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DonCoquixote

(13,615 posts)
Thu Jun 5, 2014, 03:40 AM Jun 2014

What Maureen Dowd's Cannabis accident tells us

for those who do not know the story: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/03/maureen-dowd-tries-marijuana_n_5442224.html

OK, Dowd is a journalist. One of the things she is supposed to do is ASK QUESTIONS and GATHER FACTS. If she were unable to do this, it would be like saying I am a chef, but I do not know how to boil water or handle a knife. Apparently, she failed to do just that. Any one of us would ask a doctor how to take a drug: do we take it with food, morning, nightimes, can it make us drowsy, etc. Again, she failed to do that. So she not only showed a lack of professional skills (asking a question) but failed to use the same common sense we all use when we go to a doctor, or pick up a prescription at a Walgreens or CVS.

But, does her admitted mistake cause her to realize she made one...NO, she gets on and spins a tale of Reefer madness, blaming everyone BUT herself, and she can get away with that because she is a NYT reporter! Never mind who gets hurt, or that the conservatives will likely use this as a horror story to kill a reform of Cannabis laws "see, even dat Liberal Dowd got into trouble!" It says a lot where we allow people to do at the very least ignore the truth, and be fools, because they are our fools, in our papers, and they say something we like on occasion. It sure doe not hurt that, for all of Obama's sad foot dragging on the issue, The obama presidency will be known as being the era where states first started to treat Cannabis as just another intoxicant or medicine, something Maureen is helping to take back, even though she is simply avoiding the fact she failed to or refused to ask questions.

