Mary Jane

[wasd44]

I gotta admit, they say you can't be addicted to marijuana, but I am.  

Every single day I smoke, pretty much.

Usually late at night, when I'm done with school, leaving work, driving home on basically empty roads because it's late at night on a weekday.

Bob Marley said weed introduces you to yourself.

I feel like it sets my mind free.  

Funny because sometimes my mind won't stop racing when I'm high, but I still look forward to smoking each and every day.

It lets me forget about the daily minutea and live inside each moment, even though most of them are pretty plain.

�One's condition on marijuana is always existential. One can feel the importance of each moment and how it is changing one. One feels one's being, one becomes aware of the enormous apparatus of nothingness -- the hum of a hi-fi set, the emptiness of a pointless interruption, one becomes aware of the war between each of us, how the nothingness in each of us seeks to attack the being of others, how our being in turn is attacked by the nothingness in others.�

 Norman Mailer




What do you guys think?

[PsychVegas]

In my opinion addiction is bad, regardless of the specific vice. It sounds like you are using marijuana as a crutch. And rationalizing being able to drive while under the influence based on your opinion the roads are "basically empty" doesn't sound very existential. I guess it would help to know how much you actually smoke? How much marijuana do you go through on an average day? How about per week?

[wasd44]

In my opinion addiction is bad, regardless of the specific vice. It sounds like you are using marijuana as a crutch. And rationalizing being able to drive while under the influence based on your opinion the roads are "basically empty" doesn't sound very existential. I guess it would help to know how much you actually smoke? How much marijuana do you go through on an average day? How about per week?

Well, I can drive perfectly fine while under the influence.  I know people will dispute this, but I have never had an accident while high, and only 1 accident ever. 

Hmm how much on an average day?  1-2 bowls, so maybe a couple grams.  So 7-14g/wk.

Yeah, it is not a physical addiction, but for sure a habitual one.  I have broke it for 3 week periods if I have to test for a job or anything, or have finals coming up.  But on a lazy day like today when I'm off work, nothing to do but watch TV, listen to music, and wait to go to sleep, perfect time to smoke.

[Enigma]

Marijuana changed me.  For the better.  I was a weird kid, very introverted, when I started smoking weed.  When I was high, I was able to psychoanalyze myself and figure out what to change.  I still do some amazing thinking whilst high. 

Also, I've been driving high for years, and it's not hard for anyone who's slightly above average intelligence. 

[PsychVegas]

I propose that you already know you smoke too much. In effect, your initial post is a rhetorical question. It would be like me coming in, declaring myself to be a fast food junkie and then asking if I eat too much fast food. The fact I'm in a forum posing the question, I most likely already have a good idea of the answer.

In my opinion addictions are generally bad, regardless of vice. You ask, "What do you guys think?". This reinforces that you are questioning your level of use, even if the point of your post is to look for affirmation. If you were smoking a level you thought acceptable you wouldn't be posting.

My statement on driving had nothing to do with whether you can or can't drive or whether you should or shouldn't drive while smoking marijuana. I don't think anyone should drive if they are impaired by drugs or alcohol, but at what point a person is impaired to the extent they are a danger is subjective. It was your descriptive "roads are basically empty" that got my attention indicating you were making that self-determination. It was as if you were stating if it was a busy free way you would not elect to smoke marijuana. Maybe that was an incorrect assumption on my part. The reference to it not being very existential is I would think being in an existential condition while driving is not very smart.

As with any addiction, I would suggest looking at what other activities you could be doing of greater value. How else can you use your time? Who can you help? What can you get involved in? Moderation/recreational use, that is a personal choice. If you really don't think it is affecting your life and you really don't think there are any better ways to use your time more power to you, but I have to stick with my original thought expressed in the beginning of this post, you wouldn't be asking if you didn't already know the answer.

[Enigma]

Am I addicted to weed?  Maybe.  Do I really care? Not really.  We are all human.  We all have our flaws, our addictions.  Does that not mean we cannot enjoy life in spite of these flaws?  Of course not.  I really see no long term negative consequences of my marijuana use. 

[anaklio]

There are negative consequences, and there are also legal issues. To secretly break the law affects your self esteem and the respect of others. For the health consequences...Singh et al. (2009) produced results which provide evidence for the DNA damaging potential of cannabis smoke, implying that the consumption of cannabis cigarettes may be detrimental to human health with the possibility to initiate cancer development.

To be fair, there are also benefits.  Rieder et al. (2009) note positive effects on the immune system. Interestingly, these researchers are dedicated to finding drugs which keep the positive and drop the negative effects.

