Posted on Jan 29, 2014
9
9
0
UCMJ
Marijuana
Responses: 64
0
0
0
Not for allowing it in the military. I can already see the increase of Soldiers testing hot stating they were exposed to second hand smoke.
(0)
(0)
0
0
0
Okay I base this on law enforcement experience. I never had to fight someone under the influence of Marajuania. Most of the time they didn't want to get off the couch eating FunYuns or Doritos, etc....I have had to fight plenty of drunks or intoxicated on meth. But in rapid deployment units, I see this could be a issue. So if you restrict for them it should be restricted to all. And if smoking Marijuana is important to you then I would recommend not staying in. Opions we all have them and you know what we have as well.
(0)
(0)
0
0
0
Recreational level? No. I think if the military allows it for medicinal purposes, you will be placed on LIMDU or SIQ
(0)
(0)
0
0
0
No. There can and should continue to be institutional policy in place that prohibits the use of marijuana.
I work as an analyst in counter-narcotic investigations and I conduct presentations to school age children/teens; all of which requires recurring training to stay up to date on street names of drugs as well as methods of cultivation/manufacture and the effects of the drugs in question, I will tell you that while many will disagree with me, there is sufficient evidence to support that marijuana is a gateway drug and does extensive damage on its own as shown in a recent publication from Harvard University.
That being said, I know that medical research is showing some of the pain killing benefits of the drug, but I still believe that the dangers and consequences currently far outweigh any of those benefits.
I work as an analyst in counter-narcotic investigations and I conduct presentations to school age children/teens; all of which requires recurring training to stay up to date on street names of drugs as well as methods of cultivation/manufacture and the effects of the drugs in question, I will tell you that while many will disagree with me, there is sufficient evidence to support that marijuana is a gateway drug and does extensive damage on its own as shown in a recent publication from Harvard University.
That being said, I know that medical research is showing some of the pain killing benefits of the drug, but I still believe that the dangers and consequences currently far outweigh any of those benefits.
(0)
(0)
SFC (Join to see)
I would be one of those people that would have to say that I don't agree that marijuana is a gateway drug. I've seen too many people, in my life, who smoke weed who never ever want to move on to anything other than weed.
(0)
(0)
0
0
0
I really hope not. I grew up in the Pacific Northwest, where medical marjuana was acceptable and everyone had a prescription. If they didn't, it wasn't frowned upon to use it illegally. Through personal observations I have seen the negative effects, and I have never seen a situation where the negative effects did not outweigh the postive. <view here: http://www.drugfreeworld.org/drugfacts/marijuana/the-harmful-effects.html>. I absolutely hate the smell, and with the smell lingering and my asthma I would never want to be anywhere near the stuff. I will avoid Colorado and Washington so I don't get unnecessary exposure. If you want to do it in your house, and take a shower and wash your clothes before leaving your house, then I would be supportive. But I don't want it forced into my life and affecting my medical health.
Does Marijuana Kill Brain Cells? Harmful Effects on the Brain - Drug-Free World
Watch Truth About Drugs Documentary Video & Learn About Substance Addiction. Get The Facts About Painkillers, Marijuana, Cocaine, Meth & Other Illegal Drugs.
(0)
(0)
0
0
0
I don't know which way the military will go. Personally I think sailors who are on a shore duty where they have a desk job should be allowed to smoke it. For instance, recruiters. Restrictions would obviously include if you're on duty. It should be largely treated like alcohol and shouldn't be allowed on deployments but on my ship we have five to six months periods where another crew owns the boat and we're on shore.
(0)
(0)
0
0
0
I dont endorse the smoking of marijuana, but I suppose like anything in life, they will find justification to change the legalities surounding it's use. How that is going to work in a combat environment recreationally or even medicinally is really beyond me.
