Marijuana Party Leader Joins Liberals

[SirKevin]

Marijuana Party Leader Joins Liberals

Perhaps that story should be in the Marijuana News forum, if so then my apologies.

Any thoughts?

 

[Reverend Blair]

RE: Marijuana Party Leade

Given his history and his knowledge of politics, he could very likely have an effect on some of the legislation. He might be a little late, considering that the decriminalization legislation is already rolling, but in a minority government all he needs is to convince a few backbenchers to support him.

He will most likely draw at least some support from all parties.

 

[no1important]

RE: Marijuana Party Leade

Unfortunatly there is not enough people voting Marijuana Party federally so they will never get elected, let alone win a seat or two. So hopefully he can have some influence on Martin......

 

[Reverend Blair]

RE: Marijuana Party Leade

Parties like that aren;t really there to get seats though, No1important, they are there to raise issues. The Marijuana Party has done about as they can on that front for now.

 

[peapod]

Unfortunatly there is not enough people voting Marijuana Party federally so they will never get elected

They might in BC tho

 

[missile]

I find it illogical to promote the use of marijuana in a country where anti-smoking laws have become the in thing. I am a smoker.

 

[tibear]

Its not very often that it happens, but missile and I agree on this one.

Even if you don't agree with the anti-marijuana stance with regard to the "drug" label. I think everyone will agree that smoking marijuana does just as much harm as smoking cigarettes. True, there may not be as much chemicals, etc but anytime you introduce foreign substances into the lungs of people it is hurting their respiratory system.

I don't see much difference between marijuana, cigarettes, cigars, etc with regards to the "smoking" issues.

 

[Reverend Blair]

RE: Marijuana Party Leade

Not even Tommy Chong smokes 25 joints a day, Tibear. There are also many chemicals in tobacco smoke that are not found, or are found at severely reduced levels, in marijuana smoke. There is a vast difference in the health issues.

I say that as a man who chain-smokes tobacco and very, very rarely smokes marijuana.

I do not agree with all of the anti-smoking legislation that we have now, and I'm not likely to change my mind on that. Trying to compare marijuana use to tobacco use is a non-starter though.

 

[tibear]

RB,

Let me guess, your a smoker??

How can you not agree with a movement that is trying to protect innocent lives from a proven health concern.

Surely, your not going to try to debate the fact that second hand smoke is bad for one's health.

BTW, I'm not sure what you were trying to say with this:

I say that as a man who chain-smokes tobacco and very, very rarely smokes marijuana.

 

[Reverend Blair]

BTW, I'm not sure what you were trying to say with this:

That I'm a chain-smoker, tibear. I have a hand-rolled cigarette prepared from some fine Dutch halfzware shag hanging out of my mouth as type this.

I hardly ever smoke pot though. I don't care if other people do, and I'm a believer in its medicinal benefits, but I'm not a big fan of that particular high.

How can you not agree with a movement that is trying to protect innocent lives from a proven health concern.

Surely, your not going to try to debate the fact that second hand smoke is bad for one's health.

Is it a concern? Sure. It should be allowed, at the owner's disgression, in places that are restricted to adults though. Why can't I have a smoke inside my favourite bar? Now there's a movement to keep me from smoking on the sidewalk in front of the bar too. They've gone too far.

Even with children it is exaggerated and a lot of the effects misplaced. People my age all grew up in a blue haze. All of the adults smoked everywhere all of the time. My generation didn't have all these childhood problems like asthma and ear infections that are blamed on second-hand smoke today though. A kid with asthma was an abnormality when I was a kid...maybe one or two in an entire school. Now you have one or two in every class.

Since people are smoking a lot less, not a lot more, the kids are less exposed to second-hand smoke. So why is it that the health problems attributed to that smoke are on the rise? I have no doubt that second hand smoke exacerbates the problem, but the real culprit is air pollution. How come the anti-smoking lobby never says that?

 

[tibear]

RB,

Is it a concern? Sure. It should be allowed, at the owner's disgression, in places that are restricted to adults though. Why can't I have a smoke inside my favourite bar? Now there's a movement to keep me from smoking on the sidewalk in front of the bar too. They've gone too far.

Should I be allowed to do other things that is harmful to others within an "adult only" environment. (Select your most disgusting or dangerous activity and insert in previous statement)

If the public's health is compromised then something must be done to protect the public.

 

[Reverend Blair]

If the public's health is compromised then something must be done to protect the public.

Why? You don't have to go to that bar. Is it really the public that is at risk, or is it a group of individuals who are putting themselves at risk?

 

[tibear]

RB,

Does this mean that in a place with only adults that absolutely everything should be allowed.

