WEED - As Long as We're Talking Drugs...

[Grunt]

I used to smoke pretty heavily from age 16-21, and then just got tired of being a burnout. There were three major side effects at that time I was noticing as well from smoking weed. One was that I didn't dream, or rather, couldn't ever remember dreaming. Another was that it felt like my head was always kind of cloudy, and I just wasn't quite as sharp as I should be. Also as someone who just isn't a morning person, smoking weed made me 10x worse in the morning. It didn't matter how much sleep I had I was always tired when I woke up.

Fortunately after about 6 months of not using the stuff all three of those nasty side effects disappeared. These days I might have a toke if I'm at a party or something and have been drinking, but generally I steer clear. IMO weed isn't really a HUGE deal, but like everything else, moderation is key.

[4X4]

Funny you guys should talk about driving and smoking. At the height of my pot smoking days, I was a scraper operator. Those big ass land movers. the whole crew were a bunch of potheads. Even the foreman. We'd be running 100 tonne machines blitzed out of our trees.
So for all you people that live in Tuscany, West Springs, Aspen and the area of Chestermere that is right by the golf course, rest assured that a stoner flipped the dirt that your house sits on... Heh..

[The Goon]

Never tried it, never will. I had terrible asthma as a child/adolescent, so the idea of smoking anything has never crossed my mind. I've inhaled more than enough of the stuff second-hand at concerts and such.

The other thing that stopped me was I grew up watching Cheech & Chong movies, and I've always associated marijuana with being a humorous loser who says "Whoa, man" a lot.

[4X4]

Originally Posted by The Goon

Never tried it, never will. I had terrible asthma as a child/adolescent, so the idea of smoking anything has never crossed my mind. I've inhaled more than enough of the stuff second-hand at concerts and such.

Remember the days when people could smoke in the Saddledome?

[MelBridgeman]

Originally Posted by 4X4

Remember the days when people could smoke in the Saddledome?

Yes but not in the bowl area

[flamesfever]

When I think of the risks of smoking pot, I cringe.

1. You may damage your lungs

2. You affect those area of the brain which deal with memory, concentration, ability to communicate, motivation etc.

3. You take the chance of getting caught and having a criminal record which (a) may limit your ability to work in a large number of professions

(b) may restrict travel to areas outside the country e.g. US

(c) forces you to answer "yes" to having a criminal record when
applying for a job

For me the risk far outweighs the reward

[Burninator]

/\

Thanks Mr. buzz kill.

[ShaolinFlame]

Originally Posted by flamesfever

When I think of the risks of smoking pot, I cringe.

1. You may damage your lungs

2. You affect those area of the brain which deal with memory, concentration, ability to communicate, motivation etc.

3. You take the chance of getting caught and having a criminal record which (a) may limit your ability to work in a large number of professions

(b) may restrict travel to areas outside the country e.g. US

(c) forces you to answer "yes" to having a criminal record when
applying for a job

For me the risk far outweighs the reward

1- Absolutely. If you are concerned cook or vaporize.

2- Scientifically unproven that PERMANENT damage occurs. Temporary memory problems I strongly believe in though.

3-No cop in Canada would even consider giving anyone a criminal record for smoking/possessing pot. Cops here have too high of morals to ruins someones life for that. Unless you are packing more than an ounce in separate bags, or with bags and a scale. Not to mention the paperwork, and the Opportunity Cost (the fact that they could be dealing with real crime).

Instead of the DARE risks, I would consider these the real risks:
1-Apathy
2-Short term memory
3-Apathy
4-Lungs (Depending on your methods)
5-Apathy
6-Blowing up the food budget.

EDIT- As an upside, weed is a great temporary birth control method

[Grunt]

Actually, the memory thing is a pretty big one too. Forgot that in my original post (hah :P).

When I was around 18 and a major pothead I recall one of my bosses asking me to do a bunch of things for him that day. We were standing in the hallway so I didn't have a chance to write anything down right away. He says to me "you got that? Please do all of these things today for me, it's important".

I walked back to my desk, maybe a 30 second walk, and when I got there I honestly could only remember maybe one of the things he had told me. Pretty bad.

[WestEndFlamesFan]

Birth control. Ha.

Forget contraception, I see the headline:

"HIV levels drop significantly after Canada sends Kush aid to African provinces"

[FlamesAddiction]

I did it frequently in high school, but I found that I experienced too much anxiety from it. After smoking it, I would usually wish I hadn't.

