# Put the bong down- step away from the weed



## where I want to (Oct 28, 2008)

I have had relatively close experience with two people who used pot regularly but not constantly. Both shared a couple of characteristics of odd thought processes. Both firmly believed that pot did not effect their ability to reason at all. But having a conversation with them could get pretty strange. You could have the same discussion with them every time you met as if it was the first time. Then you found they had had the same conversation repeatedly with others. And this tendency got worse as they got older.
Then they made really odd choices of behavior, basically doing ordinary things in risky ways, which I thought was just what some people did. For example, my next door neighbor would drive down the road with his 8 year old hanging on top of the roof to have fun. 
But the thing that made me wonder is that one of them had to stop smoking pot, basically any form of it, due to illness and those two behaviors stopped almost right away.
Sometimes their thought processes seem to appear on forum discussions too.
So yea or nay in your experience.


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## Vash (Jan 19, 2014)

Like any substance, some people can handle it better than others.


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## Guest (Mar 29, 2014)

Some people have no sense whether they smoke pot or not . There are many other reasons for idiotic behavior .


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## Harry Chickpea (Dec 19, 2008)

Just consider how crazy they might be if NOT mellowed out with pot...

Repetitive conversation or rant is something else.


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## FeralFemale (Apr 10, 2006)

Pot heads always like to think that pot doesn't affect them negatively, but those around them who aren't fellow pot heads can totally see it.


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## Laura (May 10, 2002)

I encounter weird behaviors and odd thought processes in people who would never consider using mj. I have on occasion suggested to some they try it to mellow their stuff out. I haven't been so bold as to suggest Thorazine yet, but I suggest they see their doctor. I wish I could discover the ultimate Smart Pill and hand them out like candy.


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## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

FeralFemale said:


> Pot heads always like to think that pot doesn't affect them negatively, but those around them who aren't fellow pot heads can totally see it.



I feel the same way about people who use alcohol excessively. They also seem to feel that nobody notices the negative effects.


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## Laura (May 10, 2002)

Living in a state where pot is legal for recreational and medical use, I am more concerned with those smoking meth and heroin, their impact on the community and their families.


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## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

There is always a difference between the behaviours of those that use a substance casually and those that abuse habitually.


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## Paumon (Jul 12, 2007)

> You could have the same discussion with them every time you met as if it was the first time. Then you found they had had the same conversation repeatedly with others. And this tendency got worse as they got older.


Yes, I've noticed that in a few pot-heads, the ones that are hard core stoners. But I've also noticed it in a lot of diabetics, and many people who have to take prescription pain killers every day for chronic pain, people who drink alcohol, people who eat too much sugar or too many carbohydrates, people who are bi-polar or schizophrenic, kids with attention deficit disorder, people who are autistic, adults with short attention spans who get bored easily, people who have OCD, egotistical people who are attention getters and talk just for the sake of monopolizing a conversation, people who are poorly educated or limited in mundane knowledge, people who don't have a diversity of interests or hobbies, people who are lonely, people who are obsessed with politics or religion, people who deliberately isolate themselves from society - and as you say, the tendency seems to get worse as they get older.


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## Twobottom (Sep 29, 2013)

I have three cousins ( brothers ) that are all regular pot smokers. I mean every single day since they were around 13. Two of them are doctors and one is an electrician with his own contracting company. Two out of the three are raising well adjusted children and have long term, stable marriages.

I don't smoke it because I dont like the way it makes me feel. But my experience with friends and family who do use it has lead me to believe that all the anti-marijuana propaganda out there is 95% bunk.

I know many more people who have screwed their lives up with alcohol.


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## Evons hubby (Oct 3, 2005)

I find it interesting that folks always see the negative in other peoples habits and feel the need to reform them. Nothing new about that... my SIG line is borrowed from Mark Twain.


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## where I want to (Oct 28, 2008)

Yvonne's hubby said:


> I find it interesting that folks always see the negative in other peoples habits and feel the need to reform them. Nothing new about that... my SIG line is borrowed from Mark Twain.


I doubt that Mark Twain's humor was pointed in the direction of not fixing bad habits but instead is pointed in the direction of blindness about one's own habits while being aware of other's problems. I doubt he would find that means no interference in destructive behavior to others. But that you should see clearly your own problems and, when you don't, you become a pompous fool.


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## Evons hubby (Oct 3, 2005)

where I want to said:


> I doubt that Mark Twain's humor was pointed in the direction of not fixing bad habits but instead is pointed in the direction of blindness about one's own habits while being aware of other's problems. I doubt he would find that means no interference in destructive behavior to others. * But that you should see clearly your own problems and, when you don't, you become a pompous fool*.


I couldn't agree more.


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## where I want to (Oct 28, 2008)

Twobottom said:


> I have three cousins ( brothers ) that are all regular pot smokers. I mean every single day since they were around 13. Two of them are doctors and one is an electrician with his own contracting company. Two out of the three are raising well adjusted children and have long term, stable marriages.
> 
> I don't smoke it because I dont like the way it makes me feel. But my experience with friends and family who do use it has lead me to believe that all the anti-marijuana propaganda out there is 95% bunk.
> 
> I know many more people who have screwed their lives up with alcohol.


Here I go where angels fear to tread. And I have zero indication that it applies to your relatives. But.....
Having been subject to more than one medical mistake by doctors and living in pot central, just because a doctor can stand upright and not slur his words does not mean he is not impaired and making poor judgements. Just because he is still practicing does not mean he has exercised the best judgement that he would have if he were unimpaired.
I would love that doctors and medical personnel would be subject to random testing, but I have a sneaking feeling that half of our unusually scary pool of physicians would disappear. We leave in an area where it is routine to be told by insiders to never let a local doctor do surgery on you if you can avoid it. With hats off to at least a couple of specialists I truly respect.


