Tuesday, February 16, 2010

"Like Vitamin C"

"Cannabis is probably a necessary nutrient we have been depriving ourselves of, like vitamin C." -The Rev. Nancy Harris

KITV quotes the woman in its story about medical marijuana on the Big Island, where more than 3,000 people - or some 2 percent of the population - have permits.

Doctors (and non-doctors) of the blog - what do you think?

8 comments:

AI-BU9 said...

While I consider myself a libertarian and favor decriminalization of human vices, I find the "good?" Reverend's comments ridiculous. What credentials and medical knowledge does her crocheted rasta tam hold?

There is NO medically, scientifically, documented cannabis or THC deficiency disease which would validate her assertion that it's a NECESSARY NUTRIENT like vitamin C. You don't have vitamin C, you get scurvy. You don't have vitamin D, you get rickets. You don't have vitamin B12, you get pernicious anemia. Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.

You don't have THC, you get . . . bummed out, man.

THC is a drug and like any drug, it can be used for benefit or abused. I don't deny that THC has its uses and shit, as a libertarian, I believe people should be able to use it as much as they want so long as is doesn't interfere with other people's ability to pursue their own happiness or with a functioning society. But there's the rub. People are messy, stupid, selfish, irrational, and irresponsible creatures. There's always some dummy who fucks it up for everybody else.

Here's to the day when we can shove a spike in their brainstems, give them their own little avatars and distract them in fantasy land, harvest their body heat for energy, and get on with our sterile cybernetic lives.

kamapuaa said...

There's also a dude here who runs a "Cannibas Ministry". Essentially, the idea is that if you join his "church" then smoking weed is a sacrament, and is protected under freedom of religion. Personally, I think it's the legal equivalent of stoner engineering. Fucking hippies.

Still, I'm pretty glad to see that we're liberal about handing out medical permits here. Maybe vice will have to shift their focus to stomping out meth labs/importers.

Lungclops said...

I think a lot of dingbats have misinterpreted the fact that there are cannabinoid receptors in the brain to mean that we're supposed to be ingesting cannabis sativa. That is of course very very silly. We also have opioid receptors, and no one in their right mind would say that morphine is a vitamin. What's more likely is that cannibis resembles (hence the "oid" suffix) some molecule or family of molecules that are naturally produced in the body for the express purpose of being squirted on our stupid, smelly meat-circuits.

Also, I like how your newscasters have to pronounce "Hawaii" like it's a foreign fucking country.

Litcube said...

Has anyone ever really known a chronic pot smoker to justify their habit intelligently aside from terminal pain relief?

The problem with pot isn't the fact that you get stoned, the problem with pot is that it's a relatively safe stream of income that funds weapons for drug trafficking gangs. With these weapons, they protect lucrative heroin, cocaine, and meth territory. Also with them they shoot dudes.

This would all go away here if Canada finally just fucked decriminalized it. I don’t know if you’ve ever been to Vancouver, but it’s a pretty common occurrence to see dudes smoking up on the sidewalk in broad daylight. No one really cares. It’s a rare cop that’ll make a fuss over that.

kamapuaa said...

@Litcube: The other one I hear is relief from "anxiety". Not sure how that works, as smoking ganja makes me a little paranoid.

Also, I'd like to add that the problem with pot is that, being a plant, you can't patent it. Well, maybe in a few year when it's legalized and Monsanto comes out with a "Roundup ready" version complete with a generational kill switch.

Mr. Pony said...

Had it up to here with pseudo-science mumbo-jumbo being used to justify whatever people want to believe. I'd almost prefer people just say, "I think it's true because I want to believe it's true," like the faithful do. At least they're honest about the fact that they don't know anything about anything.

I much prefer the economic arguments for decriminalization outlined so well above.

My favorite point made in this video: Aspirin comes from a tree, but when you have a headache, you don't have to go out and eat an entire tree. That probably means something very profound.

Fugu said...

Kama, we lost a friend to that religion I think. Last I saw him, he was looking to buy land to build a church for them. He's also got that medicinal placard thing, so I guess he's covering all his bases.

When I was in LA a month ago I saw a store with a caduceus in bright fluorescent green, next to the name of the store, which was "THE G-SPOT", in a lightning font. I was about to go in to see what the hell was going on when I saw a few strippers walk outside and light up. Marijuana depot! And strip club!

We've established that people are often dumb and irresponsible and easily manipulated. I dunno. Sometimes I'm not sure if legalization of our vices is such a good idea.

odori said...

Would love to see Monsanto GMO marijuana. Ha!

The Vitamin C thing is ridiculous.

Seems many pot smokers will cite anything to justify use. Religion. Ailments. Nutrition...

I can't get over how stoners are so numerous on the Big Island.

It's the land of Pele, after all! Pot and Pele don't seem like a good mix.

Oh, and Hawaii is a fucking foreign country!