ADGibson wrote:
Do as you will...Harm no one

Excellent sig!

"In that it harm none, do what thy wilt shall be the whole of the Law".

Brian Diaz wrote:

Willow bark is nature's asprin tablet.

I'd hate to see asprin replaced by pot, but that's probably because I like saying "acetylsalicylic acid".

LMAO 

John Jebbia wrote:
"You mean we're smoking dogshit?"

Actually there has been various tests done on Marijuana seized in NY.   One such test in the 90's revealed that over 90% of the so called marijuana was not at all.   It was most often mixtures of dog poop and Oregano.

One of the original names for Oregano was Wild Marjoram.

Smoke up.

galavanmoskou wrote:

This is not true, in Holland they smoke both kinds (btw not only shipped from America.)

I second that.  I saw a documentary in Japan about Japanese kids doing a "smuggle back pot" tour to Amsterdam and back, cuz that's where they can get the most potent kind.

Having said that, I really don't have any attachment to any so to speak drugs: I already don't smoke cigarettes or pot, and I hardly drink.  If the goverment was to turn around and say, okay, pot stays illegal, alcohol and cigarettes are now illegal too, it really wound't have bothered me at all.  I'd rather indulge in the comfort of yummy food and a nice cup of tea..

Jack D Trute wrote:
Actually there has been various tests done on Marijuana seized in NY.   One such test in the 90's revealed that over 90% of the so called marijuana was not at all.   It was most often mixtures of dog poop and Oregano.

One of the original names for Oregano was Wild Marjoram.

Smoke up.

I guess it doesn't really matter so long as it gets you high. I mean some people suck on a frog's ass to get high.

BCG wrote:
i watch C*H*I*P*S and ponch and jon say drugs are for loosers.

C*H*I*P*S got cancelled. so did the prohibition. 2 bad ideas. 3rd bad idea - pot being illegal.

galavanmoskou wrote:
This is so right but a hard thing for a drug addict or just people using it too much and still thinking they are OK.

I like your P.S.

pot is actually not addictive. I have yet to see a pot junkie. people that smoke as often as they drink, or have given up drinking to smoke since the prefer the effects, yes there are those. but yet they have no problem not smoking for a month while they are studying for exams, and other such things.

Alexei Fomin wrote:

pot is actually not addictive. I have yet to see a pot junkie. people that smoke as often as they drink, or have given up drinking to smoke since the prefer the effects, yes there are those. but yet they have no problem not smoking for a month while they are studying for exams, and other such things.

This coming from a 21 year old who can't pass a driving test. 

YES, pot is addictive.  Although it is not as addictive as stimulants, people can and do become addicted to it.  Furthermore, THC leaves a resin type coating on the synapses in the brain (those are like bridges that link one brain cell to another).  After years of frequent usage, that coating becomes thicker and thicker, causing the electrical impulses that pass through the synapses to become delayed in their transmission.  The end result...You ask a pot head a question, he stares at you blankly for a few minutes, and then finally answers with a grin on his face.

Jack D Trute wrote:
Actually there has been various tests done on Marijuana seized in NY.   One such test in the 90's revealed that over 90% of the so called marijuana was not at all.   It was most often mixtures of dog poop and Oregano.

One of the original names for Oregano was Wild Marjoram.

Smoke up.

first time smokers will buy that shit (no pun intended) however, anyone who knows what they're doing will know what to look for. i did when i smoked (notice the past tense, can't afford it anymore, quit cold turkey, no cravings, no nothing. easier than smoking cigarettes, which i've tried quitting 5 or 6 times already and have horrible cravings for when i try to. i'd rather pot be legal than alchohol)


here's another idea - how many times do we hear about a person leaving a fight, goes to the bar, a friend's house, etc, and gets drunk, then comes back and beats the other person, or kills them. now illegalize alchohol and legalize mary jane. what happens? person gets angry, storms out, gets high, comes back and says "let's pass the peace pipe and make up", "i love you, i forgive you", or "i'm sorry"

Ed Burns Photography wrote:
This coming from a 21 year old who can't pass a driving test. 

