Marijuana: Colorado, Nancy Grace and Legalization.....oh my!

On the first day of January, Colorado legalized recreational marijuana usage. The voters came to the polls and their voices were heard. They wanted to be able to smoke marijuana.  That is of course their choice. I disagree with that, but there are ways to disagree and ways not to. I hope to disagree with the reasoning by providing arguments later that look at how marijuana legalization is predicated on misinformation. Nancy Grace recently did this the wrong way. 

Nancy Grace said that legalizing pot for recreational use was a bad idea. I agree. She then said that anyone who disagreed with her was, “lethargic, sitting on the sofa eating chips. Pot, it makes you fat and lazy.” She is labeling all people that use marijuana long-term as being fat and lazy. That is a misnomer, as there are skinny people who smoke cannabis. It does have a tendency to make people lose motivation and eat more. But not everybody, so that was a gross stereotype she used.

I personally feel that the voting may have been different in Colorado were it  not for the lack of factual reporting frequently done by organizations such as NORML as well as the grassroots movements that have been instrumental in the legalization of marijuana. They have statements and arguments they make which are based on fallacies and half-truths. Here are some of the more common ones:

Arguments for Legalization and the rational arguments against them

1.       Marijuana is not addictive – This is entirely not true. It may be less addictive than other drugs, but long-term usage of cannabis by people can result in addiction. There are physiological indicators of detoxification in long term users: irritability, sleeplessness, cravings and anxiety. Not to mention the clients I have had personally who would use knowing that they would go to jail for smoking, “but I could not help it. I have to have it.” I have even had a smoker sign their parental rights away because they could not stop smoking. That said, marijuana is not as addictive as some of the other drugs out there, but less addictive does not equate to non-addictive.

2.        Marijuana is just a plant – Yes it is just a plant, but people are not smoking ditch weed that grows wild in the woods. They are instead smoking cannabis from plants that have been genetically engineered to have high Delta 8 and Delta 9 contents. Delta 8 and Delta 9 are the chemicals that cause the “high” experienced by users. In the same way, cocaine and heroin are just plants. But they can be engineered chemically to get people high.

3.       Marijuana never killed anyone – Not directly but people die never the less. Example locally was a teenager who was shot on his porch in 2013 over a ¼ ounce of marijuana ($25-$50).

4.       Would you rather have someone behind the wheel drunk or high – Once again this argument pretends that there is not another choice. I choose a driver under the influence of neither. Just because something is less dangerous than something else does not mean that it is not dangerous.

5.       Marijuana is not dangerous like other drugs – Marijuana has been proven in tests to impact memory and learning. Does this happen in all people? I don’t know. I do know that cigarettes greatly increase the risk of getting cancer but not everyone who smokes cigarettes will get cancer. It just makes it more likely. And speaking of cancer………..

6.       Studies show marijuana cures cancer – Than obviously no one has cancer in Amsterdam, right? And of course no one who smokes marijuana has gotten cancer, right? Wrong to both. Marijuana does not cure cancer. If marijuana cured cancer then the big pharmaceutical companies would be all over it trying to get a patent on a chemical because they would make billions! Not that this is conclusive or well researched at all, but I have friends who are regular marijuana smokers and yet they have developed cancer.

7.       Marijuana is medicine - There are some chemical compounds, such as CMB, that have proven to be effective when working with various maladies. There are medicines already being used that treat various things like nausea and pain that are derived from marijuana. They have been FDA approved because they have medicinal use. Unfortunately most of the chemicals in cannabis don’t have medicinal value that we know of. In fact, some of them are bad for you as we see next. It is also impossible to know the amount of CMB and THC that one is getting when the chemical is smoked, which the FDA would need to know in order to be able to legalize it for medicinal use. Also, when looking at the studies where marijuana is smoked it seems very biased to be positive. I would ask several questions: What was the sample size? Were the findings statistically significant? Were the benefits subjective or objective? Were there groups that used a placebo, current treatment and another using nothing?? After all, when I am smoking marijuana I know it is marijuana and if I want to get high I would say it helped me feel better. 

8.       Marijuana isn’t bad for you like cigarettes – Marijuana contains over 50 carcinogens. A carcinogen is defined as a substance or agent causing cancer. People smoke marijuana unfiltered and hold it in longer than they do when smoking cigarettes so there is more time for the negative chemicals to negatively impact the lining of the lungs. There have been studies done linking cannabis to increased risk of bladder cancer, testicular cancer and lung cancer.  

9.       Marijuana legalization will cut down on crime – Gangs, distributors and the Mexican Mafia will be able to undercut severely the prices of legal, taxed marijuana. Because of this, they will continue to deal and may even increase their business once people who smoke recreationally become regular users and they chronic users. In Colorado people are waiting in 30 minute to 5 hour lines to buy it and it costs on average $64 an 1/8^th. That is $512 an ounce and $8,192 a pound. There are some cheap places selling it for $40-50 an 1/8^th, which is still $5,120-$6,400 a pound. To break that down, I used to get 10 pounds of marijuana delivered to me from Texas for $5000 -$12,000 depending on quality. That is $500-1,200 a pound. I could go get it myself and it was much cheaper. Tell me that with this type of money to be made the gangs and cartels won’t be all over it? It could possibly increase crime.

10.   It will cut down on the allure of using for youth and they will use less – Yes, as that has worked really well for alcohol and youth not using. Right now prescription pills are the biggest risk for youth, because of their accessibility. People at least keep pills in medicine cabinets or on them. Marijuana will be even easier for them to get because most people I knew who smoked keep it in a Frisbee or on a tray under their couch. We will make it easier for youth to obtain and it being legal will make it more obtainable and more socially acceptable. That sucks because chronic use in youth has proven negative consequences.

This is just a partial list of common arguments that are used and that in my experience and the experience of most in the field I work in that I have talked to have are not either honest or relevant. I hope that if nothing else this opens up some dialogue as I would be interested to hear other’s experiences and thoughts on this. Unfortunately, personal experience is considered anecdotal when it comes to research. Are there people who learn better while tripping acid? There may be, I personally knew one.  One, and that is not statistically significant and the long term consequences were not good.

In closing, thanks for reading and please make any comments, opinions and/or feedback cordial and G-Rated.

Smoking Marijuana for Medical Purposes is a SHAM!

I am just a little confused. I am hoping that someone can explain some things to me so I will be less confused. We want to legalize marijuana for medical purposes. Let me start by saying that I AM NOT against the use of marijuana IF IT IS TO BE USED MEDICINALLY. If there is a medical reason that someone is using marijuana, I say let them use it. But that is not the reason marijuana is being legalized.

Find me a doctor who says that smoking anything makes it a better way to take any medication. You will find arguments for taking drugs intravenously and ingesting either in pill or liquid form, but never for smoking a medication. There are multiple reasons for marijuana in a smoke-able form to not be made legal.

1. Marijuana contains dozens of carcinogens (cancer causing substance)
2. Smoking marijuana has been linked to respiratory problems as well as an increase in several types of cancer including lung and testicular.
3. Marijuana is not FDA approved

My favorite argument is that smoking marijuana does not make cancer more prevalent. That is complete crap. Are there some studies that show there is no link between marijuana and cancer? Yes, there are several studies that show this. There is a far more substantial body of studies conducted that show a link between cancer and marijuana smoking, though. Marijuana has many of the same carcinogens and chemicals that cigarettes do. It also produces more tar than cigarettes. It is also smoked unfiltered, taking huge inhalations that are held in which means more carcinogens and tar are delivered to the lungs.

Marijuana is not FDA approved for a number of reasons, and not because they are controlled by the pharmaceutical companies. There are over 400 chemicals in the cannabis sativa plant. Some of them have unknown effects. If the dangers do not outweigh the benefits than the FDA will not approve it. Also, when passing a medicine it is standardized in each dose. A 50 mg dose delivers 50 milligrams. Cannabis is highly unstable and the dosage changes from one leaf to the next leaf on the same plant.

Are there some medical uses for marijuana? There are medical uses for some of the chemicals found in marijuana, such as CBD (cannabidiol). CBD has been found to alleviate pain associated with cancer and multiple sclerosis, reducing anxiety and various other positive uses. THC (Delta 8 and 9) have been found to increase anxiety in studies. Unfortunately, in the marijuana that is being confiscated, the levels of Delta 8 and Delta 9 (substances that induce the "high:) are increasing and the levels of CBD are decreasing.

There are also some substances substances in the cannabis plant or their chemical derivatives that have been shown to stop the growth of cancer in Petri dishes as well as in some animals that have been tested. This affect has not been clinically tested and proven to occur in humans, though.

Here are several more arguments for marijuana that are not allowed. First is the income from legalizing marijuana. If legalizing marijuana was all it took to increase the economy, then California would be rocking. After all, marijuana has been legal there for quit some time and their economy at the state level sucks.

There is also the argument that legalizing marijuana would greatly reduce our prison population. A survey by the Bureau of Justice found that 0.7% of the state prison population in the United States was there for marijuana only. It does not list how many of those were people who agreed to plead guilty to marijuana charges so they could avoid more serious charges. So we let out less than 1 percent of those who are in state prisons. Yeah, that makes a huge dent. How NORML gets 1 in 8 are in prison for marijuana charges I will never know.

Finally, the last argument is that alcohol and cigarettes are legal and kill people while marijuana is not lethal. I won't argue traffic accidents, because that is too incidental to get into and there are the arguments that marijuana stays in your system long after it still would impact your driving. Instead, I want to look at the basis of the argument. This drug is not as bad as these, so it should be legal?

