Marijuana Destroys Your Incentive To Work

What the heck is wrong with this Rand Paul guy? How did he get to be such a flaming tool?

I think even marijuana is a bad thing to do. I think it takes away your incentive to work and show up and do the things you should be doing. I don’t think it’s a good idea. I don’t want to promote that.

Well how about some evidence? As you might have guessed I have some.

Drug Testing Lowers High Tech Productivity

Smoking Pot Does Not Make You stupid

And then we have this charming bit from a site called Choose Help.

Scientists may not be able to prove a casual link, but marijuana smokers know that while high, they just aren’t as motivated to accomplish in life.

Rand may have gotten his information from that site. And what are they selling? Addiction treatment. No bias there. Nope.

Well then. Does marijuana make you lazy?

Not if you are a responsible adult, it doesn’t. Ask the U.S. Army. They did a study and showed no effect. If this were true, why would many Eastern cultures, and Jamaicans, use marijuana to help them work harder? `Amotivational syndrome’ started as a media myth based on the racial stereotype of a lazy Mexican borracho. The prohibitionists claimed that marijuana made people worthless and sluggish. Since then, however, it has been scientifically researched, and a symptom resembling amotivational syndrome has actually been found. However, it only occurs in adolescent teenagers — adults are not affected.

When a person reaches adolescence, their willingness to work usually increases, but this does not happen for teenagers using marijuana regularly — even just on the weekends. The actual studies involved monkeys, not humans, and the results are not verified, but older studies which tried to show `amotivational syndrome’ usually only suceeded when they studied adolescents. Adults are not effected.

The symptoms are not permanent, and motivation returns to normal levels several months after marijuana smoking stops. However, a small number of people may be unusually sensitive to this effect. One of the monkeys in the experiment was severely amotivated and did not recover. Doctors will need to study this more before they know why.

Unmotivated teenagers? I don’t think they need to smoke pot to cause that.

And then we have the pot smoker who won 14 Olympic Gold Medals. Evidently pot didn’t destroy his incentive to work.

So why isn’t Rand who is supposedly an eye doctor talking about the medical uses of cannabis? A topic where he could instantly get 75% of Americans on his side?

He at least ought to know about cannabis as a treatment for glaucoma.

And why doesn’t he talk about “there are more endocannabinoid receptors in the body than any other receptor type.” Don’t they teach that in medical school? Well maybe not while he was attending. But then you have to ask yourself why he isn’t keeping up? Probably because he doesn’t want to be a doctor anymore. He prefers politics.

He could talk about cancer. Scientists Find Cannabis Compound Stops Metastasis In Aggressive Cancers.

I’m beginning to wonder if he wasn’t sent to discredit the whole legalization movement by acting tone deaf on the issue. He does favor an end to long jail sentences for marijuana use. But that is not a very radical position in an age where 56% of Americans favor legalization according to a May 2012 Rasmussen Report poll.

Update: 28 March 2013 0445z

I just found this article on Marijuana and IQ which says:

There are also other factors — such as child abuse or other trauma — that might lead people to seek escape in heavy marijuana use and could also affect brain function. Meier and her colleagues did not examine these factors but say it’s possible that such elements could explain the results better than marijuana itself.

Do you suppose the War On Drugs could be a War On Abused Children? In a “Christian” country no less.


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18 responses to “Marijuana Destroys Your Incentive To Work”

  1. Joey Avatar
    Joey

    You can support the legalization of marijuana without claiming that it’s harmless. No drug is really good, even the legal ones: alcohol, tobacco, and caffeine. I suppose a drug that saves your life is good, but that’s all.

  2. Simon Avatar

    Well Joey. I’m not going to educate you. Much. But marijuana according to DEA Judge Francis Young “is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known to man.”

    Endocannabinoids A Video

    There are more endocannabinoid receptors in the body than any other receptor type.

    The endocannabinoid system is a major regulator in the body implicated in almost all diseases including cancer.

    Medical Marijuana prohibition is a crime against humanity and a violation of the religious precept – heal the sick.

