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Title: FOX News Anti-Marijuana Propaganda Exposed on Live TV by Their Own ‘Expert’
Source:
Free Thought Project
URL Source: http://thefreethoughtproject.com/fox-news-anti-pot-propaganda/
Published: Jan 8, 2018
Author: Matt Agorist
Post Date: 2018-01-09 09:31:44 by Deckard
Keywords: None
Views: 216
Comments: 6
Just as Jeff Sessions rescinded a pro-freedom and pro-states’ rights policy of allowing individual states to decide the legality of marijuana, FOX News aired a segment with their “medical expert” informing its viewers on the “dangers” of marijuana use. The outright propaganda and lies spewed by their so-called expert were hilarious while at the same time incredibly worrisome—because many people actually believe them. Fox News’ Medical ‘Expert’ and A-Team member, Dr. Marc Siegel went on a rant on how “regular marijuana use carries significant health risks.” Out of the gate, the “expert” falsely claimed that fatal car accidents involving pot have doubled since legalization. As TFTP reported at the time, a study published by the American Public Health Association found that states with legal medical cannabis have lower rates of traffic fatalities than states with full prohibition. The researchers analyzed 29 years of data in the Fatality Analysis Reporting System. The study concluded: “Both MMLs and dispensaries were associated with reductions in traffic fatalities, especially among those aged 25 to 44 years.” This medical doctor then went on to say that because THC stays in your system for “days and days” after use that it still impairs your driving. Seriously. The FOX News ‘doctor’ then continued his rant and falsely claimed that “marijuana kills your brain cells.” The myth that cannabis use kills brain cells has been heavily debunked by scientists over the years. The evidence is so overwhelming that even the US government has admitted that pot does not kill brain cells. MIT even endorses this fact while explaining it on their website: Many critics still cite the notorious monkey studies of Dr. Robert G. Heath, which purported to find brain damage in three monkeys that had been heavily dosed with cannabis. This work was never replicated and has since been discredited by a pair of better controlled, much larger monkey studies, one by Dr. William Slikker of the National Center for Toxicological Research and the other by Charles Rebert and Gordon Pryor of SRI International. Neither found any evidence of physical alteration in the brains of monkeys exposed to daily doses of pot for up to a year. Human studies of heavy users in Jamaica and Costa Rica found no evidence of abnormalities in brain physiology. While pot doesn’t kill brain cells, as TFTP reported, it most certainly does kill cancer cells. After decades of claiming that cannabis has no medicinal value, the U.S. government admitted in 2015 that cannabis can kill cancer cells. Although still claiming, “there is not enough evidence to recommend that patients inhale or ingest cannabis as a treatment for cancer-related symptoms or side effects of cancer therapy,” the admission that “cannabis has been shown to kill cancer cells in the laboratory,” highlighted a rapidly changing perspective on medicinal cannabis treatments. In the most recent update to the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) website included a listing of studies, which indicated anti-tumor effects of cannabis treatment. Studies in mice and rats have shown that cannabinoids may inhibit tumor growth by causing cell death, blocking cell growth, and blocking the development of blood vessels needed by tumors to grow. Laboratory and animal studies have shown that cannabinoids may be able to kill cancer cells while protecting normal cells. After lying about the physical effects of marijuana on the brain, the FOX News ‘experts’ went on to claim that marijuana use can “ruin your life,” with the talking head host spewing some nonsense about how someone at her high school tried pot and went on to become a loser. Why does marijuana ruin your life? Well, according to the FOX News medical expert, it’s a gateway drug. Again, this doctor is wrong. While studies on drug use show that almost every single person, 99% of all illicit drug users have tried marijuana before they did any other drugs, this does not mean marijuana is a gateway drug. Still, as FOX News illustrates, this insubstantial fact is used by reefer madness folks across the globe to bolster their claims that “marijuana is a gateway drug.” But when one looks past the surface of this claim, it becomes downright silly. It just so happens that 99% of these so-called illicit drug users could have also tried coffee, soft drinks, candy, or milk before moving on to harsher substances. As TFTP has reported, marijuana is actually an exit drug as the promise it shows in curbing opioid addiction as well as relieving symptoms of PTSD and depression far better than the dangerous pharmaceuticals is evidence of this. As TFTP reported, a JAMA Internal Medicine study looked at ten years of data in all 50 states, concluding that states with medical cannabis laws had significantly lower rates of opioid overdose mortality. Also, a second study has confirmed the powerful effect that medical cannabis has on reducing opioid abuse. Toward the end of the show, the host showed just how ridiculous their propaganda piece was by talking about having some bishop on who claimed to be addicted to marijuana. Listening to the host explain the addiction was outright hilarious. “He (the bishop) would smoke marijuana and he wouldn’t get a high off of it,” said the host before becoming the subject of one of the most hilarious anti-reefer madness memes to ever make it on to the internet. “So he’d have to smoke another ONE,” she said. “And another one, and another one. And, he’d smoked four (marijuanas) in one sitting.” Sadly, it appears that Jeff Sessions is watching this same show and using it to make policy decisions that will affect millions of people by potentially stripping away their medicine or kidnapping, caging, and killing those who don’t obey. Below is an example of how blatant stupidity and ignorance can morph into an ‘educational series’ on marijuana. “On average, MML [medical marijuana laws] states had lower traffic fatality rates than non-MML states. Medical marijuana laws were associated with immediate reductions in traffic fatalities in those aged 15 to 24 and 25 to 44 years, and with additional yearly gradual reductions in those aged 25 to 44 years.”
