Am I the only pot user that is sick to death of having judgement passed on me by non-users?

[devilgrrl]

I've been smoking and toking for 30 years - I have been employed steadily since graduating from college - haven't been in trouble with the law - don't bother my neighbors - am fiscally responsible - enjoy the company of many types of people - pay my taxes, etc...

Will you please just stop it already!

Gee whiz!

Let me get stoned in peace.

:smoke:

[Blue_In_AK]

1. I've been ignoring them for 42 years, devilgrrl...

It's worked for me.

[Cleita]

Not me. I don't use but I work for a doctor who issues certificates

for medical cannabis.

[OKNancy]

2. LOL - but it's bad for your health

that's what the anti-tobacco people all post when someone writes something about how they like smoking.

[Cleita]

5. There are other ways of delivering it if you don't like to smoke it. n/t

[Occulus]

13. One word answer: vaporizer

Problem solved.

[nichomachus]

75. Not this anti-tobacco person

I don't care what people put into their bodies as long as they don't force me to inhale it, which a lot of smokers seem to want to do. Second-hand smoke is actually more dangerous for your health than first-hand smoke. So, as long as people smoke in private or in open places where they don't affect other people -- puff away.

Besides, if you croak earlier, there's more Social Security and Medicare money in the pot for the rest of us.

[pipoman]

117. But is it

Second-hand smoke is actually more dangerous for your health than first-hand smoke.

But is it more dangerous than, say, a semi truck parked idling or a car emissions for that matter? My work is a smoke free campus even outside yet there are always trucks idling away. My contention is that 2 smokers and 2 non smokers could sit in a car with the windows up all day, the smokers chain smoking and the result would be watery eyes and maybe some coughing. Put a hose from the exhaust into the same car and they would all be dead in less than an hour. Bottom line, outdoor smoking bans are idiotic.

[imdjh]

144. I wonder how much these extreme smoking bans cost.

People who simply hate cigarettes and want everyone to quit will find a way to justify their actions. I also feel fairly certain they will find something else to complain about once everyone has quit smoking. Some people are just a pain in the ass.

But on the subject of cost. Bayfront Hospital has a "campuswide ban", no smoking allowed on their property, anywhere. I'm thinking that staff who once popped out onto a deck or courtyard to smoke, who started their fifteen minute break when they left the work station and ended it when they returned to the workstation, now start their break when they arrive at cluster of smokers outside the east wall and end it when they leave the cluster. I'm thinking that the east wall is now on the way from x-ray to admissions, from the pharmacy to rehab. On the bright side, smokers are getting a lot more walking into their day.

I have to say, I really can't imagine what a cube farm was like before smoking bans. I wouldn't want to work in a 50 X 300 room with 100 smokers, and I smoke. But reasonable accommodation makes more sense that these severe policies.

[Leftist Agitator]

123. Second-hand smoke is actually more dangerous for your health than first-hand smoke.

Christ on a cracker...

I think I already know the answer, but do you have a source for this asinine statement?

[Dora]

132. I saw something about a study on this earlier this year.

I don't remember the source, and since this isn't my argument I'm not going to go looking for it. But it was this year, and it was a study that said second-hand smoke was worse. I may remember it wrong, but I think it had to do with 1) the amount of toxins that second-hand smoke deposited on surfaces, and 2) the smoke that burns off the cigarette into the air isn't filtered like the smoke that a smoking person inhales. I don't know whether the study was sound, just that it was out there.

[nadinbrzezinski]

113. Hey smoke all you want, just don't want to share in your smoke

sorry.

But if you do it in the privacy of your home, or in an OPEN PLACE... go for it

[FiveGoodMen]

3. No, you definitely are not!

The pot laws are a sure sign that the US is bat-shit crazy.

[Rebubula]

22. Meh...

...there are only a handful of countries that DO NOT have pot laws.

The US is not outside of the norm on that.

Almost 4:20 and I am stuck at work until 6...

[SammyWinstonJack]

134. Thanks to the US government that imported/forced its pot laws on other countries.

...there are only a handful of countries that DO NOT have pot laws.

The US is not outside the norm on that.

[Arkana]

4. Most of my friends either are stoners or were at some point in their lives.

I've never smoked the ganja but you won't hear any criticism from me.

EDIT: I are keep tenses gud

[DS1]

6. i could use some to settle my stomach

[gratuitous]

7. How about from former users?

I found pot to be an interesting experience . . . for about six months. Then it became rather boring. Maybe it's gotten more interesting in the last 30 years, but the users I know surely haven't.

[devilgrrl]

14. So what you're saying is... is that you're interesting and everyone else is boring?

Thank you for passing judgement on me.

:hi:

Ooooh! Now I'm going to munch out on Doritos and listen to some Pink Floyd!!!!!


:sarcasm:

[gratuitous]

25. No, I just found pot to be boring after a while

And the people I know who smoke pot aren't a real interesting bunch. There may be exceptions, but none that I know. Perhaps I need to get out more. I suppose it's passing judgment, but I'd put it more in the category of "here's my experience." Your mileage may vary.

[Ignis]

30. Yeah, those jazz musicians are a really boring bunch.

If only they'd somehow managed to overcome their chemical dependence and actually write some music.

Unfortunately, no tokin' jazz musician has ever produced music worthy of a listen, apparently.

It's a damn shame. :shrug:

[Politicalboi]

53. Yes and the pot heads who

Invented PC's. Yes good for nothings indeed.

[Ignis]

66. "Get a job, longhair!"

:rofl:

Are we in a timewarp or something?

[imdjh]

78. Jazz is elevator music.

Oddly, some of the biggest stoners are into heavy metal. It's a dead giveaway for men who are over 30 who still listen to metal.

