Public School Drug Education

[BennettJ]

Now I know that educating america's youth is a major issue at hand, since education builds the foundation for the country's and the world's future. But I am wondering why our government spends so much time uselessly educating teenagers on the so called "danger" that Marijuana brings into society. As being High (From smoking, eating, or vaporizing) does not cause any violent intentions in it's user's minds (unlike PCP, Crack, or Coke), I cannot see why it is acceptable for the nations public schools to educate kids and teens about the "dangers" of a substance that became illegal because of government corruption and racism. Anyone else agree with this stance? I have received many demerits/detentions for stating medically accepted facts about marijuana in school (in both health and chemistry class), I am tired of our government failing to accept that it was wrong in the past and it is time for change, and I am even more angry at the fact that they refuse to accept every single study that says marijuana is not harmful to the users and that it has MANY accepted medical uses.

Does anyone see an issue with this part of our school systems?

 

[Eisenhans]

I don't really see an issue with it. Marijuana isn't much worse for you than alcohol, and if the schools started touting about the benefits of alcohol to their youth, they'd get mass-complaints from parents wondering why their children are constantly getting wasted at partied "because their school said it was ok."

The children in public schools, all the way up to high school, can't reason like fully matured adults and seem to have no qualms abusing substances. I remember the countless brain-dead squinty-eyed kids in my high school because they didn't want to moderate their consumption.

While I don't particularly see marijuana as being something so dangerous that it needs to be illegal to consume, I also see the schools promoting the dangers of it as being beneficial to our youth so that when they do have the opportunity to consume it, they can do so with a knowledge of the risks involved instead of going at it like an animal.

 

[BennettJ]

I don't really see an issue with it. Marijuana isn't much worse for you than alcohol, and if the schools started touting about the benefits of alcohol to their youth, they'd get mass-complaints from parents wondering why their children are constantly getting wasted at partied "because their school said it was ok."

The children in public schools, all the way up to high school, can't reason like fully matured adults and seem to have no qualms abusing substances. I remember the countless brain-dead squinty-eyed kids in my high school because they didn't want to moderate their consumption.

While I don't particularly see marijuana as being something so dangerous that it needs to be illegal to consume, I also see the schools promoting the dangers of it as being beneficial to our youth so that when they do have the opportunity to consume it, they can do so with a knowledge of the risks involved instead of going at it like an animal.

I just feel that if they are going to teach about it they should teach facts, preferably not opinionated ones, but facts, not out-dated or false information.

 

[Anachronism]

Bennett, if you believe there are no negative societal ramifications to the use of marijuana, please ask the families of the SIX Worcester, MA firefighters who died while attempting to save a couple of weed smokers in the Worcester Cold Storage building on the night of December 3, 1999. Only problem, they weren't in the building. In fact they'd accidentally STARTED the fire themselves, about 4 hours earlier, yet failed to report the fire when they left the building. Please do not EVER tell me that marijuana doesn't have negative impacts.

If nothing else (as this story shows) it impairs mental abilities and should be banned outright for THAT reason if no other.

 

[BennettJ]

Bennett, if you believe there are no negative societal ramifications to the use of marijuana, please ask the families of the SIX Worcester, MA firefighters who died while attempting to save a couple of weed smokers in the Worcester Cold Storage building on the night of December 3, 1999. Only problem, they weren't in the building. In fact they'd accidentally STARTED the fire themselves, about 4 hours earlier, yet failed to report the fire when they left the building. Please do not EVER tell me that marijuana doesn't have negative impacts.

If nothing else (as this story shows) it impairs mental abilities and should be banned outright for THAT reason if no other.

There are negative social impacts of everything, but considering that the mental inhibitions of alcohol are much much worse and yet alcohol remains legal means that it should not only be legalized but NEEDS to be legalized

 

[Anachronism]

There are negative social impacts of everything, but considering that the mental inhibitions of alcohol are much much worse and yet alcohol remains legal means that it should not only be legalized but NEEDS to be legalized

I would suggest that you've taken the wrong end of that stick, Bennett. In fact I would suggest that ALL consumable alcohol and ALL tobacco products should be outlawed as well.

I noticed your signature after my last post. I'm not a real big believer that most 21st Century Americans have EARNED or DESERVE most of the Liberty, Rights and Freedoms that they currently enjoy.

 

[BennettJ]

There are negative social impacts of everything, but considering that the mental inhibitions of alcohol are much much worse and yet alcohol remains legal means that it should not only be legalized but NEEDS to be legalized

I would suggest that you've taken the wrong end of that stick, Bennett. In fact I would suggest that ALL consumable alcohol and ALL tobacco products should be outlawed as well.

I noticed your signature after my last post. I'm not a real big believer that most 21st Century Americans have EARNED or DESERVE most of the Liberty, Rights and Freedoms that they currently enjoy.

