General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsA question: When Pot is legal nationwide...
Will we as a nation mellow out a little? Start helping people before corporations?
Will it raise our consciousness as a Nation?
Could it enable us to fulfill the promise of a government "Of the people and for the people?"
28 votes, 0 passes | Time left: Unlimited | |
yes | |
3 (11%) |
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maybe | |
4 (14%) |
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no | |
21 (75%) |
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0 DU members did not wish to select any of the options provided. | |
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NaturalHigh
(12,778 posts)"By the people, for the people"...
Yeah, because I think a majority of Americans either favor legalization or don't care.
As for the rest - no way to tell. It won't affect me one way or the other since I personally don't enjoy pot (though I do favor legalization). I suspect that I'm probably in the majority, so I think there are a lot of people who won't be smoking it, legal or not.
Aerows
(39,961 posts)but I also favor legalization.
Phlem
(6,323 posts)I read an article a while back about a conservative white supremacist who smoked a joint one day. To the point, he became a liberal, lives in a commune (I forget where) still smokes weed and manage a communal farm (not just weed) and help each other out. He turned into the opposite of what he was.
So yea, my great hope is we all mellow out and step back for a moment and see what kind of society we're actually living in.
-p
hootinholler
(26,449 posts)Supposing that it does indeed have that effect, will a person of 50 see the results?
Phlem
(6,323 posts)My example was from a more 20 ish to 30 ish type of individual. I hope that people in their 50's would still have an open mind to society but with age comes baggage. I would guess after time it would. It did take some time for the individual in my example to change, but when he did there was no turning back. I'm assuming he's grey and happy, living a gentler life with more understanding and compassion by now.
Nice post btw.
-p
defacto7
(13,485 posts)is half full of underwear and half with prejudice. Mine is full of dope, and I go commando.
"prejudice",
How so?
-p
defacto7
(13,485 posts)Then read my post.
If you can't figure it out, there's nothing I can say to make it clearer for you. I'm not giving advice.
Sorry.
Phlem
(6,323 posts)It was an article. The opponents make grand sweeping generalizations but your going to ding me on my insignificant op?
OkeeeDokeee defacto7 your the winner, now you can go to bed happy. Good night princess.
XOXOX
Sweet dreams.
-p
defacto7
(13,485 posts)Can't find his own prejudice without a sermon.... Maybe when you grow up you'll have the ability to learn something. Until then, emptiness is bliss, and Ugh, that's what your post said and ugh is exactly what it's worth.
Night night tootles.
Phlem
(6,323 posts)You see prejudice I don't, does that mean what you say is true, nah.
But you go right ahead and keep patting yourself on the back for spreading ignorance.
Have a fun day in your castle.
XOXO
-p
Oh and if you think I'm being prejudice about 50 years olds, FFS, I just turned 50, so I'm basically prejudice of myself?!?!
A+ on the ignorant snark
Rex
(65,616 posts)LORD knows if anyone needs to smoke a joint and chill out, it is the cops! Might even help them sort through on how to proceed in detaining a suspect without killing them first!
Oh look! He wasn't really reaching for a gun and I didn't shoot him! Puff puff pass.
etherealtruth
(22,165 posts)Aside from "no pot related incarceration" (a big deal in and of itself) ... I see no real difference occurring in the functioning of the nation.
BainsBane
(52,916 posts)
Perhaps it would serve as a literal opiate of the people.

Perhaps it would serve as a literal opiate of the people.
So did you mean to imply that I must be under the influence of some powerful drug to even have that Idea? Oh, and what exactly is "something to stronger?"
You really think cannabis is like an opiate?
BainsBane
(52,916 posts)It's not technically an opiate, but then neither is religion. But who knows, give me enough margaritas and perhaps I can come up with the theory of everything. Or maybe magic mushrooms will do it?
Lost_Count
(555 posts)I've been working and still am working in the tech industry mainly working on 3d game art that I put myself through school for. I love science and I have a wood shop in my garage that's always fun and I do 90% of the cooking and chores around the house. I'm taking medication for PTSD from early childhood abuse but have never taken it out on anyone, ever (except for bullies that picked on me through school), I'm married and have the happiest little girl on the block. Where do I fit into your little theory?
-p
Lost_Count
(555 posts)... since you 'forgot' to mention it?
Phlem
(6,323 posts)Why Yes, yes I do. Have anymore genius insight to share?
-p
Lost_Count
(555 posts)I personally think that weed makes people stupider and lazier as a general rule.
There are likely legitimate medical reasons to use it and the medical benefits outweigh those negative aspects.
It's a spectrum and not a light switch with 'stupid' and 'not stupid' labels.
hootinholler
(26,449 posts)I read annoyed at a lazy and stupid answer.
Phlem
(6,323 posts)I've talked to one too many trolls around here and replied to your post because it's not something a typical liberal would say. But you go on, and try and convince the rest of the crowd here.
Oh and thanks for bolding the "er" cause I certainly wouldn't have figured it out at all. Ooh I believe I'm getting the vapors. Our discussion has so tasked my poor "stoopiders" little brain.
Jeebus
-p
bravenak
(34,648 posts)Weed has never made me stupid or lazy. It enhances my intelligence.
It might work for you too.
Lost_Count
(555 posts)RedCappedBandit
(5,514 posts)Or are you just making crap up?
Lost_Count
(555 posts)I'll tell you the same thing I told the others.
Just be honest about why you want pot. You know it impairs but you like the way it makes you feel and the cost is worth it to you personally.
Just that easy...
RedCappedBandit
(5,514 posts)Do you have a link supporting your initial statement or not? So far, you've failed to produce.
Phlem
(6,323 posts)You know the whole war on drugs bullshit.
He's all over the map and full of shit.
-p
It's a spectrum huh.
"It's a spectrum and not a light switch with 'stupid' and 'not stupid' labels. "
Riiiight but stupid, and not stupid is still in the "spectrum" somewhere since you've used those in your explanation.
Oh and no label's on that spectrum well that clears it up.
just F'ing genious.
"Populace will become stupider and lazier than ever..." in descending order I'm sure.
-p
Lost_Count
(555 posts)If you fix them I'll self delete this...
No thanks I'm done with you. Just had to find your awesomely scientific spectrum that you spoke of. Too bad it's such a small spectrum.
I know you and your definitely not worth my time anymore.
-p
PS. I never liked Raygun, he was an ass. A doofy, controlled tool of the Republican party.
Autumn
(43,932 posts)smoke pot. Interesting that you would think that.
Logical
(22,457 posts)Lost_Count
(555 posts)Marijuana doesn't increase Work ethic or intellectual prowess and in some cases even decreases it.
Statistically this will obviously lead to some form of reduction in those characteristics nationwide.
bravenak
(34,648 posts)I need a link to verify that smoking MJ will statistically lead to some form of reduction in work ethic of intellectual prowess.
I have some anecdotal evidence for you to ponder.
Most republicans I know do not smoke, half of the democrats I know do. My democrat friends are hard working and intelligent, my republican friends ( who don't smoke) are hard working, but they believe everything they see on fox news. My republican friends that do smoke, call themselves independents, hate the tea party, and never want to discuss Benghazi.
That's all the evidence I need to assure me that smoking weed enhances your intelligence.
Lost_Count
(555 posts)We're you partaking that marijuana during high school statistics class?
bravenak
(34,648 posts)Proof first, then discussion.
Lost_Count
(555 posts)While I'm conducting my peer reviewed study answer this.
Would you want the heart surgeon for your child to be pleasantly baked before conducting open heart surgery?
Would you go to a professional job interview while stoned?
Would you allow you son to take his college placement exams while high?
Would you be ok with law enforcement conducting their duties while under the influence of weed?
I don't see why pot advocates don't just act honestly. Admit that the drug impairs you but you like the way it feels and you want to do it anyways.
All this hubbub about the most magical substance in the world with no negative effects is intellectually lazy and dishonest.
Just be honest. You like to get high...
bravenak
(34,648 posts)Why are you avoiding providing evidence of your assertion that we would statistically become lazier and stupider as a society.
I don't think more people will smoke.
Btw, I have gone to an interview high. I got the job. In accounting.
Lost_Count
(555 posts)Congrats on squeaking through...
Are you one of those rare gifted few that drive better after a few beers.. I mean joints..
You pay more attention right? Focused like a laser...
bravenak
(34,648 posts)Wouldn't know about that.
I see you have no evidence to back up your assertions.
"Marijuana use impairs a person's ability to form new memories (see below) and to shift focus. THC also disrupts coordination and balance by binding to receptors in the cerebellum and basal gangliaparts of the brain that regulate balance, posture, coordination, and reaction time. Therefore, learning, doing complicated tasks, participating in athletics, and driving are also affected."
