Should the farming of hemp and or marijuana be allowed in the U.S.?

digsbe said:

Do I have to support those things? I said we don't need anymore psychoactive drugs on the market. Drugs and tobacco are bad and they're enough

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If you truly believe that those as bad, then in being consistent, supporting their prohibition is applicable.

MusicAdventurer said:

If you truly believe that those as bad, then in being consistent, supporting their prohibition is applicable.

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But this isn't my argument. My argument is that we have enough, we don't need anymore. Alcohol and cigaretes are bad enough, we don't need anymore. To be consistent, marijuana cannot be solely compared to cigarettes and ethanol as equals.

As of now, the active molecule in marijuana THC, is legal as a prescription drug named Dronabinol. It's a medicinal molecule with psychoactive side affects. To be consistent, if people have the right to take THC for psychoactive affects, then why not legalize Oxycontin, morphine, fentanyl, and other drugs to be used over the counter for their psychoactive affects?

digsbe said:

We don't need another legal psychoactive drug on the markets. As a pre-pharmacy student and a biologist I cannot condone the legalization of marijuana for recreational drug use.

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So you want to keep a relatively harmless drug illegal, which funds criminal organizations, much like prohibition did in the 20's, which also puts a huge unnecessary economic burden on us as a country with the drug war, and a prison population of non-violent drug offenders? Doesn't make sense digs.

digsbe said:

Do I have to support those things? I said we don't need anymore psychoactive drugs on the market. Drugs and tobacco are bad and they're enough/

Smoking marijuana bathes the lungs in powerful carcinogens which leads to cancer (much like cigarettes). We see how harmful alcohol and tobacco are, why legalize another harmful drug? THC is available in prescription form via the trade name Dronabinol. Dronabinol is a CII. Why not just legalize other CII's like morphine, Oxycontin, and other drugs for public recreational use? Doing so is foolish. Marijuana should not be legalize. THC does have some medical benefits, which is why there is prescription THC available. There is no need to legalize weed.

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And there are other studies that say marijuana shrinks brain tumors. The first thing I ask myself when I see a study is "Who funded it?" because that seems to determine the outcome. All those studies that say vegetarianism is unhealthy can be traced to outfits like the Beef Council, for instance.

We've got horrible additives in our food and our water is full of fluoride and chlorine. Damage from marijuana is negligible, if it exists at all. I know plenty of old coots who have been smoking it for decades with no ill effects but I don't know anyone who has gotten sick or dies from it. The worst that can be said is that it makes some people lazy.

Your Star said:

So you want to keep a relatively harmless drug illegal, which funds criminal organizations, much like prohibition did in the 20's, which also puts a huge unnecessary economic burden on us as a country with the drug war, and a prison population of non-violent drug offenders? Doesn't make sense digs.

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It's not relatively harmless. It's also currently a CII which is the most tightly controlled legalized class of medications in the US. Marijuana and THC cannot be compared to ethanol, but rather to other CII's like Oxycontin, morphine, and fentanyl. Why not legalize these for elective recreational use as well? Why have any controlled substances?

The solution to the drug war is to lessen the penalty for drug use. Instead of jail time slap violators with fines. I agree that locking people up for marijuana use isn't the correct thing to do. It deserves a fine which would help offset the costs of the war on drugs (which also goes to fund preventing the use of more harmful drugs like meth and heroine).

stelz said:

And there are other studies that say marijuana shrinks brain tumors. The first thing I ask myself when I see a study is "Who funded it?" because that seems to determine the outcome. All those studies that say vegetarianism is unhealthy can be traced to outfits like the Beef Council, for instance.

We've got horrible additives in our food and our water is full of fluoride and chlorine. Damage from marijuana is negligible, if it exists at all. I know plenty of old coots who have been smoking it for decades with no ill effects but I don't know anyone who has gotten sick or dies from it. The worst that can be said is that it makes some people lazy.

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Like I've said before. THC has medical affects, we have a prescription available for THC.