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## where I want to (Oct 28, 2008)

Yvonne's hubby said:


> I couldn't agree more.


I knew that would come and thereby lies the point of Twain's wit. But again a little more precisely- it does not mean that you should never judge others. Only- only that you should also judge yourself equally.
I think you are taking it to mean that you should not judge others.


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## Tiempo (May 22, 2008)

Twobottom said:


> I have three cousins ( brothers ) that are all regular pot smokers. I mean every single day since they were around 13. Two of them are doctors and one is an electrician with his own contracting company. Two out of the three are raising well adjusted children and have long term, stable marriages.
> 
> I don't smoke it because I dont like the way it makes me feel. But my experience with friends and family who do use it has lead me to believe that all the anti-marijuana propaganda out there is 95% bunk.
> 
> I know many more people who have screwed their lives up with alcohol.


I tried it a few times when I was a teen and wondered what all the fuss was about, not impressed at all, but I suppose like a lot of things people react to it differently. For me, meh.

There have been a few people that I've known quite well for a long time and been surprised to find out they are long time daily smokers, I never would have guessed.

That said, I prefer to think any professional I hire that might partake is saving it for off hours.


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## where I want to (Oct 28, 2008)

Tiempo said:


> I tried it a few times when I was a teen and wondered what all the fuss was about, not impressed at all, but I suppose like a lot of things people react to it differently. For me, meh.
> 
> There have been a few people that I've known quite well for a long time and been surprised to find out they are long time daily smokers, I never would have guessed.
> 
> That said, I prefer to think any professional I hire that might partake is saving it for off hours.


I guess that is what I really would like evaluated scientifically. Pot heads do not think they are effected when they seem to me to be so.
Unlike alcohol, pot does not leave the system relatively fast. And it's primary effect- that I see- is that pot heads make judgements they would not make if they were sober and they don't see the difference. It seems to be an effect of pot to make it all ok.
But for all I know, people who are laden with pot are making good decisions and I only know the ones who aren't. But I suspect not- if it didn't cause a change, no one would use it. The question is how long those effects linger.
That is one thing that the courts are going to process in the States where recreational pot is legal.


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## plowjockey (Aug 18, 2008)

My ancient experience was mostly with younger smokers. 

I don't recall rolleyes pot making their behavior much more risky, than it already was, usually making them do _less_ risky things, because they mellow out. Booze was another story. 

Some were more "goofy" when stoned, most you could barely tell the difference.

I know adult people who smoke today, but as far as I know, they do not partake, when working their businesses or jobs.

Like other's have stated, it's like any other drug. People react to it in different, more/less severe ways. Someone who smokes it all day and night, would surely seem be a little "toasted", but maybe they function just fine.

Other than medicinal, IMO getting high every morning, afternoon and night is about the same as popping open a beer at 7am every day. Is it really necessary?


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## DAVID In Wisconsin (Dec 3, 2002)

I don't partake but don't think it's a big deal for those that do. However the most useless human beings I have ever met were potheads that smoked continuously. They were oblivious to their uselessness and horrible decision making. Much like a few chronic alcoholics I have known over the years.


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## tiffnzacsmom (Jan 26, 2006)

Most of those I interact with who smoke do not act any differently under the influence then typically though the one becomes more talkative which is a good thing for him. I know plenty who act a fool but they are multi generational idgits for the most part and it has little to nothing to do with herbal supplementation.


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## FeralFemale (Apr 10, 2006)

I really don't care if people smoke pot or if it legalized or not. I just get tired of some people pretending that it is harmless. It's not. That goes for any mind altering substance. 

Sometimes it seems that the pro pot folks belong to some sort of pot cult, lol. Or maybe they just defend it so much as a way to smooth over any underlying guilt they have for substance abuse?

I dunno, but I do like that pot has some redeeming qualities when it comes to cancer/pain/etc treatments.


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## thesedays (Feb 25, 2011)

wr said:


> There is always a difference between the behaviours of those that use a substance casually and those that abuse habitually.


And those who use it medicinally are another breed altogether. People who use abusable drugs for the purposes for which they are intended rarely become addicted (they can become dependent), have no desire to take more than they need or is prescribed, and have no desire to stay on them if the condition they're used to treat is relieved.

People who are addicted to drugs see their quality of life go down. People who are dependent on drugs see their quality of life go up. That's the difference.


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## where I want to (Oct 28, 2008)

tiffnzacsmom said:


> Most of those I interact with who smoke do not act any differently under the influence then typically though the one becomes more talkative which is a good thing for him. I know plenty who act a fool but they are multi generational idgits for the most part and it has little to nothing to do with herbal supplementation.


I only came to that conclusion (not yet firmly set) by knowing the two I did know well, seeing they behaved in the same odd way. Til I watched one de-pot himself and saw those oddities disappear over several months, I just thought an idiot is an idiot. 
I now suspect idiocy is magnified by pot and it takes months for that to go away. Not days- months.


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## Twobottom (Sep 29, 2013)

where I want to said:


> Here I go where angels fear to tread. And I have zero indication that it applies to your relatives. But.....
> Having been subject to more than one medical mistake by doctors and living in pot central, just because a doctor can stand upright and not slur his words does not mean he is not impaired and making poor judgements. Just because he is still practicing does not mean he has exercised the best judgement that he would have if he were unimpaired.


....and just because he smokes pot sometimes doesn't mean he is impaired and making poor judgements at work. In fact they are both fine physicians with extremely busy practices. They both held down jobs while going to medical school...not something that a mentally impaired person can pull off. Sounds to me like you already have reached a conclusion and are trying to fit the evidence to it, rather than the other way around. 

Not just relatives but I have a friend who also smokes pot regularly. He is one of the most intelligent, dynamic, and active people I know. Not anything like the people you describe.


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## Twobottom (Sep 29, 2013)

where I want to said:


> I guess that is what I really would like evaluated scientifically. Pot heads do not think they are effected when they seem to me to be so.
> Unlike alcohol, pot does not leave the system relatively fast. And it's primary effect- that I see- is that pot heads make judgements they would not make if they were sober and they don't see the difference. It seems to be an effect of pot to make it all ok.
> But for all I know, people who are laden with pot are making good decisions and I only know the ones who aren't. But I suspect not- if it didn't cause a change, no one would use it. The question is how long those effects linger.
> That is one thing that the courts are going to process in the States where recreational pot is legal.


I don't think any of this is true at all and I am beginning to wonder if you are really evaluating people who smoke pot, or people who might be doing other substances. When people are high they know it. In fact I was having a political discussion with my friend the other day and he said he couldn't follow the discussion at that moment because he was too high.

Your experience with pot smokers sounds completely different from mine.


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## where I want to (Oct 28, 2008)

Twobottom said:


> ....and just because he smokes pot sometimes doesn't mean he is impaired and making poor judgements at work. In fact they are both fine physicians with extremely busy practices. They both held down jobs while going to medical school...not something that a mentally impaired person can pull off. Sounds to me like you already have reached a conclusion and are trying to fit the evidence to it, rather than the other way around.
> 
> Not just relatives but I have a friend who also smokes pot regularly. He is one of the most intelligent, dynamic, and active people I know. Not anything like the people you describe.


No but I am highly susicious. I want some unbiased research. I admit that the two people I mentioned got worse as they got older.
BTW there are plenty of alcoholic doctors careening their way through patients until finally removed. The trouble with pot is that that intoxication is less apparent. Doesn't mean that it does not exist as a problem.


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## potatoguru (May 6, 2013)

nothin wrong with a little weed now and then...


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## FeralFemale (Apr 10, 2006)

potatoguru said:


> nothin wrong with a little weed now and then...


 
lol...this reminded me of a quote from the movie Clueless:

"It is one thing to spark up a doobie and get laced at parties, but it is quite another to be fried all day."


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## Belldandy (Feb 16, 2014)

where I want to said:


> I have had relatively close experience with two people who used pot regularly but not constantly. Both shared a couple of characteristics of odd thought processes. Both firmly believed that pot did not effect their ability to reason at all. But having a conversation with them could get pretty strange. You could have the same discussion with them every time you met as if it was the first time. Then you found they had had the same conversation repeatedly with others. And this tendency got worse as they got older.
> Then they made really odd choices of behavior, basically doing ordinary things in risky ways, which I thought was just what some people did. For example, my next door neighbor would drive down the road with his 8 year old hanging on top of the roof to have fun.
> But the thing that made me wonder is that one of them had to stop smoking pot, basically any form of it, due to illness and those two behaviors stopped almost right away.
> Sometimes their thought processes seem to appear on forum discussions too.
> So yea or nay in your experience.


In spades...two bright, focused friends turned into basically, floor pillows.


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## unregistered41671 (Dec 29, 2009)

Twobottom said:


> ....and just because he smokes pot sometimes doesn't mean he is impaired and making poor judgements at work. In fact they are both fine physicians with extremely busy practices. They both held down jobs while going to medical school...not something that a mentally impaired person can pull off. Sounds to me like you already have reached a conclusion and are trying to fit the evidence to it, rather than the other way around.
> 
> Not just relatives but I have a friend who also smokes pot regularly. He is one of the most intelligent, dynamic, and active people I know. Not anything like the people you describe.


If I knew a Dr was a regular pot smoker, I would have to change Dr.s
From what I understand, it is very difficult to detect. I have known Dr's in the past that were addicted to prescription drugs. Would not want them doctoring on me either.
I know a nurse who used to work in an OR. She told me about an incident that she had to tell the Dr to leave the OR and call in another Dr.

People think that 'they can handle it' but many can not. I am not sure they know where to draw the line. I would not want to fly with a pot smoker, someone who has been drinking, or anyone taking any type of mind altering or hallucinating meds. Or even Ambien for that matter.


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## Laura (May 10, 2002)

There's substantial medical research on marijuana and the different compounds it contains. The medical benefits don't all come from THC but from the other compounds. 

THC content varies from weed to weed. Those who wish to partake to be incredibly high, be stupid and useless for the entire day, This Bud's for You. Others partake for other reasons including valid medical replacement for pharmaceutical chemical cocktails and their unwanted side effects. Those who need the benefits of the other organic compounds, but don't want to be stoned out of their gourds, strains are grown and fed specifically for this purpose.

It's not 1 bud fits all.

Just because you know a couple of non-functioning potheads doesn't mean all partakers are of the same ilk. I was surprised to learn how many of my dad's ******* friends smoked pot, and he's 85 years old.


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## Evons hubby (Oct 3, 2005)

where I want to said:


> I knew that would come and thereby lies the point of Twain's wit. But again a little more precisely- it does not mean that you should never judge others. Only- only that you should also judge yourself equally.
> I think you are taking it to mean that you should not judge others.


Naw.. just do the judging AFTER you have cleaned up yer own porch. Me? I doubt seriously that I will ever have my own house in order. Feel free to do whatever you like... you'll get no quarrel from me so long as you don't ask me to pick up the tab.


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## Evons hubby (Oct 3, 2005)

where I want to said:


> No but I am highly susicious. I want some unbiased research. I admit that the two people I mentioned got worse as they got older.
> BTW there are plenty of alcoholic doctors careening their way through patients until finally removed. The trouble with pot is that that intoxication is less apparent. Doesn't mean that it does not exist as a problem.


Finding unbiased research is going to be tricky at best. I recall all to well government "studies" done back in the sixties that conclusively "proved" that pot smoking caused brain damage in chimps. Come to find out the test subject had been strapped in a chair and force fed via a face mask pot smoke continuously for a month and the chimp showed some signs of brain damage. I suspect oxygen starvation.... the gooberment stated it was the pot.


