tailgater wrote:Some say that pot makes you forget things.
Massachusetts recently legalized pot for medicinal purposes.
I voted in favor of it.
Problem is, nobody wants the "distribution centers" in their backyard.
Personally, I think it's no big deal. But I find the arguments in favor of legalization to be weak.
Medical Marijuana is the new "hemp".
People who could otherwise care less about about medical cures are now somehow motivated to push for legislation. We saw this with the "hemp crops for clothing and food" campaign.
And how different is this "cure" from other medicines.
No other prescription that I can think of offers such a variety to choose from. You take oxycontin and you get what they give you. But you have cataracts? Then step right up and choose from Jamaican Red or Maui Wowy or Sinsimalian (sp?) or whatever newest variations are now available in the schools. I mean at the clinics.
Legalize it. Collect taxes on it. Put an age limit on it.
But don't play this charade and expect people to take it seriously.
The real discussion should be the safety aspect regarding driving etc.
Face it; people can have a drink or two without shooting for a buzz. The same isn't true for pot smokers (non medicinal). People light up a joint for one reason: to get high.
If the average drinker drank to inebriation every time they had a drink, they'd be labeled an alcoholic.
Plus, some that that pot makes you forget things.
Sure, those who push for medical use for their own benefit to get high are subverting the purpose. So be it. Those of us who might benefit from it still deserve the lawful right to follow our doctors' recommendations to try it as we do with practically every other drug. We should not lose because others break the law. What they do is no different than going to their doctor and complaining of pain to lawfully obtain painkillers to get high on. That is more dangerous and detrimental to society than the mj is.
Your comments on Jamaican Red, Maui Wowy and the like show that you do not understand what marijuana is all about for both abusers and medical users. Do you really even know what they are from either an academic or personal experience perspective?
Medical mj is not subterfuge for many, many people. Personally, I would not be lighting a joint to get high, but to get the potential benefit of non-THC cannabinoids that can be helpful.
Being high and driving is nothing new. It is the same as driving while impaired by alcohol, narcotic pain killers, muscle relaxants and/or the like. Either you are safe to drive or you are not. We need to start complaining about that before complain about mj users who may drive under the influence- to not is hypocritical. Want to see me on the road after taking Soma or Dilaudid? I hope not.
People who use medical marijuana don't always smoke to get high. There is medical marijuana with virtually no THC, but which has other cannabinoids that are beneficial. Some strains have even been bread to increase beneficial cannabinoids, but laws prevent their sale/purchase and possession.
A good deal of the world has strong empiricle evidence of eficacy, but the U.S. ignores the fact and won't permit the research it would require to make an edjucated decision.
At least, please watch the referenced CNN expose befor ecoming back to this.
