Is Marijuana NORML in US? Study Says Yes

[dgridley]

I wonder if the US should change the slogan "melting pot of the world" to "smoking pot of the world"? This Time magazine article reports pot smoking as the American pastime:

Researchers found that 42% of people surveyed in the United States had tried marijuana at least once, and 16% had tried cocaine. About 20% of residents surveyed in the Netherlands, by contrast, reported having tried pot; in Asian countries, such as Japan and China, marijuana use was virtually "non-existent," the study found. New Zealand was the only other country to claim roughly the same percentage of pot smokers as the U.S., but no other nation came close to the proportion of Americans who reported trying cocaine.

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1821697,00.html

I didn't even know what pot was until I turned 16. Of course, being from the US, I quickly made up for lost time.

 

[Keith]

Wish we would just legalize the stuff already. It's less harmless than about every prescription drug on the market...not to mention alcohol and cigarettes!

 

[dgridley]

I recall there were many times I'd regale my fellow tokers with astounding stories of things I'd done during the day.. only to say, "wait.. what? Did I really do that or am I making it up?"

Reminds me of:

Hansel: So I'm rappelling down Mount Vesuvius when suddenly I slip, and I start to fall. Just falling, ahh ahh, I'll never forget the terror. When suddenly I realize "Holy shit, Hansel, haven't you been smoking Peyote for six straight days, and couldn't some of this maybe be in your head?"
Derek Zoolander: And?
Hansel: And it was. I was totally fine. I've never even been to Mount Vesuvius.

 

[Rich]

Wish we would just legalize the stuff already. It's less harmless than about every prescription drug on the market...not to mention alcohol and cigarettes!

I agree, almost harmless through a vaporizer, so i hear . so many uses for hemp(clothing, soap, fuel, you name it) they could just legalize it and throw some taxes on it.

 

[whitebark]

They obviously didn't poll Canada - especially the province of British Columbia who exports some $7 billion - yes BILLION dollars worth to the US every year. Heck BC marijuana even has it's own wikipedia entry! LOL

Police have stopped charging people with possession here for anything less than an ounce - unless it's bagged for individual sales. It should be legalized and taxed like alcohol and tobacco. They have long ago lost control of it - and much like prohibition of alcohol making it illegal has been a complete flop.

I don't smoke it because I like to get things done!

 

[dgridley]

Legalization would throw alot of honest street dealers out of work

Here's what Obama had to say:

When a voter asked Obama if he was for the legalization of medical marijuana, Obama said that he wasn't in favor of legalization without scientific evidence and tight controls. Citing his mother who died from cancer young, Obama compared marijuana to morphine saying there was little difference between the two.

"My attitude is if the science and the doctors suggest that the best palliative care and the way to relieve pain and suffering is medical marijuana then that's something I'm open to because there's no difference between that and morphine when it comes to just giving people relief from pain,” Obama said. “But I want to do it under strict guidelines. I want it prescribed in the same way that other painkillers or palliative drugs are prescribed.”

But he added that he was concerned that the reasons for the use of marijuana would grow and create a "slippery slope."

"I was feeling really tense, so I needed a joint," Obama joked with the crowd of those who might try and undermine that type of system.

The question was followed up by another voter asking him, "Unlike other presidents, did you inhale?"

"I did," Obama said to loud applause and laughter. "It's not something that I'm proud of. It was a mistake … But you know, I'm not going to. I never understood that line. The point was to inhale. That was the point."

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/11/25/479649.aspx

And Google results for Ron Paul (Go Ron 2012!):

http://www.google.com/search?source...269US269&q=ron+paul+on+marijuana+legalization

 

[kev]

Ive never been offered drugs before or used them. Ive absolutely no desire to take them. I do Pharmacology at Uni and Ive seen the effects first hand.

My advice...dont use it. The "Gateway" drug exacerbates such conditions such as depression and there is a link between long term cannabis use and heart attacks, strokes etc...

 

[slipondajimmy]

I really hate that term Gateway Drug. I know many MANY people who have smoked or still smoke. Not one of them decided the weed was not cutting it and needed to shoot up instead. As far as depression goes, hell I could name off 100 prescription drugs that cause depression, and heart attacks and strokes.

Ive never been offered drugs before or used them. Ive absolutely no desire to take them. I do Pharmacology at Uni and Ive seen the effects first hand.

My advice...dont use it. The "Gateway" drug exacerbates such conditions such as depression and there is a link between long term cannabis use and heart attacks, strokes etc...

 

[dgridley]

I'm not necessarily saying marijuana causes depression, anxiety, or psychoses of any kind, just that it can aggravate an existing condition, including one you may not be aware of.

As for it being a "gateway drug", only for those who would have tried other drugs anyway. I don't believe smoking marijuana predisposes you to trying other drugs.

I really hate that term Gateway Drug. I know many MANY people who have smoked or still smoke. Not one of them decided the weed was not cutting it and needed to shoot up instead. As far as depression goes, hell I could name off 100 prescription drugs that cause depression, and heart attacks and strokes.