Show of Hands

Half of the risks you listed are false or unconfirmed.

> There is several studies that show several different health risks from smoking cannabis, from lung cancer to gum disease. There is also studies the disprove these risks. It is very hard to study this because, due to it being federally illegal, it’s not easy to get federal grants.

> Cannabis does not -cause- schizophrenia. THC can cause psychosis in users ONLY if they have a predisposition to it. We know this because, despite the rise of THC levels in cannabis over time, there hasn’t been a rise in overall schizophrenia cases. This can also easily be counteracted if there is enough CBD in the cannabis, which is currently being studied and used to treat patents of psychosis.

> Any use of substance, from caffeine to
ADHD meds, before the brain is finished developing can potentially be harmful. Not to mention that teens in states where cannabis is legal have a harder time getting their hands on it.

None of them are false. As I said, marijuana is "linked" to these symptoms by various scientific studies. That doesn't mean it's unconfirmed, but it definitely means more study is needed. Why would we legalize something when we know so little about its health effects and that which we do know is so damning?

Why not? The FDA does it all the time.

That’s completely untrue. The FDA requires rigorous testing before drugs can be approved.

Oh yeah, sure.

So how’s that opioid crisis going?

Opioids work very well. Like anything that alleviates pain, they will be addictive, but their role in decreasing pain for millions of patients should not be undervalued. The problem lies primarily in their over-prescription.

Regardless, even if there are some opioids the FDA was ill-advised to approve, that doesn't mean they should continue to make that mistake into perpetuity.

The FDA failed to discover the harmful effects of painkillers.

They did the same with Pemoline, Valsecoxib, Isotretinoin, Sibutramine, Troglitazone, Efalizumb, and dozens of other severely harmful drugs that they released to the public.

So forgive me for not truly trusting the organization after they have failed the people they are meant to protect so many times.

Marijuana is prescribed for pain. I’d rather try it for pain versus opioids myself. And I know of people who’ve moved to marijuana from opioids for their pain. Psychological addiction which I’ve never seen in my 20 years of smoking weed versus opioid addiction which we’ve all experienced in some level... 🤔 which is an actual pressing problem?

It isn’t even really psychologically addictive, it’s habitual. The worst withdrawals you could get is a headache and a bit of a sour mood for a few days.

“I thought this was America”

- Randy

No..I have Glaucoma and "users" keep saying how it would help....lol No I will use actual REAL medication thank you..not something that was sitting in LeRoy's pocket waiting for the next "buyer".

You do know that medical cannabis is sold in regulated dispensaries and is treated as medicine, right?

I agree.

The driving aspect does concern me in this case. It’s a difficult task to catch people who are under the influence now, imagine how it would change if everyone had access to it.

Where is the line, though? Marijuana today, what will it be tomorrow? I'm typically pretty libertarian on most things, but the slippery slope phenomenon is a real thing. It's a tricky subject for me, being a nurse, who sees the effects of drug and alcohol (and also smoking) on a daily basis. Part of me wishes none of them existed, or would all be banned. But I know that banning things has not worked in stopping them, and has only resulted in millions of non-violent criminals being in jail, and has also resulted in gang and other violence. Would legalizing all drugs make more people likely to use and abuse them? It would make no difference to myself or many others who would still not do them. I just don't know the answers and am sorry for rambling.

To Kelly: here's the thing, if we were to ban all forms of drugs, it has been shown time and time again that people will get what they want whether it's legal or not. All that banning drugs does is it creates a larger market for cartels who sell stuff that is much more dangerous than if it were from a legal dispensary. Its unfortunate but that's human nature for ya.

To lil: The only way to tell which drivers are high is to see how crappy they're driving. You're right that it would be much more difficult to catch them if everyone had access to it. Personally, I think it should be treated like Alcohol. As I mentioned, If all drugs are illegal, the drug cartel will be that much powerful-er.

Both of you have good points but this just goes to show how complex this topic is.

@lilmcnuggett - That's my main concern as well. I'm on the road in the Southern California traffic multiple hours each weekday, and I encounter enough drivers with compromised reaction time as it is. I don't have any desire to be a freeway lab rat in a social experiment in drug legalization. I will probably never support any legislation that moves us toward legalization, for just that reason.
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