What If?

On the local news last night there was a report on some research with marijuana and cancer. It turns out that the active ingredient in marijuana might stop cancer. The story seems to be an update to this one:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/04/070417193338.htm

Add that information to a 2006 report that showed no connection between heavy marijuana smoking and lung cancer:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/25/AR2006052501729_pf.html

Before I continue, let’s join hands and repeat “Medical stories in the media are always wrong…medical stories in the media are always wrong.” So this blog post is more of a “what if” sort of thing.

What if it turns out that smoking marijuana doesn’t cause cancer, and actually inhibits it better than anything you can buy in a baggie from a guy who has a suspicious rash?

I know, I know, the cancer-fighting component of marijuana probably needs to be administered in some concentrated form to be effective against cancer. So smoking marijuana, or eating it, probably wouldn’t work. But this is a “what if” post.

Now take a look at the “Fact Sheet” produced by a division of the Alcohol and Drug Abuse folks.

http://www.well.com/user/woa/fspot.htm

If the science around marijuana curing cancer were to become indisputable, and if smoking marijuana delivered the medicine, would they ever mention that in the fact sheet?

In other words, might the “fact sheet” ever be balanced for both the good and the bad?

Updated Marijuana Fact Sheet

1. Marijuana cures cancer.
2. Marijuana reduces stress.
3. Marijuana helps digestion.
4. Marijuana improves your sex life.
5. Marijuana is expensive, thanks to your government.
6. Marijuana is illegal, thanks to your government.
7. Marijuana will make kids lazier and stupider than usual.
8. Marijuana causes psychological dependence, similar to jogging.
9. Marijuana is expensive, similar to an iPhone.
10. Marijuana reduces the number of highway accidents.

That last one is just a guess based on the weasel-wording used by government groups to describe marijuana use and driving. I don’t know about you, but I’ve never heard of an accident caused by marijuana use alone. But I’ve heard of several accidents caused by people who WEREN’T gripping the steering wheel with both hands, focusing intently on the road, and driving 5 miles per hour under the speed limit.

NOTE TO KIDS: Don’t use marijuana. There are good reasons you aren’t allowed to do adult things such as vote, fornicate, or sign legal documents. Your brain isn’t developed enough to understand those reasons.

If science someday proves marijuana promotes good health and safety, would the government ever recommend it for adults?

Comments

[Kristal]

I'm not sure if it was previously mentioned as I did not read all the comments, but most drugs used in cancer chemotherapy are....cancer causing agents.

This is because cancers are rapidly dividing cells and some drugs capitalise on this fact. Your immune system is also rapidly dividing, so it is also affected. And these cells of your immune system are supposed to get the odd cell that turns into a clonal [cancer] cell.

So, because marijuana doesn't cause LUNG cancer, doesn't mean it can be used to CURE cancer, or that it does not CAUSE other forms of cancer.

And btw, cancers arise due to the interactions of NUMEROUS influences from your genetic heritage and environment, so because Scott does this and doesn't get cancer, it doesn't mean Adam can do it and get away with it if there are other factors involved.

[danb]

"Similarly, opium addicts don't kill anyone while driving because they're passed out.. but I'm not hearing anyone claiming opium shouldn't be illegal."

another comment on this... you've clearly never tried opium.. you've probably never tried any of these drugs you think are so evil.. all you do is swallow propaganda and regurgitate it... health risks and uselessness of something are no reason to limit individual freedom.. that sir, is the road to fascism.

[danb]

"but I'm not hearing anyone claiming opium shouldn't be illegal."

Opium shouldn't be illegal.

No drug should be illegal.. unless it can only be administered by force... never heard of that one...

If you think drugs should be illegal, you should also think booze should be illegal because it is at least as addictive as most drugs and causes far more "problems" in society... and now that booze is illegal, caffeine and nicotine should be illegal.. as they are also unhealthy and addictive... better get rid of sugar and fat too... unhealthy and addictive... come to mention it, I'm pretty damn addicted to the internet... man.. this logic takes us to some interesting places!

Keep your laws off my vices... I don't care what you are addicted to.. you shouldn't care what I'm addicted to.

[Music]

Humor is a great thing.

[jerry w.]

You ask:

Which of these two things is easier?

A. Planning the invasion of Normandy
B. Planning a holiday party

The obvious answer is B.

The obvious reason: You don't have to deal with the French.

http://boskolives.wordpress.com/

[Tex]

I believe in repressive Drug laws.... That is why, I would, for a change... make alcohal a controlled substance, and make pot as legal as alcohal is. That way, I could put cops in jail for drinking the alcohal that they can;t live without!!! What a show on the other foot that will be!!!!

[Ocala Computer Services]

Our company is Ocala's number one source for onsite computer and network installation, upgrades & repair.

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[mr_poopyhead]

dear president alan,

clearly pot has impaired your ability to make use of proper grammmar when dispelling myths about stoners. good job...

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[Ministry of Cannabis]

Greetings by Ministry of Cannabis, a cannabis seeds bank, based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

[Unsympathetic]

Scott, you need to ask a doctor who works with an inpatient drug dependency unit. Marijuana is highly physically addictive - if people who are daily users "could" quit but "choose" not to, please find any example of that actually being tested. They can't quit.. because they're addicted. And, as previous posters pointed out.. it leads to extreme paranoia; also, the high reduces in intensity the more you do it.

Marijuana makes you slower and dumber in both the short and long term, and a rather large problem with that drug in particular is that people who are a half step above functionally retarded are the ones who use the most. Sure, there's success stories that include weed -- there's also people who have smoked black tar heroin and lived. Should heroin be a vitamin? Similarly, opium addicts don't kill anyone while driving because they're passed out.. but I'm not hearing anyone claiming opium shouldn't be illegal.

Marijuana is a drug. It affects your body just like any other drug. Claiming it's something other than a drug is.. factually erroneous and ultimately irrelevant, because its effects are the same.

[Dani]

Well, as a public high school student, my opinion is that we will not see marijuana legalized any time soon. I waste 45 minutes of my life every day taking a Health class taught by an uncertified auto teacher. We watch movies made years ago and filled with such profound statements as:
"If you have sex outside of one, permanent monogamous relationship, and that means marriage, you WILL pay the price. No one has ever gotten away with having sex outside of this context."
My point is, the government requires me to watch videos which inform me that a joint contains 5 times more carcinogens than a cigarette, is a contributing factor in 40% of highway crashes, ect, ect.

I might find it more believable if they hadn't stated that everyone who has ever had premarital sex contacted a STD or got pregnant.

But who ever thought the government was a credible source anyway?

[Dave]

True story, from about 15 years ago, when my brother got pulled over late one night in a 50 mph zone, whilst very stoned:

"Do you have any idea how fast you were going?"

"I'm not sure, about 45, 50?"

"Son, we clocked you at 12 miles per hour."

[Marcus]

all of your readers are 12 years old...

