Is Marijuana an “ok” Drug?

Question by Amber: Is marijuana an “ok” drug?
[rewrite]Some people think it’s ok to smoke weed, and a lot of times it’s socially accepted. What do you think?
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Best answer:
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Answer by superrelax
i’ve smoked herb for a long time. im healthy and successful…and i won’t be dying of cigarette-related cancer anytime soon, either. know the facts: there are zero reported marijuana induced deaths per year. AND i’ve never tried any other drugs in my life. so, if you want to label anything as dangerous, label the ones that warrant that label: alcohol and cigarettes. not to mention the people who find a better alternative to prescription drugs in marijuana to relieve pain caused by such things as cancer, glaucoma, MS…the list can go on.

MARIJUANA IS NOT ILLEGAL BECAUSE OF ITS HARMFUL AFFECTS. the government DOES not care about us that much, for if it did cigarettes and alcohol would be outlawed! the problem is that people believe all the hype and propaganda that the government feeds them and never take a look at the real facts. do your own research, educate yourself.

“Conclusions from a comprehensive, long-term study by Kaiser Permanente show no substantial link between regular marijuana smoking and death, but suggested that marijuana prohibition may itself pose a health hazard to the user.

The study looked at 10 years of mortality statistics for more than 65,000 men and women who received health check-ups at Kaiser’s Oakland and San Francisco facilities between 1979 and 1985. Patients were divided into groups ranging from those who had never tried marijuana to those who use it currently or regularly. Mortality statistics for all patients were followed until 1991 and analyzed for any association between marijuana and death. The study’s statistical methodology controlled for the use of tobacco and alcohol so that deaths from marijuana smoking could be clearly defined.

Researchers found no increase in deaths among the more than 14,000 patients who reported they were marijuana users as compared to those who had never used marijuana.

They further noted that the total mortality risks associated with marijuana use were lower than those for tobacco-cigarette smoking for both men and women. Women who used marijuana also had a lower risk of total mortality as compared to those who consumed alcohol regularly.

The study noted that marijuana smokers with AIDS did have a significantly higher death rate than non-smokers, but said that their mortality was virtually the same as it was for AIDS patients who didn’t smoke marijuana. Researchers stressed that the links they found between marijuana use and death were associations and not an indication that marijuana was a cause of death.

In additions to reporting their findings on mortality, researchers also criticized the federal government’s current War on Drugs and stated that marijuana has medical value. The following excerpt is taken from the “Discussion” section of the Kaiser Permanente report:

“… Relatively few adverse clinical health effects from the chronic use of marijuana have been documented in humans. [However,] the criminalization of marijuana use may itself be a health hazard, since it may expose the consumer to violence and criminal activity. [Emphasis added. -ed.] While reducing the prevalence of drug abuse is a laudable goal, we must recognize that marijuana use is widespread despite the long-term, multibillion dollar War on Drugs. Therefore, medical guidelines regarding its prudent use should be established, akin to the commonsense guidelines that apply to alcohol use. Unfortunately, clinical research on potential therapeutic uses for marijuana has been difficult to accomplish in the United States, despite reasonable evidence for the efficacy of … THC and marijuana as antiemetic and antglaucoma agents and the suggestive evidence for their efficacy in the treatment of other medical conditions, including AIDS. [Emphasis added. -ed.]”

The Kaiser Permanente report is the third study published this year demonstrating that long-term, regular marijuana use poses few serious risks to health. The study, entitled “Marijuana Use and Mortality,” appears in the April 1997 issue of the American Journal of Public Health.

For more information or a copy of the Kaiser Permanente study, please contact either Allen St. Pierre or Paul Armentano of The NORML Foundation at (202) 483-8571.”

Answer by Yahoo Nickname
No, keep your brain cells honey.

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