Ever taken drugs?

[Kabukiavenger]

No, i prefer to keep my wits about me at all times.

 

[bliink]

What kind of harm has it done to you?

from what I've seen, you turn into an apathetic slob :burp:

 

[No Limit]

from what I've seen, you turn into an apathetic slob :burp:

That's only short term :farmer: :E

 

[AzzMan]

That's interesting, I've seen more damage done to people who drink too much or get hooked on meds than people who smoke pot.

 

[f|uke]

That's interesting, I've seen more damage done to people who drink too much or get hooked on meds than people who smoke pot.

Serious. The only damage pot does is make you f'n lazy and mentally fuzzy.. and those effects wear off if you quit the drug, no matter how much you've smoked.

 

[Yakuza]

Simple, don't try it. I am all for legalizing pot but I will never suggest to anyone that they should try it. Drugs, just like tobacco and alcohol, are bad. When I was smoking pot I was spending a good $600 a month on it, it almost put me out on the street as I couldn't afford rent.

DAMN! I could go pick up a fat sack right now if I wanted for $20 and that would last me a freakin month.

 

[Ennui]

Not true.

Chronic users of a year or more, smoking daily, have a 10% chance of developing amotivational syndrome.

Pot has not been proven to cause brain damage in humans.

http://www.drugtext.org/sub/marmyt1.html

 

[No Limit]

DAMN! I could go pick up a fat sack right now if I wanted for $20 and that would last me a freakin month.

Yeah, well, you aren't addicted. Since I didn't bring this up before I will be fair about it, yes, you can get addicted to pot. Getting off it is a lot easier than getting off any other drug but people saying you can't get addicted is false. And a fat sack for $20? You need to get off that shwag . I was smoking about a 1/16 a day ($25), don't get me wrong, I am in no way proud of it. Like I said, spending so much money on weed made me hit rock bottom for a while.

 

[SubKamran]

Nope and never intend to either.

 

[Yakuza]

from what I've seen, you turn into an apathetic slob :burp:

Yeah but like most things. The "real" problem has nothing to do with weed.

Its like my mother in law. Her son smokes all kinds of weed and drinks. She is so fet up with it and she is upset that his grades are almost straight F's.

She thinks weed and drinking are his problems when in fact his real problems began many years ago. The boy was never taught responsibility, they let him get away with anything. They tried to bribe him into getting good grades. They never showed him how to be responsible. And now he smokes weed and his grades are terrible.

The weed has nothing to do with his problem. Its the same with anything. Being lazy isn't from smoking weed, its lazy people finding an excuse to be lazy.

 

[The Monkey]

well is amsterdam not in sweden?? im really not sure but i belive it is, and that to me would seem thats it's very socially acceptable there...

No, Amsterdam is in Holland/Neatherlands. If that was a joke, then forget this post.

 

[Ennui]

I smoke pot occasionally (a few times a month) and I'm in all honors classes, a math class thats 3 grades ahead, I get straight As and Bs, and I'm generally fine. Lazy as hell though, dunno how I pull it off.

 

[Warbie]

And I can't be assed to read 20 pages right now .

What kind of harm has it done to you?

Personally, just the usual stuff.

Sense of apathy, no motivation. My immune system hit rock bottom - resulting in various illnesses, from shingles to polyarthritis (which I wouldn't wish on anyone)

Obviously my memory took a hit - and hasn't come back since giving up. This was after smoking daily for around 12 years, though.

I know 2 people who've been put away (asylum, not prison) from too much weed smoking. Others who are on antidepressants/psychotics. Many who just sit about all day doing bugger all. (these aren't bums btw - all went to college, most have good degrees)

Of course it could be argued that they had these mental illneses already (which may be true) But I can't believe that such a high percentage of the ppl I know who've smoked weed heavily have developed these problems merely by coincidence.

