See picture

[Phil]

Prompted by a comment in the other thread...

 

Leaf

 

Well, have you?

[JLOL]

I can't smoke it and whenever I try I can't breathe for 2 days. Probably related to having athsma. I always thought I was just allergic to it until I ate it and I had pot brownies and there was no problem.

 

FWIW I see this as no worse than drinking alcohol.

[Gerben42]

As Bones would say: I'm a doctor, not a botanist!

[luke warm]

i used to, long ago, and probably still would if it wasn't illegal (i don't think i'd like jail)

[jdonn]

I have.... voted in your poll.

[Echognome]

Also have asthma, so it never interested me. I don't view it as any worse than drinking alcohol either.

[kenrexford]

I'll exercise my 5th Amendment.

 

However, my position on legalization, BTW, is perhaps unique.

 

I want all drugs made legal, because the government should let people do what they want with their own bodies.

 

But, I want Marijuana kept illegal as a minor misdemeanor.

 

Why?

 

Legalizing marijuana would take most of the fun out of it.

[PassedOut]

i used to, long ago, and probably still would if it wasn't illegal (i don't think i'd like jail)

Same here.

 

Re Ken Rexford's comments, I had to chuckle when I remembered one time as an undergraduate with a group of people including my lawyer. He cracked us all up by saying, "This is one of my favorite crimes." (Of course everything we said seemed pretty funny.)

[kfay]

I've done it a few times before but was always really drunk at the time so was never sure what was doing what to me.

 

When I was in high school my brother was a big toker, which caused many many problems in my family. But now I believe that was more a product of the friends he kept (a much larger proportion of high school users, imo, are bad eggs). So at this point in my life I have absolutely no problem with anyone who does and I probably would myself. But I wouldn't go out of my way.

[TimG]

i used to, long ago, and probably still would if it wasn't illegal (i don't think i'd like jail)

In many states a first time possessor of a small amount of marijuana is subject to no jail time -- the consequences are little different than a speeding ticket.

[hrothgar]

My answer here is somewhat similar to my answer regarding cigarettes...

 

I played soccer and I fenced through junior high and high school. The soccer coach made it damn clear what he'd do to you if you couldn't run far / fast enough.

 

For whatever reason, this was sufficient for me not to get started. Once I hit college, I graviated towards ultimate frisbee which has a much more permissive attitude regaridng weed; however, by then I was pretty set in my ways.

 

One interest point that I have noticed is that smoking (whatever) seems to be highly correlated with social cliques. Some groups / professions seem to smoke MUCH more that others.

 

As an example: Theater types seem to smoke much more than science fiction fans...

 

One thing which has always puzzled me is the relationship between smoking tobacco and income level. In general, I think that propensity to smoke is negatively correlated with income. However, there are these weird little blips in some very high income groups.

[kenberg]

Never for me. This is more a matter of age group than anything else. I graduated hs in 56, college in 60, got married in 60 (the day after graduation). During those years I would have had no idea where to get marijuana if I wanted it. Later, I was busy.

By the mid-sixties of course the drug culture was in full swing but getting stoned seemed incompatible with writing a thesis. Dylan to the contrary, not everyone must get stoned. Somehow, again a matter of age group, I did not apply the same logic to alcohol.

 

I was not all that worked up as a parent over whether my girls smoked marijuana. Both tried it, neither really got into it. The older one became emphatic about it. All a guy had to do was suggest getting high was in his plans and he immediately made her do not call me list.

 

I suppose it probably should be legal. Like cigarette smoking, it's a seriously dumb thing to do. But keeping people, at least adults, from doing dumb things is not my job.

[hanp]

I never tried it.

[onoway]

listened to a health worker talking about how smoking pot was actually worse for your lungs than smoking tobacco, as unlike certain U.S. politicians, most people do inhale and tend to do so more enthusiastically than with tobacco. On the other hand pot doesn't have an alternate life as a very effective bugkiller so I thought he had some sort of agenda going.

[helene_t]

While I was a kibbutz volunteer, someone let the chillum go round. Everyone got very silly and half of us suddenly discovered we were homosexual. Turned out he made a practical joke, what was in the chillum was tea.

 

That's the only thing I have smoken in my life. One single blow of tea. Never tobacco, hemp, cocoa leaves (as was popular at the school my brother went to) or anything else.

 

In terms of immediate impact on behavior It is a lot more benign than alcohol, which makes a lot of people anti-social. I think it's more dangerous than coffee, chocolate and tobacco, in terms of immediate psychogenic effects, but not by a large margin. As for the health hazards I don't think much is known about it although it probably doesn't have such extreme adverse effects as alcohol. It may be as benign as coffee or chocolate, it may be as bad as tobacco or maybe even worse. I don't know.