Why outlaw all alcohol and tobacco? Both are bad for you, but banning both only restricts the ability of private citizens to do what they please in their free time.

I mean, you remember probation back in the 1920's right? That worked out ever so well for the US, the same thing is currently going on with marijuana, it will eventually be legalized but for the moment the government is refusing to admit that it messed up in the past.

I am getting a vibe from your posts that you have either never tried Marijuana, Alcohol or Tobacco products, or that you are religious/have had family issues caused by such substances. The sad fact about this is that, you are one of the people who thinks that once something is dangerous it should be outlawed. So I am also assuming you are against Firearms? Knives? How about cars, they can be dangerous!

Hopefully you see that banning/restricting everything that is dangerous is pointless and would not only ruin our deficit but would just cause a rebellion in the people as you are taking away all of their freedoms.


And why do you think most Americans do not deserve their freedoms? What have they done that is so horrid that their god given rights are to be taken away?


(Are you a socialist or communist by chance? )

 

[Truthmatters]

it should be legal and taxed to hell.

I think this country would be a far better place if half the people who drink smoked pot instead.

 

[BennettJ]

it should be legal and taxed to hell.

I think this country would be a far better place if half the people who drink smoked pot instead.

... Wait... Did something useful come out of your keyboard? Now that would seem to be a first!


The issue with taxing it is as follows:
The taxation of marijuana would establish an industry of selling pre-packaged joints to people, creating tobacco like plantations where marijuana would be grown, when it is grown outdoors in large amounts pesticides and other harmful chemicals would be added, creating an unsafe product.

If it does come to that point, the liberty to grow your own should also be available, this way people could grow their own safe, legal cannabis for personal consumption.



Contrary to popular belief the amount of added chemicals in todays marijuana is at a staggering... 0. Most of todays marijuana is grown indoors where no harmful chemicals are added onto the plant during growth, cultivation or before consumption. By creating a large industry around the consumption of cannabis as a mind altering substance would do the same thing that happened to tobacco, where horrible chemicals were added in to create addiction, and these had adverse health affects, which is a major issue in the grand scheme of things.

 

[Finnguy]

When I was in high school, someone was suspended just about every week for weed possession. Most of them ended up in Juvie for a few weeks for possession of an "illegal" substance. At least it wouldn't be as bad on their record if they had underage possession of Marijuana.

 

[Anachronism]

Why outlaw all alcohol and tobacco? Both are bad for you, but banning both only restricts the ability of private citizens to do what they please in their free time.

So far as I'm concerned there IS NOT nor SHOULD THERE BE a Right to act in an immoral manner in society.

I mean, you remember probation back in the 1920's right? That worked out ever so well for the US, the same thing is currently going on with marijuana, it will eventually be legalized but for the moment the government is refusing to admit that it messed up in the past.

If we had actually ever truly fought a WAR on Alcohol or on Drugs that had failed, I might agree with you. However, we have NEVER actually carried out any sort of truly offensive campaign against Drugs and only one Federal Agent (Elliott Ness) did so during Prohibition. You would be seriously unimpressed with my feelings on what should be done to anyone even remotely involved in the drug trade and those who abuse alcohol.

I am getting a vibe from your posts that you have either never tried Marijuana, Alcohol or Tobacco products, or that you are religious/have had family issues caused by such substances. The sad fact about this is that, you are one of the people who thinks that once something is dangerous it should be outlawed. So I am also assuming you are against Firearms? Knives? How about cars, they can be dangerous!

I've never tried any illegal drug and never will. I drink VERY little alcohol (I could do without it), and my only experience with tobacco was trying one pinch of dip back in college. That mistake cost me about 10 minutes of my life over a toilet bowl. I see no real value in any of those products. It's not a matter of being dangerous per se, but rather the changes in mental chemistry brought on by them that leave the individual unable to make proper decisions.

I am a licensed gun owner who carries a firearm on my person quite frequently, and I own a fair selection of bows and medieval weapons as well. Totally different topic so far as I'm concerned. BTW - I have no problem with being required to have a license for those firearms and being held responsible if I or anyone else use them in an improper manner (unlike drug users, drunks, etc...)

Hopefully you see that banning/restricting everything that is dangerous is pointless and would not only ruin our deficit but would just cause a rebellion in the people as you are taking away all of their freedoms.

I think we NEED a rebellion. A rebellion of those of us who understand that we need to totally rewrite the Constitution and get back to the Morals and Values that this country was founded upon. Even if it means enforcing them at the barrel of a rifle.

And why do you think most Americans do not deserve their freedoms? What have they done that is so horrid that their god given rights are to be taken away?

I don't really believe very much in the idea of "God Given Rights". I'm much more in favor of EARNED Privileges which can be easily revoked when people choose not to live up to their societal duties and responsbilities. Most 21st Century American Citizens want all their Rights and Privileges but don't want to pony up to the Duties and Responsibilities that go with it.

(Are you a socialist or communist by chance? )

Nope. I'm a Right-Winger, not a Left-Winger. I'm an Authoritarian.

 

[BennettJ]

I think we NEED a rebellion. A rebellion of those of us who understand that we need to totally rewrite the Constitution and get back to the Morals and Values that this country was founded upon. Even if it means enforcing them at the barrel of a rifle.
.

Well... I am going to have to sadly inform you that the majority of the founding fathers not only grew marijuana and hemp on their plantations, but smoked marijuana for it's euphoric effect, So I fully agree with your point there, we should be back on the same morals of the time, when Marijuana was the largest cash crop in our country and was used for basically everything.

I can provide you plenty of sources (Primary at that) from the journals of Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, and many many more founding fathers that are comments on their personal usage of marijuana.


Hopefully this tidbit of information will expand your view on the issue.


And as for gun control... Thank you, thank you, thank you, and thank you 100 times over. It is rare to find another gun lover who is not a complete pussy about owning or using firearms, I work on a rifle range and the amount of people that come in only to shoot the targets, return the firearm, then go home is crazy... MIND BLOWING!! Firearms are not only necessary for personal protection, but are useful in plenty of situations... Sadly todays liberals have been waging a full out war on the 2nd amendment and our rights to possess firearms.

But back on topic... haha



Now for your viewpoint on the "immoral" substances, I actually agree with you on the alcohol part, it is a sin (technically) and I hate it more than anything, I refrain from drinking at almost every possible point (odd for a teenager... haha). But just because you find a substance immoral does not mean that it should be outlawed, there is a separation of church and state in this country, and Christianity has seeming had too much of an influence on our government's decisions in the past years. (I myself am a christian). But the outlaw of those substances BECAUSE they are immoral would be a direct violation of the constitution and the founding father's wills.

But I am very glad to be conversing with a right-winger on this subject, anything is better than arguing with the scum of society (Communists), Hell I hold some conservative beliefs myself and when I turn 18 will be voting for the Republican party, although I am not nearly as conservative as I am libertarian.

 

[Truthmatters]

it should be legal and taxed to hell.

I think this country would be a far better place if half the people who drink smoked pot instead.

... Wait... Did something useful come out of your keyboard? Now that would seem to be a first!


The issue with taxing it is as follows:
The taxation of marijuana would establish an industry of selling pre-packaged joints to people, creating tobacco like plantations where marijuana would be grown, when it is grown outdoors in large amounts pesticides and other harmful chemicals would be added, creating an unsafe product.

If it does come to that point, the liberty to grow your own should also be available, this way people could grow their own safe, legal cannabis for personal consumption.



Contrary to popular belief the amount of added chemicals in todays marijuana is at a staggering... 0. Most of todays marijuana is grown indoors where no harmful chemicals are added onto the plant during growth, cultivation or before consumption. By creating a large industry around the consumption of cannabis as a mind altering substance would do the same thing that happened to tobacco, where horrible chemicals were added in to create addiction, and these had adverse health affects, which is a major issue in the grand scheme of things.

It should be treated like any other legal substance.

People can grow their own or buy from others.

It will be a huge economic boon.


Ask any cop if he would rather deal with a drunk or a stoner.

Your answer to why it should be legal is right there.

 

[Dont Taz Me Bro]

I would suggest that you've taken the wrong end of that stick, Bennett. In fact I would suggest that ALL consumable alcohol and ALL tobacco products should be outlawed as well.

We kind of tried that before. Amazing how many people never learn from history.

I'm not a real big believer that most 21st Century Americans have EARNED or DESERVE most of the Liberty, Rights and Freedoms that they currently enjoy.

Thankfully for all freedom loving people you don't get to make that decision and never will.

 

[Anachronism]

We kind of tried that before. Amazing how many people never learn from history.

No we didn't. We paid lip service to it. We never actually attempted to enforce the law any more than we enforce drug laws.

Thankfully for all freedom loving people you don't get to make that decision and never will.

I don't now, but someday soon you might see a lot more people like me rise up and take that power for ourselves.


BTW - It's TazE. not Taz. Taz is a Warner Brothers character based on a Tazmanian Devil. A Taser is used to taze people. That misspelling in your screenname has been driving me nuts for weeks.

 

[Anachronism]

Well... I am going to have to sadly inform you that the majority of the founding fathers not only grew marijuana and hemp on their plantations, but smoked marijuana for it's euphoric effect, So I fully agree with your point there, we should be back on the same morals of the time, when Marijuana was the largest cash crop in our country and was used for basically everything.

I have no issue with the hemp, so long as it can be grown in a form that CANNOT be converted into marijuana. Those Founders also almost universally owned slaves. They weren't perfect. Their use of those illicit drugs, alcohol and tobacco are a large part of what I find to be quite abhorant about their lifestyle.

I can provide you plenty of sources (Primary at that) from the journals of Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, and many many more founding fathers that are comments on their personal usage of marijuana.

I'm well aware of that. As I mentioned above, they weren't perfect. In fact the more I have learned about them over the years the LESS I like most of them.

Hopefully this tidbit of information will expand your view on the issue.

Nope. Hell, I turned a roommate in college in for having the crap in our dorm room and I have never regretted doing so.

And as for gun control... Thank you, thank you, thank you, and thank you 100 times over. It is rare to find another gun lover who is not a complete pussy about owning or using firearms, I work on a rifle range and the amount of people that come in only to shoot the targets, return the firearm, then go home is crazy... MIND BLOWING!! Firearms are not only necessary for personal protection, but are useful in plenty of situations... Sadly todays liberals have been waging a full out war on the 2nd amendment and our rights to possess firearms.

One thing I would suggest to you is that there are MANY, MANY people in this country who I would rather have going in and renting guns for recreational purposes than owning them. I have been an NRA Instructor, a range safety officer, have worked Local, Regional, National & International level pistol matches, and been a recreational shooter for a decade. The lack of basic safety knowledge and common sense in some gun owners still astounds me at times. Owning a gun is a major, serious responsibility that not everyone is ready for or capable of.

Now for your viewpoint on the "immoral" substances, I actually agree with you on the alcohol part, it is a sin (technically) and I hate it more than anything, I refrain from drinking at almost every possible point (odd for a teenager... haha). But just because you find a substance immoral does not mean that it should be outlawed, there is a separation of church and state in this country, and Christianity has seeming had too much of an influence on our government's decisions in the past years. (I myself am a christian). But the outlaw of those substances BECAUSE they are immoral would be a direct violation of the constitution and the founding father's wills.

I'm not a Christian and haven't been in more than a decade. My viewpoints on those substances has little to nothing to do with any religious or spiritual arguement. It has to do with morals and values, which I believe are much more important than any religion or spiritual movement or cultural/societal norm.

As I said before, I believe the US Constitution needs to be re-written.

But I am very glad to be conversing with a right-winger on this subject, anything is better than arguing with the scum of society (Communists), Hell I hold some conservative beliefs myself and when I turn 18 will be voting for the Republican party, although I am not nearly as conservative as I am libertarian.

I'm not a Republican. The Republican Party is not Conservative in any manner or form. Hasn't been in decades. I'm not a fan of the Libertarian movement in any way and never have been.

 

[Smash_Hits]

Now I know that educating america's youth is a major issue at hand, since education builds the foundation for the country's and the world's future. But I am wondering why our government spends so much time uselessly educating teenagers on the so called "danger" that Marijuana brings into society. As being High (From smoking, eating, or vaporizing) does not cause any violent intentions in it's user's minds (unlike PCP, Crack, or Coke), I cannot see why it is acceptable for the nations public schools to educate kids and teens about the "dangers" of a substance that became illegal because of government corruption and racism. Anyone else agree with this stance? I have received many demerits/detentions for stating medically accepted facts about marijuana in school (in both health and chemistry class), I am tired of our government failing to accept that it was wrong in the past and it is time for change, and I am even more angry at the fact that they refuse to accept every single study that says marijuana is not harmful to the users and that it has MANY accepted medical uses.

Does anyone see an issue with this part of our school systems?

... A libertarian I can actually AGREE with and RESPECT... wow.

I completely agree with you on this... drugs should be legal and taxed. As Americans, we have the right to put any substance into our bodies.

 

[Anachronism]

I completely agree with you on this... drugs should be legal and taxed. As Americans, we have the right to put any substance into our bodies.

To a certain degree. Anyone brings that shit into my apartment and what's gonna get put in their body is even less good for you..... about 124 grains of copper and lead.

 

[BennettJ]

Anachronism... You do understand that Hemp is not converted into marijuana? The Cannabis plant is cultivated and cured to make it smokeable, before that it is just an extremely useful plant, the other types of hemp are currently legal and DO NOT provide anywhere as near as many resources or uses as the actual Marijuana plant

 

[Bones]

I completely agree with you on this... drugs should be legal and taxed. As Americans, we have the right to put any substance into our bodies.

To a certain degree. Anyone brings that shit into my apartment and what's gonna get put in their body is even less good for you..... about 124 grains of copper and lead.

Who would ever want to hang out with you? It sounds like you're really unhinged and perhaps bloodthirsty.

Seek help immediately.

Moreover, you claim to be conservative however extol the virtues of the War on Drugs. I can't wrap my head around that contradiction.