How often do you smoke weed?

I guess its like patchouli - some people hate the smell and think it smells of mold/mildew, others wear perfumes with patchouli as the main note. Hell you can even buy cannabis scented perfumes.

I think the problem with the more dangerous hybrids like skunk is largely (if not fully) down to drug criminalization:

-Producers are forced to produce a single product to suit all their customers (due to not having the luxuries of setting up sprawling sites).
-Consumers want cannabis that is stronger gram for gram. Why? Because 1. criminilisation makes it a sellers market which drives prices up (who wants to buy weak weed when its that expensive?) and 2. purchase is made much more difficult so people often have to buy as and when they can. Picture if alcohol was made illegal - do you think people would be going to dealers for vodka or Lambrini? :lol:
-Producers are limited to the types of weed they can grow (they need rapid yield varieties capable of being grown indoors/in very artificial conditions)
-The producers are all criminals who often have little regard for their consumer or long-term safety of the product provided money is rolling in.

Give consumers a choice (i.e. legalize) and educate them about the differing varieties available and the majority of people will flock towards the safer alternatives - much as we are seeing with the move from cigarettes to e-cigs - we are now very health conscious as a society.

Out of interest, do you use any currently legal drugs (e.g. alcohol, tobacco, caffeine)? I personally avoid these as much as I can although I do use coffee occasionally.

Well you are right on this one. Cannabis is often mixed with tobacco when smoked meaning the same toxins are ingested, and cannabis smokers typically do not use filters so get a bigger hit of these.

That said there are other safer methods of ingesting the drug (vaporization, ingesting in certain beverages, via food). Oral sprays are also used medicinally (Sativex) and although the active high-causing compound is removed here, if legalized I'd imagine this could be an avenue developed for recreational administration of the drug.

Why are multi-billion dollar pharmaceutical companies already marketing products based off the drug then? You would think they'd do their research before "lying to themselves" and "ignorantly" spending ludicrous sums on research and development, no?

The fact is cannabis is already showing promise in having a number of beneficial effects, most importantly as a multi-faceted supplement for cancer sufferers undergoing chemotherapy. In this instance it acts as a "3 in 1" analgesic (painkiller), antiemetic (anti-nausea) AND appetite stimulant (all vital for chemo patients). Traditional medicines in this field usually treat one of the aforementioned symptoms and cause another (i.e. painkillers treat pain but cause nausea)!

Theres also limited research in the active compounds having anti-tumour effects.

Now I'm not suggesting lighting up will do anyone any good (as smoking is very, VERY bad for you) or that people should start taking it to per-emptively ward off ailments, but to suggest cannabis has no possible health benefits is silly. In certain circumstances it may be very useful.

With all due respect to your friends there is little evidence that cannabis in its own right is a "gateway drug" to harder drugs, no more than caffeine can be said to be a gateway drug to speed, or alcohol can be a gateway to cocaine.

The problem in these cases is not the actual drug, its the drug taking, or specifically the dealers. The fact is to obtain cannabis now people have to go to drug dealers. Those drug dealers often sell a variety of harder, and not coincidentally, more expensive drugs so can encourage users to "upgrade" or try something different (its "upselling" in economics terms). It would be akin to seeing crack being sold in supermarkets next to the alcohol with a label "fancy something different?". Some people may be tempted and get hooked, but that wouldn't really mean alcohol is directly to blame - it would be the stores.

Taking any drug is a risk. Doing anything is a risk, you can die from running a mile if you have an undiagnosed heart condition. You can die taking the stairs if you have epilepsy. Risks surround us, they are unavoidable.

Even alcohol, as regulated and researched as it is (with nice friendly "units" on the labels) is unpredictable. 15 units to one person is fatal, to someone else it's a party. 5-6 units and I can get grouchy and want a sit down, yet for women half my size they've barely begun their pre-drinking session on that.

So should we ban alcohol because we are reliant on users to try it and then self-moderate based their experiences? Perfectly reasonable given the clearly proved health risks and societal consequences. OR we could legalize drugs at a similar (or actually less harmful) level and let people decide for themselves (and hopefully switch).