    Some time, if you are interested, do a casual perusal of “endocannabinoid NIH” on your favorite search engine. Even better go to the NIH site and search “endocannabinoid”. If you are a “conservative” you will not be amused.

    You might also want to look up Dr. Raphael Mechoulam, Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem

    I’m surprised that God, or your church, or whatever, didn’t explain cannabis to you. Or the function of endocannabinoids in the body.

    I’m working the Democrats – trying to make them take up the issue. Given the general scientific ignorance of conservatives and the specific ignorance on this question it ought to be easy to beat them with this issue.

    The biggest receptor system in the body and you are ignorant.

  3. Simon Avatar

    And caffeine no good? I drink two quarts a day. Double strength. A habit I acquired in the US Navy. I like it.

  4. Joey Avatar
    Joey

    Anybody can come up with junk science.

    You’re simply hyperbolic. You should tone it down a notch for your credibility.

    I like caffeine too. I’m having some right now, as a matter of fact. That doesn’t mean that it’s good for me.

  5. Simon Avatar

    You mean the thousands of cites at the National Institutes of Health are junk science? That is some news.

    If you write it up with links I guarantee I will post it here.

    And the endocannabinoid receptors are not the most numerous in the body? If you write that up with links I will also post that.

    Here is a link to NIH:

    http://www.nih.gov/

    Have at it.

    You can leave it in the comments of this article.

    No opinions now. Just reviewed science.

    BTW it might be good to start with how the endocannabinoid system works. You are familiar with that aren’t you?

    Harvard Medical Doctor (he is on the faculty) calls cannabis a miracle drug:

    http://www.boston.com/yourlife/health/diseases/articles/2007/03/01/marijuana_as_wonder_drug/

  6. Simon Avatar

    The Harvard Professor explains why we need legalization.

    Such legislation would bring much-needed relief to millions of Americans suffering from cancer, AIDS, multiple sclerosis, arthritis, and other debilitating illnesses.

    He should have said many other debilitating illnesses. But it was written in 2007. We didn’t know as much then.

    BTW Joey. About 75% of Americans favor med pot. The hold outs? Conservatives. If the Democrats run hard with this they will destroy the Republicans. An outcome I’m working towards.

    Medical Marijuana prohibition is a crime against humanity and a violation of the religious precept – heal the sick.

    I intend to stick you lot with crimes against humanity on this one and most especially the Catholic Church which opposes med pot.

    And I must say: thank you for assisting my efforts by remaining ignorant. Your help is invaluable.

  7. Joey Avatar
    Joey

    Simon, you’re too stupid to understand my point of view. I’m not for medical marijuana because that’s back door legalization. I’m for front door legalization. Just legalize it.

    That doesn’t mean that your silly “peer-reviewed science” isn’t politically driven.

  8. Joey Avatar
    Joey

    You’re one of those shreikeing hyperbolic nuts who wants to criminalize policy differences.

    Crimes against humanity are very serious and can land you in prison in various jurisdictions. If you really believe that anyone who opposes you is committing a crime against humanity, then have them all arrested. Send them to the Hague or have them tried in Spanish courts. Put your money where your mouth is. If you don’t want them all arrested, then it obviously isn’t a crime against humanity.

    “There ought to be a law against it” is your credo. You think there ought to be a law against disagreeing with Simon.

    How again does this blog “end the culture wars?” You’re a culture warrior on the left side of every issue.

  9. Simon Avatar

    OK. Joey,

    I get it. You don’t do science. And you don’t do politics.

    Let me explain politics – people don’t jump except in the direst of circumstances. So you move them from one way point to the next.

    My guess would be that I have been an anti-prohibitionist for longer than you have been alive. Certainly for longer than you have. I have watched things go from 10% favoring legalization to 50%.

    So far states that legalized have had a few years experience with med pot. You are correct that the day is coming where that step will be skipped. We are not there yet.

    I take it you have not perused the NIH link

    http://www.nih.gov/

    for “endocannabinoid” cites. Read some of the chemistry ones. If you can read chemistry you know that it is more difficult to make up than other things. It can be checked.

