New Jersey legalizes medical marijuana...and bans gay marriage

[Romy]

Sorry to have offended you then, I didn't think you'd take it too personaly.

 

You see, throughout our discussion, I have come to realize that you're a confident person. I just didn't think it would have offended you that much, and so didn't mind saying that.

 

 

Even though it may not seem like it, I'm a very sensetive person, and feel pretty bad for offending you like that :/... My apologies.

[RexMilotic]

I can understand the legalization of marijuana, because medically that helps people out. The reason for legalization is not so that everyone can get high, and even should it be allowed for everyone it should be limited to an extent. Smoking needs to be limited in same manner, while drinking currently has appropriate laws in my opinion.

 

The ban on gay marriage astounds me, because that's just pathetic. Civil unions at the very least, in order to grant homosexual couples the same rights, must be done. It doesn't matter about your religious beliefs that way, and should you feel it does then you can whine about it all you want. Most churches or other religious establishments are currently getting money from the government anyway, and should that government tell you to ignore some of those minor bigoted beliefs to create a more unified nation, then you should be grateful. Currently half the bible preaches illegal things, if not more, but it's still allowed. Most religions preach of murder, sexism, racism, homophobia, slavery and destruction all in a positive manner, but when gay marriage is brought into things to create a more positive world, it's brought out to be the immoral subject.

Edited January 21, 2010 by darkrick
By all means use colour and style to emphasize points, but don't use it for the entire post :)

[archimage_a]

Sigh. Seperation of Church and State really failed in America didn't it...

It made the Government powerless to intervene in Church affairs and turn the Church into a begger on its knees.

 

Same with artists:

 

Sir Humphry: "...It it is what artists always do: crawling towards the government on their knees, shaking their fists."

Jim Hacker: "Beating me over the head with their begging bowls"

[Furah]

Rex, not to be a wbm, but it is against the rules for doing entire posts in another colour.

[Sly_Wizard]

I care way more about pot than gay marriage.

 

/$.02

[Furah]

I care way more about pot than gay marriage.

 

/$.02

*smacks over the back of head*

Don't be lazy, edit it and say /$0.02 instead.

[RexMilotic]

Rex, not to be a wbm, but it is against the rules for doing entire posts in another colour.

 

Thanks for pointing that out, I was unaware. That makes me sad though..

[BlindBaker]

Well, the medical marijuana is, in my opinion, a step in the right direction. But just a step. And it's probably gonna stop there. Besides, it's only for terminal illnesses like cancer and all that. Not like California where, from what I hear, you can get pot for a back ache? Lucky bastards.

 

As for banning homosexual marriages, what the [bleep]?! I don't get it. Why does our government care that much about gay people? Just let them marry and get on with their lives.

 

By the way, sorry for the late-ish post. Just noticed this thread.

 

EDIT: I looked through the whole marijuana debate (at least the first two pages). I've done some research, and here's my attempt at an unbiased comparison of marijuana to alcohol/smoking.

 

Marijuana can be PSYCHOLOGICALLY addicting (which I guess you could call a habit).

Alcohol can be physically addicting (alcoholism).

Nicotine IS addicting.

 

Marijuana contains more cancer-causing substances than tobacco and alcohol. But because it's usually not addicting, you tend to receive less of that (a smoker smokes at bare minimum one cigarette per day, a marijuana smoker usually smokes the same amount every two weeks or a month, unless you're a major pothead which is bad).

 

Impossible to overdose on marijuana unless you smoke about your body weight, and you'd probably pass out waaaaaay before that.

Alcohol can kill if you have too much at once.

Tobacco kills from long-term use. Not always, of course, but it doesn't help.

 

If you use too much marijuana or tobacco, you get the whole clouded judgement, which could lead to bad judgement. Tobacco has none of that.

 

All three can be good for emotional health if used right.

 

Marijuana causes memory loss and lung/throat damage (if you smoke it - but brownies taste better anyway :thumbup: ) among other bad side effects. Tobacco causes lung/throat damage, and the whole thing with tar in the lungs. Alcohol causes a bunch of crap, mainly destroying the liver.

 

I could go into the economic benefits of each, but I don't feel like typing anymore. :)

 

That's about everything I can think of right now. And some of it might be wrong. Or biased. I don't know. But my opinion is, legalize it, give it an age limit and a limit on how much you can use, like alcohol.

[RexMilotic]

Marijuana can be PSYCHOLOGICALLY addicting (which I guess you could call a habit).

 

Many things are psychologically addictive, including masturbation. I personally see that kind of addiction as a "meh" type deal due to how common it is.

 

 

Marijuana contains more cancer-causing substances than tobacco and alcohol. But because it's usually not addicting, you tend to receive less of that (a smoker smokes at bare minimum one cigarette per day, a marijuana smoker usually smokes the same amount every two weeks or a month, unless you're a major pothead which is bad).

