Marijuana Unit in Health Class

My friend is still in high school, and as he is not able to register on these fine forums, he asked me to post this for him...what follows is his quoted text.

I have a unit on marijuana and other 'psychoactive' drugs coming up next week in my high school health class. My teacher is a just-out-of-college jock, who has been completely brainwashed by the system of ignorance that our government has pursued.

What questions could I ask during class, that will make him uncomfortable and will show the real lack of dangers in using marijuana? I already plan to bring up medical marijuana and stress relief, etc. If anyone has any ideas for topics, please feel free to post and discuss them.

Peace, Love, and Ganja,

:thumbsup:

Ask him something about why, since marijuana has been proven to be one of the least toxic drugs (and a natural one at that), is it still in the same drug classification as those which are dangerous and lethal. Then ask him why alcohol which is responsible for thousands of deaths a year is legal, but not marijuana. I am guessing he won't be able to give you a good answer to these questions, especially the last one, so after you listen to his bullshit about it being harmful for developing minds ask him what he thinks the best way to get drugs out of the hands of criminals is. He will be stumped. Thats because the only logical answer is to legalize them.

Ask him if anyone has ever died from over dosing on weed.:thumbsup:

Good on ya, keep em up haha

To overdose I hear you have to smoke 3x your body weight in 15 minutes?

Ask him if he can get his hands on some nice weed... Lol:D

Is print up the link below (all 50 pages or so of it) and plop it down in front of him! And ask him why a medicine like this is illegal! It kills none. It has mild (and pleasant) side effects. It is nonaddictive. It treats many ailments. It is easily "manufactured". And home-grown is dang cheap ( I know several people who have cut their (very expensive) medications in HALF by using cannabis). Big pharma HATES cannabis! It will cut DEEPLY into their profits!

With an aging population, cannabis will be in demand more and more- there is a reason that most polls on MMJ give a 65 to 85% approval rate. And as the price of "big Pharma" meds rises (above the inflation rate), all us "old hippies" will be preaching about the wonders of MMJ! Cancer, Alzheimer's, atherosclerosis, MS, fibro, arthritis, stroke, diabetes, even Mad Cow disease- cannabis is good for them all!

CANNABIS RULES!!!

-Granny (one of them "old hippies"):hippy:

I commend your friend on this mission :jointsmile:! He could ask about why so many successful and smart individuals have chosen to smoke weed.

My friend thanks you for the commendation!

please tell your friend not to be an asshole about this though... speaking up for a legitimate cause is great - being a doosh for attention isn't.

i think you buddy would be better off not making a scene in health class and talking to his classmates privately about the benefits of marijuana if he's planning to do it off the cuff, rather than putting on a show to piss off his undoubtedly underqualified and shitty health teacher. my public school health classes were taught by gym teachers who seemed to wander into our study hall classroom instead of the break room by accident.

my two cents steady blazing:D

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Originally Posted by jagarr

please tell your friend not to be an asshole about this though... speaking up for a legitimate cause is great - being a doosh for attention isn't.

i think you buddy would be better off not making a scene in health class and talking to his classmates privately about the benefits of marijuana if he's planning to do it off the cuff, rather than putting on a show to piss off his undoubtedly underqualified and shitty health teacher. my public school health classes were taught by gym teachers who seemed to wander into our study hall classroom instead of the break room by accident.

my two cents steady blazing:D

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Thats a very sensible advice! :thumbsup:

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Originally Posted by Coelho

Thats a very sensible advice! :thumbsup:

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thanks Coelho!

just to clarify, im not trying to be your buddies' nanny, OP.

i read the first post in the thread and immediately thought 'wow, if someone did that in my health class, id probably be pissed off.'

remember that pot, while extremely awesome, is STILL ILLEGAL and you are not going to just miraculously change your schools no-tolerance drug policies and the minds of the faculty by standing up mid-lesson and trying to embarrass your teacher.

it just isn't the right way to go about it. its like trying for a step forward and ending up about ten zillion steps behind, probably getting yourself in trouble in the process.

schools have agendas and are not going to treat your friend fairly for his opinions - thats just reality. as far as ive ever been concerned... talking to a public school faculty member is basically like talking to the cops. its sad i know... they are supposed to be there to help you. these days though, anything they hear that they don't report will end up costing them their jobs or worse. don't mess with it.

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Originally Posted by Narf!