[S. Earl Martin]

I grew up in the 60's-80's smoking reefer. I used to smoke everyday. Every aspect of my life revolved around growing and using marijuana. I realized a number of things about getting high. When I was under the influence I would have really astounding ideas and would right some of the best music I have ever written. The problem was as long as I was stoned I would forget what I had written or thought of and would just move on to something else. I began keeping a notebook with me to write down the ideas and a recorder to record the music. I realized that when I was stoned I could not expand the information very well. So it occurred to me that being stoned all the time gave me one perspective and enhanced certain abilities, but suppressed or diminished others. I would consciously set aside time to work on the ideas when I was straight. This allowed me to organize and expand the ideas. Some of these ideas turned out to be pipe dreams. Others became inventions and books I have written and turned out to be some of my best work. It became apparent that having two perspectives to compare was an advantage. At least in my case. Eventually I quit using drugs not because they were inherently harmful, but because they were illegal. I saw a number of friends of mine lives destroyed because they were arrested. To be fair I also saw other friends lives destroyed because they became consumed by getting high. In other cultures that have used mind altering substances they had a cultural and inherent method for using them. Certain things were done and other things were not allowed. It was ingrained in the society. Modern society does not have that same mentality. Today it is a mentality of if a little is good a lot is better. Instead of using these substances to improve one self, they are used to escape reality, a way to rebel, or as a game. Personally I think it is ridicules that you can go to the store and buy all the cigarette's you want and get cancer and die, but if you have one little canibis plant you get arrested.

[seekinghga]

To secretly break the law affects your self esteem and the respect of others.

That may be the case for some, but not all.  I know A LOT of pot users who would disagree with this.  I smell a priori judgment, one of the leading causes of ignorance in society.  The rest of what you said is sound enough, in my opinion.

[S. Earl Martin]

As far as any long term health issues of using marijuana. I find the research in this area highly questionable. However even if they do exist you can get cancer from breathing car exhaust or eating certain foods. Any number of things can be harmful. In a free society we have the right to chose what we eat and how we act to a certain degree. In my opinion any number of behaviors are far more dangerous and are perfectly legal.

[wasd44]

I propose that you already know you smoke too much. In effect, your initial post is a rhetorical question. It would be like me coming in, declaring myself to be a fast food junkie and then asking if I eat too much fast food. The fact I'm in a forum posing the question, I most likely already have a good idea of the answer.

In my opinion addictions are generally bad, regardless of vice. You ask, "What do you guys think?". This reinforces that you are questioning your level of use, even if the point of your post is to look for affirmation. If you were smoking a level you thought acceptable you wouldn't be posting.

My statement on driving had nothing to do with whether you can or can't drive or whether you should or shouldn't drive while smoking marijuana. I don't think anyone should drive if they are impaired by drugs or alcohol, but at what point a person is impaired to the extent they are a danger is subjective. It was your descriptive "roads are basically empty" that got my attention indicating you were making that self-determination. It was as if you were stating if it was a busy free way you would not elect to smoke marijuana. Maybe that was an incorrect assumption on my part. The reference to it not being very existential is I would think being in an existential condition while driving is not very smart.

As with any addiction, I would suggest looking at what other activities you could be doing of greater value. How else can you use your time? Who can you help? What can you get involved in? Moderation/recreational use, that is a personal choice. If you really don't think it is affecting your life and you really don't think there are any better ways to use your time more power to you, but I have to stick with my original thought expressed in the beginning of this post, you wouldn't be asking if you didn't already know the answer.

Ha, well, I am not physically addicted, just habitually.  The way some people get addicted to TV, women, going out, shopping, etc.  But I do not want to fight the addiction.  As long as I keep my school and work under control I feel fine.

There are negative consequences, and there are also legal issues. To secretly break the law affects your self esteem and the respect of others. For the health consequences...Singh et al. (2009) produced results which provide evidence for the DNA damaging potential of cannabis smoke, implying that the consumption of cannabis cigarettes may be detrimental to human health with the possibility to initiate cancer development.

To be fair, there are also benefits.  Rieder et al. (2009) note positive effects on the immune system. Interestingly, these researchers are dedicated to finding drugs which keep the positive and drop the negative effects.

Breaking the law doesn't affect my self esteem.  These articles look vague and speculative.

S Martin: Good post.

[anaklio]

No, I have no judgment of you. I simply present probabilities. And yes, probabilities can be beaten. Seems arrogant to think that you are one who can do that. But most of us do think that (myself included), it's probably a coping strategy.