Yet again... Did you really need a government official website to tell you that weed impairs your abilities?
Just be honest. You like to get high and the impairment and degraded abilities are worth it to you.
bravenak
(34,648 posts)You said it will statistically make us lazier and stupider.
I don't think it will have any effect since I don't believe non smokers will suddenly start puffing away.
And since the government is complicit in the drug wars I think they will say anything to prove their case that weed is bad and keep it scheduled. The government has produced many studies on various drugs to scare the population into going along with the Drug war. The prison population grew by magnificent proportions to punish people for taking a drug that might make them lazy and stupid, or it might be bullshit put out by the government that's arresting people for smoking stupid ass pot.
Gateway Drug. Wacky Weed. Criminalized Crack Babies growing up to be violent thugs. Bath salt zombies. All that stupid propaganda.
People that get stupid and lazy off pot are stupid and lazy already, it just enhances it.
Other people could never be stupid and lazy no matter how much pot they smoked.
Besides, how much stupider can we get? We have people in this country that believe the earth is 6000 years old and most of those people would never touch pot if their lives depended on it. Those same people don't believe in evolution, or climate change, or pretty much any science that conflicts with their worldview. They also say the same things as you about pot making us lazier and stupider.
I find that curious. I also notice that you seem to be questioning my intelligence. That's very amusing.
Lost_Count
(555 posts)I'm questioning your ability to analyze a problem rationally and your ability to speak honestly.
Are you suggesting that the government made up a false study saying that marijuana impairs learning and higher functions as part of the drug war?
bravenak
(34,648 posts)that legalizing pot would lead to a reduction in work ethic and intellectual prowess nationwide. And there is no way to prove that because it's a silly assertion.
I don't think nonsmokers will suddenly start smoking because it's legalized. Those who want to smoke already smoke, they just won't get arrested for it in the future. Just like if they made meth legal tight along with weed and heroin. I would not jump on the bandwagon and start slamming heroin tomorrow, or meth, or coke, or anything else insane that I don't want in my body. Who would?
Alcohol is legal and I can't stand the smell so I only drink a few times a year under pressure and say stupid stuff all night.
Making something legal doesn't mean everybody is going to start doing it.
Phlem
(6,323 posts)"Populace will become stupider and lazier than ever..."
Yes that sound like a succinct analysis that every Republican I know would agree with.
jeebus.
Phlem
(6,323 posts)are you that naive?
-p
Lost_Count
(555 posts)That's the way you want to advocate for it?
Phlem
(6,323 posts)"Are you unsure or even denying that marijuana causes physical and mental impairment?"
Everyone reacts differently to it, of course it can impair physically, mentally maybe but I produce more quality work after a bong hit.
So how's that common sense working for ya.
Those statistics reflect that?
Just because you believe the data that your collecting, doesn't mean it's spot on. All you've talked about is the opposing argument.
PS. Cannabis has yet to be fully studied because of it's schedule one rating a lot of researchers have said, but your data is complete? Bullshit.
Please.... continue.
-p
Lost_Count
(555 posts)After that you are free to reassess your snark.
Michael Phelps succeeds despite pot and not because of it. No one has claimed that every user is a burnout. The point is that he would be more coordinated. I also suspect that if his coach was trying to teach him a subtle swimming technique he would prefer that Phelps not be under the influence.
That one is a hair below " but... but... alcohol" and is worthy of not much more than a resounding duh...
Phlem
(6,323 posts)When I was being abused as a child (pot free) I was in bad shape, abusing my self on top of the abuse I was getting. My head would spin constantly and I was quickly circling black hole. After my first joint as a teenager, all the darkness cleared away, I realized my parents were crazy and for once I could think clearly and quit abusing myself.
I succeeded despite all that happened to me and I'm living a better life than my parents financially, emotionally, and mentally.
You have no experience, so of course your talking out of both sides of your mouth.
Good night Princess
-p
Lost_Count
(555 posts)You imply that I'm a girl in an attempt to hurt my delicate feelings. How progressive of you...
All I have on my side statistics, empirical evidence and years of studies. Not to mention a helping heaping dose of common sense. How could all of that stand up to your anecdotal story?!
"You imply that I'm a girl in an attempt to hurt my delicate feelings. How progressive of you... "
Really?
