Syndactyly
So a lot of people say smoking pot/cigarettes is wrong because they "cause cancer." Let's assume, for the sake of argument, that pot can and does cause cancer (even though tehre is a great deal of evidence to the contrary). Why is it that another person gets to invade my life, and try to control my health habits? People think that, "because it makes you sick" is reason enough for them not to tell me to do something. Why do they care so much if I get sick?
Some say that it's because when I do get cancer, I'll go the the hospital, leech their time and their resources, and then die before I can pay off my bills, and that raises premiums. I'd like people to prove that cancer patients, as a result of smoking, cause an adverse effect to the health care system that is statistically significant. People usually have NO idea what the numbers are, they just assume they're bad. Well, why don't you prove it instead of just guessing?
Why is it someone else's business what my health is like? Why is it their business if pot makes someone stupid? Why do they feel they have the right to govern another person's intelligence? Why do people use health risk and intelligence as an argument against pot, but not against alcohol?
I don't understand people who are against pot but support alcohol. Why do you think one is okay and not the other? At least smoking pot doesn't make me get in a car and kill a family of 5. People who smoke pot tend to drive really slow.
When I talk about prohibition, and how many lives it would save, people say, "I GOT MY RIGHTS TO DRINK." Well, why don't I got my rights to smoke a bud? People say, "If you take away beer, people will protest, they'll start riots, the country will be in chaos," probably basing this on the last prohibition. Yes, people will throw tantrums. We can also throw their asses in jail when they do. Why can't I use the potheads will throw a tantrum argument? Because pot makes people
good natured most of the time. You want to take away a substance that calms people down?
Oh, and IN B4 ONLY THE TITLE IS ADDRESSED.
"Effects on behaviour
Acute toxic reactions such as nausea, anxiety, paranoia and disorientation often occur in naïve cannabis smokers but are uncommon in regular users (39). Heavy cannabis smoking, and even lighter use in susceptible individuals, can in rare cases produce an acute psychosis including anxiety, agitation, amnesia, delusions, hallucinations and hypomanic symptoms (40, 41).
“Amotivational Syndrome” is typically blamed on heavy cannabis use in adolescents and adults. This syndrome is used to describe people who show little interest in school, work or other goal-oriented activity as well as withdrawing from social activities. While it is an ill-defined condition, this is a common feature of chronic intoxication with many different psychoactive drugs and when the chronic intoxication is treated or “cured” the behavior improves. At this time, there appears to be no convincing evidence to show a causal relationship between cannabis smoking and such behavioral characteristics (42).
Tolerance to most of the effects of cannabis can develop after a few doses but it also disappears rapidly (43). The dynamics of tolerance differs for different effects (44). There appears to be comparatively less tolerance to the appetite stimulating effects of cannabis as compared to the other effects (45).
There is evidence that cannabis dependence occurs with chronic heavy recreational use (3, 4). Dependence appears to be less problematic when cannabis is used in lower doses therapeutically (5).
Effects on cognition
Cannabis use appears to impair cognition involving short-term memory, attention and concentration among long term heavy smokers. Most studies suggest that chronic users of cannabis suffer varying degrees of cognitive impairment that can sometimes be long lasting. Studies have also shown that these deficits in attention and memory occur more often with heavy cannabis use, and that these deficits can extend beyond the period of intoxication (
cool . These effects can also be cumulative with longer periods of use, but are to some degree reversible after a period post-cessation of use.
Effects on psychomotor performance
Cannabis exposure impairs psychomotor performance and patients must be warned not to drive (35, 36), especially if they feel intoxicated after smoking cannabis.
[...]
Effects on the respiratory tract
Population studies have found mild lung function changes in heavy cannabis smokers, including reduction of forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), increase in airway resistance and decrease in airway conductance (27, 28, 29). Heavy chronic cannabis smokers (i.e. more than 3 average joints per day for 25 years) may present with symptoms of bronchitis, including wheezing, production of phlegm and chronic cough. It has been suggested that heavy use of smoked cannabis may be a risk factor for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in later life (10, 11, 30, 31). The effects on the respiratory tract defense system may also increase the risk of infection in chronic users (32), although additional studies are required to determine the true relationship between smoked cannabis and the development of respiratory infections. However, most of the studies to date suggest that habitual long term heavy smoking of cannabis has a number of adverse effects on the respiratory tract. Medical users of cannabis should be cautious of heavy use, especially in concurrence with tobacco smoking."
(http://www.medicalmarijuanainformation.com/precautions/longtermfx.php)
I agree to a certain point that your health is your business, but if you smoke cigarettes (and to a lesser extent pot) the second hand smoke hurts others as well. It's an environmental toxin you're exposing others to in order to satisfy your addiction.
Second-hand smoke is made up of the smoke from the burning end of a cigarette or pipe, and the smoke that is blown into the air by the person smoking.
"Second-hand smoke has over 4,000 chemicals; many of them cause cancer. Two thirds of the smoke from a cigarette is not inhaled by the smoker, but enters the air around the smoker.
* Second-hand smoke has at least twice the amount of nicotine and tar as the smoke inhaled by the smoker
* It has five times the amount of carbon monoxide, a deadly gas that robs the blood of oxygen
* It also contains higher levels of ammonia (better known as window cleaner) and cadmium (also found in batteries)
* The concentration of hydrogen cyanide (a poisonous gas that attacks respiratory enzymes) in tobacco smoke is considered toxic
* It contains nitrogen dioxide which is measured at fifty times higher than the standard for harm
* Non-smokers who breathe in second-hand smoke can get many serious diseases. It can cause lung cancer, heart disease, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (emphysema and chronic bronchitis) asthma and other diseases
*
Regular exposure to second-hand smoke increases the risk of lung disease by 25% and heart disease by 10%"
(http://www.lung.ca/protect-protegez/tobacco-tabagisme/second-secondaire/index_e.php)
So...basically...the only way to make your health your business given the toxins you're ingesting is to do so by yourself in an environment that's isolated from others. If you go out in public and do so, then you're putting others at risk as well - whether by second hand smoke or intoxicated behavior. Going slower in traffic is actually just as dangerous as speeding. So smoke by yourself and never let anyone in your house ever. THEN this would be a valid argument.
