Cannabis Causes Mental Illness

[Tars]

This must be true, since it was printed in that world-renowned bastion of journalistic integrity, "The Daily Mail". (As featured on "The Drudge Report"):


"Smoking just one cannabis joint raises danger of mental illness by 40%"

"Professor Robin Murray, of the Institute of Psychiatry in London, warned yesterday that the risks were likely to be heightened by the increasing use of powerful skunk cannabis.
'My own experience suggest to me that the risk with skunk is higher."

"Cannabis has been implicated in a string of vicious killings, including the recent stabbing of fashion designer Lucy Braham."

Read the astounding article

[Tars]

it completely destroyed any motivation I had to do anything other than have sex, eat junk food and watch TV. Regular pot smoking turned me into a fearful introvert.

Yeah, that devil weed does it to us, doesn't it? It's the weed's fault. It had a similar effect on me. Of course, (ahem)when I wasn't stoned I never ate junk food, watched TV, and certainly never had carnal relations. (well, at least not on pot, but almost certainly on something).

But the second I took my first puff, I became the evil lusted gnome, ogling, groping, howling at the moon, and smashing any kind of food I could get my hooks on into my gaping maw...

[gypsey]

Cannibis may not cause "mental illness" but anyone with half a brain left who does basic research knows that cannibis is not harmless. Instead of posturing and carrying on, why don't wacco's share sobering info about the pluses and minuses? For example, its dangerous effect on developing male hormones is well documented and on the other hand, its beneficial effect for pain control in terminal illness. Nothing on earth is perfect, including, us.

Yeah, that devil weed does it to us, doesn't it? It's the weed's fault. It had a similar effect on me. Of course, (ahem)when I wasn't stoned I never ate junk food, watched TV, and certainly never had carnal relations. (well, at least not on pot, but almost certainly on something).

But the second I took my first puff, I became the evil lusted gnome, ogling, groping, howling at the moon, and smashing any kind of food I could get my hooks on into my gaping maw...

[mending1]

I've recently quit smoking myself and I can certainly say I would be in a better spot if I had not become addicted and wasted many years and many dollars on it. I'd like to meet some new friends who don't smoke so we can be supportive of eachother's healthy choice. Anyone interested?
Derek S

[Tars]

Cannibis may not cause "mental illness" but anyone with half a brain left who does basic research knows that cannibis is not harmless. Instead of posturing and carrying on, why don't wacco's share sobering info about the pluses and minuses? For example, its dangerous effect on developing male hormones is well documented and on the other hand, its beneficial effect for pain control in terminal illness. Nothing on earth is perfect, including, us.

What substance in the world, including dirt or water, is "harmless" if over-ingested? I hadn't heard anything about hormonal affects of marijuana use. So I Googled marijuana+hormones, and the first one that caught my eye was the Drug Policy Alliance website, which had this to say:

"Myth: Marijuana Interferes With Male and Female Sex Hormones. In both men and women, marijuana can cause infertility. Marijuana retards sexual development in adolescents. It produces feminine characteristics in males and masculine characteristics in females.

Fact: There is no evidence that marijuana causes infertility in men or women. In animal studies, high doses of THC diminish the production of some sex hormones and can impair reproduction. However, most studies of humans have found that marijuana has no impact of sex hormones. In those studies showing an impact, it is modest, temporary, and of no apparent consequence for reproduction. There is no scientific evidence that marijuana delays adolescent sexual development, has feminizing effect on males, or a masculinizing effect on females."

If pre-pubescents regularly use huge quantities of marijuana, onset of puberty may be postponed? But really, if children consume huge quantities of anything, they'll be adversely affected, no? And it's scary to think what substances are much more frequently abused by children than marijuana.

To "marijuana addicts" I would say, good luck with your struggle to overcome your addiction! You have my prayers and spiritual support in your quest. With the added caveat that marijuana is not addictive. People are "addicted" to all manner of substances, including things as seemingly benign as bottled mineral water, and video games. Again, good luck with your struggle, but don't blame marijuana, blame the pre-existing emotional/mental condition which leads one to exhibit addictive behavior.

