Running this blog has taught me many things. It has taught me how to work hard at night when I'm tired, it taught me to not put in anything late,
JUST KIDDING!
Well, maybe it did contribute to those things, but that's not really important right now. Running this blog has taught me a lot about weed and people and things. I'll just make a list.
1. People who use marijuana recreationally should not be judged for it although they should be aware that them smoking it is bad. Invest in brownies, kids.
2. Cannabis use for physical health can be really beneficial, depending on the person and the condition and whatnot. We just have to work on getting it legalized and then people being able to get it as a prescription.
3. Using weed for mental health can be tricky because it can help you or trip you out. As I mentioned, it's about the person and their condition. We can't judge people who use marijuana for their illness because we don't know EXACTLY how they feel.
4. Anything that people say about marijuana abuse is false. I know it is. As I said before in other blog posts: I'm right, you're wrong. Just remember that you'd have to smoke around 1,500 pounds of weed in 15 minutes to die. Yeah. Impossible. My point exactly.
5. We really have to get away from pills doctors prescribe. In some cases, they do more harm than good. We need to make people, especially doctors, realize that a natural remedy, even though controversial, can be better.
6. YOUNG MONEY CASH MONEY BILLIONAIRE. Seriously. I want to go to university for free. Legalize weed so that the tax on it can pay for mine and other kids' post-secondary education. There's all the money going to social services and other wonderful things.
7. (I hate the number seven. It makes me cry at night). I feel like when we legalize (thanks to Trudeau I can say WHEN and not IF) marijuana, there will be less stigma around it. We only have to wait. *pulls out plastic folding chair and noisy kids with iPads to wait on the Parliament hill*
8. QUITE FRANKLY I DON'T CARE WHAT ANYONE THINKS just kidding guys you should care about what people think. Well, at least the people I'm talking about. I think it's a matter of time before the idea reaches their heads and everyone in government realizes that by legalizing weed, they are doing themselves more of a favour than us.
9. IF MARIJUANA WAS LEGALIZED, THE WORLD WOULD BE A BETTER PLACE. CASE CLOSED. Honestly! Go to the last blog post and skim through. Pay attention to all of the benefits. IT'S AMAZING, ISN'T IT? (Also, I just discovered last night that there's thing coming out called HempCrete. Like concrete, but with hemp! The weed makes for good isolation and it's quick to build It can be used for places suffering from natural disasters.)
All we have to do is wait. And wait. And wait some more. I'm waiting. Still waiting.
I know I have already pretty much touched on this point in my other blog posts, but I really want to be precise about the benefits.
IF MARIJUANA WAS LEGALIZED, OR SHOULD I SAY, WHEN MARIJUANA IS LEGALIZED, there won't be any more "middle men". What I mean by this is that purchasing will be direct, so all of the money goes towards marijuana and not to someone's profit which is good for adults who buy it. This also means that there won't be need for as much criminal activity as if it were illegal. With the legalization of marijuana comes the legalization of possession of marijuana and I'm pretty sure that they won't arrest anyone with weed that's 19 and under. It's like people under 19 who have cigarettes on them: they won't get in trouble for it, but they can't go buy it themselves.
That being said, I do think that there will be a lot of people buying weed for minors. Even if
there was and even if it was illegal, would you rather someone buying alcohol for a minor, which is harmful? This is a problem that the authorities know about and can't really stop. So, let's not really look at this. Let's stay positive, it's Tuesday.
$5 BILLION IN TAX REVENUE. REMEMBER THAT? YEAH, STILL THERE. $5B to the government that will collectively help society. I hope Canada will follow Colorado: they spend some of that money on post-secondary tuition. I think that will end up happening, especially if we're looking at having free tuition for low-income families. There are quite a few low-income families, and tuition costs quite a few thousand dollars...
I'm just happy I get to go to university for free.
Moving on.
Jeffrey Miron, professor at Harvard, said that street violence would drop. The reason why is that when things don't go to a certain's person's way, they try to resolve the conflict with violence. If marijuana was legalized, you could go get your own weed and not worry about things. If there was really a problem, however, you could go to court with the person bothering you.
Not only will these wonderful things be the product of cannabis legalization, but JOBS WILL BE CREATED. Yeah, JOBS, remember? That thing everyone picks on Windsor for? The thing I can't get even though my CV belongs in a glass case? Yeah. JOBS. Not only will there be JOBS, but there will be a variety of JOBS in: agriculture, technology, supply, retail, transportation, distribution, packaging, manufacturing, inspection, engineering, quality control, health research, financial and accounting services, marketing, tourism, communication, PUBLIC EDUCATION (praise the most high - see what I did there?),
AND A MILLION OTHER THINGS. I had to name most of them to show you JUST HOW MANY ARE THERE. If you're in high school like me, you don't even worry about what field you're going into because you know that one of those jobs up there will be open for you!