YES, pot is addictive.  Although it is not as addictive as stimulants, people can and do become addicted to it.  Furthermore, THC leaves a resin type coating on the synapses in the brain (those are like bridges that link one brain cell to another).  After years of frequent usage, that coating becomes thicker and thicker, causing the electrical impulses that pass through the synapses to become delayed in their transmission.  The end result...You ask a pot head a question, he stares at you blankly for a few minutes, and then finally answers with a grin on his face.

A) this is coming from a 21 year old who has had a lot more experience recently than most people discussing here.

B) Alchohol kills your liver. which would you rather have, a slow brain or a dead liver. you can't live without your liver. so i guess i'd rather be able to legally get high. also, if you use a vaporizer, it produces no resin, so that can't get into your system and slow your brain.

C) You have obviously never been around potheads and known who is a pothead, if you think he'd answer with a grin on his face. I've talked to people who were veging out, and yet they still were able to talk, even though they've smoked for 15-30 years. When i smoked, I smoked with professors, doctors, accountants, and others, not just your stereotypical college c student or mechanic.

Alexei Fomin wrote:
A) this is coming from a 21 year old who has had a lot more experience recently than most people discussing here.

Life experience doesn't mean sh*t if you don't learn anything from it and continue to make foolish choices.  As for me, I was saving lives on an ambulance when you were still keeping warm and swimming inside daddy's BVD's

Alexei Fomin wrote:
B) Alchohol kills your liver. which would you rather have, a slow brain or a dead liver. you can't live without your liver. so i guess i'd rather be able to legally get high. also, if you use a vaporizer, it produces no resin, so that can't get into your system and slow your brain.

So what are you trying to prove??  That someone can live without a brain??  THC is THC, regardless of how you inhale it.  If you didn't inhale the THC, you wouldn't get high.  Thus, it affects your brain regardless of the method.

Alexei Fomin wrote:
C) You have obviously never been around potheads and known who is a pothead, if you think he'd answer with a grin on his face. I've talked to people who were veging out, and yet they still were able to talk, even though they've smoked for 15-30 years. When i smoked, I smoked with professors, doctors, accountants, and others, not just your stereotypical college c student or mechanic.

"I'm the Dude. So that's what you call me. You know, that or, uh, His Dudeness, or uh, Duder, or El Duderino if you're not into the whole brevity thing."

Yeah...the Dude abides.

galavanmoskou wrote:
Nevermind but there is one thing I really can't stand about drug addicts, no matter what they are using - alcohol, pot, tabbacco etc. - THEY ALL STINK!! It is disgusting. 

check into crystal meth - doesn't smell. same with heroin

Alexei Fomin wrote:

check into crustal meth - doesn't smell. same with heroin

I'm pretty sure she was talkin' about the users...not the drugs themself.  In that respect, Heroin addicts are some of the worst.

Ed Burns Photography wrote:
This coming from a 21 year old who can't pass a driving test. 

YES, pot is addictive.  Although it is not as addictive as stimulants, people can and do become addicted to it.  Furthermore, THC leaves a resin type coating on the synapses in the brain (those are like bridges that link one brain cell to another).  After years of frequent usage, that coating becomes thicker and thicker, causing the electrical impulses that pass through the synapses to become delayed in their transmission.  The end result...You ask a pot head a question, he stares at you blankly for a few minutes, and then finally answers with a grin on his face.

I don't advocate abusing ANY substance, but I'm curious as to what your source is on this?

I've never heard of any modern research that supports that pot causes permanent cognitive degeneration. There were tests in the 30's and 50's that stated otherwise (ie support your statement), but the test group was skewed. They did NOT have control groups and only tested heavy cannibus smokers. Yes it showed cognitive decline, but in later years this would be shown to be more related to aging then soley due to marijuana use. YET, those tests are what the gov. refers to when it comes to "facts" that it relates to the public. It's  just based on ignorance.

