Two different views below: one, from a Canadian newspaper, opening up the consideration of legalization of marijuana, and medical use for discussion and consideration - leaving the reader to decide for him/herself versus a close-ended comment by a Singapore Minister, concluding and finalizing his views on the herb - that it is no good for you. And hence disallowed by the state's authority. You are not allowed to decide for yourself. He makes up your mind for you.
That's the Singapore way. Those who live here, have accepted it and lived with that policy and practice since their kiddie days. The ones who can do something about it - is the media. Smoking the weed might be illegal, unlawful, but should TALKING about it be? Why is the minister so uninformed of the ways of society and the people in it? It was during A-levels, I was discussing with some classmate about pot, and we got curious and decided to try it, and it was harmless! All the crap about addiction, deviant behaviour and destructive personalty - these are caused by other factors in life. Not by ganja! So why is this Minister so misplaced in his views? How many people does he know who smoke pot? Don't know? Just look around in the music/arts circles, you will find ordinary people who use it. They may not be open about it, or be comfortable exposing themselves as users, because it would be a bad "mistake" for admission to use - their career would be ruined! Damn, even the President of the United States has admitted to smokling pot! It can't be that bad!!! So, amidst the eerie silence on this subject of pot here in Sinagpore, it is time the DJs, journalists, and columnists start making some noise on it. You may have friends, probably suffering from something that can be cured by marijuana, don't keep silent, give them a chance to try something natural, not harmful. It is cheap, can be home-grown in a pot. Does not need professionals to process it for use. Just harvest, hang it out to dry, and smoke the thing like a cigarette/pipe. Time to research the subject and do something for society, than just being politically correct and earn your salary, as a writer, media professional, you can do it. Spread the word to - Legalise it!
Cheers!
http://calgary.ctvnews.ca/pros-and-cons-of-medical-marijuana-1.2874393
Pros and cons of medical marijuana
Cynthia Roebuck, Anchor/Reporter
@CTVCRoebuck
Published Monday, April 25, 2016 4:44PM MDT
Last Updated Monday, April 25, 2016 7:42PM MDT
While the federal government plans to legalize pot, doctors debate how effective medical marijuana is in dealing with health issues.
"There's no question in my mind that I would rather my children use cannabis than alcohol," said Dr. Stephanie Mason, who is a specialist in psychiatry. Mason is one of a growing number of doctors who support the use of pot for chronic pain and other conditions. Mason has about 5,000 patients at her clinic, where they can get a prescription for legal, medical marijuana.
"There are a number of people who have been using illegal cannabis to treat specific medical conditions, which has been a huge eye-opener to me as a physician because I didn’t realize how beneficial marijuana is at a medical level," she said. “When you look at the dangers of some of the medications we prescribe and I’ve prescribed, cannabis is safe, it’s non-toxic, it doesn’t affect organ systems, people aren’t in hospital because of too much cannabis use.”
But some medical professionals urge caution when deciding whether or not to use weed.
"Somebody said this is not your mommas weed like Woodstock weed,” said Dr. Peter Nieman of drnieman.com. “It’s much stronger, about four times stronger THC component."
Some studies have shown that people under the age of 25 who smoke marijuana can lose eight IQ points and have long term memory loss.
But those who use pot to control medical conditions swear by it, and support having access to a pure, safe supply. Johanna Steinfeld starting using pot 10 years ago after a serious car accident left her in constant pain.
"I was in a lot of pain, and like we all do I tried physio and chiro and the pills the doctors gave me and then a friend of mine gave me cannabis," she said. “I find it’s just helped every aspect of my life in the sense that I’m relaxed and I feel good, and there are so many different types of cannabis, different types do different things, so I figured out a way to use it most effectively to help me with my life.”
The Liberal government has announced it will introduce marijuana legalization in the spring of 2017 making recreational pot legal.
http://www.theonlinecitizen.com/2015/06/singapore-wont-legalise-cannabis-says-minister/
Singapore won’t legalise cannabis, says minister
By Andrew Loh on June 27, 2015 Current Affairs
Masagos
It is “wrong and dangerous” to view cannabis as a soft drug, said the Second Minister for Home Affairs, Masagos Zulkifli.
He said this was despite lobbyists around the world calling for the drug, also known as marijuana, to be legalised.
