Falsely Accused

[Onix]

[COLOR=SlateGray][SIZE=1]I'm extremely aggrivated right now, because I have been accused of a crime I did not commit, and have no way to prove I didn't. I just want to know if anyone else out there has been falsely accused of something. If so, what? What happened? I don't want to pry to far into people's lives, but I want to feel like there's someone out there who's gone through this. I'm sure there is but...I just feel so...insulted, it seems.

Today in school, I was on my way to my new class, a little late because I lost my schedule. When I turn to see the door, the security guard is standing there and asks me if I'm me. Then he asks me to come with him. I didn't know what to think. Then we get to his office and he drops the bomb. Someone said I smell like marijuana. I don't smoke it, but I'll admit that I probably come off as someone who does: pretty mellow, tired, really long hair, dark clothes. But I was confused that someone said I [I]smelled[/I] like it. I mean, I know a few people who do smoke it, so I figured that's where it came from.

I was asked a few questions, they searched my stuff. No big. I had nothing to hide, but I was of course a little nervous any way. Next step of procedure? Going to the nurse for a check up. That's when it goes to hell. I'm given the tests, think I did all right, and then it's revealed to me in the assistant Principle's office that I show signs of marijuana usage. And no, I wasn't lucky enough to even have the ones that you can cover. All I had were the ones you couldn't hide. Red throught, blood-shot eyes, and an enlogated uvula.

I tell them plainly that I don't smoke it. I swear it. They send me out, the security officer talks with the AP for a little while, and I'm called back in. They believe me, and I get bonus points for being polite. But they're gonna call my mom.

I'm not afraid of what my mom will think. She knows that I would never smoke it. All my friends do. But I am insulted that this happened, disgusted that I had to be put through it, and enraged that someone would say that about me. Especially since, according to three people, it wasn't true. No smell, just blood-shot eyes (I tear up a lot for no reason), a mild smell of smoke (my mom smokes) and an elongated uvula. That I can't explain, save that maybe it's caused by a sickness or something. One of my friends did just have a major case of something, maybe even Mono.

Anyone else put through this? I'd like to hear it, if only for peace of mind.

-ULX[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[elfpirate]

I've been falsly accused of a great number of things... but the worst was when my own mother accused me of stealing syringes out of her medical supply bag (she's a midwife).

It wasn't resolved for a long time, but she eventually realised that I'm always honest with her and that I always hone up to my crimes when confronted... well... I hone up to her, anyway... it's a little grey when it comes to the authorities...

If I were you, I'd demand that they give you a urine analysis (if you're really out to prove your innocence... and if you really are as innocent as you claim to be). Then, you won't have to worry about it... and they'll owe you an apology for stereotyping you when the test comes back negative.

[Ezekiel]

[COLOR=DarkGreen][SIZE=1]Last school year, after it had snowed, I remember we were having some stupid ice fight with a few guys in the year above us. Since there wasn't enough snow to throw, we ended up throwing some slushy bits of ice, but it was just my luck to grab a pretty solid piece. A threw it at this guy, he bent down, it hit him in the face and slit his eyebrow open, just missing his eye. I didn?t realise this at the time, all I saw was him grab his face and I just thought it had annoyed him. So I ran in fear of him hitting me, later, when I looked back he blood all over his face and hand.

Now I know that was my fault up to that point but it was a genuine accident. I apologised to him but he wouldn?t have it. He even said that if I walked through this ice-cold puddle and fetched the rocks he threw in from the bottom that he would accept my apology and wouldn?t tell the teachers. I, stupidly, did what he said and actually got sick because of it. Next day I?m pulled into the principal?s office and threatened with the police for ?assault?. We were both asked to give our accounts of what had happened and the idiot claimed that I didn?t apologise.

I could have easily told the teacher what he made me do but chose not to, the one thing that gave me satisfaction was his guilty look when I literally burst into tears. I?ve never even had a detention before and suddenly his dad wants me arrested, so I was getting pretty stressed.

In the end the teachers believed it was an accident and I haven?t heard anything since. I?ve still got a perfect record and he?s never even made eye contact with me again.

But on another note of what happened to you, ULX. I think you have to see it from their point of view. I can understand that you?re annoyed about being falsely accused for something that drastic but I would have told a teacher if I smelt someone and I thought they?d been smoking. I?m not saying you don?t have a right to be annoyed, but maybe you just have to look at it form another side of the argument?it is the law, after all.[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[elfpirate]

[QUOTE=Methuselah][color=darkgreen][size=1]But on another note of what happened to you, ULX. I think you have to see it from their point of view. I can understand that you?re annoyed about being falsely accused for something that drastic but I would have told a teacher if I smelt someone and I thought they?d been smoking. I?m not saying you don?t have a right to be annoyed, but maybe you just have to look at it form another side of the argument?it is the law, after all.[/size][/color]
[size=1][color=#006400][/color][/size]
[size=1][color=#006400][/color][/size]
[b][size=1][color=black]Why would you tell the teacher if someone else smelled like smoke? That just makes you a snitch.[/color][/size][/b]
[b][size=1][/size][/b]
[b][size=1]If you were concerned for the person regarding their use, you could try talking to them first and let them know that they smell of smoke... instead of simply being a tattle-tale. Everyone breaks the law sometimes... they don't all have to be turned in... and not all laws are just... [/size][/b]

