I put this under Social Topics because that’s where it made sense. Any marijuana users here? Wondering how you feel about it? I for one think the stigma needs to be removed since IMHO it’s far less damaging, socially, than alcohol. But we don’t currently have the language to talk about it. For example, with alcohol we can say “do you drink?”. There’s no neutral equivalent for MJ that I know of. “Do you smoke it?” doesn’t work obviously. “Use it” sounds too much like a user, as in hard drugs.
I think we have the right language, but it depends on who you are talking to. Everybody is familiar with alcohol. Many people are at least kind of familiar with marijuana but few people are probably more familiar with it than booze.
Alcohol is traditional for one thing, and it’s legal. It is legal because it’s been part of Western civilization for 2000+ years whereas marijuana is newer. The way we look at who uses them varies a lot too. I think most people find drinkers more fun and amusing because alcohol is a social drug; maybe the most social drug. Stoners are seen as more chill but not really fun. This is just based on the way the chemicals affect us.
The view of Marijuana users could change of course, but alcohol as a party drug is here to stay.
I personally dislike marijuana and the subculture around it. I smoked weed as a teen with friends but never got anything out of it. I thought it was overrated. And lifelong stoners I’ve met have never impressed me.
I don’t know about marijuana in USa, except one fact : during the Mexican revolution, government soldiers were given some to entice them to fight and Pancho villa men despised them partly for that.
I know about the weed used in Europe. I know that nowadays, the concentration of Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is 20 times stronger than 50 years ago. Many young people use it intensively with neuronal and psychological consequences.
My brother was a teacher in high school and at 9 H 00 AM was facing students unable to even understand anything. My wife was a lawyer and had a personal assistant who used to smoke. She had to threaten him of losing his job to make him to abstain from smoking in the morning. Smoking before or while driving is a very bad idea and so on. I could multiply exemples.
oneguy’s history is wrong as usual, and he admits a lack of personal experience then talks as if what he has is relevant.
I was a heavy user from teen years up until I needed to graduate from college. When I moved to a new place to get a real job I purposely avoided finding connections. Meanwhile, they were applying science to breeding and the strains are much more powerful now. So, when I would occasionally take a hit, I’d end up having trouble getting my thoughts and words coordinated. I have not driven high in decades. With it being legal in places, I’ve found about 5 mg of a chocolate bar works nice, a nice mellow feeling.
Interesting perspectives. Most drunks I’ve ever encountered were definitely NOT happy and fun, but it brought out the worst in them. OTOH I can’t remember being with anyone who was high who wasn’t happy, loving, fun, etc. Obviously no matter what a person does, if they do it in extreme and at the wrong time, like in the morning before school or work, well that’s gonna spell trouble. For chrissake eating a pound bag of mini-chocolates before work is going to have a negative affect. But definitely MJ will get a bad rap for alcohol-equivalent bad behavior because our culture is familiar with booze.
One of our neighbors is a newly retired nurse with extensive ER time.
Whenever the alcohol, marijuana question comes up she tells us about the ER doc of some three decades in the ER who openly talks about never ever, as in not once, having to deal with a belligerent marijuana intoxicated person. Whereas he can tell you a dozen war stories about drunks and speed freaks flipping out on him, or being plain old rude, uncooperative and disruptive jerks.
I don’t think I can say much about this subject, because my younger son (age 30 on May 5) is an addict and alcoholic, who acts like someone with Schizophrenia on Marijuana and violent on alcohol and other drugs, though he doesn’t see himself that way, despite being in legal trouble over his habits. His teeth and health show that he does crocodile and/or meth as rumours say, but unless he admits to those, I can’t prove the rumours. He has been Dx with a mental illness since he was young, so I know I self-medicates. His father is also a violent alcoholic and addict, thus why I divorced him. However, I know there are people who do drugs recreationally and don’t necessarily become addicts or violent. Then again, maybe I can say a lot on the subject, despite my biases. I don’t know.
not once, having to deal with a belligerent marijuana intoxicated person.
That's at the end of the Bill Hicks bit. Someone in the audience knows the bit and disrupts it a little, but basically, he's imitating two stoned guys, one yells "hey" at the other as if a fight is about to start, but then they're too stoned, and that's the end of it.
I know that nowadays, the concentration of Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is 20 times stronger than 50 years ago. Many young people use it intensively with neuronal and psychological consequences.
$#!+weed is still out there. ?
I’m just disappointed in the time lost on studying the varying ratios of THC to CBD for differing effects. There’s the general ideas and between species, but wondering what more could have been accomplished.
Whenever the alcohol, marijuana question comes up she tells us about the ER doc of some three decades in the ER who openly talks about never ever, as in not once, having to deal with a belligerent marijuana intoxicated person. Whereas he can tell you a dozen war stories about drunks and speed freaks flipping out on him, or being plain old rude, uncooperative and disruptive jerks.
There seems to be a direct link.
So what if potheads are not belligerent? It doesn’t excuse their stupidity and paranoia — which a user like you exhibits in spades.
There is that K2, K9, or whatever K it is, that is supposed to mimic pot. I remember when my son did that. I was at the city bus terminal (where buses meet to connect with each other) and he showed up higher than a kite. He believed everyone was out to get him. An ambulance ended up being called for him because he was so out of it and he spent 24 hours in the hospital because of it. He said he tried it because it allegedly can’t be traced in a drug test. rolling eyes I believe he was just after some high.
