More than half of Americans agree that marijuana is safer than alcohol. Rassmussen Reports has the details here:
51% Rate Alcohol More Dangerous Than Marijuana
via Rasmussen Reports
Fifty-one percent (51%) of American adults say alcohol is more dangerous than marijuana, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Just 19% disagree and say pot is worse.
But 25% say both are equally dangerous. Just two percent (2%) say neither is dangerous.
Younger adults are more likely than their elders to view alcohol as the more dangerous of the two.
Fifty-three percent (53%) of women say alcohol is more dangerous than marijuana, compared to 48% of men. Men by a two-to-one margin over women say pot is riskier, but women are more inclined to say both are dangerous.
Unmarried adults are more critical of alcohol than those who are married. Those with children at home think alcohol is more dangerous than those without kids living with them.
Given the multitude of ways that our culture celebrates booze while simultaneously stigmatizing cannabis, these survey results are rather remarkable. Despite more than seven decades of federally sponsored pot propaganda, a slight majority of adults — including many Americans who drink booze and don’t smoke pot — recognize that alcohol poses far greater harms to the consumer and to society than does weed.
Here are just a few of the ways:
Quite literally, alcohol is an intoxicant; cannabis is not.
The word intoxicant is derived from the Latin noun, toxicum, meaning: “a poison.” It’s an appropriate description for booze. Alcohol is toxic to healthy cells and organs, a side-effect that results in some 35,000 deaths per year. Ethanol, the psychoactive ingredient in booze, is carcinogenic following its initial metabolization, which is why even moderate drinking is positively associated with increased incidences of various types of cancer. Heavy alcohol consumption can depress the central nervous system — inducing unconsciousness, coma, and death — and is strongly associated with increased risks of injury (Booze plays a role in about 41,000 fatal accidents per year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.) and acts of violence. In fact, according to the federal Bureau of Justice Crime Statistics, alcohol consumption plays a role in approximately one million violent crimes annually.
By contrast, the active compounds in marijuana, known as cannabinoids, are remarkably non-toxic and actually mimic chemicals naturally produced by the body, so-called endocannabinoids, that are vital for maintaining one’s proper health. Unlike alcohol, marijuana is incapable of causing fatal overdose — cannabinoids do not act upon the brain stem — and its use is inversely associated with aggression and injury. Finally, lifetime use of cannabis is not associated with increased risk of mortality or various types of cancer — including lung cancer — and may even reduce such risk.
Given our government’s demonization of the cannabis plant and its users it’s a wonder that anyone — much less over half of America — is finally recognizing these facts. That said, this awareness does not yet translate into majority support for legalizing cannabis, which Rasmussen reports remains below 50 percent — meaning that we still have our work cut out for us.
Honestly I cant belive it that close. This just shows how uneducated or just educated in the government propaganda. In the past 7 or 8 years I have seen maybe three cases in the news where marijuana was involved in a deadly car wreck and at least this past one was a woman who was also drunk but somehow is blamed primarily on the pot. Alcohol related accidents and deaths are a nightly occurance around the city I live in. A co-worker was 1 car back from being a splatter on the road because some drunk was going 80 on the wrong side of the interstate. Unfortunately the woman infront of him was killed on impact and the drunk only had a broken leg.
No one should be driving impaired on alcohol, weed, prescription pain killers ect. but what it comes down to is alcohol is a way more dangerous substance and taken thousands of lives but somehow its still legal.
Can I get a “Duh!”?
I understand that marijuana is safer than alcohol.
but talking about how bad alcohol is isn’t gonna help get marijuana legalized, in fact it might make alcohol become taxed more and stuff.
why not talk about how dangerous the government is?
There’s no comparison since Alcohol is the only real killer . Speaking of Alcohol…….has anyone heard the new anti – marijuana radio Ad put out by ( obviously ) the Drug , Alcohol and ( maybe ) tobacco Companies ?
It starts out with a Mom telling her son that they soon will be drug testing in his school . She then asks her son if he ever tried marijuana then she immediately says cocaine , heroin , speedballs , etc. What these Companies are attempting to do is to try and make you the uninformed think that marijuana is just like any other ” hard ” drug . This is called deceptive advertising . They are trying to deceive anyone they can for their own financial greed . Not for their honesty .
[Paul Armentano responds: I believe that the ad in question is funded by the Church of Scientology.]
A lot of people have come to realize that the govt’ has been lying about a lot of issues. And this issue has costed us billions with no end in sight, nor alternative solutions proposed. “The Green Baggers”, Pro Tax, Pro Jobs, Pro Freedom loving Americans are the only ones with an alternative.
What makes me real hopeful is the other headline to an article/survey linked to this one reads “57% would vote to replace the entire Congress”.
If the facts were admitted by our lawmakers. Rather than stating what they know to be lies and propaganda. The numbers would be much higher. We have been feed lies for over 70 years about cannabis and the motives behind the war on drugs. This is hard to overcome because some will believe what ever the mainstream media feeds them. Without doing a little reading and research to see the truth.
I feel history will look at the war on drugs and its supporters. As being part of a large corporate scam pulled off with the help of our so called leaders. Its main legacy will be for destroying the lives of about 22,000,000 Americans lives and counting….
Cherokee Fred Jesus
and my mohte used to worry about me a lot, as I’ve smoked pot since I was 15 and she tried her darndes to get me to quit. I remember sitting in the kitchen in the morning waking up to a cup of coffee and she’d start in on another one of her magazine articles she read, “I read somewhere that pot makes your hair fall out.”
At 80 now, and seeing that I managed to become a thriving adult, in fact quite healthy in spite of all the dire warnings about long term heavy pot use, and she is even conceding that maybe pot isn’t all that bad for you. I think I got her on the legalize it bandwagon.