[Ignis]

82. You're listening to the wrong jazz, then. (nt)

[devilgrrl]

88. I'll say!

:crazy:

[GA_ArmyVet]

93. Thats not always true..

I dont smoke, but I do like me some heavy metal...Old school though,,ACDC, Black Sabbath, Ozzy....You know the classics

[cliffordu]

140. You need to listen to Theolonious Monk.

Charlie Parker, John Coltrane's 'Ascension'

And, if you REALLY feel like riding the elevator, The Art Ensemble of Chicago, if you can find their albums.

[imdjh]

145. I listen to the Jazz station when the other stations are annoying me.

If they are playing really busy gratuitously "complex" jazz, then I turn the radio off or pop in my homemade CD called Mr. Mellow.

[cliffordu]

150. Then the elevator is your own fault.

Oscar Petersen is accessable and not elevator music.

[noiretextatique]

190. i love thelonius monk

he was a true genius. 'round midnight is my favorite monk tune.

[cliffordu]

203. Yep -

kinda like the Bach of jazz-shoved-out-the-window-on fire.....

[noiretextatique]

204. excellent description eom

[Ignis]

199. Monk and Bird are definitely "stairs" music.

No way would they fit in an elevator cab!

:hi:

[JuniperLea]

198. I am a devout metal head...

But I rocked my ass off at The Playboy Jazz Festival at the Hollywood Bowl last Sunday! Woot!

[JuniperLea]

175. Even the Rolling Stones were better when they were stoned...

Well documented fact! :)

[Ignis]

196. Before that, they were only the Rocking Stones.

;)

[JuniperLea]

197. LOL!

:thumbsup:

[Webster Green]

38. Yeah, all those bands I toured with were really "boring"..

That's why they sold out stadiums from coast to coast. They were so fucking boring.

You can't be fucking serious. :rofl:

[imdjh]

79. Celine Dion and Wayne Newton fill stadiums. Your point?

[devilgrrl]

89. So did Zappa. As do David Byrne, Briano Eno, U2 etc... YOUR point?

eom

[imdjh]

99. Zappa didn't smoke pot. He said so.

[cliffordu]

139. Zappa didn't allow drugs in the band AT ALL.....I know one of his bass players.

He said it was the hardest, cleanest environment he'd ever worked in.

You had to be able to READ zappas music cold during an audition.......

[imdjh]

100. Yeah, but Zappa, Byrne, Eno, U2, were good.

[Webster Green]

107. Real simple. Pot doesn't necessarily make one boring.

Maybe you aren't actually bored, so much as boring.

My experience is that the effects vary from one user to the other. To make a blanket statement that it makes one boring is absurd. :smoke:

[shanti]

208. heh

guess the poster doesn't listen to reggae! :hi:

[RufusTFirefly]

73. These guys are (were) pretty darn dull

[shanti]

207. yeah, it's passing judgment

you need to get out more, go to a reggae festival! LOTS of interesting people there!

[imdjh]

23. Well said. And just a little bitchy, bravo.

[devilgrrl]

27. Oh! Go watch some more Cheech and Chong movies!

Since it sounds like that's what you're basing your opinions on.

:eyes:

[imdjh]

32. Oh yeah, cause if I had smoked pot for 10 years i would still be smoking it.

After all, it has no ill effects.

[devilgrrl]

36. You've already proven that you don't need it to sound as stupid as you do!

:popcorn:

[T_L_W]

170. it 's stronger

so I would say that people who are high are even less interesting than they were 30 years ago when mostly they sat around thinking they were expanding their minds and say all sorts of brilliant things like "oh man I am so effing wrecked!".

[mitchtv]

8. Hay sister

64 y/o here and still going strong. Fuck 'm if they can't take a joke

[Dulcinea]

9. Well...

...now you know how cigarette smokers feel. I like to smoke socially, while enjoying a pint of beer, and I'm sick of being told what a menace to society I am because of it. Why can't people just mind their own business?

I personally don't smoke pot because it just puts me to sleep, but my DH smokes the occasional ganja, as do a few of our friends. I don't have a problem with it.

[shanti]

209. well...

there's nothing good and lots of bad to come from tobacco. that's a proven fact. can't say that about the ganj.

[ixion]

10. you're not alone

:smoke:

[canetoad]

11. Did someone make a snide remark here?

If so I missed it. Was it someone with a skin full of booze getting nasty?

I know what you mean. Over the years I have altered more opinions on cannabis smokers than I can count, just by having a good job and a relaxed lifestyle. DU seems to have its own Moral Minority.

[devilgrrl]

16. Some clown thinks that pot should be tested for potency before it's legalized.

Because it'll so make a difference! :sarcasm:

[EOTE]

33. What? I'm trying to wrap my head around that one.

So would they have a limit to the THC content? Or maybe a minimum? I mean, they're able to sell booze that's nearly 100% alcohol (Everclear) all the way down to stuff like Boon's and near bear that's 1 or 2 percent. I'm interested in hearing what the logic is behind that. People self titrate when they smoke bud, so higher potency is definitely a good thing. That simply means that they're smoking less tar and vegetative matter to get to the level of intoxication they're seeking. Conversely, if you have lower potency stuff, you're just going to smoke more of it. I'm really interested in seeing this thread if you've got a link.

[devilgrrl]

44. link

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x5858279

[hootinholler]

49. HE wants a test to see if you're driving while stoned

Not for how strong the weed is.

-Hoot

[devilgrrl]

57. Well, it's still a silly idea.

:crazy:

[Maru Kitteh]

91. You don't think it's silly to have a law against driving high though, right?

Just to be clear?

[devilgrrl]

94. I was assuming that there were already laws for that? You think there should be a sobriety test?

Based on what?

Has there been a rash of stoned driving incidents around the nation lately?

Got some stats on driving while stoned?

Do share!!!!

:popcorn:

[Maru Kitteh]

97. No need to get hostile dear. Simple question.

I didn't see your original dustup. Don't know who it was with. Don't care.

I don't smoke anything but I think it's utterly and completely stupid that pot is illegal.

