why do people smoke marijuana?

[Twisted_Sister]

I was just thinking to myself and the question popped in my head. Why do people smoke marijuana? I just dont understand.

[Riesa]

curiosity?

[Twisted_Sister]

what about those who smoke excessively

[Riesa]

stubborn curiosity? ;)

some smoke because it's novel, others smoke because it's an escape them from the "world". Some smoke because it allows a different perspective on the world. and then there are those who smoke because they think it makes them fit in. What answer are you looking for? The world is not black and white, each individual has a thousand conflicting reasons or drives that encourage them to act (or smoke) a certain way.

[Weeping Willow]

I think the question you should ask yourself is not why people smoke but rather why people dont smoke..
How come that there is such a huge diffarance beetwen smoking cigarettes\ ciggars which is basicly a herb rolled in a paper.. to smoking MJ.. which just another herb...
and here are some more intersting questions.. how come you are being raised to be anti smoking when there are no studies on the subject...
and how come that i can honestly tell you that in my last few years i met soo many people all around the world that smoke altough its elegal??

so i think the question should be who are we kidding here?

oh.. and whats up Riesa! long time no see :D

[Shalot]

How can some people smoke marijuana and enjoy it? And how come others can't stand it and get all paranoid and freaked out about it?

[NikolaiI]

That's a good point, Weeping Willow- I think tobacco is worse for you, based on how it feels going down the throat-- so much harsher...

I think the only reasons you could start smoking it are curiosity and peer pressure. If you never knew about it, how would you happen to start for the first time? Throw some on the bonfire by accident? :lol:

I have a lot I would write about it, but I'll just save it for gradual dispersement later...I would just say that I, and the wikipedia article on drugs (however accurate that is) both say that marijuana is in the "soft drug" category while both alcohol and nicotine are "hard drugs." The reason for this is that it is impossible to OD and difficult to become addicted to marijuana, while the other drugs you can OD on and are more addictive. Make any sense? No one seems to reply to this- except on person, who did, thank you, haha, they said it was still a gateway drug- which is totally valid, I just wish people would respond to stuff like that other than saying "nooooooooo, it's not a drug, (alcohol) and nonono MJ is a killer weed drug..." the fact is, we get a lot of propaganda saying how bad it is for you...you know, "marijuana not as harmless as we all thought, see, see, all these teenagers killing people at Burger King under it's influence??" or they show someone turned into a couch blanket it because of it. How would we feel if Rastafarianism were the main religion here, and we were taught that it cleanses the body and mind? Probably a lot differently- we're controlled to a large extent by the information we're allowed...anyway, sorry, I didn't mean to rant. :p

The couch blanket one, for instance, rings so false with me; I am more of the Rastafarian viewpoint and I find marijuana very beneficial to my health- especially mentally, but also physically- helps me get outdoors, and spend time thinking. Some people say marijuana increases your creativity, or opens it up. I agree- I love so much to spend quiet evening writing poetry. Rastafarians will smoke it and then have "reasoning" sessions, where they try to figure out the world. I would definitely say that, for some people, marijuana can help the mental processes.


How can some people smoke marijuana and enjoy it? And how come others can't stand it and get all paranoid and freaked out about it?

I'm sure this has entirely to do with the individual, and the situation and the people around the person.


Oh, I might also even smoke just because I thought it should be legal. Why is this soft drug illegal, when we have hard drugs that are illegal, etc., etc., and there are so many people who think it should be legal? Er, there is no answer to that why- it is politics. But how many people we have in prison because of it! Laws that are wrong need to be broken (I am going to get kicked of Lit-Net now!)- you can thank all the lawbreakers and criminals for your 'right turn on red' allowment; it's only legal to turn right on red because so many people did so, and complained about the tickets they got that it eventually became legal.

[Riesa]

oh.. and whats up Riesa! long time no see :D

Willow!!!!!!!!! How you, Bob?! ;)


How can some people smoke marijuana and enjoy it? And how come others can't stand it and get all paranoid and freaked out about it?

good question. one to ponder while smoking a huge joint. ;)

Not that I know from personal experience or anything, you'd never catch ME breaking any laws...but I have often wondered the same thing. It's got to be something with brain chemistry, right? Any neurologists in this forum?

What's interesting is that Tequila is legal but Marijuana isn't.

[NikolaiI]

Tequila doesn't make you rape babies, while everyone knows it's a proven fact that marijuana does...

[Riesa]

Tequila doesn't make you rape babies, while everyone knows it's a proven fact that marijuana does...

:thumbs_up you make a good point with your extreme example.

[bazarov]

That's a good point, Weeping Willow- I think tobacco is worse for you, based on how it feels going down the throat-- so much harsher...


What? How about holes in your brain you get by smoking marijuana? It's incredibly what todays youth think about some things!

I know many people who smokes cigarets and they are all normal, some of them will probably have serious health problems in old days but that's OK, I guess.
But, from all people I know who smokes marijuana, there is absolutely not a single normal healthy person. Many of them can't create normal sentence, and about school...Waste of time, really!

Kids, don't mess with that. Don't think that you can just try and stop, there are too many of them who thought that before you. They were wrong. Don't repeat their mistakes. Use you ratio, you really don't have to try anything.

[NikolaiI]

What? How about holes in your brain you get by smoking marijuana? It's incredibly what todays youth think about some things!

I know many people who smokes cigarets and they are all normal, some of them will probably have serious health problems in old days but that's OK, I guess.
But, from all people I know who smokes marijuana, there is absolutely not a single normal healthy person. Many of them can't create normal sentence, and about school...Waste of time, really!

Kids, don't mess with that. Don't think that you can just try and stop, there are too many of them who thought that before you. They were wrong. Don't repeat their mistakes. Use you ratio, you really don't have to try anything.

What holes in your brain?! :p

Well, I think I'm quoting Oni from another thread when he said that he thought most of those individuals would be messed up without it.

I believe you have to smoke very copious amounts, like more than 3-5 joints a day, probably more like 10 to be on the safe side, for a few weeks or a month, and then, yes it will make you retarded.

But as for me, like I said, health-promoting (though unlike some people, i will not just keep telling you that lol!!!!!! so no reason to be afraid) and the other people I know who smoke get through life fine, I know doctors and professors who smoke, or just 'regular' people with girlfriends, boyfriends, lives, jobs, apartments, etc. All healthy, productive and contributing to society. Not couch blankets at all, surprisingly.

---------------------------------

I would also say, don't do it now!!!!! There's no reason to! That is, if you are a young person. If you are still interested, do it later, in college or something (and then, not on the first semester with people you don't know! lol) ...because...there's no reason to hurry, or do all that to your parents, it's really not fair.


:thumbs_up you make a good point with your extreme example.

Thanks, ha...I got it from a friend :)

[BlueSkyGB]

Personally I think its less harmful than alcohol...

a know a gentleman that claims he has smoked every day since 1987...to look at him, he works in management in a big company, one would never think that.

[Haven]

I was just thinking to myself and the question popped in my head. Why do people smoke marijuana? I just dont understand.

Perhaps if you tried it you'd understand...

[Lyn]

Did you know... your brain has cannabis receptors in it. Really. Our own neurology wants people to get stoned. People smoke because they enjoy it. Maybe they find it relaxing, maybe it is used as a medical treatment, maybe it makes them feel more popular. Whatever. The answer to the question WHY do people do drugs is always always the same - because it is pleasurable and they enjoy it. This may be because it removes something bad from their lives (ie people do it cos their lives are a mess and it makes them forget this); but it is always because it involves some kind of positive reinforcement. It seems to me people who are anti-drugs generally forget that; and as a result find it hard to understand people they may be trying to help.