Mr Masagos was speaking at the opening ceremony of the 20th Anti-Drug Abuse Campaign carnival at Suntec City on Friday.
While such “myths” that cannabis is not as harmful as other drugs have been perpetuated online through social media and “foreign news reports”, he said such claims have not been proved.
For example, the so-called medicinal benefits of marijuana “are not conclusive”, the minister said.
He added that the drug has also not been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration.
Additionally, he said that cannabis is addictive and “especially harmful to young people”.
The cases of drug abusers arrested have also seen an increase in Singapore the last five years.
The Straits Times reports that “there were 1,110 abusers aged under 30 arrested last year, up 34 per cent from 826 in 2010.”
This is despite Singapore’s strict anti-drug laws, which include the mandatory death penalty for traffickers involved in carrying drugs over various statutory thresholds.
"My message to youths is this: Keep saying no to drugs, whatever form they come in,” Mr Masagos said. “They will ruin your lives and your future.”
Also on Friday, several Members of Parliament (MP) gave their opinion on a study commissioned by the Task Force on Youths and Drugs.
The study found that youths held more liberal attitudes towards drugs, especially cannabis. They are also influenced in their views by social media and celebrities who may endorse such drugs.
The TODAY newspaper quoted Tin Pei Ling, MP for Marine Parade GRC and a member of the Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) for Home Affairs and Law, as having said:
“(Social media) is definitely an important channel because there is so much information out there and you must make sure that the right (stuff) is available.”
Mountbatten MP Lim Biow Chuan felt that parents are an important point of contact for children and that parents should keep tabs on what their children are doing.
“Once you lose track, then your children can mix with company that will encourage them to experiment with drugs,” he said.
In the meantime, The New Paper (TNP) reported on Friday that K4, the synthetic variation of marijuana, and other “deadly mix of narcotics” are being openly sold in a Geylang coffeeshop by a group of peddlers.
The paper said:
“The group [of peddlers], which includes two pushers and several runners, sets up shop at a table in the rear of the coffee shop late at night. During the stakeout earlier this week, TNP saw 14 customers, mostly men in their 20s, approaching the pushers over a two-hour period. The availability of such drugs as synthetic marijuana raises concerns because of the rising number of young abusers, who mistakenly believe these drugs are less addictive and cannot be detected.”
That's the Singapore way. Those who live here, have accepted it and lived with that policy and practice since their kiddie days. The ones who can do something about it - is the media. Smoking the weed might be illegal, unlawful, but should TALKING about it be? Why is the minister so uninformed of the ways of society and the people in it? It was during A-levels, I was discussing with some classmate about pot, and we got curious and decided to try it, and it was harmless! All the crap about addiction, deviant behaviour and destructive personalty - these are caused by other factors in life. Not by ganja! So why is this Minister so misplaced in his views? How many people does he know who smoke pot? Don't know? Just look around in the music/arts circles, you will find ordinary people who use it. They may not be open about it, or be comfortable exposing themselves as users, because it would be a bad "mistake" for admission to use - their career would be ruined! Damn, even the President of the United States has admitted to smokling pot! It can't be that bad!!! So, amidst the eerie silence on this subject of pot here in Sinagpore, it is time the DJs, journalists, and columnists start making some noise on it. You may have friends, probably suffering from something that can be cured by marijuana, don't keep silent, give them a chance to try something natural, not harmful. It is cheap, can be home-grown in a pot. Does not need professionals to process it for use. Just harvest, hang it out to dry, and smoke the thing like a cigarette/pipe. Time to research the subject and do something for society, than just being politically correct and earn your salary, as a writer, media professional, you can do it. Spread the word to - Legalise it!
Cheers!
http://calgary.ctvnews.ca/pros-and-cons-of-medical-marijuana-1.2874393
Pros and cons of medical marijuana
Cynthia Roebuck, Anchor/Reporter
@CTVCRoebuck
Published Monday, April 25, 2016 4:44PM MDT
Last Updated Monday, April 25, 2016 7:42PM MDT
While the federal government plans to legalize pot, doctors debate how effective medical marijuana is in dealing with health issues.
