Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think when long-term marijuana use studies come out, we’re going to have a lot of regrets about legalizing it.

+1

Both Colorado and California and rethinking legalization as they have had a few decades to see the amazing affects on the general population.

Realistically what tools are there to reserve course on behavior and culture other than serious prison time for "nonviolent" offenders?

I don’t think we need to choose between the extremes of either legalizing recreational usage or punishing any and all use (including medical) with serious prison time.

I have already posted on this thread about how dangerous I think marijuana is and why I think legalization was a terrible mistake. I do, however, think that it should be available medically, under a doctor’s guidance.

I also think that while recreational usage should be illegal, there are other possible consequences than imprisonment that we could try, including, but not limited to:
- treatment (counseling, support groups, rehab, etc.)
- community service
- fines
- house arrest/probation

At the very least, warnings (both about personal and secondhand dangers) ought to required to be prominently displayed, both at dispensaries and on the products themselves. Too many people think of marijuana as safe because it’s “natural”, when it actually poses very real and potentially severe dangers.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11499700/#:~:text=Warning%3A%20Frequent%20and%20prolonged%20use,brain%20development%20and%20impaired%20memory.

Didn’t we learn anything from big tobacco? I don’t believe that the legalization movement was about relief from government repression, nor about the interests of individual marijuana users. I think it’s all about $$$, with human suffering taking a backseat to profits.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think when long-term marijuana use studies come out, we’re going to have a lot of regrets about legalizing it.

+1

Both Colorado and California and rethinking legalization as they have had a few decades to see the amazing affects on the general population.

Realistically what tools are there to reserve course on behavior and culture other than serious prison time for "nonviolent" offenders?

Anonymous wrote:I think when long-term marijuana use studies come out, we’re going to have a lot of regrets about legalizing it.

+1

Both Colorado and California and rethinking legalization as they have had a few decades to see the amazing affects on the general population.

I think when long-term marijuana use studies come out, we’re going to have a lot of regrets about legalizing it.

There was just a study I saw recently that said marijuana use aged the brain rapidly only second to Schizophrenia, which the scans show is the fastest deterioration to the brain.

Anonymous wrote:Every time we go into DC to a restaurant or show, the city just reeks of weed. Plus, the drivers in DC just get worse every year.

Legalization has turned into a nightmare.

And let’s not forget:

Elon Musk is a marijuana advocate / user.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There has been a nationwide explosion of teen mental health problems over the last 20 years.

I believe social media and phones are primarily behind the overwhelming majority of new teen mental health disease cases.

Do we really want to add Marijuana use to the existing crisis? Marijuana should never have been legalized.

And before anyone states the obvious (21 is the legal minimum age to smoke Marijuana), the same is true for alcohol yet teens get that often too.

So we should ban alcohol, phones, social media and what else?

Honestly? While "banning" isn't likely to happen, smarter people avoid these things. For a reason.

Save phones for straightforward communication purposes, none of the things you mention serve a valuable function. Alcohol and pot, along with other drugs, are for people who don't have the coping skills to deal with reality. Social media is a drug. If you don't believe me, delete your account. If you won't, listen to the excuses you make. Typical addict behavior.

My kids never had social media. They may drink/smoke someday, but they've grown up watching their parent avoid these things, intentionally, and we've had some deep chats about why. Maybe that isn't enough to completely innoculate them, but it's probably more than most kids get these days.

Unfettered access to social media is just as toxic as unfettered access to substances. Maybe even moreso; everyone knows drinking/smoking is bad for you.

Speaking as a prior addict amirite?

The pp literally wrote "I've kicked addictions to all these things."

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There has been a nationwide explosion of teen mental health problems over the last 20 years.

I believe social media and phones are primarily behind the overwhelming majority of new teen mental health disease cases.

Do we really want to add Marijuana use to the existing crisis? Marijuana should never have been legalized.

And before anyone states the obvious (21 is the legal minimum age to smoke Marijuana), the same is true for alcohol yet teens get that often too.

So we should ban alcohol, phones, social media and what else?

Honestly? While "banning" isn't likely to happen, smarter people avoid these things. For a reason.

Save phones for straightforward communication purposes, none of the things you mention serve a valuable function. Alcohol and pot, along with other drugs, are for people who don't have the coping skills to deal with reality. Social media is a drug. If you don't believe me, delete your account. If you won't, listen to the excuses you make. Typical addict behavior.