Every time I read stuff like this it just makes me more and more frustrated. Why is the federal Government insisting on being our parents? The only and I mean ONLY reason this botanical is illegal is because of Corporate intrests. Just like god forbid the banks failed and logic dictates that new banks would take over and the “old money” would be undercut. So it is true that buisness’s that would compete with marijuana and hemp production would lose their hold on the capital that run’s their industries. Who can compete with the money pledged to the D.C. Puppets that is supplied by Big Pharma, The logging industry, The paper industry, The cotton industry and so on. I get the feeling we will never see legalized marijuana and thats a shame. Decriminalization is not good enough. Decriminalization is predjudice to some, Legalization is for all. If we decriminalize, those that are handicapped and rely on public assistance for housing will and have lost their homes, those that are on workers comp will lose their benefits, those that are gov’t workers such as police, nurses, highway workers, office clerks will lose their jobs because decriminalization will not mean that those people will get as fair a shake as an entrepenure or doctor or politician. Legalization is the only answer and is fair for all not just the privedged. The war on pot is a war on Responsible adults and The Handicapped. Unfortunatly big buisness doesn’t care for responsible adults or the handicapped, big buisness only cares for it’s own CEO’s and stock holders as well as the puppets it funds into office to keep the laws in favor if it’s own intrest’s
So they published the knowledge common to most people for decades. Shit i grew up on a farm in bumfuk nowhere hearin all the hype about ‘the devils plant’ and after nearly dyin a few times from overdrinkin i learned at like 15 the easily reckognisable truth. Its fukin weak it takes till the year 2009 to get a miniscule peice of truth to feebly punch thru the dam american-born facist style propaganda. More evidence we are just slaves to the system.
and it’s sooooooo getting closer to that tipping point!
A majority is still a majority…
Oh, and this research concludes there is still a large minority of morons.
“…this awareness does not yet translate into majority support for legalizing cannabis, which Rasmussen reports remains below 50 percent — meaning that we still have our work cut out for us.”
Well NORML, to me I guess this is exactly the problem. There shouldn’t have to be work to do if people recognize this. I think AMERICA needs to know America is READY to legalize cannabis; that is recreational, medicinal and industrial cannabis.
I wouldn’t call 51% a majority when I’m sure the margin of error is well over a percentage point, but here’s something to ponder: what if only those who had actually TRIED both marijuana and alcohol were surveyed. Then you would have a more balanced survey because, while almost 100% of those surveyed had tried alcohol, probably only half had tried marijuana. If the entire survey population had tried the two drugs they were being surveyed about, just think about what the numbers might show….
#4 I hear there already talking about raising beer tax
but that alone isnt gonna get us outta this debt .I really think there gonna have to do the full legalization to get this country back on track. But Who Am I?.
And one more thing real quick: What do you think would happen if a survey, instead of using a vague word like “dangerous”, asked questions like:
1. Do you believe alcohol or marijuana is responsible for more driving intoxicated deaths?
2. Do you believe alcohol or marijuana is responsible for more fatal overdoses?
3. Do you believe alcohol or marijuana is responsible for more violent behavior that results in fatalities?
4. Do you believe alcohol or marijuana has contributed to more sexual assaults?
5. Do you believe alcohol or marijuana has caused more devestating addictions?
…The only thing “dangerous” about marijuana is illegal sales, and you can’t blame that on the herb….
Imagine my surprise……….
And yet, many people I know (even family members) who drink booze don’t want to hear it and keep repeating the mantra “POT KILLS BRAIN CELLS”, PERIOD.
Who’s brain cells are REALLY fried, hmmmm?
so this report says that we have to wait for the elderly to go away before we can get any work done? (sorry to sound so crass, but that was the first thought to pop into my head)
I can see why “Fifty-three percent (53%) of women say alcohol is more dangerous than marijuana, compared to 48% of men”. That stat is most likely due to how many women get the piss kicked out of them by a Rat Bastard coward of a male. I have known a lot of cannabis only consumers in my 43 years (actually starting at about 13) and have yet to know any of them to be wife/girlfriend beaters but just the opposite. On the other hand I have also known a number of drinkers that prove themselves to be useless pieces of sh#t that continually abuse their wife/girlfriend if not physically the verbally. I do not seek them as friends let me tell you!
Cannabis = a mild loving spouse
Alcohol = More often then not a wife/girlfriend beating Rat Bastard
So why is cannabis still illegal? Yeah, I can’t think of a reason either.
#4 Mick, Your absolutely right. How Dangerous To US Are They?
Mr. Prohibitionist,
Holy Smokes. Your days are numbered. The fat sow is about to dry up. The time is now. Mr. Obama, tear down that wall. Stop the funding of the drug war on marijuana.
Rev.sleezy, Activist
The Universal Life Church of the Holy Smokes
Potland, OR
We are winning guys.
99.9% of Americans can say that marijuana is safer than alcohol, but the problem now is marijuana prohibition mentality. The laws are being changed state by state, but the government could not give two shits about what we think. Were involved in two major battle fronts across the other side of the world and created the NEW WORLD ORDER OF A POLICE STATE. Since 9/11, BIG BROTHER TECHNOLOGY is here and being developed to control the masses in this country and fear. When ever the military comes up with something, here come the good ole boys to apply it to civilian population. Infra-red-nano technology to detect a few molecules of methane gas blowin out your asses-sweat-and lies and fear detection, and that is just to get on a airplane. And we can’t forget about our eyes, the so called window to your soul. Privacy went out the window. The drug war convictions of non-violent offenders filling up our prisons just for smoking a little marijuana. The serious offenders get a slap on the hand and a little kick in the ass of prison time. But when you want to smoke a little weed they want to throw away the key. What happened to the real justice in America? Our tax dollars being used against us and we have no control. Paranoia strikes deep and fear right behind it. IT’S REALLY A SHAME THAT WE FEAR OUR OWN GOVERNMENT, WHEN THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD BE FEARING US. I sure as hell don’t fear the government, they can kiss my sweet cheeks and it’s not on my face. 420 ALL THE WAY!
WHERE DO MY POSTS KEEP GOING?
Half of the population is below average. This survey adds to that data. I’m currently reading my new copy of”Marijuana is Safer so why are we driving people to drink?” It states many of the same things as this article and hopefully this book will be widely read. Keep up the good work. I hope we could get the authors on Bill Maher or some other show to talk about this book and the subject.
DUUUUUH!!
Well I live in Ga and I think it’s a long way off here. I’d like to know where the survey was taken – all over or in Cali? The time is coming
Anyone familiar with cannabis and alcohol knows:
cannabis = mellow and understanding
alcohol = invisible and bulletproof
ps. #21 musclecarfreak should run for office!
Thats about right. 19% of Americans are just kool-aide drinking (respecfully) IDIOTS.