Here's a synopsis of a 7 page article I read about in my free time while at college. Yes, in paper format and I still have the photocopies! This was before I was really hip to internet research

A John Hopkins study published in May 1999, examined marijuana's effects on cognition on 1,318 participants over a 15 year period. Researchers reported "no significant differences in cognitive decline between heavy users, light users, and nonusers of cannabis." They also found "no male-female differences in cognitive decline in relation to cannabis use." "These results ... seem to provide strong evidence of the absence of a long-term residual effect of cannabis use on cognition," they concluded.

Source: Constantine G. Lyketsos, Elizabeth Garrett, Kung-Yee Liang, and James C. Anthony. (1999). "Cannabis Use and Cognitive Decline in Persons under 65 Years of Age," American Journal of Epidemiology, Vol. 149, No. 9.

There HAVE been tests that show that heavy pot smokers who suddenly quit ARE, in effect, more dim-witted  or slower than non smokers. However, the effects are short term and reversible after a few weeks of non-use.

Around this time I wanted to know what pot was all about. You can find information that goes both ways but I found the most credible, independent and interenational info to find pot pretty harmless (in comparison to just about any other controlled substance or alcohol/tobacco). This is info available to everyone so interpret as you will.

Do I want a heavy pot smoker driving my kid to school, of course not. But I'll show the same bias towards an alcoholic or someone hopped up on no-doze. Chances are they have other underlying problems, too. Then there are those who are just plain incompetent on or off drugs. I know plenty of sober screw ups out there. I know plenty of VERY succesful pot smokers. In fact if you think about it, it's usually (besides athletes) pretty low end jobs that require drug tests. When was the last time your broker was tested for drugs?

If you mention bus drivers and pilots - my opinion is you shouldn't be allowed to drink alcohol just as much as you aren't allowed to smoke pot in those positions. Do you really want your pilot to be hung over or drunk when he's flying you somewhere? Sorry folks but it should just be part of the job description IMO.

As for addiction - I get headaches if I don't get my cokes and coffee throughout the day but I can go without alcohol or tobacco (cigars) for weeks or months at a time if I can't find occasion for it.

I DO think there are social situations where drugs (pot and alcohol) are appropriate. If I'm in the privacy of my own home and I want to relax or wind down I will have some wine or a beer. It's all about appropriate behavior. Unfortunately we live in a society that places blame on the pot or alcohol or gun more than responsibility.

Are you better off without any drugs, alcohol or tobacco? Probably...

Do these substances increase creativity... that's open to debate, IMO.

In any case, beyond the documented research, everything else is my opinon. I respect (but question) your statement and ask that you do the same for me

-Geo

geodiego wrote:

Ed Burns Photography wrote:
This coming from a 21 year old who can't pass a driving test. 

YES, pot is addictive.  Although it is not as addictive as stimulants, people can and do become addicted to it.  Furthermore, THC leaves a resin type coating on the synapses in the brain (those are like bridges that link one brain cell to another).  After years of frequent usage, that coating becomes thicker and thicker, causing the electrical impulses that pass through the synapses to become delayed in their transmission.  The end result...You ask a pot head a question, he stares at you blankly for a few minutes, and then finally answers with a grin on his face.

I don't advocate abusing ANY substance, but I'm curious as to what your source is on this?

I've never heard of any modern research that supports that pot causes permanent cognitive degeneration. There were tests in the 30's and 50's that stated otherwise (ie support your statement), but the test group was skewed. They did NOT have control groups and only tested heavy cannibus smokers. Yes it showed cognitive decline, but in later years this would be shown to be more related to aging then soley due to marijuana use. YET, those tests are what the gov. refers to when it comes to "facts" that it relates to the public. It's  just based on ignorance.