(0)
(0)
0
0
0
<p>CW2 Kantor</p><p> </p><p>I looked up possible side effects of marijuana and this is what I found:</p><p> </p><p>Use of marijuana can cause dry mouth, nausea, vomiting, dry or red eyes, heart and <a href="http://www.webmd.com/hypertension-high-blood-pressure/guide/diastolic-and-systolic-blood-pressure-know-your-numbers" crossLinkId="59290" keywordSetId="8191" externalId="091e9c5e802a073a" keywordId="31615" chronic_id="091e9c5e802a073a" directive="friendlyurl" object_type="wbmd_pb_page"><u><font color="#0066cc">blood pressure</font></u></a> problems, lung problems, impaired mental functioning, headache, dizziness, numbness, panic reactions, hallucinations, flashbacks, depression, and sexual problems.</p><p> </p><p>I think that before the military makes a decision on this, we need to be sure if there are side effects or there are no side effects </p><div class="pta-link-card"><div class="pta-link-card-picture"><img src="http://img.webmd.com/dtmcms/live/webmd/consumer_assets/site_images/usability/2012/LBi_Masthead/logo.jpg"></div><div class="pta-link-card-content"><div class="pta-link-card-title"><a href="http://www.webmd.com/hypertension-high-blood-pressure/guide/diastolic-and-systolic-blood-pressure-know-your-numbers" target="_blank">Blood Pressure Numbers and Readings</a></div><div class="pta-link-card-description">WebMD explains what diastolic and systolic blood pressure numbers mean and why it’s important to keep track of them.</div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="pta-box-hide"><i class="icon-remove"></i></div></div>
(0)
(0)
0
0
0
<p>SPC Wallace:</p><p><br></p><p>Not in Aviation! ANY alcohol or drug-related offenses will bar an Aviation Soldier from holding an Aviation MOS. </p><p><br></p><p>Even those with a valid prescription for controlled painkillers are temporarily prohibited from working on aircraft. It makes sense. I would not trust my life to someone who has indulged in illegal substances, or even been impaired by prescription drugs. The risk is just too great.</p><p><br></p><p>As a UPL, I can guarantee you that you WILL be caught sooner or later. Whether it is by random UAs or probable cause UAs, you WILL be caught. These days, a single drug or alcohol offense WILL get you booted from the Army. </p><p><br></p><p>So whether it's prescription meds or illegal drugs or overuse of alcohol, you better be sure that buzz you get is worth your career and your financial future. Not many civilian companies will hire you if you got booted from a drug or alcohol offense. The legal liability is just too high for many companies.</p>
(0)
(0)
0
0
0
Should weed be legalized federally, it's going to be one more detractor for recruitment and retention to continue prohibition in the military. I know that some have said it's selfish to pursue your own gratification over mission readiness. Some have pointed out the flaws and downfalls of the most prolific users. And some have pointed out potential barriers to controlling reasonable use of marijuana.
To those whom refer to the selfishness aspect, I would counter that this refers to more frequent users, some of whom might be treatable by ASAP if they can't go a few weeks at a time without using. Obviously, downrange, the same prohibition on alcohol should apply. It's as one leader said, if you can't trust them downrange, enroll them in ASAP. If they are untreatable or fail, chapter them. We are talking about one point of many in the comprehensive soldier. If the only negative is that someone likes to smoke every now and then (and it is legalized federally), we are shooting ourselves in the foot to deny that person the opportunity to serve.
I get that there is inherent risk in waiting to evaluate who is a true rec user vs. who is using too much. But there are ways to mitigate that risk. If someone shows up at first formation reeking of Febreze or Lysol, watch their behavior patterns. Inside a half-hour, it will be apparent if they're fit for duty. If someone routinely shows up reeking of a scent mask, perform the screening steps necessary to enroll them in ASAP. There will be clues within 2-3 weeks if someone is using too much to be fit for duty. If someone only tokes the occasional Friday night, there will be little to no impact on their performance.
That leads me to the points about the most prolific users. Not everyone who smokes weed smokes the same amount. I know people (civilians) whom have their medical marijuana cards and use almost daily. They aren't exactly a waste of space, but they aren't going anywhere in life. The other side of that is they aren't doing anything horrendous while they're at it. In fact, they usually sit at home when they're not working, smoke weed, and then eat until they're full. Obviously, not someone we want to our left or right (medical issues notwithstanding).
I've also known a few people in my life whom would occasionally partake at a party. Otherwise hardworking people just having fun once in awhile. People we could otherwise trust to our left and right.
And then there are the barriers to proper control of the situation. Someone could theoretically smoke weed with enough time between uses to not be considered a problem user but still pop hot at any time. This is the trickiest part of it all. But there are several clues that would belie whether someone is a problem user. If all they seem to do outside of duty is procure and smoke weed, they are going to perform at a minimal level or poorly. They aren't going to be able to control their weight, they're going to seem sluggish in the morning, they will generally be less than average soldiers.
All that being said, I'm not entirely for allowing marijuana use while someone is in the military, for many of the reasons already mentioned; even a few of the ones I presented counter-arguments for. The biggest would be that you need time to determine if someone is a problem user or not. And we don't always have a lot of time available for such things.
The second biggest reason would be the fact that the average age of junior enlisted is 23, and sometimes the biggest problem with a drug or alcohol is that fact alone. I'm not addicted to very much, outside of coffee and tobacco, but I did some crazy stuff at 23, and alcohol AND weed were almost always involved (I have the appropriate moral waiver, joined in 2006). It wasn't that I actually had a problem with the substances, I just didn't have the foresight and judgment. I wasn't the greatest soldier my first four years, but that had very little to do with drinking, and everything to do with my attitude (I met the minimum standard, so I didn't see what the problem was back then. I do see the problem now, and all the problems I've created for myself.)
I see it coming. It's far too expensive to continue prohibition on marijuana, and the federal government is losing out on a lot of taxes that could be levied with legalization. The best thing leaders can do now is prepare to separate the wheat from the chaff. Otherwise there will be scrambling when it comes down, and mission readiness will be negatively impacted.
(0)
(0)
Read This Next
Continue with Facebook 
Continue with Google