Against Pot - What can it do...

[Ranma Saotomi]

I totaly agree with what you just said!

[Breezblok]

I've heard a lot of arguments for and against pot. I've never tried the stuff myself, and being from the background I'm from (middle-class, cushy, strong values) I probably never would because it's not worth my head. But I've always kept an open mind about it, and I'm not overly condemning of those who do use it. I think the biggest argument I can find against pot that doesn't also apply to alcohol and ciggies is that it's illegal, and it's that illegality that forces a lot of people away from it and creates a heightened cynicism of the drug. I wouldn't smoke pot for the same reason I wouldn't knock over a 7/11 - okay so it's a much more radical example but you get my point right?

Pot is not, in itself, that dangerous (though I'm not arguing it can lead to much worse things). There are no reports of pot-related deaths, BUT, it can screw with you a hell of a lot. I have a few friends who do it and sometimes when they come down off a high they can get very irritable, sometimes violent, but mostly they just don't have any idea where they are or what's going on. Granted they're fine after that, but it's still messing around with SOMETHING up there and that can't be too great. The thing about alcohol is that if you only have one or two pints, you feel relaxed and calm and it's good for socialising. Getting high is a little more extreme and we're messing around a bit more with the ol ticker, and I don't like to go there that often - alcohol is just much easier to moderate, and I don't find myself addicted at all - I can drink as often as once a day to as little as none for a few months depending on the circumstances. Though I probably shouldn't be saying this, I'm only 16 but the laws are a little more lax in the ol UK

Cigarettes I don't condone at all. NOTHING good comes from cigarettes. My parents smoke and it's horrible to watch them. I tried to convince them to quit, and they did for a little while, but now they're right back on them again. In my view cigarettes are a lot worse than pot (even though joints have tobacco in them, but that's a much lower quantity and you don't get the other shit that's in cigarettes like arsenic, for example) because cigarettes actively kill people. The reason people are more averse to pot than ciggies I think is that pot is illegal, and in my view ciggies should be too. If you think about it pot actually has medicinal uses, so cigarettes are by far the most pointless and dangerous things of the three.

And there you have my balanced, middle-of-the-road, probably crappy, argument.

[Aiman]

Well, I tried pot 2 times in my life. And I smoke cigarettes. Yes I am trying to quit 'cuz I do know the effects of them, and Im doing a very good job at it. I just smoke when Im down and depressed, which isnt very often. And I plan to stop it soon. Pot, it sucks, makes you sleepy and hungry. And I honestly didnt enjoy being high. Why I did it too times ? Well the answwer is simple but requires a story. To make the story short, Im gonna say that Ive been drunk just once in my entire life, and that day I decided to try pot. I was so drunk I dunno if I was high or what. The 2nd time I did to know how it felt and it sucked and I know I wont be doing it again. After that I havent got drunk, nor high anymore.

I used to play in a band here in Puerto Rico, which they are now a very popular band locally,( and i missed out on that cuz I had problems with the 1st guitarrist and now he got kicked out after I left the band....grrr) anyway... back to the point. All of them are still my friends. Specially the singer and the remainin guitar player who were there since I was in the band. The drummer that replaced me is a pot junkie, and he smokes everyday. He got the guitar player hooked on pot.... just pot !!! And now they both smoke everyday. The drummer is 35 yrs old and he says hes been smokin since he was 14. Everytime he gets sick with flu or stuff l;ike that, weed cures him and crap. The guitar player is far the person I once new. He seems lost in space and his attention span is soooo limited. He gets lost easily and I still wonder how the hell he plays everynight the guitar. I sometimes think is a miracle !!

Another thing...

I know each person has a different view about life and a different perpective on each matter. My intention is not to turn you guys against each other. I just wanted to "Blow off steam" about my own life problems. I dont have many friends in real life and loosing one of the few people who hang out with me almost everyday to drugs sucks ass !!!
I respect any everyone of you and your opinions. And I guess for some people it is fun. Just that my experience has taught me differently, thats all...

Thanks for all your replies in this matter...

~Rick

[Ming]

I have read through everything that everyone has said, and I must say that I'm impressed. Out of all the comments that I have read, only one has been (sort-of) in favor of pot (strangely that was from my good friend Ted), and it makes me really happy to see how all of you are against something like this, no matter how much society tries to tell us that "pot is ok". It's good to see that there are still intelligent people out there who can think for themselves. And as much as I love my good friend Ted, and I will stand behind him, I cannot agree with his views on this subject. Pot IS bad, in any quantity. It should be outlawed, and more action should be taken against it. Because no matter how much someone can say that it is harmless, even if one person has died as a result of it, directly or indirectly, we should stop it.