 

You won't get cancer from marijuana though, and it will actually slow the growth rate of tumors.

[RpgGamer]

 

 

 

Marijuana contains more cancer-causing substances than tobacco and alcohol. But because it's usually not addicting, you tend to receive less of that (a smoker smokes at bare minimum one cigarette per day, a marijuana smoker usually smokes the same amount every two weeks or a month, unless you're a major pothead which is bad).

 

You won't get cancer from marijuana though, and it will actually slow the growth rate of tumors.

 

 

Sauce that before I smack you

[RexMilotic]

 

 

 

Marijuana contains more cancer-causing substances than tobacco and alcohol. But because it's usually not addicting, you tend to receive less of that (a smoker smokes at bare minimum one cigarette per day, a marijuana smoker usually smokes the same amount every two weeks or a month, unless you're a major pothead which is bad).

 

You won't get cancer from marijuana though, and it will actually slow the growth rate of tumors.

 

 

Sauce that before I smack you

 

http://www.alternet.org/drugs/142271/smoking_marijuana_does_not_cause_lung_cancer/

http://www.usnews.com/health/family-health/cancer/articles/2010/01/11/marijuana-compounds-could-beat-back-brain-cancer.html

http://www.salem-news.com/articles/january112008/cancer_treatment_11008.php

http://www.opposingviews.com/i/study-shows-how-marijuana-inhibits-brain-cancer

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/25/AR2006052501729.html

 

 

Now, I understand that marijuana contains things that could give you cancer if tried independently of the drug, but nothing as of recently shows that marijuana will give you cancer. Instead, it's being used as something against cancer.

[RpgGamer]

Props for the multi-source, but I'm still not convinced. It all just sounds like alot of advocative propoganda. I understand that I sound hypocritical because the progressive movement goes for it asying that nay-sayers are intollerant, but I think the general masses are blinded by falsified facts and "bad" science. No one knows what causes cancer. I say cancer is gods way of saying "your time is up" and that humans have too long a life span. Let's face it, EVERYTHING causes cancer. The chemicals you eat, the air you breathe. Right now, we are all slowly dying. I refuse to believe that huffing in chemically induced smoke is in any way shape or form healthy.

[Furah]

Props for the multi-source, but I'm still not convinced. It all just sounds like alot of advocative propoganda. I understand that I sound hypocritical because the progressive movement goes for it asying that nay-sayers are intollerant, but I think the general masses are blinded by falsified facts and "bad" science. No one knows what causes cancer. I say cancer is gods way of saying "your time is up" and that humans have too long a life span. Let's face it, EVERYTHING causes cancer. The chemicals you eat, the air you breathe. Right now, we are all slowly dying. I refuse to believe that huffing in chemically induced smoke is in any way shape or form healthy.

From what I gathered from the links is that it assists in it. In one of the links it says how even in the lowest concentrations tested it lowered the cell invasion.

 

In another link:

But the findings shouldn't send patients rushing to buy pot: the levels used in the research appear to be too high to obtain through smoking. And there's no sign yet that the approach works in laboratory animals, let alone people.

 

Still, the finding does suggest that more than one compound in marijuana might boost cancer treatment, said study author Sean McAllister, an associate scientist at California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute in San Francisco. "Combination therapies might be more appropriate," McAllister said.

It shows that they're still doing tests, and that combination therapies are the way to go.

[RexMilotic]

Props for the multi-source, but I'm still not convinced. It all just sounds like alot of advocative propoganda. I understand that I sound hypocritical because the progressive movement goes for it asying that nay-sayers are intollerant, but I think the general masses are blinded by falsified facts and "bad" science. No one knows what causes cancer. I say cancer is gods way of saying "your time is up" and that humans have too long a life span. Let's face it, EVERYTHING causes cancer. The chemicals you eat, the air you breathe. Right now, we are all slowly dying. I refuse to believe that huffing in chemically induced smoke is in any way shape or form healthy.

 

Well, that's the thing. It can be dangerous to you, but at the same time it's also healthy. It's like saying injecting yourself with chemicals in needles can't be healthy at all, but that's what many vaccines are. We are all dying right now, but for people who know of certain causes (say they have a tumor) they can lengthen their life by using marijuana to slow death.

[Asmodeous4]

Props for the multi-source, but I'm still not convinced. It all just sounds like alot of advocative propoganda. I understand that I sound hypocritical because the progressive movement goes for it asying that nay-sayers are intollerant, but I think the general masses are blinded by falsified facts and "bad" science. No one knows what causes cancer. I say cancer is gods way of saying "your time is up" and that humans have too long a life span. Let's face it, EVERYTHING causes cancer. The chemicals you eat, the air you breathe. Right now, we are all slowly dying. I refuse to believe that huffing in chemically induced smoke is in any way shape or form healthy.

