The Official (Not Official At All) Drugs & Alcohol Thread

[RJH999]

May I ask what country you are living in?

[phan52]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RJH999

Even to smoke a joint? I think that is a little extreme. Being a stoner is obviously a bigger deal but having the occasional joint with buddies, I see no problem with it.

That is the difference in culture I'm referring to.

Not a chance in the world I am going to smoke a joint and if I found out that any of my adult friends did I would be completely shocked.

I don't know what kind of circles you travel in. But I know that I can look around the men's grill at my private Country Club and make an educated assumption that at least 30% of them would take a hit from a joint if discretionally offered. There is nothing wrong with it, other than the sorry fact that it is illegal.

[newtogolf]

I don't know what kind of circles you travel in. But I know that I can look around the men's grill at my private Country Club and make an educated assumption that at least 30% of them would take a hit from a joint if discretionally offered. There is nothing wrong with it, other than the sorry fact that it is illegal.

I'm not directing this at you, but people in general seem more approving of things they have done themselves.  Those that occasionally smoke pot think there's nothing wrong with it, those that eat 4 Big Macs and 2 large fries think it's okay, those that like to drink a 6 pack regularly see little issue with it.

We all condone our own behaviors to some degree because we want to see ourselves in a positive light but that doesn't mean it's a good behavior.

[Grndslmhttr3]

Marijuana is addictive even without those properties that you talk about.. people want and need their THC period!!  They will go to extreme lengths to get that high, and then they will try Coke, X, shrooms, acid.. you name it, they will even sprinkle some crack on their pot to make it more potent!

Marijuana is addictive like golf and video games are addictive. Same with shrooms and acid. As for the gateway effect, that was a heaping load of bullshit that was made up to scare kids into never trying drugs. I personally don't smoke marijuana but it's a heck of a lot better for you than tobacco and alcohol, both of which are perfectly legal.

[Abu3baid]

Marijuana is addictive like golf and video games are addictive. Same with shrooms and acid. As for the gateway effect, that was a heaping load of bullshit that was made up to scare kids into never trying drugs. I personally don't smoke marijuana but it's a heck of a lot better for you than tobacco and alcohol, both of which are perfectly legal.

You know that it is better for you than cigarettes? Come on! The medical community that some posters keep throwing around disagree.. I think they say a joint is like smoking a whole pack of cigarettes or something like that! I'll look it up when I have time! What ever the case maybe, I am not conceding that drug and alcohol abuse is a disease just like child molestation is not a disease.. It is a vial act that's all!! The only difference is that I think child molesters should be executed while alcoholics and drug addicts should be left to destroy themselves (if thy don't want help) unless they hurt someone someway, as I will not give te alcoholic and his "disease" a pass when he kills someone drunk driving, I will automatically send to the galos! (Think of the % drop in drunk driving deaths if the punishment was death?)

[RJH999]

You know that it is better for you than cigarettes? Come on! The medical community that some posters keep throwing around disagree.. I think they say a joint is like smoking a whole pack of cigarettes or something like that! I'll look it up when I have time! What ever the case maybe, I am not conceding that drug and alcohol is abuse is a disease just like child molestation is not a disease.. It is a vial act that's all!! The only difference is that I think child molesters should be executed while alcoholics and drug addicts should be left to destroy themselves, until they hurst someone someway, as I will not give te alcoholic and his "disease" a pass when he kills someone drunk driving, I will automatically send to the galos! (Think of the % drop in drunk driving deaths if the punishment was death?)

Joint as bad as a pack?! Rofl

[Abu3baid]

Joint as bad as a pack?! Rofl

Just did a quick search [URL]http://www.science20.com/news/one_marijuana_joint_equal_to_five_cigarettes_in_lung_damage[/URL] There are others that mentioned 20 cigs but I'm not sure if they are based on studies.. You don't really think that smoking pot is actually healthy for the person do you? Usually POY smokers also want to get as much of it in their lungs as they can when they smoke to get the high! That is why even big time pot smokers will still cough most of the time after a session!

