Wow great argument if all you care about is semantics and technical minutiae. Some of the ignorance in this thread is palpable. HGH is harmful to the body. Banned substances are on the list because though they may enhance your performance, they are ultimately BAD for you. Weed is not bad for you, please don't tell me otherwise I am so fucking sick of the outdated views that some of you so desperately cling to, why I can't figure out. Of course inhaling any type of smoke is bad for you, but if weed were legal, or I should say, WHERE weed is legal, they can make available edible doses with specific strains that help with specific symptoms. Instead most people are stuck buying shit from god knows where, they have to smoke it, and they don't know what kind of weed it is or where it came from. But let's NOT do that right? Keep giving all your money to Big Pharma, the scum of the earth and the hoarders of all the wealth in this country, as they seduce all the "doctors" in this country with favors so they can deal out their shit that you call medicine. Opiate use is always a half step away from abuse no matter how pure the intentions are, and they are a HUGE problem in the world today. I'll entertain and listen to someone who has a well thought out and valid counter argument, but most of what I'm seeing in this thread and a lot in our society is people simply clinging to old belief systems that are unprogressive, ignorant, insecure and fear-based. The highest crime is to make something that grows naturally on this earth illegal.
I have zero problem with people using weed for legitimate medical reasons. In those cases, even if it has some negative side effects, it wouldn't be much different than most of the other prescription drugs that are on the market today, many of which can cause a "fatal event." I'm in complete agreement with you regarding the Pharmaceutical industry and how they have Congress and the Senate in their hip pockets. That should change. But don't tell me that weed is not bad for anyone. I know too many people that weed has had a negative effect on their personalities and attitudes. They became very apathetic, stopped caring about much else except pot and became complete and utter doofuses.
Oh boo hoo Big Pharma. I couldn't give a half baked crap if folks want to smoke weed. Some of my best friends do it. My sister-in-law regularly smokes. I don't care and I don't judge. I care that one of my entertainers, someone who's salary I help pay, is being suspended for 4 games because of his stupidity or selfishness or both. Whether you care that it's legal or not, that it's stupid not for it to be legal, that Big Pharma is at fault, is irrelevant. It's on the Banned Substance list. The tangent about it having enhancing effects on performance was a tangent, not the singular reason why I believe it will remain on the Banned Substance List even if legalized. Don't be myopic and take a tangent and make it the thrust of the entire argument. He knew the rules and decided they didn't apply to him. He's a jackass in my opinion. Don't care whether people want to smoke or not. It's not a moral issue for me. If the people want to legalize it, have at it. _
None of what I've done in my life has been the result of shallow thinking and going along with what everybody does. I follow what I hold to be true and as a result I have somewhat unique and largely unpopular views. It sounds cliche but you can't be more wrong about calling me a shallow thinker, but who really gives a shit because were just two people talking over the internet and talk is cheap really. I guess you could try to explain to me how marijuana is morally wrong ( and I do have morals, thanks for assuming I don't though), but honestly you can spare me the exhaustion. I think I'm done with this thread. You really won't find me on this board spewing my opinions too much, I mostly read and try to learn from other people who have more football knowledge than I do. Ocassionally I post the typical over emotional type of garbage that happens sometimes after a tough Jets loss or something, but this was an issue that I feel particularly strong about for good reasons, so I had to chime in. I'm not looking for the world to be one big episode of Cheech and Chong, which seems to be the perspective of a lot of anti-marijuana advocates, I just want the world and everybodys lives to be better, and I know firsthand that making weed legal will do just that.
