marmar (1000+ posts) Fri May-09-08 09:50 AM
Original message http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x3262415
White House Anti-Marijuana Propaganda Machine in Full Catapult Mode
Advertisements [?]from AP, via Yahoo!:
Feds: Teen use of pot can lead to dependency, mental illness
By JENNIFER C. KERR, Associated Press Writer
2 hours, 47 minutes ago
WASHINGTON - Depression, teens and marijuana are a dangerous mix that can lead to dependency, mental illness or suicidal thoughts, according to a White House report being released Friday.
A teen who has been depressed at some point in the past year is more than twice as likely to have used marijuana as teens who have not reported being depressed — 25 percent compared with 12 percent, said the report by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.
"Marijuana is a more consequential substance of abuse than our culture has treated it in the last 20 years," said John Walters, director of the office. "This is not just youthful experimentation that they'll get over as we used to think in the past."
Smoking marijuana can lead to more serious problems, Walters said in an interview.
For example, using marijuana increases the risk of developing mental disorders by 40 percent, the report said. And teens who smoke pot at least once a month over a yearlong period are three times more likely to have suicidal thoughts than nonusers, it said.
The report also cited research that showed that teens who smoke marijuana when feeling depressed were more than twice as likely as their peers to abuse or become addicted to pot — 8 percent compared with 3 percent.
Experts who have worked with children say there's nothing harmless about marijuana.
"I've seen many, many kids' lives negatively impacted and taken off track because of marijuana," said Elizabeth Stanley-Salazar, director of adolescent services for Phoenix House treatment centers in California. "It's somewhat Russian roulette. There are so many factors, emotional, psychological, biological. You can't predict the experimentation and how it will impact a kid." ......(more)
The complete piece is at: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080509/ap_on_he_me/teens_d...
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAnd here come the druggie defense teams...
panader0 (1000+ posts) Fri May-09-08 09:52 AM
Response to Original message
2. I'm 57, started smoking at age 15
and I can honestly say that the only times it's ever caused me to be depressed were the two times I got busted for possessing it.
so...you started smoking in 1966?
Wizard777 (1000+ posts) Fri May-09-08 11:46 AM
Response to Reply #2
18. I'm 76 and I started smoking it at about 12.
I've been smoking pot for over half a century. In another 12 years I will have been smoking it for three quarters of a century. I don't regret it one bit.
Let me get the calculator: so, you started smoking in 1944?
Jackpine Radical (1000+ posts) Fri May-09-08 09:58 AM
Response to Original message
4. Looks pretty much like correlational data to me.
So a kid gets depressed & tries to self-medicate. So a kid who's having problems with stress lights up a spliff. Treat the anxiety, treat the depression. And preferably, keep the kids away from psychiatrists and treat both anxiety and depression without medication.
So, it's not drungs that is the problem. It's kids not on drugs that is the problem...
iamahaingttta (1000+ posts) Fri May-09-08 10:12 AM
Response to Original message
8. John Walters, you're a frikkin' idiot!
"Marijuana is a more consequential substance of abuse than our culture has treated it in the last 20 years..." he says with a ******* martini in his hand.
Elizabeth Stanley-Salazar, you're just not very smart, are you, lady?!?
"I've seen many, many kids' lives negatively impacted and taken off track because of marijuana..."
What's that quote by Krishnamurti? Ah yes, here it is:
"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society."
Lady, just being alive in these here United States in the 21st century has negatively impacted many, many kid's lives. A little whacky weed for some giggle time in front of the TV is NOT the problem.
Sheesh!
my God. These people vote, you know.
izquierdista (1000+ posts) Fri May-09-08 10:36 AM
Response to Original message
12. Serious problem?!?
You don't say! Well, then something should be done about it. Maybe funding for public health clinics for teens should be expanded. Maybe drug treatment is too expensive and should be covered by publicly funded medical insurance (Medicare). Maybe suicide helplines are understaffed and should be given a boost in funding and staffing. Maybe counseling at school is ineffective and needs more staffing and funding.
What's that? Those things cost money -- and you're too much of a selfish cheap bastard to fund the things I just mentioned?
I didn't think you were serious.
So, you would solve the problem with teen drug abuse by treating the problem after it is already there by throwing money at it? Raise taxes, legalize drugs. Put on blinders...
paparush (1000+ posts) Fri May-09-08 11:47 AM
Response to Original message
19. If weed were legalized -
Edited on Fri May-09-08 11:48 AM by paparush
'Murkins might buy less cigarettes.
'Murkins might buy less alcohol.
Both of those patriotic industries would suffer horrible financial losses and the terrorists would win.
they don't call them DUmmies for no reason
Useful Idiot (2 posts) Fri May-09-08 12:21 PM
Response to Original message
22. Obviously many cant handle the truth!
Edited on Fri May-09-08 12:28 PM by Useful Idiot
marijuana is a powerful herb that SHOULD be illegal. One mans "propoganda" is anothers research. Most proles cant handle it long term.
I have seen otherwise bright, engaged students with promising futures devolve into introverted, apathetic, shells of their former selves with no motivation to do anything other than smoke more dope within in months of heavy pot use. Functional IQ drops 10 points while on that stuff, sorry but I like to do things that make me smarter not dumber.
Please pander your pro-grass sentiments somewhere else (surly High Times has a user page)-It give progressives a bad name to be associated with it.
MJ's paranoia inducing effects fuel some of the stupidest conspriracy theories I have ever heard. Nothing like hearing a bunch of stoners wax lyrical about 9/11 and "the bombs were placed in the WTC towers by the gov't man, yo pass that bong" or how everyone on the planes were knocked out with gas etc etc etc....
Will you kill loved ones? No probably not. Rape people? nope. You probably wont do anything at all except sit on the couch in a stupor and sit and sit and sit some more.
