"Super Pot" or Scare Tactic? - The Orange Mane

Nick C. · 09-01-2004, 02:25 AM

Potent Pot Myth
What the government says about ¨super pot¨ is simply not true, real experts say

by Mitch Earleywine and Bruce Mirken - August 5, 2004

Recently, the media have repeated dire warnings about alleged "super pot." In an attempt to frighten parents who may have dabbled in their day, our government claims that new strains of potent marijuana are far more dangerous than the innocuous grass of the 1960s or '70s.
Many media reports repeat these claims uncritically. For example, a July 19 Reuters story warned, "Pot is no longer the gentle weed of the 1960s and may pose a greater threat than cocaine or even heroin."

Such claims are utter nonsense, and may create more harm than good.

First, high-potency marijuana has always existed. The average potency has increased slightly, but only because higher-potency marijuana has become a little more common. It is not a new phenomenon.

Second, there is precisely zero evidence that marijuana with a higher level of THC -- the component that produces the "high" -- is more dangerous. Indeed, a close look at the news accounts shows that claims of greater danger are based on speculation piled on top of conjecture.

To put this in perspective, the average potency of marijuana that has fueled this fire is 7 percent THC. This is the marijuana that White House Drug Czar John Walters warns is horribly dangerous because of its super strength. In contrast, Dutch government standards require medical marijuana sold in pharmacies in the Netherlands to be more than twice that strong. So a country where teens are actually less likely to use cocaine and heroin than in the U.S. wouldn't even use our marijuana to heal their sick. A recent report from the European Union noted that "a slight upward trend" in potency means little because the potency of U.S. marijuana "was very low by European standards."

Third, unlike the speculative claims of increased danger, peer-reviewed scientific data show that higher potency marijuana reduces health risks. Just as with alcohol, people who smoke marijuana generally consume until they reach the desired effect, then stop. So people who smoke more potent marijuana smoke less -- the same way most drinkers consume a smaller amount of vodka than they would of beer -- and incur less chance of smoking-related damage to their lungs.

Official warnings about "super pot" often accompany claims that huge numbers of teens are in treatment for marijuana "dependence and abuse," and that those numbers have risen dramatically. Such claims are utterly misleading. According to the U.S. government's own statistics, most teens in marijuana treatment are there because they were arrested, not because of actual evidence of abuse or dependence. Virtually all of the vaunted increase in marijuana treatment admissions stems from these arrests.

So, we arrest kids for smoking marijuana, force them into treatment and then use those treatment admissions as "proof" that marijuana is addictive. Somewhere, George Orwell is smiling.

This wave of marijuana treatment has nothing to do with actual dependence. According to the latest government report on drug treatment, called the Treatment Episode Data Set, more than a third of these marijuana "abusers" did not use marijuana at all in the month prior to admission. Another 16.1 percent used it three times or fewer.

So more than half of marijuana "abusers" used marijuana three times or fewer in the month prior to entering treatment -- and this, we are told, is proof that we must be fearful of highly addictive "super pot"!

There is a real story here, but it's not about the dire effects of potent marijuana. The real story is the misuse of science by government officials seeking to justify current policies and hold onto their jobs. The administration's misuse of science in this area is, if anything, more blatant than in fields that have generated far more controversy, such as reproductive health.

And with the administration now talking openly about shifting prevention and law enforcement resources toward marijuana and away from drugs like heroin and cocaine, which actually kill, this dishonesty is putting America's young people at risk.

Mitch Earleywine, Ph.D., is associate professor of psychology at the University of Southern California and author of Understanding Marijuana (Oxford University Press, 2002); Bruce Mirken is communications director for the Marijuana Policy Project, based in Washington, D.C.

http://hartfordadvocate.com/gbase/Ne...?oid=oid:76643

TheManeMan · 09-01-2004, 03:02 AM

Let me hit some of that "super pot"...

...Iron lung since I was young...

Orange4Life · 09-01-2004, 04:18 AM

I thought this was the football forum?

Mile High Shack · 09-01-2004, 06:14 AM

take this to the underground kid

ozomulsion · 09-01-2004, 05:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mile High Shack

take this to the underground kid

Give the newb a break and pass me some damn super pot.

