Inkbunny

Yeah i have no problem with weed. And i think it's dumb to make such a big deal over it. Though it's getting legalized all over now. But yeah i think it's just the childish rubbing it in people's faces that's annoying. It's like congrats, you smoke something that makes you all hungry and lazy lol. But yeah people really need to not care about what other people do. Everyone's different, let them enjoy what they will. I think i'm just sick of all the 4/20 stuff today hehe

Chantelle

7 years ago

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@ DraggiePoss

They used to. Half marketing, half society.

Freiheit7

7 years ago

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The problem in my opinion as I have lost family to cancer from cigars and traditional smoking as well as one co worker I respect who is going through his own treatments as a result, I think pot is better than tobacco.
It will be as long as tobacco gives people cancer and so many other diseases.
Pot is not dangerous, relaxing, in some cases a medical boon, and if legalized and taxed, a major source of taxable revenue.
I don't smoke it because my work performs drug tests and I want to continue my career there however when I did do it once long in the past now I can say that weed is not going to kill you or your children and as soon as we can allow scientists to deeply study the effects on volunteers we can gain a deeper understanding of the substance.
Until then I support any movement to push away Tabasco from popular use. If you chose to smoke it I will not do any more to stop you aside from recommend and quitting programs I may be aware of like CVS.
I am not sure where "4/20" comes from but it is now a day where enthusiasts can say in a collective voice that we want a safe mutually beneficial drug brought into legal standing for recreational and widespread medical use.

GraceTheGoldenFurred

7 years ago

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@ Freiheit7

Any drug can be harmful if mis-used or used to excess. Pot included. Addiction is always a bad thing, no matter what. Yes, it has the potential to help people, and I'm in favor of that. If something has medical uses, it should be used. But it's not some sort of panacea.

And I know all about programs to help people quit, thanks. I have looked into these things myself. And I know the dangers and the risks. People can't seem to stop bringing them up to me as if I don't. I just find the whole situation to irritatingly hypocritical.

GraceTheGoldenFurred

7 years ago

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@ Freiheit7

Reading back on my comments, I think I may have come across as a bit harsher than I meant to. It's kind of a sore subject for me. So I want to apologize if I came across sounding like a bitch. You've always been nice to me, and I don't want to spoil things in a fit of pique.

Freiheit7

6 years, 12 months ago

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Edited 6 years, 12 months ago by Owner

I can sympathise with the feeling of either being passionate about a subject or having made a certain final decision on something and being questioned about it constantly even if you consistently take a particular side. (Edit: and then feel strongly or even angry about having your choices second guessed by people who you may feel or absolutely do not have the right to)
Your decisions are your own. Weighing your own risks are not something I can or will ever do for you especially since you're both an adult and an adult older than myself.
Our opinions do clash and I understand that causes friction. I have Facebook and these days just use it to post or debate political shit with a couple of my friends that I actually morbidly enjoy... But the point is I understand conflicts of opinion. We all have the facts and I'm glad you see them as they are and understand them so i will TRY not to bother you further but let me excuse myself if i do criticize you here or there since i just would rather no one get hurt over something like that.

TehZee

7 years ago

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Edited 7 years ago by Owner

Personally I can't stand pot since a former friend of mine basically destroyed his entire life with it and stabbed me and the rest of his closest friends in the back...

I used to be neutral on the subject, even tried it a few times myself..
But now the mere mention of it makes me see red...

I'll admit that now in addition to my loathing of the substance itself, I tend to also look down upon anyone that uses it excessively or preaches about it like it's the gospel...

The term 4/20 makes me want to slap someone whenever I see or hear it...

GraceTheGoldenFurred

7 years ago

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I'm sorry, it wasn't my intention to upset anyone and I regret that I have. And I understand there are going to be strong emotions involved with this particular issue. Any sort of drug has the potential to do a great deal of harm, and I feel for anyone who is hurt by it, or who has lost family or friends because of it.

TehZee

7 years ago

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Didn't mean to imply you'd upset me. ^-^;

That's just how I feel about that particular substance and the "culture" surrounding it... if you can even call it that..

GraceTheGoldenFurred

7 years ago

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That's good to know. Maybe it's inevitable, but I didn't want to upset people with this journal.

I don't blame you for your feelings, though. Both substances have the potential to do a lot of harm, and to really hurt people either physically or emotionally, and I know that it will always stir up strong emotions. For what it's worth, my heart goes out to you for what happened with your friend.

Soulfire

7 years ago

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pot smokers are ... not very useful overall . maybe good for zombie laborers when they do burn their brains out. The problem is i have never really met a sharp on the ball responsible pot smoker.

i mean one or to may exist . i have never met one tho

GraceTheGoldenFurred

7 years ago

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@ Soulfire

I've never known any personally, so I can't really comment. But I'd imagine that, as with most things, the ones who use responsibly are the ones who don't make a big deal of it.

Soulfire

7 years ago

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i am unfortunatly living in Colorado and besides having the housing marked abnormally inflated cause of all the smokers moving in to get pot. the smell is everywhere and i meet a lot of them .. the problem is the pot in many cases becomes a major component in too manys lives. i had roommates who never had money for regular things and would leech like everyone was down to being in some sort of socalist hippy regieme . but the always had money for pot funnily enough ..

anyways .. meh .. i never saw the attraction .