I just wanted to ask you if you believe that it should be illegal to drive while high. Whether it is now illegal or not is hardly germane to the question.

Pot is illegal, but I have the opinion that it should not be.
Driving while high may be illegal, but I don't yet know if you are of the opinion that that law is a good law or not, because you got defensive and didn't answer the question.

Do you think it is a good idea to have a law against driving while high?

[jberryhill]

111. It's Hard To Concentrate On Being Stoned While Driving

Driving is hazardous to a good buzz.

[montanto]

156. There it is man, there it is.

[Romulox]

178. Why isn't a law against reckless driving enough?

I would think some empirical evidence that driving while stoned results in additional accidents in order to support a blanket criminalization of the practice. Unfortunately, I think you'll find that the studies do not indicate an impairment of motor functions based on the influence of marijuana.

Reckless driving is already illegal, of course.

[hootinholler]

98. I agree it's silly, but I like accuracy in my outrage

:rofl:

But it has nothing to do with a potency test, pun not intended.

I do agree with your point that the sanctimonious idiot who knows not of what they speak can be a real pain in the ass.

I would actually like to see a minimum potency so that hemp can be grown commercially, and not be subject to the same taxation that will come with legalization.

-Hoot

[Blue_In_AK]

37. They always forget that if the pot is stronger,

you smoke less of it. How hard is that to understand?

[SOS]

143. It's hard to believe anyone buys that "potency" nonsense

Whiskey is stronger than beer.
Drink less whiskey than beer to get same effect.

Not hard to understand at all, unless you're a drug warrior grasping at straws!

[EOTE]

155. Oh come on! Haven't you ever been tempted to pound down a 40 of Scotch?

I can be bad at math, so I don't really understand that 12 oz of beer = 4 oz of wine = 1.5 oz hard liquor. I'm a big fan of Old English, so I like my 40s. If someone hands me a shot glass along with a fifth of Jack, frankly, I'm insulted. What am I supposed to do with that little thing? Dole out mouth wash? Nope, I drink my hard liquor from my Super Big Gulp I got from the local 711. Math is for suckers. If I over indulge, that's why god invented puking.

[pipoman]

202. It isn't that hard to understand

what with all those pot ODs wasting all of the emergency room doctor's time.

[flvegan]

12. This non-user has never judged any pot user.

Smoke up and enjoy. Wish they'd just legalize it anyway.

[malta blue]

15. I'm with you!

:applause::applause:

[SeattleGirl]

17. Former pot smoker here who doesn't care if others still partake.

My only request is that it not be smoked around me (can't stand the smell), but as far as using it, meh. Nothing wrong with it as far as I can tell.

[Rebubula]

18. People can only...

...judge you if you let them...or something along those lines.

I am an open pot smoker and make jokes about it in my corporate world.

Almost 4:20....

[Warpy]

19. I've been mostly ignoring them since the 60s

even though I haven't toked up since 1982. I realize either they're people whose only claim to moral superiority is that they've never had the opportunity to try it or they're people who did try it but, being chicken hearted conservatives, were only rendered paranoid by the stuff.

I've known too many extremely high functioning people who were daily smokers to buy any of the crap. I've also known heavier stoners who have a 3 second time lag between the time you ask them a question and they can begin to formulate an answer. Even they held jobs.

Nothing in the world is 100% safe, not even breathing.

However, the continued demonization of grass and by extension people who smoke grass is absolutely ridiculous.

[imdjh]

20. You mean here? Or in real life?

In real life I have very little patience with pot smokers. My best friend smokes, and I can tell when he's been smoking even when we're on the phone. It makes him boring, stupid, and forgetful. He repeats things he has already told me, often in the same day, and then gets mad when it's pointed out to him. He has an excuse for everything, and it all sounds like the exact same excuses alcoholics dish out.

The staff at the health food store are largely stoned and useless. I live i an area that has a very high tolerance for all kinds of inebriation and frankly it's tiresome.

Just my opinion of course.

[devilgrrl]

26. Interesting! I know my people who behave the exact same way and they don't use anything!

You don't weed or booze to be a total spaced out airhead.

[Binka]

42. Your "Best Friend" Needs To Kick You In The Nuts & Get A New BFF

Just my opinion of course.

[imdjh]

43. Too late, we've used up most of forever. 37 years now.

[CrownPrinceBandar]

47. Just out of curiosity...............

If you have such a problem w/ use and you find stoners to be so tedious, why on earth do you show up in what is a fairly obvious pro-pot thread? Aren't you just walking into an area where you are guaranteed tedium?

[imdjh]

55. Because some stoners obviously aren't aware that it's not harmless

Like the rest of us, they heard the lies told in drug-ed classes and then decided that there was no truth at all to the idea that pot was harmful. Pot is not harmless. People who are gravely ill can apparently benefit from pot, but then such people can benefit from morphine. Few people maintain that morphine is harmless, merely that by the time doctors put you on morphine it doesn't matter.

[devilgrrl]

56. Compairing Pot with Morphine? Now it's obvious that you're full of crap.

I don't want whatever it is that you're not smoking! :crazy:

[imdjh]

76. I shouldn't have related the two, you are correct.

But go to hell anyway, I don't like your attitude. :)

[devilgrrl]

90. I don't particularly care for yours either.

Ignoramus that you are. :P

[CrownPrinceBandar]

83. Did you came here to educate or upbraid?.........

If you came to educate, you're doing a terrible job. You seem to be very ignorant about the subject and are basing all your opinions on "health class" (god forbid) and your personal encounters w/ a friend that you suspect has smoked and some stoney healthfood workers. Do you think that's the entire continuum of folks who enjoy cannabis? Very closed-minded.

You also correlate pot with morphine. This fact further displays your ignorance and appears (once again) to be based on your personal viewpoints, absent any factual evidence. If you have any, ANY solid peer-reviewed evidence that marijuana has the same addictive or ultimately wasting qualities of opiates, please present them.

