Okay so i'm not done talking yet...
Zetona said:
As far as I know, marijuana itself is not addicting, but dealers add chemicals to it to increase its potency which make it addictive. I voted "no".
Where i come from this is known as "laced". Some people like it, but they generally take the harder drug that the weed is laced with on its own anyway. If those that don't take harder drugs find out some weed they smoked was laced they generally get rather upset. I have tried pretty much everything short of heroine, but i didn't like any of them except weed (and mushrooms once a year, but thats a different tale). The one time i got given laced stuff and didn't know it was i never went back to get from that guy again.
I am currently studying genetic engineering at university (yes i really am and i really smoke lots of weed too) and over half the people studying with me smoke it regularly (once a day or more). Now i'm not getting spectacular grades (cos i've always been lazy since i was spoilt as a child), but the highest GPA (Grade Point Average) in my year is a girl who smokes more than i do. The difference is she is a highly motivated person. Marijuana does not affect our intelligence, i just happen to be worse at life in general than her.
I know i'm just bad at some aspects of life in general, but i don't blame weed. However i have seen lots of people who do blame weed even though its not the culprit. Its natural for people to look for something other than themselves to blame and this may even help. Placing the blame on marijuanna and then giving it up will have a placebo effect which may just allow the person to attain the mental state they are after.
Addiction-wise you're probably slightly better off smoking weed. Cigarettes contain nasty chemicals that just dont occur in weed. Someone else pointed out that you can take weed by eating it, but this is a practice generally reserved for being stoned for an entire day. The reason is that the dosage is harder to control and the time from ingestion to effect differs from person to person. So its not a good idea to allow the same amount of time you would for a joint to have its effect and then leave you, because it could be way longer. Water pipes and bongs (which are not the same thing) pass the smoke through water first which helps to filter out some of the nasties much like a filter in a cigarette. In fact smoking tobacco through a water pipe or bong would be better for you as well.
Its true that you could not on your own smoke enough marijuanna to kill yourself. You will fall asleep or be unable to manipulate the paraphenalia (pipe, bong, lighter, papers etc) long before you even near dangerous levels. It is plausible that with assistance it might be possible, but this would therefore by definition be murder or at least manslaughter.
There was a case where a brain surgeon was smoking weed when he wasn't at work. The board that reviewed his case cleared him of all charges, stating that no evidence could be presented that his abilities were affected when he came into work the next day. I know this really did happen, but i cant find it on the internet anywhere so i can't back it up, but trust me this really happened.
Marijuanas big stigma apparently comes from american president Truman (or however you spell it). He had scientists do research into marijuana and cannabis so that he could show the american people how bad it was. When the scientists report did not support his theory he destroyed the documents (and technically committed treason against the american government as destruction of any official government document is treason) and published propaganda films and advertising anyway. Since then everything has been confused as some have been citing as scientific research works of fiction.
Another important point to make is that THC is not the only canabinoid (prolly spelt that wrong). THC is the one which gives you feelings of well being. Other canabinoids make you tired or lethargic (body stoned, it is possible for the mind to be normal while the body is stoned), shorten attention span, delay reflexes, inhibit pain and other minor effects.
I am completely open with my GP about how much i smoke. As far as he's concerned if its not bothering me or affecting the rest of my life the only reason to stop is because i'm smoking something (smoking anything, he doesn't care what i'm smoking only that i'm breathing in lots of carbon).
Anywho... Addictive to some, but not a problem addiction like cigarettes, alcohol, meth-amphetamine, cocaine, heroine, or if your american... Fast food you fat bastards.