[RJH999]

Just did a quick search [URL]http://www.science20.com/news/one_marijuana_joint_equal_to_five_cigarettes_in_lung_damage[/URL] There are others that mentioned 20 cigs but I'm not sure if they are based on studies.. You don't really think that smoking pot is actually healthy for the person do you? Usually POY smokers also want to get as much of it in their lungs as they can when they smoke to get the high! That is why even big time pot smokers will still cough most of the time after a session!

[quote name="Abu3baid" url="/t/76240/the-official-not-official-at-all-drugs-alcohol-thread/120_40#post_1033061"] You know that it is better for you than cigarettes? Come on! The medical community that some posters keep throwing around disagree.. I think they say a joint is like smoking a whole pack of cigarettes or something like that! I'll look it up when I have time! What ever the case maybe, I am not conceding that drug and alcohol is abuse is a disease just like child molestation is not a disease.. It is a vial act that's all!! The only difference is that I think child molesters should be executed while alcoholics and drug addicts should be left to destroy themselves, until they hurst someone someway, as I will not give te alcoholic and his "disease" a pass when he kills someone drunk driving, I will automatically send to the galos! (Think of the % drop in drunk driving deaths if the punishment was death?)[/quote] Cherry picked articles, there are several saying no....of course it's not good for you, but it is about as bad as a cig. http://www.ucsf.edu/news/2012/01/11282/marijuana-shown-be-less-damaging-lungs-tobacco Keep in mind I do not smoke pot, and am not particularly passionate or really care about this subject.

[meenman]

@meenman , remind me what you do for a living again?

I sell electronic cigarettes which have not been proven to be hazardous in any way, shape or form.

I have a doctor as a customer - so if he is selling them to his patients, they must be ok.

Remember, one joint is the equivalent of a pack of cigarettes as far as your lungs go - most pot heads are hypocrites - instead of defending their own product - they attack alcohol and tobacco.

[Golfingdad]

(Think of the % drop in drunk driving deaths if the punishment was death?)

Id be surprised if the drop was anything more than something that rounds off to zero. You honestly think people who choose to drive drunk are saying to themselves that "this is probably a bad idea but it's no biggie because even if I do kill somebody I'll likely "only" go to jail for a few years?" Come on, that's ridiculous.

[Grndslmhttr3]

You know that it is better for you than cigarettes? Come on! The medical community that some posters keep throwing around disagree.. I think they say a joint is like smoking a whole pack of cigarettes or something like that! I'll look it up when I have time!

You don't really think that smoking pot is actually healthy for the person do you?

No one is saying that pot is harmless. Inhaling smoke in any sense is going to have negative effects. As far as lung function goes, yes there is likely to be respiratory damage regardless of what kind of smoke enters your lungs, be it from cigarettes, pot or whatever. The point I was trying to make is that cigarettes and alcohol and other legal, easily obtainable substances are worse for you. People easily develop chemical dependencies on both cigarettes and alcohol, which isn't an issue with marijuana. While there are some respiratory ailments associated with pot, when it comes to lung cancer, research on that subject is very conflicting and inconclusive, whereas it's pretty clear cut with cigarettes (and alcohol in the event that you are a serious alcoholic).

But hey, why not just make edibles instead? That'll cut out potential respiratory ailments altogether!

[phan52]

Just did a quick search

http://www.science20.com/news/one_marijuana_joint_equal_to_five_cigarettes_in_lung_damage

There are others that mentioned 20 cigs but I'm not sure if they are based on studies..

You don't really think that smoking pot is actually healthy for the person do you? Usually POY smokers also want to get as much of it in their lungs as they can when they smoke to get the high! That is why even big time pot smokers will still cough most of the time after a session.

Seriously, how many people do you know who got sick and died because of their use of tobacco products? I don't know a single person who got sick and died because they smoked pot. Tobacco is a certified killer.

As far as addiction is concerned, I made the decision to quit smoking pot on the spot. It took me many tries and many years to quit smoking cigarettes. There aren't a whole lot things more addictive than tobacco.