Since it appears that you have failed utterly at education, your real motives here must be to scold and belittle. Nice.

[noiretextatique]

191. there are some risks associated with smoking marijuana

but cigarettes, which kill people every day, are legal :crazy: and, unlike cigarettes, one could argue that the benefits of smoking marijuana outweigh the risks.

[bettyellen]

62. well he is bored and disgusted with his "best friend" so I'm imagining this is some sort of mild

mascohism going on. ou know the really tedious kind.

[Rex]

21. What they don't understand, scares them into sheep mentality.

If he/she said it is bad, then it is ALWAYS bad. Kind of how fundamentalists say THEIR version of the Bible is the ONLY truth.

What we fear, we tend to learn to hate out of ignorance.

[Echo In Light]

24. Lifelong pothead, and I couldn't tell you the last time I encountered someone who...

...knowing that I smoke, made some sort of judgmental reference to it, or to me, or to dopesmokers in general.

Actually, I'm continually amazed at how many otherwise straight, 'normal' looking folks also get high!

[mkultra]

28. I look down from my golden thrown on you and your nasty habit.

Just yesterday I was at the bar smoking my last cigarette when I noticed it was time to go to the casino and meet my friends. I realized that if I was a pot smoker, I probably would have forgotten.

Thank god for clean living.

[EOTE]

29. She's a witch!!!! Burn the witch!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[winyanstaz]

48. excise me but as a witch...I am sick to death of burn the witch jokes....

Give us a break already...we don't worship Satan..dont even believe in him at all,(a Christian anti-god by the way which has NOTHING to do with real pagans).
We don't hurt anyone (The one rule is "Harm none" and this includes the self.) and we try to get along and mind our own business.
Just saying....we are people too.
thanks :) and merry part ;)

[Dragonfli]

92. Well said ( I am a witch and a pot smoker) And it definitely harms none

:-)

[EOTE]

118. I assure you I meant no offense.

I just rarely pass up on a opportunity to make a Monty Python reference. Merry part to you as well :)

[Lilith Velkor]

171. Not all witches are Wiccan

You do know that, don't you?

[ieoeja]

186. Because Wiccan's suck.

I was going to post a link why ... but there is now a sex site where some Witch formerly had a humorous (to me) critique of Wiccans.

[Recursion]

31. I get tired of my stoned housemates eating my food and laughing when I tell them to stop

And then feeling bad about it the next day and buying me something different than what they ate.

That's not so much about pot as it is about assholes, but pot can make assholes even more self-centered.

[imdjh]

81. "pot can make assholes even more self-centered" QFT

[BlancheSplanchnik]

127. anything can make anyone more of who they are.....

kind of like message boards make scolding judges of character more... judgey.

[salguine]

129. What the hell is "QFT"?

[imdjh]

142. quoted for truth

[devilgrrl]

149. More like quoted for bullshit!

:popcorn:

[imdjh]

189. never mind

[devilgrrl]

205. You have a mind?

You obviously don't use it much.

[imdjh]

212. God if you're this charming when you're stoned, how could I not support it? nt

[devilgrrl]

214. If you weren't so determined to dismiss it outright - I wouldn't get like that.

:P

[cslinger59]

34. I have never ingested an illegal drug.....

EVER. I don't have any desire to do so.

That being said, you have at it. I could care less what you do in your own home that hurts nobody else and think it is a stupid prohibition considering my "drug" of choice (Bourbon) has shown to be way more harmful in many, many ways.

The war on drugs, especially marijuana is a HUGE waste of time, money and resources that perpetuates violence, strips us of rights and uses resources that would be much better used elsewhere.

Toke one up for me and I will raise a glass to you.

Enjoy.

[Dogtown]

45. So, if it's legalized

you'll become a 'head?

:shrug:

:smoke:

[DaveinJapan]

87. that's how my wife feels about it

I asked her once if she'd ever toke up and she said "only in Amsterdam, and only if I can eat it instead of smoke it" (she's quite health conscious, and hates smoke of any kind).

Some people just don't want to break the law and it's as simple as that. Very practical, I'd say.

[cslinger59]

174. Nope not likely

I personally don't have any desire to smoke pot, legal or not. Personal decision, not a judgemental "I'm better then you" kind of thing, just personal choice.

That being said I also could care less if anybody else wants to do so. It shouldn't be illegal in my book.

[shanti]

211. hey i'd like the answer to that question too!

sounds like my 77 year old mother who has a huge problem with it being illlleeeegallll. never mind that she's an RN and it's prescribed for medical purposes :eyes: and, although she doesn't imbibe anymore, her "drug of choice" was alcohol like the poster. she's a product of prohibition, so i gave up trying to convince her otherwise.

:smoke:

[Rob Gregory Browne]

35. I grew up in the 70's

You won't hear any criticism from me...

[Robeson]

Love your sig pic....

...cracks me up everytime...:D

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

39. I hope there's no way to link your DU username to a real-word identity.

There are people out there who make it their business to mess up the life of any liberal in any way possible.

[Echo In Light]

40. All the more reason to not hide one's progressive leanings

[Just Saying]

51. There's a stigma.

Even among those who do/have smoked pot. (Hypocrites/Republicans)

CPD is right.

[dorkulon]

64. Yeah, call the cops, someone's smoking weed in California.

That's gotta be what? $15 violation?

[ecstatic]

41. You sure it's not just a drug induced paranoia?

:shrug:

[WI_DEM]

46. I don't use pot--it's no big deal to me if people do use it. It's there choice.

[superduperfarleft]

50. I love pot. It's potheads I hate. n/t

[rcrush]

52. That stigma is stupid.

Have you noticed how its more socially acceptable for someone to get a 6 pack of beer on the way home from work to relax. But if you want to smoke a big fat joint when you get home from work to relax then you are looked at like a degenerate.

