General Chat / Marijuana

You're correct on this: it's illegal for political and/or racist reasons.

I saw this on History Channel so I'm rather certain it's probably correct: Marijuana was first regulated in the 1930s in an attempt to remove illegal Mexican immigrants who commonly used the drug; and also, to crack down against the Jazz and Blues scene primarily centered in New Orleans and primarily performed/supported by Blacks (and yes I would refer to myself as "white" so what!?). Following the entrance of the United States into WWII weed became the least of the nations problems and was thus ignored. But in the 1960s and 70s as those damn anti-war protesters (aka Hippies) were harassing our government the crackdown began anew in an attempt to cut the stemming tide of the movement.

See!?

I've used it recreationally a few times. It's definitely doesn't deserve it's illegal status; cigarettes being physically more damaging, alcohol being more disorienting and running a higher risk of addiction and/or overdose.

As I said it's illegal for political reasons.

Ride6

I had a similar thought, but couldn't figure where the hell it came from. I now remember seeing that show, but I don't recall the Jazz/Blues part.

it's completely pointless just like every other drug.

Its not completely pointless at all. Its something that makes you feel good. You do lots of things every day just to make yourself feel good.

I've been smoking quite a bit this summer, almost every night. I actually just bought a pretty nice bong a couple weeks ago. And as of now, I have not had any negative effects, I work out every day, I eat very healthy, and come next week I'll be working hard in college. I see nothing wrong with it.

http://blogs.salon.c...anaIllegal.html

1930
Harry J. Anslinger given control of the new Federal Bureau of Narcotics (he remains in the position until 1962)

Anslinger immediately drew upon the themes of racism and violence to draw national attention to the problem he wanted to create. Some of his quotes regarding marijuana...

"There are 100,000 total marijuana smokers in the US, and most are Negroes, Hispanics, Filipinos, and entertainers. Their Satanic music, jazz, and swing, result from marijuana use. This marijuana causes white women to seek sexual relations with Negroes, entertainers, and any others."

"...the primary reason to outlaw marijuana is its effect on the degenerate races."

"Marijuana is an addictive drug which produces in its users insanity, criminality, and death."

"Reefer makes darkies think they're as good as white men."

"Marihuana leads to pacifism and communist brainwashing"

"You smoke a joint and you're likely to kill your brother."

"Marijuana is the most violence-causing drug in the history of mankind."

And he loved to pull out his own version of the "assassin" definition:

"In the year 1090, there was founded in Persia the religious and military order of the Assassins, whose history is one of cruelty, barbarity, and murder, and for good reason: the members were confirmed users of hashish, or marihuana, and it is from the Arabs' 'hashashin' that we have the English word 'assassin.'"

The trouble with talking about marijuana is that both sides of the issue are so clouded by matters of social status that it's almost impossible for anyone to express an unbiased opinion. On the one hand, research (limited as it is on the topic) has uncovered very little verifiable evidence for health hazards due to smoking marijuana. It's relatively unharmful compared to tobacco, alcohol, and probably half the food available in the grocery store (containing hormones, processed starches and corn syrup, genetically modified products, etc). On the other hand, like any psychoactive substance, it's primarily used recreationally as a kind of escape from normal life and thus provides a false solution to life's problems. It's not going to kill you, but it's not going to make you any cooler/happier/more succesful either. It's something you do that kinda feels good. Everything else is social stigma. I think the illegality of marijuana has actually contributed a great deal to it's popularity, becoming a kind of symbolic gesture of rebellion and a rallying call for those disaffected by the status quo. In that respect, it's not really any more socially relevant than something like fashion. It's like wearing a Che Guevara t-shirt. Your clothes don't actually define who you are and neither does smoking pot.

As long as there's money to be made, someone is going to make it available. Personally I think that marijuana (and the like), far from being a lightning rod for the spirit of rebellion it's sometimes made out to be, is partially responsible for the failure of any lasting counter-culture to establish itself in first world countries in the last 100 years. Is it really any surprise that the same people responsible for making it illegal are the ones making it available for sale? Marx said that religion is the opium of the masses -- meaning that it keeps people in check by doping them up. The same can be said of any psychostimulant. Any social stigma associated with smoking marijuana is totally ridiculous and irrelevant. I'll be the first one to say that. It shouldn't be illegal. If you want to smoke some here and there, that's not really any different than having a drink or smoking a cigarette or popping some pain pills or whatever. But that still doesn't make it a responsible life decision. Whether you're drinking alchohol or smoking marijuana or taking some other drug, you're still just doping yourself voluntarily. There's some benefit to be gained from that, but I'd hardly call it praise-worthy. There are better things under the sun. Not to mention there are plenty of people willing to make decisions for you that probably aren't in your best interest. It pays to have an opinion and to do something about it. Whether or not that includes smoking is really not important.

lawl.

those crazy drugs.

I was about to post that Tracid...way to to read my mind.

I try to explain to my extremely anti-drug friend that drinking is worse for you than take ecstacy buy she plain denied it. I showed her this table but she still didn't believe it. There's no proven negative side effects of take E either (apart from some, meaning like 10, irrisponsible people don't use it with any carefulness (can't think of the word) and therefore die due to lack of or too much water intake). Unless by negative, you mean you can come across as a plain weird, chewing psychopath. And temporarily no sex...unless you really try.

Marijuana is the same, no proven negative side effects, though some relation has been seen with schizophrenia when it runs in the family.

As for drink: I think JellyBones hit the nail on the head. Getting drunk does make you loud and pretty much outta control. That's why I prefer other drugs, the sense of control. What's the point in drinking to turn yourself into what Jelly described only to not remember most of the night before, and wake up in a pile of sick/piss with your stomach feeling shite so you can't eat and your head pounding.

So for me

Drinking

The Good:
Makes you more confident
Lots of people do it so it's kinda the norm to go to clubs and bars to drink
Some drinks taste nice (Beer)
It's legal

The Bad:
Turns you into what Jelly described
Makes you sick
Gives you a hangover
Costs shit loads
Some drinks taste fucking disgusting (Vodka, Tequila)
Competitive drinking
Addiction
Liver damage and other health risks, often leading to death
Makes you lose control of yourself


Marijuana

The Good:
Few health risks proven to be associated
Creates nice atmosphere, laid back
Still in complete control of yourself
Tastes nice (to most)
Relatively cheap (depending on how much you smoke/how ofter...cheaper than alcohol I'd say)
Tis natural
Can make cakes

The Bad:
Maybe associated with Schizophrenia when it runs in the family
It's illegal, so getting caught with some could get you in trouble (usually just a warning)
Smoking is bad for you (the tobacco side of it)
It's hard to roll when you're too fucked


And for the hell of it:

E:

The Good:
Makes you feel fucking happy
Makes you feel fucking cool
Makes you much closer to your friends and others around you
Still in complete control
Makes you wanna dance
Easy to take
No long term negative side effects
People never cause trouble on pills (fighting etc.), it's just not gonna happen
Smoking weed afterwards is the amazing

The Bad:
Can't have sex that night
Can make you look pretty weird
Can result in you sharing intimate secrets with your mates you wouldn't usually
It's class A, so getting caught gets you into trouble
It's kinda fake (the first 2 points of The Good are illusions in your own mind ie. You are not any cooler)
Can lead to times of uncertainty (comedowns)

Yar

Wait, metro, you said smoking tobacco was bad, true, but weed doesn't have tobacco in it, at least to my knowledge.

^ But don't some people smoke it with tobacco as well? Like they put tobacco in it when they roll it.

I don't smoke it, so i wouldn't know.

The Good:
Can make cakes

seriously, this is the best reason ever.

the only really harmful thing that is caused by marijuana that i can think of is the smoke inhalation. but as long as you don't do it like every day, you'll probably be pretty fine. as opposed to people who smoke a pack of cigs every day.

Mmm... a topic about marijuana.

