Ban Sugary Drinks but Legalize Pot?

[BallsBrunswick]

Legalizing marijuana in Washington State had been nothing but a good thing. I'm confused how or why anyone could be against something that gets innocent people out of the criminal system and generates revenue on the local level?

Yes and no, BB.

I agree with de-criminalizing pot and drugs, while still having some alternative such as the drug courts and mental health courts that address the addiction with rehab so people can become functional and keep working to support their families instead of backlogging jails.

If we don't address the addictions then the health and behavior problems end up costing taxpayers in terms of our backlogged mental health and prison systems which could be used to expand medical education, treatment and service programs to revamp health care.

If the same process of legalizing marijuana by promoting more natural herbal medical useage were also used to promote natural and free spiritual healing to cure diseases and addictions and to cut down on medical expenses so more resources can help more people then I would not object. But if people keep depending on placating symptoms instead of solving the real cause of health problems then we still are putting bandaids on wounds instead of healing them at the source, so I do have a problem with that. If people want different policies, they should have the freedom to fund the costs themselves; so people who believe in free spiritual healing can have access to the system and resources freed up by using those methods, and people who want to smoke pot can pay for any health problems, side effects, or problems not solved by using that system. And let people have an educated choice which approach is more natural and cures more diseases and addictions. i believe the spiritual healing will prove more cost-effective and medically effective, and will eventually end the need to turn to alcohol, smoking etc. because it cures the addition itself. so we will save more lives and resources both immediately and longterm, once it is medically established that spiritual healing is natural and effective and can also cure conditions where medicine alone has failed but only placates symptoms at a higher cost.

Do you realize that people read the first sentence or two of your posts and then give up?

 

[Michelle420]

You don't have to smoke it, you can eat a cakepop or a brownie

Sasquatch Deliveries | MMJ Menu - Flowers, Medibles, & Concentrates

Dear Drifter: The people I know who have solved their internal conflicts through spiritual healing and forgiveness don't have any need to take intoxicants. The ones who were previously addicted have reported either losing their cravings immediately where they stopped cold turkey (including smoking, alcohol or heroin with no withdrawal symptoms) or gradually wean themselves off over time by making a commitment to follow a more healthy regime (such as some of my friends who require longer to get past addictions step by step daily).

I agree people should not be criminally penalized for having emotional mental or mood disorders that are better off treated medically; but better choices, information and access to free treatment should be equally available instead of limiting people's choices to self-medication using means that do have side effects including psychological and physical addiction. That can't be people's only choices, which I believe it borders on negligence since spiritual healing is free, natural, and without side effects and has long been used and proven in studies and practice to cure the cause of physical diseases and mental addictions.

To deny people access to this knowledge and process of treatment could even be criminal in cases where people went untreated and unsupervised to harm themselves or others.

I'm not saying all people who smoke or consume pot are addicts, and certainly not dangerous criminals, but it is wrong to promote that as safe while denying the reality of addiction and also access to free and natural therapy that has freed people from denial and addiction as well as the harmful effects of both the causes and symptoms of addictions. I'm concerned people have fully informed choices so they make the best decisions for them.

I was close to someone who used it to get an appetite when he was receiving treatments for cancer, as the treatments made him really ill.

He had serious nausea and no appetite.

The medical pot helped him tremendously.

I understand where you are coming from Emily, but there is not a pat answer that works for everyone, it helps to be open minded.

 

[emilynghiem]

actually with the processed sugars and especially artificial sweeteners the body is fooled into craving the full natural complex. so when it doesnt get that, it either robs the body of the missing elements in order to process, or it causes greater cravings for sugar it was prepared to get but didnt. so the natural sugars are better for natural digestion and monitoring metabolism/diet instead of manipulating it where the body overcompensates.

There's no such thing as cannabis "addiction"

There isn't much difference between sugars whether it is refined sugar, raw sugar, honey or agave syrup. Sugar is sugar. The only difference may be a negligible amount of vitamins and minerals but nothing substantial enough to justify one or the other.

Sugar addiction is very real. Sugar addiction is as bad as any other addiction out there with most people getting hooked at childhood.

When I compare the attitudes and responsibility of people with sugar addictions versus marijuana addictions, and this is among people I know, I find the people trying to justify marijuana use have worse underlying problems of denial and projection that affects their judgment and ability to share equal responsibility for solving problems.

Getting hooked on sugar is largely a matter of dietary habit.

But the psychological issues of people who become either psychologically or physically addicted to using marijuana are much deeper and problematic.

Again, there are more dangerous cases of people with deadly eating disorders as a form of addiction but these are caused by phobias not by the sugar itself; whereas my personal friends who suffer paranoia and persecution complexes and smoke pot make these conditions worse where the cause and effects escalate in a vicious cycle in relation to the chemical effects on their personality and brain impulses. this does not happen with sugar addiction or sugar highs, not like with marijuana exposure and highs. it's not the same.

like someone else posted first, about the dangers of operating vehicles or machinery while high on pot is not the same as driving while high or addicted to sugar. huge difference in terms of impairing ones judgment and perception, both shortterm and longterm effects.

 

[emilynghiem]

You don't have to smoke it, you can eat a cakepop or a brownie

Sasquatch Deliveries | MMJ Menu - Flowers, Medibles, & Concentrates

Dear Drifter: The people I know who have solved their internal conflicts through spiritual healing and forgiveness don't have any need to take intoxicants. The ones who were previously addicted have reported either losing their cravings immediately where they stopped cold turkey (including smoking, alcohol or heroin with no withdrawal symptoms) or gradually wean themselves off over time by making a commitment to follow a more healthy regime (such as some of my friends who require longer to get past addictions step by step daily).

I agree people should not be criminally penalized for having emotional mental or mood disorders that are better off treated medically; but better choices, information and access to free treatment should be equally available instead of limiting people's choices to self-medication using means that do have side effects including psychological and physical addiction. That can't be people's only choices, which I believe it borders on negligence since spiritual healing is free, natural, and without side effects and has long been used and proven in studies and practice to cure the cause of physical diseases and mental addictions.

To deny people access to this knowledge and process of treatment could even be criminal in cases where people went untreated and unsupervised to harm themselves or others.

I'm not saying all people who smoke or consume pot are addicts, and certainly not dangerous criminals, but it is wrong to promote that as safe while denying the reality of addiction and also access to free and natural therapy that has freed people from denial and addiction as well as the harmful effects of both the causes and symptoms of addictions. I'm concerned people have fully informed choices so they make the best decisions for them.

I was close to someone who used it to get an appetite when he was receiving treatments for cancer, as the treatments made him really ill.

He had serious nausea and no appetite.

The medical pot helped him tremendously.

I understand where you are coming from Emily, but there is not a pat answer that works for everyone, it helps to be open minded.

That's fine and i agree with letting people have both full freedom and responsibility for choices in treatment. are you equally as open to offering such friends access to free and natural spiritual healing that has been used to heal ppl of cancer altogether and not just reduce symptoms or side effects. id rather ppl have the choice where possible to be completely cured andor prevent cancer to begin with. not all cases can be cured or prevented 100% but the spiritual healing has saved lives and restored ppl to full health in cases where medicine or chemo alone only treated symptoms while letting the person die.

if you want to pursue further research i am trying to help a friend document 30 years of spiritual healing to save lives of ppl cured of cancer, diabetes, multiple personalities and ill conditions caused by addiction or abuses. smoking pot can alleviate symptoms but not cure the cause of disease or addiction as spiritual healing and forgiveness therapy address. if you are interested or have questions you can call my friend olivia at 713 820 0899 or i can send you books i found that explain the healing process as scientific and natural. see freespiritualhealing | Just another WordPress.com site for some of these resources i found for pursuing medical research

i appreciate the common concern for natural treatment and not pharmaceutical monopoly on medical procedures that kill insread of cure people. i believe by working together we can establish and provide the most costeffective measures of prevention diagnosis and cure to maximize our resources so more people have access to effective health care and cut costs.
thanks for your reply and i'm sorry to hear that your friend suffered so much who was blessed to have a friend like you for support through such difficult hardship. thank you for that and best wishes to you!

 

[Michelle420]

Dear Drifter: The people I know who have solved their internal conflicts through spiritual healing and forgiveness don't have any need to take intoxicants. The ones who were previously addicted have reported either losing their cravings immediately where they stopped cold turkey (including smoking, alcohol or heroin with no withdrawal symptoms) or gradually wean themselves off over time by making a commitment to follow a more healthy regime (such as some of my friends who require longer to get past addictions step by step daily).

