Marijuana -- The Main Issues I Have With the General Debate

*Some links have been added. As I gain more information I will try and update here. 

Well, it is now legal for citizens in Colorado to toke up and smoke some marijuana for recreational purposes. I'm not exactly sure what to think of this news. It will be very interesting to see how it all plays out for them and the rest of the country will certainly be watching. In fact, I'm fairly certain that many states will be eager to follow their lead.

The Debate


I have to come clean and say that I don't have much of a "dog in this fight." I tend to go back and forth with where I stand. Sometimes I think that legalizing is a horrible idea and then I read something or talk to somebody and they present me with a very interesting and logical argument and I am left thinking that perhaps I am wrong and it should be legal. A week later or so however, something happens or I read something that convinces me otherwise. It's a tug-and-pull with me. Admittedly, I have spent more time on the side of anti-legalization.

My main gripe is the dishonestly that is associated with many people who involve themselves in this debate- especially on the internet. I see some people trying to freak people out and exaggerating claims of danger, relating every problem known to man with marijuana use. On the other side I see people acting as if marijuana were some miracle-worker sent from G-d to cure the world of everything from ADD to xenophobia. While I do not deny that marijuana can be beneficial, I cannot dismiss its use as being benign or even "good for you."

The fact is, there are good, solid arguments that have been presented on both sides of this issue but I feel as though they get lost in the saturation of propaganda that plagues social media and the internet in general.

Here, I will discuss ways in which I feel will help both sides present their opinions. Honest debate is always best and now that Colorado has passed their law, we should have an open-mind and observe with care. I am optimist in the idea that we will all finally get the answers we are looking for, i.g. how it affects culture, economy, crime, and health.

All the "quotes" in this post are of my creation. This was done in order to simplify my work. Many of the quotes are quite similar to what I have seen on the internet but they were merely created in order to provide you with examples. Plus, it's fun mocking other posts! 

The Fallacies and Follies 

1) If you're going to argue, make sure you have facts.

Unfortunately there really is still a lot to learn about marijuana. Maybe if we all took the time to listen to one another, we would be able to see information that we are not currently aware of. Do not dig your heels in over an issue if you really are not all that sure.

The problem I see is that many sites that offer "facts" seem to all have an agenda one way or the other. So if you are getting facts from a blog called something like Toking Up All the Time, you can rest assure that your "facts" are going to be skewed and others will call you on it. Moreover, if you are taking pointers from Potheads Are Sick and Twisted, your facts will be equally insipid and met with flames thrown in your direction.

Try to look for medical sites, science-based websites, peer-reviewed studies in respectable journals, government sites, or sites that offer a well-established authority.

Anecdotal evidence is nice but do not expect to sway people with it because you will find yourself violating another fallacy...

2) The emotional appeal.

This is perhaps the most frequent type of "evidence" to defend a person's position as it pertains to the marijuana debate. We hear them all the time and they are nothing but people pouring out their pain and emotions and expecting others to feel sympathy and that will somehow transfer into supporting their desire to toke-up or not toke-up.

I have a family member who is ill and they need to smoke weed. She is my aunt and she is so kind and she has done volunteer work at hospitals for her whole life.  She adopts kittens and dogs all the time. She even raises charity money and has donated one of her kidneys to a child dying from cancer and now SHE is sick and NEEDS weed. I cannot understand why all these hateful people want her to suffer???? They are so mean!!!! 

OR:

I know a kid that did pot for awhile and he killed his roommate in college. Later he got hungry from the munchies that came from smoking the Devil's lettuce and actually ATE the roommate! This is a TRUE story! Do not believe the potheads because they are so baked and stupid. They have no idea what they are advocating. 

OR:

Ther is nutng wong wit smking da weed. I m  b smkn 4 maybeee 7 yzs an nutng wong wt meeee!!!! Piece N LOVE n STIK it up ur butttttt f U dnt like it!!!!! All u people dat say weed is bAAd iz stoooppid!!!!! F YOU!!!! U have NO IDEA what u r taking abot and I ma so aingreee haveing 2 read thsi noncents on here!!!! Get ouT of hear youye NO idea wut u R evan taking about. I smok all the time and halve done so for YEERZ and I own a yacth and I M betta and smartr then all  U STOOOPID peo;le!!!! Lite me UP a JOIIIINT!!! 

