Legalizing Marijuana - Useful Plant, Government wants extinct

Posted on: Helium I have been following the debate of legalization of marijuana ever since my return from living in Europe for 4 years. The history of Marijuana is long and distinguished. It has been around for centuries and has been used for Spirtiual, medical, industrial and yes recreational use. As a previous frequent user of Marijuana I was very confused on the reason it was illegal her in the United States. As a recovering Alcoholic I am confused on why alcohol is legal, and as a tobacco user I am even more confused why tobacco is legal. While thinking about these issues I have done a lot of research on these issues. The first thing that is said to me when ever I discuss the problem with Alcohol and the legalization of Marijuana is always, "We tried making Alcohol illegal once and it didn't work" My answer is always, Marijuana has had laws against it here in the US since 1937, recent studies have shown that 41% of adults have used marijuana at some time in their life. Alcohol prohibition was not sucessful because the american public ignored the law and people were getting put into jail for something they believed they should be allowed to do. Last year there were over 800 thousand people arrested and jailed for non-violent marijuana crimes. I believe that would beat any records set during Alcohol Prohibition. adparams.getadspec('c_billboard1'); During my drinking days I can not count the amount of fights I had in bars, how many morning I couldn't get to work because I woke up sick and hungover, and yes I was taken to the hospital for Alcohol poisoning twice. During my Marijuana days I never fought, never missed work and as far as I can find in my research no one has ever had to go to the hospital for Overdose of Marijuana. I am not saying that the government should make alcohol illegal but comparing the two drugs I do believe the Government has it backwards at the moment. Another issue I have that is because of the current marijuana laws this also makes Hemp illegal. Hemp is a great product for industrial use. At this current time the US can not produce Hemp products but that does not stop us from importing Hemp Products. Mercedes Benz has used Hemp for parts of their cars such as Dashboards. Henry Ford had an image that some day he would be able to make a car of plastic "grown from the ground" this was a plastic made from industrial Hemp. At one point in American History American farmers were ordered to grow Hemp and all ropes used in the US Navy was made from Hemp. Hemp is a strong fiber that last longer than any other natural fiber. The final reason that I have turned up in my research on Marijuana is medical reasons. Since federal law does not allow for private research of marijuana's medical benefits the only research that gets done is to prove how bad marijuana is. Fortunatly there are studies done out side of the US that prove benefits of Medical Marijuana. One study that I have looked into a lot was the study on marijuana causing cancer. There have been a lot of studies trying to prove that marijuana increases the chance of getting cancer. One study's final report was that Smokers that also smoked Marijuana were actually shown less likely to get lung cancer since the canniboids increase blood flow to clear the toxins in tobacco. This research was not funded by the government after the report was written. A newer research project was found that smoking marijuana actually helped reduce the size of tumors in the brain. Fox News reported a couple of weeks ago that Marijuana also assists in the recovery and helps stop the spread of breast cancer. I remember hearing a story about a doctor that worked with AIDS patients and realized that patients that used marijuana were living longer with the disease. He asked the Government to research this and they turned him down four years in a row. The fifth year he said he wanted to research the idea that Marijuana destroys the immune system faster if the patient smokes marijuana, he got the grant. Of course his research proved that Marijuana helps with AIDS wasting disease and does not effect the immune system. His grant was denied for renewal. The US government is suppose to be the voice of the public they are suppose to make decisions that make the US a better place. This is a government that is being told by national organizations that Marijuana is relativly safe and can be used for Industrial and Medical use and is not that dangerous when used for recreational use. Unfortunatly the US governement is not paying attention to the public when all polls in the past 2 years have shown 60-70% of Americans want Marijuana legalized for Medical Use. Instead our taxes are being used to pay a Governement agency to make a great plant extinct.

