Why do you smoke pot?
 

I've seen the threads that ask why we don't smoke pot, and of course the many replies to that question. Here's your chance, if you are an advocate, to tell us why you do and to state any perceived benefits of smoking pot.
Thanks in advance for your input.

I used to smoke because I didn't care much for a sober reality, and it was tasty.

Cause it is legal where I live. Serious though don't touch the stuff anymore, made me feel sick instead of cool or high.

:eek: I smoke pot?

On those extremely rare occasions (like, twice since High School) that I smoked pot, I did so because it was fun, appropriate to the social environment, and was in a context where it was safe and harmless.

A lot of people already answered this in the other thread, but I'll indulge you.

-because it's a unique experience
-the first few times because I wanted to try something new
-it's a common interest that can be shared between people

-imo, much more fun than drinking
-not as harmful as you might think
-i like the way i feel when im high

Like ratbastid, I only smoke pot the odd time. but...
I am more creative when I am high.
I look at things from a different perspective.
It calms me down, and mellows me out.(stress relief)
And when it comes down to it, its fun.

Sometimes you don't have to "smoke" anything. Just eat a cookie or use a Vaporizer . There's even a THC spray that medical users can shoot directly under their tongue called Sativex that comes in a bottle.

Why "use" THC, the drug?

- it's fun. it gives an altered state to everyday things so they seem fresh.
- it's safer than other drugs like alcohol, cigarettes or even caffeine if used in a responsible way. Mis-use of any drug is not a good thing over time.
- it smooths the pain after doing hard work. It's legally used as a painkiller by medical users for a reason.
- it's cheap (but labour intensive) to grow if you've got a good spot. Ideally, not in the United States. Even a few high-quality plants can reap a nice harvest. You know it's clean of other drugs plus, you can brag about your plants and share the wealth with others.

I use it for awhile and get tired of it, then pull it out when company comes or it's a stressful day. My drug of choice. :thumbsup:

Because I like it. I like the smell, the taste, the high.

It's soothing when I'm stressed.
It calms the nausea I suffer.
I like the altered state of being, the increased creativity, the removal from the real world problems.
It's something I can share with the majority of my friends, as we don't really drink that much.

- I enjoy the feeling of being under.

-I've considered all the aspects of smoking weed and I've decided that it isn't any more worse for me than anything else. Surely there are effects and risks but since I don't have an addictive personality it's not very likely that I'll get addicted to doing it.

- I'm more than capable of realizing when something isn't conducive to where I'd like to be in life and when I feel that smoking weed has become a detracting agent in that aspect I'll stop. And the same goes for whenever smoking becomes something that I need to do.

-I'm interested in experiencing alternate states of conciousness and there is a lot to be discovered and gained in that matter when you deal with hallucinogenics.

...........

um.......what?

because heroin costs too much?
Not really, but i will say that were it not for a little ganja here and there, i'd be a significantly more stressed out person. It's a great way to relax, and always seems to knock me out.

So i can lie in bed at night, stare up at my ceiling with music playing in my earphones, and let myself drift from this reality into a place where i can bring my soul unto the light and experience everything that should have been, or something.

you're my anti anti drug

Whoa, that was a major buzzkill.

Cause it's fun?

Gotta do something with these ~80 years, might as well have fun.

'Cause I wanna.

A sense of relaxation in the face of an otherwise stressful event. To spawn my creativity.

you missed my double negative? or is that what killed your buzz?

Because it allows you to see that most of life if built around bullshit, when in fact your purpose in life is to have a brain-fryingly good time.

Because you can still do your dull 9-5 job whilst high, in fact you can do it better, because you're focussed and happy. To further ran the point home, a quote:
"You're doing really well this afternoon, Karl, what gives?"
"I had a joint when I had lunch"
"Oh. Do you want to be promoted to office manager?"

Because it offers a form of income to those who really don't want to be part of this disgusting monkey driven capitalism bullshit and are brave enough to live the life. On a less "Angry Young Man" note, it'd be a great form of income for immigrants who don't have the skills the western job market demands and didn't want to end up as a cleaner and the generation of folks who just aren't getting this digital age.

