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Subversify The Culture of Legalizing Stupidity and Weakness
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The Culture of Legalizing Stupidity and Weakness
by Jennifer Lawson Zepeda
I hate potheads, I won't lie.
I've been involved with a few of them trying to be as liberal and accepting as I could be. It never worked. Their addiction always destroyed the relationships.
Most of you know me as a raving liberal leftist. But the one thing I'm VERY conservative about is substance abuse...of ANY kind! And potheads are simply drug addicts in denial, in my opinion!
I don't give a damn about their denial, forgetfulness, paranoia, or any of the other symptoms suffered as the result of prolonged daily substance abuse, any more than I do a meth head. Addiction is addiction!
But there is another reason I'm anti-marijuana, where so many politically correct types are pro legalizing the skunk smelling crap. My life was destroyed because of people's needs to medicate their brain and forget their problems.
A Little History Behind That
In 2006, I was forced to flee my home and everything I had in Mexico and come to the border due to the violence down there and the violence that was about to happen to my family. That day, we realized one friend and another man we had dealt with had been murdered by a local cartel lieutenant's enforcers. And the murderers of those men were coming to look for us that day; not realizing that we had already escaped after we realized the two people in question were dead. The primary drug that had financed these people's power was pot.
Legalizing Pot and Organized Crime
Now, some people believe that in legalizing pot we will remove the prohibition and the crime attached with prohibition. But one look at history shows that simply doesn't follow the model of what happened after prohibition was revoked!
In fact, organized crime became much more sophisticated once prohibition was over, with crime bosses moving their operations from booze to racketeering to gambling to unions and even into politics (which explains some of our current choices).
"Moreover, the size and density of urban networks allowed criminal forms of organization to become diversified and encouraged the growth of essential support services (such as those offered by corrupt politicians or police)."
The initial money that brought these people into operations was selling booze; but once people could buy booze legally, the masterminds of organized crime didn't go away...they simply changed their business models and became internationally dangerous.
"The relationships between criminal organizations and the political machines that held sway in many cities were stabilized during Prohibition, and the intricate connections between these sectors of the urban social fabric were maintained for decades to come."
The same will happen with the legalization of pot.
"After Prohibition ended in 1933, major criminal organizations diversified and became increasingly powerful in the process. Gambling, loan-sharking, and the growth industry of narcotics distribution became important sources of criminal revenue as repeal threatened the proceeds from the illegal sale of alcohol."
That doesn't remove the fact that booze initially began these people's murderous careers! And still, even today, booze is causing more deaths, more failed lives, more mayhem in people's destinies than many illegal substances.
Substance Abuse Treatment
We are filled with treatment centers for alcoholics. Teen aged alcoholism is at an all time high! Across America people are still destroying their lives with alcohol addiction.
Cigarettes as a Model of Intolerance
The same can be said with cigarettes, although society has adopted a less favorable attitude against smoking and statistics prove that the ratio of smokers has dropped due to the unacceptable views of smoking. People who were lifelong smokers are now living their lives smoke free because of society now looks down on smokers. We have made it as uncomfortable as we can to be a smoker; and this has had a strong effect on urging people to quit. I believe without public endorsement the same could happen with marijuana. But legalizing this crap will not send that message!
Ron Paul has come out with a political platform that includes legalizing marijuana, among his other silly ideas. He claims this is a Libertarian view and it is. The consensus among the Libertarian mindset is that by legalizing marijuana we will have less people arrested for it and less organized crime. Hogwash!
There will still be other illegal drugs and since marijuana is a gateway drug, users will still be treated for addictions with barbituates, oxycodine, meth, heroine and all of the other addictions people suffer from once they discover medicating their brains. And organized crime will still have their greedy hands in there, selling these products to people whose lives will spiral into a horror.
What is a Pothead Like?
