Hmmm...
I grew up around it all my life (literally from baby to the time I left home) so it never really fazed me...

Cannibis isn't addictive (like tobacco), or as harmful (no one has ever died from smoking too much pot) and there's still a lot we don't know about this 'wonder' plant (ie. it's cousin 'hemp' which is a whole different subject and pot's medicinal properties that's now being recognized by the Canadian Gov.).
I don't say this to make excuses for those that can't get their head outta the sand however; I'm talking about the heavy users.
The heavy users usually are the people with too much idle time on their hands for some reason. These are the people who tend to give the negative image portrayed because....they look different? They're bums? What?
How many bums on the street do you see with a blunt in their hand as compared to a brown bag with alcohol? What's doing the most damage?

I can't begin to fathom the number of times I've been offered or been around me, but I've NEVER judged anyone who did.
To be perfectly honest I've only recently accepted smoking it within the last few months after 30 years! Don't misunderstand me, I don't smoke it all the time now, just once in a blue moon.
Why?
a) Because I know there's absolutely nothing wrong that can happen to me; mentally or physically.
b) My wife is hyper-sensitive to narcotics (even poppy seeds are bad news).

Oh sure you can go into the legal or morality side and say, "That's wrong" but I caution anyone taking that stand without some education first.
For some educated reading I suggesting looking into "Reefer Madness" and you'll learn why it's illegal. It's quite rediculous actually.
And the next step of Reefer Madness is about to hit the USA because the DEA down there is looking into banning ALL hemp products even though hemp grown with less than 1% THC. How dumb is that??
Sheesh...their own consitution is written on hemp!!
And of course since marijuana is a cousin of hemp...it gets a bad name too.
EDIT: Some things to read
Close to Legalization?
Medical Articles
History of Reefer Madness

Besides...for being Ontario's 3rd largest cash crop (pot) you'd think there would be more problems?

It's the world's biggest and longest propaganda fisco based on such little circumstantial evidence going.

It's your choice. But make sure it's an informed one.

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"...End? No, the journey doesn't end here. Death is just another path...one that we all must take.
The grey rain-curtain of this world rolls back, and all change to silver glass...and then you see it...
...white shores...and beyond...the far green country under a swift sunrise."

Last edited by Fir3start3r on Apr-02-2002 at 10:36

Good post Firstarter, don't also forget that hemp paper could be used for newspapers, instead of us cutting down more forests.

But oh no, Hemp is evil

Its amazing how often logic is ignored in US law making, too many special interest groups I guess.

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Well in this country it is now kinda fashionable to smoke weed. Coz cigarettes r now considered bit to legal. So local lamers r smoking weed. Ahh well. I dont have a prob with peeps you smoke weed, but for people who do it as a fashion thing is say to you, "you are a lamer"

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quote:

Originally posted by torontotrance Join the discussion.......jddark and tta are at two different pts of view. I think smoking pot is for ppl who lack something in their lives and make it up with temporary pleasure. JDDARK believes that ppl who do it, just do it because they like it. So the argument ensues....your opinions please.

Just because you do something for temporary pleasure doesn't mean your life is lacking something. People have sex don't they?

quote:

Originally posted by Spad Just because you do something for temporary pleasure doesn't mean your life is lacking something. People have sex don't they?

actually, TTA doesnt

i smoke pot just cuz i like it, its nice & relaxing after a day of work or hanging out with ur friends...

its like drinking alcohol, i drink it cuz i like it, but i dont smoke pot as often as i drink alcohol, cuz pot kinda slows u down for the rest of the day & a few beers dont...

i have to agree with TTA to a certain point though, there r a lot of ppl that smoke pot (or drink) just to look cool, same counts for regular smoking, those ppl lack in personality and self-confidence... the other group that lacks is fcourse addicts, and i think TTA was aiming at addicts, cuz addicts make pot look bad, addicts lack willpower and self esteem, pretty sorry ppl really, addicts... but one thing i just cant get: howcome is it ok for ppl to be addicted to cigarettes and not to softdrugs and alcohol?? they r equally lethal if u ask me... harddrugs r often a bit more lethal, but as long as u keep ur using down to like once in a while, it really wont do any damage...

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I SUCK MONKEYS IN HELL

i smoke pot on occasion....

no, i'm not addicted to it
no, i don't NEED it to get thru my day
no, i don't go thru the day looking forward to the next time i blaze
and i don't smoke because i'm bored

for me it's just a stress reliever, kinda like... sittin back and watchin tv after a long, hard day... or lifting weights or playing basketball.... or chillin wit friends drinkin a beer talkin about jack sh*t... etc etc

personally, i don't see a problem with doing ANYTHING, including smoking weed, as long as it doesn't own you and consume your style of life. I mean, how bad can something be if you do it to let loose every once in a while?? and how bad can something be if you have control over it?

so, am i weak minded because i smoke weed? i don't think so...

also, i know some friends who smoke weed almost on a daily basis, who are quite intelligent, NOT lazy, and dilligent in EVERYTHING they do.... are THEY weak minded?

if you say people who smoke weed a lot are weak minded, then you can ask another question, like...

