How can I counter argue this argument: People become lazy when they smoke marijuana, and this affects their brain, and they have a harder time learning. My argument to this for now is: Well that's like saying people get drunk when they drink alcohol. I know I can do better, and I need help.
Myth: Marijuana Causes an Amotivational Syndrome. Marijuana makes users passive, apathetic, and uninterested in the future. Students who use marijuana become underachievers and workers who use marijuana become unproductive. Fact: For twenty-five years, researchers have searched for a marijuana-induced amotivational syndrome and have failed to find it. People who are intoxicated constantly, regardless of the drug, are unlikely to be productive members of society. There is nothing about marijuana specifically that causes people to lose their drive and ambition. In laboratory studies, subjects given high doses of marijuana for several days or even several weeks exhibit no decrease in work motivation or productivity. Among working adults, marijuana users tend to earn higher wages than non-users. College students who use marijuana have the same grades as nonusers. Among high school students, heavy use is associated with school failure, but school failure usually comes first. Sources: Himmelstein, J.L. The Strange Career of Marihuana: Politics and Ideology of Drug Control in America. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1983. Mellinger, G.D. et al. “Drug Use, Academic Performance, and Career Indecision: Longitudinal Data in Search of a Model.†Longitudinal Research on Drug Use: Empirical Findings and Methodological Issues. Ed. D.B. Kandel. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, 1978. 157-177. Pope, H.G. et al., “Drug Use and Life Style Among College Undergraduates in 1989: A Comparison With 1969 and 1978,†American Journal of Psychiatry 147 (1990): 998-1001. ^^^ COURTESY OF DRUGPOLICY.ORG
the way i would counter argue that statement is that weed has no long term effects on your brain and your abilty to learn, thus showing a responsible adult off of work kicking back relaxed can smoke a fat one without hassle. being lazy isnt that bad and i can argue bout that too.
some people DO get lazy on marijuana, and it most certainly affects the brain, and it may even cause some people to have a harder time learning. so maybe you just need to accept all that and move on, rather than trying to argue about it just bc you like smoking.
The way I counter that argument is to bring up some famous smokers who made good. I bring up the following people. Sir Richard Branson Michael Phelps Michael Bloomberg Ted Turner Montel Williams Stephen King Bill Gates Carl Sagan When I let them know that these guys enjoy a good joint now and then it usually kills their argument.
Saying weed makes you lazy & uninterested may seem as obvious as drinking makes you drunk, but I find herb's effect on me quite different. Granted that it does universally cause a sense of relaxation, but if you look into the different effects that Indica & Sativa strains cause, there does seem to be some differing in the effects of marijuana depending on what genetics the herb your smoking has. When I smoke, I could easily sit around & watch TV, but I find after smoking, I feel more motivated than usual to do house chores. While herb does give you a feeling of relaxation I would more acurrately describe its effects as making me feel more comfortable with myself. Things I would usually never have an interest in doing, I realize need to eventually get done; so I do them. Granted this will not be true for everyone, and it is the lazy, uninterested pot-heads that give everyone else who make the decision to smoke a bad name; The only thing to do to eliminate this stereotype is to become more proactive whether while smoking, or during the period of work before you decide to relax w/ a joint or what-have-you. Just my opinion.
Ha. I'm not saying he isn't a prime example of a cannabis smokers becoming productive members of society, but you may want to leave him out of the argument. Poor guy got crucified by the general public once that picture came out.
Yea I do most of the time. The one that gets people is when I mention Stephen King. They can't believe he smokes hehe.
check out this video this guy makes all the points necessary to win that argument. [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ow3i2iqjW0]YouTube - Jello Biafra - Grow More Pot (Pt 1)[/ame] [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujiqrl32UI4&feature=related]YouTube - Jello Biafra - Grow More Pot (Pt 2)[/ame]
Well said. Some people get lazy, some don't. It all has to do with how determined you are... I have a buddy at work that quit smoking and now he feels all determined to do shit, as opposed to being nonchalant about his position. So why can't we just say, yeah it can make you lazy...so what? Is that REALLY a big deal? Alcohol makes you discombobulated and angry, and tobacco makes you go nuts if you don't have a cig every hour. I'm tired of defending weed, it's great but we need to recognize its not a miracle drug. It has up's and downs(less than all other drugs) just like the rest of them.
It is a miracle herb. If the person knows it makes them lazy but they choose to smoke when they have shit to do........ They're dumbasses and has nothing to do with the herb but more to do with the user. "It has up's and downs(less than all other drugs) just like the rest of them" And this is the type of mindset we're trying to stop. We all feel the Cannabis should not be grouped with any other drug(What the government has done), It's beyond any of those thing and in a class of its own.
There is nothing about cannabis that REQUIRES its use. A person can go all day without any kind of "withdrawl" from cannabis and attend to their daily duties. It is unique from other drugs, including legal alcohol and tobacco, whose addictiveness require the user to partake in them to offset withdrawls of varying degrees. While perhaps a person who is actively impaired by cannabis may exhibit less motivation at that time, the "productivity" of one's day is not a 24 hour a day exercise. If you have attended to what you need to be doing, and then choose to partake in cannabis, what has been "lost?" The prohibition of alcohol was partly justified by thoughts of greater worker productivity dreamed up by over-zealous economists, and that policy proved to fail in this regard as well. Dissimilar drugs, however, the more lethal and addictive one proved to have no bearing on worker productivity, so I think we can deduce from this that the less physically damaging and addictive substance in cannabis would have even less bearing on supposed productivity. In other words, -none.
No, YOU are wrong. It is a drug, just like ever other substance that fucks you up. Weed is great for a shit ton of things but it's no miracle drug. YES it's good for alot of medicinal usage, and YES it's the best intoxication, in terms of fun and health. I would really like to see stoners stop acting like such children and realize that weed DOES have it's ups and downs. This is of course if you abuse the drug, which is the same for ANY OTHER DRUG. it is a drug, so stop putting the pussy on a pedestal.