Yes |
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37.9% (66) |
No |
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62.1% (108) |
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Paperboy  Posts: 49 Joined: 11 Nov 2008     | |
Gone Gonzo  Posts: 1133 Joined: 23 Jul 2008    | The problem, in my view, is that people don't take it as seriously as, say, alcohol. It's not physically addictive, but i've lost friends because of it. Their priorities change, they don't want to hang out with you anymore, they want to hang out with their dealer and other people who smoke. A girl came into work one morning reeking of the stuff once! Our boss is slightly anosmic, but even he could see the signs and she had to be let go. People can see it as a no consequences drug, and to an extent they're right... In moderation. I also feel epicly sorry for anyone who is even slightly related to stoner culture. That stuff isn't even cool in the slightest. it's not even hard core. it's (cut off due to excessive readings on the rant-o-meter) |
Paperboy Posts: 49 Joined: 11 Nov 2008 | "The problem, in my view, is that people don't take it as seriously as, say, alcohol." Have you ever been to a high school or college party? Hell even your average BBQ thrown by someone with a bit more years behind them? When you consider the amount of people who still kill themselves and other people because they can't seem to understand that drinking and driving doesn't lead to anything good shows how 'seriously' alcohol consumption is taken. I'm not even going to mention the amount of people that die or permanently cripple themselves due to alcohol poisoning. In fact one of the characteristics of alcohol is it impairs the brains ability to make rational decisions. Compare how many people are going to say yes to having a drink to those who would say yes to sharing a joint, I would be confident in the difference being pretty huge since most people are too paranoid to do anything that is 'illegal' or a 'drug'. The fact that Cannabis is illegal, that billions are spent trying to keep it off the streets, and that possession of it is a federal offense shows just how much seriously Cannabis is taken compared to alcohol, even though that viewpoint is not based on completely rational views. |
Pulitzer Laureate  Posts: 869 Joined: 4 Dec 2008     | it's not addictive if you don't over-indulge |
BANNED  Posts: 3780 Joined: 9 Sep 2008     | Judging by my own experience it's not half as addictive as alcohol. User was banned for: We are all related? a odd little theory. (Permanent) |
Muckraker  Posts: 253 Joined: 10 Dec 2008     |
They both started when they graduated High School. So they weren't still "developing." |
Pulitzer Laureate  Posts: 765 Joined: 9 Apr 2008 | I've never understood the divide between "physical dependency" and "mental dependency". Shouldn't any kind of psychological or chemical issue be a physical one? Unless you are a dualist I guess... I smoke weed, about once a week or so. Some people have accused be of being addicted, based on the fact that I use it on regular intervals. I disagree, because I can easily go for long periods without it without wanting it, up to several months. |
Gone Gonzo  Posts: 2486 Joined: 29 Nov 2007     | All the people I know from college who did it are priests, lawyers, fund raisers, and stock brokers. So I'm inclined to agree with the people who think it ain't the drug causing people problems. |
Muckraker Posts: 253 Joined: 10 Dec 2008 |
That has to do with addiction because, in my opinion, when something has such a high priority on your list of things to do that things that are really important fall to the wayside, that is an addiction. Let's say it does have everything to do with their personality, show me one non-anecdotal piece of evidence that suggests that the science is on your side for that one. Link to a respectable source or something. Plus, even if it does have to do with their personality, aren't they still addicted? Chemical addictions and physical addictions are not the only kind. P.S.- Wikipedia doesn't count. |
Pulitzer Laureate  Posts: 791 Joined: 17 Feb 2008  | http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwDRBm-qbQI thats basically my view "The Streets - Irony of it All" |
Gone Gonzo  Posts: 1910 Joined: 24 Sep 2008  |
Somebody try to argue against the definition of addiction that I just subjectively pulled out of my ass. Wikipedia doesn't count. Chemical and physical addictions aren't the only kinds of addicitions, jerks, what about the one that I just made up just now??!? |
