To Smoke or Not to Smoke...that is the question

I am posting because of curiosity. I'm curious about pot. I guess I could hide my curiosity behind veiled questions and pretend to know what the hell I'm talking about, but to tell the truth, I'm 42 years old, and I've never tried pot before. I'm interested in it now because I've had a shitty year so far, and I'm tired of the pain and being stressed out. I sit here wondering if pot would somehow mellow me out a little, let me relax, and take away some pain.

Since January, I've had to deal with the following: I was diagnosed with diabetes; I had an MRI on my neck and found out I need spinal surgery again to remove bone spurs which came from a previous surgery and are now pressing on my spinal cord; my father had a stroke and is now paralyzed on one side; my uncle was diagnosed with breast cancer...yes, my UNCLE...and since my grandfather, his twin sister, and MY sister all had breast cancer, I have to get a mammogram because I am now genetically predisposed to it (ain't that a bitch?); I am a new father...which in and of itself is wonderful, but my son doesn't sleep much at night...so therefore, I don't sleep much at night; and finally, my wife has been understandably depressed since her mom's cancer recently spread to her brain.

I used to be a carefree, funny, and happy person...but not lately. Now, I'm just tired, in pain, and discouraged. Maybe pot would help...maybe not. I'm not even sure why I'm posting this. I'm really not looking for sympathy...I guess I'm just wondering if smoking a joint now and then would give me a brief respite from myself, or if it would just cause me to be paranoid worrying that I'm going to get busted with it.

Oh well...any thoughts?

Buy some quality cannabis, make sure you inhale. It's possible you may not get high your first time. If you want to feel relaxed then I definately advise you give it a try. Why have you disregarded cannabis for so long? Was it all the negative government propaganda?

Yeah, you should definately get some weed.
Take it real easy at first,
and remember that you can become just as psychologically addicted to it as anything. Especially if you use it as a crutch.
But yeah, give it a try. You're 42. Theres not much you can lose by toking up.

thats it mate get some nice green and then let us know wot it was like, r+r

I'd reccomend it for relaxing. It cant be compared to anything else.

But, as Billionfold said, its not for everyone, and while i like to kid myself that its a cure-all drug, for most people it is although it seems to do it for me.

Give it a go a few times, and at least try it. You wont die, as im sure your probably all ready aware. Pot is so much safer than anything else, including almost all legal drugs, even headache pills.

But dont go at it like crazy, take a small puff, and see how you feel. Then keep going untill you feel good.

I doubt you'll get caught, so theres no need to be paranoid. If you only ever have a small amount on you, and dont smoke it in public people will never know, meaning no cops knocking on your door.

Cannabis is an amazling plant, and can do sooo much good.

Give it ago, and if it doesnt work, at least you can be happy with yourself that you tryed it and decided it wasnt for you.

Im sorry to hear about your problems, i know how it feels to have cancer running in the family, I've lost quite a few of my family to cancer.

Take it easy man, and most importantly take care.

Alex.

Improves memory, helps reduce risk of cancer, helps alleviate or prevent the plaque that is one of the main causes of Alzheimer's, reduces stress, helps you laugh (which is very healthy), helps with pain, etc, etc. The question isn't whether you should smoke some, it's why *wouldn't* you want to smoke some. (Other than the legal issue, of course.)

be sure and get the real expensive herb

Don't look to drugs, not even pot, to take away your problems. If that's what you expect it to do, then you will be sorely disappointed.

I smoke because I enjoy it. Maybe you will enjoy it too. Maybe you won't. If you want to give it a try, go ahead. If not, no big deal.

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Originally Posted by Billionfold

Improves memory ROFL!

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I am premed and i blaze before i study.

Currently taking genetics, microbio and physics and i have A's in all.

I was a C student in highschool before i started doing this.

no one here is really going to tell you not to man, lol. its like asking a cop if you should turn your self in after robbing a 711 or some shit.


however .


imho --



no one can answer the question but you, marijuana has very different effects on many people, and its effects will change to some or great degree as your tolerance increases. I find it to be great stress relief, but at the same time -- it is a "drug" or mind altering substance ...... if you have a conservative mind set and feel that turning to something like that would be negative, then don't do it. to me personally, its whatever. I'll have a crazy stressfull week, very similar to yours (relativly) and not want to smoke pot just to cope with shit. its a crutch. but you know what, it helps me plenty, and if its only aesthetic and not true help, then tough shit, cause i sure ain't seeking fucking shrinks, yoga, jogging, or pills lol. iunno. im blazed. make ur own decision not someone elses, thats what life is about.

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Originally Posted by Billionfold

Improves memory ROFL!

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I gree completely with this post except the ROFL bit, replace that with LOL.

Well more than likely if you have problems in your life and stressed out or depressed marijuana will seem like to be the only answer once you get used to it. So I think it'll work, give it a try :).

^ thats my problem, lol. not so much a solution, but just helps me relax and not let shit catch up with me .... reminds me that I'm still breathin, even though at the time everything might seem to be going wrong.

i think you should man, it will mellow you out a lot, calm you down and make you happy. as others have said though, take it slow because it might not be right for you. also it might take a few times before you feel the effects.

also, sorry to hear about all that stuff happening in your life, hope it gets better for you.

let us know how mj worked for you if you decide to try it:thumbsup:

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Originally Posted by CityBoyGoneCountry

Don't look to drugs, not even pot, to take away your problems. If that's what you expect it to do, then you will be sorely disappointed.

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I agree with this. If you wanna toke, toke. But don't use it as a way to escape from all your problems. Thats not healthy and could lead to addiction or even harder drugs. (no weed is not addictive, but anything can become addicting if you have the personality).

Go ahead and smoke if ya' wanna. Just don't think its gonna make the world go away and everything will be jolly.

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Originally Posted by jamstigator

Improves memory, helps reduce risk of cancer, helps alleviate or prevent the plaque that is one of the main causes of Alzheimer's, reduces stress, helps you laugh (which is very healthy), helps with pain, etc, etc. The question isn't whether you should smoke some, it's why *wouldn't* you want to smoke some. (Other than the legal issue, of course.)

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Haha! that was great.

For me weed can help me sort out of alot of problems I might be having. It really opens your mind to alot of possibilities and solutions to problems and really relaxes you on alot of levels, its such a carefree state to be in.
But I don't think you should start depending on it for all happiness though it is tempting for me to turn to it alot.

Yeah like what BillionFold said, it won't kill you to give it a try at least if you are really looking for some relief.

"Hippocampal binding fits in with the ability of cannabis to affect short-term memory", suggests Pertwee, an idea that is reinforced by in-vitro work showing that CB1 agonists can prevent long-term potentiation--a model of memory. SR141716A, a synthetic CB1 antagonist, improves memory in rats, raising the possibility that this drug could improve memory in cognitive disorders, even aging."

Also...

"Research to be published in the November issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation will reveal some surprising things about chronic marijuana usage. Instead of having a debilitating effect on the brain's memory, it may actually work to stimulate the growth of neurons that would increase the brain's capabilities for learning and memory.

According to findings released to the media by Dr. Xia Zhang, an associate professor with the Neuropsychiatry Research Unit at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon not only did high doses of cannabinoids promote the generation of neuron growth in the hippocampuses of rats, but it also seems to alleviate depression and anxiety. The hippocampus is the part of the brain associated with learning and memory, and scientists have long suspected a correlation between depression and a slow down in neuron regeneration in that area."

To be fair, the synthetic cannabinoid used was 100 times more potent than delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, and the rats were injected twice a day for 10 days. So to get the full benefits, it might require smoking (or eating) a LOT of pot. And not everything that works on rats works on humans, but most stuff does (which is why they use them, they're like 98 percent genetically identical to us).

As an aging person, I'm willing to take that chance. Worst case, I get baked. Best case, I get baked and remember stuff better that happens when I'm not baked. Can't really lose!

Yes give it a try, it's one of the safest ways to mellow out. But be sure to get the good stuff.

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Originally Posted by Inferius

Yeah, you should definately get some weed.
Take it real easy at first,
and remember that you can become just as psychologically addicted to it as anything. Especially if you use it as a crutch.
But yeah, give it a try. You're 42. Theres not much you can lose by toking up.

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except your life...

jk

try it dude. if you dont like it, try meth (jk) if you do, stick with it but treat it with respect and dont abuse it (abusing it being using it to get to a normal state of being)

It won't make your problems go away, but maybe it can help you escape from them for a little while now and again. It is worth a try, but I think it is easy to overdo it. Don't worry, it shouldn't harm your health in any way, but it is far from the cure-all that some people say it is.

As for the paranoia, etc - these things might happen to you and they might not. The only way to find out if you like something is to try it, right?...

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Originally Posted by LIP

...I doubt you'll get caught, so theres no need to be paranoid. If you only ever have a small amount on you, and dont smoke it in public people will never know, meaning no cops knocking on your door...

Alex.

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I'm not really worried about getting caught once I have it. My concern lies with obtaining it. It's not like I can open up the "Yellow Pages" to marijuana, and call them up like Pizza Hut to deliver a joint. I suppose it would work if they were called the "Mellow Pages".

Where do you go to just get one joint to try? How do you know you can trust the person selling is: A) not an undercover cop; and B) not misrepresenting what you're getting? (at least that's what happens in the movies)

Thank you for all of your advice. As one person mentioned, I didn't expect you all to tell me NOT to try it. I guess I was kind of looking for advice on what kind to try and where I can find it.

Thanks again...

from what it looks like, if you guys moved to california, EVERY single one of you could get a medical marijuana perscription. except for grandpa. and your son until he turns 16.

I'd say go buy a metal cigg pipe for like 5$ and pack it up and burn through it all at once and thats a very decent hit that should do the trick.