DARE was just starting out when I was in middle school. The way they described the effects of drugs actually made me curious. I had never heard of marijuana or lsd before that. I can honestly say that DARE was the reason I tried weed and acid, when I finally came across it. If I had encountered either not knowing what they were, I probably would have just left it alone. Kinda ironic isnt it?

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yeah i remember dare started back in like 5th grade. our dare cop was nice and shit i guess, like supernice to the kids... but then as we got older and some of us got in trouble we'd see him being a real cop around town locking kids up and stuff and that fluffy kitty childhood officer goodguy crap went right out the window.

i honestly think dare was a huge waste of taxpayer cashola. as kids we just looked at DARE days as recess/no real work or test days and nobody paid a second of attention to anything the officer said. we just liked coloring the pictures in and doing the skits and stuff. i think even when i was barely eleven, i already kinda got the idea that DARE =/= any sort of real life situation.

I agree with not making a huge deal about it, but your buddy should be ready with some facts in case the teacher states false facts.

This is some good info to bring in on death comparison with different drugs, alcohol, and pharmecueticals recorded by the US surgeon general:
Jack Herer - Comparison

And this is something he should also have with him:

"Drugs used in medicine are routinely given what is called an LD-50. The LD-50 rating indicates at what dosage fifty percent of test animals receiving a drug will die as a result of drug induced toxicity. A number of researchers have attempted to determine marijuana's LD-50 rating in test animals, without success. Simply stated, researchers have been unable to give animals enough marijuana to induce death.

8. At present it is estimated that marijuana's LD-50 is around 1:20,000 or 1:40,000. In layman terms this means that in order to induce death a marijuana smoker would have to consume 20,000 to 40,000 times as much marijuana as is contained in one marijuana cigarette. NIDA-supplied marijuana cigarettes weigh approximately .9 grams. A smoker would theoretically have to consume nearly 1,500 pounds of marijuana within about fifteen minutes to induce a lethal response. "

-JackHerer.com

That way he can respectfully counter any false claims his teacher may make, and prevent the brainwashing of other students.

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Originally Posted by 40oz

Ask him something about why, since marijuana has been proven to be one of the least toxic drugs (and a natural one at that), is it still in the same drug classification as those which are dangerous and lethal. Then ask him why alcohol which is responsible for thousands of deaths a year is legal, but not marijuana. I am guessing he won't be able to give you a good answer to these questions, especially the last one, so after you listen to his bullshit about it being harmful for developing minds ask him what he thinks the best way to get drugs out of the hands of criminals is. He will be stumped. Thats because the only logical answer is to legalize them.

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Well said. I second this.
This was excellent advice.

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Originally Posted by pambeasley

I agree with not making a huge deal about it, but your buddy should be ready with some facts in case the teacher states false facts.

This is some good info to bring in on death comparison with different drugs, alcohol, and pharmecueticals recorded by the US surgeon general:
Jack Herer - Comparison

And this is something he should also have with him:

"Drugs used in medicine are routinely given what is called an LD-50. The LD-50 rating indicates at what dosage fifty percent of test animals receiving a drug will die as a result of drug induced toxicity. A number of researchers have attempted to determine marijuana's LD-50 rating in test animals, without success. Simply stated, researchers have been unable to give animals enough marijuana to induce death.

8. At present it is estimated that marijuana's LD-50 is around 1:20,000 or 1:40,000. In layman terms this means that in order to induce death a marijuana smoker would have to consume 20,000 to 40,000 times as much marijuana as is contained in one marijuana cigarette. NIDA-supplied marijuana cigarettes weigh approximately .9 grams. A smoker would theoretically have to consume nearly 1,500 pounds of marijuana within about fifteen minutes to induce a lethal response. "

-JackHerer.com

That way he can respectfully counter any false claims his teacher may make, and prevent the brainwashing of other students.

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I like this, too. This information was what persuaded me to not only want to legalize cannabis, but to smoke it, too. Perhaps it will similarly persuade your friend's health teacher.

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Originally Posted by 40oz

Ask him something about why, since marijuana has been proven to be one of the least toxic drugs (and a natural one at that), is it still in the same drug classification as those which are dangerous and lethal. Then ask him why alcohol which is responsible for thousands of deaths a year is legal, but not marijuana. I am guessing he won't be able to give you a good answer to these questions, especially the last one, so after you listen to his bullshit about it being harmful for developing minds ask him what he thinks the best way to get drugs out of the hands of criminals is. He will be stumped. Thats because the only logical answer is to legalize them.