Medical Marijuana Endorsements and Statements of Support

Found at VMMA The following is a representative sample of the large number of medical practitioners and organizations who have publicly stated their support for medical access to marijuana or their opposition to criminal penalties for medical marijuana users. “[T]he Leukemia & Lymphoma Society supports legislation to remove criminal and civil sanctions for the doctor-advised, medical use of marijuana by patients with serious physical medical conditions...[the] Leukemia & Lymphoma Society strongly urge that in a state where patients are permitted to use marijuana medicinally for serious and/or chronic illnesses and a patient's physician has recommended its use in accordance with that state's law and that state’s medical practice standards, the patient should not be subject to federal criminal penalties for such medical use.” —Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, July 2007 "[A] federal policy that prohibits physicians from alleviating suffering by prescribing marijuana for seriously ill patients is misguided, heavy-handed, and inhumane." —Dr. Jerome Kassirer, "Federal Foolishness and Marijuana," editorial, New England Journal of Medicine, January 30, 1997 "[The AAFP accepts the use of medical marijuana] under medical supervision and control for specific medical indications." —American Academy of Family Physicians, 1989, reaffirmed in 2001 "Approved medical uses for marijuana or [THC] for treatment of glaucoma, illnesses associated with wasting such as AIDS, the emesis associated with chemotherapy, or other uses … should be administered only under the supervision of a knowledgeable physician." —American Society of Addiction Medicine, April 16, 1997 "[We] recommend … allow[ing] [marijuana] prescription where medically appropriate." —National Association for Public Health Policy, November 15, 1998 "[AAHIVM supports] state and federal legislation not only to remove criminal penalties associated with medical marijuana, but further to exclude marijuana/cannabis from classification as a Schedule I drug." —American Academy of HIV Medicine, November 11, 2003 "Therefore be it resolved that the American Nurses Association will: … Support the right of patients to have safe access to therapeutic marijuana/cannabis under appropriate prescriber supervision." —American Nurses Association, resolution, 2003 "The National Nurses Society on Addictions urges the federal government to remove marijuana from the Schedule I category immediately, and make it available for physicians to prescribe. NNSA urges the American Nurses' Association and other health care professional organizations to support patient access to this medicine." —National Nurses Society on Addictions, May 1, 1995 "[M]arijuana has an extremely wide acute margin of safety for use under medical supervision and cannot cause lethal reactions … [G]reater harm is caused by the legal consequences of its prohibition than possible risks of medicinal use." —American Public Health Association, Resolution #9513, "Access to Therapeutic Marijuana/Cannabis," 1995 "When appropriately prescribed and monitored, marijuana/cannabis can provide immeasurable benefits for the health and well-being of our patients … We support state and federal legislation not only to remove criminal penalties associated with medical marijuana, but further to exclude marijuana/cannabis from classification as a Schedule I drug." —American Academy of HIV Medicine, letter to New York Assemblyman Richard Gottfried, November 11, 2003 "[The LFA] urges Congress and the President to enact legislation to reschedule marijuana to allow doctors to prescribe smokable marijuana to patients in need … [and] urges the US Public Health Service to allow limited access to medicinal marijuana by promptly reopening the Investigational New Drug compassionate access program to new applicants." —Lymphoma Foundation of America, January 20, 1997 "The American Medical Student Association strongly urges the United States Government … to reschedule marijuana to Schedule II of the Controlled Substance Act, and … end the medical prohibition against marijuana." —American Medical Students Association, March 1993 "[T]he use of marijuana may be appropriate when prescribed by a licensed physician solely for use in alleviating pain and nausea in patients …" —The Medical Society of the State of New York, May 3, 2004 "[T]here is sufficient evidence for us to support any physician-patient relationship that believes the use of marijuana