God Bless America!……….Please
If you read that report (linked in article) you’ll see that married people think pot is more dangerous than booze. The obvious reason for this is simply because it’s illegal. They equate pot with it’s only risk factor: getting busted and being taken away from their family, thus having their family ruined. The fear of getting busted is huge for the majority of people in this country and that is, in my opinion, the primary cause for people thinking it’s “dangerous”. And, as those of us here who are educated with the truth about it know, prohibition is essentially the only risk factor associated with cannabis.
Funny how that is – alcohol itself can destroy people and families because of its toxic and destructive affects on people’s behavior and bodies, but marijuana has no known negative side-effects other than the risk of having your life ruined by law enforcement and the judicial system. What’s wrong with that picture??
If that alone doesn’t piss people off enough to want to change this hypocrisy, well then it’s a sad, sad world we live in.
I love this website. it’s given me more ammunition (facts) so that I can address those naysayers & misinformed individuals.
I agree with Mick that the main issue is how dangerous the government is. We should not be arguing the point whether MJ is safer than alcohol. What we should be talking about is that in the “Land of the Free”, no government has the right to tell me what I will or will not put into my body. This is a basic issue of personal liberty, and where I believe the focus should be directed.
[Paul Armentano responds: Comparing and contrasting the effects of cannabis and alcohol provides objective frame of reference for Americans, many of which may be personally unfamiliar with the effects of alcohol or may be uneducated to many of the effects of alcohol. It’s not meant to imply one substance is ‘good’ or one is ‘bad,’ but to question why our laws criminalize those who would elect to use the objectively less harmful of the two.]
Wow. People are just now figuring this out? I could’ve fuckin’ told ya that when I was 12!
This is pretty good considering the fact that there isn’t a pro cannabis voice in the mainstream to counteract the 70 years of lies spewed by our government. Just think what the numbers would be if the mainstream started picking up on the stories about cannabis killing cancer or mitigating the damage that alcohol does to the brains of drinkers? Things would change fast.
Police are paid to protect, not lobby.
http://www.officer.com/publication/article.jsp?pubId=1&id=48097&submit_comment=y#post_msg
The U.S. should follow Bolivia’s example and kick out the DEA (first time ever at any location). Lol.
“WHAT GOD HATH GIVEN, LET NO MAN PUT US UNDER.”
It’s a simple phrase…one the whole world knows. It doesn’t require a great deal of teaching to understand its meaning. It is what it is…”DIVINE SANCTION.” What it does require is a great number of adherents devoted to a common cultural heritage.
Manna has been “ACCEPTED” by a people from every nook and cranny on the planet. This is not a local, state, or national issue. The 85% of Americans [in favor] of legalizing medicinal cannabis is not exclussive to the United States. We are dwarfed by world opinion. So then!…we appeal to the world community, and seek its support. We seek a great deal of numbers to present our case. We appeal to anyone who believes in a creator, and “WHAT GOD HATH GIVEN…LET NO MAN PUT US UNDER.” Our objective is our most easily understood position. Manna had been legal since the beginning of time…until 1937…until greedy individuals created its “illegality/prohibition.” for selfish and immoral reasons. These reasons still exist today. It’s our objective to defeat those unconscionable motives with sound logic and reasoning of faith and science, and return cannabis to its rightful status, which is “DIVINE SANCTION.”
To all people of the world who have devoted their entire lives to “FOLLOWING A BELIEF,” we present our objective and ask that you consider supporting this belief as a part of your faith in our creator, and his gift of Manna to his creation.
It is our intent to be as insistant and persistant as any faith exisitng in the world today. Yet we do not compete with other cultures. We are committed to a universal belief system. This is so, because, all scriptures minuend the very same verses of “DIVINE SANCTION” of a common cultural heritage, and adherents number the total of all belief systems combined. We do not have an exclussive cultural heritage, but consider ourselves part of a world culture with a specific faith in God. We believe that one’s prophets are their’s alone…but…that all prophets extol the will of our creator. In this case…it is Manna…the gift of Holy Sacrament…and…”LET NO MAN PUT US UNDER.”
“END AND GOAL”
Not every end is the goal. The end of a melody is not its goal; and yet: as long as the melody has not reached its end, it also has not reached its goal…a parable. Nietzsche
So!…we must keep the music playing.
Rebel with a cause.
83 HooterJack Activist [TX-GD]. This one is for you.
I watched alcohol kill my grandfather and his son my father. I was raised by a heavy violent drinker. It is not a pretty site but I suppose it points out my fate. I need a little help from time to time to relax or wind down. I am a very wound up person a very hard worker and my mind spins all the time.
Even though I do not have freedom of choice and am aware my own representatives will put me in jail. Enslave me for the millions they are paid by the corporations that reap billions from the war on us. I still tried and chose cannabis for my relief. It is much better than alcohol. Today I am 60 have not been to a doctor since my release from the Air Force in 1972. I attribute my health and young attitude to cannabis, to me it is miracle herb. If we can change the system that enslaves us for insisting on having freedom of choice, I could live in peace….
How dare anyone or government at any level even try and run my life in violation of God’s will for people to live in freedom with liberty as acknowledged and cited in the Constitution of the United States!? I for one refuse to live like a slave, a ward of the government. What I freely choose for myself that does not violate the rightful freedom and liberty of another citizen IS NONE OF THE GOVERNMENT’S DAMN BUSINESS! I live in a state where it is illegal to have oral sex with my wife, for crying out loud. All prohibitionists can take their bull shit laws that violate God’s will and shove them right up their collective ass. Prohibitionists are religious fanatics, like the ones that brought us the inquisitions and burned people at the stake for being witches. Prohibitionists need to get their noses out of other people’s business and mind their own affairs. I don’t try and run their lives; I have every right to demand the same respect and courtesy in return. This is not too much to expect and as a freedom loving American patriot I will tolerate nothing less, at any and all costs. To do otherwise is to accept slavery.
Americans are evolving fast forward and it shows.
A majority (yes 51% is a majority !)think that booze is more dangerous than pot.It shows that science and common sense have prevailed, the truth has come out and education has paid off.I am really happy about this state of affair and can only hope that it is only a question of time before the 49% others get convinced.Also,it would be nice to see tobacco cigarettes considered more dangerous than alcohol and pot.
