Pubdate: Thu, 06 Feb 2003 Source: Collegiate Times (VA Edu) Copyright: 2003 Collegiate Times Contact: http://www.collegiatetimes.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/699 Author: Steven Sharp COLUMN: TRUTHS ABOUT MARIJUANA ARE CLOUDED IN SMOKE I find it ironic that such a highly touted, seemingly brilliant generation is so apt to be blatantly brainwashed by highly false propaganda. "The truth about legalizing marijuana should be weeded out," (CT, Jan. 15) certainly contained a few commonly heard reasons for the illegality of marijuana. In the column, the author contrasts marijuana and alcohol by explaining that alcohol's potency is far less than that of marijuana (less marijuana is needed to impair judgment). As always, the problems of marijuana addiction and healthcare costs were also presented. It is even mentioned that smoking marijuana most likely leads to some forms of lung cancer similar to those caused by cigarettes. "Ladies and gentlemen, these new marijuana strains are extremely potent and highly dangerous! They are 30 times more powerful than strains from the 1960s! This isn't your grandfathers weed!" The previous is a commonly stated phrase that has become one of the mottoes of the DEA. They even go on to mention that most marijuana in the 1960s had 1 percent THC content while today's has up to 30 percent THC. What they know and hope you don't realize is that marijuana with 1 percent THC is made into rope and not smoked. While marijuana with very high potency does exist, the majority of marijuana consumed is around 5 to 10 percent THC. Obviously, the government is overstating increasing potency problems. Do people not realize a regulated market could lead to potency laws? Secondly, let me be straight to the point. It is harder for a high school freshman to obtain alcohol than it is to get marijuana. This is because the alcohol market is so highly regulated -- this regulation of alcohol assures quality and uncontaminated products. There is no regulation in the marijuana market of the United States. This can lead to plants laced with foreign substances that may lead to actual health problems. This isn't a totally uncommon practice as it can increase profits. Also, this lack of regulation causes the U.S. government to lose incredible amounts of taxable money every year. As a response, it is often stated that marijuana has the highest number of addiction and treatment cases in the United States each year. Because of this, all taxed profits would be negated by ridiculously high treatment costs incurred by addicts. Please, don't be fooled. Nearly all alcoholics are in treatment as a result of a conscious decision that they needed help. Conversely, nearly all marijuana "addicts" are in treatment because they must answer the question: Do I want to go to jail or be in a treatment program for a year? Wow, hard question. What would you choose? This is where the government gets its outlandish addiction percentiles and statistics. The U.S. government also enjoys painting the picture that smoking marijuana leads to judgment so impaired that death is seemingly unavoidable. In one commercial, a female is raped in front of uncaring potheads who are too blazed to realize what is happening. Marijuana does not lead to one forgetting that a gun can indeed kill or that rape is highly evil. If anyone actually believes those TV ads, please explain why. To put topping on the cake, drug commercials even state that marijuana smokers support terrorism by funding these organizations through drug money. Come on. Most marijuana consumed in the United States comes from our own farms and Canada. Harder drugs such as cocaine and heroin are the drugs of choice for those who fund terrorists. Again, I come back to the subject of regulation. If marijuana was regulated, absolutely no money spent on it would go to terrorists. You can even spend those tax profits on the terror war. I found it pretty entertaining that the author believes one reason for continued prohibition is that smoking marijuana most likely leads to lung cancer. Most marijuana smokers are not utterly oblivious to lung damage caused by their habit. They know the risks and they accept them just like cigarette smokers do. Additionally, marijuana can be consumed through vaporization, which ultimately removes all carcinogens and unsafe materials from the vapor consumed. But why am I mentioning this? Cigarettes are legal, so that argument for prohibition is pretty irrelevant. Most people do not know that the United States used to pay people to grow hemp because it was such a resourceful plant. If hemp were legally cultivated, it would slow the depletion of the ozone layer. Forests would also be saved as hemp produces paper more efficiently than trees. Hemp is also an excellent renewable energy source that helps balance the earth's oxygen and carbon dioxide levels. I would be highly surprised if this changed anyone's opinion on this topic, but I just hope it makes you think twice before believing everything you see on the commercials. - --- MAP posted-by: Alex