Prolonged daily potheads are delusional and selfish, like any other drug addicts. They center their existence around feeling high rather than feeling proud. Get involved with one and you will experience a person who can and will lie to you and stare you directly in the face, if you don't approve of their substance. They will need a sudden hair cut and dash off, returning with glassy eyes. They will demonstrate an irrational personality where their existence is the only one that matters. If they want this or that, by God, they are entitled to it and piss on anything you might want. Simply, they can't see beyond their own needs. The pot does this to them. And when left smoking this crap they demonstrate bouts of anger over irrational things. A simple question sets them off. A simple statement. The older addicts are even more precarious to deal with because they present with a lifetime of failures...lost jobs from testin positive to drug use, an overall apathy towards anything responsible, a willingness to accept way less than average for themselves, and a deep self hate for not fixing the problem long ago.
Weed addiction symptoms
Besides the obvious symptoms of this drug, to the behaviors, people who want pot legalized never look at the toll it takes on the family when people don't amount to their potential.
Are there functional addicts? Of course! My father worked every day for years and drank himself into a stupor each night after work. He was functional, nobody could argue that. But was he a good father? In many ways, no. I grew up with a father irrationally screaming at me, a father more consumed with getting his buzz on, a man who paid his bills and bought his house; but who did very little to contribute to its upkeep and maintenance because he was too busy idling away in a chair pondering his drunken state. And this mirrors the behavior of most potheads.
These are the people who suddenly see themselves as deeply philosophical. They become artistic, creative, perfomers. What they do not do is pay much attention to details in their lives. They miss the precious moments when the toddler needs nurturing. They are too busy staring at the boob tube, enjoying the vacuity in their skulls and contemplating life to acknowledge reality.
Politically Correct
I know its fashionable to forgive the addiction these days and show compassion. But I'm sorry, I hate potheads! They are deceitful, disgusting and weak! They put their drug needs in front of the needs of others.to simply exist in third world countries. How can I respect people like that? How can I respect people who stink up my world with their nasty drug, making hallways of apartments and street corners smell like some nasty skunk just released his warning? How can I respect any person who doesn't value the sanctity of life in other countries; or lives in denial about how his drug is robbing people of safety? To me, it is not politically correct to approve of addicts. It is preposterous!
Classifying the Drug
"Marijuana is listed as a Schedule I drug by the DEA, meaning it's dangerous and has no medical use. Medical marijuana advocates, including the states that have petitioned the agency, say it should be listed under Schedule II, comparing it to other prescription painkillers that have a high potential for abuse."
Treatment for disorders
Look...it has uses, no one is denying that. Certainly, it is a valid drug in treating glaucoma, or relieving the nausea suffered by cancer patients in chemotherapy, and even relieving symptoms of degenerative nerve diseases. And for these types of disorders there is a valid discussion on using it as a medical treatment.
But that hasn't been what medical marijuana has been used for when applicants apply for a medical marijuana card in a high percentage of cases.
The medical marijuana approval process is a joke. Anyone with a symptom (of which many are coached by Marijuana Doctors) can get what is actually called a "recommendation letter." The patient takes the letter to a marijuana dispensary, which can be located anywhere from Venice Beach to a downtown back street, and procure a menu's worth of various marijuana products to numb their existence and motivation. But it doesn't work like an actual prescription, so how is it that advocates insist it is medicinal?
"For instance, it's not an actual prescription where a patient is directed to take 500 mg of a particular medication 3 times a day for a month, in fact, it isn't remotely close to an actual prescription model considering the fact that the "medication" in question isn't directed and the patient can use whatever they want whenever they want depending upon their own taste."
Dialogue and Rhetoric in Discussions
The cliched dialogue behind pot, minimizing its effects is sickening to me. It is filled with lies and attempts to drive the conversation away from the truth that a human body is ALWAYS better when not infected with substances.
It assumes that using comparison arguments such as, Alcohol has killed X amount more people than marijuana has... justifies drug abuse and addiction. It doesn't.
A person who doesn't use substances will almost ALWAYS be in better mental health, physical health, and emotional health than one who uses any substance. Certainly, they don't experience the same problems of irritability, sleeplessness, decreased appetite, anxiety, and drug craving that a pothead does.
So why aren't we striving for the best of people instead of mediocrity in society?
Reasons Marijuana is Promoted
Because in selling drugs and alcohol and keeping people stupid instead of motivated, the elite policy makers can get over and convince the masses to do what they want. And that means profits to the oligarchial policy makers...plain and simple! That includes funding drug wars south of the border through HUGE profits in arms sales.