It is not such a good thing to compare alcohol and pot because they are completely 2 different things and their mechanisms of action on the organism are totally different but definitely pot is the least toxic.
So, EDUCATION is really the key to a better understanding and acceptance of pot by the American people !I am really thrilled by this and foresee a bright future for my beloved Cannabis Sativa Indica.
Peace !
It’s all population control. Think about how many alcohol related deaths are reported every year. It’s a horrible way to think, I know, but look at it. If marijuana were legalized, it’s possible that millions of people could stop drinking. That results in less deaths every year, and more people the government has to take care of. These people that die due to alcohol consumption no longer receive pay, they don’t have to go to the doctor so no medical insurance; in short…their deaths save money. The government only cares about the people so long as there are enough people to keep this country going. Everyone that dies every day, saves them money. Marijuana doesn’t kill people, so they prefer it not to be legal where people have access to it as an alternative to cancer and cirrhosis(cigarettes and alcohol). To sum it all up, the government prefers killing us to line their pockets as opposed to trying to work on a way to make things work properly.
It’s not a war on (some) drugs, it’s a war on minorities determined to keep minorities minor.
Asians smoked opium, so opium was outlawed so Uncle Sam could stuff his prisons with nonviolent asians.
Mexicans smoked cannabis so cannabis was outlawed so cannabis was outlawed so Uncle Sam could stuff his prisons with nonviolent blacks. etc etc.
read tinyurl.com/1mn
The US creates enemies just so it can destroy them by way of superior firepower, keeping weapons manufacturers full to the brim and constantly expanding with their research on new weapons technologies.
You’re all pissin’ in the wind posting comments here. No one reads them except for a handful of people, not even the posters who leave comments after you’ve left yours read your comments.
this is ridiculous. its all about the money, people. I hope more people will see the revenue that comes in from the new oakland tax, so they will see (even if its a little) what the money can go for.
Oh and one more thing. I always hear people complaining about med MJ in the form of “people are just using it to get high.”
My question is WHATS WRONG WITH GETTING HIGH?!
ITS NO DIFFERENT FROM DRINKING… IN FACT ITS BETTER THAN DRINKING.
Stupid preconceived notions. These people are the same ones who have no idea how the scientific method works and will still tell you that “evolution is JUST a theory”
Just like music is a theory
oh…and gravity.
They should be handed a ballot.
It’s damn heartening to find that young adults find alcohol more dangerous than weed. The sad fact of the matter is as they graduate from college and try to find a job, they are more than likely to face a drug test for successful recruitment. Thus, the daily bong hit and weekend joint gets replaced by alcohol.
Discarding long-term physiological effects of abuse of both alcohol and marijuana, what studies show that 50 ng/ml THC metabolites (15 ng/ml in confirmatory tests) pose equal or more risk than <0.01999 BAC? Until that fundamental scientific question is definitively answered, weed will continue to be socially unacceptable (dangerous) while alcohol will reign supreme as the rapidly-purged metabolite of choice.
Keep up the good work. Education is the only way to the truth of both these substances. I as a ‘younger’ generation have had to come to terms with alcohol taking more lives than cannabis could even dream of taking. Sensi>Beer 😉
-J.Duncan
What I find to be the Most disturbing issue of all in the war on drugs, (Cannabis in particular) is that the government has spent Billions if not trillions in the past 70 years telling american what to do with their bodies.
From americas conception Our forefathers set up our government to be run by the people for the people, not to rule over the people with an iron fist.
I am a distant relative of our first President George Washington. I still live in the DC metropolitan area, and find it appalling that our Government Will not listen to You and Me, and 51% of the nation when it comes to drug reform. Our current President whom I voted for, laughed us off at his town hall meeting back in March of 2009, when the top topic written into the white house was about decriminalizing and taxing pot.By doing so would Open a valuable Taxable crop who’s legalization would create jobs, tax revenue streams, and lower dependance on other more harmful legal drugs like anti depressants, sleeping pills, any many others, I watch my local Tv station advertise Drug company commercials and hear the side effect of taking such ” medication” and think to myself the side effects of Cannabis, Happiness, munchies, heightened interest in activities.
I may not have been alive when our government changed from being the for the people by the people to our current Screw the People and Rule the people mentality that is currently happening, but I relish the day I get to see our government turn to the people and listen to what the people want instead of following what the special interest groups that run Washington DC want.
Are we close yet to winning our battle on capitol hill? I fear we are not, I fear as we step closer to the podium to voice ourselves, our Government is becoming deaf to our cause for concern. Please keep this drum rumbling in the halls of Congress the Senate the White House, and your house. together we can, let me hear you say it YES WE CANNABIS.
What a shame. Ted Kennedy drinking whiskey his whole life, like the Irish have been doing for a millenium, probably gave himself brain cancer as a result. The one thing that could’ve saved him, daily sticky-bud, was denied him by a corrupt police state.
Tragic.
What I would like to do is to give a few grams to smoke to all of the people who answered to the query and let them vote again. I do belive we would see completly different results. Go out on a friday night, all the loud-obnoxious, fighting-yelling ludacris puking jerks are what, drunk or stoned? Which kind of situation is more plausible – a drunk guy beating someone or a stoned one? .
Oh and #44- I read the posts here all the time, and I know others do too. Sometimes I even get more verbal ammo from some of te posts I read here.
Nobody here is “pissing in the wind”. These blogs are a field of encouragement and brotherhood among cannabis smokers.
And considering you YOURSELF put a post on here, it seems quite hypocritical to degrade the thoughts that people post on here
and if youre pissing in the wind, you need to turn around.
4 and 16: As far as I’m concerned, let them TAX THE HELL out of alcohol, and tobacco for that matter. These things are driving up our health care costs, adding to an already overburdened social service system.
Alcohol absolutely contributes to child abuse and neglect. But notice when a noteworthy child abuse/neglect case comes out, they don’t necessarily mention if alcohol was involved, though it is in about half the cases if not more, but you invariably hear,
“marijuana was found on the premises.” as if that says it all. Might as well be saying, “carrots were found in the refrigerator.”
#45: The myth that smoking pot is no different than drinking, especially in terms of the nature of intoxication, needs to be stopped in its tracks. The effects of marijuana are vastly different from that of alcohol. I just skateboarded two and a half hours last night after a few puffs, did better than when I don’t smoke anything. But a thousand dollars wouldn’t bribe me to go down a ramp after a few drinks, heck I wouldn’t skate after even one drink.