[Ezekiel]

[COLOR=DarkGreen][SIZE=1]Tattle tail is a rather childish term, isn't it? If someone is smoking a cigarette, I couldn't care less. Something like marijuana, a hallucinogen, on the other hand could endanger them or could end up disrupting the school. I've known people who do cocaine in our school, given, I didn't tell the teachers about that. They actually offered me some and I turned it down, I was worried that they would come and beat the crap out of me if I told anyone. A hallucinogen could and most probably would cause them to be rowdy and personally I don?t want people like that in my lessons disrupting my education which I have a right to.

But if someone has been smoking then you should have the right to tell a teacher, as it is illegal. Basically you are saying that if I saw someone murder another I shouldn't tell the police because that would be 'telling' and 'everyone breaks the law sometimes'. I?m sorry, but your attempt at making me feel guilty leaves a gaping hole for other excuses. Laws are there for a purpose; in the case of ULX he was treated a little more extreme than he probably should have been for someone just saying he smelt of spoke. But like I say again, the law is there for a purpose, I refuse to be pulled into a debate over it. You think this law is unjust, tell the government.[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[elfpirate]

[QUOTE=Methuselah][color=darkgreen][size=1]Tattle tail is a rather childish term, isn't it? If someone is smoking a cigarette, I couldn't care less. Something like marijuana, a hallucinogen, on the other hand could endanger them or could end up disrupting the school. I've known people who do cocaine in our school, given, I didn't tell the teachers about that. They actually offered me some and I turned it down, I was worried that they would come and beat the crap out of me if I told anyone. A hallucinogen could and most probably would cause them to be rowdy and personally I don?t want people like that in my lessons disrupting my education which I have a right to.

But if someone has been smoking then you should have the right to tell a teacher, as it is illegal. Basically you are saying that if I saw someone murder another I shouldn't tell the police because that would be 'telling' and 'everyone breaks the law sometimes'. I?m sorry, but your attempt at making me feel guilty leaves a gaping hole for other excuses. Laws are there for a purpose; in the case of ULX he was treated a little more extreme than he probably should have been for someone just saying he smelt of spoke. But like I say again, the law is there for a purpose, I refuse to be pulled into a debate over it. You think this law is unjust, tell the government.

[b][color=black]Woah! Uh... relax, Mr Defensive! I wasn't calling anyone in particular a tattle-tale... but I guess it was one of those "intent vs interpretation" kind of deals, neh?[/color][/b]
[b][color=#000000][/color][/b]
[b][color=#000000]Anyway, all I was saying is that there are other ways of going about it than to narc- if your primary concern is for the user. But if you are seriously worried about a pot-smoker freaking out and getting *ahem*[/color][/b]
[b][color=#000000]"rowdy"... and therefore disrupting your learning process... all I have to say is HAHAHAHAHAHA--[/color][/b]
[b][color=#000000][/color][/b]
[b][color=#000000]Sorry... here- some seriousness: Pot smokers are some of the laziest, do-nothing, monotonous, civilly behaved people there are... because they don't have the energy to do otherwise. They might display some gross eating habits sometimes, but they're usually harmless... and they don't care enough about your learning process to disrupt it... if they even bother to be in school to begin with... [/color][/b]
[b][color=#000000][/color][/b]
[b][color=#000000]And- pot is [i]not[/i] an hallucinogenic drug. It doesn't cause hallucinations like LSD and PCP and 'shrooms... and all the other [i]true[/i] hallucinogens. [/color][/b]
[b][color=#000000][/color][/b]
[b][color=#000000]But- cocaine is a heavy CNS stimulant known to cause sudden mood swings... and,specifically: sudden, unpredictable violent outbursts.[/color][/b]
[b][color=#000000]Yet you didn't turn in the kids that were using it ... nor did you worry about their use of cola disrupting your class somehow... is it because they offered to share? I wonder...tee hee...[/color][/b]
[b][color=#000000][/color][/b]
[b][color=#000000]SO- no, I wasn't calling you, personally, a tattle-tale... but I am now calling you a hypocrite (and an uneducated one at that) on this particular issue.[/color][/b]
[b][color=#000000][/color][/b]
[b][color=#000000]And I didn't say that the anti-cannabis law was unjust... I only implied it... so...nyah... how's that for childish?[/color][/b]
[b][color=#000000][/color][/b]
[b][color=#000000]For those of you who are curious--no, I'm [i]not[/i] a pothead... [/color][/b]
[b][color=#000000][/color][/b]
[b][color=#000000][/color][/b]
[b][color=#000000][i]...anymore...[/i][/color][/b]
[b][color=#000000]:smirk:[/color][/b]
[/size][/color]

[Delta]

[COLOR=#B33D79][SIZE=1]This may sound way out of topic but trust me on this: [b]The one who "ratted" you out, ULX, is a pothead.[/b] How else would he know how MJ smells like? ;)

Got into this really odd case back when I was in high school. My posse was accused of failing my batchmates in military training because we hated them. Yeah, it was pretty messy: debates, doctored evidences and different reports to the head honchos flew around. There were even rumors about the possibility of expulsion for our group some 2 months before graduation. One of my former classmates noticed that I was being blasé about it and asked me why.

