Philosophy of Marijuana

Philosophy Forums Philosophy
1

Alright… how to start this. Basically I’m tired of getting blasted every post I make just because I happened to have posted a couple of times that I smoke weed. So with that in mind, I thought I’d give my thoughts on the subject.

Now let it be known, I am the son of 2 police officers. They are, and have been in the force (RCMP [Canada]) since I was born. For a very long time, up until around grade 11/12 I was dead set against drugs. I had been drinking since grade 10, but like many I did not feel it to be a ‘drug’.

It was aroun 11/12 that I began to really think, ‘What exactly is a drug?’. Alot of my friends smoked pot, and they seemed to be fairly benevolant, indeed quite the opposite from the drunken maniacs any high school teenager encounters during his stint in the hormonal funbin. This led me to alot of research on the subject, I scoured the net looking for informaiton on drugs and marijuana in particular; my curiousity had been sparked in a way that no drunken rant could have achieved.

So, after some debate and flat out teenager rebellion I decided to take my chances and delve into the realm of the potheads. The first couple times I smoked I didn’t actually know how to inhale, and even once I did it didn’t really do anything. I knew this happened sometimes, or so I had heard and so one time I sat down with 2 of my friends and we smoked a rather large joint to our heads and I was blasted into oblivion. The specifics around this don’t matter, it’s useless to attempt to describe the state as it would do more confusion that justice. What matters is that when I went home that night my mom surpised me by being up. I talked with her for quite a while, and to my knowledge she did not know I was intoxicated, I know her better than anyone save perhaps my dad and her siblings, and I simply don’t believe she would deny it, or ignore it for some reason… she’s much too inquisitive. This was important because I knew from then that me and this drug seemed to agree with each for some reason. I never really get that burnt out, and for the most part I get my work done on time and in a fairly intelligent manner.

Drugs are interesting in that they alter the way we as individuals see reality. In this way it is not so much the drug, but the person who will whether the results will be of ‘bennificial’ at least in a subjective manner. A heroin addict may look back on his reign with the drug and say ‘this destroyed my life’, he would likely be correct as this drug as many more downsides than others, but that isn’t to say that a particular person couldn’t look back and say ‘Heroin altered my life, but in a way I (for the most part) expected, and anticipated’. Life altering mistakes with drugs are often a result of ignorance with the subject, for example heroin (not that I’ve tried it :astonished: ) really is not -that- addictive the first time, you do not automatically become ‘hooked’ instantly (at least not in the majority of people - this is always a possibility with any drug… caffeine, even sugar included). It is only after the repitition a couple of times that the true physical addiction starts to take over. The people that do not know how to pace their lives, or their drug habits will often become fell fledged addicts, but there is a reason that corporate hotshots do not turn their lives to shit every time they shoot up, and that difference is information.

Pot is special in that, by definition is is a special drug. It is part hallucinagen which greatly takes away from its addictive potential; almost anyone who’s done acid will tell you the last thing you feel like doing after a trip is more acid. In this regard the THC’s tendancy to say in fat cells (for quite a while I should add grumbles about b-ball drug testing) is speculated to be another reason it has virtually no physical addictive potential, as reminants of the active componant stick around in the bloodstream for quite a while. It is considered by the majority to be the most versatile drug on the planet, it’s applications include: pain relief, hunger stimulant, creativity inducer and a variety of hand-eye coordination tradeoffs that are handy in the game of basketball to say the least. The physical set backs include lathargy (sp?), fatigue, short term memory distortment and at higher levels, alteration of reaction time in conjuction with hand eye movements. I say alteration because in some ways, there are positive tradeoffs but his notion is too hard to explain right now.

I could talk about weed compared to alcohol but I don’t even feel I need to, no one who smoked purely marijuana has ever died as a result of it in Canada, let alone as an overdose. Alcohol poisoning and drunken driving claim more lives than the majority of other diseases combined. Certain stats decieve the reader by claiming that ‘[A certain %] of people involved in car crashes tested positive for marijuna’ but if we really look at this, we’ll see it’s rather misleading because there to ‘test’ for marijuana, would be to test to see if that person had smoked in the last 4 months. This of course tells you nothing about the accident and timeframe in question. I have NEVER, not once, seem a fight between two stoned guys or girls, I can’t even count how many drunken fights I’ve seen.