DUDE, we all know it was a dumb move on Sheldon's part. We all know that, but you were trying to claim that marijuana is a performance enhancing, or now your saying it was a tangent, I'm kind of confused, I guess you were saying it's a hypothetical argument now? What I am saying is you cannot lump weed into the rest of performance enhancing drugs, no matter how many technical reasons you can try to say it is, common sense has to prevail. So we all agree it was stupid on the part of the performer to take such a risk and get suspended, but it seems like you were trying to claim that weed is in fact a performance enhancer, now your kind of back-tracking on that which is fine, but don't act like you didn't say it. And if you sarcastically say boo hoo big pharma, you really have no idea what kind of impact they have on this country and the world. Don't make light of such a subject, it's not something to brush off. I'm glad if your tired of hearing about big pharma because that would mean enough people are finally starting to talk about the elephant in the room instead of sweeping it under the rug and pretending its not a problem.
Fair enough, it is not for everyone. I never said weed should be mandatory, I just want it to not be illegal. People need to be responsible and accountable for their own actions. If heroin became legal tomorrow would you go out and do it? Making it legal is not going to turn everybody into some kind of weed smoking zombie.
We're talking around each other here. I said that your comment is typical for shallow thinkers, and it is. If that isn't the case with you, good. I believe you. But your position is one I usually hear coming from people who are shallow thinkers. If your views are largely unpopular, there's nothing inherently wrong with that, and I congratulate you for not just going along with the crowd. I'm sorry if I misjudged you or your intent. I didn't say that you didn't have morals or that marijuana is morally wrong. I said some people perceive it in that way. For many it is a moral issue. For me, it is a matter of seeing how it affects people and their attitudes and actions. If something has the ability to harm the one who uses it, then it should be used with extreme caution and not in an irresponsible manner. Just like smoking and drinking in general, they are usually begun by young kids who think they know it all and who are not mature enough to realize the ramifications or long term affects of using these substances. Young kids often begin smoking, drinking or using pot/drugs, huffing as a means of coping with anxieties, pain or as a means of rebellion. I believe in the value and worth of humans, and I don't want to see anyone have their health or life ruined or negatively impacted from using any of those substances. How will everybody's life be better by using pot?
No, making it legal is not going to turn everyone into a "druggie" or "zombie", but the fact that it is illegal says to people that it can have that effect on them if not used with caution. I think that is a responsible position, especially for children and teenagers. Would you be in favor of making it legal for anyone over the age of 21, having the government regulate and tax it, but it still would be a crime to give or sell it to anyone under 21? I think I would vote for that, but would want stiff penalties for anyone who sold or gave it to anyone under 21 and for anyone using on the job or driving where they could impact the health and safety of others. Using your example, if they made heroin legal and even one person died from an overdose, it would be wrong imo. I'm not saying that this is your opinion or objective, but I know people who want to see all drugs legalized, controlled and taxed by the government as a means of making money and not spending any more money on trying to prevent drugs from entering the country or people from using them. All they care about is the money. They don't care about wasted human lives. I care about human lives. I don't know that there IS an answer to this whole issue. I know that pcp, heroin, crack and crystal meth are very different from pot, and much more dangerous and addictive. I believe that some people think if pot is legalized, then pandora's box will be opened, and then it won't be long before heroin, and other drugs become legalized. I know that as long as people are people, we will be: rebellious; greedy; commit hateful, malicious, bigoted and violent acts against each other; insensitive to others; uncaring about others; selfish; covetous; and irresponsible. I guess a basic question here is should our government try to protect us from ourselves? Depending upon how one answers that question, will go a long way in determining one's stance on the legalization of drugs and other issues.
Go back and read the thread. My main point was it was idiotic. My TANGENTIAL point when someone suggested it was stupid and once legalized it'll be accepted by the league was that even IF legal it will still remain banned because of the enhancing effects it has on recooperation vis-a-vis other players that DON'T smoke. I never claimed pot helps you run faster or get bigger or stronger or can make you jump higher or see the ball better. It's performance enhancing because of its recooperative powers. That's why the NBA PA is going to fight for it so strenuously in the next CBA--they ALL claim it has beneficial effects in addition to being a recreational drug. And please spare me gibberish about Big Pharma. I know as much about it as anyone here but crying about it is like crying about taxes. It's not changing. _
Btw I've had fights with Big Pharma in the States as well as in Germany, the Dominican Republic and France. I know all about it. _
You have good points in both your replies, I could comment on a lot of the points you made (most of which I agree with actually) however I don't want to veer this thread off topic anymore than I already have. To answer your last question in bold would be exhausting, you would have to do just a little research and you could find plenty of answers to that. However, to answer from a personal experience, I have seen it do good things for myself and people close to me, and it was used responsibly.