"are tranceaddicts weak minded? because people who listen to trance a lot lack something in their lives and are just filling that void with temporary sonic pleasure"
- in that case, i am a very, very weak minded individual who needs a lot of help

although i must admit, a lot of potheads do have the tendency to seem to lack a sort of motivation in their lives....

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Love the music, not the drugs....

Last edited by S-Type on Apr-02-2002 at 14:32

alright, now im responding alt i wanted to last night. i was just too baked....heh.

well this is the thing: people do shit to waste time. they pick up hobbies, they sleep, watch TV, drink a few beers, eat some food or smoke some dope. now are ALL of those activities 'problems' ALL of the time? thats debateable. but its certain that ANYTHING can be abused, its just a matter of how its done.


as for marijuana being for 'weak minded' people, or that those who use it are trying to fill their lives with something- i would have to say no. pot COULD be the answer for your maladjusted youth who have nothing better to do than 'waste their lives' by smoking a substance that is practically NON addictive, and cant kill them from overdose, but in most cases its just used occasionally as a 'stress reducer' as many people have already stated. this could sound like a cop out, or that the original point was validated. the arguement of 'weak minded' is especially questionable tho. my main question is how many pot smokers do you KNOW (when making such a claim)? i am willing to bet tta, that you choose NOT to associate with them for certain reasons. you prolly feel that you dont neet marijuana in your life, and that its bad for you, etc, etc. these are all acceptable concerns, but saying that those that choose to smoke occasionally are less mentally capable than you or others is absurd. if you KNEW smokers, then youd begin to see that they are just like everyone else, smart/stupid, lazy/energetic, heavy/light users. just like any pastime.

-pot, caffeine, alcohol, cocaine, nicotine, heroin+

often it seems that the justification for addiction comes when a person is choosing a substance over the other aspects of their life. so, the person is ignoring essentials, for the drug. as i have said, marijuana is even less addictive than caffeine and MUCH less addictive than nicotine(second only to heroin in widely abused substances). being so, there is relatively little actual physiological addiction then. what makes people keep smoking? the feeling then- that pot users get and someone who hasnt tried the drug would largely fail to understand. and this goes beyond just simple i got sorta baked after hacking up a lung once. pot seems to lend itself to being recognized as 'abused' by those that choose to use it, simply because those who do not smoke pot regularly see getting high similar to getting drunk, which is another potential mistake. just as any person can have one drink during the day and not be retarded, mindless or incapable of accomplishing simple tasks, the experienced smoker is not a useless individual incapable of dealing with everyday issues. here is where i could begin to debate 'drugs' as a whole, but i will not...ill wait for valid responses first.

I don't get why everyone is so worked up over a drug that makes teenage boys drive more slowly.
- P.J. O'Rourke

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'That's like telling a Kodiak bear to stop fcking older men.'

Last edited by biznology on Apr-02-2002 at 21:19

quote:

Originally posted by S-Type if you say people who smoke weed a lot are weak minded, then you can ask another question, like... "are tranceaddicts weak minded? because people who listen to trance a lot lack something in their lives and are just filling that void with temporary sonic pleasure" - in that case, i am a very, very weak minded individual who needs a lot of help

Nice Point! i was thinking about saying something like that.

I may choose to blaze occasionally, and you could choose to surf TA...which is the bigger problem? computer addiction is beginning to be a HUGE problem in America, and those that are liable to get addicted to substances are at higher risk for computer addiction. *people* are the source of the addiction, not the substance. late/

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'That's like telling a Kodiak bear to stop fcking older men.'

damn Biz, i think this is one of ur best posts ever!!!

100% agree with ya!!

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I SUCK MONKEYS IN HELL

Gekhous, Evil Bastard, and Biznology have all made excellent points. I could not agree more. The "weak minded" argument is obviously a terrible argument. Unfortunantely, some people do not have the discipline to avoid having addictive response to pot. Unfortunately People can become addicted to pot (or sex, or drugs, or trance) to the point where it effects their life in an adverse way. I smoke more pot now than drink and I think it's better. Smoking pot makes you drink less, and you can do more when you smoke. I think drinking and tobacco are the greater source of problems.

Been smoking for 10 years. It helps me relax after a stressfull day at work, am I weak-minded, I don't think so. I go on my binges, I take breaks from it. Definetely prefer it to drinking. Herb helps me perceive things differently, I find it easier to concentrate on minute details, sometimes. Or just let go, and free-think. However, I have seen addicts who cain't function w/o it. They wake and bake and go through the whole day smoking. But that's their game, let 'em do it. Everyone's addicted to something, be it a person, an idea a substance, a genre of music, whatever. Figure as long as it don't cause pain to others let em do it. At least for diversity sake.

Peace, Pot, Microdot

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1: Mathematics is the language of nature" Pi

quote:

Originally posted by Spad Just because you do something for temporary pleasure doesn't mean your life is lacking something. People have sex don't they?

very well said spad...

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