cannabisnews.com: Marijuana is Indeed a Big Deal





Marijuana is Indeed a Big Deal
Posted by CN Staff on July 27, 2002 at 14:34:51 PT
By Darlene Hanke 
Source: Fond du Lac Reporter 
The Reporter published a three-part series about marijuana. Alarming were the pro-marijuana front-page articles which led readers to believe it is not harmful for them to smoke marijuana (pot).This attitude that pot is not a “big deal” reflects on what experts say is the root of a resurgence of pot use among teens. The Reporter added to the complacent attitude of teens who think pot is endorsed by a majority of adults.
The following will attempt to heal some of the damage The Reporter has done by providing more information and addressing statements users made.• Marijuana is a harmful drug. It contains more than 400 harmful chemicals and, when smoked, produces 2,000 even more harmful chemicals. A marijuana smoker is exposed to six times as many carcinogens as a tobacco smoker. The amount of tar in marijuana is 10 to 20 times the amount found in a cigarette. Users can observe the extreme amount of tar when they look at the black tar residue that drips off of the joint.• A politician stated that the war on drugs cannot be won and that pot should be legal for adults to use in their homes. Can he guarantee if it is legal that adults will be only using when they are at home and that they will not expose their children to it?• One person interviewed stated that marijuana is not a gateway drug but then admitted he has tried cocaine. A study by the Center of Addiction and Substance Abuse found 43 percent of teens who use pot by age 18 move on to cocaine.• A psychologist stated that amotivational syndrome is a “bunch of crap.” She may not have found it to cause her to be lazy, but pot does make the greater majority of users lazy. The real danger is when adolescents use. They not only endanger their health but also postpone opportunities for emotional and social growth that may never recur. If they start using in middle school, by high school, they become bored with school, have trouble learning, isolate themselves from their parents and are mainly interested in when they can become high. Their brain becomes so saturated with THC that they need more and more of the drug to become high.• Interviewed was a recovering alcoholic who was not addicted to pot and a young woman who only uses pot occasionally. It would have been more appropriate for a Reporter staff member to attend a NA meeting and interview marijuana addicts. These addicts would have been able to discuss the harmful physical and psychological effects of marijuana and how the drug has damaged their lives.• Interviewed was a gentleman who does not like the DARE program, has been using for almost 30 years and does not think of it as a problem. He doesn’t think that kids should be told things that cannot be proven, such as it is a gateway drug and it causes brain damage. These have been proven to be fact.• An instructor stated studies have shown nicotine and alcohol to be bigger killers than all kinds of illegal drugs combined. This may be true, due to more adults using these drugs and admitting to using them, because they are legal. If pot becomes legal, more will suffer from its negative health effects. Each year, 100,000 people (10 to 14 percent of users in the United States) are treated for marijuana dependency.• A writer stated that pot does not harm the immune system; this is outdated information. Current studies have found pot to impair the ability of T-cells in the lungs’ immune system to fight off infections.By shedding a positive light on marijuana, The Reporter shares in the responsibility of prompting young and impressionable minds to use marijuana.Darlene Hanke is a Fond du Lac County public health nurse. Newshawk: Is My Medicine Legal YET? -- http://www.immly.orgSource: Fond du Lac Reporter (WI)Author: Darlene HankePublished: July 26, 2002Copyright: 2002 Fond du Lac ReporterWebsite: http://www.wisinfo.com/thereporter/index.shtmlContact: http://www.wisinfo.com/thereporter/contactus/index/Related Articles from the Fond du Lac Reporter:Alcohol vs. Marijuana: http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13212.shtmlShould Marijuana Be Legalized?: http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13209.shtml 2 Smokers Discuss Their Use of Pot: http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13215.shtmlFormer Marijuana User Tells Why She Quit: http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13222.shtmlMan Says Pot Relieves Effects of Eye Disease: http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13223.shtmlHealth Officials Say Marijuana is Harmful To Body: http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13210.shtml 
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Comment #15 posted by krutch on July 29, 2002 at 15:18:29 PT:
I was going to take this apart point by point
But RavingDave has covered that base nicely. I will focus on this bit of speculation:"If pot becomes legal, more will suffer from its negative health effects..."In short she is saying that more people will smoke pot if it is legal. Here is a scientific study that refutes this claim:http://www.lindesmith.org/library/thies2.html#absWhere are the studies that support this claim?Darlene Hanke believes the Gateway theory. Anybody who believes this is either logically challenged or just plain pigheaded. Operative word is PIG. Get bent Darlene, you are a moron.
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Comment #14 posted by Zero_G on July 28, 2002 at 13:27:40 PT
Stipulate the Ridiculous
Let's play a game.Pretend everything she said is true. (I said ridiculous in the subject, and reiterate it here.)I point out that there are many, many, activities with equal risk factors that do not lead to incarceration.Darlene Hanke, show me specific cause why cannabis consumers deserve incarceration, as compared to other activities which *by your incorrect, but stipulated* data do not measure that punishment.