Sodak · 09-01-2004, 05:00 PM

I think mixing football with pot is a bad idea. There's already enough problems now. Just look at Ricky Williams. He couldn't get enough pot, so he quit football to get more pot. Now he doesn't have any money for pot because the fish are taking it away... Now what good is football with pot anyway. When they gonna smoke it? During commercial breaks? In the huddle? When the defense is on the field? When the offense is on the field? "Quick!! Don't bogart that joint! They're gonna punt!" Maybe they could get a hit or two, at that rate, it might take a whole quarter to get high... Then nobody will care who won...

Denver Crush · 09-01-2004, 05:05 PM

Where can one aquire this super pot? I need to get some. It sounds good.

kappys · 09-01-2004, 05:17 PM

I;m not sure I believe that the weed is really twice as strong in the Netherlands though. NO doubt that it gets you high as a kite, but I would say that I've had weed just about as good here in the good ole USA.

Nick C. · 09-02-2004, 12:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kappys

I;m not sure I believe that the weed is really twice as strong in the Netherlands though. NO doubt that it gets you high as a kite, but I would say that I've had weed just about as good here in the good ole USA.

yep Denver is actully one of the best places in the world if you have the right hook up's

To me it is alot about prefrance of strain me I like AK-47/Afgani
but everyone Grows "Blueberry" and **** like that.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ozomulsion

Give the newb a break and pass me some damn super pot.

yeah sorry the "General Disscusion" part made me think this was the anything goes section I am sure a modorator could move it.

Forgive me I have been sober for about a Week(Damn UA's for Job's

)

DivineLegion · 09-01-2004, 05:34 PM

Super Pot...

If anything the quality is going down cause people are buying for quantity not quality...the only people buying for Quality are the ones who know what they are doing and thats about 1/8th the kids that smoke Weed.

Nick C. · 09-02-2004, 12:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DivineLegion

Super Pot...

If anything the quality is going down cause people are buying for quantity not quality...the only people buying for Quality are the ones who know what they are doing and thats about 1/8th the kids that smoke Weed.

did you say one 1/8th? how much man? lol

I think you might be wrong about all that man when I was in high school I would seek out the Quality **** not a big bag of dirt for $25. and kids these days are more sophisticated and hear about the Chronic in rap songs so want the bomb **** anyone over probably 17 looks for the good stuff.

watermock · 09-01-2004, 05:44 PM

First, before the Netherlands spouts it's mouth out, maybe we should look at it's heroin usage. Also, the pot brought in is often asian along with the opiates. Alot of pot smoked in the USA is still commercial Mexican and Columbian. I'm not an expert on pot, I lost my taste for it generally, all it does is make me incredibly paranoid, for good reason. The good old days, some idiot cop wouldn't even know how to smell it. Now, most are on a mission from God. There isn't a substance easier to detect or easier to smell. It's not worth the hassle with random workplace tests either. You could be coked up and drunk friday night, on monday, your clean, not so with Pot.

SuperPot has existed for a long time, but strains from Asia have been transplanted in South America and Canada now.

Probably the funniest thing is that on "That 70's Show" Red can always tell when they have taken some beer or driven the Corvette, but they all sit around in a circle and never get caught smoking pot in the basement in a fog.

ozomulsion · 09-01-2004, 06:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by watermock

First, before the Netherlands spouts it's mouth out, maybe we should look at it's heroin usage. Also, the pot brought in is often asian along with the opiates. Alot of pot smoked in the USA is still commercial Mexican and Columbian. I'm not an expert on pot, I lost my taste for it generally, all it does is make me incredibly paranoid, for good reason. The good old days, some idiot cop wouldn't even know how to smell it. Now, most are on a mission from God. There isn't a substance easier to detect or easier to smell. It's not worth the hassle with random workplace tests either. You could be coked up and drunk friday night, on monday, your clean, not so with Pot.

SuperPot has existed for a long time, but strains from Asia have been transplanted in South America and Canada now.

Probably the funniest thing is that on "That 70's Show" Red can always tell when they have taken some beer or driven the Corvette, but they all sit around in a circle and never get caught smoking pot in the basement in a fog.

The idea of superpot is that almost all pot including shwag has greatly gone up in potentcy which is false. Nobody said that some pot isn't more potent than others.

-Slap- · 09-01-2004, 06:31 PM

I know, we'll discourage people from smoking pot by talking about the kind of pot that everybody who smokes it is always trying to find.

DONKEYSHOW · 09-01-2004, 06:37 PM

Anyone else got the munchies?

alkemical · 09-01-2004, 06:47 PM

seattle had some good scores

Sodak · 09-01-2004, 09:32 PM

You can only get so baked... baked out of your gourd on sensemilla or kind is still the same as baked out of your gourd on "super pot".

09-01-2004, 02:25 AM	#1
Nick C. Ring of Famer Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 1,008	"Super Pot" or Scare Tactic? Potent Pot Myth What the government says about ¨super pot¨ is simply not true, real experts say by Mitch Earleywine and Bruce Mirken - August 5, 2004 Recently, the media have repeated dire warnings about alleged "super pot." In an attempt to frighten parents who may have dabbled in their day, our government claims that new strains of potent marijuana are far more dangerous than the innocuous grass of the 1960s or '70s. Many media reports repeat these claims uncritically. For example, a July 19 Reuters story warned, "Pot is no longer the gentle weed of the 1960s and may pose a greater threat than cocaine or even heroin." Such claims are utter nonsense, and may create more harm than good. First, high-potency marijuana has always existed. The average potency has increased slightly, but only because higher-potency marijuana has become a little more common. It is not a new phenomenon. Second, there is precisely zero evidence that marijuana with a higher level of THC -- the component that produces the "high" -- is more dangerous. Indeed, a close look at the news accounts shows that claims of greater danger are based on speculation piled on top of conjecture. To put this in perspective, the average potency of marijuana that has fueled this fire is 7 percent THC. This is the marijuana that White House Drug Czar John Walters warns is horribly dangerous because of its super strength. In contrast, Dutch government standards require medical marijuana sold in pharmacies in the Netherlands to be more than twice that strong. So a country where teens are actually less likely to use cocaine and heroin than in the U.S. wouldn't even use our marijuana to heal their sick. A recent report from the European Union noted that "a slight upward trend" in potency means little because the potency of U.S. marijuana "was very low by European standards." Third, unlike the speculative claims of increased danger, peer-reviewed scientific data show that higher potency marijuana reduces health risks. Just as with alcohol, people who smoke marijuana generally consume until they reach the desired effect, then stop. So people who smoke more potent marijuana smoke less -- the same way most drinkers consume a smaller amount of vodka than they would of beer -- and incur less chance of smoking-related damage to their lungs. Official warnings about "super pot" often accompany claims that huge numbers of teens are in treatment for marijuana "dependence and abuse," and that those numbers have risen dramatically. Such claims are utterly misleading. According to the U.S. government's own statistics, most teens in marijuana treatment are there because they were arrested, not because of actual evidence of abuse or dependence. Virtually all of the vaunted increase in marijuana treatment admissions stems from these arrests. So, we arrest kids for smoking marijuana, force them into treatment and then use those treatment admissions as "proof" that marijuana is addictive. Somewhere, George Orwell is smiling. This wave of marijuana treatment has nothing to do with actual dependence. According to the latest government report on drug treatment, called the Treatment Episode Data Set, more than a third of these marijuana "abusers" did not use marijuana at all in the month prior to admission. Another 16.1 percent used it three times or fewer. So more than half of marijuana "abusers" used marijuana three times or fewer in the month prior to entering treatment -- and this, we are told, is proof that we must be fearful of highly addictive "super pot"! There is a real story here, but it's not about the dire effects of potent marijuana. The real story is the misuse of science by government officials seeking to justify current policies and hold onto their jobs. The administration's misuse of science in this area is, if anything, more blatant than in fields that have generated far more controversy, such as reproductive health. And with the administration now talking openly about shifting prevention and law enforcement resources toward marijuana and away from drugs like heroin and cocaine, which actually kill, this dishonesty is putting America's young people at risk. Mitch Earleywine, Ph.D., is associate professor of psychology at the University of Southern California and author of Understanding Marijuana (Oxford University Press, 2002); Bruce Mirken is communications director for the Marijuana Policy Project, based in Washington, D.C. http://hartfordadvocate.com/gbase/Ne...?oid=oid:76643

09-01-2004, 03:02 AM	#2
TheManeMan Ring of Famer DPOY Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Sherman Oaks, CA Posts: 5,659	Let me hit some of that "super pot"......Iron lung since I was young...

