a cop should not be in charge of the US drug dept.

[ensho]

cops love busting people for weed because it is an easy bust.

the new guy is a cop Gil Kerlikowske


who thinks weed is addictive.

he was on Wash. Journal this a.m. he played up pharma addiction which was true but downplayed alcohol use which is untrue.

alcohol has ruined more lives, families, business and even some countries then any other drug known to man.

said legalizing weed in Calif. would not help their economy. ridiculous. of course it would help.

its pharma barons that's putting up the money against weed. because, besides lifting ones spirit, weed helps the sick and ailing and thus would cut into their profits.

a caller refered to tokers as lazy. that weed made you lazy. baloney. a lazy person would be lazy weather they toked or not.

wonder if Gil has any connections to the pharma barons.

[Jennicut]

1. His son is a drug addict. I don't think he had any connections to big pharma.

"Kerlikowske is the first US Drug Czar who seems to be less than an absolute absolutist on recreational drugs. As Chief of the Seattle Police Department, Kerlikowske was noted for calling marijuana busts "not a priority", and for supporting a local drug court that sentences abusers to treatment instead of jail time. When neighbors complained about the Green Cross Patient Co-op, a medical marijuana clinic being run out of a Seattle woman's home, instead of mounting a police raid Kerlikowske asked the woman to relocate the co-op in a commercial district. He has expressed impatience with the term "war on drugs", and suggested that drug abuse should be seen as a public health issue at least as much as a criminal justice matter, but adamantly states that "Legalization is not in the President's vocabulary, and it's not in mine". Kerlikowske's estranged son Jeffrey has a criminal record that includes arrests for marijuana possession and distribution."

http://www.nndb.com/people/547/000204932/

Sometimes looking at drugs irrationally comes from having a family member addicted to them.

[ensho]

2. marijuana is not addictive

nt

[Alexander]

3. Psychologically, it is.

Not physically.

I don't have much of a problem with Kerlikowske. He's probably the best Drug Czar we could realistically have right now.

[asdjrocky]

4. Wrong.

Totally wrong. There is a huge difference between dependence and addiction.

Drug counselors make big bucks because they've managed to convince gullible people that pot is addictive.

Don't be fooled.

[Alexander]

7. It is you who are wrong. But don't let the facts get in the way of your argument.

"The debate between marijuana and addiction has been growing steadily over the last decade. Many users may not display any signs of addiction or withdrawal, yet the number of users seeking treatment has been growing steadily over the years. Overall, it is difficult to say whether or not the drug is physically addictive, but it is known that marijuana use can lead to psychological addiction and social dependence"

http://www.cesar.umd.edu/cesar/drugs/marijuana.asp

For the record, I think it should be legal.

But there is a contingent of pot smokers out there who think marijuana is some kind of cure-all miracle wonder drug and has no negative health effects. That's simply not true. It sounds like you probably toke up every day and are trying to justify it.

[zalinda]

10. I don't think you can get addicted to pot, either

but some people have addictive personalities. They can get addicted to twinkies, chocolate, alcohol, pain killers, applause, actually just about anything that will give them a perceived high. Back in my hippie days, we all smoked weed, some more than others, but I never saw anyone who would be jonesing after going a day or even a week without week. Those who had addictive personalities would go after any type of high, the rest of us would just be doing what ever we normally did. It was used just as alcohol is used at parties.

If you take this part of the statement that you quoted "but it is known that marijuana use can lead to psychological addiction and social dependence" and substitute alcohol, it would mean the same thing. Many people use alcohol to relax, the same with weed. It does not mean they are addicted. To be addicted would mean that they COULDN'T function without it's use, not that they might be slightly less comfortable in social situations.

zalinda

[Alexander]

12. It's the difference between physical and psychological.

"To be addicted would mean that they COULDN'T function without it's use, not that they might be slightly less comfortable in social situations."

What you're talking about is more along the lines of physical addictions such as heroin.

"Many people use alcohol to relax, the same with weed. It does not mean they are addicted."

True, but when people get irritable and cranky after being without weed for a day, as I've seen many times, it suggests they may have a psychological addiction.

[asdjrocky]

11. Here is the key in your reply-

"yet the number of users seeking treatment has been growing steadily over the years." That's what I said in the first place, they have convinced people pot is addictive. It is known? By who? When have you seen anyone stop smoking pot and become sick? Or go through withdrawals? I'll answer that for you and everyone else, never.