How the Addiction Works
"The thing about marijuana is it is very subtle. You can use it daily, for extended periods of time and think nothing of it. Yet the person has become completely dependent and doesn't even realize it."
(Source: http://www.addict-help.com/marijuana.asp)
People prone to chemical dependency become addicted to marijuana. This doesn't mean everyone. It means a high number though as is evidenced by the limited bed space in treatment centers. The withdrawal symptoms which begin within 1 day following abstinence, peaks at 2-3 days. It takes around two weeks to get over these symptoms once the addict has stopped using.
Here are some facts on marijuana addiction.
"THC acts upon specific sites in the brain, called cannabis receptors, kicking off a series of cellular reactions that ultimately lead to the "high" that users experience when they smoke marijuana.
Not surprisingly, marijuana can cause distorted perceptions, impaired coordination, difficulty in thinking and problem solving, and problems with learning and memory.
Research has shown that marijuana's adverse impact on learning and memory can last for days or weeks after the acute effects of the drug wear off. As a result, someone who smokes marijuana every day may be functioning at a sub optimal intellectual level all of the time.
Beyond that, scientists have found that children who use marijuana may suffer from a lack of certain types of childhood development at the age they become addicted. This causes many of these kids to grow up and act in some ways at about the age they stopped mental and social development. For instance, a childhood tantrum stage may be expressed more often in these adults due to a lack of development than is seen in normal childhood development. And this explains the stunted behaviors of many offenders who act out the way teen aged children do. Marijuana can increase a person's chances of getting into situations where he or she might be at risk or where he or she might put others at risk; because of poor judgment and decision making.
"Chronic marijuana use, especially in a very young person, may also be a marker of risk for mental illnesses, including addiction, stemming from genetic or environmental vulnerabilities, such as early exposure to stress or violence."
(Source: http://www.addict-help.com/marijuana.asp)
Regardless of what marijuana does or may do, any responsible parent would not expose their children to marijuana use. To do so is to invite a wirlwind of future problems. A
Here are some facts that demonstrate why:
Fact: More than 40 percent of teens try marijuana before they graduate from high school.
Fact: Among youth receiving substance abuse treatment, marijuana accounts for the largest percentage of admissions:
63 percent among those 12--14, and 69 percent among those 15--17.
(Source: PARENTS Marijuana brochure)
Among the last areas to develop are those that govern impulse control and planning. So what might that mean for teens? On one hand, they may be more adventurous than adults, willing to take chanceson the other, this could involve risky behaviors, including drug use.
The trick is to find ways to encourage your kids to be the unique individuals they are, without exposing themselves to the dangers of experimenting with drugs -- including marijuana.
-- Nora D. Volkow, NIDA Director
In this New Year, lets clean up our lives and remove substances. Let's help those around us do the same. It is time to change our thinking. Legalizing a substance that causes so much harm isn't good policy. It's flirting with disaster in later years.
As far as medical marijuana goes, I believe this:
"it's not an actual prescription where a patient is directed to take 500 mg of a particular medication 3 times a day for a month, in fact, it isn't remotely close to an actual prescription model considering the fact that the "medication" in question isn't directed and the patient can use whatever they want whenever they want depending upon their own taste. Therefore, using the word "prescription" is not only inaccurate, but is also downright misleading." (Source: http://www.addict-help.com/marijuana.asp)
"Medical Marijuana continues to make a mockery of just about everyone in the field of medicine." I would add that it also now makes a mockery of many political arenas as well. It's no wonder Americans act like they have an IQ of about 80 these days. We have dumbed them down with drugs to keep them enslaved by corporations.
OBLIGATORY REBUTTAL BY POT DEFENDER
"I generally do agree that pot can be mentally addictive. And much of what you say is true. Pot can certainly destroy a person's life. What I observe though, is that some people are capable of using recreational drugs on their own free time, and stopping their use whenever duty calls. Some are not. In order to live in a "free society" people must be given the choice to screw up their own lives or be forced to live a lifestyle as chosen by the state.
