Cigarette smoking is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States. Alcohol causes violent behavior and deaths by liver cirrhosis and alcohol poisoning. People die every day from overdoses of heroin, cocaine, meth, and even legal prescription drugs. Nonetheless, Rep. David Howard (R-Park City), Chairman of the Montana House Human Services Committee, thinks marijuana — a substance that has never caused an overdose fatality — is “the most dangerous drug there is.”
That’s right folks, it’s 2013 and reefer madness is still alive and well in big sky country. Fortunately, science is still alive and well too and begs to differ with Rep. Howard. Here’s what a study published in Britain’s most prestigious medical journal, The Lancet, had to say about the relative harms of various popular intoxicants:
As you can see, marijuana (cannabis) is hardly the most dangerous and pales in comparison to alcohol and tobacco, two drugs we’ve had success reducing teen use of lately without throwing tens of thousands of adults in jail.
Unsurprisingly, Howard’s committee blocked four bills that would have rolled back recently passed restrictions on Montana’s medical marijuana law. For now, despite Rep. Howard’s obfuscation, a judge has issued an injunction preventing the worst parts of that law from taking effect. Patients in Montana are awaiting the state attorney general’s decision as to whether or not to appeal that ruling.
UPDATE: Commenter Nathan Pierce points out that Montana Attorney General Tim Fox announced Friday he will not appeal the preliminary injunction. Patients and providers are not out of the woods yet though. The constitutionality of Montana’s restrictive law will now be the subject of a full trial, where Fox pledges to “vigorously defend” the law.
Thank God......it's Friday!!!
To me the most surprising thing about this is how low the tobacco numbers are.
Quoting Radarma:Anyone ever notice the majority of our congress smokes?
You can tell by their facial coloring and lip formation.
Just curious-doesn't marijuana smoke do anything bad to your lungs,like cigarettes do? If not,why not?
Quoting SandyLaxner:Just curious-doesn't marijuana smoke do anything bad to your lungs,like cigarettes do? If not,why not?
In theory, yes but I know a few long term smokers who have no problems. Never seen any evidence of actual people with lung issues from mj smoking. It's also been shown to shrink lung cancer tumors and might help other cancers. There are plenty of other ways to ingest it, I prefer my vaporizer and many of the patients I know use edibles, butter or tea.
There is a ton of anecdotal evidence of mj's healing properties and some scientific evidence but our govt makes scientific testing very difficult unless you want to prove how bad it is. There is a product called Phoenix Tears that is an oil extract, doesn't get you high as far as I know, that many people claim cured their cancer.
I'm not saying it does or doesn't but I am saying more research needs to be done.
Thank God......it's Friday!!!
Quoting FromAtoZ:Sometimes I wonder how certain people make it so far in life when they clearly lack.
Also, I do think many people bring their personal feelings in to the mix and that clouds their judgement and their thinking critically about weed.
I'm impressed when some people know how to walk or breathe, the stupid just keeps getting worse.
I can understand coming into the debate with biases, I know loser stoners and actually quit when I was in HS because of the guys we hung with. In and out of jail, no real jobs just stealing to get by. I didn't want that for my life and those experiences colored my view of weed for a long time.
I wish people could be more open minded and really look at the history and uses of this plant. It's criminal that it's illegal.
Thank God......it's Friday!!!
Imagine the taxation...
Quoting Friday:
Quoting LindaClement:The people who have to 'protect their corporate donors'... are who have not noticed.
Quoting Friday:
Quoting LindaClement:I love how few people have noticed that if mj become legal, it will simultaneously become a FOR PROFIT industry. Taxes, employment, stocks... lobby groups...
Quoting Friday:
Quoting TranquilMind:He must be arguing this on the basis of it causing the most harm to health, since it is the most widely used.
Otherwise, I got nothin'
The failing and miserable government is all about deflection to nonissues (or minor issues in the scheme of things) in order to prevent the true evils it is perpetrating from being examined. Americans are dumb enough to fall for it, in the main.
Perhaps but I have yet to see any evidence that is the case.
They have to protect their corporate donors, many of whom could lose money if mj were legal and easily accessible. Pharma, alcohol, tobacco, cotton, Prison-Industrial...and more. They pay our politicians handsomely to protect their interests. And, you are right, BS like this keeps many from seeing what they are really up to in our legislatures.
Who hasn't noticed? All the legalization advocates I know are quite aware of that and have no problem with it. Or with profits in general, it's when those profits are used to manipulate the govt in the business or industry's favor, that we take issue. There are already lobbying groups, don't have a problem with that just the money that changes hands to support lies and bs like the op. If I learned that NORML or MPP were lying or bribing, I'd take issue with that too.
I suppose the legalization lobbys are being out-bid by the others.
Quoting TranquilMind:He must be arguing this on the basis of it causing the most harm to health, since it is the most widely used.
mj is more widely used than alcohol or tobacco?
I find that hard to believe.
Holder to investigate....Holder
- Friday
on Feb. 20, 2013 at 3:16 PM