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Comment by cryptoz | Hacker News Reader

Do you follow the same policies about people who have a glass of wine with dinner? That kills brain cells.

Do you hate everyone who drinks coffee? Caffeine is actually chemically addictive and can kill you if you overdose, whereas pot cannot kill you no matter how much you have.

How about Barack Obama? He's admitted to smoking pot. Do you hate him because of that fact? Or Carl Sagan, one of the 20th century's most loved scientists? He was an avid pot smoker as well.

The best athlete in the world, Michael Phelps, also smokes pot. Do you hate him?

Your opinions of hate are horrible. Please re-think how you feel about marijuana and maybe read some science about the drug. It's much less damaging than alcohol.

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Anyone who quote "hate"s people for smoking pot definitely hates Barack Obama.

> Caffeine is actually chemically addictive and can kill you if you overdose, whereas pot cannot kill you no matter how much you have.

Wait, I thought THC could kill you, except you are unable to smoke enough to reach toxic limits. Coffee is weak enough I can't imagine I could consume enough to give myself Caffeine poisoning before I got water poisoning.

If you're talking about pure caffeine, make sure you compare it to pure THC.

THC can kill you in the same sense that water or any other non-toxic substance can[1], if you consume enough of it it'll saturate your body and interrupt your vital functions.

But to do that you need to consume much more than any person would do naturally while smoking or eating it. E.g. you'd have to inject a 2-3 liters of it or dissolved in a saline solution. Or smoke it so heavily that it starts interrupting your oxygen supply, which is what they did in the "weed kills monkey braincells" experiment).

1. Actually water is much more practically dangerous. Many people have died from water toxicity.

I fully understand that; my point is, isn't caffeine pretty much the same deal? Caffeine pills excepted, as there are no THC pills to compare with.

Alcohol doesn't kill brain cells. It's a myth.

Also, while I disapprove of marijuana abuse (I've used twice, never felt like it could benefit me in any way), I would like all movements to legalize marijuana to wait until there's

a) a comprehensive study (or studies) on the triggers of bad reactions to THC (anxiety, paranoid thought etc.) which to the best of my knowledge doesn't exist so far, as well as to its link with T-cell function impairment

b) at least one reliable way of acquiring marijuana which is properly grown and

c) ending once and for all the misinformation about marijuana, THC, and their effects and alleged links to drug addiction, and so forth.

Drinking doesn't force others to consume the drink.

Smoking is something that you're forcing those around you to partake in with you. It's antisocial.

pretty sure there are ways to consume marijuana or thc without disturbing others.

though your argument could be applied to cigarettes, and those aren't illegal...

Smoking has been banned in indoor public spaces in many a country [1].

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_smoking_bans

Marijuana and smoke are not tied together. Many people bake brownies. Some people smoke alone, so no others are affected. Vaporizers eliminate the smoke altogether.

It's not antisocial. In fact, it's one of the most social activities humanity has ever come across.

Police use the word antisocial here to when referring to it. I think they are using it in a completely different context though to how we normally use to word though.

More to do with out of line with how wider society expects people to behave or something similar.

In terms of the way we mostly use the word, yes it is a very social thing in bringing people together and having them interact.

Putting people in cages can border on anti-social.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antisocial_personality_disorder

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