OR:

I have seen so many cases of people who have lost their lives to marijuana. No, they are not dead but they are all dropouts and I suspect that many beat their children and pass their addictions onto them. It is the worst drug in history. I know it causes syphilis and the government isn't telling us because it's not always the case but, I'm sure it does. I just have this feeling it's 100 percent true. 

Okay, seriously I could do this all day. Too funny...but seriously, this is obviously an exaggeration but amazingly enough, I have seen comments that are truly bizarre. These types of comments that deal with story-telling and emotional appeal are only meant for audiences who are members of your echo-chamber so save them for your friends. When it comes to rigorous debate, just avoid them. If you feel a NEED to present them, go ahead and do so but also try and edit them down to just a paragraph and do your best to eliminate all the emotion.

Another point to consider is that there are many people who have personal stories that truly are tragic and should be treated with some sensitivity. There have been people who have drowned, killed in car accidents, and a host of other tragic events where only marijuana was found. It's hard to prove these accidents as being a direct result of its use but the stories themselves are real. Please take note that with these folks there will be an obvious bias and it should at least be treated with some care. Acknowledge their pain and try to move forward with your argument by presenting your facts.

3) The natural fallacy.

This is extremely common and often comes right after some pot smoker has presented their argument, riddled with grammar and spelling errors.

i lke 2 smook all day. WEED is gud for you. I dont undrstand why so many peeple have problems with WEED. Its NATURAL. its a PLANT that GOD gave us and i just cant see how peeple can aregew otherwise. It aint cocaine or heroin!!! That stuff is bad! 

This argument is a HUGE pet peeve of mine. This is nothing but a fallacious argument.

The first problem with the "natural" argument should be obvious. Arsenic is "natural" and it's a poison that kills humans and rats -- go figure. There are hundreds of plants in this world that are poisonous; they are also "natural."

The second problem is that the person making this argument often contradicts themselves by doing so. The reason I put this quote together the way I did was to also show that those who argue FOR marijuana also have a habit of attacking other drugs -- that come from a PLANT. Yeah, a "natural" plant.

Speaking of attacking other drugs...

4) Attack alcohol! Attack another drug!!! Leave my weed alone!

While researching for this blog post, the number one go-to argument for pro-marijuana advocates is by far the argument that attacks alcohol. Afterwards, they will bring up other drugs, just to make sure you understand that when you compare weed to anything else, weed always wins.

Weed does not make you mean or violent, everyone knows this! You get high and get the munchies. Big deal! By far, alcohol kills more people and it makes people get in fights all the time. People are killed everyday in this country because of alcohol and you people are worried about weed? Alcohol is what you should be worried about. There is nothing good about alcohol.  

Crack, meth, heroin, cocaine, LSD, and ecstasy are by far worse. I can't see anything wrong with weed really. When you look at the facts, nobody gets hurt with weed. Those other drugs KILL and are addictive. Everyone knows that! 

Alcohol does have benefits. Those benefits are not found by guzzling copious amounts on a routine basis but, as with most (I stress most), anything in life, moderation is key; I would not shoot heroin in "moderate" doses, or any dose.

My problem with this argument is that it points to attacking something else. I did a completely non-scientific poll on my Facebook page and asked my friends how they would feel about alcohol being illegal IF marijuana could be legal instead AND if the substances were reversed (meaning if marijuana were currently legal and alcohol currently illegal), would they also advocate for alcohol to be legal the way they are doing so with weed now?

The answers were interesting. Some did follow good logic and held true to their position concerning alcohol. They would be fine if it were illegal and would not advocate for it to be legal. Others (the majority), did not seem to mind that alcohol is legal and would argue for it. A few of them even went so far as to simply advocate ALL drugs.