Paperboy Posts: 49 Joined: 11 Nov 2008 | "I've never understood the divide between "physical dependency" and "mental dependency". Shouldn't any kind of psychological or chemical issue be a physical one? Unless you are a dualist I guess..." Physical dependency means that there is a higher then normal level of a chemical inside of you that your body has become used to. When that chemical is suddenly removed or lowered, the body physically reacts, like when someone trying to quit smoking goes through mood swings or an alcoholic going through depression. It's not just in their head, its their body reacting to the lack of the chemical as well. A mental dependency is when the addiction exists only in your brain, like becoming used to feeling a certain way or getting used to a habit. Any physical effects in this type of addiction are the result of your body becoming influenced by your mental state. But recent studies show that our emotions and actions might be the result of various chemical reactions within our bodies so the difference between the two addictions can be debatable. I guess the difference is a physical addiction stems from the body, which then proceeds to effect the mind, while a mental addiction is the opposite. |
Infamous Scribbler  Posts: 565 Joined: 20 Dec 2008    | As far as I know, marijuana itself is not addicting, but dealers add chemicals to it to increase its potency which make it addictive. I voted "no". |
Press Junketeer  Posts: 384 Joined: 3 Nov 2008   | Pot should seriously replace cigarettes on the legality scale. I mean seriously both make you feel good right? Yes, they do don't try and argue that. The difference? Cigarettes kill people, there is no lack of evidence to prove it, they simply kill people. Pot really isn't any more addicting than gaming. Let's put this into perspective. You get a name game, you play it like all night, then you have to go to school the next day. That day your' concentration on class is going to be declined, and that's pretty much all you're going to talk about. Now you go home and have a bunch of homework, you are going to play and not do homework. Sound familiar? |
Gone Gonzo Posts: 1910 Joined: 24 Sep 2008 |
I should point out that smoking marijuana is about as unhealthy as smoking tobacco because it's not filtered and the user tends to hold it in their lungs for as long as possible (although it doesn't have the toxic shit that you'll find in a cigarette added to it) - basically, inhaling smoke is inhaling smoke. The difference is that with pot, you can mix it with butter and put it in your baking, or spread it on some toast, or make some tea out of it, or use a vaporizer, or any of a wide array of other ways of using it, most of which bring more THC into your system than smoking it, thusly meaning that you need less pot for the same high. |
Gone Gonzo  Posts: 1850 Joined: 31 Oct 2007  |
http://www.scienceblog.com/cms/study-say-marijuana-no-gateway-drug-12116.html Nobody is saying you can't make a habit out of smoking pot. But what we are saying is that you can make a habit of anything that's considered a verb. |
Paperboy  Posts: 14 Joined: 21 Apr 2008    | I smoke everyday most of the time (5-6 joints). My life did take a turn for the worse when i first started smoking (about 10 years ago, was still in school), but once i passed that adjustment period it wasn't a problem (got my grades back to where they were before i started smoking it, without stopping smoking it). You could say i'm addicted, cos i smoke it whenever i feel like it, but if i cant get it, i don't care and i dont try to substitute it with anything else. I know plenty of people who smoked as heavily as i do or worse and who gave it up no problems. I don't know anyone who smoked it and couldn't stop or had to get help. My sister tried to commit suicide earlier this year (not drug realted) and while i was visiting her i met a guy who claimed to be addicted to weed and was there to get help. BUT after talking to him for a while i found out he was also addicted to coca cola, ginger nut biscuits, macdonalds and a bunch of other stuff. Basically its not weed the guy was addicted to, but he was addicted to addictions. He confessed he was glad no one had ever given him any harder drugs. So for all those people who know people whose lives have been ruined by weed, was it really ruined or did they just have a hard time adjusting or did they have an addictive personality. Oh and being busted by the police doesn't count, cos its not the weed smoking that ruined things for them, it was just the getting caught. That is, if it wasn't illegal they wouldn't have had any problems. So in conclusion i think it is addictive in the same way that computer games and tv is addictive. Its just something to do between now and then. There is one thing i disagree with and that is that marijuanna MIGHT just make you drive into a telegraph pole. While stoned your concentration and reflexes are slightly impaired. I never drive stoned. Drunk is way worse and quite frankly people who smoke cigarettes while driving or talk on the phone are more likely to have an accident than a stoned person. But a stoned person is more likely to have an accident than a straight one. |
Paperboy Posts: 14 Joined: 21 Apr 2008 | Okay so i'm not done talking yet...