[hiikeeba]

Part of me says that it should be legalized and taxed like cigarettes. The tax money could be used to fund drug abuse programs. Kind of like the way cigarette excise taxes are being used to pay for all those smokers who are sick without insurance. Oh that's right. Cigarette tax money pays for children's health insurance. Sorry. Got that mixed up. (Does that mean I am now legally required to purchase a pack of smokes so children can have insurance?)

[Mark]

Dear Scott,

I hope to one day live with you under a puritanical, oppressive regime, but until I'm as blessed as some of your angry 'fans', and allowed under the constitution to retort to others' views with firearms, would you please try not to think outside the approved bounds? Comedy is only funny if someone falls over (without hurting themselves, of course), or Dilbert's budget gets sliced in half (champagne comedy, right there!).

I expect you, as a respected citizen of the greatest country in the world, to be supportive of your regime's policy of criminalizing everything enjoyed by minorities (except petty things, like violence, torture, miscellaneous human rights' abuses, and so on, but they're mostly done by the ruling class, I guess...). These policies have proven effective since day one, and a really fun way to spend public money. I really don't think "what if" hypotheticals are going to fund more penitentiaries to hold the apparently endless supply of 'druggies' just begging to be locked up for incinerating a naturally growing plant in close proximity to their lungs. (Where ARE they all coming from? Obviously USA society wouldn't produce such riff raff - must be coming over the Mexican border. Or from Canada. Yeah, build a wall there. Oh, um, where's Canada someone?)

In future, please stick to making jokes about project schedules and management bungles. I don't want to be exposed to free thought, or think about important social issues rationally. That's just not the sort of thing the rest of the world expects from the good ol' US of A.

[Aditya Simha]

You know if alcohol and tobacco can be sold without too much fuss, I don't see why marijuana should be such a big deal. The reason is probably because of the alcohol/tobacco money that politicians receive. A simple solution to get marijuana on the market legally would be for marijuana marketers to get the politicians on their side and then to pretend that jobs will be created through marijuana marketing/farming.

[Jason Levine]

Might they legalize it? Possible. There have been worse medical practices in history.

The 10 Most Insane Medical Practices in History
http://www.cracked.com/article_15669_10-most-insane-medical-practices-in-history.html

[DavidD]

[the Dutch decriminalized dope and there now appears to be an even bigger problem with Hard Drugs]

No dear: http://www.drugwarfacts.org/thenethe.htm

And people need to sort out their stereotypes too.

[loser of guitar picks]

look, the fact is, who gives a shit if marijuana causes or cures cancer. weed is enjoyable to many people (including yours truly), and the negative evidence against it simply isn't very compelling. i'm never going to say that i think smoking the sticky is beneficial to my health- just the other day i went on a bike ride, and boy i'll tell you it was difficult, no doubt in part because of the amount of reefer i smoke. the point is, i love weed, and if it helps retard the growth of tumors, well than that's good for everyone (especially those with cancer). however, that's not why it should be legal. it should be legal because, like alcohol, it just isn't worth keeping illegal. and for those who like to promote the "dangers" of smoking, i'll let you in on a little secret. the most damaging effect of smoking regularly is not that it causes bad decisions or that it makes you less intelligent, which to me is mostly bogus. no, the reason why i, despite being a stoner, would never recommend smoking on a regular basis for anyone is that it makes you very, very happy without any effort on your part. i'm absolutely serious.

[syn]

People that are commenting on this subject that have never used the drug should just keep there mouth shut!

So i should take meth to prove its bad?

All of the stereotypes are getting to be a little ridiculous. I smoked pot all through high school (and I don't mean a little bit, between my friend & I we would smoke at least a quarter ounce a day). I graduated with a 3.5 GPA and had 10 more credits than I needed and I'm now a President of a company.

A president who has time to read and make long comments on a comic. The stereotypes are true, we ALL know "loser stoners" who will never do anything with their lives except play playstation. You succeeded despite mj, most dont.

Granted I haven't smoked in around 20 years but it didn't have the stereotypical affects on me, I didn't turn out to be a menace to society.

Of course dope was MUCH weaker then.

[MalAFS]

# 72% of Americans agree Marijuana should be a choice, not a crime
# Each year $12 Billion of your tax money is spent to keep marijuana illegal.
# Over $40 Billion is spent each year by the government on the war on drugs.
# Over 10 million Americans have been arrested on marijuana charges since 1972.
# Marijuana offenders regularly serve longer sentences than those convicted of violent offenses.

this was a national survey done a couple years ago. i think it shows that whatever the effects of marijuana are, the government is wasting way too much money on this war we are most definitely losing. I used to smoke a lot and still do on occasion. it never turned me into a mindless zombie( i own my own financial business and probably make more than you), and i am perfectly healthy, no problems at all. And since my family has a lot of cancer in its history, this shows that it might not be a cause for cancer. Whether its legal or not, the people who want to use a certain drug will find a way to use it, so it really is a senseless arguement anyways. For those of you that bash on drug users, let them make their own choices and worry about your own damn self

[Sean]

We are simply in a period of prohibition, just as was done with alcohol in the 20's and 30's. It will be legal again it is only a matter of time. Many other countries are already giving up on the war, i.e. Mexico and Canada.

On a side note, Wikipedia Prohibition of alcohol, you'll notice there was also prescriptions for medicinal liquor...sounds sort of like the current state of marijuana.

I've also heard rumors that Marlboro is ready for a line of Mary Jane cigarettes.

[Fabio]

"If science someday proves marijuana promotes good health and safety, would the government ever recommend it for adults?"

We'd have to get DuPont out of our way, first. Ganja never was a problem until the 1940's >>> birth of synthetic polymers (like nylon). This comment may seem off-topic, but it isn't.

>>>

"Make the most of the Indian hemp seed, and sow it everywhere!" -George Washington, The Writings of George Washington Volume 33, page 270 (Library of Congress), 1794

"Congress should definitely consider decriminalizing possession of marijuana... We should concentrate on prosecuting the rapists and burglars who are a menace to society."-Dan Quayle, U.S. Representative and Vice president under President Bush, March 1977

"Penalties against possession of a drug should not be more damaging to an individual than the use of the drug itself; and where they are, they should be changed. Nowhere is this more clear than in the laws against possession of marihuana in private for personal use...Therefore, I support legislation amending Federal law to eliminate all Federal criminal penalties for the possession of up to one ounce [28g] of marihuana." -Jimmy Carter, U.S. President, Message to congress, 1977

"In strict medical terms marijuana is far safer than many foods we commonly consume. It is physically impossible to eat enough marijuana to induce death. Marijuana, in its natural form, is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known to man." -Francis L. Young, Administrative Law Judge of the US drug police DEA, September 6, 1988

[Trayce]

The gov is as likely to recommend marijuana for adults as I am to give Bush a teeny modicum of credit for whatever might appear to be slightly working in Iraq if you stand on your head and squint sideways every other Tuesday on a full moon.

[rodger]

hahaha, got to love all the comments chastising Scott for being a supporter and in some even a pothead himself. Even though he mentions about media reports usually being wrong or twisted. Scott asks a simple what if something is proved to be true…and people take it as this is true the government should legalize it.