I agree people should not be criminally penalized for having emotional mental or mood disorders that are better off treated medically; but better choices, information and access to free treatment should be equally available instead of limiting people's choices to self-medication using means that do have side effects including psychological and physical addiction. That can't be people's only choices, which I believe it borders on negligence since spiritual healing is free, natural, and without side effects and has long been used and proven in studies and practice to cure the cause of physical diseases and mental addictions.

To deny people access to this knowledge and process of treatment could even be criminal in cases where people went untreated and unsupervised to harm themselves or others.

I'm not saying all people who smoke or consume pot are addicts, and certainly not dangerous criminals, but it is wrong to promote that as safe while denying the reality of addiction and also access to free and natural therapy that has freed people from denial and addiction as well as the harmful effects of both the causes and symptoms of addictions. I'm concerned people have fully informed choices so they make the best decisions for them.

I was close to someone who used it to get an appetite when he was receiving treatments for cancer, as the treatments made him really ill.

He had serious nausea and no appetite.

The medical pot helped him tremendously.

I understand where you are coming from Emily, but there is not a pat answer that works for everyone, it helps to be open minded.

That's fine and i agree with letting people have both full freedom and responsibility for choices in treatment. are you equally as open to offering such friends access to free and natural spiritual healing that has been used to heal ppl of cancer altogether and not just reduce symptoms or side effects. id rather ppl have the choice where possible to be completely cured andor prevent cancer to begin with. not all cases can be cured or prevented 100% but the spiritual healing has saved lives and restored ppl to full health in cases where medicine or chemo alone only treated symptoms while letting the person die.

if you want to pursue further research i am trying to help a friend document 30 years of spiritual healing to save lives of ppl cured of cancer, diabetes, multiple personalities and ill conditions caused by addiction or abuses. smoking pot can alleviate symptoms but not cure the cause of disease or addiction as spiritual healing and forgiveness therapy address. if you are interested or have questions you can call my friend olivia at 713 820 0899 or i can send you books i found that explain the healing process as scientific and natural. see freespiritualhealing | Just another WordPress.com site for some of these resources i found for pursuing medical research

i appreciate the common concern for natural treatment and not pharmaceutical monopoly on medical procedures that kill instead of cure people. i believe by working together we can establish and provide the most costeffective measures of prevention diagnosis and cure to maximize our resources so more people have access to effective health care and cut costs.
thanks for your reply and i'm sorry to hear that your friend suffered so much who was blessed to have a friend like you for support through such difficult hardship. thank you for that and best wishes to you!

Of course I am.

I think People should have medical marijuana and alternative medicine, holistic healing and whatever other choices available to choose from.

But I don't think people should choose for others what path they take, people have to choose their own path.

I have seen medical pot work for my friend who suffered with chemo treatments that made him seriously ill, so with my own eyes I believe that pot does help some folks to get over the sick nauseous and lack of appetite that those strong medical treatments cause.

But I have also seen people get well with methods such as what you outlined as well.

 

[Pogo]

So true, and it's a lot more than cereals. I used to enjoy tomato soup. Can't even buy it any more without ridiculous amounts of sugar. It's been insidiously injected into everything, so much so that you can't even find an alternative product without it. It's enough to make you wish for ....... gummint intervention.

But nooooo, we'd rather lock people up for toking.

It's like ethanol in gasoline. Those who want to sell themselves a story of an alternative biofuel, fine, let 'em have it. Just stop forcing me to use it too. Leave us a choice.

yea but sadly our Govt aint doing shit about it.....and 90% of the food companies aint doing shit about it......and this sugar fix is getting out of control.....there is some form of sugar added to just about everything.....

Good. I don’t want either to do shit about it. You know who I want to fix it – ME!

If you have a problem with sugary items, try not purchasing them. I know that such a concept is very tough but there is an entire section at the market devoted to fresh produce. It has zero added sugars and is actually really quite easy to prepare. Remove from fridge – eat.

It is not difficult. The government is not going to fix this no matter how many regulations that are passed. If people want sugar, they are going to pour it on themselves or eat a candy bar. It is up to us to make decisions that affect our lives and the choices are out there, even if you refuse to see them.