Even tobacco isn't bad, all by itself. It's the additives they put in it to get people hooked that do it. The Native Americans considered it holy.

digsbe said:

It's not relatively harmless. It's also currently a CII which is the most tightly controlled legalized class of medications

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So simply because a group of people decided to put it in a certain class of drugs makes it a dangerous drug? This defies logic-humans are capable of making mistakes; that classification is a purely political based one, not medical.

digsbe said:

It's not relatively harmless. It's also currently a CII which is the most tightly controlled legalized class of medications in the US. Marijuana and THC cannot be compared to ethanol, but rather to other CII's like Oxycontin, morphine, and fentanyl. Why not legalize these for elective recreational use as well? Why have any controlled substances?

The solution to the drug war is to lessen the penalty for drug use. Instead of jail time slap violators with fines. I agree that locking people up for marijuana use isn't the correct thing to do. It deserves a fine which would help offset the costs of the war on drugs (which also goes to fund preventing the use of more harmful drugs like meth and heroine).

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It's in that class because of political reasons, not because it deserves to be in that class. Is cocaine better to use then marijuana? According to US law it is. Which is bull, and you know it. And marijuana does not have the adverse effects of those drugs you mentioned, it is not addicting like those drugs, and you can't overdose on marijuana. There are big differences between them. And reducing the penalty to fines would be step in the right direction, but not enough. The drug syndicates would still have money flowing in from the billions of dollars in sales. Also another reason why this should be legal is quality control. Now if you buy bad weed, your screwed, and it could cost you your life, but if it was legal, we would have guidelines, and standards for growing, and selling pot, just like any other crop, and this would protect the consumer. The benefits of legalizing pot vastly outweighs the potential risks, and it should be done.

I think it's interesting that we've only got one anti-marijuana person chiming in so far. I support legalization of both products for whatever uses our sneaky little minds can concoct. I also think it's ludicrous that marijuana is currently a schedule I drug along with a wide variety of things that are legitimately dangerous.

To Digbe - Yes, marijuana can potentially be somewhat carcinogenic, but only if you're dumb enough to smoke it without cleaning it up first (e.g. use a vaporizer), and/or baking it into an edible form. How is it different than, say, Oxycontin? It's not a wildly addictive opiate. Marijuana can be somewhat habit forming, of course, but it's a far cry from the addictiveness of your average opiate/opiate analogue.

The Mark said:

Interesting.

I've heard of many possible uses for hemp fibers.

And I've wondered if it could be used as a base for a bio-fuel of some sort - of course, the joke then would be "I get high when I drive my car - but not from smoking weed".

:mrgreen:

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From here: 60 Ways to use your Hemp | Natural Environment Blog

Paper

Printing paper
Specialty paper
Cigarette filter paper
Coffee filter paper
Newsprint
Cardboard
Packaging

Foods

Cooking oils
Salad dressing/oils
BIO-EFA food oil
Margarine
Vitamins/Food supplements
Granola
Bird seed
Flour (protein enriched, gluten-free)

Body Care

Soap
Shampoo
Bath/shower gels
Hand cream
Cosmetics
Moisturizing lotions
Balms

Consumer Textiles

Apparel
Bags
Shoes
Socks
Denim
Diapers / Nappies
Fabrics

Industrial Textiles

Canvas
Rope
Twine
Nets
Tarpolans
Carpet
Geotextiles
Brake/clutch linings
Caulking (i.e. sealing the seams in boats or ships to make them watertight)
Agro-fiber composites

Industrial/Technical Products

Oil paints
Varnishes
Printing ink
Fuel
Solvents
Lubricants
Putty
Coatings
Molding
Chemical Absorbent
Mulch
Pultrusion
Biocomposite
Animal bedding
Ethanol/biofuel
Erosion control

Building Materials

Fiber board
Insulation
Fiberglass subsitute
Hempcrete
Stucco and mortar

This list is not exhaustive - I’ve heard that there are over 25,000 known uses for hemp. Feel free to name some more!

digsbe said:

Smoking marijuana bathes the lungs in powerful carcinogens which leads to cancer (much like cigarettes). We see how harmful alcohol and tobacco are, why legalize another harmful drug? THC is available in prescription form via the trade name Dronabinol. Dronabinol is a CII. Why not just legalize other CII's like morphine, Oxycontin, and other drugs for public recreational use? Doing so is foolish. Marijuana should not be legalize. THC does have some medical benefits, which is why there is prescription THC available. There is no need to legalize weed.