I think that yes, if science were to prove that its benefits way outweighed its drawbacks, it would become legal, not right away but eventually.
Personally I say legalize all drugs, make some money off of it seeing you have to pay for treatments for them now legal or not.

As for getting caught driving under the influence of drugs/alcohol, I say just raise the fine up to a proper level. 10% of your gross salary or net worth whatever is greater + the blue book value of the car you are driving, if it is your car you can give up your car for that portion.

That way maybe the celebrities would do what they should and hire someone to drive their drunk asses around…like Cato June…taking %10 of his roughly $4mil a year contract for a first offence may wake him up.

[Alan]

People that are commenting on this subject that have never used the drug should just keep there mouth shut!

All of the stereotypes are getting to be a little ridiculous. I smoked pot all through high school (and I don't mean a little bit, between my friend & I we would smoke at least a quarter ounce a day). I graduated with a 3.5 GPA and had 10 more credits than I needed and I'm now a President of a company.

Granted I haven't smoked in around 20 years but it didn't have the stereotypical affects on me, I didn't turn out to be a menace to society.

Now to answer your question; I think the answer is yes, the Government would change their thinking and tax the crap out of it, of course growing your own would still be illegal unless they set up a growers permit that would be some outrageous fee. All of the tobacco companies could make the switch easy enough (which I think would be a good thing).

Alan

[Casey]

WTF Dude. It clearly states in the article that it impairs driving and DOES cause cancer as well as heart problems. You're sending the wrong message, even if it's in humor.

[deeplyflawedmuslim]

"By decriminalizing drugs, you take money out of the hands of criminals." - Neal Miskin

That's gotta be the most obvious thing I've read today. If it's not a crime, I'm not a criminal!

[Real Live Girl]

I'm not sure the government would recommend it for adults. They are plenty of studies that show red wine (and some alcohol) taken regularly, and in moderation having a good effect on your body and I don't hear them promoting those benefits in a meaningful way.

But I wish they would legalize and regulate it (and tax it) - then let people decide the health/recreation issue for themselves. We have better things to do with our tax dollars and public servants' time than chase down people who want to smoke pot.

Ironically, I've never smoked it myself. The last thing I need to put in my body is something that gives me the munchies even more. I spend enough time at the gym as it is. :P

[Kevin Kunreuther]

[Posted by: What Would Deep Throat Do? |
The reason why mary-jane is illegal is because the feds don't know if/when you're really on it.]

Are you high? Ever look at the pupils of someone who smoked marijuana?

[The government, any government, hates anything it can't control.]

Yes, you are high, and paranoid. Once the government legalizes it, they will control the hell out of it: strength, taxes, transportation, age limit of users, where to use it, etc.

Get Straight, Doper!

[Drew Weaver]

All of that research or horsecrap. What about a reaction from the religious faction? Have we forgotten Mr. Mackey's mantra, "Drugs are bad, mmmmmmkay"?

I really don't give two flying farts. If they (the government) give the okay to adults to puff and pass then good for them. I would like to see the social and economic reaction to legalized marajuana. Maybe we will get all comatose like the canadians...

[Simon Jester]

Scott,

I'm not sure where you got point 4 from.

The study in the WaPo should be treated with great care, as they excluded people over 60 - which is when cancers tend to manifest.

The reason given to exclude the over-60s was that people in this age group - ie. those born in 1947 or before - were unlikely to have used cannabis when young.

In other words: people who were in their teens in the 1960s didn't use pot. Hmmmm...

By the way, I'm in favour of legalising pot. I just think we should have a realistic idea of the dangers.

[Podders]

The science has been done, over and over again. It's now a moral judgement.
I personally really enjoy the plant and would enjoy it even more if it were legal.

[Sean Arenas]

Someone else's comment:
(By the way, I'd like to point out that any drug enforcement officer who reads this blog should, if he has any brain cells at all, immediately put you on the drug-bust list. You're quite obviously a drug-smoking hippie, as you're advocating for the use of marijuana.)

An advocate for legalization of marijuana is a user of marijuana?

I'm an advocate for abortion, yet I'm not even a woman - I can't get pregnant. How does your logic apply to this?

I know many non-smokers who think that marijuana should be legalized - they want the government to collect tax money off of it. Just because you advocate it doesn't make you a smoker.

[noclue]

Cool. Smoking pot could totally change the world for the betterment of all and make people feel good and make them healthy and we wouldn't need cops anymore and nobody would ever hurt animals anymore and cops would like animals again and the animals could stop the global warming. And there'd be way more cool new colors like purploovia and orangeploovia. I'd live in a bus in a tree. It would feel like I'm jumping a bus over a tree all the time. If all the neighbors put cars and buses in their trees it would look like a big treecar race, but it wouldn't be a race because the trees would be standing still but it would look like a race. I'd try to make my tree grow faster so the branches would grow longer and then my bus would move with the branches and then I'd win the race. If I could have a bus in a tree that would be so cool.

[Rack]

Government reports are always wrong, government reports are always wrong, government reports are always wrong. So no I don't think we'd ever see an honest fact sheet.

[Michael Jones]

You write as though "the government" is an entity in and of itself. I agree that it always SEEMS like that but the government is made up of people we elect (yeah, I read the post about my vote not counting) and normal people just like "us" (civil servants). "The government" will (eventually) do whatever we (collectively) want.

[Mel]

It also helps with diabetic nerve pain, or its supposed to. I wouldnt know cuz its illegal :) Yeah. Thinking about moving to canada but the cold weather makes the nerve pain worse!

[Thomas]

I recently read that while THC might help fight cancer, it destroys your lungs in the long run; it forms large bubbles by basically popping up your alveoli. The upshot of which is that you basically get difficulties breathing over time. Now, this seems at the time irreparable and can kill you. As this was in the media, it is wrong. So Marijuana does not cure cancer and it does not cause any harm either. Is not that the true what if post?

[Iain]

Stomper says keeping it illegal makes it more expensive. Not round here dude, it has gotten cheaper and cheaper by the year. Gettin high is much less than half the cost of gettin Brahms and Liszt. Legalising would add a nice layer of tax no doubt.

[Yoni Banai]

Uh.. You wrote "expensive" twice.

[Neal Miskin]

The Canadian government is starting to recognize that

1. Prohibition of drugs doesn't work. There are drugs everywhere to spite them being illegal.

2. Addiction is a disease, not a crime.

3. By decriminalizing drugs, you take money out of the hands of criminals.

4. If it's illegal the government can't very well collect taxes on it, but what if there was a tax on drug transactions, the money could be used to fund better drug education programs, and rehabilitation centers.

I predict that Marijuana will be legal in Canada within 25 years; and other drugs will soon follow.

[syn]

Just had to correct a few of these.

2. Marijuana reduces stress. Until you develope paranoia.

4. Marijuana improves your sex life. Which is great if your into loser stoner chicks.

6. Marijuana is illegal, thanks to your government, because otherwise people would drive on it and kill people. (I know i know.. just like beer, but we are discussing Marijuana)

7. Marijuana will make kids lazier and stupider than usual, and then they become lazy stupid adults who raise lazy stupid criminals.

