Your thoughts on Marijuana

[This Guy]

I was just wondering what you guys think of weed? You can probably tell what my opnion is, but I want to hear yours. I mean, in my opinion you haven't listened to music until you listened to it stoned. I'm not promoting it, I just want to hear what the general public has to say about it. I see these anti-pot commercials and they stretch the truth so far. I mean, If you shoot someone with a gun while high, I'd say you are pretty messed up to begin with. I just wish they would decriminalize it like they do in Amsterdam and show the public what weed really is. I just hate to hear people saying they love to get piss ass drunk, but would never take a puff off a joint. Alcohol has caused far more deaths than any drug I believe, where as it's impossible to OD on marijuana, and it doesn't impair your judgement enough to crash a car. In my experience alcohol has been a much heavier drug than weed. Sure weed isn't good for you, but it's not as bad as cigarrettes and you don't smoke it nearly as much as cigarrettes. What do you guys think?

[Resident Loser]

...you gonna' eat that?

jimHJJ(..I think...)

[plextor guy]

Personally I think it's a waste of time and a long term health hazard but when compared to alcohol, much less damaging to society. I can't remember the last time someone high on weed picked a fight, beat his or her spouse, was loud or particularly inappropriate. Further, prisons and jails in the US should be emptied of all nonviolent weed offenders. Tax it, regulate it like alcohol, end of story.

[topspeed]

it's impossible to OD on marijuana As Gallagher so eloquently put it: Once you're stoned, STOP SMOKING!!! You won't get any higher, just lower on dope!


it doesn't impair your judgement enough to crash a car. No offense Joey, but you're 17. At this age, everyone (not just you) thinks they are invincible and can do anything. The fact is a little Mary Jane does impact your ability to drive a car, just like drinking alcohol, playing with your ipod, or talking on your damn cell phone. People take driving too lightly in my opinion. You're piloting what is essentially a moving 3000lb lump of metal that is by nature continuously out of control but for the ability of the driver to make the exact right decision at the exact right times. Don't think ganja effects this ability? Your short term memory is already gone, bud (pun intended).

If you want to smoke a little chronic now and again, fire it up! Pink Floyd isn't a complete experience without it, imo. Just stay off the road, allright?

[This Guy]

[QUOTE=topspeed]As Gallagher so eloquently put it: Once you're stoned, STOP SMOKING!!! You won't get any higher, just lower on dope!

No offense Joey, but you're 17. At this age, everyone (not just you) thinks they are invincible and can do anything. QUOTE]

No I'm only gonna be 16 in a month. But I said this because that is what people told me when they drove (i know, probabky not reliable). Plus, how many car accidents have you heard of happened because the driver was too high? I never heard that once. But this wasn't really the main part of my post, I may have done a little ranting. I had no plans on driving while high anyway. No offence taken.

[Pat D]

Personally I think it's a waste of time and a long term health hazard but when compared to alcohol, much less damaging to society. I can't remember the last time someone high on weed picked a fight, beat his or her spouse, was loud or particularly inappropriate. Further, prisons and jails in the US should be emptied of all nonviolent weed offenders. Tax it, regulate it like alcohol, end of story.
I like your last sentence best of all. The stuff is pretty harmless and the only problem I've ever seen people have with it is that they could get a criminal record. With marijuana illegal, there is an illegal industry to meet the demand. Since the industry is illegal, it is unregulated, so that there are no standards for size of dose, purity, freedom from contaminants. And, it doesn't pay taxes. The US government is completely crazy about marijuana.

[JSE]

Plus, how many car accidents have you heard of happened because the driver was too high? I never heard that once.

Well, I have worked in the insurance industry for many years and I used to see it all the time. Not as much as alcohol, but it was common.

I personally don't have a problem with Happy Weed anymore than alcohol. But, it should still be highly regulated if made legal and laws should be in place regarding it's use, just like alcohol. The "FACT" is that it impaires your ability to drive.

No offense, but smokin weed at 15 is not a good start. I can't wait until you get behind a car!

JSE

[piece-it pete]

"you haven't listened to music until you listened to it stoned." - I'm sorry, Guy, but lmao - "Duuuuuuude! I don't need pot to experience this - only to enhance it!" Otto

Ok, ok, let me wipe the tears from eyes now.

Pot isn't on the list of "old school" drugs like alcohol or nicotine. Those commercials are aimed at school kids, who should NEVER be encouraged, or perhaps as much as they should drink Kentucky moonshine. That said, it is a relatively mild drug.

One that can still impair driving, absolutely! When you're operating a 2 ton 65 mph missile a little can mean a lot, and depending on your stuff it could be a lot more than a little. As my blues-playing friend told me, "People come up to me between sets, and say 'hey man, smoke this, you'll play better.' They're crazy. They mean well, but they're nuts."

And he was no lightweight.

"you don't smoke it nearly as much as cigarrettes." Hey buddy, speak for yourself!! :)

So in a nutshell: Jeez I don't know. What we do here in not-so-hip Cleveland is, if you're not dealing and get popped for posession you get what amounts to a ticket, and even if you're dealing heavy you don't actually go to jail. Works for me.

Pete

BTW Jim, you mean a universe could actually fit in my thumbnail? It's freaking me out man!

[edit: Joey, I didn't know you were 15. Let me tell you from bitter experience that, if you smoke regular, you will lose to a varying degree your short term memory and possibly become goofy, no joke. Adults have learned a few things that I didn't know at 15, for sure for sure!]

[This Guy]

Well, I have worked in the insurance industry for many years and I used to see it all the time. Not as much as alcohol, but it was common.

I personally don't have a problem with Happy Weed anymore than alcohol. But, it should still be highly regulated if made legal and laws should be in place regarding it's use, just like alcohol. The "FACT" is that it impaires your ability to drive.

No offense, but smokin weed at 15 is not a good start. I can't wait until you get behind a car!

JSE

I know I shouldn't be doing it, but it's not like I'm doin it everyday. Grades are good, I'm as healthy as ever, I met some cool new people I'm now friends with, and best of all it allows me to cool down through a hard week of school. Right now I really don't see the need to stop. Just one question, did the reports say the driver was high at the time they crashed or that they found marijuana in their urine/blood? Cause in some of the commercials I see say " The driver of this car (it was wrecked) tested positive for marijuana." The driver could have gotten high last week, not necessarily was he high when he crashed.

[Jim Clark]

Can't say that I have any use for it what so ever. Don't imagine my children would take a great deal of pride in having a stoner for a father and conversely I wouldn't exactly be beaming with pride raising pot smoking children. Fortunately we are a very athletic family and our priorities lie elsewhere.

How miserable must a life be for someone to feel they need brain altering chemicals to escape it. By the same measure, to feel the need for pot to experience life at it's best is both incredibly sad and pointless. Hey, I'm not the moral majority here so if you or someone else feels the need, what do I care? If you're willing to deal with brutal foreiture laws and potential jail time then nothing anyone writes is going to make a darn bit of difference. To me it doesn't really matter if pot should be legalized or not. The only point that matters is that currently it's not. Good luck, it looks like you may need some.

jc

[JSE]

I know I shouldn't be doing it, but it's not like I'm doin it everyday. Grades are good, I'm as healthy as ever, I met some cool new people I'm now friends with, and best of all it allows me to cool down through a hard week of school. Right now I really don't see the need to stop. Just one question, did the reports say the driver was high at the time they crashed or that they found marijuana in their urine/blood? Cause in some of the commercials I see say " The driver of this car (it was wrecked) tested positive for marijuana." The driver could have gotten high last week, not necessarily was he high when he crashed.

