CFN – Marijuana is a cash crop and not a small one; especially here in Canada. The war on drugs has failed at just about every level. It doesn’t really deter. It costs society billions. Essentially what it does is keep a lot of lawyers well paid and our criminal system busy.
Medical Marijuana has become the big buzz word here (pardon the pun), but frankly while the anecdotal evidence is strong enough to warrant proper independent scientific study surely there are many people seeking medical marijuana purely as a legal end around.
Likewise studies have shown negative results for people that started regularly usage at a young age and maintained heavy usage into adulthood.
I can’t say that I blame those folks. Marijuana compared to alcohol or prescription drugs hasn’t led to as many, if any, actual deaths. It might feel if you’re going to die if you get a really good body high; but you won’t. (Damn those brownies!)
The US sadly has beat Canada to the punch. More states are legalizing pot and grabbing the cash. I have mixed feelings on this. Marijauna, especially today’s is harmful. You can see a visible difference in people that use it heavily. It isn’t harmless. Should it be outlawed? No, that clearly isn’t an answer, but it should be controlled, and taxed. That of course is a whole other issue and a complicated one as weed is a cash crop and hard to control for the tax man.
We should communicate that children should not be toking anymore than kids should be downing a six pack of Molson’s after school. And while that may happen, it probably shouldn’t.
Marijuana has been glammified for generations now. For every Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club band there has been crap made too. Today’s weed is not the weed of my youth. I have been told by some people that smoking some strains of today’s week can be liking taking acid back in the 80’s.
With the courts telling the Federal government to lay off those that grow their own medical weed and with commercialization in the US it’s time for Canada to reconsider its position and come up with solutions.
I think Canada really needs to re-classify weed offences to the ticketable types. The days of selective enforcement need to end as does the cost to policing and our over crammed court system. It simply makes no sense.
As for Medical Marijuana. Well if Weed cured cancer I think Bob Marley would still be putting out albums. Are there benefits. I think so, but again we need to separate the medial need with the simple circumvention which has actually retarded the movement forward for Medical Marijuana.
It’s time to remove the hypocritical veil of criminality of Marijuana in our legal system. It’s not going away, but we should be protecting the public and making sure that what they do smoke is as safe as possible and that people know what they are smoking potency wise.
It’s time to let go of the past century and move forward.
What do you think CFN viewers? Do you want to maintain the war on drugs or open things up? You can post your comments below.
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While I do not want to see kids using it,I see it as no different from alcohol or even ciggs. I think that if an adult chooses any of the above, it should be their choice. My husband is a stage 4 prostate cancer, should it go into the bone which it normally does & is extremely painful, I would want him to have pain relief access with marijuana & still be alert with family
“Marijuana compared to alcohol or prescription drugs hasn’t led to as many, if any, actual deaths.” No….tell that to anyone that has had someone killed while driving a car high.
I don’t know what stats there are indicating car accidents by marijuana intoxication but I can’t say that it would be any where near as prevalent as the accidents caused by alcohol. I can honestly say I have never heard of one reported in the news ; it probably still happens though.
Having said that, I still would not want users to be driving while under the influence of pot.
Marijuana whether prescription or not is very dangerous to the brain cells and if Mary’s husband has cancer and wants to alleviate pain then ok give it a try. I don’t see how marijuana will relieve pain nor alcohol. If people are on marijuana or alcohol then they should not operate a vehicle or any kind of machinery. I still don’t see how marijuana can alleviate pain and cancer is terrible to have. My parents had cancer and I know how it is. When I worked in the hospitals in Cornwall as a volunteer in my teenage years I saw so many people die of cancer and I thought that I was some sort of a jinx to see so many people die.
Obviously driving while impaired by any mind altering drug is not only stupid, it is also illegal under the criminal code of Canada. I personally have known at least twenty-five people who died as a result of drunk driving. I don’t know of anyone who died as a result of toking and driving. I’d like to see some credible stats on the subject.
I’m getting the munchies.
