Epilepsy Talk
More people are smoking marijuana than cigarettes! | September 3, 2022
Surprised?
With the legalization of smoking cannabis both for medical and recreational use, it’s clear marijuana’s time has come.
The jury is no longer out. States have been weighing in. And the answer has been a resounding : “Yes”.
Nearly half of U.S. adults have tried marijuana. A massive shift that took place over just a few years.
A decade ago, no states allowed marijuana for recreational use; the first states to legalize cannabis in 2012, Colorado and Washington, did so through voter-driven initiatives.
In 2019, 83% of Americans said they thought cigarettes were “very harmful” to smokers, while 14% said they are “somewhat harmful.” Nine out of 10 adults said in 2013 that smoking causes cancer, while 91% of smokers surveyed in 2015 said they wish they never started.
“Smoking cigarettes is clearly on the decline and is most likely to become even more of a rarity in the years ahead,” Gallup Senior Scientist Dr. Frank Newport said. “This reflects both public awareness of its negative effects and continuing government efforts at all levels to curtail its use.”
Now, only in Idaho, North Carolina, Nebraska and South Carolina, is smoking marijuana completely illegal.
On the contrary, marijuana use (whether medical, recreational or both), is legal from coast to coast.
53% of people said in a July Poll, they think marijuana has positive effects on those who use it.
Here’s how some experts weigh in on marijuana use:
If somebody’s gonna smoke a joint… And not do anybody else any harm… Then perhaps there are other things that our cops should be looking at.” — Thomas Jefferson – Founding father and the third President of the United States
“In strict medical terms marijuana is far safer than many foods we commonly consume. For example, eating 10 raw potatoes can result in a toxic response. By comparison, it is physically impossible to eat enough marijuana to induce death. Marijuana in its natural form is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known to man. By any measure of rational analysis marijuana can be safely used within the supervised routine of medical care.” — Hon. Francis Young – DEA Administrative Law Judge
“I went to Vietnam, and I was there for a long time. [Using marijuana] made the difference between staying human or, as Michael Douglas said, becoming a beast.” — Oliver Stone
“I do smoke, but I don’t go through all this trouble just because I want to make my drug of choice legal. It’s about personal freedom. We should have the right in this country to do what we want, if we don’t hurt anybody.” — Woody Harrelson
As for cigarettes:
How many times have you heard: “I wish I never started.”
“Giving up smoking is the easiest thing in the world. I know because I’ve done it thousands of times.” – Mark Twain
“Smoking is hateful to the nose, harmful to the brain, and dangerous to the lungs.” — King James I
“Smoking is the perfect way to commit suicide without actually dying…” — Damien Hirst.
“Smoking is the leading cause of statistics.” – Fletcher Knebel
That’s what they’re saying. What about YOU?
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Resources:
https://disa.com/map-of-marijuana-legality-by-state
https://www.vox.com/2021/4/12/22371929/marijuana-legalization-connecticut-biden
https://greencamp.com/marijuana-quotes/#politicians
https://happywishes20.com/world-no-tobacco-day-quotes/
https://news.gallup.com/poll/353645/nearly-half-adults-tried-marijuana.aspx
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Epilepsy Talk 
Reblogged this on Disablities & Mental Health Issues.
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Comment by Kenneth — September 3, 2022 @ 9:46 AM
Do any of the above take illegal drugs?
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Comment by Jo — September 3, 2022 @ 9:49 AM
Jo, only in Idaho, North Carolina, Nebraska and South Carolina, is smoking marijuana completely illegal.
On the contrary, marijuana use (whether medical, recreational or both), is legal from coast to coast.
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Comment by Phylis Feiner Johnson — September 3, 2022 @ 10:20 AM
Hi your posts are very helpful and informative.But do people who smoke marajuana also take cocaine,heroin,meth etc.
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Comment by Jo — September 3, 2022 @ 10:46 AM
NO!!!
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Comment by Phylis Feiner Johnson — September 3, 2022 @ 10:48 AM
I think people need to reframe how they view marijuana. It’s not a “gateway” drug as many people think it is. Yes, some people who smoke weed will go on to harder stuff but many more will not. To use the rational/argument that marijuana is a gateway drug is equivalent to saying that anybody who drank a beer will become an alcoholic.
CBD and THC are the active components in Marijuana. CBD is what gives marijuana the medicinal benefit and THC will give you the body stone some people are looking for.
CBD studies have shown it is useful and beneficial for people with drug-resistant epilepsy and even specific childhood epilepsy. CBD has also been good for treating fibromyalgia and pain management for cancer patients.
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Comment by 17mwatson — September 3, 2022 @ 11:43 AM
GREAT explanation. Thanks!
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Comment by Phylis Feiner Johnson — September 3, 2022 @ 1:04 PM
These days there are so many edible and drinkable ways to ingest MJ and its active ingredients. I like this because I don’t like smoking MJ for the same reason I don’t smoke tobacco. It stinks and it’s bad for your lungs. There are so many wonderful gummies, chocolates, mints, infused teas and sodas etc available now, you can find what works for you.
