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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

...to think that weed can and does ruin lives and isn't 'harmless'?

255 replies

madonnawhore · 02/02/2011 10:38

I know there are people who maintain that cannabis is harmless and they smoke it and they're fine blah blah blah.

I used to smoke it, all my friends used to smoke it, but none of us do any more because, you know what? it doesn't half make you a boring, lazy bastard.

Never mind the whole 'it causes psychosis' debate (my brother and a really good friend of mine both had to receive mental health treatment as a result of smoking weed), but there's a thread over on relationships at the moment about some woman's husband who spends all his salary on weed within the first 3 days of payday and who has actually cut his hours so that he can stay home and play more computer games.

AIBU in presuming that if he wasn't such a pot head, he'd be more inclined to get of his arse and go to work?

Sitting on your backside playing COD all day cos you can't be fucked to do anything else is not harmless.

OP posts:
EdgarAleNPie · 02/02/2011 16:00

olessaty - that's very definitely a problem caused by illegality.the lesson of American Prohibition again...

Hulababy · 02/02/2011 16:01

Fabtoosh - to me, the legality of things does make a difference.

I know to others it doesn't. To me, it is very important.

I have other much more peersonal reasons to be anti drugs, but I prefer not to divulge here.

Fantoosh · 02/02/2011 16:15

Olissaty - what Edgar says is true.

Also, they are not an intimidating, anti social bunch of fucks because of cannabis - it's because they are shower of bastards.

Hellebore1 · 02/02/2011 16:35

Fantoosh - I agree with your comments on alcohol and obesity. Especially alcohol which is also responsible for much acquisitive/violent crime. People greater than me don't have the answer.
The fact remains that many heavy cannabis users don't earn enough to fund their use and so resort to crime to get the money.
Something else to consider is that I can say from my experience of assessing hundreds of prisoners, that for the vast majority imprisoned for Class A drug related crime thier first experience of drug use was cannabis.

NeedCoffee · 02/02/2011 16:44

YANBU

MarshaBrady · 02/02/2011 16:46

Yes it's an anecdote. Well it is ime. Which is what I said at the beginning.

I am absolutely against the legalisation of cannabis. The legality or not is important imo.

So I know all these anecdotes about wasters on alcohol, or opium or the like are trying to defend weed, and that it's harmless.

But I don't agree and wouldn't pass a spliff round in the home, or have any here; but I would and do drink a glass of red wine in front of ds.

So the two will never be equal..

but hey ho, people can obviously do what they want and go to work stoned and still do a good day at work or come home and relax with it.... so I'll just have to disagree that it is harmless. Or the same as alcohol.

Malificence · 02/02/2011 17:03

I think anyone who smokes anything at all is a complete moron, why the hell do you want to inhale toxic smoke, let alone smoke something that affects your mental state?

I suppose the economy would collapse without that lovely tax revenue though and smokers generally die younger so they aren't taking out of the pension pot, so there are advantages to stupid people smoking.

ItsGrimUpNorth · 02/02/2011 17:07

I guess we all know someone whose life has been dictated by smoking weed.

I think it's a personal choice but a pretty devastating one. A dear friend of mine was just monged for seven years. Turned out she was already epileptic and apparently, her constant use exacerbated that horribly.

I don't think it's harmless.

BuzzLightBeer · 02/02/2011 17:11

Why would anyone drink Malifence, why would anyone eat food other than what they just need, why would anyone do a million things that could be bad for them?

Some people suffer through it, but you have to accept that plenty of people don't.

OneMoreChap · 02/02/2011 17:14

My view?

A lot of it depends on the individual.

Skunk is way different to the weed or hash I used to smoke. I think that could have really bad effects on folk. Say moving from pints of lager to pints of vodka...

I used to be active and socialise, and I smoked the way I drank (and still drink, for that matter) - with friends.

I think it should be legal, actually, all drugs because of the tragedies of the Volstead Act, but yes, it can harm people badly... as can alcohol.

I stopped. Why? Tobacco. Can't risk ever getting back onto the fags. Malificence's point is well taken

Having said that, all bar one of the folk I knew who smoked (most of whom still do) held down busy jobs, had relationships, children - oh, and most stayed married, unlike the non-smoking me.

It depends on the individual. If they start doping because they are depressed, mind, it sure as hell won't cure them.

On balance, no you aren't BU

Malificence · 02/02/2011 17:21

I genuinely don't understand what pleasure there is to be had from inhaling hot, toxic smoke. The very thought of it makes me want to retch, I just won't be around smokers, they smell awful for one thing.