[timtom]

54. If I am ever diagnosed terminal

I want a giant bag of sinsemilla (or whatever the primo smoke is these days)
and a giant bag of mushrooms
I will accept psilocybin buffed in rose hips or pure LSD

[NashVegas]

58. Did You Know That Dope-Smoking Makes You Paranoid?

:nopity:

[devilgrrl]

96. Wuh? Was that supposed to be funny? Wait. Don't tell me. I'm just paranoid!

Oh dude, I can so see you headlining at The Improv.

You funny!

[Scout]

136. just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get you

:rofl:

i'm with you on this one devilgrrl ... nothing wrong with some good herb.

[jody]

59. Don't discount the possibility some judgment was because you didn't share. n/t

[devilgrrl]

60. If you need me to pass the dutchie, you have to speak LOUDER!!!!

Don't be so shy!

:smoke:

[G_j]

61. mother nature..

http://www.marijuanalibrary.org/7_presidents.html

American High Society

The extent of cannabis smoking during the Colonial era is still subject to debate. President George Washington wrote a letter that contained an oblique reference to what may have been hashish. "The artificial preparation of hemp, from Silesia, is really a curiosity." 38 Washington made specific written references to Indian hemp, or cannabis indica, and hoped to "have disseminated the seed to others. " 39 His August 7, 1765 diary entry, "began to separate the male from the female (hemp) plants," describes a harvesting technique favored to enhance the potency of smoking cannabis, among other reasons. 40 Hemp farmer Thomas Jefferson and paper maker Ben Franklin were ambassadors to France during the initial surge of the hashish vogue.

Their celebrity status and progressive revolutionary image afforded them ample opportunities to try new experiences. Jefferson smuggled Chinese hemp seeds to America and is credited with the phrase in the Declaration of Independence, "Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

Did the Founding Fathers of the United States of America smoke cannabis? Some researchers think so. Dr. Burke, president of the American Historical Reference Society and a consultant for the Smithsonian Institute, counted seven early presidents as cannabis smokers: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, Andrew Jackson, Zachary Taylor and Franklin Pierce. 41 "Early letters from our founding fathers refer to the pleasures of hemp smoking," said Burke. Pierce, Taylor and Jackson, all military men, smoked it with their troops. Cannabis was twice as popular among American soldiers in the Mexican War as in Vietnam: Pierce wrote to his family that it was "about the only good thing" about that war.

Central and Western African natives were farming and harvesting cannabis sativa in North America as slaves. If they did smoke on the plantations, that would be kept secret. 42 By the time of the Louisiana purchase in 1803, New Orleans had a mixed Spanish, French, Creole, Cajun, Mexican and Black population. The city teemed with adventurers and sailors, wise to the ways of cannabis. It was mixed with tobacco or smoked alone, used to season food 43, to treat insomnia and impotence, and so on.

Cannabis was mentioned as a medicinal agent in a formal American medical text as early as 1843. 44
**

41 Burke asserted that Washington & Jefferson were said to exchange smoking blends as personal gifts. Washington reportedly preferred a pipe full of "the leaves of hemp" to alcohol, & wrote in his diaries that he enjoyed the fragrance of hemp flowers. Madison once remarked that hemp gave him insight to create a new & democratic nation. Monroe, creator of the Monroe Doctrine, began smoking it as Ambassador to France & continued to the age of 73. Burke. "Pot & Presidents." in Green Egg. CA. June 21, 1975

[Oilwellian]

108. Fascinating

I had no idea some of our founding fathers fancied cannabis. And George Washington actually wrote about separating the male and female plants? It doesn't really enhance the potency of pot but it does give you nice, big, seedless buds. :smoke:

[bertman]

152. Thanks for the info, G_j. I hate to quibble but I find the comment that "cannabis was

twice as popular among American soldiers in the Mexican War as in Vietnam" to be highly speculative, if not altogether erroneous. A large portion of U.S. troops smoked pot in Vietnam. What portion smoked in the Mexican War?

B-)

[G_j]

200. can't answer your question

but just about everyone I knew who was in Nam smoked.

[bertman]

206. In my unit I'd say 60 to 70%.

[Bluenorthwest]

63. No of course you are not alone

My favorites are the ones who drink, yet judge pot smokers.

[fizzgig]

70. this song says it all

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwDRBm-qbQI

[lunatica]

65. Here's a couple of smilies for you

[shadowknows69]

67. Ffffffft, Wait, what?

:smoke: Toke away sister.

[fizzgig]

68. i don't think i've ever been judged for toking

smoking ciggies, on the other hand...well, this is all i can say :eyes:

[killbotfactory]

69. I like how the anti-pot patrol bases their belief on rote memorization of propaganda

based on absolutely no sound scientific research. I guess all that alcohol kills their motivation to examine their own belief system.

[salguine]

130. I'm not disagreeing with you, but let's be honest—smokers haven't

thrown out their share of crazy "statistics" and ridiculous rationalizations that have no basis in fact?

[rustydog]

71. Who cares what a hop-head thinks?

;-)

[Ilsa]

72. Doesn't bother me in the least.

I'm pretty upset with one of my brothers who has had issues with drugs, though. Pot was a small part of it. He has issues regarding tending to his financial situation and paying for stuff, probably some designer drugs also. He's sent alot fo pain our way because we love him.

But I'm fine with anyone who wants to smoke a little weed if they are able to manage their lives without any problems. Good for you. There are days when I wish I could join you.

[6000eliot]

74. I haven't toked up in years, but have at it.

Enjoy. I always did.

[MrSlayer]

77. Straight edgers are generally assholes.

Don't like it? Don't do it. But stay out of my face about it.