People seek help for sex addiction, I imagine you believe sex is additive too. Read your argument carefully, because you've just proven mine.

Sorry, but you are still being fooled. As far as "toking up" everyday, yes I'm a pot smoker and I feel no need or desire to justify that to you or anyone else.

I'm a proud pot smoker and I fight cannabis bigotry every chance I get. Not trying to start a fight with you here, but you are just misinformed.

[Alexander]

13. You are again confusing psychological with physical.

"When have you seen anyone stop smoking pot and become sick? Or go through withdrawals?"

Those are the symptoms of a physical addiction, not a psychological one.

Do you get cranky and anger easily after a day of going without? Then you're probably psychologically addicted.

"People seek help for sex addiction, I imagine you believe sex is additive too."

It can be for some people and not for others. Just like weed can be for some people and not for others.

"Read your argument carefully, because you've just proven mine."

Really? Because you've just proven that you don't understand the difference between physical and psychological addiction.

"As far as "toking up" everyday, yes I'm a pot smoker and I feel no need or desire to justify that to you or anyone else.

I'm a proud pot smoker and I fight cannabis bigotry every chance I get."

Yes, I'm sure if you get pissed off after going without weed for a short amount of time, that you think it's normal.

"Not trying to start a fight with you here, but you are just misinformed."

You are trying to start a fight based on your own misunderstanding of what the phrase "psychological addiction" means. It's no surprise you smoke it every day; your attitude is similar to many smokers who think everyone should be smoking weed.

[zalinda]

15. So you are saying that someone who

needs a drink before going to a party is psychologically addicted to alcohol, because he needs that drink to feel more social? Because that is in essence what you are saying about weed. In all my years of being a hippie and "in the culture" did I ever see anyone cranky, if they didn't get their "fix" of weed. In fact, I can only think of one semi serious argument while I lived in the commune, most of the time it was very peaceful.

Again, if someone has an addictive personality, they can become addicted to anything. If someone thinks that if they start their day with something other than oatmeal, they would have a shitty day, and then when they run out of oatmeal, they become cranky and agitated they would then be addicted to oatmeal psychologically, within your parameters.

I'm sorry, but I quit weed without a look back, after smoking for 5 years. I never felt cranky or agitated. It is about the addictive personality more than it is about weed. And, if you are good at it, you can convince many people that they are psychologically addicted to just about anything, when in reality, they are not. Just look at what Fox news watchers believe in.

zalinda

[boppers]

16. Alcohol has psychological addiction, too.

Yes, somebody who feels a need for a drink or a toke before going to a party is an addict.

They are both addictive, the key word in the above is "need".

[ensho]

22. well, ya, I get psychologically upset when I can't have a cup of tea

in the morning too.

so?

[Jennicut]

20. So his son was dependent on pot. Whatever. Regardless,

this is the least worst drug czar we have had. I don't think we are going to get someone better then that right now.

[asdjrocky]

5. You can't get addicted to pot.

Period.

[Alexander]

8. Psychologically, you can, despite your unsourced claims to the contrary.

Does that make it as addictive as cigarettes or heroin? No.

But constant smokers to tend to get irritable if they go without smoking for a day.

[asdjrocky]

14. Which is a dependency, not an addiction.

Irritability is not nearly the same as a withdrawal. Have you ever seen someone stop alcohol that was addicted? Or heroin?

You are confusing dependency with addiction, not surprising, most people do.

[boppers]

17. You are assuming dependency is the same as addiction.

Addiction encompasses more than physical dependency.

[Ozymanithrax]

6. Actually, cops bust people for smoking pot because it was against the law...

If pot is legalized, they will not stop your legal activity.

[Alexander]

9. FTW

And there are many cops out there who think it should be legal so that police can concentrate on bigger crimes.

[maxsolomon]

18. Gil's got dealt a tough hand

he can take the foot off the gas on the drug war, but any application of the brakes could make him a juicy target for the same blue noses that crucified Jocelyn Elders. common sense is not appreciated in a puritan country.

for the record, i've been "addicted" to weed for 30 years, AND I COULD'NT BE HAPPIER ABOUT IT!

[nemo137]

21. Anyone in that office is going to get a tough hand until we see some legislative changes

And, yeah, some classic puritanism is not helping that at all.

[Perky]

19. It a political necessity.

President does not need a "soft on Crime" rap