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The AMA and the British Medical Association have both ruled that the cancer link is inconclusive. If your school has taught you that cannabis causes cancer, then they are lying to you; just like how they are lying to you by telling you the name is marijuana and not cannabis. Medical schools in America are filled with indoctrination.

Look... people are rotting in jail and being shot up at the border over a PLANT. Get over yourself already. This plant needs to be legalized both for the sanity of the justice system, and to remove it from the hands of criminal activity. It is the most widely consumed illegal substance in the world. The public has spoken. Democracy needs to take effect.

I can appreciate that you don't like this plant and don't want another intoxicant being consumed. But two things... one: it's not up to you to decide what other people do to their bodies, and given all of the research on cannabis, it is more benign in the long-term than alcohol; two, it has more benefits, both medicinally and industrially, than cigarettes or tobacco. If there is something that should be legalized, it is this plant in its entirety.

I am aware that there are THC prescriptions in pharmacies. They are not as effective as taking the plant, and that is because it is synthetic and removed from the synergy of the entire plant. THC is only one of many cannabinoids within the cannabis flower. Studies show this over and over. It's why people are demanding access to medical cannabis without having to go to some shady drug dealer.

The illegal market in the United States for cannabis is approximately $10-20 per gram, compared with other illegal substances which can be much higher. The illegal market in the U.S. is so saturated that prices are lowered to be very affordable to everyone.

The market is already there and a staggering number of people are already participating. Now it just makes sense to bring it into the light of day. Illegal or not, it is happening. We need to remove the stigma and stop ruining people's lives for smoking a simple plant.

digsbe said:

Do I have to support those things? I said we don't need anymore psychoactive drugs on the market. Drugs and tobacco are bad and they're enough/

Smoking marijuana bathes the lungs in powerful carcinogens which leads to cancer (much like cigarettes). We see how harmful alcohol and tobacco are, why legalize another harmful drug? THC is available in prescription form via the trade name Dronabinol. Dronabinol is a CII. Why not just legalize other CII's like morphine, Oxycontin, and other drugs for public recreational use? Doing so is foolish. Marijuana should not be legalize. THC does have some medical benefits, which is why there is prescription THC available. There is no need to legalize weed.

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We should. Add Xanax and Valium too and any other drugs that can make you feel good and at peace

Kali said:

We should. Add Xanax and Valium too and any other drugs that can make you feel good and at peace

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As long as my tax dollars don't have to support you, your habit or your rehab and you don't hurt anyone else with your behavior.... I'm fine with that.

Ockham said:

As long as my tax dollars don't have to support you, your habit or your rehab and you don't hurt anyone else with your behavior.... I'm fine with that.

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Require the signing of some stack of paperwork that basically says "No one but me is responsible for any issues that result from my use of these substances"?

Lawsuits to prove or disprove cause, I predict.

Ockham said:

As long as my tax dollars don't have to support you, your habit or your rehab and you don't hurt anyone else with your behavior.... I'm fine with that.

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With the billions we would save from the war on drugs and the cost of imprisoning people, we would be able to provide rehab easily and still have a huge surplus.

Portugal has already proven that all the fears about drug decriminalization are false. Small possession of any substance is legal now and drug addiction rates have plummeted.

The war on drugs in general is an abysmal failure and the only reason why it still exists is because law enforcement and prison economy make a lot of money, and people would go unemployed virtually over night. But to that I say, so what?

I'll say what I always say. Prohibition never works, it only creates vibrant and violent criminal organizations that thrive, filling the demand with their illegal supply. The fact that there are legitimate, demonstrable medicinal uses for marijuana while drug cartels at our borders commit mass murder and mayhem daily makes this federal prohibition even more ludicrous. Legalize drugs, regulate them, and global crime cartels would implode almost overnight.

Unfortunately, common sense isn't so common any more.

It should be legal, and both should be farmed.

As others have mentioned, hemp is a wonderfully versatile plant. Its uses in production are practically limitless. The only thing it's not much good for is getting high.

But I think marijuana should be farmed and legal for recreational use as well. It's significantly less harmful than alcohol and it's ridiculous that alcohol is legal and marijuana is not. I really don't understand the point of that and I never will.