Here's a synopsis of a 7 page article I read about in my free time while at college. Yes, in paper format and I still have the photocopies! This was before I was really hip to internet research


There HAVE been tests that show that heavy pot smokers who suddenly quit ARE, in effect, more dim-witted  or slower than non smokers. However, the effects are short term and reversible after a few weeks of non-use.

Around this time I wanted to know what pot was all about. You can find information that goes both ways but I found the most credible, independent and interenational info to find pot pretty harmless (in comparison to just about any other controlled substance or alcohol/tobacco). This is info available to everyone so interpret as you will.

Do I want a heavy pot smoker driving my kid to school, of course not. But I'll show the same bias towards an alcoholic or someone hopped up on no-doze. Chances are they have other underlying problems, too. Then there are those who are just plain incompetent on or off drugs. I know plenty of sober screw ups out there. I know plenty of VERY succesful pot smokers. In fact if you think about it, it's usually (besides athletes) pretty low end jobs that require drug tests. When was the last time your broker was tested for drugs?

If you mention bus drivers and pilots - my opinion is you shouldn't be allowed to drink alcohol just as much as you aren't allowed to smoke pot in those positions. Do you really want your pilot to be hung over or drunk when he's flying you somewhere? Sorry folks but it should just be part of the job description IMO.

As for addiction - I get headaches if I don't get my cokes and coffee throughout the day but I can go without alcohol or tobacco (cigars) for weeks or months at a time if I can't find occasion for it.

I DO think there are social situations where drugs (pot and alcohol) are appropriate. If I'm in the privacy of my own home and I want to relax or wind down I will have some wine or a beer. It's all about appropriate behavior. Unfortunately we live in a society that places blame on the pot or alcohol or gun more than responsibility.

Are you better off without any drugs, alcohol or tobacco? Probably...

Do these substances increase creativity... that's open to debate, IMO.

In any case, beyond the documented research, everything else is my opinon. I respect (but question) your statement and ask that you do the same for me

-Geo

I don't think I can quote you anything off hand (and at such a late hour), but I do know that Dr. Drew (KROQ's late nite host and a board certified physician that specializes in addictions) does speak often about marijuana addiction.  I also remember viewing a documentary in college about the effect of marijuana on the brain, and how it doesn't necessarily slow down reaction time (like alcohol), but it does affect ones ability to multitask.  The study also included tests on pilots in simulators.  You are right though, after a person stops using, they do return to normal states...but let's face it, the guys that REALLY love their weed aren't necessarily rocket scientists to begin with.

Alexei Fomin wrote:
Nope, but it would make my life easier.

Ha Ha you are such a U of M person!!!!! LOL (my alma mater...BFA photography 1993.)

And the 3 year post school townie period til I moved to the only real city in the midwest...you will end up moving here too. I guarantee it.

Ed Burns Photography wrote:
I don't think I can quote you anything off hand (and at such a late hour), but I do know that Dr. Drew (KROQ's late nite host and a board certified physician that specializes in addictions) does speak often about marijuana addiction.  I also remember viewing a documentary in college about the effect of marijuana on the brain, and how it doesn't necessarily slow down reaction time (like alcohol), but it does affect ones ability to multitask.  The study also included tests on pilots in simulators.  You are right though, after a person stops using, they do return to normal states...but let's face it, the guys that REALLY love their weed aren't necessarily rocket scientists to begin with.

Oh my!  Marijuana is not addictive...sheezz...  Been smoking it off and on for years.  Oh, and by the way, I'm an astrophysicist.

Marijuana is not an addictive drug. Some people have addictive personalities - they could get addicted to vitamins or water. 

-R

Lapis wrote:

Ha Ha you are such a U of M person!!!!! LOL (my alma mater...BFA photography 1993.)