If we keep calling it gibberish and shut people up everytime it comes up in conversation then yes, nothing will change. I understand it's a tough topic and it's not very fun to talk about, but a healthy conversation every once in a while is not a bad thing. I guess we shouldn't talk gibberish about a lot of things if thats the case, Pharmacuetical companies are just one piece to the puzzle. I'm sorry, I get your argument about the performance enhancing apsects and everything, but it's just plain silly. If the league would try to make that argument (I wouldn't put it past them, which I'm guessing is why you brought it up) that would be just another shitstain on the foul skivvies of the NFL and add to all the things that they DON'T do to protect their players' quality of life. If something is "performance enhancing" but has no harmful effects, then it should not be illegal. I thought the whole reason HGH is illegal is because ultimately it ruins your body. Where do you draw the line, players have to stop taking vitamins and eating healthy because it's performance enhancing? Should whey protein be on the banned substance list because it helps your muscles recover faster after a workout? Anyway, sorry I veered things off topic but I thought it was too important not to talk about. I appreciate the constructive feedback and opinions from you guys.
Nah, they were prob always that way. I've been smoking ganja for close to a decade. I can honestly say, if they were apathetic after smoking weed, they prob were before and you never knew about it. I don't think weed is addictive, or negative. Alcohol is much worse in my opinion. I know I don't have the scientific articles, but I consider myself living proof.
Do you have any idea what HGH is? Do you? Three of my 4 kids were on HGH for 7-9 years, I gave them nearly 10,000 shots of Nutropin AQ. Please don't bring up things you don't understand. It's a miracle drug if administered properly. And it has incredible performance enhancing benefits that don't make you jump higher or run faster. Not in and of itself. The league has determined that certain substances are banned, mostly illegal substances that cannot be gotten without a prescription. Whey protein, vitamins, healthy eating, working out, meditation, massages--that's the panoply of red herrings. Completely legal. Again, I am not morally opposed to pot. My wife had a prescription strength weed for when she was going through chemotherapy but it never worked for her nausea and she was paranoid that the kids would find out so she only used it twice. And flushed it. If the league declares a substance banned, there may be a main reason but also tangential reasons. I just know that NBA players love it because -besides the recreational benefit- it also helps them recooperate so they can play better in back to back games. If you choose NOT to smoke the illegal and banned substance, you are at a disadvantage. It's just reality. Again, not the reason it's banned, but one can't deny the bi-product benefit. _
No, they weren't. These are people that were highly motivated, involved in numerous activities, top students, who became unmotivated, lazy, uninvolved, and whose grades plummeted. Some of them I met later and they told me themselves after they had quit. Others I knew very well and saw the effects.
I'm not published by the world health organization and don't have journals in the NE Journal of medicin, but marijouana does not have an addictive agent (THC is not habit forming). The use of the word "addiction" was just plane wrong by the previous poster. Your attempt to reintroduce the phrase is a failed attempt. He could potentially be abusing marry jane as there are documented consequences (his legal NFLPA documents) that point out the consequences. Is he dumb, yes... And addict...no
No, that is not what addiction is. Addiction isn't the result of physical properties within a substance that cause addiction, otherwise there would be no such thing as gambling addiction, since gambling isn't a physical substance. Marijuana use can create the same effect within a user that meets the definition of addiction just the same as gambling. You probably should understand addiction before questioning or correcting anyone else. www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/marijuana/marijuana-addictive But let's not let facts get in the way of your desire to simply want to correct people even if you do not know what you are talking about.