cannabisnews.com: Agency Denies MJ Is Less Toxic Than Alcohol

cannabisnews.com: Agency Denies MJ Is Less Toxic Than Alcohol
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Agency Denies MJ Is Less Toxic Than Alcohol
Posted by CN Staff on August 20, 2013 at 04:54:06 PT
By Robin Wilkey
Source: Huffington Post
USA -- The National Institute on Drug Abuse released an eyebrow-raising statement to PolitiFact on Monday, denying that marijuana is less toxic than alcohol. "Claiming that marijuana is less toxic than alcohol cannot be substantiated since each possess their own unique set of risks and consequences for a given individual," wrote the institute. NIDA, part of the National Institutes of Health, funds government-backed scientific research and has a stated mission "to lead the nation in bringing the power of science to bear on drug abuse and addiction."
The statement was in response to a declaration by the pro-pot policy group Marijuana Policy Project that marijuana is less harmful than alcohol –- a claim that was the centerpiece of a controversial pro-marijuana commercial aired during a NASCAR race last month. PolitiFact took the claim to task, comparing marijuana-related deaths to alcohol-related deaths and toxicity levels of the two substances. As noted by PolitiFact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics reported 41,682 alcohol-related deaths in 2010. The center had no reports listing marijuana as a cause of death. PolitiFact also noted a study by Robert Gable, an emeritus professor of psychology at Claremont Graduate University, that measured the toxicity levels of substances ranging from heroin to marijuana. The study showed that "marijuana is about 100 times safer than alcohol or cocaine." PolitiFact noted that evidence surrounding the long-term effects of marijuana use is murky. Still, the fact-checker ruled the claim that marijuana is less toxic than alcohol "mostly true."Mason Tvert, director of communications at Marijuana Policy Project, said NIDA's claim is a new low for the agency."Our federal government has been exaggerating the harms of marijuana for decades, but at this point it has gone off the deep end," Tvert told The Huffington Post. "NIDA's statement that marijuana can be just as toxic as alcohol would be on par with the FDA announcing sushi is as fattening as fried chicken.""This is gross negligence on the agency's part and should be addressed immediately by the White House," Tvert continued. "It is one thing for our federal officials to convey their opposition to marijuana policy reform. It is an entirely different and more disturbing situation when they are conveying opposition to scientific evidence." Source: Huffington Post (NY)Author: Robin Wilkey Published: August 19, 2013Copyright: 2013 HuffingtonPost.com, LLC Contact: scoop huffingtonpost.comWebsite: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/URL: http://drugsense.org/url/j4A2txXGCannabisNews -- Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml
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Comment #30 posted by gloovins on August 25, 2013 at 13:54:23 PT
Simply put,...
The federal government is a dangerous joke when it comes to cannabis policy and laws.
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Comment #29 posted by runruff on August 23, 2013 at 09:06:18 PT
Hey congress!
NIDA has become yer elephant!
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Comment #28 posted by John Tyler on August 22, 2013 at 20:06:38 PT
NIDA
NIDA is rapidly becoming irrelevant. They have no credibility. Maybe the Tea Baggers in Congress should cut the NIDA budget and save us all some money.
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Comment #27 posted by FoM on August 22, 2013 at 18:57:42 PT
Prison Industrial Complex and Drug Testing
I am beginning to believe that they would lose too much money if prisons weren't full. Also the drug testing industry would fall apart without marijuana. They are big industries.
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Comment #26 posted by Hope on August 22, 2013 at 17:45:59 PT
Which... of course...
is what cannabis prohibition does. The prohibitionists, the government... poke us all in the eyes and say they're "helping" us.
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Comment #25 posted by Hope on August 22, 2013 at 17:26:54 PT
I just hate it
when someone pokes someone in the eye, and then has the audacity to say that they're "helping".