I did like how it made me more creative, but all in all, it's not for me.

[CaramonLS]

Originally Posted by ShaolinFlame

2- Scientifically unproven that PERMANENT damage occurs. Temporary memory problems I strongly believe in though.

You wouldn't happen to be a spokesman for a tobacco company now, would you?

[Displaced Flames fan]

Originally Posted by ShaolinFlame

2- Scientifically unproven that PERMANENT damage occurs.

Science doesn't prove anything. Ever.

[Burninator]

Originally Posted by Displaced Flames fan

Science doesn't prove anything. Ever.

I hear the jury is still out on science.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by CaramonLS

You wouldn't happen to be a spokesman for a tobacco company now, would you?

Someone in denial i think

[troutman]

Hearing the fake Steve Armitage say WEED always makes me laugh.

Go to our own friend Shnee's soundboard, and click WEED under Vancouver:

http://www.schnee.ca/armsboard.htm

Also, BONGS and MARIJUANA.

[Wookie]

Originally Posted by WestEndFlamesFan

Here's the Canadian Senate's take on pot, I found it simply reinforced my already held beliefs, but some may be surprised:

http://www.erowid.org/plants/cannabi...govreport1.pdf

And if you don't want the super-heated air, this is the savvy pot-smokers method of choice:

http://www.volcanovaporizersystem.com/

Also, remember, weed has been used medically for over 4000 years:

http://www.time.com/time/covers/1101021104/history.html

Otherwise, I'll go from smoking it daily, numerous times a day to stopping completely during say finals, or right now, as I have a professional exam on Thursday, without any problems at all.

That's meaningless! Heroine was used, so was coke, people used to burn Witches.. Just cause something used to be done, or was practiced for a long time doesn't make it okay.

That's one thing I hate about weed! The mentality that so many users have. That it's like a cool smoke, you're just mellow, or it grows in the ground, or blah blah blah... Get off your high horse!! (not referring to you WestEnd) You're a pothead! just like drunky here is a drunk!

I know a girl who works at an organic food market, whined to me that I buy food at safeway. Don't you know how bad that is, what chemicals are in it, blah blah blah... I asked her, don't you smoke weed? Her response "it grows in the ground"

"It's not as bad as booze"
"It shouldn't even be illegal"
"I'm a friggin hippie"

Man do I loathe people like that!

Piss off!

[algernon]

Originally Posted by Wookie

That's meaningless! Heroine was used, so was coke, people used to burn Witches.. Just cause something used to be done, or was practiced for a long time doesn't make it okay.

That's one thing I hate about weed! The mentality that so many users have. That it's like a cool smoke, you're just mellow, or it grows in the ground, or blah blah blah... Get off your high horse!! (not referring to you WestEnd) You're a pothead! just like drunky here is a drunk!

I know a girl who works at an organic food market, whined to me that I buy food at safeway. Don't you know how bad that is, what chemicals are in it, blah blah blah... I asked her, don't you smoke weed? Her response "it grows in the ground"

"It's not as bad as booze"
"It shouldn't even be illegal"
"I'm a friggin hippie"

Man do I loathe people like that!

Piss off!

Think Fast, Hippy! I love seeing that bumper-sticker down in the Kootenays.

[Wookie]

Originally Posted by algernon

Think Fast, Hippy! I love seeing that bumper-sticker down in the Kootenays.

LMAO!!!!

I've never even seen that before but I can imagine, and LOVE IT!!

[WestEndFlamesFan]

Yeah, granted, the history argument is pretty weak. I'm certainly not telling people they should smoke simply because some Chinese Emporors did in 2800BC, because in the end it's a personal choice. Many people obviously feel it's not for them, many people who do smoke probably shouldn't as well.

I'm just saying that if you like it, and are able to continue being a contributing member of society, then it's nice therapeutic drug that has been used for ages in the fields of stress relief and other certifiable medical treatments. Also, simply because some other previously held beliefs (like blood letting and mercury use) have been proven to be inaccurate, or dangerous, and despite what some may think about the scientific process, nothing has been found to be permanently detrimental, other than the action of inhaling superheated air; which can be at least mostly circumvented through the use of a vaporiser.

I don't think the stigma against it should be quite so negative.

For the record, I also hate hippies. Lazy, stinky bums. Get a job. You give all of us a bad rep.