The problem with weed is that it's so easy to do all the time, everyday. It's unlike other drugs in this respect - and, once you have a tolerance, it's easy to go to work/school etc and never have to stop. (at least with hard drugs you either give up or die - with weed you can smoke for decades, oblivious of the potential damage you're doing to yourself)

 

[No Limit]

Personally, just the usual stuff.

Sense of apathy, no motivation. My immune system hit rock bottom - resulting in various illnesses, from shingles to polyarthritis (which I wouldn't wish on anyone)

Obviously my memory took a hit - and hasn't come back since giving up. This was after smoking daily for around 12 years, though.

I know 2 people who've been put away (asylum, not prison) from too much weed smoking. Others who are on antidepressants/psychotics. Many who just sit about all day doing bugger all. (these aren't bums btw - all went to college, most have good degrees)

Of course it could be argued that they had these mental illneses already (which may be true) But I can't believe that such a high percentage of the ppl I know who've smoked weed heavily have developed these problems merely by coincidence.

The problem with weed is that it's so easy to do all the time, everyday. It's unlike other drugs in this respect - and, once you have a tolerance, it's easy to go to work/school etc and never have to stop. (at least with hard drugs you either give up or die - with weed you can smoke for decades, oblivious of the potential damage you're doing to yourself)

Well 12 years of smoking pot won't be good for you. However, even if these things happened because of weed (I don't think they did and I would think these problems existed before the weed smoking) you are missing the point. I said all along it's bad for you, the dicussion is on it being legalized and it being bad for you isn't a valid argument against legalization.

 

[Ennui]

It affects different people in different ways, I think.

 

[Yakuza]

Yeah, well, you aren't addicted. Since I didn't bring this up before I will be fair about it, yes, you can get addicted to pot. Getting off it is a lot easier than getting off any other drug but people saying you can't get addicted is false. And a fat sack for $20? You need to get off that shwag . I was smoking about a 1/16 a day ($25), don't get me wrong, I am in no way proud of it. Like I said, spending so much money on weed made me hit rock bottom for a while.

LOL totaly dude. I used to be addicted..well in a sense I still am. I used to smoke weed everysingle day all day long. I loved waking up walking outside in the cool morning air and warming myself up from the inside.

But since I became a Christian I have really stopped. Not because weed was bad but because of the person I was. I used to lie all the time about smoking weed and hide it. I used to have a special place were I kept the pipe I got from "trails". I used to smoke a lot and yes I did smoke lots of shwag. But Its so plentiful here in Phoenix AZ man. Its not hard to get dank for some waht cheaper than most places.

 

[Platinum]

Don't do drugs ... But you can smoke weed ...

 

[Warbie]

Well 12 years of smoking pot won't be good for you. However, even if these things happened because of weed (I don't think they did and I would think these problems existed before the weed smoking) you are missing the point. I said all along it's bad for you, the dicussion is on it being legalized and it being bad for you isn't a valid argument against legalization.

Fair enough - I appreciate that it's a seperate issue, one I haven't made my mind up about.

Cannabis is generally considered to be a 'cool' and harmless drug by kids/teenagers and people who don't know any better. I can't help but believe these people will be able to get hold of weed far easier once it's legal (just as they can with booze)

I'm sick of seeing kids who are 11 or 12 smoking weed in the streets/playgrounds. I also believe people are stupid - so favour a strict approach in concern to drug use, rather than an effort to educate. (get the dealers locked up, help treat the addicts - then try and educate the ppl)

 

[Yakuza]

Fair enough - I appreciate that it's a seperate issue, one I haven't made my mind up about.

Cannabis is generally considered to be a 'cool' and harmless drug by kids/teenagers and people who don't know any better. I can't help but believe these people will be able to get hold of weed far easier once it's legal (just as they can with booze)

I'm sick of seeing kids who are 11 or 12 smoking weed in the streets/playgrounds. I also believe people are stupid - so favour a strict approach in concern to drug use, rather than an effort to educate. (get the dealers locked up, help treat the addicts - then educate the ppl)

I know it might sound wacko but I would rather my kid smoking weed than cigaretts. granted there should be an age limit, its just that most of the people I know that started smoking when they were young still smoke today and area smoking way more.