All of this is to say that legalization will do a lot of good. It's just a matter of getting there for us Canadians, for the U.S. to get there, and because they're the most powerful country in the world, hopefully everyone else will follow suit. I saw, in fact, a few articles while looking online that 2016 will be the year it happens for America. I hope so, for the sake of PEOPLE KNOWING THE TRUTH.
The fact that weed helps medicinally and is used for recreational purposes are the only ones that reach the world's attention. No one ever truly thinks about where/how teens get the money to buy it secretly. No one ever truly thinks of the profit this plant can make. Well, that's what I'm here to do today.
CIBC World Markets (finally, a source relevant to Canada) said that the country's provincial and federal government could make up to $5 billion annually from selling marijuana legally. (1) That is a whole lot of money, especially on one thing! But that's not even the best part. What's amazing is that Justin Trudeau not only vows to legalize, regulate, and tax this product, but all revenue will serve for public health and addiction problems. ISN'T THAT GREAT?! More money towards a cause that is pretty important! And maybe, just maybe, if the government is getting that much money from the cannabis industry, they might cut taxes people pay from their pay cheques! WE SAVE MONEY BECAUSE THERE'S MORE MONEY COMING IN! (I think that's how the economy works. I'm in 10th grade).
Let's look at the American side, since they obviously have more experience than us.
In a month, Colorado collected $13 million dollars in tax revenue. (2) IN A MONTH! That's crazy cash, even though I think that month was one of the earlier months of when pot was legalized. In a year, they collected, in total, $996 million.(2) Even though this is a total, there are a whole lot of taxes on marijuana right now, especially since it's so new, so most of that goes to the government. WOAH. They made lots of money AND WE COULD TOO! YOU HEAR THAT JUSTIN?!
*screams and jumps on Parliament hill hoping to get Prime Minister's attention*
Just kidding. Trudeau's government said they'd legalize marijuana during their time in office; I just hope that they get to this obviously more pressing issue first.
I'm bluffing, relax.
Now, people may be concerned that marijuana will still cause problems with the law because people like to be hush-hush (or should I say, hash-hash? No? OK.) about their business. The Liberal Party of Canada released a draft (2) saying that black market marijuana issues won't be there anymore because they will assure that their pot is just as good or even better than anything you can buy on the street. Also, it'll definitely be cheaper and they will further regulate importation and exportation (meaning there isn't any). They will make legal punishments more severe and they will even allow people to grow some marijuana at home.
Monday, April 4th, 2016 - "Reschedule 4/20 Event", protesters are walking to the White House carrying an inflatable joint.
Why would you want to buy marijuana illegally after having fought for it to be legal? Just go to a dispensary and chill out. People didn't basically hotbox the White House's south lawn to not say anything. People want weed. And us who are in Canada will most likely get it (don't we all love Trudeau?). Those in the States have a bit more work to do.
Just to start this off, here's the definition of "taboo" according to my trusty dictionary, Google. taboo: a social or religious custom prohibiting or forbidding discussion of a particular practice or forbidding association with a particular person, place, or thing.
We'll be concentrating on the "thing" in this blog post, starting off with the social custom.
I hate how marijuana has this stigma around it. (IT WON'T HURT YOU. JUST HAVE SOME.) I mean, I hate how sometimes, things have to be socially accepted to be right. It's like eating with your mouth open. The only reason people say it's rude is because other people say it's rude and all of this is because one person a long time ago had a weak stomach and said eating with your mouth open is disgusting. And everyone listened to them, and that was the birth of not being able to eat with your mouth open. I hate the terms "socially acceptable".
You know what is "socially acceptable"? Alcohol. Even though it's more harmful. People haven't criminalized alcohol, even though it can kill someone. No one really cares when people say they went out to drink for fun. That's because as a society, we accept it. Alcohol has been around for quite some time, ever since hard liquor didn't exist and there was only fermented grape juice (also known as wine and apparently it's really sophisticated). Well, I'm sure it's really sophisticated that alcohol kills 88,000 people per year (1) whereas marijuana killed ZERO. But yes, it is socially acceptable to go drink.
Sigh. Don't we all love how the world works?
Social stigma is unnatural. Cavemen didn't have social customs and rules. They could eat with their mouths open. They could have all the pot in the world if they wanted it/could find it/I'm running out of ideas/let's move on to my next point.
What about religious customs? My personal definition of religion is just to not be a jerk and give out some good to the world. Many people, however, want to follow their religion by the book. If that includes not even giving a chance to something that might help them, then so be it.
I skimmed through a bunch of Bible verses online. The Bible's views on marijuana, even though it doesn't say marijuana or weed or cannabis or pot or whatever literally. are actually pretty cool. It says to stay sober but to not shame God's work. EXACTLY! STAY SOBER IF YOU DON'T LIKE CANNABIS BUT DON'T GO AGAINST IT OR PEOPLE WHO USE IT. MORE FOR THEM. CASE CLOSED.
