Why has the Government lied about the effects of Marijuana for so long?
98335
My belief is that one reason they are afraid to legalize it is because it would be impossible to reverse that decision. The goverment tried this back in the 1920's - with alcohol. Before this time, it was legal to ingest alcohol. Once it was illegal, anyone using or transporting it was, of course, a criminal. It was this single event that spawned the growth of organized crime families in the U.S.\n\nAnother reason is because they have criminalized it for so long, they would lose credibility if they reversed course. \n\nAnother reason is because when 'Manifest Destiny' was the call of the expansion of the U.S. in the 1700's, it required the destruction and disbursement of the people and culture of the Native Americans. Since the use of marijuana was part of their religious beliefs and way of life, it was automatically labeled as 'savage' and 'uncultured' by the white man.
338010
Marijuana is constantly in the news and more and more scientific evidence is pointing towards its use causing serious and permanent psychologically damage.\n\nOk!\n\nHow many people die from smoking cigarettes or from drinking themselves to death or other when these idiots try and drive etc?\n\nExcellent question!  \n\nAll three have very, very detrimental effects on our health and the health of others around us and it seems insane to 'point the finger' only at marijuana.\n\nAt the end of the day its your informed choice.\n\nRespect other, but do as you please!
378943
How Marijuana Smoking Affects the Body \n\nAdversely affects normal cell formation. \nProduces feelings of isolation and depersonalization. \nProduces shakes, lack of coordination and headaches. \nMakes any mental or emotional problem worse. \nIncreases the heart rate. \nHas 50 percent more tar per ounce than tobacco. \nDecreases air flow and creates loss of lung capacity in little more than a month of regular smoking. \nProduces chronic irritation of nasal and lung passages. \nCreates precancerous changes in the lungs of smokers in their 20s. \nSuppresses sex drive and sexual performance with prolonged use. \nCan lead to impotence. \nHarms the developing fetus. \nIs associated with increased still births, neonatal deaths, decreased birth weight and abnormal reactions in children born to mothers on marijuana. \nDecreases brain response, affects thinking and brain function, creates confusion and problems with short and long term memory, and distorts perception of time. \nCauses blackouts. \nImpairs driving skills. Studies show brake response time is increased, concentration is decreased and risk taking is increased. \nDistorts peripheral vision, especially in the first two hours after using. \nPeople who smoke marijuana generally have reduced energy, reduced motivation and decreased drive. Marijuana twists the mind with false moods, chemically induced distortions and unreal perceptions of people and life. Marijuana distorts what is stored in the memory. It lies to the user.\n\nSmoking marijuana decreases the chance for a naturally satisfying life. It is an especially harmful drug for young people. Just when teens and young adults are searching for motivation and the best way to achieve their dreams, marijuana robs them of motivation. Young people do less, learn less and become less capable when they smoke marijuana.\n\nSmoking marijuana drains self-confidence and arrests the development of confidence in a person's own ability to get natural rewards out of life. Because marijuana introduces people to altered perceptions and feelings, and an "I don't care" attitude, the drug encourages use of other drugs and sinks its users into an ever-deepening dependence on drug lifestyles. Drawn into the illegal drug culture, users are then available to those who are pushing other drugs.
715613
That's what I've been saying for years.  When kids try mary jane for the first time they find out that their parents and their school is full of crap and that it isn't as bad as they were told.  So, of course they suspect they are being lied to about other things as well.  All the war on drugs does is breed mistrust among the younger generation.  It has had no appreciable effect on drug use whatsoever.