I don't totally discount your theory that government wants to control people through drugs...but I believe the only reason that pot is illegal is because the government knows it cannot make any money off of it, unlike alcohol, which is huge profit for them. I also think most prescription drugs, which make even more money than alcohol, are much deadlier than pot and yet allowed because of their profitability. (The prescription drug industry is extremely corrupt) At this point, the government makes more money off of busting stupid pot heads (and taking their property) than legalizing it.
I don't believe pot is any more addictive than alcohol and studies suggest that alcohol is more damaging to the body, when abused. In fact, since most of pot research was done in the mid 20th century and down into the Nixon administration, I think much of that research has been tainted.
For this reason, I say that I cannot in good conscience demonize pot while allowing alcohol and prescription drug abuse to run rampant in Western society.
I do think it's sad that people throw their lives away on pot, liquor, cigarettes and prescription drugs (which doctors way over-prescribe). We can't expect to have a perfect society...there are always going to be stupid people abusing their bodies and making life miserable for the rest of us. (i.e. second hand smoke, drunk driving, Prozac-fueled psychopaths, etc.)
I just seriously doubt the US government cares about people...I think they just hate pot because it's a free and natural "high" that they can't profit from."
REPLY:
I disagree with the idea that marijuana wouldn't be a profitable drug for the government. It is making medical marijuana store owners very wealthy. So wealthy that one was about to be kidnapped in Tijuana when I left in 2006...when our two friends were murdered. Not sure if they did it, because I fled.
The rest of what you say goes back to comparing apples with oranges; and I'm not doing that. Pills, booze, pot...all not necessary for the human body unless there is a disorder like glaucoma. THAT is where I'll make a concession. What I'm saying is that the apples are rotten and we shouldn't eat them. The oranges most likely are as well.
Until we clear our heads and approach this country seriously, I'm afraid the elite 1% will continue to pull the noose more tightly around our necks. I don't see this happening when we have kids buying "kush" at medical marijuana stores instead of picking up "stress" on the streets and doing this frequently enough to develop an addiction that leads them to an unmotivated and unrealized future. I've seen these kids overnighting it in winter shelters because they are more into partying than going after what they deserve. I don't see us removing bad policies when parents of these kids are potheads themselves and failing to mentor their offspring in a way that offers them sobriety. I saw too many 50 year old fuck ups in shelters who had gone down that road and now were praying the government would give them Section 8 Housing and a pitiful $800 a month salary to get by. I've seen the haggardly mothers too, more concerned with getting high than raising their kids. None of these people had anything wrong with them that would require medicating. They weren't bad people. They had simply given up on life as the result of their addiction. It's under achievement to the gazzilionth degree. That's what corporations want.
I'm smelling someone's stinky pot smoking as I write this. Why should I have to endure that? It comes into my apartment all of the time. Can't WAIT to move!
Jennifer Lawson Zepeda focuses her abstract art and writing around cross-border relations, and sociopolitical stories of Hispanics. Her art, books, articles, essays and poetry are a reflection, mirroring societal attitudes dealing with Hispanic issues.
