Marijuana is a drug just like coke and the other illeagle drugs,so why leagalise theis one.People will now buy more,which will increase the death rate and further ruin our economy.Leagalising a drug as pot is a big mistake. Don't ruin the lives of other people for the enjoyment of others.

What are your reasons for legalizing it againstallauthority? I just think that both sides have to look at the pros and cons for legalizing it or not legalizing it. That's just my thought.

Oh, I think I see how you judge evidence Bauhaus, you take anything with citations in it and anything with a credible author and throw out it out under the guise of bias.


Why don't you go ahead and show us what a dredibel source would be?

I am still waiting for you to harass freedomordeath for comparing tobacco and marijuana Bauhauas, or do you only that for people gaianst legalization?

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"So does smoking cigarettes" - Freedomordeath (Of course this wasn't from any sort of arguement, because freedomordeath does not seem to ever hav an opinion.).

Wait a minute!,! I thought we were not comparing tobacco to marijuana? So its okay for you guys to constantly harass me for comparing the two but the second someone in favor of legalizing marijuana compares the two you say nothing. You people truly are hypocrites.

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See, now you are putting opinions in my mouth-you're saying that I would support legalization even though I haven't mentioned my opinion on the matter. And you obviously still haven't checked out other boards where I might have opinions. Stop being such an intolerant bum.

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You do not have to legalize marijuana to help cancer patients, this has been proven. There is allready a drug that gives the exact same benefits in pill form that is FDA approved. Since you do not admit to this I am forced to enforce my theory that you do not read the evidence I hav provided.

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So then why not legalize marijuana if its the same thing?

when you post an article thats writer comes from "Concerned Citizens for Drug Prevention, Inc." it gets thrown out the window.

Marijuana prohibition improves public safety
There is no evidence that the prohibition of marijuana reduces the net social risk of accidents. On the contrary, recent studies suggest that marijuana may actually be beneficial in that it substitutes for alcohol and other, more dangerous drugs. Research by Karyn Model found that states with marijuana decrim had lower overall drug abuse rates than others; another study by Frank Chaloupka found decrim states have lower accident rates too. (8) In Alaska, accident rates held constant or declined following the legalization of personal use of marijuana.(9) In Holland, authorities believe that cannabis has contributed to an overall decline in opiate abuse. Recent government statistics showed that the highest rates of cocaine abuse in the West were in Nevada and Arizona, the states with the toughest marijuana laws.

If you will not listen to the American government, than perhaps you people will lsiten to the United Nations...

Drug Watch International
Position Statement

AGAINST THE LEGALIZATION OR DECRIMINALIZATION OF DRUGS

The legalization or decriminalization of drugs would make harmful, psychoactive, and addictive substances affordable, available, convenient, and marketable. It would expand the use of drugs. It would remove the social stigma attached to illicit drug use, and would send a message of tolerance for drug use, especially to youth.

Background:

Drug legalization or decriminalization is opposed by a vast majority of Americans and people around the world. Leaders in drug prevention, education, treatment, and law enforcement adamantly oppose it, as do many political leaders. However, pro-drug advocacy groups, who support the permissive use of illicit drugs, although small in number, are making headlines. They are influencing legislation and having a significant impact on the national policy debate in the United States and in other countries. The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) is the oldest drug user lobby in the U.S. It has strong ties to the Libertarian party, the Drug Policy Foundation, and the American Civil Liberties Union. These groups use a variety of strategies which range from outright legalization to de facto legalization under the guise of "medicalization," "harm reduction," crime reduction, hem/marijuana for the environment, free needle distribution to addicts, marijuana cigarettes as medicine, and controlled legalization through taxation.

Rationale:

The use of illicit drugs is illegal because of their intoxicating effects on the brain, damaging impact on the body, adverse impact on behavior, and potential for abuse. Their use threatens the health, welfare, and safety of all people, of users and non-users alike.