I used to deal with lawsuits arrising out of accidents. I handle cases were Pot and other drugs were alleged and I also saw cased where there was scientific evidence. I also saw many cases where witnesses testified to the driver using drugs immediately before the accident and in some cases at the time of the accident. I had one case where a young kid was shooting up and passed out. He was sitting at a gas station with the car still in drive. He passed out and his foot hit the gas. He took out a gas pump, 2 cars, 1 pedestrian, some bushes and ended up in a store front. He woke up in the E/R.

Your responses and general attitude towards pot does not sit well with me. I lost one of my best friends to drugs. You sound just like he did when he was a few years younger than you. At 15, he was already doing Heroin. He started out with pot at about age 12 I guess. He was 19 when he died. He was shooting up and somehow caught his house on fire after passing out. He died in the fire. He had been clean for about 2 years. College actually calmed him down. However, when home from college, he hooked with some of his old friends and fell back into it. I normally tried to come home with him just for that reason but I did not that time. I stayed at school due to my job. He had only used once or twice while back at home when he died. I know this sounds like some stupid add against drugs but, kids your age are not physically, mentally nor emtionally able to deal with drugs in most cases. I know my friend is not always the norm, but it can and does happen. Something to think about.

JSE

[markw]

Grades are good, I'm as healthy as ever....Dude, your effen' FIFTEEN. Your body is still growing! You better be heathy at that age.



I met some cool new people I'm now friends with.... Ya don't think you all could be friends without that bond? That'sa mighty shallow basis for a friendship I'd say. There are a heckuva lot of "cool" people that don't need the brotherhood of the bong to share common interests.



...and best of all it allows me to cool down through a hard week of school.Now this is the scariest statement you've made yet. Life hasn't even started to get rough at your age. Mummy and daddums are still forking over for you and will for the next few years. What have you got to worry about? Jeez, If you need that crutch now, how do you think you'll handle the real world?

But, you're young and know everything. Keep it up and soon you'll realize how much you either forgot or didn't know.

Most of us have been where you are, did what you are doing and you might do well to listen to some of these old geezers. Some might have learned a trick ot two.

Oh, one last thing. Do you even drive yet? I didn't think so. At least, I hope not. Smoking that stuff most certainly DOES affect your driving. Trust me on this one. Ever notice how it kerfutzes up your depth perception? Not what you want when you're guiding a multi ton hunka metal around other multi ton hunks of metal and soft moving targets that bleed when you hit 'em.

But then again, you are 15 and know it all. Yeah, I feel comforted to know that you're only one state away from me. Riight.

[dean_martin]

Here's what happens when the outside world (those other than you and your friends) find out and they will. When you begin smoking dope more than once a week (and I'm not condoning smoking it once a week) you get sloppy. You forget to put the towel under the door. You forget to put IT back in its hiding place. You forget to open the window. You forget that the stuff smells strong especially to others who aren't smoking. You can only hide it for so long. Then -
1.Your folks find out and the sh*t hits the fan at home.
2.You get busted at school because you think you can smoke out in the bathroom or outside the gym before a dance or something. You get sent home (see 1.).
3.Worse than 1 is when your school counselor gets involved in your personal home life and that will happen if you get busted at school. It won't stop there. Some county/state agency like human resources will be called in to intefere in your home life. You will probably be removed from school (zero tolerance) and may even be removed from your home.
4.If you're removed from your home you'll be shipped off to some rehab or teen stress center that'll cost your parents thousands of $$$. You'll get to meet kids who are a thousand times more f'd up than you.
5.You'll wind up in the juvenile court system where, to keep things off your record, you'll have to endure a probationary period with a probation officer and you will be under a mandatory curfew - you can't go anywhere but school, if you're still in school; you can't leave home by yourself; you have to be in by dark; you'll be drug tested regularly.

Almost every college app. has a question about drug use. Any civil service job app. has a question about drug use. Law School apps. have questions about drug use. Most job apps. in the private sector have questions about drug use. At some point you'll have to justify a "no" (lie) just to function in society.

I know all this sounds very harsh, but it's reality until laws are changed. Some states are pushing for more lenient laws but the feds (and their wars on drugs, terror, etc.) are cutting them off at the pass. I don't think we'll see a change in our lifetime. You may have to put the weed on one scale and the rest of your life on the other and see which weighs more.

BTW, please don't drive stoned and don't ride with a driver who's stoned. Stoned people tend to drift toward oncoming traffic, especially at night. The really stoned tend to drive very slow because everything outside the car seems to be flying by. They are easy for cops to spot.

How's that for a little a stoner paranoia!

[This Guy]

Thanks for the unbiased reply Dean, I completely agree with you. IF this stuff was legal, or atleast decriminalized we wouldn't have to go through all this s h i t. And Mark, I don't mean to throw flames, but I wasn't asking for a lecture. I've got a firm grasp on my life and if you really think weed is a gateway drug to heroin and the such you're dead wrong, atleast in my opinion. I don't need your or anyones advice on my life, I was asking for your opinion on marijuana.

[Woochifer]

I can tell you firsthand that pot pretty much scuttled one of my tightest friendships from high school. In fact, it was with that friend that I got into the audio hobby. Once he started smoking pot, he told me that he could control it, and that he only took it on occasion. And of course, he made "new friends" but assured me that it wouldn't affect our friendship.

Of course, that was all a load of bull****. Once he started, he gradually kept increasing his usage until the only thing he ever wanted to do was sit around and get stoned. He didn't want to go out and do stuff anymore, unless it involved going over to one of his "new friends'" places to get high over there. And he could no longer maintain a coherent conversation without spewing out a whole bunch of ridiculous nonsense. And even when he wasn't high, his mind still wasn't clicking on all cylinders. He was forgetful, and he couldn't think quick on his feet anymore, which was sad because before he discovered pot, he was a champion debater and could talk about just about any subject.

I knew that our friendship was pretty much over when I came home from college with a girlfriend and bumped into him at a local Denny's. He was stoned and hanging out with one of his "new friends" -- I just said hi and he started spouting off incoherently. I didn't bothered to introduce him to my girlfriend, even though just a year earlier we were best friends.

I agree that pot is not all that different than alcohol or smoking in that they're all highly addictive drugs with health consequences, but there is a difference in that pot has long-term effects on the brain chemistry. It affects your cognitive capacity, your memory, your judgment, and if you keep it up long enough, it will have long-term effects. Plenty of friends that I knew in high school started doing pot after I went away to college, and during my breaks, I would see them and it was like dealing with a totally different person.

Pot by itself is not the issue, it's all the waves that it leaves in its wake where the damage really occurs. Personally, I think you legalize, regulate it, and tax the hell out of it. But, when it comes to getting high in public or getting behind the wheel, you treat it like public drunkeness or alcohol DUI and throw the book at anyone who's caught driving stoned.

[This Guy]

wow thanks for the reply man. I'm sorry to hear about your buddy. Hell that actually happened to a couple of my friends and I'm young yet. Having been through that I think I got the strength to not fall down that hole. This is the kind of response I was looking for. Everyone else feel free to say your opinions, and/or experiences (no lectures please).

[dean_martin]

Thanks for the unbiased reply Dean, I completely agree with you. IF this stuff was legal, or atleast decriminalized we wouldn't have to go through all this s h i t. And Mark, I don't mean to throw flames, but I wasn't asking for a lecture. I've got a firm grasp on my life and if you really think weed is a gateway drug to heroin and the such you're dead wrong, atleast in my opinion. I don't need your or anyones advice on my life, I was asking for your opinion on marijuana.

No thanks necessary. Regardless to whether it's good, bad or indifferent for your health, pot's still illegal and getting into trouble with it now can have lasting repercussions. But, hey, even if you get into trouble now, you can always get your GED, work your way through community college and maybe even reach management level at the local A&P. (Don't get me wrong. There's nothing wrong with working your way through community college at a grocery store. That's what I did. But, that shouldn't be your ceiling.)