Well, first of all, I’d like to state that I am Medical Marijuana Patient, and have been so for a number of years. This is a subject that very quickly brings out the IGNORANCE and DEMONSTRATES THE LACK OF KNOWLEDGE that so many people have . 🙂 I suffer from a number of ailments that cause me to be in constant considerable pain and also cause me to have next to no appetite. The neverending concoctions of meds that have been through my body have done nothing but caused me to age before my time. Instead of having wonderful memories of my children growing up , I have mainly memories of being sick, and unable to be much of anything in their lives, until I started, (under Doctors supervision), to smoke and/or ingest cannabis and/or its derivatives.
I no longer suffer from withdrawls if I forget to take my meds…. I no longer have my head in a bucket vomiting until I can’t anymore…..I am able to participate in my childrens’ schooling and extra-curricular activities … by no means has Marijuana cured my ailments, but it has led me to be able to lead a somewhat normal life. To say that the medicine today is much stronger is definitely an understatement, but that being said, there are so many different strains that are available, it all depends on what a person needs. I absolutely agree with the fact that it is not good for our children….their brains are still growing….but, I am not so sure that any of the other “MEDS” that we feed our young ones are any safer. (SIDE EFFECTS) (DRY MOUTH AND THE MUNCHIES) Our beloved Canada is a step or two behind the USA on this subject and a whole lot more behind some of the other Pro-Pot nations.
The fact that some people still believe that it is comparable to and should be classified the same as “STREET DRUGS” is just absurd! Health Canada “MUST” reschedule CANNABIS as a useful medication so that it is accessible and AFFORDABLE! The CRIMINAL ELEMENT would be GONE!!!!! And if Bob Marley were still alive today …. I imagine that he would have tried some of the RICK SIMPSON OIL that is miraculously being proven to fight cancer cells and shrink tumors all over the world.
Mary Bray I am very sorry to hear about your husband having prostrate cancer and I watched my parents deteriorate and die of that horrible disease and we lost a good friend a few years ago to lymphoma. I have watched so many people die in the hospitals in Cornwall while a volunteer and know that it is a mighty horrible thing to go through. It sure isn’t easy seeing that especially when it hits home. I realize why your husband wants to use it to be able to be with the family but I don’t know what good it really does for the body for pain unless they become intoxicated like what alcohol does. It must have something to do with the pain censors in the brain.
I’m not sure where you get your information, but it seems to be less from independent scientific study and almost exclusively from governmental propaganda sources. It’s telling where your logic is that if cannabis was a medicine then Bob Marley would still be alive…how many people will die this very hour while on doctor administered, federally approved prescription medicine!? Use a little logic, please!
I am a 41yr old medical marijuana advocate. I was born and raised in Cornwall. Let me start by saying the majority of older people that live there are closed minded, condicending, trapped in time and more worried about their family image and what their neighbours think. I am not sure where you gathered your information from but you have been seriously misinformed. Studies, research & EVOLUTION speak in volumes to disprove your theory. Bury your uneducated ways with the “Lost Villages”. Feel free to contact me if you are serious about learning all of the benefits of marijuana.
Jamie, You state in your article that “Marijuana, especially today’s is harmful. You can see a visible difference in people that use it heavily. It isn’t harmless”.
You are wrong!! It is harmless!! It sure will not kill you like a bunch of those Molson’s being downed everyday of the week! I have been using cannabis “marijuana” user everyday for nearly eight years and I still have my health and smarts!! Further more you also state “Well if Weed cured cancer I think Bob Marley would still be putting out albums. Are there benefits. I think so, but again we need to separate the medial need with the simple circumvention which has actually retarded the movement forward for Medical Marijuana.
Jamie have you seriously done your research? Apparently you have not!! So what do you think is really going on with this movement? Do you think it’s just a bunch of pot heads who one day said oh we are going to challenge the federal government today? No again if you had done any sort of research at all I am sure your biased article would have given a much different prospective. Now you also stated “It’s time to remove the hypocritical veil of criminality of Marijuana in our legal system. It’s not going away, but we should be protecting the public and making sure that what they do smoke is as safe as possible and that people know what they are smoking potency wise”.
Jamie I do however agree that that it is very much time to remove the hypocritical veil of criminality of cannabis “Marijuana” how ever I do not agree that the government is going to make sure that it is 100% safe for the public to purchase say at a corner store. No cannabis is safe as it is with out the government goons spraying Monsanto’s chemicals all over the plants like tobacco!