My brother puts away 2 packs a day, 2 freak packs of cigs a day. And considering statisticaly how many of them will die from cancer I would rather have my kid smoking something far less addicting and a lot cheaper in the long run.

 

[Warbie]

I know it might sound wacko but I would rather my kid smoking weed than cigaretts. granted there should be an age limit, its just that most of the people I know that started smoking when they were young still smoke today and area smoking way more.

My brother puts away 2 packs a day, 2 freak packs of cigs a day. And considering statisticaly how many of them will die from cancer I would rather have my kid smoking something far less addicting and a lot cheaper in the long run.

I hear what you're saying, and agree to some extent.

Smoking weed and cigarettes usually go hand in hand (don't think i've ever met someone who smoked cannabis and not tobacco)

Weed messes with your brain, far more than cigarettes do. Puberty is such an important time - determining the men/women we end up as. Doing any drugs at this time is a very big no no .... so many people screw themselves before they've had a chance.

Cannabis is considered 'cool', it's easy to get hold of, cheap, wrongly percieved as hamrless, and addictive (I found giving up weed far harder than cigarettes) Kids who wouldn't dream of doing hard drugs will happily smoke weed all day long. This is the problem.

 

[burner69]

Weed is quite potent compared to drink.
If you don't drink for two weeks it takes like, 3-5 pints to get drunk, but I can get stoned off, well a good joint shared with a mate.

If you smoke weed everyday, and smoke often it will have negative effects. All studies have shown a link between heavily smoking dope and cognitive abilities.
But I think it's pushing it too far when you do it all the time, and the effects aren't as good. Would you sip pints all day long? No! And the effects on your body and mind would be a lot worse.

Simple answer is that to enjoy weed to it's fullest, most responsibly, and safely is to do it perhaps at weekends, or once or twice a week - just enough to get you a little mashed. Doing creative writing at uni, and being a writer, my seminar tutor agrees that some work is "considerably better" than others - guess what state I was in when I wrote the good stuff.

Also I find it much easier to bond with people when stoned.
I appreciate art and music in a completely different light, and enjoy it much more.
I become much more honest with myself, and others - but remaining nice. I think it's impossible to be a t*at when wrecked.

HOWEVER:
I have thrown 2 severe 'whiteys' on excess amounts of weed. One time I genuinely thought I was going to die in my sleep. Of course it was all in my head and have not had a whitey since realising this - but kids, don't over do the dope, if extreme paranoia hits you you're screwed, its not nice. But all in your head - folks, you'd never harm yourself when wrecked.

I also did it regularly not long ago and can confirm it makes you lethargic. The evidence that the effect is long term varies, (see links below) but clearly if you do it in excess for prolonged periods of time (we're talking day after day for months) it is no good thing.
Apologies! Wrong link given before. I'll find one unless someone cud find me one first?
http://www.druglibrary.org/SCHAFFER...edain/lcd2g.htm - shows studies such as linked above can be greatly exageratted, yet there is still a problem with long term, excess cannabis

Now these are my personal experiences. I've smoked dope a thousand times and had perhaps 5 experiences with it that I'd call bad. That is why I still smoke it. The rest of the time I have a great time, become more friendly and creative.
Would you never watch TV if you saw some things on it once or twice that you didn't like? No.

When it comes to legalisation there is clearly no argument in favour of keeping it illegal, as no one has given a good reason why it should be kept so.
Whether you agree with smoking cannabis or not, evidence is there to show that legalisation infact decreases the number of users (probably getting rid of people who do it to be 'cool' - who just give users a bad name). Don't believe me? Read these links
http://www.heartbone.com/no_thugs/hja.htm
http://www.drugwarfacts.org/thenethe.htm
http://www.drugwarfacts.org/thenethe.htm
http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=5450
http://www.drugwarfacts.org/thenethe.htm
www.briancbennett.com

If we live in a society that is generally fine with drink
http://www.nickscape.net/recoveryzone/alcohol.htm
cigarettes
http://www.mindfully.org/Industry/Philip-Morris-Czech-Study.htm

but not cannabis, there is something wrong.

There, these are my honest experiences, blended with the arguments for and against.

But let's be honest, there dosen't seem like many reasons why it should be made illegal. (If you say it's still bad for you you didn't read the links - it IS still bad, but less people will do it)

And some of you may find this amusing.
http://www.health.org/nongovpubs/10things/
Others may not - it goes to show that if there ARE some other negative side effects of weed, the government are no good at advertising them. Increased chance of AIDS while stoned? Wtf?!
And yes it will effect your grades if a) you're stoned at the time (although debateable - my friend got the highest mark in his computer science test when stoned) or b) if you've been doing it persistantly and often before hand.

HIV on weed

EDIT from above link:
"Get with the program. Contrary to what you might hear in songs or see on TV or in the movies, smoking marijuana does not make you cool."
I luv it when governments try and be cool. "Get with the program guys!"

 

[el Chi]

Dope a couple of times but I never really agreed with it or vice versa. I'd be very interested to try other drugs but I'm not really desperate or out there trying to.

 

[BBMcGinty]

Well, that was an interesting read.

Yep, done quite a bit in my lifetime, and I mainly smoked weed. I realised that I was the typical stoner, and haven't had a smoke in months now. I actually have motivation again, it's amazing. I tell you what though, when I'm retired and have nothing better to do than tend to the garden, you better believe I'll be rolling a nice spliff for myself every once and a while.

 

[Reaktor4]

Just wanna make a few more points.
Amotivational syndrome has not actually been proven.
Cannabis is absolutely NOT addictive in the true sense of the word, because it doesnt produce real tolerance.
I think most people who think theyre addicted are probably fooling themselves. I used to think i was sometimes, but i have experienced no noticable withdrawal symptoms in the past couple of years since realising this. Wanting something, or being bored, doesnt mean youre addicted.

 

[f|uke]

Cannabis is absolutely NOT addictive in the true sense of the word, because it doesnt produce real tolerance.
I think most people who think theyre addicted are probably fooling themselves. [..] Wanting something, or being bored, doesnt mean youre addicted.

There is such a thing as psychological addiction. You don't need to have physical addiction/withdrawl symptoms to be addicted. There is a difference, sure, but its still real. I definitly consider myself as having been addicted to pot. I did not smoke it because I was bored, or just because I wanted it. I had an irrational desire to be high constantly, despite the fact that it was destroying me socially and finantially.

When I stopped smoking it I got very irritable for a while, a common enough effect which could be considered a symptom of withdrawl.

 

[burner69]

Agreed you can get addicted phychologically.
And agreed many people do just do it cuz they're bored.

I think it all boils down to doing it in moderation from the start - if you do this you'll never get these effects. Say "I'll have three joints a week. I can smoke them all at once or half a day for six days." Whatever. Bad example I know, cuz I rarely smoke alone - and sharing three joints between friends all week wud suk.... as if there was a few of you that'd be half cut once a week :hmph:

 

[Reaktor4]

There is such a thing as psychological addiction. You don't need to have physical addiction/withdrawl symptoms to be addicted. There is a difference, sure, but its still real. I definitly consider myself as having been addicted to pot. I did not smoke it because I was bored, or just because I wanted it. I had an irrational desire to be high constantly, despite the fact that it was destroying me socially and finantially.

When I stopped smoking it I got very irritable for a while, a common enough effect which could be considered a symptom of withdrawl.