Don't count on legalized marijuana. Even when you're old and gray, your peers (other old farts), cancer victims, glaucoma patients, AIDS victims and some doctors who'll be labelled as quacks will still be trying to legalize marijuana for medicinal purposes (pain killer and appetite enhancer). That's still a far cry from acceptance as a social drug like alcohol.

Finally, just remember that a judge ain't gonna give a darn about your views and opinions on marijuana.

[JSE]

I've got a firm grasp on my life and if you really think weed is a gateway drug to heroin and the such you're dead wrong, atleast in my opinion. I don't need your or anyones advice on my life, I was asking for your opinion on marijuana


Obviously, you have all the answers. Like you said, you have a firm grip on your life. Damn, you really sound like my buddy.

Welcome to the first stages of denial. BTW, why is it important what we think about pot? You said it yourself, grades are good , your as healthy as ever and meeting cool new people. Why should should you be wondering what others think. Maybe it's that little inner voice making you unsure about your current life? Maybe your looking for reassurance in regard to your habit? I doubt you are going to get many people telling you your doing the right thing and there is nothing negative about it. If your looking for someone to agree with you, then maybe you should talk to those cool new friends. I am sure they will look out for your best interest.

Sorry for the lecture. I know you don't want to hear it ( remember that little denial thing) but your going to get it from people from hear on out.

Good luck, your going to need it.

JSE

[markw]

....I was asking for your opinion on marijuana.And you got it. Sorry you didn't like it.

[kexodusc]

Having actually spent 3 months in Amsterdam, let me be the first to say "don't believe everything you hear"...I was quit surprised when I saw that the only people that bought and smoked pot were 18-40 year old tourists, mostly men, and more than half from North America. The locals rarely smoke it, most don't even think about it,and they have more than a few derrogatory names for stoner wannabees university students from North America.

I was 23 then, now I'm 25. This trip almost changed my perception about the dangers of decriminializing it completely..hell, if we're only going to make a few bucks off stoner tourists, why not legalize pot and tax the hell out of it?

But then I got to thinking...what is the net benefit? Probably very little since the taxes generated would probably only pay for the added public administration...take into consideration the loss of current fine revenues, and you're probably behind some.
Even if you break even, or make a small, modest tax profit on the whole legalizing front, what is the potential for harm?

I've read more than a few studies that claim pot is almost as bad, as bad, or even worse than tobacco for health despite popular belief by teenagers that it's harmless...add in the long term "burn-out" effect it has on the brain, and I say this is one more problem health insurance doesn't need.
Do we really want to make it easier for stoners to drive? No. Do we want to send yet another screwed up message to kids - cigarettes, booze, and pot are okay, but don't smoke crack???
Is marijuana a "gateway drug"? Probably for more than just a few...so why make it more accessible?

The way I see, those that really want it now, are probably doing it anyway...the only real net benefit I could see to legalizing, is that you make the drug dealing business less attractive, and have fewer "Fast Eddies" visiting schools. But then, maybe they'll still be selling it to the underage anyway, or worse, they'll start pushing LSD or something??

As for the criminal records...well, for children, aren't they cleared when you reach the age of adulthood? For young adults who get caught...too bad, I guess. The way I see it, if a company wouldn't overlook marijuana offenses if they're on your record, then they probably wouldn't hire you anyway.

I say put Pot on the "To Do" list...when we've got perfect health care, education, low crimes etc, then we can work on getting ways for stoned for those that want it.
We've got more important things to worry about than legalizing pot.

In the end, I feel society's right to enhanced safety and protection should always outweigh its priveledge to indulge in unecessary, health hazardous, and potentially dangerous, substances.
Period.

[Resident Loser]

...let me apologize for my glib attempt at humor in my first response and get serious...

There was a point in time when I was a card-carrying member of NORML and wore my little "smoke-leaf cluster" pin indicating that association...

Late 60s to mid 70s, wacky-tabacky of all types, from homegrown to Panama Red, Thai sticks, hash, opiated hash and probably treated oregano...name it, I probably smoked it...joints, carburetors, water pipes, Oat Willies "Power Hitter"...when I was still using tobacco products, I know for a fact I never, EVER inhaled as deeply as I did with weed...way down, deep into the lungs...the paper, the glue, whatever...that can't be good for you...and of course, wine went well with the food and friends...there was a period of time that for every waking hour of my life I was fundamentally zapped...I never graduated to anything heavier...unfortunately, there were many of my buds who did...lost jobs, lost loves...and now nearly thirty years later I have health problems that may have their roots in my full-tilt idiocy...

I don't want to fly a plane or ride in a bus that may have been serviced or piloted by someone who is high...I could go on, you know the drill...you may THINK you can handle it...the key word is think...

And if at fifteen, you have problems that need to be addressed with drugs or alcohol, what's gonna' happen when you actually face life as a adult? Trust me, it only gets worse...sometimes on a daily basis...

Music sounds better? No not really, it's all in your head...trust me. "Dark Side of the Moon" or "Autobahn" or "Tubular Bells"...WOW MAN, that's heavy...well, you just get sucked into the loop...you just think you see and hear better...you might even think sexual activity is better...all in your head...there is a definite psychological addiction, period...

I had seen a couple of flicks way back when that struck me as the funniest stuff I'd ever seen...many years later I found them boring and disconnected, even though I had built them up(in my mind) as otherwise...it does affect your senses, like it or not...

I wish I had never used tobacco, or drank, or used weed etc. I'd have a lot more cash and probably better health...

jimHJJ(...my advice is, lose it before you lose something else...)

[piece-it pete]

No lectures? Joey, I agree with just about everything everyones' said here. I regret my 1st post.

You're clearheaded now, obviously, I thought you were older. Kiss that goodbye. Drugs affecting a still-forming brain and body will do permanent damage. Fact, like it or not.

Eyes red? Eyes are made of brain tissue. If your eyes are inflamed so is your brain. Ozzy: "If you could see inside my head, you'd see the veins inside are red". Another fact.

"Man I don't want to hear this". Denial.

I grew up in the culture, I know it inside and out.

The commercials are accurate, some dead on. The best commercial I saw about it wasn't "This is your brain. This is your brain on drugs", though that was true. It was the one with the 30 year old sitting in his room at his parents house smoking a joint saying, I'm not a violent person, and I don't do hard drugs. (in the background, his mother "when are you going to get a job!")." He continues: "That's just it. I don't do anything."

Am I saying that's you? No, not now. That comes later, maybe not much later.

Good luck to you. I'll pray for you and those close to you, who will be hurt.

Pete

Here's a guy who knows, and makes money by pandering:

I was gonna clean my room until I got high
I was gonna get up and find tha broom but then I got high
my room is still messed up and I know why
why man -cause I got high

I was gonna go to class before I got high
I could have cheated and I could have passed but then I got hiiigh
Now i'm taking it next semester and I know why
why man -cause I was high

I was gonna go to work but then I got high
I just got a new promotion but I got high
now i'm selling dope and i know why
why man -cause I was high

I was gonna go to court but then I got high
I was gonna pay my child support but I was high
Now they took my whole paycheck and I know why
hey hey -caues I was high

I wasn't gonna run from the cops but I was high
I was gonna pull right over and stop but I was high
Now I a paraplegic and I know why
hey hey -cause I was high

I was gonna pay my car note until I got high
I wasn't gonna gamble on tha boat but then I got high
Now tha tow truck is pullin away and I know why
why man hey hey -cause I was high

I messed up my entire life cause i got high
I lost my kids and wife cause i got hiiigh
now i'm sleeping on tha sidewalk and i know why
-cause i was high

Now i'ma stop singing this song because i'm high
i'm singing the whole thing wrong cause i'm high
and if i don't sell one copy i'll know why
-cause i was high

It could be you - it's a likely scenario for someone who starts young - another fact.