Jamie as for taxing it your absolutely right because the government is not going to come to your house and start taxing you for herbs you grow in your window or even the vegetable garden in your back yard. I could honestly see Stephen Harper trying this if he manages to stay in office which I sure as heck hope does not!
Now the commenters here have definitely not done any research at all which is so painfully obvious. Mary Bray’s story is proof the cannabis works! There are other stories as well as studies that back each other up in the cure to cancer with a regular regiment as edibles and a strict healthy diet! As for the pain sufferers depending on the genetics of the plant genetics can be combined to create a strain that will work better than the harsh oxycodone, morphine and percocets that are very harmful to your body as well as highly addictive. Those three pharmaceuticals I just mentioned again are highly addictive where cannabis is not. Sure some of you may argue that fact but again I have been smoking everyday for almost eight years till last year I had to cut back due to financial reasons and I am the same person I was before I started smoking cannabis more frequently. I too suffer from ailments that I find cannabis use is actually beneficial. Please folks you all need to stop listening to all the hype that cannabis is bad and actually do your research before commenting on something you clearly know nothing about other than what the Progressive Conservatives have led you to believe!
For those who say marijuana doesn’t kill….try telling that to parents of kids who have been killed by high drivers. There have been numerous cases. So, please don’t say it doesn’t happen. There was a case a few years ago of four teens driving home from their grad. They all died. The autoposies revealed they were all high at the time of the crash.
The active psychotropic ingredient in cannabis, Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), can be detected in the body for weeks after it has been ingested, long after the affects have worn off. It’s pretty much impossible to prove that a person was “high” at any particular time.
Furtz a lot of meds are made from marijuana and hashish – it is a base to make many different kinds. If a person is a user of a drug then if they get really sick then the drugs that the doctor will prescribe will not work because they no longer have an affect on them. You have to take that into consideration as well.
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I hope you’re not trying to say people don’t drive high.
Hugger1 I do not think your getting you information straight! You state that there have been numerous cases of people who have killed by a “high” driver in a collision. you’ve only stated one case that neither I nor anyone else has heard of! I have done my homework on this and the answer is zero “0”! Yes you are reading this correctly there have been zero “0” that is right absolutely zero “0” reported deaths resulting from a collision caused by any driver under the influence of Cannabis “Marijuana”. I personally would like to know where you’ve obtained this information from Hugger1. Because your theory of Cannabis killing people is completely out the window! Please I ask of you to back up you claim by providing us the details such as newspaper articles, obituaries and anything else to back up your absurd claim! I and many others would love to see your proof!
Please again folks I can not stress this enough do your research because uneducated comments are of no help to any claim!!
I would not call Hugger’s comments uneducated at all. Hugger and I disagree on many things but this man is educated and intelligent and both of us know of accidents that have gone unreported because of people driving under the influence of marijuana. There was a man that my husband and I once knew (now deceased) who drove taxi and lost control of his vehicle. Somebody else was in the vehicle at the time that it happened and managed to take control of the wheel. Many accidents happen here in Ottawa and the driver escapes from the scene. Again Hugger and I differ in many topics but is a very intelligent man.
Hugger, of course there are people who drive while “high”. But as I said above, it’s almost impossible to prove in a court of law. Someone who smokes a joint at home on a Friday night will still test positive weeks later when they are completely “straight” and unimpaired. How difficult is that to comprehend?
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Dan et al. The case I referred to happened perhaps four or five years ago outside Ottawa. There have been other cases as well. But I have better things to do than research deaths caused by high drivers to prove a point. As Furtz said someone can test positive weeks after smoking weed. If you need proof of people driving high just watch “Cops” or “Border Security.”
Jules….thanks for the backup. It isn’t too hard a concept to grasp that if people are driving drunk then people are driving after using weed or cocaine. Thus if drunk drivers are killing people people driving under the influence of weed or cocaine are also killing people.
Furtz…no it is not a hard concept to comprehend. It’s time people realized driving with ANY impairment can have deadly consequences.