"I didn't do anything wrong; why should I worry?"

We produced enough papers to prove our innocence. Turns out that the accusers were just getting back at us for making them run around the school twice. Shallow, ain't it?.[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Decadence]

[color=silver] Off topic, Well as to the whole "had to be a pot head to know what it smlls like" have you ever been to a rock cencert, by the end of it the entire place smeels like pot, maybe thats just punk concerts. But yeah i've been falsely accused for things, and also yelled at to by cops when i wasn't doing any thing wrong, but my friends, who are girls, were. (guy cops, so we all have the theory the cop didin't wanna yell at them.)[/color]

[Baron Samedi]

[size=1]From the school's point of view, it's fair enough to pull you in. Look at it from their side: they don't want anyone who might be dealing to be at school. What can I say? They believe that you're innocent [I guess] and that'll be that. Being overly cautious is sometimes a good thing. It sucks to be pulled up so majorly on what seems like little evidence...but I guess you just have to move on, heh. As long as you didn't do it, you have nothing to worry about.[/size]

[DarkOtakuBoy]

Dont forget, theres a big difference between smoking pot every now and then at say... a house party, and being a raging Pothead. I mention this because I have been accused by parents and police in the past of being a stoner, when in reality I [spoiler]smoke weed no more than 3 times a year[/spoiler], and thats not even an exaggeration. Its a stigma on society that just doesn't need to be there. Its the same difference between a raging alcoholic and being a social drinker. Also, medically speaking...being a raging alcoholic is actually worse than a raging stoner. (And I have a degree in Biology.) You know, its just....one is more socially acceptable than the other.

I've also been wrongly accused by some teachers because of my "questionable" style of clothes in high school. It's like, if your attitude and interests are gothic and arcane, than your automatically considered a danger to yourself and others. lol. Its so funny, that I get questioned and accused for having blue hair and wearing shirts with dragons and graveyards on them, but they dont even FLINCH at this girl who always wore an "I AM THE GOD OF F...." shirt. Yes....with the whole f-word on the shirt. She wore it so much, I doubt she washed it.
In any case, as far as I'm concerned, the school spends too much time worrying about the so-called well being of its students, and not enough time worrying about the actual text-book education that school is about. This is why, and I've SEEN it, kids getting horrible, horrible accusations...and these are very good kids being who they are. Thank the gods for college. I love it, because they dont care how you dress or what your personality type is. As I always say, its High School without all the rules.

[Zeta]

Oh boy have I been accused before.

I myself used to be a pothead before I moved to Georgia. I've been living here for a year and have smoked sparingly, but not enough to be considered a pothead anymore, heh.

One day out of the blue, my friend and I are called down the one of the assistant principles office. The Sheriff(sp) is also present in the room. When we proceeded to sit down, the sheriff came up to us and asked us if we had 10 pounds of marijuana at one of our houses. I was like :eek: . Ten pounds?!?! Now anyone who has seen just a pound, knows that that is a lot. We told them no and that we would not mess with that stuff so close to going to college, it had been months since we last smoked. The both of us were about to be arrested. I was freaking out.

I late found out that it was this kid who was an idiot and came to school drunk and high. After telling some people word reached the principle and they proceeded to call him to one of the offices, and suspend him. He then decided to try to get a lesser punishment from the sheriff by giving names. He gave mine and my friends name, and gave them the bogus story of us having ten pounds, lol. We didn't even have [i]any[/i] at our house, not one bit, heh.

And yes, elf is right. A stoned person is anything but rowdy. But coke users on the other hand....been there, know that. Definately can be rowdy.

[DoctorCox]

[QUOTE=Methuselah][COLOR=DarkGreen][SIZE=1]Tattle tail is a rather childish term, isn't it? If someone is smoking a cigarette, I couldn't care less. Something like marijuana, a hallucinogen, on the other hand could endanger them or could end up disrupting the school. I've known people who do cocaine in our school, given, I didn't tell the teachers about that. They actually offered me some and I turned it down, I was worried that they would come and beat the crap out of me if I told anyone. A hallucinogen could and most probably would cause them to be rowdy and personally I don?t want people like that in my lessons disrupting my education which I have a right to.

