Will Mary Jane Rescue the Economy ?
It was bound to happen. No “medical” blog can get away with not writing about weed and rather than go on and on about it’s chemistry, history or uses or how perfectly harmless it is, I think I might try to make it sound a wee bit more boring …… now that is a challenge.
The U.S. economy is in tatters …. and a trillion dollar “rescue plan” may not be enough to patch up the stab wound caused by thousands who have managed to land themselves into insurmountably debt (sounds familiar anyone ????). (yes, I am well aware that I have over-simplified things….)
Which is where the weed comes in; you see weed is (for the time being and for a long time coming) considered an illegal substance which may be harmful and because it’s an illegal substance law enforcers have to find the people who trade in it and erm …. arrest them.
Hiring people to do this costs money …. about $34,433,700,162 (this figure is the amount of money spent on the war on drugs, not weed specifically) a fair portion (about 7.7 billion annually) of which could have been put to better use.
Legalizing weed would also bring in an estimated 6.2 billion in tax revenue (raking in a grand total of 13.9 billion); it would also mean that organised crime would loose a fair chunk of their cash-flow (and for that matter so would big tabacco).
In terms of healthcare, legal weed will mean that medicinal marjuana would be more socially acceptable and would there for allow drug companies to develop and market a new generation of pain meds that would be cheaper, more natural and have less side effects without the fear that they’re investment would go down the tubes because it’s not FDA approved, cannot be advertised or won’t be prescribed by over-rightous doctors (a fate many excellent drugs have fallen to in the past).
Unfortunately I sincerely doubt that we will ever see legal weeds in the US, largely because of the social taboos associated with it and it’s use. I’ve heard people call it everything from “a starter drug” that will eventually lead to the use of cocaine then herion (people tend to think of drug taking as kind of like playing super nintendo where you go from one level to the next; this is largely untrue), to “the main cause of schizophrenia” (there was a paper that proved statistically that alot of people who are prone to schizophrenia may be more likely to develop it if they use weed, this has largely been proven untrue in recent studies that weren’t sponsored by drug companies who manufacture drugs specifically for schizophrenia.).
Oh well, I guess alcohol and cigarettes will have to do for the time being …..
P.S. I am not advocating the use of weed or experimenting with it. I’m just saying it wouldn’t be the worst thing you could do on a Saturday night……
Leave a Reply
Sep 27th 2008 • 21:09
by Delicately Realistic
My 6th year research (my baby, my pride and joy, my darling….my my my…i could go on and on) anyways….was a profile on substance abusers in Kuwait from the addiction centre and central prison. I included a very thorough section on time (age) smoking first began and then first drug use, and each drug and when abuse started. Results were very statistically significant indicating they started smoking at 14-15, marijuana and alcohol soon after, followed by heroin. <- i’ve said that sentence only 2 million times i think ;P oh and its supported by quite a bit of literature. Recall bias exists, but my drugie friends and i go way back ;P i sat with them and they confirmed all my hypotheses.
[Reply]
Sep 27th 2008 • 21:09
by skunk
believe it or not, legalizing weed is perhaps one of the more sensible suggestions i’ve heard regarding funding the deficit and bail out.
so far the oddest one i’ve heard has to do with the us government holding trillions of iraqi dinars, and that the intention is to get the iraqis to revalue their currency from the current ID1000ish to USD1, to 1:1 atleast or even to its preinvasion value of USD3.2:ID1.
bada bing instant trillions to pile into the system.
incredibly unlikely if not down right impossible, but was worth a laugh.
[Reply]
Sep 27th 2008 • 21:09
by KTDP
Delicately Realistic: I’ve never read your thesis and therefor my comment is going to be a wee bit biased. I don’t think that you can prove that weed is a starter drug based on the population you’ve tested in your study, simply because they only represent those who are already under medical care or have committed an offense. You can however say that many people who are likely to commit a crime or have some sort of mental disorder which will require long term psychiatric care will probably start smoking, drinking and experimenting with drugs early. Meta-analyses and other statistical studies carried out in other have failed to mirror the results of initial studies which suggested that weed is infact a start-up drug.