GraceTheGoldenFurred

7 years ago

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@ Soulfire

I guess the difference is that I like in Kentucky where tobacco is still largely the drug of choice. Not that there's not pot to be had if you want it, but it's still much more clandestine and underground. Of course, it might also help that smoking is banned in public places and on the streets where I live. Bars and designated smoking areas, like the one at the factory where I work, are exceptions, but people are less likely to smoke weed at work, I'd think.

TehZee

7 years ago

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@ Soulfire

I'm convinced "sharp" pot smokers don't exist... At least not long term...

Former friend of mine started out as a smart, rational human being... Over the course of 15 years or so with extended pot usage he became increasingly slow, dim-witted, argumentative and paranoid... Now he can't even hold on to a job longer than 3 weeks... He's that useless...

baseballdude4578

7 years ago

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And yet how they praise it, what a wonderful thing it is... yeah, I'm glad it's not something I'm exposed to.

Karmandel

6 years, 12 months ago

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I know one, has smoked for forty years or so, run a successful marketing bureau for thirty years , is married just as long and a good parent. But he keeps it in bounds, I've never smelt it on his clothes for instance. And he can afford the good stuff.

And then I know a number who are just as you say. So in general you're right.

It's like with alcohol, a few people run best on four bottles of whisky per week, but never drink before dinner -- but most people who try that end up having bourbon for breakfast and sleeping on a park bench.

TehZee

6 years, 12 months ago

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Let's put it this way, I know more fully functional alcoholics than I do even partially functional pot heads...

Fairly certain it causes more significant brain damage.

Karmandel

6 years, 12 months ago

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Sure, the high functioning potheads are probably much rarer than the high functioning alcoholics.That I won't dispute. And pot has medium-term impact on learning which can have career-limiting consequences, but I don't know if it actually causes irreparable brain damage.

Still I think that alcoholism is a greater problem simply because the numbers are larger and drinking is socially accepted much more widely. But limiting access to alcohol is not realistic, politically.

TehZee

6 years, 12 months ago

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Speaking from personal experience, having drank socially my entire adult life, and occasionally trying pot FAR fewer times...

Drinking is easier to control and has significantly less functional impact...
I can have two or three drinks and still remain more or less coherent.
One hit off of a joint and I've had effects ranging from sitting motionless on a couch for an hour, to as close to hallucinating as you can get without using an actual hallucinogen...

I also tend to projectile vomit every time I've tried it... I've thrown up once from alcohol... ever... And that was a result of my own carelessness..

Karmandel

6 years, 12 months ago

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I think we basically agree. I just looked up the US numbers on people in public treatment programs, and alcoholics is in fact the biggest group, but not by as much as I thought.

However I don't think your experience with marijuana is typical, it wouldn't be so popular then (never tried it myself, though).

TehZee

6 years, 12 months ago

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Edited 6 years, 12 months ago by Owner

One reason for there being a lot of people in treatment programs for alcoholism is... People are more likely to realize they have a problem as an alcoholic... I think I've yet to actually see anyone admit to having a problem with pot use, despite being someone that absolutely has a problem... As in buying their damn weed instead of food that week... They never see it as a problem and either laugh it off or get aggressively defensive.

I do admittedly have a stronger than normal reaction to pot.. But in general, most people aren't significantly effected by a single drink.. They will absolutely be effected by one joint.. Less then a whole one even..

The other problem is, most people.. even hardened alcoholics 'usually' don't drink in public... if they do it's usually a small amount that they keep hidden.. Pot heads routinely spark up then get in the car, or do so in the car... They'll do it anywhere and everywhere at any time during the day...

Karmandel

6 years, 12 months ago

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Just one remark in closing, since I don't think we'll get any closer to agreement on this -- I think our perceptions are colored by the types of abusers we've personally met:

Alcoholics are usually in denial as well, I know that from experience. If their friends or family don't get them into treatment they are very unlikely to look for it themselves, so I don't think you can argue that bigger numbers in treatment reflect a lower number of abusers.

TehZee

6 years, 12 months ago

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I'm merely stating that I've actually observed alcoholics get help....
Both of their own volition, or as a result of pressure from others..

I've literally never observed this in people with a weed problem.... Ever...

Karmandel

7 years ago

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I say let the smokers smoke as long as I don't have to be in the same room. Same for weed.

Actually I think a better comparison for pot would be alcohol -- some people can handle it just fine, but it does ruin lives as well.

Smoking has a natural limit and doesn't make people unable to go to work and pay for it even if they smoke 80 per day. (Until the medical complications hit, that is).

GraceTheGoldenFurred

7 years ago

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Agreed. As I said, I don't smoke around people. I'd never smoke around my nieces, first and foremost, or any other kids. I actually live in a place where public smoking is mostly banned, except for certain places like bars, and I support that. What I do to myself is my business, but I won't inflict it on others.

I have pretty much no direct experience with pot, so I'm in a bad place to comment. But I have heard it compared to drinking before, and I think it might be apt. Any drug can be harmful if mis-used, or used to excess, and some people just can't handle it. I do think it's important for people to know their limits and to use whatever substances they prefer responsibly. Though I do think that people who become addicts should be helped and not treated like pariahs, too.

Karmandel

7 years ago

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