[littlewing53]

nik...all i remember abt drinkin shots of tequila is it makes you invisible...at least that's what my shirts sez...i don't know nothin abt rapin babies..that's a pretty extreme comparison...not n2 smokin pot but that's kinda scary..growing up in the 60s everybody, and i mean everybody was smokin pot...it was the norm...and i do not believe that every one of those hippies is walking around like a loaded gun...and what abt for medicinal purposes...are all those people with cancer and glaucoma and whatever else pot eases pain with..are those people going to start acting crazy too...with smokin cigs i don't think there's THC in there...not that i know of anyway...tho i'd say the chemicals will definitely kill ya...just a few thoughts...lw

[NikolaiI]

ah...sorry, didn't mean to scare you, lw! I just meant that pot doesn't make you do that, but some people have extreme views about it...

[Zippy]

Because it makes you feel good!

There's the obvious answer, and the one that people seldom mention when it comes to drugs. Drugs make you feel good.

I'm not advocating them, the side effects and consequences out weigh the effects, but still, that simple fact is why most people smoke cannabis.

[Riesa]

Because it makes you feel good!

There's the obvious answer, and the one that people seldom mention when it comes to drugs. Drugs make you feel good.

I'm not advocating them, the side effects and consequences out weigh the effects, but still, that simple fact is why most people smoke cannabis.

That's so simply true, I love your answer.

but then again, pot doesn't make everyone feel good, some it makes want to throw up and hide in a closet under the shoes. ;) Now give me a nice glass of wine....

[Lote-Tree]

That's so simply true, I love your answer.

but then again, pot doesn't make everyone feel good, some it makes want to throw up and hide in a closet under the shoes. ;) Now give me a nice glass of wine....

But Glass of Wine is nothing like Marijuana...one is Psychotropic substance other is not :D

[Weeping Willow]

What's interesting is that Tequila is legal but Marijuana isn't.

WOWOWOW lets not all get crazy here.. Tequila Sister! its a bless! :D
oh.. mexico... fade into the memories with me will you.... ;)

[NikolaiI]

But Glass of Wine is nothing like Marijuana...one is Psychotropic substance other is not :D

Lote, what makes you say this? Psychotropic means "acts on the mind," does it not? Not to be rude, but what world do you live in where alcohol isn't psychotropic?


A psychoactive drug or psychotropic substance is a chemical substance that acts primarily upon the central nervous system where it alters brain function, resulting in temporary changes in perception, mood, consciousness and behavior. These drugs may be used recreationally to purposefully alter one's consciousness, as entheogens for ritual or spiritual purposes, or therapeutically as medication.

Psychoactive substances affect the brain and bring about subjective changes in mood that the user may find pleasant....
(from wiki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychotropic)

To be honest, it concerns me a little to hear people say things like what you said.

[mercy_mankind]

I was just thinking to myself and the question popped in my head. Why do people smoke marijuana? I just dont understand.
First of all i don't know what is ""marijuana"" but to speak in general about smoking and taking drugs,
those people are very weak , they have alot of problems but they didn't want to face them , to find a solutions , but they use something else to forget that problems ,easily escaping .
although they know the bad effects of smoking , that they killed themselves but slowly , because of their weak they could not leave that bad "TRADITIONS".

[NikolaiI]

Mercy, a lot of drugs are used as medicines, such as aspirin, things like that.

Marijuana is also known as cannabis. Your reasons for the use of it may apply to some...but you must realize it's also used as a spiritual thing, and it's more similar to drugs such as peyote and psilocybin mushrooms, both of which were used by Native Americans to induce spiritual visions. That was how they had revelations, and how they developed their spirituality.

There are dozens to hundreds of religious sects that use marijuana spiritually, including Rastafarian, sects of Zoroastrianism, as well as sects off of all of the main-stream religions, most notably Hinduism.

Our Western outlook on it generally either places it as a drug you use to get high, as a good thing, or as a drug you use to get high, as something that gives you brain damage and makes you insane...I think mostly when people use it spiritually, they have a great deal of respect for it. I know that's true with Native Americans. They didn't say to each other "Let's go do some Peyote and get F*ed up!" It wasn't like that.

[mercy_mankind]

NikolaiI,
this drugs not a feed to the human spirit , it is strange that religion made their believers take this harmful drugs for spirit! these drugs made people with no mind , as animals , it is harmful to the body and also to the spirit , it make people Lose awareness , and become away from life , away from
people who use this drugs to develop their spirituality must be away from the creator , because simply religion is the feed of soul.

I think mostly when people use it spiritually, they have a great deal of respect for it.

respect? for whom?!
if you saw those people who take drugs you will never find respect .
there is no link between spirit and drugs.

[Niamh]

Mercy it should also be noted (in agreement with Nikolai) the cannibis is also used as a medicinal. Some cancer patients are told to smoke it as well as someother people with illnesses. the most famous person to ever take it as a medicine was Queen Victoria.

[mercy_mankind]

Niamh,
Mercy it should also be noted (in agreement with Nikolai) the cannibis is also used as a medicinal. Some cancer patients are told to smoke it as well as someother people with illnesses. the most famous person to ever take it as a medicine was Queen Victoria.

there are a great difference between taking drugs to damage the human brain and body , and to take these drugs as a medicine .
i was speaking about people who don't suffer from any illness , but they brought the illness for their bodies .
i hope that you could get my over view.

[NikolaiI]

NikolaiI,
this drugs not a feed to the human spirit , it is strange that religion made their believers take this harmful drugs for spirit! these drugs made people with no mind , as animals , it is harmful to the body and also to the spirit , it make people Lose awareness , and become away from life , away from
people who use this drugs to develop their spirituality must be away from the creator , because simply religion is the feed of soul.

There is both purity and grace, Mercy. Let me say that I am speaking of cannabis, and not of other drugs.

You say that cannabis takes away from purity and grace, I presume. Rastafarians believe it purifies the mind and spirit.

In fact, cannabis does not make you "no mind." You said you haven't heard of this drug, so I'm taking that into account.

Here's what wikipedia says about Rastafari's using it. If you have the time, I'd say it's worth reading.


Members of the Rastafari movement use cannabis as a part of their worshiping of God often called JAH, and Meditation. The movement was founded in the 1930's and while it is not known when Rastafarians first made cannabis into something sacred it is clear that by the late 1940s Rastafari was associated with cannabis smoking at the Pinnacle community of Leonard Howell. Rastafari see cannabis as a sacramental and deeply beneficial plant that is the Tree of Life mentioned in the Bible. Bob Marley, amongst many others, said, "the herb ganja is the healing of the nations." The use of cannabis, and particularly of large pipes called chalices, is an integral part of what Rastafari call "reasoning sessions" where members join together to discuss life according to the Rasta perspective. They see cannabis as having the capacity to allow the user to penetrate the truth of how things are much more clearly, as if the wool had been pulled from one's eyes. Thus the Rastafari come together to smoke cannabis in order to discuss the truth with each other, reasoning it all out little by little through many sessions. They see the use of this plant as bringing them closer to nature. In these ways Rastafari believe that cannabis brings the user closer to Jah, Haile Selassie I, and pipes of cannabis are always dedicated to His Majesty before being smoked. While it is not necessary to use cannabis to be a Rastafari, some feel that they must use it regularly as a part of their faith. "The herb is the key to new understanding of the self, the universe, and God. It is the vehicle to cosmic consciousness" according to Rastafari philosophy, [10] and is considered to burn the corruption out of the human heart. Rubbing the ashes from smoked cannabis is also considered a healthy practice
(from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiritual_use_of_cannabis)

Now, perhaps I can help explain this a little. How can cannabis help one understand truth?