[BRANDONH]

I smoked pot once, I was delirious, I did not know what I was doing, I was high on cocaine...
Rodney Dangerfield :confused:

P.S. spend your money on stereo equipment instead. ;)

[topspeed]

...let me apologize for my glib attempt at humor in my first response and get serious...
I laughed my a$$ off at your response, Jim. A little levity is always a good thing :D.

[alumpkin]

I don't smoke weed, so I don't really care if it is legalized or not, but I do feel that if it is legalized, it should be put under laws just as alcohol (and a few more because I don't mind someone drinking nearby in a restaraunt, but I don't want to smell someone's joint from the smoking section).

The key is for people to realize that weed (and alcohol), if abused (which people have different definitions for), can lead to horrendous results.

A true story for all you weed smokers:

My best friend from high school started smoking more and more weed throughout college. No one really knows how much he was smoking (as he never told me and he went far away to college), but he smoked so much weed that his mind basically shut down. He temporarily became a schizophrenic and begun having all of these memories of stuff that just didn't happen. I went to see him in the hospital a few times and had a few talks with his doctor as well. What the doctor told me was startling. Apparently this happens a lot more than people know or have heard of and a few "organizations" (I put " " because the doctor couldn't tell me who) were paying for all of my friend's treatment to try and figure out what happened and what are the best ways to treat this condition. According to his doctor, everyone has some point with weed (and I would assume alcohol as well - especially with alcohol poisoning) that their body just can't handle anymore and just shuts down. From talking with him, I have gathered that he was smoking a lot, but the doctor told me that this point differs for each person. The point to the story is: be careful especially with how much you smoke. And just to let you know, my friend, with the help of a lot of medication, is out of the hospital and back in college trying to finish his degree. But if you knew him before the incident, you can definitely tell a difference in him.

[nobody]

Just like anything fun but unhealthy, and pot is both, it's OK in moderation, but if you get carried away it can make your life a mess. How much you can do without making your life a mess I don't know as I don't know you. At 15, you should probably really have better ways of having fun, but that's really none of my business.

Pot does make you slow to react and makes driving dangerous. It can make you lazy and can have negative effects on your memory. It is not harmless.

Still, I've seen much more and worse problems from drinking, so I have no idea why one is legal and another illegal, except cultural crap I don't wanna get into.

The gateway drug thing is kinda crap. I think the relationship is more along the lines of the type of person who is gonna try Heroin is obviously gonna smoke a joint once in a while growing up. We're talking about a person with no regard for their health, so of course they get high at one point. Makes more sense than saying pot leads to hard drugs considering the vast number of people who smoke pot or have at least tried it but never move on to heavier stuff.

Just be careful out there. Getting high isn't enough fun to make you waste your life away sitting alone in a room. And if your cool new friends only wanna hang around 'cause you got some weed, they're not your friends. They're a bunch of using losers. (using in the using people sense)

Good luck. Life ain't easy.

[This Guy]

you guys sort of misunderstood me about the friends. I don't hang out with these guys out of school, they're just cool to talk to in school. I mean if they thought I was some snob that would snitch on them for smoking ofcourse they wouldn't talk to me. I'm friends with just about everyone in my grade (except the douchebags that tell on me for stupid stuff), and I got that from having an open mind. Thanks for the responses, everyone. I probably should have made a poll for who thought it should be legal or not.

[hifitommy]

wow thanks for the reply man. I'm sorry to hear about your buddy. Hell that actually happened to a couple of my friends and I'm young yet. Having been through that I think I got the strength to not fall down that hole. This is the kind of response I was looking for. Everyone else feel free to say your opinions, and/or experiences (no lectures please).
wow man, i am ok. YEAH, RIGHT. been there, done that.

[Kaboom]

and man, i dont really why people make so much noise out of this. I mean its ok, but its not like the best feeling in the world or like u are flying. in my opinion, i just dont think its all that great. Its not sth i'd spend my money on. i've already got enough expenses with stereo equipment, cigarrettes and bike components. I will smoke up once to listen to pink floyd. just to know what its like. As others said i think that there are probably other forms of entertainement out there.
Dude at 15 grab a bike (road) ride 30 miles and when u stop, you will feel what its called the endorphine high. for me, that high and the feeling of accomplishment sure beats the crap out of being stoned. or drunk.

[Geoffcin]

Hey guys, I know you like to discuss this stuff, and it's OK to do that, but remember that this is a public forum, and ANYONE can see what your writing. I'm not saying the the DEA is going to be searching these boards for their next victims, but please be careful what you put in writing about yourself.

[This Guy]

yo dude I do ride my bike (mountain). Giant Yukon (2003) and it's great. I love going on trails, 40 mph down a gravely fire road kicks ass, although I do have my fare share of permanent scars. What you got to do is get off the road and get on the trails, so much more fun IMO. I actually haven't met anyone that can ride faster then me, i gotta start looking for races around here. Hey geoffcin, I think we'll be alright, I mean they have websites dedicated to pot and have forums and I they aren't getting in trouble or anything (atleast not to my knowledge.)

[jack70]

This is a personal freedom issue IMO.

Question: If Joe Blow decides to drink and drive, and then kills my wife & kids, isn't THAT a more serious thing than Joe Blow over-indulging in Pot or drugs and messes up HIS OWN life? How can anyone who wants "drugs" illegal then, NOT be in favor of banning alcohol as well? Half of the 35-50,000 killed on the roads every year are a result of alcohol. And were not even talking about family break-ups, violence, and other issues of alcohol... just the big stuff (deaths of complete innocents). Seems to me anyone who isn't in favor of legalized drugs HAS to be in favor of banning alcohol too... or you're a hypocrite.

On Cycling-- I've been cycling for over 20 years. I've found myself unconscious in the ER twice, once just inches from a head-on with a 70 mph truck grille. The # of deaths of cyclists is scary. There have been dozens of Pros killed over the past decade, and those guys are the most savvy and talented bike handlers there are. So... shouldn't the government have the SAME attitude toward cycling, that you want it to have toward pot & drugs... and make it ILLEGAL? It's dangerous, harmful, and potentially lethal. What's the freaking difference?

As for the "endorphin high" from cycling (athletics) etc, that's only partially true... depends on the person, activity and chemical makeup etc. When I used to finish 80-120 mile road races, I didn't feel any such "high"...I felt like I was going to die... LOL. Putting one's heart rate in the 200 range is probably not too healthy or smart either. I'd never ride that hard or long again. BTW, did you know the ONE true (quality) test for pot? It's how high it raises your heart rate. It's the only objective test that exists. Funny, it's not that different (physiologically) from athletics.

Ever wonder why drugs have been so desired over the centuries, in every culture? IMO, as long as you're old enough, educated & informed enough, and don't harm anyone else, you should have the right to do whatever you want... whether it's reading some book, listening to wierd music, skydiving, paragliding, drinking, smoking pot, or even cycling. I'm not into drugs. I know people who can't handle them, and I know others who can, quite well. Caveat emptor... just like anything else.

[DEA_man]

How are you all doing?

Don't think I'm not watching you. You haven't done anything illegal.

Yet.

Have a nice day! :)

[This Guy]

hahaha

[Pat D]

I can tell you firsthand that pot pretty much scuttled one of my tightest friendships from high school. In fact, it was with that friend that I got into the audio hobby. Once he started smoking pot, he told me that he could control it, and that he only took it on occasion. And of course, he made "new friends" but assured me that it wouldn't affect our friendship.

Of course, that was all a load of bull****. Once he started, he gradually kept increasing his usage until the only thing he ever wanted to do was sit around and get stoned. He didn't want to go out and do stuff anymore, unless it involved going over to one of his "new friends'" places to get high over there. And he could no longer maintain a coherent conversation without spewing out a whole bunch of ridiculous nonsense. And even when he wasn't high, his mind still wasn't clicking on all cylinders. He was forgetful, and he couldn't think quick on his feet anymore, which was sad because before he discovered pot, he was a champion debater and could talk about just about any subject.

I knew that our friendship was pretty much over when I came home from college with a girlfriend and bumped into him at a local Denny's. He was stoned and hanging out with one of his "new friends" -- I just said hi and he started spouting off incoherently. I didn't bothered to introduce him to my girlfriend, even though just a year earlier we were best friends.

I agree that pot is not all that different than alcohol or smoking in that they're all highly addictive drugs with health consequences, but there is a difference in that pot has long-term effects on the brain chemistry. It affects your cognitive capacity, your memory, your judgment, and if you keep it up long enough, it will have long-term effects. Plenty of friends that I knew in high school started doing pot after I went away to college, and during my breaks, I would see them and it was like dealing with a totally different person.

Pot by itself is not the issue, it's all the waves that it leaves in its wake where the damage really occurs. Personally, I think you legalize, regulate it, and tax the hell out of it. But, when it comes to getting high in public or getting behind the wheel, you treat it like public drunkeness or alcohol DUI and throw the book at anyone who's caught driving stoned.
What else was going on in his life? I mean, I have known a fair number of people who use marijuana and quite a few of them had problems, but I would not say it was the marijuana use that was the problem. They had lots of other things going on in their lives besides that. I don't use marijuana, BTW.

This is not necessarily to recommend it to anyone, but I agree that it should be legalized as then it can be regulated for quality and dosages as well as taxed. Putting people in jail or giving them criminal records doesn't help anyone, besides being expensive, and an illegal industry in counterproductive, too. The US government is crazy about marijuana.

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

I first want to say that I am in no way recommending pot for a 16 or 17 y/o. I think that's too young to start smoking pot. That being said I am somewhat surprised that people still blame pot for everything under the sun. Pot has different reactions in different people. Some people get paranoid, some hungry, some mellow, some silly, some quiet, and in some people in enhances viewing and listening. It however cannot cause schizophrenia, rashes(unless they are allergic) make people crazy(unless they already were) or lead to other harder drugs(a scare tactic). But like anything in life, if done in moderation it is harmless.

As far as the abuse of dope, anything that is abused will lead to some damage. Dope is no different. But I think it might be a slight exaggeration to blame weed entirely for someone life going down hill. You may not personally like the drug, but demonizing it, and making it the source of someone devastating their life is a stretch, and a bit dramatic.


It can make you lazy and can have negative effects on your memory. It is not harmless.

No it cannot make you lazy if you weren't in the first place. I know too many people who get high, and continue working, running, reading, listening, and just plain getting on with their lives. The latest study on pot and the memory shows that memory loss is short term, and recovers once the person is off pot. There are no long term effects on the memory according to the study I read.


He temporarily became a schizophrenic and begun having all of these memories of stuff that just didn't happen. I went to see him in the hospital a few times and had a few talks with his doctor as well. What the doctor told me was startling. Apparently this happens a lot more than people know or have heard of and a few "organizations" (I put " " because the doctor couldn't tell me who) were paying for all of my friend's treatment to try and figure out what happened and what are the best ways to treat this condition.

I suspect there is something this doctor isn't telling you. My best friend is a doctor who has seen it all(and I really mean that) told me that weed cannot give you this. He says something else had to be wrong with him. He had to already have schizophrenia because weed cannot(and does not) alter the chemistry of the brain, it just slows down activity. He says that the guy could have been smoking too much pot as a result of schizophrenia to ease the symptoms. That seems much more likely(and widely documented) than the other way around.

I used to be a daily pot smoker. I started smoking after high school, and before I started college. I smoke through college and still graduated near the top of my class. I never had problems with my memory, I didn't get the munchies, I wasn't lazy(I worked my way through college and was debt free at graduation) . I worked out while high, ran 5-7 miles 4 times a week while high, and mixed and mastered alot of rock and roll while high(and did some great work by the way). I am not a lazy person, and smoking didn't make me lazy either( I worked two jobs to get through college). The only times I smoked pot was when I had absolutely nothing to do, nowhere to go, and no business to take care of. Working in the film business is mentally taxing and extremely stressful(this was before CAL OSHA began regulating the business). If I didn't smoke, I would never get to sleep. The consistant exposure to loud sound effects(even with hearing protection) can cause the mind to race for hours and hours after mixing is completed for the day. I smoked to soothe my nerves, and stop my racing mind. It was very effective ;>)

6 years ago I was diagnosed with Lupus. I had persistant achey joints, bad headaches, severe muscle pain, and went for days without eating. The quality of my life sucked. My doctor recommended smoking pot, and the quality of my life improved dramatically. Now I don't need it anymore since I have discovered the art of too much working out, and marathon running.

Pot can be abused, but it can also help improve the quality of ones life. Legalize it, and ban smoking cigarettes!!!

[cam]

My turn. I live in British Columbia Canada where currently there are unconfirmed thousands of grow-ops. We just had a business in Vancouver that was selling dope, the cops knew about it and just let it go on for weeks before stepping in. You can smoke a joint in front of a cop and the cop will do nothing. Wave a bag of dope around and you will get a different result. The only thing from stopping pot from being legalized here in BC is the USA. Pot in the USA is a HUGE deal, in BC, not even a slap on the wrist. I am now pushing 34, the last time I smoked pot was when I was almost 16. I smoked pot from 13 to almost 16. I decided that pot was not for me, but the result was evident. I was a B honour roll student every year except for the year that I smoked the most dope, grade 9 age 14/15. It messes up your ability to think acedemically. If that can happen then it can also mess up the physical part as well, DRIVING. I still remember the most fried I have ever been from smoking pot, I was 14 and I had one toke and I was totally ripped. I mean ripped. If I was 16 and had a drivers liscence I would have been a HUGE risk to the public. Obviously this particular pot was laced with something but you never know what you are getting. Pot will burn you out eventually. At the beginning smoking pot will make you feel good and laugh. Eventually, after you get stoned all you want to do is eat and then sleep. To me, pot is(compared to alcohol) a less addicting drug but just as damaging if not more then alcohol. When you drink a couple of beers you feel good. Smoke a joint after a couple of beers and you are becoming stupid. The worst case for someone being behind the wheel of a car.

[Beckman]

Been there done that. It gets old after a while.

[piece-it pete]

Well, looking back over this thread it looks like there are two of us who actually lived the life that this guy is admiring.

Could be more but some responses were pretty veiled, no way to tell for sure.

Interesting that we (the acknowledged former waste cases) (is that right rl?) come down hard on drug use. People with little or no exposure to the life (vs a toke) tend to be more... lenient, and perhaps somewhat naive towards use.

While we KNOW what it will do. I too admired hippies - read stoners - when I was young and when I got the chance to fire up jumped at it. I still remember: paraniod of my parents, kinda hiding in my basement room, only emerging to get more cookies from the kitchen.

Within a year I was waste-cased. Those who say pot isn't a gateway drug may be right. It's more of a key. If you haven't done pot then you're MUCH less likely to do, say, LSD. But if the door is unlocked, hey, why not. As a matter of fact LSD makes a lot of sense to a normal pot smoker, more of the same, but better, kinda thinking. (btw - WRONG!)

And you won't accidently hit a joint laced with crystal meth or worse yet, angel dust being passed around unannounced at a party if you don't smoke pot. Happens every day.

You're going to do what you want, OK, I've got no problem with that, and don't mean to sound preachy. But now, you know what you're in for. I don't know one person from the life, who has quit, who doesn't wish they never messed with this stuff.

Pete

[Pat D]

Well, looking back over this thread it looks like there are two of us who actually lived the life that this guy is admiring.

Could be more but some responses were pretty veiled, no way to tell for sure.

Interesting that we (the acknowledged former waste cases) (is that right rl?) come down hard on drug use. People with little or no exposure to the life (vs a toke) tend to be more... lenient, and perhaps somewhat naive towards use.

While we KNOW what it will do. I too admired hippies - read stoners - when I was young and when I got the chance to fire up jumped at it. I still remember: paraniod of my parents, kinda hiding in my basement room, only emerging to get more cookies from the kitchen.

Within a year I was waste-cased. Those who say pot isn't a gateway drug may be right. It's more of a key. If you haven't done pot then you're MUCH less likely to do, say, LSD. But if the door is unlocked, hey, why not. As a matter of fact LSD makes a lot of sense to a normal pot smoker, more of the same, but better, kinda thinking. (btw - WRONG!)

And you won't accidently hit a joint laced with crystal meth or worse yet, angel dust being passed around unannounced at a party if you don't smoke pot. Happens every day.

You're going to do what you want, OK, I've got no problem with that, and don't mean to sound preachy. But now, you know what you're in for. I don't know one person from the life, who has quit, who doesn't wish they never messed with this stuff.

Pete
What else was happening in your life, Pete?

As well, you got off pot. you weren't addicted. I know lots of people who have used pot who seem to get along fine in life. Some found they should quit and did, some still use it occasionally, I think.

As well, what good does making pot illegal do? Aren't the effects of making it illegal worse?

With legal pot, it could be regulated for access and quality and quantity so that one could know what they're getting. So pot laced with something else would be much less likely to happen.

[piece-it pete]

Pat,

If I quit smoking cigarettes, I wouldn't have been addicted to nicotine? As surely as an alcoholic, you are addicted whether you quit or not. Was my life messed up? You betcha. Others were too, and didn't end up where I did.

Not to say all people who smoke pot are addicts. But those folks generally aren't as knowledgable about the whole culture.

We don't have to make it illegal, it already is. Benifits of legalization?

Not the lacing, it's not commonly laced before sale (except for monkeypaw - soaked in embalming fluid - GREAT frybrain stuff, you get a jump on reality), that stuff is added by folks to make it "better" after the sale (dude, try this out man). Access is already far more regulated than it would be if legal, it would be growing everywhere, how do you regulate that? Folks who smoke know the quality and quantity of what they're buying.

The only legit thing to me is tax money, and I don't think it's worth legitimizing drug use for that. Kids are paying attention to us.

But heck, in most places it's effectively legal anyway. As I stated before, here in Cleveland the worst that will happen is a ticket. Big deal? Nope, not IMO. Even high volume dealers don't go to jail. And we are hardly the most lenient of the bunch.

Pete

BTW, great tag line. Are we harmonious yet :) ?

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

Well, looking back over this thread it looks like there are two of us who actually lived the life that this guy is admiring.

Could be more but some responses were pretty veiled, no way to tell for sure.

Interesting that we (the acknowledged former waste cases) (is that right rl?) come down hard on drug use. People with little or no exposure to the life (vs a toke) tend to be more... lenient, and perhaps somewhat naive towards use.

I just do not agree with this at all. While I cannot discount the negative impact it has on some people, for others(who were by all definations total potheads) they went to work everyday, they studied, some were athletes, singers, musicians (etc), and went on with their everyday lives being just as productive as a non pot smoker(I was one of these and studies support me) The effect of pot is different on everyone, and not every heavy pot smokers life has a down spiraling effect. Based on what I have seen, those who have self destructing tendencies will self destruct on anything(too much work, too much booze, too much pot etc). Those who are hyper productive, go get'em types(at least the ones that I know of) remain much the same way, they just got high and went on with their business. To say that all of those who were in "the life" are hard on the drug is just plain wrong. Everyone has a different opinion.


While we KNOW what it will do. I too admired hippies - read stoners - when I was young and when I got the chance to fire up jumped at it. I still remember: paraniod of my parents, kinda hiding in my basement room, only emerging to get more cookies from the kitchen.

This is ONE way to be in the "life" I however would NEVER smoke in my parents house, I waited till I got my own place. No need for paranoia. Based on what I have seen as a former pothead, there are a couple of types. The functioning pothead, and the non functioning one. It seems by what you describe here, you were a non functioning one. That wasn't the case for me.


Within a year I was waste-cased. Those who say pot isn't a gateway drug may be right. It's more of a key. If you haven't done pot then you're MUCH less likely to do, say, LSD. But if the door is unlocked, hey, why not. As a matter of fact LSD makes a lot of sense to a normal pot smoker, more of the same, but better, kinda thinking. (btw - WRONG!)


Again, I do not agree. I was a HEAVY pot smoker when I did smoke. I NEVER(I repeat) NEVER had the desire to move on to anything heavier than that. Out of all of my friends, none of us had moved on to anything harder. According to the latest long term studies on the issue the gataway and key myth is just that, a myth.


And you won't accidently hit a joint laced with crystal meth or worse yet, angel dust being passed around unannounced at a party if you don't smoke pot. Happens every day.

I think only a fool would smoke something they knew nothing about. I personally smoked only stuff that I knew its origins. Because I educated myself enough to what the real thing, and laced stuff was, I never worried about getting something I didn't want or expect. I found somebody I trusted(and befriended) to supply me with what I needed.


You're going to do what you want, OK, I've got no problem with that, and don't mean to sound preachy. But now, you know what you're in for. I don't know one person from the life, who has quit, who doesn't wish they never messed with this stuff.

Pete

Pete, when it comes to this issue, I would prefer to stick with the facts, and eschew the refer madness approach. Anything overused and abused will damage you(even too many vitamins) . If used lightly or in moderation, it is completely harmless, certainly less harmless than tobacco and alcohol(which are legal) . There is no evidence that it is addictive(at least nothing I have read) , that it causes brain damage(one study came to that conclusion, and was disproven). It is the least cause of emergency room visits(only about a 1,000 cases in this country last year with alcohol and cocaine being 1 and 2)) and those visit showed that weed was only a minor cause of the visit(other injuries where the primary reason for the visit). Study after study has busted up so many myths on this drug it is a shame people are still being prosecuted for it.

Do I recommend it for anyone under 18 y/o? Hell no! 18 y/o and under have the largest tendecies to abuse drugs of all forms. The young and inpenatrable attitude prevails in this age group. I think that young people should wait until they can understand fully what they are getting into, and the maturity to excersize some restrain when neccessary.

You do not have to scare the crap out of anyone to prevent them from using dope. Just present the facts, and I am sure they will be smart enough to make a decent decision on their own.

[Woochifer]

What else was going on in his life? I mean, I have known a fair number of people who use marijuana and quite a few of them had problems, but I would not say it was the marijuana use that was the problem. They had lots of other things going on in their lives besides that. I don't use marijuana, BTW.

This is not necessarily to recommend it to anyone, but I agree that it should be legalized as then it can be regulated for quality and dosages as well as taxed. Putting people in jail or giving them criminal records doesn't help anyone, besides being expensive, and an illegal industry in counterproductive, too. The US government is crazy about marijuana.

I think the main thing he really had going on was a compulsive personality, which manifested itself in other ways later on. Whenever he tried stuff he liked, he would get hooked on it, whether it was audio and music or later on, cocaine. Nothing I can think of in his homelife or anything like that "drove" him towards drugs. He came from a stable family, relatively lenient parents, no high expectations on his grades, no outside pressures aside from normal high school stuff.

He was already drinking to get drunk and smoking in bunches by the time he picked up on pot (which was around age 18). The alcohol and cigarettes also started as occasional recreational use, but got to be habitual. I hung around him enough to put some peer pressure on him to at least not do any of that crap in excess around me. Of course, that just meant that gradually we started hanging out less and less. Once I went away to college, he started hanging out exclusively with people that just encouraged and reinforced his drug habit.