And the 3 year post school townie period til I moved to the only real city in the midwest...you will end up moving here too. I guarantee it.

actually i detest U-M since they took out their analog lab and went all digital. But WCC got good analog, and digital gear (except they use DRebels) and good instructors now too. So i switched to wcc for photo from EMU where i was gonna try for an engineering degree (instead of CCS since this way my folks had a few delusions i might switch to science)

MEWanoDesigns wrote:
Not particularly. I'm not fond of anything that causes me to lose control of all rational thought or action.

if that happens, youre smokin too much,lol.

Alexei Fomin wrote:

check into crystal meth - doesn't smell. same with heroin

ever lived with a heroin addict? they don't wash. and people on crystal get really stink sweaty. Generalizations sure, but based on more observation then I would care to mention.

Alexei Fomin wrote:

actually i detest U-M since they took out their analog lab and went all digital. But WCC got good analog, and digital gear (except they use DRebels) and good instructors now too. So i switched to wcc for photo from EMU where i was gonna try for an engineering degree (instead of CCS since this way my folks had a few delusions i might switch to science)

I went when there was this great photo prof. Ken Baird and it was all analogue. That shit is Hard, but i am glad I did it.

Rowen wrote:
Oh my!  Marijuana is not addictive...sheezz...  Been smoking it off and on for years.  Oh, and by the way, I'm an astrophysicist.

Marijuana is not an addictive drug. Some people have addictive personalities - they could get addicted to vitamins or water. 

-R

I drink alocohol on occasion, but I am nowhere near becoming an alcoholic (although the people in Audrey's thread are helping me with their support).  Does that mean that it's not addictive?  Or that I just don't have an addictive personality (I am quite charming though, I must say)?  I'm not saying that all pot smokers are numb skulls, but I am saying that there are some that, quite frankly, are not the brightest bulbs on the tree.  For them, they're already starting the race in last place...why add pot to slow them down even further?  I think it's foolish.  For others though, and it definitely depends on the amount of usage, there are changes to their mental acuity.  Ask any addiction specialist though, and I'm sure they will tell you, people can become addicted to marijuana.

Lapis wrote:
ever lived with a heroin addict? they don't wash. and people on crystal get really stink sweaty. Generalizations sure, but based on more observation then I would care to mention.

what i was saying is that not EVERYONE who uses those 2 smells, unlike the other 3 where you've going to smell of it one way or another

PS. I've stepped out to smoke 4 times since i started replying to this thread, but haven't smoked pot in quite a long while...which one is it that is showing signs of being addictive, and is doing me major harm?

Ed Burns Photography wrote:
You are right though, after a person stops using, they do return to normal states...but let's face it, the guys that REALLY love their weed aren't necessarily rocket scientists to begin with.

LOL! I know what you mean - I do know a few burnouts that smoke all day. I know more than a few alcoholics too. I also know people that are stone cold sober whom are just as usless. The difference is they are addicted to their MTV, McDonalds and mediocrity. Which is more unproductive to society is debatable : /

-George Diego

geodiego wrote:

LOL! I know what you mean - I do know a few burnouts that smoke all day. I know more than a few alcoholics too. I also know people that are stone cold sober whom are just as usless. The difference is they are addicted to their MTV, McDonalds and mediocrity. Which is more unproductive to society is debatable : /

-George Diego

I'd rather hang out with the burnouts, than the mtv/mcdonalds crowd. some of my most interesting conversation has been with people who had just blazed prior to the conversation. Also, the most interesting game of chess i'd ever played, the person was stoned, and was impossible to figure out what he was doing. but he did explain later and it made perfect sense.

geodiego wrote:

LOL! I know what you mean - I do know a few burnouts that smoke all day. I know more than a few alcoholics too. I also know people that are stone cold sober whom are just as usless. The difference is they are addicted to their MTV, McDonalds and mediocrity. Which is more unproductive to society is debatable : /

-George Diego

The Dude: I dropped off the money exactly as per... look, man, I've got certain information, all right? Certain things have come to light. And, you know, has it ever occurred to you, that, instead of, uh, you know, running around, uh, uh, blaming me, you know, given the nature of all this new shit, you know, I-I-I-I... this could be a-a-a-a lot more, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, complex, I mean, it's not just, it might not be just such a simple... uh, you know?