I'm one of those comm-symp leftie weirdos who believes that

All Drugs Should Be De-criminalized

[Tars]

I agree that all drugs should be decriminalized, but I think it's naive at best and possibly disingenous of you to minimize the difficulties that many people experience due to habitual pot smoking.

Hmm...according to you either I haven't thought it through & don't know what I'm talking about, or, for some reason I'm lying about it.

I didn't minimize anyone's difficulties, I just said don't blame the drug. What's the 12-step approach - to say that whatever drug is involved is evil or causes the "difficulties"? No. the problem is that an "addict" (misnomer since marijuana is not addictive) believes they are powerless. That's an emotional/mental difficulty within the individual. Their goal, with support, is to prove to themselves that they aren't powerless. People who have that goal with whatever substance have my prayers and spiritual support, for whatever it's worth.

You don't know me at all, so aren't qualified in the least to comment whether I'm naive or lying. But what I have learned so far from your statements about me is that you are hasty in opinion, and perhaps don't pay attention to what people actually are saying.

Back to you...

[OrchardDweller]

A clear case of Reefer Madness

[decterlove]

Regardless of which studies one wants to believe, I can attest to personally as many others will, that smoking pot for 10 years in my twenties DID decrease my motivation, altered my values not always in a positive way, frequently lead to overeating, exacerbated a tendency towards porn and hypersensuality, made me VERY tired and depressed, and overall did very little to contribute to my overall wellness during the period I smoked it.

I will admit that the sexual pleasure was enhanced, Saturday Night Live was probably funnier, and that 2001:Space Odyssey probably would have sucked without it. I'll also admit that I enjoyed hashish when it was available, and don't really regret experimenting with a few other psychedelics as well. But like so many other "pleasures" many of us have a strong tendency towards becoming compulsive and addictive towards anything that makes us feel better. And sex, hey...if sex isn't great in your twenties without cannabis, then you better go study the manuals!

I don't want to sound dogmatic about this. It seems to me that some people can handle marijuana in their twenties and thirties without derailing their lives, and a smaller percentage can handle it okay in their forties and beyond, and I do think it should be available for legitimate medical purposes. But one of the things I am personally most grateful for in my life is that I was able to let go of it when I hit thirty. (along with tobacco, too, thank you Angels...)

And to look back on all the late nights I spent with people that I never had any genuine commonality with, priding ourselves in "getting wasted" is a just surreal, bizarre, regretable, and somewhat inexplicable episode from my current vantage point in life. I do think that the Mainstream Culture at large, is so dulling and numbing to the senses and to the real higher intuitions we all are nudged by, that many just truly find the need to escape somehow, if only internally and temporarily, from vapidity of it.

Rudolf Steiner, founder of Waldorf Schools, spoke frequently of the need to balance the "Ahrimanic and Luciferic" influences we are all subject to in this increasingly polarized epoch, and for those interested in viewing the Cultural Wars from a different, possibly more balanced and revealing perspective....Google it!

[dubwise]

I've been smoking pot on and off for 36 years. While I don't enjoy getting "ripped" I do enjoy the nice buzz I can get by smoking small amounts (one hit) of the stuff. If I get high 2 or 3 times a month that would be average

I find it relaxing, enhances creativity and I find the general effects very positive.

I've got a great job, I work my ass off and I have a family. I'd rather smoke than drink and I think pot is less harmful than Alcohol. Oh yes, I do have my Medical card as well, so I'm also not breaking any state laws.

I'm sure there must be some health risks in there somewhere, for someone, but at this point even the air we breath is not healthy. Perhaps we should be looking at that instead?

[mykil]

WEED IS HERE TO STAY!

You all might as well get used to it!!! There are more people smoking and growing in Sonoma County than there are not at this point I believe!! LOL!!

