Michael Phelps could have made me $1 Millon
- Thread starter ChipG
- Start date
Michael Anthony Horrigan
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Batutta
Major Contributor
Anything taken to an extreme is bad for you, but marijuana is not in the same league as crack, or heroin, substances that are physiologically addictive. If someone abuses marijuana it is because they choose to, and says more about them and their state of mind than the drug itself. But I don't see how an occasional smoker is going to harm anyone, and you CAN smoke pot casually. It's those other drugs that, once taken, inevitably begin a spiraling descent into addiction because of their chemically addictive properties.
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Batutta
Major Contributor
Yeah, you could have him try to crush doritos into a pipe and smoke it.
puredrifting
Major Contributor
P.K., awesome post, your words have a lot of wisdom.
I don't think smoking pot, per se, is bad. I smoked pot as a kid. Heck, the first time I smoked pot was with my mom. In the place I grew up, everyone grew it and it was "around". But also, once you grow up and turn into an adult, isn't getting stoned/drunk kind of childish? The last time I had pot was when I was 20 and some people I worked with slipped me some cookies that had a lot of very strong pot in them and didn't tell me. I ate a lot of those cookies. I was stoned, paranoid and couldn't get out of bed for the room spinning for two days. Bad times and definitely the last time I ever used pot. I actually missed my bachelor party because I couldn't walk, my wife had to attend for me, but that is a whole other story.
As far as substances, from a societal point of view, I find pot much less evil than alcohol. There are not a lot of car accidents caused by stoned drivers but there a tens of thousands caused by drunk drivers. Potheads are usually mellow and kind of goofy versus alcohol turns a lot of people violent. I think I heard Adam Carolla say that he would rather have his entire neighborhood be comprised of potheads than to have one Meth addict on the same street and I agree.
As far as Mr. Phelps, I think that the worst part is that Phelps serves as a cultural role model, not just as a role model for kids. He is the face of the American athlete to millions of people all over the world who watched him clean house in Beijing. To the rest of the world and other countries who are not "stoner societies" like the U.S. seems to be, this kind of makes us look like a bunch of party animals. I think a lot of the world already views us as total hedonists so this sort of image doesn't help us, especially in more conservative societies.
Dan
I don't think smoking pot, per se, is bad. I smoked pot as a kid. Heck, the first time I smoked pot was with my mom. In the place I grew up, everyone grew it and it was "around". But also, once you grow up and turn into an adult, isn't getting stoned/drunk kind of childish? The last time I had pot was when I was 20 and some people I worked with slipped me some cookies that had a lot of very strong pot in them and didn't tell me. I ate a lot of those cookies. I was stoned, paranoid and couldn't get out of bed for the room spinning for two days. Bad times and definitely the last time I ever used pot. I actually missed my bachelor party because I couldn't walk, my wife had to attend for me, but that is a whole other story.
As far as substances, from a societal point of view, I find pot much less evil than alcohol. There are not a lot of car accidents caused by stoned drivers but there a tens of thousands caused by drunk drivers. Potheads are usually mellow and kind of goofy versus alcohol turns a lot of people violent. I think I heard Adam Carolla say that he would rather have his entire neighborhood be comprised of potheads than to have one Meth addict on the same street and I agree.
As far as Mr. Phelps, I think that the worst part is that Phelps serves as a cultural role model, not just as a role model for kids. He is the face of the American athlete to millions of people all over the world who watched him clean house in Beijing. To the rest of the world and other countries who are not "stoner societies" like the U.S. seems to be, this kind of makes us look like a bunch of party animals. I think a lot of the world already views us as total hedonists so this sort of image doesn't help us, especially in more conservative societies.
Dan
My business partner is a cop, he is on a special drug task force unit here in KC and raids meth labs. We have the most meth labs per capita in the country, probably in the world. Talk about a drug that destroy's people's lives and causes a lot of murders. I have seen a lot of footage from his shoulder mount lipstick camera (for court purposes) of the raids and gun fights and even one lab exploding on them when they raided it (drug dealers rigged the door to explode). 99 times out of 100 if they catch a kid with a dime bag of weed they will let him go, no harm done.
CallaghanFilms
Veteran
Some were saying the Bale thing was not newsworthy...
:huh
ersonally, I can't believe this is a news story.:huh:
(and a big one at that) WTF?
:huh
ersonally, I can't believe this is a news story.:huh:(and a big one at that) WTF?
Actually its proven that pot can be addictive. It is also proven that using pot is a precursor to other drug use. As in people who have never tried pot arent usually the ones who jump on the crack wagon. (sorry cant quote sources as it was a newspaper article I read sometime ago). Of course this varies person to person depending on their psychological state
The other point is that the general consensus is that a few tokes on pot every now and then wont do any harm. Maybe true 20 years ago, but most of the pot going around now isnt like 20 years ago, its hydroponic and has been (whatever the word they use for plant selection) to produce more THC, the active chemical in pot. So its common to get 10-20 times the hit people were getting 20 years ago.
A friend of mine who is a psychologist specialising in drug and alcohol abuse will tell you another story, a story about the number of people suffering some form of psychosis or another due specifically to pot use.
I did it back in the day, of course not these days. The price of fame and fortune? What is it? Scrutiny of course. And when you have so many young fans you also have a responsibility, one Phelps blew big time. If he had any brains and wanted to have a smoke, go home and do it in complete privacy, where people who are after a buck have no access. Stupidity on many fronts from a superb athlete.
Richard J. Johnson
Joystick Member
LOL. Good one.
Batutta
Major Contributor
I have not seen any evidence, only that it may be psychologically habit forming, but that is far different than the physical addiction of other drugs. One hit off a crack pipe can make you a full blown addict. Your body will physically crave the drug in your system...Anyway, I suppose the bottom line is that it is illegal, so unless he has a medical license he shouldn't have been using it.
pfista
Well-known member
Wrong. Cannabinoids are *not* physiologically addictive.
You may be thinking that marijuana can be habituating, for which there is considerable evidence. But the terms are not interchangeable; addiction is a physical dependency while habituation is a psychological one.
12-year U of P study indicates otherwise. http://www.scienceblog.com/cms/study-say-marijuana-no-gateway-drug-12116.html
As does a recent Rand study. http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=5490
Hearsay is not a substitute for controlled studies. Don't be so quick to use words like 'proven.'
Correlation is not indicative of causation. This is just pig-basic epidemiology.
You're on the internet. Research and reference materials are as close as your left mouse button. Try using it.
Addiction is not a psychological state; it's a physiological one. One unconnected to marijuana use.
So if you only need to use 1/10 or 1/20 of the old quantity required to get high, you have cut your exposure to the non-active materials in the weed by 80% to 90%. Since the greatest health threat comes from the combustion products inhaled while smoking, what you have just said is that modern pot is safer than the old stuff, since your toxic exposure for similar effect has been so drastically reduced.
There is evidence pointing to a link between marijuana use and the development or aggravation of schizophrenia in young adults.
I'm reluctant to demand that people with public recognition live their lives as examples to others. Although plenty of them do seem bent upon living their lives as cautionary tales for the rest of us...
yommytacoe
Well-known member
Buddy,
I hate to break i to you, but your life is not important to humankind in the slightest. Neither is mine, and neither is michael phelps. Our actions don't affect anyone except ourselves. It's called existentialism.
Obviously parents need to be competent, however, Michael Phelps is a 23 year old athlete. He's not curing cancer or anything. His life is fairly meaningless in the grand scheme of things. However, swimming is his passion and it means a lot to him which is what's important. Always be looking out for #1.
Sorry may have confused my terminology on habitual vs psychological.
Found your response very aggressive. Not sure there was a need, even if your passionate about the subject.
Be careful though because sometimes things arent always what they seem and can be misrepresented to one or the other side of the argument.
http://www.orangecountyfl.net/cms/DEPT/countyadmin/publicsafety/drugfree/weed.htm
Feel this subject is starting to fall into a political debate.
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