I wish. But this is a blog post. I have to keep going. I hate elephants.
The Quran is against consumption of marijuana because it labels it as a drug and drugs are bad. It's also pretty negative about gambling and alcohol because those two, along with weed/drug (according to the Quran) bring the devil. I don't know if I find that a bit better. At least they're much more explicitly against alcohol than the Bible.
Long story short, there are a bunch of things people say and people have said and that are written somewhere that say something is bad. I believe that people should look at scientific proof and
not what their friends say or what is collectively believed. The taboo behind marijuana usage is just the same as any other taboo: it originated from fear of the unknown and so people simply decided to ignore it. If you don't ignore it, it would be a bad thing. I think that people that go against what they're supposed to conform to are very strong. Just like the person who said that eating with your mouth open is rude started a chain reaction and had everyone believing their thing, the person who said that eating with your mouth open is OK starts the same chain reaction. Only that time, they have to go against the current and fix everyone up. That's what makes them strong.
This blog post was very hard to write. I could barely find pictures. You're welcome.
IF THE FONT SCREWS UP IT'S NOT MY FAULT I TRIED I've more or less covered this topic in my other blog posts, but there are people I haven't mentioned. They will be mentioned in this blog post.
To start off, I want to say that now that the Liberal party is in charge WITH A MAJORITY GOVERNMENT (laws can be passed easier), we're in a good place. Trudeau already said he'd legalize marijuana and he used it as a bargaining chip during his campaign. The Liberal Party of Canada website says, and I quote: "We will legalize, regulate, and restrict access to marijuana."
However, the United States of America have more of a problem. Currently, four states have access to recreational and medicinal marijuana legally. That's because there are many different opinions in the U.S. and most of the state governors decide to listen to all the bad ones without giving the good ones a chance.
For example, the American Society of Addiction Medicine (nothing good about weed will ever come out of this Society but then again people CAN'T REALIZE THAT) says: "[We] dismiss medical use because of concerns about dependence and adverse health effects." Clearly, these guys have lost to the game of BELIEVING EVERYTHING THEY SEE WITHOUT LOOKING AT THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STORY.
Oh, you forgot why am I right? See blog posts 2 and 4 if I haven't deleted them. I'm right. You're wrong.
FDA (Food and Drug Administration - they don't approve of people drinking fresh milk and therefore do not approve of anything good in this world) says: "Cannabis is associated with numerous harmful health effects. Significant aspects such as content, production, and supply are unregulated. [We] approve of the prescription of two products (not for smoking) that have pure THC in a small controlled dose as the active substance." Well, at least they're on the right track. The FDA controls most of the issues with legal/illegal foods and substances in the U.S. Two turns into three turns into four TURNS INTO A MILLION AND FINALLY WHEN IT'S 4:20 A BUNCH OF PEOPLE WHO ARE HALLUCINATING CAN ALL GET TOGETHER IN PEACE FOR TEA AND COOKIES AND
I am getting ahead of myself. Next!
John Hickenlooper, governor of Colorado: "Now I look at how far we've come, and I think there's a real possibility that we'll have a system that works... if you eliminate the black market, make it harder for kids to get marijuana. We can put more money into education for kids."
I WOULD GLADLY LIKE TO REMIND EVERYONE THAT TUITION IS INCREDIBLY EXPENSIVE. CARRY ON.
Seriously! If John wants to put the money towards getting a post-secondary education, I think the parents would be much happier. Also, he said that with a system implemented, teenagers will find it harder to access marijuana. THAT'S TRUE! ALL OF IT IS TRUE! GO TO UNIVERSITY OR COLLEGE, KIDS! LEGALIZE WEED! (Who would have ever thought those two sentences would be right next to each other?)
Jay Inslee, governor of Washington “This is an all-hands-on-deck effort to make sure we keep kids safe. We want every retailer to know that kids are off limits and every parent to know how to talk to kids about why marijuana isn’t safe."
If it's all for the kids, then why not?! We're important! (Even though we're teenagers and not kids... I still call myself a kid... moving on). If these measures are created for our safety, and people who NEED marijuana (and who are over 21, lucky ducks) can get it, THEN WHY IS IT A PROBLEM?! These state governors didn't make these decisions overnight. They have been thought out, carefully elaborated, and will now be strictly enforced.
I think all we need now is to SHOW THE WORLD that WEED IS A GOOD THING and FOR ME TO STOP WRITING IN CAPS it's six in the morning.
LOOK HOW PRETTY AND GLOWING IT LOOKS.
UGH.
People need to receive better public education. That's it, really. People need to know that weed does not have the bad properties of a drug. We also need to legalize it, but again, we're waiting on Trudeau. UNTIL 2017 (I think).
