About legalizing marijuana...

[Craig3410]

Think about it; for the longest time in history, people rolled and smoked their own tobacco cigarettes.

Now, cigarettes are legal, but they're pumped so full of other shit (tar, carcinogens, et al) besides the tobacco that it causes cancer.

So, even if marijuana is legalized, isn't it inevitable that big tobacco will get their hands on it, commercialize it, and pump it so full of other shit until it's just as bad as cigarettes?

[stop the bleeding]

1. Yep

[MindPilot]

2. yes, but unlike tobacco

you can grow pot anyplace. That is one of the big reasons it's not legal, they can't completely control it.

[Baclava]

13. Exactly

It's like trying to commercialize and tax lawn clippings.

[Carolab]

16. You got it. n/t

[MadisonProgressive]

3. No, I'd just grow my own with hydroponics and grow lights

[jjmalonejr]

4. Cigarettes are pumped full of shit, but...

...tobacco smoking causes cancer regardless.

[demobabe]

5. I thought pot was worse

As far as the cancer thing goes - far more tar and bad stuff. Or am I just buying into some Reefer Madness propaganda?

[NorCalDem]

9. reefer madness!

At equal consumption levels, yes, marijuana may be worse for you (no filter, stems and seeds, etc.) but I certainly don't smoke 20 joints a day.

The same cannot be said for my smoking habit!

[Zhade]

10. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

Yes, the ol' RM bullshit.

[HughBeaumont]

17. Pot is not even CLOSE to being as physically addictive.

You aren't going to smoke 20-40 joints a day.

Then there's the whole "control" issue that the tobacco barons need desperately.

And this is coming from someone who's never tried a smokeable product. You don't have to smoke to support this. Illegalizing marijuana/hemp is ludicrous in every sense of the word.

[Occulus]

20. You don't have to smoke it, period, anymore.

There are vaporizers out there now that heat the plant to just the right temperature to vaporize the oils in the plant. No smoke is produced, but the active chemicals are still inhaled.

It seems to me that would be a good deal safer.

[phusion]

26. I think you can do the same w/ tobacco

of course, you'd want to use quality tobacco because any commercial crap will also release those other chemicals in vaporization.

[K-W]

23. dupe eom

[K-W]

25. Propaganda.

The case for Marijuana being worse than cigarettes was always based on flimsy evidence and has now been nearly completely debunked.

While MJ (when smoked) does throw all kinds of crap into your lungs, and does cause burns (which in the case of tobbacco lead to cancer), there is no indication that that the crap it puts in your lungs causes cancer nor that those burns become cancerous.

In fact, since the generation that first heavily used Marijuana is now aging, it is becoming possible to actually test users for cancer, and so far there is no indication that users face inflated cancer risks.

[Kazak]

6. What's this?

We're legalizing it all of the sudden? Whud'I miss?

[Loonman]

7. Too political

DEA making too much money from perpetuating the War On some Drugs.

[CrispyQ]

12. War on Some Drugs

I like that!

[disgruntled_goat]

8. in addition

tobacco companies sell the 'wrong' species of tobacco. (not Nicotania Rustica, but something else..i forget which).

so by your analogy, they'll be selling strychnine-laced hemp, which would have no psychoactive 'kick' just as our tobacco cigs have none.

and even that wont happen.

[pitohui]

11. how do you figure?

if you think pot doesn't have additives now, what are you smoking? many of us have thrown up our hands & pretty much given up on pot because of cheap-ass dealers "improving" their product at low cost w. a sprinkle of pet tranquilizer & other such crap, i think some of these unethical dealers are hoping the addictive additive will bring back more customers tho it does turn off the discriminating consumer

besides tobacco causes cancer & other respiratory disease just fine w.out any help from additives

life expectancy in 1900 was a bit over 40 in the usa, so yeah, lung cancer & emphysema didn't have time to happen

doesn't mean any "no additives" cig is any better for you than the cigs w. additives, if you don't like additives, certainly there are no additive brands available but don't expect yr life insurer to give you a discount when you switch to these

being arrested, put in a jail where mrsa & hep c is spreading like wildfire, or in a prison where risk of rape/hiv is a reality, is a much greater threat to life & health than a few additives in a legal marijuana product

the additives argument is bogus anyway you look at it

legalization would allow for advertisers to tell you openly what additives were, or were not, in the product, the situation we have now, there is too much trust involved & no accountability in the product

[meganmonkey]

14. Yeah, but you can still get good tobacco and roll it

and it is much cheaper than pre-made cigs.

I imagine the same would be true of pot.


I have been rolling my own cigs for over 10 years. I use organically grown tobacco with no additives. (I have no illusions that they are somehow 'healthy', so please don't try to school me on that).

I do, however, often keep a pack of regular cigs around for certain occasions, there are some places where being a 30 yr old woman rolling her own is more trouble than it's worth. You can imagine the questions/comments I get sometimes

[Kazak]

21. Do I know you?

I know someone who fits your discription. If you don't mind, what's the first letter of the state you live in, out of curiosity?

[meganmonkey]

22. I'll even tell you the whole state name

Michigan (I think it's in my profile anyway). And you can guess my name from my username. I don't hide well

Do I know you?

on edit: i love vonnegut - is that where your name is from?

[Kazak]

24. Okay, I don't know you...

D'oh!

[Coastie for Truth]

15. Marijuana is a "profit center"

for the "few rotten apples" in the "Criminal Justice System barrel."

Corrupt cops, prosecutors, and judges make a living from payoffs to drop charges and dismiss marijuana cases.

Even worse with the pardon, probation, parole bureaucracy.

[garybeck]

18. some of the alcohol companies already have trademarks on names of pot

it might be rumor but that's what people say. words like "acapulco gold" and stuff like that are trademarked by companies like Anheiser Busch....

but who cares. let them make their trashy marijuana cigarettes all they want. as long as we can grow our own i'm happy.

[Kolesar]

19. Nobody who smokes tobacco should complain about the sh!t they put in it

They put in chemicals to keep it burning in the ashtray for you and some extra nicotine to keep the buzz at the level that one expects from their favorite smoke. Unless there is more additives, that does not sound so heinous.

[K-W]

27. Remember, nicotine is the nastiest thing in a cigarette.

But certainly tobbacco companies add stuff that makes them worse.

I dont think we can conclude that legalized pot would go the same path as tobbacco, I dont see enough parallels or any indication that the future after legalization would create similar conditions to those that shaped the tobbacco industry per se.

Also, remember that unlike tobbacco, MJ is not very addictive making it a completely different supply/demand scenario.