Now given the crowded A&E rooms and streets made completely treacherous across the country every weekend I'd personally welcome cannabis watering these effects down. Cannabis legalization might bring some challenges (increased mental health costs being one), but it won't cause anywhere near the detriment that alcohol wreaks upon us. Street violence? Hooliganism? Vandalism? Drunk drivers? All could be lessened with the introduction of cannabis.

 

I'm 19 and I've never smoked, I am open to trying weed if it was legal

While reading this thread I had this video in mind

 

Ritter Butzke, go! On the very small chance she will be there again on that night and you will be able to find her..

 

At no point did I say marijuana should be banned or that its consumption causes larger damage than alcohol abuse. I have always supported the legalisation of marijuana. I just feel the risks are something I would be unable to deal with and something with negative effects on many others, even when consumed in moderation over a relatively large period of time.

The comparison with alcohol was primarily personal; I know how alcohol can be consumed in moderation. Marijuana is less predictable and it can wreak havoc on users' minds if they're unlucky or consume too much too often. Perhaps legalisation would make large-scale research possible to counter the negative effects of marijuana, much like alcohol.

Though I would question the idea that marijuana's legalisation would actively reduce alcohol-related problems; it relies on the assumption that marijuana would replace rather than merely alcohol consumption. Do you have data to support that it would help reduce problems due to alcohol?

 

I was 17 and drunk at a house (garden) party. I crawled into my tent shortly after and went to sleep. Since then I only smoked a handful of times and most of the time it was just me having a smoke of someone else's joint while drunk. Haven't done even that for almost three years now I think.

 

Consuming "too much, too often" is not "consuming in moderation" though, so is it fair to compare it to alcohol being used in moderation?

Now a fair comparison would be saying using cannabis in excess can potentially cause mental health issues, whilst using alcohol in excess will cause you serious health problems or kill you through acute alcohol intoxication. You cannot lethally overdose on cannabis, you can very easily do so on alcohol.

Yes. Provided the cannabis was being used as an alternative to alcohol and not in conjunction it is logical that the mentioned problems would reduce in number and severity.

On street violence. Alcohol is dangerous as a drug in that it quite severely impairs the user's perception of the consequences of risk taking (resulting in users take more risks) and their judgment. Given that alcohol is our go-to "party drug" and considering the typical environment it is consumed in (at night, and outside in crowded social places), this is a recipe for violence. Cannabis by contrast has not been shown to increase risk taking, additionally due to its typically sedating (and appetite stimulating) effects it is not generally regarded as a "party drug" and consumption typically takes place in private dwellings and seated and relaxed venues. Now perhaps call me stupid here, but if people are less likely to use a drug out on the street, you would presume they will be less likely to be violent on said street from consumption?

On the A&E trips. A sizeable percentage of trips to A&E are from trips and falls. Alcohol has a greater effect on impairing motor coordination than cannabis. Even relatively small amounts of alcohol (i.e. "in moderation") can render some people's balance absolutely :***:ed, combine that with the common side effect of temporary decreased peripheral vision and in my personal experience you are looking at Bambi on ice. Marijuana does cause impairment, but it appears to be at a far lesser level (its very mild by comparison) and takes place at a far slower rate. Definitely not scientific but I think it demonstrates the point well, at least "anecdotally" it definitely reflects my experiences: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJJRVleE3_Q :lol:

On "drunk" driving. Back to the first point. Risk taking. Greatly increased by the consumption of alcohol and so people are more likely to get in a vehicle when drunk and they shouldn't. Combine that with the reduced reaction times, and the fact that drunk people consistently underestimate environmental dangers (cannabis has the opposite effect and causes "overcautious" driving) and alcohol influenced drivers are far more dangerous than stoned ones. Heres a nice article on it: THE EFFECT OF CANNABIS COMPARED WITH ALCOHOL ON DRIVING note "http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ Note the conclusion that users driving under the influence of cannabis can in many cases "effectively compensate" for any impairments.