Where i come from this is known as "laced". Some people like it, but they generally take the harder drug that the weed is laced with on its own anyway. If those that don't take harder drugs find out some weed they smoked was laced they generally get rather upset. I have tried pretty much everything short of heroine, but i didn't like any of them except weed (and mushrooms once a year, but thats a different tale). The one time i got given laced stuff and didn't know it was i never went back to get from that guy again. I am currently studying genetic engineering at university (yes i really am and i really smoke lots of weed too) and over half the people studying with me smoke it regularly (once a day or more). Now i'm not getting spectacular grades (cos i've always been lazy since i was spoilt as a child), but the highest GPA (Grade Point Average) in my year is a girl who smokes more than i do. The difference is she is a highly motivated person. Marijuana does not affect our intelligence, i just happen to be worse at life in general than her. I know i'm just bad at some aspects of life in general, but i don't blame weed. However i have seen lots of people who do blame weed even though its not the culprit. Its natural for people to look for something other than themselves to blame and this may even help. Placing the blame on marijuanna and then giving it up will have a placebo effect which may just allow the person to attain the mental state they are after. Addiction-wise you're probably slightly better off smoking weed. Cigarettes contain nasty chemicals that just dont occur in weed. Someone else pointed out that you can take weed by eating it, but this is a practice generally reserved for being stoned for an entire day. The reason is that the dosage is harder to control and the time from ingestion to effect differs from person to person. So its not a good idea to allow the same amount of time you would for a joint to have its effect and then leave you, because it could be way longer. Water pipes and bongs (which are not the same thing) pass the smoke through water first which helps to filter out some of the nasties much like a filter in a cigarette. In fact smoking tobacco through a water pipe or bong would be better for you as well. Its true that you could not on your own smoke enough marijuanna to kill yourself. You will fall asleep or be unable to manipulate the paraphenalia (pipe, bong, lighter, papers etc) long before you even near dangerous levels. It is plausible that with assistance it might be possible, but this would therefore by definition be murder or at least manslaughter. There was a case where a brain surgeon was smoking weed when he wasn't at work. The board that reviewed his case cleared him of all charges, stating that no evidence could be presented that his abilities were affected when he came into work the next day. I know this really did happen, but i cant find it on the internet anywhere so i can't back it up, but trust me this really happened. Marijuanas big stigma apparently comes from american president Truman (or however you spell it). He had scientists do research into marijuana and cannabis so that he could show the american people how bad it was. When the scientists report did not support his theory he destroyed the documents (and technically committed treason against the american government as destruction of any official government document is treason) and published propaganda films and advertising anyway. Since then everything has been confused as some have been citing as scientific research works of fiction. Another important point to make is that THC is not the only canabinoid (prolly spelt that wrong). THC is the one which gives you feelings of well being. Other canabinoids make you tired or lethargic (body stoned, it is possible for the mind to be normal while the body is stoned), shorten attention span, delay reflexes, inhibit pain and other minor effects. I am completely open with my GP about how much i smoke. As far as he's concerned if its not bothering me or affecting the rest of my life the only reason to stop is because i'm smoking something (smoking anything, he doesn't care what i'm smoking only that i'm breathing in lots of carbon). Anywho... Addictive to some, but not a problem addiction like cigarettes, alcohol, meth-amphetamine, cocaine, heroine, or if your american... Fast food you fat bastards. |
