There is no argument for drug prohibition
- Sooner28posted 11 years ago
0
War on Drugs: Huge success o.O
Well the point you raise have answers but since you don't really believe them allow me to skip to the one you do.
Second hand smoke may be harmful to child development but #1 People who don't use drugs now are not going to suddenly start using them in the same room as their children because it is legal #2 Most parents I know take their cigarettes outside to smoke let alone their joint #3 Exposing children to it should and would be a crime.
Price fluctuations in the product in the past have not increased usage to any significant degree, people don't just start mainlining because it's cheaper
and semi legalization in Portugal actually saw significantly reduced usage as education and help for addicts became more widely available.
- PrettyPantherposted 11 years ago0
Actually, both studies appear to agree that heavy long term pot use does indeed damage the brain.
Melissa’s source, “Heavy Marijuana Use Doesn't Damage Brain” from July 2003, is based on “scores on thinking tests” that compared “various aspects of brain function -- including reaction time, language and motor skills, reasoning ability, memory, and the ability to learn new information.” Contradicting the title, the article reports researchers found impairment in memory and learning among long-term marijuana users that they characterized as "very small" but did not otherwise quantify. In the words of lead researcher and psychiatrist Igor Grant, MD, “"However, there might be a different set of circumstances to a 12-year-old whose nervous system is still developing." {1} At the time, Dr. Grant was committed to establishing that the short-term side effects of pot administered to individuals in a medical setting “would be safer than what is practiced by street users.”
Superkev’s source, “Marijuana Use Causes Brain Damage Confirmed” published online in August 2012, reports on a study conducted down under at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute. MRI brain scans of a group of subjects who used pot for an average of 15 years were compared to another group who had never used the drug. The comparisons revealed there was more than 80 percent reduction of white matter in the brains of the pot users. “Additionally, researchers found that the average age of participants in the study started using cannabis when they were 16 years old. Participants who started using the drug at a younger age like 10 or 11 had even more severe brain damage.” The article adds, “Researchers linked the significant changes in the white matter in the brain's hippocampus and commissural fibers, suggesting that long-term marijuana use may lead to memory impairment and deficits in learning and concentration ability.” {2}
Clearly, neither of these studies addresses the issues surrounding drug prohibition but they do answer the question, “Where is the brain damage argument coming from?”
In addition to the findings above, a broad consensus of medical professionals agree that the risks of smoking marijuana go up with heavy use:
Typically, heavy marijuana use lowers men's testosterone levels, sperm count and quality.
It can affect libido and fertility in men.
It is psychologically addictive.
One in 12 occasional users experience withdrawal symptoms if they cannot get high when they want to.
The rates of dependence are higher among heavy pot smokers.
Many experts believe marijuana is physically addictive and report symptoms of withdrawal that might include aggression, anxiety, depressed mood, and/or decreased appetite. {3}
{1} http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/news … mage-brain
{2} http://www.medicaldaily.com/articles/11 … iction.htm
{3} http://answers.webmd.com/answers/118214 … -marijuana^5 innersmiff. As you already know, I do not oppose legalizing marijuana. I do, however, have an issue with claims that its use is a harmless recreational activity.
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