It does vary from person to person though from what I've seen. Another close friend of mine was a recreational pot smoker, but he was anything but a compulsive personality. He only drank at parties or when going out, and he only occasionally smoked weed. He never went out of his way to drink or smoke pot, and never did it alone at home or if he had major stuff at work or at school the next day. My other friend got to a point where he could no longer hold down jobs because he was constantly showing up for work late, stoned, hung over, or all of the above.

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

It does vary from person to person though from what I've seen. Another close friend of mine was a recreational pot smoker, but he was anything but a compulsive personality. He only drank at parties or when going out, and he only occasionally smoked weed. He never went out of his way to drink or smoke pot, and never did it alone at home or if he had major stuff at work or at school the next day. My other friend got to a point where he could no longer hold down jobs because he was constantly showing up for work late, stoned, hung over, or all of the above.

This is a perfect example of what I am talking about. It does different things to different people. And at some point either the habit is taken too far(crash and burn) or at some point you decided that you just don't want to do it anymore(this is the area I fall in).

And by the way your geniusness(I bow) you have mail(as letter slips gracefully into your box)

[piece-it pete]

I just do not agree with this at all. While I cannot discount the negative impact it has on some people, for others(who were by all definations total potheads) they went to work everyday, they studied, some were athletes, singers, musicians (etc), and went on with their everyday lives being just as productive as a non pot smoker(I was one of these and studies support me) The effect of pot is different on everyone, and not every heavy pot smokers life has a down spiraling effect. Based on what I have seen, those who have self destructing tendencies will self destruct on anything(too much work, too much booze, too much pot etc). Those who are hyper productive, go get'em types(at least the ones that I know of) remain much the same way, they just got high and went on with their business. To say that all of those who were in "the life" are hard on the drug is just plain wrong. Everyone has a different opinion.

TT,

I know one 50 year old who smokes (even by my standards) a LOT of pot on a daily basis. He makes upwards of 100k, plays sports regularly, lives in a nice house in the nice 'burbs, and IMO (and most others) has a train wreck of a life, stumbling from one near-disater to another.

Other than that, the only regular pot smokers I know are, well, losers. You know what I mean.




This is ONE way to be in the "life" I however would NEVER smoke in my parents house, I waited till I got my own place. No need for paranoia. Based on what I have seen as a former pothead, there are a couple of types. The functioning pothead, and the non functioning one. It seems by what you describe here, you were a non functioning one. That wasn't the case for me.

If you waited till you were out then you couldn't have started very young. And occasional paranoia is a well known side effect.

Doesn't pot effect the brain? If so I would say nonfunctioning and somewhat functioning, like my friend above, not neccessarily doing badly but certainly not anywhere near 100%.



Again, I do not agree. I was a HEAVY pot smoker when I did smoke. I NEVER(I repeat) NEVER had the desire to move on to anything heavier than that. Out of all of my friends, none of us had moved on to anything harder. According to the latest long term studies on the issue the gataway and key myth is just that, a myth.

Granted, not everyone who smokes pot becomes a deadhead or a crackhead. But, how many heavy drug users you know didn't start by smoking? I don't know one. And I know a lot of drug users.



I think only a fool would smoke something they knew nothing about. I personally smoked only stuff that I knew its origins. Because I educated myself enough to what the real thing, and laced stuff was, I never worried about getting something I didn't want or expect. I found somebody I trusted(and befriended) to supply me with what I needed.

As a smoker, you never hit a joint at a party or concert?



Pete, when it comes to this issue, I would prefer to stick with the facts, and eschew the refer madness approach. Anything overused and abused will damage you(even too many vitamins) . If used lightly or in moderation, it is completely harmless, certainly less harmless than tobacco and alcohol(which are legal) . There is no evidence that it is addictive(at least nothing I have read) , that it causes brain damage(one study came to that conclusion, and was disproven). It is the least cause of emergency room visits(only about a 1,000 cases in this country last year with alcohol and cocaine being 1 and 2)) and those visit showed that weed was only a minor cause of the visit(other injuries where the primary reason for the visit). Study after study has busted up so many myths on this drug it is a shame people are still being prosecuted for it.

I don't know a single person who believes pot isn't bad for you. Maybe they are wrong, but tobacco smokers knew it (coffin nails) long before proof came along.



Do I recommend it for anyone under 18 y/o? Hell no! 18 y/o and under have the largest tendecies to abuse drugs of all forms. The young and inpenatrable attitude prevails in this age group. I think that young people should wait until they can understand fully what they are getting into, and the maturity to excersize some restrain when neccessary.


We are in agreement here!



You do not have to scare the crap out of anyone to prevent them from using dope. Just present the facts, and I am sure they will be smart enough to make a decent decision on their own.

I don't mean to be argumentative. It appears we are seeing this from different places. As this guy is both young and obviously taken with pot I would say it's closer to my experience.

I am not intentionally scaring the crap out of anyone, just telling it like I've seen (and lived) it. If it sounds scary, well I think it is.

Pete

[nobody]

Last comment on this one from me...

It's pot. It's not the best thing in the world for ya, but it's not like the kid is shooting up for crying out loud.

Use in moderation, don't be a moron. It'd be better if you waited until you were older. Simple.

And yes, I've been very close to many, many people who've used both pot and much harder drugs regularly, myself included. I've seen and done many things that are not fit for discussion here. If you wanna talk about "the life", you're gonna have to do a lot better than thinking hippies are cool and smoking a bunch of pot for a year. Call me when you've actually gotten around a bit.

I know many people who are responsible adults that smoke pot ragularly, but not excessively. Just because you couldn't, doesn't mean no one else, or even most others, can't.

It's like the alcoholic who gets sober and is then convinced every time he sees someone else get a little buzz that they need to get into the program too. It's simply not always the case.

[piece-it pete]

nobody,

Agreed, he's not shooting up (thank God).

Started at 15, quit at 37 yrs old, living much of the time before I was 24 in innercity Cleveland (and a bit in Venice, IL) with pot, ups, downs, 'cid (a lot) and anything else I could do for many of those years. No poseurs here.

Pete

[nobody]

Small world, been in and outta Venice a bit myself. Gotta be careful over that way these days. 'Course, you can still find pretty much anything you want there though. (from what I hear, I don't touch much of anything these days)

[piece-it pete]

Small world, been in and outta Venice a bit myself. Gotta be careful over that way these days. 'Course, you can still find pretty much anything you want there though. (from what I hear, I don't touch much of anything these days)

I HAD to check back, glad I did!

Wow, I've only met one other person outside of Venice who knew what it is. Had to be careful back then, too, got jumped by guys from Lovejoy once.

Me and the buds used to hang on the railroad trestle that met Venices' toll bridge, and hop trains back and forth to our respective houses. Oh yeah and the three tire bonfires on the other side of the levy.

Jeez, haven't thought about those guys for years, thanks!

Pete

[nobody]

Lived in Madison for a while. Strayed into Venice for "nightlife" from time to time.
St. Louis boy now.

They finally closed down that bridge. Supposed to be rebuilding it. That thing always scared the crap outta me. I can't believe it didn't collapse.

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

TT,

I know one 50 year old who smokes (even by my standards) a LOT of pot on a daily basis. He makes upwards of 100k, plays sports regularly, lives in a nice house in the nice 'burbs, and IMO (and most others) has a train wreck of a life, stumbling from one near-disater to another.

Other than that, the only regular pot smokers I know are, well, losers. You know what I mean.

That is one side of the pendelum, here is the other. I know a VERY talented, well known sound designer. Very successful in the competitive world of film sound mixing. We recentley worked on a soundtrack together. He came in everyday slightly smelling of pot(even though he tried to cover it up). He was never late, his creative mind always ticking, extremely focused, fun to work with, and by all accounts has a great life. Directors love to work with him, and therefore he brings in alot of business to the studio he works for. He by all definitions is a total pothead.