I believe this is all part of some grater illness that we are facing as a people. The illness of someone else. Too much sugar in the shit we eat, someone else will fix that. The evil food corporations should be taking care of my eating habits for me, making sure that the food I buy is healthy. If not, the government should intercede on my behalf forcing them to do it. That is nuts, We are smart individuals and we can make those decisions ourselves. We, as a whole, need to stop looking to others to save us from ourselves.

I'm afraid you oversimplify, my F-ing friend

Nobody wants gummint jumping in front of every transaction, no. But nor do we want an unfettered collusion of food producers to monopolize the grocery store to the point where there's no choices left. Where's my tomato soup? It doesn't exist. Make all the tomato soup laden with sugar you want, but where's my ability to choose something else? Man does not live on produce alone.

As in everything there needs to be a balance here. Ideology must be constrained by the practical. Government regulation can be a bad thing. That doesn't mean it always is.

 

[Pogo]

You don't have to smoke it, you can eat a cakepop or a brownie

Sasquatch Deliveries | MMJ Menu - Flowers, Medibles, & Concentrates

Yeah but then you're putting something unhealthy in your body -- sugar.

 

[Michelle420]

You don't have to smoke it, you can eat a cakepop or a brownie

Sasquatch Deliveries | MMJ Menu - Flowers, Medibles, & Concentrates

Yeah but then you're putting something unhealthy in your body -- sugar.

I don't mind if someone consumes sugar or smokes pot.

But if your worried about it sprinkle it in a salad or have a pot smoothie

 

[emilynghiem]

yea but sadly our Govt aint doing shit about it.....and 90% of the food companies aint doing shit about it......and this sugar fix is getting out of control.....there is some form of sugar added to just about everything.....

Good. I don’t want either to do shit about it. You know who I want to fix it – ME!

If you have a problem with sugary items, try not purchasing them. I know that such a concept is very tough but there is an entire section at the market devoted to fresh produce. It has zero added sugars and is actually really quite easy to prepare. Remove from fridge – eat.

It is not difficult. The government is not going to fix this no matter how many regulations that are passed. If people want sugar, they are going to pour it on themselves or eat a candy bar. It is up to us to make decisions that affect our lives and the choices are out there, even if you refuse to see them.

I believe this is all part of some grater illness that we are facing as a people. The illness of someone else. Too much sugar in the shit we eat, someone else will fix that. The evil food corporations should be taking care of my eating habits for me, making sure that the food I buy is healthy. If not, the government should intercede on my behalf forcing them to do it. That is nuts, We are smart individuals and we can make those decisions ourselves. We, as a whole, need to stop looking to others to save us from ourselves.

I'm afraid you oversimplify, my F-ing friend

Nobody wants gummint jumping in front of every transaction, no. But nor do we want an unfettered collusion of food producers to monopolize the grocery store to the point where there's no choices left. Where's my tomato soup? It doesn't exist. Make all the tomato soup laden with sugar you want, but where's my ability to choose something else?

As in everything there needs to be a balance here. Ideology must be constrained by the practical. Government regulation can be a bad thing. That doesn't mean it always is.

For this reason I applaud both the independent organic entrepreneurs who push their products to be carried in stores, and the stores that agree to carry local brands which offer both healthier choices and promote local markets which is vital to economic democracy.

there is still the risk of larger companies buying out organic brands and possibly killing off that choice for consumers, as with tom's natural toothpaste that got bought out where its future is uncertain.

consumers need to make full use of the internet and political/media networks to organize resources stay informed and take equal control so we arent victims of corporate collusion.
we need to patronize companies with good ethics and not compromise for poor practices

because i recognize this is easier said than done,
my KUDOS to those of you out there who do a better job
practicing what you preach than i do. much respect to you, thanks for making a difference by setting the right standard by example.

 

[Borillar]

New York City appeals ?soda ban? ruling

Am I the only person who questions this push to ban sugary drinks while there is a movement to legalize pot?

The Mayor argues it is to "encourage" people to make the conscious choice of sugar intake.
Well what about drinking and smoking, then?
???

What should we do, have a third level of laws (such as "health and safety" ordinances)
to "discourage" abusive or addictive excesses that is bad for one's health and "encourage" counseling and rehab (without micromanaging or punishing through civil/criminal laws).

And let everyone opt in and make their own localized decisions as to what they want or don't want; so if you are for pot but against soft drinks, you can vote for that per district?
Am I the only one having trouble wrapping my mind around this
???