My only question right now is what bank is going to be first? Which on of our super power house financial institutes will be First to give an agriculture loan for the sole purpose of growing cannabis? Which one is going to break the ice, stand up to our government [you now the people that work for us] and grow some balls? They know there is money to be made! We as a country can stop all the mafias combined just by making it legal! Take over the cannabis trade and give the money to the people, instead of splitting it among organized crime syndicates! Or might it be a government agency itself? Sort of a back door deal, you know one hand feeds the other. LOL.

I myself was all for opening a cannabis club a few times, but everyone I know was against it for some reason or another, talked me right out of it! Mykil you don’t even smoke, why on earth…. Well hell, I grew up smokin weed and I have to tell you, talk about the motivation! LOL again! As far as the affects of smoken a J, no one has the right to say what it dose or doesn’t do to a human being. Every one is affected different and has a different aspect on the whole situation. For god sakes if it was so bad for you why would all these people be up in arms over the whole deal, why would so many stick up for it? The people that don’t like to smoke pot cause it make them paranoid might try eating a little tiny bud, thus really getting what it is all about, No motivation loss, no paranoia, no bad highs, just total bliss! Total getting something done mood, total happiness! Just a little tiny bud smaller than ones tiny fingernail is all it’s about. Please don’t try this on an empty stomach, ideally with a little food is best!

Now when I do open a legal club is Barry going to let me advertise here on wacco, or well I have to use the local papers instead? LMAO again!!!!!

[Barry]

Now when I do open a legal club is Barry going to let me advertise here on wacco, or well I have to use the local papers instead? LMAO again!!!!!

For sure, Maaan!

[ThePhiant]

does this help?


One cannabis joint as bad as five cigarettes: study

Tue Jul 31, 3:27 AM ET

Smoking one cannabis joint is as harmful to a person's lungs as having up to five cigarettes, according to research published on Tuesday.
Those who smoked cannabis damaged both the lungs' small fine airways, used for transporting oxygen, and the large airways, which blocked air flow, the researchers said.
It meant cannabis smokers complained of wheezing, coughing, and chest tightness, the study by experts at the Medical Research Institute of New Zealand found.
The researchers tested 339 people -- those who smoked only cannabis, those who smoked tobacco, those who smoked both and non-smokers.
The study found only those who smoked tobacco suffered from the crippling lung disease emphysema, but cannabis use stopped the lungs working properly.
"The extent of this damage was directly related to the number of joints smoked, with higher consumption linked to greater incapacity," said the authors of the report published in the medical journal Thorax.
"The effect on the lungs of each joint was equivalent to smoking between 2.5 and five cigarettes in one go."
The British government is considering whether cannabis should be reclassified as a more serious drug because of the dangers associated with stronger strains.
"The danger cannabis poses to respiratory health is consistently being overlooked," said Helena Shovelton, Chief Executive of the British Lung Foundation.
"Smoking a joint is more harmful to the lungs than smoking a cigarette and we have just banned people from doing that in public places because of the health risks."
Last week British researchers said using marijuana increased the risk of developing a psychotic illness such as schizophrenia.

I've been smoking pot on and off for 36 years. While I don't enjoy getting "ripped" I do enjoy the nice buzz I can get by smoking small amounts (one hit) of the stuff. If I get high 2 or 3 times a month that would be average

I find it relaxing, enhances creativity and I find the general effects very positive.

I've got a great job, I work my ass off and I have a family. I'd rather smoke than drink and I think pot is less harmful than Alcohol. Oh yes, I do have my Medical card as well, so I'm also not breaking any state laws.

I'm sure there must be some health risks in there somewhere, for someone, but at this point even the air we breath is not healthy. Perhaps we should be looking at that instead?

[dubwise]

And I thought I was going crazy because I couldn't breath!

As I mentioned my own personal use is limited a couple of tokes a month. A joint will last me 4-6 months. I believe I am getting more lung danage driving on 101 every day!

Well then there are always Vaporizers! Eatables! and Tea! Oh my!

does this help?

One cannabis joint as bad as five cigarettes: study

[AquaGyrl]

I'd love to smoke it if I wanted to have a 3hr orgasm or immediately go to sleep - but I have asthma and pot DEFINITELY aggravates my asthma (and 'dries' me up AND gives me the "stupids' for days).