Skunk: Nothing is going to fix the deficit. The economy is doomed. It’s the 50’s all over again ……
[Reply]
Sep 28th 2008 • 01:09
by Ansam
Weed is illegal because of its classification “psychedelic” drug…. but what if it got reclassified? perhaps call it muscle relaxant (it is… isn’t it?)
On another note… isnt weed less harmful than tobacco and alcohol? But then again… its illegal because its non-taxable! Oh oh oh…. and governments dont like stoners
[Reply]
Sep 28th 2008 • 01:09
by Delicately Realistic
+1 i wont argue u on that point since it is mentioned in my Limitations
That said, i believe it is a starter drug in a majority of cases in those who have personalities with tendencies for addictive behaviours. But i have no scientific evidence to prove it, o 9ere7a mali kholg adawir ;P
I see ur point, some ppl use marijuana and stop there for years while for others its just step 1 towards the path of addiction. In my oral exam, my examiner, a psychologist brought that point up and offered to help me if i wished to dig into the matter more deeply. And i really do, the topic fascinates me.
InshAllah u can get a look at my work at next years Poster Day, that and the 2nd part of my analysis which i havent done and dont know when im gonna start working on ;/
[Reply]
Sep 28th 2008 • 02:09
by Delicately Realistic
Oh but there is one point i want to argue “only represent those who are already under medical care or have committed an offense”
all the literature available from around the world has been conducted on such populations, clinics, delinquent centres etc. Theres no other way to get a good sample size, I mean u cant go scout the crack houses and distribute questionnaire’s there…..and going to a mall would be like digging for a needle in a hay stack and a total waste of time…unless the the questionnaire consists of 2 questions that go along the lines of this,
1. have u ever done pot?
2. have u ever used another drug other than pot?
You could go to college campus but how representative of the population is that? Majority will have tried it, cuz hey thats what college students do.
Enough, im waffling….and here i was saying i wasnt going to argue.
[Reply]
Sep 28th 2008 • 02:09
by plastic
It would have made more sense if they banned alcohol and legalized marijuana .
[Reply]
Sep 28th 2008 • 05:09
by Noufa
i think in some medical cases marijuana is prescribed as a pain killer, i remember seeing an interview with a guy who was permitted to use it for a rare condition. i think he live in Cali.
[Reply]
Sep 28th 2008 • 09:09
by KTDP
Ansam: Tetra-Hydra-Cannabanol(THC) works on a number of centers in the brain. Not really a muscle relaxant.And yes, you are correct alcohol and tobacco related diseases pose a far greater risk than those attributed to cannabis.
Delicately Realisitic: You could technically run a study in which the whole population who for example went to a co-op would get tested for drugs. All you have to do is get them to sign a consent paper. The easiest way to do it is to offer free “check-ups” along with your drug screen. Unfortunately because our forensic dept. is pretty much centralized I doubt that a study of this sort could be conducted around here.
Plastic: Exactly
Noufa: Far too many to count. It could be used for post op pain, pre- op anxiety, sickle cell disease,end stage malignancy and even carpel tunnel syndrome. In California you can get a card that allows you to purchase weed legally provided that your doctor recommends it.
[Reply]
Sep 28th 2008 • 17:09
by Aurous
What you said is logical and makes sense, but only in theory..
Like you said, the matter is over simplified and many variables haven’t been taken into consideration
Marijuana can cause problems with the user’s mental health. In this case it’s not only the user’s health and well-being that we’re concerned about, but also the people around him/her. Imagine what’ll happen when a marijuana user is driving or operating a heavy machine!
-this point could be false because I don’t know much about the effects of marijuana :p
[Reply]
Sep 29th 2008 • 07:09
by KTDP
Aurous: In most cases cannabis doesn’t affect your ability to operate heavy machinery, simply becuase it doesn’t affect your mechanical skills. It may only affects your judgment while using it. Your argument applies just as well most of the drugs that are prescribed by dentists. Cough syrup (the “good stuff” from “Landan”) usually has codeine in it. Codeine is very addictive, gives a very nice high and can affect your mental health far worse than cannabis can; infact to this day there has not been a single argument against the use of cannabis as a recreational drug in perfectly healthy humans. At least from a medical point of view.
