Would You Vote For Someone Who Smoked Pot?

[Q]

- This morning's CSPAN question. Comments?

[gristy]

1. Hell, yes. And another good question is "Would you vote for

someone who hadn't?" I'd be afraid that someone who said he hadn't either doesn't get out enough or is lieing.

[BiggJawn]

14. I must not "get out" enough...

I don't smoke dope, can't stand the smell of it. Somebody gave me some "stuff" once that made me violently ill (I puked and retched for HOURS)and since then the mere SMELL of it "makes my gorge rise"...

All that said, I don't have a prejudice about an elected official firing up in their spare time. Just so they aren't wandering around a State Reception giggling, eating everything in sight....:7

[Barbara917]

39. I don't lie and I "get out" plenty

Neither do I smoke pot, drink alcohol, smoke cigarrettes or do other recreational drugs like cocaine or Oxycontin. It is quite possible to enjoy life without aids or stimulants.

I would vote for someone who has smoked pot in their past, but I would not vote for someone who I thought was currently using any illegal substances.

It seems to me that it is just as ridiculous to hold someone's non-use of pot against them as it is to hold previous use of pot against anyone.

[quaker bill]

2. Would I vote for someone who smokes pot?

If the candidate in question is not Bush*, no problem.

[NicoleM]

3. I already have.

Maybe they should ask if people would vote for someone who used cocaine.

[Bolo Boffin]

38. Dang you for stealing my answer!

LOL

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

4. Ha ha ha

I have always thought I was one of the few of my generation that DIDN'T smoke pot!

Since I voted for Clinton (despite being in an accident and breaking three bones: I insisted in going to the polling place before going to the hospital), I'd say I already have.

[Q]

5. This should be a campaign issue...

- It 'appears' as if George* fried his brain with drugs....but he has refused in the past to even talk about this issue.

- The war on drugs is destroying America more than drugs. Limbaugh was a pill junkie and is back on the air doing his thing...no sign of 'punishment' in sight.

- Yet...millions of pot smokers have gone to jail/prison. Is it time to bring this isssue up again?

[Q]

7. CSPAN caller: Ted Kennedy would be president right now...

...but for his abuse of alcohol". Strange that no one seems to know about Bush's* lifelong abuse of the same 'drug'.

- Is pot a 'gateway' drug? Another question posed by the host.

[BiggJawn]

15. Ted Kenedy would not be "president right now"

He'd be DEAD. Killed by Poppy, Inc., just like his bros.

[Tripper11]

21. Pot is NOT a gateway drug!

There have been several studies proving this. Can't cite any right now. The results of thos studies I have noticed, when released saty in the dim spotlight for a day or so before being buried as deep as possible while some drug war crusader comes screaming out of the woodwork about how it is a gateway drug.
IMHO the gateway drug is none other then ALCOHOL. It's what got me started, it's what gave me the "courage" to go in other directions. It's legal, and easy to get.

[Grins]

25. Alcohol?

IMHO the gateway drug is none other then ALCOHOL..."

I heard it differently. The gateway "drug" is tobacco. The topic was on radio a couple of years ago. The "expert" (not from the government) asked to think of those we know/knew that did grass, cocaine, etc.; then asked if they were also heavy smokers. He said that all the addicts he treated were all smokers. Smoking made it easy to try other drugs. When he said that, I thought back to my college days and others I knew that used "recreational" pharmaceuticals – and I couldn't think of one that wasn't also a smoker. Then, I thought of those I know that absolutely refused to do drugs ever, and I couldn't think of one that was a smoker.

My recollections are certainly not very scientific, and I can't remember the speaker’s credentials, but it struck me as VERY interesting.

Now, do you think those “drug Crusaders” are ever going to go after the tobacco companies, the companies that pump millions into campaign coffers? Not likely.

[Beaker]

60. I am not a smoker.

cigarettes disgust me...always have.
But-
I've been a 'stoner' for over 25 years, and still smoke weed every day.
I used to be a big scotch drinker too, but now I don't use alcohol at all.

[truthspeaker]

61. I agree

That's more drug war misinformation, like pot making men grow breasts or making them infertile.

My doctor tried to pull that crap on me. I don't mind him lecturing me on stuff that's bad for my health; that's what I pay him for. But when he told me using pot could lead to use of harder drugs I just about laughed in his face. I've been smoking pot almost 15 years and if I haven't graduated to heroin or cocaine now it's probably not going to happen.