    But OK you don’t read chemistry. Try this:

    http://patients4medicalmarijuana.wordpress.com/2010/01/04/marijuana-cures-cancer-us-government-has-known-since-1974/

  10. Simon Avatar

    Here is some more chemistry for you. You may not understand it but I think it will show you that the NIH cites are not just a bunch of made up stuff.

    http://youtu.be/g79HokJTfPU

    You might also find this of interest:

    http://classicalvalues.com/2013/02/cbd-science-hplc-analysis/

    Here is another one I did on HPLC analysis:

    http://www.ecnmag.com/blogs/2013/02/finding-needle-solution

  11. Man Mountain Molehill Avatar
    Man Mountain Molehill

    Hey Joey
    There’s a 500 pound gorilla in all of this. They found a few people all messed up on pot? You can find a few people all messed up on ANYTHING. Some people are natural born F@#k ups. They will latch onto anything, or nothing. Pot, alcohol, collectables, the lord, any-damn-thing.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLtoZOO5B6Y

    It’s not the drug. It’s the human condition. Isolating some particular item for condemnation and legal sanction is just special pleading. Unless you want to illegalize everything. Want to do that? Let’s just strap the entire population into restraint frames and feed them via glucose drip. Presto! No more crime. No more anything, but you don’t care, do you?

  12. Simon Avatar

    If you really believe that anyone who opposes you is committing a crime against humanity, then have them all arrested.

    I wouldn’t arrest anyone for those crimes. That is what governments are for. And I am not agitating for government action. I would just make such people social pariahs. In other words I’m operating in the very way I suggest others operate. Setting an example.

    Just make Prohibitionists work the German excuses:

    “I was forced to join the Party”
    “I was too young to know better”
    “I secretly opposed the Nazis – it was too dangerous to do it openly”
    “I was duped”
    “I had a family to support”
    “It was the law”

    i.e. corrode their souls.

    Or make them work in endocannabinoid science as penance. Or cover.

    ====

    BTW your suggestion that I use government to get what I want is telling. It may be how you operate. It is not for me.

  13. […] Classical Values » Marijuana Destroys Your Incentive To Work I’m beginning to wonder if he wasn’t sent to discredit the whole legalization movement by acting tone deaf on the issue. He does favor an end to long jail sentences for marijuana use. But that is not a very radical position in an age where 56% of Americans favor legalization according to a May 2012 Rasmussen Report poll. […]

  14. Will Avatar
    Will

    “Does marijuana make you lazy”
    No, but if you are lazy it may accentuate it. It is easy to spot failure of self medication but it’s really tough to see when it is successful.

    Simon may be overly optimistic on the medical benefits of marijuana but he makes some good points.

    I’m absolutely convinced Rand Paul is right about one thing.
    “There are people in jail for 37, 50, 45 years for non-violent crimes. And that’s a huge mistake. Our prisons are full of non-violent criminals.” and I totally agree with this “But I also don’t want to put people in jail who make a mistake…(skip)…I don’t want to put them in jail and ruin their lives.”

  15. Simon Avatar

    Will,

    Overoptimistic? Go here:

    http://www.nih.gov/

    and enter – endocannabinoid – in the search box. If anything I’m restrained on the issue. That should give you pause given my level of enthusiasm.

  16. […] Will thinks I’m overly optimistic on the subject of medical […]

  17. Will Avatar
    Will

    Simon, I said “may be” and I’m finding it hard to fully trust anything a “.gov” puts out any more. Are the researchers making real progress or just working to prime the money pumps? They were happy enough to put out anti-marijuana hype back when that helped fuel the budget.

  18. Simon Avatar

    Will,

    I wouldn’t doubt there is budget pumping going on. However the pieces all fit together. The chemistry is coherent. And the research has been replicated in other countries. Plus it comports with anecdotal evidence.

    That makes the case pretty strong. Let me add – there are well past several thousands of cites. It may be as many as 10,000. And the numbers are climbing. Still.

    And don’t forget you have the medical side of government against the law enforcement side.