Bottom line, be consistent in your arguments. Don't attack alcohol if you like alcohol. Just focus in on why you think marijuana should be legal. Adding in all these other drugs and pointing to their problems does nothing but distract from the basis of your argument.

This is basically a Tu Quoque fallacy, (Two Wrongs Make a Right). If you are arguing for marijuana, which indeed temporarily alters the mind, you cannot justify it by pointing to something else that does the same thing, just because it's not as "severe" as you would like to believe it is. Some people actually do react adversely to marijuana.

Also, these particular quotes contain the fallacy of argument from omniscience. The "everyone knows" argument, is ludicrous because it proves nothing; it merely shows you are only attempting to appeal to the lowest type of instincts.

Another failure I see in justifying marijuana is the argument for...

5) Freedom! We should have a right to do what we like to our bodies. It's the United States and we are supposed to support freedom.

Certainly this is a valid argument and many on the right or those considered libertarian will argue this, however make sure that if this is the route you choose, you follow the logic and advocate for ALL drugs to be legal. Again, think about consistency. People will not be convinced that your allegiance to advocating freedom is sincere if you are not advocating for the legality of all drugs. They will rightly point out that you are picking and choosing what YOU like and what YOU consider freedom, without consideration of what others believe. Some people do not view drug usage as a form of freedom, rather they view it as a bondage to a substance.

Now, if you are okay with marijuana but DO have apprehensions about other drugs being legal, stick with other points to support your opinion.

If you are against marijuana, you need to be careful about the...

6) Slippery slope fallacy.

I do this sometimes; it's true. Ultimately, it is a poor argument to suggest that we cannot legalize marijuana because the next thing we will be legalizing is cocaine.

It's fallacious because the legalization of marijuana does not guarantee a series of events to occur that must lead to legalizing other drugs. There is nothing that proves this.

7) The Gateway Argument

I do believe that people on both sides of the aisle are a bit confused about the description of marijuana being a "gateway drug." There is no evidence that shows people who use marijuana will indeed use other drugs. However, heavy drug users, the ones that use cocaine, LSD, ecstasy, heroin, etc., are indeed found to have tried marijuana before, much like them having tried alcohol or cigarettes.

8) “It’s all a big conspiracy – you don’t want people to be cured!”

As we've previously said, accusations that we are somehow part of a global conspiracy to suppress cancer cures are as absurd as they are offensive. Not only to the thousands of our scientists, doctors and nurses who are working as hard as they can to find more effective treatments for the complex set of challenging diseases we call cancer, but also the hundreds of thousands of people in the UK and beyond who support this life-saving work through generous donations of money, energy and time. 

Our aim is to beat cancer, and we believe that the best way to do this through rigorous scientific research aimed at understanding cancer on a biological level and working out how to prevent, detect and treat it more effectively. This approach has helped to change the face of cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment, leading to a doubling in survival rates over the past 40 years. 

As a research-based organisation, we want to see reliable scientific evidence to support claims made about any cancer treatment, be it conventional or alternative.  The claims made for many alternative cancer therapies still require solid evidence to support them, and it often turns out that these ‘miracle cures’ simply don’t work when they’re put to the test. 

This doesn't mean there’s a conspiracy to suppress the “True Cure for Cancer” – it means that doctors and researchers want to see solid evidence that the claims made by people peddling these treatments are true. 

This is vital because lives are at stake. Some people may think that a cancer patient has nothing to lose by trying an alternative treatment, but there are big risks. [emphasis mine] 

This is another argument that keeps rearing its ugly head each time the debate of marijuana legalization comes up and it absolutely infuriates me. Sure, you can rightly argue that the ban on marijuana in the United States was originally brought about through industrialization interests. What we know today is that those who are working in medicine have interest in studying any benefits that come about from marijuana use. The fact is there has not been any studies that conclusively show positive results from smoking marijuana. Pure THC or extracts are currently prescribed because they have gone through the proper channels and have been rigorously tested, showing benefits.

