Marijuana habits and legalization

[Coach]

Originally Posted by rubecube

This is such weird logic to me. If you're going to decide do drugs, whether they're "man-made" should be irrelevant to your decision to do them. It's such a useless arbitrary category. Do you make sure all the food you eat is organic and non-GMO, too?

No, it's more that if I was to buy MDMA, E, coke or something, I'd have no idea if what I'm getting is actually those things. It would seem to be much easier to end up ingesting something dangerous. I've never heard of anyone dying while smoking or on shrooms (maybe there is precedence for this, I'm not sure). And I mean dying from the drug, not dying because they thought they could fly and jumped off of something or whatever.

EDIT: If these things were produced under government regulations and quality control, it might be a different story.

I have heard stories of people dying in the middle of clubs after taking things they thought were the above things, but weren't.

For things like heroin or meth, those are firmly in the category of "not even once" for me, mostly due to the highly addictive properties, and OD risk.

So no, I don't buy all anti-GMO, organic, etc... food. But I might if the other stuff had a high risk of killing me.

[rubecube]

Originally Posted by MattyC

No, it's more that if I was to buy MDMA, E, coke or something, I'd have no idea if what I'm getting is actually those things. It would seem to be much easier to end up ingesting something dangerous. I've never heard of anyone dying while smoking or on shrooms (maybe there is precedence for this, I'm not sure). And I mean dying from the drug, not dying because they thought they could fly and jumped off of something or whatever.

Well theoretically if someone gave you the wrong type of mushrooms it could kill you but I get your point.

[GreenLantern2814]

Originally Posted by Sliver

OMG, until your world turns into a Picasso and Dhali painting all at once. Down is up and up is sideways and your legs only walk in zigzags.

...why else would you take mushrooms if not for that exact experience? They're hallucinogens.

If that's something you wish to avoid, these are not the drugs you're looking for.

[GreenLantern2814]

Originally Posted by rubecube

Well theoretically if someone gave you the wrong type of mushrooms it could kill you but I get your point.

Take the source for what it's worth, but there are two recorded instances of magic mushrooms leading to death. One of them was in a heart transplant patient.

https://www.erowid.org/plants/mushro...ms_death.shtml

According to the CDC, between 2006-10, roughly 88,000 people died due to excessive alcohol consumption in the United States alone. That's 60 people a day.

http://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/alcohol-use.htm

Mushrooms are very clearly not for everyone - they still intimidate the hell out of me, and I've done them eight or nine times by now.

They aren't a guaranteed good time drug. That's for sure. Maybe they cause psychotic breaks in rare cases. But they aren't a drug you lose your life to, figuratively or otherwise. I can't make that claim about weed - you could waste a ton of your life down a bong if you were so inclined. And many people do. Do daily mushroom users even exist? I don't see how they could, but I'm sure there are a few freaks out there.

So in the grand scheme of consciousness-altering substances, I stand by my position of 'virtually no downside' regarding mushrooms.

[AcGold]

Originally Posted by rubecube

This is such weird logic to me. If you're going to decide do drugs, whether they're "man-made" should be irrelevant to your decision to do them. It's such a useless arbitrary category. Do you make sure all the food you eat is organic and non-GMO, too?

Try thinking a little more about it then. Synthetically derived substances and concentrates are almost always stronger with more side effects than plant based drugs. Nice use of passive aggressive rhetoric though.

[GreenLantern2814]

Originally Posted by AcGold

Try thinking a little more about it then. Synthetically derived substances and concentrates are almost always stronger with more side effects than plant based drugs. Nice use of passive aggressive rhetoric though.

Heroin v fentanyl - not that one should be messing around with heroin, but the synthetic stuff kills you dead a LOT faster.

[AcGold]

Heroin is a concentrate too though, opioid to painkiller still a bad comparison if we're talking plant based versus concentrates/synthetics.

[CliffFletcher]

I smoke once or twice a month, usually to balance out the buzz when I have a few drinks in me (alcohol gets me hyped up). Or sometimes watching a movie or playing vids once the kids are asleep. Agree with the benefits of being able to buy only small amounts, and choosing the type of weed.

[GoinAllTheWay]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

I use to love taking mushrooms and then heading to the Republik for the night.

OMG yes. Dropping shrooms and a night at the bar always meant a good time. Trip was good assuming you could stand the taste. Other than injections, this has to be one of the worst drugs to ingest.

My last run on them was years ago, around the time the re-mastered Star Wars were released into theaters again for the first time.

Buddy and I grabbed a half ounce and showed up at the movie 40 mins early expecting a crowd. Not a soul there so we both choked down a small handful. Show starts and still not feeling a thing so we eat a few more. Halfway through the movie and still nothing so we eat the rest. Movie ends and we are still sober as they come.

House light come on and we stand up to leave. BAM!!!! instant teleportation to crazy town. It all hit at once. Was the weirdest thing to feel and had one hell of a crazy night.

[Kybosh]

Originally Posted by AcGold

Try thinking a little more about it then. Synthetically derived substances and concentrates are almost always stronger with more side effects than plant based drugs. Nice use of passive aggressive rhetoric though.

From a chemistry perspective, I'm not sure where you're going with this (i.e. are you talking the same compounds or are you talking two totally different compounds?). For argument sake, let's say I synthesize THC from any starting materials and synthetic method(s) I choose (nobody would do this because it's significantly easier to grow the plant and isolate the compound, but as a thought exercise let's just assume). The THC I synthesize is literally the same in every sense of the word (chemical structure, physical properties, the same enantiomer and everything) to the so-called natural, plant based compound - including the same side effects. If it's not the same, it isn't and can't be the same compound. Concentration and dosing is easily handled in scientific scenarios, so that's a total moot point. To summarize, you can't just compare so-called synthetic compounds with plant-based compounds. It isn't that simple and often the comparison isn't valuable unless you get into the actual chemistry and physiological pathways.

The whole "natural = good, synthetic = bad" shows a very poor understanding by the general populace in chemistry. For example, strychnine is plant based and natural and was also once used as an athletic enhancement drug.

[AvsJerk]

I live in Colorado and have access to legal marijuana. The legalization of weed has been great for me. I've smoked marijuana for most of my adult life (I am 43 years old now), sometimes lightly, sometimes heavily, sometimes taking breaks for extended periods of time (6-12 months).

Always hated feeling like a criminal when I was buying weed in the past, because in my heart of hearts I knew that what I was doing shouldn't be illegal...at least not any more than buying liquor at a store or home brewing.

Getting excited right now about starting up a grow room this summer, and already have one plant in the backyard that's doing great.

Feel free to ask any questions about my experiences in a legalized Colorado.

[calumniate]

Originally Posted by MattyC

I found a cure for the anxiety was to just go for a walk outside. For me, seemed to stem from being in a confined space.

And yeah, the stomach, particularly for the first hour or so.

But you have to remember, just like alcohol, you are literally poisoning yourself.

Can't say I've had any experience with people having seizures, but I'm pretty green on taking shrooms. Pot is really the only drug I do with any regularity, I like shrooms, but they are definitely not a frequent thing. I won't touch man-made stuff (maybe LSD, which I think I was given at Sasquatch one time).

There's an 80% chance your shrooms are just button mushrooms dipped in lsd, sadly.

[GreenLantern2814]

Originally Posted by AcGold

Heroin is a concentrate too though, opioid to painkiller still a bad comparison if we're talking plant based versus concentrates/synthetics.

Right you are, I was thinking opium. Whatever comes direct from the poppy and got Elaine in trouble with Peterman

[rubecube]

Originally Posted by AcGold

Try thinking a little more about it then. Synthetically derived substances and concentrates are almost always stronger with more side effects than plant based drugs. Nice use of passive aggressive rhetoric though.

Even if that's true it's not because they're synthetic. You could create a synthetic compound that is less potent than it's natural counterpart. Matty had the correct answer in that you know what you're getting more often with "natural drugs" than you do with synthetic ones.

[Coach]

My ex came home with some MDMA once and I looked at it, and it just looked like a few echincea capsules refilled with god knows what, in a ziploc. No thanks.

The described effects intrigue me, but it's just not a risk I'm going to take I guess.

[Fire of the Phoenix]

Originally Posted by calumniate

There's an 80% chance your shrooms are just button mushrooms dipped in lsd, sadly.

lol... ok

[GreenLantern2814]

Originally Posted by calumniate

There's an 80% chance your shrooms are just button mushrooms dipped in lsd, sadly.

http://io9.gizmodo.com/there-really-...why-1677123866

Got a line on any ergot alkaloids you'd like to share with the rest of the class?

Originally Posted by MattyC

My ex came home with some MDMA once and I looked at it, and it just looked like a few echincea capsules refilled with god knows what, in a ziploc. No thanks.

The described effects intrigue me, but it's just not a risk I'm going to take I guess.

There's a line in the article above where the former head of chemistry at Purdue University calls MDMA the "Budweiser of psychedelics". Pass.

[Thor]

Originally Posted by calumniate

There's an 80% chance your shrooms are just button mushrooms dipped in lsd, sadly.

Nope, its easy to grow mushrooms, people pick them, grow them and LSD is much harder to come by.

I say this as someone who has grown mushrooms, hunted them, and been a site owner of the shroomery since 2001.

MDMA if you ever want to try it should be taken in its powder form, I have no faith in the pills, even though there are certainly kits to test those.

I would recommend at least trying MDMA once in a nature setting, the same with mushrooms, but thats just me.. 2 of the most amazing experiences I've had in life were housboating on the beach on MDMA and camping on mushrooms.

[Thor]

Also with mushrooms you determine the trip by how much you take, if you don't want to delve into a deep trip with visuals you just take less, as long as you are informed about what you are getting in to, have a good idea of the potency of the stuff you are taking you can take say 1.5 grams and have a great time, no overwhelming visuals or mind trip, just giggles and fun.

[CliffFletcher]

The problem a lot of people have with psychedelics is the high continues to intensify long after you take them. You're more high 2 hours after eating shrooms than you were 1 hour after. And often more high after 3 hours than after 2 hours. Which is great if you're having fun. But can really suck if you're not.