Turning the Tide

[andybotwin]

Hey guys I have had some ideas rolling around in my head for a while on how to turn the marijuana users image around. Keep in mind I haven't smoked in about 3 weeks, so the paranoia is really starting to take ahold ...

 

Look to the homosexual community! If any group has shown how to turn the tide of opinion it has to be the "Gays". Check it, they took a title for them selves that everyone can use "gay", they found a title for "straights". Richard Dawkins advocates this method in The God Delusion for making Atheism more palatable. "Brights" is the word being pushed in that example. My suggestion is "Highs", but only for lack of anyone to really get feedback from. I also like the idea of calling ALL and ANY other substance user with some sort of label... "Eth-heads" for drinkers maybe, "caff-fiends" for energy drink-ers... I feel this really brings ALL substance users down to a level playing field. Ideally i want to see marijuana regulated in a manner similar to alcohol and caffeine, and surely the effects are on a similar level...

 

Hitting the media. This one needs a lot more fleshing out. I don't really have much to do with the media. I don't read the papers or watch commercial TV, its all Triple J and ABC1 for me... But the point is, even if we can only get Andrew Bolt to hate on marijuana users, surely just having him using OUR terms on our terms would be helpful... Imagine 50/50 full of letters "Why oh why must we marijuana users tolerate the hate-fueled language the media uses to describe us? After all ~1 million daily users deserve a little respect! Lift your game [right-wing newspaper of choice]"

 

I have gotten so distracted chatting to blokes about this I can't think of any other good points... But if anyone else has a vision/narrative to marijuana acceptance I would LOVE to hear it!

[lightning]

Andybotwin while I agree we need to change the tone of the debate to terms that are NOT derogatory of Cannabis users, you seem to be falling into the trap of using the prohibitionist term Marijuana the Mexican slang term used by Asslinger and his bastard offspring to demonize the Hemp plant to get it prohibited, The Australian laws do NOT refer to MJ but to Cannabis and we need to bring the argument to back to basics and science on every level because that is were we can win.

There fore I believe we need to try to use the correct scientific name Cannabis and common name Hemp at every opportunity and constantly pick the Government and media up on the constant use of a slang term. (Don't they actually know what it is they are talking about).

 

If we show respect for the plant at all times and correct those that use slang terms we will give more credibility to our arguments.

 

Personally I try to not use slang on most occasions when speaking on serious subjects as I feel it detracts from the credibility of the argument. Showing those we debate with to be lacking in knowledge of what they speak and burying them in empirical (as opposed to statistical) science that cannot be argued is the easy way to win, when there are wide spread calls for evidence based policies.

 

Bury them up to their necks in facts then mow the lawn!!!

 

That is how you make Politicians and Bureaucrats "Carbon Neutral"

 

And ABW please join us on the Q&A forums next Thursday as one of many places to implement your ideas

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[luciddreaming]

I've recently been looking at the gay movement as well. When Harvey Milk first started pursuing that cause (see the move 'Milk' definitely recommend it) he was just for basic rights; do anything as long as you don't harm anyone else. This included smoking Cannabis, but later he just went solely for gay rights.

Another thing he did as well as the word gay was he got everyone in the movement to tell their families that they were gay.

I believe this is of utmost importance. Because what happens if someone in your family gets into a debate with someone about Cannabis? If they know you smoke, they are more likely to argue for our cause instead of against. Same if they participate in a poll or survey. They don't want to see you in jail after all. Most families anyway....

 

So if you are serious about the movement you have to tell your family members. Then educate them about Cannabis with all the scientific evidence you have.

 

Back to your point, I don't think 'Highs', although it's better than stoners or dopers, is a very good name. Although I can't think of anything else atm.

 

Let's do some brainstorming....

 

We get high

Smoke Cannabis

Calm People

Happy People

Grow Plants

Love Nature

Creative

 

Think through that a couple of times or add some more.

Cannatives?

Maybe look up some words that refer to Cannabis in different languages....

[Frazz]

on the contary andybotwin iam completely opposed to using labels to brand any part of society based on their habits, beliefs or particular way of life ... it is yet another way to divide humanity and foster an acceptance of "us" and "them" being fundamentaly different, and only a step away from having ppl wear yellow stars or pink triangles ...

 

[bufo marinus]

Your right about the media using these hysteria inducing slang terms though ab.

Sticking as much credible information back out there is the better way to make prohibition look stupid and allow people to decide this issue on it's merits, without any distractions

[lightning]

well said frazz, name calling is for the primary school ground, if we do not go there we keep the moral high ground

[luciddreaming]

Hm, that's a good point.

The problem with scientific evidence though, although it's good for sceptically minded folks, the majority of the population disregards it and just goes on their personal beliefs. i.e what they've seen etc. You'll see that Shrooms got banned in Holland and Ireland, in both cases, from just the parents of ONE kid who took them and killed themselves. Both kids has pre-existing mental disorders btw. But the point is people hear/see this and go OMG and the media has a panic attack. But if they see a study showing that millions of people also take them multiple times a year and are perfectly fine, they forget about it or say it's bs coz this one kid killed himself.