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#1. To: Deckard (#0)
(Edited)
I wonder if states with higher chewing gum sales have lower or higher opioid addiction rates. Because everyone knows if states that have higher chewing gum sales has a higher opioid addiction. So we should get rid of chewing gum. Unless states with higher chewing gum sales have fewer opioid addictions. In which case we should mandate chewing gum. My statement was as stupid as the comment I quoted. Irrelevant. It's how many left handed vs right handed persons that makes the difference. Or maybe coffees drinkers.
Any JAMA studies to prove your ridiculous assertion? I didn't think so. As TFTP reported, a JAMA Internal Medicine study looked at ten years of data in all 50 states, concluding that states with medical cannabis laws had significantly lower rates of opioid overdose mortality. Oh - just in case you want to brand the study as bogus: JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association is a peer-reviewed medical journal published 48 times a year by the American Medical Association. Just a bunch of pothead doctors I suppose. My assertions were meant to be stupid. Just like pretending pot makes less opoid deaths is stupid.
Oh I'm sure their data is accurate. I don't think they are making up numbers. It's just meaningless statistics that don't mean a thing.
Abstract Importance Opioid analgesic overdose mortality continues to rise in the United States, driven by increases in prescribing for chronic pain. Because chronic pain is a major indication for medical cannabis, laws that establish access to medical cannabis may change overdose mortality related to opioid analgesics in states that have enacted them. Objective To determine the association between the presence of state medical cannabis laws and opioid analgesic overdose mortality. Design, Setting, and Participants A time-series analysis was conducted of medical cannabis laws and state-level death certificate data in the United States from 1999 to 2010; all 50 states were included. Exposures Presence of a law establishing a medical cannabis program in the state. Main Outcomes and Measures Age-adjusted opioid analgesic overdose death rate per 100 000 population in each state. Regression models were developed including state and year fixed effects, the presence of 3 different policies regarding opioid analgesics, and the state-specific unemployment rate. Results Three states (California, Oregon, and Washington) had medical cannabis laws effective prior to 1999. Ten states (Alaska, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Rhode Island, and Vermont) enacted medical cannabis laws between 1999 and 2010. States with medical cannabis laws had a 24.8% lower mean annual opioid overdose mortality rate (95% CI, −37.5% to −9.5%; P = .003) compared with states without medical cannabis laws. Examination of the association between medical cannabis laws and opioid analgesic overdose mortality in each year after implementation of the law showed that such laws were associated with a lower rate of overdose mortality that generally strengthened over time: year 1 (−19.9%; 95% CI, −30.6% to −7.7%; P = .002), year 2 (−25.2%; 95% CI, −40.6% to −5.9%; P = .01), year 3 (−23.6%; 95% CI, −41.1% to −1.0%; P = .04), year 4 (−20.2%; 95% CI, −33.6% to −4.0%; P = .02), year 5 (−33.7%; 95% CI, −50.9% to −10.4%; P = .008), and year 6 (−33.3%; 95% CI, −44.7% to −19.6%; P < .001). In secondary analyses, the findings remained similar. Conclusions and Relevance Medical cannabis laws are associated with significantly lower state-level opioid overdose mortality rates. Further investigation is required to determine how medical cannabis laws may interact with policies aimed at preventing opioid analgesic overdose. If they did the same study and used chewing gum or coffee instead of pot. They would come up with some stats one way or the other. Then they could say chewing gum affects opioid use in X manner. Same meaningless statistics.
states with medical cannabis laws had significantly lower rates of opioid overdose mortality.
#2. To: A K A Stone (#1)
Unless states with higher chewing gum sales have fewer opioid addictions. In which case we should mandate chewing gum.
“Truth is treason in the empire of lies.” - Ron Paul
Those who most loudly denounce Fake News are typically those most aggressively disseminating it.
#3. To: Deckard (#2)
#4. To: Deckard (#2)
#5. To: A K A Stone (#4)
It's just meaningless statistics that don't mean a thing.
“Truth is treason in the empire of lies.” - Ron Paul
Those who most loudly denounce Fake News are typically those most aggressively disseminating it.
#6. To: Deckard (#5)
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