8. Marijuana causes psychological dependence, similar to jogging, however joggers are not well known to steal to support their hobby, nor does jogging lead onto Crack.

9. Marijuana is expensive, similar to an iPhone. Except one hour after you spend XX hundred dollars on an iphone you still have something worth money and not just ash and bad teeth. Also the iphone doesnt make you eat $50 worth of food after you use it.

10. Marijuana reduces the number of highway accidents, assuming if made legal people wont drive on it, like they are doing now in increasing numbers causing police to start using drug testing kits in addition to drink driving kits.

[Elisa]

Scott,

Ever talked to a dope user? They are idiots. Slow and will be fascinated by a puddle on the ground for hours. I expected better from someone as smart as you. Smart people don't usually advocate using anything that will kill your brain cells. Even if it does "cure cancer". Uh huh.

[Garthilk]

Let me go ahead and cut out all the comments by people who know nothing about physiology, health-care management or research medicine. I call BS on the original post.

Lets go ahead and say that Meth is a good antidepressant since it supposedly releases 40 times more seratonin in the brain than an orgasm. What if, right?

Why not give it to bipolar children during their low cycles?

[mr tom]

Unfortunately, it also seems to cause (or trigger in individuals who may have had a pre-existing susceptibility).

Interesting choice.

I could be dead, but in full posession of my cognitive powers (note irony) or I could be alive but a total vegetable.

Hmmm.

[wuwei]

"would the government ever recommend it for adults?"

stoned citizens are ideal citizens, i guess ...

[What Would Deep Throat Do?]

The reason why mary-jane is illegal is because the feds don't know if/when you're really on it. The government, any government, hates anything it can't control.

The Canadians and Alaskans laugh at us lower 48 because of our pot laws, but the reality is that they aren't any less controlled than we are regardless of the severity of those laws.

[What Would Deep Throat Do?]

Who cares? ......'ere....

[rishi]

Sure science's mind can be changed. But the evidence must be pretty persuasive and compelling. And most likely it will have to take at least 4-5 large scale, long range, studies to show the effects and also to show where the other studies were going wrong.

So, to answer your question, yes, the evidence can change scientist's minds, but it will take pretty persuasive evidence and a LOT of time.

[Robert Hamilton]

If you just disregard the point of whether or not the stuff is good or bad for you, and consider all of the benefits of legalizing it 1) taxes on the dope could pay off the national debt 2) it would instantly free up all of the public resources (police, courts, jails, etc.) being wasted on this losing and unwinnable "war" 3) pot dealers would have to go out of business overnight or switch to selling rocks and blow. 4) The ensuing turf wars would result in the deaths of people we really want dead anyway. I don't touch the stuff BTW. Dope is for dopes.

[Arby]

Governments are very poor at “proving” anything. Our lungs were not well designed to inhale smoke or burning gasses. Cavemen sucked in a lot of fumes huddling around their fires and this had to contribute to their short life span. The brain and heart are complicated, sensitive and delicate instruments and subjecting them to toxic gas is like playing Russian roulette. Drunks and dope heads are sadly mistaken if they say they can quit without help.

[Luke]

I'd say this has a lot to do with social norms. Marijuana is already seen as bad and the government would never get away with legalising it, unless there was some serious proof that it had nothing bad to it.

The crazy part is the incredible damage alcohol does, not just to your body but to society. The government would never ban that though, it'd be like trying to ban fresh water!

I wonder what is better for you, marijuana or alcohol?

http://thisdevilsworkday.wordpress.com/

[rd]

fantaaddiction
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2hQGOOR5g0
hilarious find

[D. Mented]

I concur with the posts that say it can *trigger* schizophrenia if you have the gene for it.
Usually you would know because there would be some instabilities in quite a few family members, and one or two full-blown cases.
If that sounds like your family - don't self-medicate, and do take vitamin B supplements.(thought not by the truckload)
D. Mented

[D. Mented]

PUHLEEEEZE!
THIS government? Give a damn about people's health and well-being?
Maybe on Bizarro-world. Not here.
...Here, a lot of companies are using prison labor to get that "made in America" sticker for 20 cents an hour. They don't want that windfall to go away, so they lobby to keep recreational drugs illegal - thus stuffing the prisons to the bursting point with generally non-violent inmates who make good prison laborers.
Oh how I wish it weren't so.
To legalise marijuana, we'd have to come at it sideways; campaign to give the taxpayers a break by charging a fair market wage for prison labor. Pay the inmates the same 20 cents, and use the rest to pay part of their own food, utilities, etc. There would still be companies that would hire prison labor because there's low absenteeism, but they would not have as much incentive to lobby for bigger prison populations. After that, it might just be possible to repeal the prohibition. Same reasons as the last one; we're not stopping anyone from using, and we're putting money and power in the hands of the illegal suppliers.
...This message brought to you by a non-user, if you were wondering. I'm an impartial observer, and I think lots of people are harmed by using drugs. I just don't think keeping recreational drugs illegal is helping anyone.
D. Mented

[Devon]

Scott, you are forgetting a MAJOR study from England a few months ago where it is stated that Mary Jane is potentially devasting to people that use it and even 'one joint' can lead to mental problems like depression etc etc....True....it was all over the news a few months ago...

As one who sadly used this crap for many years, I would NEVER recommend it....I have often wondered if it lead to my own clinical depression long before this study came out of England???

[Yossy]

At my previous company,my coworker was growning them at his garden and eating them ad a salad. He seemed to be very healthy,thus,marijuana is good for helth.

[Yossy]

At my previous company,my coworker was growning them at his garden and eating them ad a salad. He seemed to be very healthy,thus,marijuana is good for helth.

[Yossy]

Maybe marijuana is good for health,cuz my coworker is eating them every day,and he seems to be really healthy.

[becky]

I think it would be tough to go against the evidence forever if the evidence were truly incontrovertible (huge randomized trials going on for decades), especially if the cancers cured were otherwise incurable. Someone would need to do the trials in a very professional way and take them to the FDA though, which would cost a great deal of money (hmm - where would you get a placebo for dope that couldn't be distinguished from the real thing?).

Contrary to some of the previous posters, I have a lot of respect for the FDA. I used to work in the biotech industry and interacted with them over new drug filings. Very intelligent and dedicated people, trying hard to walk the fine line between approving a drug too soon and waiting too long to allow a life-saving medicine out to the market. It's pretty much inevitable that new information will come to light about a drug after it's approved because post-approval use involves so many more people (and a greater variety of people) than the clinical trials. So the FDA never has complete information. They only get negative press, have you noticed? Half of it says they've been too slow, and half of it says they've been too quick. Seems to me that this probably means they've titrated it about right.

It's really hard to prove a small effect in the clinic. Lab animals make experiments much easier, they all have the same genetic background and are treated the same way, so two huge sources of variation are removed. Be patient with your medical professionals. There are many good reasons for the constant changes of message. Overall, we are getting healthier, however slowly...