Legalization would decrease price and increase availability. Availability is a leading factor associated with increased drug use. Increased use of addictive substances leads to increased addiction. As a public health measure, statistics show that prohibition was a tremendous success.

Many drug users commit murder, child and spouse abuse, rape, property damage, assault and other violent crimes under the influence of drugs. Drug users, many of whom are unable to hold jobs, commit robberies not only to obtain drugs, but also to purchase food, shelter, clothing and other goods and services. Increased violent crime and increased numbers of criminals will result in even larger prison populations.

Legalizing drugs will not eliminate illegal trafficking of drugs, nor the violence associated with the illegal drug trade. A black market would still exist unless all psychoactive and addictive drugs in all strengths were made available to all ages in unlimited quantity.

Drug laws deter people from using drugs. Surveys indicate that the fear of getting in trouble with the law constitutes a major reason not to use drugs. Fear of the American legal system is a major concern of foreign drug lords. Drug laws have turned drug users to a drug-free lifestyle through mandatory treatment. 40% - 50% are in treatment as a result of the criminal justice system.

A study of international drug policy and its effects on countries has shown that countries with lax drug law enforcement have had an increase in drug addiction and crime. Conversely, those with strong drug policies have reduced drug use and enjoy low crime rates.

The United States and many countries would be in violation of international treaty if they created a legal market in cocaine, marijuana, and other drugs. The U.S. is a signatory to the Single Convention on Narcotics & the Convention on Psychotropic Substances, and has agreed with other members of the United Nations to control and penalize drug manufacturing, trafficking, and use. 112 nations recently reaffirmed their commitment to strong drug laws.

(http://www.drugwatch.org/Against%20Legalization%20of%20Drugs.htm)

You people make it sound like we are the only country left in the world that is mean and does not let pot-heads have a 'good time', but as you can see, that is just not the case.

More proof against legalization...

Drug Watch International

Testimony Against "Marijuana As Medicine" Referendum

Janet D. Lapey, MD
Concerned Citizens for Drug Prevention, Inc.
PO Box 2078
Hanover, MA 02339

Even though marijuana has never been scientifically shown to be a safe effective medicine, as required by federal consumer protection laws, and even though marijuana is a very harmful substance which endangers both ill and healthy persons, referenda permitting its use as a so-called "medicine" passed in both Arizona and California. This was because the well-funded marijuana lobby, like the tobacco lobby, carried out a multimillion dollar media blitz which deceived the populace. Persuasive fraudulent TV ads were funded by the drug legalization lobby.

Just as the greatest fear of those involved in highly profitable tobacco industry is that their product be made illegal, the greatest hope of those in the underground marijuana industry is that their product be made legal. They aspire to be respectable businessmen with no fear of the law. The deceptive techniques of both industries are identical. Just as physicians connected to the tobacco lobby claimed for years that tobacco was not addictive and did not cause cancer, physicians connected to the marijuana lobby make the same false claims about marijuana. Marijuana legalization groups, such as the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), went to court to try to reschedule marijuana as medicine, but the US Court of Appeals (DC Circuit) ruled against them on February 18, 1994. The Court noted that the pro-marijuana parties, including physicians connected with NORML, were unscientific, relying merely on anecdotes. On the other side, highly credentialed scientific experts testified that marijuana has never been shown scientifically to be a safe effective medicine. It is of interest that the tobacco industry similarly tried to advertise tobacco as a medicine until the Federal Trade Commission halted the practice in 1955. Kools were said to prevent the common cold, and Camels were said to relieve fatigue and aid digestion.

