After reading these forums for around a month, and attempting to comprehend certain statements that have been made about smoking marijuana, I??ve decided to write a few of my thoughts about this ever so interesting plant. Let me first say that in no way am I against people smoking it, and I hope you can try to listen what I??m attempting to get across with an open mind. Hopefully it will make for good discussion, as I am trying to understand why certain people think they way they do about this plant.
First of all, I??m completely in support of people who use it recreationally everyday, and find it a relaxing hobby or a way to socialize with friends. I myself, love smoking a bowl or blunt every now and then amongst my friends and sharing stories. I also believe it has certain medicinal qualities to it. It can help with glaucoma, arthritis, and may even be able to help against tumors and things of that sort. Certainly one can argue that it is for the most part, a harmless weed. The trouble starts when those who use it recreationally, try to argue that smoking it ??is completely harmless? and there is no scientific proof behind claims that it can be dangerous. It seems to me that many users try to legitimize their problems with smoking by spewing out irrational lies. One great example is this particular quote from a recent thread. ??Hell no I wont admit cannabis is a bad thing. They still have yet to prove it causes any life threatening damage to the lungs.? As I stated above, of course it??s not a bad thing. But claiming that smoking does nothing negative to the lungs is just ridiculous. One person who seems to agree with me recently stated, ??I don't see how anybody can logically say it's 100% harmless. You can smoke marijuana, tobacco, a rolled up piece of old carpet, a leaf off a tree. Regardless, anything smoked is gonna clog up your lungs, restrict oxygen flow, and gunk up the works.? The whole reason why people cough when taking a large hit is because the body is attempting to rid itself of something that??s not supposed to be there. Just ask the girl from a recent topic who claims that she has recently been experiencing ??Smoker??s Cough? and that she??s spitting up gross mucus. Anyway, it seems for a person to argue against something so concrete would be like banging your head on a brick wall. On to my next point, which is certainly up to more debate.
The long-term effects of THC on the human brain are highly disputed. THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, has effects which include relaxation, euphoria, altered space-time perception, enhancement of visual, auditory, and olfactory senses, disorientation, and appetite stimulation. To me, these are the things that make people love smoking in the first place and this seems evident when I see my friends and I laughing at rediculous things. =) However, smokers often tend to dismiss the claim that these effects are sometimes very dangerous and can have very serious consequences. Things like reduced reaction time are what make smoking and driving dangerous. I also believe that THC truly is addictive in a sense. Many who smoke everyday claim to not be addicted at all, but my experiences say otherwise. Though it may not be as physically addicting as other drugs and alcohol, mentally it??s very addicting. The fact that many tokers spend a large part of their paycheck every week would suggest this. Many of my friends would rather spend their money on weed than save up for an investment that would help them in the future. I have nothing against it, but I guarantee if these people were to suddenly stop having a constant intake of THC, they would experience withdrawal symptoms and would probably be very irritable for awhile. I have seen this countless times, with many people. The rejection of the idea that cannabis does have addictive qualities to it, seems closely correlated to typical immature teenage boy attitude. (i.e.. nothing can keep them down, they can stop whenever they want to, feelings of invicibility, etc.) Surely there are those who can quit for the most part, but for the majority of people, it??s simply not the case.
Another way in which I think marijuana can be harmful that most smokers don??t seem to recognize, is the lazyness that often ensues. Sure you can make the concious decision to go out and run, or get work done, but that is not the natural effect of THC. The natural reaction to smoking cannabis is to be more relaxed and a feeling of euphoria. People use it to feel detached from reality. Just look at the indica plant and the natural ??couch-lock? effect it has or the mental distortion caused by Sativa plants.. In my opinion, people can do whatever they want with their lives, but denying that it??s more than often counter-productive seems illogical. There are those who claim is helps them with certain tasks such as writing and I respect that.
In conclusion, smoking can be a fun, relaxing thing to do after a day??s hard work or when you want to just chill with some buddies. It should be kept in moderation though, and there are those who deny the negative effects, and act as though they can??t be hurt by it. As shown in the topic titled ??ignorance?, smokers sometimes exibit a feeling of ??higher-intelligence? when non-smokers tell them that it??s not exactly healthy. And to the younger, teenage audience on these forums, parents are a valuable source of information and more than often know what??s best for you. If they want you to not smoke so much, try your best to uphold their wishes. Sure it may seem oppressive now, but then again, your mind is devoloping and you eventually know why. When you get out there in the world by yourself, you will have your own household and can make your own decisions about your body. As a smoker myself, I ADMIT that it certainly isn??t a healthy thing to do, and try not to legitimize the reasons as to why I smoke. I like it because it messes me up, just like most other people do. Sadly, I am one of the few who will admit this.
GreenGaucho Reviewed by GreenGaucho on . A Critical Standpoint on Smoking Marijuana After reading these forums for around a month, and attempting to comprehend certain statements that have been made about smoking marijuana, I??ve decided to write a few of my thoughts about this ever so interesting plant. Let me first say that in no way am I against people smoking it, and I hope you can try to listen what I??m attempting to get across with an open mind. Hopefully it will make for good discussion, as I am trying to understand why certain people think they way they do about Rating: 5