Certainly, I've met some extremely high-functioning pot smokers (they ARE out there).., and some who use it for anxiety (which is simply a manifestation of extreme depression or anger)... or to alleviate the effects of chemo... but the majority of lifestyle pot smokers I've met are very low functioning and dillusional.

[dubwise]

"but the majority of lifestyle pot smokers I've met are very low functioning and dillusional."

If you're defining "lifestyle" as daily or chronic users, I would have to agree with that. My experience has been dealing with people who are more on the dillusional side!

[ThePhiant]

I'd love to smoke it if I wanted to have a 3hr orgasm or immediately go to sleep - but I have asthma and pot DEFINITELY aggravates my asthma (and 'dries' me up AND gives me the "stupids' for days).

Certainly, I've met some extremely high-functioning pot smokers (they ARE out there).., and some who use it for anxiety (which is simply a manifestation of extreme depression or anger)... or to alleviate the effects of chemo... but the majority of lifestyle pot smokers I've met are very low functioning and dillusional.

[shipmatekate]

"but the majority of lifestyle pot smokers I've met are very low functioning and dillusional."

If you're defining "lifestyle" as daily or chronic users, I would have to agree with that. My experience has been dealing with people who are more on the dillusional side!

What are you all smoking? Your spelling is pathetic.

[bird]

let's see....the american heritage dictionary defines anxiety as:
"1. a state or cause of uneasiness and apprehension; worry
2. Intense fear resulting from the anticipation of a threatening event.
3. eager, often agitated desire: my anxiety to make a good impression."

and delusion or delusional is defined as:
"1. the act of deluding or state of being deluded.
2.a false belief or opinion."

so based on the above information (easily found), stating that anxiety "is simply a manifestation of extreme depression or anger" is..... dare i say -
delusional??

come on folks.....let's get educated!
peace.

I'd love to smoke it if I wanted to have a 3hr orgasm or immediately go to sleep - but I have asthma and pot DEFINITELY aggravates my asthma (and 'dries' me up AND gives me the "stupids' for days).

Certainly, I've met some extremely high-functioning pot smokers (they ARE out there).., and some who use it for anxiety (which is simply a manifestation of extreme depression or anger)... or to alleviate the effects of chemo... but the majority of lifestyle pot smokers I've met are very low functioning and dillusional.

[ThePhiant]

Cannabis Causes Mental Illness
I guess you proved that it is true...........................

let's see....the american heritage dictionary defines anxiety as:
"1. a state or cause of uneasiness and apprehension; worry
2. Intense fear resulting from the anticipation of a threatening event.
3. eager, often agitated desire: my anxiety to make a good impression."

and delusion or delusional is defined as:
"1. the act of deluding or state of being deluded.
2.a false belief or opinion."

so based on the above information (easily found), stating that anxiety "is simply a manifestation of extreme depression or anger" is..... dare i say -
delusional??

come on folks.....let's get educated!
peace.

[bird]

by reading the dictionary?? hmmmm....your "logic" escapes me.........cute cartoon tho' duhphiant.

Cannabis Causes Mental Illness
I guess you proved that it is true...........................

[ThePhiant]

reading the dictionary would be good for you, it might help you with your spelling dumgurl
but unfortunately it won't give you an analysis about mental conditions, and it makes your interpretation about somebody else's state of mind quite circumspect
:binky::binky::binky::binky::binky::binky::binky::binky::binky::binky::binky::binky::binky::binky::binky:

by reading the dictionary?? hmmmm....your "logic" escapes me.........cute cartoon tho' duhphiant.

[dubwise]

One of my all time favorites!

