Easy...................~~:<<
:bong:
barman
Thanks HarryC for some common sense
I myself can claim the social and professional distinction of being in the Top 10 all time posters here at the Rx Sports Forums. This in spite of the fact that I am under the influence of good weed approximately 52.679% of the time I am logged in to the site.
Weak!!!!!!!!!!!!
I myself can claim the social and professional distinction of being in the Top 10 all time posters here at the Rx Sports Forums. This in spite of the fact that I am under the influence of good weed approximately 52.679% of the time I am logged in to the site.
Weak!!!!!!!!!!!!
There are usually more marijuana arrests than unsolved violent crimes, go figure. The war on drugs has cost taxpayers billions. Also It doesn't help that some of these jails are privately owned either. Tobacco industry would take a huge hit as well which has major players connected to the fed govt. I think the federal govt will have a hard time trying to regulate the sale and taxation that's why it hasn't happened yet. It's all about the money, unfortunately.
Via my good friends at DrugWarFacts we get this nice breakdown of uniform drug arrests and uniform violent crime arrests
- Crime - Tables
(1980-2010 - Total, marijuana and drug arrests by year) Although the intent of a 'War on Drugs' may have been to target drug smugglers and 'King Pins,' over half (52.1%) of the 1,638,846 total 2010 arrests for drug abuse violations were for marijuana -- a calculated total of 853,839. Of those, an estimated 750,591 people (45.8%) were arrested for marijuana possession alone. By contrast in 2000, a total of 734,497 Americans were arrested for marijuana offenses, of which 646,042 (40.9%) were for possession alone. From 1996-2010, there were 10.1 million arrests for marijuana possession and 1.4 million arrests for the sales and trafficking of marijuana, equaling a total of 11.5 million marijuana arrests during that fifteen year time frame.
US Arrests Year Total Arrests Total Drug Arrests Total Marijuana Arrests Marijuana Trafficking/Sale Arrests Marijuana Possession Arrests Total Violent Crime Arrests Total Property Crime Arrests
2010 13,120,947 1,638,846 853,839 103,247 750,591 552,077 1,643,962 2009 13,687,241 1,663,582 858,408 99,815 758,593 581,765 1,728,285 2008 14,005,615 1,702,537 847,863 93,640 754,224 594,911 1,687,345 2007 14,209,365 1,841,182 872,720 97,583 775,137 597,447 1,610,088 2006 14,380,370 1,889,810 829,627 90,711 738,916 611,523 1,540,297 2005 14,094,186 1,846,351 786,545 90,471 696,074 603,503 1,609,327 2004 13,938,071 1,746,570 773,731 87,329 686,402 586,558 1,644,197 2003 13,639,479 1,678,192 755,186 92,300 662,886 597,026 1,605,127 2002 13,741,438 1,538,813 697,082 83,096 613,986 620,510 1,613,954 2001 13,699,254 1,586,902 723,628 82,519 641,109 627,132 1,618,465 2000 13,980,297 1,579,566 734,497 88,455 646,042 625,132 1,620,928 1999 14,355,600 1,557,100 716,266 85,641 630,626 644,770 1,676,100 1998 14,528,300 1,559,100 682,885 84,191 598,694 675,900 1,805,600 1997 15,284,300 1,583,600 695,201 88,682 606,519 717,750 2,015,600 1996 15,168,100 1,506,200 641,642 94,891 546,751 729,900 2,045,600
1995 15,119,800 1,476,100 588,964 85,614 503,350 796,250 2,128,600 1990 14,195,100 1,089,500 326,850 66,460 260,390 705,500 2,217,800 1980 10,441,000 580,900 401,982 63,318 338,664 475,160 1,863,300
Total Fifteen Years 1996-2010
211,832,563 24,918,351 11,469,120 1,362,571 10,106,550 9,365,904 25,464,875
Source:
Narrative analysis for this Fact by Mary Jane Borden, Editor of Drug War Facts.
=====
"Crime in the United States 2010," FBI Uniform Crime Report (Washington, DC: US Dept. of Justice, September 2011), Table 29.
http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2010/crime-in-the-...
Arrests for Drug Abuse Violations:
http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2010/crime-in-the-...
=====
"Crime in the United States 2009," FBI Uniform Crime Report (Washington, DC: US Dept. of Justice, September 2010), Table 29.
http://www2.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2009/data/table_29.html
Arrests for Drug Abuse Violations:
http://www2.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2009/arrests/index.html.
=====
"2008 Crime in the United States," FBI Uniform Crime Reports (Washington, DC: US Dept. of Justice, September 2009), Table 29.
http://www2.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2008/data/table_29.html
Arrests for Drug Abuse Violations:
http://www2.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2008/arrests/index.html.