 

Well, that's the thing. It can be dangerous to you, but at the same time it's also healthy. It's like saying injecting yourself with chemicals in needles can't be healthy at all, but that's what many vaccines are. We are all dying right now, but for people who know of certain causes (say they have a tumor) they can lengthen their life by using marijuana to slow death.

We don't know what causes cancer, yet alone what can cure it at the moment. I find it extremely hard to believe it helps with cancer and if someone wishes to lengthen their life by smoking marijuna, the amount you would have to smoke in all likeliness leaves me in doubt to their state of mind for the extra little time it would give them.

Also, on the subject of gay marriage. I have to say that Archimage's posts are brilliant (not sucking up), props to you.

[RexMilotic]

Props for the multi-source, but I'm still not convinced. It all just sounds like alot of advocative propoganda. I understand that I sound hypocritical because the progressive movement goes for it asying that nay-sayers are intollerant, but I think the general masses are blinded by falsified facts and "bad" science. No one knows what causes cancer. I say cancer is gods way of saying "your time is up" and that humans have too long a life span. Let's face it, EVERYTHING causes cancer. The chemicals you eat, the air you breathe. Right now, we are all slowly dying. I refuse to believe that huffing in chemically induced smoke is in any way shape or form healthy.

 

Well, that's the thing. It can be dangerous to you, but at the same time it's also healthy. It's like saying injecting yourself with chemicals in needles can't be healthy at all, but that's what many vaccines are. We are all dying right now, but for people who know of certain causes (say they have a tumor) they can lengthen their life by using marijuana to slow death.

We don't know what causes cancer, yet alone what can cure it at the moment. I find it extremely hard to believe it helps with cancer and if someone wishes to lengthen their life by smoking marijuna, the amount you would have to smoke in all likeliness leaves me in doubt to their state of mind for the extra little time it would give them.

Also, on the subject of gay marriage. I have to say that Archimage's posts are brilliant (not sucking up), props to you.

 

No, we don't know what can cure it, but we do know what can slow it down. Curing is not the same as slowing down. You can also read in the articles that it's not like you have to smoke a ton just for a little, because by slowing it down you're able to also have more time to use other treatments. It's not like you're smoking marijuana alone as a cure.

[RpgGamer]

Props for the multi-source, but I'm still not convinced. It all just sounds like alot of advocative propoganda. I understand that I sound hypocritical because the progressive movement goes for it asying that nay-sayers are intollerant, but I think the general masses are blinded by falsified facts and "bad" science. No one knows what causes cancer. I say cancer is gods way of saying "your time is up" and that humans have too long a life span. Let's face it, EVERYTHING causes cancer. The chemicals you eat, the air you breathe. Right now, we are all slowly dying. I refuse to believe that huffing in chemically induced smoke is in any way shape or form healthy.

 

Well, that's the thing. It can be dangerous to you, but at the same time it's also healthy. It's like saying injecting yourself with chemicals in needles can't be healthy at all, but that's what many vaccines are. We are all dying right now, but for people who know of certain causes (say they have a tumor) they can lengthen their life by using marijuana to slow death.

We don't know what causes cancer, yet alone what can cure it at the moment. I find it extremely hard to believe it helps with cancer and if someone wishes to lengthen their life by smoking marijuna, the amount you would have to smoke in all likeliness leaves me in doubt to their state of mind for the extra little time it would give them.

Also, on the subject of gay marriage. I have to say that Archimage's posts are brilliant (not sucking up), props to you.

 

No, we don't know what can cure it, but we do know what can slow it down. Curing is not the same as slowing down. You can also read in the articles that it's not like you have to smoke a ton just for a little, because by slowing it down you're able to also have more time to use other treatments. It's not like you're smoking marijuana alone as a cure.

 

 

Alright, let's hypothetically say it actually DID slow down the rate of cancer. Don't you think the other side effects of being high off your arse would kind of counter any benefit it might have? Personally, I'd rather die of cancer than smoke marijuana. Yes that's a bold statement, but I stand by it. Does marijuana have all of these magic properties if it is not smoked? If you injested it, does it still have these magic anti-cancer traits? Even if it did, it still has negative effects on the brain, including dopamine unbalancing and other not-so-good chemical effects. I'm not saying it'll rot holes in your head like ecstacy can, but smoking is smoking no matter how you look at it. And THC will always be THC.