"All I have on my side statistics, empirical evidence and years of studies. Not to mention a helping heaping dose of common sense. How could all of that stand up to your anecdotal story?!"
from drugabuse.gov ?
now it all makes sense.
Jeebus
Phlem
(6,323 posts)I see none of that in any of your posts, that I can stand to read.
are you making shit up again?
-p
Phlem
(6,323 posts)And you believe every piece of information the government put's out?
"the least untruthful answer" via Clapper
So the government always disseminates truth huh?
I believe the color in your sky is pink with flying purple elephants.
-p
Logical
(22,457 posts)Lost_Count
(555 posts)Yeah, I think that would about sum you up.
You go until you find something icky or doesn't agree with a preconceived notion and then stop.
Logical
(22,457 posts)He needs a mega bong hit.
-p




oh that was good. Thanks for that.
Phlem
(6,323 posts)drugabuse.gov
Let's roll out the war on drugs agenda and all it's trappings.
-p
Hippo_Tron
(25,453 posts)We take far far less vacation time than our European and Canadian counterparts. We'd likely be a healthier nation if we worked a little LESS.
Gravitycollapse
(8,155 posts)But I can gorge my pie hole all day every day until my heart implodes and no one seems to give much of a shit.
Lost_Count
(555 posts)The comparison would be along the lines if twinkies and every other HFCS product had a long history of being illegal along with a social stigma
If the ban was lifted it's reasonable to assume that use would rise and that obesity rates would tick up in some way, large or small.
There would be athletes who have an occasional Twinkie and still succeed and the closet fat kids would keep doing what they've been doing.
DireStrike
(6,452 posts)Lost_Count
(555 posts)... Personal golden calf is.
Someone should write a paper about it... with science.
Gravitycollapse
(8,155 posts)rrneck
(17,671 posts)Who do you think will be selling us the pot?
marlakay
(11,166 posts)I am worried it will be big business like cigs and they will add unhealthy stuff....
randome
(34,845 posts)[hr][font color="blue"][center]You should never stop having childhood dreams.[/center][/font][hr]
wyldwolf
(43,817 posts)hootinholler
(26,449 posts)ThomThom
(1,486 posts)it will be about the same number of people partaking as before and this won't change anything
Blue_In_AK
(46,436 posts)lindysalsagal
(19,837 posts)Children think legal =safe.
I think the current laws in. NY and. nj are adequate.
postatomic
(1,771 posts)Pain pills, sleeping pills, etc.
I hear your argument quite a bit. Young people are going to experiment and make their own conclusions. My one story in this regards comes from an ER Nurse. She tells her kids that if they are at a party and they have alcohol and pot, stay away from the alcohol and use the pot. She rather they didn't do either, but given the choice.....
ThomThom
(1,486 posts)adults can't do something because what will the kids think
first if it is sold in stores then it will be harder for kids to get (no on I know is advocating children's use)
second control your kids and stop blaming me for your parenting failure
now that adults in 2 states get to smoke then my rights are violated because I happen to live in a state that is backward with ignorant people that will continue to decide what is best for me, we need to legalize now. I am tired of this discrimination.
Enthusiast
(50,983 posts)of its legal status. Making it legal won't change things dramatically. But don't you agree that sockpuppets are a miserable species?
Lizzie Poppet
(10,164 posts)Sure, there will be a "curiosity spike" (or a "nostalgia spike" in use. But when that's over, will the baseline usage rate among Americans change a lot? I seriously doubt it. I don't think that there are that many people out there who really want to use marijuana, but are deterred by the law or lack of access. It's not as if pot isn't readily available nationwide...or that individual possession is much of a priority for law enforcement. I'd expect maybe a 10% increase in use, once the initial spike wears off.
bemildred
(90,061 posts)Pot was legal for thousands of years, and nobody even noticed.
dembotoz
(16,618 posts)CanSocDem
(3,286 posts)...I was born and raised using guns to kill birds and animals for sport, I even belonged to our local army reserve. I had a crew cut and even though in 1965 everybody I knew was sexist, I was that too.
By the third time 'getting high' I had traded my rifles for a broken down Volkswagen, allowed my hair to grow longer than was allowed by the military and discovered that there were people other than myself with needs and interests as important as my own. And I remembered how to laugh...and laugh we did.