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Comment #13 posted by Dan B on July 28, 2002 at 11:22:49 PT:
Absolutely, Raving Dave
. . . and one more thing:Can he guarantee if it is legal that adults will be only using when they are at home and that they will not expose their children to it?Can she guarantee that under continued prohibition adults will be only using when they are at home and that they will not expose their children to it? Of course not. This is not a valid argument because prohobition has been dismal in its attempts to achieve this result. More later--gotta run.Dan B
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Comment #12 posted by RavingDave on July 28, 2002 at 10:36:50 PT
Prohibition Solves Nothing
Marijuana is a harmful drug. It contains more than 400 harmful chemicals and, when smoked, produces 2,000 even more harmful chemicals. A marijuana smoker is exposed to six times as many carcinogens as a tobacco smoker. The amount of tar in marijuana is 10 to 20 times the amount found in a cigarette. Users can observe the extreme amount of tar when they look at the black tar residue that drips off of the joint.Yes, but cigarette smokers frequently smoke a pack a day. That's 20 cigarettes a day. I don't even know anyone who smokes a joint a day, although I'm sure there are many people. In any case, at least as far as casual users go, those would be considered more or less heavy users, and they would still not compare to the 3-pack-a-day smokers which constitute the heavy users of that substance.A politician stated that the war on drugs cannot be won and that pot should be legal for adults to use in their homes. Can he guarantee if it is legal that adults will be only using when they are at home and that they will not expose their children to it?No, that can't be guaranteed. But - and listen carefully here - that should only be their business. Right now, we don't have laws which put people in jail for allowing their preteens to view R-rated movies, go to see WWF matches, or play X-box all day long, learning to kill in 100 different brutal ways. We drink beer in front of our kids, telling them that they can't have any because they are too young. Is the author really suggesting that smoking a joint in front of the kids is any more damaging? Has the author actually ever smoked a joint?One person interviewed stated that marijuana is not a gateway drug but then admitted he has tried cocaine. A study by the Center of Addiction and Substance Abuse found 43 percent of teens who use pot by age 18 move on to cocaine.Ahh, here we go again. The dreaded "gateway drug" that is marijuana. Did that study, by any chance, tell how many of those kids started out on alcohol? I'd guess about 100%. What about tobacco? What about Ritalin? What about aspirin? You can call anything a "gateway," depending on where you put the fence.Interviewed was a gentleman who does not like the DARE program, has been using for almost 30 years and does not think of it as a problem. He doesn’t think that kids should be told things that cannot be proven, such as it is a gateway drug and it causes brain damage. These have been proven to be fact.And where, exactly, is this alleged proof? I'd like to see the experimental model under which this "proof" was derived. Especially after study after study has shown that the effects of marijuana smoking are transitory, and have been shown to disappear after the cessation of smoking. In fact, here's a real kicker: a recent study, published in the Canadian Medical Association journal, showed that light and moderate smokers' IQs actually increased over their lifetime, versus the control group of non-smokers, whose IQs generally stayed the same. Although heavy use did show a decrease of about four points on average, all these effects disappeared after a period of abstinence.Furthermore, the "gateway" effect has been disproven by several reputable studies. This oft-repeated mantra by anti-marijuana advocates such as the author is simply another case of unsupported dogma, which it is hoped will not be investigated. As far as the DARE program, studies have found that it does not help drug use among teens, and in fact has been shown to increase drug use among high-schoolers who went through the program.An instructor stated studies have shown nicotine and alcohol to be bigger killers than all kinds of illegal drugs combined. This may be true, due to more adults using these drugs and admitting to using them, because they are legal. If pot becomes legal, more will suffer from its negative health effects.And here, we have another non-scientific piece of blathering. First of all, there is no evidence to show that there would be an increase in use, were we to legalize marijuana. In fact, quite the opposite. We need only go back to our own history of prohibition, in the early 20th century. When prohibition was finally lifted, to the great joy of the population, alcohol use actually decreased. It would seem that the old axiom holds true, "The forbidden fruit tastes twice as sweet." More to the point, the main reason use of marijuana would not increase is simply that the law has little effect on use right now. In fact, users largely ignore the law. In fact, the main reason that most of Europe is decriminalizing is that studies have shown the law to be almost completely ineffective at preventing use. Once again, we can look to prohibition as an example.The truth is that use would actually decrease among children, were cannabis to be legalized. After all, if the herb were taxed and sold in licensed shops, with stiff penalties for selling to minors, it would be much harder for kids to procure. Dope dealers don't usually require ID in order to sell kids pot, or any other drug for that matter. It is much harder today for kids to get cigarettes and alcohol than pot. If Ms. Hanke truly cared about keeping marijuana out of the hands of our kids, she would realize that the best solution is legalization, not prohibition.