In 1979, the director of NORML, told an Emory University audience that they would be using the issue of medicinal marijuana as a "red herring" to give marijuana a good name. On December 30, 1996, General Barry McCaffrey stated at a news conference that the California pro-marijuana physicians were pushing marijuana for twenty-six conditions, including writer's cramp, corn removal, and recalling forgotten memories. During the California and Arizona campaigns, color TV advertisements fraudulently promoting marijuana as a medicine were permitted, even though scientific evidence does not support such claims. No warnings were given delineating marijuana's dangers. Marijuana damages the heart, brain, lungs, and immune system, and worsens many diseases, such as multiple sclerosis. It does not prevent blindness due to glaucoma. In Massachusetts, the pro-marijuana groups passed legislation facilitating the use of marijuana cigarettes for asthma, even though smoking causes asthma!

One hundred years ago, there was a major drug epidemic in our country because physicians were pushing addictive drugs, such as heroin cough drops. As a result federal consumer protection laws were eventually enacted which required that substances be scientifically shown to be safe and effective before being presented to the public as medicine. Prescribing addictive drugs can be a very lucrative practice, and physicians went to court unsuccessfully to try to continue providing addictive drugs, such as morphine, to addicts. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, marijuana is an addictive drug, and hundreds of thousands of Americans have had to enter drug treatment due to marijuana addiction. This and other harmful effects of marijuana are, of course, denied by physicians connected with NORML. In fact NORML states in its newsletter that it aims to "educate" the public that marijuana is not a dangerous drug. Furthermore, again just like the tobacco industry, the illegal drug industry targets children. Virtually all drug addicts start as children, and marijuana is generally the first illegal drug used. "Medicinal" marijuana is the Joe Camel of the marijuana industry as children are falsely taught that marijuana is "a safe medicine.

We should learn from the history of the tobacco industry's deception and the history of our previous prescription drug epidemic that addictive drugs constitute a lucrative business which destroys lives. Just as the people should not be subjected to flashy advertisements falsely promoting tobacco as medicine, they should not be subjected to the fraudulent marijuana campaign which tragically deceived voters in California and Arizona.

(http://www.drugwatch.org/Lapey%20Testimony%20Against%20Marijuana.htm)

"So does smoking cigarettes" - Freedomordeath (Of course this wasn't from any sort of arguement, because freedomordeath does not seem to ever hav an opinion.).

Wait a minute!,! I thought we were not comparing tobacco to marijuana? So its okay for you guys to constantly harass me for comparing the two but the second someone in favor of legalizing marijuana compares the two you say nothing. You people truly are hypocrites.

Moovivor, I will answer you question now - because so many people refuse to open their eyes to the facts I have provided, I am condescending to you. I hope that answers your question(s).

Buahuas...

You do not have to legalize marijuana to help cancer patients, this has been proven. There is allready a drug that gives the exact same benefits in pill form that is FDA approved. Since you do not admit to this I am forced to enforce my theory that you do not read the evidence I hav provided.

"Any discussion of marijuana should begin with the fact that there have been numerous official reports and studies, every one of which has concluded that marijuana poses no great risk to society and should not be criminalized" - I have given you proof that not everyone agrees with this. Thus your arguement that everyone says marijuana poses no threat to society is irrelevant.

I have not read th rest of your 'proof' because it is obvious that you do read mine. If you do read mine you simply pick and choose and what you will use. I am givng you what you call a little taste of your own medicine.

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Over the long term, smoking pot can cause you to lose interest in how you look and how you're getting along at school or work.

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Translation:
You might realize that you dont have to own **** to be happy.

The phrase "Psych!" (which I believe is what you meant, rather than "sike") is derived from psychology, the study of the brain and process of thinking. To say "psych" means 'tricked you' because you supposedly were able to fool someone's thought. But you're too predictable to do that.

And, you said:

quote:

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Smoking marijuana puts you in danger.

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So does smoking cigarettes. And weren't you the one defending the companies and cigarettes' legality a few months ago?

You're a coward. You won't answer any of my questions. I find it interesting that you're 21, and yet, apparently, afraid to answer the questions of a 14-year-old. Here are the questions.

First... I asked you this at least three times. I would really like to know why you act like this.

