinton wouldn't have been so bashful when he admitted that he had tried it at least once in his life.. he would have celebrated it!

You do realize that's utter nonsense. The US spends more money on putting marijuana users in jail than they do on education.

You do realize that's utter nonsense. The US spends more money on putting marijuana users in jail than they do on education.

And where does that money come from? Taxes they get to increase and use the "overflow" for their pet projects. The government benefits from spending our money.

If the government had nothing to spend money on, we wouldn't let them take it from us.

I think Ecstasy should also be looked at, as it is way less harmful than Alcohol and has lots more benefits.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I don't care if they legalize cannabis, but IT SHOULD BE ILLEGAL TO SMOKE IT! Or anything else, including tabacco. There are other ways to take these drugs that don't cause cancer via second-hand smoke! Geez. I don't know why that's so hard to beat into people's heads.

Chew, inject, powder and inhale, patch, gum, pill, liquefy and swallow... I don't care. Just DON'T SMOKE.

And where does that money come from? Taxes they get to increase and use the "overflow" for their pet projects. The government benefits from spending our money.

Wow, there's a rationalization for you. Listen, if the govt was to legalize pot, they'd immediately be able to sin-tax it, which would be a huge windfall, plus they'd remove the costs of prosecuting it, which would be a huge windfall, plus they'd still have the other taxes (unless you believe they'd reduce those taxes -- hah!) which would be a huge windfall. You have to be smoking something much stronger than cannabis to seriously believe that keeping pot illegal is a money-maker.

I think the main reason why the US doesn't want to legalize marijuana is more due to the fact that now you'd be turning criminals into market cornering businessmen. In reality are they that far off now?

I think it might have more to do with the puritanical mindset that seems to be the dominant attitude in the US, the idea being that anything fun must be immoral. Heck, a lot of christians are against *dancing*.

IMO the biggest reason for legalizing it is for regulation and quality control. A very big problem with the street stuff right now (so I've heard :-) is that you're getting more than pot in your pot. Dealers are lacing it with stuff that's a little more addictive, to ensure repeat business. Legitimization of the product would at least ensure that you aren't getting any surprises.

M N, if existing psychoses exist, it can bring them to the surface. In a mentally healthy individual (but then, WTH is that?) it is pretty benign. However the statement holds true that there have been no deaths proven to be caused by cannabis usage yet.

I have seen cancer studies that conclude on both sides. I'm not decided, but studies are often skewed by extremely weak cannabis samples and inefficient absorbtion methods that involve a lot of byproduct absorbtion.

Personally, it is the only of the three I indulge in, but it's certainly not harmless. Occasionally as I start to catch a cold I get painful dry spots on the back of my throat, teeth take on an easily removable but gross looking yellow tint, and my lung capacity diminishes if I don't get a good aerobic workout going every week or two, so I'd like to quit soon. Still, while under the influence I often engage in discussions no less serious or contemplative than I would for this site (it just requires effort to remain focused) and operate video games, mountainbikes offroad, and occasionally motorcycles to no detriment or failure... of course that's just one of millions of anecdotes.

Ultimately the ones who claim it's harmless are as wrong as the ones who say it's deadly though - it is still fundamentally a bad idea to force smoke inhalation!

D666 - I can confirm some who lace with PCP, but generally not unadvertised. Like other disassociatives, PCP can lead to "Olney's Lesions" but apparently in most subjects does not cause violence. The only people I've known to find this stuff however, have asked for it. Otherwise I don't think it would be worth the cost or discontent from customers.

fuchikoma, I admit that some of the issues surrounding cannabis and psychosis are still not settled, but there is little doubt that it can at least TRIGGER existing (dormant) mental health issues. This particular friend of mine would almost certainly still be alive today if he hadn't become a cannabis user. Who knows if the psychosis would have EVER been triggered if had never used cannabis?

As for cancer risk, I have read studies that suggest it is much more dangerous than tobacco, but it would seem more research is needed. I'm glad you agree that it is "fundamentally a bad idea to force smoke inhalation" - I would have thought that was blindingly obvious.

"there are no known cases of death from cannabis usage."

Jarry, that is ignorant nonsense. The cancer risk is higher for cannabis than for tobacco. Then there are the secondary effects. I personally knew someone who committed suicide due to psychosis triggered by cannabis use. There is a well established link between cannabis and mental health issues.