[RexMilotic]

Props for the multi-source, but I'm still not convinced. It all just sounds like alot of advocative propoganda. I understand that I sound hypocritical because the progressive movement goes for it asying that nay-sayers are intollerant, but I think the general masses are blinded by falsified facts and "bad" science. No one knows what causes cancer. I say cancer is gods way of saying "your time is up" and that humans have too long a life span. Let's face it, EVERYTHING causes cancer. The chemicals you eat, the air you breathe. Right now, we are all slowly dying. I refuse to believe that huffing in chemically induced smoke is in any way shape or form healthy.

 

Well, that's the thing. It can be dangerous to you, but at the same time it's also healthy. It's like saying injecting yourself with chemicals in needles can't be healthy at all, but that's what many vaccines are. We are all dying right now, but for people who know of certain causes (say they have a tumor) they can lengthen their life by using marijuana to slow death.

We don't know what causes cancer, yet alone what can cure it at the moment. I find it extremely hard to believe it helps with cancer and if someone wishes to lengthen their life by smoking marijuna, the amount you would have to smoke in all likeliness leaves me in doubt to their state of mind for the extra little time it would give them.

Also, on the subject of gay marriage. I have to say that Archimage's posts are brilliant (not sucking up), props to you.

 

No, we don't know what can cure it, but we do know what can slow it down. Curing is not the same as slowing down. You can also read in the articles that it's not like you have to smoke a ton just for a little, because by slowing it down you're able to also have more time to use other treatments. It's not like you're smoking marijuana alone as a cure.

 

 

Alright, let's hypothetically say it actually DID slow down the rate of cancer. Don't you think the other side effects of being high off your arse would kind of counter any benefit it might have? Personally, I'd rather die of cancer than smoke marijuana. Yes that's a bold statement, but I stand by it. Does marijuana have all of these magic properties if it is not smoked? If you injested it, does it still have these magic anti-cancer traits? Even if it did, it still has negative effects on the brain, including dopamine unbalancing and other not-so-good chemical effects. I'm not saying it'll rot holes in your head like ecstacy can, but smoking is smoking no matter how you look at it. And THC will always be THC.

 

It's not really a hypothetical thing, whether you want to accept it or not. It has more useful properties than just slowing tumor growth, such as: an anesthetic, help regain appetite due to some illnesses, eye problems with glaucoma, relief from nausea, and to reduce muscle spams/epilepsy. Now, your statement seems slightly ridiculous to me. You say you would rather die from cancer instead even attempting to consider the useful benefits from something because you have preconceived notions about it? I would personally use it, because if I'm going to die anyways, I plan on lengthening life long enough to allow for another possible, whether it be long or short. THC is actually one of the useful parts in marijuana medically, and smoking will always be smoking. That doesn't mean the same effects are going to be in place however, because you're smoking different things. It's like saying eating will always be eating, but eating cyanide and a banana are two different things accomplished by the same action.

[RpgGamer]

Call me stubborn, then. I'm not saying what you're saying doesn't make sense. In fact you have some pretty good arguments, but I stand by my heavily implanted anti-drug belief system. It just urkes me when people think I'm narrow minded for having such an opinion. Just because i don't follow the general opinion of the masses doens't make me close minded. In fact, I think myself more open minded than most liberals. But tahts a whole 'nother can of worms I'm not sure i should open in such a controversial topic.

[BlindBaker]

I might be wrong, but I'm pretty sure smoking marijuana only every now and then doesn't exactly destroy your body. Plus, if it's ingested, it takes longer to feel the effects (I think about 20 minutes) and when they hit they last longer (or at least stay in your body longer), but they're still the same effects. Someone I know used to sprinkle it in peanut butter, stick it in the microwave, and eat it with crackers to get high, so this is what he told me.

 

Emphasis on "used to."

[Nero]

It's always funny watching people get all flustered about the benefits and cost of using Marijuana (that's probably the first time I've actually spelled it in full haha).

 

Personally, I'm apathetic to the whole thing. I don't smoke myself, but don't care if people smoke it. It's their body.

[Furah]

It's always funny watching people get all flustered about the benefits and cost of using Marijuana (that's probably the first time I've actually spelled it in full haha).

 

Personally, I'm apathetic to the whole thing. I don't smoke myself, but don't care if people smoke it. It's their body.

You need to be in the Government!

[BlindBaker]

It's always funny watching people get all flustered about the benefits and cost of using Marijuana (that's probably the first time I've actually spelled it in full haha).

 

Personally, I'm apathetic to the whole thing. I don't smoke myself, but don't care if people smoke it. It's their body.

You need to be in the Government!

Fixed. ;)

[Zierro]

Personally, I'd rather die of cancer than smoke marijuana.

 

And you don't find that close-minded?

[RpgGamer]

Personally, I'd rather die of cancer than smoke marijuana.

 

And you don't find that close-minded?

 

Calling me close minded is going to open a whole new can of worms that I don't think you'd be willing to deal with. I admit, it's a bold statement. Close minded? I don't think so. Radical? Yes.