Paperboy Posts: 49 Joined: 11 Nov 2008 | "There is one thing i disagree with and that is that marijuanna MIGHT just make you drive into a telegraph pole. While stoned your concentration and reflexes are slightly impaired. I never drive stoned. Drunk is way worse and quite frankly people who smoke cigarettes while driving or talk on the phone are more likely to have an accident than a stoned person. But a stoned person is more likely to have an accident than a straight one." I definitely don't recommend driving while intoxicated in any way, just going to mention my experience with that. I have two friends who used to drive us around town during our high school days. One was a huge smoker while the other nowhere as big, was a huge lightweight, I think the mere presence of pot in a baggie could make him stoned. Anyways I could of sworn that driving while stoned made them better drivers. I never saw them obey the speed limit as much when they were sober. They claimed that driving stoned made them a lot more paranoid of screwing up so they drove extra carefully to avoid anything that would draw attention to us. Again: do NOT drive when your intoxicated in any way, I can definitely see someone kissing a light post while blazed. |
Gone Gonzo  Posts: 1221 Joined: 24 Apr 2008    | It's not addictive, unless you have an addictive personality and no self control. As for people saying it wrecks lives...grow up. Maybe if you work really long hours and have dependants you shouldn't smoke it, as it might be a problem. But if you don't have kids, weed is your best friend. |
Gone Gonzo  Posts: 3104 Joined: 28 May 2008   | I dabble in weed now and again and I don't find it the least bit addictive. I can understand that people may want to actively seek out the relaxing feeling but I would not call it addictive in the same sense as cocaine or heroin, as I have heard many foolish people liken it too. |
Beat Writer  Posts: 164 Joined: 18 Dec 2008  | I have smoked it a couple of times and. I did not become addicted to it. And I certanly don't have a dependency on it. Like some people I know who smoke it. All in all I think it depends on the person. |
Gone Gonzo  Posts: 1250 Joined: 14 Aug 2008    |
A very good point however alcohol technically is also a drug and a poison as well, but still you do make a very good point. Plus a lot of people would say yes to both. |
Paperboy Posts: 14 Joined: 21 Apr 2008 | lol soz. I was editting since i had heaps more to say and got distracted by an episode of "ghost in the shell". The apparent improvement in some skills while stoned is referred to as "zoning" and is similar to meditation. It involves a heightened sense of awareness of one thing while blocking out others. Think of Zen trances. You busy the mind thinking of one thing allowing the subconscious to take control. |
Paperboy Posts: 14 Joined: 21 Apr 2008 | Oh and for the record, i live in adelaide, australia and over here its only a civil offence like a parking ticket and doesn't go on your permanent record for possesion of up to and including an ounce. And you can propogate up to 3 plants without being more than a civil offence too. It becomes a criminal offence if you have too much or you get caught selling it. |
Infamous Scribbler  Posts: 627 Joined: 18 Jun 2008 | has realy messed with some of my freinds heads, and my step brothers |
Copy Clerk  Posts: 78 Joined: 19 Nov 2008   | its not supposed to be addictive because there is no content in marijuana that causes it to be addictive... its all in the mind.. haha |
Gone Gonzo  Posts: 1886 Joined: 31 Jan 2008  | So. Im no expert and I havnt smoked before but wouldnt it be somthing like: "Oh yeah, im high, this is a good feeling" then next day "Man I felt good when I was high, Im going to smoke again. Ohh this isnt as good as the first time.. I'll try again tommorow this time i'll use more gear." Then the problem just gets worse. It might not be anything like this.. Thats just my theory. I've also heard that some people get bored of it so they move onto 'harder' drugs. I guess that if your not an idiot you'll be fine and If you smart about it I dont see anything wrong with it... buut its still against the law here so Im not into it. |
Pulitzer Laureate  Posts: 978 Joined: 25 Sep 2008   |
I can vouch for that! *craves chocolate* |
BANNED  Posts: 534 Joined: 27 Aug 2008   | I smoke it 3 times didnt get addicted. User was banned for: The "Name the Screenshot" Game.. (Permanent) |
Press Junketeer  Posts: 435 Joined: 3 Mar 2008  | No, as a user I can tell you marijuanna is not addictive. and to respond to sunami88
The high may feel really good but in my opinion, its the same addiction as being addicted to cake or pie or blowjobs. |
Infamous Scribbler  Posts: 663 Joined: 10 Aug 2008 |
well i think marijuana is very bad, but i dont really consider it a legitimate drug. its just plant that grows in the ground which if you happen to set on fire, produces a mental effect. true drugs like coke and meth and shit you have to chemically alter by adding baking soda and water and mixing it up (i don't know the recipe, i'm just saying... lol) so if i was forced to do a drug i'd choose weed just becuase it's probably the most mellow of all the drugs there are |