"There's no question in my mind that I would rather my children use cannabis than alcohol," said Dr. Stephanie Mason, who is a specialist in psychiatry. Mason is one of a growing number of doctors who support the use of pot for chronic pain and other conditions. Mason has about 5,000 patients at her clinic, where they can get a prescription for legal, medical marijuana.
"There are a number of people who have been using illegal cannabis to treat specific medical conditions, which has been a huge eye-opener to me as a physician because I didn’t realize how beneficial marijuana is at a medical level," she said. “When you look at the dangers of some of the medications we prescribe and I’ve prescribed, cannabis is safe, it’s non-toxic, it doesn’t affect organ systems, people aren’t in hospital because of too much cannabis use.”
But some medical professionals urge caution when deciding whether or not to use weed.
"Somebody said this is not your mommas weed like Woodstock weed,” said Dr. Peter Nieman of drnieman.com. “It’s much stronger, about four times stronger THC component."
Some studies have shown that people under the age of 25 who smoke marijuana can lose eight IQ points and have long term memory loss.
But those who use pot to control medical conditions swear by it, and support having access to a pure, safe supply. Johanna Steinfeld starting using pot 10 years ago after a serious car accident left her in constant pain.
"I was in a lot of pain, and like we all do I tried physio and chiro and the pills the doctors gave me and then a friend of mine gave me cannabis," she said. “I find it’s just helped every aspect of my life in the sense that I’m relaxed and I feel good, and there are so many different types of cannabis, different types do different things, so I figured out a way to use it most effectively to help me with my life.”
The Liberal government has announced it will introduce marijuana legalization in the spring of 2017 making recreational pot legal.
http://www.theonlinecitizen.com/2015/06/singapore-wont-legalise-cannabis-says-minister/
Singapore won’t legalise cannabis, says minister
By Andrew Loh on June 27, 2015 Current Affairs
Masagos
It is “wrong and dangerous” to view cannabis as a soft drug, said the Second Minister for Home Affairs, Masagos Zulkifli.
He said this was despite lobbyists around the world calling for the drug, also known as marijuana, to be legalised.
Mr Masagos was speaking at the opening ceremony of the 20th Anti-Drug Abuse Campaign carnival at Suntec City on Friday.
While such “myths” that cannabis is not as harmful as other drugs have been perpetuated online through social media and “foreign news reports”, he said such claims have not been proved.
For example, the so-called medicinal benefits of marijuana “are not conclusive”, the minister said.
He added that the drug has also not been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration.
Additionally, he said that cannabis is addictive and “especially harmful to young people”.
The cases of drug abusers arrested have also seen an increase in Singapore the last five years.
The Straits Times reports that “there were 1,110 abusers aged under 30 arrested last year, up 34 per cent from 826 in 2010.”
This is despite Singapore’s strict anti-drug laws, which include the mandatory death penalty for traffickers involved in carrying drugs over various statutory thresholds.
"My message to youths is this: Keep saying no to drugs, whatever form they come in,” Mr Masagos said. “They will ruin your lives and your future.”
Also on Friday, several Members of Parliament (MP) gave their opinion on a study commissioned by the Task Force on Youths and Drugs.
The study found that youths held more liberal attitudes towards drugs, especially cannabis. They are also influenced in their views by social media and celebrities who may endorse such drugs.
The TODAY newspaper quoted Tin Pei Ling, MP for Marine Parade GRC and a member of the Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) for Home Affairs and Law, as having said:
“(Social media) is definitely an important channel because there is so much information out there and you must make sure that the right (stuff) is available.”
Mountbatten MP Lim Biow Chuan felt that parents are an important point of contact for children and that parents should keep tabs on what their children are doing.
“Once you lose track, then your children can mix with company that will encourage them to experiment with drugs,” he said.
In the meantime, The New Paper (TNP) reported on Friday that K4, the synthetic variation of marijuana, and other “deadly mix of narcotics” are being openly sold in a Geylang coffeeshop by a group of peddlers.
The paper said:
“The group [of peddlers], which includes two pushers and several runners, sets up shop at a table in the rear of the coffee shop late at night. During the stakeout earlier this week, TNP saw 14 customers, mostly men in their 20s, approaching the pushers over a two-hour period. The availability of such drugs as synthetic marijuana raises concerns because of the rising number of young abusers, who mistakenly believe these drugs are less addictive and cannot be detected.”
