Dayton City Paper Says it All by Not Saying Anything!

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For those of you who are unfamiliar, 420 is a number commonly associated with Marijuana. So, this April 20th, lots of articles were published about Marijuana. One interesting article stems from the city paper in a conservative Ohio town known as Dayton. On april 15th, the Dayton City Paper published they’re latest debate forum topic: “Should Marijuana Be Legalized in Ohio?” On the left side of the article, they have a length argument from a staffer arguing for the legalization of marijuana. The interesting part is the right side of the article. The entire right page is left blank, with only a small caption.

“On behalf of the Dayton City Paper staff, we apologize, but we were unable to locate a debate writer who was able to submit a view opposed to the legalization of marijuana in Ohio at this time.”

What a statement the paper has just made by leaving an anti-legalization argument empty. DCP

The argument for legalization is quite powerful too. Reporter Marianne Stanley writes: “The bottom line is marijuana should never have been illegal at all.” She continues to list the improper motivations behind the illegalization of marijuana, claiming that it is rooted in racism, corporate greed, and the alcohol companies.

Read it all online, here! http://www.daytoncitypaper.com/debate-forum-0415/

YOU GO DAYTON CITY PAPER!

Fake Pot, Real Problem

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I went home this weekend, and laying on the kitchen counter, the lasted issue of Time Magazine. The Front Page read, THE RISE OF FAKE POT. Of course, it immediately drew my attention.

I started reading about the dangers of synthetic drugs that are evading federal regulations and being sold legally in smoke shops. The concern with synthetic drugs lies mainly in the area of synthetic cannabinoids, sold as “incense.” While these incense packets read, NOT FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION, they are often times implied as a legal form of marijuana that can be smoked.

The article reads, “synthetic pot appeals to some users because it can evade detection by urine tests.” (pg. 26)

Perhaps a reason these synthetic drugs are being used is because natural Marijuana is illegal in many areas of the country. If Marijuana was made legal, many concerns over drug tests and purchasing Marijuana would disappear. These alternatives forms of Marijuana could be diminished, and their scary side effects could be diminished too.

And as the article says, “At least on the mood altering spectrum, pot is considered relatively safe. That has helped enable the movement that legalized recreational Marijuana in Washington and Colorado. Synthetic cannabinoids are a different matter. Doctors say symptoms caused by these drugs include vomiting, seizures, and excessive heart rate.” (pg. 30)

“Medical experts caution that a single dose of a synthetic cannabinoid can be hazardous because of the crude way in which producers spray the chemicals onto inert plant material that is then smoked.” (pg. 28)

Sounds terrible, doesn’t it?

Here’s my opinion: Marijuana is a plant. A green, leafy, photosynthetic plant that grows from the Earth and is nourished by sunlight and H2O. Smoking marijuana seems far less dangerous than a man made, synthetic material. These products haven’t been properly tested or regulated, and they surely don’t have good track records. If marijuana was legal everywhere, I think the sales of synthetic versions of Marijuana would diminish. I think the safety of natural marijuana would be much higher than synthetic, and less people would be hospitalized or killed from usage. Marijuana has never killed anyone before.

Doesn’t that make sense to you?

Read the opening statements of the article here, and subscribe to TIME, or purchase a copy, to read the full article! http://time.com/57167/rise-of-fake-pot/?pcd=pw2-FakePotHPH

 

Epilepsy Patients find hope in Medical Marijuana

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It seems that new strands of Marijuana are being found to help treat epileptic seizures. The Epilepsy Foundation said, 

“Some individuals, specifically families of children with uncontrolled seizures, are using what is called cannabidiol oil, or CBD oil, and anecdotally a few are seeing remarkable results. This is truly spectacular — anytime someone finds a treatment that stops seizures, there is cause for celebration because seizure freedom for one person means hope of seizure freedom for others.”

These methods are extremely enlightening to families who have struggled to find reasonable treatment for their severely effected family members. The Epilepsy foundation is urging the government to increase Marijuana Research funding and to make it more accesible for research and use. 

This is just one of the ways Marijuana can be used in a safe and positive way.

 

Read more at:

 http://www.epilepsy.com/article/2014/2/epilepsy-foundation-calls-increased-medical-marijuana-access-and-research

 

My Problems with the “Gateway Drug” claim

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One thing I hate hearing about is how Marijuana is a Gateway drug. I think making this claim is a way to swing observations to observe relationships that aren’t correlated.

If you’re a hard drug user, you’ve probably tried weed. And maybe weed was the first thing you tried. Why? Well, because you’re a hard drug user! If you’re willing to snort a line of coke or shoot up some heroin (I don’t even know if that’s how you do heroin) you are probably open to the idea of smoking marijuana as well.  And with marijuana’s popularity, it may have been the first illegal drug you had access to try. So when hard drug users are surveyed and reported, my girl MaryJane gets a bad rep.

However, 

I don’t think people who smoke weed are opening doors to dangerous drugs. I know plenty of people who smoke weed who have never tried any dangerous drugs.

Making weed legal will also cut out criminal activity associated with Marijuana use. If Marijuana isn’t a black market/under the table drug, it will continue to distinguish itself as a safe, responsible substance- and further itself from association with hard drugs. 

Hopefully one day this will happen!!

10 Facts about Marijuana

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Below is a link to 10 facts about Marijuana.

We are generally lead to believe that Marijuana has harsh effects on the brain and body- and can lead to use of harder drugs like cocaine and methamphetamines. Reading the link below may surprise you!

http://www.drugpolicy.org/drug-facts/10-facts-about-marijuana

Each fact is baked up with credible resources.

..oops, did I say baked up instead of backed up?? More MJ puns 🙂

In my opinion, Marijuana has been advertised and stigmatized as a much scarier substance than it’s actuality. Using Marijuana is a personal choice, and I respect the decision to abstain from using Marijuana as well as other medications/stimulants/depressants/intoxicants. However, as studies reveal fewer harsh consequences or risks produced from the drug than originally depicted, it seems logical that Marijuana should be a substance that is legally available to those who wish to use it, especially when compared to legal substances like alcohol and tobacco.

Think about it, and the economic benefits to a market of Marijuana in the United States… (I’ll save that discussion for another time.)

Marijuana in the NFL

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There are so many different aspects of the Marijuana argument out there to discuss. Topics that come to my mind at first are…..

-Health Benefits and Medicinal Uses

-Money $$$$

-Health Effects and Risks

-Effects of Legalization

-Well-Being

-Gateway Drug?

-Side Effects

-Compared to Alcohol

-Drug Related Violence

and so many more to take into consideration! These topics are interwoven into one big debate, that is causing a plummeting cloud of smoke over America. (pun intended)

For this post, I’d like to consider some of the health benefits that marijuana has been claimed to provide. Take a look at these former NFL players view of the “drug.”

For more NFL interviews, visit Youtube.com and search, “marijuana HBO sports.”