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Comment #24 posted by museman on August 21, 2013 at 12:43:19 PT
runruff #22
"When will America start demanding jail time for these criminals and give restitution to those who their lies and deceit have harmed?"maybe some jail time for the scapegoats that will be provided for the head hunters, by the shadow government, but if they had to 'give restitution' there wouldn't be any rich people any more, that would constitute a complete re-distribution of wealth. They haven't allowed that since Knights Templar, and then Hitler. -and they weren't too happy about that guy (who could blame 'em?)But I'd eat a nice big expensive lunch right in front of 'em outside their cell and enjoy every minute of it.LEGALIZE FREEDOM
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Comment #23 posted by Hope on August 21, 2013 at 09:47:06 PT
If it weren't for prohibitionist madness
and their desire to protect each other's jobs... it would be so clear to everyone where out of control government needs to be trimmed and cut back.We pay people to lie to us and deceive us? Apparently so. Disgusting... and even more disgusting that the prohibitionists that apparently run our country's government just sit back and accept it... and we're supposed to like it? That's insane. We allow this? It's so wrong?They are outright lying to us. They are hurting citizens and their futures. They take a cut of our income before we even get our hands on it. They take our money and hand it over to lying, cheating, dangerous prohibitionists to turn around, and track and harm and abuse us, our neighbors, and children, using our own money. They cheat us and lie to us and expect us to act like we like it. They're picking our pockets with one hand and slapping us in the face with the other. Our government grows more dangerous by the day and no one, with the power to do anything about is, is standing up and saying, "Fire the low lives". They just let it grow. Watching it spread across the face of freedom like a damned fungus.The government has grown into a large, sprawling, overreaching, invasive, wallowing income and life gobbling monster. Trim it back. It's so easy to see where to start, for anyone that's not purposely blind to the truth.

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Comment #22 posted by runruff on August 21, 2013 at 07:18:44 PT
You know what IS toxic?
When a governMENTAL agency entrusted with the duties of advising a nation on matters of health sells out to the highest bidder.When an agency is either too ignorant or too dishonest to do the right thing, this is the very definition of toxicity. Such an agency creates and causes profound damage to life, liberty and property. Then, by lying to cover up their culpability and save their decrepit jobs, they compound their damage. When will America start demanding jail time for these criminals and give restitution to those who their lies and deceit have harmed?
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Comment #21 posted by The GCW on August 20, 2013 at 19:09:47 PT
EVEN THE TITLE IS RIGHT ON
EDITORIAL: "Losing patience with Eric Holder""Congressman Jared Polis said last week he'd be "happy" to see Attorney General Eric Holder resign, and repeated that sentiment Tuesday with The Denver Post's editorial board.And while we haven't called for Holder's resignation, we've certainly shared at times Polis' frustration with the Justice Department.From the incompetence in supervising the Fast and Furious federal gun investigation to the outrageous spying on reporters' phone records, the department has been involved in what seem to be an unusual list of scandals.Polis highlighted another failure by Holder that is of particular importance to Colorado and Washington: his refusal to articulate a federal policy toward the legalization of recreational pot."Cont.http://www.denverpost.com/editorials/ci_23902143/losing-patience-eric-holder
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Comment #20 posted by MikeEEEEE on August 20, 2013 at 18:43:08 PT
Simple
Drink too much and you earn a trip to the ER, hopefully you will survive, that's after perhaps causing damage to property, etc. Ask any child of an alcoholic parent about their experiences with abuse.
I asked a doctor years ago about alcohol, he said alcohol is toxic to the body, and most prescription drugs do not interact.The more we learn, the more our BS detectors react to non-sense.
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Comment #19 posted by Had Enough on August 20, 2013 at 18:18:31 PT
November 2014…Florida…
Canis…Homegrown…It had to be taken out…I think Florida law requires that only one issue at a time can be taken up on a petition for a constitutional amendment…adding home growing would have had the whole ball of wax thrown out…Calvina would have loved it…Morgan is sharper than her…Next time around the growing issue will be taken care of…hopefully…those clowns in Tallahassee will take care of it without waiting for another referendum..And our efforts with the old petition did not go in vain…it gathered a lot of attention that got the ball rolling for what is happening now…See you in the trenches Canis…Thanks FoM…What a long strange trip it’s been…and I’ve Had Enough… :)
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Comment #18 posted by The GCW on August 20, 2013 at 18:13:34 PT
NIDA is SILLY
Think of how many people read this NIDA statement and shake their head, AGAIN.The reaction may be helpful to the cause. When people on the fence read statements like this, it may cause people to right then and there, abandon cannabis prohibition. Thinking people know bunk.Thanks NIDA.
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Comment #17 posted by Canis420 on August 20, 2013 at 17:20:16 PT:
Had Enough
I got 20 (all I had) petitions signed and spread the word at our local disk golf course the other day. Everyone was supportive. I need to go back there with more petitions when they are having a tournament. I am not happy that all the previous petitions were discarded as I put a lot of work into that effort. Morgan took home growing out of the re-write which I am also not happy with, but it is a start I spose. We need to get this done
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Comment #16 posted by mexweed on August 20, 2013 at 17:13:58 PT:
Thanks for the 41,682!