It would be great to see my experience applied on a mass scale.

.
fredamae
(4,458 posts)Anyone (pretty much) who Isn't using cannabis Now won't likely start due to any change in federal or state laws---because--Drug Laws Do Not Deter Drug Use.
This is clearly evidenced by the crises we have with Meth, Heroin, Coke, Prescription Drugs, Underage Alcohol Use etc.
So, since the populace interested in using cannabis, likely already are? I, personally, don't foresee much "mellowing" from a negligible increase in use...
giftedgirl77
(4,713 posts)I bet there will be a lot less bitching & complaining.
sufrommich
(22,871 posts)personality transformer. Lots of people smoke pot,including rednecks who use the confederate flag as decoration and vote republican.
fredamae
(4,458 posts)December 2013 readmission of Cannabis into the American Herbal Pharmacopoeia Finally gives us the science/research...
We've been mislead for 80 years--here's how it started.
http://r.duckduckgo.com/l/?kh=-1&uddg=http%3A%2F%2Fmike-gray.org%2Fpsa%2FAnslinger_Ad.pdf
And that message Never changed--only the means by which it is delivered.....
Cannabis is a Botanical Medicine.
http://www.naturalnews.com/043288_cannabis_botanical_medicine_American_Herbal_Pharmacopoeia.html
SammyWinstonJack
(44,118 posts)
Scootaloo
(25,699 posts)
drug
? Use Drug in a sentence
drug
1 [druhg] Show IPA
noun
1.
Pharmacology . a chemical substance used in the treatment, cure, prevention, or diagnosis of disease or used to otherwise enhance physical or mental well-being.
2.
a.
any substance recognized in the official pharmacopoeia or formulary of the nation.
b.
any substance intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease in humans or other animals.
c.
any article, other than food, intended to affect the structure or any function of the body of humans or other animals.
d.
any substance intended for use as a component of such a drug, but not a device or a part of a device.
Cannabis is a drug. So are a great many other plants.
fredamae
(4,458 posts)it is used to scare the "begeeebus" out of the public....
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/botanical+medicine
Under definition of "drug" this pops up--obsolete, but certainly context and intent...tells us "they" can call it what ever they want--but they can't change science.
"a obsolete : a substance used in dyeing or chemical operations"
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/drug
What is your source? NIDA? CSA? NIH?
Even the DEA's own ALJ couldn't find an LD-50 for Cannabis...but raw potatoes - is another story and can be deadly. Are raw potatoes a drug?
" 3. The most obvious concern when dealing with drug safety is
the possibility of lethal effects. Can the drug cause death?
4. Nearly all medicines have toxic, potentially lethal
effects. But marijuana is not such a substance. There is no record in
the extensive medical literature describing a proven, documented
cannabis-induced fatality.
- 56 -
5. This is a remarkable statement. First, the record on
marijuana encompasses 5,000 years of human experience. Second, marijuana
is now used daily by enormous numbers of people throughout the world.
Estimates suggest that from twenty million to fifty million Americans
routinely, albeit illegally, smoke marijuana without the benefit of
direct medical supervision. Yet, despite this long history of use and
the extraordinarily high numbers of social smokers, there are simply no
credible medical reports to suggest that consuming marijuana has caused a
single death.
6. By contrast aspirin, a commonly used, over-the-counter
medicine, causes hundreds of deaths each year.
7. Drugs used in medicine are routinely given what is called
an LD-50. The LD-50 rating indicates at what dosage fifty percent of
test animals receiving a drug will die as a result of drug induced
toxicity. A number of researchers have attempted to determine
marijuana's LD-50 rating in test animals, without success. Simply
stated, researchers have been unable to give animals enough marijuana to
induce death.
8. At present it is estimated that marijuana's LD-50 is around
1:20,000 or 1:40,000. In layman terms this means that in order to induce
death a marijuana smoker would have to consume 20,000 to 40,000 times as
much marijuana as is contained in one marijuana cigarette. NIDA-supplied
marijuana cigarettes weigh approximately .9 grams. A smoker would
theoretically have to consume nearly 1,500 pounds of marijuana within
about fifteen minutes to induce a lethal response.
9. In practical terms, marijuana cannot induce a lethal
response as a result of drug-related toxicity.
- 57 -
10. Another common medical way to determine drug safety is
called the therapeutic ratio. This ratio defines the difference between
a therapeutically effective dose and a dose which is capable of inducing
adverse effects.
