Medical Marijuana

If I was about to have brain surgery, I wouldn't want the doctor to say, "Wow that was some good ****, I'm seeing squirrels!"

Tigger said:

I DON'T trust most people in those situations either, Cardinal.

My problem with marijuana in general is the same issue I have with narcotics, alcohol, and other substances..... They create an altered mental state which inhibits people's ability to make sound decisions instantly.

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yep. and it only has cause a few deaths of people you know to feel this way.

Tigger said:

I DON'T trust most people in those situations either, Cardinal.

My problem with marijuana in general is the same issue I have with narcotics, alcohol, and other substances..... They create an altered mental state which inhibits people's ability to make sound decisions instantly.

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...if used immoderately or in unwise circumstances. Nearly every object or activity, used unwisely or immoderately, can have negative consequences. If you limit the freedom of someone to do something on your rationale alone, then no activity or object could be permitted to exist.

And of all those things, marijuana is historically pretty near the bottom of the list as demonstrable destructiveness goes.

grip said:

If I was about to have brain surgery, I wouldn't want the doctor to say, "Wow that was some good ****, I'm seeing squirrels!"

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I wouldn't want them on a sugar high, either ...

MoSurveyor said:

I wouldn't want them on a sugar high, either ...

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How about we just agree that people who hold jobs that can directly endanger another human being should be on as few mind altering substances as possible.

Cephus said:

I am against the legalization of any illicit drug, in fact, if I had my way, I wouldn't want tobacco or alcohol legal either.

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So you'd take the Volstead Act era crime and the cartels/gangs from this War on Drugs over people being able to get a buzz in the privacy of their own homes? Wow...

Cephus said:

If you have to ingest, inject, smoke or snort any substance to feel good about yourself, you've got some issues.

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Oh, the old "I don't need to drink to have a good time" tripe. Cephus, no one NEEDS them, but they do help. Just like I don't need to sleep with hotties, but its nicer. Much good can come from the use of psycodelics, for example heroin addicts who take Ayahuasca just ONCE have the lowest relapse rate.

Cephus said:

That said, I think the way most states that have legalized medical marijuana have gone about it is the most piss-poor method imaginable, we all know that people are forging prescriptions or just buying it illegally out the back door of dispensaries and it's being ignored by the authorities. If we're going to allow it, it has to be much, much, much better controlled.

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Agreed, but there is no IF. IMO legalization is inevitable.

Lachean said:

So you'd take the Volstead Act era crime and the cartels/gangs from this War on Drugs over people being able to get a buzz in the privacy of their own homes? Wow...

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Actually, I'd settle for people being more rational and responsible, but we all know that kind of thing is gone from modern-day America.

Agreed, but there is no IF. IMO legalization is inevitable.

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Oh, I agree it's probably inevitable, but there's a difference between something happening and that thing being a good idea.

Cephus said:

Actually, I'd settle for people being more rational and responsible, but we all know that kind of thing is gone from modern-day America.

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There is nothing irrational or irresponsible about engaging in vices.

Cephus said:

Oh, I agree it's probably inevitable, but there's a difference between something happening and that thing being a good idea.

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In this case, we'll have to disagree given that I do see it as a good idea and consider prohibition (and censorship) wrong and worse than the worst druggies.

I support the legalization of marijuana. It have no desire to do drugs, nor do I agree it's smart to do them...HOWEVER this war on drugs has completely spiraled out of control. Also people should be allowed to make their own bad decisions. The government are not our parents, once we hit 18 we are supposed to be independent. But personally, I think I had more freedom as a child! So yes, I support marijuana, and no I am not a marijuana user nor will I ever be.

I have a bit of a different take on this.

I actually think legalization and regulation of marijuana recreationally is fine. Tight regulatory controls, a good taxation system to pay for the social issues it will contribute to seems like a no brainer to me.

I dont like the concept of medical marijuana, though.

My background is medicine, and pharmacology and drug development, specifically. The use of substances for medical use is a tricky business, full of unintended harms and benefits for patients. Pretending a drug like cannibas is a good thing for a million different disorders, without being very carefully studied for risks and benefits, it harmful to patients.

For example, its quite well known that cannibas works well to prevent nausea in response to chemotherapy. Does it work better than the other drugs we have? Is it safer? Can the smokable form ever be really safe? Those questions are not answered.

For MS, back pain, chronic pain, etc... there is just not very good data around the use and its benefits.

I know I can hear dozens of replies to the post saying "my (insert word here) used marijuana for (insert disease here) and said it was the only thing that worked." But medicine by anecdote is a terrible way to do medicine. I bet if I gave a whole bunch of people cocaine for their hangovers, they would report great results, too.

I'm sure marijuana has some medical utility. My guess is that its much less than what is currently being promoted... and make no mistake - in the states that its legal in, the promotion is a joke - like herbal medicines or homeopathic medicine for disease. These types of things can harm more than help - especially if the marijuana is being used in leiu of a safe and effective therapy.

I am in full support of the legalization of marijuana. In that stance, it makes me supportive of it for medical uses by default. There is absolutely no credible or substantial claims for it to continue to be illegal. It makes no sense, wastes money, and is completely asinine.

Legalization of marijuana could be beneficial but it would the context in which it is legalized which would define how successful it would be. It would be very beneficial to the economy

Ironically, when most people think of "medical marijuana" they think of being able to roll a joint and smoke it. And as such believe and tout that many doctors believe that MJ is good for you. In fact they are wrong.Yes, many doctors do indeed prescribe Medical Marijuana and believe it to be good for peoples health....BUT (come on, you knew there was a "but" in there right?) when doctors proscribe Med MJ they more often than not prescribe it in vapor form. NOT roll a joint smoke it form. Why? Because smoking smoke into your lungs is bad for your health. It doesn't matter what you smoke. Smoke in lungs = bad. Our lungs are not designed to be filled with smoke.