You like music? Go to a concert or a hippie festival or something, and if someone doesn't come by and offer to sell you some, when you see someone fire up, politely ask if you might purchase a joint or a small bud or something. Hippies rock, man, they'll help you out. Heck, some jonesing hippy guys came by our tents at Bonnaroo this past year looking to buy something, and I just smoked 'em out for free, then gave them a joint for the road. I'm going for that karma high score, baby! ;)

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Originally Posted by jamstigator

You like music? Go to a concert or a hippie festival or something, and if someone doesn't come by and offer to sell you some, when you see someone fire up, politely ask if you might purchase a joint or a small bud or something. Hippies rock, man, they'll help you out. Heck, some jonesing hippy guys came by our tents at Bonnaroo this past year looking to buy something, and I just smoked 'em out for free, then gave them a joint for the road. I'm going for that karma high score, baby! ;)

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That's a good idea. I live in the Phoenix area, so I'm sure there will be plenty of concerts to choose from.

Thanks for the advice.

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Originally Posted by jamstigator

You like music? Go to a concert or a hippie festival or something, and if someone doesn't come by and offer to sell you some, when you see someone fire up, politely ask if you might purchase a joint or a small bud or something. Hippies rock, man, they'll help you out. Heck, some jonesing hippy guys came by our tents at Bonnaroo this past year looking to buy something, and I just smoked 'em out for free, then gave them a joint for the road. I'm going for that karma high score, baby! ;)

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Jam, that reminded me: are you going to Wakarusa this year? I'm pretty sure it was you who I mentioned it to last June, but seriously, bail on Bonn (unless you love the masses of people, no room to run, ect) and come to Waka! It's a hell of a lot closer to you, too. Serious. The dates just came out, and are June 7-10th 2007 - Lawrence, KS. No line-ups have been announced yet, but dear God, I feel that they will honestly top last year, which was so mighty a festival I spent another 4 days sleeping and recooperating (after 4 days no sleep ;))

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jamstigator

"Hippocampal binding fits in with the ability of cannabis to affect short-term memory", suggests Pertwee, an idea that is reinforced by in-vitro work showing that CB1 agonists can prevent long-term potentiation--a model of memory. SR141716A, a synthetic CB1 antagonist, improves memory in rats, raising the possibility that this drug could improve memory in cognitive disorders, even aging."

Also...

"Research to be published in the November issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation will reveal some surprising things about chronic marijuana usage. Instead of having a debilitating effect on the brain's memory, it may actually work to stimulate the growth of neurons that would increase the brain's capabilities for learning and memory.

According to findings released to the media by Dr. Xia Zhang, an associate professor with the Neuropsychiatry Research Unit at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon not only did high doses of cannabinoids promote the generation of neuron growth in the hippocampuses of rats, but it also seems to alleviate depression and anxiety. The hippocampus is the part of the brain associated with learning and memory, and scientists have long suspected a correlation between depression and a slow down in neuron regeneration in that area."

To be fair, the synthetic cannabinoid used was 100 times more potent than delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, and the rats were injected twice a day for 10 days. So to get the full benefits, it might require smoking (or eating) a LOT of pot. And not everything that works on rats works on humans, but most stuff does (which is why they use them, they're like 98 percent genetically identical to us).

As an aging person, I'm willing to take that chance. Worst case, I get baked. Best case, I get baked and remember stuff better that happens when I'm not baked. Can't really lose!

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What kind of biased study is that? Giving people the facts is one thing, lying to them is another. Other research says pot does negatively affect your memory and I've found this to be quite true for me. My short term memory has gone away considerably.

I don't know how biased that study is. You're assuming it's biased, but unless you got an advance copy of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, how would you know? You know what they say about assuming. It *sounds* legitimate to me, and it's peer-reviewed - and most scientists don't submit stuff for peer-review if they think it will tarnish their reputation by showing they do bad science, as that can come back to haunt them and cost them their jobs or even their entire careers.

I have short-term memory loss when I'm stoned. I attribute that to the fact that I'm intoxicated and not paying as much attention to things like I would if I weren't. And when I'm not stoned, I have no problem with memory loss at all, other than the minor age-related losses everyone endures as they get older.

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Originally Posted by smoke it

try it dude. if you dont like it, try meth (jk) if you do, stick with it but treat it with respect and dont abuse it (abusing it being using it to get to a normal state of being)

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If you advocate meth usage you are in the wrong forum.Meth freaks give pot smokers a bad name.Think b4 you speak.:mad:

Think about it. Do you really need your short-term memory? Whatever info your brain processes, you'll forget it after a while anyways, regardless of the weed. It's only short-term. Get it? Our brains still have long-term memory, which also isn't damaged by smoking. It's all brain chemistry.

I believe that this other "research" you speak of doesn't exist, and that weed has no negative influence on your memory what-so-ever. ~

i only skimmed this thread but if you are worried about your memory going from smoking it would take years and years for it to have a dramatic effect, and that would be you like misplacing your keys and shit like and forgetting phone numbers you just heard. and hell you are old enough that by the time it becomes a problem it would probably be happening on its own anyway. one thing old people arent known for is short term memory