Marijuana For The Military?

[Redheart]

A stoned soldier, of what use would he be? Wouldn't he be a danger to his fellow servicemen/women because the drug will cloud their judgment?

Military says Washington state marijuana shops 'off-limits' to troops - Yahoo News
SEATTLE (Reuters) - A U.S. military base south of Seattle has sent letters warning retail marijuana shops that military personnel are banned from entering their businesses and buying cannabis products, a spokesman said on Wednesday.

The letters were sent last week by the Armed Forces Disciplinary Control Board at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, in the Tacoma area.

"The use, possession, manufacture, or distribution of marijuana remains illegal for all service members, at all times and locations," said Lewis-McChord spokesman Joe Kubistek.

Washington state voters joined Colorado in 2012 in approving the use of marijuana for recreational purposes in state-regulated systems that have ushered in retail shops carrying a range of marijuana products for adults. Voters in Alaska and Oregon adopted similar initiatives last year.

Those actions have put the states in conflict with the federal government, which maintains marijuana is illegal under U.S. and military law.

A Defense Department spokeswoman said she was unaware of a broader directive to bases in other states ordering them to send similar letters. A spokeswoman for Fort Carson, in Colorado, said the base was not sending out letters for now.

Lewis-McChord issuing warning letters is standard procedure when there are local conditions near military installations that could be "adverse" to armed forces personnel, Kubistek said, adding letters were not sent to medical marijuana dispensaries.

Kubistek said the base had no intention of interfering with the businesses' operations and that avoiding pot shops is the legal responsibility of service members who fall under the purview of military law.

Military officials did not comment on whether they expect proprietors to simply refuse service or to take further action, like notifying the base if a service member tries to buy marijuana.

Shawn Sortland, the owner of Clear Choice Cannabis in Tacoma, said he received a letter and was unclear about what was expected. He said he sent the letter to his attorney for a review.

"On one hand, we want to be in compliance. But we can't discriminate against anybody," Sortland said.

Sortland said there is no way to identify customers as military personnel if they are in civilian clothing. "It's not like they are wearing a name tag," he said.

 

[orangesunset]

A stoned soldier, of what use would he be? Wouldn't he be a danger to his fellow servicemen/women because the drug will cloud their judgment?

That is not the issue, it would be no different then drinking off duty. In many militaries, people who had used LSD, where forbidden from doing combat roles. The reason being that LSD can allegedly cause flashbacks or hallicinations years after its use. You don't want someone having a hallicination when he is firing a weapon. I don't know if pot can cause the same effects, but that is probably the reason.

 

[Redheart]

I think the effects can be worse than that.

Cannabis use can cause drug-induced psychosis, trigger the first episode of a psychotic illness or make a pre-existing psychotic illness worse.

Who knows what a psychotic soldier is capable of doing?

 

[morgan_titan]

I think off-duty Marijuana use isn't that bad - after all there are way worse drugs, such as alcohol. In the end though, the military makes the call as soldiers are essentially "employed" by the military and have to follow whatever guidelines it makes.

 

[KimberlyD]

"employed" by the military

Employed my left..... The military does not employ, when you join you are officially Government property. You are no longer a person... you are their toy. LMAO

Honestly... if the military is going to say no to marijuana they should ban alcohol also. It is a drug too. So are cigarettes. They should ban those too... along with chocolate, caffeine, sugar....

I think you get my point.

 

[horse next door]

Using marijuana off duty is a great way to relax after a hard day for a soldier. It should be allowed to use, but there need to be set certain limits. Overusage can obviously lead to psychosis and should be overwatched.
Using it on duty should not be allowed at any time of course.

 

[morgan_titan]

Employed my left..... The military does not employ, when you join you are officially Government property. You are no longer a person... you are their toy. LMAO

Honestly... if the military is going to say no to marijuana they should ban alcohol also. It is a drug too. So are cigarettes. They should ban those too... along with chocolate, caffeine, sugar....

I think you get my point.

That's why I put the word in quotes. It's an alternate reality of existence. Different laws, different consequences.

I think the military would have a huge amount of lashback if they banned cigarettes, caffeine - and God forbid - alcohol...

 

[KimberlyD]

That's why I put the word in quotes. It's an alternate reality of existence. Different laws, different consequences.

I think the military would have a huge amount of lashback if they banned cigarettes, caffeine - and God forbid - alcohol...

It would be all out war if that happened. LMAO

 

[starshine]

I think the effects can be worse than that.


Who knows what a psychotic soldier is capable of doing?