=====
"2007 Crime in the United States," (Washington, DC: US Dept. of Justice, September 2008), Table 29.
http://www2.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2007/data/table_29.html
Arrests for Drug Abuse Violations:
http://www2.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2007/arrests/index.html
=====
"2006 Crime in the United States," (Washington, DC: US Dept. of Justice, September 2007), Table 29.
http://www2.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2006/data/table_29.html
Arrests for Drug Abuse Violations:
http://www2.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2006/arrests/index.html
=====
"Crime in the United States 2005," FBI Uniform Crime Reports (Washington, DC: US Dept. of Justice, September 2006), Table 29.
http://www2.fbi.gov/ucr/05cius/data/table_29.html
Arrests for Drug Abuse Violations:
http://www2.fbi.gov/ucr/05cius/arrests/index.html
=====
"Crime in the United States 2004," FBI Uniform Crime Reports (Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office, 2005) Table 29.
http://www2.fbi.gov/ucr/cius_04/persons_arrested/table_29.html
Arrests for Drug Abuse Violations:
http://www2.fbi.gov/ucr/cius_04/persons_arrested/index.html
=====
"Crime in the United States 2003," FBI Uniform Crime Reports (Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office, 2004), p. 269, Table 4.1 & and p. 270, Table 29.
http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2003/03sec4.pdf
=====
"Crime in the United States 2002," FBI Uniform Crime Reports (Washington, DC: US Dept. of Justice, 2003).
http://www2.fbi.gov/ucr/cius_02/html/web/arrested/04-table29.html
=====
"Crime in the United States 2001," FBI Uniform Crime Reports (Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office, 2002), p. 232, Table 4.1 & and p. 233, Table 29. http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2001/01sec4.pdf
=====
"Crime in the United States - 2000," FBI Uniform Crime Reports (Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office, 2001), p. 216, Tables 29 and 4.1.
http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2000/toc00.pdf
=====
"Crime in the United States - 1999," FBI Uniform Crime Reports (Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office, 2000), pp. 211-212.
http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/1999/toc99.pdf
=====
"Crime in the United States - 1998," FBI Uniform Crime Reports (Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office, 1999), pp. 209-219.
http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/1998/toc98.pdf
=====
"Crime in the United States - 1997," FBI Uniform Crime Reports (Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office, 1998), p. 221, Table 4.1 & p. 222, Table 29.
http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/1997/toc97.pdf
=====
"Uniform Crime Reports for the United States 1996" Federal Bureau of Investigation (Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office, 1997), p. 213, Table 4.1 & p. 214, Table 29.
http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/1996/toc96.pdf
=====
"Crime in the United States - 1995," FBI Uniform Crime Reports (Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office, 1996), pp. 207-208.
http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/1995/toc95.pdf
=====
FBI, UCR for the US 1990 (Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office, 1991), pp. 173-174.
FBI, UCR for the US 1980 (Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office, 1981), pp. 189-191.
Effects on the Brain
Scientists have learned a great deal about how THC acts in the brain to
produce its many effects. When someone smokes marijuana, THC rapidly
passes from the lungs into the bloodstream, which carries the chemical to
organs throughout the body, including the brain.
In the brain, THC connects to specific sites called cannabinoid receptors on
nerve cells and influences the activity of those cells. Some brain areas have
many cannabinoid receptors; others have few or none. Many cannabinoid
receptors are found in the parts of the brain that influence pleasure,
memory, thought, concentration, sensory and time perception, and
coordinated movement.
The short-term effects of marijuana can include problems with memory
and learning; distorted perception; difficulty in thinking and problem
solving; loss of coordination; and increased heart rate. Research findings
for long-term marijuana use indicate some changes in the brain similar to
those seen after long-term use of other major drugs of abuse. For example,
cannabinoid (THC or synthetic forms of THC) withdrawal in chronically
exposed animals leads to an increase in the activation of the stress-response
system and changes in the activity of nerve cells containing dopamine.
Dopamine neurons are involved in the regulation of motivation and reward,
and are directly or indirectly affected by all drugs of abuse.
Effects on the Heart
One study has indicated that a user’s risk of heart attack more than
quadruples in the first hour after smoking marijuana. The researchers
suggest that such an effect might occur from marijuana’s effects on blood
pressure and heart rate and reduced oxygen-carrying capacity of blood.
Effects on the Lungs
A study of 450 individuals found that people who smoke marijuana
frequently but do not smoke tobacco have more health problems and miss
more days of work than nonsmokers. Many of the extra sick days among
the marijuana smokers in the study were for respiratory illnesses.