I personally strongly believe the government should legalise and control all drugs. Not only would less people take the drugs because they aren't illegal anymore, the drugs would be high quality. If anyone here thinks marijuana just gets you *slightly more relaxed*, come on over! And really, people are dying from bad pills, shouldn't the government help us? An XTC pill isn't even worth 50 cents, the government could take some tax over that for all i care. It's not harmful either (until you take it lots and lots and get into a depression, which you will, then.) And alcohol is legal right? I rarely get too out of control from alcohol but i can tell you it is a HARD drug. Your mind on XTC is crystal clear, that's definitely not the case when you're drunk. On top of this, shouldn't it be your own right to eat/smoke/whatever what you want? You cannot, you just cannot tell me marijuana induces violence. People that are stoned are probably the most harmless creatures out there (although getting high might get you into trouble, but definitely not anymore than alcohol.) Whatever the government does do, it's hypocrytical to have alcohol, dxm, paracetemol, nootmuskaat (don't know the english word here) and nicotine legal, and xtc, lsd, marijuana illegal. I'm pretty sure your concentrations are minimal compared to ours, so it would be even more dangerous for you guys, but did you know you can get over-the-top high from cough syrup? and that doing just that is more harmful and dangerous than cocaine?

Really, i probably could keep going but i got a nice bag of Jack Herrer waiting for me.

Legalize it, don't criticize it

I agree with Peter Tosh.

Wait, metro, you said smoking tobacco was bad, true, but weed doesn't have tobacco in it, at least to my knowledge.

Yeah, Lloyd pretty much got it. When rolled in a joint it's usually done with a 60/40 or 50/50 ratio of weed to tabacco (or at least that's how I roll it). So that's like the equivelent to half a rollup...meh.

the only really harmful thing that is caused by marijuana that i can think of is the smoke inhalation. but as long as you don't do it like every day, you'll probably be pretty fine. as opposed to people who smoke a pack of cigs every day.

yeah, this about the only real problem with it, in my opinion. you get the people who take advantage of it and smoke everyday until they aren't happy without being. mental dependacy, i suppose.

Excessive usage of anything is bad for you. If I eat a lot of carrots, I get the shits. It doesn't mean that it's the most dangerous vegetable just because I'm too retarded not to know when to stop eating them.

Yeah, Lloyd pretty much got it. When rolled in a joint it's usually done with a 60/40 or 50/50 ratio of weed to tabacco (or at least that's how I roll it). So that's like the equivelent to half a rollup...meh.

Why in gods name would you do that? One of my closest friends is a total pot head and he would tell you that doing that ^ is just a total waste of the fun. And I agree with Pete here, pot will do way more than simply relax you if you can get the right stuff. I've done enough that I felt like I was dreaming; literally, while I was indeed, awake; it was exceptionally comfortable, but also very strange.

Overall Ed is correct though; drugs are a waste of a good mind and good life (even if you think yours is otherwise; it's not). I relieve my stress via playing music; it's just what works for me. From time to time I roll a few with that certain 'close friend' and I definitely can agree that it blows off steam like nothing else; however, it's no way to live. Still I can't disagree with Pete here either; if it's our government's job to protect us why do they ban substances that could be regulated and taxed into being relatively safe income? I can understand Heroin or Meth being illegal, and I doubt most drug-using/abusing people would even try those if some of the others were available to them (more easily).

Anyway the general story is Marijuana definitely shouldn't be illegal; it is for social reasons only.

Ride6

Why in gods name would you do that? One of my closest friends is a total pot head and he would tell you that doing that ^ is just a total waste of the fun.

To fill a good j with only weed, you need a good .5 gram which is more than enough to get one high (at least for me it is). For someone who is smoking the j by themself or with one other person, they might not want to use so much weed. Although I personally also think its a waste to roll a j with tobacco because I hate smoking tobacco and why do that when you can just pack a bowl and not have to smoke that shitty tobacco.

Ride6: I'm pretty sure it's to help the joint burn better/stay alight. It's just kinda how I've been brought up to do it so to speak.

^ Yeah i think it makes it burn better, that's what i've always been told too.

Though a pure joint does seem to burn, sometimes, the tobacco is for making it burn. definitely.

the effect of just weed, and smoking it with tobacco is also slightly different. I'm not sure as to exactly why, but smoking it with tobacco makes you more stoned, without: more high.

And yet, smoking a cig after smoking a bowl intensifies your high. Funny how that works.

I <3 new element.