[Marcus]

Frankly Scott I'm shocked, and a little disappointed.

For this post it appears that you did substantial research to back it up, this isn't like you at all. Where is the "out of the ass" opinions and information-laziness I've come to expect?

Please stop this right now and get back to writing stuff people can easily criticize, monkey-brain!!!

[ShakeAndBake]

==============
If science someday proves marijuana promotes
good health and safety, would the government
ever recommend it for adults?
==============

Here's a more intelligent question:

If Scott Adams ever notices the absolutely overwhelming evidence that marijuana turns people into useless zombie morons, will he write about it?

[matt]

Hmm...Check out Bob Marley's cause of death Scott. That was a man who consumed enough weed to check out its cancer preventing properties, did'nt work for him.

What ifs are almost as useless as square tennis balls.

I live in BC, where weed is our largest export to the US after Timber and trust me weed does not improve your driving skills

[Roger Williams]

Obama says he experimented with it as a teenager.
I guess that is better than I did not inhale.
As Chris Rock said, "If it ain't white, it ain't right."

There is more to Chris's argument, but it is likely too complicated for those interested in reading about the effects of marijuana.

Of the dozen or so of medications I take daily to survive as a wet robot with no actual choice in the matter, I would say marijuana is the only one that is clearly more positive than negative in any possible side effects known or propaganda included.

If Bill Gates were to recommend it and grow it and sell it allowing all profits to go directly to education and or congressional candidates as appropriate, it would be ILLEGAL to NOT smoke marijuana.

The truth is a virus. But so is stupidity and right now, stupidity is still winning.

[Justin]

As a technical kid(17), I wonder if most adults brains ever developed enough to responsibly/intelligently do those things. Don't be condescending because you know some people will bitch bout you promoting marijuana. At least adress your footnote to Morons instead of Kids: That would cover your underage intended recipients as well.

[krefik]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,308258,00.html
- Teens that use cannabis may function better than teen tobacco-users, and appear to be more socially driven and have fewer psychosocial problems than those who do not use either substance, according to a Swiss survey.

[webar]

From an economic standpoint, the government should legalize an activity when it becomes more expensive to enforce regulations against it, than it is to pay the social cost of permitting it.

In other words, whenever the cost of training and employing law enforcement officials, public defenders, judges, and added to the cost of imprisonment for offenders becomes GREATER THAN the cost of having kids dropping out of college in order to spend more time sleeping in and eating Doritos.

[Blablevic]

Marijuana legalization actually reduces alcohol consumption, which is more dangerous thing than smoking weed. Look at The Netherlands.

[henry]

the Dutch decriminalized dope and there now appears to be an even bigger problem with Hard Drugs

[Candice]

That Heather Mills is SO full of it. Nice purple lipstick, too. Makes her look like a cadaver. Why do I even know she exists again?

[Candice]

1) anybody who is anti-pot has never given it a chance
2) it's no less harmful than many FDA approved chemicals
3) it has enough positives to encourage it's use medicinally
4) it is better than booze in many, many ways
5) go look at the ingredients lists for cigarettes and then please explain to me why you are comparing the two…

[AK]

There are several good reasons to legalize marijuana, but the "tax the hell out of it" argument is not one of them. Conservation of matter/energy applies to economics, too. You can't just create tax revenue out of thin air.

A quantity of marijuana currently sells for $100, tax free because it's illegal. You pay $100 to your dealer. He then takes that money and spends it on restaurant meals, gasoline, and gaudy jewelry, all of which are taxed. The government gets a cut of that $100 from the marijuana sale, just not at the point of sale.

Marijuana is legalized, and the price drops to $10. That makes the consumer $90 richer. You go out and spend that money on restaurant meals, gasoline, and gaudy jewelry, all of which are taxed. The government gets a cut, just not at the point of sale. Now suppose that the marijuana sale is taxed at, say, 100%. Suddenly you're paying $20, leaving you with only $80 to spend on other taxable items, meaning that the government gets less of a cut later.

If marijuana is taxed at a higher rate than other consumer goods, revenue will go up, but not by as much as you expect.

But that just leads to a second question: why do we think it's a good thin that the government has more of our money?

[drone74B]

I like Michael Casey's post. You have been somewhat condescending lately. But, it's your blog, your rules. It's usually a lot of fun, too, so I don't mind.

Anyway, if they PROVED it cured cancer, it would be even less legal. Having a readily available cancer cure would destroy pharmaceutical companies that produce cancer 'treatment' medication - companies that pay a fortune in taxes to the government. I think they've already got a cure for cancer and AIDS, but think of the lost revenue if everyone was healthy. That's why cigarrettes are legal. They cause a lot more damage than pot, but they don't impair your ability to function like other narcotics, so people don't think of them as "drugs". They simply make you get sicker and weaker throughout your life. Pharmaceutical companies make a fortune off smokers with all the medication they need.

That's my conspiracy theory, anyway. Doesn't mean I actually believe it, but doesn't mean I don't

[Mokkery]

[If science someday proves marijuana promotes good health and safety, would the government ever recommend it for adults?]

Yes, of course, if that was what the people wanted.

What kind of government would ignore the will of the people?

[Enough Wealth]

I can only presume it would eventually get legalised IF it were ever scientifically proven to do no significant harm (to self or others). It wouldn't even have to have proven benefits. After all, if were simply a matter of kill-joys banning anything that was enjoyable, prohibition would still be in force. Do you really think the government wouldn't legalise a potential tax source if it was as harmless as you make out? They'd jump at the chance to move from tobacco revenue to marijuana revenue. And the big tobacco companies would be very "helpful" in facilitating the transition.

Anyhow, anything I write is unlikely to affect those who think cannabis should be legalised. I just wish they'd go sit quietly in the corner with those that think babies should be given lead-painted toys to suck on. (I'm sure that there's a "study" somewhere that proves that lead is really good for you and "might" cure cancer.

Regards
http://enoughwealth.com

[synapticmisfires]

Eventually, I think the government will change to the will of the people, EVEN in democracy, I think a longrun, scientifically-substantiated push would have to break through. Of course there will be a TON of resistance from those who are already indoctrinated, and from the tobacco companies, whose self-interest will be affected, but I think a consistent research-based approach, over generations would where that down.

[Captn Rob]

Ohh I remember now....

You asked a hypothetical question. Does Pizza cure cancer? I don't think we should risk it. Lets go get some! Oh yea. That mean little dog with the bat is freaking me out.

[Captn Rob]

Uhhh Scott...... Scooottt.....

What were we talking about?

[Captn Rob]

Scott,

What a great hypothetical thingy you have written. You know what my mom used to tell me when I posed a tough hypothetical question to her... She would say "Thats nice honey. Remember you are a completely unique individual.... Just like everyone else."

I think if you think abut it, you can get the answer to whatever question you thought you asked me to think about............................... I think?

[Swen]

Just for fun, google "number one cash crop". Hint: It ain't soybeans.

