Alcohol vs Marijuana - what do you think?

[Vereya]

Marijuana came up in MagnoliaApples' topic about the sexiest thing, and that gave me the idea to start this topic.

You see, in Russia, where I live, alcohol is forced to the people as a national habit. It is notoriously known in the world that Russians drink a lot, Russian vodka, and all that. Consequently, the number of alcohol addicts in my country is truly frightening. The number of families broken by alcohol is constantly increasing. And the media do a lot to promote this growing alcohol addiction - we are having all kinds of commercials, promoting alcohol; in every Russian movie, regardless of its subject matter, the main character gets really drunk at least once. And there are a lot of shows on TV where you can see famous people, actors and entertainers, sitting around, drinking and talking. And the same thing in the families - small children see their parents getting drunk with their friends, and they begin to consider it a normal thing.

The worst, however, goes on in really small towns and villages. The people who live there, men and women alike, they just work all day long, and in the evening they get together with their friends and get really drunk. Just because they cannot imagine another way to spend their free time, because they cannot imagine a conversation without vodka or alcohol of some kind.

It all looks really frightening, and it's getting worse and worse as well.

Now let's take Marijuana. Frankly speaking, I cannot even call it a drug. A drug is something addictive (lke alcohol), something a person gets so used to that he can't live without it, which is not the case with marijuana. And it doesn't make you do things you will regret in the morning (unlike alcohol :wink: ), and the sensations and thoughts it evokes are really worth having.

So, I would like to ask - what do you people think about it? What's your opinion?

 

[Cosmo]

What a great topic! I've always felt the same about pot ... alcohol causes so many social and personal issues, while pot doesn't. People who get drunk and beat up their spouse rarely smoke a joint and get aggressive.

Here's an interesting article on marijuana myths ... it is biased, but still informative.
http://www.drugtext.org/sub/marmyt1.html

I have never understood the bias against pot. It's got proven medicinal value, it relaxes people, it isn't addictive like valium or any of the accepted tranquilizers, and about the worst thing that happens to a pothead is overeating and maybe logging too much couch time. It's not like they're going out to knock off a 7-11 to feed the habit.

I'm most interested in hearing what folks have to say on this! Good one, Vereya.

 

[Colpy]

Yeah, I'm with you on this one Cosmo. (BTW, nice to see you around a little more lately)

I know people who have smoked dope daily for over 30 years..........and they seem fine to me, they hold down decent jobs, stay married, raise decent kids.....

I also know ganja can have it's down side. I think smoking anything is hard on the lungs. It is rough on motivation, like, why bother? In exceptional cases, it can case psychosis in very heavy, long-term smokers, a condition that approaches schzioprenia, but which corrects itself immediately if they quit. I know a woman this happened to, and later saw a TV program on marijuana in which a British researcher described the problem.

It makes some people paranoid, and it is very dangerous to drive under the influence.

That all sounds horrendous, but really the stuff causes very, very few problems. It is not one tenth as harmful as alcohol or, for that matter, tobacco.

It is ridiculous that the stuff is illegal, IMHO.

 

[BitWhys]

I think today's pot laws are nothing more than a conspiracy to keep the breakfast cereal and nacho chip manufacturers down.

 

[Kreskin]

Moderation in the use of marijuana shouldn't hurt anyone. Many hugely successful people can cope with moderate and even high use of either. I have people relatively close to me though who use marijuana constantly. They are constantly broke, running up debts, lack any motivation to better themselves, and are well on there way in their early 20's to be lifelong underachievers. Dead end minimum wage jobs. Lack of education. Not that they weren't smart, just the desire to live the party life has and will hurt them for good.

Does it mean it should be illegal. No. But it should come with warning labels on the bags.

Warning: Use of this product may impede your desire to better yourself. Prolonged use can result in a lack of formal education and a lifelong persuit of minimum wage jobs.

 

[thecdn]

Marijuana should be treated the same as alcohol. Use in moderation and don't smoke and drive.

I am always shocked and dismayed at how many people actually go to jail and get prison records, fines, property confiscated over marijuana down here in the states. The attitude towards it is just a bad joke.

 

[dekhqonbacha]

...

Now let's take Marijuana. Frankly speaking, I cannot even call it a drug. A drug is something addictive (lke alcohol), something a person gets so used to that he can't live without it, which is not the case with marijuana. And it doesn't make you do things you will regret in the morning (unlike alcohol :wink: ), and the sensations and thoughts it evokes are really worth having.

...

The problem with it is that once the person gets addicted they spend all of their money on it and it has a long term health concern.

Why aren't people serious about these kind of stuff?

Drink an alcohol but within the limit! The same thing with marijuana.