I must say that I am against drugs and drug use of any kind. STRONGLY against it. I have never done any drugs, nor will I ever. I like to think that I have the willpower to reject such things which I know I do not need. The question of need is what frustrates me the most. Why do you need to do something to alter your perception on things?

I really don't see why getting high or drunk enhances an experience. I remember talking to one of my neighbors here at school about the band Our Lady Peace. He was telling me how he loves them and how he went to see them "high off his ass". I lost all respect for him at that point. I saw Our Lady Peace once. It was the greatest concert I have ever been to, and odds are, nothing will EVER top it. The band puts on an absolutely AMAZING show that is driven by the strong devotion of the fans. How can you possibly comprehend such an amazing experience if you're not in a complete state of mind? And how do you plan on even remembering it? Last I heard, remembering great music perfomed by a live band was cool.

I believe that alcohol in moderation can be ok. It's when people start relying of getting drunk to have fun which pisses me off. I'm a college student, so I'm surrounded by gratuitous alcohol use. A lot of times, people come back from bars and whatnot completely drunk, but this was their intention in the first place. They go out with the intention of getting "f**ked up". I also hate how whenever someone mentions that they're "going out" the first question is "to which bar?" Why can't people "go out" and do other activities? Why does everything my generation (I'm a sophmore in college) have to revolve around drinking and/or getting high?

And it pisses me off that people assume that since I'm a college student, I go out and behave like this. Gee, I didn't know people went to college to get drunk/high every weekend...I thought people went to college to learn so that they can get a good job and be successful in life. Shame on me for not going out and getting drunk every night. It just frustrates me that some people coast through school and don't care, and are only concerned with substance abuse, while I sit here busting my ass to keep my grades up.

And I hate how people gauge "being a man" by how much you can drink, or they consider you "a man" when you have had your first beer. What the hell? I have no doubt that I'm twice the man that any of these drunken bastards are.

I enjoy doing dangerous, adrenaline rushing things, but not things that are unnaturally messing with my brain (unfortunately, the good Lord didn't bless me with supermodel looks or the greatest luck or incredible athletic skill, so my brain is really the best thing that I have going for me). I love roller coasters, driving fast cars, snowboarding, and cool, healthy activities like these. One day I want to go skydiving. Hell, one day, I would love to participate in the running of the bulls. Isn't this dangerous also? HELL YES! But I'm not messing with my mind. I'm pushing my body to the absolute limits and challenging myself in healthy, rational ways. And the immense feeling of aliveness that one derives from THESE kinds of experiences far outweigh the feeling of being high. One of the greatest feelings that I have ever had was flying down the highway at about 80mph on the way home from Long Island. I had the windows open so that the wind was in my face, and fast music cranked way up. It was around 2am, and no one else was really on the road. I don't know if I have ever felt so alive as on that night. I felt like the king of all existence, and I didn't need drugs to feel that way...

I hope that all made some sense.

~Ming

[shadokastur]

The bottom line, as I see it, is: It's not the drugs it's the mindset of the person doing them. This may, at first, seem cold and ignorant. But if we look at the REAL factors we will see that the only thing that creates an addiction is how the users' outlook is affected by the drug's effects. There are people who use drugs as a recreational thing, in moderation. Not to say that their use in the first place is right, but how their mind deals with the sensations the drug produces is the true factor. If they try it once and then quit then there is really no harm done and it is only an experience. The drug, if taken in a non-lethal dosage, does not create the dependence the persons' mindset does. Any damage it causes the body can repair, even regrow brain cells. It is the person's inner feeling of emptyness that brings them to Drugs' doorstep not the drug itself.



The unfortunate voice of experience,
Shado

[Akira]

um, i havenever tried drugs or ciggarettes or any kinds of smoking or drug related things...but i have a cousin whos 24 that has been put in jail for 2 years for being caught with about 50 lbs of pure grade heroin and i remember seing him in court, wih that look in his eyes that he would never do it again...i really hate drugs, i hate cigarretes,cigars,snuff,beer, i hate it all, because all it has done is ruined the youth of america...




-Akira

[Righty The Wonder Ghoul]

while i have no problem with other people doing things to THEIR bodies, it does annoy me when they push their habits on me. I cannot stand having people smoke around me, I dont need your second hand smoke. There is one kid who takes the train with us and he would start smoking friggen cigars in the train station building when we would go there during the winter. We all hated him cus the miserable disgusting cigar smell would stink the place up so much that we had to stand outside in sub-zero temperatures.

[Artanis]

Well i also think that pot is bad i dont know anybody that has done it but ill let you know it will never be me:D

[Reverend]

It's bad, this is true, and while I understand it's medical uses (the only way my grandfather made it through kemo) it probably should be legalized just to be kept under control.

[Righty The Wonder Ghoul]

ah but you forget cal. this is AMERICA. nothing is under control.