I screwed up, I meant to say no known cases of death from a marijuana overdose. Many thousands of people die every year from overdosing on alcohol. Anyway, cannabis is a natural product that has been used very safely for thousands of years. This doesn't mean that it has no side effects or that there are not some people who should not use it. Also I wonder how one would go about proving that the marijuana use caused the psychosis.

As for the cancer risk, I have read some articles that suggested the opposite conclusion, in fact some stating that cannabis has anti-cancer properties.

Jarry, thanks for clarifying that you were talking about overdoses. For the families and friends of the people who die, they still lose their loved ones.

As for cannabis being used "safely for thousands of years", I disagree. Just because something has been USED for thousands of years doesn't mean it is SAFE (e.g. alcohol, tobacco).

As for "proving" that cannabis caused the psychosis in my friend, all of the people that knew him are have NO DOUBT that his cannabis use was a major factor. As I said, the fact that there is a link between the two is well established; what is disputed is whether the cannabis actually causes mental health issues or merely "triggers" an underlying problem. This is always going to be difficult to prove, since diagnosing mental health issues generally requires monitoring of symptoms. I'd suggest for the victims it doesn't make a lot of difference.

Alcohol is the real gateway drug!

Actually, nicotine has been proven as the real gateway with over 90% of smack and coke addicts having been hooked on cigs first.

Cigarettes, as nicotine being the most addictive substance known to man, have been proven to enable the addictive process in the brain.

Why is it legal for us to inhale the dirty air we must breathe in most major cities in the world? Doesn't the polluted air kill way more than pot? And if we have to drink water with 'jet fuel' leaking into our ground water which is OK with the USA government, I'd ask: what are they smoking? Crack?

Jarry, that is ignorant nonsense. The cancer risk is higher for cannabis than for tobacco. Then there are the secondary effects. I personally knew someone who committed suicide due to psychosis triggered by cannabis use. There is a well established link between cannabis and mental health issues.

not linked to lung cancer...
http://www.webmd....g-cancer

not linked to brain and neck
http://www.physor...239.html

and i could cite hundreds more that show proof it acts in two ways to cure cancer. European journal of pharmacology ISSN 0014-2999 CODEN EJPHAZ for example, or making check out the extensive study done by the university of madrid on gastrointestinal tumors being treated.

I feel for you friend going into psychosis from marijuana but the pot only gave them a gentle nudge- their brain chemistry almost within certainty was unstable, pot is not like coke (which litterly makes you schizophrenic in symptom) crazy people do drugs too you know..

"The Beckley Foundation, a charity which numbers senior British and other academics among its advisors, said banning cannabis has no impact on supply and turns users into criminals."

What a load of bunkum, seeing as how this is Britain with very harsh gun laws if this same argument was to be made for gun ownership for personal protection by law abiding citizens these very same people would be throwing a fit. And if a home owner was to use a gun in self defense against a burglar then I know they wouldn't be wailing about how the law made him into a criminal. But yet the criminals in Britain can still get firearms it is just the law abiding people who can't. These politically shallow drug users are just trying to push their agenda down everyone's throat using an argument that doesn't stand up to scrutiny.

And I have read quite a bit about how nice those Swiss parks are where drug users hang out, I don't care if you are upset that you can't use pot wherever you want, I am just glad that you can't hang outside my house with your loser buddies smoking the crap without fear of the law.

How do you explain per-capita that marijuana use is lower in the netherlands where it is legal. And I suppose you would allow people to stand outside your house doing anything else?
And you surely cannot dismiss that crime would be lower if it was- every user would then be legal- that would free up 40% of US jails if it was atleast close to legal, that should save you enough money to build a fence...

Ultimately the ones who claim it's harmless are as wrong as the ones who say it's deadly though - it is still fundamentally a bad idea to force smoke inhalation!

Not completely harmless, harmless when compared to other things like tobacco or alcohol.

And the harm done by jailing young people who smoke is incomparable to any of the above. It not only ruins their lives by turning them into criminals it also damages lives of those who are later victims of their crimes. Not to mention the costs associated with jailing and lost taxes.

Finally thanks to this sick politics young people are easily hooked by dealers onto hard drags, since after experiencing for themselves the "deadly pot" they tend to think all drugs are as harmless, realizing only too late that some like crack or heroin are indeed deadly.