There is a major scam concerning the pharmaceutical industry. I have noticed it from research and experience. All prescriptions have something in common: they leave patients coming back for more. This is what I will be discussing in this blog post.
I have seen my eye doctor do this firsthand. When I was 8, I had to start wearing glasses. I picked mine out (they were really embarrassing, now that I think of it) and I wore them. Maybe half a year later, I had to go back for a stronger prescription. This happened about four times when my mother decided that we weren't going to that eye care place anymore; it was getting expensive. So, we went to another eye care place, and the doctor there didn't change my prescription for two years! However, when he finally did and I needed another frame, their prices literally started at $300, which is really expensive.
The first doctor made more money because we always had to keep coming back, whereas the other doctor simply got a bunch of money, but once at a time.
The reason why doctors always want their clients coming back to pay is so that they can make as much money as possible. Also, it ensures that there are people to treat, which creates job security. So, they screw up the stuff they give out to clients. It's a thing, I'm not crazy. Look it up.
Recently, I've been listening to this song, not only to memorize the lyrics, but because Ben is saying something incredibly important about medicine practice today. Ben's friend, named Kevin (which is also the name of this song), died from drug abuse at 21. The reason he did and many others do is that when drugs like Xanax don't work on certain days, or doesn't give people the relief they want, instead of taking those drugs the right way, they will use them as drugs by inhaling them and I'm very sure I don't need to include details. I recommend listening to the entire song.
Just get us through the weekend, and then Monday follows, then it's Wednesday, then it's "---- it, I'm already feeling hollow." Might as well go crack a seal, might as well go chug a bottle, might as well go pop a pill and go and Bandaid that problem...
The way I interpret these lyrics is that you depend on the drug for the small stuff because all pills for mental illnesses do is numb you. That's what Macklemore is saying when he raps "Just get us through the weekend." However, the week begins and all the stress quickly piles up, so by the time that pile is really high (Wednesday, in the lyrics), instead of taking a pill that's made to make you feel better (but doesn't), you look at drugs, drugs you know and can count on for a euphoric effect. When Macklemore says that he's already feeling hollow, it reminds me that the pill a doctor prescribes will only add to that feeling because you realize you are unable to function on your own. The drugs will at least bring feeling even though he knows deep down that it's not good for him (Bandaid that problem).
Especially with mental illness, they will use their pills or other pills as drugs. This happens, I think, because they can't find weed. Using weed to treat mental illness would be great because depending on how much weed and how much used, it shouldn't cost much. If it's legalized and you can go to an actual shop instead of some sketchy dealer, it should cost even less. Also, it's natural, so no side effects. No more need to crush up prescription pills if you've got prescription weed!
However, if weed is legalized, the pharmaceutical industry is basically over, which is the biggest problem facing its legalization. People will depend on weed for medicine, they will convince other people for better relief, and soon enough, there are no more pharmacy patients. I think that this is a really difficult conflict. I understand both point of views, but I think something can be done to compromise.
What if weed was part of the pharmaceutical industry? What I mean by this is that you can go to your local pharmacy and buy cannabis or THC products. If that happened, those who want weed can get it and those who are against it can ignore!
Weed would and does create lots of revenue by itself ($53 MILLION in tax revenue in Colorado). Some of it obviously has to go to harvesting it, but some money should go to the medical industry. Unlike drugs, you can't put something in weed to make you want more because people will notice as weed is nonaddictive.
I think it's a good idea. Then again, I think all of my ideas are good ideas, but I think this one is a REALLY good idea. Someone would have to do all the legal stuff and whatnot, but it's a nice thought that two industries can come together to work towards their common goal. But for this to happen, we need to start educating people about cannabis, which is what I intend to do with this blog. I don't want to be laying in the hospital with cancer and have no other choice but chemo because SOME people (especially the most important ones) think weed isn't right.
(I know I bring up the cancer thing a lot, but a friend my age was diagnosed last year and it really creeped me out.)
Conscious citizens have overdose in mind at the mention of drugs. When people think cannabis is a drug, it is to their automatic belief that pot is capable of a deadly reaction. The following explanations are probably unable to convince everyone of the truth, but there is evidence that their misunderstanding is due to flawed public education. I will be looking at "flawed public education".
1. In (3), it is written: "...individuals who use marijuana for long periods of time can develop a [psychological] dependence on it. Signs of [this] dependence in a user include the need to use marijuana to cope with everyday tasks and the experience of cravings and anxiety when marijuana is not available."
This image represents the concept of dependence.
