Well I guess that's where we'll have to agree to differ dfiant. They are two different drugs with differing effects, but they will always be compared as it usually ends up being public money which mops up the consequences to society.
I know as many stoners as drinkers, I've only known one person suffer ill effects from smoking pot. I see more problems and negative consequences with alcohol, from individuals and by extension families ruined by alcoholism to the neanderthals out every Thurs/Fri/Sat drinking themselves stupid, getting alcohol poisoning and tieing up emergency rooms, knocking the shit out of each other, wasting police time, vandalising the town etc.
I do understand that cannabis can cause mental health issues, mainly for kids who smoke young as it can be damaging to the developing brain(just like alcohol or any other illegal substance).
The other group who have mental health issues with pot, and all other drugs, are those who are predisposed to mental illness through their genetics.
They fall into two categories, those who suffer mental health issues only whilst abusing substances, and those whose mental illness once triggered will remain after ceasing substance abuse. This second group's problems are just as likely to be caused by excessive levels of stress, or alcoholism, or any kind of drug abuse, and they make up a miniscule percentage of the population.
I know you will disagree with this and I'm not saying it to wind you up, but the biggest problem I see with pot is that it is illegal. The social harm from it is minimal, yet we waste inordinate amounts of cash criminalising people over it. Money that could be better spent elsewhere, not to mention the tax that could be generated by applying duty to its sale.
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What you also have to take into consideration is that different people have different chemical make-ups, it affects different people in hugely varying ways. It's largely the same for a large amount of drugs, or indeed, in principle, everything. I am not particularly interested in other drugs, I have tried ecstasy and acid, and neither were to my consistent liking, and I will most likely never try them again.
Marijuana, as I have seen, can be very bad for some people - however, for me, it has completely turned my life around for the better. Since I have started smoking it, my heart rate has done down and I no longer experience the palpitations I once did. I also no longer hyper-analyse and obsess over things to the point where it damages my physical and mental health. My depression which had returned last year quickly evaporated. After three months of being baked at least every second day, I have never experienced paranoia, nor nausea. I also feel more motivated to do things, and I'm already a pretty pro-active person when it comes to personal projects. The only thing it's taken away from is that I now have less money to waste on junk food and clubs.
I will say that I do feel bad paying for it, as it does fund the drug industry, one built upon many questionable things - however, the same can obviously be said of any industry in this Western capitalist society. The drug itself I am entirely supportive of. Marijuana seems to be the most natural drug in the world - we have naturally occurring cannabinoid receptors in our brain that absorb it safely and generally with the most benefits possible, unlike the vast majority of any drug whether legal or not. It has also been proven to help fight cancer. The list goes on, and yes there are negative sides, but everything good in moderation is good (I've got to work on this one myself right now).
Having said all this, I am not nearly as knowledgeable as others, this is based on the research I myself and people I trust have done, but as far as I can see, it is a substance to be condoned. I am of course young and naive, but only to a certain extent.
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Happy 420!