Although smoking cannabis isn't exactly good for your health neither is eating choclate or Mc Donalds. But taking any of these in moderation is fine and can be beneficial to a persons mental wellbeing. Just because some people eat a harmful amount of chocolate doesn't warrant the need to ban it.
In the last few years in ireland they've started selling legal ecstacy (TFMPP) in shops and people I know who would normally take ecstacy or speed on a night out don't seem to be too bothered now because gettin their hands on something that'll give them a buzz isn't such a big deal, not to mention they know exactly what they're getting because the exact ingredients and strength are on the pack.
With the amount of crap in the hash that makes it's way over here (lead pellets, glass beads...seriously) the government should step up and take a bit of responsibility and legalise it allowing us to smoke cannabis responsibly without the unbelieveably dodgey stuff that nomally goes into it.

Didn't we know this already?!

If I remember correctly there was a thorough research that concluded alcohol and sigarettes were much more damaging to our health than XTC and cannabis. Especially alcohol is a dangerous, dangerous harddrug. The world needs to grasp this notion and act on it as fast as it can.

cannabis was and still is a threat to the cotton industry, hemp is far superior to cotton and back in the ages of the cotton trade the fat cats (government friends) got there way, still going on to this day. I bet the people who disagree with the legalization of weed and lets be frank about this, thats all it it. Are so integrated into the bullshit "economy society" which is proving to fail yet again.

If you look into the reclassification on this in the uk from class c to b, all it actuall gives the government is more power to apply there "stealth tax" 3 times. Step 1, (first time caught) fine.... step 2 (secound time caught) bigger fine.... step 3, should i go on.

Pot maybe the most dangerous drug known to man - the lives it ruins - the crimes committed to support the habit make necessary now - more than ever to jail every user for his/her own good - only thru taking these people out of society will they learn what freedom means! Let us pray the War on Drugs can be even half as successful as the War on Terror - Wake up America!! Vote for John and Sarah - our last hope!!

Pot maybe the most dangerous drug known to man - the lives it ruins

Coco, if you're going to engage in this kind of irony, PLEASE put an emoticon in there somewhere. There *are* people out there who actually would deliver this kind of drivel with a straight face, and you really don't want to be associated with them.

Just some friendly advice.

THis is not irony - this is reality!!

No, it's neither. It's rampaging fundamentalist lunacy, based on nothing but vapid cliches. BTW, dipwad, I live in Kanada, and I'd rather be here than where you are. Also, we are not communist -- we're not even really socialist, which is a different animal (if you had the intelligence of a fencepost you'd know that). I don't even understand the comment about electrical outages, since it doesn't seem to relate to us at all (maybe another one of your paranoid fantasies), the police comment is equally perplexing, and the "filth and horror" bit is just a joke. But hey -- don't let little details like reality get in your way. By all means, rave on. We could use a good laugh.

@COCO

'Look at Amsterdam'? What experience do you have in Amsterdam, other than the exaggerated rumours that are widespread throughout the world. It mostly is fantasy, Holland is one of the countries where drugs are one of the smallest national problems. Of course there are people who smoke cannabis there, but in small quantities and good quality (not with all those unhealthy additives). The reason Amsterdam (and the Dutch indirectly) is the way it is and has such an image is because of it's tourism. Yes, those are mostly people of other countries who think it's greener (pun intended) on the other side. Most Dutch people are very aware of the dangers of drugs, and they don't have the desire to smoke pot everywhere they can, because it's tolerated.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I don't care if they legalize cannabis, but IT SHOULD BE ILLEGAL TO SMOKE IT! Or anything else, including tabacco. There are other ways to take these drugs that don't cause cancer via second-hand smoke! Geez. I don't know why that's so hard to beat into people's heads.

Chew, inject, powder and inhale, patch, gum, pill, liquefy and swallow... I don't care. Just DON'T SMOKE.

And who made you the final arbiter of such matters?

cannabis was and still is a threat to the cotton industry, hemp is far superior to cotton and back in the ages of the cotton trade the fat cats (government friends) got there way, still going on to this day.

Nope; different kind of hemp.