To begin, I refer myself to (4) when I clarify that those who use weed LOTS, and I mean EVERY SINGLE DAY LOTS, develop a physical tolerance. To say that a mental dependence could show up is true, but there's a difference between dependence and addiction. You can control dependence, but need extra help for addiction. It's like coffee: no one goes to rehab to learn how to quit coffee, because they aren't addicted, but dependent. I believe that the mental obsession with pot is allowed to develop by the user. In the statement, there is mental side effects are only mentioned, not physical. This is more subconscious persuasion that marijuana users can contribute to their well-being if weed doesn't work out for them! I'm right, everyone's wrong. JK! However, there is a bunch of misconceptions concerning weed because we don't have enough information and the lack leaves us to assume.
2. As of 2012, weed is the most popular illegal matter in Canada as 10.6% had admitted to past-year use. (5)
Well, is this not good news? What if the term "weed" was replaced with "heroin"? There is absolutely no debate on heroin's harmful effects which always come before death. If pot is the most common illicit substance, doesn't that mean people are unaffected by death and able to continue using pot? Does this express that in spite of someone landing themselves in the hospital from greening out, they walk out of there quickly enough? This marijuana statistic combines recreational and medicinal use, one perhaps more than the other. A large amount of people want their right to consume cannabis for their individual purpose, which we can see in the percentage.
3. "A growing body of research suggests that... can negatively affect mental and physical health, brain function ..." (5)
The reason I replaced the most of this sentence by dot dot dot is because I want to show something specific: "growing body of research". Where is it?! There is an obvious ambiguity in this statement. I hate limited clarifications and this is what's going on here. This must be due to the "research" needing to be negative. After quickly skimming through the remainder of the section, I was directed to a policy brief. I opened the link,and this point is open to argument in the comments, but a policy brief released from an organization supported by the government having BUT TEN PAGES OF INFORMATION, two of which are DEDICATED TO SOURCING, is pretty unusual. I can directly relate this to my theory, you know, the one you're tired of hearing about, the "research" theory. The fact that an organization similar to CCSA can talk in circles for eight pages with no problem is a extreme problem. This report, also, is being released from the Canadian Centre for Substance Abuse. ABUSE! Why couldn't Health Canada release this report? It must be since the government want to lead the population away from the truth. This is happening even though Health Canada is helping families through marijuana really discreetly. In their brief, there is a whole section dedicated to other countries, which means they are avoiding the subject.
I'm so smart! (JK, JK. Lots of this is me going in circles in my head but if the government can do it, then so can I!)
In my opinion, my biased yet nonetheless my opinion, I believe that what is below this sentence, to the right of the picture, is the TRUTH.
According to (1) and the entire planet, no one has ever died of a pot overdose. Quoting from (1) (but also stated in (2)):“...in order to induce death, a marijuana smoker would have to consume 20,000 to 40,000 times as much marijuana as is contained in one marijuana cigarette." This can convert to 1,500 pounds of weed in a quarter of an hour, which is physically impossible. The person would green out before dying. (1, 4) I'd like to see whoever is in charge of this legalization thing try to overdose on weed. MAYBE IT'LL SHOW THEM THAT THEY'RE CRAZY.
Maybe it'll show them that I'm crazy... moving on.
My personal inference, for the millionth time, is that the people who don't educate the public subconsciously admit more by doing exactly that. The government tried to somewhat reverse this through the legalization of medical cannabis, but I think they don't want the population to discover that there's no such thing as a marijuana overdose. The way they implement this strategy is by giving people on medical marijuana small quantities at a time and strictly enforcing this. Did anyone ever notice that? I DID. I am rather frustrated that everyone is unable to share my perspective. I have found multiple references and I can advocate from experience, which is the best teacher. The above should provide hope for those who find relief in marijuana. Currently, in Canada, cannabis possession can imprison someone for up to 5 years, production totals to 7 years, and trafficking, for life. (5) Consumers who have weed as their primary treatment are only scared. In a free country, this should not be an issue. Us citizens can work to resolve this for everyone in need.
Whether people like it because it makes them happy or because they use it as medicine, this plant has changed the lives of many through natural, self-medication. Quoting Natasha Tracy: "Mental illness is the only disease that can make you deny its own existence." From experience, I know that something people don't understand from mental illness is that it takes away your motivation to get better, i.e., you want to stay "sick". Weed can help some of the 1 in 5 Canadians who potentially experience mental health issues in their lives.
Mental illnesses marijuana can treat include depression, anxiety, insomnia, ADHD (4), Alzheimer's, other forms of dementia, epilepsy, and autism spectrum disorders. (3)Apparently, (I put that in italics for a reason - go see my last post), weed disrupts brain cell activity. (4) Thisis actually linked to relaxing, mood-elevating effects. Pot slows down thought processes, which breaks the cycle of negative thoughts. Those with depression and anxiety may benefit from this as they consult other methods, e.g. therapy, to address the base of their illness. (5) People always complain that they can't stop thinking, they think too much, they stay up at night and blah, blah, blah. So, if THC slows down your brain thinking, a lot of people could benefit from taking a break and not having to think about silly things.
