Culture The One Stop Cannabis Culture and Knowledge Thread

[Bacle]

So on the suggestion of some posters interested in discussing cannabis, it's affects, its history, and it's place in culture, I've decided to make a thread where dedicated discussions can take place.

I am interested in seeing and hearing the perspectives and experiences of others, both partakers and non-partskers, in regards to cannabis, from around the world.

Full disclosure, I worked for several years in the legal cannabis industry in Colorado, saw the inside of the industry and culture, and how it is fitting into modern society.

Edit: A good resource for more in-depth knowledge of cannabis and to look inside legalization advocacy is this group; NORML - Working to Reform Marijuana Laws Since 1970

 

[Buba]

IMO should be legal. Seeing that alcohol is ...
I'm not a partaker, BTW, and hopefully will never be.
Why hopefully?
I'm already in the AA - as I'm incapable of moderate use of Happy!Thoughts! substances I don't think I'd survive the effort needed to become a member of another Twelve Steps group ...

 

[GoldRanger]

Copied my reply from another thread:

It's not heroin, that doesn't mean it's good. This is kinda off topic so I'll leave it at that. Weed debate thread would be interesting though, guessing we have a couple different viewpoints here.

It's not any worse than alcohol. In the end, mildly mind altering substances and relaxants are good for you. You need a way to properly reduce stress levels once in a while. The problem is that most people don't know how to use them responsibly. Smoking weed as a lifestyle is not good for you, just like being an alcoholic isn't, but if you smoke a bit when relaxing among friends once or twice a month, is not going to have a negative impact on your body.

I'm speaking as someone who fooled around just a bit with these things in the past, and found that I did not enjoy it. Beer is my preferred relaxant. As long as you have some sort of way to wind down once in a while, more than your body can naturally do, you're golden. If someone chooses weed as their favored substance, let them (if they abuse and overuse it, that's another matter. Responsibility is key).

Your body is not really a temple, and you're not a monk (unless you are, in which case: sucks to be you. And even monks drank beer). Live a little.

 

[Rocinante]

Should be legal. It's less harmful than many, many other things that are legal and has tons of benefits.

I'm a recreational smoker primarily. It's good to wind down with and watch comedies or play video games.

I work 9 hours a day and I eat healthy and I work out every day. By the end of the day it's just so nice and relaxing.

I am 4 years sober from alcohol next month. I was really fucking my life and health up with alcohol. Kept smoking weed.

It has good medical benefits for me too. When I am having IBD issues it helps. And in October I herniated a disc in my back and it was a good alternative to opiod painkillers. Helped get my mind off the pain.

 

[Rocinante]

IMO should be legal. Seeing that alcohol is ...
I'm not a partaker, BTW, and hopefully will never be.
Why hopefully?
I'm already in the AA - as I'm incapable of moderate use of Happy!Thoughts! substances I don't think I'd survive the effort needed to become a member of another Twelve Steps group ...

Weed Actually helped me to get sober off alcohol. The AA people didn't like it. Said I was just replacing one addiction with another.

Fuck it. I don't care if that's what I did. Alcohol was killing me. Weed is not. It was a fair enough trade for me. I'm doing great in life, no desire whatsoever to drink, and I stopped going to AA 3ish years ago.

Do note, I am not suggesting you do the same. Just sharing my experience. Do what works for you. Everyone is different!

 

[Zachowon]

I have a friend who thinks that only peolpe 25 or older should be allowed to smole

 

[Bacle]

IMO should be legal. Seeing that alcohol is ...
I'm not a partaker, BTW, and hopefully will never be.
Why hopefully?
I'm already in the AA - as I'm incapable of moderate use of Happy!Thoughts! substances I don't think I'd survive the effort needed to become a member of another Twelve Steps group ...

Cannabis doesn't create dependence or have withdrawal symptoms.

Heck, I knew people in the cannabis industry who used cannabis to help them beat heroin addition and ease the withdrawal symptoms from it. I know people that won't drink who smoke regularly, and aside from extra mucus production in the lungs, the suffer no ill effects, and no cravings if they decide to stop for a bit.

I personally smoke a bit when I'm not expecting to need to drive or doing anything requiring focus for a couple hours, but can go cold turkey for a month with no cravings or anything except less mucus I have to hack up and spit out.