Yo devil boy - Ronald Regan said this and would be echoed by every Surgeon General, ATF, DEA and beat cop in Amerika. You want pot without extensive jail time? Look at Amsterdam - a city ruined - practically unlivable by our standards where murder and humilitating sexual practices fill the streets!! Leave Amerika - go to communist countries like Kanada where the people the potheads rule - electricity outages are like Baghdad - the police are powerless - filth and horror are everywhere!! THis is not irony - this is reality!!

Don't know what YOU are smoking; but, it's definitely not the good stuff!

Although smoking cannabis isn't exactly good for your health neither is eating choclate or Mc Donalds.

I agree, *for the person smoking*. When you eat at McDonalds 3 times a day that doesn't effect MY health at all. When you smoke while living in the same apartment building as me, it does.

So there is a difference.

As I said, I don't care if they legalize cannabis. No biggy. But all forms of smoking should be illegal. As far as I'm concerned people can do whatever they want to themselves... so long as they aren't hurting anyone else. That's why drunk driving is illegal, and that's why smoking should be illegal.

What about bbq's? Can we still have those on occasion?

It takes 4 pounds of chocolate, eaten, to kill an average person. It takes 8 pounds of marijuana, smoked, to kill an average person.

Which one can you buy in the store? Which one would you buy for your kids? Both have been known to trigger psychotic episodes when over consumed or consumed in high concentration by people with a predisposition to mental problems.

Smoking marijuana makes you eat 4 pounds of chocolate easily! :D

"How can a plant be illegal? That's like saying God mad a mistake." - Bill Hicks.

Heck, if you eat two 24 packs of paracetamol you'll die, everytime, slowly and painfully, from liver failure, without IV n-acetyl-cystine. Should it be a criminal offense to posses it?

If people want to smoke on a regular basis then let them suffer the consequences by refusing medical treatment for smoking related disease.

There's too many of us anyway. Lets work out this food / air deal, then you can go back to your smoking.

How many childhoods would been calmer if their father were a bong-head rather than a raging alcoholic. Oh, it'd have it's problems too - but violence would not be one.

Personally, tried every drug at least 5 times, and none of em is better than a clear mind, healthy body and quality sleep.

Secondary smoking is a myth. Only the stupid would fall for that horseshit. Look how long mankind has had fire and look at how long we've had chimneys. Our genome is already shaped by smoke inhalation over tens of thousands of years.

nilbud, you're an idiot.

Our genome is already shaped by smoke inhalation over tens of thousands of years.

So why do millions of people die from smoke inhalation from cooking fires every year?

M_N: "fuchikoma, I admit that some of the issues surrounding cannabis and psychosis are still not settled, but there is little doubt that it can at least TRIGGER existing (dormant) mental health issues. This particular friend of mine would almost certainly still be alive today if he hadn't become a cannabis user. Who knows if the psychosis would have EVER been triggered if had never used cannabis?"

Nobody knows, you don't know if marijuana triggered it. That is a totally unwarranted leap, to that conclusion.
People like to blame "drugs", it's convenient and it hides inconvenient truths.
I went crazy in college. I was smoking marijuana a few times a week and taking hallucinogens during vacations. I'd come from a terribly abusive family, I was incredibly anxious, I felt incredibly threatened. People from my uncle's family blamed drugs. But my uncle, like my father, was abusive - except that things weren't quite so obvious as with my father, so people kept their perceptions all buttoned down - like my aunt, who castigated him and complained about him, but rationalized how he acted. And acknowledging how abusive my father was, would have struck too close to home.
And I found out many years later that I was gluten intolerant, that gluten caused hallucinogenic effects and made me very anxious.
I felt pretty freaked out one time after having used speed (with some hallucinogen). But marijuana never made me feel freaked out. And after college, I used drugs, mostly marijuana, without going crazy again.
There are such convenient scapegoats, like drugs, and I smell (dead) rats when people blame drugs for things that have so many other causes.

The only harm in weed is the potential for young budding personalities to become lazy and flunk school. This can be solved through good parenting, and the cancer risks from smoking can also be negated through the use of other methods of imbibement. As for mental health risks, How about this: Dont be a crazy asshole, and you wont end up in a mental institution. Dont blame a substance for your problems. 99.9999999999999% of the rest of cannabis users dont have any problems. Legalize it.

