Show Me the Facts

Those who frequent the site should be familiar with this theme, if not, feel free to read the first episode. I will be completely honest, I had no plans of making this a series, however, if it does become a theme I welcome it as long as it helps educate others.

I received an e-mail yesterday from a reader. Now, I do not publish names unless given specific instruction to do so by the people I converse with, and, unfortunately, I am unable to get permission from this individual due to their e-mail address currently bouncing back anything I try to send. What I can tell you about the gentleman (let’s call him Joe) is that he is a senior, majoring in Physical Education, at a Christian university located in the United States.

First I will post the e-mail, un-edited, in its entirety. I’ll follow up with my usual point-by-point response as if I were speaking to Joe in person.

Joe, if you are reading this, feel free to contact me with your reply… but please keep in mind your e-mail is apparently broken or won’t accept e-mails from my domain.

Marijuana should be legal, huh?

haha

wow

That worked well for China back in the day, huh?

36% of Doctors say “No, don’t make it legal, that would be a terrible idea”, but you know better, right??? (and yes, I have a source for this if you want it   )

You claim to be a Christian, and claim that God made marijuana to be smoked?  HA!

God also made sex, but he doesn’t condone adultery or rape.

God made poisonous mushrooms, and they are good for breaking down wood, but not for eating.

God made hemp, and it is good for paper or rope, but not for smoking!

Yeah, it makes you feel good, allows you to escape for a while.  That’s what my friend’s Dad said about cheating on his wife!!  He got out of the house, forgot about his problems, and explored the wonderful creation God made in sex.

Should people with Glaucoma be able to use marijuana?  Sure. I suppose that’s legit.

Should a person with the flu, or with a severe headache?  No way.

Would legalizing it solve all of our problems and make you into an internet hero?  No.

I don’t believe you are a bad person for doing it.

However, just as I believe masturbation is wrong, i occasionaly slip up.
And in the same way

Sometimes you can’t control your urges to smoke a  blunt.  I can understand that.  It’s an escape, it makes you feel good, whatever..

My point is this:  The day I start saying, “Well, masturbation is a Godly thing, we should start preaching that it is ok, tellign our kids to whack off as much as they want fantasizing about whoever they want”, THATS THE PROBLEM. lol..

one other thing and then i’ll be done

Do you REALLY condone driving while high?

REALLY?

If so, perhaps we have less to talk about than I thought.

For my response, continue reading after the break.

And now, Joe, my personal response to your e-mail:

Marijuana should be legal, huh?

Yes.

That worked well for China back in the day, huh?

I’m not sure what you’re trying to imply. Chinese, among many civilizations, have indeed used–and heavily relied–on cannabis. For the sake of preemption, I do hope you realize that marijuana has thousands of other benefits which are not medicinal (aka “industrial hemp”). Without cannabis, the world would be a much, much different place.

36% of Doctors say “No, don’t make it legal, that would be a terrible idea”, but you know better, right??? (and yes, I have a source for this if you want it   )

Please do provide links to sources, as google can only do me so well. For what its worth, 36% is not a significant number. Realistically, however, there will always be groups of professionals which warn against certain things. The key is to find out why they believe what they believe, and–of course–ask to see the facts/research.

For what it is worth, there are many doctors who do support marijuana reform, such as The American College of Physicians (one of the largest physician groups in the US… over 120,000 strong), as well as the 50,000 or so members of the Medical Student Section of the American Medical Association (otherwise known as “future doctors”).

You claim to be a Christian, and claim that God made marijuana to be smoked?  HA!

I am indeed a Christian, however, I have made no such claims that God made marijuana to be “smoked”. That would be like me believing God made pigs to be BBQ’d.

And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good. – Genesis 1:12

Generations of people before us have dealt with sickness and disease prior to the pharmaceutical industry existing. We have learned some plants help to protect against disease, others (like Aloe) help with burns. Even the lime played a key part in the expansion of civilization to fight scurvy in sailors and drastically reduce the amount of sailors who would die at sea (humans are one of the few beings on this planet that can not synthesize their own vitamin-c and, thus, must consume it from other sources).

So I ask you… is it immoral or wrong to use any of the other many plants currently being utilized medicinally?

Why should a government and corporations be able to deem one of God’s creations as “wrong” or “dangerous” without any science to back it up? And on a side note, feel free to question my facts, but do not attempt to question my faith. You should know better.