As to the original question, it's a non-issue for me when deciding who to vote for. And I would have no reservations about voting for someone who currently uses pot.

[youngred]

30. Pot is no more a gateway drug than Ciggs or alcohol

some move on to other drugs, some do not.

[JNelson6563]

6. yes and

I'd smoke it with them ;-)

[maddezmom]

8. why not

like the caller just said, we have an alcoholic cokehead in the WH now.

edited for spelling :)

[calimary]

42. No shit!? Somebody actually called in and said that? COOL!

And - YES, I would vote for someone who'd smoked pot. That wouldn't hold me back ONE BIT. It's not a litmus test for me anyway. I care a LOT more where a candidate stands on issue like choice and separation of church and state and school issues and the environment and no corporate toadying and if-you're-so-gungho-for-war-when-did-YOU-go-fight-one?

[Q]

9. Caller: yes, I would vote for someone who smokes pot...

..after all we have an alcoholic cokehead in the White House.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

10. This Has To Be The Most Inane Question

Why doesn't Pedro ask if folks would vote for a candidate who ever masturbated....

[Speed8098]

11. Hell Yes!

I'd rather vote for someone who is a regular pot smoker than someone who is a regular drinker.

Alcohol, the drug of choice for our most prominent citizens.

It kills me to see these politicians demonize pot while they have their 3 martini lunch. I would trust the decisions of someone who is high, far more that someone who is drunk.

Alcohol causes you to do things you would never do sober. Pot does not have that effect.

Alcohol gives you false courage, pot does not.
Alcohol can cause some people to be violent drunks.
Have you ever seen become violent because they smoke a couple of joints?

These new commercials that depict the kids at a drive through smoking a joint, then running over the little kid on the bike are really bad. Nothing like this has ever been doucmented.

There is also one that say's that 80% of those involved in car accidents test positive for marijuana. D'uh, weed stays in your system for as long as 30 days, plus there is no way to tell WHEN someone has smoked last. Also, I guess that means 80% of the population smoke pot.
Hmmm, that sounds like a majority to me.

I just wish mainstream America would WAKE UP and see that the legalization of marijuana would have nothing but a POSITIVE effect.

Fuel, clothes, paper, and a whole list of other things can be made from hemp. Not to mention the economic benefits that would follow legalization. Imagine all of the money freed up when the war on weed ends. The fat cats in law enforcement suddenly lose their cash cow.
"I guess you have to sell that big house now sheriff."

To continue to jail normal citizens for smoking pot is stupid.

[soupkitchen]

12. I agree with you completely except

I really don't think it's a good idea to be driving while high on pot, or high on anything. And yes, I have experience.

[youngred]

33. I agree n/t

[Eroshan]

13. A President High on pot

would never allow any of the populace to go to bed hungry.

would be slow to use violence to solve problems.

would elevate the arts and music to greater importance.

would probably be too busy watching Ren and Stimpy reruns to cause problems.

[creativelcro]

16. I'd never vote for a pot smoker

or for an ex-alcoholic.

[JNelson6563]

20. you'd be surprised who is

Bank presidents, your local grocer, principal of the local school, all kinds of folks. You'd never know it though. All things in moderation. You'd be amazed at the folks I've known who do it regularly but don't let it interfere with their lives.

But you seem content in your ignorance so nevermind.

Julie

[creativelcro]

23. I said I'd never vote for one

not that I would not buy oranges from them. When you say that things do not "interfere" with their lives, I don't think you know what you are talking about. My decision not to vote for these people is not a MORAL decision. I'm not a social conservative. It's based on my professional knowledge as a neuroscientist who specializes in human cognition and the like. I strongly suspect that you are the ignorant one, in this case. There are more effective ways to fight off depression and other problems you may have in your life than getting high on pot.

[youngred]

35. whoa!

who said Pot was only used to fight depression (it actually has been linked to cause it somewhat) or other problems in life?

There are other reasons to get high.

[creativelcro]

37. I know that pot does not do much for depression

but many people who use it don't! That's why many people are alcoholic as well...

[youngred]

40. but you can admit that that is not the only reason people smoke

right?

Its not just escapsim though some use it as such

[littlejoe]

53. I don't believe you just said that.

There is no linkage to that whatsoever. I seriously doubt if you have a medical degree at all. And if you do, what box of cereal did it come out of?