There was a place in my childhood I used to go and smoke. It was a cross country course, there were a couple little woods, separated and surrounded by fields. It could have been more ideal, but it was nice anyway. Now, I would go and smoke, and listen to music, of psychadelic artists and albums such as "Disraeli Gears" and "Axis: Bold as Love." The high that marijuana gives you helps you see that you're at one with the world. Ego is let go. I don't know how else to describe it, but this is the best way I can explain how it is spiritual. Later I would come to the same place and meditate- standing on the ground, just looking, just standing, feeling connected to the earth, walking, looking at the grass, and I realized something. I was feeling the same thing that I did when I was on cannabis. I believe when we understand that we are one with the world, it is nothing other than Zen, or enlightenment, or peace, or purity and grace, or what have you.

That time in my life was one of the happiest times. So, marijuana is enlightening because it makes us relaxed, which as one of my teachers said is the secret to life (:)), and it makes us aware. Not unaware, it makes us aware of the here, and the now, instead of focusing on all of our inner conflicts.

You may say it is a way of escaping or numbing, and this is a widely held view. However, it is narrow, and limited. It's not fully understanding it. In truth it was reading about Rastafaris that brought me a lot of understanding in this matter. - This was after I had had these experiences.

I did not understand what the Rastafaris meant at first by reasoning sessions. I understood how it could help us understand our place in nature, egolessness and lightness, but I didn't understand their reasoning. Since then, I've realized that it helps me to write poetry. Actually, just having a mocha, and a relaxing evening, and writing poetry in the park does the same thing for me. Anyway, it opens up the mind. I think openness is sharpness.

Having said all of this, when I first began using marijuana, I haven't developed these ideas and beliefs. The first time I got high, it was nothing more than that, a very pleasurable experience, one where I was, actually, very "high" or stoned, and one where I had a lot of psychadelic effects, like tunnel vision. I wasn't think about self, ego, or anything. I did it because of curiosity and because my friends did it. I dunno. Anyway.


respect? for whom?!
if you saw those people who take drugs you will never find respect .
there is no link between spirit and drugs.

Yes, and you have described what you think these drug-users are like. I only present you with a counter-example. It's not unrespectable to say that marijuana makes you unable to think. For many, this is true. I've only presented my own experiences here.

Respect in this instance means that the users see it as a good and beneficial thing, everything in the quote about the Rasta perspective of it; so they are respectful of it, and do not abuse it. This is the integral theme here: respect of the drug. Does this make any sense?

One thing that clashes deeply with me is the attitude that it does the same thing to everyone, that it makes anyone who uses it stupid, and all of that. I know this not to be true. Otherwise, I would not be advocating it.

[Lote-Tree]

Lote, what makes you say this? Psychotropic means "acts on the mind," does it not? Not to be rude, but what world do you live in where alcohol isn't psychotropic?


In the list of psychotropic substances...alchohol is not one of them:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convention_on_Psychotropic_Substances

alcohol is not consciouness altering like marijuana...

[NikolaiI]

Ah, but it does on the entry of "psychotropic".

But what do you mean by consciousness altering? I would say alcohol does, in every sense I can think of.


Many psychoactive substances are used/abused for their mood and perception altering effects, including those with accepted uses in medicine and psychiatry. Classes of drugs frequently used recreationally include:

* Stimulants, which elevate the central nervous system. These are used recreationally for their euphoric and performance-enhancing effects.
* Hallucinogens, which induce perceptual and cognitive distortions.
* Hypnotics, which are used recreationally to because they induce inebriation.
* Analgesics, which are used recreationally because of their euphoric effects.

Examples include caffeine, alcohol, cocaine, LSD, and cannabis.[10]
(from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychotropic)

[Lote-Tree]

But what do you mean by consciousness altering? I would say alcohol does, in every sense I can think of.


Marijuana alters one's perception of time and space.

[NikolaiI]

Marijuana alters one's perception of time and space.

Yes, and so does alcohol. Absinthe can even make you hallucinate, I have heard. What say you?...


The effects of absinthe have been described by artists as mind opening and even hallucinogenic and by prohibitionists as turning "good people" "mad and desolate".
(from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absinthe#Effects)

[Lote-Tree]

Yes, and so does alcohol

How so? How does alchohol alter perception of time and space?

[NikolaiI]

How so? How does alchohol alter perception of time and space?

Well, I guess I'd just say that time seems to go by quicker when you're drunk. Perception of space is how your perception is all messed up- your judgment of space. It makes you highly disorganized, yet think you are highly capable.

[Lote-Tree]

Well, I guess I'd just say that time seems to go by quicker when you're drunk. Perception of space is how your perception is all messed up- your judgment of space. It makes you highly disorganized, yet think you are highly capable.

This is not what marijuana does. Marijuana distorts the perception of time and space in full awareness. It is not like Drunkeness.

[NikolaiI]

Ah, I guess we're straying off topic a little. I dunno what to say, Lote.

[mercy_mankind]

NikolaiI,
you have to know that we said these words because the science prove our words .
that drugs have more bad effects on the humans , and there are Millions of deaths every year as a result of smoking .
about spirit , if you want to give the feed to your spirit there is one only way , this way is " The Links to the God "
I know that we face troubles , something made us nervous , sadness , taking drags and become away from the world not the solution .
for me when i feel get nervous i hurry up with reading "The Quran"
after that i feel better , and practice my usual life .
when you see a beautiful view of the sea , the sky , the trees , the flowers , all of these view will make you relax , and will make you feel better , because you look at natural things .
but taking drugs will made you in away from everything , and not all your life but in a limited time , after it is end , you will become so worth than before .
about the spirit you may be right , but you feel that these drugs raise your spirit , because you are drugging ,
yes you understand people beside you , but you are drugging for a limited time .
so this composure is timed ,
at the end they have to check them selves , because they might be in danger because of smoking and taking drugs.

[Oniw17]

I was just thinking to myself and the question popped in my head. Why do people smoke marijuana? I just dont understand.for me, I'd say the social environment...and I like the feeling I get after smoking a blunt.


What? How about holes in your brain you get by smoking marijuana? It's incredibly what todays youth think about some things!
Yes, it's incredible that anyone would think that about MJ.

But, from all people I know who smokes marijuana, there is absolutely not a single normal healthy person. Many of them can't create normal sentence, and about school...Waste of time, really!
I smoke marijuana, 136 is my average IQ. Not those crappy online tests either. I do have social anxiety, but I've always had that problem, and I always will.

Don't think that you can just try and stop, there are too many of them who thought that before you. They were wrong. Don't repeat their mistakes. Use you ratio, you really don't have to try anything.
Are you suggestin MJ is addictive?

respect? for whom?!
if you saw those people who take drugs you will never find respect .
there is no link between spirit and drugs.

There so much hypocrisy in that statement, especially because you pretty much said people who do drugs are animals just before that. You are the epitome of respect and the supreme judge of such matters.

[NikolaiI]

NikolaiI,
you have to know that we said these words because the science prove our words .

Mercy, there's a disconnect between this, and when you said you hadn't heard of marijuana. If you haven't heard of what we're talking about, why would you say science proves your words?

I don't mean to criticize you for what you've said, I just wanted to point out what I see as a disconnect.


that drugs have more bad effects on the humans , and there are Millions of deaths every year as a result of smoking .

I have to go, I'll get back to this later; anyway, thanks for writing.

[Oniw17]

NikolaiI,
you have to know that we said these words because the science prove our words .
that drugs have more bad effects on the humans , and there are Millions of deaths every year as a result of smoking .
Cite one death even related to MJ. ONE.

[Redzeppelin]

[/COLOR]
Cite one death even related to MJ. ONE.

As if death would conclusively prove that MJ is bad for someone? The fact that nobody has been documented as dying from an OD on MJ doesn't change what it does to the brain.