Even if the food that the person eats to be healthy can make them sick, if it's consumed more then enough.

Medication a small quantity it to cure, large quantitiy is overdose.

The problem is not alcohol or marijuana, but it is a person him/herself. How much they take. How serious they are.

 

[Vereya]

I'm most interested in hearing what folks have to say on this! Good one, Vereya.

Thanks a lot, Cosmo! I was feeling really unsure about starting this topic, because you hardly ever mentioned this issue. I am glad you are interested!

Warning: Use of this product may impede your desire to better yourself. Prolonged use can result in a lack of formal education and a lifelong persuit of minimum wage jobs.

You know, Kreskin, it is just a matter of motivation. The people you allude to in your post, would've probably ended up alcoholics, if they were on alcohol, or heroin addicts if they did alcohol. I, on the contrary, find it a very useful thing for my inner growth, for my self-development. It really depends on what you use it for. Besides giving you the feeling of being high and of enhancing your sensual perception, it gives you a clarity of thought that is very hard to achieve. Very often what we feel gets in the way of what we think about it, it wraps (i hope I got this word right ) our judgement. Marijuana removes the emotional constituent and helps you get a clearer view of things.

[/quote] The problem with it is that once the person gets addicted they spend all of their money on it and it has a long term health concern.

That is the very main marijuana myth! It is not addictive, Dekhqonbacha. You can't smoke more marijuana than you can. It might sound a little bit strange, but that's the way it is. You might smoke it every day, but in a week or two there will come a time when you will just not want to smoke. What you were talking about, is such addictive substances, as heroin or cocaine, and I quite agree with you on that point, but it can't be applied to marijuana. Marijuana's bio-cheminal active agent is not analogous to substances, that participate in human metabolism processes, that is why addiction to marijuana is not possible from a biological point of view.

Wow! Didn't that sound awfully clever? I can't believe I wrote that!

 

[glossprincess]

I've never smoked pot so I wouldnt know what its like. But I know how alcohol affects me....it makes me hyper then it makes me sleepy. No real harm in my opinion. No harm in my particular case I should say. I know that alcohol makes a lot of people angry and violent which is very very scary!

 

[lo2]

I that Marijuna should be threated like all other drugs, it is a drug, some might say somewhat milder than the others, but nevertheless a drug that should be illegal. You can get mental illnesses by smoking it. Alchol on the other hand, is not the same, it does affect you but not as much as Marijuana and there is a reason why it is legal almost worldwide.

 

[Jay]

You can get mental illnesses by smoking it

Do you have anything to back that up with?

 

[lo2]

You can get mental illnesses by smoking it

Do you have anything to back that up with?

I have heard about people who have got sick by smoking it, that is all.

 

[Jay]

Your going to have to do better than that to make a claim like that IMO.

 

[lo2]

Re: RE: Alcohol vs Marijuana - what do you think?

Your going to have to do better than that to make a claim like that IMO.

OK you know what I do not care what you think about it the fact is that Marijuana is a bad thing that is illegal and should remain illegal. I am sure that a lot of people agree with me on this and therefore I do not have to discuss it with people like you.

 

[Jay]

Sure.

 

[DurkaDurka]

RE: Alcohol vs Marijuana

Muchies you will definitely get... mental ilness though? That is ridiculous.

 

[Jersay]

Marijuna and Alcohol are both bad in their own way. Alcohol, and I forget the terimonolgy is a anti-depressant or something so you chuck a few down to forget all about your troubles.

However, when you are drunk you can do stupid things like get into fights, get behind the wheel of a vehicle and other things that are bad. And not forget the economics about being hungover.

However, Marijuna can get you paranoid. If you smoke Marijuna you get over extended and believe people are out to get you. And it is as addictive as Alcohol, and probably as dangerous.

 

[Jersay]

I that Marijuna should be threated like all other drugs, it is a drug, some might say somewhat milder than the others, but nevertheless a drug that should be illegal. You can get mental illnesses by smoking it. Alchol on the other hand, is not the same, it does affect you but not as much as Marijuana and there is a reason why it is legal almost worldwide.

I disagree with you with alcohol. There will be studies that prove that alcohol will cause car crashes it will led to abuse it will lead to violence where marijuna doesn't do that. I agree Marijuna can be addictive, however, on average alcohol can cause many more injuries and deaths then Marijuna.

 

[DurkaDurka]

However, Marijuna can get you paranoid. If you smoke Marijuna you get over extended and believe people are out to get you. And it is as addictive as Alcohol, and probably as dangerous.

Are you speaking form past experience or something you read?

 

[Jay]

But people are out to get me! :lol: