The drugs debate

[wokie]

Originally Posted by WordFLOOD

Wanderer,

I smoked for years. Put it down cold turkey and never picked up another one. However, chewing tobacco.... quiting that was that hardest thing I've ever done. I'm now tobacco free now for years! YOU CAN DO IT!!!!

It's easier to give up the heroin than giving up the cigarettes/tobacco going cold turkey

I have an aquantance that has used Cocaine for years. He also chews tobacco. He found out I quit and told me it was easier to put down cocaine than quit chewing tobacco. He wanted to know how I did it. I tried to help him by telling him what I did with the patch. Believe it or not, the patch really worked for me. I did read a lot of scriptures and really asked for Heavenly Father to help me with it. In three months I was tobacco free. However, for him, he did quit for a while, but I have noticed he is chewing again. So, I think there are other factors when one wants to quit.

[skalenfehl]

Thanks, Redbeard.

It also goes on to say:

The new law makes possession of 4 ounces or more a felony. Possession of 1 to 4 ounces is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail. The part the court ruled against was that less than 1 ounce would be a misdemeanor punishable by up to 90 days in jail.

So, yes, it is legal only for under an ounce. Furthermore the consequences to the original ruling (legalizing/decriminalizing) were documented:

Norton (Colorado's Lt. Governor Jane Norton) joined the opponents in expressing concern about the impact passing the amendment could have on children.

She pointed what happened in Alaska when small amounts of marijuana was legalized. "What we saw was an increase of at least 50 percent of use among teenagers," said Norton.

"So when society says it's okay for adults there's somehow this repercussion that is a trickle-down with younger people," she said.

cbs4denver.com - Opponents Take Aim At Marijuana Amendment

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has claimed that marijuana decriminalization will lead to increased marijuana use and addiction in the *un-sourced pamphlet entitled "Speaking Out Against Drug Legalization". The pamphlet states in 1979, after 11 states decriminalized private marijuana use, marijuana use among 12th grade students was almost 51 percent and in 1992, when stricter marijuana laws were put in place, the usage rate reduced to 22 percent. The pamphlet also states that when Alaska decriminalized marijuana, the marijuana use rate among youth rose twice as much as the youth usage rates nationwide; even though the law did not apply to anyone under the age of 19, the pamphlet explains this is why Alaska re-criminalized marijuana in 1990. Save Our Society From Drugs (SOS) has also stated that decriminalizing marijuana will increase usage among teenagers, citing an increase in Alaskan youth marijuana usage when marijuana was decriminalized.

Decriminalization of non-medical marijuana in the United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

*While the DEA's claims are un-sourced, they seem to support Norton's analysis that it created greater access to youth and caused a greater addiction among them. I also looked up many more sources. Pro legalization sites have what seem like biased sources to back up their claims and anti legalization sources seem to do the same. It's natural to see this. I suppose I can either take these claims as fact or judge that they have been exaggerated. I can only go back to my experiences as an active part of my community where I have volunteered in a few cities and have seen the effects among youth especially as an adoptive parent and a scout leader.

I won't begrudge anyone who chooses to decide for himself. I will continue to draw the line when it comes to the greater risk to children being exposed and I believe I have provided enough evidence to support my stance that they are at greater risk with legalization/decriminalization. Whether or not it "improves" the drug problem is definitely another issue. We haven't even touched on crystal meth, cocaine, heroin, ecstasy, and the latest big problem--over the counter prescription medicine, which has been making its way into the hands of boys and girls in elementary schools, middle schools and also high schools for some time now. Parents, lock up your meds!

I don't think I can really add any more to this. In closing, I just want to emphasize what I said in another thread:

Originally Posted by skalenfehl

I personally choose to exercise my Constitutional right to believe our prophet and adhere to the church's official stance on any subject, especially "The Family-A Proclamation to the World."

...God does not compromise the Law of Chasity because some people would rather be unchaste as long as they aren't hurting someone else. God does not compromise the Law of Tithing because there are people who are not willing to sacrifice. I will not compromise my belief that wrong things should be legal, but I will not deny another person's right to believe otherwise and lobby, petition and vote accordingly. I do not actively participate against gay rights movements and rallies, but I simply vote no when the time comes.

...As mentioned previously, people are capable of reason, but I question how far they see reason through, for history is replete of societies that have self destructed or have been destroyed because they did not see reason through to conclusion. We are heading toward that same fate, not only as a country, but as a world. I personally want to do what I can to slow it down as much as possible.

[Redbeard]

To skalenfehl,

Thank you for the fantastic and well thought out debate, it has been one of the best debates I have taken part of on this site!

Just wanted to say that, but I don't think I'll be adding more, I think we have both said all that can be helpfully said!

Anyway, I wish all the debates on this site were as helpful... but hey...

[ruthiechan]

You are supposed to have good overall brain activity on a surface brain scan. This is the bottom/underside surface view of what your brain is supposed to look like.

*

This is what it looks like after 10 years of mostly weekend use (underside surface view) of someone who was 28 years old when this was scanned. Notice the significant difference between the two brains. . .

*


CLICK HERE and you will see more samples of different marijuana users and the effects of other drugs on the brain including the legal ones (eg alcohol). This is why you will never convince me that these drugs are ever a good idea.

Note: These images were downloaded from amenclinics.com and uploaded unto ruthiechan.net to avoid bandwidith stealing. Images belong to amenclinics.com.