And finally, unlike a great number of other drugs, weed doesn't alter your personality - no "I smoked so much that I did something I'd normally be to scared to" (unlike alchohol), no "it made me feel so powerful I broke my hand trying to punch through a wall" (hey coke, we're looking at you) and no "I'm unable to say a single thing of inherent value" (our old friend Mr. Booze).


Here endeth the lesson.

ocular hypertension. No, really.

T' get high, but like they say, use it like a spice.

Because.

It makes everything more interesting.

I once stood up looking at my slippers, and moved to look at them at every angle. It's fucking crazy.

(goddamnit, someone remind me to score some green, STAT!)

I love getting high
Its a social thing too, its awesome at partys rather than drinking i think
Its not as bad as u think, so many stupid things people say to try to stop people from smoking

and It helps me get thru my colelge too, it helps me get thru the day knowing theres a joint or some bong hits or a blunt at the end of it :p

takes the edge off. nothing puts the funk of a bad week/month/year to rest like a joint and a good glass of wine or scotch. used to smoke all the time, now just a few times a year.

I smoke due to many reasons mentioned here, however i'd have to also mention that my habit is party due to where I live. When you live on an island that's 33 miles by 9 miles in size, you get bored, really bored.

I don't smoke now because I get paranoid easily, but I used to smoke it while reading or doing homework.

I can focus much better while high. What's funny is, if I'm talking to someone, I can forget what was discussed a minute prior, but if I'm reading a book, I could easily tell you what was on the page before it, or even three pages before it - and I can't even do that sober.

I get more inspired when I create music. I can create some pretty twisted stuff sober, but when stoned... woo. Songs become utterly insane and complex to the point where people say, "DAMN, you really made this?!" Trust me, folks, the best music in history has been created by artists under the influence of one substance or another.

Watching movies and listening to music becomes that much more special. Video games are fun. Thoughts wander, questions arise, etc.

To me, it's a very educational activity.

Or the simplified answer: because I can, because I want to, because you can't do anything about it.

Because I can.
Because I'm Canadian.
Because Ontario pot is good shit!
Because I like the buzz and it makes my girlfriend and I horny!

I don't even have to buy it or roll it. It's just passed around when we get together with friends.

Because I live in Santa Cruz, and Amsterdam's got NOTHING on us!!!!!

Heres my answer: Why not?

helps me relax
food tastes better.
smells are more intense.
Lights are brighter.
pain is less.

Also I like how a pot plant looks and how a plant matures and buds. In a way it makes me closer to nature.

Living in the Lower Mainland sure makes it easier ... BC Bud is best.

I smoke because it relaxes me. I can take a load off the 'real world' and let my mind wander for a few hours. Music becomes more layered and meaningful (even if you're not sure why). Conversations become deeper because you can look at things from a different perspective.

Like anything else, it's good in moderation. Looking at life from another angle can be very rewarding, and like Stompy said, educational.

Because in my opinion smoking pot is better than drinking alcohol....I've never once thrown up from smoking pot....I also get angry easier when drinking...doesnt happen on pot.

It also is great for my migraines

I like the way it makes me feel.....and yes its way more awesome to listen to music and eat when you're high

It's definitely a social thing for me. Like as an example, tea in Britain. Whether it's a stereotype or not is irrelevant: the idea is that when they wanted to meet someone or hang out for an hour or so, they would have tea together. Well that's how smoking is for me, hang out with old friends or make new friends, it's just something to do that's fun as a group.

Because I enjoy it.

Harder drugs scare me.

im intersted in harder drugs but as a whole pot is relaxing and not nearly as dangerous... also more natural then tobacco...

I smoke pot because uhhh, I forget........what was the question.

Eh good answers so I dont feel I need to add to much, other then, yeah it makes me feel goooooooood.
Oh and chalk up 'nother vote for smoking and music listening.

Can you guys play guitar when youre baked? Sometimes my fingers dont seem to want to move, but other times it's like I hear the notes before I move my fingers or my fingers play them before I hear them. Not really sure which, but I like it!

Ditto. I get pretty severe migraines every once and awhile, herb clears me up almost instantly.

I also like to play guitar while ganjified... its kinda funny though, I come up with the coolest shit while I'm REALLY stoned but can't play it cleanly, and I play my absolute best while I'm coming back up. I don't even really look at weed as a drug... its an herb. It can be (ab)used as a "drug", but the same goes for cough syrup.