Humans have used this plant for a multitude of purposes for thousands of years. During the last few decades, cannabis sativa (marijuana) has been afflicted by counterculture image and politico hype. Hemp was once indispensable to world commerce. It can provide humans over 25,000 practical products ranging from automobiles to body care, composites, feed, foodstuffs (quite healthy), insulation, sealants, paper, plastics and textiles. The female flower of this plant, of which people, bears and felines have learned over history that when ingested, causes a heightening in sensory perception and euphoria. The planetary economic considerations alone would not have allowed this plant to prosper as it runs counter to recent historical US governmental doctrine of world-wide new world order free-market economy establishes during the post-industrial age. It will, however become essential to re-introduce this planet-wide found, eco-friendly, self-sustaining, non-petrochemical requiring, resource of food, clothing, and shelter once other options are exhausted in the marketplace or people realize again that it's a smarter way to exist on the planet. Whether 'legalized' or preferably 'de-criminalized' at a minimum, this plant should be properly re-introduced into our national dialogue if we are indeed planning any healthy nad prosperous 'future' for our progeny.

All of you have missed the essential point, and I am speaking to Americans here, not British "subjects": Do you or don't you have the right to determine what you can do with your own body? Well, do you? Because if you concede that right --- if you give it to some external authority --- then every form of fascist evil follows forthwith. The drug war is quite simply the "gateway" strategy that's been used to assault your Constitutional right to individual sovereignty.

Smoking marijuana makes you eat 4 pounds of chocolate easily! :D

How many pounds of brownies would that be?

Personally, I prefer potato chips.

"All of you have missed the essential point, and I am speaking to Americans here, not British "subjects": Do you or don't you have the right to determine what you can do with your own body?"
I agree, that's what I've always felt, that people just have a right to use drugs if they want to, and society has to deal with the consequences. Just like we have AA for people who can't drink moderately.
People don't have an absolute right to put whatever they want into their bodies. Like with antibiotic resistance. If people had free access to antibiotics they'd be overused terribly and they'd become useless. People would take them when they had colds or allergies.
So it's actually a right to change your consciousness as you like, not an right to get any chemical you want and put it into your body.

So it's actually ... not an right to get any chemical you want and put it into your body.

To be precise, each of us DOES have the right to "get any chemical you want and put it into your body."

What we lack is the right to expose others to the consequences of such.

For those of you concerned with marijuana bringing out existing psychosis, aren't each of us as individuals responsible for monitoring what we ingest? For instance, a diabetic should know not to eat sugar - do we need to monitor each diabetic to make sure that he/she doesn't put him/herself at risk? I am not trying to be insensitive to those who have had adverse reactions to marijuana, but simply pointing out that an individual is ultimately responsible for his/her choice. As with all mind-altering drugs (including alcohol), you should always have a sober "buddy" to keep an eye on you if you don't know the effects of a drug.

there seems to be a concensus here - the logical ones want to see serious prison time for those who use ( and their families too - to teach them a lesson in the value and cost of Freedom) and those anarchists who desire a world filled with filthy cities like Amsterdam and countries like Canada whose popultion is too stoned to progress beyond a hunter/gather state. Zombies who look south for thier culture and sustinance. Never shall the twain meet?? Wake up - be part of the solution - put the pot heads in jail for their own good - they will thank us someday.

Lol is this for real? So that's why I have pain in my rear sides after a heavy drink but only feel tired after a heavy smoke. Does that mean the gvmt feeds us utter ballocks? Ofc!

COCO:
Chill out maaan, just kick back and relax and don't be so heavy dude.
Ok, that was a joke.. now I'll be more serious:

Do you drink tea or coffee?. Have you ever taken chocolate based confectionary or beverages. Have you ever used tobacco products?. Have you, at any point in your life, had a glass of alcohol. If the answer to any of these questions is yes then YOU are guilty of consuming a naturally occurring stimulant!.
Some available strains of Cannabis have been genetically altered or hybridized to increase their strength to unacceptable levels but the standard Cannabis plant grows wild and has little affect on users other than to relax or help them with medical problems like Arthritis. It has great potential to be a legal medical product. Are you suggesting we should subject somebody to "serious prison time" for drinking a cannabis based herbal tea to help relieve chronic joint (no pun intended) pain?.
I think you need to rethink your perspective on this issue. If not then maybe start a campaign to irradiate ALL legally available stimulants, including those previously mentioned.

oops,I meant *eradicate*. Although I'm sure you'd prefer to iradiate all stimulants.. that'd teach us for being both normal AND rational, as opposed to your good self.

eeeear, puff and pass man.....puff and pass.....