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analysis of article text
propaganda analysis
| concept | evidence | hits | links |
|---|
| | drug of abuse implied / mentioned
drug related
[news] [concept] | prohibition drug reform party legalization prohibition agency illegal drugs | | |
 | propaganda
drugwar propaganda
[news] [concept] | propaganda theme1 propaganda theme2 propaganda theme3 propaganda theme5 propaganda theme6 propaganda theme7 propaganda theme8 propaganda theme4 | | •Classic Modern Drug Propaganda
•Themes in Chemical Prohibition
•Drug War Propaganda (book)
|
 | hated group
propaganda theme1
[news] [concept] | "users" "potheads" "Pothead" "pot heads" "drug addicts" "addict" "addicts" "pot smoking" "cartel" "Organized Crime" | 26 | •Hated Groups (propaganda theme 1)
•drugwarfacts.org/druguse.htm
•drugwarfacts.org/racepris.htm
•narcoterror.org/
•Labeling theory
|
| | addiction 60%
[news] [concept] | "addiction" "addictions" "addicted" "addicts" "dependent" "dependency" | 23 | •Ceremonial Chemistry: The Ritual Persecution of Drugs, Addicts, and Pushers (Thomas Szasz)
|
 | madness, violence, illness
propaganda theme2
[news] [concept] | "violence" "kidnapped" "murdered" "murderers" "murderous" "Crime" "criminal" "harm" "dangerous" "threatened" "deaths" "anxiety" "sleeplessness" "distorted perceptions" "impaired coordination" "difficulty in thinking" "problems with learning" "damaging" "destroyed" "destroying" "destroy" "dangers" "impaired" "cancer" "problems" "problem" "addictive" "mental illnesses" "paranoia" "delusional" "perceptions" "diseases" addiction | 53 | •Madness Crime Violence Illness (propaganda theme 2)
•drugwarfacts.org/crime.htm
•drugwarfacts.org/causes.htm
•Distortion 18: Cannabis and Mental Illness
|
 | survival of society
propaganda theme3 75%
[news] [concept] | "society" "America" "Americans" "this country" | 15 | •Survival of Society (propaganda theme 3)
|
| | use is abuse
use is abuse
[news] [concept] | "substance abuse" "drug abuse" "drug use" "in denial" "marijuana use" "use marijuana" "abuse" "abused" | 21 | •Use is Abuse (propaganda theme 4)
•drugwarfacts.org/addictiv.htm
|
| | gateway
gateway
[news] [concept] | "gateway drug" "gateway" | 2 | •Use is Abuse, Gateway (propaganda theme 4)
•drugwarfacts.org/gatewayt.htm
•Distortion 7: Gateway
|
 | gateway, use is abuse
propaganda theme4
[news] [concept] | use is abuse gateway | | •Use is Abuse, Gateway (propaganda theme 4)
|
 | children
propaganda theme5 75%
[news] [concept] | "children" "kids" "Teen" "teens" "toddler" "youth" "message" | 16 | •Children Corrupted (propaganda theme 5)
•drugwarfacts.org/adolesce.htm
|
 | demonize, war, epidemic
propaganda theme6 90%
[news] [concept] | "drug wars" "demonize" "enslaved" | 3 | •Demonize, War (propaganda theme 6)
•Perpetual war
|
 | total prohibition
propaganda theme7
[news] [concept] | "Intolerance" "Legalizing" "legalization" "legalized" legalization | 13 | •Total Prohibition or Access (propaganda theme 7)
|
 | dissent attacked
propaganda theme8 90%
[news] [concept] | "anti-marijuana" "marijuana advocates" | 2 | •Dissent Attacked (propaganda theme 8)
|
| | moral imperative
[news] [concept] | "We can't" "unacceptable" | 2 | •Majestic plural
•Moral imperative
•Categorical imperative
|
| | drug of abuse
illegal drugs
[news] [concept] | cannabis narcotic various illegal drugs addiction stimulant | | |
| | drugs 95%
[news] [concept] | various drugs | | |
| | drug law 60%
[news] [concept] | "Schedule I" "Schedule II" | 2 | |
| | drug reform party 55%
[news] [concept] | "Libertarian" | 2 | |
| | compassion club
compassion club
[news] [concept] | "marijuana dispensary" "dispensary" | 2 | |
 | government drug warrior
prohibition agency 70%
[news] [concept] | "police" "DEA" "NIDA" | 3 | •Drug Enforcement Administration
•drugwarfacts.org/military.htm
•trac.syr.edu/tracdea/
•dare.procon.org
|
| | legalization
[news] [concept] | "legalizing marijuana" "Legalizing Pot" "legalization" "legalized" | 6 | •mapinc.org/decrim.htm
|
| | prohibition
[news] [concept] | "prohibition" "anti-marijuana" | 7 | •whyprohibition.ca
•An Address By Senator Pierre Claude Nolin
•ACLU Brief: Against Drug Prohibition
•The Secret Of World-wide Drug Prohibition (PDF)
•History of Alcohol Prohibition
•Milton Friedman: Prohibition and Drugs
•thedea.org/prohibition.html
•Prohibition
|
| | psychoactive chemical
chemicals
[news] [concept] | alcohol methamphetamine amphetamines ssri | | •erowid.org/chemicals/chemicals.s...
