Why Do You Consume Cannabis?

[Lester Beans]

Hello ICMAG!!

I would like to ask the community to respond to this simple question.

Why do you smoke weed?

Sure the reflex answer is well to get high, or to ease pain, etc.

What I am asking of the great membership of this great forum is to take a moment and think about answering this to a non smoker. Really think about what cannabis does for you and why you consume it. Explain it to that person who has never smoked but is curious about cannabis, if you would.

I am writing a book and I spent a few years asking everyone I ran into this very question. The responses have been fantastic and insightful along with the to "get baked man" responses.

So if you have time and feel like contributing, I would love to hear your responses fellow ic crew!!

 

[TheArchitect]

Because I love the plant.

Best damned plant on this planet.

 

[stoned-trout]

because i love it....it has many medicinal uses for me...and it has no real downside, well some legal ones for some..it can replace so much crap a doctor would give ya a script for.. and all them side affects from that bs don't occur with fine cannabis....yeehaw

 

[Hank Hemp]

If you take away get high and relieve pain I have no reason.

 

[m314]

It makes food taste better, it makes music sound better, it makes sex more intense, and it makes me happier when I'm already happy. It is a healthy alternative to more dangerous drugs like alcohol.

In terms of medical use, it's the only thing that reliably helps me sleep through the night. It just works that way when I don't have it every day.

 

[mr.brunch]

It's a nice happy feeling.
It also stops your brain trying to think of ten things at once and focus on that single thing.
Also sometimes it's handy after a disagreement as it can make you realise " ok, I was being a dick "

 

[hush]

It calms my mind down, which is normally very manic. Also, it helps me sleep at night. I rarely get "high" anymore as that is not my end game.

 

[The Revolution]

I smoke to relax me, unwind, and reflect better one my situation, past, present, and future. Forces me to stop and recognize many things we often overlook and Im able to reassess things much better. Also helps me to appreciate the small things in life much better, and makes me more sympathetic.

Great thread idea, btw.

 

[Jellyfish]

Why? Hey, find something as nice as pot in your life, why not?

 

[armedoldhippy]

it is the very spice of life for me. whatever I am doing, looking at, listening to, eating etc, it makes it better like putting salt on your French fries or butter on your popcorn. no, I don't need it, don't have to have it, but the same could be said for hugs from my wife and talks with my kids in relaxed moments. it has been part of my life off and on since 1968, and it will continue to be in some fashion until I die. I love to sit in the spring woods while the world comes to life, listening to the birds coming awake, burning one while waiting to hear that first turkey gobble...

 

[mr.brunch]

Damn right, it's one of life's simple pleasures

 

[D. B. Doober]

Its part of my life n brainz

 

[420somewhere]

I don't really know....

I don't really know....

It started in 1969 and hasn't stopped yet.

 

[Croptober]

Cause it keeps me sane and makes things much more enjoyable. I think of it like a drinker would have a beer or glass of wine to relax and calm down at the end of the day, I just prefer to have a bong rip instead.

 

[Weird]

I am classified as "emotionally disturbed" due to life long mental illness (diagnosed pre teen). Some of it is of biological influence (bipolar adhd) and others are environmental (BPD, PTSD) above and beyond other nifty diagnosis.

The bottom line is, even after a year of institutionalization my prognosis was bleak, 6 months before suicide or permanent institutionalization)

This is a tip of the iceberg summary, but the bottom line is I am functional and mentally sound, not due to modern medicine but due to marijuana.

I have spent years in professional care and then years experimenting with alternative treatments and I can articulate the effects from a psychological view point.

Our minds are programmed by our experiences, our actual biology is effected by the input of our senses.

This programming can lead to very unproductive mindsets.

I believe we intuitively know this on a subliminal level but often don't have an understanding of the underlying causation to allow us to see it consciously.

Marijuana is a vehicle that allows us to escape this influence of experience, both biological and environmental (which still expresses biologically as well).

PTSD is an excellent example.

I would often have very traumatic memories triggered that would paralysis me or change my mood drastically, putting me in such bad places it would debilitate me.

Just leaving the house made this almost unavoidable.

If I smoked and got high enough, those memories didn't come when I experienced things, or at least the emotion that would be associated with them was not.

It gave me the capacity to create new pleasant memories around the same stimulus which then allowed my mind in the future to go to a different place when recalling memories triggered by the same stimulus.

It is proven marijuana creates new neuro pathways so there is even scientific basis for this observation as well as anecdotal evidence from others that suffer from PTSD.

Marijuana saved my life, quite literally. To me it is a civic duty to disobey immoral laws such as marijuana prohibition based on its medicinal effect on our species.

 

[Jellyfish]

Thanks for sharing that, Weird, and well-said!

 

[wordsux]

smoked in highschool for fun. Took a few years off. Now I only really smoke before bed after the gym. Perfect way to end a night and prepare for the next day!

 

[Babbabud]

Cannabis makes us better humans

 

[Enchantre]

Asperger's Spectrum ... that means my DNA needs THC (actually, for ASD, CBD is more useful, but I digress).
Osteo-arthritis with 32% functional damage to my hip/pelvis
Type A personality to the max... hormonal malfunction causes my cortisol to be Red-Lined 24/7... You know that scene in Captain America, Winter Soldier where Bruce Banner says that his secret is he's "always angry"... yeah, me too. If I drop those filters WHAM! instant Hulk Smash.
PTSD - People who are abused, tend to become abusers. my mom was badly damaged when I arrived, and her "man picker" was well broken, so my early life was pretty shitty. Therapy helps. So does Cannabis.
Asthma. Cannabis was a proven therapy for asthma through the ages. It seems to help me, too. My lung capacity is way better than it ever used to be.

I don't smoke it, though. I use vaporizers, and I dab my little heart out! I also ingest a considerable amount, as the true healing, in my opinion, only happens if your body can use it like medicine, not just as a mind-altering substance.. it works for both, I know... I am doing RSO, plus random medibles during the day, tinctures, and fresh cannabis leaves in green smoothies (first breakfast).

 

[TheArchitect]

Overgeneralize much? You float a common misconception that likely doesn't sit well at all with most people who were abused. Generally accepted statistics show that people who are abused become abusers only about 5% of the time.

Don't let facts get in the way of a good rant!