[krabigirl]

165. Yep, wholeheartedly agree. And they are often hypocrites to boot.

[EndersDame]

80. You Pose a very real threat to Society

Well if by society you mean a bag of Doritos. And that is the only real danger a stoned bloke is going to get into because half the time they are too stoned too get off the couch :7

[NightWatcher]

84. screw em, there are tons of us responsible users.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

85. Who bothers you about it? Why do you force yourself to be around them?

[Maru Kitteh]

86. Well, allow this non-user to say - knock yourself out.

I'm not happy about the violence that surrounds the illegal drug trade but I view that as more a byproduct of a really stupid national drug policy - like alcohol prohibition. Exactly like alcohol prohibition, actually.

[TahitiNut]

95. Just sit upwind of me and I'll keep quiet.

:silly:

[Texasgal]

101. I don't give a rats ass if you toke..

:shrug:

I don't anymore.. haven't for years. Drug tests for RN's are very common.

[Raine]

102. If you want to burn up your money

why the hell should I care. :shrug: I like my vino. :beer:

[devilgrrl]

125. So what you're saying is that I should be burning money on wine?

Oooh, let's fire up some cash!!!!!

:eyes:

[Fly by night]

103. I'm not the judgmental type, having been adjudicated myself.

Hey there, devilgrrl. Got to show off the pictures of my LA visit last year to a big crowd of my AA friend at my third Gratitude picnic this weekend (to celebrate my release from lock-up.) Your smiling face was in there.

My AA friends all know about my cannabis activism and -- you know what -- it doesn't bother them in the least. Because they know me as a person and not as a stereotype.

The world is changing (and it's about damn time.)

[Wednesdays]

104. K&R

:kick:

[Left coast liberal]

105. Sure thing. Can I pinch a bud of you?

[deaniac21]

106. Weather your crutch is drugs or religion, I say go for it.

[Toasterlad]

109. I Don't Toke, But I Say You Should Be Able to Smoke Whatever You Want In Your Own Home

Live and let live, baby.

:fistbump:

[Skittles]

110. pot smokers don't bother me

drunks do though

[shireen]

112. i am not a pot smoker,

and I STRONGLY favor legalizing marijuana, not just for medical reasons, but also for people who choose to use it recreationally in a responsible way ( as in don't drive drunk or stoned ...)

From a horticultural perspective, i think it's a gorgeous plant and would love to cultivate it! I would get to enjoy the aesthetics of the plant, and my friends would get free pot. :D

[armyowalgreens]

114. You just reminded me that I need to pick up a gram...

I'm completely out.

I really don't want to smoke the resin.

[mamaleah]

115. Non--user here who does not care who uses.

Enjoy! We all have something we enjoy that others would find a problem with. Let it roll off you! :D

[cherokeeprogressive]

116. I am totally on-board with your sentiment. 31 years a toker.

For ten years I owned a full-time Designated Subjects teaching credential in the state of California... ... ... wait. What were we talking about???

LOL just kidding. What I said is true, 10 years a teacher, and for 2 elections I was the Lead Poll Worker Trainer for the Orange County Registrar of Voters' office. I even wrote the training materials. And, just TODAY my Dad was telling me about how they found 2600 seedlings growing somewhere in Idaho and he actually thought that was making a dent in the number of people who smoke pot in the spud state.

[LeftyMom]

119. As long as I don't have to smell it, I don't care.

I'm all for it being legal, but the smoke does nasty things to my airway, so people need to be considerate enough not to smoke in areas where not everybody consents to breathing that shit in.

Actually, that's one of the reasons I'm all for legalization. If people didn't have to be all furtive about it whenever they had a joint, they could just go outside with the tobacco smokers instead of finding out-of-the-way corners in places I expect to be able to breathe.

[madokie]

120. Been toking for 41 years now

the only BAD thing I've found about pot in all these years is, drumroll please, it's illegal. I graduated from high school having never heard the word marijuana. Joined the navy and after 5 months of basic training where they filled me in on all the bad things about it and that I could see were bogus I had to try it myself to see if what they were telling us was fact. I found none of it to be true and have been toking ever since. Toke up and pass the joint, please.

[trayfoot]

121. I don't use pot, although I support its legalization.

You are experiencing the same environment as tobacco smokers - the self-righteous crowd who think their vices are OK, but pass judgment on others.

[JNelson6563]

122. On the upside, many of those gullible souls

who buy into the reefer madness propaganda will be dying off soon.

Additionally, when you do come across those self righteous assholes you mention in your OP, ask them if they ever drink alcohol. Many who drink crinkle their noses at those who use "drugs". lol I always laugh when special-kind-of-stupid types get soap-boxy.

Julie

[devilgrrl]

124. Then you must of laughed your ass off at all the "special-kind-of-stupid types" that responded...

:crazy:

So typical!

[Echo In Light]

126. Taxed Drug = Good Drug. Untaxed Drug = Bad Drug

Rinse and repeat

[JNelson6563]

131. Drug ok'd by "the man"=good

Not good w/"the man"=bad.

[Echo In Light]

147. There must be a lot of locational difference re attitudes toward pot...

Here in our lil neck o' the woods (upper midwest) one rarely encounters hostility for The Green ... then again, it's fair to say that I definitely avoid people who may harbor that type of imposed, programmed resentment toward weed...er, more specifically, those who smoke it.

On an objective level though, I know of, am aware of, all sorts of folks who smoke, but don't necessarily 'look the part.' Me, I do look the part, as getting high went hand in hand with growing up, and unconsciously adopting certain cultural affectations that represent a dissenting view re mainstream ideals/expectations.

[T_L_W]

173. no one

buys in to the reefer madness thing anymore. Not in about 60 years. Did you just arrive in a time machine? Or is that just super cool way to put down people you don't consider as cool as you?

[JNelson6563]

184. Got any friends over 50?

I do. Lots of 'em. Mention pot and you should hear 'em. No worse evil on the planet, pot-herion, all the same to them. I always snicker when they share such nonsense views with me over cocktails.

