Why do so many people smoke weed these days?

[MontyDonsBlueSuit]

I get the world isn’t a great place for many people but why is it so prevalent now? Is it cheaper than drinking? Or easier to get hold of? I really dislike it and don’t understand why if it’s illegal it isn’t more closely monitored. Am I missing something?

True. You always get some people who are evangelical about it though, and do become really boring, as @Hohumhuee said. If you state facts, that's it's horrible, it stinks, and it's dangerous, and REALLY bad for your health (mental and physical)! you get the usual tedious and predictable 'you need a spliff to help you relax a bit' comments. 🙄People think they're sooooo original and funny when they say this. 😴

I agree it's not 'mostly harmless' and I despair for humanity that some people are so blase about it. As I said, the people I know who smoke it have TERRIBLE coughs, and they wheeze like a 95 year old man on his deathbed!!! Their lungs must look like bits of stringy, badly-burnt bacon! And they're only in their late 20s!

No-one in my social circle smokes it, but that's because I don't mix with - or have anything to do with people who smoke weed. They are NOT my people ...

That's exactly the point that several people are making on this thread.

Cannabis is a plant that grows naturally. If it is regulated and taxed (as it is in many countries now) then the end user always knows what they are getting. Cannabis shops in countries where it is legal are like pharmacies - there are many, many varieties on display and they are clearly labelled to specify if they are the type that make you happy/sleepy.....whatever. The people working there are very knowledgeable and can advise you. You can also choose between different strengths, and whether you want to smoke it, vape it or eat it. Prices obviously vary depending on what you are buying.

In countries where it is currently illegal, you may be lucky and get it from a trusted supplier who knows their product, or you have to obtain it from dodgier sources who may have adulterated it with all sorts of unidentified shit to bulk it out - hence the "smell" and the detrimental effects on mental health.

It's OK not to want to smoke/eat/vape weed, but making it legal is not the same as making it compulsory. I would much rather go to a fully regulated shop to buy (and pay tax on) the weed I want, than have to resort to buying it off "dodgy" people down dark alleys.

If it was legal then it's not like the current dealers would be popping in every week with bin liners and filling them up to adulterate and sell at a profit because there would be no market for this.

As the UK has now now passed a law to make tobacco sales to anyone born after 1st January 2009 illegal, I can’t see cannabis being legalised any time soon.

@Elbowpatch

Haven't been recently, but in the Amsterdam "coffee shops" you could buy cannabis legally and it's fine to smoke it in the coffee shop, but alcohol and tobacco are strictly forbidden (in the coffee shops).

Hash is much stronger than weed. Someone I used to know smoked it in his DF's flat, and after a while I realised I was leaving the flat somewhat light-headed!

So what I knew years ago - a dark coloured lump of stuff that you melted with a lighter and crumbled into tobacco - is not what people are doing now? What form does it come in that it can be mixed with other substances? How much does it cost to buy enough for say a couple of joints?

Maybe they can’t afford the CBD oil I buy in Holland and Barrett?

Same effect pretty much, I take it last thing at night and it kills all pain, helps me sleep (and most importantly as a menopausal woman get back to sleep after my 4am pee) and it makes me very slow and a bit slurry for the last hour of the evening. DH says it’s as if I’m slightly pissed.

So I imagine weed does that, chills them out. Bet it’s cheaper than my £30 a month on cbd oil. 🤷‍♀️

For the few that may care, it all starts with the female cannabis plant. Because obviously female is best.

You grow said plant, ensuring it remains unpollinated ("sinsemella" meaning "without seed" in Spanish). As it reaches it's flowering peak, you harvest the plant, and remove the flowers ("buds"). These are then dried and ideally should be cured. At which point they can be ground up (ever wondered why "herb grinders" are a thing ?) and either smoked neat, or mixed with tobacco. Alternatively you can now get modern vapes that can work with the plant material if you don't like tobacco.

Alternatively, you can process the flowers to remove all the THC-bearing trichomes into a sticky resinous gloop that is pressed into solid blocks. This is hash(ish). If you think of ground weed as beer then hashish is like a spirit.

Things like butane honey oil or ice hash are beyond the scope of this post. However YouTube has plenty of highly educational channels on how to grow and process cannabis.

Fun fact. The UK remains a world leader in both legal and illegal cannabis production. Despite what the Americans may think.

How big are your joints ? 😎

What is the brand you buy? I am interested in the sleep benefits.
Are there any downsides to taking this?

In the UK, the THC in cbd oil can't exceed 0.2%. I buy mine direct from a legal high-end supplier in The Netherlands. I first started using it nine years ago when I was in a huge amount of pain. Gabapentin took the edge off it, but it was still pretty grim. Took one drop of the cbd oil one afternoon. Woke up the next morning completely pain-free. Game changer!

Try buying the cbdactive+ oil from Dutch Natural Healing. Ask if they can send you a free sample. It's excellent!

I think those thinking it’s harmless are fucking stupid. Smoke it and gaze at the stars Fuck off. They are supporting prostitution, slave labour, gun running, money laundering, abuse of children by way of county lines and the idiots who think it’s fine to get behind a wheel whilst under the influence going on to kill people in RTAs. Put on top of it drug induced paranoia and psychosis and it’s far from harmless.

Get yourself a herb vaporiser. No tobacco needed, and it doesn’t smell.

I think the smell is so off putting but I wouldnt be averse to a brownie here and there

Why not, the world is going to shit anyway

I have it legally prescribed so I vape it in my house. It's much less smelly than joints but admit yes my house smells of weed. I use it for stomach spasms and nausea. The legal stuff is awesome, it's really clearly labelled and you know you're not getting something that has been sprayed with spice or salvia or any other dodgy stuff and the terpenes for each strain, THC/CBD percentage etc it's all good. I see a psychiatrist for an annual review. If I'm honest it was quite easy to get approved, once you have the medical evidence (have to submit records)

What you're describing is hash, which is a resin extracted from the cannabis plant. Weed is the leaf/buds of the same plant, dried and crumbled (although "weed" is also sometimes used to describe both, ie anything coming from cannabis).

Same basic idea, slightly different effect, and hash is a bit easier to turn into edibles if that's what you prefer.

Back in the day people smoked both, with each being somewhat more common than the other in various places at various times. It's true that in the UK at least noone seems to smoke hash any more, not sure why.

Are you kidding? CBD has no psychoactive properties. If you’re slurring like you’re drunk I’d see a doctor!

It's interesting people don't seem to realise that medical cannabis is legal, but theres billboards and online ads for companies everywhere ATM. My pharmacist across the road held a patient event recently with Curaleaf (one of the bigger companies). I assumed people realised that is the reason it's more common

My son ruined his mental and physical health by smoking weed. He became paranoid and suicidal, got into serious debt, lost several jobs and now lives with a dead end job and permanent severe depression.

Thanks

juliaduesalone

nothing to do with psychoactive properties, it’s a massive sedative for me on top of my other prescription drugs - hence the sleepiness/slurring. Only lasts long enough for me to fall asleep.

It's possible to titrate to just achieve an analgesic dose.

cloutreecarpet

the only downside is if you take too much you’re groggy in the morning. I take 50mg, this is a substantial dose for my body but I have sciatica, arthritis. I take the Reakiro ones from Holland and Barrett, the 50mg one - you need to check the back of the pot as they have different dosages. They another pot with 60 capsules in it but they are only 25mg in each capsule, I take the pot with with 30 capsules - they are 50mg each capsule.

SMH