But if someone has been smoking then you should have the right to tell a teacher, as it is illegal. Basically you are saying that if I saw someone murder another I shouldn't tell the police because that would be 'telling' and 'everyone breaks the law sometimes'. I?m sorry, but your attempt at making me feel guilty leaves a gaping hole for other excuses. Laws are there for a purpose; in the case of ULX he was treated a little more extreme than he probably should have been for someone just saying he smelt of spoke. But like I say again, the law is there for a purpose, I refuse to be pulled into a debate over it. You think this law is unjust, tell the government.[/SIZE][/COLOR][/QUOTE]

I find it interesting how you determine what warrants 'going to the authorities' and what warrants overlooking. It appears that you find it your civic duty to tell an authority when you see someone smoking marijuana. You claim that because it is illegal, you have the right to tell it to a teacher. I don't dispute that - despite the stigma of being called a 'tattle-tale', what you are doing is actually politically correct - you ARE supposed to turn in your peers when they are breaking rules. Otherwise, they will continue breaking them.

However, I find it amazing that you feel no compunction to turn in your peers who use cocaine or even smoke regular cigarettes. Cocaine is illegal no matter your age, and minors smoking cigarettes (because we are talking about high school, I am inferring that we are speaking of minors) is also illegal.

Because you are upholding 'the law' in your second paragraph, but flagrantly pick and choose which laws you will support and which you overlook, I label you a hypocrite. Furthermore, your attempt to extract yourself from any 'debate' by claiming that your position is unassaultable simply leaves you in the sticky situation of being unable to respond without getting off your high-horse.


[quote name='DarkOtakuBoy]Dont forget, theres a big difference between smoking pot every now and then at say... a house party, and being a raging Pothead. I mention this because I have been accused by parents and police in the past of being a stoner, when in reality I [spoiler]smoke weed no more than 3 times a year[/spoiler'], and thats not even an exaggeration. Its a stigma on society that just doesn't need to be there. Its the same difference between a raging alcoholic and being a social drinker. Also, medically speaking...being a raging alcoholic is actually worse than a raging stoner. (And I have a degree in Biology.) You know, its just....one is more socially acceptable than the other.[/quote]

I am glad you have a degree in Biology, but your argument suggests you should have taken a course in Logic and in Law. Smoking marijuana is illegal. Drinking, even drinking until you fall unconscious, is not illegal. To claim that doing each in moderation is better than doing it excessively is true. [b]But[/b], no matter how much or how little marijuana you smoke, you are still breaking the law.

Your logic breaks through when you try to make the two situations synonymous. There is no 'big difference' between doing it every now and then and doing it frequently. If you cheated on your significant other just [i]once[/i], it is still just as wrong as doing it a hundred times.

I do agree that it is a social stigma, but I'm afraid that it [i]does[/i] have every right to be there.

[Decadence]

[color=silver] Ok, I have one thing to say to marijuana being illegal, read this article and tell me our government isn't screwing up the case with marijuana. Also, marajuana is not a hallucinogen
[url]http://alternet.org/drugreporter/21136/[/url]



[quote name='Alternet.org']And teens rated occasional use of marijuana as being more dangerous than trying crack cocaine, drinking nearly every day or taking LSD regularly.[/quote]

[/color]

edit: sorry if that seems somewhat spammish, I just needed to get the article in there, the article makes more points clear then I could.

[DoctorCox]

[QUOTE=ShadO MagE][color=silver] Ok, I have one thing to say to marijuana being illegal, read this article and tell me our government isn't screwing up the case with marijuana. Also, marajuana is not a hallucinogen
[url]http://alternet.org/drugreporter/21136/[/url][/color][/QUOTE]

I make the practice of reading everything with the knowledge that the writer is biased in some way or another. That bias can leak through in the simple terminology that is used.

The writer of that article doesn't even attempt to mask his bias.

One of the first things that teachers in high school teach you is to look at your sources and check to see if they are indeed an authority on a subject. Let's examine the author of that article... hmm. He's the [i]director of government relations for the Marijuana Policy Project[/i]. So, if you are looking for support of marijuana, then he's the guy to go to.

Please, however, don't take what he says as fact! Instead, take his view, compare it to another from a different perspective, and then form your own opinion.

Perhaps, a way you could have stated your post is:

"Hmm. Well, marijuana is illegal, but should it be? Here is an example of opposition support marijuana use: . My opinion is that this man has a valid viewpoint, what do you guys think?"

This is much less cut-and-dry, and supports discussion rather than insinuating that this is correct.


Regarding the article itself...

First of all, I would, as always, urge everyone to check the validity of arguments for themselves. The article makes several bold facts that I think need to be looked at directly from the source.

Two things disturb me. The emphasis about Marijuana being less harmful than alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs, is the first. He quotes an article in the Febuary issue of Current Opinion on Pharmacology. (Summary may be found here: [url]http://natlnorml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6415[/url])

I would like to take a key passage from this article (remember, this is only a summary of the article, so I am not sure if this is the author's exact words)

[quote=natnorml.org]
"A review of the literature suggests that the majority of cannabis users, who use the drug occasionally rather than on a daily basis, will not suffer any lasting physical or mental harm," writes the study's author, Dr. Leslie Iversen of the University of Oxford. "Overall, by comparison with other drugs used mainly for 'recreational' purposes, cannabis could be rated to be a relatively safe drug."[/quote]

Note: I would like to take a moment to congratulate natnorml.org, because although they are obviously for Marijuana use, they do mention both sides of the argument.

