Marijuana, America's most dangerous illegal drug

Bardo5 said:
If this reporter is getting paid to write an article on marijuana...
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yoboy said:
The misinformed idiot who penned this article is in the minority in 2010 America. He's old news. His views are outdated and obsolete.
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psychomimetic said:
This guy is in the minority. Drugs are illegal for many reasons, articles like this contribute but it's not like we can or should stop them from being published, so there's nothing we can do about that. Lobbyists are a bigger reason that drugs are illegal I think.
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The guy who wrote the article is the D.A. for a county in Minnesota. Hence he

  • Got the majority of the D.A. votes in his jurisdiction.
  • Determines which laws are enforced in his jurisdiction, and to what extent.
  • Can be voted out of office if there is someone the voters prefer.

The op-ed piece is one of the silliest articles I've read. Anywhere. But to label it as the effluvia of a curmudgeonly hack is to miss several key points:

James C. Backstrom's Biography


Experience
• County Attorney in Dakota County, Minnesota, since 1987
• Assistant Dakota County Attorney for 9 years, served 5 years as head of the Civil Division
• Minnesota County Attorneys Association
o Member of Board of Directors since 1988
o President – 1994 (President Elect 2007)
o Chair of Criminal Law Committee – 1991-1993
o Chair of Juvenile Committee – 2000-2005​
• National District Attorneys Association
o Member of Board of Directors since 1992
o Vice-President from 1997-2000
o Co-Chair of the Juvenile Justice Committee - 1994-2001 and 2003-2007
​
• American Prosecutors Research Institute
o Member of Board of Directors since 2004
o Chair, APRI’s Juvenile Justice Working Group – 2003-2007
​
Accomplishment Highlights

• Successfully prosecuted major criminal cases
• Secured passage of numerous laws aimed at improving the criminal justice system in Minnesota
• Established innovative programs within the Dakota County Attorney’s Office for crime prevention, juvenile crime and crime victim services.
• Frequent speaker at state and national legal education forums
• Authored numerous articles and training materials
• Active in community organizations dealing with prevention of chemical abuse and violence​
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​
 
^^ The sources this source used are included. Edit - the post above the post above me.
http://www.drugpolicy.org/marijuana/factsmyths/#tobacco

"There have been no reports of lung cancer related solely to marijuana, and in a large study presented to the American Thoracic Society in 2006, even heavy users of smoked marijuana were found not to have any increased risk of lung cancer. Unlike heavy tobacco smokers, heavy marijuana smokers exhibit no obstruction of the lung's small airway. That indicates that people will not develop emphysema from smoking marijuana."

*
Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse. “Legalization: Panacea or Pandora’s Box.” New York. (1995): 36.

*
Turner, Carlton E. The Marijuana Controversy. Rockville: American Council for Drug Education, 1981.

*
Nahas, Gabriel G. and Nicholas A. Pace. Letter. “Marijuana as Chemotherapy Aid Poses Hazards.” New York Times 4 December 1993: A20.

*
Inaba, Darryl S. and William E. Cohen. Uppers, Downers, All-Arounders: Physical and Mental Effects of Psychoactive Drugs. 2nd ed. Ashland: CNS Productions, 1995. 174.



An article with FOX news:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,196678,00.html




So while it makes sense that cannabis can lead to cancer and other lung ailments, it just hasn't really been linked to them. I am not saying its impossible, just not definitive.
 
Yeah like is that serious? ^^ The only Hazard the cannabis poses there is decreasing the profits of pharmaceutical companies when patients switch to pot to effectively cure their nausea, increase their appetites, general increase in quality of life, etc.
 
Someone was nice enough to leave the writer's contact information, if you want to contact him personally:

James Backstrom

Judicial Center
1560 Highway 55
Hastings MN 55033-2343
651-438-4438
651-438-4499 (Fax)
 
actually more people use cigarettes, so THATS americas most dangerous drug! behind alcohol!
 
hahaha get 'em boys! what a bunch of misinformed bull sht! unfortunately this is the kind of information that reaches our parents, and government officials to justify their lifestyles!
 
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