Weed Actually helped me to get sober off alcohol. The AA people didn't like it. Said I was just replacing one addiction with another.

Fuck it. I don't care if that's what I did. Alcohol was killing me. Weed is not. It was a fair enough trade for me. I'm doing great in life, no desire whatsoever to drink, and I stopped going to AA 3ish years ago.

Do note, I am not suggesting you do the same. Just sharing my experience. Do what works for you. Everyone is different!

My father is the same way.

He's had to effectively give up alcohol due to gout issues in his feet, but he smokes regularly when he doesn't have any important stuff to do. He gave up weed for 30 years to make sure it wasn't around me and my sister as kids, and because he couldn't have it in his system due to his job, so cannabis is something people can go cold turkey on without suffering any withdrawal.

I have a friend who thinks that only peolpe 25 or older should be allowed to smole

Let me guess, they say that "because the brain isn't fully developed till you are 25" as thier reasoning?

It's nanny-busybody BS which wants to treat people that can fight and die in wars as babies that cannot handle intoxicants/recreational relaxants.

Cannabis age limits at 21, like those with booze, and more about preventing DUIs and the like amongst new users/drinkers, than about mental or physical health.

 

[Buba]

Just sharing my experience. Do what works for you. Everyone is different!

Sharing Experience, Strength and Hope - sounds familiar
Replacing booze with weed - worked for you? You alive and happy?
Cool! I'm happy for you!
Personally I'm too scared to touch it

Cannabis doesn't create dependence or have withdrawal symptoms.

I have an addiction/dependency prone personality - I prefer not to experiment

 

[FriedCFour]

Should be illegal.

 

[Bacle]

I have an addiction/dependency prone personality - I prefer not to experiment

Which is fair, and knowing yourself well enough to understand that is not a bad thing.

I would only say it might be worth looking at CBD products instead of straight cannabis for someone like you. CBD is non-psycho-active and has a lot of health benefits for pain management and digestive issues, as well as helps deal with muscle inflammation, without the gastrointestinal issues of heavy asprin and ibeprofen.

As an aside, I've also met several women who used topical CBD/THC mixtures to help them beat breast cancer.

 

[Zachowon]

Cannabis doesn't create dependence or have withdrawal symptoms.

Heck, I knew people in the cannabis industry who used cannabis to help them beat heroin addition and ease the withdrawal symptoms from it. I know people that won't drink who smoke regularly, and aside from extra mucus production in the lungs, the suffer no ill effects, and no cravings if they decide to stop for a bit.

I personally smoke a bit when I'm not expecting to need to drive or doing anything requiring focus for a couple hours, but can go cold turkey for a month with no cravings or anything except less mucus I have to hack up and spit out.
My father is the same way.

He's had to effectively give up alcohol due to gout issues in his feet, but he smokes regularly when he doesn't have any important stuff to do. He gave up weed for 30 years to make sure it wasn't around me and my sister as kids, and because he couldn't have it in his system due to his job, so cannabis is something people can go cold turkey on without suffering any withdrawal.
Let me guess, they say that "because the brain isn't fully developed till you are 25" as thier reasoning?

It's nanny-busybody BS which wants to treat people that can fight and die in wars as babies that cannot handle intoxicants/recreational relaxants.

Cannabis age limits at 21, like those with booze, and more about preventing DUIs and the like amongst new users/drinkers, than about mental or physical health.

My buddy works in a vape/Legal THC and CBD store.
He also smokes every now and then.
He just doesn't want to see kids ruining thier wallets more then anything

 

[Bacle]

My buddy works in a vape/Legal THC and CBD store.
He also smokes every now and then.
He just doesn't want to see kids ruining thier wallets more then anything

Ah, ok, that's an angle I hadn't heard very often.

And I can understand it, because with the taxes that get levied on legal cannabis, it can get pricey pretty fast in some locations.

I know stores will have customer loyalty programs (points or cash-back towards future purchases are common) to try to make the price less over the long term.

 

[Bacle]

Oh, and in related news:


This is one area where Trump dropped the ball, and left an issue on the table that could have helped the GOP under cut the Dem coalition.