The bottom line is that drugs, like anything are a way to consume time. Some people excersize more than they need to, others eat more than they need to. Some go on internet forums and write stuff, some play video games. Some listen to music, some have sex. <---- All these things are an alteration of the senses, of our perception. The means may be different, but the end is always the same in that it is different.

People change, despite what they or others may think. If a woman starts smoking pot and then decides to drop out of university to pursue a different course of action, why should she be treated any differently than a woman who started listening to a particular type of music and then decided to drop out of school. Some things distort our senses more than others… things like drugs, but they are no more distortive than love and hate, but yet they seem to be held in such a low regard. I almost feel sorry for the world in that they truly don’t know what they are missing out on, but before you get mad keep in mind that’s just my opinion, from my POV :smiley: . If you’re perfectly happy being a virginal, non-substance abuser… who am I to tell you what to do?

Thanks for you time,

-matt

2

Well if I ever make fun of you it’ll be for posting wacky conspiracy theories, not for smoking pot. Have fun with that…

3

I do remember reading of a man in Amsterdam who died from a marijuana overdose, so it can happen…

4

I’ve smoked a lot of pot. It’s one of my favorite things to do to this day. Although I haven’t in a long time now, the reasons are just because I don’t have a job and need to stay clean in the event of a drug test, and because, well, not having a job means I can’t afford to smoke fifty dollars.

The real appeal of pot, to me, is the whole ‘altered state of consciousness’ thing. You think differently when you’re high; and I mean differently, not less effectively. It’s important to note that drugs are going to effect different people in different ways. As obvious as that sounds, the point would be that some people might not have any clue what I’m talking about when I say that, and others will.

Specifically, the main effect pot has on me is something like turning the volume down on the white noise of existence, allowing you to experience the moment with more intensity. For example, playing video games, watching a movie, having sex, talking, listening to a lecture, and listening to music can all feel much more powerful under the influence than while sober. That’s certainly not to say I cannot have meaningful experiences while sober, so save it. The point is, the influence - the ‘high’ - represents a certain shift of perspective from your ‘ordinary’ one to one you’re not necessarily used to; the results of which can indeed be positive: deeper understanding, greater connectedness with the moment, seeing the world and your life from a ‘different place’.

I don’t know that I think ‘better’ when I’m high; but I certainly think I fall into a certain frame of mind where the details of what I’m thinking are clearer.

Now, having said all that, I can still understand those who think its effects are negative, because, of course, maybe for them, they were. But, like most things, it’s more about who’s doing it, why, and how than it is about any blanket stament, ‘pot is good’ or ‘pot is bad.’

5

If that were true I’d have been dead at 16.
No seriously, source? I’m pretty sure it’s impossible to die of a thc overdose.

6

I don’t think he died of THC overdose so maybe ‘overdose’ is the wrong term. As I remember he simply smoked so much in a room which wasn’t ventilated. I’ll scout about for a link but the story was in a magazine as I remember so I might not find it.

7

Well, I could see one smoking oneself out of an oxygen supply…

I am reminded of the story of the guy that died of methane inhalation after eating too much chilli and falling asleep in a closet sized room…

Farting is lethal! legislate flatulence!

8

Yay … philosophy of marijuana!

I had a dream once where I walked up to a witch in an old abandoned factory building. I was with my mom for some reason. The witch began to talk to both of us. She had a very powerful presence. Asthough she knew everything. The same presence God might give you if you were standing in front of it. She said a lot of stuff which I couldn’t focus on and then out of nowhere I heard something I could focus on. “Marijuana is a forcefield”.

It just so happened that I was smoking pot at the time. Dreams are very personal so you may not get the same thing I got out of what the witch had to say. Try your best though.

Don’t you find it strange that for some reason you have to smoke pot? For some reason you must depend on some outside force for whatever reason. I like to compare pot to things like anti-depressant medication. Doctors feed you anti-depressant pills to make you happy. They cure the symptoms instead the heart of the problem. What some one on anti-depressants should really do is sit down and find out why they are always depressed instead of getting rid of the symptoms for the time being and letting the same problem show up over and over again.

I am not saying that you smoke pot because you are depressed. I am suggesting that there is something that you must sort out, whatever it may be. Maybe it is that your just bored. In this case you would find ways to keep yourself busy without having to induce some chemical. Become completely independant. You don’t need weed, yet you still want it. You should ask yourself why you want pot when you don’t need it.

9

Why do you want music if you don’t need it?