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## smalltime (Jan 26, 2007)

Unless you try it, your never going to understand what it's about. It's like someone who saw movie but never read the book, your never going to know the whole story... And If you have no interest in trying it, then why do you care? Why does anyone care about a substance they have no interest in actually using themselves?


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## Evons hubby (Oct 3, 2005)

smalltime said:


> Unless you try it, your never going to understand what it's about. It's like someone who saw movie but never read the book, your never going to know the whole story... And If you have no interest in trying it, then why do you care? Why does anyone care about a substance they have no interest in actually using themselves?


Good point!


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## Harry Chickpea (Dec 19, 2008)

smalltime said:


> Unless you try it, your never going to understand what it's about. It's like someone who saw movie but never read the book, your never going to know the whole story... And If you have no interest in trying it, then why do you care? Why does anyone care about a substance they have no interest in actually using themselves?


Like with many things for me, intellectual curiosity as much as anything. Tried it in college, got a RAGING headache and no fun. Chalked it up to my being different and moved on. It wasn't the first time I have had weird reactions. Took some caffeine pills once to help study for a test, promptly got an upset stomach and fell asleep. :awh:


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## terradura (Mar 19, 2012)

_Then they made really odd choices of behavior, basically doing ordinary things in risky ways_


Or could it be they had cats?

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/03/how-your-cat-is-making-you-crazy/308873/


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## Evons hubby (Oct 3, 2005)

terradura said:


> _Then they made really odd choices of behavior, basically doing ordinary things in risky ways_
> 
> 
> Or could it be they had cats?
> ...


Or maybe those odd choices only appear to be odd or risky to the unenlightened. Sometimes ya just gotta be there in order to understand the next fellers reasoning. None of us ever make the same footprints through life.... one fellers way of life might be quite unimaginable to the next feller, and vice verse. I am quite certain the average wall street broker would think my lifestyle quite strange.... if not downright "unacceptable". To me? It makes perfect sense. (My cats are pretty good mousetraps)


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## fishinshawn (Nov 8, 2010)

I'd rather deal with a pot head then a drunk or someone high on oxy any day of the week. I have tried pot and found it much more relaxing then alcohol, and I didn't wake up with a hangover. Woke up refreshed and feeling great, probably the best night of sleep I had ever had. Now that I am a parent though, I don't partake, my job pee tests, and being employed is more important to me then smoking a jay. BTW as far as effects go, I rarely felt them for long then a couple of hours. 
Pot can be detected via urine test for about 30 days in most people, however that doesn't mean you are high or even under the effects...


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## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

fishinshawn said:


> I'd rather deal with a pot head then a drunk or someone high on oxy any day of the week. I have tried pot and found it much more relaxing then alcohol, and I didn't wake up with a hangover. Woke up refreshed and feeling great, probably the best night of sleep I had ever had. Now that I am a parent though, I don't partake, my job pee tests, and being employed is more important to me then smoking a jay. BTW as far as effects go, I rarely felt them for long then a couple of hours.
> Pot can be detected via urine test for about 30 days in most people, however that doesn't mean you are high or even under the effects...



I think most people would consider cocaine to be far more dangerous than pot and a person only needs to stop using for 2 - 3 days to pass a drug test.


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## gweny (Feb 10, 2014)

I think my view on this may be a bit extreme comparatively.

I believe in personal freedom. I support legalizing it along with every drug. I support euthanasia as well. I think everyone should have the right to destroy thier life if they want to. I can't fix stupid, but maybe if we let it happen stupid will fix itself. I support natural selection, personal freedom, and taking responsibility for ones own actions. To me they are all the same thing.


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## sisterpine (May 9, 2004)

My neighbor in MT for many years is a heavy drinker. We would go over on Friday for poker night and listen to the same stories over and over...made me a bit nuts. Have another long time friend who does neither pot or booze but who talks constantly, telling the same stories over and over without knowing it. His wife is always telling him, we heard that one already. I think in his case it is a nervous disorder or something.


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## FeralFemale (Apr 10, 2006)

wr said:


> I think most people would consider cocaine to be far more dangerous than pot and a person only needs to stop using for 2 - 3 days to pass a drug test.


3 days for cocaine, maybe, but pot stays in your system a lot longer, particularly if you are a regular user. You may be talking about cocaine, but the way the sentence is phrased makes it unclear. I don't want anyone following the 2-3 days advice by accident. That would make for one bad day at work, lol.


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## where I want to (Oct 28, 2008)

smalltime said:


> Unless you try it, your never going to understand what it's about. It's like someone who saw movie but never read the book, your never going to know the whole story... And If you have no interest in trying it, then why do you care? Why does anyone care about a substance they have no interest in actually using themselves?


Because this man who could not remember he talked to me three or four times in the last few days (mind you he came to discuss something that was scary dangerous- not repeat old war stories,) would be on the road with his child hanging off the roof for fun, having just lit a trash burn during a high danger dry period, under the trees that bordered my property.
This remark is one reason I question what pot does to judgment and for how long- he did not see what he was doing as a problem that involved other people either. You'd say that is dangerous. He look at you blankly, say "yeah" and do the same stupid thing a few days later. 
I've also noticed that pot people come out of the woodwork to tell why pot is good and to leave them alone but never ever have I heard one discuss the issues it causes to others.


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## Belldandy (Feb 16, 2014)

wr said:


> I think most people would consider cocaine to be far more dangerous than pot and a person only needs to stop using for 2 - 3 days to pass a drug test.


That's just sad in so many ways.


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## Laura (May 10, 2002)

Can we discuss the changes in brain chemistry and neurological damages from chemical food additives in this thread?


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## Guest (Mar 30, 2014)

where I want to said:


> Because this man who could not remember he talked to me three or four times in the last few days (mind you he came to discuss something that was scary dangerous- not repeat old war stories,) would be on the road with his child hanging off the roof for fun, having just lit a trash burn during a high danger dry period, under the trees that bordered my property.
> This remark is one reason I question what pot does to judgment and for how long- he did not see what he was doing as a problem that involved other people either. You'd say that is dangerous. He look at you blankly, say "yeah" and do the same stupid thing a few days later.
> I've also noticed that pot people come out of the woodwork to tell why pot is good and to leave them alone but never ever have I heard one discuss the issues it causes to others.


I think this person had bigger problems than pot use . Maybe he was just stupid to begin with & getting high just put him over the edge . Sounds more like an alcoholic to me .


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## PricklyThistle (Feb 6, 2014)

I won't say I've been an avid smoker for years at a time or anything but then again, maybe I have ;D

I also don't put much faith in intelligence quotient testing but I've tested pretty high.

My memory is borderline photographic

Every friend I have has been an avid smoker for 20+ years. All of them are of above average intelligence and "gainfully employed" in jobs that require good memories and fast thinking.

What I have seen in the way of the general populace and the degradation of the average person's intelligence is that it is observably linked to the steady rise in the use of psychiatric medications and diets packed with preservatives and other nasties.

I'm not really sure why we're still stuck in the Reefer Madness mentality.


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## where I want to (Oct 28, 2008)

WV Hillbilly said:


> I think this person had bigger problems than pot use . Maybe he was just stupid to begin with & getting high just put him over the edge . Sounds more like an alcoholic to me .


No signs of alcohol. Just pot. 
And what raised the issue was when he was forced to stop. All the lack of judgement issues went away too.


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## where I want to (Oct 28, 2008)

PricklyThistle said:


> I won't say I've been an avid smoker for years at a time or anything but then again, maybe I have ;D
> 
> I also don't put much faith in intelligence quotient testing but I've tested pretty high.
> 
> ...


On our local TV there is an ad for a plumber that has a local actor doing short pieces using characters illustrating why you should call for service rather than doing it yourself. One character is a grumpy old man who used to be able to fix anything himself, another a guy with smudges on his face and smoking tshirt saying he didn't know what went wrong. The last character was a stereotypical humboldt hubby in a tie died shirt and knit cap talking about the tub that plugged up years ago so he stopped using it and his last line was "now what was this commercial about? " People recognised this character as a common local one.
Even if you smoke like chimney and put Einstein to shame and are right about this opinion, that does not mean that others escape so well. Flicking off other people's experiences as not possible only reinforces the idea that people don't see their own problems with pot.
If it had no effect people wouldn't use it. My experience has been that people don't see problems that others see- they insist they are fine when it is clear they are not. There have been wildfires, car accidents and house fires caused by people involved were alleged to have been high on pot.
If there is good evidence that it doesn't effect judgement, then fine. I'll believe it despite experiences apparently otherwise.
I personally want to know how long the impairment of jugement lasts so that people are held responsible if being high contributes to death or injury.


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## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

where I want to said:


> On our local TV there is an ad for a plumber that has a local actor doing short pieces using characters illustrating why you should call for service rather than doing it yourself. One character is a grumpy old man who used to be able to fix anything himself, another a guy with smudges on his face and smoking tshirt saying he didn't know what went wrong. The last character was a stereotypical humboldt hubby in a tie died shirt and knit cap talking about the tub that plugged up years ago so he stopped using it and his last line was "now what was this commercial about? " People recognised this character as a common local one.
> 
> Even if you smoke like chimney and put Einstein to shame and are right about this opinion, that does not mean that others escape so well. Flicking off other people's experiences as not possible only reinforces the idea that people don't see their own problems with pot.
> 
> ...



I'm not sure that anyone is flicking off your observations but people who have offered experiences or personal observations. 

Based on my observations, it seems that someone who smokes a joint will show signs of visible impairment for a shorter period of time than someone consuming alcohol but as with alcohol, habitual abuse brings different results than a casual user. 

Use and abuse of any substance, including alcohol, directly affects the level of impairment and side effects.


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## Laura (May 10, 2002)

I believe Washington State Patrol has developed a roadside "Under the Influence" test. I'm not sure if it works like a bong or not.

I'm sure living in your Emerald Triangle you have a higher rate of incidences involving everyday users of top THC premium bud. Those of us who are first responders in other parts of the country see other main causes for Stuff Happens in people's lives. They don't often connect them to their personal choices either.


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## Twobottom (Sep 29, 2013)

"Where I want to be"....tell me do you drink alcoholic beverages? Are you aware of some of the problems associated with alcohol?

I can tell you some horror stories about what alcohol has done to people's lives. But then again my grandfather drank a glass of scotch on the rocks everyday before dinner and he lived to be 85 and never had any problems with it.


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## Evons hubby (Oct 3, 2005)

where I want to said:


> Because this man who could not remember he talked to me three or four times in the last few days (mind you he came to discuss something that was scary dangerous- not repeat old war stories,) would be on the road with his child hanging off the roof for fun, having just lit a trash burn during a high danger dry period, under the trees that bordered my property.
> This remark is one reason I question what pot does to judgment and for how long- he did not see what he was doing as a problem that involved other people either. You'd say that is dangerous. He look at you blankly, say "yeah" and do the same stupid thing a few days later.
> I've also noticed that pot people come out of the woodwork to tell why pot is good and to leave them alone but never ever have I heard one discuss the issues it causes to others.


I am curious here... has the child ever fallen off the car and been injured? Has this guy ever started a fire that got out of control and caused major damage? He just may be exercising better judgement than you think.