Julie

[noiretextatique]

192. that's odd...everyone i know who is 50 and over

smokes marijuana, at least occasionally. myself included :smoke:

[madmom]

128. I have asked the same question, but replace pot smoker with

non-believer. I've been told I'm a bad person by people who don't know me and a m-i-l who "loved me" until she found out, now I don't exist. I'll stack my morals up against anyone I know who claims to be christian. I agree, leave me alone and let me live my life and I will reciprocate.

[lumberjack_jeff]

133. It should be legal. Until then, it's not.

Personally, I avoid illegal things, because I consider chronic illegality unwise.

Judgemental? YMMV

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

135. So You Never Drive A Mile Over The Speed Limit Then?

You never pass on the right? You always come to a complete stop for at least 3 seconds at a stop sign, even if no one else is on the road? You never use a cell phone while driving? You never have lit off a firework? You've never parked, even for a moment, where you shouldn't have?

I have a hard time believing that.

[lumberjack_jeff]

137. Sure.

But then again, I don't complain that the pedestrians who must jump out of my way are being judgemental.

"I like to drive 100mph plus, but it's okay, because I go to work and do normal stuff too. I wish everyone would just get off my case and stop harshing my mellow."

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

141. Who The Fuck Is Being Affect By Her Privately Using Pot?

I'd say you're worse. Because not only are you unwisely engaging in chronically illegal acts, but those acts can have a direct impact on others such as the pedestrian having to jump out of the way, or heightened risk of an accident due to speed, etc.

The OP, on the other hand, is affecting NOBODY.

So your illegality is worse, and your analogy incorrect.

Hypocrisy exposed.

[lumberjack_jeff]

148. She is.

If she's caught, she risks a punishment significantly worse than the one given for failing to stop for three seconds at a stop sign.

Why is this patently obvious observation hypocritical? Many years ago I smoked pot but I quit because I didn't want to get caught and punished. It should be legal but it's not, and until it is it exposes the user to very real and tangible risk. I consider that risk stupid.

When you get tired of being the spokesperson for Strawmen R' Us, try reading what is written instead of projecting.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

151. Bzzzzzzzzt.

She's allowed to take that risk upon herself. That's her CHOICE.

But you are engaging in chronically illegal acts that not only can affect you, but can have severe consequences on others as well. That most definitely makes your chronically illegal acts worse, and completely takes away any credibility you would have to criticize her violations. It is the utmost of hypocrisy.

And maybe you should look up the definition of a strawman, since absolutely none were used in my response to you.

[lumberjack_jeff]

157. In this context "don't you ever use your cellphone while driving?" is the definition of strawman

The complaint of the OP was people's judgmentalism over her three-decades-long criminal choice. I've already said it should be legal but nevertheless it's not.

My belief that it's a stupid choice is what she meant by judgmental. Absent a medical condition such as glaucoma which would allow an Rx, given the state of the law, it is a stupid choice.

If I ever start a thread complaining about others judgmentalism over my illegal acts, I'll be sure to pm you. Until then, there's this thread.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

159. No, That Isn't The Definition.

They were legitimate questions, serving a legitimate purpose. The purpose was to expose your hypocrisy. Mission accomplished.

That's all for now. I've said what was necessary.

[lumberjack_jeff]

162. That's right! Run away or I shall taunt you some more!

From Wiki
"To "attack a straw man" is to create the illusion of having refuted a proposition by substituting a superficially similar proposition (the "straw man"), and refuting it, without ever having actually refuted the original position"

So you refuted my proposition (that doing things that pose significant legal risk is dumb), by pointing out most of us do illegal things.

This only makes sense if: a) texting while driving isn't dumb (so the person doing it should be free from judgmentalism) and b) all illegal activities are the same.

Now, if you'll excuse me, there are a couple of playgrounds, schoolyards and convalescent centers through which I haven't recently recklessly careened. Vroom.

[StrongBad]

187. She lives in CA

If she is carrying under an ounce, the max penalty is something like a $100 fine.

If she has a medical card, no punishment.

That argument doesn't fly.

[lumberjack_jeff]

193. That's an oversimplification.

http://www.cognitiveliberty.org/rpts/col_sanctions.htm

[bertman]

153. "stop harshing my mellow."

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

I've gotta remember that one. Probably won't though. Short-term memory loss and all.

Thanks for a good laugh, lumberjack_jeff.

By the way, if the pedestrians have time to jump out of the way, you're driving too slow.

:hi:

[lumberjack_jeff]

158. I'm a pragmatist

Slow enough that they can jump out of the way, but fast enough that they can't throw things at me when the get up. :D

[Vinnie From Indy]

138. The most outrage should be directed at politicians

They smoke ganja in private and routinely vote to send OTHER people to jail for the same thing.

[Petals]

146. I'd like to know more....

...what form does this judgement take?

I know I judge people many times a day but I seldom vocalize it.

In your case I have to ask....has the drive-thru you work in really been around for 30 years?

Not judging just joking.....

Toke away in private if the eyes bug ya.

[bertman]

154. "I've been smoking and toking for 30 years, haven't been in trouble with the law"

Until now, that is.

Damn, devilgrrl, this is the internetz. Don't you know they're sweeping up every reference to "pot" for future use against terrists like y'all hempheads? Sorry, but now you're in the database.

I'm kidding. Mostly. Didn't mean to harsh your mellow. (Thanks again, lumberjack_jeff)

You have my support 100%. Even though I NEVER smoke pot--wink wink nudge nudge, if you know what I mean--I've heard from some other people who do smoke the devilweed that it can really help one to relax and enjoy the moment. Of course, if I were to ever decide to use it I would probably only do so under the most controlled conditions, such as when hanging out with friends or when groovin' on a sunny afternoon.

B-)

[woo me with science]

160. I work with a lot of kids.

I feel sorry for the ones whose parents are bombed on bourbon every evening.

I feel equally sorry for the ones whose parents are high on pot every evening.

