Bath Salts.....are they an epidemic?

[Aspire]

On a side note. It never ceases to amaze me the simple view some folks take of drug users. They come from all walks of life... winners ..losers .. rich and poor. Some are the scum of the earth..others are downright nice people.

Actually, years ago, I used to think that all druggies & alcoholics were just losers & thieves that were brought up without morals...I was way wrong.

I'm a veteran, so I spend my fair share of time at the VA & can say there are many veterans (usually the ones from Vietnam & Iraq) that have issues with drugs & alcohol. It was never their intent to wind up abusing substances, but so many come back with trauma that it's the easiest way out...well, that or suicide.

If I saw some of these guys on the side of the street, I would have never known that they fought for our country. They look that ratty. But usually after talking to them, you see that they actually have a pretty strong character & high morals in the other areas of their life.

BTW, I think this is a good time to hi-jack the thread & throw in a little FYI: Did you know that it's been estimated that a THIRD of homeless people are veterans?

http://www.nchv.org/background.cfm

[fattie]

get these kids some marijuana before they hurt themselves doing those things.



So much irony in that statement.

+1

+420

[DriverOne]

I know in Amsterdam, the con-artists sell the American kids laundry detergent(over there it looks more like cocaine). I can only imagine the rude surprise.

According to Boston.com (January, 2010):

LONDON - Contaminated heroin may have caused an anthrax outbreak among drug addicts in Scotland, killing six people and infecting 12 in total, health officials said yesterday.

All of the people stricken with the bacterial disease were believed to be heroin users, said a spokesman at Scotland’s Health Protection Agency, who spoke on the condition of anonymity in line with government policy. The agency said other cases were under investigation, but would not specify how many.

Specialists say contaminated heroin or another powder-like substance used to dilute the drug may have spread the disease. MORE

[Basement_Modder]

+420

+9001

[200KGPGTP]

+1

+2!!!

[200KGPGTP]

I don't know what the huge deal with mary jane is. Everyone acts like it's the devil, it'll kill you dead with one hit when in reality it's a NATURAL drug, less harmful than even drinking which seems to be the norm for society.... People actually get angry when I tell them I have never and will never drink, but smoke every once in a while. It's like come on people, no hangover, no liver disease, no going out and driving 130 MPH in a school playground playing target practice.....

How many articles do you see about people hurt by weed?

Now, how many do you see hurt by alcohol.........and it's LEGAL!

[chrisofna]

USED to be natural. Not anymore. Your talking about like 1970s Mary Jane, lol. People put so much crap in the new age stuff (from what I hear) that it isn't that natural anymore.

[iceracerdude]

Actually that's quite a common misconception among weed smokers, the idea that it has no harmful affects. That's what is refered to as a "rationalization". Take a moment to look up the association weed has to Schizophrenia. Yeah, typically you don't see weed smokers talking about far out stuff like that, but physicians do...go figure.
As far as the incidents of useage amongst "vets" from all era's, I'm "Vietnam era old", and so I've seen a lot of different vets in my lifetime. You have to be careful with that because it becomes like the anaolgy/question: "which came first, the chicken or the egg?" There's a awful lot of very honorable people in all branches of the services, but there's a lot of screw ups too. In fact, at one point during the Vietnam war, if you were arrested and appeared in front of a judge with a bad enough charge, say something like a 3-5 year type offence, they often times gave the option of the jail time or two years "in-country". So yeah, there's all kinds of people in the service.

[200KGPGTP]

USED to be natural. Not anymore. Your talking about like 1970s Mary Jane, lol. People put so much crap in the new age stuff (from what I hear) that it isn't that natural anymore.

It still grows, naturally, from seed. THC content I'm sure has skyrocketed, but not much else

[200KGPGTP]

Actually that's quite a common misconception among weed smokers, the idea that it has no harmful affects. That's what is refered to as a "rationalization". Take a moment to look up the association weed has to Schizophrenia. Yeah, typically you don't see weed smokers talking about far out stuff like that, but physicians do...go figure.
As far as the incidents of useage amongst "vets" from all era's, I'm "Vietnam era old", and so I've seen a lot of different vets in my lifetime. You have to be careful with that because it becomes like the anaolgy/question: "which came first, the chicken or the egg?" There's a awful lot of very honorable people in all branches of the services, but there's a lot of screw ups too. In fact, at one point during the Vietnam war, if you were arrested and appeared in front of a judge with a bad enough charge, say something like a 3-5 year type offence, they often times gave the option of the jail time or two years "in-country". So yeah, there's all kinds of people in the service.

I never said it didn't have harmful effects. Just not many. Obviously it alters mood related structures in the brain and with long term use that can have ill effects. You can also get this awesome thing called lung cancer..... but cigarettes are legal too so.............

[Aspire]

I don't know what the huge deal with mary jane is....less harmful than even drinking which seems to be the norm for society....

I don't do either & I don't promote either, but I've actually heard psychologists point this out & I can agree.

[Aspire]

Actually that's quite a common misconception among weed smokers, the idea that it has no harmful affects...Take a moment to look up the association weed has to Schizophrenia. Yeah, typically you don't see weed smokers talking about far out stuff like that, but physicians do...go figure.
As far as the incidents of useage amongst "vets" from all era's, I'm "Vietnam era old", and so I've seen a lot of different vets in my lifetime. You have to be careful with that because it becomes like the anaolgy/question: "which came first, the chicken or the egg?" There's a awful lot of very honorable people in all branches of the services, but there's a lot of screw ups too. In fact, at one point during the Vietnam war, if you were arrested and appeared in front of a judge with a bad enough charge, say something like a 3-5 year type offence, they often times gave the option of the jail time or two years "in-country". So yeah, there's all kinds of people in the service.

Yes, I see both weed & alky as being "not the best thing" for a person to do. But I think he was talking more about drunk driving, domestic abuse, etc....at least that's the words that I tried to put in his mouth.

And, yeah, I was actually thinking about Jimmy Hendrix today. I think he proved your point. lol. He was got in trouble & chose to go in the Army & was kicked out for being a screw up.

But I was more referring more to the guys that came back with issues that weren't there previously & then the VA "administered" drugs to them because they had no clue what else to do.

[drddan]

Marijuana has been proven to help with Glacoma, relieve the sickness from radiation treatments, and can shrink some tumors. Tell me.... how is Marijuana harmful? Also, no one smokes it like cigarettes, lighting one up every 20 minutes all day long. Most do a few one-hitters, or smoke a couple joints in a day.

[200KGPGTP]

I'm pretty much a one hit wonder. Heck, I can take two or three hits and literally feel it for DAYS

[aglatfe1]

I don't think marijuana is that bad for you as long as people use it responsibly. I personally have never done it and never will because that's the way I was taught but I have many friends who smoke. Within the past few months one of my best girlfriends started smoking pot and I am seeing first hand how it's ruining her life. She's been smoking with people who are irresponsible and could give a crap about what happens to her. She called me the other night to tell me how she was almost raped by one of her pothead friends. Her grades are also slipping and she's been having sex with many guys. Marijuana might not be effecting her health but it's leading her down the wrong path and I'm afraid to know what's next for her. Cocaine? Heroin? Meth?