J. Kapp 11 wrote:
12.7 percent is a very significant percentage. And let's not forget ... this only accounts the actual drivers who tested positive for marijuana. It doesn't count the other people injured or killed in those accidents.
12.7 is not very significant at all, at least not for your war on pot, considering alcohol is usually well into the 30+% range for fatal driving accidents. As for your next point of course it doesn't, just like it doesn't count a car full of drunks ramming into a family's mini van. If we're using it to slam pot then we have to use the same stats to slam alcohol.
AADPFan wrote:I think that his point was that smokeing ciggarettes can cause many detremental health issues, includeing cancer, and alcohol poisoning has killed many many people aswell. Where as pot, as far as i know, doesnt have the same fatal health effects, but i am not positive on this.
Correct, it's been scientifically proven the odds of developing lung cancer are many times greater from the commercialized cigarettes full of carcinogens compared to a home made joint or smoking out of a bowl. To be fair, smoking tobacco out of a pipe actually isn't that bad either! The biggest difference here is that too many cigs, or too much alcohol CAN kill you, especially over time, where it's incredibly hard to reach OD levels of THC by conventional means and the long term health problems from repeated use of marijuana are basically negligible compared to alcohol and cigs. Ever wonder why you have a hang over and feel like crap after a lot of drinking? Well your body (specifically liver) just got done saving your life from a poisoning agent and now you're dehydrated (despite the poison being served in a liquid!)
AADPFan wrote:I am completely against pot being legalized because i have seen the effects it has on people over a long period of time, though these effects are not fatal, they are social and psychological and can have a huge effect on people life and lifestyle. On the flip side of that i know people that have smoked pot regularly for over 30 years that are living normal lives. I would trade legalized pot for illegalized ciggarettes any day though.
And I know of people who have drunk alcohol their entire lives with no adverse effects. I'm one of them. That doesn't mean alcohol has no adverse effects. Just because some people use marijuana with no obvious ill effects doesn't make marijuana harmless. Users drive while impaired, they get stoned on the job, and they use it as a stepping stone to other more dangerous drugs. Those are all facts that can be proved.
Bottom line, most people live normal lives regardless of what their drug of choice is. If someone gets high at work they risk their jobs, but you can't tell me that that is any different than someone who drinks at work! The problem becomes when the impact of the few far out weigh the impact of the majority. For example, kapp, you say you have drank all your life, that's fine, I don't judge you for that! But I bet most of your drinking occurs after work, when you're at home, watching the game, relaxing, or whatever. I don't imagine you think getting hammered, then driving your car somewhere is perfectly okay? But now imagine they made alcohol, even beer, completely illegal because some guys / gals are irresponsible and drive their cars into other people! Now you can't even drink at home responsibly and have to go to a speak easy on the road! That is Marijuana in a nutshell, if I want to smoke up, eat some cheetos and play video games in my basement where is the harm?
In some ways it's fairly hypocritical, if a doctor says we can get high and prescribes us "medicine" then it's okay. Oxycontin, Opiates, some times even things like Morphine! Then there are all the anti depression, anxiety, blah blah blah drugs and most of them alter the way our brain receptors receive chemicals. (and usually far more than THC does!) A lot of them even say "don't drive or operate machinery until you know how this DRUG effects you!" but people drive and have accidents on them, perhaps they should be illegal too!
In the end, the only reason marijuana isn't legal is because 1. certain people make TONS of money with the "war on drugs" 2. Prisons. 3. A far cheaper and easier solution to a number of things compared to Big Pharma, and way more fun than Big Tobacco. 4. there are people who just don't understand it, their bad apple son or daughter who was going to be problems anyway smoked weed and oh it was just terrible!
Btw, I have yet to find a person who drinks regularly or smokes cigs regularly that is healthier than I am. In fact, I would love to foot, swim, or bicycle race anyone who drinks or smokes cigs (regularly) between 5 and 25 miles in length (depending on type of race) if there are any takers! If you are unable to run 5 miles then I'm fine with a 1 mile race. Just for fun
P.S. Simpson was obviously stupid, but like forrest gump says "stupid is as stupid does." Marijuana isn't going to make a difference. The fact that the punishment was so minimal both from the league and LAW kinda goes to show you how serious a marijuana offense is!