[Bobby]

You forgot at least one item on your revised fact sheet:

Marijuana can get you extended stays at well-managed "hotels" where you get "free" room and board (aka jail, for those of you in Rio Linda)

[LA Clay]

Considering that Washington once said, "the vote is to important to be in the hands of the common person" I say yes.

[Sondra]

not as long as Hearst controls the paper industry and Dupont controls the chemical industry

Hearst owns vast forests.
Trees need 5 chemicals to become paper, hemp needs one.

[Chica]

I'm not a pot smoker. Never have even tried it, but really don't see the big deal. A lot of crimes are committed under the influence of alcohol. Alcohol makes you want to go out and socialize and do crazy things that you normally wouldn't (yes, I drink). There's a reason they call it "liquid courage".
http://alcoholism.about.com/cs/costs/a/aa980415.htm

Pot just makes you want to snack, sit home and giggle.

Alcohol will always be legal due to tax revenue ($5 + million in 2005) and the black market implications of making it illegal.
No matter how good it is for you, the government will never legalize marijuana because there is no way to tax something you can grow in your backyard or basement.

[TallDave]

"What if it turns out that smoking marijuana doesn’t cause cancer"

This has been known for sometime, despite attempts by the NIH to bury studies relating to the issue. Marijuana does not cause head, neck, throat, mouth or lung cancer; tobacco causes all five. S.G. Koop suggested this may be because tobacco absorbs radioactivity much more effectively than most plants while it is alive. Also, nicotine is a poison, and tend to shut alveoli (little sacs in the lungs), while marijuana tends to open them.

The only known negative health effect of marijuana is a 30% greater risk of heart attack for about 30 minutes after smoking. If taken orally, marijuana has no known negative health effects.

[niCk(MemBeth)]

In the Netherlands, where it has been decriminalized, marijuana consumption is considered something old hippie tourists do. Sales to locals is rare.

Perhaps marijuana can finally solve all the worlds problems, maybe not, lets try it and found out.

[Bob]

If I were the CEO of a major cigarette company, I would have a warehouse full of seeds and some good land already set up. Then I would have all my high priced lobbyists work on getting marajauna legelized.

I would have a crop out within months of the legelization, and I would be raking in the cash.

[RML]

KD wrote: Anyways, I really hope the government doesn't allow the legalization of the drug. It'll become a crutch for a lot of people who use it. Since it causes dependancy, you really can't be so easily trusting of people to use it wisely.

You mean like beer and tobacco? Or medicine? Those aren't quite forbidden, last time I checked.

And scores of adolescents and adults are already addicted to much stronger, more dangerous and more addictive drugs than you'd care to know. So, what's wrong with some pot?

[Dave's not here!]

From the "Fact Sheet": 'Studies of men and women may have a temporary loss of fertility.'

Because infertile studies are bad, right?

[EJ Moosa]

Did you know that the first laws passed by the US government on marijuana was that it had to be grown?

Seems there was a serious shortage of rope.

The liquor lobby will not let marijuana get close to be legalized...

Another reason to vote Ron Paul-It's for your health!

[rewboss]

They would -- eventually. It would take a generation or two, but it would finally get through.

Just in time, of course, for a new study revealing that cannabis rots your bowels. But such is scientific opinion -- or at least, such is scientific opinion the way the tabloids report it.

[jake]

"7. Marijuana will make kids lazier and stupider than usual."

Impossible. They've already achieved nearly the maximum amount of laziness and stupidity. Just a smidgen more and they'll be both too lazy & stupid to breathe. They're already too stupid to smoke pot and possibly too lazy also.

Oh, and anti-marijuana bucketheads? It's like abortion: if you don't like it, don't have one.

[Dan]

I think the government would get behind legalizing marijuana if it cured cancer. So many people can oppose drugs in the abstract, but cancer affects something like 1 in 3 families, so the support would be there, and there would be no rational voice against it. You find a cure for cancer, people are gonna demand the cure.

I spent some time in a skin cancer post op room. People had lips removed, noses cut off, ears... You give them a cure better than that, they are all signing up

[Bri]

Q: If science someday proves marijuana promotes good health and safety, would the government ever recommend it for adults?

A: “What a perfect question to muse over during my afternoon milk bath," I thought when I picked up this little gem of a hypothetical while surfing at work just before heading to home from work. Within the hour as I sat in the milky suds, the inquiry shook my intellectual foundations that I trembled myself into a neck-high buttery tomb. My fat ugly wife then came in, slurping her eggnog through the large opening allowed by her missing two front teeth, and drenched me with meringue.

Hmmm, Scott, you’re right. Any comment does instantaneously become clever and funny just by randomly mentioning meringue.

[Tim Martin]

Comment on the comments
Apparently many of your readers do not understand that illegal drugs are already the most heavily taxed items in American society. If they were "made legal and taxed" it would be a huge reduction in actual government revenues. Government in America is exactly as advertised on our money: read the top line: Federal Reserve Note. The Federal Reserve IS THE GOVERNMENT. They have secretaries, janitors, accountants, senators, congressmen and presidents as menial labor to serve the PEOPLE who are the central bank.
Those same people are the ones building out the American Prison system (Dresser Industries AKA Haliburton AKA KBR) Every minute of jail time dealt by our court system puts money in the pockets of the PEOPLE who are the central bank.

Another subtle point of taxation comes from draining off american spending money from hard goods. You buy a fifty dollar thing you are good for for a couple years, buy a 50 bag and you're ok for a few days or a few hours, depending on the product. It's gone gotta buy more. The money for the bag is already fully taxed income. The money for the thing, in my case, will likely go on my schedule C and therefore is a tax reduction.

The wasted money can then be printed as new currency. The Federal Reserve can print money at will, the only control is a tricky formula to maximize results which include more than gross dollars. One problem in their formula is the appearance of consumer inflation. (Actual inflation occurs before the ink is dry.) Contraband priced drugs curb the appearance of inflation. The actual inflation is a direct tax on the american citizen base.

The absurd cost of narcotics runs up the credit debt of the total population. All interest payments utimately benefit the PEOPLE of the central bank. (The place where your IRS taxes go)

Our police force was not expanded to deal with increased crime. Crime was increased to assist in the expansion of our police force. We as taxpayers pay for these police whose only loyalty is to the central bank. Talk to a cop about the constitution and your rights and you will land behind bars. Be the son of a central banker and that cop will spend his life in jail for a moment of impoliteness even if you kick him in the nuts while playing with his gun. So whose your daddy?

As for health benefits effecting our government, probably the healthiest thing we know about is good food. We have a 100% consensus on this conjecture throughout all human history. Various federal agencies have made the production of good food against the law. Lethal poison is bad for your health, yet all American food must by law contain poisons.
The central Bank benefits tremendously from your suffering and sickness. It's a winfall for them. By definition the central bank IS the insurance industry. Actuarial tables make payments and premiums balance but each event carries additional administrative charges. When you get sick, they Hi Five.