And, since drugs can be implicated as causes or influences that contributed to other forms of death (car accident, etc), they "kill" nonetheless.

[brainstrain]

From my observations in High School, peer pressure is a big factor in why so many people try it. But it is by no means the stupid who succumb to peer pressure. Example:

There is a boy I know named Haydn. His mother died of Cancer a few years ago, he became as much of a recluse as you can be while attending High School. All of his friends were very worried - I was not included in that number, so I was not, but anyway; this year he is outgoing, funny, and quite normal. Or so he appears.

Over the summer he was befriended by a guy called Mason, who gets drunk and stoned most every weekend (and weekdays too). They are good friends - i sit in front of them in Latin. But Haydn is now smokes at least one a week. He has, however, refrained from drinking.

Fodder for pondering, I suppose.

[mercy_mankind]

Oniw17,
There so much hypocrisy in that statement, especially because you pretty much said people who do drugs are animals just before that. You are the epitome of respect and the supreme judge of such matters.

look , when i said this , i was not meaning that they are animals , i said these drugs made people with no mind , as animals .
so i mean the way , not the form .
when you find your self without BRAIN and could not take your decision , and your choice , because simply animals do not take decisions and have no choice.
that's what i want to say ,
also about respect , they ( drugs-users) have disrespect for themselves ,
but about me , i'm sorry for them , because they waste their health, damage their brains , and they are happy at the end .



Cite one death even related to MJ. ONE.
Is MJ a sort of smoking?
ok , i think that all sorts are the same , check this please.

http://www.stopteenuse.com/pdf/051497_kaiser_study_full.pdf

http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/Factsheets/cig_smoking_mort.htm

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/4426.php

Marijuana
Marijuana is the most used illegal drug in the United States. Nearly 69 million Americans over the age of 12 have tried marijuana at least once.
There have been over 7,000 published scientific and medical studies documenting the damage that marijuana poses. Not one study has shown marijuana to be safe.
Marijuana is the second most common drug, after alcohol, present in the blood stream of non-fatally and fatally injured persons.
Reaction time for motor skills, such as driving is reduced by 41% after smoking 1 joint and is reduced 63% after smoking 2 joints.
Smoking marijuana decreases blood flow to the brain, is very damaging to your long and short term memory systems and some studies indicate it is more damaging to your lungs than smoking cigarettes.
Smoking marijuana while pregnant can have similar effects on a baby as drinking alcohol (Source). These effects are irreversible, and for many children they will last a life time.
Research has now established that marijuana is addictive. Each year, more kids enter treatment with a primary diagnosis of marijuana dependence than for all other illicit drugs combined.
Today's marijuana is more potent and its effects can be more intense. Research shows that levels of THC (the active ingredient in marijuana) rose from under 1 percent in the mid-1970s to more than 7 percent in 2002.
Approximately one in six high school seniors in the US admitted driving under the influence of marijuana and in 2001 an estimated 38,000 of these students reported crashing while driving impaired by the drug.
Among teens who reported driving after using marijuana, more than half (56%) claimed that the marijuana use did not affect their ability to drive safely and 54 percent perceived that they were no more likely to be stopped by police when driving after marijuana use than on other occasions.
http://www.drug-rehabs.org/con.php?cid=360&state=

[Shalot]

I just want to reiterate - marijuana is not addictive.

~ thanks

[Mortis Anarchy]

People smoke marijuana because it makes them feel good. Its our society's soma(Brave New World;) )

I have a couple friends that smoke it...they said it just relaxes them and just gives them an overall happy feeling. I've never smoked it, so I can't say from experience. But they were pretty funny high.

[mercy_mankind]

Mercy, there's a disconnect between this, and when you said you hadn't heard of marijuana. If you haven't heard of what we're talking about, why would you say science proves your words?

I don't mean to criticize you for what you've said, I just wanted to point out what I see as a disconnect.


NikolaiI,

If you could read my first post you will see that there is no disconnect ,
because i said , i don't know what is MJ but i'll speak generally about smoking and taking drugs, all right?
after that you said that i made search on the web about it , and i found that there is no huge difference between drugs , smoking and marijuana.
all of them cause damage , illnesses , so all of them are harmful.
that is every thing.

[mercy_mankind]

Health Effects

Marijuana abuse is associated with many detrimental health effects. These effects can include frequent respiratory infections, impaired memory and learning, increased heart rate, anxiety, panic attacks and tolerance. Marijuana meets the criteria for an addictive drug and animal studies suggest marijuana causes physical dependence and some people report withdrawal symptoms.11

Someone who smokes marijuana regularly may have many of the same respiratory problems that tobacco smokers do, such as daily cough and phlegm production, more frequent acute chest illnesses, a heightened risk of lung infections, and a greater tendency toward obstructed airways. Cancer of the respiratory tract and lungs may also be promoted by marijuana smoke. Marijuana has the potential to promote cancer of the lungs and other parts of the respiratory tract because marijuana smoke contains 50 percent to 70 percent more carcinogenic hydrocarbons than does tobacco smoke.12

Marijuana's damage to short-term memory seems to occur because THC alters the way in which information is processed by the hippocampus, a brain area responsible for memory formation. In one study, researchers compared marijuana smoking and nonsmoking 12th-graders' scores on standardized tests of verbal and mathematical skills. Although all of the students had scored equally well in 4th grade, those who were heavy marijuana smokers, i.e., those who used marijuana seven or more times per week, scored significantly lower in 12th grade than nonsmokers. Another study of 129 college students found that among heavy users of marijuana critical skills related to attention, memory, and learning were significantly impaired, even after they had not used the drug for at least 24 hours.13

Of an estimated 106 million emergency department (ED) visits in the U.S. during 2004, the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) estimates that 1,997,993 were drug-related. DAWN data indicate that marijuana was involved in 215,665 ED visits.14

DAWN also collects information on deaths involving drug abuse that were identified and submitted by 128 death investigation jurisdictions in 42 metropolitan areas across the United States. Cannabis ranked among the 10 most common drugs in 16 cities, including Detroit (74 deaths), Dallas (65), and Kansas City (63). Marijuana is very often reported in combination with other substances; in metropolitan areas that reported any marijuana in drug abuse deaths, an average of 79 percent of those deaths involved marijuana and at least one other substance.15


http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/drugfact/marijuana/index.html

[Shalot]

That's good informatin, but marijuana is not addictive. Camel lights are more addictive than marijuana. Of course, Camel lights are legal with tax, and you can't smoke them in public now but marijuana is just a little trip (provided it's not laced with anything).

Marijuana is not addictive.

[Oniw17]

As if death would conclusively prove that MJ is bad for someone? The fact that nobody has been documented as dying from an OD on MJ doesn't change what it does to the brain.

And, since drugs can be implicated as causes or influences that contributed to other forms of death (car accident, etc), they "kill" nonetheless.
He said it kills people. And what it does for the brain is put dopemine in it. Look up that word, then tell me what it does and in what way MJ is harmful to the brain. It DOES put toxic chemicals in your lungs however.

look , when i said this , i was not meaning that they are animals , i said these drugs made people with no mind , as animals .
So you're saying that people who do drugs have no brain? I've done coke, tussin, weed, zanybars, darvocets, oxys, and a variety of other things in the past, and I'm rather smart. Really smart compared to most people. Please don't outright lie if you can help it. Unless you think that sometime in the future, I'll lose all use of my brain(since I'm still rather young) due to things I did before. Sounds like magic...and even if that were the case, Holland has the hghest average IQ, and MJ is legal there.

so i mean the way , not the form .
when you find your self without BRAIN and could not take your decision , and your choice , because simply animals do not take decisions and have no choice.
All animals make choices, and many even show empathy and have theory of mind(elephants, great apes, whales). I'm not sure what type of choice you mean, but I make choices all the time, and again, I've had a plethora of drugs in my system in the past.

also about respect , they ( drugs-users) have disrespect for themselves ,
but about me , i'm sorry for them , because they waste their health, damage their brains , and they are happy at the end .

