foolintherain
Member
hey,
here's the best list i've seen yet. i wonder if everything is true? link is at the bottom.
Step by step 'the Mark will show you how the government lies to parents and teens about marijuana. Freevibe.com, the teen-focused offshoot of the "___ is my anti-drug campaign," has long promoted itself as a resource of drug information for teens. This is not simply an internet based effort, but rather a pure propaganda assault; there are also print, radio, and television ads. But before I rant, I'll let the words speak for themselves.
On Freevibe's marijuana page,
“Marijuana is the most widely used illegal drug in the United States. Fewer than one in four high school seniors say they are current users.”
I believe it. What we see here is the set up. Once we learn how “dangerous” marijuana is, we will recognize this as an epidemic. These statistics are presented to rally the inner activist. For example, we all know (or can guess) that drinking bleach isn't very good for you, but since nobody really does it, why bother? It's easy enough to manipulate people into thinking something is threatening, but convincing people of the size of the threat is crucial.
Right below this, we see 'the Mark's hypothesis confirmed;
“Between 1991 and 2001, the number of 8th graders who used marijuana doubled from one in ten to one in five.”
Or maybe it became culturally more acceptable for them to admit it. Oh, and, uh, see the above point.
“Marijuana affects memory, judgment and perception even in the short-term, as was found in a study conducted by Pope and Yurgelun-Todd published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.”
So does alcohol. So does Ridalin. So does caffeine. So does anti-depression medication. So does hanging out in front of that girl you like.
“It can mess you up in school, in sports or clubs, or with your friends.”
Speculation based on what? Vague statements without any sort of statistical semblance should not be expected to scare people from marijuana.
“For athletes, THC's effect on timing, coordination, and movement-which can last for several hours-can seriously hurt performance.”
No serious athlete should be smoking weed before or during an athletic event. This statement is devoid of meaning. It's like saying driving a car with one arm blindfolded is dangerous. For this to be relevant, it has to be proven that there are actually people doing said activity. Chances are, anyone who smokes marijuana enjoys the effects on timing, coordination, and movement-and would recognize that these effects do not translate well into the athletic arena.
“Over the long term, smoking pot can cause you to lose interest in how you look and how you're getting along at school or work.”
This is a lie. No study has even been able to demonstrate this, and it isn't from a lacking of trying.
“It can also be much worse for your respiratory health than smoking cigarettes; the amount of tar, carbon monoxide, and cancer-causing chemicals inhaled in marijuana smoke are three to five times greater than that inhaled from the same amount of tobacco smoke.”
The first sentence is a lie. Smoking marijuana is much better for your respiratory health that cigarettes. It's sort of shocking that the government would actually imply that cigarettes are better for you than marijuana. Marijuana does not cause emphysema, while cigarettes do.
Marijuana does not cause lung cancer, but cigarettes do.
Hell, marijuana may actually cleanse your lungs and PROTECT them from tumors.
More:
“It's important also to remember that marijuana is an addictive drug, responsible for about 60% of all the teenagers who seek admission to drug treatment centers in the U.S. Smoking marijuana”
This is a lie. Marijuana's addictive qualities are marginal. The consensus is in fact that marijuana addiction is not nearly as strong as addiction to alcohol, nicotine, or even caffeine. While alcohol and nicotine aren't supposed to be available for most teens, caffeine surely is, so where's the outrage?
And as far as drug treatment, you can be sure that the teens aren't seeking treatment on their own. What you're seeing is teens getting caught by parents and courts. Using this to back up a claim about marijuana's addictiveness is misleading.
On to the White House. On the White House's official drug policy site whitehousedrugpolicy.gov, we see even more disturbing propaganda, and more outright lies. A quarter of the way down the page we are told this doozy;
“Cancer of the respiratory tract and lungs may also be promoted by marijuana smoke.“
This, of course, is a complete lie. Marijuana users actually have a slightly lower rate of lung cancer than the general population. What's so interesting (and what REALLY needs to be studied) is how this can be true, since it is a fact that smoking marijuana does introduce the user to similar toxins. Nobody in recorded history has ever died from marijuana, and no lung cancer diagnosis has ever been linked to marijuana. Period.
Next comes one of the slickest lies you will ever hear about marijuana. It involves the classic “stoned slacker” stereotype.