[RainDog]

44. the issue is getting skewed on this thread

I would vote for someone who has smoked pot, and someone who now smokes pot, if done in moderation.

same with alcohol.

as a neuroscientist, surely you're aware of the benefits of cannabis for migraine headaches and the accompanying nausea.

why should a person have to have a doctor's permission and the expense that entails to gain relief from one of the most debilitating kinds of headaches there are?

why should a person fear imprisonment for treating him or herself with an herb?

why should a person who is undergoing chemotherapy be denied access to something which helps blunt the nausea and pain of that treatment? -- not to mention the way people say it helps stimulate their appetites.

why should a person with glaucoma not be allowed to use something which has been shown to prevent blindness from this condition?

why should couples not be allowed to smoke a joint if they want, before..coupling?

why should people who go out to hear music not be allowed to smoke a joint if they would take a cab home, just as someone who has had alcohol should do?

Dr. Lester Grinspoon, prof. emertus in psychology at Harvard Medical School, thinks "marijuana will someday be hailed as a 'miracle drug,' one that is safe, inexpensive and versatile."

-Marihuana, the Forbidden Medicine, courtesty of Eric Schlosser's Reefer Madness.

smoking my harm the pulmonary system, but if people were allowed to purchase/grow better strains, they would smoke less and this issue would be less harmful.

From "Dr. Leo Hollister, former pres. of the American College of Neuropharmcology...occasional use of marijuana by a healthy adult poses no greater risks than moderate alcohol consumption."

(again courtesy of Schlosser)

"In 1972 the (Nixon-appointed, bipartisan) National Commission on Marijuana and Drug Abuse reached an unexpected conclusion: marijuana should be decriminalized under state and federal law. The commission unanimously agreed that possessing small amounts of marijuana in the home should no longer be a crime."

"Studies of long term, heavy marijuana users in Jamaica, Greece, and Costa Rica have revealed little psychological or physical damage."

--of course, more research needs to be done on issues of cognition, etc, but is impossible in the current environment in this country with its hysterical reaction to marijuana.

if it were used as a drug, however, as you surely know, every drug may have trade offs..such as people who take some antidepressants who lose libido.

The patient, with his or her doctor, gets to make the decision whether that trade off it worth the benefits, though.

[littlejoe]

51. How would you relly know?

You sound suspiciously like someone who has never smoked pot.

[shanti]

55. you probably already have

and don't even know it...

[msmcghee]

62. Scientists have just as many prejudices as . .

. . non-scientists. Until there are real objective studies on the actual (not imagined) effects of cannabis - then try to keep an open mind Mr. Scientist.

[youngred]

34. is currently or ex?

there is a difference there

[youngred]

31. that ad isn't as bad as the new ones

a little boy sitting on a curb in a baseball cap and glove looking bored and lost that says "Just tell your little brother you forgot to pick him up because you were getting high, I'm sure he'll understand"

and a little girl playing on the edge of a pool that says "Just tell her parents you weren't watching her because you were getting high, I'm sure they'll understand"

[Madrone]

50. The little brother ad -

I just saw that last night for the first time. I killed my tv months ago so don't have the "pleasure" of seeing most of these ads.

I was at my SO's house with his 8 year old son and was watching tv for the first time since I turned mine off - that ad came on, and they used the term getting "stoned" rather than high -

As a result, I had to answer the question from the 8-year old - "What does getting stoned mean?"

As a person well aquainted with what that means I detest being put in the position of having to explain to a DARE propagandized kid what that commercial was trying to say.

I just told him it meant "doing drugs" and left it at that - but I wasn't happy about it.

[RainDog]

17. Of course

At a recent memorial for the first modern mayor of my city (he actually brought trash pickup here, for instance, in the 70s!!!???!!!),

there was a video of his life in politics.

his republican opponent tried to create a scandal by saying that this man had smoked pot when he was in college.

the man replied, "of course I did."

and that was in the end of the "debate" in my town.

no doubt, since I live in the midwest, which is supposedly the epicenter of pot growing in America, there are many farmers who have been pushed out of many markets for produce which corporate farms have cornered.

I can just imagine these salt of the earth types, who never have smoked in their lives, growing their crops and voting for anyone who would make it possible for them to earn a living growing an herb which is stupidly classified as having no medicinal value, and as a worse substance than cocaine or morphine.

this country is crazy stupid about this whole issue, and it makes me sick that so much time and money is wasted on victimless "crimes" which only serve to make such things more available to people (i.e. kids) who should not have access to them.