[thewholetruth]

I was a daily smoker for 12 years, Derek. I thought I would die a daily smoker. Then came my divorce and the next thing I know I'm 6 months without a puff. I'm in my 17 year of abstinance from all drugs and alcohol and at 52 I have officially accomplished everything on my Life Wish List (hypothetically speaking of course, LOL, I never wrote it down) except for one thing. I accomplished none of them while I was a pot head. IMO, the scariest thing about pot smoking is that it gives you the feeling that everything is alright, even when it isn't. It saps us of our motivation to the point that we accomplish virtually nothing, compared to if we were not pot heads. Pot heads always argue this point, but I've been on both sides of it and I've helped thousands of men and women recover from pot addiction. The consensus is the same.

I've recently quit smoking myself and I can certainly say I would be in a better spot if I had not become addicted and wasted many years and many dollars on it. I'd like to meet some new friends who don't smoke so we can be supportive of eachother's healthy choice. Anyone interested?
Derek S

[nurturetruth]

Is using the internet addictive or could it cause mental damage or mental distress? It definitely can be used as a distraction in life!

sometimes it feels like an addiction when i spend too much time online and my body feels the affects. I pay up to 50.00 a month for access to this addiction!

thank goodness i don't pay anything for one of my other addictions..the cell phone!
and thank goodness I have blue tooth; otherwise, my brain would burn up and i imagine this could cause me mental distress and all sorts of issues!

I used to not have blue tooth or speaker phone on my cell phone and my brain could actually feel the affects after talking on the phone for even a short amount of time!

I am pleased to hear people can work through their imagined addictions and do what feels right for their body and health!

I am also pleased to hear people express the interest of choosing to be aware and focused in life, though it is good for the brain to relax .

speaking of the brain, it is my understanding that the right side of the brain is the side mostly in " la la " land. (spiritual realm, everything is ok,blissful,carefree) The left is mostly strategic, mental/cerebral,focused.

Just as medical cannabis has the affect on the brain that everything is alright, just regular positive or optimistic thinking..perhaps even "la la" thinking can also cause the affect that everything is alright.
Even certain brain food such as amino acid , L-tryptophan, can help raise serotonin levels which can help us to feel good or as if everything is alright.

Besides, whats so weird about feeling as if everything is alright and ok as long as we are not in denial and finding ways to numb our true feelings? .

and what is so bad about using something in moderation...whether it be a cell phone, computer, sugar, gluten, dead or processed food, or cannabis?

moderation is the key here. and knowing yourself well enough to know what works and what doesn't work for your body.

everyone is different.

I have never allowed medical cannabis to "zapp" me from my sense of motivation. of course, now i only use it at night prior to bed. but i don't intake much. again, moderation.

eating too much dead or processed food HAS zapped my motivation though. and perhaps lack of certain amino acids or not getting enough protein has zapped me at times.

the consensus is not the same from this stand point of view.

I DO however , feel happy that YOU are now happy with your life and that you have accomplished everything on your "Life Wish list."
You are still alive so you must have more wishes to fulfill !
May you fulfill them all!

May all of us live a fulfilling life !

I was a daily smoker for 12 years, Derek. I thought I would die a daily smoker. Then came my divorce and the next thing I know I'm 6 months without a puff. I'm in my 17 year of abstinance from all drugs and alcohol and at 52 I have officially accomplished everything on my Life Wish List (hypothetically speaking of course, LOL, I never wrote it down) except for one thing. I accomplished none of them while I was a pot head. IMO, the scariest thing about pot smoking is that it gives you the feeling that everything is alright, even when it isn't. It saps us of our motivation to the point that we accomplish virtually nothing, compared to if we were not pot heads. Pot heads always argue this point, but I've been on both sides of it and I've helped thousands of men and women recover from pot addiction. The consensus is the same.

[thewholetruth]

One can be addicted to virtually anything, it's true. Moderation is the key. And addictions aren't "imagined". It's mental illness coupled with a craving of the body that normal people just don't understand. I get that.

YOU SAID: "Besides, whats so weird about feeling as if everything is alright and ok as long as we are not in denial and finding ways to numb our true feelings?"