Most of the uninformed public believes that getting high is similar to getting drunk. but if you’ve never been high on marijuana, trying to describe it to you is like trying to describe color to someone who’s been blind since birth.
#5: I agree they certainly do try to lump marijuana in with hard drugs, the real destructive things, don’t they?
A little off topic here but with the announcement that Massachuestts Atty Gen Martha Coakley is eyeing Ted Kennedy’s senate seat I certainly hope that NORML and other reform groups alert the public that she was one of the biggest opponents of the recent decriminalization initiative and participated in spreading the outragious lies.She is no friend of reform and certainly no Ted Kennedy.
And not only that, but show me how many parents beat there children who drink alcoholic beverages. Then who me a parent who enjoys cannabis who beats there children. a drunk is way more dangerouse than any cannabis user i know. i am under 18 and i know parents who do it and love to do it, who have never ever hit there kids. there kids are steraight A students. mearly beacuse the parents talk to them because they are relaxed. then lets take the drunk father who hits there kid for smoke a cig and failing every class. i knwo that that was a poor examples. but im yong, so i dont know a whole lot about alcohol in the least. i only know the effect of cannabis in wich should be able to be used recreationally.
#39 Behind The Green Door,
Right On!!! Keep On Truckin’!!!
YES, WE CANNABIS!!!
#51
You are absolutely right!!! This website is a inspiration to us. It gives us strength in numbers. It lets us know that we are not alone. It shows us compassion. It protects us with a wealth of information, and GIVES US AMMUNITION TO ACHIEVE OUR GOALS. NORML and the internet are almost the Gift of God that cannabis itself is. Right close up there anyways. lol
Get your hunters green polo shirts, folks!!! Show your politics with pride!!! Everyone of us who fights for this noble cause is helping to relieve pain and suffering of untold millions.
Get your NORML gear and don’t forget MPP gear also, These organizations are fighting for you and need all the support they can get. Wish I had lots of money. Sorry I don’t but one thing I do have is a LOUD VOICE and I will make sure it is heard!!!
Where and When is the Ballot? They should set them up like this:
no
yes
F*ck yea
Marcus, 13: “Oh, and this research concludes there is still a large minority of morons.”
I wouldn’t call them ‘morons’ when they’re born and raised thinking that the federal government actually gives a sh!t about them while the federal government intentionally lies (and has been for 70+ years) to them.
Surest way to lose an argument is to start flinging poo like a monkey.
21 MuscleCarFreak “So why is cannabis still illegal? Yeah, I can’t think of a reason either.”
To keep prisons stuffed with minorities, of course, because prison laborers (prisoners) make 15¢/hour.
(sarcasm)”If we legalized drugs we’d have to ship even more jobs off to India!”(sarcasm)
read tinyurl.com/1mn
It’s not a war on (some) drugs, it’s a war on minorities.
The public needs to become more aware.
The 51% of the public thinking alcohol is more dangerous than marijuana isn’t enough. All the literature outside of propaganda agrees.
Once we start seeing a 60%/40% agreeing with us, then we might BEGIN to see some social and possibly political change.
Some sort of awareness campaign is in order.
LORDS OF THE MODERN WORLD
Their incessant and excessive iteration of mendacity goes far beyond awe. Who are they trying to prestidigitate with their egregious deception? Are we suppose to believe every syllable of their magic crap? Is that what they think? I think they have too much of everything, and not enough of the other. One thing I know for sure is…”NO TITLE OF NOBILITY SHALL BE PASSED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.” This too I know for sure…”WHEN THE LAWS OF A NATION, OPPRESS THE RIGHTS OF ITS CITIZENRY…ANARCHY IS CREATED.” What is most impressive of all is…”IT’S A POLITICIAN’S NIGHTMARE WHEN WE SHOW UP.” On the flip side…”EVERYTIME A PROHIB HEARS THE WORD MARIJUANA, THEY SEE A HANGMAN’S NOOSE.” A noose defined is “ANYTHING THAT RESTRICTS ONE’S FREEDOM.”
BE ADVISED: To the moral idiologues:
We’re done talkin’! We demand ownership of our lives, and we’re going to have that, especially at the prohibs expense…if for no other reason…than to let prohibs know they can’t regulate our morality. We’re quite tired of your noose, and its restrictions of our freedoms. So!…”DEAL WITH IT.” Either get out of our way…or…get trampled by popular demand and majority rule. Your morals are…”YOUR MORALS.”
To number 43…rite on brother i couldnt hav said it better myself. And to number 44. I dont think we pissin in the wind. I look forward everyday to readin the comments following the articles daily. Sometimes i agree and somtimes not. I yell at those i radicaly disagree with and they yell at me. Everyone here is a soldier in the green army. We live and learn from each other even if we never meet.
All I know is my Uncle who drinks is a good person. That is until he drinks. Then he becomes an angry big shot who goes from being better than everyone to wondering why the whole world hates him. One minute he is a big macho, next minute he is arguing with everyone especially his poor wife. My Uncle who I found out smokes Pot is the best ever. He plays basketball with us and can communicate with us eye to eye even though we are 20 years apart in age. That Uncle who smoke is always happy and upbeat (I wonder why?). He (Pot smoking uncle) always finds something positive to say even in situations when it would seem impossible. I Velasquez
I would have to think that anyone who has ever used both substances would come to the conclusion alcohol is a much more dangerous drug. I mean you cant even stand up when your drunk! All you have to look it is how the body reacts when under these substances. Under the influence of alcohol its toxicity is evident just by the fact that if you drink too much you’re vomiting. Your body wants to rid itself of the alcohol so bad it seeps out your pores! Now take marijuana. It stays in your system for weeks at a time and stays in hair folicals for years. Your body doesn’t feel the need to get rid of it.