How about we legalize pot and leave soft drinks alone? Pot should never have been made illegal in the first place. To make laws about soft drinks is just crazy.

 

[Pogo]

Oh you were clear enough the first time. No need for a spin cycle.

Glad you can justify inhaling crap into your lungs. You are also transparent as hell.

As far as the claim that smoking pot is enlightening, you sure prove that wrong.

Really?

I know people who recognize that their marijuana use impaired their judgment;
and one artist gave it up after it caused her to lose a major project because
she was high and wasn't focused. I have friends who did not improve from their constant paranoia and negative attitudes until after they quit pot, where there are studies cited as it causing longterm paranoia and personality changes that soda does NOT cause. I understand there is research that the chemicals can even affect the person's DNA which I don't think you can say for soda.

I've never known someone's judgment and personality to be affected that way by soda.
But I have many friends whose relationships have been severely impaired by pot smoking.

And given the poor judgment shown by Amanda Knox and her boyfriend who had been smoking pot, do you think the same mess would have happened if they had been drinking soda?

P.S. Again if anyone else out there can please enlighten and help me in my struggle to understand this weird justification that sugar is more deleterious to one's health than pot,
PLEASE help me get this.

Am I not smoking the same crack that these other people are on?
Is it the sugar in my soda I am drinking?

If I started smoking pot, where I can't work a regular job anymore if I can't pass a drug test, would that help me to empathize with people who blame the govt for their problems?

Can anyone help me out here, please? I still don't get this, please
explain how sugar is more dangerous than pot or if these people
are just joking with me or what!

Emily if you're still here, I meant to address this yesterday and got onto other things...

Nobody should be allowing themselves to be drug tested for employment, period. It astounds me that some of the voices protesting government "intrusions" in the form of banning a Big Gulp (or other things) turn around and just roll over for such a blatant violation of civil liberties as this.

Personally I've never taken an employment drug test in my life and when I've been asked to I told them to take a hike (and yes, they backed down). I find it appalling that anyone rolls over for this, and thus Big Brother crapola enables this kind of lunacy. I won't even patronize a store that has the balls to announce "we drug test our employees", though I'll go in and let them know my objections.

Stand UP for yourselves, folks. If you don't have enough self-worth to do that, then stand up for the rest of us. Just. Say. No.

(/rant off)

Hi Pogo, I appreciate you standing up for your principles, and even thanked posts on here I didn't agree with because I respected that people were sincere in trying to enforce consistent principles as with you and your intention.

However, I know too many people who are in stages of addiction and denial who would not have been forced to take responsibility except it affected their freedom and ability to support themselves. I agree that people addicted to drugs should be screened in applying for welfare benefits so they can get help and not jsut be a drag on the system. They do need to be encouraged to work to become independent, so I agree with the push for mental health and drug courts that help people address their issues so they can work.

A distinction must be made for people who are caught in unhealthy addiction that otherwise puts a financial drain on the criminal justice, health and welfare systems where they are not sustainable. If people are financially responsible for their decisions, such as microlending where they work or volunteer in community service to earn credits back, this could be made sustainable and reward people for being productive.

There are people like you who obviously are opposed due to principle and I do believe there is a way to set up the system where it does not punish or burden the law-abiding citizens trying to take responsibility. But we do have to start screening and diagnosing those are AREN'T being fully responsible, and/or are in denial about addiction and abuses preventing them from being productive law-abiding citizens instead of a drain on the system at the expense of people who DON'T agree to pay for that. If you agree to pay for these folks, that's fine, we should have a way to hold parties responsible for the policies we believe in enforcing, without taxing or burdening others with different standards they are willing to pay for. Thanks for your thoughtful replies. I believe these issues need to be addressed with the immigration reform and how to hold the lawbreakers accountable without harming the lawabiding citizens who are either burdened by overly broad restrictions or too little instead of writing legislation where it addresses wrongdoers and does not create undue burden on others who have no criminal intent. Very similar issue!

Thanks Pogo Yours truly, Emily

PS this is another reason I push for medical research and access to spiritual healing to address and treat addiction abuse and criminal illness at the root, so the problems caused by untreated addiction or abuses do not entangle the system with undue bureaucracy to regulate that imposes unfairly on the rights, freedom and resources of lawabiding citizens.
our whole system is backlogged because we chase after the myriad of symptoms of problems after the fact instead of investing in programs that prevent, correct and deter.

