This is the question currently making its way through the New Hampshire legislation. There are three approaches that those wishing to legalize marijuana take to win converts:
1- Sex in the City Vs. Cheech and Chong. Legalizing marijuana is often compared to the casual, but the legal use of alcohol in America. You hear the old standby that marijuana is no worse than Carrie's Cosmopolitan or a businessman’s martini.
2- The Dreaded “Permanent Record.” A misdemeanor record will stay with a person, there-by affecting their chances for employment, college scholarships, military service, and a potential run for the Presidency.
3- The War is Lost. The war on drugs is too costly, and if you haven't heard, we have already lost it.
None of these are valid reasons for legalizing marijuana. The motivations of those who are strongly supporting this measure are clear. They are illicit drugs users themselves, or know someone how is. We should no more listen to them as we would those who abuse alcohol wishing to help “shape” our DWI policies. But that doesn’t mean I am opposed to leaser penalties for the casual user. What I am opposed to is any law that takes a nonchalant approach to a habit that adversely affects so many people.
First off, New Hampshire is not considering “legalizing” pot; it is proposing, “decriminalizing” it. But decriminalization of any vice is the first step to completely abolishing the enforcement of the vice. I have read news reports that those found in possession of a small amount (1 oz or less) of marijuana will receive a fine ($200.00), but NO PERMANENT CRIMINAL RECORD, like a traffic ticket. You notice however that the State still gets “their money” in the form of fines. Minimum effort, maximum returns....that's the road to a sound drug enforcement policy.
It would be foolish to think that people caught with marijuana wouldn’t be tracked in the system. If you receive a speeding ticket, stop sign violation, or any other moving vehicle violation, the State of New Hampshire maintains at least a 7-year history of that record. Is anyone that naive to think the State wouldn’t do the same thing for marijuana possession? It is in our best interest to maintain records of those among us who participate in a habit that impairs their judgment, just as we do with alcohol offenses.
And what about our “private permanent records?” This law does nothing from stopping private companies, government agencies, insurance companies (watch your premiums go up), and the military from simply expanding their ability to finding out whether a person has been charged and convicted of a drug offense, regardless of how “small” we classify the offense. Wouldn't you want the operator of the local school bus company checking to see if one of their drivers is prone to a lifestyle, such as dope smoking, that would place your children in harms way?
Most companies have a screening process in place now to “weed out(pardon the pun)” the people they feel are not what they are looking for. Companies will simply expand their screening techniques so that preceptive hires have to divulge if they have ever been summoned for drug possession, and if that person is still maintaining a “casual” use of the product. I have been asked in the past on an employment application to detail my alcohol and drug consumption on a weekly basis, not an usually request considering the sensitivity of the job I was seeking. Is the public safety at large benefiting from the attempted hiding of ones drug use? No, only the individual law breakers benefits. I would remind you that it is not the law’s job to accommodate illegal behavior, it is meant to regulate those things that desecrate the fabric of our community.
Groups such as NORML, and others like it, love to try and convince us that we should be more like Europe, which they claim takes a much more “enlightened” approach to the illicit drug use, especially marijuana. Not according to the most recent report from the EMCDDA (European Monitoring Centre fro Drug Addiction). Illicit drug use is down due in large part because the source for marijuana has been reduced by over 40%. How is that possible? Because the good old USA is the number one producer of marijuana, and over the past few years strict eradication affords on the part of our government has lead to an overall decline of not only plant production, but use. A fact that ALL European Nations applaud. Why? The number one reason (but not the only reason) are the health risk associated with marijuana use.
The State of New Hampshire spent countless hours debating and finally approving a smoking ban in restaurants. This was an effort to help reduce the use of a product linked to numerous health issues. Why would we every want to support the increased use of a drug that is far worse. A recent New Zealand study found that smoking marijuana is leading to an “epidemic” of lung cancer (One Joint = 20 cigarettes). Distorted perceptions, loss of memory, increased heart rate (and increase chance for heart attack), and impaired immune systems have all been associated with a casual use of marijuana. A fact that NORML ignores, downplays or counters with bogus studies.
