This just chapps my rear...

[shartley]

First of all I would like to say this is NOT meant to open a debate concerning illegal drugs.. I will not get into that issue. It is about how some folks twist “data” to support anything they want to say…. And the case in point just happens to concern marijuana/tobacco “ties”.

I just saw on the news that there was a study that showed that 2 out of every 3 kids who smoked marijuana, smoked cigarettes at a date prior to their beginning to smoke marijuana. This in itself does not surprise me, nor even “bothers” me. What does is how some folks want to twist this information into something that it very well may not mean.

They had a guy on who said that because of this, they need to do a full attack on underage cigarette smoking, because this will help the “war on drugs” and specifically how it pertains to marijuana use by young folks.

I almost screamed at the TV.. what a load of crap.

If you want to crack down on underage cigarette smoking, DO SO. And do so because it is illegal and unhealthy. But to try to make a direct correlation between cigarette smoking and marijuana use using this new found information is silly.

What they are conveniently ignoring is that is it FAR more likely that those who would engage in the act of cigarette smoking are more likely to engage in OTHER illegal activities, or activities that may be a health risk to them…. which includes marijuana use. It is highly unlikely that one activity of this type would LEAD to the other…. more so that it is simply the personality type that would lead an individual to engage in either or both activities.

What is next? Help fight the war on drugs! A study showed that 8 out of 10 people who smoked marijuana also eat apple pie. If we outlaw apple pie we can help reduce the use of illegal drugs!

Again, I am all for enforcing existing laws. And I am all for trying to reduce underage smoking. But it just bothers me when these folks try to connect dots that are just not there…. to make things sound worse than they really are, or further THEIR agendas.

Sorry…. just had to get it out….

[deathstalker]

Yes! Reminds me of studies I did in college showing a direct correlation between ice cream consumption and murder. As ice cream consumption increases, so does the murder rate.

Ban ice cream, lower the murder rate!

[dre1919]

I agree Sam (a theme lately :D ), that's stupid! My personality is one that doesn't do drugs or smokes cigarettes, and never has. I'm an artist, supposedly a profession that has the stereotype of "experimenting" with drugs or at least smoking, but I've always chose to do neither because that's just who I am. It had nothing to do with what activities I was involved in and whether they led to anything else or not.

What I hate is how people or agencies think they're going to win a "war on drugs" or "war on underage smoking" by taking the supply side away. Trust me, if their is a demand and the money to purchase it (be it cigarettes or drugs either one) the supply will ALWAYS be available. To get anywhere on these issues, they need to attack the desire to do drugs or smoke these cigarettes. If everyone's interest in drugs and smoking suddenly waned to near nothing, drug dealing and cigarette sales would plummet drastically. No money to be made, no reason to incur the risk involved (the drug trade). Nobody buying your product (cigarette companies), start selling something else.

[Crighton]

Yeah you can make numbers say just about anything you want to.

Operation Pipe Dreams was in the same BS theme. Lets win the war on drugs by attacking something that has zero impact on the real problem.

My opinion is they've simply run out of good ideas on how to win the war on drugs because it simply can't be won and there not willing to admit that.

[Load SM5]

If you really want to fight the war on marijuana then you need to go after the makers of Cheetos and Pizza Rolls. Pot smokers will be forced to stop due to the lack of "munchie" food.;)

[Hexis]

Originally posted by shartley
I just saw on the news that there was a study that showed that 2 out of every 3 kids who smoked marijuana, smoked cigarettes at a date prior to their beginning to smoke marijuana.

The much more frightening statistic they are ignoring nearly all marijuana smokers have eaten bread at some point prior to smoking marijuana. If we could cut down on underage bread consumption it should make a huge difference in the consumption of marijuana. It’s just as logical as the study you saw.

[Albinonewt]

Originally posted by shartley

What is next? Help fight the war on drugs! A study showed that 8 out of 10 people who smoked marijuana also eat apple pie. If we outlaw apple pie we can help reduce the use of illegal drugs!


That's just silly. Everyone knows that if you want to fight weed you have to close all Taco Bells (the late night place where pot heads get their snacks)

[Albinonewt]

Originally posted by dre1919

What I hate is how people or agencies think they're going to win a "war on drugs" or "war on underage smoking" by taking the supply side away. Trust me, if their is a demand and the money to purchase it (be it cigarettes or drugs either one) the supply will ALWAYS be available.

Wait a minute. COuldn't one say that if we took the supply then it wouldn't always be there?

[Albinonewt]

I wish they outlawed cigarette smoking.

Since most states are dependent on the tax revenue of them and on the law suit settlements to maintain their budgets I'd love to see them make cigs. illegal and then drown in a sea of debt that they created

[lopxtc]

A follow-up study showed that after smokig 10 out of 10 also ate apple pie ... and twinkies, and cheetos ...


Aaron


Originally posted by shartley
A study showed that 8 out of 10 people who smoked marijuana also eat apple pie.

[lopxtc]

Ah but the trick is stopping the supply. MJ grows easily almost anywhere. What gets the growing complicated in when you start culturing it ... stuff grown in the wild is different from the stuff grown by a person who is trying to get a specific "blend" ...

My point being, that you may bring down big fields of it, or take down whole hydroponic farms of it ... but all someone needs to do is drop a few seeds on the side of the road and wait.

Iradicating(sp?) a whole flora species would next to impossible. Not too mention you know somewhere, somebody would speakout against the extinction of the MJ plant ... and not just hippies :)

Aaron


Originally posted by Albinonewt
Wait a minute. COuldn't one say that if we took the supply then it wouldn't always be there?