Hi Emily - yes I noticed those thanks on points we differed on, and as you know I've long been a fan of your facility for lucid thought and civility. Same back atchya.

I still say it's not honest to speak of "cannabis addiction" (if we're still saying that) when it's not a reality. I think we have to deal in realities. But to merge our common grounds of going to the root (the disease rather than the symptom), can we agree that whatever dependence (a self-imposed dependence, as distinct from an 'addiction') the stoners in your testimonial may be going through, that it is a product of their own failures of self-discipline, rather than the outside influence of a substance that is not addictive? Can we do that?

Because this goes right to your championing of spiritual healing; if we heal the spirit that wallows in its own self-imposed limitations, then that spirit may be strong enough to right itself. And again I strongly believe that empowering the subject to take control of his own destiny is a far better and more effective course than to empower the substance by calling it an "addiction". And that's why this point is important. Thanks.

 

[emilynghiem]

You don't have to smoke it, you can eat a cakepop or a brownie

Sasquatch Deliveries | MMJ Menu - Flowers, Medibles, & Concentrates

Yeah but then you're putting something unhealthy in your body -- sugar.

I don't mind if someone consumes sugar or smokes pot.

But if your worried about it sprinkle it in a salad or have a pot smoothie

And if there is a ban on large size pot smoothies,
order a small one and get as many refills as you like.
C'mon don't be lazy, the extra exercise is good for ya!

 

[Michelle420]

Yeah but then you're putting something unhealthy in your body -- sugar.

I don't mind if someone consumes sugar or smokes pot.

But if your worried about it sprinkle it in a salad or have a pot smoothie

And if there is a ban on large size pot smoothies,
order a small one and get as many refills as you like.
C'mon don't be lazy, the extra exercise is good for ya!

Sure I am law abiding.

I don't agree with the law that outlaws pot or the size of a product I might be willing to pay for in a drink.

http://www.alternet.org/drugs/marijuana-smoothie-anyone

 

[Pogo]

Legalizing marijuana in Washington State had been nothing but a good thing. I'm confused how or why anyone could be against something that gets innocent people out of the criminal system and generates revenue on the local level?

Yes and no, BB.

I agree with de-criminalizing pot and drugs, while still having some alternative such as the drug courts and mental health courts that address the addiction with rehab so people can become functional and keep working to support their families instead of backlogging jails.

If we don't address the addictions then the health and behavior problems end up costing taxpayers in terms of our backlogged mental health and prison systems which could be used to expand medical education, treatment and service programs to revamp health care.

If the same process of legalizing marijuana by promoting more natural herbal medical useage were also used to promote natural and free spiritual healing to cure diseases and addictions and to cut down on medical expenses so more resources can help more people then I would not object. But if people keep depending on placating symptoms instead of solving the real cause of health problems then we still are putting bandaids on wounds instead of healing them at the source, so I do have a problem with that. If people want different policies, they should have the freedom to fund the costs themselves; so people who believe in free spiritual healing can have access to the system and resources freed up by using those methods, and people who want to smoke pot can pay for any health problems, side effects, or problems not solved by using that system. And let people have an educated choice which approach is more natural and cures more diseases and addictions. i believe the spiritual healing will prove more cost-effective and medically effective, and will eventually end the need to turn to alcohol, smoking etc. because it cures the addition itself. so we will save more lives and resources both immediately and longterm, once it is medically established that spiritual healing is natural and effective and can also cure conditions where medicine alone has failed but only placates symptoms at a higher cost.

Do you realize that people read the first sentence or two of your posts and then give up?

Oh I don't. Emily's one of the most thoughtful posters around here, and I for one appreciate the time and brain sweat put into them. It beats the pissing matches and snarky quips.

Maybe more frequent paragraph breaks would make it easier on the eyes, but that's about it.

 

[Michelle420]

Yes and no, BB.

I agree with de-criminalizing pot and drugs, while still having some alternative such as the drug courts and mental health courts that address the addiction with rehab so people can become functional and keep working to support their families instead of backlogging jails.

If we don't address the addictions then the health and behavior problems end up costing taxpayers in terms of our backlogged mental health and prison systems which could be used to expand medical education, treatment and service programs to revamp health care.