So what Dr. Leslie Iversen is suggesting is that for Marijuana users who only use 'occasionally', they are not likely to suffer any major problems. Daily, however, might be a problem? This isn't covered in this article. The rest of the summary makes me suspicious of the entire thing - it seems like they are trying to make it appear that occasional use is ok, and then make it appear that because of that, Marijuana is ok. One should not follow the other.

The second thing to disturb me was the mention that marijuana use is down, but inhalant use is up. The wording is especially humorous: "slightly down" and "went up."

When you hear figures and adjectives like that, a closer look is needed. I myself visited the website that publishes these findings ([url]http://www.monitoringthefuture.org[/url]). In specific, the overview of 2004 is here: ([url]http://www.monitoringthefuture.org/pressreleases/04drugpr.pdf[/url])

If you read THEIR overview, you can see that there have been decreases across the board, and only a modest, 'not a statistically significant one' rise in inhalents. So although Steve Fox is saying that Marijuana use is 'slightly down', the use of inhalants is still only 'slightly up'. His words DECEIVE! When you read through the report, you can see a little better what Steve Fox is doing... he's attempting to use the results to support his opinion. He is only showing the bad things, and attempting to correlate the bad things with the government's stance against marijuana. This just logically doesn't make sense.

Premise 1) The government has a strong ad campaign against marijuana.
Premise 2) Marijuana is not as toxic as alcohol and tobacco.
Premise 3) The government focuses on ad against Marijuana and ignores potentially more harmful drugs.
Premise 4) Recent surveys show a decrease in Marijuana use.
Premise 5) Recent surveys show an increase in inhalents.

Conclusion 1) Government focus on Marijuana is [i]hurting our kids[/i].

Let me translate this for you: Because the government is focusing on Marijuana, which in the past has been the most pervasive problem drug for teens, they are at fault that inhalants are on the rise.

Will someone please explain to me how that logically can make sense. Are they trying to blame the government for only focusing on Marijuana and not the other drugs? This seems a little farfetched.

[Harry]

[QUOTE=DoctorCox]
So what Dr. Leslie Iversen is suggesting is that for Marijuana users who only use 'occasionally', they are not likely to suffer any major problems. Daily, however, might be a problem? This isn't covered in this article. The rest of the summary makes me suspicious of the entire thing - it seems like they are trying to make it appear that occasional use is ok, and then make it appear that because of that, Marijuana is ok. One should not follow the other. [/quote]
Marijuana isn't really that bad when you compare it to other drugs.

Also Methuselah, you're not the police, don't be a tattle-tale.

[Syk3]

Did somebody say marijuana? ;) Here we go again..

[quote name='Methuselah']Something like marijuana, a hallucinogen, on the other hand could endanger them or could end up disrupting the school. I've known people who do cocaine in our school, given, I didn't tell the teachers about that.[/quote]If someone was doing cocaine, how could you possibly justify not telling someone like you would if they were doing marijuana? They're both illegal, right? Both may disrupt class, right? And honestly, it's not even worth discussing how much more dangerous cocaine is than pot.

[quote name='elfpirate']Sorry... here- some seriousness: Pot smokers are some of the laziest, do-nothing, monotonous, civilly behaved people there are... because they don't have the energy to do otherwise. They might display some gross eating habits sometimes, but they're usually harmless... and they don't care enough about your learning process to disrupt it... if they even bother to be in school to begin with...[/quote]Well, I could see it being sort of disruptive. I mean, if someone smokes and then gets into a laughing fit, or gets a little disoriented in general, that could draw attention to themselves. But seriously, how stupid do you have to be to do it in school? lol

[quote]And- pot is not an hallucinogenic drug. It doesn't cause hallucinations like LSD and PCP and 'shrooms... and all the other true hallucinogens.[/quote]True, it's not as strong as others, but marijuana is officially categorized as a mild hallucinogen. And when you think about it, it's true.. it alters your senses a bit, so that you hear louder, colors are amplified, etc. But it is a hallucinogen, no matter how low when compared to others.

[quote name='DarkOtakuBoy]Dont forget, theres a big difference between smoking pot every now and then at say... a house party, and being a raging Pothead. I mention this because I have been accused by parents and police in the past of being a stoner, when in reality I [spoiler]smoke weed no more than 3 times a year[/spoiler'], and thats not even an exaggeration. Its a stigma on society that just doesn't need to be there. Its the same difference between a raging alcoholic and being a social drinker. Also, medically speaking...being a raging alcoholic is actually worse than a raging stoner. (And I have a degree in Biology.) You know, its just....one is more socially acceptable than the other.[/quote]Exactly, exactly. You could even say that even when doing both socially, alcohol is the worse of the two.

[QUOTE=DoctorCox]I am glad you have a degree in Biology, but your argument suggests you should have taken a course in Logic and in Law. Smoking marijuana is illegal. Drinking, even drinking until you fall unconscious, is not illegal. To claim that doing each in moderation is better than doing it excessively is true. But, no matter how much or how little marijuana you smoke, you are still breaking the law.