Drinking and eating is pleasurable and natural, smoking is neither.

From what I've been told about pot, it's effects sound very much like jetlag, which is vile.

BuzzLightBeer · 02/02/2011 17:25

To you. Clearly there are plenty of people who disagree. I don't understand why a lot of people do a lot of things, but it stands to reason that if enough people do it there must be a obvious pleasure in it.

I used to love to smoke, almost always pure green, no tobacco, no resin, no extras. It made me feel relaxed and happy and like everything was just lovely, and lots of things were funny. Thats it. No paranoia, no hangover, no jetlag. Just nice and calm and happy. You can't see why people would like that?

PlentyOfParsnips · 02/02/2011 17:34

I'm a tobacco smoker and occasional dope smoker.

The vast majority of fags I smoke are not particularly pleasurable - it's just itching a scratch - addiction, pure and simple. There are a few fags though that I do actively enjoy. Can't really describe why it's pleasurable though. I don't like wine - I don't find it pleasurable at all and I wouldn't say that drinking wine is any more 'natural' than smoking really. Can you explain to me what is pleasurable about it?

I've had jetlag on a number of occasions but it's never given me the giggles, the munchies, enhanced orgasms or floods of creative thoughts.

Just because people do something you don't understand, doesn't mean they are complete morons.

wubblybubbly · 02/02/2011 17:42

"Something else to consider is that I can say from my experience of assessing hundreds of prisoners, that for the vast majority imprisoned for Class A drug related crime thier first experience of drug use was cannabis."

Hellebore I've heard it said that Nicotine is the biggest gateway drug, is that not the case?

Edgar great posts.

BuzzLightBeer · 02/02/2011 17:45

yeah but their fist experience of inhaling anything was air, so really air is a gateway substance. Thats ridiculous, but so really is the gateway drug argument.

Mapley · 02/02/2011 17:58

Wow, I expected to come back and be being berated, but how nice to come back to some reasoned intelligent debate.

Malificence, i'd never expect anyone to enjoy everything i enjoyed and think they were wring if they didn't. That's just arrogance and idiocy isn't it?

MarshaBrady · 02/02/2011 18:00

Do those of you who are pro a bit of smoke now and again treat weed the same way or differently to say a glass of wine?.. ie what do you do when children are around?

Hide it or not...

ItsGraceAgain · 02/02/2011 18:01

Specious.

All animals seek out substances that make them feel good. Cats have catnip, reindeer have that herb they have to eat and then drink their pee, and Stone Age man discovered that smoking certain herbs worked for humans. It's not really "unnatural".

BuzzLightBeer · 02/02/2011 18:03

No I wouldn't smoke with my children around, but then I wouldn't smoke a cigarette around them either. Not that I've had more than two joints in the last year, but in theory.

PlentyOfParsnips · 02/02/2011 18:04

I don't smoke around DC at all because of passive smoking. Until recently, I hid from them the fact that I smoked dope because it's illegal and I didn't want them to worry about having to keep a secret for me, IYSWIM. They're 18 and 15 now and when it came up in discussion recently, and they asked me directly if I smoked it, I was honest with them.

Hellebore1 · 02/02/2011 18:04

wubblybubbly Fair comment, but I will argue that many kids become start smoking tobacco because they want to use cannabis. Few kids use bongs etc as using cigarettes as a a route of transmission is easily concealable from parents. Wink As a matter of interest many of the symptoms of wihdrawal alledgedly suffered by users trying to stop using cannabis are actually the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal which can also be very unpleasant.

Hellebore1 · 02/02/2011 18:08

Marshabrady The fact remains that cannabis use is illegal and responsible alcohol use isn't.Wink

TurkeyBurgerThing · 02/02/2011 18:08

My brother is a pot head. He's a fuck up and he has mental health issues. He is almost 40 and my parents still pretty much give him money to stop him living off the streets.

I am absolutely 100% sure it's because he's a complete pot head.

Fantoosh · 02/02/2011 18:11

Malificence - I have only been posting on Mumsnet for a few days, but during those days I have read quite a lot of your opinions.

If you'll pardon my honesty - I have to say you present to me (as a total newbie) as someone who is woefully ignorant and naive, yet oddly forthcoming with set opinions about matters you clearly have no experience of. This thread is one such example.

"Don't critisise what you can't understand".

kepler10b · 02/02/2011 18:11

I think it is a bit like alcohol. Some people can take it or leave it. Others make it an intrinsic part of their life it becomes a key aspect of their personality and has knock on impacts on their relationships etc