God also made sex, but he doesn’t condone adultery or rape.

This type of argument you are using is called a “logical fallacy”. It has no real bearing on our discussion and can be used to fallaciously attack anything. For example, let’s say if I believed that wearing silk was immoral. I could claim that it is immoral, and even though it is natural, “so is sex, but God doesn’t condone adultery or rape”.

God made poisonous mushrooms, and they are good for breaking down wood, but not for eating.

You are absolutely correct. The problem, however, is no one I know of (including myself) has ever argued that everything natural is safe to consume. That is, of course, completely absurd. There are indeed poisonous substances, such as some varieties of mushroom, which have no nutritional/medicinal value and, thus, are not consumed.

However, there are plenty of other varieties of mushrooms which, aside from being tasty, are harmless, nutritious, and some even medicinal.

But how do we decide which mushrooms are safe to eat and which are not? Science.

If science could prove that marijuana was on par with a poisonous mushroom, then of course it should be avoided. But by that same logic, if strawberries were discovered to be as poisonous as some mushrooms, they too should be avoided. The issue is neither has such documentation, and thus it is absurd to create myths and engineer fear around a plant that has not warranted such a stigma.

God made hemp, and it is good for paper or rope, but not for smoking!

Why? And, again, keep in mind that you don’t need to “smoke” it to benefit from it. Marijuana can be consumed via baked goods, lip balms, oils, drinks, or vaporization (to name a few).

Yeah, it makes you feel good, allows you to escape for a while.

Do you say this out of experience, or based on things you’ve read? Marijuana makes different people feel different things depending on the strain, potency, and individual variables. It does indeed help many people “escape for a while”, but what is wrong with that? Should a, for example, cancer patient not be allowed to ‘escape’ their pain? What about all the legal pharmaceuticals currently available on the market which allow people to ‘escape’ their illnesses and symptoms? Heck, what about vacations?

That’s what my friend’s Dad said about cheating on his wife!!  He got out of the house, forgot about his problems, and explored the wonderful creation God made in sex.

Again, what does this have to do with anything? People who make stupid decisions will make stupid decisions… that’s how the world works.

Should people with Glaucoma be able to use marijuana?  Sure. I suppose that’s legit.

You “suppose”? Glaucoma is a condition in which pressure in the eyes causes blindness. Marijuana has been proven to reduce eye-pressure. Could you imagine losing your vision? Could you imagine having a condition where your sight gradually blurs to darkness? If I told you Medication X, with no known major side-effects, may save your eyesight, would you hesitate to take it? Surprise, that medication is called Marijuana.

Should a person with the flu, or with a severe headache?  No way.

Seeing as I haven’t heard of any studies which show it having any medicinal value for people with the flu (though such research may exist), I am inclined to agree with you. Headaches, however, are another story. Studies have shown the possibility of some headaches (namely migraines) might be related to cannabinoid deficiencies in the brain. This could explain how marijuana helps to thwart severe headaches so well.

Have you ever had a migraine? I used to suffer from them fairly frequently (about twice per month). At the times when one struck, I would become completely immobilized and have to find a dark room to lay in, sometimes a rag for my forehead (they say it helps, though I’m not sure if it ever did). I’d pop 2 Excedrin as fast as possible and wait it out. Believe it or not, I was one of the lucky ones. A good friend of mine, though not as frequent as me, gets very severe migraines. Migraines severe enough to cause vomiting, dizziness, and even scenarios where her husband must rush her to the hospital for an injection. She used to prevent them using marijuana, however, due to the legal risks involved, she gave it up. The shots don’t work as well, they are expensive, and inconvenient… but because her choice of medication is illegal, she has no alternatives.

So please, tell me… what gives you the insight/authority to claim that marijuana should not be used for various medical conditions? I only ask because I am curious. I am, after all, just a humble nerd that collects other persons’ research and compiles it for others online… if you have access to some bit of knowledge I am not aware of, by all means… share.

Would legalizing it solve all of our problems and make you into an internet hero?  No.