Paperboy Posts: 49 Joined: 11 Nov 2008 | "Oh yeah, im high, this is a good feeling" then next day "Man I felt good when I was high, Im going to smoke again. Ohh this isnt as good as the first time.. I'll try again tommorow this time i'll use more gear." Then the problem just gets worse. It might not be anything like this.. Thats just my theory." Getting that 'good feeling' again is actually pretty easy. You have to keep track of your tolerance: the more you smoke, the less high you get every time. So you just take a break. It doesn't even have to be a long one, even one day produces a significant difference. I had a friend who quit for a year and he claims his first bowl after the break was as good as his first time. In addition, there is nothing that is forcing you to smoke more and more each time like it is the case with heroin, meth, crack, and other highly addictive drugs. If you pace yourself, you can keep the experience at a consistent level every time. Of course it will never really be as good as the first time, but that's because you've already experienced it, the sensation is no longer a mystery to you and that happens to pretty much every other experience that we have in our lives. "Oh and for the record, i live in adelaide, australia and over here its only a civil offence like a parking ticket and doesn't go on your permanent record for possesion of up to and including an ounce. And you can propogate up to 3 plants without being more than a civil offence too. It becomes a criminal offence if you have too much or you get caught selling it." I live in Canada. Although pot is technically illegal here, it's still pretty widespread and widely accepted. The cops usually don't care as long as they don't catch you, and even then they just take it away and let you go with a warning, no record or anything like that unless it's obvious you intended to sell it or just had an unusual amount on you. Every year we also have an event called the "Marijuana March." It's a big event where all the smokers gather in downtown Toronto with the goal of convincing the government to legalize it, at least for medicinal purposes. There's food, live music, and a ton of other stuff. It's also a lot of fun to take bong hits in front of cops who can't do anything but stare. |
Muckraker Posts: 253 Joined: 10 Dec 2008 |
Well, I'm man enough to admit when I'm outdone. You win. |
Infamous Scribbler  Posts: 556 Joined: 23 Jun 2008  |
I think those things can be addictive too, though. Overeating, sexual addiction, etc. I just find it silly to say that even if you can't get through the day without masterbating 27 times doesn't mean you're not a sex addict, because you're not having sex. Same (IMO) if you can't get through the day without smoking 27 joints. Now if you'll excuse me... *opens new tab* :P. |
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If you're asking if its physically addicting, then no it is not. Your body does not become dependent on THC (the primary chemical in Cannabis that makes you high) and does not go through a withdrawal phase like it does after extensive intake of substances that contain Nicotine, Alcohol, or Caffeine.
But it can be addicting on the psychological level, just like pretty much anything else can be. It's all in the head and does not stem from any of the properties of the plant itself. To blame Cannabis for ruining peoples lives is simply trying to take the focus away from our own shortcomings and weaknesses. It's the same as blaming video games for youth violence. Some people just aren't meant for it, it's what makes us individuals.
For those who claim that it makes you 'lazy' or 'slow' have to keep in mind that there is more then one strain of Cannabis, each one bringing its own unique characteristic to the high. Each of those strains usually falls into one of two categories: Indica and Sativa. One gives what people call a 'body high', which can be attributed to the laziness and slowing of pace that some describe. The other gives you a 'mind high', which stimulates anything associated with the functions of your brain, particularly the 5 senses. This one will make you very active.
As for Cannabis making you stupid, I'm not 100% sure on that although I have read some studies that described that it can have negative effects on developing brains, but so can spending your days devoted to the TV. Keeping your mind sharp is your responsibility, go read a book or anything else that keeps your mind active, especially the logical and decision making regions of your brain.
Oh and yes it will mess with your short term memory making abilities, but I'm fairly sure its easily reversible, just stop smoking if you think its becoming an issue. Your body won't hold you back, in the end, it's your decision to make.