It’s really as simple as that.
so, with all this info that cannabis is so much better than alcohol.how do we get people who are afraid of it because they cant know how it works like all of us do, to be more comfortable about it? we have to find a way to say that while, yes, i do get a buzz but i dont get high like heroine “wow man…i see colors,bullshit. we need those people who cant understand the feeling to vote with us. we need them to know that as we have gotten older, we use cannabis in a little different way then the young days . we need those people to be more comfortable with the thought that “its not bad to deal with someone who has a comfortable buzz that is pleasant and jovial , if they even could tell ,as opposed to, the one who reaks of alcohol stench and slurrs words and walks sideways.people i have worked with for over thirty years never new that i consume cannabis.their are millions of , upstanding, sucessful,awesome people who smoke the herb.those who do not know that their neighbors that they feel safe living next to may be burnin the remedy. how do we show those who do not know so they can see that the information they are being fed by our government is total bullshit!i have written two letters to the governor of florida. the first of course , blew me off with a shitload of negatives and apparently, the second one does’nt deserve an answer…i am kind and respectful about it because that is how i want all people to see me instead as one of those “nasty pot smokers” i fear that next years vote may laugh this very important subject of personal freedom right off the ballot….how do we do it? how can we make those who do not know see the good of it? since feb of this year i have been unable to consume the remedy because i will loose my job of thirty two years..many say it gets easier but i say it gets worse not to be able to come home and be comfortable in my own home and allow a small bit of herb put the days work in perspective and enjoy an evenin of comfort and peace. some call it a weakness…i call it a benefit to my mental and emotional function.i have been on both sides of this fence and i much like the greener side . peace to you all.
All I have to say is AMEN!!! I’m so so glad that someone actually went out there and took a pollon opinions of marijuana smoking. Truth is most of everyone knows marijuana is a non-toxin, unlike alcohol. I have never had one friend over dose on weed, or had a friend who crashed due to marijuana. It is just impossible. The onlr REAL effects are sleepiness, hunger, and happiness…….is anythig wrong with that??
To #44 Phil. Many of us read all of the posts. It is interesting and better than the evening news. It also provides us with facts so when we are talking to others and writing to our elected officials we sound like we know the facts in this issue. To #40 Fred. I too am a long time user and in very good health for a person of 55 years old. I hope they start studying people like us to see why we are not falling ill to all of the bad things the government would have you believe about cannabis.
I know I’m not the only one who has this experience.
Almost every time I smoke and I’m by myself, about 15 minutes into my wonderful high, I pick up a book, or hop onto NORML and read the blogs. Or I go on wikipedia and choose one subject to start educating myself about. For example, I know little about the Cuban revolution, so I hopped onto wiki last night.
I then progress through various links on the pages to other “pedia” entries, learning more and more on the subject, or anything else that comes to mind.
In other words, my brain transform into a sponge. My wife does the same thing.
And when my wife and I have people over and we smoke, we all end up staying up late into the night, discussing issues of politics, religion, science, e.t.c. all to the deepest details.
Ever had a few too many drinks at a party? Try to operate in any proper manner. Did you really just say that? Hey man, take it easy, you just knocked over the fridge. Come on! You couldn’t make it to the bathroom?! Look at ’em! You hurled all over my kicks!
Oh yea. Calling all captains.
#49 Chrokee Fred Jesus: Interesting live you had with your Grandfather and Dad. Glad you made it through the tough time. – I too, as so many others no doubt have similar stories of abuse whether it’s from alcohol, or verbal or physical. –
Beautiful Fred what you said: “If we can change the system that enslaves us for insisting on having freedom of choice, I could live in peace” ….
Baloney breath #44 on your last paragraph. I make it a habit to read ALL comments. There are times when living gets in the way however, that is rare.
And I doubt I’m unique in being an ALL Comments Posted Reader. Just made it to #70 and read a few other commenters addressing what you said.
Heck, if I can’t finish reading comments I even write down the number of the last post I read and get back to it later. I ALSO read the over 600 comments on that Georgia bozo Benton.
to #70 bryce,i and millions of others could not agree more. we have solved so many of the worlds problems it isnt funny.it is a comfort nothing else can offer.my mind is haulin ass all day.so fast ,i cannot follow through on most things i think of. cannabis allows my mind to slow just a bit and many thoughts fall into perspective. i’ve been on meds for it, to no avail. just think if our government all got together and passed the peace pipe before an important session…..
Phil. E. Drifter,
Holy Smokes. Your right. But, it is a grass roots effort. One person at a time. Education is helping to make progress in the end of the insane 70 years of cannabis prohibition.
The Rev. Sleezy, Activist
The Universal Life Church of the Holy Smokes
Potland, OR
“Pot does not make people stupid. But, stupid people do sometimes smoke pot.”
I saw one comment about having to wait for whatever current generation of people to die off to change those numbers. This is a common error in thinking. While in some cases it will help, there are a ton of people one step below the generation you are thinking needs to pass on controlling more of that vote and money flow. And they sure do seem to like things they way they are. Only difference between the two generations is one grew up with a little more on the rock and roll side of things. You have to get them to change their minds or you will be waiting virtually forever for this demonization and stigmas to fade. Anyone who has been watching this strange escalation over the last 30+ years knows how futile it is to simply think all you have to do is wait it out. It can, and sadly may, get a lot worse before it reverses course. The progress made on one end of the spectrum seems to have an ugly mirror. The more decrim we see the higher the arrest rates in other places, etc.
You have to speak up. You cannot guarantee that your luck will hold out forever while you wait for things to change. Every ounce of effort pushes that bar a little closer. Do not sit back idly waiting for it change.
i think that probably over half our elected officers are for legalizing, but heres the thing. no one wants to be the one who does it. no one in office wants to stand up and say yea wut the fuck were we thinking. they are too afraid of not being elected again. so they continue to bash it just to be part of the group of people that is. another thing is i am glad to say that i think finding out the truth about cannabis is becoming easier and easier. i used to smoke and think i knew what there was to know. but after seeing a flyer for this website i checked it out. and let me say holy shit. there is so much i didnt know , there is so much that i learned. so i researched more and more and more now my view on cannabis is completely different. for the better of course. i used to think it was bad for you and all this well that is the thinking of the majority of the population. thing is they need to be informed they need to see the truth. i think if most ppl against legalizing learned the truth they wouldnt be so against it. and another thing. ppl do studies trying to see how many ppl would vote for legalizing. well i think that their studies are biased. like i mentiond i seen this flyer in school for this website (which wasnt up very long) and i checked it out. but no one i know or hang out w/has ever heard about it. if the topic came up for a real vote the number of ppl that would come out and vote is way more than what the studies say and that goes the same for the revenue. the number of ppl that dont even know much about the topic of legalizing. if this information would just get out to the public and ppl would see it. there would be much higher numbers in ppl fighting prohibition. once again like me i never even thought about it but after learning and after watching the union i am now an avid fighter of prohibition and i hope everyone part of norml spreads the knowledge, the truth!!! thank you.
