This post is in response to a request from- theadRIOTblog
can·na·bis
/ˈkanəbis/
Noun
A plant (Cannabis sativa, family Cannabaceae) used to produce hemp fiber and as a mildly psychotropic drug.
A dried preparation of the flowering tops or other parts of this plant, or a resinous extract of it (cannabis resin).
Synonyms
hemp – hashish
That’s the definition of cannabis I got off the Internet.
To break down the definition into parts-
It’s a plant
It’s used to produce the hemp fiber
It’s a mildly psychotropic drug
Lets take a look at the first part.
It being a plant must mean that it was placed on the planet for some reason.
Those are all plants too. I don’t see us trying to smoke them….but they are plants none the less.
Part 2-hemp fiber
As stated from Wikipedia-
Hemp is used for a wide variety of purposes including the manufacture of cordage of varying tensile strength, durable clothing and nutritional products. The bast fibers can be used in 100% hemp products, but are commonly blended with other organic fibers such as flax, cotton or silk, for apparel and furnishings, most commonly at a 55%/45% hemp/cotton blend. The inner two fibers of hemp are more woody and are more often used in non-woven items and other industrial applications, such as mulch, animal bedding and litter. The oil from the fruits (“seeds”) oxidizes (commonly, though inaccurately, called “drying”) to become solid on exposure to air, similar to linseed oil, and is sometimes used in the manufacture of oil-based paints, in creams as a moisturizing agent, for cooking, and in plastics. Hemp seeds have been used in bird seed mix as well.[17] A survey in 2003 showed that more than 95% of hemp seed sold in the EU was used in animal and bird feed.[8] Hempseed is also used as a fishing bait.[18]
In modern times hemp is used for industrial purposes including paper, textiles, clothing, biodegradable plastics, construction (as with Hempcrete and insulation), body products, health food and bio-fuel.
Hmmm….smoking it is not even passively mentioned.
Part 3-mildly psychotropic drug
Now we are getting somewhere….
WebMD says-
Marijuana, which comes from the hemp plant Cannabis sativa, is the most frequently used illegal drug in the U.S. About 4% of American adults smoke pot at least once a year. Roughly 1% of adults abuse pot, and one in 300 have a pot addiction.
Most people smoke the plant’s dried leaves, flowers, stems, and seeds. But marijuana also can be mixed into food or brewed as a tea. Marijuana goes by many street names, including pot, weed, and herb. Hash, a concentrated form of the drug, is short for hashish.
The rates of marijuana smoking in adults have remained stable since the 1990s. However, the rates of addiction to pot have risen significantly over that same period. And, according to recent government studies, as many as 30% of today’s teenagers are smoking marijuana.
Occasional marijuana use is rarely seriously harmful, but smoking pot has important medical effects.
________
All of that Internet stuff to get to my opinion…..
These is a huge hoo de do here in America about the legalization of marijuana.
It’s not about the productive uses of the plant which I mentioned above.
It’s about smoking it.
I used to smoke it…..
I grew up on the border of Mexico and the US. It was as easy to get as a loaf of bread.
But it was illegal.
An illegal drug.
It gets you HIGH.
I got high.
Then I got lazy….and the munchies.
There is a reason it is illegal. It is because it alters the mind to a non normal state.
It makes you forget about the worries of life and just numbs you. Being numb is no way to live.
I know, I know alcohol does the same thing…..and it’s legal.
But what happened when it was made illegal?
People still got it when they wanted it.
Making pot legal will not lessen its effect on society. It didn’t with alcohol.
Will legalizing it have ANY positive effects in society? I don’t know. Most places of employment drug test their employees. Marijuana stays in the system 30 days. How will the work force sustain?
Probably the same way it does now. Just another form of don’t ask don’t tell
How about negative effects?
Once weed is legal….and it will be. Where do we stop.
Cocaine is made from a plant too. And it has various uses. And it is a psychotropic drug.
And it doesn’t make you lazy.
Anyone else see a pattern developing?
______
I am not anti cannabis. I am not anti alcohol.
My personal experience tells me that some can use recreationally and some can’t.
I am one of the cant’s.
Maybe you are one of the can’s.
My belief is that you can’t fight the war on drugs by picking and choosing which ones to fight and which ones to cave in on.
The nation caved in on alcohol a long time ago.
Has the epidemic lessened?
Good2begone 