Some people like that marijuana can ease them to sleep while others don't. Weed helps people sleep by prolonging the stage of sleep where the body rejuvenates. This means that if people use pot to sleep, they don't get bad dreams, which can then help those who stay up at night for that reason. I struggle with this constantly. Life in general stresses me out to the point where I stay up all night if I'm not having nightmare after nightmare. Then, I go to school to face a busy day where I am either not participating in class (sleeping) or giving MAJOR attitude to my teachers and classmates. The point I'm trying to make here is that I need sleep to function and if I can get it thanks to this plant, that's great. If the dumb government doesn't let me, well, I guess my lack of sleep will encourage me to go deck everyone in charge. I'm harmless, I swear.
This video by BuzzFeed Motion Pictures is entitled Drunk Vs. Stoned. It was made to test an average man on whether his actions were more efficient under the influence of alcohol or marijuana. At many instances, weed seemed to enhance his reflexes, creativity, and productivity levels.
This video is an ABC News story on medical marijuana regarding children. Parents witness wonderful results from this controversial medication. Ryan Mendoza, a 12-year-old with a bunch of cognitive difficulties, uses it mainly for his OCD. Joey Perez, 11 years old, cooperates with his autism through pot. From these two cases I can conclude that weed does/may have a positive effect on its patients.
Relating to the use of marijuana for mental health...
Someone really should have told me in eighth grade that once I would be in high school, the information from 90% of those rare DCMA classes would not serve their purpose. They should let me anticipate that it'd be incredibly obvious whom should be avoided in terms of drug use. They should have told me that I would subconsciously question myself along the lines of what the people I avoided wanted to ask me. Someone should have told me that peer pressure is but the straw that broke the camel's back. They should have rushed through the part where I was taught to be an individual and that potential death could result from submission to peer pressure. I was simply taught that abstinence is the solution to everything.
Returning to the straw that broke the camel's back, the only reason I would succumb to peer pressure would be because I would already be thinking about whatever beforehand. Us teenagers, surprisingly, have something in common: uneasiness towards a world beyond the safety of our homes, where our parents are always right. As we develop the qualities required to see further from those walls, there is a lot of pain involved. With this pain, we learn and grow but don't realize it until we see the end of it all, if we see the end of it all. I say it like that because there are people who, at one point, lose sight of their end. I did. I felt/feel as if I couldn't/can't live life without something that forced me to forget and enjoy myself. Through this pain, this dark yet beneficial pain, I had/have abandoned any if not all knowledge on how to be happy. When this hit/hits me, it was/is invisible. I hid/hide everything, not only due to the surrounding stigma but since the illness obligated/obligates me.
Psychogenic pain is a kind that cannot be bandaged or iced. There is no known physical factor that brings recovery. It all starts from inside, which sucks. Weed will not solve everything for those suffering, but it is a relief. Pot isn't the fast way out; it makes the way through quicker. Those with mental illnesses may not feel comfortable talking to anyone. I know many people, including myself, that deal with it alone by choice. We should let those 1 in 5 Canadians self-medicate; that statistic can translate to 1 in 5 deaths. Remember: psychological illness is the only type that makes victims unwilling to get better. Lots can be deduced from that, concerning the measures needing to be taken. We should, as a community, as a nation, take them.
IF THE FONT CHANGES, BLAME MY COMPUTER. I TRIED. I REALLY DID. The title of this blog post may suggest that weed can only carry negatives, but 53% percent of the interviewed in that March of 2013 survey (1) say that they used it to approach a medical problem! I will be looking at more of the physical side effects of weed, the diseases it can treat, and people who have benefited.
Even though in my last blog post, I had mentioned that marijuana could have potentially harming effects, cannabis has multiple uses when it comes to physical health. It can treat nausea during chemotherapy, increase appetite in HIV/AIDS patients, and help with chronic pain and muscle spasms (2). Marijuana can also aid patients suffering of ALS, hypertension, Hepatitis C, asthma, motion sickness, muscular dystrophy, and even some types of cancer, which makes me a luckier person if it was legal. (5) You'll get to read more about that when/if you get to the bottom of this post. A number of the above consists of only treatable diseases. The world has known about marijuana for millions of years. There has been concrete proof that this plant helps people heal, yet the government can't recognize that. Well, I mean, they CAN recognize it, and they know it deep down, but they have an excuse as to why they don't legalize marijuana. There are other studies proving weed may actually induce some of the issues I've enumerated. (8) I think that that research has been done by people in the medical industry, but more importantly, people who have credentials to show for it (i.e., people who are really high up). By showing the world that they're seriously qualified, we are being forced to believe that doctors practice and preach safer, cheaper, generally better methods. I think that they do this so they can keep in business. This meme on the left really speaks because in fact, they are winning. They are tricking us to keep their pay cheques coming in. I find it super ironic that doctors, people who go through years and years of studying because they want to HELP PEOPLE, end up going against that and trick us. But I can't really blame anyone: some people's jobs might be on the line if they don't listen to what their boss says. If most people used marijuana to self-medicate, the amount of patients doctors have would seriously drop! The ongoing battle between pot and medical practitioners will be covered in the near future but now, I'll talk about what the "research" says. Apparently, pot has been associated with the lack of testosterone and a type of testicular cancer that affects young adult males. It may also stir up more complications if used by patients who have liver disease, low blood pressure, or diabetes. (3) As well as that, weed can weaken the immune system, pose a greater risk for heart attacks, create permanent lesions in the lungs and brain, and lastly, increase the production of abnormally structured cells. (probably 5 but surely somewhere on the Internet).The heart attack thing especially makes me laugh because weed is meant TO RELAX YOU, not send you to the emergency room, but again, I say "research" in between quotations marks for a reason.