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Seriously, what's up with your attitude?! You act so superior to everyone and you try to talk as if you're some kind of genius. It isn't fooling anyone.

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No, I can't. I admit that you didn't say that, and it was very obvious when it was in context. Oh, and if it doesn't affect you, then it doesn't matter. Is that how it is? Then why do you support this war in Iraq? Saddam was not an active threat to the United States.

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Again, I really don't give a **** if you think I'm a liar. The context in which I said what I said made it obvious that I was not trying to deceive people into saying you actually said that (frankly, if you have to worry about them believing it, it should make you reconsider how you write).

bushsupporter's post before mine

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Moo, I was simply doing an imitation. Some people do Elvis, I do you. It just seemed like you were harping on his "tone" rather than his arguments, which are valid.

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My post:

quote:

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Okay, then...

"You are all hipocreitical idiots! I have so much proof and all you have is opinon! Conservative views are truth! Libral views are opinion!"
-marine

"Yeah, I agree with marine. You're so smart."
-bushsupporter

I am harping on his tone to some extent, but it's really more than that. He goes around calling everyone idiots and I really don't appreciate it, and I don't think anyone else does, either.

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It seems to me that you're just using this as an excuse to get out of answering why you act like such a jackass all the time (and why when someone does something wrong that doesn't involve you on here, it's not your problem, but when someone does something wrong that doesn't involve you in the real world, you support an invasion of their country), and if you are just using it as that, you're a coward.

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Originally posted by rebelrocker90:
Users will likely experience dry mouth, rapid heartbeat, some loss of coordination and poor sense of balance, and slower reaction times, along with intoxication. Blood vessels in the eye will expand causing the red-eye effect. NIDA
Smoking marijuana may impair short-term memory while people are using the drug. This happens because all forms of marijuana contain THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol), the main active chemical in marijuana, which alters the way the brain works. After a few minutes, paranoia or anxiousness may set in, then intense hunger (a.k.a. the munchies). Finally, sleepiness. NCADI For some people, marijuana raises blood pressure slightly and can double the normal heart rate. This effect can be greater when other drugs are mixed with marijuana.
Marijuana affects memory, judgment and perception even in the short-term, as was found in a study conducted by Pope and Yurgelun-Todd published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. It can mess you up in school, in sports or clubs, or with your friends. Several studies, including one reported a few years ago in the American Journal of Public Health, indicate that if you're high on marijuana, you are more likely to do things that could embarrass or even hurt you-such as driving under the influence or engaging in risky sexual behaviors. For athletes, THC's effect on timing, coordination, and movement-which can last for several hours-can seriously hurt performance. NCADI

Over the long term, smoking pot can cause you to lose interest in how you look and how you're getting along at school or work. NCADI It can also be much worse for your respiratory health than smoking cigarettes; the amount of tar, carbon monoxide, and cancer-causing chemicals inhaled in marijuana smoke are three to five times greater than that inhaled from the same amount of tobacco smoke. (NIDA Infofax)
\
ok with these facts, i would think that marijuana should not be legalized. the entire country would go down. i have seen so many friends throw their lifes away to pot, and i will do whatever i can to stop the people responsible for EVEN Thinking about legalizing it!!! my god, people who use pot don't give a ****! its not worth it. i'm not calling pot-users bad, or evil, or nasty, i'm just saying i deeply disapprove of using pot. it makes u lose respect, self-respect, self confidence, ur chance at a decent edu, and .....i could go on for ages. tina

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What athletes is going to get stoned before they do stuff?? WHY CANT YOU SERIOUSLY THINK FOR YOUSELF. It slows you down everyone knows this. Cant you see they write things to make them seem worse then they really are? I cannot have sex while stoned because im too damn lazy. Of course its going to affect your memory and judgement and peception for short term... short term is 4 hours while you are actually stoned. The "intenese" hunger helps cancer victims eat. The blood vessles expand because they are relaxed, they arent expanding to "explode" this helps people with eye problems, it takes the pain away.