The Big Lebowski: What in God's holy name are you blathering about?

The Dude: I'll tell you what I'm blathering about... I've got information man! New shit has come to light! And shit... man, she kidnapped herself. Well sure, man. Look at it... a young trophy wife, in the parlance of our times, you know, and she, uh, uh, owes money all over town, including to known pornographers, and that's cool... that's, that's cool, I'm, I'm saying, she needs money, man. And of course they're going to say that they didn't get it, because... she wants more, man! She's got to feed the monkey, I mean uh... hasn't that ever occurred to you? Sir?

Tim Downin wrote:
My thoughts as well.  I think the DEA makes more by putting it back on the street, plus it has the added bonus of being a never ending war (or never ending excuse for an avenue to funnel funds that most don't question), and an easy excuse to jail the poor.

Yes but also when you realize that the organization "Partnership for a drug free America" is almost completely sponsored by three groups; the tobacco industry, the distilled sprits industry, and the pharmaceutical industry.

The money from business to keep drugs illegal is enormous. Next time you see a anti drug ad if your tax money didn't go to it most likely companies like Seagram's, RJ Reynolds, and Pfizer were involved. A true state of irony isn't it.

I guess it's not just the government that hates competition for the recreational drug users dollars

Ed Burns Photography wrote:
This coming from a 21 year old who can't pass a driving test. 

YES, pot is addictive.  Although it is not as addictive as stimulants, people can and do become addicted to it.  Furthermore, THC leaves a resin type coating on the synapses in the brain (those are like bridges that link one brain cell to another).  After years of frequent usage, that coating becomes thicker and thicker, causing the electrical impulses that pass through the synapses to become delayed in their transmission.  The end result...You ask a pot head a question, he stares at you blankly for a few minutes, and then finally answers with a grin on his face.

No, marijuana is not physically addictive.  THC has no chemically addictive properties. It is "habit forming" (psychologically addictive), but anything can be.

And by the way, it is STILL the number one cash crop ion Virginia, despite official claims that tobacco is.

Further edit: I've known pothead rocket scientists.  I've also known junkie rocket scientists.

shotbytim wrote:
Kind of funny that tobacco smoking is all but completely illegal in California and still being attacked with the public's blessing while pot smoking is being championed. Pot contians 17 times the nicotine of tobacco, making it 17 times the cancer hazard. Seems that medical marijuana proponents would put more effort into separating the beneficial components from the harmful ones and giving prospetive patients a method of dosage other than smoking.

Marijuana does not have nicotine, but it may have more carcinogens than tobacco. Nicotine is not a carcinogen.  However, once you boil the tobacco in additional carcinogens, they're probably about equal.

Ed Burns Photography wrote:

The Dude: I dropped off the money exactly as per... look, man, I've got certain information, all right? Certain things have come to light. And, you know, has it ever occurred to you, that, instead of, uh, you know, running around, uh, uh, blaming me, you know, given the nature of all this new shit, you know, I-I-I-I... this could be a-a-a-a lot more, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, complex, I mean, it's not just, it might not be just such a simple... uh, you know?

The Big Lebowski: What in God's holy name are you blathering about?

The Dude: I'll tell you what I'm blathering about... I've got information man! New shit has come to light! And shit... man, she kidnapped herself. Well sure, man. Look at it... a young trophy wife, in the parlance of our times, you know, and she, uh, uh, owes money all over town, including to known pornographers, and that's cool... that's, that's cool, I'm, I'm saying, she needs money, man. And of course they're going to say that they didn't get it, because... she wants more, man! She's got to feed the monkey, I mean uh... hasn't that ever occurred to you? Sir?

My favourite movie!!  Just watched it with my girlfriend whilst drinking "Caucasians!"