Your logic breaks through when you try to make the two situations synonymous. There is no 'big difference' between doing it every now and then and doing it frequently. If you cheated on your significant other just once, it is still just as wrong as doing it a hundred times.

I do agree that it is a social stigma, but I'm afraid that it does have every right to be there.[/QUOTE]Uhh.. he said "medically speaking." You're bringing up two completely different standpoints here and trying to compare them, lol. DarkOtakuBoy, on a post-conventional level, was saying that health wise, regardless of whether or not doing it would be breaking the law, pot is a lot more harmless than it has been made out to be. Your conventional "it's illegal and therefore you shouldn't do it at all costs" morality, while true, doesn't cover whether or not it is right ethically, and doesn't leave any room for you to come to your own conclusions.

I mean, sure, [i]because[/i] it's illegal would give reason to turn someone in for smoking it in school in this instance, but to use it soley as a personal argument for why someone shouldn't be doing it is to ignore a lot of the raw facts concerning marijuana.

[QUOTE=DoctorCox]I make the practice of reading everything with the knowledge that the writer is biased in some way or another. That bias can leak through in the simple terminology that is used.

The writer of that article doesn't even attempt to mask his bias.

One of the first things that teachers in high school teach you is to look at your sources and check to see if they are indeed an authority on a subject. Let's examine the author of that article... hmm. He's the [i]director of government relations for the Marijuana Policy Project[/i]. So, if you are looking for support of marijuana, then he's the guy to go to.[/quote]Simply ignoring the points that he brings up would be just as bad as making a somewhat biased article. After all, he does bring up some good facts:

[quote=AlterNet]But you would never know that from those government ads, which suggest that if you smoke a joint you will shoot your friends, run down little girls on bicycles and end up a homeless derelict. Far more dangerous substances are rarely mentioned in this ad blitz, whose government origins are typically disclosed in a minimal, easy-to-miss fashion.

There are clear signs that this distorted emphasis [color=teal](pay especially close attention to this next statement)[/color], driven by politics instead of science, is hurting our kids. According to the latest federally funded [i]Monitoring the Future[/i] survey of American teenagers, adolescent use of marijuana declined slightly last year while use of potentially lethal inhalants and cocaine went up. And teens rated occasional use of marijuana as being more dangerous than trying crack cocaine, drinking nearly every day or taking LSD regularly.[/quote][quote name='DoctorCox']Two things disturb me. The emphasis about Marijuana being less harmful than alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs, is the first.[/quote]...

Maybe it's because of the fact that.. well, let's just say that this isn't the first time that I've had to convince someone that pot is much "less harmfull than alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs", but by now I would think that this is generally common knowledge. Out of all of those, marijuana is the only one that isn't physically addictive, it's not filled with poisons like tobacco is, and you have complete control unlike being drunk. You've been lied to your whole life. :/

[quote]Note: I would like to take a moment to congratulate natnorml.org, because although they are obviously for Marijuana use, they do mention both sides of the argument.

So what Dr. Leslie Iversen is suggesting is that for Marijuana users who only use 'occasionally', they are not likely to suffer any major problems. Daily, however, might be a problem? This isn't covered in this article. The rest of the summary makes me suspicious of the entire thing - it seems like they are trying to make it appear that occasional use is ok, and then make it appear that because of that, Marijuana is ok. One should not follow the other.[/quote]Smoking anything for long periods of time can have an impact on your lungs, especially marijuana due to the fact that you're holding it in longer. But that shouldn't suggest that there aren't alternative, safer methods for getting high off the drug; brownies, water bongs, and vaporizors, just to name a few. The reason that it wasn't mentioned in the article was because it wasn't their job to present both sides of the argument, lol. They were showing research, and providing facts to back up what they can confirm are true. Frequent use, therefore, would need to be tested by them before they could explain both ways. But let me make this clear, and you can quote me on this -- there has never been any research to indisputably prove that longterm use of marijuana in general has a harmful impact on your body, other than what I mentioned about the lungs. But like I said.. better alternatives.

[quote]Let me translate this for you: Because the government is focusing on Marijuana, which in the past has been the most pervasive problem drug for teens, they are at fault that inhalants are on the rise.

Will someone please explain to me how that logically can make sense. Are they trying to blame the government for only focusing on Marijuana and not the other drugs? This seems a little farfetched.[/QUOTE]The point is that the government is needlessly focusing on marijuana by spending millions, and often billions of dollars on campaigns to crack down hard on the market, when that money could either be used to prevent the use of harder and [i]much[/i] more dangerous drugs, or on things that could be more productive to society on the whole. But of course.. this is a government that focuses on making money when something bad happens, rather than when something good does. If someone can put those in better words, please feel free to. lol

If you wish to continue a discussion on marijuana in general, I highly suggest that you read up on a previous topic that we have gone through, which you can find [url="http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=43368&"]here[/url]. Or through an EXTREMELY informative site that you can find [url="http://www.perkel.com/politics/issues/pot.htm"]here[/url].