Totally agree that alcohol is far more worse than cannabis as far as criminal situation is concerned. But it's defenately no good for your health.. especially mental health..

http://www.fdadrugstore.org - my favorite web site
http://www.online...tore.org

Lol, where you from coco? That's a very fascist attitude to have. Are you for real or just taking the piss? I could say the same you do about religious folks but that's my opinion and I'd never voice it out of respect to others beliefs.

I would certainly support legalizing it here in the US if we had a cost effective means of testing for the level of THC in the system. Something comparable to alcohol blood level tests.

That's my only concern really. Otherwise, bring on the new tax revenues on it. :D

Wow, this is still going...

COCO, I'm sorry, but you've been blinded by dogma and have no proof to offer. It CAN be a "ladder drug" simply because the dealers are smugglers of illegal substances and may offer more than one thing.

Please elucidate the "misry, filth and painfull death associated with pot." Tobacco has lung cancer and heart disease risk, as well as loss of skin and vein elasticity. Alcohol... about 10x what it takes to intoxicate you will run about a 50% chance of killing you (The "LD50" dose.) Sounds like a lot, but I have friends who have almost died of alcohol poisoning... a few times.
Cannabis... is a vasoconstrictor - it will constrict the blood vessels temporarily. The real shame is that serious research so often shies away from it so it's far less understood than it could be. However, from tests with rats, it is assumed that the LD50 for a human would be 8kg of pure THC - very powerful pot might have around 17% THC, and if smoked, you would certainly die of smoke inhalation and other complications before the drug even made a dent in your health, so "toxin" is a real misnomer.

Also, I happen to know many potheads. Several have tried magic mushrooms a few times. A couple even tried cocaine despite my protests - but none of them liked it and they all quit. Really. I figured it would be more addictive, but it just wasn't economically practical or enjoyable for them. None of us have tried any needle drugs whatsoever, or before you suggest it, any kind of amphetamine or related substance. While one of these guys does not work due to non-drug related disability, the others are all gainfully employed. I have a government job maintaining computers and the systems that interface with them for a living, and I think you'll find pot use is so prevalent there are actually many professionals who use it quite regularly.

Then again, I'm just a hunter gatherer from Canada, so I could have just hallucinated the whole thing UNDER THE MIND CRUSHING GRIP OF REEFER MADNESS... hahaha... But seriously, I suggest you check facts, or openly state the uncertainty factor when making such bold assertions on a science oriented website, or you will never be taken seriously.

I am sorry to offend you all with truth - pot leads to heroin which cascades to unspeakable crimes - we can all help by turning in pot heads and not just turning a blind eye. Tobacco and booze sure have some minor health concerns but pale in comparison to the misry, filth and painfull death associated with pot. No one on pot or even near the toxins has ever amounted to anything more than a welfare recipient!!

I've decided to not further debate this issue with you COCO, for the following reason:
You seem to be embarrassingly naive and intentionaly contrary attention seeker who deserves nothing but contempt, I'm happy to oblige.

Goodnight.

No one on pot or even near the toxins has ever amounted to anything more than a welfare recipient!!

That's funny. I remember my parents saying that when I was a kid, then I found out they smoked pot. Never been on welfare or even unemployment, and I bet I make a good deal more than you COCO. Thanks for the laughs.

My dear friend Velanarris - that is Lithuanian for hobo nest-ce pas? - I am sure that your welfare checks make my investments pale by comparsion - and given that seems to be your litmus test for success I am simply floored by your ad hominen comments and can add little to your sophmoric sophistry. I assume you too are Kanadian - living each day for the chance to get high but some of us have to live in the real world. May your god bless you - COCO

My dear friend Velanarris - that is Lithuanian for hobo nest-ce pas? - I am sure that your welfare checks make my investments pale by comparsion - and given that seems to be your litmus test for success I am simply floored by your ad hominen comments and can add little to your sophmoric sophistry. I assume you too are Kanadian - living each day for the chance to get high but some of us have to live in the real world. May your god bless you - COCO

Man you're a riot. No I'm American, that's with a C not a K. Judging by your inability to spell properly I'm going to assume that you're admitting to being a giant pothead by your own generalist ideals.