The studies are solid, and they are just what I found dated "2009". There are hundreds of others, and there is a consistent conclusion: Smoking almost anything is bad for your lungs. And yes, breathing indoor air is bad for your lungs too. What you want to do is avoid as much as you can.

That's fine if you don't want to stop smoking, but it's best to avoid basic logical/psychological flaws like denial.

[S. Earl Martin]

I will acknowledge that inhaling any foreign substance can adversely effect lung function, or even cause permanent damage. But I have yet to see anyone who grew breasts or any of the other things that have been attributed to smoking pot. Now on the other hand. Drug addiction is a major problem in society. Not just illegal drugs, but prescription drugs and alcohol as well. As I alluded to in my previous post. I have seen friends who became obsessed with drinking or getting stoned and threw away careers or family. They went from relatively intelligent people sometimes even highly intelligent, to a useless drain on society. My advise is this. If anything in your life is causing a detrimental effect. Or if someone you trust tells you that you have a problem. Consider that you may have a problem and seek help. As long as you are continueing to be a productive and stable person then fine. Obession and addiction are very sneaky and can work their way into a persons life and not be noticed. One of my standards I have tried to follow in life is just have fun and don't hurt anyone. Peace

[seekinghga]

The rest of what you said is sound enough, in my opinion.

Call that sentence a "shortcut to thinking" on my part.

[seekinghga]

Am I addicted to weed?

Would you perform oral sex on a man for weed?  If not, you are probably good.

[anaklio]

There's definitely a lot of false information out there. People with agendas warp the information to foster their cause. So you do see lot of anti-drug propaganda. For example, there are very little data to suggest that LSD causes flashbacks. Yet this is commonly cited as why you shouldn't use LSD. But there's also a lot of solid data as well. It's frustrating when people don't stick with the research.

But just because there's research against something, doesn't mean you shouldn't do it. We all break the law, we all make bad choices. That's called personal choice. And it's a wonderful thing :-) But we all need to be aware of the consequences. And, to me, that's what this forum is about.

[wasd44]

Do I really believe, honestly, innately, that marijuana is bad in any way?  Legally, morally, psychologically, physicaly, anything?





No, nope, never have.   I do not think there is anything wrong with weed in anyway.  Why even feel the need to judge it?

In my opinion, peoples preceptions are generally skewed on things like this, that are so 'controversial' and easy to talk about.  What is wrong with it?  What is so bad about some weed?

[Sothpaw]

is this about weather or not Weed is addicting or DUI is fine just cause you've never had an accident?
or should this more likely be about moderation?
weather it's smoking or drinking (regardless of the law) it slightly impares ones ability to react.  now if you've built up a tolerance than you can handle it quite a bit more. 
i'm a firm believer in moderation.  i love walking in the door when i get home and pouring something to drink.  i'm sure if i had a source for weed and if it were legal i would smoke every day too but my vice is wine.  i like to say i don't get drunk,  i like to say i can handle a drink and drive too... but sometimes i drink a bit much.  now i understand that supposedly you can't smoke too much, but i have.  i'm not addicted to alcohol... i could go without it.  i have many times.  i just like a couple drinks every evening is all.
i think the government should allow weed like it allows alcohol,  not in public, not while driving, but in our own homes or bars :-)

[S. Earl Martin]

There is an old saying. To much of a good thing is not a good thing. I have seen very few instances were marijuana intoxication occurred. Usually it was a result of mixing drugs and alcohol. However I have had experiences were I only smoked reefer and I was to impaired to drive. On occasion I drove anyway. I had a high tolerance to marijuana, but the strength of the variety I /we were smoking was very strong. I drove all the way from a party to my house and couldn't figure out why my car was shifting so weird. I had the brake on all the way. It is possible to be to stoned. The belief that marijuana today is stronger than in the past is not correct. It is possible that there is more marijuana that is strong available. Rather than the dirt weed (swag) that was around in my day. It has to do with selective breeding. The strongest variety I produced was a Hawian Oaxacan cross. It was almost black at maturity. Even when I was still smoking I never encountered anything that strong. No one could take more than 2 hits without sitting or falling down and just staring. This was in the 70's. I used 4 pounds of super phosphate on the plant. I put it in the bowl of a pipe with tweezers.
One of the things that troubled me then was I would go to parties and people would be getting little kids wasted. Not just a little smoke to calm them down. I mean I saw people put kids in a plastic bag and blow volumes of smoke in the bag. The kids were so stoned when they came out they couldn't stand up. Other times I saw people blowing smoke on kids that were running around naked and the kids were grabbing any food they could get their hands on and eating it then throwing up. Then they would grab more food and do it again. The parents and other people were just laughing. I thought this just isn't right. There was no alcohol at the house were the party was and no hard drugs that I saw, just pot. Again it comes back to culture and what is accepted behavior in a society.
I started smoking at around 9. My brother was much older than me and he would get me high. I was smoking everyday by 11. I was growing my own in the woods or were ever from 11 to about 22. Then someone started ratting out all my friends and I decided I better quit before I get busted to. The reason the person didn't narc on me was I would give people free stuff if I had too much on hand. Any way if marijuana becomes more avalible we will have to deal with what to do about people driving and about kids doing it. The war on drugs is and always has been a joke. Any body that wants to can find whatever drug they want. Legal or not. Peace!

