Right and left are equal opportunity abusers of science .. whenever science is in the way, bith sides discard it. A good example is this post from Lee Rosenberg, the marijuana fanatic at Horses Ass.:
by Lee, 05/29/2011, 9:28 PM
– This Thursday, June 2, multiple former world leaders, former U.S. Secretary of State George Shultz, former Secretary General of the United Nations Kofi Annan, and others will be holding a press conference to release a report and call for a change in global drug policies. The group will be advocating that we move away from criminalization and begin exploring ways to regulate markets for currently illegal drugs.
– That message is one that’s needed quite badly here in the U.S. where the Obama Administration is still failing in its promises to put science over ideology when it comes to the medical uses of marijuana.
– Locally, State Representative Roger Goodman is planning a press conference and rally to demand that the Obama Administration back off and let Washington regulate medical marijuana. The press conference will be at Green Hope Patient Network at 15021 Aurora Ave. N in Shoreline.
So, here is the science.
Any evidence that marijuana is harmful is on a par with concerns we might have over coffee, tobacco, beer, or .. perhaps ..even chocolate.
So Lee is right?
Lee would be right if he laid of the paeans about poor, abused medical marijuana patients who can not get their “medicine. ” Imagine the horror if Bayer started selling tree bark instead of aspirin!
The reality is that marijuana makes no sense as a drug. First, the content of active ingredients in the stuff sold in a marijuana dispensary is completely uncontrolled. Second, the active ingredient is available, by prescription, and has been for some time. Third, for most indications, other drugs are more effective. Finally, at least when smoked, the pant material gives “patients” a frightening dose of carcinogens.
So what does Lee and his community want?
Obviously they want their drug made legal for anyone to use. I agree with this, especially since regulatged marihuan would be a lot safer product than the stuff “patients” or other users buy now.
And science?
Lee’s willingness to throw science away is no different then the Senator Imhof’s willingness to throw evolution and global warming under the wheels of his passions. Science is not mysterious. Whether the issues are the myths of the religionists or the passions of the pot heads, our society needs to start basing decisions on reality.
I wonder, now that we do know so mmuch about the real world, do we need blasphemy laws to deal with Lee and his luddite companions of the right?
They’ll protect us by locking us up for their profit. Decriminilizing marijuana would free up prison space for real crimainals. Our for profit prisons are an assault on the american people.
I am all for rational approaches to marijuana. What is NOT rational is having legilators decide what is or is not medically effective.
As for legalization, the idea that legal pot will not be taken over by industry is unbelievable naive.