ANYWAY, back onto the topic itself, I get accused of things that I didn't do all the time, though mainly under my own roof. My dad really tends to favor my brother and what he tells him, so I'm blamed for stuff either that I had completely no part in whatsoever, or the story is twisted so that I look like the bad guy. My mom is generally unbiased and can tell what really happens, but my dad can be just so stubborn at times.

[Annie]

[color=darkslategray]I've been accused, strangely enough. I believe that every teenager gets[/color][color=orange] accused[/color][color=darkslategray] of smoking, doing drugs, alchohol consumption [/color][color=orange]at least once[/color][color=darkslategray]. It is ridiculous in most cases, [/color][color=orange]especially[/color][color=darkslategray] when the teen does really well in school, is not a [/color][color=orange]problematic kid[/color][color=darkslategray], and is eager to accomplish their goals in life. [/color][color=orange]Unfortunately[/color][color=darkslategray], we [teenagers] have been stereotyped as "potheads". It's just easier to believe, [/color][color=orange]I guess/or I have found.[/color]

[color=darkslategray] Ooops, let me get back on track. I don't smoke, in fact, I just had this discussion with [/color][color=orange]Syk3[/color][color=darkslategray] last night. I don't see the point; plus, I wouldn't be able to[/color][color=orange] afford[/color][color=darkslategray] it. I have been accused by my parents, and my friend's parents because I'm a [/color][color=orange]dark, quiet[/color][color=darkslategray] person. I tend to keep to myself, sometimes ignoring [/color][color=orange]people[/color][color=darkslategray]. Have my parents confronted me? No, not really. They told me [/color][color=orange]it is my choice[/color][color=darkslategray], and that it will be my fault if I screw up my future because of marijuana, or any other illigal substance/narcatic.[/color]

[Pumpkin]

[quote name='Freude][COLOR=#B33D79][SIZE=1]This may sound way out of topic but trust me on this: [b]The one who "ratted" you out, ULX, is a pothead.[/b] How else would he know how MJ smells like? ;)[/SIZE'][/COLOR][/quote]

[SIZE=1] Sorry but I think I know what Marajuana smells like and I've never even touch the stuff ever. Or Pot. But I'm sure everyone has smelt it, or has known someone who was on some kind of drug at one point in their life. Someone obviously did rat you out, so they could take pressure off themselves. I've seen this happen alot. And it really does suck that you've been falsely accused of something that you did not do. But in the end the [b]truth[/b] always comes out. I will share my story.

In middle school, My best friend I'll call "Sally" and I use to write in a journal that we'd pass notes in class, or at home, and write letters to when we were bored. You know, when you don't want to listen the teacher going on lecturing or when you have nothing to do. Well, this one girl I'll call her "Bettie" was really jealous of our relationship because even though she was considered "popular" at the school she didn't have a friend that was close to her like we were. Sally was my only real friend you could say. So one day, Bettie came into the bathroom and told me that Sally was waiting to talk to me outside, but then when I talked to my best friend she told me she didn't ask for anything. I didn't think anything of it, until i noticed at the end of the day that someone had gone through my backpack. The notebook was missing.

Turns out, Bettie had stolen the notebook and was spreading rumours all over the school that it was a slambook and that we were writing nasty things about everyone in the whole school. Word got to the principal, and we we're finally confronted with it. You're lucky you had a principal who believed you, we told her to read it, to see that it wasn't a slambook. But the principal hated us alot, and while we we're trying to tell her the truth, Bettie and her friend we're pretending to cry. She even called my mom to tell her what "we had done" but both our parents said we would never do such a thing. It took three months before the whole school found out it wasn't true, backlash for bettie.

And this is the same girl that expelled a girl saying that she tried to give the school a bomb-threat. Eventually things will work out, if your honest, and you're being honest. I wish you luck. [/SIZE]

[Zeta]

[QUOTE]It is ridiculous in most cases, especially when the teen does really well in school, is not a problematic kid, and is eager to accomplish their goals in life.[/QUOTE]


I am a high honor roll student, got accepted into the third best college in the Midwest, and am not problematic, and I smoke. You would be surprised at how many people are like that.


Being accused is one of the worst things that can happen to you, especially if it happens at school. It doesn't end with them calling you down to the office. They call your parents, talk to them, invite them for a chat....Bad things happen when a parent is involved.

[Syk3]

[quote name='Annalisse][color=darkslategray]I've been accused, strangely enough. I believe that every teenager gets[/color][color=orange] accused[/color][color=darkslategray] of smoking, doing drugs, alchohol consumption [/color][color=orange]at least once[/color][color=darkslategray'].[/color][/quote]You know what, that just reminded me that I actually [i]have[/i] been accused of doing drugs and other substances before.

Back in sixth or seventh grade, I was at soccer practice one night and I was totally out of shape. I was running around the field, completely out of breath, and my dad is on the side lines, looks at me and says, "Been smoking those cigarettes lately?" I just looked up at him like he was crazy; I couldn't see how he could possibly accuse me of that, and his expression.. as if he knew exactly what was going on and I couldn't convince him otherwise, lol. I know, classic teenage "my parents think they know everything" situation, but my dad couldn't have been more wrong.