There arent any "chemicals" in marijuana it you pick it right off the plant... If you want to call vitiman C a chemical go ahead.

YOU DONT HAVE TO SMOKE POT TO GET HIGH.

Users will likely experience dry mouth, rapid heartbeat, some loss of coordination and poor sense of balance, and slower reaction times, along with intoxication. Blood vessels in the eye will expand causing the red-eye effect. NIDA
Smoking marijuana may impair short-term memory while people are using the drug. This happens because all forms of marijuana contain THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol), the main active chemical in marijuana, which alters the way the brain works. After a few minutes, paranoia or anxiousness may set in, then intense hunger (a.k.a. the munchies). Finally, sleepiness. NCADI For some people, marijuana raises blood pressure slightly and can double the normal heart rate. This effect can be greater when other drugs are mixed with marijuana.
Marijuana affects memory, judgment and perception even in the short-term, as was found in a study conducted by Pope and Yurgelun-Todd published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. It can mess you up in school, in sports or clubs, or with your friends. Several studies, including one reported a few years ago in the American Journal of Public Health, indicate that if you're high on marijuana, you are more likely to do things that could embarrass or even hurt you-such as driving under the influence or engaging in risky sexual behaviors. For athletes, THC's effect on timing, coordination, and movement-which can last for several hours-can seriously hurt performance. NCADI

Over the long term, smoking pot can cause you to lose interest in how you look and how you're getting along at school or work. NCADI It can also be much worse for your respiratory health than smoking cigarettes; the amount of tar, carbon monoxide, and cancer-causing chemicals inhaled in marijuana smoke are three to five times greater than that inhaled from the same amount of tobacco smoke. (NIDA Infofax)
\
ok with these facts, i would think that marijuana should not be legalized. the entire country would go down. i have seen so many friends throw their lifes away to pot, and i will do whatever i can to stop the people responsible for EVEN Thinking about legalizing it!!! my god, people who use pot don't give a ****! its not worth it. i'm not calling pot-users bad, or evil, or nasty, i'm just saying i deeply disapprove of using pot. it makes u lose respect, self-respect, self confidence, ur chance at a decent edu, and .....i could go on for ages. tina

Please tell me again why eating a pot brownie in my room and play video games puts me in danger?

I dont think you responded.

MAYBE IF YOU LOOKED AT PAGE 7 and 6 i tore your myths apart with non GOVT soucres... I'll do it again. Most of the sources will be posted at the bottomr of this post.. go take a look for your self.

Myth: Marijuana is a dangerous drug
Any discussion of marijuana should begin with the fact that there have been numerous official reports and studies, every one of which has concluded that marijuana poses no great risk to society and should not be criminalized. These include:
the National Academy of Sciences Analysis of Marijuana Policy (1982);
the National Commission on Marihuana and Drug Abuse (the Shafer Report) (1973);
the Canadian Government's Commission of Inquiry (Le Dain Report) (1970);
the British Advisory Committee on Drug Dependency (Wooton Report) (1968);
the La Guardia Report (1944);
the Panama Canal Zone Military Investigations (1916-29);
and Britain's monumental Indian Hemp Drugs Commission (1893-4).
It is sometimes claimed that there is ``new evidence'' showing marijuana is more harmful than was thought in the sixties. In fact, the most recent studies have tended to confirm marijuana's safety, refuting claims that it causes birth defects, brain damag e, reduced testosterone, or increased drug abuse problems.
The current consensus is well stated in the 20th annual report of the California Research Advisory Panel (1990), which recommended that personal use and cultivation of marijuana be legalized: "An objective consideration of marijuana shows that it is respo nsible for less damage to society and the individual than are alcohol and cigarettes."


