AIBU to think cannabis mention shuts down critical thinking?

[PearlsAreHeavy]

AIBU to think people completely lose the ability to think critically the minute cannabis gets mentioned?

Inspired by another thread…

Before anyone gets confused about he point of my post…

This isn’t about county lines, gangs, trafficking, driving while high, smoking around kids or any of the other extremes people immediately wheel out whenever cannabis gets mentioned.

I don’t support any of that.

I’m talking about cannabis itself.

For transparency, I use prescribed medical cannabis. It’s prescribed by a specialist clinical team, my GP is supportive, it’s grown legally under licence and arrives from a pharmacy.
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And before someone inevitably shouts “this was written by AI”… yes, I used ChatGPT to help organise my thoughts. I’m dyslexic and it stops me rambling and making mistakes. The opinions are mine. The punctuation is not. Feel free to debate the subject rather than the software. I’m not here to defend me using a language model for its intended purpose.

Cannabis has genuinely changed my life.
Under medical supervision I’ve reduced other medications that came with a whole shopping list of side effects, some of which then needed treating themselves. I sleep better. I function better. I’m more present. My family gets a better version of me.

I have a senior job, I own my home. I pay my mortgage, I pay my tax, don’t have debts, and I’ve never been arrested. I volunteer at the local animal shelter and I donate money to charity. I’m making those points so that people understand where I’m coming from - I consider myself a decent human being who happens to use prescribed cannabis.

Yet the second people hear the word cannabis, critical thinking seems to leave the building.
“It’s illegal.”
“It’s drugs.”
“It ruins lives.”
“Think of the children.”
“Druggie.”
Conversation over.

Why?

Every substance can be used responsibly.
Every substance can be abused.
Every substance can ruin lives.

Someone taking codeine after surgery isn’t the same as someone addicted to opioids.
Someone prescribed diazepam for anxiety isn’t the same as someone dependent on benzodiazepines.

Someone enjoying a couple of glasses of wine on a Friday isn’t the same as someone drinking a bottle of vodka every day.

Alcohol ruins lives.
Prescription medication ruins lives.
Gambling ruins lives.
Food ruins lives.
Social media ruins lives.

But mention cannabis…

Apparently the plant itself tells some people everything they need to know about your morals, your intelligence, your work ethic and your ability to parent.

Why?

And yes, before someone says it…
I know it’s illegal unless prescribed.
That’s a fact.

But since when did legality become everyone’s moral compass?

It’s technically illegal to be drunk in a pub.

It’s illegal to handle salmon in suspicious circumstances.

It’s illegal to wear armour in Parliament.

There are loads of weird, outdated laws that nobody uses as the basis for deciding whether someone’s a good person.

Yet cannabis seems to be the one subject where “it’s illegal” is treated as though that ends the discussion.

It doesn’t.
It tells me what the law says.

It doesn’t tell me why you think it’s wrong.
I’m not expecting everyone to agree with me.

I’m not even expecting everyone to like cannabis.

What I am interested in is hearing from people who’ve actually thought about why they believe what they believe.

If your entire contribution is “it’s illegal”, “drugs are bad” or “it ruins lives”, you’ve probably missed the point of the thread.

I’m asking why you think that.

And if your position is simply “I don’t drink, don’t smoke, don’t swear, don’t break the rules, therefore everyone else should live by my standards”… then honestly, please scroll on, I’m not having that debate.

Abstinence doesn’t automatically make someone morally superior. It just means you’ve made different choices.

I’m interested in hearing from people who can separate behaviour from stereotypes, evidence from stigma and legality from morality.

And one last thing…

I genuinely worry about the people who could benefit from medical cannabis but are too scared to even ask about it because of the stereotypes attached to it.

I know people in exactly that position.
They’re frightened of being judged and labelled a druggie.

Whether cannabis is right for someone should be a conversation between them and their clinician, based on evidence, not fear of social stigma

The lady doth protest too much

I’m disabled.

i have considered taking it but I’m concerned about MH issues in long term users, in particular psychosis.

Easy solution - just stop telling people you use it

That’s a rude thing to say

I love cannabis.

I grow my own.

I make edibles.

It adds an extra, really-nice dimension to my life.

I am entirely harmless.

It is rude

But she was completely ignoring the whole range of points made by someone who obviously wants to have a free, open and candid discussion.

So, rude but true.

Yeah I don't the neurotics about it on here either.

Would there be so many neurotic people if it was legal? Like in most other countries

Would negate the need for dealers, county lines etc

A friend of mine has smoked it for 50 years and grows her own. Who is she hurting doing that?

This isn’t about country lines, gangs, trafficking, driving while high, smoking around kids

But… that’s what most people’s problem with it is. You can’t exclude all that and then say “well without mentioning all this bad stuff I listed, can you even explain why you dislike it???”

