Name all the bad things about weed and then all the good?

Answer 1

The Bad:

It's Illegal

-can be caught and have to go to jail or an expensive treatment program

-many jobs are contingent upon passing a drug test, and a single use (even during off-hours or weekends) can show up 2-5 days later.

-inhaling smoke is bad for you (although marijuana can be vaporized or eaten, eliminating all carcinogenic intake by the body, and furthermore, studies have shown no increased incidence of cancer among pot smokers)

-marijuana may slow reaction times for drivers (however, studies have shown that persons "high" on marijuana often either refuse to drive outright, or tend to allow greater following distance and travel at a conservative rate of speed).

-today's weed is said to be much more potent than the weed of the 70s, at 10% THC versus 3-4%, and some say this makes it more addictive and dangerous (but it is important to note that the one legal (with a prescription) form of marijuana, Marinol(R), is actually 100% THC, so higher percentage of THC in marijuana certainly doesn't indicate any greater danger to the user)

The Good:

Medicine?

-can ease nausea from chemotherapy more effectively than swallowed pills

-slows AIDS "wasting syndrome" by increasing appetite

-terminal patients use it to ease their suffering in their last days, sometimes requiring lower doses of pain meds

-can slow or halt glaucoma's progression by decreasing intraocular pressure

-anecdotal evidence suggests it can be helpful for persons with depression, anxiety, and other mood disorders

-studies show decreased risk of squamous cell carcinoma correlated with lifetime marijuana use, and other studies show decreased incidence of lung cancer among marijuana smokers

Social Recreational Substance

-unlike alcohol, which kills thousands each year from overdose and liver disease, in thousands of years of recreational use, marijuana has never killed anyone by overdose, and does not cause disease

-unlike alcohol, which fuels many domestic violence incidents, marijuana does not cause users to become violent

It Is a Big Business that could be Legitimized and Taxed

-it is the number one cash crop