If you check proportions, it's not like it happens often. People who get "triggered" into mental cases often have it in their genetic to begin with. And if you're so worried about limiting what soldiers would be "capable of doing", you should check those cases where they send criminals to warzone as a way for them to not have to serve their time in jail. I'm pretty sure the proportion of this is more scary than the few cases of marijuana overuse that lead to psychotic episodes (which is pretty much the only thing they've got to scare people off it, as opposed to alcohol who has so many short-term and long term mental and physical health disadvantages).

 

[Redheart]

And if you're so worried about limiting what soldiers would be "capable of doing", you should check those cases where they send criminals to warzone as a way for them to not have to serve their time in jail.

Amnesty for being killed? Promise kept. You are free. Forever.

Anyway, I think arming criminals and sending them to the front line is something can work against the army which sends them forward. They could defect or murder those they are with and escape. Heck, would it matter to them who they kill in order to get their freedom?

 

[NanaTracyAnn]

That is not the issue, it would be no different then drinking off duty. In many militaries, people who had used LSD, where forbidden from doing combat roles. The reason being that LSD can allegedly cause flashbacks or hallicinations years after its use. You don't want someone having a hallicination when he is firing a weapon. I don't know if pot can cause the same effects, but that is probably the reason.

I agree you don't want anyone hallucinating when it comes time to fire a weapon. I think if you are off duty what you do on your own time is something that should not interfere with your performance.

 

[orangesunset]

Honestly... if the military is going to say no to marijuana they should ban alcohol also. It is a drug too. So are cigarettes. They should ban those too... along with chocolate, caffeine, sugar....

Alchohol is out of your system after 24 hours, cocaine is also out of your system in 24 hours or so. That is why it is hard to pick up cocaine on a drug test. Pot and other drugs stay within you system for months, and there is some evidence they can impact decision making. For a regular job this isn't going to make a difference, but for a job which requires handling of weapons and the slightest error will get someone killed, it will make a big difference. Most military deaths, even during periods of war are due to accidents.

 

[morgan_titan]

Pot and other drugs stay within you system for months, and there is some evidence they can impact decision making. For a regular job this isn't going to make a difference, but for a job which requires handling of weapons and the slightest error will get someone killed, it will make a big difference. Most military deaths, even during periods of war are due to accidents.

I'm gonna come out of left field here and give you a personal anecdote - low blood sugar impacts decision making in a lot of people. I spend a lot of time outdoors, days out from any nearby source and have seen friends and colleagues make shitty decisions because they were hungry. Seriously. Things that may not seem huge, but - at least in a wilderness context - could potentially cause issues. People's decision making skills are impacted by many factors. Another one is lack of sleep.

The point is - mistakes will be made. In the military context, the training is supposed to make sure that all decisions made are instinctive if possible, to minimize environmental impact. A bad soldier, is a bad soldier regardless of what causes him/her to be bad.

 

[KimberlyD]

Alchohol is out of your system after 24 hours, cocaine is also out of your system in 24 hours or so. That is why it is hard to pick up cocaine on a drug test. Pot and other drugs stay within you system for months, and there is some evidence they can impact decision making. For a regular job this isn't going to make a difference, but for a job which requires handling of weapons and the slightest error will get someone killed, it will make a big difference. Most military deaths, even during periods of war are due to accidents.

Well being a ex pot head and having smoke quite a bit, I can tell you this from experience.... someone who smokes pot within 1 hour is clear head enough to handle a weapon even if they smoke 4 joints in a row. I tested this myself. It is no different then having a few beers after work. You get buzzed for a bit and then it is gone. It maybe in your system but your mind is clear once it wears off, usually within an hour or so of ingesting it. I would rather our soldiers smoke pot then drink. Pot mellows you out... drinking makes you angry and aggressive. I would prefer a mellow soldier with a gun in his hand then a drunk one.

I also agree with @morgan_titan, I have diabetes and when my blood sugar bottoms out, I have a hard time thinking. I shoot my sugar up and my head clears and I can make sense of things again. Sugar levels do effect your mind as well as your body.

 

[orangesunset]

I would rather our soldiers smoke pot then drink. Pot mellows you out... drinking makes you angry and aggressive. I would prefer a mellow soldier with a gun in his hand then a drunk one.

If the soldier is all mellow he is pretty useless, then how is he going to fight ? Alcohol has played an important part in warfare, even during WW1, they would get the men a couple of shots of rum before they went over the top. When armies still fought in lines and ranks, before they would attack, one side would have to work themselves into a beserker type rage, so they could attack. So maybe that is the reason why pot is not allowed in the military.

Benzidrine was originally used extensively by the military, later amphetamine was developed from Benzidrine. I know WW2 pilots where given Benizdrine pills which they used like candy, because it stopped them from getting tired, but like Amphetamine it had nasty side effects. Amphetamine seems to make people violent, I never tried it just what I saw.

So maybe that is the real reason pot is not allowed. Often military regulations do not make sense.