571201
Considering that just this week a synthetic marijuana was approved by the federal government, they don't see any benefit!\n\nBut, I do!  Marijuana decreases depression and anxiety.  The approval to legalize would help so many people and would greatly reduce medical costs because people could grow it themselves.\n\nCannabinoids, such as marijuana and hashish, have been used to address pain, nausea, vomiting, seizures caused by epilepsy, ischemic stroke, cerebral trauma, tumors, multiple sclerosis and a host of other maladies.\n\nThere are herbal cannabinoids, which come from the cannabis plant, and the bodies of humans and animals produce endogenous cannabinoids. The substance can also be designed in the lab.\n\nI'm totally for legalization.  I don't see any negatives.  I voted for it once, and I'll do it again.  I helped my brother when he was in chronic pain from kidney failure, glaucoma, quadruple bypass, artificial hip replacement, depression, loss of toe, loss of thyroid, angina, and two, yes two, kidney transplants.  He made all the medical journals as the longest living kidney doner recipient from a cadaver.  Pot helped my brother get through pain and depression...but I still lost him in 96.
304143
How come we don't hear the USA government ranting and raving about this?  Here in Canada, whenever it is talked about decriminalizing small amounts of marijuana, the USA government gets angry and tells our government not to do that.
777700
I've studied this subject a lot and i find that most people are ignorant and only know the propaganda they've been taught. They think its a gateway drug(A study in Neatherlands showed that when weed was legalized the use of heroin and cocaine went down buy a small percentage, so the gateway theory is shit) they've been told that marijuana now is way more potent then what people used to smoke(thats true, but thats a good thing, back in the days you had to smoke a lot more to get high, which means you got more of the other crap you don't need, with higher thc levels you only need a couple of puffs and your good) The whole thing that weed smoke is 4 times more harmful to you then cigg. smoke is also bs. From what i've read, they burned tobacco leaves and marijuana leaves. Every smoker knows nobody smokes the leaves of the marijuana, its the buds we want, in fact we try to keep the buds as leaf free as possible. The whole study was pretty much done by govn't paid scientist who did everything they could to make weed look terrible. People don't realize you don't have to just smoke weed, you can make cannabutter, or smoke with vaporizer which is way healthier way of smoking. The study the US govern't did before is trash and no real scientists buys it. They now realize that the Govn't scientist pretty much cheated and did misleading tests and gave misleading facts. Plus the US govn't gets lots of money and power through the "WAR ON DRUGS".  Like when they say well weed has over 3,500 chemicals in it, thats when you tell them well coffee has over 5,000 chemicals what the hell does that prove. Theres poisons that have only couple of chemicals, so the amount of chemcials means nothing, but it seems like a big deal to the ignorant. Hopefully my generation will see through the lies and make things right. You know over 1,000 people die each year from prescription drugs, taking them the way they were prescribed by their doctor, how many people died from weed 0. Enough said, sorry for writing so much, i just have so much to say. I can keep going but i don't want to waste your day reading it all. LOL Happy 420
72317
"Making Marijuana against the law is like saying God made a mistake"\n-Bill Hicks\n\n\nit's only illegal because the government doesn't have the control over it like they do on every other substance that is legal.\nAlcohol is much worse for you than marijuana, yet it's legal. you do the math.\nIt has nothing to do with the harm that marijuana may have, yet that is what all the propaganda is based on.  Otherwise, how would you have propaganda being at all useful if it was just simply "the government cant control it, so don't use it". No, they want to lie and preach that it's actually harmful to you. That's the only way they get it to stay illegal, too many people think it's actually harmful so there's not enough to overturn the rule.\n\nIt's also not a matter of IF it can harm you at all. You can get harmed by anything taken beyond moderation. The fact is it has less harm than something that is legal. Therefore being nothing short of total hypocrisy and lies by the government.\n\nP.S.\nI'm not a pothead or a hippy, etc.. I don't use it and I never have. I know enough people and have seen enough information that I don't need to be a pothead to have a strong view on the matter.
27874
because way back in the day, cotton plantations (among others) realised they would face some very serious competition if your government allowed hemp (the male variation of the marijuana plant) to be grown, seeing as its cheaper, more durable and just plain better than cotton. They lobbied the government hard and as they provided huge donations to both political parties got their way. Since then there has been lots of ill-informed religious right spackwads to keep it illegal free of charge.