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What Maureen Dowd's Cannabis accident tells us (Original Post) DonCoquixote Jun 2014 OP
It tells me we need to legalize the stuff Warpy Jun 2014 #1
Back in the 70's we would use 15 dollar an ounce Mexican Pot B Calm Jun 2014 #22
I knew farmers who specilized in indoor sinsemilla back in the 70s Warpy Jun 2014 #23
"No plant should be declared illegal, not pot, not poppies and not coca." nomorenomore08 Jun 2014 #79
In early '67 a friend and I bought a $10 lid, which we stashed at his house pinboy3niner Jun 2014 #32
That's why you buy them from a professional... SomethingFishy Jun 2014 #69
Or at least an experienced amateur. I've baked some delicious (and potent) cookies myself. nomorenomore08 Jun 2014 #80
In college I ate a pot brownie and was catatonic for 18 hours. I couldn't see clearly and someone Pisces Jun 2014 #93
I'd been saying for some time that she was an obnoxious nitwit, and here she goes and with MADem Jun 2014 #2
And another lesson... pinboy3niner Jun 2014 #4
Pass it over ..... to me!!!! MADem Jun 2014 #5
Can I have a bite too? TexasTowelie Jun 2014 #6
Why not? You get a bite... pinboy3niner Jun 2014 #7
Ha ha ha!! Quick, grab that thang from "Mo Do" before she chows the whole thing down all by MADem Jun 2014 #9
I think calling her a journalist is a bit strong, gossip columnist more like. trublu992 Jun 2014 #3
True, however DonCoquixote Jun 2014 #8
I wonder if the cannabis was heated to make the chocolate eridani Jun 2014 #10
It's THC-A until it is heated or stored for long periods. DeSwiss Jun 2014 #12
Getting sleepy isn't psychoactive, but it sure the hell is an effect n/t eridani Jun 2014 #14
It helps me, that's for sure. DeSwiss Jun 2014 #18
''....blaming everyone BUT herself...''' DeSwiss Jun 2014 #11
If she went to report on the drugs they use to torture deathrow inmates to death in Oklahoma, jtuck004 Jun 2014 #13
I'll bet she (or anyone else) wouldn't last long shooting barbiturates... nomorenomore08 Jun 2014 #81
Moral of the story: Smoke it, don't eat it Freddie Jun 2014 #15
no can do Doctor_J Jun 2014 #17
And chronic (no pun intended) cough here Retrograde Jun 2014 #33
I use edibiles too...about 50mg is good noiretextatique Jun 2014 #44
50mg is a lot for some people... SomethingFishy Jun 2014 #67
I know...chronic pain noiretextatique Jun 2014 #72
Umm, no that's not the moral. DeSwiss Jun 2014 #20
you ate too much noiretextatique Jun 2014 #63
Smoking is gross, and unhealthy. Maybe vape but never smoke. nt Logical Jun 2014 #84
The NYT editors are fools, too, for not recognizing Dowd's ineptness & allowing it to print. pacalo Jun 2014 #16
I'm convinced Dowd has dossiers with embarassing photos Retrograde Jun 2014 #34
She has a talent for good, snarky writing pacalo Jun 2014 #42
There are some folks that MJ is just the wrong choice Android3.14 Jun 2014 #19
And most of those are the strongest proponents whistler162 Jun 2014 #21
Yes, and they voted Republican and eventually turned to religion Warpy Jun 2014 #24
I reacted badly to pot when I tried it Crunchy Frog Jun 2014 #39
Then we're on the same page Warpy Jun 2014 #59
What is displayed on booze?? nt Logical Jun 2014 #85
You're going to legalize the stuff you gotta do it right. Informative labeling is a must. bklyncowgirl Jun 2014 #25
your point was true, but DonCoquixote Jun 2014 #27
No labels on beer! nt Logical Jun 2014 #86
"And the ones that mother gives you don't do anything at all---" randr Jun 2014 #26
don't toke with her arely staircase Jun 2014 #28
Total BS Strelnikov_ Jun 2014 #29
"Gold" is likened to a 5-star restaurant dinner... pacalo Jun 2014 #45
it was lovely stuff, as I recall. Warpy Jun 2014 #101
She was bent on a getting a buzz on. intheflow Jun 2014 #30
That's another thing about her botched work: If she wanted to write an accurate analysis pacalo Jun 2014 #48
Wonder if that's what Zeppelin meant by "a pocket full of gold"... nomorenomore08 Jun 2014 #82
It tells me that she is as smart as your average cat. Throd Jun 2014 #31
Operator error.... Bigmack Jun 2014 #35
What I got from this is Jamaal510 Jun 2014 #36
I know this will be an extremely unpopular view here, but Crunchy Frog Jun 2014 #37
I believe the state legislature is working on the edibles issue. Comrade Grumpy Jun 2014 #38
I certainly hope so. Crunchy Frog Jun 2014 #40
ok, I will raise you one DonCoquixote Jun 2014 #41
I just think that if she hadn't acted with such naivete Crunchy Frog Jun 2014 #43
apology accepted, but one caveat DonCoquixote Jun 2014 #46
My prescription bottle for my anti-anxiety medication Crunchy Frog Jun 2014 #50
Alcohol and pot can have a somewhat synergistic effect. nomorenomore08 Jun 2014 #83
labelling is becoming more common...and extensive in CA noiretextatique Jun 2014 #47
It's alot easier to eat a candy bar Crunchy Frog Jun 2014 #49
it's already done DonCoquixote Jun 2014 #57
indeed...great response noiretextatique Jun 2014 #62
Not really comparable, no. Crunchy Frog Jun 2014 #73
you cannot leave medical marijuana around children noiretextatique Jun 2014 #61
How about making it look more Crunchy Frog Jun 2014 #74
now you are being silly noiretextatique Jun 2014 #75
Meh, I don't think I am being silly, but Crunchy Frog Jun 2014 #76
yes...if you take 18x the dosage noiretextatique Jun 2014 #90
What, you mean if I ate 18 cough drops I would trip out for 8 hours? Crunchy Frog Jun 2014 #94
I could be for an idiot proof label DonCoquixote Jun 2014 #77
Dowd is a shill noiretextatique Jun 2014 #91
well, to be fair DonCoquixote Jun 2014 #96
agreed...she is an idiot noiretextatique Jun 2014 #100
What is on a bottle of whisky? nt Logical Jun 2014 #87
If I sat in a hotel room and in a few hours quaffed Tsiyu Jun 2014 #51
I don't believe a word of anything she writes. Live and Learn Jun 2014 #52
Told me she wants the world to know she wears green corduroy jeans, merrily Jun 2014 #53
I had never seen the original before. Live and Learn Jun 2014 #54
One of many reasons I love the net. You can find almost anything on it. merrily Jun 2014 #55
We should outlaw prescription drugs because of Rush IronLionZion Jun 2014 #56
what dowd was actually told DonCoquixote Jun 2014 #58
So she basically played dumb Tsiyu Jun 2014 #60
she's manipulating non-users noiretextatique Jun 2014 #65
It's so ridiculous that anyone would listen to her Tsiyu Jun 2014 #70
I concur noiretextatique Jun 2014 #71
I knew that shill was lying about not be informed noiretextatique Jun 2014 #64
let put this part in boldface DonCoquixote Jun 2014 #66
Her story was a sensationalist piece of crap. SomethingFishy Jun 2014 #68
the internet reacts! DonCoquixote Jun 2014 #78
IMHO, "Ms" Dowd chervilant Jun 2014 #88
yes DonCoquixote Jun 2014 #89
and she lived. what would 18 doses of oxy noiretextatique Jun 2014 #92
lol ellisonz Jun 2014 #95
I would never assume.. sendero Jun 2014 #97
an ax to grind DonCoquixote Jun 2014 #98
And frankly.. sendero Jun 2014 #99

Warpy

(110,903 posts)
1. It tells me we need to legalize the stuff
Thu Jun 5, 2014, 04:21 AM
Jun 2014

and by that I mean the plant, itself. I'd like to see the oral forms restricted to medical shops so people will know how much, how often right on their prescription.

Yeah, Dowd was stupid. She failed to ask questions. Had she asked questions (which would have been typical newbie questions), she might have been steered toward a vaporizer or pre rolled joint and instructed in how much, how often.

Personally, I think she killed that candy bar in a couple of bites. They're not huge. Oral pot also lasts a lot longer than a couple of tokes off a joint. It has to be approached a lot more carefully.

While my own preferred ingestion method would most likely be loaded brownies, I'd make them out of unrefined leaves and make them weak. And that's only after I'd eased back into it with a vaporizer. I'd give the confections a miss, thanks, unless I was puking my guts up on chemo.

 

B Calm

(28,762 posts)
22. Back in the 70's we would use 15 dollar an ounce Mexican Pot
Thu Jun 5, 2014, 07:12 AM
Jun 2014

to make brownies and like you say would be high for hours. I can only imagine how high you would get using the high potency pot of today.

Warpy

(110,903 posts)
23. I knew farmers who specilized in indoor sinsemilla back in the 70s
Thu Jun 5, 2014, 07:26 AM
Jun 2014

and I sincerely doubt that stuff was weaker that the stuff being grown outdoors today. It was one hit giggle dope and a lid would last forever unless you had a lot of parties. Still, as strong as that stuff was, you'd be pretty much OK three hours later.