To make an extreme comparison, should someone have the right to play russian roulette in a crowed bar??

 

[Reverend Blair]

RE: Marijuana Party Leade

[sarcasm]Only if there's money on the table, tibear.[/sarcasm]

 

[SirKevin]

tibear, let's look at it this way:

The most common drugs/substances that teenagers will use are:

-Alcohol
-Marijuana
-Cigarettes (in no particular order)

Far and away, marijuana is the safest. Hardly debateable. In fact, marijuana has a lot of medicinal benefits, though granted those are generally only applicable to people with serious disases such as cancer or AIDS.

So, if we give people the option of three illegal drugs (since cigs & alcohol will be illegal for people until they are, what, 18 or 19? I won't have to deal with bars and whatnot for another few years), why is there motivation for anyone to pick the least dangerous one (marijuana)?

Yet, if we offer marijuana as a legal option, I'd bet anything that use of alcohol and tobacco, especially in teens, would significantly decrease.

 

[tibear]

SK,

Here is something that I found on the net that talks about various organizations and their thoughts on the subject of marijuana.

In the course of our overall television news study on marijuana, another doctor and I visited the Norco Heroin Rehabilitation Center in California. In answer to those who say, "Marijuana is not the jump-off point," we had to interview 125 recovering heroin addicts before we found a single one who had not started by smoking marijuana.

"Parents. The Anti-Drug." [1-800-788-2800 – www.theantidrug.com] published a full-page letter to parents entitled "Here's What the Experts Say about Marijuana and Teens." It was a devastating indictment, declaring that marijuana is not a benign drug, that it impairs learning and judgment and often leads to the development of mental health problems.

Here's what the experts say today about marijuana and teens:

Marijuana is not a benign drug; its use impairs learning and judgment and may lead to the development of mental health problems.
– American Medical Association

Smoking marijuana can injure or destroy lung tissue. Marijuana smoke contains 50-70% more of some cancer-causing chemicals than does tobacco smoke.
– American Lung Association

Teens who are high on marijuana are less able to make safe, smart decisions about sex, including saying 'no.' Teens who have used marijuana are four times more likely to have been pregnant or gotten someone pregnant than teens who haven't.
– The National Campaign to Prevent Teen
Pregnancy

Marijuana can impair perception and reaction time, putting young drivers, their passengers and others on the road in danger. Teens, the highest risk driving population, should avoid anything that might impair their ability to operate a vehicle safely.
– The American Automobile Association

Marijuana use may trigger panic attacks, paranoia, even psychosis, especially if you are suffering from anxiety, depression or having thinking problems.
– The American Psychiatric Association

Marijuana can impair concentration and the ability to retain information during a teen's peak learning years.
– National Education Association

Recent research has indicated that for some people there is a correlation between frequent marijuana use and aggressive or violent behavior. This should be a concern to parents, community leaders and all Americans.
– The National Crime Prevention Council

I'm not saying that your point regarding alcohol and tobacco isn't valid, I just saying that you can't say that since marijuana is the best of bad lot(which I don't necessarily agree) and so we should make it available.

That's like saying that juggling with small knifes is alot safer than with larger knifes or flaming torches so every child should have access to small knifes to juggle with.

All of these drugs are bad for you. Period. If we had to start over, tobacco would probably be illegal, except for the natives who use it in some of their ceremonies. Alcohol is different because it has such a strong history in so many cultures that it would be very difficult to elliminate.

 

[Reverend Blair]

RE: Marijuana Party Leade

You'd be hard-pressed to find a heroin addict who didn't drink milk as a child too, tibear. Does milk lead to heroin usage? Maybe we should make it illegal?

 

[Twila]

RE: Marijuana Party Leade

Alcohol is different because it has such a strong history in so many cultures that it would be very difficult to elliminate.

So does marijuanna though. I'd like to see some studies done by countries not hell bent on criminlizing every toker. Or at least by countries that didn't instigate crinimalization based on 1 mans mandate in the early 1900 century.

I

 

[tibear]

RB,

I believe we're talking about marijuana use as a stepping stone to heavier drugs. I don't believe anyone got tired of the high on milk and decided to see how the high on marijuana was in comparison.

Twila,

Your right that some cultures do have marijuana use but these are by no means in the majority. Quite on the contrary, very few cultures have a history of marijuana use.

 

[Reverend Blair]

RE: Marijuana Party Leade

The vast majority of marijuana users never move on to heroin, tibear. Those that do are often in its proximity only because they are forced to deal with heroin users because of the illegality of marijuana. Your comparison is exactly as valid as mine.