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Brainwashed Jock Answer: Oh suuuuurre, it's been "proven" not to be toxic has it? Well let me tell you something, marijuana has over 400 toxic chemicals in it! (in quantities farrrrr too low to cause any type of toxicity. Coffee itself has over a thousand toxic chemicals, that doesn't mean you'll lose brains cells with every sip).

Alcohol, of course, is far safer than the deadly marijuana! Marijuana makes you retarded, kills braincells, gives you lung cancer, makes you a psychopath, permanently destroys memory, causes addiction, and will cause gynecomastia. Alcohol, when enjoyed in moderation, is 100% safe and healthy for you. And stoned drivers are far more dangerous than drunk drivers!

(Remember, I'm just acting) :D



You can debate him all to hell if you do so tactfully and respectfully, but don't expect to actually accomplish anything unless you know your biology (especially with receptor systems) and can argue it.

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Originally Posted by 420HighLife

Good on ya, keep em up haha

To overdose I hear you have to smoke 3x your body weight in 15 minutes?

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I believe it's more like a 150 pound man would have to consume about 1,500 pounds of marijuana within 15 minutes in order to induce a lethal effect...

try this one:

Note: In Judge Young's report cannabis is referred to as marijuana

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Drug Enforcement Administration

_______________________________________
)
In The Matter Of )
) Docket No. 86-22
MARIJUANA RESCHEDULING PETITION )
_______________________________________)


OPINION AND RECOMMENDED RULING, FINDINGS OF
FACT, CONCLUSIONS OF LAW AND DECISION OF
Administrative LAW JUDGE.


FRANCIS L. YOUNG, Administrative Law Judge


DATED: SEP 6 1988

FRANCIS L. YOUNG, Administrative Law Judge

........................

Part VIII.

ACCEPTED SAFETY FOR USE UNDER MEDICAL SUPERVISION

With respect to whether or not there is "a lack of accepted safety
for use of [marijuana] under medical supervision", the record shows the
following facts to be uncontroverted.


Findings of Fact

Point 3. The most obvious concern when dealing with drug safety is the possibility of lethal effects. Can the drug cause death?

4. Nearly all medicines have toxic, potentially lethal effects. But marijuana is not such a substance. There is no record in the extensive medical literature describing a proven, documented cannabis-induced fatality.

5. This is a remarkable statement. First, the record on marijuana encompasses 5,000 years of human experience. Second, marijuana is now used daily by enormous numbers of people throughout the world. Estimates suggest that from twenty million to fifty million Americans routinely, albeit illegally, smoke marijuana without the benefit of direct medical supervision. Yet, despite this long history of use and the extraordinarily high numbers of social smokers, there are simply no credible medical reports to suggest that consuming marijuana has caused a single death.

6. By contrast aspirin, a commonly used, over-the-counter medicine, causes hundreds of deaths each year.

7. Drugs used in medicine are routinely given what is called an LD-50. The LD-50 rating indicates at what dosage fifty percent of test animals receiving a drug will die as a result of drug induced toxicity. A number of researchers have attempted to determine marijuana's LD-50 rating in test animals, without success. Simply stated, researchers have been unable to give animals enough marijuana to induce death.

8. At present it is estimated that marijuana's LD-50 is around

1:20,000 or 1:40,000. In layman terms this means that in order to induce death a marijuana smoker would have to consume 20,000 to 40,000 times as much marijuana as is contained in onemarijuana cigarette. NIDA-supplied marijuana cigarettes weigh approximately .9 grams. A smoker would theoretically have to consume nearly 1,500 pounds of marijuana within about fifteen minutes to induce a lethal response.

9. In practical terms, marijuana cannot induce a lethal response as a result of drug-related toxicity.

10. Another common medical way to determine drug safety is called the therapeutic ratio. This ratio defines the difference between a therapeutically effective dose and a dose which is capable of inducing adverse effects.

11. A commonly used over-the-counter product like aspirin has a therapeutic ratio of around 1:20. Two aspirins are the recommended dose for adult patients. Twenty times this dose, forty aspirins, may cause a lethal reaction in some patients, and will almost certainly cause gross injury to the digestive system, including extensive internal bleeding.

12. The therapeutic ratio for prescribed drugs is commonly around 1:10 or lower. Valium, a commonly used prescriptive drug, may cause very serious biological damage if patients use ten times the recommended (therapeutic) dose.