Cannabis-infused butter. Can be used to make desserts or eaten plainly.
Endlessly, people have claimed that any type of smoking is bad. It leaves actual marks on the lungs. You can see that on any cigarette box. (4) What they try to tell people with those disgusting pictures is right: smoking does hurt your lungs. (4, 5) The problem, in my opinion, is that weed is isn't being legalized because one way of taking it is harmful. (4) Weed can be taken by food, drinks like sodas and teas, and subcutaneously by body lotion. There are also e-juices for vape mods and tablets of THC, all marijuana products. (everywhere on the Internet)
I may be referring to really bad sources. However, if we legalized weed, it will have happened because of true information, so a lot of myths will be debunked. If we let cannabis in Canada, people would finally learn the truth about it and everyone will be on the same page! I will cover myths in a future blog post, but it is hard to do so when fact and fiction can't be clearly discerned. Regarding individuals who use medical marijuana for their health,this page contains Whisper secrets that people have posted concerning medical marijuana. Whisper is a website that allows you to post things anonymously (you’re welcome, Monsieur). The government needs to listen to the people who need cannabis and not just everyone. I will cover Trudeau's, as well as his political party's views on weed in another blog post, and hopefully, he will change my mind.
This issue partially concerns me as I reside in a cancer cluster. The percentage of cancer in my neighbourhood is double that of the province and, quoting from this Windsor Star article: "The 24 new cases [in Remington] work out to 109.9 per 100,000 population, compared to 59.7 for Windsor and 52.5 for Ontario." Not only do I live in Rem but I have certain duties as a rat (long story), meaning there are full weeks where I do not leave RPK. Friends of mine have been diagnosed recently and to think that this plant can help them along everyone else concerned in Remington is hopeful. All we need to do is educate people. I could, at anytime, buy weed in Remington, but it's rather selfish that marijuana isn't accessible to everyone, especially in this case. I am aware that this legalization issue doesn't concern the municipal government. I strongly believe, nevertheless, that the municipal and federal government should work side-by-side as to actively attempt a resolution.
Good old Remington, looking at the pool from near the dog park.
IF THE FONT CHANGES BLAME MONSIEUR BECAUSE IT WASN'T ME
The recreational use of marijuana has been furiously debated. A survey from March of 2013 concluded that 47% of adults who had admitted to using pot had done it for solely recreational purposes. (1) However, are these people aware that their usage can potentially be unsafe?I take a look at both sides of the case.
1. The leisure use of cannabis allows an underground community to grow bigger and closer. These regular consumers are starting to be recognized by the rest of the population by forums (see weed-forums.com/) and videos. marijuanamermaid(2) is a WeedTuber (a YouTuber whose channel revolves around cannabis) with over 11,000 subscribers. Her videos inspire multiple discussions that provide space for education and debate. Here is one of her videos, Top 10 Stoner Problems, a clip that finds to relate with other pot users.
I think that making a whole section of the Internet dedicated to people with this interest isn't a bad thing. After all, the Internet is plagued with Justin Bieber fans (just kidding!). So, to have many people be able to come together and quite literally fangirl over their hobby is pretty cool.
2. Side effects of having THC in the bloodstream include euphoria, enhanced sensations, and hallucinating.(3) A regular cannabis user gives further explanation here. For some, this may be their ideal good time. I find it similar to people having beer as they watch a sporting event. They don't need it because they watch the game and eat snacks anyway. The beer simply has the power to enrich this energetic environment. So, if something fun (sports) is combined with something that makes things even more fun (alcohol/weed, in this case), it just makes for lots of fun. Lots of fun is always necessary, in my opinion. Go big or go home kids! Have fun while you still can and if I watch a sporting event and weed kills me, at least I died happy.
I'd say case closed, but I have to keep going FOR A GRAAAAADDEEEEEE.
Anyway, moving on.
There are issues people find problematic enough to stop them from using marijuana for fun.
