When did "the facts" become politicized? It's not just marijuana, it's global warming, covid, and so many other controversial issues. We no longer get the facts or the facts are hidden somewhere in all the hype and propaganda. They tell us to "trust the science" yet the science seems to be controlled by whatever the reigning narrative is. We're no longer presented with "just the facts".
Yesterday, I came across several articles that really triggered me. All were about marijuana, all were trending in Yahoo News, and all seemed like serious hit pieces. The first one was about marijuana and violence and people having psychotic breakdowns.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/opinion-marijuana-violence-much-more-113000329.html
First off, I worked in the bar and pub industry for most of my young adult life. You want to talk about a correlation of violence, ask any bar bouncer how alcohol effects people. PCP is another drug known to give people a psychotic breakdown. NOT MARIJUANA!!! I'm not saying it never happens, maybe it does, but how often really? 1 in 100 users. 1 in 1000. On top of that, these are probably people that already have violent tendencies.
I've been a regular marijuana user for well over 40 years, and I've never seen a violent outburst due to marijuana use. NEVER! I've never heard anyone say, "Sheesh, the guy smoked a little weed and then went crazy." I'm talking in the most literal sense. I've seen it happen with PCP. Never weed. Never in a club, at a rave, or at anyone's home.
Again alcohol, what I used to call the bad vibe drug. I've met a lot of angry drunks in my time. Yet, I've never felt intimidated or threatened by a pot smoker.
Now here's another news story I keep seeing. Marijuana linked to heart attack risks in old people. This one effects me directly and of course, I have some thoughts on it.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/marijuana-legalization-linked-rise-heart-132404111.html
Now almost 60 years old. I get this one. I'd guess there is probably some truth to this one. However, lets talk about quality of life for seniors. According to the article "Admission rates were nearly 4 percent higher for heart failure, 3 percent higher for heart attacks and more than 2 percent higher for atrial fibrillation."
There are dozens of health reasons seniors smoke marijuana. Pain management is one. Seems like a better alternative to some of the LEGAL pain medications that are causing all kinds of problems in our society. Weed also promotes a sense of well being and happiness. We've know for decades now that it helps glaucoma. I could go on and on about the health benefits it offers and it's use as an alternative to legal pain medications. I'm willing to take the risk. I've suffered serious back pain and have arthritis. If marijuana gives someone their mobility back, I'd guess that's probably worth the risk to a lot of people. I mean were talking a margin under 5%. I'll take my chances thank you.
Now here's the article that set me off. I saved the best for last. I WILL DIE ON THIS HILL! Marijuana addiction is a real thing! NOT!
WHEN DID WE START CHANGING THE DEFINITION OF WORDS? Habit forming yes. Addiction NO! Just like Facebook and Twitter are habits, not addictions. I'll agree marijuana is habit forming. Being a daily smoker. However, I've stopped smoking on several occasions for serious lengths of time. I quit for 3 years once. This wasn't a voluntary hiatus, but it wasn't an issue to stop using either. Just like Facebook and Twitter. You miss it for a couple days, but eventually you get over it. At least, that's been my experience.
Whenever I write a post like this there's always that one person that says, "Oh, marijuana ruined my brothers life. Or my best friend got addicted to marijuana, it's real!"
Just like Facebook, some people may have this issue. I doubt highly it's an addiction. I'd call it more of a lack of self control. I guess some people call that an addiction. I call it a personality flaw. I can't stop eating candy or drinking coca-cola. I know it's not good for me, I know the health risks involved, yet I still eat and drink it all the time. Again, not an addiction, it's a lack of self control. I've talked about this in previous posts. If you're interested, here are my thoughts on addiction vs habit.
Nicotine, heroin, cocaine, tobacco, these are addictive substances. True addictions. You get sick, you get nervous, you can't concentrate, you get terrible mood swings. Some people even die from the withdrawal symptoms of cocaine and heroin. These are really addictive compounds!
With that said, misusing the word addiction for habit is a very dangerous thing. If someone quits Facebook, and thinks that was an addiction. Or they quit smoking weed and say, "Oh I've got this addiction thing licked". Then they decide to try and use heroin and learn what real addiction is. Just saying.... Calling it like I'm seeing it. Seriously, a one week binge on heroin is enough to destroy your life! Weed will NOT do that. I don't care how badly you think you're addicted.
I got so angry reading that article I decided to not smoke marijuana for 24 hours. I wanted to see what would happen. Guess what, nothing. Well, I had a hard time going to sleep, but that's one of the reasons I smoke weed before bed. I have terrible insomnia and weed fixes that. Again, for me, the benefits far outweigh the risks.
I've now been 30 hours without smoking any cannabis. Sure I thought about it a lot. I've smoked daily since they legalized. I could probably count on one hand the number of days I skipped. Still, no shakes, no withdrawal symptoms, no issues. Nothing life debilitating. Yes, I know, 24 hours does not an addiction break. However, with a truly addictive product, you can't go 24 hours without it. It really is that simple.
I will say this. I've suffered severe sinus issues for as long as I can remember. I recently lost my cat, and discovered part of those issues were a cat allergy. I breath so much better since the cats are gone... Oh but I miss them dearly! My breathing has improved tremendously.
Sitting here now, I can't believe how clear my sinuses are and how easily I'm breathing. I may start taking some weed breaks just for this reason. I'm thinking I may start smoking every other day and see how much my sinuses improve. I can generally go about 48 hours between smokes before I start feeling serious arthritis symptoms. Still, a stuffy sinus cavity is a small price to pay for the mobility and quality of life issues I have. That's just me. That's my choice and I should have the freedom to choose it. The freedom issue is a whole other article as far as I'm concerned. Don't even get me started!
Just the facts man! Please!
I guess my point to all this is that we see it over and over again with every controversial subject. For instance global warming. We all know something is going on with the environment, yet the data is skewed by political propaganda. A carbon tax wont fix the issue. Is it us? Is it cars? Is it cow farts? Is it petroleum products? Is the universe warming? Is it all the above? Is it something else? Ask ten scientists and you'll get ten different answers based on their politics or where the funding comes from.
Covid, where they told us to "trust the science" and we stood in line to take an experimental vaccine that we weren't even sure would work properly. Only the vaccine can save us. Everything else was labeled disinformation. There were NO alternatives, just "the jab" as they so endearingly got every American to use. WTF! Really! Talk about heart conditions. Maybe were trying to cover up one problem by blaming another problem. Just saying. Old people have heart attacks, weed or not. Heart issues certainly have risen since Covid and it seems to be effecting the young and old alike.
Honestly, disinformation and outright lies, cause more problems than the problem itself could ever create. When does it all stop? When do we get back to just getting the facts?
Marijuana propaganda has come a long way. Early propaganda like Reefer Madness is now laughable. These were real propaganda films from the early 1900s. Today, we laugh at these films while we smoke and ask ourselves, "Why did they lie like this?" I think this can be said about a lot of serious topics today!
Refer Madness courtesy of Youtube. AI imagery from Perchance AI.
