NEWS Local Spirit Airline Pilot Dead of Heroin Overdose

[Swanee]

MJ overdoses are up,

1 would increase the number as the lethal dose of thc is 1000-4000 times higher than an effective dose.

 

[Jim123]

MJ overdoses are up,

... potato chips everywhere are sold out.

 

[exNavyOffRec]

There is no real "overdose" like you think about with other drugs or alcohol with marijuana. It's just people getting paranoid or anxious. It's virtually medically impossible to ingest a lethal dose of marijuana.

The rest of your concerns, while valid, pale in comparison to the worst effects of prohibition. And I highly doubt the rate of injury due to high driving has exceeded the injuries due to drunk driving. That sounds anecdotal and would be unprecedented based on statistics I have seen.

yes I agree an OD of MJ is not like OD of other drugs but they still have people going to the ER because of it and that cost money.

while it sounds anecdotal it is accurate near me, several of the MJ caused accidents have involved multiple people while the alcohol accidents have been single vehicle and people, the one MJ one that sticks out involved multiple vehicles and 8-10 people, now you take out those 8-10 and I would venture it would be even or alcohol would be slightly higher.

 

[BACONATOR]

I don't think this is true for everybody. I did very bad things to my back and was on opioids (of gradually decreasing strength) for over three months. It kept me relatively functionally and probably helped me get into physical therapy sooner. After the obligatory YMMV disclaimer, I would maybe amend that to warn against using them to control chronic pain where there is no path to physical improvement.

Point well taken. Indeed, if there's a particular problem that opioids are used to treat, then that may be reasonable, and certainly many people respond differently. The biggest element of dependence and/or addiction (those are separate things) is the length of use. Recent studies point to 5 days being a critical point at which dependence is increased noticeably. Also, professional recommendations now instruct doctors that chronic pain management should avoid use of opiates/opioids.

Are most people going to get addicted if using these drugs longer than 2 weeks? No. But that sort of prescription (for long-term use with no clinical resolution to or plan to ameliorate the original problem) increases the chances of addiction noticeably. That is a huge reason that almost any expert, doctor or epidemiologist would agree has contributed to the opioid addiction epidemic in this country.

 

[BACONATOR]

I am in a state where it is legal and we have had a boom in heroin addicts, I am also friends with several in LE and they are seeing a significant increase in those driving under the influence of MJ, of course they are not being classified as DUI since the threshold for the blood test is such that by the time they do the blood draw after the court order it has been hours so the level is often below, so instead they are getting a driving under impairment or reckless driving charge, so the state can still say they haven't seen much of a spike in MJ DUI's.

I believe there are medical benefits, but also believe the legalization is not due to those wanting to help those with medical issues but those that just want to get high.

I don't think anyone thinks the legalization (recreational) is for medical benefits. The bottom line is: in nature there is no free lunch. If you're getting altered, it will have (negative) effects. Should MJ be legal? Well, given the consensus on what is already legal (alcohol and tobacco), the answer is yes. The pro-MJ nuts are right in that: no one has ever died from an MJ overdose. Alcohol is killing people as we speak. But to say it is harmless or, even more irresponsible, HEALTHFUL, is ridiculous. MJ can lead to panic disorders, loss of cognitive function, and degradation in cognitive and emotional development of youth in their formative years.

It certainly has potential efficacy in treating many disorders such as epilepsy (see: CBD oil), cancer and other appetite disorders (cue: laughter). The problem and absolute insanity in this country is classifying it as a schedule I drug, which means we can't even STUDY its potential benefits. That seems suspiciously like big tobacco and alcohol lobbies cutting a competitor off at the knees. People need to learn that you can't legislate morality. Drugs aren't a "moral" issue just as gay marriage isn't. Morality is for behind your closed doors, not legislation.

Do I think it should be legal? Yes. Do I think it's healthy? No. Can we learn the benefits, or lack thereof, with its current classification? Unfortunately, no.

 

[exNavyOffRec]

1 would increase the number as the lethal dose of thc is 1000-4000 times higher than an effective dose.

not lethal just OD, and it was significant enough they had an ER doc talking on the radio about it a few months ago, that was after they had a director of a recovery center on talking about heroin problems and near the end he said "now lets talk about the problems I am seeing with MJ", just like alcohol MJ can cause issues with people, significant issues, we have problems with alcohol so why not just let anyone have unlimited access to MJ as well, while we are at it lets go ahead and let people inject heroin under medical supervision!

BTW my friend who was a trooper was rear ended by a pickup truck going 60 MPH because he had to stop his patrol vehicle on the freeway due to a guy who was high on MJ had decided to walk on the freeway in the dark, he had stopped his SUV and was about to get out when he was hit, thank god he just had minor injuries, but this is just one of many issues they are seeing not just with MJ but also with meth, heroin, and alcohol.

 

[RadicalDude]

I don't think anyone thinks the legalization (recreational) is for medical benefits. The bottom line is: in nature there is no free lunch. If you're getting altered, it will have (negative) effects. Should MJ be legal? Well, given the consensus on what is already legal (alcohol and tobacco), the answer is yes. The pro-MJ nuts are right in that: no one has ever died from an MJ overdose. Alcohol is killing people as we speak. But to say it is harmless or, even more irresponsible, HEALTHFUL, is ridiculous. MJ can lead to panic disorders, loss of cognitive function, and degradation in cognitive and emotional development of youth in their formative years.