Feeling that everything is alright when it's not IS Denial, AND it IS numbing our true feelings! That is the problem. For example, our child is playing in the front yard and we're on the porch watching them. Rather than having concern that they might bolt out onto the street in chase of their ball, we're oblivious to sensing that. We think everything's okay. Even in our houses, when the children are in the back of the house, pot kills our intuition that something might be wrong, because it's made us feel that "everything's okay". In our relationships, the same thing: Rather than intuitively knowing there is something going on with our spouse, we think everything's okay. Rather than realizing our decisions are causing our business to die, little by little each day, we have the false sense that "everything's okay". Medical issues, as well. I've watched people ignore symptoms because they were afforded that false sense that "everything's okay" when in reality they had serious intestinal problems that were causing them to throw up their food every day and suffer from severe stomach pain. One pot head acquaintence let a tumor on his arm get larger than a golf ball and only went to have it checked because I TOLD HIM TO! See, he thought "everything's okay" when it wasn't.

I agree with you completely about moderation. The truth is, however, that we are a nation of addicts. Addicted to food, internet, TV, drugs, alcohol, control, our own opinions, gambling, sick relationships, sex - the list is virtually endless. As a mental health professional and addiction specialist, I see it manifested throughout our society. Moderation isn't always an option without the tools of Recovery. For addicts of all kinds, it requires Spirtual intervention in order to achieve moderation in all things.

But praise God that you're capable of moderation. But IMO, most of the clients at the "Medical Marijuana" store are not. They are dishonest and they are addicted.

And thank you for your civil tone!

Don

Is using the internet addictive or could it cause mental damage or mental distress? It definitely can be used as a distraction in life!

sometimes it feels like an addiction when i spend too much time online and my body feels the affects. I pay up to 50.00 a month for access to this addiction!

thank goodness i don't pay anything for one of my other addictions..the cell phone!
and thank goodness I have blue tooth; otherwise, my brain would burn up and i imagine this could cause me mental distress and all sorts of issues!

I used to not have blue tooth or speaker phone on my cell phone and my brain could actually feel the affects after talking on the phone for even a short amount of time!

I am pleased to hear people can work through their imagined addictions and do what feels right for their body and health!

I am also pleased to hear people express the interest of choosing to be aware and focused in life, though it is good for the brain to relax .

speaking of the brain, it is my understanding that the right side of the brain is the side mostly in " la la " land. (spiritual realm, everything is ok,blissful,carefree) The left is mostly strategic, mental/cerebral,focused.

Just as medical cannabis has the affect on the brain that everything is alright, just regular positive or optimistic thinking..perhaps even "la la" thinking can also cause the affect that everything is alright.
Even certain brain food such as amino acid , L-tryptophan, can help raise serotonin levels which can help us to feel good or as if everything is alright.

Besides, whats so weird about feeling as if everything is alright and ok as long as we are not in denial and finding ways to numb our true feelings? .

and what is so bad about using something in moderation...whether it be a cell phone, computer, sugar, gluten, dead or processed food, or cannabis?

moderation is the key here. and knowing yourself well enough to know what works and what doesn't work for your body.

everyone is different.

I have never allowed medical cannabis to "zapp" me from my sense of motivation. of course, now i only use it at night prior to bed. but i don't intake much. again, moderation.

eating too much dead or processed food HAS zapped my motivation though. and perhaps lack of certain amino acids or not getting enough protein has zapped me at times.

the consensus is not the same from this stand point of view.

I DO however , feel happy that YOU are now happy with your life and that you have accomplished everything on your "Life Wish list."
You are still alive so you must have more wishes to fulfill !
May you fulfill them all!

May all of us live a fulfilling life !

[debbus]

Well Said!

Regardless of which studies one wants to believe, I can attest to personally as many others will, that smoking pot for 10 years in my twenties DID decrease my motivation, altered my values not always in a positive way, frequently lead to overeating, exacerbated a tendency towards porn and hypersensuality, made me VERY tired and depressed, and overall did very little to contribute to my overall wellness during the period I smoked it.

I will admit that the sexual pleasure was enhanced, Saturday Night Live was probably funnier, and that 2001:Space Odyssey probably would have sucked without it. I'll also admit that I enjoyed hashish when it was available, and don't really regret experimenting with a few other psychedelics as well. But like so many other "pleasures" many of us have a strong tendency towards becoming compulsive and addictive towards anything that makes us feel better. And sex, hey...if sex isn't great in your twenties without cannabis, then you better go study the manuals!

I don't want to sound dogmatic about this. It seems to me that some people can handle marijuana in their twenties and thirties without derailing their lives, and a smaller percentage can handle it okay in their forties and beyond, and I do think it should be available for legitimate medical purposes. But one of the things I am personally most grateful for in my life is that I was able to let go of it when I hit thirty. (along with tobacco, too, thank you Angels...)

And to look back on all the late nights I spent with people that I never had any genuine commonality with, priding ourselves in "getting wasted" is a just surreal, bizarre, regretable, and somewhat inexplicable episode from my current vantage point in life. I do think that the Mainstream Culture at large, is so dulling and numbing to the senses and to the real higher intuitions we all are nudged by, that many just truly find the need to escape somehow, if only internally and temporarily, from vapidity of it.

Rudolf Steiner, founder of Waldorf Schools, spoke frequently of the need to balance the "Ahrimanic and Luciferic" influences we are all subject to in this increasingly polarized epoch, and for those interested in viewing the Cultural Wars from a different, possibly more balanced and revealing perspective....Google it!

[bird]

What works for some does not for others. Villification is another thing some folks seem to be addicted to.
Peace.

One can be addicted to virtually anything, it's true. Moderation is the key. And addictions aren't "imagined". It's mental illness coupled with a craving of the body that normal people just don't understand. I get that.

YOU SAID: "Besides, whats so weird about feeling as if everything is alright and ok as long as we are not in denial and finding ways to numb our true feelings?"

Feeling that everything is alright when it's not IS Denial, AND it IS numbing our true feelings! That is the problem. For example, our child is playing in the front yard and we're on the porch watching them. Rather than having concern that they might bolt out onto the street in chase of their ball, we're oblivious to sensing that. We think everything's okay. Even in our houses, when the children are in the back of the house, pot kills our intuition that something might be wrong, because it's made us feel that "everything's okay". In our relationships, the same thing: Rather than intuitively knowing there is something going on with our spouse, we think everything's okay. Rather than realizing our decisions are causing our business to die, little by little each day, we have the false sense that "everything's okay". Medical issues, as well. I've watched people ignore symptoms because they were afforded that false sense that "everything's okay" when in reality they had serious intestinal problems that were causing them to throw up their food every day and suffer from severe stomach pain. One pot head acquaintence let a tumor on his arm get larger than a golf ball and only went to have it checked because I TOLD HIM TO! See, he thought "everything's okay" when it wasn't.

I agree with you completely about moderation. The truth is, however, that we are a nation of addicts. Addicted to food, internet, TV, drugs, alcohol, control, our own opinions, gambling, sick relationships, sex - the list is virtually endless. As a mental health professional and addiction specialist, I see it manifested throughout our society. Moderation isn't always an option without the tools of Recovery. For addicts of all kinds, it requires Spirtual intervention in order to achieve moderation in all things.

But praise God that you're capable of moderation. But IMO, most of the clients at the "Medical Marijuana" store are not. They are dishonest and they are addicted.

And thank you for your civil tone!

Don

[Valley Oak]

So true, Drum Girl. And I still need to learn that lesson. It's so hard to resist vilifying someone who genuinely appears to be the villain. Is there a 12 step program for addiction to vilification?

Edward

What works for some does not for others. Villification is another thing some folks seem to be addicted to.
Peace.

[spacecase]

was bob marley "low functioning" and "dillusional." or maybe he wasted his life? enough already with the medical diagnosis of everything. live and let live !!!!!! love and love and love and die!!!!!!!!!!! to each his own. i don't know you, but i DO know that bob marley did far more with his life than you'll probably every do with yours. judgement of other people is part of the axis of evil.

peace and smoke it if you got it and when its gone, grow yourself some more!