Had the GOP decided to go for federal legalization, it would have seriously hurt the Dem coalition, and likely split of parts of it.

 

[Rocinante]

Oh, and in related news:


This is one area where Trump dropped the ball, and left an issue on the table that could have helped the GOP under cut the Dem coalition.

Had the GOP decided to go for federal legalization, it would have seriously hurt the Dem coalition, and likely split of parts of it.

It's not incompatible with their platform either. States rights? Freedom? Free choice? Personal responsibility? Pro business? Create jobs?

If the GOP had adopted a pro legalize stance (or at least a states rights stance by taking it off schedule 1) they could have really hurt the Dems

 

[Cherico]

all I know is that I live in cali and a large chunk of the people here would be completely insufferable if they were not high as balls.

 

[Bacle]

It's not incompatible with their platform either. States rights? Freedom? Free choice? Personal responsibility? Pro business? Create jobs?

If the GOP had adopted a pro legalize stance (or at least a states rights stance by taking it off schedule 1) they could have really hurt the Dems

I said multiple times on the GOP surveys I was sent that this issue could have been a useful wedge against the Dems.

However I doubt the establishment GOP in control of the RNC has any interest in admitting cannabis legalization on the Federal level is popular, given they also tend to be believers in Reefer Madness propaganda.

 

[Rocinante]

I said multiple times on the GOP surveys I was sent that this issue could have been a useful wedge against the Dems.

However I doubt the establishment GOP in control of the RNC has any interest in admitting cannabis legalization on the Federal level is popular, given they also tend to be believers in Reefer Madness propaganda.

They don't even need to legalize it. Just take it off schedule 1. The fact that federally it's considered as bad as heroin is absurd, and it diminishes states rights.

All these states with legalization are breaking the law, the law just isn't enforced.

Just take it off schedule 1 and let the states work it out.

 

[Bacle]

They don't even need to legalize it. Just take it off schedule 1. The fact that federally it's considered as bad as heroin is absurd, and it diminishes states rights.

All these states with legalization are breaking the law, the law just isn't enforced.

Just take it off schedule 1 and let the states work it out.

Nah, we need Federal legalization to keep employers, insurance companies, and the like from continuing to treat it differently than alcohol.

There are definitely some jobs/positions where the people doing it shouldn't partake regularly if they are doing it. However, there is no reason to bar partakers from most jobs, particularly as long as the people do not show up to work high or get high while on the job.

I do think pregnant women should abstain from THC products, as we simply don't have enough data to know what it can do to an unborn baby, but CBD should be safe.

As well, parents should not have cannabis in the house if they have minor children. If they want to partake once in a while, they can have a parents night out and spend a night at a hotel or camping away from the kids.

 

[Rocinante]

Nah, we need Federal legalization to keep employers, insurance companies, and the like from continuing to treat it differently than alcohol.

There are definitely some jobs/positions where the people doing it shouldn't partake regularly if they are doing it. However, there is no reason to bar partakers from most jobs, particularly as long as the people do not show up to work high or get high while on the job.

I do think pregnant women should abstain from THC products, as we simply don't have enough data to know what it can do to an unborn baby, but CBD should be safe.

As well, parents should not have cannabis in the house if they have minor children. If they want to partake once in a while, they can have a parents night out and spend a night at a hotel or camping away from the kids.

I would prefer full legalization but descheduling is a big step in the right direction that is also very much in line with republican philosophy.

 

[Bacle]

I would prefer full legalization but descheduling is a big step in the right direction that is also very much in line with republican philosophy.

However the difficulties the cannabis industry faces with things like banking, theft/fire insurance, payroll, business deductions for taxes, and the like won't get solved till it goes Federally legal.

Same with the issues Individuals faced that I mentioned above.

However, descheduling is a step in the right direction, and would make Federal legalization easier to pass in the future I expect.

What's funny is a bunch of Red States (Florida, Arizona, South Dakota, and Oklahoma for example) have gone legal in the past few years. So the national level GOP cannot expect to be able to fight against legal cannabis and roll it back to any real degree, without pissing off thier own constituents in those states.

This really is an issue where the GOP claim to value individual liberty, and also claim to support small business creation, really should be pushing harder to get the RNC to stop fighting against legalization.