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Because I am bored, it keeps me busy, it is legal, and I can listen to music without damaging my body in any way whatsoever.

I think what your looking for is someone to tell you that it is ok to smoke pot so that you can feel comfortable doing so. Stay away from cops and use it responsibly. For example: don’t go to work or school high. There is a right time and place for everything.

11

The legal thing I’ll give you if you live in the states… cause their laws are sorta extreme, up in Canada it’s basically decriminalized. As for damaging your body… ever been in love? or better yet… ever had your heart broken?

As for the second paragraph, you’re thinking wrong. I’m not looking for anyone to tell me what is ok and what is not. I know what’s ok for me… I do whatever I feel like, I don’t need approval from a bunch of internet randos.

12

I thought wrong. My mistake. I apologize.

13

/clap
/cheer :laughing:

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What does music have to do with pot? Any type of intellectual stimulation or sensory input is in a different category than drugs. Music, art, or internet discourse stimulates your mind. Drugs insert a chemical key into your brain. It’s the difference between “think different” and “think differently.” :wink:

Do drugs harm you or your brain? I’m not sure. I’ve seen evidence trotted out on both sides. Likewise I’ve seen research that indicates that music (classical at least) stimulates mental function and can delay the onset of things like Alzheimers.

Anyone who’s followed my posts on drugs will realize I’m an adamant opponent of the “war on drugs.” For my own part I’d legalize most of 'em. BUT- while I think it’s an individual choice whether to do them, I really dislike dopers, especially potheads. I deal with them daily, and frankly I’m sick of them. They’re mostly lazy and unmotivated, and incredibly unreliable and irresponsible. Not all of them, but most of them.

I’ve met very very few regular pot users that didn’t realize on some level that they probably shouldn’t be using, whether for health reasons, for legal reasons, or for some other purely pragmatic reason.

15

Pot… that reminds me of this weekend!

16

Tip: if people give you a hard time and you ignore them or reveal the stupidity of their remark, and thein them themselves, they will stop.

If you become defensive they will continue. Defensiveness is the physical manifestation of that which people detect pick up upon that leads them to make comments. No matter how good the argument sounds in your head it won’t work. Its a different game altogether.

If you were really completely comfortable with yourself smoking pot, that feeling that moved you through writing all those paragraphs would not have been present; you wouldn’t have written them. Pragmatically speaking, it is best to recognize the feeling and ask yourself, ‘ok, why the hell do I care what people on a message board are saying about me?’

Judy Butler’s The Psychic Life of Power is a good book that details the ways in which people subject themselves to otherwise meaningless external stuff.

Anyway,
my soapbox is buckling under the weight of my head,
Cheers,
Dave

17

Good point Dave,

You’re right… but most of the time when I write, it’s more for my own practice/experience than trying to ‘prove’ anything to anyone. I don’t honestly care what these people think… but I thought I could perhaps shed some light into a subject that some of the more repressed/sheltered users may not be totally familiar with.

18

I was just wondering - if you have children later on in life and they themselves run into drugs, how will you handle the situation?

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Pot is like smoking cigarettes. You don’t get cancer from smoking for a year or two. It may take twenty or thirty years or it may not happen at all. The effects are slow in such cases. Losses are by degree.

20

If I ever see my kid going into a Starbucks, I’m going to beat the #@$* out of him (and he will be a boy, damn it!)

At a young age, I would keep them away physically. It takes rational faculties to resist giving into the flat addictive qualities of drugs. No coffee, no cigarettes, heroin no more than once a week if they’re good, etc… Later in life it would depend on many factors. First, how are they handling themselves as a person. Do they realize responsibility, individuality, competency, etc… Second, what sort of drugs is it? Marajuana is not the same as cocaine is not the same as alcohol, etc… C, how often do they do it and do they take it to excess? Nine, is the use leading to any declines… There’s no knowing such things until you know your kid.

Ultimatley, DRUGS PERVADE OUR SOCIETY. So the question isn’t ‘if’ it’s ‘when.’ Some are illegal, some not. Some are addictive, some not much, some none at all. Some cause massive dammage to the mind, some have more subtle effects, some negligible. Further, other things have similar effects on brain chemistry and similar addictive qualities but are not themselves consumables. For example television, internet forums, etc…

Teach your kids about what they’re going to see. Teach them until you can trust them. If you can’t then love them anyway. If you can’t or that’s not enough… deal the best you can. Just resist vast generalizations…

Dave