Brainwash... Rinse... Media Spin

I want to talk about these marijuana ads that keep coming out these days where people are shown smoking pot while driving and its affecting their driving abilities. Either that or there's some kid crying because someone he knew got run over by someone else who was smoking pot and then driving. And the tagline is saying: marijuana.. its more dangerous than we all think.

Now let me see if I can understand what this ad is saying. These commercials have established that: drunk driving is dangerous and illegal, smoking marijuana makes you about as dangerous behind the wheel as someone who drinks alcohol before getting behind the wheel, and then concludes that smoking marijuana is dangerous and should remain illegal.

Well, right off the bat I can also see that this commercial is telling me that smoking marijuana is no more dangerous for you than drinking alcohol and while drinking alcohol is still legal as long as you don't drive afterwards, smoking marijuana should still be illegal in any scenario.

I mean, let's take an objective look at these two drugs. Alcohol is a toxin to humans. If you drink it day and night eventually you will get alcohol poisoning and die. Marijuana on the other hand, can be smoked day and night and you will never die. It is not physically possible for the human body to take in enough marijuana in a short enough time for it to be lethal.

Alcohol can be used to make mixed drinks that can fuck you up even faster and send you on your way to a lethal case of alcohol poisoning that much easier. Marijuana and more specifically, hemp, can be used to make clothing, rope, bags, food, paper and much more.

When people drink alcohol they can become abusive and violent. When people smoke pot they become mellow and get a case of the munchies. Regardless of what early government studies say, pot will not turn you into a psycho murderer. At the most you might shoplift a pack of twinkies.

Over time, both alcohol and marijuana abuse can and will screw up your physical and emotional well being. However, the same can be said for any legal or illegal drug, caffiene included. Also both alcohol and marijuana can become addictive. If you want to get really nasty, it can be shown that the long term effects of legal artificial sweetners will do more damage to you over the long run than pot will.

So why is alcohol legal and marijuana illegal? I don't get it. Its just the spin it takes in the media, I guess. Mind you, I'm not saying that all drugs are the same or that you should go out and get stoned. Both alcohol and marijuana are addictive substances just like nicotine. Its just out of alcohol, marijuana and nicotine.. only one wont kill you. Surprisingly, its the only one of the three that's illegal.

Kinda the same way Republicans think Dan Rather should be fired for misleading America with questionable documents and George W Chimp should get four more years.

Again, I don't get it.