When will americans stand up for power of the people. And take the stand for legalization.
we are not represented we are ignored
Last month I e-mailed Washington state3s governor and other elected officials about the ‘ pot raids the joint task force here has been making. Washington is making big cuts in health care, eructation and human service’s but no cuts in” law enforcement.
> Sent: Tuesday, August 04, 2009 5:23 PM
>: Today I saw a news item on NWCN about CERT Washington cannabis eradication response team Part of WSP I believe. How much is this cert operation costing us Tax payers, 99 cents would be far too much. Are we going to cut human services health care education and keep this useless expense. 3000 marijuana plants, do understand how much these plants would be worth to our state if marijuana were legalized taxed and regulated. Much could be saved on enforcement jail and court costs and the CERT bozos could spend some time getting rid of METH. The demand for marijuana will not go away but the cartels will the day after legal pot hits the stores. WE who Want cannabis legalized are the majority. Think about it
>
>THE SENATORS RESPONSE
the people you represent want?.
> From: Haugen.MaryMargaret@leg.wa.gov
> Date: Thu, 3 Sep 2009 17:55:06 -0700
> Subject: RE: Legalize marijuana WSL:00000900015
>
> Mr. Morse,
>
> I want to thank you for contacting me. I appreciate your dedication towards your cause to legalize marijuana. It is good to hear from you again. You make some good points.
>
> As you know, this debate has been around for a long time. This issue still does not boast much support for legalizing marijuana or changing laws related to those who use this substance.
>
> As I have stated before, changes to the current laws have been drafted as legislation and debated many times before the legislature. There is never enough support. Also, the law enforcement community is still against going this direction with marijuana. Without the support of law enforcement, it will be a difficult task to impose change.
>
> Feel free to contact me anytime. I do appreciate hearing from you.
>
> Mary Margaret.
>
>My response
>Thank you for your response. Law enforcement will never favor legalization its too good a gravy train for them, I see it as a big political quagmire I and a lot of other people are sick and tired of it. I have never seen a direct question like; should marijuana be legalized? on any questionnaire sent to constituents or at a caucus. So how do you know what the people you represent want le you represent want?
.
i want to ask all of you, how many have testing at work and cannot indulge in cannabis? i ask that because it seems that those who are subject to testing and cannot partake are more apt to step out and be heard publicly. im not saying all are that way but i know their are many of us who do not want to speak out for fear of targeting and, understandably so with so much to loose personally.i talk to people who complain about the pressure but wont step out.it seems to mean alot to them but yet, they wont even write letters to any forms of government which i think is a good start.the good part is, with all of those people doing just a little something, would make a bunch of difference. i say all of this because, i was complacient about saying a word or, writing any letters that could be traced until , drug testing has prevented me from enjoying cannabis.and now i understand why. my house now clean and my personal life exposed, they cant find anything if they did search my home. i expect that one day, as many of you do.many at my work are stressed because they cannot indulge and yet, they will say nothing for fear of being fired…..fear is some hard shit for sure but, if we all can firmly believe in something ie,to cannabis,coupled with the fact that their is power in numbers,its all we have. that and good people in higher places. i write to those who are in fear, that they may speak out for what is their personal right used in a responsible manner. i will be writing more letters this week. and ill tell you, its getting much easier to talk about cannabis and one reason is that i read what many of you say on norml’s web page and find strength and ,it causes me to step out for its benefits. we got to come out from the shell our government has put us all in.power in numbers folks. peace to you all.
We need to get this kind of message to all Americans. Alcohol vs. Marijuana . Alcohol will always be the toxic evil poison that causes men to rape babies and drive through playgrounds. So why do we continue to see anti-marijuana commercials on network television? But still they show half-naked women picking glass beer bottles from a pond. It is simply disgusting how big alcohol companies still exist. We as a nation are being led by greedy drunken liars. Things won`t change till the liquid drug lords are brought down to reality.
Here is the advice we receive from our idiots in charge. “Drink Responsibly” LMAO What in the hell does getting drunk have to do with being responsible??? The only way for one to drink responsibly is in a jail cell……………………..I`m sick of this who gives a f*** in 90 years drunken society. ” Please don`t drink and drive” “Friends don`t let friends drive drunk” And the very next commercial is half-naked bimbos frolicking in a pond of glass beer bottles. So what message does this send to kids? It says if you see marijuana in your home snitch on your parents. If you see alcohol in your house you probably have already been molested and don`t tell because daddy is drunk so that means it`s not his fault. People don`t rape babies, alcohol does.
To answer #4: The reason we need to ride alcohols ass is because it is the most dangerous drug on earth and because the majority of idiots that make and enforce laws , you guessed it kids, they are drunks!!!! How many freakin` pictures do I have to paint here???? This is about what causes the most harm to children, alcohol or marijuana. Next time tell them there is no “Level Playing Field” in a society of drunks creating and enforcing new laws to destroy marijuana. Prove your lifetime of sobriety or shut up!!!!
We need to flood congress and our president with E-mail and phone calls I mean burn out the switchboard if we don’t they will ignore us and nothing will change
Do some real good why of why are there always some one trying to take the eazy way out.We got one brain marawhanna will mess you up juat like alcohol is messing up thousand no millions of minds every day.Go to school and freezt this bull about marahaunna,.Let me put it this way I don’t want anyone I love to be strung out .If a Dr.orders pot for pain or somethling that is ok.even then try not to become hooked cause hooked is no fun the reward is pain and loss of reason. :pLove Nate
I hear you Nate, but you need a whole lot more infromation before you make statements like the the one I just read. Cannabis is non-addictive.
44 Phil E. Drifter
Your attitude could do with a adjustment. If you don’t find comfort in these posts, keep on drifting…
drifting along with the tumbling tumble weed. On the other hand…nobody is prohibiting your posts…and…
that’s the best lesson I could give you on liberty…
so don’t knock it.