Here's a question: do you consider weed a "gateway" drug?

For me, in some ways yes and some ways no. After I had been smoking for awhile, I became much more open-minded about things and a bit more experimental... it wasn't that I was looking for a new way to "get high", I just wanted to see everything from a new perspective.

Marijuana is a completely experience based thing for me. Everything I like doing, everything in the world that is music and photography and a good philosophy discussion, becomes four hundred times better than it was.

I used to smoke because it kept me from going berserk and killing people (hyperbole, but anger management was a big part of it). Now I just grit my teeth. Don't you love sensible drug laws?

I, like ledsam, have the fortune of living on of the most "pot renowned" cities in the world-Vancouver-so it's fairly accessible to us around here.

I used to be very opposed to the idea of smoking pot...then I met someone very special who opened my uptight mind to not only trying weed, but into trying to think a different way. That's what bud does. It creates new emotions, new opinions, and ultimately a new way of life...I probably sound like some stoner on a rant, so I think I'll leave it to my good friend (I wish) Ben Harper who words it perfectly:

"Herb the gift from the earth
And what’s from the earth
Is of the greatest worth
So before you knock it try it first
You’ll see it’s a blessing
And not a curse

If you don’t like my fire
Then don’t come around
Cause I’m gonna burn one down
Yes I’m gonna burn one down"

BC bud, you're alright with me :thumbsup:

Tried it once, didn't like it. I have lots of friends who smoke it, so I do not mind people who use it. As long as people aren't forced or pressured into using it, I think it's ok :)

Kind of like, but different,...when Johnny Fever on WKRP In Cincinnati (anyone OLD enough to remember that show?) was being tested for sobriety and the more he drank, the more sober he got. Heh heh

The more I smoke, the smarter I get. Can't really explain it but having an already overly abundant creative mind, smoking is like my mind exploding with thoughts and imagines, sometimes completely overwhelming.

Being very close to 40, if someone was hell bent on trying any drugs, I'd suggest pot and nothing else. The only 2 drugs I've never used were heroin and estacy, and everything else is just garbage. From pills to coke, nothing but a waste of time and money not to mention the damage, physically as well as mentally.

And I like the buzz. The most I smoke in one sitting is about equivalent to one drag on a cigarette.I use a tiny little hash pipe and the bowl barely fits on my pinky finger. That keeps me going with a few beers for a few hours. An ounce of pot would last me at least a year but don't know for sure because I get it free, almost always have. Must be my personality or sumpin'

I do it because I like to get high and Fock :D plain and simple. Normally i'm well reserved but I cant just put it any other words

I don't smoke pot much, anymore. Why not? I don't know but I just don't. I used to smoke regularly. I liked to smoke when I was doing long road trips, skiing, mountain bikeing, drinking or almost anything. It made things a little more fun. It was/is also really good for sex as it heightens sensitivity.

umm because i get bored?

I just like to smoke it only when I hang out with all the guys, helps me relax...when I really need to.

I started smoking in my early / mid teens just to get wasted. Back in those days everyone like to get in an altered state by drinking or smoking or both and just hang out and laugh our asses off at stupid things. As the years went by, it became a habit. Not an addiction like cigarrettes, just something that I did on a regular basis. I'd smoke a bowl or four every day. I certainly stopped enjoying it as much as I used to in the early years which is why I've just given it up. It's just not as fun as it used to be.

No regrets though :cool:

so i can be cool and fit in, i succomb to the peer pressure, even though i know it will make my brain look like eggs frying on a rock

seriously, just because its there

hmm. lets see weed does act as impairing, but then again so does alcohol, and thats legal.
I like to be with friends and have a good time, laugh stupidly, not worrying about sounding smart and things.
I like to lay back and have my whole body feel differently.
I have only smoked weed 3 times.
As a matter of fact, the first time was Thanksgiving, 3 months ago...
lotsa fun, I must say. I'm gonna try drawing, or making music while high.
And I even like the way the smoke feels in my lungs...
I also tried Hooka, and liked it a lot.

Um, I like it. I like it much more than I like getting drunk. Didn't start until well into college. I'm not sick in the mornings like my friends who shun pot in favor of alcohol. I have no trouble getting up and going to work. It does tend to make me a little fatter, what with the munchies and late-night eating and all, but for a year or so now I've just been excercising to counteract it and I'm in better shape than I was in high school. It's mellow, it's relaxing and like nearly everything I was warned away from when I was a kid, it's not a horrible, soul-warping drug.

That is all.

Indeed I did.

I think I was drunk then. Another reason weed is better :thumbsup: .

Weed is great, It does make you look at everything in a different perspective and makes you focus alot more on whatever it is that your doing.

I havent smoked a J in 2 months, I'm not quitting..Just one night i was like...Nah not tonight. I still got a bag sittin in my drawer.

It's not addictive, Before i decided i would take a break..I was smokin daily. It's just a plant that grows from the ground, Or inside like a house plant..Just alittle more sophisticated in the growing process.

I smoke weed for the high, Everything is heightened when your stoned..I mean everything from eating to fucking to staring at the wall.

favourite thing to do though, Listen to music..It's great.

I don't need to add much, as many people have posted about the hypercreativity and intellecutal effects on people who are already mentally stimulated... I also like the feeling of being high and the heightened sense of just about everything. In fact, I'm about to go and vaporize me a bowl of KB right now...

And of course marijuana's a gateway drug. To quote half baked, "weed leads to many things... mostly junk food." But as to harder drugs, it depends on the personality. Addictive personalities are much more likely to try other things, once they've had a sample of something that *can* be addictive...

because i enjoy it. i'm a pretty stressful person, and it helps me relax. i also get migraines, and it helps prevent migraines. it's also a great way to chill out and experience same old activities in a new way. i could probably keep thinking of more reasons, but i have lots of stuff to do today.

I love how everything seems to make sense when you're high... because everything doesn't have to have a reason....Why is that thing there? who the hell cares...it looks nice and I feel good, so why worry and make things complicated instead of enjoying the very sensation of living...breating...watching Anchorman completely stoned...

Because I have a ton of responsibility and it's nice to get away from that now and then.

It chills you out helps to relax i find but its best not to smoke too much or you just turn into a waster.

This is really interesting to me. I've never seen people who smoke pot actually say why they do it. I personally don't. The smell makes me sick, the taste makes me sick, and it bores me. I get tired after about 10 minutes and just fall asleep. But this is still interesting.

Yup, the thing about pot is it has very different effects on different people who try it. Some people will really not have a good time....the important thing is to take the time to relax, lay back and enojy the ride.

I started smoking weed because I had heard of a magical place inside my mind that became instantly unlocked. It was true, for the most part, and I liked the out-of-body sensation pot gave me. I don't, however, like how it destroys my long term memory and real-time situation-evaluation (like, I'll hardly have any idea what's going on around me). It's a nice escape, whether alone or with a group of friends.

oh....I lose short term memory...like I forget what happened 10-15 seconds ago..

couldnt agree more, well said

I smoked because I wanted to relax, I tend to get stressed out easily.

You know how you drive down a back country dirt road that has major ruts like 6-8 inches deep and your tires sit in them and jerk the wheel and the car jumps around and there is all this noise and grinding and stuff, and you are not enjoying the driving in those goddam ruts? So you smoke a joint. The wheels lift out of the ruts and the ride is smooth and you can hear the tunes now and the day looks brighter because you can spare some attention to its beauty instead of worrying about your tires getting all chewed up by the goddam ruts.

Also its a good excuse to enjoy chocolate. I always like to have an excuse to enjoy good chocolate. Or premium coffee. Know what I mean? Dude?

i see my roommate smoke and its funny when hes high or other friends. i prefer drinking. i never smoked because i made a vow that i would never smoke.

Pot makes me feel happy, no matter how shitty a day I've had. It helps me relax, which I have a rather difficult time doing otherwise. On a totaly different note, I haven't smoked in almost a month because of lack of money. oh well.

there are ways of trying reefer without having to hurt your lungs
brownies are delicious :thumbsup:

Great stuff. I use it for very occasional recreation, but more for anxiety attacks.

I get really bad ones- chest tightens up, the works. Smoke a little, it goes away and stays away. If I don't smoke, the attack could be there for days.

music is just too good on weed

YES!...music is so much better while on weed...Bob Marley never sounds so close then when you're high...or some good trance... :crazy:

i hate the social connotation and what smoking it entails, but i can understand needing an altered state of conciousness and not being able to feel it without some kind of help.

I completely understand why people smoke pot... I didnt understand in highschool, but there are some days now when I really wish I smoked or drank excessively just so I could escape my reality for just a few moments. The only reason I dont smoke is because well... I dont like the idea of inhaling smoke into my lungs... just doesnt seem natural.

Because it puts me in a real chill mood, makes me feel like I have no worries. Also, like a lot of other people said music is so much better high. I like to blaze up and sit back and listen to some Bob Marley or some old Atmosphere.

The high feels wonderful. After a rough day, you could just smoke out and sit there watching something and have it be funny when it'd normally be ordinary. And food tasted sooooo good, too.

I used to smoke pot a lot. It was mainly when my life was not going so well and I needed something to escape it. I would spend days out of it with other unemployed friends coz there was nothing better to do. We would eat things we would not normally consider. I don't think food tasted better, I enjoyed just the simple act of chewing and the textures that different foods created. :confused:
My best friend had a thing for this oily salad dressing that she would pour into a bowl and sop it up with some bread....but when straight, the stuff was repulsive! I remember driving home following another stoned friend, we were driving so carefully that a pedestrian overtook us...not good!
My life has since gotten much, much better and I find that I have no urge to smoke...it was offered to me on my hen's night but I just didn't feel like it. For me it was simply a way to escape from the direction of my life that I felt I had no control over...now I have control, so therefore no more escape is necessary. :p

I'ts a lot Easier to write good music stoned.

Rolling up a blunt should be considered a form of art

I believe the world would be better off if we all smoked the cannabis :)

I do it to relax, to have fun, to enjoy things more, the help me when I get nautious (spelling?) I use it as a pain medication, I love the smell of it, I love the whole culture behind it.

I've never smoked, but I do want to. Anyone want to share a blunt? I'm serious!

Even though I get paranoid when I do it, I fully plan on getting stoned off my ass whenever I get the new NIN CD.

First impressions of music when you're high forever changes how you view the music. You think and feel certain things that you might not think/feel sober. I have an overactive imagination, so I can't wait to lay there soaking up the sounds and words.

I remember listening to Dr. Dre Chronic 2001 for the first time while stoned.. amazing. I don't think I would be as into it today if I listened to it any other way. For example, the intro track is actually a car w/ Hydraulics jumping up and down with guys asking "ooooh that's DRE!!", but when I was stoned... I pictured Dr. Dre in some kind of robotic machinery a la ED-209 from Robocop: walking around with gun turrets and stuff.

So... yeah!

Seems like you've smoked more than enough for all of us.

Robocop was definetly one of the best series ever made...

....

I totally agree with Stompy, music is just so different stoned. Drunk too. Some music is made for being stoned, Some for being drunk. I remember before I stopped drinking, listening to Iron Maiden... so fucking amazing. But now whenever I'm high, I listen to heavy stuff like children of Bodom and Arch Enemy and it blows my mind.

I (and Hubby) smoked dope nearly everyday for the better part of 9 yrs. Although we never "graduated" to harder drugs, over the years our tolerance for dope definately went up. Neither of us ever worked or drove under the influence, it was always a "once you get home from work" thing.

Well, I have High Blood Pressure and around 2001, I started having heart palpatations everytime I smoked pot, after never, ever having side-effects before (I'd had HBP and treatment for 5 yrs. previous). I could no longer smoke so we started to drink booze occationally, although he continued to smoke.

My concern is that, even though I can't smoke dope anymore, my hubby has never stopped. I want us to grow old together, not have him die of lung cancer when he's 50 (we're both almost 34). He doesn't really suck it down but still puts away about 1 1/2-2 bowls worth from when he gets home at 4:45 to when he goes to bed around 10:00 (obviously a bit more on weekends). I realize he doesn't smoke like a fiend, but the length of time he's smoked scares me. We have both smoked cigarettes for about 16 yrs. so I am concerned about the double wammy to his lungs.

You hear conficting reports from both ends of the (medical/scientific/political?) spectrum, so it's almost impossible to know what's true and what isin't. Is smoking pot harmful the same way cigarettes are? Because of the same carcingens as cigarette smoke contains? Is it really safe to smoke pot if you do it with a vaporizer? You really can't win trying to find actual info. about pot. Those against say "it's harmful and will kill you" and those for say the opposite-"don't worry, it's perfectly safe, the establishment just wants to scare you".