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09-01-2004, 04:18 AM	#3
Orange4Life Ring of Famer Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: SkiUtah Posts: 2,243	I thought this was the football forum?

09-01-2004, 06:14 AM	#4
Mile High Shack Ring of Famer Cock-a-doodle-do Join Date: May 2001 Location: Somewhere Posts: 17,010	take this to the underground kid

09-01-2004, 05:00 PM	#6
Sodak Clueless... Who stole my avatar? Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Black Hills of Dakota Posts: 3,080	I think mixing football with pot is a bad idea. There's already enough problems now. Just look at Ricky Williams. He couldn't get enough pot, so he quit football to get more pot. Now he doesn't have any money for pot because the fish are taking it away... Now what good is football with pot anyway. When they gonna smoke it? During commercial breaks? In the huddle? When the defense is on the field? When the offense is on the field? "Quick!! Don't bogart that joint! They're gonna punt!" Maybe they could get a hit or two, at that rate, it might take a whole quarter to get high... Then nobody will care who won...

09-01-2004, 05:05 PM	#7
Denver Crush THC Content Analyst Bad Moon Rising Join Date: May 2001 Location: Purple Mountains Majesty Posts: 1,462	Where can one aquire this super pot? I need to get some. It sounds good.

09-01-2004, 05:17 PM	#8
kappys Ring of Famer “It will be of little avail to the Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 3,901	I;m not sure I believe that the weed is really twice as strong in the Netherlands though. NO doubt that it gets you high as a kite, but I would say that I've had weed just about as good here in the good ole USA.

09-01-2004, 05:34 PM	#10
DivineLegion There can only be one... G.O.A.T Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: The Peak of Good Living Posts: 4,128 Adopt-a-Bronco: Nate Irving	Super Pot... If anything the quality is going down cause people are buying for quantity not quality...the only people buying for Quality are the ones who know what they are doing and thats about 1/8th the kids that smoke Weed.

09-01-2004, 05:44 PM	#12
watermock "Hoodie Jr" "Hug me!" Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Hot Springs, Ouachitah Posts: 77,090	First, before the Netherlands spouts it's mouth out, maybe we should look at it's heroin usage. Also, the pot brought in is often asian along with the opiates. Alot of pot smoked in the USA is still commercial Mexican and Columbian. I'm not an expert on pot, I lost my taste for it generally, all it does is make me incredibly paranoid, for good reason. The good old days, some idiot cop wouldn't even know how to smell it. Now, most are on a mission from God. There isn't a substance easier to detect or easier to smell. It's not worth the hassle with random workplace tests either. You could be coked up and drunk friday night, on monday, your clean, not so with Pot. SuperPot has existed for a long time, but strains from Asia have been transplanted in South America and Canada now. Probably the funniest thing is that on "That 70's Show" Red can always tell when they have taken some beer or driven the Corvette, but they all sit around in a circle and never get caught smoking pot in the basement in a fog.

09-01-2004, 06:31 PM	#14
-Slap- Ring of Famer Join Date: Dec 2002 Posts: 31,895	I know, we'll discourage people from smoking pot by talking about the kind of pot that everybody who smokes it is always trying to find.

09-01-2004, 06:37 PM	#15
DONKEYSHOW Lunatic fringe I'll Be Back! Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Public Course #9 Posts: 925	Anyone else got the munchies?

09-01-2004, 06:47 PM	#16
alkemical Guerrilla Ontologist rorrim\|mirror Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Future Posts: 42,696 Adopt-a-Bronco: Prima Materia	seattle had some good scores

09-01-2004, 09:32 PM	#17
Sodak Clueless... Who stole my avatar? Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Black Hills of Dakota Posts: 3,080	You can only get so baked... baked out of your gourd on sensemilla or kind is still the same as baked out of your gourd on "super pot".