If the same process of legalizing marijuana by promoting more natural herbal medical useage were also used to promote natural and free spiritual healing to cure diseases and addictions and to cut down on medical expenses so more resources can help more people then I would not object. But if people keep depending on placating symptoms instead of solving the real cause of health problems then we still are putting bandaids on wounds instead of healing them at the source, so I do have a problem with that. If people want different policies, they should have the freedom to fund the costs themselves; so people who believe in free spiritual healing can have access to the system and resources freed up by using those methods, and people who want to smoke pot can pay for any health problems, side effects, or problems not solved by using that system. And let people have an educated choice which approach is more natural and cures more diseases and addictions. i believe the spiritual healing will prove more cost-effective and medically effective, and will eventually end the need to turn to alcohol, smoking etc. because it cures the addition itself. so we will save more lives and resources both immediately and longterm, once it is medically established that spiritual healing is natural and effective and can also cure conditions where medicine alone has failed but only placates symptoms at a higher cost.

Do you realize that people read the first sentence or two of your posts and then give up?

Oh I don't. Emily's one of the most thoughtful posters around here, and I for one appreciate the time and brain sweat put into them. It beats the pissing matches and snarky quips.

Maybe more frequent paragraph breaks would make it easier on the eyes, but that's about it.

Agreed, Emily puts alot of thought into her posts and she is nice person.

 

[Pogo]

Yeah but then you're putting something unhealthy in your body -- sugar.

I don't mind if someone consumes sugar or smokes pot.

But if your worried about it sprinkle it in a salad or have a pot smoothie

And if there is a ban on large size pot smoothies,
order a small one and get as many refills as you like.
C'mon don't be lazy, the extra exercise is good for ya!

Pot smoothies... ... you just may have an idea here.

I'm calling Pinkberry, right now.

 

[Pogo]

Good. I don’t want either to do shit about it. You know who I want to fix it – ME!

If you have a problem with sugary items, try not purchasing them. I know that such a concept is very tough but there is an entire section at the market devoted to fresh produce. It has zero added sugars and is actually really quite easy to prepare. Remove from fridge – eat.

It is not difficult. The government is not going to fix this no matter how many regulations that are passed. If people want sugar, they are going to pour it on themselves or eat a candy bar. It is up to us to make decisions that affect our lives and the choices are out there, even if you refuse to see them.

I believe this is all part of some grater illness that we are facing as a people. The illness of someone else. Too much sugar in the shit we eat, someone else will fix that. The evil food corporations should be taking care of my eating habits for me, making sure that the food I buy is healthy. If not, the government should intercede on my behalf forcing them to do it. That is nuts, We are smart individuals and we can make those decisions ourselves. We, as a whole, need to stop looking to others to save us from ourselves.

I'm afraid you oversimplify, my F-ing friend

Nobody wants gummint jumping in front of every transaction, no. But nor do we want an unfettered collusion of food producers to monopolize the grocery store to the point where there's no choices left. Where's my tomato soup? It doesn't exist. Make all the tomato soup laden with sugar you want, but where's my ability to choose something else?

As in everything there needs to be a balance here. Ideology must be constrained by the practical. Government regulation can be a bad thing. That doesn't mean it always is.

For this reason I applaud both the independent organic entrepreneurs who push their products to be carried in stores, and the stores that agree to carry local brands which offer both healthier choices and promote local markets which is vital to economic democracy.

there is still the risk of larger companies buying out organic brands and possibly killing off that choice for consumers, as with tom's natural toothpaste that got bought out where its future is uncertain.

consumers need to make full use of the internet and political/media networks to organize resources stay informed and take equal control so we arent victims of corporate collusion.
we need to patronize companies with good ethics and not compromise for poor practices

because i recognize this is easier said than done,
my KUDOS to those of you out there who do a better job
practicing what you preach than i do. much respect to you, thanks for making a difference by setting the right standard by example.

I wish it were that simple and that we weren't already at the stage we are-- but when I whine about not having access to tomato soup, I'm including the organic markets (of course, there's nothing that keeps added sugar from still being "organic") -- the point is not that sugar-laden foods are all over the traditional markets; the point is that they're all over all the markets.

 

[Michelle420]

I don't mind if someone consumes sugar or smokes pot.

But if your worried about it sprinkle it in a salad or have a pot smoothie

And if there is a ban on large size pot smoothies,
order a small one and get as many refills as you like.
C'mon don't be lazy, the extra exercise is good for ya!