will be beneficial to the patient." —Rhode Island Medical Society, 2004 “[The] CMA continue to support scientifically rigorous research, including all FDA-approved Phase II and Phase III clinical trials and examine the current science concerning the therapeutic role of cannabinoid-based pharmaceuticals” “[The] CMA continue to support the ability of physicians to discuss and make recommendations concerning the potential benefits or harm to the patient of smoked herbal cannabis consistent with state and federal law and oppose criminal prosecution of patients who possess or use smoked herbal cannabis for medical reasons upon the recommendation of a physician” —California Medical Association, October 30, 2006 "Marijuana has proven to be effective in the treatment of people with HIV/AIDS, multiple sclerosis, cancer, and those suffering from severe pain or nausea … The legalization of medical marijuana would be a step forward for the health of all New Yorkers." —New York State Association of County Health Officials, resolution, 2003 "The SFMS takes a support position on the California Medical Marijuana Initiative [legalizing medical marijuana]." —San Francisco Medical Society, August 1996 "Present evidence indicates that [cannabinoids] are remarkably safe drugs, with a side-effects profile superior to many drugs used for the same indications…" —British Medical Association, November 1997 "[We] support pharmacy participation in the legal distribution of medical marijuana." —California Pharmacists Association, May 26, 1997 "We think people who use cannabis to relieve the pain of arthritis should be able to do so." —Arthritis Research Campaign, October 23, 2001 "The evidence is overwhelming that marijuana can relieve certain types of pain, nausea, vomiting and other symptoms caused by illnesses like multiple sclerosis, cancer and AIDS — or by the harsh drugs sometimes used to treat them. And it can do so with remarkable safety. Indeed, marijuana is less toxic than many of the drugs that physicians prescribe every day." —Former U.S. Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders, M.D., "Myths About Medical Marijuana," Providence Journal, March 26, 2004 "We must make sure that the casualties of the war on drugs are not suffering patients who legitimately deserve relief." —Scott Fishman, president of the American Academy of Pain Medicine, February 2006 "It [medical marijuana] should be an option for patients who have it recommended by knowledgeable physicians." —Dr. Jesse L. Steinfeld, former U.S. Surgeon General, July 2003 "Whitman-Walker Clinic supports the valid use of marijuana, under a physician's supervision, to help alleviate AIDS wasting syndrome and nausea associated with treatment regimes." —Whitman-Walker Clinic, April 1998 "[I]t cannot seriously be contested that there exists a small but significant class of individuals who suffer from painful chronic, degenerative, and terminal conditions, for whom marijuana provides uniquely effective relief." —HIV Medicine Association of the Infectious Diseases Society of America; American Medical Students Association; Lymphoma Foundation of America; Dr. Barbara Roberts; and Irvin Rosenfeld, Amicus Curiae brief filed in the U.S. Supreme Court (in the case of Gonzales v. Raich), October 2004 "Marijuana, in its natural form, is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known … The evidence in this record clearly shows that marijuana has been accepted as capable of relieving the distress of great numbers of very ill people, and doing so with safety under medical supervision. It would be unreasonable, arbitrary and capricious for DEA to continue to stand between those sufferers and the benefits of this substance." —Francis L. Young, DEA Chief Administrative Law Judge, 1988 "[The American Bar Association] recognizes that persons who suffer from serious illnesses for which marijuana has a medically recognized therapeutic value have a right to be treated with marijuana under the supervision of a physician." —American Bar Association, May 4, 1998 "I consider the most important recommendation made by the IOM (Institute of Medicine) panel [to be] that physicians be able to prescribe marijuana to individual patients with debilitating or terminal conditions … I believe such compassionate use is justified." —Andrew Weil, M.D., July 1999 "Cannabinoids and THC also have strong pain-killing powers, which is one reason medical marijuana should be readily available to people with cancer and other debilitating diseases." —Dean