Decriminalizing marijuana will increase the casual use of the drug, there by increasing demand. Increased demand means that drug dealers (the pimps of the drug subculture) make more money. This will only serve to make the drug dealer richer, and like any good business person, they will want to expand their clientèle. Additionally, I have never met a drug dealer whose sole product was marijuana. They usually try to accommodate their customers and offer a fleet of products, such as Ecstasy, Cocaine, and occasionally Crack and Heroin (give the people what they want!).
As for the assertion that we should stop enforcing a sound drug policy because the “War on Drugs is lost;” it is nothing more than progressive propaganda. But lets just say we are losing (or have lost), and take the old “if you can't beat 'em, join 'em” mentality. Isn't time we as a society accepted our other “loses,” and stop wasting money at trying to win the war on poverty, hunger, racism, health care, or “insert your lost cause here?” Where do we draw the line between “throwing our hands up in the air,” and accepting our responsibilities as a State, and as a Nation, that was founded on the belief of laws, not to the will of anarchy. Are we in the future going to place a price tag on every crime and enforce only those that benefit our balance sheet at the end of the year. The Scales of Justice are not balanced based on economic principles, they represent the thin balance between justice and lawlessness!
We do the State of New Hampshire, especially the youth, a disservice when our main concern is making sure that they do not have “permanent records” for minor indiscretions, instead of making sure we create policies that ensures their safety. The governance of the law is not to protect the guilty, it is to ensure the safety of law abiding citizens, period. The expanded use of illicit drugs will only lead us down a path similar to the opium culture of China in the early 20th Century.
Advancing the drug culture does not facilitate the needs of a fully functioning society. Like all vices, the more you relax the laws to accommodates peoples own lack of discipline, the more our society sinks into a hole of dependency. We would be wise to remember a line from a famous children's story - “If you give a mouse a cookie, he's going to ask for a glass of milk.” The current law decriminalizing marijuana gives the mouse the cookie, it is only a matter of time before he ask for a glass a milk. It might be too late then to take a stand for what we know is right.
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Wikipedia: Short Term Affects of Alcohol
Overview
The following lists the effects of alcohol on the body, depending on the blood alcohol concentration or BAC.[4][5][6] Also, tolerance varies considerably between individuals.
Please note: the BAC percentages provided below are just estimates and used for illustrative purposes only. They are not meant to be an exhaustive reference; please refer to a healthcare professional if more information is needed.
* Euphoria (BAC = 0.03 to 0.12%).
o Subject may experience an overall improvement in mood and possible euphoria.
o They may become more self-confident or daring.
o Their attention span shortens. They may look flushed.
o Their judgment is not as good — they may express the first thought that comes to mind, rather than an appropriate comment for the given situation.
o They have trouble with fine movements, such as writing or signing their name.
* Lethargy (BAC = 0.09 to 0.25%)
o Subject may become sleepy.
o They have trouble understanding or remembering things, even recent events. They do not react to situations as quickly.
o Their body movements are uncoordinated; they begin to lose their balance easily, stumbling; walking is not stable.
o Their vision becomes blurry. They may have trouble sensing things (hearing, tasting, feeling, etc.).
* Confusion (BAC = 0.18 to 0.30%)
o Profound confusion — uncertain where they are or what they are doing. Dizziness and staggering occur.
o Heightened emotional state — aggressive, withdrawn, or overly affectionate. Vision, speech, and awareness are impaired.
o Poor coordination and pain response. Nausea and vomiting sometimes occurs.
* Stupor (BAC = 0.25 to 0.40%)
o Movement severely impaired; lapses in and out of consciousness.
o Subjects can slip into a coma; will become completely unaware of surroundings, time passage, and actions.
o Risk of death is very high due to alcohol poisoning and/or pulmonary aspiration of vomit while unconscious.
o Loss of bodily functions can begin, including bladder control, breathing, heart rate.