I didnt say there was no such thing as psychological addiction. I said cannabis isnt addictive.
edit: and i didnt say it cant cause psychological withdrawals either. I just think if more people tried self control they would have less problems.

 

[Jammydodger]

Yes I have and yes I still do thanks.
See my sig

Have fun all, thats what its all about.

 

[Burn]

No I have not, never will.

 

[Raziaar]

I'm very anti drug. Only thing i've ever done was take a puff from a cigarette once, and my friends pressured me into it. But I was too cool to keep on doing it! Haven't even given thought to using legal or illegal drugs, not even alcohol. In punk terms, guess you could call me straight-edge.

 

[Bad^Hat]

I tried cigarettes once, it was a nice rush

 

[Absinthe]

I tried cigarettes once, it was a nice rush

That only lasts for the first few cigs. The effects become a lot more subtle after that.

 

[burner69]

I'm very anti drug. Only thing i've ever done was take a puff from a cigarette once, and my friends pressured me into it. But I was too cool to keep on doing it! Haven't even given thought to using legal or illegal drugs, not even alcohol. In punk terms, guess you could call me straight-edge.

You might want to read some of the links one page back. I'd be very interested to hear what anti-drug people make of it, providing they don't just say it's all "nonsense" (BS more likely). Cheerz

 

[MadHatter]

Note: I posted this in both the general discussion and political threads. I wasn't sure which thread was the 'hot spot' at the time. So this post mentions greater drugs than marijuana.


Okay. I said before I'd make a more constructed post after I gave this subject some more thought. I've come to a few conclusions. They are as follows:


Since marijuana isn't the most lethal and potent of drugs, perhaps it should be legalized / tolerated because the effects aren't terribly bad as opposed to other drugs. But, if it were to be legaized or tolerated, it should be heavily regulated and controlled like alcohol. I'm just going to use the term 'legaized' for legalization or tolerated, they both pretty much bear the same ideas.


My stance on other forms of drugs and narcotics remains the same: I strongly disagree with the legalization of other more potent and harmful drugs such as cocaine, heroin, e-pills, etc. My feeling is the effects of other more potent and lethal drugs are too great and pose too much of a threat to society. One can argue that if they were legalized with a sturdy system to maintain and help control substance usage would work well. I disagree. Alcohol already has many systems and laws tied to it and alcohol is responsible for many problems. Legalizing a broad amount of drugs, other than lesser drugs such as marijuana, would be multiplying the problems caused by alcohol by whatever number, x; the the problems can be auto accidents, negligence, abuse, overdose, anything's possible. Some people become alcoholics and it is tolerated because alcohol is legal. Last thing we need are people addicted to cocaine with a system that encourages and supports it (by encouraging and supporting, I mean there are would be no restrictions on amounts of usage and the fact that it's legal; sort of like alcohol).

I think the brainwashing debate is entirely a matter of opinion.

Yeah, the brainwashing subject / debate is utter nonesense. Since when has someone been brainwashed for having an opinion or simply disagreeing with another opinion? (Not asking you directly.)

I hate to say it, but the perception that marijuana improves peoples' thinking methods doesn't sound right. Alters the thought proccess? Yes. Improves? I seriously doubt it. How do I know and what am I basing this on? I was a stoner in my high school years. When I adopted weed into my life, my grades and attendance plummeted. I arrived to class half-conscience of my environment and had an extremely difficult time remembering and retaining content from class. It also greatly provoked my apathetic nature and lead me to procrastinate to a greater extent. So, I guess a valid argument would be: Marijuana does not improve, but rather alters the thought proccess, or it is simply not meant for everyone and affects other people in a variety of ways. I remember one of my high school friends was very mellow and calm while high and another friend was always giddy and vigorous with the attention span of a gnat.

This, of course, does not mean it shouldn't be legal or tolerated; only regulated and controlled with high attention the same way alcohol is. Alcohol has similar effects to what I previously stated, so I don't see why not.