Disrespect for themselves? First, why do you believe that; and second, how does that equal no respect for anything?


Is MJ a sort of smoking?
ok , i think that all sorts are the same , check this please.
Well then your foundation is wrong because all smoking isn't the same.

http://www.stopteenuse.com/pdf/051497_kaiser_study_full.pdfFrom the link: Conclusions. Marijuana use in a
prepaid health care-based study
cohort had little effect on non-AIDS
mortality in am and on total mortality
in women. (

http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/Factsheets/cig_smoking_mort.htm

That's tabacco

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/4426.php


Did you read your own links? From that one:
Studies Debunk Pot-Death Connection

The suggestions in the editorial spawned a flurry of letters and commentaries. In the most recent one, printed in the Sept. 20 issue of the British Medical Journal, Sidney points to two studies that debunked any connection between marijuana and higher death rates.

http://www.drug-rehabs.org/con.php?cid=360&state=I'm not typing information to read that link.

[Oniw17]

Someone who smokes marijuana regularly may have many of the same respiratory problems that tobacco smokers do, such as daily cough and phlegm production, more frequent acute chest illnesses, a heightened risk of lung infections, and a greater tendency toward obstructed airways. Cancer of the respiratory tract and lungs may also be promoted by marijuana smoke. Marijuana has the potential to promote cancer of the lungs and other parts of the respiratory tract because marijuana smoke contains 50 percent to 70 percent more carcinogenic hydrocarbons than does tobacco smoke.12

Marijuana's damage to short-term memory seems to occur because THC alters the way in which information is processed by the hippocampus, a brain area responsible for memory formation. In one study, researchers compared marijuana smoking and nonsmoking 12th-graders' scores on standardized tests of verbal and mathematical skills. Although all of the students had scored equally well in 4th grade, those who were heavy marijuana smokers, i.e., those who used marijuana seven or more times per week, scored significantly lower in 12th grade than nonsmokers. Another study of 129 college students found that among heavy users of marijuana critical skills related to attention, memory, and learning were significantly impaired, even after they had not used the drug for at least 24 hours.13

Of an estimated 106 million emergency department (ED) visits in the U.S. during 2004, the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) estimates that 1,997,993 were drug-related. DAWN data indicate that marijuana was involved in 215,665 ED visits.14

DAWN also collects information on deaths involving drug abuse that were identified and submitted by 128 death investigation jurisdictions in 42 metropolitan areas across the United States. Cannabis ranked among the 10 most common drugs in 16 cities, including Detroit (74 deaths), Dallas (65), and Kansas City (63). Marijuana is very often reported in combination with other substances; in metropolitan areas that reported any marijuana in drug abuse deaths, an average of 79 percent of those deaths involved marijuana and at least one other substance.15 That's why the word moderation shoould be considered with anything, even food and water.

[Virgil]

Anyone that does drugs has got one foot in with the losers of life. And after they have screwed up their lives, then they expect the rest of society to support them.

[Shalot]

Anyone that does drugs has got one foot in with the losers of life. And after they have screwed up their lives, then they expect the rest of society to support them.


no they don't. There are different kinds of drugs and different kinds of people.

[NikolaiI]

Anyone that does drugs has got one foot in with the losers of life. And after they have screwed up their lives, then they expect the rest of society to support them.

Virgil, I met a man tonight I'd seen several times before. I recognized him. I knew him, I'd met and embraced him before. He's an alcoholic, which he told me. He says he used to be in the Navy,- now he's homeless.

Virgil, curse words come to mind when I think of Lote saying how alcohol is not a psychotropic drug. I wouldn't say things like this, because I do not like to be impolitic and vulgar. But you understand my concern?

And yet, people do not. I mean. Honestly. Do. Not. Consider alcohol. to be. a. drug. sorry. i, just; learned) punctuation.

The example I gave pains me greatly. I hope others hear and understand me.

As for what drugs do to you- consider that your brain has chemicals and neurons reacting to the world around you in real time. Every light, sound, smell, everything affects these chemicals. Food and water affect these chemicals. A drink of water does. Smiles do- laughter, oh how laugher does. So our relationship to everything is based on our chemical and neurological balances and reactions. Drugs affect us in the same way everything else does. It's how we perceive the world, through our brains.

Brainstrain's story of Haydn is a touching example of the deeply beneficial nature of cannabis. The Rastafaris, what I've read about them, are another. Although of course, I've never met any. I would so dearly love to meet a Rasta. Rastas are not losers, my friend, although they smoke cannabis.

Cannabis can be healthy for you in this way, too: in association with other healthy activities. For instance, abstaining from eating food for half a day, or something like that. Going for a walk in nature. Relaxing. Thinking.

Like Haydn's friend Mason, during the three months or so I described earlier, I drank on the weekends with my friends. We would go to my friend Larry's house (changed the name), and drink, and maybe smoke or something. Larry had a psychadelic room, black lights, posters, a couch, bean bag chairs; hell, do you know we would play Starcraft, there? So we would do this on the weekends, we would mix a 48 onze cup or something like that. Rum and cola or whatever.

This, along with smoking every day, before and after and in between school, made this one of the happiest times of my life. It is heart warming to think of it.

Do you know, when they were experimenting with LSD, back before it was illegal, they found that it cured alcoholism something like 90 %? They said it was as good or better as five years in psychotherapy.

The way marijuana does the same thing for you: peak experiences. I can't really explain that here, but I think most psychologists could explain it to you. The Farther Reaches of Human Nature, Abraham Maslow, which I can't not recommend, would be an excellent book on the subject. In fact, anyone interested in psychology I would also recommend to a book by Dr. Ray Naar. Not sure if he's written more than one, the one I'm thinking of was either titled or subtitled A Primer on Group Psychotherapy. It's a good read for anyone, who doesn't have to be interested in being a psychotherapist.

Virgil, a very deep understanding I have come to, is that this world is unstable for all of us- not just those who are drug addicts. And if you go through this life in perfect peace and grace, so much the better for you. Chances are, it will take a little work until you get there. Even for those who are at peace, it is like an unstable life because it is so short; only a blip.

Oni, I admire you and your intelligence. Maybe we'll talk more about intelligence sometime.

I guess that's all I've got for now. I hope this thread doesn't get closed any time soon *fingers crossed* :) look forward to seeing it tomorrow, since I'd no clue it'd progress this far tonight :)

Bye.

I just wanted to say again this person's name I met tonight. I don't know it. He's on the street because of alcohol. He is trapped in alcoholism. I would die in a heartbeat if everyone in the world would understand this, if they would understand...

It doesn't do it to everyone, no. Scientists say some 10 % of the world's population (20% for native americans) are prone to become addicted.

For the rest of us, when we get very drunk; in the morning the hangover makes us put time between drinking: plesaurable for a short time, but then horrible. For those future-alcoholics, they just can't wait to get really drunk again.:bawling:

Just another thought; that alcohol, not to mention harder drugs (are the harder drugs?!??) is not in the same league as marijuana, no. I would say, and I think Oni would agree with me, that anyone who thinks anything like this, simply has no idea of..........how can I even say it? I have no wish to.

[papayahed]

http://www.drugabuse.gov/ResearchReports/marijuana/Marijuana2.html :

Marijuana is the Nation's most commonly used illicit drug. More than 94 million Americans (40 percent) age 12 and older have tried marijuana at least once, according to the 2003 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH).23

[Virgil]

http://www.drugabuse.gov/ResearchReports/marijuana/Marijuana2.html :

Marijuana is the Nation's most commonly used illicit drug. More than 94 million Americans (40 percent) age 12 and older have tried marijuana at least once, according to the 2003 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH).23

There is a world of difference in having tried and being a smoker. Why present the 40% number who supposedly have tried? Even I when I was young and stupid took a drag from a joint to see what the big deal is. To me that 40% exaggerates the number of people who actually smoke it. It makes it seem like everyone does it, and tries to gain support for legalization. I'm surprised it's actually that low, the number who have tried. Every kid around where I grew up probably tried at some point.

[mercy_mankind]

you know that you are wrong , and you damage your health . but you don't want to admit .
that is your own health , you want to damage your self , etc.
you have your own decisions .
but advice from me to you , you have to do a full check , to know how many diseases that you have and to find the cure so early .
Finally , that was my opinion , and the world's opinion about smoking .
if you want to accept it , or refuse it , that is for you .

[papayahed]

There is a world of difference in having tried and being a smoker. Why present the 40% number who supposedly have tried? Even I when I was young and stupid took a drag from a joint to see what the big deal is. To me that 40% exaggerates the number of people who actually smoke it. It makes it seem like everyone does it, and tries to gain support for legalization. I'm surprised it's actually that low, the number who have tried. Every kid around where I grew up probably tried at some point.

Your right it probably is an exaggeration, but then so is saying that anyone that does drugs has one foot in the losers life. We can sit here all day and talk about personal examples of people who have tried drugs and turned into degenerates and people who are well adjusted members of society.

I think you'd be surprised at the number of people who do smoke it, I'm always amazed when I find out about people that do. It's not just in the back alleys anymore. I blame the baby boomers.:lol:

[Riesa]

I bet some of the ugliest-natured people in the world haven't tried pot. take for example Hitler. he just doesn't strike me as a pothead. And people with limited worldviews. :lol: I don't even smoke pot, but I feel it has to be defended from these extreme views.

[Logos]

....
Holland has the hghest average IQ, and MJ is legal there. ....
Actually, the term 'legal' is not quite correct (http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8PER44G2&show_article=1). The use of, purchasing of, or possession of small amounts of mj or hashish by anyone 18 or over is 'non-criminal' and 'tolerated' in the Netherlands. Technically its a misdemeanor and you might be fined but from what I know that's really rare. City regulated coffeeshops take care of all your mj needs :p

[Logos]

.... I think you'd be surprised at the number of people who do smoke it, I'm always amazed when I find out about people that do. It's not just in the back alleys anymore. I blame the baby boomers.:lol:
Heh, I happen to know a highly-ranked individual in one of Canada's most successful tech companies who smokes every day and has for years. They are anything but the 'stereotypical loser' :lol:

[Reccura]

In Nepal smoking marijuana's legal... smoke on the street and people don't care whatsoever. I watch the news and they always catch people shipping marijuana from other countries, or that some guy planted a marijuana garden and landed in jail. :D

Marijuana and cigarettes are cousins. They destroy the human body, but bring pleasure (they say) to the person who smokes. Smokers feel good, relaxed; but what's the point smoking (like my dad) with children around? I've been doing some second-hand smoking... Because my dad smokes IN the house and he walks around and we inhale it. Then I get my asthma attack. Grr... :bawling:

Smoking should be illegal... Well, at least I think so. :D

[BibliophileTRJ]

Smoking pot is just like drinking alcohol or eating food.

None of it is particularly GOOD for you, but in moderation it's not terribly harmful either. The harm comes when you lose control.

If you smoke pot all day every day; yeah, you're going to become an unmotivated couch potato, and that's not good. But a puff or two now and again won't make you a loser.

Drinking socially; a couple of beers with friends while watching a game or a glass of wine with dinner or winding down at Happy Hour after a long hard workweek is not generally seen as a problem. The harm comes when you lose control and drink till you pass out or give your wife/husband a black eye on a regular basis.

Everyone needs to eat and there is no harm in it....... until (say it with me) YOU LOSE CONTROL and eat excessively and get diabetes or have a heart attack because you are morbidly obese.

For over 20 years I owned and operated a successful commercial fishing business. I owned my own home, volunteered my time & money to charitable organizations, supported up to 100 employees, paid my taxes and was generally a contributing member of society. I have recently sold my home & business and now have in excess of $10 million in my bank account. I post this not to brag, but illustrate that through hard work I have achieved moderate success.

Am I a loser? (I'll assume you answered "No" to that question)

I have smoked pot every single day since the age of 15.

Am I a loser now?

[papayahed]

I have recently sold my home & business and now have in excess of $10 million in my bank account.



Not to change the subject, but don't you mean our bank account??:D

[Logos]

.... I have recently sold my home & business and now have in excess of $10 million in my bank account.
Congratulations! :D

and the rest of your post was very well stated :)

[NikolaiI]

Smoking pot is just like drinking alcohol or eating food.

None of it is particularly GOOD for you, but in moderation it's not terribly harmful either. The harm comes when you lose control.

If you smoke pot all day every day; yeah, you're going to become an unmotivated couch potato, and that's not good. But a puff or two now and again won't make you a loser.

Drinking socially; a couple of beers with friends while watching a game or a glass of wine with dinner or winding down at Happy Hour after a long hard workweek is not generally seen as a problem. The harm comes when you lose control and drink till you pass out or give your wife/husband a black eye on a regular basis.

Everyone needs to eat and there is no harm in it....... until (say it with me) YOU LOSE CONTROL and eat excessively and get diabetes or have a heart attack.

For over 20 years I owned and operated a successful commercial fishing business. I owned my own home, volunteered my time & money to charitable organizations, supported up to 100 employees, paid my taxes and was generally a contributing member of society. I have recently sold my home & business and now have in excess of $10 million in my bank account.

Am I a loser?

I have smoked pot every single day since the age of 15.

Am I a loser now?

Nope! :) I also doubt you'll soon be asking us to support you, Mr. Buffet.

You know it's interesting, I was always kind of nerd-y at school, if only because of chess and computer games. My friends smoked ganja when I still thought that it killed braincells. I remember the first time I ever had any, a friend gave me a tiny sack of it, in a corner and twisted up, in English. I then smoked it with a friend, introducing it to him, but I didn't get high! It was the second or third time I'd smoked. I think the next time I smoked I got very high, though. But my friend got high, it was hilarious. I didn't, but he did, on his first time...it was so funny, we had rolled it up in a torn-off bit of loose-leaf paper..... not good rolling paper. :)

And there is a flaw in calling people losers, anyway. Are they losers all the time? When they're alone? etc.

[Virgil]

For over 20 years I owned and operated a successful commercial fishing business. I owned my own home, volunteered my time & money to charitable organizations, supported up to 100 employees, paid my taxes and was generally a contributing member of society. I have recently sold my home & business and now have in excess of $10 million in my bank account. I post this not to brag, but illustrate that through hard work I have achieved moderate success.

Am I a loser? (I'll assume you answered "No" to that question)

I have smoked pot every single day since the age of 15.

Am I a loser now?

Congratulations on your fortune too, Bib. If money is the sole criteria, then obviously not. But I wasn't just referring to financial success. Drugs are a sign of dysfunctionalty, as it pertains to family and relationships. Now, let me be clear, I am not referring to your homosexuality here; that is irrelavant. You may very well be an anomaly, but the general trend is that drug users are with the losers. (Hey that rhymes.) I do not know much about you personally, so I am not making any judgements from your circumstances. Yes there are exceptions to everything. I wouldn't advocate drug use or be proud of it.