11. A commonly used over-the-counter product like aspirin has a
therapeutic ratio of around 1:20. Two aspirins are the recommended dose
for adult patients. Twenty times this dose, forty aspirins, may cause a
lethal reaction in some patients, and will almost certainly cause gross
injury to the digestive system, including extensive internal bleeding.
12. The therapeutic ratio for prescribed drugs is commonly
around 1:10 or lower. Valium, a commonly used prescriptive drug, may
cause very serious biological damage if patients use ten times the
recommended (therapeutic) dose.
13. There are, of course, prescriptive drugs which have much
lower therapeutic ratios. Many of the drugs used to treat patients with
cancer, glaucoma and multiple sclerosis are highly toxic. The
therapeutic ratio of some of the drugs used in antineoplastic therapies,
for example, are regarded as extremely toxic poisons with therapeutic
ratios that may fall below 1:1.5. These drugs also have very low LD-50
ratios and can result in toxic, even lethal reactions, while being
properly employed.
14. By contrast, marijuana's therapeutic ratio, like its LD-50,
is impossible to quantify because it is so high.
15. In strict medical terms marijuana is far safer than many
foods we commonly consume. For example, eating ten raw potatoes can
result in a toxic response. By comparison, it is physically impossible
to eat enough marijuana to induce death.
16. Marijuana, in its natural form, is one of the safest
therapeutically
- 58 -
active substances known to man. By any measure of rational analysis
marijuana can be safely used within a supervised routine of medical care.
http://www.druglibrary.org/olsen/MEDICAL/YOUNG/young.html
Scootaloo
(25,699 posts)This doesn't change that cannabis is, in fact, a drug.
fredamae
(4,458 posts)cannabis a "drug" by any definition. Again, simply because an old or outdated definition makes a particular declaration of "something" does not mean it should not be challenged.
So, again, I ask-Where did you find your "drug definition"?
Scootaloo
(25,699 posts)http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/drug
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/drug
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drug
Seriously man, any substance that alters the body's functions and is administered for that purpose is a drug. "Medicine" is a similar though not entirely identical term - if it's medicine, you're taking the substance to address a health condition (jokes aside, sobriety is not a health issue

fredamae
(4,458 posts)the plant cannabis do you consider a "drug"? All parts? Or just particular parts.
The term "drug"used in context with cannabis have become so negative and misused and we have been so conditioned for 80 years to equate it with and as listed in the federal CSA-as bad or worse than Heroin, Coke and Meth--where-as highly addictive and deadly substances like caffeine, refined sugar, alcohol and nicotine--all requiring processing to become usable are GRAS. We Know they're harmful substances--but rarely are they called "drugs".
Cannabis needs no alteration nor processing, aside from air drying, to become usable.
There seems to be a rather "selective" application and meaning of the term "drug"
Show me the science.
Cannabis is a mild intoxicant and to varying degrees-so are nutmeg, catnip, chamomile, st. johns wort and more. Are they considered drugs also? Why is cannabis singled out and so demonized?
Scootaloo
(25,699 posts)If you're smoking the flower buds, there you go. If you're smoking the leaves like a few lazy doofuses I used to know, same. If you're taking a pharmaceutical pill where the active ingredients are cannabis-derived, same deal. And yes, those other plants you named qualify (though, having used it out of curiosity, I do NOT recommend nutmeg to anyone. It's not fun.)
Again it seems you take issue with the propagandizing of the word "drug." Which is fine, by all means. But the word covers pretty much any non-food pharmacological substance, whether it's a clay tablet eaten to reduce stomach acidity, caffeine taken for extra energy, or a plant smoked to make the world become very interesting for ten minutes (oh, sativa, my old friend...)
fredamae
(4,458 posts)I do not concede cannabis is a drug in the current, antiquated broad application of the term. Period.
I agree with your opinion that I object to the propagandizing of the word-drug.
hootinholler
(26,449 posts)As one who eats raw potatoes what is behind that statement?
I haven't had any issues with eating them, but then again I haven't made potato slaw yet (certainly considered it).
fredamae
(4,458 posts)but this strikes to the importance of Comprehensive Harm Reduction Education--not just for Drugs but for Everything.
Informed people can make sound informed decisions before consumption of "whatever" from tobacco to alcohol to prescription/OTC medications, too many fast food visits etc....And activities/sports....