[Reply]
Sep 29th 2008 • 16:09
by teachthemasses
Never did me any harm- and listening to Santana Live in the Park is so much more enjoyable that way.
[Reply]
Sep 29th 2008 • 16:09
by 2twentythree3
my thoughts are this ………
Weed is natural, right? Comes from a plant? A plant that God put on this earth, so……….. is it haram? Just like Mushrooms, they too are natural… so did God give us this as a natural painkiller.. if used the right way……… hmm who knows.
[Reply]
Sep 29th 2008 • 17:09
by KTDP
Teachthemasses: Agreed. Works well with radiohead, U2, and Electric Picnic ….. trust me ….
2twentythree3: I’ve never really looked at the religious aspect of cannabis use. I’d imagine that it would be frowned upon for numerous reasons.
[Reply]
Sep 29th 2008 • 19:09
by ...loveMaegan
What a fantastic solution! It’s legal in California …but still not where the Feds are concerned.
The stereotypes surrounding marijuana use are biased and wrong. It is much safer than alcohol and most or all prescription drugs being handed out by doctors. As far as the “starter drug” fear; if people want to snort white powder, they’re going to do it whether they’ve tried weed or not.
Also, hemp plants could save many trees and would just be all around better for the environment. There are so many advantages to legalizing marijuana it just blows my mind that the US is still so close-minded.
*oh, and, we had a microwave but it broke and really haven’t had the need to replace it
Great post!
[Reply]
Sep 30th 2008 • 00:09
by Ansam
3eidik embarak
[Reply]
Sep 30th 2008 • 03:09
by Broke Saudi
I love marijuana and all its lovely extracts, I really do. I don’t think it’s addictive, I’ve been on a one month tolerance break ( to get the buzz back up again), and didn’t experience any of the withdrawal symptoms I went through quitting ciggerates. I never understood the stigma attached to it, is it the red eyes? Do they scare people? It sure as hell can’t be the giggles, who hates the giggles? I don’t.
[Reply]
Oct 1st 2008 • 08:10
by KTDP
…LoveMaegan: Exactly. People tend to think of hemp as being a plant used only for marjuana. There are literally thousands of other products that could be made from that same plaint. Not to mention the fact the hemp seed oil is healthier than most other vegetable and animal iols and is very, very, very low in THC.
Ansam: Ayamich sa3eeda
Broke Saudi: I agree completely. I’ve never had any problems with it (not even red eyes) and yet keep hearing about how bad it is. The worst part is that even people who are relatively educated and know what they are talking about (i.e. my colleagues) tend to assume that marijuana is a subset of opiates and tend to class it along with stuff like morphine and heroin when it doesn’t even work in the same way. It’s sad when you see a senior member of staff make ignorant mistakes like that ……
[Reply]
Oct 2nd 2008 • 13:10
by F.
I have no experience in this particular field.
I have to say though…The poster is awesome.
3eedik mbarak.
[Reply]
Oct 2nd 2008 • 20:10
by KTDP
F. : don’t worry, we all get a chance to try. The stuff is practically hanging on trees these days (well in Europe at least)
[Reply]
Nov 13th 2008 • 03:11
by Carmella Boyer
bjujkgpjm6eqff1r
[Reply]
Jul 15th 2009 • 22:07
by Anonymous
Weed makes you crave a chicken burger at 1 am and a lion bar for dessert…
[Reply]
Feb 7th 2010 • 05:02
by wooden garden shed
I do not know if I agree with your post here. While you do make the best point, I do not believe you’ve really given a large amount of thought to the opposite side of this argument. Perhaps I can do a guest post or a follow-up, just let me know.
[Reply]
May 30th 2010 • 09:05
by Writer positions
Hi there, nice blog. Want to get cash for blogging? Check out: http://bit.ly/PaidWriting
[Reply]