"but the majority of lifestyle pot smokers I've met are very low functioning and dillusional."

If you're defining "lifestyle" as daily or chronic users, I would have to agree with that. My experience has been dealing with people who are more on the dillusional side!

[projectpeace]

Smokin' that eevul merryjuuwanna makes peOples rightst intolerant of other peOple's random thoughtless bluesheeet!

Pot's a TERRIBLE drug! TERRIBLE.

It's a GREAT herb, but a baaad drug. Wait a minute...drugs don't make seeds... HERBS make seeds, right?

& the Christian Lord & AwmightyGawd DID say on the first page of the King James Bible, settin' rightst there on your bookshelf, Page One... "...every herb bearing seed. ...EVERY green HERB... &Every other plant that bears fruit & produces seed...!"

What more needs to be said? Our freedom to farm "every herb bearing seed" is the first test of religious freedom.

Our forefathers didn't die for the freedom to complain. The First Amendment Settles the argument.

No vote needed. No regulation needed. No taxes needed.No monopoly on seed and genetics needed...

The most nutritious, the most useful environmentally beneficial, potentially abundant, globally distributed, regionally adaptable, therapeutic, pioneer crop...

Farmers & gardeners know what to do with seed. You plant them with love and care. Chemicals not needed.

Compost tea needed. Peace needed. Clean air and water and soil and spirit needed.

Are most of the people who are alive right now insane? When I left this country for ten years, I certainly felt like I was leaving the mad house. I had a one-way ticket to Amsterdam, where I wrote the manifesto for the Cannabis College in 1998.

I prefer to think that people either understand the necessity of total Cannabis freedom, wonder about it, or are merely grossly intentionally uninformed, misled, and afraid to admit what has been known for millennia. Cannabis is the most useful nutritious and healing plant on Earth.

Can't people distinguish between what's real and what we've all been TOLD all our lives, that no one in their right mind really believes? Sorry for being so disappointed with so many so late in life...

Every negative experience anyone has ever had with Cannabis has taken place in the context of a drug war.

Wake up W.T.People, time is the limiting factor in the equation of survival. If you don't have the ONLY common seed with three ESSENTIAL fatty acids AND IS ALSO the BEST available organic vegetable protein ON EARTH and has meaningful quantities of all the essential amino acids, and a digestive enzyme, and can cure many serious illnesses, and reflects solar radiation and UV-B away from the planet when the music stops, then you're truly poor. Who will you depend on to produce your protein?

GEEZ! How great does a creature have to be on this planet before someone says, it's beyond "LEEGAL' OR ILLEGal."

Those are just words. What's real is when Nature gets in your face for being stupid. If you don't know where we're headed, then I really feel sorry for you, because one day you'll turn around and see what a mistake it was to disregard this plant who could've been our BEST friend in avoiding the impending synergistic collapse to inevitable extinction. Sorry to be the one to tell you, but jurisdiction over unique and essential resources upon which other species depend for their survival is beyond the rightful authority of our species.

Shame on anyone who believes that the government or ANY court has rightful jurisdiction over food resources that are both unique and essential. What are hypocrites who swallow the drug war dogma drinking?

As you may have guessed, I'm a biodynamic, wheelchair accessible gardening systems designer/builder, Holistic Pulsing tax protester, writer activist filmmaker Cannabis scholar who broke his neck in a hang glider and has never asked for permission from anyone to feel better. If you think you might like to see a garden bed that you can wheel under, spins, & waters itself, let me know.

Whoops, was that an invasive advertise mint?

: ) }-*******************

Slideshow possible of hemp in Europe, if there's interest. A warm night in Graton featuring hemp ice cream and the best Mejhicanfood & atmosphere anywhere are coming to mind.

check out projectpeace on you tube & blog talk radio if you dare.

find out why the UNFAO has failed to recognize hemp seed as the most complete and available & abundant food on Earth, is withheld because cops say they can't tell rope from dope...yea, right. How believable is that?