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Quiet Professional
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: State of Confusion
Posts: 5,747
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rant mode: activated
I'm confused here but since we are starting to jump the shark on the original thread topic, I'll continue with the highjack - but I will attempt to pull it BACK onto topic...
Documents aren't classified because they are a routine part of a Soldiers personal military records file - they are classified because they have been labeled as classified documents. Even something as simple as a counseling statement stops being "just a counseling statement" when it has an official classification stamped at the top and bottom of the document. Those documents contain classified information related to national security and generally stay that way for at least 25 years in most cases until they are either automatically declassified, or subject to additional laws.
Digital and electronic media are subject to all of the same handling and archival requirements as an ink and paper document and all final dispositions must still be adhered to. Many of the individual records contained within a Soldier's "record" file might be classified, but the DD214s which are generally considered "your record" once a service member retires, are not classified.
A laundry list of documents are nothing more than individually classified documents - they are not "the record" - I'm not sure how advertising the presence of classified documents within a service member's digital file is related to the politics of marijuana legality. If it is meant to metaphorically illustrate that things on the internet are not always as it seems, or to show that the semantics of what constitutes "classified records" are equally as fluid as published studies that show the positive or negative effects of a plant and its associated leaves, flowers, stems, and seeds when ingested into the human body via inhalation of the ignited fumes.
The politics of gun control, immigration, taxes, morality, foreign affairs, and in the case of the original topic of this thread - marijuana use - are all rooted in semantics and point of view:
-The same folks that want to legalize drugs for recreation use are the same ones that demonize cigarettes (even though most people have employed the recreational use of a wide range of tobacco products for thousands of years).
-The same folks that pander to vegetarians because killing animals is bad seem to look the other way when an activist studs a tree to impede the logging industry or spikes a hunting dogs food with ground glass.
-The same folks that think abortion is murder think the death penalty is justice
-The same folks that think cops cant be trusted are the same ones that think only cops should have guns
Politics is argumentative by nature and relies on opinion, semantics, and point of view- but facts are still facts - the sky is blue; water is wet; inhaling the ignited fumes of a burning plant and its associated leaves, flowers, stems, and seeds irritates the lungs, increases heart rate, and impairs child development during pregnancy....
...and it doesn't matter WHAT plant we are talking about, long term exposure to the smoke and associated chemicals produces negative health consequences - those are the facts.
So - back on topic: if marijuana is being used for truly medicinal purposes, there are two FDA approved medications that contain cannaboids: dronabinol and nabilone. These are both oral medications delivered in pill form.
The idea that grandma is getting an FDA approved prescription to smoke Snoop-Dog style fatties is pure fantasy - again, the only FDA approved cannaboids are in pill form.
Politics is based on a continuous cycle of arguments and conjecture, but facts are facts - there are no FDA approved studies that prove the medical efficacy of the inhaled ingestion of the leaves, flowers, stems, and seeds of the marijuana plant. Scientific studies HAVE produced factual results that show cannaboid chemicals appear to aid in the treatment of a limited range of symptoms associated with certain disease processes. However, when discussing the use of a big ole' fatty to fix grannies cataracts, according to the FDA, as of April 2017, the risks still outweigh the benefits.
A proponent of free-spirited marijuana use might argue that increased use of cannaboids is a better health risk than the continued use of 'dangerous' opioids and that is a fair argument but almost all other available studies are funded by special interest groups both for, AND against, the relaxed use of cannaboids. They are not FDA approved studies. Studies funded by an organization seeking a desired outcome can always ensure the results produce a desired outcome.
This entire debate is not because of the random inhaltion of the leaves, flowers, stems, and seeds of the marijuana plant on its own merit; it is the chemical, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) found in the marijuana plant that our friendly neighborhood, dope-smoking, hippy is chasing after. Without THC, marijuana would just be another type of tobacco that liberals want to ban from use
because of the children.
THC activates certain chemical receptors in the brain that are known to result in:
-altered senses: positive result if you are an abstract artist or writing lyrics for Pink Floyd; negative if you are driving a school bus with someone else's fucking kid sitting in the back
-altered sense of time: positive if you have nothing to do with your day, bad if someone is relying on you to complete a complex task on a set schedule
-changes in mood: good if you are an asshole and smoking some weed chills you the fuck out, not so good if it turns you into a real life version of Norville Rodgers.
-impaired body movement; difficulty with thinking and problem-solving; impaired memory; hallucinations; delusions; psychosis: a little (or a lot) of refer is good if you suffer from severe pain secondary to some unfortunate terminal illness ,and you aren't doing a lot of moving around to begin with. These same impairments are not so good if you are attempting to be a rational, productive member of society capable of clear thinking during "routine" work hours. In all fairness, these impairments are also not all that important if you are just a sponge living off of America's lucrative entitlement system; the friendly neighborhood, dope-smoking, hippy doesn't have the same degree of responsibility as a productive member of society, and besides: who am I to judge?
There is another angle to the medical aspect of the entire political discussion but it requires us to go back to that pesky thing known as "fact". The two primary cannaboids are THC and something called cannabidiol (CBD). THC increaeses appetite, reduces nausea, and relieves pain. Cancer patients using radiation therapy and immunocompromised HIV patients can certainly benefit from THC based cannaboids. Jesus, Mary, and Saint Joseph - lets get these people the treatment they need.
Poor arguments have been made that pregnant women can get relief from severe morning sickness by using THC based cannaboids; the problem is, there aren't too many doctors worth their weight in used condoms to recommend that mama take a few bong hits to knock the edge off of her morning sickness.
CBD can help reduce pain and inflammation, it helps control epileptic seizures, and is showing that it might even be helpful treating mental illness and addictions. It is avaialbe in a few other coutnries as nabiximol but doesnt yet have FDA approval for use in the United States. CBD does many of the same things as THC and is also being used to treat childhood epilepsy and loss of muscle control caused by multiple sclerosis. CBD and other purified cannaboid extracts are also showing that they may aid in the effectiveness of radiation therapy in some cancer patients but purified cannaboids like CBD don't get you "high"........
FUCK ME - CBD doesn't get you high?
What good is medical marijuana if it don't get you high? Well, now we are right back where we started - the political argument behind the "medical use" of the marijuana plant.
-Are you looking for a relatively safe, FDA approved cannaboid to treat a debilitation medical condition?
Talk to a doctor, there are FDA approved drugs that will do that very thing.
-Are you looking to ingest through inhalation, the leaves, flowers, stems, and seeds of the marijuana plant under the blanket of medical marijuana?
Talk to a politician, they will put laws in place to help you do that too.
...do you went medical treatment, or do you just want to get high? That is the real question here.
Of course, that's just my opinion, I could be wrong.
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Opinions stated in this post are solely those of the author, and in no way reflect the opinions or policies of The Department of Defense, The United States Army, The Royal Canadian Mounted Police, The Screen Actors Guild, The Boy Scouts, The Good, The Bad, or The Ugly. These opinions are provided purely as overly sarcastic social commentary and are not meant to be used for mission planning or navigation.
"Make sure your own mask is secure before assisting others"
-Airplane Safety Briefing
Last edited by Box; 01-23-2018 at 12:49.
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