Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire the horrors of marijuana

... isn't a lot about this whole topic basically based on how people are impaired in the workplace, on the highway and such as in contrast as to how they might be in the privacy of their own homes? Isn't that a worthwhile difference to pursue in legislating use?

I knew a gal once, that blew pot smoke into her babies face, when he wouldn't go to sleep at night. I'm just curious, as to the age you deem appropriate to start your children smoking pot?

While it is true that THC and other cannabinoids are fat-soluble and linger in the body for prolonged periods, they do not normally affect behavior beyond a few hours except in chronic users. Most impairment studies have found that the adverse effects of acute marijuana use wear off in 2-6 hours, commonly faster than alcohol.(3) The one notable exception was a pair of flight simulator studies by Leirer, Yesavage, and Morrow, which reported effects on flight simulator performance up to 24 hours later.(4) The differences, described by Leirer as "very subtle" and "very marginal," were less than those due to pilot age. Another flight simulator study by the same group failed to find any effects beyond 4 hours.(5) Similar "hangover" effects have been noted for alcohol.(6) Chronic users may experience more prolonged effects due to a build-up of cannabinoids in the tissues. Some heavy users have reported feeling effects weeks or even months after stopping. However, there is no evidence that these are detrimental to safety.

3. Alison Smiley, Marijuana: On-Road and Driving Simulator Studies, Alcohol, Drugs, and Driving 2 #3-4: 121-34 (1986).
4. V.O. Leirer, J.A. Yesavage and D.G. Morrow, Marijuana Carry-Over Effects on Aircraft Pilot Performance, Aviation Space and Environmental Medicine 62: 221-7 (March 1991); Yesavage, Leirer, et al., Carry-Over effects of marijuana intoxication on aircraft pilot performance: a preliminary report, American Journal of Psychiatry 142: 1325-9 (1985).
5. Leirer, Yesavage and Morrow, Marijuana, Aging and Task Difficulty Effects on Pilot Performance, Aviation Space and Environmental Medicine 60: 1145-52 (Dec. 1989).
6. Yesavage and Leirer, Hangover Effects on Aircraft Pilots 14 Hours After Alcohol Ingestion: A Preliminary Report, American Journal of Psychiatry 143: 1546-50 (Dec. 1986).

When it comes down to differences between alcohol and pot, it's as simple as this....

Used normally, alcohol leaves your system in a matter of hours. Used normally, pot leaves your system in a matter of weeks. Regular alcohol users (not abusers) can function in society and on the job with little or no ill effects. Regular pot users (not necessarily abusers) will suffer from some lack of concentration and memory loss, as a rule.

This is why I don't want pot users in my workplace.

Is your wife's handle "Reddy Eyes"? Sorry, couldn't resist.

Back to the subject, it's the hypocrisy of the whole situation that bothers me.

Tobacco (nicotine) is highly, highly addictive and it is a physical addition. Cigarette smoking and tobacco chewing has proven, hugely deleterious effects on one's health. Yet it is perfectly legal (for "adults").

Alcohol can be addictive to certain individuals, I believe it is physically addictive to them. Overindulging in it causes all kinds of problems - very aggressive behavior in some, lowered inhibitions of all kinds in most eveybody that indulges. Even moderate use impairs motor functions. Yet it is perfectly legal for "adults".

Marijuana is not physically addictive. Stopping after long term use will make you miss it, it may cause a couple of restless or sleepless nights, but the body doesn't crave it like nicotine. I know as I've stopped both after long term use (a long time ago for both if that matters). Stopping pot was a bummer, man, but stopping cigarettes took 13 tries over 15 years and was hell for the first several days. One can argue that overindulgence in pot does not produce the same aggressive behavior in some (quite the opposite) but that's just arguing "mine is bad but your's is worse so that makes mine good". Suffice it to say you don't want people drunk or high driving or operating dangerous machinery.

But pot is illegal. I think it's prohibition has led to far more societal ills than it's use ever could.

Either criminalize tobacco and alcohol with long jail terms for both users and dealers or make pot legal. Those who do not learn from history... Seems like we never learned a thing from Prohibition.