I don't wish for either one to be illegal, but from my own eyes and experience I don't believe that chemically altering your mental state on a regular, daily basis is harmless.

[krabigirl]

163. Do you feel sorry for the kids with parents impaired by legal, prescribed drugs, too?

Many anti-depressants and especially anti-anxiety drugs have a similar, if not stronger, effect on some people. And they are given out like candy by their doctors. (nothing wrong with it, I am prescribed these myself, and yes, they do make me feel loopy yet not anxious and depressed. I just would like this to be acknowledged when people bring up "the children" in these kinds of arguments.)

[woo me with science]

166. I do think antidepressants are way overprescribed.

I think many doctors leap to them for mild, situational depression, and I also have concerns that they alter brain chemistry in ways we don't really understand and that can be permanent.

I don't dispute that they have saved lives for serious, intractable depression, but I agree with you that they are way overused.

[T_L_W]

169. funny

I was one of those kids back in the 60s and 70s. You are right to feel sorry. My parents were/are nice people and perhaps they didn't know better then, but people should now.

[montanto]

161. I don't get it.

Are people bugging you at home, or on the boards? I live in Socal.
I don't experience any kind of judgment on that front. 47 year old
professional, I know a lot of other users in my line of work, and
non-users know we smoke too. We're pretty open here. Never been an
issue at home. DU? I don't know. I've never heard anyone say it
was wrong, not that saying it was wrong would change how I feel, or
whether or not I make bubble out of my popcorn and bake myself with
cookies!

[devilgrrl]

167. I'm upset with the incessant "Reefer Madness" stereotyping and ignorance...

as you may have noticed, it's rampant in this thread.

Same old shit - different day.

[montanto]

172. I see it now. There wasn't so much before I posted.

It's certainly hard to take arguments that attempt to abridge
your rights, even to do something "harmful" or "illegal." Your profile
says California, where legality is a negligible issue. Without a
Medimar dispensation punishment for small amounts is more of an
irritant than anything else. What ground has the argument "You are
breaking the law?" Not much more than an expired- meter parking
violation. If you've got a card? Walk down the street smoking a
joint with six ounces in pocket and cops can't do a thing unless you
are violating an anti smoking ordinance. No argument there. Its bad
for you? So is breathing the air in Los Angeles. Next? You shouldn't
get stoned in front of your kids? Perhaps not. If you advocate blazing
it in front of your kids it would be hard to justify, especially if
you tell them its bad for them. If you keep it away from them until
they are old enough to understand your reasoning I can't see why one
would object. After all, parents have sex, its only natural, not wrong,
but they don't do it in front of kids, and they explain it when the kids
are old enough to understand. Seems to be a matter of use / abuse and
the inclination of people to jump to the conclusion that use IS abuse
when it comes to this evil substance. I didn't see "gateway drug" above.
I know a lot of pot smokers and I don't know any heroin/crack/meth addicts.
I know a lot of ex smokers who one day just quit. I guess people just
can't resist the urge to tinker with other people's business.

[Orsino]

164. Smoking is hazardous. So is a criminal record.

I wouldn't want you to face either--but I hope my concern for you doesn't come off as my being judgmental.

If it were legal and if it weren't damaging your lungs, I would be entirely on your side. As it is, I hope you'll find a safer delivery method.

But go in peace. :hippie:

[T_L_W]

176. I once had a discussion

similar to this with a guy at another site. He said he was 55, had gotten high since the 60s and worked all his life....what did he do at the age of 55? Deliver Pizza.
But hey, he's cooler than me. That is always the point of these topics on liberal sites.

[Orsino]

179. I think you're right.

Pizza delivery is a specialty of liberal sites. Often in thirty minutes or less.

[bridgit]

182. Maybe he worked for Opus Dei doing *the teacher's work*

http://www.ironiccatholic.com/2006/04/opus-dei-and-call-to-action-share.html

[Romulox]

181. What business is it of yours what another person chooses to do for a living?

"But hey, he's cooler than me. That is always the point of these topics on liberal sites."

Gimmeabreak. What would you do if you didn't have someone to look down on? You need people like him to bolster your own self-image. :hi:

[bridgit]

185. I used to cry cause I had no shovel...until I met a man that was already digging a trench

:cry: And that made me feel a little bit better; made me feel like the job was getting done :think:

[StrongBad]

188. No criminal record for smoking weed in CA.

It's a misdemeanor with a small fine.

[Orsino]

195. Usually not, for a first offense.

Unfortunately, that's not automatic: http://www.california-marijuana-lawyers.com/marijuana-possession.html

There are ways to avoid a conviction, though: http://www.chrisconrad.com/expert.witness/pc1000.htm

It looks like even a (first) conviction only stays on your record for two years: http://www.canorml.org/laws/hsc11361_5_7.html

[devilgrrl]

210. I'm sure the LA County Sheriffs Department and the LAPD will be on it white on rice.

Oh no! I hear sirens!!! They're coming to get me!!! :-0

:eyes:

[Orsino]

215. I certainly hope not.

I don't even want you to have to live in fear of arrest.

[slay]

168. Me too me too!

I don't like alcohol, but smokin weed is for me. :hi: :smoke: :hippie:

[bridgit]

177. wurd!

:smoke:

[SteppingRazor]

180. Pipe down, ya hippie!

:silly:

[Name removed]

183. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Bucky]

194. If you weren't stoned all the time, you'd probably know how to spell the word judgment correctly

I keed!! I keed!!

[Dogtown]

201. It's such a bore

I toke and I post. Anyone that doesn't like it can use(& probably has used) the appropriate button.


I sure won't throw fists, I'm *way* too mellow...


:smoke:

[RedCloud]

213. Put the pot down and spell "Judgment" correctly!

http://www.proz.com/forum/linguistics/73966-judgement_vs_judgment.html

:shrug: :shrug: