Is marijuana harmful?

I would never encourage anyone to ever use drugs , however If you are to use one I would hope It might be Marijuana . Alcohol Is a killer so are cigarettes . And prescription medication has become the new epidemic In American society . However science has found a correlation between long term Marijuana use and testicular cancer for men . So If you are going to smoke It keep It to the minimum .

Depends on what you do with it. It's your body to embrace and nurture or destroy.

Alcohol and tobacco are more harmful than marijuana, the death rate is much higher.

In my opinion, marijuana is less harmful than alcohol and contributes to fewerdeaths than alcohol.

It takes about twenty pounds of marijuana to kill a lab rat...dropped from roughly twenty-five feet.

Yes, Marijuana has been proven time and again to be relatively harmless. I agree with reallifesituation, moderation is key.

Thus far the greatest health risk is smoking related illness, but not lung cancer. Promising research would indicate that cannabanoinds in marijuana inhibit cancer cells from growing.

Lately there has been a new tactic relating to the potency of weed today compared to a few decades ago. This is a false danger on two counts.

1) Actually the THC percentage by dry weight of todays marijuana is only about 2%-4% higher at most than samples tested in the '70's, and a few samples were actually much higher back then. So the potency has increased some, but not like it is being portrayed. A lot has to do with the make-up of the samples as well. 30 years ago you got weed that was unmanicured and contained a lot of weaker leaf matter. Today it is meticulously manicured and contains primarily the more potent buds exclusively, thereby creating a sample with an overall greater THC content than one that contains a lot of leaf material.

2) Marijuana users self regulate consumption much better than say alcohol drinkers. It's effects are felt within a minute and peak within fifteen minutes at most. Alcohol effects are also felt relatively quickly, but peak effects are slower so the drinker's consumption can easily out pace the effects. We have all seen this or experienced this. People don't usually overdo it with pot, and if they do death isn't a real concern as it is with America's drug of choice, alcohol.

Also the higher potency actually results in less being smoked thereby greatly reducing health risks associated with smoking.

If I had to smoke a entire joint in 1975 to achieve the desired effects, today I can often get the desired effect with 2-3 hits from a bong, which also filters some of the tar out as well.

This seems to be a point that is conveniently not mentioned by the anti drug supporters citing increased potency.

Everything in moderation. Period. When we work too much, talk too much, are selfish too much, there can be negative effects, but back to the topic. Marijuana in it's most natural state, without the pesticides and chemicals that are sometimes used in their cultivation, is completely safe. Smoking ANYTHING is bad for your body. Think about trying it in foods, much better for you.

Marijuana is not harmful and while legally it may not be, personally I would say yes it SHOULD be ok to substitute marijuana for a more harmful drugs. Not to mention marijuana could be very helpful to people with every day ailments such as upset stomachs, and migraines.

People against the legalization of marijuana or at least medical marijuana just say extreme, unrealistic, dumb things that aren't true, and I believe most of them are simply misinformed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcJvX4GQA_A

I really don't think it is even a matter of opinion. Marijuana is not harmful, especially when consumed in moderation. It does not consist of harmful chemical enhancement, such as alcohol, cocaine, heroin, opium, etc. In its natural state it has many medicinal purposes. Not to mention it's social applications. The hemp plant also can be used to produce paper, clothing, ropes and plastics and can be grown in many different climates. It can't kill you and has caused for more less deaths than alcohol and man-made hard drugs. I say, legalize it and tax it to improve the educational system and feed the hungry.

Herb/Hemp/Marijuana is a PLANT! It is a GREAT plant that when used properly can be GREAT relief for many ailments...