Good comment on addiction and cannabis

[firefox]

This is an example of we are the media with the Internet. Addiction is a big part of the cannabis issue. This was a particularly well-crafted explanation of addiction from a commentor with a screen name of runderwo at CannabisNews.com- http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread20849.shtml#23

Addiction is a condition characterized by three separate things. The first is habituation, where an activity produces pleasurable (reinforcing) effects, and thus the activity becomes a normal part of the daily flow. Anything pleasurable can cause habituation. You simply seek out and do things that make you happy and/or satisfied because as an organism, that is what you are designed to do. Methampthetamine, cocaine, and alcohol are highly reinforcing because they act directly on the brain's pleasure mechanisms.

The other half is the combination of tolerance and withdrawal. Tolerance is the gradual necessity of more of that activity (or substance) to achieve the same pleasurable effect. Specifically with drugs, the body builds up chemical tolerances to some, and simply becomes flooded with others. With nicotine and heroin for example, each replaces a natural neurotransmitter that the body produces (acetylcholine and endorphins respectively), and the body adjusts to their presence by producing less of the natural components. With cannabis, the tolerance comes from the body being flooded with broken-down THC and CBD/CBN which produce little to no psychoactive effect, so there are no cannabinoid receptors left for freshly consumed THC to attach to.

Withdrawal is when mental or physical symptoms arise from ceasing an activity. With drugs such as heroin, barbiturates, and alcohol, the body can be anywhere from feeling sick to in a life-threatening state of shock, because it has adjusted to the presence of the intoxicant and must now readjust to the absence of it. With cannabis, one feels a longing but that is about it, because the body has not made such adjustments. The withdrawal is purely mental.

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Since cannabis produces little to no withdrawal, and is not as reinforcing as some other drugs are, it is difficult to believe that it is the drug addiction threat it is made out to be. One must only look at alcohol, a drug which satisfies all three criteria as well as having a life-threatening withdrawal, albeit one which is legal, to see why cannabis poses relatively little threat to society through addiction.

[havocmom]

1. The real reason for keeping marijuana illegal is $$ for BIg Pharm

It works well for many health issues. It is easy to grow, so I hear, so one does not need to spend big bucks on corporate crap with a lot of side effects.

It's all about the money. Where money is at stake, the man will use any lie to protect his interests. It is THAT SIMPLE.

[firefox]

2. The reason for cannabis prohibition

Richard Cowan that writes at MarijuanaNews.com was past director of NORML. He says that the reason for cannabis prohibition in two words is "bad journalism" and in three words it is "Quack, quack, quack."

This is my comeback. The reason for Cannabis Prohibition in one word is "corruption". In two words it is "controlled media". In three words it is "It's the money." In four words it is "Lies, bullshit, and obfuscation." In five words it is "We are ruled by treason."