Edell, M.D., March 2, 2000 "I'm an oncologist as well as an AIDS doctor, and I don't think that a drug that creates euphoria in patients with terminal diseases is having an adverse effect." —Dr. Donald Abrams, 2005 "Cannabis will one day be seen as a wonder drug, as was penicillin in the 1940s. Like penicillin, herbal marijuana is remarkably nontoxic, has a wide range of therapeutic applications and would be quite inexpensive if it were legal." —Dr. Lester Grinspoon, professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, Los Angeles Times, May 5, 2006 “In states where patients are permitted to use marijuana medicinally for serious and/or chronic illnesses and a patient's physician has recommended its use in accordance with that state law and that state’s medical practice standards, the patient should not be subject to federal criminal penalties for such medical use.” “Well-designed and scientifically rigorous research, including all FDA-approved Phase II and Phase III clinical trials that lead to investigation into the potential therapeutic role and commercial licensure of prescription marijuana should be encouraged, and that production facilities that meet all regulatory requirements should be licensed by the DEA to produce pharmaceutical-grade marijuana for use exclusively in federally approved research.” — HIV Medicine Association, October 30, 2006 “Not everybody needs marijuana for medical illness. But for those who really do, it’s very helpful. As more and more states are taking medical marijuana – New Mexico just did it the other day – eventually it will just be overwhelming. And it will happen. But I’m shocked that it’s taken this long.” — Dr. Thomas Ungerleider, Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry at UCLA and member of President Nixon’s National Commission on Marijuana and Drug Abuse, “3rd Degree,” interview, LA City Beat, March 29, 2007 “[T]he American Association for Social Psychiatry supports full legal status for states to implement their own doctor-advised, medical marijuana programs for patients with serious physical medical conditions…[T]he American Association for Social Psychiatry strongly urge that in a state where patients are permitted to use marijuana medicinally for serious and/or chronic illnesses and a patient's physician has recommended its use in accordance with that state's law and that state’s medical practice standards, the patient should not be subject to federal criminal penalties for such medical use.” —American Association for Social Psychiatry, May 20, 2007 “Overall, by comparison with other drugs used mainly for ‘recreational’ purposes, cannabis could be rated to be a relatively safe drug … In contrast, cannabis might have beneficial effects in some medical indications … It seems likely that medicinal cannabis will re-enter the pharmacopeia.” —Leslie Iversen, pharmacologist at Oxford University and member of the British government’s Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, “Long-tem effects of exposure to cannabis,” Current Opinion in Pharmacology, 2005 “Cannabinoids, the active components of cannabis sativa and their derivatives … exert palliative effects in patients with cancer and inhibit tumour growth in laboratory animals.” —Manuel Guzman, associate professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at Complutense University, Madrid, Spain, “Cannabinoids: Potential Anti-Cancer Agents,” Nature Reviews – Cancer, October 2003 “54% of oncologists favor the controlled medical availability of marijuana, and 44% have advised at least one of their cancer patients to obtain marijuana illegally.” —Doblin/Kleiman (Harvard University) scientifically valid, random survey of oncologists, Journal of Clinical Oncology, 1990 “I have spent my entire career in search of more effective treatments for this awful disease [amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, aka Lou Gehrig’s disease)]. We have now found that the cannabinoids, the active ingredients in medical marijuana, work remarkably well in controlling the clinical symptoms of ALS. Even more exciting is that we are now discovering that the cannabinoids actually protect nerve cells and may prolong the life of patients with ALS.” —Testimony of Greg Carter, M.D., Clinical Professor of Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine and Co-Director, Muscular Dystrophy Association clinics and the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Research Center, submitted to Illinois Senate Public Health Committee, March 2007 DD

