but it's natural!!

[MMJcali]

I wanted to get some opinions on this from fellow growers/consumers...

I was at a gathering with a lot of younger people and the topic of cannabis prohibition came up. They were trying to prove to each other that they were against drug use but pro-cannabis. I kept hearing over and over from different kids, "its a plant, not like its cocaine or anything" and "its natural, it grows in the wild...the natives used to smoke it" and my personal favorite, "its not a drug - its an herb".

Now I'm all for the legalization of cannabis. but in my opinion -

1) cocaine is the active ingredient of the naturally occuring ethroxylum coca plant. opium is the active ingredient of the naturally occurring papaver somniferum. Mescaline from cacti, psilocybin from shrooms, all these drugs kids say are "horrible for you, not like the natural plant marijuana". I agree that coke and smack are horrible, but its not because they're not natural. do they not know that 95% of recreational drugs are derived from a natural source? natural doesn't mean its safe!!!

2) Datura grows in the wild. all over the damn place. smoke a bowl of that, tell me how you like it. Also, the natives were known to ingest DMT and snort psychedelic extracts. Should those be legalized too?

3) No, cannabis is NOT an herb. basil, parsley, oregano, thyme are all herbs. They are used to enhance the flavor of ethnic cooking. It has been referred to as 'herb' as a slang term but cannabis its NOT ACTUALLY AN HERB!!!

like it or not, THC is a drug. It interacts with the chemical makeup of your brain and alters your consciousness.

YES, it should be legalized, considering it is a very SAFE drug, and has very few harmful side effects and MANY beneficial side effects... But I don't think people should be arguing that 1) it isnt a drug 2) its just a regular old herb. and 3) it grows in nature = its good.

The better our facts, the higher the probability.



thoughts?

 

[gdtrfb]

thoughts?

rationality wasn't used to criminalize, i'm not really too concerned if irrationality is harnessed to decriminalize.

it would appear that's how shit gets done.

 

[MMJcali]

good point.

i guess this is one of those "wouldn't it be nice if..." situations.

 

[paladin420]

Well Ranted. I believe our youth hav no longer been taught to think. Having tasted most of the items on your list I can verify that natural does not always equal good for you. Fun??

 

[gdtrfb]

good point.

i guess this is one of those "wouldn't it be nice if..." situations.

i agree, but when you see that emotion actually gets shit done in the realm of politics...let's just say that while i've had many of the same pet peeves you mentioned in conversations with people, i just smile and nod. if rational thought or empirical evidence were a criteria that actually mattered, the conversation wouldn't even be taking place. it'd be so one sided as to be a given.

if it gets shit done, onward 'appeal to emotion', onward.

 

[Herborizer]

I agree, great thread!

Spreading more misinformation will only lead us to problems like how we got to prohibition in the first place. The truth is an important and refreshing choice and I believe it's the only way to have something that lasts.

Education is the key.

 

[amannamedtruth]

Ain't nothing wrong with psychedelics.

 

[texsativa]

I wanted to get some opinions on this from fellow growers/consumers...

I was at a gathering with a lot of younger people and the topic of cannabis prohibition came up. They were trying to prove to each other that they were against drug use but pro-cannabis. I kept hearing over and over from different kids, "its a plant, not like its cocaine or anything" and "its natural, it grows in the wild...the natives used to smoke it" and my personal favorite, "its not a drug - its an herb".

Now I'm all for the legalization of cannabis. but in my opinion -

1) cocaine is the active ingredient of the naturally occuring ethroxylum coca plant. opium is the active ingredient of the naturally occurring papaver somniferum. Mescaline from cacti, psilocybin from shrooms, all these drugs kids say are "horrible for you, not like the natural plant marijuana". I agree that coke and smack are horrible, but its not because they're not natural. do they not know that 95% of recreational drugs are derived from a natural source? natural doesn't mean its safe!!!

2) Datura grows in the wild. all over the damn place. smoke a bowl of that, tell me how you like it. Also, the natives were known to ingest DMT and snort psychedelic extracts. Should those be legalized too?

3) No, cannabis is NOT an herb. basil, parsley, oregano, thyme are all herbs. They are used to enhance the flavor of ethnic cooking. It has been referred to as 'herb' as a slang term but cannabis its NOT ACTUALLY AN HERB!!!

like it or not, THC is a drug. It interacts with the chemical makeup of your brain and alters your consciousness.

YES, it should be legalized, considering it is a very SAFE drug, and has very few harmful side effects and MANY beneficial side effects... But I don't think people should be arguing that 1) it isnt a drug 2) its just a regular old herb. and 3) it grows in nature = its good.

The better our facts, the higher the probability.



thoughts?

THC is a drug, cannabis is a plant.
Cocaine is a drug, the coca plant is a plant. All plants should be legalized in my opinion. People are the problem, people choose to do things. Some plants are poisonous, some are not. People should not choose to ingest poisonous plants. This isn't rocket science.

 

[bentom187]

i can conclude,that indians knew how to party.why did we round them up again ?
and correct on the nature stuff,cinnamin is awsome keep eating it and it will shut down your central nervous system its a neurotoxin.

im not sure im seeing the merit of this argument,besides seeing that theres people who try to generalize everthing instead of taking it on a case by case basis and anylizing the situation.
if your not sure if it will kill you or not id say find somthing else to do.

 

[sallyforthDeleted member 75382]

All of the plants mentioned have a relationship with humans.

Some medical....cannabis, cocaine and opiates.

Some recreational....cannabis, either Sativa or Indica, or a hybrid of both.

Some for divine inspiration, and introspection i.e mind expanding....cannabis with the right strain and dose but also the psychedelics...oh and lets not forget the spiritual side to them.

As for chemical drugs, and some of the legal highs....fuck that shit !

 

[Campfire]

texsativa nailed it. It's that simple. Too many people in Authority sniffing up everybody's ass.

I'd love to grow coca - a little powdered lime, a few leaves - I could bust-ass all day and be ready for a good day's work the next day.

Anyone for a fatty of primo poison ivy???

 

[CaptainTrips]

My thought is that all drugs should be legalized. But I agree, its not really a case that its "natural" should be the reason, the reason it should be legal is it should be my decision as to what I put into my body.

 

[Eatatjoes]

Cocaine is dangerous because of the process of using diesel fuel to make it and it's concentrate into a product that can stop your heart, coca leaves are still legal in some south american countries, you can find all kinds of products that have it in them.

Sugar is more addictive and dangerous than weed, just look at how many people die from the effects of ingesting large quantities of it. Everything in moderation.
Some plant extracts like opium are just so physically addictive that they are dangerous, I've heard that you can still grow poppies, legally you can't harvest the sap.

 

[supersmallgiant]

Cocaine is dangerous because of the process of using diesel fuel to make it and it's concentrate into a product that can stop your heart, coca leaves are still legal in some south american countries, you can find all kinds of products that have it in them.

Sugar is more addictive and dangerous than weed, just look at how many people die from the effects of ingesting large quantities of it. Everything in moderation.
Some plant extracts like opium are just so physically addictive that they are dangerous, I've heard that you can still grow poppies, legally you can't harvest the sap.

I clearly remember a field of poppies behind the house I grew up in as a kid... I had no idea.

 

[ijim]

If the government can license and tax some of the crap that they have prescribed to me and kill people Ive known then they can license ALL drugs. By removing criminal penalties for all drugs. You remove the profit from criminal enterprises. Thousands are dead in our country and Mexico only because drugs are illegal and that makes them profitable. We have made it impossible for anyone that cant afford thousands of dollars for effective rehab rehab. If we took a tenth of the money we spend on the war on drugs and spent it on rehab use of all drugs would fall sharply even though they are technically legal. End the war on the people and educate them with the truth not propaganda and we will see a new day.

 

[thesloppy]

I've largely learned to ignore most of the idiots who veer too far towards the 'marijuana is harmless' mantra....that said, while I've learned to ignore them and agree with lots of the above folks that there are certainly worse crimes, I DO hate to think of those folks who take that attitude too far and get completely ripped to the gills and get out on the road, or other shit that actually endangers others. Usually after mumbling something about "weed is nothing like alcohol!". I agree with that sentiment to some extent, and certainly everybody's driven high once or twice or three million times, but I still kinda hate to see some chuckleheads treat it like nothing to take 20 ripping bong hits, coughing spittle in the face of their newborn baby, and then immediately toss their wall-eyed kids into a rickety-ass K-car for an hour drive down the freeway at breakneck speeds....and I'm sure we've all known at least one of those douchebags at some point in our lives.

 

[budlover123]

The way I look at it, harmless or not, almost everybody believes that there's nothing wrong enough about alcohol to make it illegal. People surely see the downsides of alcohol use and the harm it causes, but that's the price of freedom more or less.

At the same time many people don't even understand that there is ANYTHING positive about marijuana at all, and believe it must remain illegal for the security of our way of life or some nonsense.

I believe people aren't threatened by a change in their way of life, they are threatened by change in their ways of thought, looking at it that way, of course weed would be the natural enemy to these haters of new thoughts and ideas.

Would weed being legalized open the door for cocaine and other drugs?... possibly, but why hasn't alcohol?

 

[ItGrows]

1) cocaine is the active ingredient of the naturally occuring ethroxylum coca plant. opium is the active ingredient of the naturally occurring papaver somniferum. Mescaline from cacti, psilocybin from shrooms, all these drugs kids say are "horrible for you, not like the natural plant marijuana". I agree that coke and smack are horrible, but its not because they're not natural. do they not know that 95% of recreational drugs are derived from a natural source? natural doesn't mean its safe!!!


thoughts?

All of these things listed in their natural form are relatively harmless. If I was to soak a banana in some diesel fuel, it is going to turn into something dangerous also.

 

[budlover123]

All of these things listed in their natural form are relatively harmless. If I was to soak a banana in some diesel fuel, it is going to turn into something dangerous also.

those things listed are dangerous in their natural forms. sure, you can't make heroin without processing some shit like it takes all types of processing to turn grapes or grain into alcohol. But natural mushrooms and other plant extracts like opium ARE potentially dangerous and will likely fuck you up unless you got ripped off.

 

[MMJcali]

All of these things listed in their natural form are relatively harmless. If I was to soak a banana in some diesel fuel, it is going to turn into something dangerous also.

IMHO thats not true.

banana peel soaked in diesel fuel - anything soaked in diesel fuel is bad...banana peel or otherwise.

have you ever met anybody addicted to poppy tea or coca tea? tell me that doesn't fuck your life up...

synthetic pills are no worse than a poppy tea...its still the same chemical compound you're ingesting!!! It just hasn't been EXTRACTED. Actually, natural teas can be WORSE for you because they have a larger alkaloid profile (see opium).

if you drink coca tea, you are high on cocaine. if you drink opium tea, you are high on morphine - and a ton of other opiates. Just because it was taken from a leaf and not a plastic baggy doesn't make it any less addictive.

im not tryin to hate on users here, I've done my share of psychedelics and teas (theyre fun but WATCH OUT!!)