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## thesedays (Feb 25, 2011)

Laura said:


> I believe Washington State Patrol has developed a roadside "Under the Influence" test. I'm not sure if it works like a bong or not.
> 
> I'm sure living in your Emerald Triangle you have a higher rate of incidences involving everyday users of top THC premium bud. Those of us who are first responders in other parts of the country see other main causes for Stuff Happens in people's lives. They don't often connect them to their personal choices either.


When my sister was in high school, she had some friends who drove home after a party where they had been smoking marijuana, and got pulled over on the freeway. They said, "Officer, sorry, we didn't know we were speeding" and he replied, "You weren't. You were going 15 miles an hour."

:ashamed:

I, too have heard stories about people who said "Pot hasn't affected me at all!" but they were people who also could not get or keep a job, did not take care of their children, were clueless as to why they never had money for essentials, etc. Granted, I have no idea how much of that would have been the case if they weren't smoking weed all the time.


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## PricklyThistle (Feb 6, 2014)

where I want to said:


> Flicking off other people's experiences as not possible only reinforces the idea that people don't see their own problems with pot.
> If it had no effect people wouldn't use it. My experience has been that people don't see problems that others see- they insist they are fine when it is clear they are not. There have been wildfires, car accidents and house fires caused by people involved were alleged to have been high on pot.
> If there is good evidence that it doesn't effect judgement, then fine. I'll believe it despite experiences apparently otherwise.
> I personally want to know how long the impairment of jugement lasts so that people are held responsible if being high contributes to death or injury.


I don't know anyone else's experience with oregano for that matter, either. If it doesn't do you well, don't bother with it. What's the problem? It's a plant. Too much garlic makes me light headed. I watch how much I eat but I'd not expect any government authority to limit my choice of using it.

I've never seen people be LESS cautious when smoking it. If anything, one's caution meter skyrockets. Allegations are just allegations. Some allege that I'm quite looney. 

Have you ever smoked it? If so, I doubt you recall being LESS self-critical or having a lowered standard of judgement. It doesn't work that way.


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## PricklyThistle (Feb 6, 2014)

thesedays said:


> When my sister was in high school, she had some friends who drove home after a party where they had been smoking marijuana, and got pulled over on the freeway. They said, "Officer, sorry, we didn't know we were speeding" and he replied, "You weren't. You were going 15 miles an hour."


Haha, like the old joke goes - a drunk driver drives through stop lights, a stoned driver waits at stop signs. There is an effect. Pot has a way of making you hyper-careful.


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## bluefish (Jan 27, 2006)

Just from reading this thread, I now get a bunch of 'legalize pot' ads on the forum. :hysterical:


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## sidepasser (May 10, 2002)

I have seen people who were alcoholics get DUI's, beat their wives and kids, lose their jobs, and saw my ex-husband die of alcoholism at age 37, a very horrible way to go with cirrhosis of the liver, huge holes in his stomach where the alcohol had eaten away the stomach lining, and brain damage or as he used to say "drain bramage"..sad really.

I've seen people so hopped up on prescription drugs they didn't know if they were coming or going and really didn't care. I have seen a LOT of script abuse in my day, one particularly bad drug is soma..sleep and sleep some more. Of course now we also have every type of depression adjustor out there..some over-medicate and others, well, "there's mother's little helper"..valium..it's still around.

Pot, well I know a lot of pot smokers. Never seen anyone smoke at work, never known a pot smoker to be motivated enough to rob a bank either..lol..chill and drink some wine, eat some chips and laugh at a movie..

but all of the ones I know have a job, a good income and own their own houses..amazing in the land of engineering just how many smoke weed..it seems that it is the drug of choice to relax with. Personally I never have had a problem with it, just treat it like alcohol and don't smoke and drive, fly airplanes, or work with heavy machinery..

course most folks that smoke weed, they aren't getting off that couch to go start up a dozer anyway, but they might mug you for a bag of doritos 

There are far worse things in the world than pot..and you know what..they are legal in the US as long as you can spout a good line at a doctor's office. Script abuse is the biggest drug abuse we have going on and the number of people who abuse them would put pot smokers in the minority. You can get a pill for anxiety and another for sleep and one for depression..and take them all together..

Many elderly people are heavily medicated..keeps them quiet you know. I'd rather someone smoke some weed than take some of the scripts that are handed out these days. I hope that every state legalizes pot and gets to regulate it and tax it. We are going to need some way to pay for Ocare.


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## Evons hubby (Oct 3, 2005)

PricklyThistle said:


> Haha, like the old joke goes - a drunk driver drives through stop lights, a stoned driver waits at stop signs. There is an effect. Pot has a way of making you hyper-careful.


And then there are the texters who insist there is no intersection.


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## smalltime (Jan 26, 2007)

where I want to said:


> Because this man who could not remember he talked to me three or four times in the last few days (mind you he came to discuss something that was scary dangerous- not repeat old war stories,) would be on the road with his child hanging off the roof for fun, having just lit a trash burn during a high danger dry period, under the trees that bordered my property.
> This remark is one reason I question what pot does to judgment and for how long- he did not see what he was doing as a problem that involved other people either. You'd say that is dangerous. He look at you blankly, say "yeah" and do the same stupid thing a few days later.
> I've also noticed that pot people come out of the woodwork to tell why pot is good and to leave them alone but never ever have I heard one discuss the issues it causes to others.


 Marijuana's effects typically wear off within an Hour, give or take 20mins. What you are describing with your neighbor is not the typical behavior associated with marijuana use. 
To discuss the issues it causes to others, I'd have to say the most harmful thing associated with Marijuana use are the legal ramifications if you are caught possessing it... The state will destroy your career, family and future if you are caught possessing even the seeds! Other than that, what issues are you referring to?


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## Belldandy (Feb 16, 2014)

I can't believe we are defending 'getting high.' 

I seriously can't.