Apart from its obvious recreational uses, it also does have valid medical uses. Foremost among them as a painkiller. We really need to diversify our painkillers beyond highly addictive and potentially damaging opioids. Marijuana is safer, less addictive, and less harmful. In vaporized or consumed forms, it has virtually no long-term affects at all. There's no reason why it shouldn't be an option.

MistressNomad said:

It should be legal, and both should be farmed.

As others have mentioned, hemp is a wonderfully versatile plant. Its uses in production are practically limitless. The only thing it's not much good for is getting high.

But I think marijuana should be farmed and legal for recreational use as well. It's significantly less harmful than alcohol and it's ridiculous that alcohol is legal and marijuana is not. I really don't understand the point of that and I never will.

Apart from its obvious recreational uses, it also does have valid medical uses. Foremost among them as a painkiller. We really need to diversify our painkillers beyond highly addictive and potentially damaging opioids. Marijuana is safer, less addictive, and less harmful. In vaporized or consumed forms, it has virtually no long-term affects at all. There's no reason why it shouldn't be an option.

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And if THC-heavy cannabis is commercially grown and processed (more than it currently is?), it could be more easily done.

Not to mention, I suppose, that pure (or perhaps diluted in some way?) THC could be sold without the chance of carcinogens that digsbe mentioned - since, if I understood correctly, the cancer risk was from the smoke - not the THC.

The Mark said:

And if THC-heavy cannabis is commercially grown and processed (more than it currently is?), it could be more easily done.

Not to mention, I suppose, that pure (or perhaps diluted in some way?) THC could be sold without the chance of carcinogens that digsbe mentioned.

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In the case of marijuana, the carcinogens are produced by the actual smoking. Anything you smoke has carcinogens, simply by virtue of breathing in smoke. But marijuana itself actually has some anti-tumor properties. So if you vaporize or eat it, you won't have carcinogenic affects.

Jail and prison are supposed to be for people who aren't fit to be outside, anyway. It's not like I'm scared to go out alone because Willie Nelson might get me.

I think a lot of this prohibition has to do with prison being Big Bidness. People in prison working for a few cents an hour are slaves. You have to look at who's profiting from all this garbage.

digsbe said:

Do I have to support those things? I said we don't need anymore psychoactive drugs on the market. Drugs and tobacco are bad and they're enough/

Smoking marijuana bathes the lungs in powerful carcinogens which leads to cancer (much like cigarettes). We see how harmful alcohol and tobacco are, why legalize another harmful drug? THC is available in prescription form via the trade name Dronabinol. Dronabinol is a CII. Why not just legalize other CII's like morphine, Oxycontin, and other drugs for public recreational use? Doing so is foolish. Marijuana should not be legalize. THC does have some medical benefits, which is why there is prescription THC available. There is no need to legalize weed.

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Do you think that outlawing weed is keeping people from using it?

DiAnna said:

I'll say what I always say. Prohibition never works, it only creates vibrant and violent criminal organizations that thrive, filling the demand with their illegal supply. The fact that there are legitimate, demonstrable medicinal uses for marijuana while drug cartels at our borders commit mass murder and mayhem daily makes this federal prohibition even more ludicrous. Legalize drugs, regulate them, and global crime cartels would implode almost overnight.

Unfortunately, common sense isn't so common any more.

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Has it ever been?

Ockham said:

As long as my tax dollars don't have to support you, your habit or your rehab and you don't hurt anyone else with your behavior.... I'm fine with that.

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Good! Something we agree on.

BTW, I am a working woman so your tax dollars are not being wasted on me.

Dittohead not! said:

Do you think that outlawing weed is keeping people from using it?

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Of course.

It's not like there are probably 15-30 people I know or know of who have used or currently use weed [among other things?] (rumor and innuendo, of course :mrgreen, including multiple co-workers and some if not all of my bosses.

stelz said:

Jail and prison are supposed to be for people who aren't fit to be outside, anyway. It's not like I'm scared to go out alone because Willie Nelson might get me.

I think a lot of this prohibition has to do with prison being Big Bidness. People in prison working for a few cents an hour are slaves. You have to look at who's profiting from all this garbage.

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Willie is out to get you to sing you a song. Be afraid and hide any childrens you have:shock::2razz::2razz: