mot---

[LINUS]

Pot smoking stunts your capabilities to be as great as your original genetics allowed you to become. No one ever got smarter, or more driven and motivated because of a half dozen bong hits.
That said, it isn't the government's job to tell you that you can't by making it illegal.

It's a bummer we don't realize before we started dumb habits at young ages what the further reaching effects might be. I'm not saying every last person who puffs will wind up working at Jiffy Lube or 7-11, but I wonder how far that "average" accountant or lawyer might further have gone by not killing brain cells during his formative/college years. I think there might have been a lot of potential genius' who dumbed themselves down through pot. Not all the way to blithering idiots, but just dumb enough that MIT isn't where they're headed after HS.

And then there's also the whole concentration of THC in the pot thing too - I almost think that the current hydroponic is hardly a gateway anymore, some of that isht is its' own door. Hippies smoked shake compared to the weed we had in high school (late 80's), and I only imagine that the THC content is still rising. Do kids even smoke that nasty weed from Mexico with seeds in it still?

I still support the right for others to smoke, but we need to figure out a way to just control the stuff (if possible), and really just level with kids about the stuff. No, it won't kill you - but you are forced to choose your lifes' path and get on it by the time you are 18, and that using anything that hurts your chances of getting where you want to go during that short timeframe really handicaps your ability to get as far as you might hope and dream of going.

[James Crivellone]

maybe that weed is keeping you from being able to comprehend

"So to respond to that comment, yes, he does have an idea what it will do in 20 - 30 years"

that statement is ignorant. show me anywhere where i said there arent functioning pot smokers. i am fully aware some people are able to do it. they are not addicts nor do they have addictive personalities. and if you think willpower has anything to do with addiction youre sadly mistaken. kids experiment. can you say youve never put a foreign substance in your body? have you ever smoked a cigarette, drank a beverage with caffeine in it, smoked weed or had a beer? perhaps the caffeine is a stretch but they are all drugs. addiction is a scientific proven disease. you know, science??
i guess if those fucking diabetics had more willpower they could get by without that insulin. at mots point in his life he has no idea how drugs will effect him. his drug use could easily escalate over the next 10 years perhaps he wouldnt be a functioning adult at that point. its a fucking gamble using drugs. plain and simple. i gambled and lost. bottom line is staying away from the shit is the best policy

blunt, with all due respect it sounds like you just got royally FUCKED with the use of this shit, which is why you are stating that keeping away from it is the best policy.

I can agree with that, its a great statement, but its not ignorant to assume that some people will do perfectly fine.

People drink, they are not always alcoholics
People smoke weed, they are not all malfunctioning members of society.
People eat, they are all not all fat asses
People own weapons, they are not all murderers... <-- left field but same general point.

I know mot very well, and I'd be perfectly comfortable with him flying a commercial flight with me in the back.

Notice I said he would have a general idea of what to expect in 20 - 30 years, that is if he continued smoking, which based on his career choice is impossible.

Everybody looks at older experienced people to gauge how a career path can go, and while statistically most pot smokers don't amount to anything, we never hear about the success stories, because frankly I'd imagine most business professionals, pilots, etc are not too talkative about how much weed they smoked in college.

I respect what you say, I do, because based on personal experiences that is the only thing that can make sense, does not always apply to everybody though.

[schmidty]

what it comes down to in any case is ones lack of willpower. if you cant say no, how is it a drugs fault? it doesnt jump into your bowl,system on its own. YOU have to choose to do it. saying that its a gateway drug to other things is ignoring that simple fact.

WOW...I can't believe you're actually defending a drug! Obviously the drug isn't being forced on anyone. It's not like the dealers are out there sayin "snort this or die"....the point is that drugs have very addictive qualities...you body forms a dependency on them once you DO start using and that's when it becomes a problem and that is when the CHOICE to quit becomes near impossible for some. Yes, its still a matter of willpower but the drug can cause that willpower to be thrown out the window.

[blunttech]

i think your ignorance is showing.

at no point is he defending HIS addiction. he is pointing out a fact that he knows people that are older that do fine, even with their habits.

what it comes down to in any case is ones lack of willpower. if you cant say no, how is it a drugs fault? it doesnt jump into your bowl,system on its own. YOU have to choose to do it. saying that its a gateway drug to other things is ignoring that simple fact.

maybe that weed is keeping you from being able to comprehend

"So to respond to that comment, yes, he does have an idea what it will do in 20 - 30 years"

that statement is ignorant. show me anywhere where i said there arent functioning pot smokers. i am fully aware some people are able to do it. they are not addicts nor do they have addictive personalities. and if you think willpower has anything to do with addiction youre sadly mistaken. kids experiment. can you say youve never put a foreign substance in your body? have you ever smoked a cigarette, drank a beverage with caffeine in it, smoked weed or had a beer? perhaps the caffeine is a stretch but they are all drugs. addiction is a scientific proven disease. you know, science??
i guess if those fucking diabetics had more willpower they could get by without that insulin. at mots point in his life he has no idea how drugs will effect him. his drug use could easily escalate over the next 10 years perhaps he wouldnt be a functioning adult at that point. its a fucking gamble using drugs. plain and simple. i gambled and lost. bottom line is staying away from the shit is the best policy

[James Crivellone]

your ignorance is showing. when i was your age and someone was questioning my drug abuse i would defend it to the end.
fact is im older and wiser now but i do understand your thoughts as i was the same way when i was your age. at 20 years old you can dump all kinds of shit into your body. it may take 10 or 20 years for you to form an addiction and it may take 6 weeks. nobody knows that. i knew the first time i had a beer at age 14 i was different than most kids. i knew at that time i liked this shit way too much

First off I'm not a drug user, yes I've smoked pot, I fully admit that, and it was for a brief period of about a year or so.

Second the 50 - 60 year old range I posted is not a lie, I know these people, have tons of respect for them, and I have no reason to change that. Pot has clearly not affected them over the years.. I'm not defending anybody, its a decision they made its its clearly not had any effect.

I'm not on anybody's side.. I don't need the stuff, but its clear that some people either need it, or want to need it.

I am not ignorant on the subject, I'm just part of the who cares what they do corner.

my

[smonkbmw]

your ignorance is showing. when i was your age and someone was questioning my drug abuse i would defend it to the end.

i think your ignorance is showing.

at no point is he defending HIS addiction. he is pointing out a fact that he knows people that are older that do fine, even with their habits.

what it comes down to in any case is ones lack of willpower. if you cant say no, how is it a drugs fault? it doesnt jump into your bowl,system on its own. YOU have to choose to do it. saying that its a gateway drug to other things is ignoring that simple fact.

[schmidty]

came upon this article on cnn.com about the war on drugs...
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/02/13/Dob...rss_topstories

a few exerts....

While Walters focused on a marginal decline in drug use, he made no mention of the shocking rise in drug overdoses.... Fatal drug overdoses in teenagers and young adults soared 113 percent.

How can anyone rationalize the fact that the United States, with only 4 percent of the world's population, consumes two-thirds of the world's illegal drugs?

Illicit drug use costs the United States almost $200 billion a year, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Include alcohol and tobacco-related costs along with health care, criminal justice and lost productivity and the figure exceeds $500 billion annually.

[Mot]

Is Pot a gateway drug? I say yes. Does it force you through the gate? I say no...but it definately cracks the door open. For me, my personality works as a battering ram. Damaged as it is, that is who I am.

It is now up to me to make it better.

Luke

Luke I think you just said it better then I was able to.

Thank you.

[pineapplegti]

when i blow coke i like to hit women.. yet i dont drink.. marajuana makes me sleepy and im addicted to bean burritos... have u ever sucked dick for bean burritos....?? no i dont think so. fuck ya'll

[blunttech]

I know many people, who are in the 50 - 60 range who smoke weed and they have zero health issues, are very successful, and have families. So to respond to that comment, yes, he does have an idea what it will do in 20 - 30 years.

your ignorance is showing. when i was your age and someone was questioning my drug abuse i would defend it to the end.
fact is im older and wiser now but i do understand your thoughts as i was the same way when i was your age. at 20 years old you can dump all kinds of shit into your body. it may take 10 or 20 years for you to form an addiction and it may take 6 weeks. nobody knows that. i knew the first time i had a beer at age 14 i was different than most kids. i knew at that time i liked this shit way too much

[StereoInstaller1]

I started smoking pot when I was 8.

I quit when I was 34.

I smoked pretty much all day, every day. Even on the job, since it was common in my industry...but i pushed it. I was "un-firable" since I was such hot shit. One of the best, ever.

Pot made it easier to keep my head in the sand. It allowed life to pass me by without ruffling my feathers too much, allowed social situations to meld easier.

I always was a square peg in a round hole. Pot helped "round me off".

One day I got high when I didn't want to. Again. Like all of the other times before...except that I decided I had become addicted. I got sober.

I work hard at staying sober. It is important to me . I have not had a drink or drug since 8/26/1997. Pot is only one of the things I did to excess. If you want to discuss your past, my past, or possible futures, PM me.

I, (like Blunt mentioned about himself) have an addictive personality. I do everything to excess. I have learned some moderation. I see the same traits in my children...who were not raised by me...I believe it to be genetic.

You are welcome to your own beliefs about this, just as I am welcome to believe you wrong.

Is Pot a gateway drug? I say yes. Does it force you through the gate? I say no...but it definately cracks the door open. For me, my personality works as a battering ram. Damaged as it is, that is who I am.

It is now up to me to make it better.

Luke

[Nick]

I know many people, who are in the 50 - 60 range who smoke weed and they have zero health issues, are very successful, and have families. So to respond to that comment, yes, he does have an idea what it will do in 20 - 30 years.

I know many people in the 50-60 year old range who've been in car accidents and have zero health issues. So I guess that means car accidents are totally good for your health, right?

I did a little research:
Long term effects of marijuana use are similar to those of cigarettes, maybe moreso because of the lack of filters, maybe a little less so because of the lack of industrial carcinogens.
Research shows it acts as a t-cell supressor, which reduces immune-system response.
Introducing THC into the brain over the long term causes a reduction in dopamine production, which increases stress response.

Maybe it's not all that bad for you, but I notice that drug users always feel a need to defend themselves and deny that it's in ANY WAY bad for them.
Granted, EVERYTHING is probably bad for you in one way or another, but be realistic.

[James Crivellone]

sorry man but this cracks me up. youre 20 years old and dont have a clue what the effects of smoking weed or abusing any substance will have on you when youre 30 or 40. you have many years ahead of you. what you are at 20 is not what you are at 40

I know many people, who are in the 50 - 60 range who smoke weed and they have zero health issues, are very successful, and have families. So to respond to that comment, yes, he does have an idea what it will do in 20 - 30 years.

[PiercedE30]

Wow a civil thread on r3v.

I agree with the others who state that weed is a "gateway" drug. While I do not know the chemical aspects, nor am I going to argue if addiction can be hereditary, however, I do have lots of real life experience. I grew up with the "wrong" crowd. I grew up with the metal group in Junior High and High, and they generally were the "bad" kids who drank and smoked weed. Unfortunately, I always saw the progression. Booze -> Weed -> Tweek/Heroin/Coke. It was a natural progression, once they got to weed, it was a believe that weed was not that big of deal, so it became experimental to try the other, harder drugs. I must say in the end, I quit talking to most of my "friends" who got way too caught up into the hardcore drug lifestyle, and ended up in "rehab" or jail. Disappointing.

Trent, I am in complete agreement with you on this one. It was the same where here. When I was in HS, I did smoke a LOT of a pot. Hell, I was into all sorts of things. It went from weed, to prescriptions (mainly uppers), to ecstasy, to hallucinogens, then finally to LSD, coke, and some other shit.
It fucked me all up. I was actually addicted to X for a while at the end of HS, and for a time after. I HAD to do it every single weekend, or even a couple times a week. I know it was a physical addiction, but damn, I needed it to get through the weekend. Yea, I battled it and won, which I am damn proud of too. Then the hallucinogens, speed and shit.
I'm lucky my family was supportive of me when I crawled home to my parents and was finally able to clean myself up. If it hadn't of been for them, I don't know where I would be now. I'm only 21 and I know that I will be paying for the shit I put into my body in 5, 10, 20 years. Hell, I can't even hold my hand out without it shaking already. I can only think of what it will be like when I get older.
But, sorry for the rant.

[WillisE30]

As a matter of fact, I don't know any one that is "addicted" to weed.
There are so many factors in life that lead to drug usage.

My college roommate from freshman year qualified as psychologically addicted to weed. He flunked out of school halfway through his junior year because all he did all day was get stoned and do nothing. There are a million factors that influence someone's drug use, but I was just bringing him up as an example. He got a DUI three years ago and saw the light thankfully, but even he would tell you he was addicted to pot in some capacity.

As for drugs I've done quite a few and would say I agree with Mariano about alcohol. It's a motherfucker to get away from, for me it took coming home from school and having all my old friends question who I had become. I remember waking up one Sunday with a hangover and thinking that I had to do something to change who I'd become. I still drink socially but it's been ages since I've finished a 1/5th by myself.