Parents and brother on weed

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i grew up living like that. my dads major pot head and recently has developed a HORRIBLE alcholic problem
and then you ask me why i'm so worried about it and say i just have to look it over? are you high right now?

Id say talk to your parents and let them know how you feel.. Thats what parents are for..

rvbapocalypse, never believe the US government on matters such as marijuana use. They have been lying and manipulating facts about it for nearly a hundred years! They used to say that it made people go insane!

I could go on for ages about this, but if you're interested in its history then watch this documentary.

Now, as for those health effects:

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Any discussion of marijuana should begin with the fact that there have been numerous official reports and studies, every one of which has concluded that marijuana poses no great risk to society and should not be criminalized. These include:

* the National Academy of Sciences Analysis of Marijuana Policy (1982);
* the National Commission on Marihuana and Drug Abuse (the Shafer Report) (1973);
* the Canadian Government's Commission of Inquiry (Le Dain Report) (1970);
* the British Advisory Committee on Drug Dependency (Wooton Report) (1968);
* the La Guardia Report (1944);
* the Panama Canal Zone Military Investigations (1916-29);
* and Britain's monumental Indian Hemp Drugs Commission (1893-4).

It is sometimes claimed that there is "new evidence" showing marijuana is more harmful than was thought in the sixties. In fact, the most recent studies have tended to confirm marijuana's safety, refuting claims that it causes birth defects, brain damage, reduced testosterone, or increased drug abuse problems.

The current consensus is well stated in the 20th annual report of the California Research Advisory Panel (1990), which recommended that personal use and cultivation of marijuana be legalized: "An objective consideration of marijuana shows that it is responsible for less damage to society and the individual than are alcohol and cigarettes."

References: The National Academy of Sciences report, Marijuana and Health (National Academy Press, 1982), remains the most useful overview of the health effects of marijuana, its major conclusions remaining largely unaffected by the last 10 years of research. Lovinger and Jones, The Marihuana Question (Dod d, Mead & Co., NY 1985), is the most exhaustive and fair-handed summary of the evidence against marijuana. Good, positive perspectives may be found in Lester Grinspoon's Marihuana, the Forbidden Medicine (Yale Press, 1993) and Marihuana Reconsidere d (Harvard U. Press 1971), which debunks many of the older anti-pot myths. See also Leo Hollister, Health Aspects of Cannabis, Pharmacological Reviews 38:1-20 (1986).

Occasional or moderate use of Marijuana is innocuous, but as with all substances, excessive use can be harmful. The biggest health risks are respiratory disease from smoking, and accidental injuries. There is the widely accepted belief that Marijuana promotes cancer and altho not many people argue this, there have still been no reported deaths claiming Marijuana as the source of the cancer, but there are a few suspect cases.

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...because marijuana smoke contains 50 percent to 70 percent more carcinogenic hydrocarbons than does tobacco smoke.

Altho a rough estimate, this is true. But what is not taken into consideration is that the average joint weighs 0.4g (sometimes only 0.2g) which is less than half the weight of the average cigarette, meaning that cigarettes and joints produce about the same amount of carcinogenic hydrocarbons. And even this still does not value their health risks as they affect different parts of the respiratory tract differently. Whereas tobacco tends to penetrate to the smaller, peripheral passageways of the lungs, pot tends to concentrate on the larger, central passageways. This makes respiratory disease from marijuana easier to treat and it doesn't appear to cause emphysema which in 2002 caused 5.1% of all deaths in the US, more than all homicides, suicides and, liver and kidney diseases combined!.

But it must be noted that Marijuana is only a risk in this matter when smoked, which is not the only way to consume pot. It can be consumed orally and there have been absolutely zero adverse health affects linked to this form of usage apart from the intended high and the previously stated risk of accidental injury. So you may ask, "Why doesn't everyone just eat pot?" Simply put, its too expensive! Cooking marijuana requires 2 or 3 times more pot than smoking does and marijuana prices are too high due to its illegality. And this isn't the only negative affect that the law currently has on pot smoking. Paraphernalia laws have impeded the development and marketing of water pipes and other, more advanced technology that could significantly reduce the harmfulness of marijuana smoke, and prohibition encourages the sale of pot that has been contaminated or adulterated by insecticides, Paraquat, etc., or mixed with other drugs such as PCP, crack and heroin.

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DAWN also collects information on deaths involving drug abuse that were identified and submitted by 128 death investigation jurisdictions in 42 metropolitan areas across the United States. Cannabis ranked among the 10 most common drugs in 16 cities, including Detroit (74 deaths), Dallas (65), and Kansas City (63).

Well altho the deaths listed here involved cannabis use, it doesn't state how many have died as a direct result of marijuana usage. In fact this statement's point seems lost in the lines that follow it:

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Marijuana is very often reported in combination with other substances; in metropolitan areas that reported any marijuana in drug abuse deaths, an average of 79 percent of those deaths involved marijuana and at least one other substance.