References: The National Academy of Sciences report, Marijuana and Health (National Academy Press, 1982), remains the most useful overview of the health effects of marijuana, its major conclusions remaining largely unaffected by the last 10 years of research. Lovinger and Jones, The Marihuana Question (Dod d, Mead & Co., NY 1985), is the most exhaustive and fair-handed summary of the evidence against marijuana. Good, positive perspectives may be found in Lester Grinspoon's Marihuana, the Forbidden Medicine (Yale Press, 1993) and Marihuana Reconsidere d (Harvard U. Press 1971), which debunks many of the older anti-pot myths. See also Leo Hollister, Health Aspects of Cannabis, Pharmacological Reviews 38:1-20 (1986).

Up to the Table of Myths.

Myth: Marijuana is harmless
Just as most experts agree that occasional or moderate use of marijuana is innocuous, they also agree that excessive use can be harmful. Research shows that the two major risks of excessive marijuana use are:
respiratory disease due to smoking and
accidental injuries due to impairment.
Marijuana and Smoking:A recent survey by the Kaiser Permanente Center found that daily marijuana-only smokers have a 19% higher rate of respiratory complaints than non-smokers.(1) These findings were not unexpected, since it has long been known that, aside from its psychoactive ingredients, marijuana smoke contains virtually the same toxic gases and carcinogenic tars as tobacco. Human studies have found that pot smokers suffer similar kinds of respiratory damage as tobacco smokers, putting them at greater risk of bronchitis, sore throat, respiratory inflammation and infections.(2)
Although there has not been enough epidemiological work to settle the matter definitively, it is widely suspected that marijuana smoking causes cancer. Studies have found apparently pre-cancerous cell changes in pot smokers.(3) Some cancer specialists have reported a higher-than-expected incidence of throat, neck and tongue cancer in younger, marijuana-only smokers.(4) A couple of cases have been fatal. While it has not been conclusively proven that marijuana smoking causes lung cancer, the evidence is highly suggestive. According to Dr. Donald Tashkin of UCLA, the leading expert on marijuana smoking5)"Although more information is certainly needed, sufficient data have already been accumulated concerning the health effects of marijuana to warrant counseling by physicians against the smoking of marijuana as an important hazard to health." Fortunately, the hazards of marijuana smoking can be reduced by various strategies:

use of higher-potency cannabis, which can be smoked in smaller quantities,
use of waterpipes and other smoke reduction technologies,(6) and
ingesting pot orally instead of smoking it.
Up to the Table of Myths.

Myth: One joint equals one pack of (or 16, or maybe just 4) cigarettes
Some critics exaggerate the dangers of marijuana smoking by fallaciously citing a study by Dr. Tashkin which found that daily pot smokers experienced a "mild but significant" increase in airflow resistance in the large airways greater than that seen in persons smoking 16 cigarettes per day.(7) What they ignore is that the same study examined other, more important aspects of lung health, in which marijuana smokers did much better than tobacco smokers. Dr. Tashkin himself disavows the notion that one joint equals 16 cigarettes. A more widely accepted estimate is that marijuana smokers consume four times as much carcinogenic tar as cigarettes smokers per weight smoked. (8) This does not necessarily mean that one joint equals four cigarettes, since joints usually weigh less. In fact, the average joint has been estimated to contain 0.4 grams of pot, a bit less than one-half the weight of a cigarette, making one joint equal to two cigarettes (actually, joint sizes range from cigar-sized spliffs smoked by Rastas, to very fine sinsemilla joints weighing as little as 0.2 grams). It should be noted that there is no exact equivalency between tobacco and marijuana smoking, because they affect different parts of the respiratory tract differently: whereas tobacco tends to penetrate to the smaller, peripheral passageways of the lungs, pot tends to concentrate on the larger, central passageways.(9) One consequence of this is that pot, unlike tobacco, does not appear to cause emphysema.
Up to the Table of Myths.