Save lives-lower health care costs, dr visits, social program burdens fall-society is generally safer and happier because it's healthier.
hootinholler
(26,449 posts)What makes them deadly???
Seriously, I love raw potato!
fredamae
(4,458 posts)on the specifics--ask a Doctor or Pharmacist, Credible Herbal resources...
I used to like the taste of raw spuds--but actually haven't eaten them since I was a kid - out of gramma's garden...
I never got close to eating 10 potatoes raw or cooked at once. The Judge was using an example of common ordinary "things" we come in contact with and have access to everyday-that are dangerous and/or deadly-cannabis is not amongst those examples...
Potatoes are part of the Nightshade family..like Belladonna -
Green Potatoes are def bad..
http://www.snopes.com/food/ingredient/potato.asp
I don't not eat them out of fear of getting sick or dying-I just lost my taste for them uncooked.
Scootaloo
(25,699 posts)But when their skin goes green due to light exposure, they're not healthy to eat, because then they're producing the solanine found in the rest of the plant - and other members of the nightshade family. In the case of the potato the toxins aren't very concentrated, and you'd have to eat a good amount of raw green potatoes (cooking destroys the alkaloids) to suffer effects - stomach cramping, dizziness, nausea, blurred vision. In wild potato species, and some andean varieties, large exposure can cause death (which is part of why powdered clay is used as a condiment by the andeans who eat the things - the silicates bond with the alkaloids in the potato and neutralize it.)
Raw tubers that aren't sunstruck have negligible amounds of solanine and are perfectly fine to eat.
- Scootaloo, professional chef, experienced gardener, and occasional student of herbal medicine and ethnobotany
Skip Intro
(19,768 posts)This is coming from a regular user.
I saw some exchange in the comments section of an article somewhere recently where a left-leaning person was arguing with a right leaning-person and the left leaning person listed legalization of pot right up there with a right to health care. Sorry, it ain't that. And it isn't a drug that motivates any sort of meaningful action.
Hippo_Tron
(25,453 posts)Ensuring that marijuana is readily accessible isn't an issue of vital national importance. But putting an end to the ridiculous "War on Drugs" that has ruined so many lives unnecessarily is.
Ed Suspicious
(8,879 posts)Skip Intro
(19,768 posts)You have a choice whether to deal with illegal substances, either selling them or consuming them. You don't have a choice when you fall ill from flu, for example, and need medical care. They are not equivalent in any way.
Hippo_Tron
(25,453 posts)Do you only consider it a top priority to expand health coverage to people who are ill because of circumstances beyond their control or is it a top priority to expand it for all?
Skip Intro
(19,768 posts)I'm saying the legalization of mj is not equivalent to universal health care, not that mj users shouldn't have health care.
Not sure how you missed it.
Hippo_Tron
(25,453 posts)otohara
(24,135 posts)year after year CO sticks out as the least obese state in the country. Our unemployment rate is 6.8, there's health food stores and packed parks everywhere. Bicycling is big here too. -
There's a reason why it passed here - people have been smoking for decades.
I get real sick of this lazy pot-head and Doritos BS.
Skip Intro
(19,768 posts)Again, I've known many pot smokers in my lifetime, and I've had my own off-again, on-again relationship with it, so I'm not exactly speaking from a lack of real-life experience. It does zap motivation. It does scatter concentration. It does induce hunger.
Btw, I doubt the majority of the "fit" in CO are regular pot smokers.
The question was, what effect would nationwide legalized pot have. The OP seemed to be hoping for some spiritual awakening. I think the fatter, lazier outcome far more likely.
polichick
(37,152 posts)Is that too cynical? Quick, pass me a joint.
NCTraveler
(30,481 posts)I have noticed that those using marijuana recreationally come from all walks of life, all political beliefs, and are a picture of society as a whole.
"Start helping people before corporations?" There will be no change in mentality or governance once marijuana is legalized nationwide.
"Will it raise our consciousness as a Nation?" I never heard that the usage of marijuana heightens consciousness.
"Could it enable us to fulfill the promise of a government "Of the people and for the people?"" I don't see the link in any way.
The area it might help a great deal is with respect to arrests. We will have a whole generation of individuals without that joke of a criminal background stalking them for their life.