It's the oral form people need to be wary of, especially the candy. My guess is that's what's going to cause the most problems, especially the more refined stuff like hash candies.

However, the plant should be legalized and sales taxed and regulated. No plant should be declared illegal, not pot, not poppies and not coca.

pinboy3niner

(53,339 posts)
32. In early '67 a friend and I bought a $10 lid, which we stashed at his house
Thu Jun 5, 2014, 11:54 PM
Jun 2014

But I left soon after as an Army draftee, served 4-1/2 years, and never saw or heard from the guy until we ran into each other at our 10-year HS reunion.

First thing I said to him was, "Did you bring my half of our stash?"

SomethingFishy

(4,876 posts)
69. That's why you buy them from a professional...
Fri Jun 6, 2014, 05:29 PM
Jun 2014

So you know what you are getting. You ever been in a pot shop? They have this shit down to a science, it's amazing. The number of strains and the knowledge of how they effect you is impressive as hell.

Pisces

(5,592 posts)
93. In college I ate a pot brownie and was catatonic for 18 hours. I couldn't see clearly and someone
Sun Jun 8, 2014, 12:55 PM
Jun 2014

else had to drive me home. It was the worst experience not being able to know how long this feeling was going to
last. That was the last time I ever ate pot brownies. I think edibles need to be regulated differently and a verbal
reminder about dosage when they are sold. Even though you can't die from an overdose you could crash your car if it
kicks in while behind the wheel.

A child could have a terrible reaction if they got a hold of a candy bar. I am all for legalized pot, but some form
of oversight on edibles is reasonable.

MADem

(135,425 posts)
2. I'd been saying for some time that she was an obnoxious nitwit, and here she goes and with
Thu Jun 5, 2014, 04:27 AM
Jun 2014

one wolfish munch of an entire chocolate covered pot bar, she goes and proves me right!

Couldn't have happened to a nicer gal!

Here's another lesson for her--she lived to write her stupid and uninformed screed. I'd like to see her try that with the same percentage overdose of oxycontin!

MADem

(135,425 posts)
9. Ha ha ha!! Quick, grab that thang from "Mo Do" before she chows the whole thing down all by
Thu Jun 5, 2014, 05:23 AM
Jun 2014

herself!!

DonCoquixote

(13,615 posts)
8. True, however
Thu Jun 5, 2014, 04:56 AM
Jun 2014

We know she is going to be protected by the NYT, unless that female editor that got the Bum's rush.

https://news.yahoo.com/video/fired-nyt-editor-leading-newsroom-151414944.html
http://www.redstate.com/diary/gawken/2014/05/19/newsworthy-ny-times-two-female-star-columnists-maureen-dowd-gail-collins-take-pass-jill-abramsons-firing/

That second link really has me galled. I do not mind if a jornalist slams Obama, it is their job to make the powerful on their toes, but when someone getting a fat paycheck obviously stays silent so as not to jeopardize their next fat paycheck, they lose authority. If a lady journalist and self described feminist does cannot even leave a blurb on the sacking of one of the few female editors, what good are they?

Good for making idiots of themselves, I guess.

And to those mad I posted from Red State, normally I would not, but when even those fools can see BS for what it is, it is worth it.

eridani

(51,907 posts)
10. I wonder if the cannabis was heated to make the chocolate
Thu Jun 5, 2014, 05:44 AM
Jun 2014

One thing that many don't understand about edibles is that cooking THC tends to change it into THCA, which is one of the components with a strong soporific effect. The other class of cannabinoids with this effect are the gamma cannabinoids.

The first time I ever had pot brownies was at a party, and the result was a bunch of people asleep and draped all over the furniture.

 

DeSwiss

(27,137 posts)
12. It's THC-A until it is heated or stored for long periods.
Thu Jun 5, 2014, 05:54 AM
Jun 2014

Heating THC-A which is non-psychoactive, converts it to THC, which is. With brownies, cookies, etc. you're converting the THC-A in an oil-base (butter, vegetable oil, etc.) which can intensify the psychoactive effect in some people. And they have a bad trip. With edibles they should be taken in small quantities if you're not used to them. You'll naturally reach your own stasis-point.

 

DeSwiss

(27,137 posts)
18. It helps me, that's for sure.
Thu Jun 5, 2014, 06:36 AM
Jun 2014
- In fact, I wouldn't get much without it.

Smoked cannabis was also found to relieve neuropathy associated with CRPS type I, spinal cord injury, peripheral neuropathy, and nerve injury. link
 

DeSwiss

(27,137 posts)
11. ''....blaming everyone BUT herself...'''
Thu Jun 5, 2014, 05:46 AM
Jun 2014
- You remember who we're talking about here, right? That's her schtick. It's what she does. The only thing.

K&R

 

jtuck004

(15,882 posts)
13. If she went to report on the drugs they use to torture deathrow inmates to death in Oklahoma,
Thu Jun 5, 2014, 06:00 AM
Jun 2014

would she feel obliged to try those as well? As it stands her alleged experience isn't worth much other than data, as she is only 1/316 millionth of an opinion in this country. Perhaps we should wait on a good sampling of the others to come up with conclusions...

Oh wait, we did. It would appear that she adds about as much good info as a buffoon playing the part of the out-of-town rube.

But as the one commenter pointed out, perhaps there is a larger need for marijuana tour guides than we thought. Especially for those who are doomed to wander into challenges that are larger than they can handle.

