Interesting things

[robinturner]

Last night I stumbled across World Science and learnt some interesting things.

• The human brain has got smaller over the last 30,000 years. On the plus side, it has got more adaptable, so we're doing more with less.
• Humans' recognition of musical pitch is way down the scale, along with rats (birds are, unsurprisingly, at the top). This explains why contestants in musical talent shows can sing so wildly out of tune without losing points.
• Punishing wrongdoers activates pleasure centers in the brain, so there may be something in Nietzsche's view of punishment.
• Beauty and ugliness activate the same area of the brain, so there may be something in Lao Tzu's view of beauty.
• Smoking marijuana has long-term effects on short-term memory. Or was it short-term effects on long-term memory?

Comments

[earthemp6.livejournal.com]

Smoking up does affect memory. I've seen it here everyday in Canada, and do not think it should ever be legalized.

[solri.livejournal.com]

I see the legalisation question in tems of rights rather than the effects of a particular drug - I even think people should have the right to smoke tobacco if they want ;-)

[circumambulate.livejournal.com]

alcohol affects memory, too, and worse. Should that be illegal?

[earthemp6.livejournal.com]

Well, in Canada you WOULD get fired for being impaired by alcohol, primarily because of strict laws against public drunkenness. The new proposal to legalize (not merely decriminalize) marijuana would allow people to be impaired (and annoying) in public, at work, schools, etc. It's bad news for everyone, who doesn't care to smoke up that is.

Example:
http://www.canada.com/national/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=a286ed4f-af05-42b3-84fa-f69535de5082
"The U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse also lists a 1996 study by Texas Christian University of marijuana use among 4,600 municipal employees in four cities in the Southwest. About 8% were marijuana users and the survey found they reported more absenteeism, tardiness, compensation claims and job turnover than workers who had not used the drug"

I have no desire to get into a circular debate, this remains as ever merely my opinion.

[circumambulate.livejournal.com]

unless you have very odd law, it's likely against public intoxication, not just drunkeness, which would also cover marijuana, or any other substance that impairs judgment.

At any rate, I wasn't trying to be confrontational, just poking at your premise. We tend to take for granted the damage caused by things that are illegal, without really measuring them against analagous things that are legal. I personally tend to err on the side of individual rights, up to the point it impacts other people.