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Lothar121

Marijuana a Safer Alternative Than Alcohol
Scott Hagen | UNLV Rebel Yell | 11/17/2005

Denver, Colo. has proclaimed itself the nation's forerunner for dealing with domestic violence. Billboards previously pasted up in the city showed the image of an abused woman, promoting support of Initiative 100 to "Reduce family & community violence in Denver," and, earlier this month, voters successfully willed it into action. Marijuana possession for recreational purposes is now legal for the first time in an American city.

Mason Tvert, the leading proponent of the Alcohol Marijuana Equalization Initiative, was involved in the "Make Denver Safer" campaign. Of Initiative 100, he said: "If this passes, it will make the city of Denver safer by allowing adults over 21 to use marijuana as an alternative to alcohol." In January, Tvert also started an organization, SAFER (Safer Alternatives for Enjoyable Recreation), as a response to alcohol-related deaths at Colorado universities. He added, "There's no doubt that if people choose to use marijuana instead of alcohol we would not have the same number of problems."

As the research shows, alcohol is the obvious, evil cause of domestic violence and other cultural maladies. Warning labels, of course, have been in place on every alcoholic container for years. "Consumption of this beverage will significantly increase the probability of you spontaneously battering your loved-ones." Alcohol is the problem in this country. It makes innocent, harmless people freak out and inexplicably turn violent. What is all this hogwash about psychology and emotional problems? That's just a propaganda ploy of the capitalist distilleries. And consequently, Prozac, Paxil, and Ritalin are now readily prescribed to combat the poisoning effects of booze. Drugs are the answer, but we've yet to mainline enough of them into the bastard drunkards. We need more, for even Viagra is unable to combat the venom; after the distraction peters out, the user's characteristic anti-social aggressions are yet again revived. So, let the people smoke pot and it will all get better.

Tvert's organization says it best. The Web site states: "SAFER does not encourage the use of marijuana. […] It is time our laws stop encouraging the use of alcohol and allow adults to make the rational decision to make the safer choice to use marijuana." Isn't it all so clear? It's nice to know organizations have their heads on straight. End domestic violence: legalize marijuana. Denver: the mile-high city.

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TheNewGuy

This guy should get the sarcasm award of the year.

While I try not to use the "MJ is better than Alcohol, thats why it should be legalized" argument too often (I think there are many other, better reasons) I think the author is exaggerating the point just a tiny bit. We see billboards all the time that try and show how drugs are the obvious, evil cause of domestic abuse and other cultural maladies, but everyone knows that there are many more reasons people die and beat thier wives besides drug use. This is the same thing. All the publications put out by SAFER aren't really trying to convince people that alcohol is the root of all of our problems and violent crime, its just taking one symptom, and exaggerting it so people will actually look at it. This guy looked at this issue just a tad too literally.

__________________
"Anyway, no drug, not even alcohol, causes the fundamental ills of society. If we're looking for the source of our troubles, we shouldn't test people for drugs, we should test them for stupidity, ignorance, greed and love of power." ~P.J. O'Rourke

Tolerance4all

This is another easy rebuttal. Follow the link and put in your two cents.

psthbng

TNG, Sarcasm of the year award?? What article were you reading? You don't think alcohol causes many of our social ills? I'm the son of a drinker and you could set your watch by the times of his refills. He didn't beat my mother, but with three sons bigger then him, he probably thought better of it. Then, the subject of riding in a car with him driving, yehaa. Anyway, he's passed on so no body needs to worry. Peace-out

Buzzby

Here's a simple thought experiment.

Value "A" = how many times you've seen drunks fighting and being destructive.

Value "B" = how many times you've seen marijuana users fighting and being destructive.

Divide value "A" by value "B". This will give you a rough figure as to how much more alcohol correlates with with violent behavior than marijuana does.

The author's attempt at sarcasm falls flat. No intelligent person would go so far as to say that alcohol causes violent behavior. On the other hand, no intelligent person would deny that alcohol is often a causative factor in violent behavior, i.e. people who are not ordinarily violent become so when drunk. Most people don't become violent when they drink, but quite a few do. I don't know of anyone who becomes violent after smoking marijuana.