The idea that the scientific community is actively trying to hide beneficial information from the public, especially in the times we are living in now is indeed a ludicrous statement. If this is the route you choose to take for arguing, then you better show your PROOF. Accusing people of such absurd actions and not backing those claims up with hard facts that demonstrate your claim is nothing short of slanderous. IF smoking marijuana showed benefits that would "cure" anything, the FDA would indeed approve more studies. They have already demonstrated their willingness to consider the benefits and have rightly passed drugs like Marinol.

Interesting that people who support legalizing marijuana are determined to tell people to question the pharmaceutical companies, while blindly accepting pseudo-scientific conclusions about smoking marijuana.

So now that we got some of the nonsense out of the way... 

Dr. Laviolette offered this fitting conclusion: "Those of us in the basic neuroscience community go where our data takes us, both from the clinical and basic research sides of the equations. I think there are extreme positions on both sides of the debate and the best thing to do is to wait on the science. Reliable, solid, peer-reviewed data is the best way to inform public health policy." [emphasis mine]

Researchers go where their studies take them. Private and government funded labs have all found benefits from parts of the plant, but not from smoking. In addition to the general problems associated with smoking any substance, the act requires the patient to take in a variety of other chemicals/compounds that can indeed cause harm. Marijuana plants are not the same; they are grown differently and many contain different amounts of THC. The very random nature of the marijuana plant and accurately studying for further testing presents a problem with consistency. One plant or strain may or may not have the same benefits.

Office of National Drug Control Policy (via Whitehouse.gov 2012): "Marijuana and other illicit drugs are addictive and unsafe especially for use by young people.  As officials with the National Institute on Drug Abuse state, drug addiction is a progressive disease and the earlier one starts, the more likely are the chances of developing a substance use disorder...Although, some of the individual, orally-administered components of the cannabis plant ... have medical value, smoking marijuana is an inefficient and harmful method for delivering the constituent elements that have or may have medicinal value... To date, the FDA has not found smoked marijuana to be either safe or effective medicine for any condition...Furthermore, the Administration opposes drug legalization.  Legalization  threatens public health by increasing availability of drugs and undermining prevention activities. It also hinders recovery efforts and poses a significant health and safety risk to all Americans, especially our youth. Marijuana is a harmful drug and its use should be prevented and treated – not promoted." link

After my research, I have concluded... 

If you want it legalized then you need to be staying on point and argue for recreational use only. When you try and combine all this medicinal benefit from smoking marijuana woo, you are indeed giving people the WRONG perception. In short, you are lying about information in order to justify your desire to get high.

Marijuana does not block pain receptors; it only distracts pain, providing only temporary affects. Alcohol does the same. Smoking marijuana also does not provide consistent benefits. While some may find temporary relief, those who are suffering from an underlying mental illness can be harmed.

Plants of any kind vary and as such their properties vary. It's impossible to determine the exact effects one strain will have compared to the next. This is why calling the plant itself medicinal is a fallacy. Many drugs are plant-based but we never give someone a plant to smoke and call it medicine.

Personally, I cannot imagine why it is anyone who smokes marijuana would find that a healthy way to consume the plant. A simple look at someone's pipe or bong should be a good indication of how unhealthy it is to smoke. A pipe can become black with resin in a matter of a short period of time. The resin is a result of smoke quickly passing through the pipe and into the lungs. Now imagine what kind of residue is in the lungs when this is where the smoke is held for much longer periods of time.

Look, either you want an FDA or you do not. If you are not interested in having the FDA control and regulate what a drug is and how to administer it appropriately then you are asking this country to go back to the days where people could put anything in a pill and call it a drug. This is akin to saying we don't need the government to build roads or offer us a sewage system. Why on earth do you think these bureaucracies were brought about in the first place? They are there to help protect the consumer. Are they perfect? No. They are not perfect but having them is more beneficial than not having them.

If you are pro-marijuana, I implore you to keep your argument focused on recreational uses only. Do not mislead people with information that doesn't exist. Anecdotal evidence is nothing more than saying he said/she said and doesn't hold up under scientific scrutiny.