No, not for the 2010 deaths, but for the # itself, the number-- we note that is a hard number, 41,682 REPORTED deaths, whereas the 400,000 deaths from "tobacco" i.e. mostly H-ot B-urning O-verdose M-onoxide $igarettes are an "estimate", but the priority to draw from the over 9-1 disparity is: Concentrate on ELIMINATING the $igarette format firstmost, and also do some informing about alcohol and pHARMa on the side. A "wide-mouth" one-hitter-- 5/16" or 8-mm-diameter screened crater-- is just the right width to accept a tiny chunk hastily torn (to prove your "crackdown on overdose" point) from an average $igarette, illustratively substituting a 25-50-mg single toke for lighting up the entire 700-mg net weight contraption. (But if you have time to load properly, a quarter-inch, 6 mm or 5.5 mm diameter utensil is generally best for 25-mg servings of sifted herb (any species) or loose shreds of $igarette tobacco. The pending legalization of cannabis and end of cannabis arrest terror means no further reason for any tobacco-user to fear getting "caught" in possession of a one-hitter or pen vape and accused of punishable cannabis involvement, therefore these are now available for unhindered use with $igarette tobacco or any kind of tobacco in place of "legal" or "easier to hide" but unhealthy quick-overdose $igarette.If the leadership of cannabis users and cannabis activists now results in 800,000 young Americans a year NOT getting recruited into lifelong nicotine addiction-- with 40% chance of premature death, $193-Bil. cost yearly to US economy etc.-- then one of our cannabis advocacy bigwigs like Dave Borden at drcnet will win a Knowitwell Prize, and cannabis-savvy applicants will get leadership jobs in the world's most ambitious government rieferforestation program, as follows:B U S H W A T E RLiterally use bushes to retain water: in order to slow run-off from storms in dry uplands, we fill gullies, ravines, creekbeds with a big mound of first dust, then chips, then bundled brush (dry burnable litter, weedstalks, etc. harvested from drought-stricken uplands to prevent billion dollar fires), seed that biomass with CANNABIS, after a couple of years of vibrant CANNABIS crops, seed with fast-growing invasive water trees such as-- depending on climate-- ailanthus, eucalyptus, cottonwood, willow.
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Comment #15 posted by Swazi-X on August 20, 2013 at 16:21:57 PT
NIDA Liars.
This statement by the NIDA is a lie, pure and simple. They know better, and if they don't they have no business working there. Whomever drafted this statement for the NIDA should be fired immediately, and a retraction to this lie published. Of course this won't happen because the NIDA is a shill for Big Pharma and the other owners of our government - intent on preserving the obscene medical/industrial ripoff that is our current "health" care system. It's a profit-care system for Big Pharma actually.Next they'll tell us they can't cure cancer and diabetes because it will hurt the economy. This would not be a lie. Immoral, inhumane, obscene, but clearly not a lie.
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Comment #14 posted by FoM on August 20, 2013 at 15:46:45 PT
Had Enough
It's great to have you back in the loop. Things are changing fast now.
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Comment #13 posted by Had Enough on August 20, 2013 at 15:01:11 PT
Florida: November 2014…
A well-healed and very connected Lawyer took over and worked with PUFMM. All previously collected petitions are not valid anymore…but…this Lawyer put in a bunch of coin of his own to amp up the effort…they will hire paid petition gathers…this will cause others to coin up too…Ballot measure for 2014 looks good…We’re going to get it on the ballot this time…Calvina Fay & Co… are already rallying and trying to gather resourses to get it shot down. They can try…but this law firm is pretty slick…that is why he revamped the petition…to help make it drug warrior proof…but they will still try…kicking and screeching all the way…
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Comment #12 posted by Had Enough on August 20, 2013 at 14:44:07 PT
Thank you FoM
I’ve been out of the loop for a while…time to get back to the program…
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Comment #11 posted by schmeff on August 20, 2013 at 12:23:43 PT
Pure propaganda: but truth seeps out
"The center had no reports listing marijuana as a cause of death."In this obamanation, it's no surprise that a government agency will spin, lie and mislead. What can you expect, when telling the truth is an act of terrorism?Big Bro' IS watching, listening, tracking, probing, scoping, detaining, questioning, monitoring, swabbing, scanning, inspecting, sniffingYOU. War is peace. Dumb is smart. Cannabis is poison.See a trend?
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Comment #10 posted by FoM on August 20, 2013 at 11:51:40 PT
Had Enough
That's great. I wish you the best of luck down.
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Comment #9 posted by ekim on August 20, 2013 at 11:35:05 PT
PolitiFact please get ahold of U.Mississippi
after giving it out for over 25 years they will
be able to show you some medical results or read here.http://www.mapinc.org/norml/v07/n1165/a03.htm?134
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Comment #8 posted by Sam Adams on August 20, 2013 at 10:27:20 PT
fading Empire
Have to think of Orwell again when reading about this decree by the NIDA. His book was the first place I was exposed to this type of oppression and warned about it. "Dumb is smart", etc, we laughed about it in 10nth grade but here we are.The big picture becomes clearer. You can see the hand of the aristocratic families from the past behind these federal bureaucracies.