Even infrequent use can cause burning and stinging of the mouth and
throat, often accompanied by a heavy cough. Someone who smokes
marijuana regularly may have many of the same respiratory problems that
tobacco smokers do, such as daily cough and phlegm production, more
frequent acute chest illness, a heightened risk of lung infections, and a
greater tendency to obstructed airways. Smoking marijuana increases the
likelihood of developing cancer of the head or neck, and the more
marijuana smoked the greater the increase. A study comparing 173 cancer
patients and 176 healthy individuals produced strong evidence that
marijuana smoking doubled or tripled the risk of these cancers.
Marijuana use also has the potential to promote cancer of the lungs and
other parts of the respiratory tract because it contains irritants and
carcinogens. In fact, marijuana smoke contains 50 to 70 percent more
carcinogenic hydrocarbons than does tobacco smoke. It also produces high
levels of an enzyme that converts certain hydrocarbons into their
carcinogenic form levels that may accelerate the changes that ultimately
produce malignant cells. Marijuana users usually inhale more deeply and
hold their breath longer than tobacco smokers do, which increases the
lungs’ exposure to carcinogenic smoke. These facts suggest that, puff for
puff, smoking marijuana may increase the risk of cancer more than
smoking tobacco.
Other Health Effects
Some of marijuana’s adverse health effects may occur because THC impairs
the immune system’s ability to fight off infectious diseases and cancer. In
laboratory experiments that exposed animal and human cells to THC or
other marijuana ingredients, the normal disease-preventing reactions of
many of the key types of immune cells were inhibited. In other studies,
mice exposed to THC or related substances were more likely than
unexposed mice to develop bacterial infections and tumors.
Effects of Heavy Marijuana Use on Learning and Social Behavior
Depression, anxiety, and personality disturbances have been associated
with marijuana use. Research clearly demonstrates that marijuana has
potential to cause problems in daily life or make a person’s existing
problems worse. Because marijuana compromises the ability to learn and
remember information, the more a person uses marijuana the more he or
she is likely to fall behind in accumulating intellectual, job, or social skills.
Moreover, research has shown that marijuana’s adverse impact on memory
and learning can last for days or weeks after the acute effects of the drug
wear off.
Students who smoke marijuana get lower grades and are less likely to
graduate from high school, compared with their non-smoking peers. A
study of 129 college students found that, for heavy users of marijuana
(those who smoked the drug at least 27 of the preceding 30 days), critical
skills related to attention, memory, and learning were significantly
impaired even after they had not used the drug for at least 24 hours. The
heavy marijuana users in the study had more trouble sustaining and
shifting their attention and in registering, organizing, and using
information than did the study participants who had used marijuana no
more than 3 of the previous 30 days. As a result, someone who smokes
marijuana every day may be functioning at a reduced intellectual level all of
the time.
More recently, the same researchers showed that the ability of a group of
long-term heavy marijuana users to recall words from a list remained
impaired for a week after quitting, but returned to normal within 4 weeks.
Thus, it is possible that some cognitive abilities may be restored in
individuals who quit smoking marijuana, even after long-term heavy use.
Workers who smoke marijuana are more likely than their coworkers to
have problems on the job. Several studies associate workers’ marijuana
smoking with increased absences, tardiness, accidents, workers’
compensation claims, and job turnover. A study of municipal workers
found that those who used marijuana on or off the job reported more
“withdrawal behaviors” such as leaving work without permission,
daydreaming, spending work time on personal matters, and shirking tasks
that adversely affect productivity and morale. In another study, marijuana
users reported that use of the drug impaired several important measures of
life achievement including cognitive abilities, career status, social life, and
physical and mental health.
Addictive Potential
Long-term marijuana use can lead to addiction for some people; that is,
they use the drug compulsively even though it interferes with family,
school, work, and recreational activities. Drug craving and withdrawal
symptoms can make it hard for long-term marijuana smokers to stop using
the drug. People trying to quit marijuana report irritability, sleeplessness,
and anxiety. They also display increased aggression on psychological tests,
peaking approximately one week after the last use of the drug
Scientists have learned a great deal about how THC acts in the brain to
produce its many effects. When someone smokes marijuana, THC rapidly
passes from the lungs into the bloodstream, which carries the chemical to
organs throughout the body, including the brain.
In the brain, THC connects to specific sites called cannabinoid receptors on
nerve cells and influences the activity of those cells. Some brain areas have
many cannabinoid receptors; others have few or none. Many cannabinoid
receptors are found in the parts of the brain that influence pleasure,
memory, thought, concentration, sensory and time perception, and
coordinated movement.
The short-term effects of marijuana can include problems with memory
and learning; distorted perception; difficulty in thinking and problem
solving; loss of coordination; and increased heart rate. Research findings
for long-term marijuana use indicate some changes in the brain similar to
those seen after long-term use of other major drugs of abuse. For example,
cannabinoid (THC or synthetic forms of THC) withdrawal in chronically
exposed animals leads to an increase in the activation of the stress-response
system and changes in the activity of nerve cells containing dopamine.
Dopamine neurons are involved in the regulation of motivation and reward,
and are directly or indirectly affected by all drugs of abuse.
Effects on the Heart
One study has indicated that a user’s risk of heart attack more than
quadruples in the first hour after smoking marijuana. The researchers
suggest that such an effect might occur from marijuana’s effects on blood
pressure and heart rate and reduced oxygen-carrying capacity of blood.
Effects on the Lungs
A study of 450 individuals found that people who smoke marijuana
frequently but do not smoke tobacco have more health problems and miss
more days of work than nonsmokers. Many of the extra sick days among
the marijuana smokers in the study were for respiratory illnesses.
Even infrequent use can cause burning and stinging of the mouth and
throat, often accompanied by a heavy cough. Someone who smokes
marijuana regularly may have many of the same respiratory problems that
tobacco smokers do, such as daily cough and phlegm production, more
frequent acute chest illness, a heightened risk of lung infections, and a
greater tendency to obstructed airways. Smoking marijuana increases the
likelihood of developing cancer of the head or neck, and the more
marijuana smoked the greater the increase. A study comparing 173 cancer
patients and 176 healthy individuals produced strong evidence that
marijuana smoking doubled or tripled the risk of these cancers.
Marijuana use also has the potential to promote cancer of the lungs and
other parts of the respiratory tract because it contains irritants and
carcinogens. In fact, marijuana smoke contains 50 to 70 percent more
carcinogenic hydrocarbons than does tobacco smoke. It also produces high
levels of an enzyme that converts certain hydrocarbons into their
carcinogenic form levels that may accelerate the changes that ultimately
produce malignant cells. Marijuana users usually inhale more deeply and
hold their breath longer than tobacco smokers do, which increases the
lungs’ exposure to carcinogenic smoke. These facts suggest that, puff for
puff, smoking marijuana may increase the risk of cancer more than
smoking tobacco.
Other Health Effects
Some of marijuana’s adverse health effects may occur because THC impairs
the immune system’s ability to fight off infectious diseases and cancer. In
laboratory experiments that exposed animal and human cells to THC or
other marijuana ingredients, the normal disease-preventing reactions of
many of the key types of immune cells were inhibited. In other studies,
mice exposed to THC or related substances were more likely than
unexposed mice to develop bacterial infections and tumors.
Effects of Heavy Marijuana Use on Learning and Social Behavior
Depression, anxiety, and personality disturbances have been associated
with marijuana use. Research clearly demonstrates that marijuana has
potential to cause problems in daily life or make a person’s existing
problems worse. Because marijuana compromises the ability to learn and
remember information, the more a person uses marijuana the more he or
she is likely to fall behind in accumulating intellectual, job, or social skills.
Moreover, research has shown that marijuana’s adverse impact on memory
and learning can last for days or weeks after the acute effects of the drug
wear off.
Students who smoke marijuana get lower grades and are less likely to
graduate from high school, compared with their non-smoking peers. A
study of 129 college students found that, for heavy users of marijuana
(those who smoked the drug at least 27 of the preceding 30 days), critical
skills related to attention, memory, and learning were significantly
impaired even after they had not used the drug for at least 24 hours. The
heavy marijuana users in the study had more trouble sustaining and
shifting their attention and in registering, organizing, and using
information than did the study participants who had used marijuana no
more than 3 of the previous 30 days. As a result, someone who smokes
marijuana every day may be functioning at a reduced intellectual level all of
the time.
More recently, the same researchers showed that the ability of a group of
long-term heavy marijuana users to recall words from a list remained
impaired for a week after quitting, but returned to normal within 4 weeks.
Thus, it is possible that some cognitive abilities may be restored in
individuals who quit smoking marijuana, even after long-term heavy use.
Workers who smoke marijuana are more likely than their coworkers to
have problems on the job. Several studies associate workers’ marijuana
smoking with increased absences, tardiness, accidents, workers’
compensation claims, and job turnover. A study of municipal workers
found that those who used marijuana on or off the job reported more
“withdrawal behaviors” such as leaving work without permission,
daydreaming, spending work time on personal matters, and shirking tasks
that adversely affect productivity and morale. In another study, marijuana
users reported that use of the drug impaired several important measures of
life achievement including cognitive abilities, career status, social life, and
physical and mental health.
Addictive Potential
Long-term marijuana use can lead to addiction for some people; that is,
they use the drug compulsively even though it interferes with family,
school, work, and recreational activities. Drug craving and withdrawal
symptoms can make it hard for long-term marijuana smokers to stop using
the drug. People trying to quit marijuana report irritability, sleeplessness,
and anxiety. They also display increased aggression on psychological tests,
peaking approximately one week after the last use of the drug