[gamarada717]

Ciggarettes are the nastiest things. They killed my dad, which made me hate em even more. Also, I don't care if they're "biodegradable", it's still litter as far as I'm concerned. The problem is, that if ciggs were illegal, that would cause some HUGE problems in the economy. Think about it. Thousands of people would be laid off. Gas stations and everywhere else that they sell ciggs would suffer anywhere from going out of buissness to just a minor decrease in sales. Then, we have all of these people without jobs that need jobs. They gotta get em somewhere. THEN, we got all of these people savin TONS of money. So even though....

more people buying stuff=more labor required,

it wouldn't balance out in the end. I would like to add that this post was off the top of my head, and no research was done, so some info may be false.

gamarada717

[PyRo]

Originally posted by Albinonewt


Wait a minute. COuldn't one say that if we took the supply then it wouldn't always be there?

Yes, if we elimated the supply there would be no more problem. However where there is a demand there will be a supply. How much money are we spending now to "eliminate the supply"? How many drugs are confinscated? Do you really thing that the drugs they find are even one fourth of the amount that is out there? I bet even after the goverment has spent billions of dollars to eliminate the supply there are several pounds of weed on this campus right now, and although ive never seen any I bet there are other drugs around here too.

[personman]

If people will break the law to get a 'buzz' and screw up their brains then I say let them do it. They deserve it.

[-Carnifex-]

Originally posted by Albinonewt


That's just silly. Everyone knows that if you want to fight weed you have to close all Taco Bells (the late night place where pot heads get their snacks)


NOOOOO TACO BELL! I love taco bell.

[SlartyBartFast]

With respect to the "study".

There's an old saying: "Figures don't lie, but liars can figure."

Quoting/performing studies out of context, with out a control group, or without proper cause and effect is like quoting snipets of the Bible. You can prove anything.

[Brak]

people relating that crap just makes me angry too.

im surprised transman hasnt said anything yet...

[Trigger_Happy]

Originally posted by Albinonewt


That's just silly. Everyone knows that if you want to fight weed you have to close all Taco Bells (the late night place where pot heads get their snacks)

Actually, in my town, that's where the drugs get sold too :) It's funny, because the lazy cops don't ever bust them! If they are being too obvious, sometimes a cop will bust them on curfew...yes, curfew.:rolleyes:

[Dubstar112]

What is next? Help fight the war on drugs! A study showed that 8 out of 10 people who smoked marijuana also eat apple pie. If we outlaw apple pie we can help reduce the use of illegal drugs!

- Munchies-?? lol

Yeah, I dont see a correlation there. My PIG teacher and my history teacher bring stuff like this up all day, and they are good at it.

Like communism. We were once scared that communist would take over, (not too long after were their allies too) that we out lawed every thing communist. We are scared that drugs will do the same, so we outlaw every thing that can be associated.(DAMN COMMIES!!!lol)

3.14159265358979 + apple = Apple pi

[Lohman446]

How about this, make it legal, regulate it, and tax the hell out of it.

I have NEVER done any illegal drug (that I know of), I have been known to drink once in awhile, and I have smoked on occassion - why do we feel, as a country, the need to regulate everything. I do not beleive in smoking, doing drugs, etc. - however, I beleive the only power the federal government has over this is to regulate its crossing of state lines, and the power to tax it (maybe). The states are another story - let them set laws as need be (though I beleive laws against above used in the privacy of ones own home, without causing a danger to others, may be unconstitutional) Anyways... just a thought, easily ignored... I wish it could be done, but I do not beleive it can.

[845]

The majority of kids who smoke pot at my school do not smoke cigarettes regularly. A lot of them actually look down on it.

[Albinonewt]

Originally posted by PyRo


Yes, if we elimated the supply there would be no more problem. However where there is a demand there will be a supply. How much money are we spending now to "eliminate the supply"? How many drugs are confinscated? Do you really thing that the drugs they find are even one fourth of the amount that is out there? I bet even after the goverment has spent billions of dollars to eliminate the supply there are several pounds of weed on this campus right now, and although ive never seen any I bet there are other drugs around here too.

That's because we really aren't fighting the problem, we just kind of half way fight it. If we got serious and firmly and completely controlled our borders you bet we could wipe out the foreign supply. Keeping tabs on domestic supply would face varying levels of difficulty depending on what you were looking for.

[steveg]

Or you could just dump the whole damn idea of control,
and spend a tiny fraction of that control money on rehab
were wanted or needed , as if anyone actually needed rehab
for MJ.

[SlartyBartFast]

Originally posted by steveg
Or you could just dump the whole damn idea of control,
and spend a tiny fraction of that control money on rehab
were wanted or needed , as if anyone actually needed rehab
for MJ.

As soon as I read that post I was doubtful that it came from an American.:p

It's much the same argument as wondering how the world might have been different if we had spent a few million a year to open schools and hospital is Afganistan and Pakistan. Or, more close to home fighting poverty, illiteracy, and housing, and education issues instead of concentrating more on police strength and jail time.

Rarely is anything black and white. But on the other hand you can't deal with things in a nuanced manner unless average citizens are willing to live up to their responsibilities. Which is unlikely these days. Everything is always someone else's fault.:(

[PyRo]

Actually alot of drugs are made right here. how many kids do you think have weed plants?

[Crighton]

For a while MJ was TN's major cash crop.

[SlartyBartFast]

Originally posted by Crighton
For a while MJ was TN's major cash crop.

Are you sure that wasn't Hemp? Can't smoke hemp. Well, you could but there's no high.

Hemp was once a major cash crop in Canada as well. The anti-MJ crusades killed the hemp market though. hemp can make better paper and clothes than many/most of the natural fibres usually used.

[Crighton]

No not hemp. The actual mind altering THC packing MJ. Its still a major cash crop in TN. Its not legal to farm it but that doesnt stop thousands of people from doing it.