[absolutezero]

18. Hell yes

actually, I wouldn't vote for someone unless they smoked pot. When they admit that they prove two things:

1: They're honest (most likely)
2: They can admit to making mistakes, something that fundies and conservatives won't ever do

[kerry-is-my-prez]

19. When my age group get into power - it will be hard to find ANYONE

that hasn't tried pot or something else at least once. I only know a a few people born after 1950 who haven't at least been around it.

You'd have to have been pretty anti-social NOT to have ever been around it when you're in that group.

[bobthedrummer]

22. Sure would be better than a mean drunk-if only cannabis

yes-I'm for the entire hemp industry to be above board now.

[paulk]

24. Who smokes pot now, or while in office

or sometime in the past?

[SOS]

26. Yes

but I would feel better if the same politician who jokingly recalls his college days didn't turn around and arrest 700,000 people a year for the same "offense".

[reprobate]

27. Of all the domestic disturbances and bar fights I was called to.......

...as a deputy sheriff, most involved alcohol. NONE involved marijuana. Booze is the biggest problem we have. It's legal. It's encouraged. It's advertised. Driving under pot? It's the drinkers that cause almost all the deaths on our highways. Sorry, but I do feel strongly about this. Body bags do have one advantage: they cover up the gore caused by the drunks.

[Corgigal]

28. Hubby was a traffic homicide detective

and has loads of crime scene photos of drunks not making it home.
No pot smokers though.

Liquor is a more harmful drug to the population then any other.

[alfredo]

48. Alcohol makes you over estimate your abilities. Pot is the opposite.

Pot smokers drive slowly, are overly cautious. Still driving under the influence of any substance is a bad idea. Why kill a buzz by having to concentrate on driving? Wait until you get home.

I have a friend with reoccurring benign brain tumors. Pot relieves the pressure from the tumors. They are mostly formed near her optic nerve, so they can be a real hassle for her. They cause twitching of her eye. A couple tokes and the twitching stops. Bromocryptine shrinks them, but the pot helps until the medicine kicks in.

[youngred]

29. would you vote for someone who drank/drinks?

who speeds?

Americans voted for a former coke-head, so I'd say Yes.

I would vote for a former weed smoker

[sistersofmercy]

32. Of course

[Scott Lee]

36. Depends on what type of pot

If it was acapulco gold, or maui, hell no. That's for rich kids and we've had enough of rich kids in gov't power.

If it was good ol' Mexican stinkweed, you bet. Power to the people, baby.

[LearnedHand]

41. I already did!

I voted for Clinton -- TWICE!

[RainDog]

45. also

Gore. and anyone who voted for Bush already did, too.

and anyone who hopes they'll get to vote for Jeb Bush in some scary fascist future will, too.

[Terwilliger]

43. yes

except AHH-nold Schwarzenfeffel

[Cheswick2.0]

46. 30 years ago in college YES, last night after dinner NO

I voted for Gore, I am pretty sure he smoked pot in college. I have many friends who stil smoke pot on a regular basis. I probably wouldn't vote for them in the primary. However if the choice were between bush and someone who still occasionally got high, I wouldn't vote for bush that is for sure.

[Entente]

47. Yes, if I liked their political views

[littlejoe]

49. Not only yes, but HELL yes!

Everyone in office should be smoking pot right now.

[killbotfactory]

52. Would you vote for someone who's not a saint?

Or who only wore briefs instead of boxers?

Or vice-versa?

No one cares.

[shanti]

54. sure, why not?

:shrug:

[Tom Rinaldo]

56. That's about as important a question as ...

Would you smoke pot with someone who voted?

[amber dog democrat]

57. It all depends

That alone is not a factor in my decision making process.
I probably have already. We are way too caught up in this culture war on drugs as it is.

[ultrafoil]

58. Pass it

on your left!

[pdx_prog]

59. I wouldn't vote for anyone

currently using it. I have smoked PLENTY of it in the past, so I have no problem with anyone that previously indulged. I want someone who will admit that they have smoked in the past, drank, caroused, whatever.......just don't lie to me.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

63. If they did it in the past yes..if they did it currently but did not

advocate and run on a platform of legalizing it, no...why should I give my vote to someone who would have me live under a set of rules not germaine to them as well?

[Freddie Stubbs]

64. Most DUers probably already have