Furtz is right, and negates Dan’s point of “zero” reported deaths from crashes involving stoners. Until there is a viable method of measuring cannabis impairment at the roadside like we can do with alcohol, there is technically no way to point the finger in court at being too high to drive. In reality stoners are crashing their cars just like people who are too tired to drive, on other medications etc. Best to drive defensively and assume the worst of other drivers on the road. I teach my kids that every other driver is a potential threat to your life.
LMAO!!! Wow really your comparing tv shows to real life! Most of those you see on Cops are high no doubt but they are high on on things much stronger than Cannabis like meth for example. As for border security they are only seizing inadmissible items from coming across the border sure some of them may have been high on something. But really in all honesty what do those television shows prove? Noting at all! Those shows never to my knowledge proved that these people have killed any one while under the influence of Cannabis “Marijuana”. You must be running out of ideas to throw at me since you do not want to completely prove your claim. Hey that is fine because it just proves my point even though there are studies that state there have been zero “0” deaths related to Cannabis “Marijuana” whether it be motor vehicle or over dose. The numbers are there and just a Google search away!
Merry Christmas
Oh Please… you actually believe that no one has ever been killed by a high driver?
The problem with “studies” as my dad used to say is that they’re not worth the paper they’re printed on. “Studies” have a very limited base of research. That meaning very few people are interviewed or “studied.” It is unrealistic to assume that no one has ever been killed by a high driver. It isn’t too hard a concept to grasp that if people are driving illegally drunk then people are driving illegally after using weed or cocaine. Thus if drunk drivers are killing people people driving under the influence of weed or cocaine are also killing people.
That’s pretty funny, Hugger. It’s garbage shows like “Cops” and “Border Security” that keep me from owning a TV.
I’d like to see some credible stats.
Hugger, the pro-pot crowd will argue all through the night that it is a God-created, magical cure-all and we’re all stupid for not smoking it just like the anti-pot crowd will rail long and hard about it being a “gateway drug” that will leave us drooling and robbing to get our fix.
Like I said “The problem with “studies” as my dad used to say is that they’re not worth the paper they’re printed on. “Studies” have a very limited base of research. That meaning very few people are interviewed or “studied.” It is unrealistic to assume that no one has ever been killed by a high driver. It isn’t too hard a concept to grasp that if people are driving illegally drunk then people are driving illegally after using weed or cocaine. Thus if drunk drivers are killing people people driving under the influence of weed or cocaine are also killing people.” Is it that hard to understand?
Greg Reynolds….I’ve come to realize that. Some causes are lost due to this. I don’t mind intelligent debate. But when people say a high driver has never killed anyone because “studies” say so that thinking just has to be challenged.
Hugger, are you really saying that all studies (research) and scientifically reached conclusions are useless? We should rely on “reality” TV shows for our information? You’re starting to sound like Stephen Harper.
Furtz, let’s get real. What I said was that studies have a very limited base of research. In no way did I imply that we should rely on so called “reality shows.” The true numbers are never truly known as not everything gets reported or counted.
Hugger, you said “The problem with “studies” as my dad used to say is that they’re not worth the paper they’re printed on.” Pretty hard to misinterpret that. Then you went on to say “If you need proof of people driving high just watch “Cops” or “Border Security”.”
Were you just joking when you posted those statements?
My point in referencing those two “reality shows” was to showthat people do drive high, nothing else.
And please do not compare me to Stephen Harper. That is a insult, even below the belt.
As for “The problem with “studies” as my dad used to say is that they’re not worth the paper they’re printed on.”….I find most studies use too narrow a base for proper studying. A lot of “studies” results can and are spun in differet directions depending on how the numbers obtained are needed.
Don’t stop now Hugger. Yer on a roll! Time to shut down all the universities and put an end to all the stupid studies and research. It’s all bogus, after all.
Carry on.
So let,s not get bogged down with the validity of studies or whether reality shows are real or scripted. It certainly is possible that a driver high on cannabis has caused injury to him/her self and/or others. It is a matter of record that drunk driving has taken lives.
More importantly it is a fact that distracted driving has now reached the #1 spot for deaths on the road ahead of drunk driving.
Yet a fine is the consequence for distracted driving. Loss of your license is generally the result for drunk driving.
Do you think we have that right!