If you waited till you were out then you couldn't have started very young. And occasional paranoia is a well known side effect.

I moved away from home at the grand old age of 16 y/o. I think any rational mind would consider that young. Yes paranoia is a side effect, but not one everyone experiences. I never have.


Doesn't pot effect the brain? If so I would say nonfunctioning and somewhat functioning, like my friend above, not neccessarily doing badly but certainly not anywhere near 100%


Pot does effect brain activity, but as I have said before, not the same way with every one. Secondly, a somewhat functioning brain cannot mix soundtracks. There is just to dang many things going on. However, the gentlemen I mentioned above does mix while high, and he does it extremely well. You cannot do that with a somewhat functioning brain. His brain was VERY functional. I studied for a test while high in college. I aced that test. You cannot do that on a somewhat functioning brain. So I will stick to what I said early, you have functional potheads, and non functional ones.



Granted, not everyone who smokes pot becomes a deadhead or a crackhead. But, how many heavy drug users you know didn't start by smoking? I don't know one. And I know a lot of drug users.

According to studies most LSD and cocaine user's smoke pot. Most pot smokers do not do LSD or cocaine(crack). Most of the heavy drug user's I knew didn't smoke pot at all. It was too tame!! According to the latest studies I have read, there is just no evidence at all to support the gateaway or key theory.


As a smoker, you never hit a joint at a party or concert?


Never. I never would smoke someone elses stuff, becaused I didn't know what is in it, or where it came from. I only smoked the stuff I purchased.


I don't know a single person who believes pot isn't bad for you. Maybe they are wrong, but tobacco smokers knew it (coffin nails) long before proof came along.


We are conditioned to believe it is bad for us, but the facts point to the reality that many pot myths are just myths, and not facts.


I don't mean to be argumentative. It appears we are seeing this from different places. As this guy is both young and obviously taken with pot I would say it's closer to my experience.

I think it is a bit of a stretch to come to this conclusion. Remember, there is a whole lot about This Guy everyday life you don't know about. Just because it seems that he is taken with pot does not mean he will have an experience closer to yours. He is just a smidgen younger than I was when I started(I was later in my 16th year, and he is just beginning his) and my experience didn't mimick yours at all. I think it is foolish to think that just because you took the path you took, that he will take an identical path. This Guy is not you, and you are not him, so it would stand to reason that his destiny is in his hands, not in your past.


I am not intentionally scaring the crap out of anyone, just telling it like I've seen (and lived) it. If it sounds scary, well I think it is.

Pete

This is your opinion, not This Guy future. That was your past, not This Guy future. Maybe your past was scary, but This Guy's might not be. What you have seen is just one perspective of the millions and millions who have tried this drug. All didn't turn out exactly like yourself. I don't really buy into the "scared straight" method of discouragement. The truth and a healthy dose of reality is just fine. Besides, I think it is counterproductive in that is does more to encourage people rather than discourage them.

[dave123456@mail.com]

I dont really consider Marijuana a drug.

[bpsychotic]

i used to smoke pot all the time. i think i got to the point where i had to give it up because it put me in a meditative mode where i'd just assume being by myself and avoid social situations - and made me somewhat paranoid - and lazy.
i can't think of anything really negative about smoking dope except the effect the smoke might have on your lungs - and the tendency to rely on it for feeling good and being enlightened.
maybe when i get older and when i don't have to worry about keeping a roof over my head i'll indulge in it - for medicinal purposes of course. ;)

[shokhead]

Dont make it legal. It makes you stupit. Its unhealthy. Just as bad as cigs. Do i want a pothead driving my kids bus,no. Do i want a pothead doing anything important for me,no. Does it have a lasting negitive effect on you,yes. Is it a drug, dah. Oh, i smoked from 12-32 years old. Never and i mean never missed a day of not smoking for 2 years straight. I keep track,thought it was cool. Every fricken day of getting high for 2 years. Go to a friends house in the morning, burn one,take a hand full of beans and go to school. If you smoke reg,you are not going to operate at your highest level no matter how you tell yourself you are or how you fool others you are. Of course i'm no expert,just an X doper.

[kexodusc]

Guys....FYI..this thread is pretty old...I think maybe we've already said everything we needed to say in October...

Marijuana is bad, mmmkay...you shouldn't do Marijuana, mmmkay.

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

Dont make it legal. It makes you stupit. Its unhealthy. Just as bad as cigs.


It's not quite as bad as cig, they have no nicotine, and any damage to the lungs is reverseable.


Do i want a pothead driving my kids bus,no. Do i want a pothead doing anything important for me,no.

I agree with you here.


Does it have a lasting negitive effect on you,yes.

Here is where we disagree. There are no long term studies that support this notion. Short term memory loss(a affect) disappears when you quit smoking. All studies point to this as a fact.


Is it a drug, dah. Oh, i smoked from 12-32 years old. Never and i mean never missed a day of not smoking for 2 years straight. I keep track,thought it was cool. Every fricken day of getting high for 2 years. Go to a friends house in the morning, burn one,take a hand full of beans and go to school. If you smoke reg,you are not going to operate at your highest level no matter how you tell yourself you are or how you fool others you are. Of course i'm no expert,just an X doper.

Everyone's threshold is different. I functioned just fine when I smoked, and I know many others that did also. I also know folks that just shut down. I have already outlined my history with pot, but I preferred an educated approach, rather than a doom and gloom one.

[shokhead]

Oh,i thought i fuctioned just fine. {it was all in my head} Are we a better place with or without,its without. Same with booze.

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

Oh,i thought i fuctioned just fine. {it was all in my head} Are we a better place with or without,its without. Same with booze.

I didn't "think" I functioned just fine, I knew I did. In retrospective(and in all honesty)I did some VERY good mixing of rock and roll bands in that day. Dope has a different effect on everyone. You have to decide for yourself whether you are in a better place or not. For me, I really enjoyed smoking alot. Now I am just to busy to do it. I was never a booze dude, beer yes, hard liquor no.

[hermanv]

There was peer pressure as I grew up to try various drugs. Everyone talks about POT as a "gateway drug" Guess what, first drug I used (and every single last person I know) was alcohol. So alcohol must be THE gateway drug,

Some people are better at controlling their impulses than others. IMHO for all addictions education is better (read more effective) than jail.

People will defend what they are used to, so many can somehow isolate alcohol from other drugs. Alcohol OK, POT not OK, go figure. I believe consistency makes sense: Regulate these things based on the long and short term impact on health and behavior, alcohol would quickly rise far up the danger list.

Provide help for those that need or want, it use taxes on the drugs to pay for the help. Regulate the quality and dosage and stop putting thousands in jail. We have other problems.

Driving on any drug is a bad thing. (Most people do not seem to grasp the destructive potential of a few thousand pounds moving at high speed, they can't drive well even without drugs)

[Audioman00]

Another way that jackass can make money, I don't know why he hasn't yet.

[JoeE SP9]

Smoked my first joint at 16. I am 57 now. Masters degree and self employed. Still enjoy a dube with a Chimay (Belgian Ale).

[MomurdA]

Smoked my first joint at 16. I am 57 now. Masters degree and self employed. Still enjoy a dube with a Chimay (Belgian Ale).

Chimay is awesome. What color lable? I like the red label the best i think. Been awhile since i have had some.

[JoeE SP9]

Chimay is awesome. What color lable? I like the red label the best i think. Been awhile since i have had some.
If I have a preference it is for the blue label. Here in Philly there are several watering holes that have Chimay on tap. It somehow seems to taste better that way. I know it shouldn't because Chimay is just about the only bottled brew I know of that is not pasteurized. I always buy the larger bottles with the cork stopper. The smaller bottles with the regular metal top are also available here. I don't know if those are pasteurized or not. I haven't tried them as I love popping the cork.