Myth: Prohibition reduces the harmfulness of pot smoking
Whatever the risks of pot smoking, the current laws make matters worse in several respects:
Paraphernalia laws have impeded the development and marketing of water pipes and other, more advanced technology that could significantly reduce the harmfulness of marijuana smoke.
Prohibition encourages the sale of pot that has been contaminated or adulterated by insecticides, Paraquat, etc., or mixed with other drugs such as PCP, crack and heroin.
By raising the price of marijuana, prohibition makes it uneconomical to consume marijuana orally, the best way to avoid smoke exposure altogether; this is because eating typically requires two or three times as much marijuana as smoking.
Unlike the government, NORML is interested in reducing the dangers of pot smoking; California NORML and MAPS (the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies) are currently researching the use of waterpipes and other advanced smoke reduction technology.
References on Marijuana and Smoking: Donald Tashkin, Is Frequent Marijuana Smoking Hazardous To Health?, Western Journal of Medicine 158 #6: 635-7; June 1993; Research Findings on Smoking of Abused Substances, ed. C. Nora Chiang and Richard L. Hawks, NIDA Research Monograph 99 (National Institute on Drug Abuse, Rockville, MD 1990); NAS Report,op. cit.; California NORML, Health Tips for Marijuana Smokers.

Up to the Table of Myths.


Myth: No one has ever died from using marijuana
The Kaiser study also found that daily pot users have a 30% higher risk of injuries, presumably from accidents. These figures are significant, though not as high as comparable risks for heavy drinkers or tobacco addicts. That pot can cause accidents is scarcely surprising, since marijuana has been shown to degrade short-term memory, concentration, judgment, and coordination at complex tasks including driving.(1) There have been numerous reports of pot-related accidents --- some of them fatal, belying the attractive myth that no one has ever died from marijuana. One survey of 1023 emergency room trauma patients in Baltimore found that fully 34.7% were under the influence of marijuana, more even than alcohol (33.5%); half of these (16.5%) used both pot and alcohol in combination.(2) This is perhaps the most troublesome research ever reported about marijuana; as we shall see, other accident studies have generally found pot to be less dangerous than alcohol. Nonetheless, it is important to be informed on all sides of the issue. Pot smokers should be aware that accidents are the number one hazard of moderate pot use. In addition, of course, the psychoactive effects of cannabis can have many other adverse effects on performance, school work, and productivity.
Up to the Table of Myths.


Myth: Marijuana is a major road safety hazard
A growing body of research indicates that marijuana is on balance less of a road hazard than alcohol. Various surveys have found that half or more of fatal drivers have alcohol in their blood, as opposed to 7 - 20% with THC, the major psychoactive component of marijuana (a condition usually indicative of having smoked within the past 2-4 hours).(3) The same studies show that some 70 - 90% of those who are THC-positive also have alcohol in their blood. It therefore appears that marijuana by itself is a minor road safety hazard, though the combination of pot and alcohol is not. Some research has even suggested that low doses of marijuana may sometimes improve driving performance, though this is probably not true in most cases.(4) Two major new studies by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration have confirmed marijuana's relative safety compared to alcohol. The first, the most comprehensive drug accident study to date, surveyed blood samples from 1882 drivers killed in car, truck and motorchycle accidents in seven states during 1990-91.(5) Alcohol was found in 51.5% of specimens, as against 17.8% for all other drugs combined. Marijuana, the second most common drug, appeared in just 6.7%. Two-thirds of the marijuana-using drivers also had alcohol. The report concluded that alcohol was by far the dominant drug-related problem in accidents. It went on to analyze the responsibility of drivers for the accidents they were involved in. It found that drivers who used alcohol were especially culpable in fatal accidents, and even more so when they combined it with marijuana or other drugs. However, those who used marijuana alone appeared to be if anything less culpable than non-drug users (though the data were insufficient to be statistically conclusive). The report concluded, "There was no indication that marijuana by itself was a cause of fatal accidents." (It must be emphasized that this is not the case when marijuana is combined with alcohol or other drugs). The second NHTSA study, Marijuana and Actual Driving Performance, concluded that the adverse effects of cannabis on driving appear "relatively small" and are less than those of drunken driving. (6) The study, conducted in the Netherlands, examined the performance of drivers in actual freeway and urban driving situations at various doses of marijuana. It found that marijuana produces a moderate, dose-related decrement in road tracking ability, but is "not profoundly impairing" and "in no way unusual compared to many medicinal drugs." It found that marijuana's effects at the higher doses preferred by smokers never exceed those of alcohol at blood concentrations of .08%, the minimum level for legal intoxication in stricter states such as California. The study found that unlike alcohol, which encourages risky driving, marijuana appears to produce greater caution, apparently because users are more aware of their state and able to compensate for it (similar results have been reported by other researchers as well.(7)) It should be noted that these results may not apply to non-driving related situations, where forgetfulness or inattention can be more important than speed (this might explain the discrepancy in the Baltimore hospital study, which looked at accidents of all kinds). The NHTSA study also warned that marijuana could also be quite dangerous in emergency situations that put high demands on driving skills.
Up to the Table of Myths.