Even Euell Gibbons (some of you will have to google that one) got stomach aches and sickness from what he found to eat from time to time, and he knew what he was doing.

Freddie

(9,231 posts)
15. Moral of the story: Smoke it, don't eat it
Thu Jun 5, 2014, 06:03 AM
Jun 2014

Ate it a couple times in my misguided youth and did not like the seemingly out-of-control high that lasted way too long when you had to function the next day. There's a reason why bongs were invented.

Retrograde

(10,068 posts)
33. And chronic (no pun intended) cough here
Fri Jun 6, 2014, 12:11 AM
Jun 2014

so I'd go the edible route as well.

Actually, I just want to grow some as it's supposed to be drought tolerant.

noiretextatique

(27,275 posts)
44. I use edibiles too...about 50mg is good
Fri Jun 6, 2014, 02:31 AM
Jun 2014

Sometimes 100 to sleep. Anything below 50mg hardly affects me. In California, most of the edibles sold in the big clubs are tested, so you know how much you're consuming. No way should a newbie down an entire bar, as Died apparently did.

SomethingFishy

(4,876 posts)
67. 50mg is a lot for some people...
Fri Jun 6, 2014, 05:12 PM
Jun 2014

My wife does 10mg and is fine with that. 40mg seems to do the trick for me. Depends on the edible too, I can eat more of a Sativa strain that I can an Indica.

noiretextatique

(27,275 posts)
72. I know...chronic pain
Fri Jun 6, 2014, 07:17 PM
Jun 2014

Anything less than 50 does nothing for me. I like The Medicine Man butterscotch candies...50mg of GDP.

 

DeSwiss

(27,137 posts)
20. Umm, no that's not the moral.
Thu Jun 5, 2014, 06:44 AM
Jun 2014
- The moral is know what you're doing before you do it. Not after and then complain about it. Eating cannabis saves lives.....



noiretextatique

(27,275 posts)
63. you ate too much
Fri Jun 6, 2014, 03:44 PM
Jun 2014

I eat small doses almost everyday...and work and function. I take a larger dose if I want to go to sleep. I rarely smoke anymore.

pacalo

(24,721 posts)
16. The NYT editors are fools, too, for not recognizing Dowd's ineptness & allowing it to print.
Thu Jun 5, 2014, 06:07 AM
Jun 2014

I just can't believe a reporter would not ask how much of the candy bar should she eat at a time -- when she was doing research for an opinion piece about her experience.

I've never had an edible mj-laced treat, but I've been curious enough to ask those who knew about it how much to eat. I suppose NYT doesn't think enough of its readers to recognize that her incuriosity about what she was researching would be questioned.

Retrograde

(10,068 posts)
34. I'm convinced Dowd has dossiers with embarassing photos
Fri Jun 6, 2014, 12:13 AM
Jun 2014

of some NYT higher-ups: I can't think of any other reason she still has a column.

OTOH, Ross DoubtThat has one, too.

pacalo

(24,721 posts)
42. She has a talent for good, snarky writing
Fri Jun 6, 2014, 01:54 AM
Jun 2014

but she seems to have sold out her talents to the wrong ideological side when she hasn't been writing about the science-fiction behavior of the Republicans for over a decade. Rod Serling would have been inspired!



 

Android3.14

(5,402 posts)
19. There are some folks that MJ is just the wrong choice
Thu Jun 5, 2014, 06:38 AM
Jun 2014

I remember partying with the occasional person who turned out to be an exhausting downer because the weed brought out their inner drama queen.

Warpy

(110,903 posts)
24. Yes, and they voted Republican and eventually turned to religion
Thu Jun 5, 2014, 07:31 AM
Jun 2014

because those drugs they tried in the 60s were scary.

I did a few things that were scary enough I'd never do them again.

Pot wasn't one of them.

This is pure anecdata, but most of the people I know who reacted badly to psychedelics of all types turned out to be rigid, authoritarian, and very conservative.

Crunchy Frog

(26,548 posts)
39. I reacted badly to pot when I tried it
Fri Jun 6, 2014, 01:18 AM
Jun 2014

and I am neither religious, Republican, nor authoritarian, thank you very much.

I voted in favor of legalization, but I do think that it needs to be regulated, and that basic information about potency, dosage size, and effects, including risks and possible side effects, needs to be on the packaging, just like with any other legally sold drug.

Warpy

(110,903 posts)
59. Then we're on the same page
Fri Jun 6, 2014, 08:53 AM
Jun 2014

and I'm glad what I have observed in my own life isn't the case across the board. I just know so many it applies to.

I'll go farther and suggest that oral pot products be restricted to medical pot patients. The rest of us can put it in brownies if we want to eat it.

However, no plant needs to be regulated, not even opium poppies. Poppy head tea and tinctures made at home provide decent control of mild to moderate pain and have done so for thousands of years without turning whole populations into zombies.

The refined stuff needs to be prescribed.

bklyncowgirl

(7,960 posts)
25. You're going to legalize the stuff you gotta do it right. Informative labeling is a must.
Thu Jun 5, 2014, 08:01 AM
Jun 2014

Lots of newbies out there and even old hippies who haven't indulged in years might underestimate the power of an edible. This stuff isn't candy isn't candy any more than a Long Island Iced Tea is a sweet harmless drink from Liptons.

I wish is was all light and rainbows but it is not. The sellers could get sued.

DonCoquixote

(13,615 posts)
27. your point was true, but
Thu Jun 5, 2014, 09:41 PM
Jun 2014

that is not what applies here. Yes, if I, who have never done Cannabis, were to get an RX, I would ask the folks at my local drugstore what I should do and not do. Yet, this is a JOURNALIST, or at the very least, someone asking for that level of respect. She shines her "I am a NEW YORK TIMES JOURNALIST" credentials the way a southern sheriff shines his badge. With that in mind, she can and should be held to a much higher standard, especially if, instead of she uses it to write in her paper, and AFFECT OPINION. If she just tweeted this, or put it in a personal blog (which her fans would still read) it would be harmless. No, she uses her bully pulpit to slam Cannabis legalization because it offended HER, and SHE was exposed for what she was: the idiot who is that way not because of a naturally low IQ, but from willful, arrogant ignorance.

Pay no attention to that lady behind the curtain! She just ate too much candy.

randr

(12,408 posts)
26. "And the ones that mother gives you don't do anything at all---"
Thu Jun 5, 2014, 08:13 AM
Jun 2014

I had a similar experience with an edible brownie. I just could not stop eating it. I enjoyed the rushes as they always take me to an elevated mental state but I was still in unfamiliar territory. My wife found me curled up in the guest bed later that afternoon and said she knew I had gotten too high by the smile on my sleeping face. All in all not the most pleasant experience and I will regulate my ingestion more carefully in the future but not one that I felt in danger of hurting myself or others for sure.
BTW I do possess a Medical Marijuana permit and am a proud Colorado resident.

Strelnikov_

(7,772 posts)
29. Total BS
Thu Jun 5, 2014, 09:49 PM
Jun 2014

or . . . the THC had an interaction with one of the brew of mood altering drugs someone like this is probably on.

First time I had some gold, I was Howlin Wolf for about four hours.

I would say Ms. Dowd has, well, issues she is suppressing.

Warpy

(110,903 posts)
101. it was lovely stuff, as I recall.
Tue Jun 10, 2014, 01:43 AM
Jun 2014

You could listen to the same cut on a record for about 2 hours straight.

intheflow

(28,407 posts)
30. She was bent on a getting a buzz on.
Thu Jun 5, 2014, 11:44 PM
Jun 2014

Hence the wine she was also drinking. You're not just looking to chill on the couch when you pound down two drugs, Maureen, you are looking to tie. one. on.

And then you complain about it?

pacalo

(24,721 posts)
48. That's another thing about her botched work: If she wanted to write an accurate analysis
Fri Jun 6, 2014, 02:40 AM
Jun 2014

of the drug's effects, she shouldn't have drank the wine. A lot stinks about her story.

I think you're correct.

nomorenomore08

(13,324 posts)
82. Wonder if that's what Zeppelin meant by "a pocket full of gold"...
Sat Jun 7, 2014, 12:14 AM
Jun 2014

*hums "Over the Hills and Far Away"*

 

Bigmack

(8,020 posts)
35. Operator error....
Fri Jun 6, 2014, 12:15 AM
Jun 2014

Don't blame the cannabis.

I ingest every night. I DO have to watch my dose, tho.

Indica is nice for sleep.

MoDo is dumber than a bag of hammers, but we've always known that.

Jamaal510

(10,893 posts)
36. What I got from this is
Fri Jun 6, 2014, 12:20 AM
Jun 2014

to not over-indulge, especially when it comes to drugs. She's lucky that she didn't get behind the wheel after eating that "candy" bar.

Crunchy Frog

(26,548 posts)
37. I know this will be an extremely unpopular view here, but
Fri Jun 6, 2014, 01:08 AM
Jun 2014

I'm glad that she wrote the article that she did. She had a first hand experience and she reported on it.

I'm from Colorado, and though I'm not currently living there, I'm still a registered voter, and I voted in favor of this legalization bill, but I think her article points up some serious flaws in the enactment of this law.

As nearly as I can tell, they are manufacturing and marketing candy laced with pot, and they are not packaging it with the most basic labeling or information about drug potencies, dosage sizes, expected effects or potential side effects or risks. No other drug is marketed and sold that way.

Your prescription from the pharmacy comes with detailed information about the how much drug there is, how much you are supposed to take, at what intervals, and warnings and possible side effects. Your doctor and/or pharmacist will council you extensively, especially if it is a potent or potentially risky substance, and no, you are not expected to do your own research (though I do in fact believe that's a good idea).

Under the new conditions, there will likely be a fair number of novices trying this drug. For someone who knows little or nothing about it, it is by no means obvious or intuitive that one sixteenth of a candy bar is a single dose, or that ingested pot is more potent and longer lasting than inhaled pot. When people purchase something openly, legally, and over the counter, there is an assumption that it is either safe, or that it will be labeled with appropriate warnings and instructions. The "rules of the game" are vastly different under a system of open, legal sales than they are when sales are illegal.

Dowd may have displayed naivete, but I'd be willing to bet that it is not that uncommon of a naivete among the uninitiated, and that she is far from the only person who has had or will have a similar experience.

As a journalist, it's not her job to protect the interests of a particular industry. It is her job to point out potential problems with that industry where she encounters them. She did a good job. These issues are real, and they are serious, and that's completely irrespective of how much you may hate her.

This shit needs to be far more strongly regulated. If this doesn't happen, the legalization experiment may end up failing, and you'll have to go back to buying your precious pot on the street.

I don't care how much the messenger is hated, the message matters.

Now please hate on me all you want.

