Cosmic Dude
Active Member
From wikipedia entry on challenging US Scheduling of Cannabis as a controlled substance:
"The Department of Justice also considers the fact that people are willing to risk scholastic, career, and legal problems to use cannabis to be evidence of its high potential for abuse:[21]
Throughout his petition, Mr. Gettman argues that while many people "use" cannabis, few "abuse" it. He appears to equate abuse with the level of physical dependence and toxicity resulting from cannabis use. Thus, he appears to be arguing that a substance that causes only low levels of physical dependence and toxicity must be considered to have a low potential for abuse. The Secretary does not agree with this argument. Physical dependence and toxicity are not the only factors that are considered in determining a substance's abuse potential. The actual use and frequency of use of a substance, especially when that use may result in harmful consequences such as failure to fulfill major obligations at work or school, physical risk-taking, or even substance-related legal problems, are indicative of a substance's abuse potential. The same and much worse can also be said about the clear abuse of alcohol by many Americans."
Human beings, as highly social animals, are hard-wired to believe that what is "good" is what everyone does - eat, sleep, work, sex, raise children. Since less than 25% of people use cannabis, then "it cannot possibly be anything of importance" so if you are still using it despite the penalties, "it must be that the cannabis is controlling you". Since this is somewhat true of physically addictive drugs, then it looks just the same to the teetotalling bureaucrat, such as the one quoted above.
What I find to be missing over the past decades is any support for the idea that something like Cannabis could be "good". The Medical Marijuana concept is a disaster in that respect. It has allowed nonsense junk science Western Psychology to enter the picture.
A good example is paranoia and memory loss. Both of those are side effects of the BEST aspect of Cannabis, that it disconnects you from the past and the future and makes you live in the present - and more intensely. Thus, mental verbalization - an old survival trait that vastly increases unhappiness - is reduced.
But the idea that one could improve one's mental state is still entirely missing from mainstream culture, and has disappeared from Cannabis culture - thanks to the medical marijuana point of view.
"The Department of Justice also considers the fact that people are willing to risk scholastic, career, and legal problems to use cannabis to be evidence of its high potential for abuse:[21]
Throughout his petition, Mr. Gettman argues that while many people "use" cannabis, few "abuse" it. He appears to equate abuse with the level of physical dependence and toxicity resulting from cannabis use. Thus, he appears to be arguing that a substance that causes only low levels of physical dependence and toxicity must be considered to have a low potential for abuse. The Secretary does not agree with this argument. Physical dependence and toxicity are not the only factors that are considered in determining a substance's abuse potential. The actual use and frequency of use of a substance, especially when that use may result in harmful consequences such as failure to fulfill major obligations at work or school, physical risk-taking, or even substance-related legal problems, are indicative of a substance's abuse potential. The same and much worse can also be said about the clear abuse of alcohol by many Americans."
Human beings, as highly social animals, are hard-wired to believe that what is "good" is what everyone does - eat, sleep, work, sex, raise children. Since less than 25% of people use cannabis, then "it cannot possibly be anything of importance" so if you are still using it despite the penalties, "it must be that the cannabis is controlling you". Since this is somewhat true of physically addictive drugs, then it looks just the same to the teetotalling bureaucrat, such as the one quoted above.
What I find to be missing over the past decades is any support for the idea that something like Cannabis could be "good". The Medical Marijuana concept is a disaster in that respect. It has allowed nonsense junk science Western Psychology to enter the picture.
A good example is paranoia and memory loss. Both of those are side effects of the BEST aspect of Cannabis, that it disconnects you from the past and the future and makes you live in the present - and more intensely. Thus, mental verbalization - an old survival trait that vastly increases unhappiness - is reduced.
But the idea that one could improve one's mental state is still entirely missing from mainstream culture, and has disappeared from Cannabis culture - thanks to the medical marijuana point of view.