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## mmoetc (Oct 9, 2012)

Belldandy said:


> I can't believe we are defending 'getting high.'
> 
> I seriously can't.


Not all that different from a thread about people's favorite cocktails, is it? People use and their bodies process intoxicants in a variety of different ways. A long time ago in a galaxy far away I ran a country establishment that opened at 9 each morning with a local stopping by for a Brandy and a bump before he went off to run his highly successful business. I later worked for a company that was growing into $100M + annual sales that had no mandatory drug testing because the founder and CEO wouldn't have passed. I've met people on the other end of the spectrum that have limited and even ruined their lives through abusing a variety of substances, including alcohol. I tend to judge people by who they are and what they accomplish, not what they ingest for recreation.


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## arabian knight (Dec 19, 2005)

I just hope that more3 states go forward and at least get Medical pot available for those that could use it for that purpose.


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## notwyse (Feb 16, 2014)

I can't believe that we can't accept that there are extremes in all we do. I have worked many years as an emergency nurse....and I can tell you to each his own. Did you know you can use benadryl as a recreation drug? Sniff paint? Gasoline? Glue? Nail polish remover? Do you really think by regulating pot you protect yourself or others? Or do we create a situation where certain folks can make a bunch of money for a product that some will use legal or no.


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## Laura (May 10, 2002)

Most people do self-medicate, most are unaware. Those who would never dream of touching wine to their lips or even caffeine often resort to donuts. What's your comfort food and what's in it?

I know a number of health care providers who issue WA Green Cards. They do extensive continuing education to maintain their licenses and they are choosing medical marijuana education to keep up with their patients. First, they are impressed with the huge amount of pharmaceuticals their patients can and do eliminate from their lives improving their quality of life. Second, they are impressed with the amount of medical research that has gone into the various compounds of marijuana and how they affect and treat conditions.

Many of these health care providers have stated they would use mj, as their health issues make them eligible for the Green Card, but although it is legal in our state..... it is still a federally controlled substance and usage would cost them their licenses.


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## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

Some people have to smoke weed so they don't have the urge to kill the idiots that don't smoke it...


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## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

smalltime said:


> Marijuana's effects typically wear off within an Hour, give or take 20mins.


You must not be buying the good stuff... an hour????


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## elkhound (May 30, 2006)

i dont know about pot but i made me a bong from a chicken waterer and then filled it with alfalfa and tried that...all i done was cough....but the chickens seemed to lay better.

oh and be sure and not get any of that poly twine in it...that smell of burning/smoldering plastic haunted me for weeks.............roflmao


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## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

Elk.. if you're gonna smoke stuff off the farm, try corn silk.. it's not so harsh.. and no worries about twine..


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## emdeengee (Apr 20, 2010)

where I want to said:


> I have had relatively close experience with two people who used pot regularly but not constantly. Both shared a couple of characteristics of odd thought processes. Both firmly believed that pot did not effect their ability to reason at all. But having a conversation with them could get pretty strange. You could have the same discussion with them every time you met as if it was the first time. Then you found they had had the same conversation repeatedly with others. And this tendency got worse as they got older.
> Then they made really odd choices of behavior, basically doing ordinary things in risky ways, which I thought was just what some people did. For example, my next door neighbor would drive down the road with his 8 year old hanging on top of the roof to have fun.
> But the thing that made me wonder is that one of them had to stop smoking pot, basically any form of it, due to illness and those two behaviors stopped almost right away.
> Sometimes their thought processes seem to appear on forum discussions too.
> So yea or nay in your experience.


My experience is that those who substance abuse fit your description of the two people you have had relatively close experience with fairly well but not completely. 

But this does not just apply to pot users. It applies to those who use other illegal drugs, prescription drugs and most of all alcohol. 

When anyone is under the influence they just do not behave normally and have no control so the impairments are very visible. 

In my experience the destruction of the brain and impairment of its function as well as that of the rest of the body never gets reversed completely. Once the damage is done it is done. 

And all the substance abusers I have known also lose their social consciousness and their moral compass does change dramatically. Again because they have no control. When they quit they do improve their lives and the lives of those around them and some go on to make a huge success of their lives but many have done too much damage to themselves and others. 

But it is certainly worthwhile to support and help anyone who wants to change.


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## paradox (Nov 19, 2012)

I have fibromyalgia and some days you may catch me in a serious "fibro fog" where my brain just won't seem to kick into gear. I may ask the same question over and over or tell you something over and over. I have never smoked pot or used any drugs outside of prescriptions and I am pretty adamant about what I will and won't take on those. So you can't blame mine on drugs really. Just a condition I got stuck with...

I am aware of my condition when it is happening, just not capable of doing anything about it except limiting my activities on those days. But I have always jokingly equated it to stoners that I have known. Except, they are like that all the time 

I have known some people that used occasionally and didn't notice anything too horribly wrong with them. But there is definitely a line somewhere that some people have crossed and just ruined themselves.


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## Oggie (May 29, 2003)

terradura said:


> _Then they made really odd choices of behavior, basically doing ordinary things in risky ways_
> 
> 
> Or could it be they had cats?
> ...


Most people underestimate the danger of cats.

Oh sure, that whole "Oh my kitty is so cute and funny when it's high on catnip" thing seems like good fun.

Until we realize how that very thing has desensitized thousands of children about the danger of using medicinal plants to alter mood.

That being said, and with the disclaimer that pot just isn't my thing, I do see a whole bunch of fat people who just don't seem capable of moderation when it comes to food, but that doesn't mean I'm going to give up my nightly ice cream.

And, if the government tries to force that issue, they'll have to pry my ice cream spoon from my cold, sticky fingers!


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## smalltime (Jan 26, 2007)

simi-steading said:


> You must not be buying the good stuff... an hour????


I was speaking of your average swag that is widely available to most, I smoke the good  but not everyone has these genetics available to them...