How is that a good argument? Not that I don't agree, alcohol and cigarettes kill a lot of people and their basis for legality is disputable. There is a causal link between smoking THC and getting into accidents just like there is a causal link between male/female intercourse and getting pregnant. Does this mean that every time you use THC you will get into an accident. Of course not, and you will not get pregnant every time you have sex.......but it happens. Why risk it if it is not even addictive, like so may argue. If it is not addictive you don't have to do it so that solves the problem right there. Case closed!

Here is a great reason why marijuana should be illegal. States that have medicinal marijuana laws have shown an increase in marijuana use of 30% for teenagers in the 12-17 year old group. Studies show that youth who are 14 or under and smoke marijuana at least once a month are twice as likely to drop out as their non-marijuana smoking counterpart. Why would we want to legalize marijuana?

I am all for the spray, oil and pill forms of various chemicals in cannabis that have been found to be helpful. I am against smoking it, though. The risks outweigh the benefits and there are far better methods to use. Any argument that says smoking medical marijuana is the best, most efficient way to use it is nonfactual. There are much better ways to ingest it. The problem is that they don't get you as high, if high at all and that is what most people want to use it for.

Christians Are Not to Judge (NOT!!)

Do we judge other people? There are those who will quote scripture to chastise and judge those who judge others. Today we are going to look at one passage in the Bible to learn about whether or not we should judge others. The reason I am going to use this particular passage is because it contains the scripture that most often gets thrown in Christian's faces when we disagree with how others live.

The argument against judging others is that Jesus, in Matthew 7:1 clearly says, "Do not judge." They read that, and most stop right there. "See, your own Jesus says that you are not to judge me or anyone else," says the sinner. They use this as a way to say, "Christians don't even follow the malarkey that they believe." With that simple sentence, do not judge, many a Christian is shut down and left speechless.

Some will even use the entire first verse of Matthew chapter 7, "Do not judge, or you too will be judged." With that comment, anyone who suggests that someone is living a life that could lead them to hell is really saying that they too are going to hell. This makes complete sense, right?!?!?! After all, if a judge sentences someone to prison he is really sending himself to prison. Of course not. That would be ludicrous and devoid of logic.

If we look at this scripture, we should automatically realize that it is not to be taken in by itself only. If this scripture is read in to, I can walk away believing that I can do whatever I want and will never be judged. I can murder, lie, steal, cheat and there are no consequences for it as long as I don't judge other people. Wahoo!! There's no rules!!!

In Matthew 7:21 Jesus says, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." How is that possible if all we have to do is not judge others and we will get into heaven? So what is God's will Jesus speaks of? Jesus said there are two commands we are to follow in Matthew 22:37-40. He says we are to love God with all of our heart, soul and mind as well as love our neighbor as we love ourselves.

Wait, there's two rules? How can this be, if we do not get judged as long as we don't judge others? What do you mean, we won't get into heaven if we don't do God's will. I thought I couldn't get judged?? Obviously, there is a disconnect here. It is because we have not taken in the entire passage. So, lets look at the passage and see what Jesus really says.

Matthew 7:2-5 says, "For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured against you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."

So, when Jesus says do not judge, what He really means is do not judge out of hypocrisy. It is like an alcoholic telling someone smoking marijuana or doing methamphetamine that they need to stop because its wrong what they are doing. When I was an addict, I would have people who were next to me smoking meth tell me that I was going to hell because I was not saved. "Get saved like me and you will go to heaven too," I was told on several occasions. THIS IS ONE OF THE MAIN REASONS I STAYED AN AGNOSTIC FOR AS LONG AS I DID!!!! Jesus is saying that we are not to judge other's sin when our sin is just as bad if not worse!

Parents, how can you tell your children not to smoke cigarettes or do drugs when you are doing them yourself? How can you tell them to not cuss when you curse yourself? When we parent with a "do as I say, not as I do" mentality we are doomed to fail. Get your life in order and begin living your life as we are commanded to.

When I am not living my life well, I am not in a position to help others. Judgement consists of two things. First we look at the actions and words of someone and discern how what they mean. Then we begin to instruct them on how to live their lives better. It is not hateful to judge someones actions and then assist them. If I see someone about to do something that would kill them and do nothing, that makes me a horrible person. If we see our brothers and sisters engaging in actions that will doom them for eternity and do nothing, we are sinning. Period!!

We should be instructing others in how to live the right way. This is done to all of us from the day we are born until the day we die. Our parents, teachers, local and federal laws all instruct us on how we should conduct ourselves. So, judgement and instruction is not bad................but it can be!

We are not to tear others down, just to build ourselves up. We don't belittle or nag others. We are not to instruct others to make ourselves feel better. We are not to instruct others and be hateful or judgmental in the process. Instead, we are to live our lives well and try to help those who are our brother's in Christ do the same! We are not instructing others out of hate, but out of love. We do not walk before our brothers, but instead walk beside them.

So who are we to judge? We are to instruct and help our brothers and sisters in Christ based on what God has said in the Bible. That at times means we need to make a judgement of someone based on their words or actions. By judging someones actions or words, we can then instruct them on how to live their lives by the Word of God. This is vital!

I know the American church does not need less internal judgement. THE AMERICAN CHURCH NEEDS MORE INTERNAL JUDGEMENT, AND LESS EXTERNAL CONDEMNATION!!! We are so busy picking the dust out of the eyes of the nonbeliever that we not only ignore the tree in our own eye. we also ignore all of the sin that is in the church. We are not called to stand in judgement of the world. God will do that. We are to help our brethren. Remember, iron sharpens iron.

So in closing, we are called to judge and instruct our Christian brothers and sisters from God's Word with discernment and love by first judging ourselves. Once we have gotten our lives in order with the two commandments we can then begin to help others. In all honesty, if you see your brother doing something that you know would lead to his death and said and did nothing you would be a horrible person! So, let us begin to rebuild the church and make it strong again by l

Cross Addiction or I Didn't Cheat.........We Only Made Out

So as I talked to clients about cross addiction last week and some things occurred to me. Cross addiction is pretty sneaky, as is our addiction.......period. It is why we say addiction is cunning, baffling and strong. My addiction is in the back of my head: running on a treadmill, lifting weights and doing research on the computer trying to figure out how to get back back into the front of my head where it was before.

My addiction does not like to be an occasional desire I struggle with. My addiction was much happier when it was a compulsion and I always gave in. It liked to be an obsession that I constantly battled. Now that it is not in the forefront but on the back burner it constantly looks for ways to get me to crack the door. If I open the door just a smidgen, then my addiction can kick it off the hinges and invade my life again. It is not content to be a passing whimsy I have on rare occasions, it wants total control. It wants to be the only god that I worship.

There are many ways that my addiction hits me head on. I may walk by a car at Wal-Mart and see someone snorting a line. I may see someone shooting up in the car next to me at a red light, like one of my friends did last weekend. It may even use a movie where it shows me how much fun drugs are, or music that glorifies partying and drug dealing. Next it uses a television show that tries to depict how evil drugs are by showing how they have negatively impacted someones life. To get the point across, it shows them shooting up. FYI, seeing the register is the biggest trigger I know. Stop showing it!!

Those are all very in your face triggers. That is the strong side of our addiction. That is why my addiction is on the treadmill and lifts weights. But my addiction has another side. It is the cunning side, the one that sneaks up on me like a ninja then whacks me with one of his weapons. One of the main weapons in the addiction arsenal is cross addiction. So what is cross addiction?

Cross addiction is simply us finding a replacement for something we were once addicted to. Say we quit using drugs, bet we begin binge eating. Maybe we used to be an alcoholic and we have stopped drinking, but started smoking marijuana. Our addictions range from drugs to alcohol to food to sex to shopping to shoplifting to chaos and everything in between. When I quit doing drugs, I began drinking. If you fast forward to several years down the road, I would wake up with the shakes at 5 in the morning and have to drink to get the shakes to stop so I could go back to bed. But I could justify it.

You know, alcohol is legal so I am not doing anything wrong. In fact, I can control my drinking sometimes. I could never control my drugs. That was how it started. Alcohol lulled me to sleep. It snuck up on me, then clobbered me on the head. It allowed me to put myself in a very uncomfortable situation, then it took advantage of me.

Here I am in a relationship with sobriety. I was not in recovery yet, but I was sober. I cheated on my sobriety with alcohol, but I could justify it. Imagine you are in a relationship. You go out with another person, but you justify it to your partner. "Are you seriously jealous? All we did was held hands and talked. Okay, me might have kissed a couple of times. What's the big deal? All we did was make out. It's not like we had sex!"

That is what I did when I started drinking. I did not see it as a problem at first. It was harmless. We just sat on the couch and talked. But over time, the relationship deepened and I needed to take it further and further. It advanced from talking, to hugging, to kissing to sex. I need to remember that if I am truly in a relationship, cheating is cheating. It does not matter if it is a kiss or sex, one is as bad as the other. Same is true with sobriety.

A relapse is a relapse, whether it is your drug of choice or not. That is like justifying cheating by saying, "We might have slept together, but I don't even like her." So you risked losing your recovery for something you didn't even like? That is the least thought out reason I have ever heard of. Instead of finding ways to cheat, say no. IF YOU HAVE TO HAVE IT, YOU PROBABLY DON'T NEED IT. Cheating is cheating. I would not accept it from my wife, and I will not accept it for my recovery. Neither should you!