* Coma (BAC = 0.35 to 0.50%)
o Unconsciousness sets in.
o Reflexes are depressed (i.e., pupils do not respond appropriately to changes in light).
o Breathing is slower and more shallow. Heart rate drops. Death usually occurs at levels in this range.
* Death (BAC more than 0.50%)
o Can cause central nervous system to fail, resulting in death.
Moderate doses
Although alcohol is typically thought of purely as a depressant, at low concentrations it can actually stimulate certain areas of the brain. Alcohol sensitises the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) system of the brain, making it more receptive to the neurotransmitter glutamate. Stimulated areas include the cortex, hippocampus and nucleus accumbens, which are responsible for thinking and pleasure seeking. Another one of alcohol's agreeable effects is body relaxation, possibly caused by neurons transmitting electrical signals in an alpha waves-pattern; Alpha waves are observed (with the aid of EEGs) when the body is relaxed. Heightened pulses are thought to correspond to higher levels of enjoyment.
Alcohol has also been linked with lowered inhibitions, though it is unclear to what degree this is chemical versus psychological as studies with placebos can often duplicate the social effects of alcohol at low to moderate doses. Some studies have suggested that intoxicated people have much greater control over their behavior than is generally recognized, though they have a reduced ability to correctly evaluate the consequences of their behavior.[7] Behavioral changes associated with drunkenness are, to some degree, contextual. A scientific study found that people drinking in a social setting significantly and dramatically altered their behavior immediately after the first sip of alcohol, well before the chemical itself could have filtered through to the nervous system. Likewise, people consuming non-alcoholic drinks often exhibit drunk-like behavior on a par with their alcohol-drinking companions even though their own drinks contained no alcohol whatsoever.[citation needed]
Areas of the brain responsible for planning and motor learning are dulled. A related effect, caused by even low levels of alcohol, is the tendency for people to become more animated in speech and movement. This is due to increased metabolism in areas of the brain associated with movement, such as the nigrostriatal pathway. This causes reward systems in the brain to become more active, and combined with reduced understanding of the consequences of their behavior, can induce people to behave in an uncharacteristically loud and cheerful manner.
Dehydration
Alcohol has been known to mitigate the production of the ADH (antidiuretic hormone), which is a hormone that acts on the kidney, favoring water reabsorption in the kidneys during filtration. This occurs because alcohol confuses osmoreceptors in the hypothalamus, which relay osmotic pressure information to the posterior pituitary, the site of ADH release. Alcohol makes the osmoreceptors signal as if there was a too low osmotic pressure in the blood, which triggers an inhibition of ADH. Consequently, one's kidneys are no longer able to reabsorb as much water as they should be absorbing, leading to creation of excessive volumes of urine and subsequently overall dehydration.
Mallenby effect
The Mallenby effect is the phenomenon whereby self-perceptions of the effects of alcohol on the person change between the absorption and the elimination phases of alcohol consumption.
During the absorption phase, individuals compare their perceived state with their condition before consuming alcohol. They tend to over estimate the effects of alcohol.
During the elimination phase, they tend to underestimate their state of alcohol impairment. [8]
Excessive doses
Excessive doses are generally volumes that cause short- or long-term health effects.
Slowing
The effect alcohol has on the NMDA receptors, earlier responsible for pleasurable stimulation, turns from a blessing to a curse if too much alcohol is consumed. NMDA receptors start to become unresponsive, slowing thought in the areas of the brain they are responsible for. Contributing to this effect is the activity which alcohol induces in the gamma-aminobutyric acid system (GABA). The GABA system is known to inhibit activity in the brain. GABA could also be responsible for the memory impairment that many people experience. It has been asserted that GABA signals interfere with the registration and consolidation stages of memory formation. As the GABA system is found in the hippocampus, (among other areas in the CNS), which is thought to play a large role in memory formation, this is thought to be possible.