[anaklio]

With the internet, everything is available. That's why we need to work together to create a culture of responsibility. A place where people are free, but exercise their freedom carefully. And this is true not only for drugs, but for the many other changes coming our way (e.g., cloning, genetic modifications, surveillance).

[oujdaboy]

Totally agree with "anaklio", great post, thank you

[S. Earl Martin]

Yes I also agree with anaklio. As with most things in life they can be used constructively or destructively. Mankind is facing some major decisions that are coming at us at an ever increasing rate. The way things have been done in the past just won't cut it in the future. Unless we want to go the way of other ancient civilizations on a global scale, we need to work together and find real solutions. All this nay saying and finger pointing doesn't provide answers. It just makes things worse. I hear so many people saying we can't do this or we can't do that, but they offer no alternatives. No potential solutions of their own. Either we all live together or we all die together. Peace.

[S. Earl Martin]

Re reading my posts I realize that I have been only pointing out the negative aspects of marijuana use in my most recent posts. To be fair I have seen more positive experiences than negative. I have engaged in some of the most productive and intellectual discussions in my life sitting around with like minded people( ergo people who are positive and trying to make things better). While smoking some good reefer. The very first invention I produced I was sitting around a fire and it occurred to me and I mentioned it to another friend of mine. He said "we could make that". I said really and we went back to his fathers garage and in about 20 minutes we had a prototype. Later we improved it and it worked. I didn't patent it and other people saw it and copied it. They did patent it and I learned a valuble lesson. I have seen copies of the invention still in use today. I believe a lot of what is the result of the experience of being stoned is your intent. What are you trying to use it for. Moderation is salavtion LOL!

[anaklio]

Drugs are a way to experience new mind states. Hard work via meditation and brain training is another. The latter have an advantage in that you obtain a useful skill.

[S. Earl Martin]

Anaklio: You are right and you do not have to worry about being arrested. I have achieved the same results by meditation and adjusting my diet. It is admitedly a little more difficult, but anything worth having is worth working for.

[anaklio]

Thanks for the kinda words, S. Earl Martin

I advise my clients to seek "behavioral" solutions instead of "pharmacological" solutions all the time. They rarely take my advice, but those who do have a greater long-term success rate.

I draw a parallel to credit cards versus cash money. If you have actually count out the dollar bills to buy stuff you realize how ridiculously expensive many things are and thus re-evaluate your need for them.

[Enigma]

I'm high and I've been reading up on existentialism and I feel so empowered.  I do my best thinking when I'm high.

[S. Earl Martin]

That's fine! Whatever works for you. Marijuana can be used medicinally. It can be a positive influence as long as you control it and don't let it control you. Some people choose to drink. Some choose not to drink. Some have a problem with drinking. Some do not. Life is full of choices and challenges. Seek things that make life better and avoid things that make life harder. Unless the difficulty leads to a goal that requires sacrifice. Sometimes harder strengthens us in the long run. One of the philosophies I have tried to follow is this. "Just have fun and don't hurt anyone". Peace!

[anaklio]

An issue of dependence/addiction always comes up. One time, I started drinking cola with caffeine in it. Soon, I REALLY looked forward to my cola. That kinda scared me as I don't want to rely on things. What if you were only creative when you were high?

[anaklio]

A new case report by Antshel and Barkley (2009) shows some of the issues with drug use. Here's a summary.

Pat was diagnosed with ADHD in the second grade and began stimulant therapy. He's now 22 and uses alcohol, cigarettes, and marijuana several times a week. This use led to removal from his dorm. He continues to use stimulants especially when swamped at school.

Obviously this is a correlational study, and there's no guarantee his current use of drugs is related to his initial use. But it does suggest there may be issues when you learn to rely on drugs instead of behavioral treatments.