And as for your investments, I'm an 8 foot tall fire fighter who makes millions of dollars a day and gets to bang any woman I want to.

See, isn't internet pretend time fun?

And in true physorg fashion, the 69th post in an article about pot is about banging chicks during pretend time.

Epic.

At the half, it's Fireman 18, Investor -47 .

And, during intermission, as always, please note that smoking is allowed only on the concourse.

there seems to be a concensus here - the logical ones want to see serious prison time for those who use ( and their families too - to teach them a lesson in the value and cost of Freedom) ...

And where, pray tell, are those, other than yourself, who make up this "consensus?"

- pot leads to heroin which cascades to unspeakable crimes -

Either you were the producer of "Reefer Madness" or the one idiot that bought into its lies.

I rest my case - the majority wins again - the rest of you will be hopefully questioned by the DEA and imprisoned for your own good. 'Only by seeing the cost of capitulation can we learn the lesson of true freedom '- Thomas Jefferson.

I rest my case

Yep. Nutbar declares victory while "advancing to the rear".

People, you have to understand what's really happening here. In the religious fundamentalist milieu, it's all about words. Bon mots. Delivery. No one ever actually checks facts (or even acknowledges their existance), it's just a talking game. The idea is to sound best, or at least most assured. When theists get out into the real world, where the rest of us actually pay attention to what you're saying and, more importantly, are willing to question it, the theists are unable to adapt. Coco is having a problem here because he came out and made imperative statements with an assured tone and we didn't immediately fold. Instead, we actually had the gall to argue. Imagine! How dare we question the direct word of god!

More and more it is becoming apparent that Dawkins was right -- religion really is a mental illness.

Instead, we actually had the gall to argue. Imagine! How dare we question the direct word of god!

God says he gave us all seed bearing plants on earth to use.

(btw d666, excellent sentiment).

I rest my case

Please do - rest, that is.

the majority wins again

And which "majority" would that be? Clearly it is not one here represented.

How do you explain per-capita that marijuana use is lower in the netherlands where it is legal.

They use heroin?

For everyone saying Marijuana causes this or leads to that, you're wrong, there have not been enough studies, because you don't do serious side effect studies on illegal drugs.

To everyone saying it is safe, you're wrong, there have not been enough studies, because you don't do serious side effect studies on illegal drugs.

Here are some important points, ALL smoke has been linked to forms of cancer, plastic bags, wood, paper, meat, etc. Heat from the smoke and tar which would be in any organic smoke are the major contributers to the cellular mutations and to the lung disease, emphysema, heart disease, poor circulatory health, etc. Nicotine is just one of many probable carcinogens.

All that being said I guess I probably ought to pony up my Cigarettes since they fall in to the same catagory, but I won't. Never tried Pot, never had a strong enough urge, something about severe allergy, please donate money to the Center for Finding a Cure to Canabis Allergies(CFCCA) rather than sending flowers, I'm allergic to flowers too. :(

But seriously the people using religion to support your arguements, are you sure that you want the country run by religion, and more importantly are you sure the majority will side with your denomination? I'm not. If christianity was meant to be a form of government then why would the Son of God choose(must be a choice, he's the Son of God here) not to take over the world and rule with his iron will?

I think it'd be fantastic if we did become a monotheistic country(US here) and and the various "legitimate religions" argued enough to allow the Church of the Flying Spagetti monster to rule over us, except I'm kind of Anti-Pirate not because I don't believe they were freindly or good people, but because I'm kinda pro global warming, especially today it was frickin 31degrees F this morning.

the typical adult cigarette smoker is addicted and smokes regularly, a significant detrement to long term health. Cannabis is not addictive, and most adult smokers trend towards more moderate and less frequent/occasional use, at smaller doses, as they age. Cannabis is more often used than abused. It's less likely to be abused than alcohol. If either of tobacco or cannabis should be illegal, its tobacco. Its negative impact on society is far, far greater. Also the negative impact of the prohibition of cannabis is far greater than it legalization. Prohibition results in illegal-pot traffic, supports crime, and the often violent competition resulting. And it needlessly jails countless thousands. We have among the very highest jail rates, much of that from moronic pot charges. The people mostly benefitting from prohibition are the private jails. The only people qualified to know the true nature of pot are those that smoke it and a few scientists. Everyone is is completely full of it.