|
| | psychoactive plant
plants
[news] [concept] | cannabis tobacco | | •erowid.org/plants/plants.shtml
|
| | psychoactive pharmaceutical
pharms
[news] [concept] | fluoxetine | | •erowid.org/pharms/pharms.shtml
|
| | antidepressant
[news] [concept] | fluoxetine | | |
| | euphoric stimulant
[news] [concept] | methamphetamine | | |
| | intoxicant
[news] [concept] | cannabis | | |
| | depressant intoxicant
[news] [concept] | alcohol | | |
| | stimulant
[news] [concept] | amphetamines | | |
| | methamphetamine
[news] [concept] | "meth" "glassy" | 3 | •erowid.org/chemicals/meth/meth.s...
•rxlist.com/desoxyn-drug.htm
•mapinc.org/meth.htm
•drugwarfacts.org/methamph.htm
•Amphetamines: The Swedish experience
|
 | medical cannabis
[news] [concept] | "Medical marijuana" "patient takes the letter to a marijuana" "medical use. Medical marijuana" "marijuana.asp) "Medical" compassion club | 11 | •medicalmarijuanaprocon.org/
•drugwarfacts.org/medicalm.htm
•mapinc.org/mmj.htm
•mapinc.org/find?253
|
| | narcotic
[news] [concept] | "narcotics" | 1 | •Managing Pain
|
| | alcohol
[news] [concept] | "alcoholics" "liquor" "alcohol" "alcoholism" "drunken" "drunk" | 15 | •Stanton Peele Addiction Web Site
•drugwarfacts.org/alcohol.htm
•Pot Threatens Booze Profits
|
 | amphetamines
[news] [concept] | methamphetamine | | •The amphetamines - Consumers Union Report
|
| | SSRI
ssri
[news] [concept] | fluoxetine | | •erowid.org/chemicals/ssris/
|
 | cannabis
[news] [concept] | "marijuana" "cannabis" "pot" "pot smoking" "potheads" "Pothead" "pot heads" "THC" "Weed" "skunk" "kush" medical cannabis | 76 | •Cannabis: Religious and Spiritual Uses
•Cannabis-Driving Studies
•MAPInc.org Cannabis Link DB
•medicalmarijuanaprocon.org
•cannabisnews.com/
•cannabisculture.com
•Schaffer Library: Marijuana
•drugwarfacts.org/marijuan.htm
•mapinc.org/pot.htm
|
| | Tobacco
tobacco
[news] [concept] | "Cigarettes" | 3 | •erowid.org/plants/tobacco/
|
| | Fluoxetine
fluoxetine
[news] [concept] | "Prozac-fueled" | 1 | •erowid.org/pharms/fluoxetine/
|
| | various drugs 95%
[news] [concept] | "drug" "drugs" | 36 | |
| | various illegal drugs
[news] [concept] | "illegal drugs" "drug abuse" "gateway drug" "prescription drugs" "prescription drug abuse" | 7 | •mapinc.org
•drugwarfacts.org
•DEA's Drugs of Abuse booklet
•drugwarfacts.org/drugtest.htm
|
| | youth 75%
[news] [concept] | propaganda theme5 | | •ssdp.org/
•mapinc.org/youth.htm
|
| | school
[news] [concept] | "school" | 1 | •ssdp.org/
|
| re:1.09 st:0.02 fo:0 s:0.02 d:1.12 c:0.02 db:0.747 a:2.93 m:7.53 t:20.13 (f) |
text of article used for CRITICAL ANALYSIS, under FAIR USE provisions of the Copyright Act of 1976, 17 U.S.C. § 107, et al.
as .txt file
| 
(video)
EXP - explicit prohibition propaganda (explicit_propaganda)
GRP - hated group (propaganda_theme1)
MAD - madness, violence, illness (propaganda_theme2)
SOC - survival of society (propaganda_theme3)
USE - gateway, use is abuse (propaganda_theme4)
KID - children (propaganda_theme5)
WAR - demonize, war, epidemic (propaganda_theme6)
TOT - total prohibition (propaganda_theme7)
DIS - dissent attacked (propaganda_theme8)
