Democratic Primaries
In reply to the discussion: Biden Says Marijuana Might Be A Gateway Drug [View all]The Valley Below
(1,701 posts)I trust you've now read the links that show illegal business dwarf the regulated (legal) ones?
And we have to get real about the serious harm to young minds. Flooding our society with a drug that teens can easily access with the message that it does NO HARM is lie that will devastate far too many lives.
Adverse Effects of Short-Term Use and Long-Term or Heavy Use of Marijuana.
Effects of short-term use:
Impaired short-term memory, making it difficult to learn and to retain information
Impaired motor coordination, interfering with driving skills and increasing the risk of injuries
Altered judgment, increasing the risk of sexual behaviors that facilitate the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases
In high doses, paranoia and psychosis
Effects of long-term or heavy use:
Addiction (in about 9% of users overall, 17% of those who begin use in adolescence, and 25 to 50% of those who are daily users)*
Altered brain development*
Poor educational outcome, with increased likelihood of dropping out of school*
Cognitive impairment, with lower IQ among those who were frequent users during adolescence*
Diminished life satisfaction and achievement (determined on the basis of subjective and objective measures as compared with such ratings in the general population)*
Symptoms of chronic bronchitis
Increased risk of chronic psychosis disorders (including schizophrenia) in persons with a predisposition to such disorders
*The effect is strongly associated with initial marijuana use early in adolescence.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden