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Quick first point, the proper term to be used should be cannabis. Back about 10 years ago I looked into this, the main problem was that the University of Missi

Quick first point, the proper term to be used should be cannabis. Back about 10 years ago I looked into this, the main problem was that the University of Mississippi was using very questionable methods to produce what they call "research-grade" cannabis. They were growing and then doing "thc extracts" (focused on just the thc content, not the other cannabinoids), and then spraying the concentrated THC onto what everyone who interacted with it called questionable "plant-matter", supposedly so they could more carefully control the THC percentages. In essence, for a long time, all the studies that were using UoM cannabis were actually not using natural cannabis, so it's no wonder many of the studies failed in general. Personally, after working in genetics for a while (just as a sysadmin), I came to the conclusion that the big guys like Monsanto just wanted to get all the IP/patents on the genomics so they could then do modified versions it would be illegal to grow on your own, and as soon as they get all that sorted, they will use their corruption of congress to get it legalized under their control. On a more constitutional note, I personally have come to the conclusion that the government primarily has abused the commerce clause (as it has in many other instances) in order to get to this level of control in the "drug war". On top that, as a general principle, under natural rights, I don't think either the federal or state government has any rightful power to restrict what I do or do not do with my body, whether that be drink coke, smoke cannabis, or eat lettuce. Therefore on princple as a constitutionalist, I have to admit the real proper move is to legalize drugs and treat them as medical issue. One of my primary criticisms of the recent recreational/legalization movement is that often in those states it is still illegal to grow your own. I think this is also unconstitutional, because there is no reason to require people to buy from someone else when they can easily grow it on their own. What's next, you may not grow your own tomatoes or jalapeno peppers? A overly dramatic rhetoric for sure, but you get my point. The other problem is that the drug war has essentially enabled pre-crime to become commonplace because that is what it is on it's face. We arrested that drug user because he is doing drugs and therefore will eventually commit a crime... One more thing, I get really tired of people who pop adderall all week, get drunk all weekend, and smoke cigars of acting all high and mighty about people smoking cannabis.

dna_polymerase 9y ago
Reading your conclusions here I come to the conclusion that you should focus on your sysadmin job.
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
- arca_vorago 9y ago
  Care to actually contribute something or would you rather snipe without even backing up your assertions? What so you stalked a few of my comments and think you have any idea of who I am or my positions? Even so, at least bring up a point for discussion, as I'm happy to defend my positions and potentially learn something and/or have my mind changed.
- sctb 9y ago
  Could you please stop with the personal attacks? These don't belong at all on Hacker News. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
dlwdlw 9y ago
Not everyone is a well adjusted fully mature individual though. As an extreme example, imagine a child shooting a classmate without understanding what death actually is. From the child's perspective, the "bad" that that classmate done may have been the worst thing he or she has ever experienced, having no other experience to calibrate. Drug use similarly requires an established life, otherwise it consumes the life in a cycle of addiction. Simple curiosity can lead down a one way path. Ideally parents will be responsible for the maturity of a child but that is far from the case. Preventing people from falling through a floor is what society is supposed to do. Families that can insulate themselves can afford to not care about most aspects of society which are basically services for the "unwashed masses". In fact, these floors are often limiting to these families as the presence of a floor also correspondingly creates a ceiling. To let the majority of society suffer from the consequences of "stupid actions" can only be said from a position of privilege. In an increasingly complex world with real one way switch reoercussions, society and culture has to be programmed to prevent people from falling through the cracks. Chinese kids end up fairly well off for example because theie culture prizes education. The kids hate it growing up but it prevents them from falling through the "disdain for education" crack. The ceiling here is that you end up not having to think for yourself a lot and may never truly find what you really enjoy. Creating a society is often about creating floors for safety while leaving enough leeway so that ceilings can be navigated. Often though this purpose is lost as the US has done with cannabis. The whole system literally pushes people downwards and never lets them rise.

dna_polymerase 9y ago

Reading your conclusions here I come to the conclusion that you should focus on your sysadmin job.

deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
arca_vorago 9y ago
Care to actually contribute something or would you rather snipe without even backing up your assertions? What so you stalked a few of my comments and think you have any idea of who I am or my positions? Even so, at least bring up a point for discussion, as I'm happy to defend my positions and potentially learn something and/or have my mind changed.
sctb 9y ago
Could you please stop with the personal attacks? These don't belong at all on Hacker News. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

dlwdlw 9y ago

Not everyone is a well adjusted fully mature individual though. As an extreme example, imagine a child shooting a classmate without understanding what death actually is. From the child's perspective, the "bad" that that classmate done may have been the worst thing he or she has ever experienced, having no other experience to calibrate. Drug use similarly requires an established life, otherwise it consumes the life in a cycle of addiction. Simple curiosity can lead down a one way path. Ideally parents will be responsible for the maturity of a child but that is far from the case. Preventing people from falling through a floor is what society is supposed to do. Families that can insulate themselves can afford to not care about most aspects of society which are basically services for the "unwashed masses". In fact, these floors are often limiting to these families as the presence of a floor also correspondingly creates a ceiling. To let the majority of society suffer from the consequences of "stupid actions" can only be said from a position of privilege. In an increasingly complex world with real one way switch reoercussions, society and culture has to be programmed to prevent people from falling through the cracks. Chinese kids end up fairly well off for example because theie culture prizes education. The kids hate it growing up but it prevents them from falling through the "disdain for education" crack. The ceiling here is that you end up not having to think for yourself a lot and may never truly find what you really enjoy. Creating a society is often about creating floors for safety while leaving enough leeway so that ceilings can be navigated. Often though this purpose is lost as the US has done with cannabis. The whole system literally pushes people downwards and never lets them rise.