Blurred vision
Blurred vision is another common symptom of drunkenness. Alcohol seems to suppress the metabolism of glucose in the brain. The occipital lobe, the part of the brain responsible for receiving visual inputs, has been found to become especially impaired, consuming 29% less glucose than it should. With less glucose metabolism, it is thought that the cells aren't able to process images properly.
Vertigo
Often, after much alcohol has been consumed, it is possible to experience vertigo, the sense that the room is spinning (sometimes referred to as 'The Spins'). This is associated with abnormal eye movements called nystagmus, specifically positional alcohol nystagmus.
In this case, alcohol has affected the organs responsible for balance, i.e. the vestibular system in the ears. Balance in the body is monitored principally by two systems: the semicircular canals, and the utricle and saccule pair. Inside the semicircular canals there are flexible blobs called cupulas, which moves when the body moves. Upon bendin of the cupula, hair cells inside them create nerve impulses that travel through the vestibulocochlear nerve (Cranial nerve VIII) to the brain. The cupula is surrounded by endolymph, which has the same density.
However, when alcohol gets in to the bloodstream it dilutes it, reducing its density. When this blood reaches the cupula, the cupula becomes less dense. The endolymph surrounding it, on the other hand, is not connected directly to the circulatory system, and keeps the same density. Thus, the cupula becomes less dense than the surrounding fluid and is forced upwards, creating a false impulse just as if the head was rotating in the opposite direction. [9] The abnormal nerve impulses tell the brain that the body is rotating, causing disorientation and making the eyes spin round to compensate.
Anterograde amnesia
Anterograde amnesia, colloquially referred to as "blacking out", is another symptom of heavy drinking.
Ataxia
Another classic finding of alcohol intoxication is ataxia, in its appendicular, gait, and truncal forms. Appendicular ataxia results in jerky, uncoordinated movements of the limbs, as though each muscle were working independently from the others. Truncal ataxia results in postural instability; gait instability is manifested as a disorderly, wide-based gait with inconsistent foot positioning. Ataxia is responsible for the observation that drunk people are clumsy, sway back and forth, and often fall down. It is probably due to alcohol's effect on the cerebellum.
Hangovers
Main article: Hangover
A common after-effect of ethanol intoxication is the unpleasant sensation known as hangover, which is partly due to the dehydrating effect of ethanol. Hangover symptoms include dry mouth, headache, nausea, and sensitivity to movement, light and noise. These symptoms are partly due to the toxic acetaldehyde produced from alcohol by alcohol dehydrogenase, and partly due to general dehydration. The dehydration portion of the hangover effect can be mitigated by drinking plenty of water between and after alcoholic drinks. Other components of the hangover are thought to come from the various other chemicals in an alcoholic drink, such as the tannins in red wine, and the results of various metabolic processes of alcohol in the body, but few scientific studies have attempted to verify this. Consuming water between drinks and before bed is the best way to prevent or lessen the effects of a hangover.
Rare effects
Extreme overdoses can lead to alcohol poisoning and death due to respiratory depression.
A rare complication of acute alcohol ingestion is Wernicke encephalopathy, a disorder of thiamine metabolism. If not treated with thiamine, Wernicke encephalopathy can progress to Korsakoff psychosis, which is irreversible.
Chronic alcohol ingestion over many years can produce atrophy of the vermis, which is the part of the cerebellum responsible for coordinating gait; vermian atrophy produces the classic gait findings of alcohol intoxication even when its victim is not inebriated.
Other causes
Severe drunkenness and hypoglycemia can be mistaken for each other on casual inspection, with potentially serious medical consequences for diabetics. Measurement of the serum glucose and ethanol concentrations in comatose individuals is routinely performed in the emergency department or by properly-equipped prehospital providers and easily distinguishes the two conditions
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