13. There are, of course, prescriptive drugs which have much lower therapeutic ratios. Many of the drugs used to treat patients with cancer, glaucoma and multiple sclerosis are highly toxic. The therapeutic ratio of some of the drugs used in antineoplastic therapies, for example, are regarded as extremely toxic poisons with therapeutic ratios that may fall below 1:1.5. These drugs also have very low LD-50 ratios and can result in toxic, even lethal reactions, while being properly employed.



14. By contrast, marijuana's therapeutic ratio, like its LD-50, is impossible to quantify because it is so high.

15. In strict medical terms marijuana is far safer than many foods we commonly consume. For example, eating ten raw potatoes can result in a toxic response. By comparison, it is physically impossible to eat enough marijuana to induce death.

16. 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 a supervised routine of medical care."



Print that off and have your friend take it to their teacher :thumbsup:

ask him about the most dangerous effects of marijuana. He'll most likely say it effect on the lungs, so argue with him for a bit on that, then ask him about eating it...he'll have nothing to say ha

I wouldn't even ask questions, present your facts with confidence. Badmouth Harry j anslinger as much as you can, that racist bastard.

If he mentions schizofrenia, there's new research that suggests while cannabis use went up schizo rates went down, so there's not a link like they want you to believe, only in pre disposed family.

Damn, this is more response then I'd ever hoped for haha

His unit on marijuana starts tomorrow. Wish him luck:thumbsup:

I've been sorta keeping up with this thread from a distance when I've been able to be here. As a former teacher--and as someone who enjoys debating with intelligent students, friends and arguers here and in other places--I encourage you to take the high road. Let the teacher present the information he's going to present. Then respond by saying that there are lots of very strong opposing viewpoints about the harmfulness and toxicity of cannabis and lots of solid evidence upon which those are built. Explain that there is lots of information about the benefits of cannabis and probably far more benefits that we haven't yet discovered since testing hasn't been allowed with it here. Present your argument in a way that makes it positive and credible, citing your sources. A variety of sources from books, Web sites, TV shows like the History Channel's "Illicit" series will be much more credible than just a single source. That way, although you may not ever change the teacher's viewpoint, you'll have left an impression in the back of his mind that you might have had some solid evidence upon which to base your argument. You'll also have planted the seeds of fair-and-balanced argumentative information in the minds of your fellow students, which may be what counts for more in the long run than anything else.

You can get very far in education by being respectful and having good sources. Let's hope he's a fairly secure teacher who can handle being questioned and/or debated. If he's not--and they're out there--this is why it'll come in handy to still be respectful and deferential: so that you don't doom yourself to a less-than-fair-treatment for the remainder of the time you have to endure him.

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Originally Posted by 420HighLife

Damn, this is more response then I'd ever hoped for haha

His unit on marijuana starts tomorrow. Wish him luck:thumbsup:

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I can understand his desire to speak-up during class while someone openly bad-mouths the good herb. I would keep it as simple as possible, and just ask "why are states voting to decriminalize/legalize marijuana?" "Why are there doctors who condone the usage of marijuana?" and "Why do so many studies make the claim that marijuana usage leads to mental disorder?" The latter question is a set-up for the subsequent message that marijuana cannot 'make you crazy.' Granted, there will always be an individual who will blame marijuana for their discomfort, however those individuals learn two things: 1. Cannabis is not to blame for any mental discomfort, and 2. Cannabis is to be used responsibly. And because I am not bias to the idea that marijuana can and is used irresponsibly, by people who prefer to address their self-esteem through marijuana, I can firmly say that there are many users who practice bad-habits while they are stoned. Now, is that an inclining to suggest that marijuana is responsible for your son's laziness?

Just find a way to make the point that cannabis is not to blame...I thought American society would be passed the blame game by now but apparently it is easier to frame an innocent plant, then addressing a serious lack of guidance in today's youth.

A problem is evident in our law system. Drugs are illegal because in all that is good an unspoken evil lurks. These drugs or miracles are regarded illegal for reasons more important to the people. Reasons like the idea that these drugs are often in high demand, and people stand to make quite a profit, and by "people" I am referring to gluttons who will stop at nothing for the mighty dollar. Also, these drugs attract organized crime.

The fact is that there is no fool-proof method for our government to control these substances for medicinal usage only. It is merely a policing matter. Ironic, no? However, we cannot expect our government to provide the budget for such a massive scale of policing. And who is to say the problem will cease even when the police investigate all leads to prove whether or not a suspect is using the herb for wickedness? The fact is that law has developed a fool-proof way of keeping the good herb illegal.