[NikolaiI]

Virgil, when you laugh, it releases endorphins. When you hug, it does as well, and when someone smiles, it affects you similarly. Life is generally good; all the experiences we have affect us, our brains, our chemistry, our chemical balances; and generally we are healthy. Marijuana perhaps is not good for you, but neither are chips. It is like cheetos; they are not good for you, but some people eat them to be happy. Like everyone is saying, moderation and balance are they key.

Marijuana is a psychotropic drug, it affects our brains. But have you ever heard the phrase life is a drug? This is because we are connected to it immediately through our nerves and everything. We are plugged. Instant reaction in our brains, chemical changes, reacting to everything around us; lights, smells, sounds. I think, especially lights. So everything are drugs, or at least, everything is psychotropic: acts on the mind.

I say marijuana is good because it enlarges our perspective: according to the Rastafari, it purifies our bodies and minds , as well. I'm also of the opinion it does this. I do understand that many people think it clouds and fogs the mind, prevents you from thinking; in my experience this is not so.

If you abstain from drugs, fine, but you are still affected by psychotropic substances. As in, everything. Do you understand my perspective at all? Because of this, I think it's complete bologna to say that marijuana will cause illness, I think this is wrong. Marijuana can be part and parcel of a healthy, fulfilled life. And when I say healthy, I mean healthy, Virgil.

[Logos]

.... Now, let me be clear, I am not referring to your homosexuality here; that is irrelavant. ....
Then why even bring it up?

[Niamh]

Congratulations Tim! So you gonna go travel the world and say hello to all you litnet buddies!:p
I know a few people who would smoke "pot"( doesnt matter which form, wheather its purple haze, pot, hash, weed, grass etc) everyday, have very good jobs great social lifes and are really happy and i wouldnt call the losers. I know plenty of people who DONT smoke pot, cigarettes, drink alcohol or take any other form of drugs and are complete losers, and hang out with losers. Just because some smokes it doesnt automaticly make them a loser. But that is MY opinion and i dont expect anyone else to agree with me.

[Riesa]

I agree with you. :D

[Riesa]

Drugs are a sign of dysfunctionalty, as it pertains to family and relationships.

But consider some people smoke pot in the same way you drink a couple of scotchs after work, to relax, kick their shoes off.. you take the extremist teetotaler view, Virg.
(not surprising, really. :p ;) :D )

[Virgil]

I don't think anyone smokes pot the way I drink. But, I agree that people who drink excessively are also prone to dysfunctional behavior. Because one is bad doesn't mean the either is ok. Let's let the statistics speak for themselves. I don't know good families that sit around smoking pot in the living room. Let me ask you guys, at what age would you or your husband/wife introduce pot to your children?

[Riesa]

Same question could go for whisky virg. and would you really not allow your 20 year old a glass of wine?

I speak about drugs and damage to my kids now. Introduce it to them? Are you nuts? I guess if I were a pot-smoker, I'd say when they are 18. I guess.

[papayahed]

I don't think anyone smokes pot the way I drink.

Are you sure?



But, I agree that people who drink excessively are also prone to dysfunctional behavior. Because one is bad doesn't mean the either is ok. Let's let the statistics speak for themselves.


As we both know statistics can be manipulated to fit anybodies agenda.


I don't know good families that sit around smoking pot in the living room. Let me ask you guys, at what age would you or your husband/wife introduce pot to your children?

Again, are you sure? Just because people don't talk about it around the water cooler does't mean it doesn't happen, it's more prevalent then you think. And, please what family do you know that sits around the living room letting their kids drink?? At what age would you let your kids drink?

[Virgil]

Same question could go for whisky virg. and would you really not allow your 20 year old a glass of wine?

My parents (who are Italian) had wine on the table from pre-teen. I don't know exactly when I started drinking wine, but it was young and it was within a family environment. Most of the time I didn't care for it and didn't drink it. It was as a dinner beverage, not a let's get high thing.


Are you sure?
Yes.

[QUOTE]As we both know statistics can be manipulated to fit anybodies agenda.
True, and marijuanna statistics are usually manipulated by the legalize it crowd.


Again, are you sure? Just because people don't talk about it around the water cooler does't mean it doesn't happen, it's more prevalent then you think. And, please what family do you know that sits around the living room letting their kids drink??
Who knows what people don't tell me. I also know divorce rates are high and drop rates are high, and family dysfunctionality is high. I don't know what causes those problems, but abusive behavior (drugs, alcoholism, gambling) seem to correlate with problem families. Is it the chicken or the egg? I'm not smart enough to know. Kids should not be drinking around the living room. No one, including adults should be drinking to get drunk.


At what age would you let your kids drink?
I would not have a problem with the way my father brought me up with wine. Social drinking (other than the dinner table) should limited to over 21.

[jon1jt]

I bet some of the ugliest-natured people in the world haven't tried pot. take for example Hitler. he just doesn't strike me as a pothead. And people with limited worldviews. :lol: I don't even smoke pot, but I feel it has to be defended from these extreme views.


i think if Hitler had smoked some pot every now and then and a six of Guinness he might not have been so bent about life. :p

[Riesa]

i think if Hitler had smoked some pot every now and then and a six of Guinness he might not have been so bent about life. :p



exactly. :)

peace and love, brothers and sisters of the world.

[Oniw17]

Nobody should be drinking to get drunk? Why else drink? Surely nobody enjoys the taste of beer or liquor the first time they try it?

[NikolaiI]

Same thing with cigarettes...you know I was smoking a couple today, and I was just thinking about how addictive they are...this legal drug.

[papayahed]

True, and marijuanna statistics are usually manipulated by the legalize it crowd.

Well of course because they're dirty and immoral.:goof: :brickwall


Who knows what people don't tell me. I also know divorce rates are high and drop rates are high, and family dysfunctionality is high. I don't know what causes those problems, but abusive behavior (drugs, alcoholism, gambling) seem to correlate with problem families. Is it the chicken or the egg? I'm not smart enough to know.

I don't disagree all I'm saying is that pot smoking does not equal disfunction in all cases, as you seem to assert. You said Bibi is an anomoly but Logos has given you an example and I can think of 10 more successful people that do smoke.

[Virgil]

OK let's advocate smoking it. It will make you rich. :sick:


Then why even bring it up?

Because that would be a natural supposition that either he or anyone else would think of. And i didn't want anyone to think that.

[NikolaiI]

OK let's advocate smoking it. It will make you rich. :sick:

No, no...it makes you insane. ;) :p


Because that would be a natural supposition that either he or anyone else would think of. And i didn't want anyone to think that.

I'm sure he would think that his homosexuality is...would...or you mean he would think others would think? Alas, there are so many people in this world who have really negative and hateful opinions about homosexuality...I really dunno how else to say it. So good for you, Virgil. :)

[BibliophileTRJ]

Then why even bring it up?
In Virgil's defense; I DID assume that was what he was referring to until I read his caveat.
But, thanks Logos, for jumping to my defense!


So you gonna go travel the world and say hello to all you litnet buddies!:p
That's my plan!


But that is MY opinion and i dont expect anyone else to agree with me.
I agree, too.


I don't think anyone smokes pot the way I drink. I don't understand. Do you have some new-fangled method of drinking? How DO you drink?


Let me ask you guys, at what age would you or your husband/wife introduce pot to your children?
Mom gave me my first joint at the age of 15 because I had just spent 6 weeks at sea on my father's boat and was seasick the whole time. By the time we got back to port I was dangerously underweight and suffering from scurvy. Mom did all sorts of research and found out (from our parish priest, no less) that pot is excellent at reducing nausea.


OK let's advocate smoking it. It will make you rich. :sick:
I don't advocate that EVERYONE should go out and get stoned all the time; but if used judiciously pot CAN be very beneficial for SOME people. I know that I would never have survived 25 years as a fisherman without it.