It certainly has potential efficacy in treating many disorders such as epilepsy (see: CBD oil), cancer and other appetite disorders (cue: laughter). The problem and absolute insanity in this country is classifying it as a schedule I drug, which means we can't even STUDY its potential benefits. That seems suspiciously like big tobacco and alcohol lobbies cutting a competitor off at the knees. People need to learn that you can't legislate morality. Drugs aren't a "moral" issue just as gay marriage isn't. Morality is for behind your closed doors, not legislation.

Do I think it should be legal? Yes. Do I think it's healthy? No. Can we learn the benefits, or lack thereof, with its current classification? Unfortunately, no.

What do you mean it's not "healthy?" What an absurd subjectification... is alcohol healthy? My doctor recommends a few glasses a week. What about fat? You can't make hormones without it? How about sugar? Is that healthy?

Like anything else you put in your body, you have to make an informed decision. Anything can be abused and too much of most things can be harmful. A lifestyle is "healthy." Substances are not.

 

[BACONATOR]

What do you mean it's not "healthy?" What an absurd subjectification... is alcohol healthy? My doctor recommends a few glasses a week. What about fat? You can't make hormones without it? How about sugar? Is that healthy?

Like anything else you put in your body, you have to make an informed decision. Anything can be abused and too much of most things can be harmful. A lifestyle is "healthy." Substances are not.

I guess it depends on how you define "healthful" and the medium of use. If you smoke anything, including MJ, you're doing serious harm to your lungs. Even if you take it orally, it can have profoundly negative affects on mood, anxiety, panic etc. Again, not everyone, but many. The fact is: unless you have a specific need to use it (like those conditions I hinted at that still haven't full been studied properly due to the legalities), if you're taking a substance for recreation, the chances are it's not going to help you. And your alcohol example has gone both ways, back and forth, and still does. If people use MJ like I've seen alcohol used in the Navy, it's probably not a positive net result.

And as someone who's done the keto diet, I've got no problems with fat, including saturated fat. Eating food and using a substance are tempting to equate, but those are two different discussions. And even with food, you can find "experts" with MDs and PhDs who claim exact opposite things are healthful/harmful.

Not to open pandora's box, but diet is a whole other discussion that could take pages.

 

[Treetop Flyer]

I am in a state where it is legal and we have had a boom in heroin addicts, I am also friends with several in LE and they are seeing a significant increase in those driving under the influence of MJ, of course they are not being classified as DUI since the threshold for the blood test is such that by the time they do the blood draw after the court order it has been hours so the level is often below, so instead they are getting a driving under impairment or reckless driving charge, so the state can still say they haven't seen much of a spike in MJ DUI's.

I believe there are medical benefits, but also believe the legalization is not due to those wanting to help those with medical issues but those that just want to get high.

Then there should be a a test for impairment instead of an arbitrary blood test like with alcohol. Some people are impaired the moment they wake up. Some are impaired at .04, others somewhere past .08. Some people can smoke a bowl and drive just fine, others can't.

 

[RadicalDude]

I guess it depends on how you define "healthful" and the medium of use. If you smoke anything, including MJ, you're doing serious harm to your lungs. Even if you take it orally, it can have profoundly negative affects on mood, anxiety, panic etc. Again, not everyone, but many. The fact is: unless you have a specific need to use it (like those conditions I hinted at that still haven't full been studied properly due to the legalities), if you're taking a substance for recreation, the chances are it's not going to help you. And your alcohol example has gone both ways, back and forth, and still does. If people use MJ like I've seen alcohol used in the Navy, it's probably not a positive net result.

And as someone who's done the keto diet, I've got no problems with fat, including saturated fat. Eating food and using a substance are tempting to equate, but those are two different discussions. And even with food, you can find "experts" with MDs and PhDs who claim exact opposite things are healthful/harmful.

Not to open pandora's box, but diet is a whole other discussion that could take pages.

Which is all to say you don't know if it's "healthy" or not. Like anything else it has benefits and drawbacks.

 

[Hotdogs]

Which is all to say you don't know if it's "healthy" or not. Like anything else it has benefits and drawbacks.

If I'm paying for people's healthcare buddy you best be damn sure we're going to have a say in what's healthy or not. Welcome to the nanny state .

 

[RadicalDude]

If I'm paying for people's healthcare buddy you best be damn sure we're going to have a say in what's healthy or not. Welcome to the nanny state .

That's a reach, even for you.

 

[Hotdogs]

That's a reach, even for you.

That sad part is that even though I vehemently disagree with it, based on the shear amount of bacon and donuts I shove into body - I don't think we're too far off from that.

 

[RadicalDude]

That sad part is that even though I vehemently disagree with it, based on the shear amount of bacon and donuts I shove into body - I don't think we're too far off from that.

Good news is when you get selected for death panel duty, you can add bacon and donuts to the food pyramid!

Perks of the nanny state.

 

[exNavyOffRec]

Then there should be a a test for impairment instead of an arbitrary blood test like with alcohol. Some people are impaired the moment they wake up. Some are impaired at .04, others somewhere past .08. Some people can smoke a bowl and drive just fine, others can't.

and there is, that is why they are getting charged with other offenses like "reckless" or "driving while shows impairment of ......." they just don't get classified as DUI then.