 

I'm not saying scientific evidence isn't good, it is fantastic, just thought I should outline some problems with it in regards to society. Do you think there would be any way around this? Kinda help out the scientific evidence?

Maybe stories of successful smokers? Hmmmm....

 

EDIT: Okay I just proved my point this morning. I was showing my mum the letter i got back from the go over men t and she said, referring to a part in the letter "yeh see, Cannabis has been linked with psychosis, depression and anxiety" she added "I was talking about this with some friends the other day and two of them had nieces who smoked weed and ended up with severe schizophrenia". Despite me telling her on numerous occasions about studies that proved there is no causality determined and even the studies that say there is a link say they don't know which caused which. I told her this again and said they most likely did other drugs and she said they didn't but they might have not been getting just weed. i.e laced.

Either could be true.

 

But yeh, the point is she forgot about the studies I'd told her about because personal storied trump science in most people's minds. For a second it even made me think "hmmm, maybe it is true, until I remembered my logic" (It was early in the morning! )

 

So I fear science alone isn't enough to persuade the public. We need something that hits them in the heart. Maybe showing how many Cannabis smokers are locked up in Aus every year? Never seen a number for Aus, only U.S.

Also how it can help suffering people. Especially ones with mental disorders like Anxiety, Depression, Tourette's etc. Maybe this will trump the 'sceintific' evidence they've read in the newspapers about the (non-existent) damage it causes to the brain.

 

I'll be happy to make up some more posters if I can get as many people as possible on here to stick them up around their town/city.

Edited May 26, 2009 by luciddreaming

[malawi_dub]

hey guys

 

New to the site, am doing research into marijuana laws etc etc.

 

The biggest frustration I have with the laws at present, is the simple logic.

 

What or how do recreational marijuana smokers affect others and the community?

Compare answers to:

What or or how do alcohol users affect others?

 

Alcohol has become an epidemic in itself. Anger, violence, public disturbance, dis-respect of others and the law.

Every week there seems to be news coverage of alcohol induced violence and general misconduct.

 

People being glassed, grevous bodily harm over a discussion about football????? what the f**k.

People pissing in the middle of the street.

Abusing the police, throwing bottles at the police.

Cory worthington (i think that was his name) young people starting riots, destoying property, no respect for the community or the law.

 

All alcohol.

 

How is this accepted ???

yet the marijuana smoker who is doing his/her own thing in his/her own space is condenmed to be a criminal.

 

I am only just at the beginning of my thought process and some ideas may come out randomly, but if my ideas can be launched into a brainstorming environment and trigger ideas from others, I will be happy.

[Gee]

she forgot about the studies I'd told her about because personal storied trump science in most people's minds.

 

It's a sad fact but I think you hit the nail on the head with that one.

 

 

hey guys

 

New to the site, am doing research into marijuana laws etc etc.

 

The biggest frustration I have with the laws at present, is the simple logic.

 

What or how do recreational marijuana smokers affect others and the community?

Compare answers to:

What or or how do alcohol users affect others?

 

Alcohol has become an epidemic in itself. Anger, violence, public disturbance, dis-respect of others and the law.

Every week there seems to be news coverage of alcohol induced violence and general misconduct.

 

People being glassed, grevous bodily harm over a discussion about football????? what the f**k.

People pissing in the middle of the street.

Abusing the police, throwing bottles at the police.

Cory worthington (i think that was his name) young people starting riots, destoying property, no respect for the community or the law.

 

All alcohol.

 

How is this accepted ???

yet the marijuana smoker who is doing his/her own thing in his/her own space is condenmed to be a criminal.

 

I am only just at the beginning of my thought process and some ideas may come out randomly, but if my ideas can be launched into a brainstorming environment and trigger ideas from others, I will be happy.

 

A good start would be to not call it marijuana . Not having a go at you, I've just found that people who are serious about legalizing the herb don't continue to call it by it's racist slang name.

 

Mate if you're anything like me, once you learn more and more about the truths behind cannabis being illegal your head will damn near explode. With the amount of BS going around it's hard to tell fact from fiction until you get further into it.

 

I've always kept 3 things in mind while reading so called new 'facts'.

 

1. Has anyone ever died from smoking cannabis? Absolutely not

2. Have any of the psychotic Reefer Madness myths ever come true? Not that I have ever seen, read or heard.

3. Are the laws surrounding prohibition worse than the plant itself? Damn right they are!

 

You'll find that every now and then something new will emerge, eg; "Marijuana plants more potent than ever!" and "Evil reefer causes schizophrenia!" Then I refer back to my 3 questions. I was completely 100% anti-cannabis as little as 3 years ago, now every day I like to find out what's happening around the world in regards to legalizing such an incredible plant.

[luciddreaming]

The man speaks the truth. I don't care if it does cause schizophrenia (which I FIRMLY believe it doesn't). Having it illegal does not stop this and that is the main point. In fact, we know that at least decriminalising doesn't increase usage and actually lowers usage rates. (see http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=10080) Following this logic, people are going to jail for absolutely no reason.

 

That's really all you need to know.