I have nothing against pot, I do however worry about my Hubbies health because of his long-term use and the long term effects. Does anyone know any 80+ yr. olds that have been smoking dope for 50 years? No one ever has statistics like that. I'm guessing because those that would be interested in obtaining them are individuals that are not funded vs. government and companies that have a vested interest in spewing the party-line they are paid or supported for.

I would dearly love to hear some honest to god truth about what pot-smoking does to one's body (negative or positive, and yes I know it's going to be mostly negative. The question is how negative?).

Ali

well i guess smoking weed everyday would not be recommended...
but I don't see a difference with smoking like...three cigarettes a day..(I blindly assume that what your hubby smokes per day is equivalent to that in terms of lung damage)..
But sure thing...smoking pot everyday would be kinda bad for your lungs..
Thats why I only do it around twice per month...on special occasions. my tolerance is pretty low haha.

I would say as long as you do it in moderation you should be ok health wise. Smoking is smoking, whether it is tobacco or cannabis. Both contain quite a bit of tar and carbon monoxide. I tried it when I was younger and now wish I hadn't. It was fun for awhile with my friends but It also kills your short term memory. I don't feel as sharp as I once was and attribute it to the weed.

I think anybody should at least try it once, than they can make their own opinion. Seems to me that everybody who's anti-pot has never tried it.

I recently purchased an inflatable water bong. It's damned cool, works well, and than deflates into a little box the size of a pack of cards. It's convenient as hell.

My friend commited suicide, doctors attribute it to the fact that he was a chronic weed smoker and had developed depression associated with the weed and other factors of his life. I'm not saying that it is bad, but it can certainly help mental illness progress further.

I'm really into the lifestyle behind it. And it feels good :) Sex when you're high is pretty spiffy too....

I really miss it. Now that I have become a conformed member of society. I really cannot risk the consequeces of getting caught. I used to grow the most spectacular buds.. a long time ago of course....

While I don't smoke

I have a very large document on my computer at home of links regarding effects of Marijuana.

I get paranoid on it whenever I notice my heart beating very fast, and sometimes I feel like I can't breathe.

But when it all boils down to it: no one has ever died from it.

It actually lowers your blood pressure, too. I always thought the opposite.

Aside from the actual ACT of smoking it, there isn't much wrong with it that can't be found in alcohol or other legal substances.

Smoking 3 joints is akin to smoking 20 cigarettes, if you want a comparison. Cannabis contains alot more tar and 'gunge' than tobacco, and you inhale more because you don't use filters.

Vapourisers are great little inventions, get you very stoned, and have very little smoke. They work on the principle of heating your cannabis product to a temperature at which the THC (the active ingredient) becomes vapour, which you then inhale. The normal method is burning, which is what you do when you smoke.
Heating the cannabis to the specific temperature will reduce the amount of smoke you inhale (to almost nothing in good ones) and increase the amount of THC you take in. A decrease in smoke means a decrease in nasty chemicals and what not, and generally healthier lungs.
If you wish to purchase a vapouriser, my advice is to spend a good amount of money and go with the most expensive one you can buy. It will get you higher, cut out a large portion of crap you normally take in when smoking, and will last you longer, which is always nice.


Smoke is bad for you full stop, doesn't matter where it comes from, it's bad. The more you inhale, the worse your lungs will be.
Some people go their entire lives smoking 60 a day with no ill effects, and die at a ripe old age. Some people smoke for a year and die of lung cancer.
If you want to see how smoking cannabis effects the body, look at people who smoke large amounts of cigarettes a day, the way the body deteriorates is remarkably similar.



Personally i'm trying to quit the smokables right now, my senses feel dulled, and i'm not enjoying life as much as i used to. I love the feeling of being high, very few things beat it, but i hate how my head feels afterwards, fuzzy.

What is odd is after a party or gettin together with friends and getting stoned...the best thing to do in the morning seems to be to smoke a joint to spend the day well...or else the fuzzy feeling comes.
I tried and it does feel pretty nice for the rest of the day.
But the short term memory thing is annoying. I haven't experienced it because im really not a heavy smoker.