He's tried to accuse my of smoking cigarettes other times since then, and tries to look for different ways to prove it. "Oh, you must be wearing those sleeves up on your shirt like that to hide cigarettes." O_o They even found a cigarette in the back basement one time, and though they say that it was probably someone who worked on our house, they probably think that it was me. -.-

Then a few months back, I had some friends over, and we go down to the basement to play video games and such. Well, one of my friends likes the smell of incense, and he just bought an incense burner, so he brought it over and burnt some. The next morning, my parents were like, "Were you guys having a That 70's Show thing going on downstairs and using the incense to cover it up?" XD And when I was planning to go to my old neighborhood to hang out with a friend a month or so later, I commented on how it still smelled like incense in the basement, and my mom said, "Well, be sure to tell me if Wesley (my friend) has incense burning, because I heard he had a huge bong in his basement. He's not going to be taking that out this weekend, is he?"

Since then, I really don't think my parents fully trust me anymore. <_< True or not, it's the principle of the thing!

[Annie]

[QUOTE=Zeta]I am a high honor roll student, got accepted into the third best college in the Midwest, and am not problematic, and I smoke. You would be surprised at how many people are like that.
[/QUOTE]

[color=darkslateblue]I know what it's like. I know how people are. That's what I was getting at. When someone accuses a teen for smoking, knowing "all of the listed above", [b]that[/b] is what's ridiculous. That was my point, but if you were trying to point out something different or you were agreeing, sorry if that sounded like I was retorting at you. But it seemed you weren't understanding my point.

Aww, poor Syk3. See! *points* Ridiculous parents! You're an excellent student, and you told me the news of you getting accepted into your second choice of college. And you still get accused. Bah..*shakes fist*[/color]

[Zeta]

Well from what I got after reading you whole first paragraph is this. I assumed you got accused of it as well, and since I am assuming you were all of the things you listed, you found it ridiculous because you aren't any of the so called "images" that a pot smoker is (long hair, grungy look, etc..)

[James]

[QUOTE=Syk3] there has never been any research to indisputably prove that longterm use of marijuana in general has a harmful impact on your body, other than what I mentioned about the lungs. But like I said.. better alternatives.

[/QUOTE]

[color=#334366]That's not entirely true. There have been longterm studies in Australia, which have demonstrated that longterm marijuana use can lead to severe mental disorders.

Pound-for-pound, it might be possible to suggest that tabacco is more dangerous, because tabacco can actually cause a wide variety of problems. For instance, it was recently reported that tabacco use can thin out the aorta to the point where it is more prone to bursting.

But having said that, even medium term use of marijuana can cause mild to moderate mental side effects. I mean, I've definitely met plenty of medium-term marijuana smokers...and I don't think anyone would want to argue that the drug hasn't significantly affected their consciousness and behavior.

So, I think it's important to say two things. One, long term use of [i]any[/i] drug (alcohol, tabacco, marijuana) is dangerous. But two, marijuana should not be classed as some kind of "safe drug" that does no harm. Be careful with that side of it -- there are plenty of people who are trying to advocate that position, and they have no real interest in presenting the facts about the dangers of the drug. There are definitely people on both sides who want to advocate particular positions.

So obviously, the general advice should be "don't do drugs at all". Any drug is dangerous if used enough. But if one is going to smoke (tabacco or marijuana), that person really should be informed about what it's doing to their body. People who suggest that marijuana is harmless and that a weekly or bi-weekly smoke is fine, are in the dark, in the sense that they are ignorant about the impact.

Having said that, I don't think that the government always approaches these things properly. There are plenty of other dangerous drugs that don't get much attention. For example, ecstacy -- that drug is somewhat safe, if you know how to use it. But many kids don't. And that's why so many of them get taken to hospital or die; as a result of ignorance about it.

Anyway, to link this back up to the topic at hand -- I agree that many teenagers have probably been falsely accused. I was once accused of smoking by the son of my dad's workmate. But he only pointed me out because he was in trouble for smoking. He later admitted that he'd pointed me out just to get the heat off himself, lol.[/color]

[Morpheus]

But it is dangerous. Why in bloody hell would you intentionally abuse a substance that hurts you? Are you just stupid?

[Zeta]

Marijuana isn't as dangerous as you make it out to be, lol.

No lung cancer cases traced to marijuana, unlike cigarettes.

No long term mental disorders recorded without a history of the disease in your family.

Are just a few examples. If you want a more in depth explanation, visit the site in Syk3's post, I will make it easier for you to find. ;) And also visit the marijuana thread from awhile back.

[url]http://www.perkel.com/politics/issues/pot.htm[/url]

[url]http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=43368&highlight=Marijuana[/url]

Also search around marijuana.com and see what people who have been smoking for years and years say about it, they are much more informed on the topic than I am.

Many people's views are skewed on the issue of marijuana. It isn't all that DARE tells ya. ;)