DonCoquixote

(13,615 posts)
41. ok, I will raise you one
Fri Jun 6, 2014, 01:28 AM
Jun 2014

Indeed, there is a lot that can be done, and should be done, to give people the knowledge they need. That being said, do they do the same thing with alcohol?

Also, the bar did warn her it was sixteen sevrings. Granted, you have a point about making things more organized, more of a standard procedure that could be expected comparable to drugstores, I will also grant that a lot of the amtuers, the people who never wanted to be responsible, need to be washed out, just like moonshiners. However, she did not ask the inital questions. No, she cannot be comapred to the rest of the "novices" because again, she is expected to know how to ask questions.

and btw, as far as rpecious piot, I do not use the stuff. I am looking forward to a day when pot is about an uncool as the sweaters and gasahol most of it should be used to make.

Crunchy Frog

(26,548 posts)
43. I just think that if she hadn't acted with such naivete
Fri Jun 6, 2014, 02:06 AM
Jun 2014

and had instead enjoyed a pleasant evening with a mild buzz, there would not really be a story. Her novice mistake had resulted in publicizing and discourse on some important issues concerning the legalization of pot.

I think that it should be legal, but if there are problems with the implementation of legalization they should be talked about and not brushed under the carpet.

And I'm sorry I made assumptions about you re the "precious pot" remark.

DonCoquixote

(13,615 posts)
46. apology accepted, but one caveat
Fri Jun 6, 2014, 02:33 AM
Jun 2014

Another poster pointed out that she was drinking while doing this.

Now, are we so low on common sense that we do not ask whether dirnking and another drug is a bad idea? Hell, Junior high schoolkids know that is dumb.

Crunchy Frog

(26,548 posts)
50. My prescription bottle for my anti-anxiety medication
Fri Jun 6, 2014, 03:00 AM
Jun 2014

has a warning that alcohol may accentuate certain effects of the drug. If there is a problem with mixing alcohol and pot, then there should be a warning on the packaging.

BTW, a glass of wine taken with my meds barely has an effect on me. I think it highly unlikely that a glass of chardonnay put her over the edge in this case. I would like to see some empirical scientific research done on drug and alcohol interactions vis a vis pot. The more we understand, the better we can advise.

nomorenomore08

(13,324 posts)
83. Alcohol and pot can have a somewhat synergistic effect.
Sat Jun 7, 2014, 12:16 AM
Jun 2014

Though I confess I've always enjoyed the combo of a joint and a few beers.

noiretextatique

(27,275 posts)
47. labelling is becoming more common...and extensive in CA
Fri Jun 6, 2014, 02:38 AM
Jun 2014

Someone who doesn't drink, yet downs a bottle of Vodka is probably not going to have a good experience. She behaved incredibly irresponsibly...she should have done some homework, especially as a so-called journalist. At least in California, most of the clubs provide basic education, and the staff is usually knowledgeable about strains and doses. All edibles have at least basic labelling, and most include dosage info. Her experience is good in that hopefully other newbies will not be as irresponsible as she.

Crunchy Frog

(26,548 posts)
49. It's alot easier to eat a candy bar
Fri Jun 6, 2014, 02:53 AM
Jun 2014

than it is to drink a bottle of vodka. It's also far less intuitive that a candy bar would contain 16 doses than it is that a bottle of vodka would be overdoing it.

I question the wisdom of marketing pot as candy at all. People tend to think of candy as being innocent and harmless. I question whether it makes sense to sell a powerful psychoactive substance in that form. I also have real concerns about young children getting their hands on it, and having severe reactions. Children don't read labels, but they certainly recognize candy, and are powerfully drawn to it. Mine certainly are, anyway.

I'm glad that labelling and info are improving in California.

DonCoquixote

(13,615 posts)
57. it's already done
Fri Jun 6, 2014, 08:13 AM
Jun 2014

" People tend to think of candy as being innocent and harmless."

There are heavy narcotic lollipops for those with mouth sores, and there are flavors you can add to cough medicine.

There are lozenges, cough drops,vitamins.

and let's not even get into four loko and other fruit flavored liquor

Crunchy Frog

(26,548 posts)
73. Not really comparable, no.
Fri Jun 6, 2014, 10:39 PM
Jun 2014

The heavy narcotic lollypops are a highly controlled substance, available only through a prescription, and labeled to the hilt with potency, dosage information, and warnings. They are intended to treat severe pain in cancer patients.

Flaovored liquid cough medicine =/= candy. It is also a controlled substance, available only through prescription (I assume you are referring to the narcotic variety), and clearly labeled with dosage and potency and warning information. OTC cough drops pretty much are candy, and certainly not psychoactive. My children take gummi vitamins, and from what I've been able to tell, they are not psychoactive either.

Narcotic lollypop candy:



Mmmmm. Looks yummy!

Marijuana candy:



Naaw, that could never be mistaken for ordinary candy.

And yes, they do contain some important info on the labeling, but the packaging leaves something to be desired IMO.

Sorry, not buying your argument, but I think we're going to have to agree to disagree on this.

noiretextatique

(27,275 posts)
61. you cannot leave medical marijuana around children
Fri Jun 6, 2014, 03:39 PM
Jun 2014

The wisdom in marketing edibles is:
1) some people do not and do not want to smoke.
2) the effects of cooked cannabis is different than smoking. I find cooking it works better for pain.
3) there is a demand for edibles. And they are relatively cheap and easy to make, so there is a lot of profit.
As for the children, marijuana is just like any other medication.

Crunchy Frog

(26,548 posts)
74. How about making it look more
Fri Jun 6, 2014, 10:43 PM
Jun 2014

like this:



and less like this:



considering that it's a potent psychoactive drug.

noiretextatique

(27,275 posts)
75. now you are being silly
Fri Jun 6, 2014, 10:49 PM
Jun 2014

One of the points of using the plant is that it is more effective than the pharmas. Cough drops, syrups and other meds look like candy too. Are you suggesting people shoot those up as well?

Crunchy Frog

(26,548 posts)
76. Meh, I don't think I am being silly, but
Fri Jun 6, 2014, 11:53 PM
Jun 2014

I don't think there's much point in arguing it any further.

But where on Earth did you get the "shooting up" thing from? And you really think that eating a few too many cough drops will land you in the same state that Dowd describes?

No, don't bother answering.

noiretextatique

(27,275 posts)
90. yes...if you take 18x the dosage
Sun Jun 8, 2014, 11:57 AM
Jun 2014

Last edited Sun Jun 8, 2014, 12:35 PM - Edit history (1)

As that idiot claims she did. As a non-user, I suggest you LISTEN and educate yourself. And not to that idiot Dowd. You posted a syringe as an example of what "real medicine" looks like. Do you know what is sending kids to rehab? Legal drugs they get from their parents' medicine cabinet, like oxy. Not marijuana.

Crunchy Frog

(26,548 posts)
94. What, you mean if I ate 18 cough drops I would trip out for 8 hours?
Mon Jun 9, 2014, 12:03 AM
Jun 2014

I'm really pretty sure that's not the case. Even if it was, how easy is it to eat that many cough drops at once, compared with eating 1/3 of a candy bar at once?

And if you're going to respond to my posts you might want to try educating yourself. I did not post a picture of a syringe "as an example of what real medicine looks like". I posted a picture of the packaging for a prescription narcotic lollypop (that's "drug candy" to you) that was mentioned by the poster above and compared with pot candy. The fact that you thought it was a picture of a syringe simply highlights the point that I was trying to make. It does look like medication and not candy.

The pot candy looks and is packaged way too much like real candy, and it is way to easy to get an extremely large dose from eating a small quantity of that candy.

The narcotic lollypop that you mistook for a syringe is packaged, IMO, the way that a potent "candy" drug should be. (And no, cough drops and vitamins really are not in the same category. If they were, people would be buying them to get stoned.

And why do you assume that I'm unaware of the problems with abuse of prescription drugs? And why would that issue negate the problems associated with the packaging and labeling of marijuana candy?

DonCoquixote

(13,615 posts)
77. I could be for an idiot proof label
Fri Jun 6, 2014, 11:55 PM
Jun 2014

like some formal "THC" stamp...but if the agrument "do not mkae it look like real candy"holds, we will need to get at anything that could be mistaken for candy.

Plus, I do notice that Dowd acknowledged that she was given a nice, long detailed presentation and still acted like an idiot (sarcasm, of course she did not)

noiretextatique

(27,275 posts)
91. Dowd is a shill
Sun Jun 8, 2014, 12:41 PM
Jun 2014

And an irresponsible liar. Who would take 18 times the dose of ANY medication?! The fact that it did not kill her, as 18 times the dose of many medications would, should be the moral of her stupidity. I don't how more idiot proof the labels could be, at least in California.

DonCoquixote

(13,615 posts)
96. well, to be fair
Mon Jun 9, 2014, 05:10 AM
Jun 2014

we do not know how they label stuff in Denver..but, if after getting a special 45 minute class, on designed to be through so as to meet the scrunity of journalists, she STILL did wine and hash candy, she is , at the very least, an IDIOT!

Tsiyu

(18,186 posts)
51. If I sat in a hotel room and in a few hours quaffed
Fri Jun 6, 2014, 03:14 AM
Jun 2014

two bottles of tequila, I damned sure wouldn't write a column bragging about it.

And I damned sure wouldn't pretend I had any authority to speak for the millions of people who drink responsibly.

The media are idiots.

Dowd is merely the latest dolt to brag about her idiocy, loudly and with no concern for the consequences.

Insipid fools leading other insipid fools and getting paid for it........











Live and Learn

(12,769 posts)
52. I don't believe a word of anything she writes.
Fri Jun 6, 2014, 03:25 AM
Jun 2014

And that article seemed like complete hogwash to me. If anything, the THC caused her to confront her own anxieties about her ineptness to be a reporter. The entire episode sounded like an anxiety attack to me.

merrily

(45,251 posts)
53. Told me she wants the world to know she wears green corduroy jeans,
Fri Jun 6, 2014, 03:47 AM
Jun 2014

has no common sense and appears to have some kind of Reefer Madness agenda almost a century after it was cool.



Live and Learn

(12,769 posts)
54. I had never seen the original before.
Fri Jun 6, 2014, 04:32 AM
Jun 2014

The fabrications in the piece are surreal and frightening. It is almost as if it is a portal or glimpse of today's media.

merrily

(45,251 posts)
55. One of many reasons I love the net. You can find almost anything on it.
Fri Jun 6, 2014, 04:57 AM
Jun 2014

I did not know until I googled how old the film was. I always assumed it was from the 1950s. Still haven't watched it, though. Don't know if I'd laugh or cry or get angry--and pot is not even one of my issues, except on an abstract level. Smoked for hours one night, couldn't get high. Only made my face hurt. Saw no point in giving it another shot. But a good friend has glaucoma. Or, so he tells me, anyway.