Trust in the FDA???

Do you trust the FDA? This is what the FDA has reported on Medical Marijuana:

A growing number of states have passed voter referenda (or legislative actions) making smoked marijuana available for a variety of medical conditions upon a doctor's recommendation. These measures are inconsistent with efforts to ensure that medications undergo the rigorous scientific scrutiny of the FDA approval process and are proven safe and effective under the standards of the FD&C Act. Accordingly, FDA, as the federal agency responsible for reviewing the safety and efficacy of drugs, DEA as the federal agency charged with enforcing the CSA, and the Office of National Drug Control Policy, as the federal coordinator of drug control policy, do not support the use of smoked marijuana for medical purposes.

Here is a list of Medications the FDA has Approved, surprisingly most of these are still getting perscribed and some even to children: VIOXX - cause heartburn, nausea, diarrhea, upper respiratory tract infection, swelling of the lower extremities, high blood pressure, itching, stomach ulcers or bleeding, fatigue, vomiting, dark urine, and black stools. Additionally, recent studies have also linked VIOXX to an increased risk of heart attack and stroke. Bextra - can cause a number of serious side effects, from stomach bleeding to upper respiratory infection Celebrex - has been linked to at least 10 deaths, 11 cases of gastrointestinal bleeding that required hospitalization, and an increased risk of stomach ulcers. Celebrex can increase or double users' risk of blood clots, heart attack, and stroke. Crestor - has been linked to a slew of serious health problems, ranging from muscle weakness and asthenia to kidney damage and total renal failure. Baycol - it was also linked to at least 31 deaths in the United States and more than 52 worldwide. It has also been said to cause rhabdomyolysis, a typically non life-threatening but nonetheless serious muscle ailment that puts undue stress on the kidneys. Symptoms of rhabdomyolysis include fatigue, muscle pain, joint pain, dark urine, nausea, and other discomforts. Viagra and Cialis - possibility of heart attack, sudden death due to cardiac complications, hypertension, and priapism, a serious disorder requiring immediate medical attention in which a man develops a painful and prolonged erection. Risperdal - has been linked not only to type 2 diabetes, but to hyperglycemia, other blood sugar disorders, and pancreatitis—a dangerous inflammation of the pancreas. Seroquel - is linked not only to type 2 diabetes, but to hyperglycemia, other blood sugar disorders, and pancreatitis – an inflammation of the pancreas. Adderall - the occurrence of heart attacks, high blood pressure and other cardiovascular complications that may result in sudden death. The FDA report cites 51 deaths Ritalin - may pose serious health risks including heart attack, stroke, high blood pressure, and other potentially fatal cardiovascular problems. The report finds that 51 deaths These are just some of the Medications with Dangerous side affects that the FDA has approved.

New Advocacy Organization is Born

One issue being a Disabled Veteran is that my Medical Doctors work for the federal government. Even if Medical Marijuana is made legal in my state, I will not benefit because my doctors will not be allowed to prescribe it. I am not alone, If you are a Veteran or support those that have given so much for their country please check it out. Veterans For Medical Marijuana

Marijuana is not the Gateway Drug

The myth of the gateway drug has been determined not by statistics that are incorrect but by the wrong statistics. The Partnership for a Drug-Free America, in cooperation with the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the White House Office of Drug Control Policy released the "Gateway Drug" theory as a campaign against Marijuana. They state that marijuana users are 85 times more likely than non-marijuana users to try cocaine. We need to look at how they came up with this Statistic. The National Household Survey on Drug Abuse taken in 1991 is useless when it comes to the statistic on Marijuana users likelihood of using "Hard" drugs. It was calculated by dividing the proportion of marijuana users who have ever used cocaine (17%) by the proportion of cocaine users who have never used marijuana (.2%). The high risk-factor obtained is a product not of the fact that so many marijuana users use cocaine but that so many cocaine users used marijuana previously. When you think about it, Marijuana is the most common illicit drug for many decades so chances are that a user of a less popular drug has tried a more popular drug. This goes for even more popular drugs as well, for example most cocaine users also smoke cigarettes and drink alcohol. Now my opinion on legalization of marijuana will also cut down on use of other drugs. I do believe that there are a lot of users that started off with Marijuana and because of the way they have to go about getting marijuana they come in contact with hard drugs like cocaine and heroin. Because of my stance on Marijuana but do not have experience with it illegally I have talked to a few people in the Marijuana crowd. I have heard certain things that encourage my belief that legalization of the substance. I was talking to a Marijuana dealer. He was explaining to me that he loves dealing with marijuana because he has never had to deal with weapons when taking the product to his customers. He does however deal with other substances where weapons were required and shown as a threat. When he is dealing with customers of the other substances he is always worried about it "going bad" He also told me that when ever he deals with his marijuana customers he offers them the high profit drugs. If a marijuana user was able to buy this substance legally they would not be put in the situation that they are being offered harder drugs.