The only thing questionable about SAFER's reasoning is whether problem drinkers will switch to marijuana or merely add it to their drinking problem. If they do indeed switch to it, legalizing marijuana would almost certainly reduce domestic violence.

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Tolerance4all

11-19-2005 12:33 PM
psthbng TNG,

"Sarcasm of the year award?? What article were you reading? You don't think alcohol causes many of our social ills? I'm the son of a drinker and you could set your watch by the times of his refills. He didn't beat my mother, but with three sons bigger then him, he probably thought better of it. Then, the subject of riding in a car with him driving, yehaa. Anyway, he's passed on so no body needs to worry. Peace-out"



As the research shows, alcohol is the obvious, evil cause of domestic violence and other cultural maladies. Warning labels, of course, have been in place on every alcoholic container for years. "Consumption of this beverage will significantly increase the probability of you spontaneously battering your loved-ones." Alcohol is the problem in this country. It makes innocent, harmless people freak out and inexplicably turn violent. What is all this hogwash about psychology and emotional problems? That's just a propaganda ploy of the capitalist distilleries. And consequently, Prozac, Paxil, and Ritalin are now readily prescribed to combat the poisoning effects of booze. Drugs are the answer, but we've yet to mainline enough of them into the bastard drunkards. We need more, for even Viagra is unable to combat the venom; after the distraction peters out, the user's characteristic anti-social aggressions are yet again revived. So, let the people smoke pot and it will all get better.

Tvert's organization says it best. The Web site states: "SAFER does not encourage the use of marijuana. […] It is time our laws stop encouraging the use of alcohol and allow adults to make the rational decision to make the safer choice to use marijuana." Isn't it all so clear? It's nice to know organizations have their heads on straight. End domestic violence: legalize marijuana. Denver: the mile-high city.__________________

You can't find the sarcasm??

TheNewGuy

Yeah, but at the same time buzzby, its going overboard on our part to say that these ills could somehow be "cured" by moving onto another substance. I definitely agree that I hear about alcohol being involved with all sorts of crimes almost every day, but I still think that it isn't the argument we should really be focusing on. I think the impact on crime stemming from sale and production plus the economic benfit of legalization are much more effective than "hey, its better than alcohol". Domestic violence would definitely be reduced, but there are better arguments they could have used to win over voters. Either way we won this particular battle, so whatever works.

king cola

"Alcohol is the problem in this country. It makes innocent, harmless people freak out and inexplicably turn violent."

One good thing about alcohol, maybe not good for the person whos drunk, but when someone is drunk they often tell the truth

He talks of marijuana and alcohol but doesn't say anything about marijuana and cigarettes. Some arguements by politicians have been that marijuana causes cancer such and such more times than tobacco, cancer is cancer the way i see it. You can even argue that some people have smoked pot for 30 years and show no signs of cancer which is pretty funny seeing that they say your about 5 times at greater risk of coming down with it from using marijuana. I would say that anyone whos smoked pot for 30 years should be showing signs of it with the 5 times greater risk That's the peoples choice anyway, everyone knows the risks from smoking tobacco but we don't say to ban it! To say the same about marijuana possibly causing cancer and to keep it banned because of that is just a weak arguement. Tobacco is a plant but even cigarettes have other things that don't come from the plant that get added into it.

Reasons to legalize marijuana:

-Marijuana shows signs of medical value.
-Straight marijuana has never killed anyone.
-People don't become violent after smoking marijuana.
-Marijuana makes people relaxed.
-Marijuana isn't a man made substance.

escaping_pigs

Thought I would put my input. Alochol doesn't make people violent or make them hit other people. It is those people who do it just more supseptible to do it and give them a reason to blame their actions on. Responsable people that handle their liquor know this. Marijuana is a better alternative though I will agree.

Buzzby

Many people who are otherwise never overtly violent become so under the influence of alcohol. Most people have antisocial urges but keep them under conscious control and never act on them. Alcohol in sufficient quantities turns off those inhibitions and allows these people to act out in ways they never would when sober.

Marijuana is not as disinhibiting as alcohol and its disinhibiting qualities don't seem to lead to violence.