The PEOPLE of the central banks are the primary owners of the pharmco biz. A huge part of the contraband drug biz is manufactured/distributed at a profit by these Pharmcos.

But the single darkest part of the whole drug scam is that all federal agencies involved are themselves crimes against the constitution. Such agencies have a place at the state level. Let one state make a drug illegal and the neighboring state doesn't then the free market will decide what's right. 50 states will offer a real experiment leading to truth. One federal government will only serve the law of mother nature: The strong abuse the weak for personal profit and pleasure.

[Johnski]

hmmm...cancer is bad, and weed is good....interesting concept...

http://www.awritersblock.com

[KD]

You forgot increases your chances of getting a psychotic disorder on your updated fact sheet. And I think newer research has suggested that marijuana is as bad for your lungs as smoking.

Anyways, I really hope the government doesn't allow the legalization of the drug. It'll become a crutch for a lot of people who use it. Since it causes dependancy, you really can't be so easily trusting of people to use it wisely.

[Billy Arvia]

It would definitely become legal but the push would not come from the pharmaceutical companies - it would come from Frito Lay, Jeno's Pizza Rolls and White Castle.

www.triplebee.squaresapce.com

[pro-persian(the-cat)]

Only if it also could be proved to cure baldness & obesity. And make women more attracted to politicians.

[Jonathan Marcantel]

SCOTT et al: ARE YOU LISTENING?

Just a bit of off-topicness but needs to be addressed by you:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/11/20/rat_milk_plan/

Heather Mills and her Ingenious (though stolen) rat milk plan

~Jonathan

[Florin]

Gene,

I'll move to Ohio, 'cause I don't want to have to hold my breath while entering the building every time I come to work.

If you want to smoke, knock yourself out, just don't force me to inhale the crap.

[Curt F.]

So Dylan was right after all - "Everybody must get stoned..."

[Florin]

If some people want to smoke themselves to death, why the heck should we stop them? Let them crap out, take some pressure off Social Security and the health care system.

I will never understand why can't the health insurance work like the auto insurance? You like to speed? You pay more! You cause accidents? You pay more!

Why do I have to pay for all the smokers' and fatties' cancer treatments??? And at the same time risk being hit by their cars cycling on my way to work...

[Scott Windhorst]

I've never heard of Willie Nelson going to the doctor for a cancer check-up. Marijuana - it does a body good!

[notralph]

{Anyway, if marijuana did cure cancer, and smoking was the only way of delivering the medicine, surely the tobacco smoke would offset the benefit of the marijuana... unless you were using a bong?)

You can smoke maijuana without putting any tobacco in it...

[rita mae]

Not too many comments on yesterday's post regarding "Winners of the Book Blurb Contest" compared to an average day.

What's up with that? Just asking.

Rita Mae

[notralph]

[What is considered a "heavy user" of marijuana. I can't imagine a 3 pack a day marijuana smoker. Could you smoke the even the equivalent of 1 pack a day and still be functional?] Yes. Like many other substances, habitual smokers become accustomed to the affects and aren't affected in the same way as occasional smokers. I've known many "stoners" who smoked essentially constantly and who still led productive (often creative) lives.

On the other hand, some stoners DO just become lazy slobs.

[Twilight]

The government will never recommend "marijuana".

The government may certainly recommend the use of synthetic THC analogues developed by drug companies and sold at $50 a pill, because that's capitalism, which is what Jesus wants.

You already asked this. "If something was cheap, grew naturally, and made you happy, would the government make it legal to use?"

Being happy is satanism. Unless you're paying a multinational corporation to be happy, in which case you're allowed.

By the way, I'd like to point out that any drug enforcement officer who reads this blog should, if he has any brain cells at all, immediately put you on the drug-bust list. You're quite obviously a drug-smoking hippie, as you're advocating for the use of marijuana.

I don't care, cos I'm from Canada. We don't get put in line for prison ass-raping when we're busted for possession.

[Leonel]

"If science someday proves [something] promotes good health and safety, would the government ever recommend it for adults?"

LOL! Yes, but only if there's no fun in doing it!

[Scottupnorth]

I am from Canada, your friendly and somewhat condescending neighbor to the north.
Pot is currently in a sort of semi legal status up here, its illegal but a very light scale crime if within the right boundries. The primary reason it is not legal is not from any profound bias from our own government but rather because of the US governments bias. The political outcry should Canada make it legal from the appropriate wings of the US.

None the less it is gradually making progress and may eventually recieve some legal status despite that.

I think it would be possible to force the US government and the Drug administration to accept it with proper force from the populous, or fear there of. But I think that force would only come if it was something as absolute as what Scott is mentioning, if it was shown beyond a reasonable doubt that cancer(or something on a similar scale) was cured by Pot, it would force their hand as long as long as it was common accepted public knowledge.
The issue there is making sure it is not discredited by bias, fortunately other countries research is not as capitalist and biased by funding source in many cases, so that research may yet happen.

The hope is that the USA wouldn't be decades late to adapt to the change and accept it, at the cost of thousands of lives.

[Carter]

So in the course of trying to prove that pot smokers place a higher burden on company health insurance policy than non-smokers, the government found that the initial results showed that marijuana users placed *less* of a burden on the health care system. Rather than pursuing this interesting find, they declared the results "incomplete" and never looked into it again, afraid of what they might find. Marijuana isn't illegal because it is supposed to be bad for you; it's supposed to be bad for you because it's illegal.

[Theodore Nugent]

I can tell you when personal use of marijuana will be completely legalized.

Take the date of my death, identify the following Monday on a perpetual calendar. Blaze-up.

[Ed]

Yeah, but the fact of the matter is that inhaling smoke is bad for you anyway you slice it, so unless you start injecting it, it's always going to have some adverse side effects (such as damaging your lungs).

Why some poisons are allowed by the government, and others not is entirely the result political correctness. However, I have no recollection of the government ever endorsing a poison.

[Ian Smith]

Driving and marijuana, without the bull

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IA7_ajF741I

[Michael Casey]

I don't trust you anymore, Mr. Adams. You're always asking us stuff and then making fun of us for responding to it. It's not fair. It's like you don't respect us at all. Which, I can understand I suppose - we haven't really proven ourselves to be very bright - but it still feels bad. You wouldn't kick a puppy, would you?

I want you to make up for it. Say some nice things about us, why we're good people for putting up with you. I want you to admit five things that you honestly believe are good about us, and why you think they're important.

[Draft King]

The fact that marijuana is illegal in the United States, while alcohol and tobacco is legal, is baffling to me. The federal marijuana prohibition seems to me to be in violation of the 10th Amendment to the Constitution.

[Joe Canuck]

No. And rightly so. For, a couple of years and a few dozen studies later, the opinion of the medical world will have changed and every former marijuana user with an undiagnosed malady would be suing the government for compensation.