Again, you seem to have a fascination with finites. No one is claiming that legalization will “solve all our problems”, and only an imbecile would make such a claim. I honestly don’t know of any one-thing that will solve all problems. The issue at hand, however, is that legalization could very well improve things. We would have billions of dollars more for our economy, education, etc. Thousands of lives would be saved. Our prisons would be reserved for only the most dangerous criminals. And, if you are into the “green-movement”, hemp can create products which compete directly with many petroleum-based products.

As for me being an internet hero… if I really wanted fame, I should probably use my real name. But, alas, this site is not about me… it is about education.

I don’t believe you are a bad person for doing it.

That’s good to know, as it would be a shame to deem anyone a “bad person” for supporting a plant. Likewise, I don’t consider you a bad person… just a poor, misinformed soul.

However, just as I believe masturbation is wrong, i occasionaly slip up.

Again, this has nothing to do with the safety, morality, or legality of marijuana. To be honest, I’m stunned you’d share that with me.

Sometimes you can’t control your urges to smoke a  blunt.  I can understand that.  It’s an escape, it makes you feel good, whatever..

I don’t smoke and I have “no urges”. Thankfully, marijuana is non-addictive.

My point is this:  The day I start saying, “Well, masturbation is a Godly thing, we should start preaching that it is ok, tellign our kids to whack off as much as they want fantasizing about whoever they want”, THATS THE PROBLEM. lol..

Equating marijuana-use to masturbation is as absurd as comparing aspirin-use to adultery.

Do you REALLY condone driving while high?

I do not condone anything on my site, other than thinking. I explicitly state that the site is only a resource intended for people to draw their own opinions from. What I will say, however, is the “driving while high” fear mongering is blown way out of proportion. While it is never safe to drive while inebriated, using marijuana doesn’t immediately cause one to become “high”. Similar to consuming alcohol, you must ingest a certain amount of marijuana to “get high”; thus, it is possible to use smaller amounts while still retaining all your motor skills. Not similar to alcohol, however, marijuana affects the brain much differently, which means it is ridiculous to compare it directly to alcohol. Alcohol causes a person to have a false-sense of security/ability, while marijuana allows people to be completely aware of their limitations. I have personally spoken with police who have told me the way they catch drivers “under the influence” of marijuana is to watch for the most careful drivers (i.e. the ones who stay nicely within their lanes, always use a blinker, and do not drive erratically).

Scientifically/medically speaking, there are some people who lack sufficient amounts of endocannabinoids (such as persons with ADHD). In some cases, marijuana has actually shown to make them drive more safe, as the increased amounts of cannabinoids allow the person to focus rather than being distracted while unmedicated.

Keep in mind, not all drugs are inherently bad to use while driving. Caffeine, for example, is much different than alcohol yet can still be abused.

So do I support “driving while high”, of course not. What I also do not support is ignorantly categorizing marijuana with other substances without science to back it up. If marijuana is dangerous, I expect to be shown why it is dangerous. So far, science says it is not.

If so, perhaps we have less to talk about than I thought.

I am open to speaking with you more, all I ask is you show me some facts. It appears as if you are basing your beliefs regarding marijuana highly on your religious beliefs. If that is so, then please… show me where God says to not use his creations to their full potential.

The fact is that religion has existed for quite a long time, as has marijuana. The United States, however, has only been around for a couple hundred years. More so, marijuana has only become demonized/illegal within a few decades worth of time.

If you truly value your religious beliefs, why would you allow your government to dictate your morals? Show me where in the Bible it says that man has the power to deem God’s creations immoral. Further, show me where God supports the creation of laws by corporate lobbyists to decrease competition and increase profits.

If you truly believe that marijuana is immoral or a sin, then do you also believe morality did not exist prior to 1937 when marijuana was made federally illegal? Do you believe that consuming a substance that does no harm to others is worthy of incarcerating a soul at the profit of private-corporations? Do you believe that a plant which has been utilized for thousands of years prior to the birth of Christ should be allowed to be made illegal by a government without any need for logic, science, or research?

Also, keep in mind that when research did show marijuana was safe, the government chose to ignore it. Nixon, for example, had a study done known as the Shafer Commission, which found that marijuana was not anywhere as bad as people believed. What did Nixon do when he found that the report didn’t favor his anti-marijuana beliefs? He chose to not even read it and carry out with his war on drugs.

Should ignorance birth morality?

I thank you again for writing and I hope you will enjoy my reply. If you have any further comments or questions, feel free to contact me again.

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