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Comment #11 posted by goneposthole on July 28, 2002 at 07:53:08 PT
Ms Hanke Panke
"By shedding marijuana in a positive light, The Reporter shares in the responsibility of prompting young and impressionable minds to use marijuana."-Darlene HankeShe should be happy to join along with the sharing and responsibility.It is much safer than alcohol. Does Ms Hanke Panke want to be responsible for a number of young and impressionable minds for using methamphetamine because there is no cannabis available? Mmmmmmmm, Miss Hanke Panke?Cannabis is the first choice of mind altering substances because it is by far and away the safest. 
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Comment #10 posted by JSM on July 28, 2002 at 07:34:08 PT
How to respond?
As legalization moves closer and closer we can only expect to see more articles such as this one to appear. After all, this has worked in the past so they have no reason to believe it will not work in the future.  Our challenge is to respond calmly and with the facts. Truth will ultimately overcome tripe such as this.
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Comment #9 posted by xxdr_zombiexx on July 28, 2002 at 07:07:20 PT
Changing Minds
Sometimes it can be done, but other times, as is the case with this lady here, it's hopelless and the effort is best spent elsewhere. we don't need unanimity like the Drug Warriors seem to think they need. At best we need 51% on election day.However, itis rewarding to think that Ms Ignorant here is a minority, and as such we should be easy on her...as we ignore her words...;)I have tried to take the argument to the NRA-sorts - people way outside the cannabis culture loop. I'm focusing on the Federal onslaught of the Bill of Rights over trying to convince people marijuana shouldn't be illegal. If the 1st, 4th, 6th, 9th and 10 th amendments go, the 2nd will surely follow. Thats my argument, at least......
Common Ground Part II
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Comment #8 posted by Industrial Strength on July 28, 2002 at 00:55:37 PT
makes you want to cry
this woman believes it. Some people will read this and believe it. It's faith to these people. You can't change their minds. No matter what angle you try and take, these people will never, ever change. No matter what.
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Comment #7 posted by p4me on July 27, 2002 at 19:04:08 PT
My real life
I stopped by a buddy that once got kicked out of the army for selling Maui Wowi in Honolulu 20 years ago. He was burning one with his date with her three children watching. Now the screwed up government probably thinks that we are all conspirators to corrupt the youth into accepting pot for what it is. A recreational drug that leaves you functional and alert and a little bit less angry and everyone's lies and thefts and trespasses. These are stepladder children with the oldest at about 15. In three years you have one voter that has seen the reality of pot followed by another voter in 2006 and another when the 62 year-old baby boomers show up for their social security checks in 2007. The reality is you cannot stop a great truth and they ought to hang everyone in Congress already for the treachery and injustice in the war against people that use marijuana.Well it's Saturday night with a buzz. I do not much like the IMHO acronym but if I would have to say that the largest statement that I could make with all honesty, it would be "Busch is a dickhead." What else can I say.1,2
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Comment #6 posted by freedom fighter on July 27, 2002 at 17:43:53 PT
Fruedian slip?
"By shedding a positive light on marijuana, The Reporter shares in the responsibility of prompting young and impressionable minds to use marijuana."What a kook! ff
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Comment #5 posted by xxdr_zombiexx on July 27, 2002 at 17:18:23 PT
Tour de Farce
I think it was el Toonces who said that when he just started doing this work he'd get pretty upsdet by something like this - now it's just amusing..If ignorance is Bliss, why is she bothered by all this? Ill bet Carl sagan's life of pot smoking puts her girdle in a knot...."just think of what else he could have done.." goes the prohibitionst addage to deal with the Sagan Aberration.And finally, its been proven that women like Darlene alway end up having sex with guys like Ned Flanders. (Hi-dilly-ho, darlene!)
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Comment #4 posted by Nasarius on July 27, 2002 at 16:45:40 PT
Disgusting
"such as it is a gateway drug and it causes brain damage. These have been proven to be fact."What a damn liar. It saddens me to see that newspapers are still providing an outlet for this kind of garbage. Come on, NORML: public education campaign! It's the only way to stop people from believing these lies.
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Comment #3 posted by Sam Adams on July 27, 2002 at 16:07:44 PT
Miss Goody Two-shoes
It's amazing that Clarence Thomas, Al Gore, Clinton, and Harrison Ford were all able to overcome the laziness and extreme toxicity of marijuana!I saw the movie "Road to Perdition" a couple nights ago. All I could think throughout the movie was "This was all caused by the Women's Christian Temperance Union". They tried for over 50 years to get prohibition. Might as well pile all the bullet-riddled bodies up at their front door.
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Comment #2 posted by Windminstrel on July 27, 2002 at 15:03:44 PT
Ahh, that's why she was familiar
She's also the kook they quoted in http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/13/thread13210.shtml . If pot were legalized she'd lose funding. That explains it.
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Comment #1 posted by Windminstrel on July 27, 2002 at 15:02:20 PT
They never quit, do they?
Doesn't matter how many times we refute their lies, they keep chanting them like a magic spell to keep the potheads away. What are they so afraid of?
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