I learned something today. Find a cause, any cause, and you will find people passionately defending it to no end. If you don’t agree with them 100% they will take grave offense.
I suppose that’s great for “the cause”, but my stance is to agree to disagree. There’s no debate when two heads are pounding against a brick wall between them; where it’s my way or no way.
You’re probably wondering what in the heck I’m talking about. A photo showed up in my Facebook newsfeed overnight and I made a short comment to it: “Sounds like an old pothead to me. Aren’t there modern medicines to do the trick?”. I opened a can of worms!
I’ve been pounded on Facebook ever since. The really funny thing is, I won a $4,500 grand prize at the end of January/beginning of February. When I shared the sponsor’s winning announcement, no one had anything to say about my good news. Only one Facebook friend out of many commented, and that was my own sister!
What I meant to say was “looks like an old pothead to me” — there’s not much difference anyways. and I still hold to that opinion. No matter what I say, someone’s going to take it the wrong way. Someone I don’t know from Adam even called me undereducated! I’m tired of getting into it with them on Facebook already, so I will share the rest of my thoughts here to get them off my chest and out of head. This is my written rebuttal because they aren’t reading between the lines and only see the negative that they want to.
The thread has gotten much longer, but I’m ignoring and not paying a lick of attention to it.
cannabis – definition of cannabis by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia.
1. A tall annual dioecious plant (Cannabis sativa), native to central Asia and having alternate, palmately divided leaves and tough bast fibers.
2. Any of several mildly euphoriant, intoxicating hallucinogenic drugs, such as ganja, hashish, or marijuana, prepared from various parts of this plant.
1. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Plants) another name for hemp (the plant), esp Indian hemp (Cannabis indica)
2. (Law / Recreational Drugs) the drug obtained from the dried leaves and flowers of the hemp plant, which is smoked or chewed for its psychoactive properties. It produces euphoria and relaxation; repeated use may lead to psychological dependence See also cannabin, hashish, marijuana, bhang
psychoactive – definition of psychoactive by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia.
(Psychology) capable of affecting mental activity
Adj. 1. psychoactive – affecting the mind or mood or other mental processes; “psychoactive drugs”
I will tell you a secret. There was a time I was a pothead too, but it was tens of years ago when I was young and naive — and it’s long over. It was my senior year of high school and I was tired of being snubbed by the goody two-shoes elitist clique. I tried to join them when I moved there in my junior year, but it just didn’t work out. I even went to dance and jazz classes with them. A United Methodist minister preaching in the middle of nowhere just doesn’t make enough money for his kids to compete with business owners’ and politicians’ offspring. Two years into high school is a bad time for anyone to move, so the next year I turned into a rebellious bad girl. I remember starting and ending the school day and every possible point in between sneaking around in the quad or parking lot smoking doobies.
Yep, I did the whole drill. I was a real stoner. My favorite magazine was “High Times”. I carried my lighter in a thong around my neck so I would always be prepared. I had all the tools of the trade … the paraphernalia as it’s called. I still have Cheech and Chong movies in my library although I haven’t watched them in ages. I usually never watch the same movie twice because there are so many new ones to see.
Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong were my heroes. They were funny, they were celebrities, and they gave glamour to getting high. I still enjoy watching either of them in movies or on television. And I would still say they’re the biggest potheads ever. The medical marijuana coalition doesn’t see the correlation though!
Something else you don’t know about me. I didn’t join the Air Force until I was 20 years old, but the first time I tried to enlist I was denied for being honest. One of the questions was “have you smoked marijuana in the last six months?”. I told the truth and said yes. My enlistment was delayed for six more months. I used that time to clean up my act and became a fitness freak (100 sit-ups a day, 30 mile bike rides, etc.) who led most of my fellow basic trainees to graduation 
But like I said, that was many years ago. I’m all grown up now. I’d rather get high on life than any kind of drug, or even alcohol. My middle-age spread couldn’t handle the munchies and that’s definitely an after-effect of smoking and toking. I prefer to think with a clear, unmuddled head. My point is that it’s not like I’ve never used it and don’t know what I’m talking about.
Medical marijuana activists like to say there are no outright cases of death and that you can’t die from an overdose. That might be true, but I can tell you that I don’t want to be anywhere near a vehicle being operated by someone that’s high on marijuana. It’s no better and maybe even worse than a drunk driver. Your faculties are unquestionably impaired with marijuana use. In my opinion, marijuana in any form holds hidden dangers. Marijuana may not be directly attributed to any death statistics, but there are actually people whose underlying cause of death is officially listed as being due directly to the use of cannabis.
- Marijuana Causes Many Deaths Reported as ‘Accidents’
- Marijuana Deaths | LIVESTRONG.COM
- Death Validates Dangers of Synthetic Marijuana – Blogcritics Sci/Tech
- Police fight ‘death marijuana’ distribution – Israel News, Ynetnews
The other argument I’ve read, and I’ve gotta admit this one sounds really crazy, is that marijuana is God’s gift to humanity more or less. That God created and put it on earth for us to use for our benefit. That’s just about the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. I compare these statements to the Y2K (Year 2000) millennium scare and Mayan doomsday prophecy. I guess God is also responsible for lethal drugs like cocaine, heroin, and LSD too among others. Wouldn’t God also be accountable for death and pestilence then?
Medical marijuana users like to say that it heals and stops cancer, but I’ve located several sources that say otherwise. Here are just two:
Science Daily has a number of other articles worth reading:
- Marijuana Damages DNA and May Cause Cancer | LiveScience
- Growing Evidence Of Marijuana Smoke’s Potential Dangers
- How Marijuana Causes Memory Deficits
- Marijuana And Alcohol Taken Together Induced Widespread Nerve Cell Death In Brains Of Young Rats
- Marijuana Use Causes Early Pregnancy Failure
- Severe Vomiting Sickness With Chronic Cannabis Abuse
My final parting words are “bully for you”, but I’m not and will never be a proponent for the legalization of marijuana — no matter what you say. I think if so-called medical marijuana users were only interested in the medical benefits, they would use liquid or vapor forms — and they wouldn’t make social occasions out of it. Instead, you can easily search and find a plethora of photos and articles showcasing their “equipment” — bongs and other smoking paraphernalia. I happen to believe they’re just looking to get high legally.
It’s your business if you want to turn your brain to mush, but don’t do it around me or in line of my sight please. By all means, keep your stash out of reach of children who don’t know any better!
- 3-Year-Old Caught On Video Smoking Pot – LinTV
- Mom Gives Children ALCOHOL & MARIJUANA At Birthday Party!!!
- Mom Let Her Six Year Old Drive Her Car Because She Was Too High!!!
- Really Sad: Mom Films 2 Year Old Daughter Smoking Weed
- Uncle Teaching 2 & 5-Year-Old Nephews to Smoke Pot
You will find “facts” in either corner. It seems to be one of those issues you are either for or against. I know from personal experience that recreational use can easily lead to more lethal drug use. I find no positive, redeeming qualities in the use of marijuana for any reason. Feel free to comment if you must, but no — I don’t feel like discussing these points any further. Gawd, enough already!
Other references:
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