The issue we have with legalization in this country is, and I'm sorry to say it, you people. Seriously, read your comments. What we need if we ever intend to be taken seriously about it is for the smarter side of the cannabis users to surface and be more outspoken. The Dr's, the lawyers and judges, the politicians, the EMS, the firemen, the police, the PTA members and teachers, etc... But the problem is that they fear the retaliation of the non-approving general public. These people don't want to lose their jobs, and that is understandable. But if they are caught using the drug while it is still unlawful to do so, then they face another giant mess altogether. The whole system is a catch 22.
I will say this, and by no means is it a direct stab at the previous comments, but when non pot smoking people see things like, and I will quote from comments left here by others:
"I believe marijuana is less harmful than other legal drugs including alcohaul. i believe it can be a substitute for more harmful synthetic drugs prescribed now" --- Not a bad point at all Steve, but you misspelled alcohol, have zero punctuation, not even capitalization. Also, be specific. What synthetic drugs are you talking about? Marijuana doesn't affect pain receptors in the brain much, and although I personally think it works for mild to moderate pain, it can't do much for someone who has had 4 back surgeries, or someon who suffers from chronic pain. Most of the "bad" drugs that we are having an epidemic with now in our nation are opioids. Opioids are not synthetic, and although synthetic versions exist as a solution for perfecting dosage amounts, and to keep costs lower, opioids are one of the worlds oldest known drugs. Predating marijuana. Opiates like Hydrocodone and Oxycodone/Oxycontin aren't bad, or bad for people. Drug addicts who lie to their Dr's, pill pushing Dr's, and shitty dope slinging retards are bad for people. The dope slinging retards I speak about are the ones who sell time release pain pills (Oxycontin) to a middle school or high school kids without explaining to the kids the process of "time or extended release" These kids get these pills, pop one and in an hour when they aren't high, they pop another one or two. Then they overdose. Sad, and avoidable, but people have moral flexibility beyond that of what was common even just a decade ago, and it seems to just get worse.
Nancy Tampa Bay, Any and all drugs can be a gateway drug. Marijuana has NOT been proven to be any more of a gateway drug than cigarettes or alcohol. In fact, many studies have shown that most people on marijuana don't use other drugs as often, there is a certain "guilt factor" associated with a marijuana high that makes people not want to drink and do other drugs. Also, children around parents that smoke cigarettes are 10 times (or more) likely to smoke cigarettes themselves, and children who smoke cigarettes are far more likely to smoke marijuana. So what is a gateway drug? Are all drugs "gateway" drugs? I know that cigarettes seem to be more of a gateway drug than marijuana.
Cullen: You sound almost as dumb as Ryan. I doubt you are, but when speaking for a cause, try being more precise. Maybe you'll be a NORML spokesperson yet...
Ryan: Holy shit man, I almost had a seizure reading your run-on, um... paragraph? Seriously man, what gives? Your keyboard doesn't have a caps lock, shift key, a period/dot button? I'm going to leave it at this for you. You should monitor whatever things you have going on in your mind, creat is spelled create, as in; Ryan has created a giant mess of grammatical errors in his comment. Also, most people don't "think they are better then anything else". But, some people, assholes usually, think they are better than everyone else. Like me!:) Just kidding, I know I am no better than anyone else on this planet, we are all created (see Ryan) equal. I am opinionated, and sometimes blunt,(no pun intended)but usually well thought out.
Take care!
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