Oh, man....a newby questioning the hive drug society? he/she/it is doomed...
kgfnally (1000+ posts) Fri May-09-08 01:19 PM
Response to Reply #24
34. Fixed?
Unfortunately, I *notice* things like spelling, punctuation, and grammar even when high. Editorial note: I'll refrain from using quoteblocks because it just doesn't look right when quoting individual sentences.
"marijuana is a powerful herb that SHOULD be illegal." Capitalization of the opening word of a sentence is considered proper English. Not doing so is called 'Engrish'.
"Most proles cant handle it long term. " Can you handle apostrophes?
"term.
I have seen" When denoting the beginning of a paragraph on forums such as this, it is customary to do as you did in the rest of your post, and add a carriage return (wow, I actually found a use for that chestnut) at the end of the preceding paragraph.
"introverted, apathetic, shells of their former selves" Of course it was all the fault of the grass! They couldn't possibly have had anything else going on in their lives that had nothing to do with marijuana! (And by the way, the second comma is, shall we say, 'extracurricular'.)
"Functional IQ drops 10 points while on that stuff, sorry but I like to do things that make me smarter not dumber. "
Two things:
1) Source that or retract it, and
2) You combined two complete sentences into one single je ne sais quoi, and forgot the comma after the word 'smarter'.
"MJ's paranoia inducing effects fuel some of the stupidest conspriracy theories I have ever heard." Conspriacy? Is that related to priapism? I've heard of conspiracies that don't go down well; perhaps you have a point.
"how everyone on the planes were knocked out with gas etc etc etc...." 'Etc'. is actually an abbreviation for et cetera, which is Latin for "and other things". Thus, use of more than a single et cetera- by the by, normally italicized- is called redundancy.
"Will you kill loved ones? No probably not. Rape people? nope. You probably wont do anything at all except sit on the couch in a stupor and sit and sit and sit some more." I'm getting bored now, so I'll go through this one very quickly. Pay attention, now, because I'm only going to say this one time, and then, after seven seconds, this message will self-destruct: comma following '(n)o', make '(r)ape people' a complete sentence, capitalize 'nope', give an apostrophe to "wont", and place a comma following the words 'stupor' and the first two instances of 'sit'.
Well, that certainly took a while. I had to, though; my grammar and spelling nannies were tapping their copper-edged rulers into their palms whilst giving me the Mama's Family 'Thelma look'. And my bowl died! MY BOWL DIED!!!11!1!
Don't argue the message, argue the grammer.
Ghost in the Machine (1000+ posts) Fri May-09-08 12:59 PM
Response to Reply #22
30. Your name fits you well...
You must really be missing your own site, huh?
BTW...
Please pander your pro-grass sentiments somewhere else (surly High Times has a user page)-It give progressives a bad name to be associated with it.
I'll let *you* try to figure out what's wrong with that, since you didn't catch it on your last edit.. and please pander your bullshit back on your own site when it comes back up, we don't don't need to read your misinformed paranoid ramblings here...
Again, grammer...not issues...
iamahaingttta (1000+ posts) Fri May-09-08 02:31 PM
Response to Reply #22
38. I'd like to respond to the Useful Idiot's post.
I am clearly in the pro-pot camp.
I smoked pot for the first time at 13 and I am now 45. started smoking in 1976
I still smoke pot, not every day, but usually several times a week.
I was bored out of my skull in high school, and smoked more than I should have.
I never went to college and I never wanted to. no suprise there...
I am smart, probably smarter than you - always tested in the top 1 percentile. seriously doubt that.
I could probably be the head of a multi-national corporation by now, or running for congress. BUT, you aren't.
Instead, I am a struggling musician and lazy real estate broker.
You probably have more money in your change jar than I have to my name.
I enjoy sitting on the couch and watching eye-candy.
I believe that there were explosive charges placed in the WTC after the first bombing, and that the insurance companies made them do a controlled demolition to protect other nearby buildings. It certainly looked that way - I watched it with my own eyes.
because you are stoned.
Youngsters should probably not be altering their consciousness. Oh... wait... what about sugar and amusement park rides? Are those things any healthier? I don't think children should be using illegal drugs. But I don't think they should be using most of the legal ones either. I've seen people get their lives ****ed up by drugs also. However, I've seen more lives ****ed up by credit cards.
stoned
I don't think that the problem is with drugs, per se, I think the problem is with the insanity that is our civilization. Kids have always pushed the boundaries, tested the limits, screwed things up and hopefully learned from their mistakes. Some people just do not make it. It's sad, but true. There are individuals who destroy themselves. Others get through it and survive, and even thrive.
stoned
I'm generally a healthy, happy individual. Much happier and healthier than I would be if I were the head of a multi-national corporation or member of congress. I've made it my business to know everything there is to know about this universe, and I think I recently crossed the 1 millionth of 1 tenth of 1 percent threshold. I really like my brain, and we have a good time together. I'm rather good looking, get laid a lot, have a lot of good friends who I love and trust, and laugh and laugh and laugh. Barring the unforeseen, I'm going to live to be 90 years old. And I'll be smoking and ****ing 'til the end.
STONED!!!!
Would I trade my drug-addled life for yours? I don't know you, but most likely not. From the tenor of your post, you just don't seem to have much fun! Chances are I have more fun just sitting on the couch than you do, doing... well... whatever it is you do!
Have a nice life, Idiot. I'll take a toke for ya...
I really have nothing to say about this idiot.
0rganism (1000+ posts) Fri May-09-08 04:18 PM
Response to Reply #40
44. I believe that's what newcomer "Useful Idiot" would call a "stupor"
The funny thing about the "stupor" is, a lot of important stuff can start happening on the inside once the ego shuts the **** up.
It seems really impostant, anyway...