1. The community of people that I acknowledged above may not necessarily be a good influence. Some people who use marijuana in the motive of enjoying themselves are from undesirable backgrounds and their unstable upbringing can make them negative, generally unlikable people. (4)I don't like being around unlikable people, so this is something I need to pay attention to.
2. A fraction of THC's side effects have been already enumerated. Depending on the source of information (as this is a wildly undiscovered thing I'm talking about), reactions include a quicker heartbeat, disorientation, anxiety, dry mouth, a hot or cold sensation in the skin and, if overused, can lead to fainting. (4,5,6)
Well, a little fainting never killed anybody! As I said before, go big or go home. My attitude might just be due to the type of person I am, but I am rather optimistic, I say that's a good thing, and I say WE SHOULD ALL BE OPTIMISTIC AND TRY NEW THINGS.
You probably shouldn't take take advice from someone who has 6 milk and 4 sugar in their coffee, or who is very sensitive to the effects of sugar and coffee, but who said I was that person?!
ANYWAY. Dr. John Cline: "Cannabis is an exceedingly complex drug preparation, and its effects depend on the variety of the plant, the composition of chemicals in any given sample, the route of administration, the setting in which it is used and the psychological state of the user."
Cline said it best. Weed is not a plain concept. There are strains and flavours and potencies (4) and maybe those who shy away from it haven't found the right type for them, as Frances had said in one of her videos. I cannot deny, nevertheless, that this may not be for everyone. Those who do not condone it should simply leave the rest of the world to get stoned in peace.
3. In marijuanamermaid's Top 10 Stoner Problems, Frances speaks reluctantly about the smell of weed and how it clings to hands, clothes, etc. This may fend off people from approaching stoners. (4) I know from experience that weed doesn't exactly smell like flowers, even though it is one (2, 6). It's pretty disgusting and unattractive and if you're wondering what it smells like (nothing like the incense at Green Earth in the mall), walk down Riverside Drive and you'll get an idea.
4. Even though Stein (3) says that weed had never made him want to try anything else, he is but one person. I believe he is referring to the physical aspect of it, that weed never left him shaking out of his skin. If weed was not considered a gateway drug, why is it classified along with heroin and ecstasy? (5) Miseducation? I believe that at one point, a portion of potheads will want something different from theirs highs and transition to those harmful drugs. Based on this, consumers are right when they say that the plant itself doesn't make them want other drugs, and the people against it are partially right when they sort it with other drugs and call it a gateway. Could it be the repetitive use of cannabis that develops cravings for other stronger drugs? Cline labels marijuana as a drug and says its effects depend on the mentality of the person. Could looking for another illegal substance be part of a bad mentality? Are some people's mental stability better than others (they're fine with weed), whereas others need stronger substances? Searching for something else may easily be due to experimentation and not to a certain mental state, but their poor moral judgment causing them to try these damaging drugs can come from disrupted thoughts! This topic is incredibly debatable. Then again, I constantly debate things in my head. Whatever. I will have much more on marijuana and mental health in an upcoming blog post.
To conclude, concerning recreational use of weed, it does not affect me. I would even try it despite the disgusting smell. Me being a daring person, I would search for whatever joy the 47% did and proceed if I succeed. If not, a bit of weed should not kill me! I am destined for an early death anyway (I live in a cancer cluster), so why not live large? It would be cool to connect online with a group of people that share my interest. I would undeniably use weed alone in spite of weird, bothersome people. But, I find highly disrespectful the rumours that those who use weed are consequentially bad people. Miley Cyrus said it best: "Going out doesn't make you a bad person, just like going to church doesn't make you a good person." Using this substance should not make anyone a bad person. Our habits do not make us bad people, it is our bad actions and what we give out to the world. My usage would not be as public as Frances or Snoop Dogg, it would be more of a reward, like how college kids get smashed after exams (4). As for it being a gateway drug, I think I am morally equipped to see what is clearly wrong and somewhat right and act upon those presumptions. After all, there would not be talk of authorizing this plant if we did not see a positive. Who is considering the legalization of LSD? Exactly! If we are up to this point, if Alaska, Colorado, Oregon, and Washington are up to this point (7), then the recreational use of marijuana may not be as horrendous as our society perceives.
6. YOUNG MONEY CASH MONEY BILLIONAIRE. Seriously. I want to go to university for free. Legalize weed so that the tax on it can pay for mine and other kids' post-secondary education. There's all the money going to social services and other wonderful things.
9. IF MARIJUANA WAS LEGALIZED, THE WORLD WOULD BE A BETTER PLACE. CASE CLOSED. Honestly! Go to the last blog post and skim through. Pay attention to all of the benefits. IT'S AMAZING, ISN'T IT? (Also, I just discovered last night that there's thing coming out called HempCrete. Like concrete, but with hemp! The weed makes for good isolation and it's quick to build It can be used for places suffering from natural disasters.)