Something that does make sense is arguing for the government to lower marijuana to a schedule 2 substance so that it can be further studied for medical benefits. I highly doubt that we will ever find that smoking marijuana will ever provide substantial benefits but if that is the direction some want to try, have had it. Legalize it for recreational purposes. We'll watch and see what happens.





Links to some interesting information concerning marijuana:

http://www.cmcr.ucsd.edu/index.php?option=com_content&view=frontpage&Itemid=1
http://alcoholism.about.com/b/2003/11/02/marijuana-causes-many-deaths-reported-as-accidents.htm
http://www.science20.com/news/one_marijuana_joint_equal_to_five_cigarettes_in_lung_damage
http://www.science20.com/news_articles/marijuana_use_can_damage_dna_study
http://www.science20.com/search/apachesolr_search/marijuana
http://www.ndsu.edu/alcoholinfo/students/marijuana_myths_facts/
http://www.antoniocasella.eu/archila/Danovitch_2012.pdf
http://www.science20.com/news/marijuana_can_increase_risk_of_psychotic_illness_later_in_life_by_over_40
http://www.science20.com/news_articles/marijuana_safe_drug_scientifically_inaccurate-119133
http://www.science20.com/news_articles/thc_cannabis_does_not_slow_multiple_sclerosis_progression-116935

http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/science/2012/12/marijuana-isnt-a-pain-killer-its-a-pain-distracter/

http://www.forbes.com/sites/henrymiller/2012/03/28/the-real-dope-on-medical-marijuana/
http://drugprevent.org.uk/ppp/2013/04/smoke-and-mirrors-colorado-teenagers-and-marijuana-2/
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/medical-marijuana-more-states-legalizing-but-scientific-evidence-lacking/

Some studies about cancer and problems surrounding them:
http://cancerpreventionresearch.aacrjournals.org/content/4/1/65.long
http://anaximperator.wordpress.com/2012/03/30/if-it-works-in-a-mouse-it-works-in-a-man-right-well-not-necessarily/
http://scienceblog.cancerresearchuk.org/2012/07/25/cannabis-cannabinoids-and-cancer-the-evidence-so-far/

Notice in this study positive results were found through injection, not smoking.
http://www.science20.com/news_articles/thc_can_prevent_brain_damage_study-113512

Great articles to be read in succession:
http://www.science20.com/emergence_vergence/when_science_goes_pot-100004
http://www.science20.com/emergence_vergence/when_science_goes_pot_part_ii_evaluations_and_perceptions-100035
http://www.science20.com/emergence_vergence/when_science_goes_pot_part_iii_chatting_scientists-101262

Direct links to some studies:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23261685
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19924114
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=D'souza%202004%20cannabis
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18279244
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22965656

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16054989?ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_SingleItemSupl.Pubmed_Discovery_RA&linkpos=4&log$=relatedreviews&logdbfrom=pubmed

http://phys.org/news164348909.html

Marinol:
http://www.fda.gov/ohrms/dockets/dockets/05n0479/05N-0479-emc0004-04.pdf

Marijuana and Medicine:
http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=6376&page=R1

Debunking Quotes From Founding Fathers

http://radicalruss.com/potheads-stop-using-the-debunked-veranda-hohner-and-intemperance-presidential-pot-quotes/

Skeptics

https://www.metabunk.org/threads/cannabis-cures-cancer-an-experiment-in-public-self-condemnation.1405/
http://www.skepticalraptor.com/skepticalraptorblog.php/marijuana-cancer-what-facts-smoke/
http://www.skepticnorth.com/2010/01/cannabis-cures-cancer/
http://scienceblog.cancerresearchuk.org/2011/05/05/cannabis-cure-for-brain-cancer-headline-is-misleading/
http://www.theguardian.com/science/occams-corner/2012/dec/07/cancer-conspiracy-theories

Science Research Reviews

http://www.cochrane.org/cochrane-reviews