I've kicked addictions to all these things. My kids never had social media. They may drink/smoke someday, but they've grown up watching their parent avoid these things, intentionally, and we've had some deep chats about why. Maybe that isn't enough to completely innoculate them, but it's probably more than most kids get these days.

Unfettered access to social media is just as toxic as unfettered access to substances. Maybe even moreso; everyone knows drinking/smoking is bad for you.

Speaking as a prior addict amirite?

Anonymous wrote:The good news is marijuana use among teens is steadily declining.

Some studies attribute it to state-level legalization which often strictly forbids selling to anyone under 21.

My 18 yr old went online and easily got a medical marijuana card. I think he said it took 10 minutes to meet online with a doctor to tell her he had trouble sleeping and voila, he had a card the same day.

Anonymous wrote:Veterans with PTSD need weed. You liberals are gross

Incorrect. Veterans with PTSD need better access to affordable mental health care, including better-regulated drugs that work better.

Weed is the throwaway/stopgap. Using veterans as justification for legalizing weed is intellectually lazy (at best).

-vet/former cannabis user

The good news is marijuana use among teens is steadily declining.

Some studies attribute it to state-level legalization which often strictly forbids selling to anyone under 21.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd rather my teen smoke cigarettes than pot.

Same. And one reason is I smoked pot at 14 and ended up in the hospital. Thought I was dying.

I'm convinced some people's brain chemistry just isn't wired to have THC be fun. I'm not a drug puritan ... I don't want my teen doing any drugs, but in my day I did them all--but nothing, not even acid messed me up as badly as pot.

Your anxiety kicked in. That’s pretty common and a sign that weed isn’t for you. For everyone who says pot is stronger now, that’s just not true. It’s regulated so that you can get a small amount of thc , just enough to relax or more but at least you know what you’re getting.

People with mental illness tend to use marijuana to help relieve their symptoms of anxiety and possibly some psychosis they are already experiencing.

How regulated is it really?

According to this article, it is often impossible to know the potency of marijuana. Moreover, the article says that “regular use of high-potency THC can amplify anxiety”.
https://harvardpublichealth.org/policy-practice/as-thc-potency-rises-federal-cannabis-regulation-must-follow/#:~:text=Federal%20regulations%20there%20include%20THC,safer%20and%20more%20predictable%20market.

Aside from the unknown potency of marijuana, there are apparently a wide variety of potential contaminants - including e-coli, mold, pesticides, and rubber. State regulations may require testing of a few contaminants, but different states test for different contaminants and there doesn’t appear to be enough research to determine which contaminants are most dangerous, nor how dangerous they might be. Further, apparently the black market is so widespread that even where marijuana is sold openly in stores, those stores may be obtaining some of their marijuana from unscreened black market sources.

https://www.npr.org/2025/02/03/g-s1-46197/weed-marijuana-cannabis-safety-regulation

https://cbsaustin.com/amp/news/spotlight-on-america/how-safe-is-legal-marijuana

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This happened to my son a few years ago. Very scary and unexpected since we have no family history. He’s doing well now on medication but it changed his carefree future. He’s in college now close to home so I can check up on him regularly.

It’s permanent? I thought the psychosis was temporary?

It took a good 6-9 months of no weed use and daily Thorazine for the voices and paranoia to subside. We decided a school close to home would be a good choice. Three years later and he’s off the medication and doing well.

Anonymous wrote:Veterans with PTSD need weed. You liberals are gross

Troll

Anonymous wrote:At a minimum, I wish the schools would start cracking down on drug use at school. My kids say it’s rampant and they complain about the smell. It horrifies me that my teen could be getting weed from someone at school, smoking it there and no one from the school would even call me because the schools take zero action.
They should hire a shit ton of security officers. Make a broad announcement that this won’t be tolerated. Then take every kid found using weed at school and give them a choice between drug tests and locker/bag searches or the virtual academy.

I’m a liberal progressive Dem but it’s just become utterly ridiculous. I guess it was predictable but it’s like we told these teens that we trusted them to make the right choices and we weren’t going to penalize them for bad ones, and they decided that they can collectively walk all over us.

Couldn’t agree more. It’s time for a new approach.