Quotes of Marijuana History

This is fun... I really like looking into this it lets you know how some of our misconceptions in the history of the USA. My first Quote, this is probably the most important quote I have seen in my research. 1."Mr. Speaker, what is this bill about?" To which Speaker Rayburn replied, "I don't know. It has something to do with a thing called marihuana. I think it's a narcotic of some kind." "Mr. Speaker, does the American Medical Association support this bill?" "Their Doctor Wentworth came down here. They support this bill 100 percent." The above quotes are the only thing that was said when the bill was brought up on the floor of Congress in 1937. The amazing thing is look at the Doctors name used. Who testified for the American Medical Association? 2. This leads me to go backwards in time. There was one testimony from the American Medical Association before it was passed up to Congress. That was made by Dr. William C. Woodward, both a lawyer and a doctor and at the time was Chief Counsel to the American Medical Association. His Testimony, "The American Medical Association knows of no evidence that marihuana is a dangerous drug." Immediately one of the Congressmen said, "Doctor, if you can't say something good about what we are trying to do, why don't you go home?" The next Congressman said, "Doctor, if you haven't got something better to say than that, we are sick of hearing you." So far we now have what was debated when the bill was sent to Congress and the testimony to get the bill to Congress. I wonder why was the bill Created? Lets go a little farther into the past. 3. I want to take a step a little farther in time to see why the bill was being taken up. in the early 1900's there was a large influx of Mexican Americans coming into the western states. Around the time the Great Depression started there was a large battle between the small farms and the large farms that would hire Mexican Americans at a low cost of labor. The western states needed to decrease the amount of low cost labor for the bigger farms so the smaller farms could compete again. The only difference that could be found was the amount of marijuana use among the mexican workers. "When some beet field peon takes a few traces of this stuff... he thinks he has just been elected president of Mexico, so he starts out to execute all his political enemies." In Texas, a senator said on the floor of the Senate: "All Mexicans are crazy, and this stuff [marijuana] is what makes them crazy." As the proponent of Montana's first marijuana law said, "Give one of these Mexican beet field workers a couple of puffs on a marijuana cigarette and he thinks he is in the bullring at Barcelona." This is how most of the states decided to fight the use of marijuana. 4. As you know the North East has never had a vast majority of Mexican American's. That was not an issue even back in the early 1900's. Therefore there had to be another reason that The north east would jump on the band-wagon for fighting Marijuana. The New York Times in an editorial in 1919 said, "No one here in New York uses this drug marijuana. We have only just heard about it from down in the Southwest, But, we had better prohibit its use before it gets here. Otherwise all the heroin and hard narcotics addicts cut off from their drug by the Harrison Act and all the alcohol drinkers cut off from their drug by 1919 alcohol Prohibition will substitute this new and unknown drug marijuana for the drugs they used to use." So as you can see Racism of the Mexican community has had a large influence on Marijuana Prohibition. If the American Medical Association of the time says things like the AMA, "knows of no evidence that marihuana is a dangerous drug." Why did it become illegal and why haven't the correct studies been completed on Marijuana. Marijuana should be tested and evaluated the same way that all medications are. But then again how many times have I been taken off medication that was approved by the FDA but later found out that it was more damaging than helpful.

Legal in Denver... Feds Stay out

Pain or Addiction?