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Comment by paleobird — September 3, 2022 @ 11:56 AM
Sadly, we don’t have gummies in Pennsylvania. They think kids will get to them and EAT them! 🤐
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Comment by Phylis Feiner Johnson — September 3, 2022 @ 1:07 PM
Several brands deliver directly from online orders without a dispensary. I like Kiva chocolates, Breeze mints, and Cann Social Tonics.
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Comment by paleobird — September 3, 2022 @ 2:57 PM
You talk about smoking, what about gummies? Do they have the same effect for Seizures?
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Comment by Theresa — September 3, 2022 @ 1:25 PM
I believe so. Paleobird?
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Comment by Phylis Feiner Johnson — September 3, 2022 @ 1:38 PM
I have been closely watching how many EXCITOTOXINS are in everything we consume, no matter what it is. The FDA, USDA & CDC would never approve anything if EXCITOTOXINS are not included in all they approve, by calling them GKAS ingredients, aka harmful & dangerous TOXINS, CHEMICALS & POISONS we digest daily. This all got started back near the end of the WW2 days when then JAPAN had to pay back to us in some way, so they sent to the USA MonoSodiumGlutamate as a SALT replacement, calling it MORE HEALTHY to consume. Sure it is, and they in JAPAN & CHINA both never use it in their diets today in their own countries, BUT HERE it’s safe to use in everything that WE consume. Why is it, the USA has the most brain, heart & cancer diagnosis in the world ? Think about that for a day or 2.
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Comment by James D — September 3, 2022 @ 5:52 PM
I’m going to be the party pooper and say I don’t like drugs of any kind.
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Comment by Hetty Eliot — September 3, 2022 @ 7:33 PM
The problem I have with MJ (legal or not) is that it alters behavior, decreases reaction time and impairs judgement. There’s practically no way to determine how much you injest will cause a person to react in a predictable way. Like alcohol, marijuana use has negative consequences, especially among people who lack good decision making skills. For these reasons, I voted against the proposition to legalize marijuana in Washington state. We don’t need more intoxicated people behind the wheel of an automobile. Medicinal use seems appropriate, but legalization sends the wrong message to our young people. And shame on politicians who approve of legalization because of the potential tax revenues.
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Comment by Tom — September 4, 2022 @ 1:13 AM
Who are half of today’s adults who have not tried marijuana? 🙂
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Comment by Tom Burke — September 4, 2022 @ 10:35 AM
Elders?
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Comment by Phylis Feiner Johnson — September 4, 2022 @ 11:01 AM
I’m UK, we’ve had a long campaign to stop smoking cigarettes, with warnings on packs, no smoking indoors, the damage you can do to others forced to be with you as you smoke esp kids, quitting smoking courses offered free on the NHS, and recently there have been E-cigs supposed to be less dangerous, we haven’t yet legalised marijuana but you can get CBD things like oil to use for things like pain, but I don’t feel safe with them you can’t be sure the addictive chemical has been removed, not enough research has been done, we still don’t know the long term effects of them, if you’re taking it medically how will it react with your own meds, do you really know it is safe for the reason you’re taking it, you do need medical supervision, and just that I grew up in the hippie age and saw how people were badly affected by marijuana. A choc bar is more comfort!!
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Comment by Miss Gail Barry — September 5, 2022 @ 5:34 AM
In the U.S., the effort to stop smoking cigarettes is aggressive. So is the movement to stop e-cigarettes, which can be just as dangerous.
As for the combination of CBD and THC — the active components in Marijuana — it is a bit of a crap shoot.
They do have consultants at the dispensaries, but they’re going by the seat of their pants, too.
So, ultimately, the combination comes down to you.
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Comment by Phylis Feiner Johnson — September 5, 2022 @ 9:15 AM
I originally stayed away from the drugs because I was active and keeping myself in good shape. I was a ham of a Choreographer but I was starting to get asked to help others with theirs in Gymnastics competition.
I just wanted to stay clean for me and my future if there is anything anymore…
Anyway, I really found out that I AM intolerant to illicit drugs. They are the ones that trigger me (possibly this weekend???) for all my Epileptic seizures!
One I went to the hospital for the second I was waiting for the paramedics as were the witnesses but it was over 45 minutes of a wait. Two uniformed witnesses decided to let me escape the gawkers and bragards that were talking but not moving and telling me to not move.
So we escaped… The paramedics still were not around!!
That was my weekend!
Drugs continuously I HAVE to repeat to the hospitals here that I don’t use or abuse them…
The hospitals have stereotypes about Epilepsy still in 2022!
I’m fed up of being accused of being drunk or stoned when It says that I was brought in for Epileptic seizures🤕😡🎱
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Comment by Tabitha — September 5, 2022 @ 1:35 PM