Either way, if a doctor can prescribe morphine and highly addictive heroin replacements, why not pot?

IronLionZion

(45,256 posts)
56. We should outlaw prescription drugs because of Rush
Fri Jun 6, 2014, 07:01 AM
Jun 2014

Anything abused or overdosed is bad news for anyone. People have died from chugging too much water too quickly too.

DonCoquixote

(13,615 posts)
58. what dowd was actually told
Fri Jun 6, 2014, 08:18 AM
Jun 2014
http://www.thecannabist.co/2014/06/04/was-maureen-dowd-warned-about-edible-marijuana/13113/

“She got the warning,” Brown said. “She did what all the reporters did. She listened. She bought some samples — I don’t remember what exactly. Me and the owner of the dispensary we were at and the assistant manager and the budtender talked with her for 45 minutes at the shop.

“It wasn’t all, ‘Be careful of edibles.’ We talked about the difference between shatter and bubble hash. We talked about edibles and how they affect everyone differently. In the context of covering all the bases with a customer, we really went into depth to tell this reporter, who would then tell the world, about marijuana in Colorado.

noiretextatique

(27,275 posts)
65. she's manipulating non-users
Fri Jun 6, 2014, 03:53 PM
Jun 2014

By trying to create a problem that does not really exist. They informed her...she ignored them. But look at all the calls for more regulation in this thread alone. Mission Accomplished.

Tsiyu

(18,186 posts)
70. It's so ridiculous that anyone would listen to her
Fri Jun 6, 2014, 07:12 PM
Jun 2014


And DUers even....

Score another one on the absolutely ignorant tally; we've got fresh players for their side! Here on DU! Wooooohoooo who needs FOXNoos! We've got Dowd to delude even intelligent DU members.

I would feel like an absolute moran if I took one word of Dowd's seriously.


Common sense loses more battles every day...







noiretextatique

(27,275 posts)
64. I knew that shill was lying about not be informed
Fri Jun 6, 2014, 03:49 PM
Jun 2014

I am an experienced user, but tenders still make it a point to tell me about doses. I don't believe her story...I believe the club employees.

DonCoquixote

(13,615 posts)
66. let put this part in boldface
Fri Jun 6, 2014, 05:04 PM
Jun 2014
"In the context of covering all the bases with a customer, we really went into depth to tell this reporter, who would then tell the world, about marijuana in Colorado.

So she got more info than most would, because this was a presentation to the press. But Ms. Todd won't care, because she does not have to care about facts, those are for peasants.

SomethingFishy

(4,876 posts)
68. Her story was a sensationalist piece of crap.
Fri Jun 6, 2014, 05:25 PM
Jun 2014

Had she eaten the proper dose and had a nice little buzz and enjoyed the evening there would have been no story. I read her "piece". In it she also used 2 examples, one a suicide and one a murder, of people who have apparently gone crazy because of edibles. Of course all she did was report the anecdotes. No actual investigation to find out that the edibles had nothing to do with the crimes. Someone might want to tell her that criminals eat edibles too.
Her attempts at Reefer Madness are laughable. And most of the states are laughing, the profit margin is too high for asinine anecdotal evidence to continue to be considered as fact. The American jury is in, Marijuana users are not criminals. The Feds need to get with the program, and the nay sayers can continue to run around like Chicken Little.

DonCoquixote

(13,615 posts)
78. the internet reacts!
Sat Jun 7, 2014, 12:03 AM
Jun 2014
http://www.thecannabist.co/2014/06/04/20-reactions-dowd-pens-column-edibles-overdose-internet-loses-mind/13062/

examples:

Judd Legum is the editor of ThinkProgress:

Working on a piece for NYT op-ed page where I pound a liter of vodka and talk about how terrible I feel afterwards http://t.co/H3S0h1hwnU

— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) June 4, 2014

and Dowd herself:
http://www.thecannabist.co/2014/06/05/maureen-dowd-reacts-focused-fun-risks/13196/

“Matt Brown gave me a great tour,” Dowd said in her statement. “There is no mention of edibles in my transcript of our interview, but we were together several hours and no doubt we did chat about it at some point.”

(translation: Ms Dowd is covering her ASSets)

“Obviously, however, I didn’t come away with the knowledge I acquired the hard way — that more than a small amount of an edible was ill-advised for someone with a low tolerance level and that edibles are ingested differently and reaction times are quite different. I ate approximately a quarter of the candy bar, which was too much for someone like me.”

chervilant

(8,267 posts)
88. IMHO, "Ms" Dowd
Sat Jun 7, 2014, 04:44 AM
Jun 2014

is riding in the lead car of the propaganda train, the one they think we Sheeple need to climb aboard.

DonCoquixote

(13,615 posts)
89. yes
Sat Jun 7, 2014, 05:35 AM
Jun 2014

she is already doing her "Hillary will win and overshadow Obama" op eds, which this was just a brief respite from. The sad thing is, come 2016, she will either be the great hillary is inevitable cheerleader, or be the ultimate "Hillary never loved me like she shoulda" backstabber.

sendero

(28,552 posts)
97. I would never assume..
Mon Jun 9, 2014, 05:42 AM
Jun 2014

.... that it all happened remotely the way she said, I for one don't believe even SHE is that stupid.

It's just another hit piece from someone with an ax to grind.

sendero

(28,552 posts)
99. And frankly..
Mon Jun 9, 2014, 09:01 PM
Jun 2014

... an ego not earned by any particular skill or accomplishment. Reminds me of a Republican more and more.

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