Regarding the uglier and more lethal drugs -- no way they should be legalized. Sure, you can say, "Put them under regulation and schtuff and let things work from there; everything and everyone would benefit". But so what? Alcohol is potent and dangerous enough and look how much trouble it causes. Sad thing is, people cannot be trusted and dependable -- thus the dilemmas surrounding alcohol. Sure, you can slap on many regulations and laws on conaine, heroin, etc., but that doesn't mean everything will work smoothly and vast positive results would return. Do you encourage the dilemmas which these drugs would bring, or do you try preventing the dilemmas? I choose prevention. Alcohol and weed are enough.

 

[Alig]

I've smoked weed and stood in a room with people smoking crack cocaine but i'd never do anything that harsh. Not even a pill or nothing. My mums a prison officer and so is my step dad so im surrounded by the LAW. Kind of

But yeah i smoked weed a little bit when i was younger and on holiday with some cotneys in there appartment, was funny because i could just remember being extremely wasted with my all inclusive drink all you want card in the hotel we was at and then we met these cotneys and they smuggled weed through the airport and i just smoked some with them which put me in a state of motionless and i started being sick over there balcony into the persons balcony below them while this girl i was with was sprawled over there bog throwing up last time i smoke weed anyway.

Its not a bad drug i dont think, i'd hardly consider it a drug either, its got no side effects from smoking it but i just hate it even though ive been a smoker since 14 and im now 19. It almost is legal in UK...your just not allowed to sell it or smoke it in public places but inside your own house its legal.

 

[aeroripper]

so many brainwashed people

look who's talking

I don't think theirs anything really wrong with smoking weed and the media blows it WAY WAY WAY out of proportion yet they fail to tell you about how they put small traces of mercury in vaccines and aspartame in a lot of foods yet tell you its safe or "barely an issue"... and lets not forget that nice vioxx recall that had ill effects on so many people yet the FDA so happily passed it...

EDIT: Got some more: flouride has been known to cause bone cancer (yet its in many toothpastes)

yet pot its blown up to be the devils drug of choice to destroy young minds... which is the bigger issue here... years in prison just for a couple ounces of a naturally occuring plant? Guess you might be with the terrorists if you smoke weed.

My advice? Smoke it up while you still can, just smoke with moderation just like alcohol otherwise you can kind of lazy keep in mind that alcohol is by far a more destructive drug than pot... just look at casualties of drunk driving.

:farmer:

 

[johnnypoopoopant]

aolcohol is drugs so im pretty sure everyone or almost eveyone did drugs

but i dont drink or smoke cannibis

but i do take advil :naughty:

 

[burner69]

Just something for the UK guys.
The experiment that they did on the affects of cannabis, which results made the government make it illegal, is this.

They took 5 monkeys and put them in a plastic box a few metres long. They pumped in 20'000 times the amount of cannabis smoke from a joint inside and left the smoke in there with the monkeys for four weeks. Afterwards the monkeys had addverse side effects. On that evidence cannabis was made illegal.

 

[Homer]

Just something for the UK guys.
The experiment that they did on the affects of cannabis, which results made the government make it illegal, is this.

They took 5 monkeys and put them in a plastic box a few metres long. They pumped in 20'000 times the amount of cannabis smoke from a joint inside and left the smoke in there with the monkeys for four weeks. Afterwards the monkeys had addverse side effects. On that evidence cannabis was made illegal.

Its illegal because they were trying to find a way to drive all the Mexican immigrants out of the country in the 50s.

But to be fair, weed never made anyones life better.

 

[mchammer75040]

But to be fair, weed never made anyones life better.

bullshit. Do you know every single person who has smoked weed?
No you dont, so dont make such wild generalizations. Personally it has helped me come over my anxiety and depression, as well as helped me see things from a different perspective. Like with anything weed is a give and take, it can have harmful effects but it has its share of pros aswell. The key is moderation.