I have heard before that a doctor is responsible for risk management when it comes to prescriptions and finding the best cure for the issue. I am disabled and deal with a lot of pain though the day. From morning to night I feel pain. I spent 2 years on prescription pain killers for my pain. I loved it. When you deal with pain you feel tiered real fast and do not want to do much though the day because it causes more pain. My drug of choice is Vicodin. One of the warnings was it would cause drowsiness. I believe it probably would but it works so good for the pain that I actually have energy from not dealing with pain. Now after 2 years on a single drug you get a dependence on the drug. I took myself off of it and after a few months I realized that The pain sucks and went to the doctor for something for the pain better than Motrin. This was a new doctor and he wanted to put me on Vicodin again. I told him about my dependence problem last time. He said that because of what I am going though he is not worried about it because I am going to have to take something for the pain the rest of my life. I love not being in pain and love being able to get up and stand for more than 5 minutes. But do I worry about addiction?

Save the Children Part one

I am a firm believer that Marijuana prohibition should come to an end. I have researched and talked to lots of professionals to come up with my beliefs and which side of the fence I should stand on. I believe Marijuana should be legalized for medical purpose and legalized for responsible adults. I believe that with laws comparable to Alcohol and Tobacco marijuana would become a recreation that many adults could responsibly enjoy and will help society more than harm it. I am not alone in these beliefs and I am not ignorant to believe that everyone believes the same thing as me. I have discussed my beliefs with many people and have come across my fair share of debates. I have made posts in many places challenging people to debate me on the issue. The main debate I get is about the children of a community. “Legalization will make it easier for children to have access to Marijuana.” To this I have one main point that needs to be made. All organizations for the end of Marijuana prohibition have all agreed that no one under the age of 21 should be able to gain access to Marijuana when it becomes legal. I am also going to add in there that in some states where Marijuana has been either decriminalized or legalized for medical purposes have special penalties in place for underage use and possession near or on school grounds. This is like Alcohol and tobacco in many ways. Here in New York Smoking on school grounds in prohibited. Selling or giving cigarettes or alcohol to a minor can land you a fine or incarceration. Why would this be any different than Marijuana. No one is saying that marijuana use should be encouraged when it comes to the children. Marijuana has been on an increase since 1972 among High School children while Smoking has been decreasing over the same time frame. Why is this? Smoking Cigarettes has become monitored and taxed by the government for years. In the late 1980’s and early 1990’s I was able to walk up to a machine that was taller than me and put three quarters in and get a pack of cigarettes. No one would look twice at me or tell me I wasn’t allowed to buy them. There was a sign everywhere that said you must be 18 to buy tobacco. No one cared. Years later people were fined for selling cigarettes to minors, television ads were showing the lungs after years of smoking and children were taught about the hazards of smoking cigarettes. This is because of years of research and tests that have proven smoking is bad for you. There have been many people researching the benefits of marijuana for medical use there has also been research that has been reaccomplished since the early 70’s to prove that Marijuana does not cause cancer, does not make you schizophrenic and will not make you want to grab a needle full of heroin. This is the time on information. Children grow up learning how to search the Internet to learn about what ever they want. Children go to class to hear how bad marijuana is and then search the Internet to realize that they were taught inaccurate and embellished information. This is a discredit to our school systems and to our teachers. You gain a lot of respect from the young of a community by teaching them the truth. Well then how do you teach your children not to use Marijuana? My first response to this question is always another question, How do you teach your children not to drink alcohol? This usually gets the response that they teach their children that alcohol is illegal until they turn 21. Why not teach children that marijuana is illegal until they turn 21? The people that I run across that do not understand this way of thinking are those that have never done a minute of research on their own about marijuana. I hear things like, “All stoner’s are lazy and can not hold a job.” or, “everyone I know that smokes weed is stupid.” I again have an easy response to these. “how many alcoholics have a problem holding down a job?” then there is the, “If a stupid person is stupid and you see them smoke marijuana you blame the marijuana, is it possible the person was stupid to begin with?”