I hate the stench of it BUT my local town centre would be a much safer and happier place at 2am on a weekend, if more people smoked cannabis than drank alcohol.

It’s obviously great for your attention span as well

The first 3 issues there can be sorted by legalization

I’m not saying they couldn’t. I’m saying it’s absurd to state that you’re excluding certain issues from a discussion on why people don’t like it.

There is a difference between medically prescribed cannabis and illegal cannabis though. Would anyone actually be critical and mention or say all the things that you've listed if you are discussing medically prescribed cannabis?

This.
I know people on medically prescribed cannabis. They use it and get on with their lives.

The people having a smoke with the illegal stuff? Total wasters and boring as fuck.

There are no health benefits to tobacco and very little to alcohol, glass of red wine has a benefit allegedly, yet they are legal, regulated, taxed and widely sold.

I don't see why the same hasn't already been done with cannabis, which has some proven health benefits or no one would be selling medical cannabis.

Personally, I could qualify for medical cannabis in Scotland, but I won't use it as it stinks. I know people who use it and it helps them. I also know people on morphine who may have benefited from medical cannabis first.

Haven't encountered a social stigma around medical cannabis use, but perhaps that is due to my social circles rather than wider society, which I avoid.

I haven’t said thatI do in (my rather unexpectedly long) post?

I actually tend not to thank you, due to everything I mentioned in my post, so seems this thread isn’t for you.

Thank you for your contribution

You're conflating medical cannabis with no THC with shitty bags of skunk or resin impregnated with smack to get users on to more profitable income streams.

Not everybody knows there's a difference, same way medically prescribed diamorphine at the ideal dose for weight with anti emetics is different to shooting up or chasing poppy juice with a used needle and ketamine as a short acting anaesthetic is different to dropping God knows what at a random dose and falling into a k hole with a fucked bladder.

Of course some people are going to dislike the idea on the basis of their limited knowledge, same way some don't like the idea of taking any pain relief, vaccinations or literally any other medication there is. They are not your problem if you have prescribed medication.

That’s not what I’m saying though.
I’m excluding those things because they’re separate issues with their own causes and victims.

I could equally ask people what they think about alcohol without making the discussion about drink driving, domestic violence or liver disease. Those are all real harms associated with alcohol, but they aren’t the entirety of alcohol.

My question is why cannabis, unlike almost every other substance, seems incapable of being discussed without immediately jumping to the worst possible scenario.
That’s the bit I’m interested in.

I think you’re thinking of CBD rather than medical cannabis. 😊

Mine absolutely contains THC - that’s kind of the whole point! 😂 It’s prescribed, quality controlled and dosed appropriately, but it’s definitely THC.

I actually think you’ve highlighted something important though. Even people who support medical cannabis often don’t know what it actually is, which says a lot about how poorly it’s understood.

Medical cannabis, used under supervision, is helping you have a more productive and pleasant life. I’ve no quarrel with that.

In my world, however, cannabis is smoked by wasters who can’t keep a job, stink up the streets, and significantly contribute to their own ill health and an illegal economy that abuses people and causes untold damage.

I love weed. No hangover, nice and peaceful, and helps me relax. I just sit in the house and chill.

I despise alcohol and the effect it has on society. Anger, fighting, nastiness, stupid decisions, self-pity, burdening the NHS. It ruins people’s health.

People can judge all they want. I don’t care 🤷🏻‍♀️

This post is exactly why I started this thread.

“The people having a smoke with the illegal stuff? Total wasters and boring as fuck.”

Really?

Total wasters?

You have absolutely no idea why someone is using cannabis.

Some will be recreational users. Some will have problematic use. Some will be self-medicating because they’ve found it helps them. Some may have conditions that would qualify for medical cannabis but can’t afford private consultations, or have been unable to access a prescription despite there being a legal route in the UK.

You don’t know.

Yet you’ve looked at one behaviour and decided you know everything you need to know about that person’s character.

That’s exactly the stigma I’m talking about.

We don’t do this with alcohol. We don’t assume everyone drinking a pint is an alcoholic..

But cannabis? Suddenly it’s “total wasters”.

That’s not evidence. That’s prejudice.

If someone chooses not to use cannabis, that’s entirely their choice. But I genuinely don’t understand why that choice gives anyone the right to look down on complete strangers and write them off as “total wasters” when they know absolutely nothing about their circumstances

I should add I work FT in a professional job. No issues whatsoever. I own my own home. Go to the gym. Take care of all my responsibilities.

My boss drinks a bottle of wine a few nights a week and is a demon the next day. Ratty, bitchy and complaining her fibromyalgia pain is worse 🙄 she’s even admitted that drinking makes it worse.