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

In the case of my mother, it was a handy way to deflect from the fact that she was off her tits on assorted prescribed tranquilisers, antidepressants, painkillers and anything else she could take in quantities well in excess of the prescribed dosage - especially when she was kicking off at the receptionist because her 3 month prescription was already gone by the end of the first week.

OP. I don’t think you’ve addressed the smell at all. What are the rest of us supposed to do about that? I appreciate it helps with your pain but many of us are experiencing your cannabis usage via smell.

My communal hallway constantly stinks. It’s an embarrassment to me. I’m trying to do a house swap and I can’t imagine anyone other than other weed users even contemplating living here.

Is that because cannabis genuinely carries a unique set of risks? Or is it because, culturally, we’ve been taught to see it differently from medicines we’re more familiar with?

I’m genuinely curious where people think that distinction comes from

I'd imagine it's because 99% of cannabis users aren't getting it on prescription. People have the same reaction to people getting benzos or opiates from a dealer and claiming it's for pain or whatever.

I fell down a rabbit hole to see if a legal trade has made much difference to the illegal trade.
Apparently the Mexican cartels leaned on farmers and the price of first limes, then avocados went up. 😬

Why are you so hung up about what other people think or say? Live your life your way and let others do the same.

So many pot heads claim that legalising and letting people grown their own would somehow benefit the wider society.
As if the stench of neighbours smoking it is not enough, they'll also be growing it! And talking of "critical thinking" - have they not thought of the risks involved when any addled brain would go about DIY wiring in the required electrics? Fancy living next door to that and losing your home to neighbour's drugs loft fire?
We should maybe allow people make their own Crystal Meth too.Equal rights to get high!

As long as I don't have to smell it.

OP, do you think everyone else should just have to put up with the smell, or do you recognise that this is why a lot of people will always regard it as incredibly antisocial?

The illegal cigarette trade is thriving and much nearer than Mexico. Contributes to human trafficking, raises funds for other illegal activities, decimates our high streets and more.
Thousands of smokers don't care as long as it's cheaper than the regulated product.

Unless government starts delivering Marijuana in hire cars, at 1am, cash in hand,no questions asked, people will still be ringing up their dealer!

A few people have raised smell, and I think it’s a completely fair point.

Strong smells can be unpleasant regardless of what they are, and people shouldn’t have to put up with smoke drifting into their homes or communal spaces.

One thing this thread has taught me is that people often assume all cannabis users smoke it, when in reality many prescribed patients don’t. Oils, capsules and edibles don’t create that issue at all, and dry herb vaporisers produce far less lingering smell than smoking, although they certainly aren’t odourless.

I don’t think consideration for other people is too much to ask, whatever the substance. Cigarette smoke, cannabis smoke, loud music, strong cooking smells… living in close proximity means trying not to make your habits someone else’s problem.

For me, that question is separate from the wider discussion about stigma. Someone can be inconsiderate without everyone who uses the same medicine or substance being inconsiderate too

This video always stuck with me. You can see in real time the benefits this gets when he has medical cannabis for the first time.

It helped my Dad a lot too when he had Alzheimers.

Wishy washy response, OP.

The smell is a HUGE part of why people find it so offensive. It’s not the same as someone cooking the odd steak. It’s a daily, persistent, overwhelming stink.

As I said before, all of my adjoining neighbours smoke it. Only one out of at least 8 has it prescribed and he smokes it too. Maybe edibles are prevalent in the US but in the UK? They all smoke it.

I don't think cannabis is harmless, but neither are most prescription drugs, which is precisely why they're prescription drugs. They have great therapeutic uses, even life-saving, but only used as directed. Many are addictive or potentially fatal if over-used. Less harmful drugs are available OTC, but even they may not be entirely safe - you might be limited to how many aspirin or paracetamol you can buy in one go, but people can still overdose on them. So I don't see the problem with prescribed cannabis, and I'm guessing you could provide THC via tablets, if drugs companies decided it was worth investing in to do that, which would get round the smell issue.

(I don't actually mind the smell, but I don't tend to smell it that

If you legalise it, that doesn't mean you have to legalise its growth. We can drink gin and whisky,but you can't set up a still without a licence. You can't grow fields of opium poppies without a licence. Legalising the use of something doesn't actually mean all or nothing. I wouldn't expect anything like cannabis to be legalised without heavy regulation and restrictions.

I think the stigma comes primarily from the smell. If people are using odour-free products in the privacy of their own homes and I don't personally need to deal with the impact of any mental health problems that they might develop, then I genuinely couldn't care less what they do.

Obviously, there will be costs to the NHS and the economy linked to the mental health impacts, but that is no different from many other things, such as alcohol etc. Same with cannabis use and driving etc.

From my perspective, if we could ban all smelly versions of the product, then most of my objections would be gone. Personally, I would not choose to be in a relationship or close friends with a cannabis user, and I wouldn't ever want my dc to use it, because of the mental health aspects. But random strangers should be free to crack on if they aren't affecting others around them.

You wouldn't know if they don't all smoke it, because you will only smell the smokers,not the ones doing hash cakes or whatever.

A few people have quite understandably raised the smell, and I don’t think that’s a trivial point. Living next to someone whose smoke regularly enters your home or communal spaces would be frustrating, regardless of what it is.

I suppose the distinction I’m making is between the behaviour and the person. Someone using cannabis inconsiderately is being inconsiderate. That doesn’t automatically tell us anything about everyone else who uses it, just as a neighbour who blasts loud music doesn’t tell us anything about everyone who enjoys music.

I think that’s where this discussion becomes interesting. It’s very easy to attribute the behaviour of an individual to an entire group, but we don’t always do that consistently. That’s the thought process I’m trying to explore here

I know my neighbours.

And let’s face it. Unless you’re over a certain age? You can’t be arsed to fuck about making hash cakes on a whacky weekend.

They sit outside and smoke the repellent stuff. Day in and day out. There is no escape.

Move then. Plenty of streets don't smell of it

Yeh, cos it’s that easy. You obviously missed the part where I said I was trying to swap.

Work in mental health and see what effects it has. People are not all chilled out and pain free, they are paranoid and psychotic. It's not for me thanks.

That said, I do agree it has its uses and definitely agree with controlled prescribing. There is obviously a difference between medically supervised use and using stuff you've bought on the streets, but a lot of people don't think so and think it's all good and 'better than drinking' etc etc.

I have the odd gummy when in Chicago but that's it for me. I'm only there twice a year so no chance of forming a habit!

Honestly, the people who are not using it inconsiderately won't even be on most people's radar as cannabis users. Nobody will be judging you because they probably won't even know that you're using it.