“In one study, researchers compared marijuana smoking and nonsmoking 12th-graders' scores on standardized tests of verbal and mathematical skills. Although all of the students had scored equally well in 4th grade, those who were heavy marijuana smokers, i.e., those who used marijuana seven or more times per week, scored significantly lower in 12th grade than nonsmokers. Another study of 129 college students found that among heavy users of marijuana critical skills related to attention, memory, and learning were significantly impaired, even after they had not used the drug for at least 24 hours.”
Now, I can't even track down the source for this. The footnote links to an NIDA page, another government agency, which cites four studies that one cannot obtain online. This is bad scholarship. Instead of citing NIDA, it would be better to cite the original studies. But hey, I said this was a lie right? Here's how. The first thing that stands out is that NIDA simply says that students who smoke marijuana score lower on tests and have a lower chance of graduation. There is no mention of the comparison of the 4th grade scores. Thus it would be possible that the kids score lower for reasons other than marijuana. Where does the 4th grader part even come from? If the White House's site is just stealing data from the NIDA, did they just make this part up?
Another problem with these studies is that they are notoriously faulty. Some of them rely on self reporting, while some gather data from those arrested for drug offenses. Independent studies have concluded that there is virtually no difference in GPA between college students who smoke marijuana, and those who don't.
Still, the biggest lie you will ever (not) hear is the lie of ommission. Nowhere on FreeVibe's site (or any other government site) will you find any mention of the health benefits of marijuana. As the author of this article, I have no problem saying that I've smoked marijuana. I have lots of friends who still smoke marijuana. I don't care; it's a non-issue to me. I know why I tried it, and it's because of websites like these. These are lies of the most gregarious kind; blatent, cheap, and pathetic. They stick out like a sore thumb. How can anyone expect a student to make a valid decision about drug use when they are constantly fed lies about marijuana? Many seem to make the obvious conclusion; that everything they have been told about every drug is a lie, and thus America's drug problem. In this case, like many, honesty is the best (drug) policy.
----- http://questionthemark.org/2007/01/...-how-the-government-lies-about-marijuana.aspx
here's the best list i've seen yet. i wonder if everything is true? link is at the bottom.
Step by step 'the Mark will show you how the government lies to parents and teens about marijuana. Freevibe.com, the teen-focused offshoot of the "___ is my anti-drug campaign," has long promoted itself as a resource of drug information for teens. This is not simply an internet based effort, but rather a pure propaganda assault; there are also print, radio, and television ads. But before I rant, I'll let the words speak for themselves.
On Freevibe's marijuana page,
“Marijuana is the most widely used illegal drug in the United States. Fewer than one in four high school seniors say they are current users.”
I believe it. What we see here is the set up. Once we learn how “dangerous” marijuana is, we will recognize this as an epidemic. These statistics are presented to rally the inner activist. For example, we all know (or can guess) that drinking bleach isn't very good for you, but since nobody really does it, why bother? It's easy enough to manipulate people into thinking something is threatening, but convincing people of the size of the threat is crucial.
Right below this, we see 'the Mark's hypothesis confirmed;
“Between 1991 and 2001, the number of 8th graders who used marijuana doubled from one in ten to one in five.”
Or maybe it became culturally more acceptable for them to admit it. Oh, and, uh, see the above point.
“Marijuana affects memory, judgment and perception even in the short-term, as was found in a study conducted by Pope and Yurgelun-Todd published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.”
So does alcohol. So does Ridalin. So does caffeine. So does anti-depression medication. So does hanging out in front of that girl you like.
“It can mess you up in school, in sports or clubs, or with your friends.”
Speculation based on what? Vague statements without any sort of statistical semblance should not be expected to scare people from marijuana.
“For athletes, THC's effect on timing, coordination, and movement-which can last for several hours-can seriously hurt performance.”
No serious athlete should be smoking weed before or during an athletic event. This statement is devoid of meaning. It's like saying driving a car with one arm blindfolded is dangerous. For this to be relevant, it has to be proven that there are actually people doing said activity. Chances are, anyone who smokes marijuana enjoys the effects on timing, coordination, and movement-and would recognize that these effects do not translate well into the athletic arena.