Pot smoothies... ... you just may have an idea here.

I'm calling Pinkberry, right now.

Cannabis Infused Vegan Strawberry Banana Smoothie

Even though there are no dairy products or sugar in this smoothie, it’s still creamy, sweet, and satisfying. Using frozen fruit allows you to achieve a thick texture without diluting flavor. Add the optional ground hemp seeds for an additional nutrition boost.

Cannabis Cheri » Blog Archive Cannabis Infused Vegan Strawberry Banana Smoothie » Cannabis Cheri

 

[emilynghiem]

Sure I am law abiding.

I don't agree with the law that outlaws pot or the size of a product I might be willing to pay for in a drink.

Marijuana Smoothie, Anyone? | Alternet

Hi Drifter
I think we agree that using legislation to regulate behavior externally is not the way to go.
Clearly it creates more complications than the problems it seeks to solve.

But where we disagree you stated clearly in your other msg.
you do not see the reality of the addiction part, and that is also why you throw
spiritual healing in the same general category with holistic and alternative treatment.

Spiritual healing in terms of deliverance has been used for centuries to rid people of demonic obsessions that no other form of therapy gets rid of.

Demonic voices and criminal illness/addictions are dangerous and deadly if left untreated.
[the hardest part to understand as an outsider, unless you know someone personally who suffered and/or overcame such conditions,
is that the influencing forces ARE coming from beyond the person's conscious will, that we carry karma collectively and some of this requires
divine intervention because it comes from sources besides just the mind and will of the person affected.]

So there is that gap between your perception and mine because of my personal experience with me overcoming uncontrollable karma beyond my own will, and other friends who could not beat an addiction and personal demons until they underwent spiritual deliverance therapy to get rid of the root core in their spirit that was blocking their free will.

the author I credit for writing the most cutting edge book pushing to research this therapy medically as a valid and necessary form of treatment is Scott Peck in Glimpses of the Devil and people of the lie. he didn't believe it either, until he saw the difference it made in treating patients with such severe schizophrenic and psychotic behavior they couldn't undergo therapy until after they went through successful deliverance first to overcome the hijacking of their minds and will by demonic voices, personalities and obsessions that were causing them to act self-destructively and reject all medical and mental help. so this saved the life of one patient, and would have saved the other had she started treatment earlier (instead she died of physical diseases that were fatal because she had never been treated for them due to her mental conditions that caused her to reject working with doctors at all) Peck urged the medical and psychiatric professionals to pursue formal medical research, and last i checked the system in Great Britain was closer to recognizing this as valid therapy. but America is behind on this because of this secular fear of separating church and state instead of using our vast medical research and educational institutions to study and prove this process is effective and natural, so it can be made accessible to more people.

our legal system is blocked from intervening in personal freedom but that is where the cure lies, so we tend to wait until problems become externalized before we address them; so we tend to chase after symptoms but are weak when it comes to addressing internal roots of the problem. we can get there by education and free choice but not if we keep skewing the information where people are not making fully informed choices.

So this issue of the reality of addiction and the spiritual therapy it takes to overcome addiction is a real key to reforming the criminal justice, mental health and medical systems, where we invest resources on prevention and not waste them on problems after the fact.

sorry to preach to the choir, drifter, as we agree on 98%

just that one point about treating addictions is where we differ
but that is a critical point to solving this whole dilemma with
addressing the root cause instead of the resulting complications!

 

[emilynghiem]

And if there is a ban on large size pot smoothies,
order a small one and get as many refills as you like.
C'mon don't be lazy, the extra exercise is good for ya!

Pot smoothies... ... you just may have an idea here.

I'm calling Pinkberry, right now.

Cannabis Infused Vegan Strawberry Banana Smoothie

Even though there are no dairy products or sugar in this smoothie, it’s still creamy, sweet, and satisfying. Using frozen fruit allows you to achieve a thick texture without diluting flavor. Add the optional ground hemp seeds for an additional nutrition boost.

Cannabis Cheri » Blog Archive Cannabis Infused Vegan Strawberry Banana Smoothie » Cannabis Cheri

ha ha if people are already addicted to the sugar in smoothies
then adding cannabis isn't going to help is it?

how about cannabis as a substitute for sugar in tomato soup?
would that help out our anti-sugar friends, or just cause them to crave more munchies?