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## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

arabian knight said:


> I just hope that more3 states go forward and at least get Medical pot available for those that could use it for that purpose.


Michigan voters legalized medical pot a few years ago. Everyone I knew thought it silly to restrict a dying cancer patient of some relief. But that isn't how it played out. Now every pot head just locates the doctor that will issue a card and they can continue their habit."Doc, my back hurts, pot helps, give me a card." The Pot smokers saw that vote as a move towards total legalization, but many feel duped. If you have a card, you can buy pot plants on craigslist, in the farm and garden section.


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## PricklyThistle (Feb 6, 2014)

When I think of people getting a prescription for medical marijuana who don't necessarily have a real physical issue, I think....who cares. It really makes no difference to me why someone smokes it but for those who Do have a real need for something that can help their pain, their appetite, or other symptoms of a very real condition, I think it would be a crying shame to prohibit them from having it or make it more difficult for them to get simply because some might fill a prescription for recreational purposes. 

I don't really see the problem with buying plants, either. Heirloom Pot Seeds!


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## bloogrssgrl (Jan 20, 2008)

where I want to said:


> There have been wildfires, car accidents and house fires caused by people involved were alleged to have been high on pot.


I would venture to guess that wildfires, car accident and house fires are also caused by people who had not been smoking pot.

I used it periodically in my teens and early 20's and have been in a circle of friends who are everything from daily users to once in a while special occasion users since. 

From MY experience, the ones who are daily users engage in much less risky behaviors than the ones I know who only use occasionally. That is much more a personality trait, I believe, than anything to do with pot. The daily smokers just shake their heads at the group of us who go sky diving, ski like fiends, whitewater raft major rivers, along with all the fun crazy things we get into in unorganized activities. Again, from my own experience, risky/poor decisions are either made by the people who tend to make them anyway or folks using alcohol or stimulant drugs.

If anything, I would say that the heavy daily use seems to rob some people of motivation. One friend in particular is one of the smartest guys I know and could probably be doing anything with his life. Instead, he leads a very simple life working at a gardening center just enough so he can take care of himself and get himself to music festivals during the summer. A waste of potential? Who am I to say? He seems happier than most people I know.

I'm not sure you are going to get the answers you seem to desperately want to hear. Most of us who have a lot of direct experience with it don't see the behaviors you see in your two friends.

For the record, I haven't smoked pot in many years because of drug testing at my place of employment. If I could, I sure wouldn't mind being able to light one up on the weekend once in a while. Eagerly awaiting legalization.


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## Laura (May 10, 2002)

MJ is used by a complete cross section of society for many different reasons, especially for brain disorders. I know for certain the few people I know who decided the best way for them to quit their 2 pack a day Marlboro habits was joint replacement had screws loose before they discovered the miracles of marijuana.

They're built low but they have good hearts. They work and have strong backs, but you'll have to work out the bugs yourself. And they're docile.


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## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

http://detroit.craigslist.org/wyn/rid/4394489486.html

Ride to Denver?


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## fishinshawn (Nov 8, 2010)

where I want to said:


> I've also noticed that pot people come out of the woodwork to tell why pot is good and to leave them alone but never ever have I heard one discuss the issues it causes to others.


I think that you are convinced by the old reefer madness stuff so you see what you want to see. The evidence in this thread maybe anecdotal, but lots of personal experience and honest answers. Basically I feel that pot is similar to alcohol without the addictive effects, and it certainly causes less medical and social problems then alcohol. 




where I want to said:


> Even if you smoke like chimney and put Einstein to shame and are right about this opinion, that does not mean that others escape so well. Flicking off other people's experiences as not possible only reinforces the idea that people don't see their own problems with pot.


Many people can't see problems with pot because they simply don't have any. Myself and my friends can sit down and smoke a bowl and be just as safe as if we sat down and split a 12 pack of beer. neither will cause us or anyone around us a problem. If you never smoked it, it is hard to explain what the "buzz" feels like, but it is different then alcohol, and doesn't last a slong.


where I want to said:


> There have been wildfires, car accidents and house fires caused by people involved were alleged to have been high on pot.


 Prescription pill related accidents, deaths, and injuries will be much greater in the next month then pot related will be for the next 5 years or more. 


Belldandy said:


> I can't believe we are defending 'getting high.'
> 
> I seriously can't.


Can we defend getting drunk? Or does that need a defense? Any educated person who has looked at the stats can plainly see that pot is less harmful then alcohol and all of the most commonly abused prescription pills.


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## Deeplines (Dec 7, 2013)

Yvonne's hubby said:


> I am curious here... has the child ever fallen off the car and been injured? Has this guy ever started a fire that got out of control and caused major damage? He just may be exercising better judgement than you think.




Looking forward to this answer.

Not that I support it, but just wondering by comparison how stupid this argument is. 

More wrecks are caused by people not drinking then those that are. Statistics lie but numbers never do. Statistically it is safer to drive drunk if 30% of the wrecks are caused by drunk people. Now if you take the numbers, which can never be done, of folks that are driving drunk (lets say 100) and 70 wreck then the statistics completely change.


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## dixiegal62 (Aug 18, 2007)

Could care less one way or the other who smokes pot or doesn't. Through the years I have often wished I could get the mellow high I've witnessed others getting, sadly pot makes me very sick. I've tried it several times in my younger years and always ended up the same way...hugging the toilet praying for it to end. I must be allergic.


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## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

http://www.ksat.com/woman-calls-police-complains-about-bad-weed/25356112

altered thought processes?


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## Evons hubby (Oct 3, 2005)

haypoint said:


> http://www.ksat.com/woman-calls-police-complains-about-bad-weed/25356112
> 
> altered thought processes?


Puts me in mind of a neighbor here in ky a few years back... called the sheriff complaining someone had ripped off all of his pot plants! :drum:


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