Random Question. What are your thoughts on Cannabis?

Stereotypes exist for a reason. There is always some underlying truth that fits accross the board which creates them in the first place.

I find no matter the drug, is people thinking, "My life/situation/job/relationship is ****. I need something to de-stress, or let me forget about it"

Grow some balls and do something about it. If you are productive and make yourself a good life, you don't need to escape it with a drug.

Pain relief is a different kettle of fish to general drug use.

Singing the praises and the benefits of what can be done with the hemp plant, has got absolutely nothing to do with smoking the leaves. It is a stupid arguement to try to justify smoking Mary Jane.

CC

That old myth!

You know, one of the first thing you learn when working in drug and alcohol (if you have an open mind that is), is that the reason that people take drugs is that they enjoy it.

The problem is that for most of them the enjoyment tends to get less the longer one consumes it and in many cases enjoyment stops when the addiction takes over.

I can't remember the name of the film but there is a cracking line which sums up my feelings on the subject: "Don't take pills or powders but if it grows in the ground, it's probably OK."

I don't have a problem with Canabis use...

I had a good friend who died of an agressive form of brain tumour (Astrocytoma). In the last few months of his life, canabis helped massively in his quality of life... Not only would canabis help him relax his brain enough to sleep but it also reduced then number and frequency of fits.

Those last months were bitter/sweet as we had some laughs and I've got memories that I'll treasure forever... Some of the funniest are around him being a complete non-smoker, as such he wasn't sure how to take the canabis. So, not only did I have to teach him how to skin up a joint but I also had to teach him how to smoke it!!! ;)

...then his wife got the hang of baking it into cookies!!! :D

M

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Originally Posted by Col.Coleman

Stereotypes exist for a reason. There is always some underlying truth that fits accross the board which creates them in the first place.

I find no matter the drug, is people thinking, "My life/situation/job/relationship is ****. I need something to de-stress, or let me forget about it"

Grow some balls and do something about it. If you are productive and make yourself a good life, you don't need to escape it with a drug.

[snip]
CC

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Wow.

So that's all anyone needs to do to get through a crisis, disaster or worse, just grow some balls ? :(

I agree that one reason people use drugs or turn to any addiction is to distract them from reality, but telling them all they have to do is harden up and get on with it ?

Wow.

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Originally Posted by rick130

Wow.

So that's all anyone needs to do to get through a crisis, disaster or worse, just grow some balls ? :(

I agree that one reason people use drugs or turn to any addiction is to distract them from reality, but telling them all they have to do is harden up and get on with it ?

Wow.

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Bad things happen to good people all the time. You are not defined by what happens to you, but how you deal with it. I don't believe it should be an acceptable excuse for turning to drugs, or for that matter alcohol.

One day you might learn of mine, if you ever get to know me well enough, and I aint on any drugs. Nor did I use them as a crutch.

CC

It appears many reply's here are trying to draw comparisons with alcohol.
I will not for one minute try to defend the many negative aspects of alcohol consumption however I would suggest (I believe there has been research but I will take a anecdotal view) that the amount of Alcohol consumed as a percentage compared to illegal drugs causes less issues.
Not withstanding my view and as I have mentioned previously I would be happy to see some recreational drugs legalised and therefore controlled (and taxed).
The USA learnt a costly lesson with prohibition on alcohol in the 20's where it caused more problems than it fixed.
Unfortunately (from my personal perspective) it would appear we as a society are not going to beat the illicit drug culture (as sad as that is for me to admit) so lets work with it and use its evil tentacles for good and not evil.
The taxes that could be raised would be phenomenal (I would imagine it could go close to fixing the big hole in metal health if not all general health budgets).

But I guess I am just an ill-informed non drug user and can not see it from the point of view of someone who has "dope induced" view point.

"Reality is for those of us who can not handle drugs"
:)

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Originally Posted by roverfan

Never hurt me or my career, in fact I'd say it helped whilst my workmates were strung out I was relaxed and calm, being able to work through problems rationally and without stress.

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Dude, lack of insight is what mental illness and intoxication have in common. I would be surprised if your straight workmates share your self reported self diagnosis of calm rationality. Most straights get frustrated with the slow mentation of cannabis users and their lack of insight. You may have felt so calm but you will never know how much your work mates felt they were carrying you.

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Originally Posted by Thommo

It appears many reply's here are trying to draw comparisons with alcohol.

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...and until there is a law change, they always will.

It is generally regarded that canabis is safer & less addictive than alcohol, yet alcohol is legal.

M

While I would like to be able to legally buy some pot on the way home on a Friday night to relax after the working week I now at the advanced age of 40 probably don't support legalisation.

Like any drug, alcohol especially in our society, I believe it is OK in moderation. The problem with moderation is in my experience it doesn't happen with young pot heads. Young guys seem to smoke it if they've got it or chase it if they don't. It becomes a lifestyle. It can isolate you from society and makes you believe you are having a great time when in fact you are doing nothing more than watching TV. Breaky bongs anyone?

As for the mental health side, what came first, the problem or the pot. In my experience people who show problems when using pot already had a problem to begin with. Of course there are exceptions.

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Originally Posted by John W

Dude, lack of insight is what mental illness and intoxication have in common. I would be surprised if your straight workmates share your self reported self diagnosis of calm rationality. Most straights get frustrated with the slow mentation of cannabis users and their lack of insight. You may have felt so calm but you will never know how much your work mates felt they were carrying you.

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I guess thats why I was promoted over them, and was usually the first to leave with all my work done :)

I mentioned casually at dinner last night to an ex workmate that I was stoned the whole time I worked for that organisation and she nearly fell off her chair, no one ever suspected I smoked pot on a regular basis.

While they went to lunch and had a few wines with their meal, I ducked off from the table and smoked a blunt and I never could see the difference.

Not all pot heads are lazy, unproductive members of society some of us (more than you realise) are very active in the community, and hold very high profile jobs.

I know i mentioned it in the other Drug thread but if pot messed everyone up so bad why am i comfortably retired before ive hit my mid 30s and now spending every day with my kid instead of slaving away at a desk or in a mine to make a living. To be in my position and coming from a very poor family I must have been able to make some pretty bloody good decisions and been bloody good at my job.

Why did I start smoking Pot? For fun and it stopped being fun when i stopped working and had my first child so I quit overnight, no withdrawals, no mental health issues, never went into a rage as has been mentioned in this thread in fact im about the softest guy you would ever meet when it comes to physically harming someone (my size is a good bluff though)