John F. Kerry

says a University of Albany professor.

... actually i was gonna make a thread about fourloko and ask if any yahookans had ever tried that stuff and how it is...
but then i saw this article on the same site and thought this one was even better.

so heres a 2 - in 1 for feel free to comment on either article.


"UAlbany professor holds seminar on legalizing marijuana

By By Anita Vukovic

Published: Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Updated: Tuesday, November 2, 2010 21:11

For Dr. Mitchell Earleywine, an associate professor of psychology at UAlbany, the hot topic of marijuana legalization is simpler than we might think.

"Most of the concerns are really a chicken-and-egg problem," he said to a crowded room of UAlbany students this past Wednesday in a seminar hosted by Campus Greens. "People think that because [marijuana] came first, it leads to bad things."

The seminar, which was held in Lecture Center 5, ran from 8:45 p.m. to approximately 9:30 p.m. and featured Dr. Earleywine as its main speaker. It discussed marijuana prohibition in the United States and why it should be legally available, taxed and regulated.

Dr. Earleywine is a member of the National Organization of Marijuana Laws (NORML) and has published several books and numerous articles on substance use. To his students, however, he is known for being an open-minded and engaging professor.

"He's a very personable guy," said Stephanie, 20, a junior Criminal Justice major in attendance on Wednesday who is currently enrolled in Addictive and Compulsive Behaviors (APSY 329) with Dr. Earleywine. "I'm really enjoying his class."

Dr. Earleywine did not fall short of engaging his audience on Wednesday night. After a brief introduction by Campus Greens, UAlbany's green party that, in addition to advocating the legalization of marijuana, stands for principles of ecological wisdom, social justice, and grassroots democracy, Dr. Earleywine opened the discussion.

"No, I cannot get you any pot," he addressed the crowd. "And that, in fact, is the problem."

According to Dr. Earleywine, understanding the ill-legalization of marijuana is the first step toward its reform.

"Perhaps that will help us get out of this," he said.

Among the main reasons for the prohibition of pot, Dr. Earleywine identified "increased public awareness" through the distribution of anti-marijuana materials such as the 1936 film Reefer Madness, and "data-based persuasion."

In a survey he conducted in 2006 on dependency risks for a wide range of drugs, Earleywine concluded that marijuana was only slightly more addictive than caffeine, which is commonly found in sodas, tea, and coffee.

"The extent of [marijuana] withdrawal is, I kid you not, lack of appetite," he said. "You suddenly plummet in your desire to eat cookie dough."

He went on to discuss and disprove the health risks and physical impairment associated with marijuana use. Regarding respiratory irritation from smoking, Dr. Earleywine advocated vaporization, an alternative to smoking which heats the weed so that its active components burn off into a vapor that is then inhaled, thereby eliminating the risk of toxins and lung irritation.

In regards to physical impairment, Dr. Earleywine credited Benadryl, an over-the-counter antihistamine product, as more damaging to driving ability than marijuana.

Dr. Earleywine is positive about the reform of marijuana laws. Already, there are 14 states that have legalized the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes. These states include California, Washington, Oregon, Vermont, and New Jersey.

"The laws are changing," Earleywine said. "Reform is on the horizon."

Statistics show that legalization would not necessarily lead to an increase in use among children. Oregon, for example, after legalizing medical marijuana, saw a 23% drop in cannabis usage among eighth graders and an 11% drop among 11th graders between 1998 and 2007.

Some students are even getting behind the legalization of marijuana.

"People have misconceptions about it and they think it's bad, but there's really nothing bad about it," said Stephanie. "You have to go back in history and find out why."

For one 30-year-old graduate student, who wished to remain anonymous, it's the risks – or lack there-of – associated with pot that put him in favor of legalization.

"I look at alcohol and tobacco, and the tons of research showing they're more dangerous, and I ask, ‘Why is it one and not the other?'" he said. "Alcohol is involved in almost every violent crime. Weed is just as dangerous if not less."

The benefits of legalizing marijuana could be huge. Dr. Earleywine estimates about $14 billion would be saved on federal spending each year by decreasing law enforcement, court time, and criminal justice costs.

"That's a lot of fucking French departments," he said to a loud round of applause and cheers.

The time to act for reform is now, says Dr. Earleywine. With Proposition 19 (California's Regulate, Control, and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010) going to the vote on Tuesday, November 2nd, marijuana law reform is a greater possibility than ever before.

As Dr. Earleywine said, "The times they are a-changin'. Let's get ahead of this."

If you're interested in helping out locally with marijuana law reform and other green movements, check out Campus Greens. They meet every Wednesday at 8 p.m. in the Business Administration building, rm. 216."



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Nasa under Obama

The Rev

I think all the reasons we are debating are the problem.

Is it a gateway drug? Is it harmful? Does it make you a worse driver? Etc.

The only question to answer is, "If a person uses marijuana, is that a threat to someone else?" And if the answer is no, then it shouldn't be illegal. Period. And if the answer is yes, then the next question to ask is, "Is that danger already addressed by the law?" For example, driving under the influence is already illegal, because it's a danger to others. You don't have to make pot illegal, too.

No one seems to realize what a fundamental civil rights issue prohibition really is. The root of all of this is in the question, "Who's mind is it, anyway?" In the 1984 sense of the word, getting high is, quite literally, thoughtcrime. It's experiencing your mind, and to some degree, reality, in a way that is prohibited by the state.

Yet no one seems to bother arguing this point, that people have a right to own their own experience of living, because.... why? Personally, I think it's because people are too stupid to really comprehend what the idea of "civil rights" really is. And because people are all for freedom unless someone else is making them uncomfortable by exercising it, and God help us if you try to get those people to re-think their positions when they're uncomfortable.

This whole issue is an exercise in window licking, on both sides. It's like two people arguing over how hot it is while the house around them is burning down. The human capacity for missing the point never ceases to astound me.



The Rev

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Qui-Bong Jinn

Man, I dont want weed to be legal, the medicinal marijuana in Canada is garbage pot, I imagine the shit they have in stores would be the same.

profit

4 loco, weird you ask. last weekend me and my friends decided to get together and see what all the fuss was about. we decided to try a new drinking game too (4chan Drinking Game) [which was awesomely funny]

it tastes like cough syrup and must have something else other than alcohol and caffeine. i had 4 shots and 1 can of 4 loco and i was amazingly fucked up, i still remember what happened up until i smoked a bowl. after that my friends and brother told me i was laying across a chair with my eyes closed, mouth smiling, and people were like "is he okay, can he hear us?" and apparently i stuck my hand way up in the air with a bigass thumbs up. lmfao! i didn't say anything or respond, just acknowledge i was alive, somewhat aware, and still listening.

i believe 4loco really is dangerous and that they are not being fully honest about the ingredients.

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vanilla

wow...

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