“Over the long term, smoking pot can cause you to lose interest in how you look and how you're getting along at school or work.”
This is a lie. No study has even been able to demonstrate this, and it isn't from a lacking of trying.
“It can also be much worse for your respiratory health than smoking cigarettes; the amount of tar, carbon monoxide, and cancer-causing chemicals inhaled in marijuana smoke are three to five times greater than that inhaled from the same amount of tobacco smoke.”
The first sentence is a lie. Smoking marijuana is much better for your respiratory health that cigarettes. It's sort of shocking that the government would actually imply that cigarettes are better for you than marijuana. Marijuana does not cause emphysema, while cigarettes do.
Marijuana does not cause lung cancer, but cigarettes do.
Hell, marijuana may actually cleanse your lungs and PROTECT them from tumors.
More:
“It's important also to remember that marijuana is an addictive drug, responsible for about 60% of all the teenagers who seek admission to drug treatment centers in the U.S. Smoking marijuana”
This is a lie. Marijuana's addictive qualities are marginal. The consensus is in fact that marijuana addiction is not nearly as strong as addiction to alcohol, nicotine, or even caffeine. While alcohol and nicotine aren't supposed to be available for most teens, caffeine surely is, so where's the outrage?
And as far as drug treatment, you can be sure that the teens aren't seeking treatment on their own. What you're seeing is teens getting caught by parents and courts. Using this to back up a claim about marijuana's addictiveness is misleading.
On to the White House. On the White House's official drug policy site whitehousedrugpolicy.gov, we see even more disturbing propaganda, and more outright lies. A quarter of the way down the page we are told this doozy;
“Cancer of the respiratory tract and lungs may also be promoted by marijuana smoke.“
This, of course, is a complete lie. Marijuana users actually have a slightly lower rate of lung cancer than the general population. What's so interesting (and what REALLY needs to be studied) is how this can be true, since it is a fact that smoking marijuana does introduce the user to similar toxins. Nobody in recorded history has ever died from marijuana, and no lung cancer diagnosis has ever been linked to marijuana. Period.
Next comes one of the slickest lies you will ever hear about marijuana. It involves the classic “stoned slacker” stereotype.
“In one study, researchers compared marijuana smoking and nonsmoking 12th-graders' scores on standardized tests of verbal and mathematical skills. Although all of the students had scored equally well in 4th grade, those who were heavy marijuana smokers, i.e., those who used marijuana seven or more times per week, scored significantly lower in 12th grade than nonsmokers. Another study of 129 college students found that among heavy users of marijuana critical skills related to attention, memory, and learning were significantly impaired, even after they had not used the drug for at least 24 hours.”
Now, I can't even track down the source for this. The footnote links to an NIDA page, another government agency, which cites four studies that one cannot obtain online. This is bad scholarship. Instead of citing NIDA, it would be better to cite the original studies. But hey, I said this was a lie right? Here's how. The first thing that stands out is that NIDA simply says that students who smoke marijuana score lower on tests and have a lower chance of graduation. There is no mention of the comparison of the 4th grade scores. Thus it would be possible that the kids score lower for reasons other than marijuana. Where does the 4th grader part even come from? If the White House's site is just stealing data from the NIDA, did they just make this part up?
Another problem with these studies is that they are notoriously faulty. Some of them rely on self reporting, while some gather data from those arrested for drug offenses. Independent studies have concluded that there is virtually no difference in GPA between college students who smoke marijuana, and those who don't.
Still, the biggest lie you will ever (not) hear is the lie of ommission. Nowhere on FreeVibe's site (or any other government site) will you find any mention of the health benefits of marijuana. As the author of this article, I have no problem saying that I've smoked marijuana. I have lots of friends who still smoke marijuana. I don't care; it's a non-issue to me. I know why I tried it, and it's because of websites like these. These are lies of the most gregarious kind; blatent, cheap, and pathetic. They stick out like a sore thumb. How can anyone expect a student to make a valid decision about drug use when they are constantly fed lies about marijuana? Many seem to make the obvious conclusion; that everything they have been told about every drug is a lie, and thus America's drug problem. In this case, like many, honesty is the best (drug) policy.
----- http://questionthemark.org/2007/01/...-how-the-government-lies-about-marijuana.aspx