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Comment #7 posted by Had Enough on August 20, 2013 at 10:11:59 PT
Meanwhile…way down South…100,000 sigs in one month
Florida Medical Marijuana Proposal To Be Reviewed By Supreme Court Thursday, organizers celebrated a big win for decriminalizing medical marijuana in Florida.
United For Care announced they had obtained over 100,000 signatures in one month, which is more than enough to initiate the first step in getting the initiative on the 2014 ballot: a Supreme Court review of the proposal language.More… http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/16/florida-medical-marijuana_n_3769245.html************United For Care (PUFMM)http://www.unitedforcare.org/
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Comment #6 posted by Had Enough on August 20, 2013 at 10:00:40 PT
NIDA
“”The National Institute on Drug Abuse released an eyebrow-raising statement to PolitiFact on Monday, denying that marijuana is less toxic than alcohol.””No need to read any further than that…sooner or later these people will be a footnote in history…but for now they have their jackboots on Life, Liberty, and pursuit of happiness…a very dangerous bunch…not exactly very American Freedom loving people...
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Comment #5 posted by HempWorld on August 20, 2013 at 10:00:06 PT
NIDA is toxic and abusive of science!
41,682 Reasons/facts (the dead) that alcohol is more dangerous then cannabis/marijuana, as the latter has 0 deaths.
Cannabinoids Cure Cancers!
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Comment #4 posted by museman on August 20, 2013 at 09:30:26 PT
and here it is
The reason why equating cannabis with alcohol in any fashion, comparing its effects, 'toxicity,' and even social habits, is a gateway to compromise that allows such statements to be made.Prohibitionists are embedded in the highest levels of government -because their intent and agenda goes so far beyond just this one corruption of law and liberty. Their corruption is also spelled out in the way they bailed out the bankers, wrote special provisions to make the Monsanto corp immune from prosecution or lawsuit for their unethical practice of patenting seeds and forcing GMO products down every farmers throats, thusly ours. It is spelled out in the way that they justify wrong thinking, wrong action, and wrong values that result in wars, destruction of our ecosystem, and in general a fracked up life for anyone who doesn't bow down and serve it.Like runruff said, toxic organizations. From the bottom to the top.LEGALIZE FREEDOM
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Comment #3 posted by FoM on August 20, 2013 at 09:30:02 PT
Pro-Pot: Says Marijuana is Less Toxic Than Alcohol
PolitiFact: http://www.politifact.com/florida/statements/2013/aug/19/marijuana-policy-project/pro-pot-group-claims-marijuana-less-toxic-alcohol/
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Comment #2 posted by runruff on August 20, 2013 at 07:09:31 PT
Toxic is this;
Anyone at one sitting can drink enough hooch to kill them. One quart or less in one half hour will usually be enough to shut down several organs and body functions and kill.Cannabis on the other hand, we can not eat, drink, or smoke enough cannabis [a truck load]in one, two, or three sittings to even make us sick. The most that can happen is drowsy and sleep. Afterward we will feel fine. A cup of Starbucks Espresso Dark will snap you right up and you will not be dead!Don't fear the reefer! [I need more cowbell]!!!
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Comment #1 posted by runruff on August 20, 2013 at 06:40:33 PT
NIDA is a toxic orginization.
There are generally three types of toxic entities; chemical, biological, and physical:
Chemical toxicants include inorganic substances such as lead, mercury, asbestos, hydrofluoric acid, and chlorine gas, and organic compounds such as methyl alcohol, most medications, and poisons from living things.
Biological toxicants include bacteria and viruses that can induce disease in living organisms. Biological toxicity can be difficult to measure because the "threshold dose" may be a single organism. Theoretically one virus, bacterium or worm can reproduce to cause a serious infection. However, in a host with an intact immune system the inherent toxicity of the organism is balanced by the host's ability to fight back; the effective toxicity is then a combination of both parts of the relationship. A similar situation is also present with other types of toxic agents.
Physical toxicants are substances that, due to their physical nature, interfere with biological processes. Examples include coal dust and asbestos fibers, both of which can ultimately be fatal if inhaled.
Measuring toxicityThe types of toxicities where substances may cause lethality to the entire body, lethality to specific organs, major/minor damage, or cause cancer. These are globally accepted definitions of what toxicity is.[5] Anything falling outside of the definition cannot be classified as that type of toxicant.
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