Just look at road death in the US; In 2002, 43,005 people died in road accidents. Various surveys have found that half or more of fatal drivers have alcohol in their blood, as opposed to 7 - 20% with THC. The same studies show that some 70 - 90% of those who are THC-positive also have alcohol in their blood. It therefore appears that marijuana by itself is a minor road safety hazard, though the combination of pot and alcohol is not.

And just look at tobacco! An estimated 400,000 deaths each year are caused directly by cigarette smoking.

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Of an estimated 106 million emergency department (ED) visits in the U.S. during 2004, the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) estimates that 1,997,993 were drug-related. DAWN data indicate that marijuana was involved in 215,665 ED visits.

Again it must be noted that altho Marijuana was involved in 0.2% of Emergency Department visits, which deal with injuries as minor as cuts and bruises, many cases of marijuana related incidents are in combination with other substances.

I question the stats of marijuana anyway, because it can remain in the system long after the high is gone. Were the accidents from people who were actually high? Or just had a positive drug test? If someone is a chronic smoker, they can come back positive for 30+days after stopping.I am not really sure where I stand with pot, though, I think toxins are toxins. Ibuprofen can be harmful if misused.

Its only weed, not a big deal. Chances are that your parents have been doing it for many years. If they were selling it, you would know it.

Its not a gateway drug either. Sure, it is the first drug most people do but that is only because it is so cheap. Pretty much everybody i know has smoked it at some point, and while some may have tried a harder drug recreationally, none of them have any addiction problems.

As far as the beleif of it being a gateway drug, i'll put it into perspective... yes any person doing hard drugs will have no problem with smoking weed and yes the weed was probably accesible first. I smoke weed every day and it in no way affects whether or not I want to do other drugs. As far as legal issues, everyone is assuming you're from the US... I could walk out my office right now light up a joint and wave to the cops as I walked by the station, i'm from BC, Canada... if they smoke cigarettes then that's the one you should be worried about weed might make you a little slower after long chronic use but that's about it, it's not gunna kill ya and hell it probably gives you parents a very open, and much healthier relationship with your brother. You don't need to be worried about pot, are you worried about them drinking coffee or drinking liquor because no matter what all the dumb little anti-drug tards say Drinking to get drunk is FAR FAR worse for you than smoking a joint.Originally Posted By: GrvtykllrYour right, unless its low quality dirt weed homegrown bullshit. Betcha I could grow weed in my closet better than you've ever smoked ;)... ever been to BC?

When you consider all of the other legal prescription drugs out there, most can mess you up if taken too many or someone else's. Ritalin is a gateway drug, Lorazapam is a gateway drug, alcohol is a gateway drug because it impairs judgment. If neither of your parents work and just smoke weed all day doing nothing, then there is a problem. It is amazing how many people that you see every day leading normal lives that smoke weed. The United States of America have made a harmless substance illegal and booze cheap go figure. The reason we Canadians smoke alot of pot is because booze is just too damn expensive and pot is almost legal. Pot may decrease your short term memory only while using it but often sparks creativity and a mellow social behavior.

I backpacked through BC a few years back. While some people have the right seeds and the know how to grow good weed at home, you saying you can grow better than I smoked is assanine.How the fuck would you know what I smoked?I had some purple haired alaskan thunder fuck that rivals about anything from any source.I had the chocolate from L.A., Iv had da one puff stuff, Iv had some high quality weed that turns you into a giggling school girl.Iv had some weed a guy that came to visit from friends I have brought in he grew at his house in Jamaca that put me on my ass for 2 hours.Dont assume you grow better shit than I smoked, Iv smoked alot.I grew it in my tin foil lined grow light hung, humidit controlled closet at one point in time. I had some good shit and grew it as well.and then I had some fucking dirt weed shit in St. Louis that gave me a bit of a light head for 20 minutes and a head ache for the rest of the day after that.

i agree with grvtykllr i dont smoke like every fucking day but when i smoke i smoke with people that u would think were smokin out thw womb i mean every fucking day smokin.... Quote: AFTER SMOKIN Quote:

Parents and brother on weed? Be thankful they're not on something like coke, heroin or meth.

Gateway drug, my ass. Only stupid people move on to more harmful drugs. And the more stupid people that do themselves in with heroin, the better our gene pool will be in the long run. ;-)

*Anything* is bad when used to excess. You can blow a ton of cash on marijuana just like you can on an online multiplayer video game. In other words, balance. If a person is holding things together, job, family, bills, etc., and likes to smoke some weed, what's the problem? If a person is blowing money on weed (or any recreational activity for that matter) that they should be spending on important things, and letting their lives go to shit, then yeah, there's a problem.

And of course, that's all you hear about, is the bad cases, hence the fear instilled in you. If things are going alright in your household, then let it go. Getting the authorities involved will be more trouble than you can possibly imagine. It's unfortunate that your parents haven't pulled you aside and had a talk with you about marijuana already, but regardless, just let it go. Otherwise, you're just another sad victim of the american "selective puritanism" machine.