[phan52]

I'm not directing this at you, but people in general seem more approving of things they have done themselves.  Those that occasionally smoke pot think there's nothing wrong with it, those that eat 4 Big Macs and 2 large fries think it's okay, those that like to drink a 6 pack regularly see little issue with it.

We all condone our own behaviors to some degree because we want to see ourselves in a positive light but that doesn't mean it's a good behavior.

While we're at it, let's cool it with the stupid false equivalencies, as I know a lot of people who smoke an occasional joint and I have never met anybody who ate 4 Big Macs and 2 large fries even once.

[Abu3baid]

Thought this was interesting.. I think soon with in the next 10 - 20 years everyone will learn a lot more about the effects of smoking pot..

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/04/140415181156.htm

Quote:

In the current study, Jodi Gilman, PhD, Anne Blood, PhD, and Hans Breiter, MD, of Northwestern University and Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to compare the brains of 18- to 25-year olds who reported smoking marijuana at least once per week with those with little to no history of marijuana use. Although psychiatric evaluations ruled out the possibility that the marijuana users were dependent on the drug, imaging data revealed they had significant brain differences. The nucleus accumbens -- a brain region known to be involved in reward processing -- was larger and altered in its shape and structure in the marijuana users compared to non-users.

"This study suggests that even light to moderate recreational marijuana use can cause changes in brain anatomy," said Carl Lupica, PhD, who studies drug addiction at the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and was not involved with this study. "These observations are particularly interesting because previous studies have focused primarily on the brains of heavy marijuana smokers, and have largely ignored the brains of casual users."

The team of scientists compared the size, shape, and density of the nucleus accumbens and the amygdala -- a brain region that plays a central role in emotion -- in 20 marijuana users and 20 non-users. Each marijuana user was asked to estimate their drug consumption over a three-month period, including the number of days they smoked and the amount of the drug consumed each day. The scientists found that the more the marijuana users reported consuming, the greater the abnormalities in the nucleus accumbens and amygdala. The shape and density of both of these regions also differed between marijuana users and non-users.

"This study raises a strong challenge to the idea that casual marijuana use isn't associated with bad consequences," Breiter said.

[newtogolf]

Id be surprised if the drop was anything more than something that rounds off to zero. You honestly think people who choose to drive drunk are saying to themselves that "this is probably a bad idea but it's no biggie because even if I do kill somebody I'll likely "only" go to jail for a few years?" Come on, that's ridiculous.

I don't know if it would be zero, but it would be close.  Denial plays too big a role.  The guy / girl that gets in the car drunk never thinks they are "that" drunk and never thinks they will get caught or into an accident.  I would like to see stiffer penalties anyway, not life in jail, but more than most get today.

[zipazoid]

"Common sense" would indicate that the inhalation of the smoke of a plant which has a number of chemicals (natural and otherwise) in it would have negative health impacts. So if the point being made is that pot is damaging to the lungs & other internal organs, I wouldn't be surprised.

So - either ban cigarettes or legalize pot.

[newtogolf]

"Common sense" would indicate that the inhalation of the smoke of a plant which has a number of chemicals (natural and otherwise) in it would have negative health impacts. So if the point being made is that pot is damaging to the lungs & other internal organs, I wouldn't be surprised.

So - either ban cigarettes or legalize pot.

I say legalize and heavily tax all drugs.  If taxpayers are going to have to cover the costs of their overdose and care after prolonged use we might as well let them contribute to them via taxes.  At this point only the drug dealers are getting rich.

[zipazoid]

I say legalize and heavily tax all drugs.  If taxpayers are going to have to cover the costs of their overdose and care after prolonged use we might as well let them contribute to them via taxes.  At this point only the drug dealers are getting rich.

In theory, I can kind of agree with you. But there are some very dangerous drugs which should remain illegal. Misuse of heroin even once can kill someone, for example.

In reality, we know this will never happen anyway. It would not be accepted socially, and would never garner enough political support for change. Pot, yes. Everything else, not a chance.