Hard work and perseverance will make you rich; but all work and no play makes Jack have a nervous breakdown...... pot just may prevent that.

[jon1jt]

why do most people work 9-to-5? why do most people watch sitcoms? why do most people not read poetry? why do people go to church?

[Logos]

.... Because that would be a natural supposition that either he or anyone else would think of. And i didn't want anyone to think that.
Ah, ok, I guess understand where you're coming from, because you quoted BibliophileTRJ and seem to be mainly addressing him in your post (#66); but part of your post is "Drugs are a sign of dysfunctionalty, as it pertains to family and relationships", a pretty broad 'declaration' and not a 'supposition' that I think--Bib's sexual orientation was the last thing I was thinking of when I read it.

I think the only 'dysfunction' about homosexuality is all the problems heterosexuals cause because of their offense to it :idea:

[Virgil]

In Virgil's defense; I DID assume that was what he was referring to until I read his caveat.

Ah, see. :idea: I'm not so dumb afterall. :p


I don't understand. Do you have some new-fangled method of drinking? How DO you drink?
I don't drink to get high. I don't think a connoisseur of wine drinks like someone smoking a joint. Even drinking wine with dinner is different.


Mom gave me my first joint at the age of 15 because I had just spent 6 weeks at sea on my father's boat and was seasick the whole time. By the time we got back to port I was dangerously underweight and suffering from scurvy. Mom did all sorts of research and found out (from our parish priest, no less) that pot is excellent at reducing nausea.
:lol: OK, you win. I can't beat that. But be aware that this is quite unusual. I grew up in Brooklyn NY, a middle class to lower class neighborhood, and I went to school with people from even lower class neighborhoods. Kids who got mixed up with drugs headed no where. I find the glorification of drugs disturbing, especially in front of young people such as here.


I don't advocate that EVERYONE should go out and get stoned all the time; but if used judiciously pot CAN be very beneficial for SOME people. I know that I would never have survived 25 years as a fisherman without it.

Hard work and perseverance will make you rich; but all work and no play makes Jack have a nervous breakdown...... pot just may prevent that.
Hard work and perserverence will make everyone a better person, even if not rich.
Vincit Qui Se Vincit

[BibliophileTRJ]

I think the only 'dysfunction' about homosexuality is all the problems heterosexuals cause because of their offense to it :idea:

Truer words have never been spoken!

[Logos]

Well now, 'tis just my opinion, but glad you agree :)

[Niamh]

Here! Here! Logos!

[NikolaiI]

I, for one, never meant to glorify drugs. My brother's in prison for another 4 years because of them. And he fell into the glorified criminal, thug, image, so I understand what you mean. But Virgil, the propoganda disturbs me. You know? I was thinking the other day, about making a documentary, interviewing Homeless people who are on the Streets because of alcoholism. I'm not trying to glorify marijuanha, but just explain that it's not what you think it is.

[Virgil]

I, for one, never meant to glorify drugs. My brother's in prison for another 4 years because of them. And he fell into the glorified criminal, thug, image, so I understand what you mean. But Virgil, the propoganda disturbs me. You know? I was thinking the other day, about making a documentary, interviewing Homeless people who are on the Streets because of alcoholism. I'm not trying to glorify marijuanha, but just explain that it's not what you think it is.

I am really sorry to hear about your brother Nikolai. That saddened me. I don't know what propaganda you're talking about. Look am I saying that if you smoke a joint, the world is goiuing to collaspe around you? No. There are people capable of functioning while addicted, although I'm willing to bet they don't reach their full potential. But statistically there will be people who are not capable, people who are probably borderline in getting through school or keeping a job or maintaining a family or hanging around the right crowd. Even marijuanna, which may not be a hard drug as compared to others, can push a person into a dysfunctional life. And i don't mean that it is a direct causal relationship, but through the complex interactions of many factors, a large number of people are going to ruin their lives. I don't know how many studies have been done on marijuanna (the data is probably murky) but look at the correlation between alcohol abuse and child abuse and even wife beating. Plus, society (at least in the US) for the last twenty or so years has been through policies trying to reduce the level of alcoholic drinking and cigarette smoking, make it less glorified. And i think that is a good thing. Are we going to try to reduce acohol and cigarette consumption only to say that it's ok to smoke pot? I think that would be counterproductive, if not stupid.

[Shalot]

For every person who smokes pot and enjoys it, there is another person who can't stand it. Some people get really paranoid and hear whispers and can't function and when they open their mouths to speak, something unintelligible comes out. Or maybe these people just don't know their limits I suppose and they take too many hits...

[Oniw17]

Some people get really paranoid and hear whispers and can't function and when they open their mouths to speak, something unintelligible comes out. I used to get like that when I smoked with my one friend, but I found out that that MJ was laced. That kid isn't my friend anymore though, because he caused a lot of problems for me afterward(and I don't chill with crackheads, which he ended up becoming).

[Shalot]

I used to get like that when I smoked with my one friend, but I found out that that MJ was laced. That kid isn't my friend anymore though, because he caused a lot of problems for me afterward(and I don't chill with crackheads, which he ended up becoming).

What was it laced with? That's just evil to do to someone.

[Oniw17]

Freebase cocaine.

[Shalot]

Freebase cocaine.

That's weird - i thought cocaine was supposed to give you a good high - don't know much about freebase though. And I don't know anything about cocaine either, other than what I've read about the effects.

I guess that just proves that mixing drugs doesn't work out so well.

Maybe if marijuana were legalized, you could smoke it without getting dosed with something you didn't want.

[Oniw17]

That's weird - i thought cocaine was supposed to give you a good high - don't know much about freebase though. And I don't know anything about cocaine either, other than what I've read about the effects.

I guess that just proves that mixing drugs doesn't work out so well.

Maybe if marijuana were legalized, you could smoke it without getting dosed with something you didn't want.

Cocaine speeds you up, but makes your tonguer and stuuf numb

[Metanoia]

Watch refer madness. Pot is a horrible drug, it will make you crazy, prostitute yourself and/or murder someone. Drink a fifth of alcohol, smoke a cigarette and walk through a busy intersection, not only is that "safer," more importantly it's LEGAL!!! :-D

[Bakiryu]

Watch refer madness. Pot is a horrible drug, it will make you crazy, prostitute yourself and/or murder someone. Drink a fifth of alcohol, smoke a cigarette and walk through a busy intersection, not only is that "safer," more importantly it's LEGAL!!! :-D

reefer madness is a cult classic with all junkies. My friends and I like to make fun of it, so :lol:

My father drank alcohol: he tried to KILL ME. how is that safe?

Nothing it's safe just because it's legal.

Cigars give you cancer, alcohol destroys your mind and call kill you. And walking through a busy intersection may get you killed if you act like an idiot like some people do.

[Metanoia]

You didn't catch a hint of sarcasm there?? lol!!

[Bakiryu]

You didn't catch a hint of sarcasm there?? lol!!

nope. English is not my natural language, sarcasm just flies past my head unless it's really obvious :lol:

[Lezlie]

I don't understand why alcohol is legal and marijuana isn't. You do not have to do anything special to weed.....you grow it, you dry it out, and you smoke it....end of story! Beer is man made......you do not hear about people getting high and killing others while driving...but you hear about drunk driving accidents all the time! you do not hear excuses like "oh I was high on weed" but you hear "oh I was drunk". I smoked everyday for years and years and I am not unable to hold an intelligent conversation. Marijuana is not addictive (physically) but alcohol is!! LEGALIZE THE REEFER! I no longer smoke, as my current employer gives random drug tests, but I will be lighting up the day I retire or the day it is legalized.....which ever comes first!