A brief summary here also suggests marijuana does impair driving, but to nowhere near the extent of alcohol: Marijuana and Driving: A Review of the Scientific Evidence

Now of course both alcohol and cannabis use increase the risk of car accidents, and their combined use can be expected to worsen this further. You are always going to have people who do stupid things (such as mixing the drugs and driving) but I think on balance there'll be a great many people consuming cannabis instead of alcohol, and so a great many people not being led into taking the risk of driving under the influence. An interesting story seemingly lending support to this idea: Since marijuana legalization, highway fatalities in Colorado are at near-historic lows - The Washington Post

 

Marijuana has a broad therapeutic index/wide margin of safety, as the person above already stated. For this reason, you can use quite a bit and not experience lethal side effects.

But that is in no way an encouragement to smoke it, as marijuana can be laced. Such adulterants would reduce the margin of safety, making its use far more dangerous.

And the smell is awful. Some folks who pick up their drugs at the pharmacy I work at reek of it. Due to that and potential safety reasons, I don't use it.

As mentioned before, these people were probably using an adulterated product, as the pure form doesn't smell like that.

 

Not at all.

Absolutely cannot stand the smell.

 

While it's possible it would relieve my extreme amounts of anxiety, I have no desire, and I find smoking anything to be absolutely repulsive. I do support its legalization though.

 

Nah.

 

Never have, never will.

 

I've never smoked anything and never will. I don't want to be around it.

I've been drunk on alcohol though. It isn't worth it. And even then I don't need alcohol to make a fool of myself! I can be perfectly silly when I'm sober. Now I stop when I get tipsy.

 

I've smoked a joint or two. Hehe :3

But now I feel bad for doing it /)_(\

 

So what? If a 14 year old wants to smoke marijuana then I couldn't care less (not that I would advocate such a thing, but it really isn't important to me - I see 14 year olds smoking every day outside high schools and it never bothered me, even though I wouldn't condone it).

Smoking marijuana shouldn't be justified because it doesn't need to be justified. It can lead to drug abuse - including the use of class-a substances, but so can alcohol - a drug that the overwhelming majority consume without becoming addicted or spiraling into a drug-fueled abyss.

It certainly isn't good, nor is it healthy, but at the same time, we are all the deciders for what risk we are willing to take, and if people are willing to take the risk of potential health problems by smoking marijuana, then that is entirely their choice, much like people risk liver complications by getting sloshed every weekend or lung cancer by smoking a pack a day.

And, I don't think anyone is really advocating smoking weed (as in, telling people to smoke weed now because it's amazing and good for you), not least young teens, just that people can and do smoke it all the time without becoming junkies, and some people find it to be very relaxing and useful for anxiety.

 

So in other words, you're opposed to people expressing opinions different from your own. Last time I checked, that's not how this forum works.

Get the fuck over yourself.

 

Amen :eusa_clap:eusa_clap

 

I've never smoked, however I do support decriminalization and legalization for recreational use for anyone above the age of 18. For people under the age of 18, I simply believe their brains are simply not fully developed yet to be using drugs like marijuana or alcohol.

That being said, please keep discussion in here civil and respectful.

 

I plead ignorance when it comes to the legalization issue. I have been called on the fact that I am sometimes not informed on an issue to the degree I would like and don't vote on it. There is never 100% turn-out for any person or issue in an election! I would really have to scour a lot of literature to see what marijuana does and does not do, and if it has positive medical benefits that couldn't be achieved by another form of treatment. Mostly, I worry that these cannabis clinics (weed stores) will have people who shouldn't be there, filling their prescriptions, and then driving around or operating machinery. As if we don't already have enough meth heads running around.

I'm just stating that, because I won't be doing the research, I don't have an opinion on its legalization.

As for its smell, it is very strange and I certainly would not want it on my clothing. For one thing, it wouldn't matter because people who know me to any degree would know I didn't smoke that stuff and have to have my arm pulled in a big way to even have a drink.