You ask as if the legalization of marijuana will cure the ills of civilization. I mean that literally. The impacts of the legalization of marijuana will be most felt by users and the judicial system. Sorry, other than for medical reasons, its impacts on other areas of society will be negligible. It will help to bring some new corporate players into the loop.
MillennialDem
(2,367 posts)ileus
(15,396 posts)If so....maybe
If not no.
Scootaloo
(25,699 posts)hootinholler
(26,449 posts)But point taken.
Warren DeMontague
(80,708 posts)Nor will it fix those afflicted with a chronic lack of sense of humor.
Sadly.
BainsBane
(52,916 posts)strange as that seems.
Warren DeMontague
(80,708 posts)A Leafy Jesus? No.
But absolutely anything that could contribute to even a minor chillaxing of the National Overmind is... a step in the right direction.
IMHO.
Sarah Ibarruri
(21,043 posts)Tsiyu
(18,186 posts)
Each person reacts differently to cannabis so there can't really be a blanket statement about its impact on society. Strains of cannabis are different. Some make you sleepy, some ease pain and seizure activity, some make you hungry, some ease nausea, or help you focus while easing pain, acting as an anti-depressant and giving an appetite.
So say I am a cannabis user. My mood is lifted, I feel as if I can be productive without getting bogged down in depression or other symptoms ( "I" being the person who partakes of cannabis ) rather than spending the day unproductively in bed, in pain or too weighed down by PTSD or my cancer or my MS to function.
I am not reliant on pharmaceutical products - which carry risks of side effects like suicidal ideation, profound weight gain, lack of libido, ones head can practically fall off while one is driving in one's sleep, for crying out loud - that many pharmacies have trouble carrying anyway and that I cannot afford, having absolutely no insurance or access to health care.
All things being set right, I could grow this plant for free. How conservative is that, both fiscally and in terms of small government?
How sinful that brains tell people that things will be okay. That their bodies are not in pain anymore." You get PLEASURE from easing your symptoms? How DARE you!!!! You should be "low."
Well, shopping, eating, football, personal stock market gains and good beer get you high, too. Anyway.
As to the OP, maybe a few more people will try it for symptoms. Pharm sales will go down, but things will level out. And maybe ( my choice above ) people who are eating, sleeping well, not in pain or nauseated will make better citizens and will, after all, meet in the public squares and sing kumbaiya....

Warren Stupidity
(48,181 posts)HuckleB
(35,773 posts)Enjoy it, but it's not going to change the world.
idendoit
(505 posts)Recursion
(56,582 posts)Hell, I get much more high off nicotine than pot. c'est la vie.
Now, betel leaf, on the other hand...
brooklynite
(91,660 posts)...but maybe we could go back to pre-dinner cocktails?
Boom Sound 416
(4,185 posts)bravenak
(34,648 posts)If they legalize pot, will I smoke more? No. I barely smoke now.
I just don't see people rushing to start smoking if they don't smoke already. Why bother?
Yo_Mama
(8,303 posts)that the legal system can devote more resources to real criminals.
DinahMoeHum
(21,448 posts)because AFAIC, that's like drinking and driving.
The police will still bust you for DUI, which still means Driving Under the Influence. And as they say in the PSAs: "Buzzed Driving" is "Drunk Driving"
Yo_Mama
(8,303 posts)unblock
(51,667 posts)kentauros
(29,414 posts)especially if they decide to become hemp farmers
Enthusiast
(50,983 posts)It won't help the nation mellow out a little. And it certainly will not inspire anyone to help people instead of corporations.
But if pot was legal nationwide it would raise the quality of life for those that would otherwise have been imprisoned before the law change and that is valuable enough. That is very valuable. Being incarcerated for pot is life disrupting. And severe sentences are disproportionately applied to people of color.
Law enforcement and incarceration savings should be substantial. That is why we hear some law enforcement types complaining about the new laws in Colorado and Washington.
NCTraveler
(30,481 posts)You just put it together a lot better. +1.
Enthusiast
(50,983 posts)I often read the OP and respond before reading the thread. Sorry.
NCTraveler
(30,481 posts)Mine had the same thought, it just came off as gibberish. I do think what you wrote is going to be the greatest benefit of legalization. It is sick that so many young people start their lives off with criminal records for this crap. It also clearly hurts minorities more. Some of the sentences are simply stupid.
malthaussen
(16,627 posts)Applies as well today as when I first learned it 40-odd years ago.
-- Mal