Should US Legalize Marijuana?

Guybrush · 02-03-2012, 07:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aurora

Cannabis does make you slightly paranoid, I'm not going to lie. BUT it's only during smoking I get it occasionally, not to say that goes for everybody though.

For some people, the paranoia they experience while high leads to or triggers an anxiety disorder which follows them also when they're not smoking. It's probably what happened to your friend.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Janszoon

I have literally never experienced paranoia from smoking weed.

Then it's a kinder drug to you than to many others.

**Janszoon** · 02-03-2012, 07:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tore

Then it's a kinder drug to you than to many others.

So is alcohol. I can drink it frequently and not turn into an alcoholic, unlike a lot of other people. Does that mean we should outlaw it?

~~Rubato~~ · 02-03-2012, 07:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tore

I don't even smoke and I've so far met 3 people in real life who have suffered anxieties after cannabis use. Two are friends of mine, the third is the mother of a close friend. All of them suffered anxieties for long periods afterwards, in my friend's mothers case so bad that it never left her. So, I've no trouble believing the studies that show such negative health effects of cannabis.

The only drug these people indulge in regularly that I can think of are caffeine and alcohol and I can't remember any of them telling me they were also drunk when it happened, so I don't believe that it's simply something that happens when you "mix".

cannabis and alcohol isn't a good mix, I'm not using my own experiance as evidence I'm just one social guinea pig weighing in. It could be possible that the unpredictable effects of cannabis is a result of using an unpredictable environment for your findings.

Quote:

When people smoke cannabis and drink alcohol at the same time they can experience nausea and/or vomiting, or they can react with panic, anxiety or paranoia. Mixing cannabis with alcohol can increase the risk of vulnerable people experiencing psychotic symptoms.

There is some evidence to support that having alcohol in your blood causes a faster absorption of THC (the active ingredient in cannabis that causes intoxication). This can lead to the cannabis having a much stronger effect than it would normally have and can result in ‘greening out’.

Greening out is a term commonly referred to in a situation where people feel sick after smoking cannabis. They can go pale and sweaty, feel dizzy, nauseous and may even start vomiting. They usually feel they have to lie down straight away.

It appears that this is more likely to happen if a person has been drinking alcohol before smoking cannabis rather than the other way around.

Mixing cannabis and alcohol NCPIC

FETCHER. · 02-03-2012, 07:28 PM

It's nothing major it's just being cautious not to get caught in the act. I'd hate my dad to find out. My mum not so much, she's cool but I still haven't told her. I dread the day she accidentally stumbles upon my messbox.

**Janszoon** · 02-03-2012, 07:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aurora

It's nothing major it's just being cautious not to get caught in the act. I'd hate my dad to find out. My mum not so much, she's cool but I still haven't told her. I dread the day she accidentally stumbles upon my messbox.

^ This actually raises an interesting point. If weed were legal it might actually cut down on paranoia.

FETCHER. · 02-03-2012, 07:30 PM

Rubato: anytime I've been drinking and smoking I've been ****ed for a good few hours thinking "I'm never going to recover" it's awful. Don't mix your narcotics kids.

edit: @Jans, that IS an interesting point, because I'm thinking about the times I vividly remember being paranoid and they're all about police or parents catching me.

Urban Hat€monger ? · 02-03-2012, 07:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Janszoon

I disagree, but let's assume you're right for a moment: What about this potential for abuse is so terrible that it should be illegal?

I never said it should be illegal.
As I said, I'm for decriminalising, but not legalising.

Guybrush · 02-03-2012, 07:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Janszoon

So is alcohol. I can drink it frequently and not turn into an alcoholic, unlike a lot of other people. Does that mean we should outlaw it?

First of all, I still find alcohol irrelevant to this discussion. Legalization should be about consequences and not allowing something just because we allow something else. Second, alcohol is not the same as cannabis. Perhaps society would be better if we didn't have alcohol, but considering most adults enjoy it and it's such an ingrained part of culture, society at large would probably not accept it's sudden illegality. If you really were to remove alcohol in a way which was beneficial, you'd probably have to find ways to wean society off it and that's sometimes done in subtle ways.

Either way, a sudden illegality of alcohol is not the same as a sudden legality of cannabis because the drugs have different uses, cultural significance and the two scenarios are completely different. So to me, that's another reason why the legality of alcohol is largely irrelevant when it comes to the legality of cannabis.

**Janszoon** · 02-03-2012, 07:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Urban Hatemonger

I never said it should be illegal.
As I said, I'm for decriminalising, but not legalising.

Well, it was decriminalized in my state, which means you get a fine instead of arrested, and though I think that's and improvement, it's still pretty lame.

~~someonecompletelyrandom~~ · 02-03-2012, 07:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aurora

Conan, I love you. You know that right?