Where'd you learn that Cheech, druuug school?

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Ok, I thought I'd make a new thread so that the Denarr's doesn't get any more bogged down with stuff about marijuana and whatnot than it already is. So, if you have study findings, sources, etc, please post them here and continue on with the topic of conversation.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Ok, I'm having trouble finding these 'omg weed is horrible' findings. Here is what I found though.

Marijuana and lung cancer (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/25/AR2006052501729_pf.html)

Myths and Facts (http://www.drugpolicy.org/marijuana/factsmyths/)

Drug War Facts (http://www.drugwarfacts.org/marijuan.htm)

Gateway drug? (http://www.scienceblog.com/cms/study-say-marijuana-no-gateway-drug-12116.html)

I may not smoke it for my own personal reasons, I really don't see why it should be demonized so much. From everything that I've read on the subject, there isn't really any reason for why it should be illegal. Now, while I certainly don't think that it should be used while driving and walking around town, I don't see a problem with people lighting up in their own homes or in sanctioned 'coffee shops'.

[Denarr Sepphist]

I don't see a problem with people lighting up in their own homes or in sanctioned 'coffee shops'.

I don't have a problem with blazing in your own space, however if they made smoking weed publicly acceptable - even in designated areas - the non-weed smokers will have the same argument as a lot of people in regards to tobacco.

I, personally, think they should make marijuana legal within reason (ie: In your own home, certain parks or spaces AWAY from public streets/walkways/buildings) and give them the same restrictions as tobacco smokers.

[Dasquian Belargic]

They should just make the laws on weed, with regards to where you can 'consume' it, the same as alcohol.

[Sudoku]

^ I totally agree. If you're not a burden on society (you work, you do things other than smoke all day, etc), who cares? There are worse things you could be doing than smoking weed. I'm the only person in my house who doesn't smoke, and as long as they're not bothering/hurting anyone, I could care less.

[Zem-El Vymes]

I forgot how obnoxious the smell of marijuana smoke is. Yeah I wouldn't want that around me in public either. Home use & other restricted zones is okay by me though.

[Rakkel Thunderwing]

There shouldn't be any real issue when smoking in public so long as the area is open enough where the smoke is picked up by a breeze and isn't left to hang around. It's not harming anyone, it's just a rather unpleasant smell to most.

In Toronto there are a couple coffee shops I know of where people can smoke up and it's fine. People know what to expect when they walk into the establishments. If a non-smoker goes in they don't complain. Most just step in, look around, and jet.

Now indoors in your own home really depends on what sort of home you live in. Personal house or appartment, thumbs up, no complaints. Living with a roomate or in a res the issue comes up on whether or not people should be allowed to smoke in their rooms.

Living with a variety of people you've got to be considerate. Not everyone likes walking into a haze of marijuana smoke seeping into the hallway and getting a wiff of it. The only restriction I find needed in this situation would be for individuals living in close quarters, such as a residency, to not smoke unless their room is acceptably ventilated.

[Cat X]

Ok, I'm having trouble finding these 'omg weed is horrible' findings. Here is what I found though.

Marijuana and lung cancer (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/25/AR2006052501729_pf.html)


http://news.smh.com.au/cannabis-bigger-cancer-risk-than-smoking/20080201-1pha.html

Tere are two issues with findign info on weed on the Net - the first one being that the sites proposing to be informational are in fact advocacy sites or liek Somethignawful, with a huge bias. In SA's case, it's a mass delusion as well as a large group of users (TCC) tryign to defend their habits. And woe betide you if you try to argue contrary.

The second ins that the real information is published in the Australian Medical Jounal, the Lancet etc. You typically will not hear of these studies, nor are they easy to find.

However there is in fact a third problem. Illegal drug studies are difficiult under medical ethical guidelines. You can not indtroduce a known dangrous substance under those rules, so thence the typical experimental method is not generally allowed.

Be that as it may, the medical evidence of the problems of weed is not so thin on the ground if you decide to go look.

http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/evidence99/marijuana/Health_1.html

A decent summary of the present medical thinking.

I would also point out that the present thoughts of marijana use reflect cigarettes 30 years ago. Yes, cigarette were known to be cancer causing, but they also were supposed to have beneifits and medical uses. That was because the evidence and studies had yet to really ill out the full picture. Now, we know there is simply no safe level of cigarette use and absolutly no medical benefits.

The way things are going, marijana will follow exactly the same path, where it will be shown to be a lot worse than proponent would have you believe.

At least in the case of marijana, there is no highly powerful lobby to protect it. Which to me is excellent, it should remain banned.