Quote:
Originally Posted by Norrin Radd
most of what we were told about marijuana in the past was all lies, so it is important to be careful when looking at the REAL health effects from marijuana.
|
Oh, I agree with this! The drug war is a true fountain of hype and deceit. Still, it's also important not to overreact; one can make an equal and opposite error. Drugs, legal or illegal, are never good for you and can potentially be dangerous, depending on the substance.
For myself, I never use pot any more, not because I think I'm going to keel over dead or become a heroin addict (or grow tits, or any of the other weird shit that's been peddled), but because I'm a writer and marijuana torpedoes my verbal abilities. The high just isn't worth that.
Quote:
|
[i]WELLINGTON, New Zealand (HealthDay) -- A single joint of marijuana obstructs the flow of air as much as smoking up to five tobacco cigarettes, but long-term pot use does not increase the risk of developing emphysema, new research suggests.
|
That's pretty much what I would expect. Marijuana isn't addictive while tobacco is. If you smoked as much pot as a 2-pack-a-day nicotine junky smokes cigs, your lungs would look like moth-eaten cloth, but nobody does.
But as I said, if you're talking about second-hand smoke, the "single joint" effect is more important than the long-term. Also, there are effects from the drug itself that are more noticeable from secondhand pot smoke.
I'm a firm believer in declaring victory in the war on drugs and going home; I think trying to ban drugs of any kind is counterproductive and stupid. But just the same, I can see some value in sensible regulations, which would include such things as the current ban on driving while intoxicated, and restraints on public consumption. I think that Holland is being silly not to include pot in its ban on public smoking.