I don’t know nothing about nano technology: But I do know that television is the only control the government is pushing?Big brother don’t have to worry about the masses because the wise ,act in a sane manner and the pot heads and booze hounds pill popper and acid droppers,distroy themselves. Let us think as brothers,as friends,fathers mothers would you give your baby booze or pot or acid. Then why put it on our own brains?We want life or do we ? I do agree that weed laws need to be more real,or pratical to make sence, and stop ruining the live of so many folks for posession of small amountss of weed,and ect, ect.
Recently (2 days past)Gov. of Tn. commited himself to be one of the 49%. Refer to the Chattanooga Times Free press com.Also read the comment from one of the individuals who read of the “Tn. Gov.was unsure of the presidents health plan,concerned funding would be passed on to the states,and he was in favor of reform and a supporter”.However after e-mail to Gov.’s office the reply to support the bill that is on the table and Bob Corker supporter, to include Tn.as one of the 13 to be 14. States are ready reforming!..”Governor does not support the use of any cannibis!….check it out.
as i see it, this alien us govt has one challenge they see as insurmountable, and i believe we can turn that same challenge into the way to peace for ALL life. they are well aware of the uncountable millions whose lives, loves and families they have forever marred b/c of their moronic and atrocious laws. we live in an extremely litigious society, and the alien us govt has NEVER been known for acknowledging or repenting it’s atrocities. we recognize the cannabis plant as a sacred teacher and sharer of peace, love, joy, healing compassion and infinite abundance. so the way out is sharing it’s many gifts of wisdom, compassion, and (really important) forgiveness. specifically amnesty. for all, from all. instead of retribution, there is compensation, and all can thrive (even those currently thriving on war) in a peace and abundance oriented society. remembering that change is part of life, and change is not the same as loss. i call it “not cattle, cccatall”. the cccatall portion is a “compassionate campaigning church for cannabis awareness truth amnesty legalization laughter light and love”. truth with compassion, being the peacemakers, that’s how to end this particular govmtl abomination, and this can then be the catalyst for myriad other ways to peace as well.
many of us already know how destructive cattle (and most every other food animal) is on the earth, on us humans, and obviously on the critters. so instead of growing cattle feed, portion some of the land for cannabis instead, and they will quickly see how far their profits will go. prisons can become spiritual healing centers, where people go on retreats and learn how to grow it, spin it, make fuel and food and paper and countless other things, and learn to share the plant’s heart-filled wisdom. we share the teachings of this energy of peace, and the warring stops here.
so the idea is to give the govt the out they don’t really want (because they like the status quo of keeping people enslaved) but i do believe they would love to utilize the many benefits of having this plant back in use, (and they do have many other ways of keeping us enslaved). it’s the best deal they will ever have. and fewer animals would be raised in terrible accomodations, and again everyone thrives.
anyway, that’s some of it. all of us sharing the truths of peace. thanks for rading this, and peace for ALL life, human, critter, plant, and stone.
Well… I have watched so many people’s lives be destroyed by alcohol and saw many women be abused while when I’m around people that get high they want to chill and hang. On the other hand in a room with people drunk they want to fight I would MUCH rather get high the world is falling apart and you cant stop us for much longer. We won’t be lied to anymore the time is now! Just legalize it so people stop killing each other for it. WEED SUPORTER ALL THE WAY!
Disappointing that while comparisons to alcohol make herb look good, we’re missing the opportunity to make the more important comparison to tobackgo, especially since the Big 2Wackgo oligarchy leads the fight to keep 1.2 billion humans enslaved worldwide through among other things cannabis prohibition.
1. Remember that because cigarettes are available as a sober-up drug many are misled to binge-drink followed by driving or other risk-taking. The results are written off to the alcohol and there is not enough attention to nicotine as enabling drug.
2. Teenagers binge-drink to impress peers and earn membership in some club or gang by drinking as many as the other guys do, then when SCHOOL (an institution which teaches them to play it cool) requires preparation for the big test and you need to unfog your brain from the hangover– well, that’s when anti-sleep drug cigarette is necessary– leading to addiction. (As the President said of himself, half the addicts are hooked before they are legally old enough to buy cigarettes.)
Comparisons may not make their point because of failure to compare dosage appropriately. Not just “smoking this” versus “smoking that”– quantify. Instead of a hot burning overdose 700-mg. commercial square, a 25-mg. semivaporized toke in a long-stemmed one-hitter (1/28 the serving size). (Or use a vaporizer; if knowledgeable, work on developing the liquid THC formula which will someday be used in E-spliffs.)
I would like to see the news report state: “he was twice the legal limit for driving in our state, and we found a pack a Camels in the vehicle. We, are further investigating if the driver had smoked tobacco before getting behind the wheel.”
The Rev.Sleezy, Activist
Universal Life Church of the Holy Smoke
Potland, OR
I have kids now, I can not go to jail. I do not have any political power, and I live in Saskatchewan Canada. If I got busted with a few plants, or a once, I would face 2 to 5 years in jail. A little more about me. I am a heavy Equipment Operator, I use to smoke an ounce of high test a week. At my workplace if peoples lives depended on the equipment operator they always put there trust in me. I smoke weed at work, but I never got over excited.
Anyway, I can’t risk going to jail now so I have quit smoking pot. I have quit for a while now and I do not like what I have become. I’m abusive, quick tempered, not a good father and a terrible husband.
The chance of jail was not the only reason I quit, I did some math a while back and I figure I put around $250 000 dollars into the hands of organized crime and or gangs. I think its soon going to drive me to drinking. Just the thought of because of me someone was able to afford a gun and place harm onto some innocent.
For now, it looks like alcohol is better, not for me or my family, but for someone else’s family.
man they are so wrong.
how many people have you heard dieing from pot?
nobody.
alcohol yes a lot of people have die from alcohol.
i know somebody dieing from alcohol.
are government says the want to help the economy well legalize pot that’s a no brainer like others have said on here it is less dangerious than alcohol is i dont smoke it any more because its not legal but i would if it was not all the time but on ocation i think the people should decide
If you prefer to smoke, you will justify it. If you prefer to drink you will justify it.
Personally, I think you should do both. Smoking cuts your drinking in half, and drinking cuts your smoking in half. Diversify yourself.
Excellent website. A lot of helpful info here. I’m sending
it to several buddies ans also sharing in delicious. And naturally, thank you in your sweat!