649468
the reason this became such a big thing in the 70's was because a study was released showing that smoking caused birth defects, low birth weight, cancer and that the additives in tobbaco were addictive... now why the government got involved when they really don't care about an individual is for the same reason abortion is the big topic these days... political activists...
1024841
Keeping Marijuana illegal is all profit to the government\nand paper, petro-chemical, drug, and chemical companies. They all profit from keeping citizens criminal and a Little  bit poorer.
799834
Are you sure you aren't doing any illegal substances like marijuana? It has been known to cause people to hallucinate and have phobias for no reason.
801887
That is exactly what it is; they use scare tactics.  I do not belive in hard drugs such as coke/crack or any other.  But I do belive in freedoom.  If somone whats to kill themselves over such a drug as coke I propbably don't want to talk to that person or want that person using up the valuable resources on this planet a anyway because that drug makes you stupid.  But if they do the drug and don't affect me in anyway, then it really doesn't matter does it.  As the offspring would say It is not a war on drugs it is a war on personal freedom.  Besides if they legalized everything do you have any idea how much money the government could make, look at holland.  They have free health care to all,  If you want to go to school to be a brain surgeon for ten years they will pay for the whole thing, Lastly they are one of the greenest countries in the world relying soley on wind,solar,and water energy which is not cheap but saves the tax payers trillions.  There is a correct way and a wrong way to regulate drugs.  Holland makes money off of it and all the people benifit.  While america throws everyone in jail all the way down to the peace loving hippies and it costs all the tax payers so much more.  We would not have an eight trillion dollar national defict if our government officals would just think.  Do you know George washington our first president grew hundreds of acres of weed for use of the hemp for rope on sailing ships and many other uses; our government would have locked up the founding father of this country and threw away the key.  I can keep going too.
825834
Sixteen years ago Glaxo-Klein first started it's larger spending on lobbyists to make sure that marijuana was kept illegal in this country.  Why?  Because a study the year before found that smoking just a tiny tiny bit would eradicate a headache within seconds.  Yes.....Seconds.  Marijuana is one of the most efficient pain killers that we have on the planet today and there is test after test after test proving so... And now, between the big four pharm. companies, they spent over 100Million last year alone to get laws passed or trials for medical marijuana overturned.  Pot can help AIDS patients for 20.00 dollars a month more so that someone spending 500 dollars a month on pharm. drugs.  I could go on and on, but you get the picture.  be well, be high, Jack
953379
Unless you are going for some federal positions experimental use of pot is completely acceptable. Contrary to what most people above have stated- DO NOT deny it or play dumb, agencies don't care if smoked a joint in high school, they want to know that your being honest, and if you have to go up angainst a polygraph, they will try to verify past criminal activities including drug use. And before people start putting out retarded "how to beat a lie detector" solutions here, don't bother, you won't beat it, and it's easier to just tell the truth, especially with something as minor as a little weed a decade ago.
977188
Marijuana was legal when Prohibition went into affect and saw a rise in popularity as people sought an alternative  for the alcohol they couldn't get anymore. Two factors combined to make Marijuana illegal, one, the liquor industry that didn't want competition and the other was the bureaucracy set up to suppress alcohol found itself out of business once alcohol became legal again. When has any bureaucracy ever dismantled voluntarily? They just created a new boogie-man to suppress.
257019
yes i believe that it should since there is no proof of it doing harm. Umlike drinking and driving there are very few if any proven pot related accidents or deaths due to much consumption. Also it can be good ofr medicanl purposes that have been medicaly proven. Here is some food for thought. If the governmant leagalized it and packaked/Sold it as they tobbaco industry does cigarettes do you think we would have the financial deficit that we are in? Also have you ever heard of second hand marijuana smoke having the harmful impct that cigarettes do? As far as it bieng a "gateway' drug that is the stupidest thing i have ever heard! You make the choices you make cos you want to not because well it started w....People need to take responsabilty for their actions and choices not cop outs!