Well I have been blocked here many times for speaking the truth in a blunt and politically incorrect manner – so let’s see if this one gets through.
I am very close to the end of a military career as a soldier and pilot.
Do you want to get on board a plane with a pilot with residual “not harmful” marijuana? All you drivers out there that are so smart and so knowledgeable – no test for this stuff yet – but when it happens watch your rights go even lower on the OPP scale of justice.
You want your kids on a school bus with someone using it?
When I am in a gunfight in A’Stan I want my people aware.
When I am on the operating table I want my doctor aware.
Today’s attitude is – I can drive and smoke, I can do anything and smoke this stuff.
Do it where I am requiring your full attention and I can guarantee you that most if not all my guys will do the policing (forgive that pun) for me – in fact you might want me there before your kneecap is broken.
Anyone who says this stuff is harmless has never picked up the pieces – and death in the field or on the road is not clinical like a hospital – pieces is both a literal and practical term.
Smoke – weed heads – yeah you will likely move onto other stuff – we catch you in our outfit you will leave – and be missing some teeth at best. Our lives depend upon you being 100% – so do the lives of others.
Smoke – you are not at 100% – you are way down the line.
David Oldham….it’s a never ending chase when it comes to impaired driving / distracted driving. I know this is a little off topic but I’d like to see something done about distracted walking (walking while texting / talking on your cell phone.) Go to downtown Ottawa and watch how many walk through red lights and either get hit by cars or almost hit by cars. Oh, we can add walking into posts top for distracted walking.
BrazoZulu…you weren’t blocked, you were “moderated”, there is a difference. Admin has terms of use you agree to when you comment. If your comments don’t fit into the agreed terms of use your comments will not appear. Most, if not all of us, have had comments not appear due to a variety of reasons. But I do agree 100% with your comments.
May I remind people that when Stage 4 cancer patients get to needing marijuana to alleviate pain for bone cancer that they are well past being able to drive,just pure release from pain without the zombie effects of Demerol or stronger pain relief
Hugger, is people dieing from driving while high the only drum you have? It sure seems like it because you’re pounding it so loud you can’t hear anything else. People can die while driving on any intoxicating substance. Mainly alcohol. Also, no one who is an advocate for marijuana says that driving high is acceptable. You are useing teens as an example of driving while high. I’m sorry but teens are not known for making very good choices be it high driving or the many many deaths from drunk driving as well as texting and driving. So yes you can even die from driving while texting.
Mary I don’t know how your husband can tolerate that kind of pain. I don’t see how marijuana can help that kind of pain at all. My husband’s niece in Australia has type 1 diabetes (born with it) and then about 10 years ago contracted bone cancer on the shoulder. She is the eldest girl 40 years old and does not drive a car nor does she take drugs but always has pains in the back as well. We are all worried about her. Vicki gets driven around by her sisters. My brother in law (her father) had a stroke 3 years ago and they never told my husband about it. He lost his hearing and is also diabetic and gave up driving altogether. Mary your husband is in my prayers – the pain is way too much to bear. I watched my parents suffer through all that as well as when I was a teenager volunteering in the hospitals I never saw so many deaths – cancer is like a crab like Dr. Ralph Randlett used to say where I spreads. We watched many friends pass away as well. All the best to you Mary.
Bravo Zulu I am the one with the most comments that did not appear on CFN ask Jamie. Most of my comments are not here even though they are good. Jamie moderates me more than anyone else and puts his head in his hands and yells out “oh no not Jules again” and even his dogs and cats got to know my name by now around the house. LOL LOL. ROLF!
Jerry….where did I say people only die from driving high? I know that ANY intoxicating substance can lead to deadly consequences. Texting seems to be the new thing that is killing people before their time is up. I saw an ad today (& before) that said you are 27 times as likely to die from texting as compared to being intoxicated. Yes, teens, at times, hve been known to make bad choices, as do any other segment of the population.
I thought this topic was going to go away, as I was done with it when I last posted.
@ BravoZulu. Pot still preferred drug in Canadian army, while cocaine gains ground. Interesting report here…
http://www.nationalnewswatch.com/2014/12/21/pot-still-preferred-drug-in-canadian-army-while-cocaine-gains-ground-report/#.VJbs0v8JMKB