Myth: Marijuana prohibition improves public safety
There is no evidence that the prohibition of marijuana reduces the net social risk of accidents. On the contrary, recent studies suggest that marijuana may actually be beneficial in that it substitutes for alcohol and other, more dangerous drugs. Research by Karyn Model found that states with marijuana decrim had lower overall drug abuse rates than others; another study by Frank Chaloupka found decrim states have lower accident rates too. (8) In Alaska, accident rates held constant or declined following the legalization of personal use of marijuana.(9) In Holland, authorities believe that cannabis has contributed to an overall decline in opiate abuse. Recent government statistics showed that the highest rates of cocaine abuse in the West were in Nevada and Arizona, the states with the toughest marijuana laws.
Up to the Table of Myths.


Myth: Drug urinalysis improves workplace safety
There has never been a single, controlled scientific study showing drug urinalysis improves workplace safety. Claims that drug testing works are based on dubious anecdotal reports or the mere observation of a declining rate of drug positives in the working population, which has nothing to do with job performance. Such scientific studies as have been conducted have found little difference between the performance of drug-urine-positive workers and others. The largest survey to date, covering 4,396 postal workers nationwide, found no difference in accident records between workers who tested positive on pre-employment drug screens and those who did not.(10) The study did find that drug-positive workers had a 50% higher rate of absenteeism and dismissals; put another way, however, drug users had a 93.4% attendance record (versus 95.8% for non-users) and fully 85% kept their jobs for a year (versus 89.5% for non-users)! An economic analysis of postal workers in Boston concluded that the net savings of drug testing were marginal, and that there could be many situations where it is not cost-effective.(11) Another survey of health workers in Georgia found no difference in job performance between drug-positive and drug-negative workers.(12)
Up to the Table of Myths.


Myth: Random urinalysis is needed in safety-sensitive transportation jobs
Government rules mandating random drug testing were promulgated without any prior statistical evidence that illicit drugs constituted an inordinate safety hazard. Not a single commercial passenger airline accident has ever been attributed to marijuana (or, for that matter, alcohol) abuse.(1) Drug tests on rail workers found no elevated incidence of drug use among workers involved in accidents.(2) Random drug testing of transportation workers was enacted as a hysterical reaction to a single 1987 train collision, in which 16 Amtrak passengers were killed by a Conrail train that failed to stop. The engineer and brakeman of the Conrail train at fault were found to have recently smoked marijuana, though it was never firmly proven that marijuana caused the accident. The Conrail engineer had an extensive record of speeding and drunken driving offenses and was known by management to have drinking problems. Critical safety equipment that would have averted the accident was missing or disabled. A subsequent investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board recommended that Conrail improve both its management and equipment, but did not recommend random testing. Nonetheless, Congress responded