[Liza Lynne]

I love to tell this story.
I was smoking marijuana in a National Forest one day and a forest ranger came across me. He felt the need to issue me a summons, although I wasn't actually arrested because of how far from civilization I was (My citation actually gives the address of the incident as "in the vicinity of forest service road number 1402")
The combination of being high and realizing I wouldn't be arrested made me brave. I asked the ranger whether he thought this was the best use of his time and what good he really believed would come of my citation.
He replied "Maybe I'll keep you from getting cancer"
So, Mr. Ken Burgess of the Forest Service National Incident Command Team, do you feel completely useless now?
If it makes you feel any better I still don't have cancer. And likely never will.

[Quizblorg]

Whatever the government does, my wife has to approve it anyway...

[David Kimball]

I am assuming that the situation today is as it was a short while ago. Research institutes couldn't test the effects of pot because it was illegal to obtain it. And they were told it was illegal because there was no research to prove its efficacy. Joseph Heller would have been proud of this new Catch 22 situation that only makes sense to the politically powerful.

[Nick]

Maybe if it wasnt so easy to grow they would find a way to tax it, bet their attitude would change then.

[Nix]

Marc,

Cannabis has been known to cause a variety of mental issues, including schizophrenia, psychosis and depression...

However, what they DON'T tell you is that you must have a predisposition toward these mental illnesses for cannabis to trigger it, ie latent genes carrying these illnesses under the surface. This is why some people go psychotic after one joint, and others smoke for years with no ill effects whatsoever...

Food for thought.

[Gene]

Hey Brad K...Move to Ohio, we can't smoke anywhere within 50 of an entrance to a public building or face fines. Just what we needed, more governmental regulation of legal substances.

[Candice]

No- it's not about them having said no. It's about them having only tried it a couple of times, and the first couple of times, most hallucinate like crazy. Needs to be done with trusted friends or family until you get used to it, just like alcohol. Doesn't make you guaranteed psychotic with prolonged use, like alcohol does. It can't kill you like alcohol can. A real danger for young people.

But it can burn out your emotional center-- which is what makes it good for depression, as if the emotions are too strong, it brings them to manageable levels. But the criminal aspect adds unneeded stress to it's usage. Anyhow, like with alcohol, or any mind-altering substance, it has to be used responsibly.

I am pissed off because of the sustainability factor, and how the seeds contain Omega 3, 6, AND 9, making them REALLY amazing for children's health. These oils have been used by Naturopaths to treat ADD!! And the plant ENHANCES the soil it's grown on, making it a prime crop for impoverished regions where soil quality is an issue in crop management. It has a lower rate of maturity than young trees, and would be much better than cotton for use in textiles.

You live up in your castle. You don't have any idea what it is like interacting with all these people who suffer from borderline malnutrition. They are grabby. mean little *uckers, and God bless every last one of their sorry asses.

[functioning moral compass]

I'm such a party pooper...

There are compelling reasons why marijuana use ought to be restricted, even if it cures cancer.

Alternative paragraph #1

Fortunately, we won't have to choose. The beneficial effects can be worked out and other medications invented that don't have the objected-to side effects. It will be expensive, and boring, and big drug companies will profit. In this way it will become acceptable to politicians, and we'll get our cancer cure.

Alternative paragraph #2

Sadly, we won't need to choose. 60 years of intense reasearch by the best minds has gotten us virtually nowhere on cancer, except that we can detect it earlier now, so people live with the cancer death sentence for longer periods. Cancer arises from multiple causes, and takes multiple paths of progression. The chance that cannibis has anything real to contribute to the treatment of the many kinds of cancer is nil. Go back to dreaming.

[Gene]

I don't know about driving under the influence not causing problems but have you ever heard two stoners in an argument?

Man 1:Hey man, thats my chick I'm knock your head in
Man 2:Dude she didn't tell me she was yours.
Man 1:I don't care what she told....Hey man look Doritos.

[twounicycles]

The US authorities can't even accept that moderate alcohol usuage is good for the heart (I was going to cite the Wiki article on "the French paradox" here but I see the Wiki page has been changed to suggest that there is no paradox - I can't get into another Wiki-War, I had enough trouble when someone was suggesting that ginger hair was due to humans inter-breeding with neanderthals. Reason eventually prevailed after I'd given up. I like to think it was my comment on the Discussions page that since Orang-Utans and King Charles Spaniels also had ginger hair, perhaps humans had interbred with them, rather than neanderthals. Of course since people are going around marrying dogs these days, someone will be taking that comment seriously), there is no chance marijuana will be considered rationally.

[XX EE]

"If science someday proves marijuana promotes good health and safety, would the government ever recommend it for adults?"

Of course not! Since people could grow marijuana for themselves, Big Pharm would not be able to profit from it. Therefore, marijuana would never be legalized or recommended by our fascist government, which is wholly owned and operated by Big Oil, Big Pharm, Big Media, and a host of other Big Businesses.

Remember: profit over people. It's the American Way!

[Erich]

If they did, then it wouldn't be a "roll your own", it would be concentrated pill form with just the active ingredient, with FDA approval and somebody getting rich off it.

I could imagine the sales reps for viagra saying "Sure, we have a pill for that. And by the way, to up the kink factor, try these little wonders."

[Michel]

Note to those of you in the US: Just because the people you know who used pot are stupid doesn't mean it is because of it. As the old saying goes "coorelation does not prove causation." I think it seems that pot users are stupid because the people who are willing to risk a permanent record for a few minutes of fun aren't generally good decision makers to begin with, but in countries where the laws against marijuana are not strictly enforced or non-existant this would not be the case.

I still wouldn't use pot though unless I had cancer because of the possible major schizophrenia danger.

[bcammack]

Pharmaceutical companies will monetize the principle ingredient and the raw form will continue to be illegal.

[SRR]

How can science "prove" anything to people who don't want to believe it?

[Aardwizz]

[If science someday proves marijuana promotes good health and safety, would the government ever recommend it for adults?]

Which "Government"? The Bush Adminsitration or the Clinton Adminsitration? Think about it.

©¿©¬

[Brad]

Forget it Scott. The government wants to convince us that an occasional (like once a month) cigar is going to give us mouth cancer even if we don't inhale the smoke into our lungs and that walking into a smokey bar will take 10 years off our lives. There is no rational discussion of risk, because the marginal risk really is miniscule. Cumulative risk? Yeah, don't smoke 2 packs of Marlboros a day through your 20s, 30s, and 40s. Our government did the same thing to prop up the old 55mph speed limit with propaganda. Or look at so-called health "insurance". The American Cancer Society is running scary commercials claiming that we're all under-insured for cancer. The correct word is "insulated". About 60% of us could save a lot on premiums for over-insurance and self-insulate with home equity, or access a secondary insurance market to hedge against that. No, instead we're in hugely expensive HMOs that overtreat most people.

Just forget it Scott. We're too stupid and our leaders know how we should conduct our lives.

The answer to why you will never hear a politician speak on mic to the media

about their past use or non-use of drugs?

V.S.A.

a.k.a. a Voice Stress Analyzer (google it)

Mr. Bush, could you tell us your opinion about marijuana?

Oww, o.k. I withdraw the question. No! Not waterboarding!!!

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