[Lobowolf]

listened to a health worker talking about how smoking pot was actually worse for your lungs than smoking tobacco, as unlike certain U.S. politicians, most people do inhale and tend to do so more enthusiastically than with tobacco. On the other hand pot doesn't have an alternate life as a very effective bugkiller so I thought he had some sort of agenda going.

Probably true on a per-cigarette (joint) basis; on the other hand, the people I know who smoke pot might have a couple of joints a month, and the ones I know who smoke cigarettes have over a thousand in a month, so I know whom I'd bet on.

[mikeh]

So far, we have a very small sample size, so we can't draw many conclusions, as far as I can see. However, I was surprised at the voting so far. I know a number of very, very good players who smoke regularly... I won't name names, since it is their business, not mine or ours.

 

I do not smoke anything, but have friends who smoke one or the other, and of course I live in a part of the world renowned for its hydroponically grown 'BC Bud': it is allegedly a multi billion dollar industry, and is reputed to be partially the cause of a gang war raging in greater Vancouver, as well as being a major income generator for the Hells Angels.

 

As far as I am concerned: keeping it illegal is a socially moronic move.... whatever health and safety issues the drug may pose is nothing compared to the social costs of encouraging massive and organized crime.

[cherdanno]

FWIW I see this as no worse than drinking alcohol.

There is one difference though: Paying for alcohol isn't harmful, it goes to pay poor workers in Russian wodka factories or former-actors-turned-vineyards who need all the help to be able to afford living in Santa Barbara. Paying for illegal drugs helps financing gang violence, corruption and similar things that aren't quite as helpful for society.

[Phil]

So far, we have a very small sample size, so we can't draw many conclusions, as far as I can see. However, I was surprised at the voting so far. I know a number of very, very good players who smoke regularly... I won't name names, since it is their business, not mine or ours.

Me too - I would say there is a high correlation between good bridge and frequent smokers. Much more than tobacco, but there's a lot of that too. After we get over 100 in the sample, I'll expect a higher frequency.

[mike777]

Keep in mind how every you decide that cigs and booze are both legal and still are multi billion buck business for the mob. Making weed legal will not end billions going towards illegal weed crime.

 

I also assume weed for minors and weed while driving will remain illegal.

I assume the use of weed both in public and in private apartment use will be regulated/outlawed along lines that cigs and booze are or will be in the future.

 

Even if we assume weed is less harmful than cigs or booze in general, drawing any kind of smoke into one's lungs must raise some public health issues.

[PassedOut]

As far as I am concerned: keeping it illegal is a socially moronic move.... whatever health and safety issues the drug may pose is nothing compared to the social costs of encouraging massive and organized crime.

Agree completely.

[mike777]

As far as I am concerned: keeping it illegal is a socially moronic move.... whatever health and safety issues the drug may pose is nothing compared to the social costs of encouraging massive and organized crime.

Agree completely.

Keep in mind cigs and booze are legal and are still massive org. crime issues.

 

I know many people who work or used to work in ATF and similar nonUSA based police units, ask them.

 

I think it is naive at best to assume the mob will not move into the legal weed just as it does many other legal businesses.

 

If it does become legal I hope at least we enforce the laws better than we seem to do with the booze laws which often seem to be just ignored in many cases. Cops have told me as many as a third of the drivers on the road after 1:Am are legally drunk.

[luke warm]

(Of course everything we said seemed pretty funny.)

i remember those days as well

i used to, long ago, and probably still would if it wasn't illegal (i don't think i'd like jail)

In many states a first time possessor of a small amount of marijuana is subject to no jail time -- the consequences are little different than a speeding ticket.

right, but i think it's different if you're caught buying it

As far as I am concerned: keeping it illegal is a socially moronic move.... whatever health and safety issues the drug may pose is nothing compared to the social costs of encouraging massive and organized crime.

absolutely correct... the same could probably be said for all drugs, but surely for pot

[mike777]

(Of course everything we said seemed pretty funny.)

i remember those days as well

i used to, long ago, and probably still would if it wasn't illegal (i don't think i'd like jail)

In many states a first time possessor of a small amount of marijuana is subject to no jail time -- the consequences are little different than a speeding ticket.

right, but i think it's different if you're caught buying it

OTOH lawyers should be very happy. Just imagine all the possible law suits that can crop up now. :)

 

Example:

 

Sue pot bars for serving too many joints and some one gets hurt driving home.

My apartment neighbors smoke pot and it damaged my lungs

Parents smoking pot when minors are at home.

Sue the government for producing bad pot......etc etc....:)

[Winstonm]

I never tried it.

I tried it but I didn't inhale. :)