For the non-pot smokers--- If Pot was legal would you smoke it?

[trumad]

I admit--- I'm big time hesitant to puff the stuff because it is still illegal to have it on your person--- in Florida that is.

I simply can't afford to have a stupid Pot Bust on my record--- My employer would not be to happy about it.

It if it did become legal---who knows... I might start puffing again.

[HopeHoops]

1. The SAFETY of it had me worried before I quit (20 years ago). That could change.

If it was regulated and taxed like cigarettes, but with actual safety standards like "no PCP, crack, heroin, etc.", then it might be worth taking up again. We quit to clean out our systems well in advance of the conception of our first kid and we haven't taken it up again. I know, there's no solid evidence that pot causes birth defects, but why chance it? Besides, as I said, it really wasn't the pot we were worried about - it was the likely possibility that we would get something that was laced with something that COULD cause birth defects. That was a common practice back then and I suspect it is even worse now.

[EOTE]

5. PCP crack and heroin are all a good deal more expensive than pot.

Why would any drug dealer lace his pot with substances that are not only far more expensive than pot, but would also increase the chances of him going to jail for dealing? Frankly, I'm far more concerned I'll get a bag that's mostly seeds and stems than I am of getting a bag that's laced with some other illicit drug.

[Romulox]

8. +1,000,000. Cuts right through to the point. nt

[HopeHoops]

10. Simple - to hook new users. The loss on the hook is easily made up later.

"Good shit, eh? I've got something with even more kick than that, wanna try it?"

Curiously, that sales technique isn't all that different from a promotional rate on a new credit card.

[EOTE]

14. You really buy into that?

You should know that most people have access to more than one dealer. And why any dealer would give a drug user something that they don't want, in hopes that by tricking them, they'll earn a lifetime customer, is well beyond me. Dealers WILL often cut some drug with another, CHEAPER drug, but no one will sell a dime bag to a customer, lace it with another $10 of another drug, in hopes that they'll then by the same stuff at an inflated price. It's really just ridiculous scaremongering left over from Nixon's drug-warrior days. In the real world, it doesn't happen.

[HopeHoops]

16. Well, to be fair, my experience with it was during Reagan's time. And yes, they did it.

PCP was the drug of choice then. I knew a lot of guys who got hooked on it through laced pot. And PCP was fairly cheap and easy to come by then. I haven't heard much about it in years, and frankly I don't even know if it is still a popular street drug. It was then and that was the hook. They would lace skunk weed with it and I could tell it wasn't "right" with a short puff (taste) and wouldn't touch it if it was suspicious.

[EOTE]

22. So how did these people know what drug they were getting hooked on?

Say that one of your friends received a bag of pot laced with PCP. Say that friend then becomes addicted to PCP by smoking that bag of pot he just bought. Given that this friend thought that he was only smoking marijuana, how does your friend know that the drug he's addicted to is PCP? Does he go back to the dealer and say "Hey, what was it that you laced my bag of marijuana with? I'm jonesing like crazy and need to get some more of it, I'm sure you'll hook me up, right?" Once again, if you're a drug dealer and you make it a routine to sell people things they're not looking for (aside from giving them poor or ineffective drugs), you're not going to last in the business long at all.

[HopeHoops]

26. There were regular spots to buy the stuff. The dealers were clever.

Eventually, they would offer a "cheap" bag of "lovely" or "angel dust" and over time the price would go up. They were just using skunk weed as the seed to get the guys hooked. Sadly, it worked.

[EOTE]

27. So once again, how would people know what they were hooked on?

If I smoked a bag of something and after I stopped smoking it, found that I was experiencing withdrawal symptoms, I'd want more of what's in the bag. So I'd go back to the dealer and ask for a bag of pot. If the dealer instead offered me a bag of angel dust, I'd be super pissed and would show him the door. I'd imagine far more people would do that than not. Truly this is an urban legend. If a drug dealer is looking to make more money, the drug dealer will try to occupy more turf. Drug dealers don't make money by duping the people whom they wish to have as regular customers.

[HopeHoops]

45. Frankly, I don't think most of them DID know what it was laced with.

There were regular spots for the buy and the cheap sell for the "better" drug was the catch. The buzz was just going to be familiar and that's what got them into it. I knew a lot of people who fell for this trap. It is not urban legend. It is real.

If you don't believe it, you haven't experienced it. That's actually an area where a lack of experience is admirable. I'm not insulting you by saying you don't have experience. That's a good thing. Without it, however, you are not in a position to deny what happens. I knew some "safe" dealers and they certainly would not engage in this sort of business. They're in the minority.

[EOTE]

49. I definitely haven't experienced it.

And while your experience might be real, I still have no doubts that the bulk of the rumors surrounding such things were strictly urban legends. Kind of like the urban legend of evil people putting spikes in apples or poisoning the candy for Halloween. It's certainly not something that kids need to concern themselves with, but sure enough, after some digging, some real cases of candy poisoning were found.

Safe dealers far, far outweigh any ones who would foolishly taint their product with something they don't claim to be selling. I'd imagine that if there are any dealers selling hard drugs mixed in with their pot, there's maybe a couple in the whole country. They certainly wouldn't last long with their 3rd grade business model.

[HopeHoops]

52. Wow! You haven't lived far from "suburbiaville" have you?

The razor blades in apples and poison candy dates back to my childhood in the early 70's, and there was exactly one case that caused the hysteria. I believe you are correct that there have been no other documented cases other than a handful of poisonings. Still, we had to let our parents check all of our candy and still did the same with our children until they were old enough to do it themselves.

I'm sure your experience with dealers has been sufficient to make you believe most are safe. Should you ever venture out of your comfort zone, heed my words and keep your wits about you. It isn't just tainted drugs you need to worry about. I was in a car with a guy where the dealer simply reached in and stole his wallet out of his hand and ran. I've seen my share of guns. "Tainting" doesn't always mean other drugs, either. Skunk weed mixed with parsley used to be a common farce. If you only get buds, you won't encounter that but I'm talking nickle and dime bags (which were $5 and $10 respectively) and you won't get buds in those.

For your sake, I hope you never leave "suburbiaville" and I wish you safe passage in the land of dealers. It isn't your fault that you don't understand the reality outside your zone, but don't insult me by denying what I've witnessed far too many times.

[EOTE]

53. That's why I specified that dealers have no incentive to mix hard and soft drugs.

Of course I'm aware that some less reputable dealers would mix parsley and oregano with their bud. But the thing about that is, parsley and oregano are very cheap. And aside from a hacking cough, it's not that dangerous to smoke parsley. And FYI, I've lived in 9 different states. The bulk of the places I've lived have not been "suburbiaville". I'm currently living right outside of Baltimore, so I know very well what the bad dealers would do. What I'm saying is that dealers tainting soft drugs with hard drugs with the hopes of hooking their customers is, by and large, an urban legend. I recall NORML asking several PDs to provide instances of such a thing happening that they could provide considering they were going to school and providing this false information. They were given all the time they needed and they weren't able to provide one instance of it happening. If multiple PDs are asked to show evidence and none are able to, that tells me it's an urban legend. So, I won't say that you're lying in recalling your experiences, but I will say that if you're telling the truth, you are definitely the exception and not the rule.

[mudplanet]

40. PCP isn't addictive. You can't "get addicted" to it. You may abuse

it on a regular basis, or kill yourself with it, but it doesn't fit any model of "addiction." Tobacco and alcohol fit models of addiction much better (ok, they probably fit addiction models better than anything except opiates).


I ain't saying it isn't out there, but the danger of being poisoned through smoking pot is WAY over emphasized here. If you "lace" pot you're making it more expensive to produce and sell. So why do it?

[JFN1]

15. The gateway theory

Oh, puh-lease.

Does having a beer make you want to shoot heroin?

Does a glass of wine get you itching for a hit of meth?

How about Viagra? Make you want some PCP?

Or ibuprofen - does it get you jonesing for cocaine?

This 'gateway' argument is BULLSHIT, plain and simple...

[HopeHoops]

25. You're new to this, eh?

I was a heavy pot smoker and was one of the few who resisted trying other things for the most part. I wouldn't have gotten into hash if I wasn't a pot head and I never would have tried opium, although that was just one time. I pretty much just liked pot. I can't even count the number of people I hung out with who moved on to other things. Heroin wasn't common then, at least not where I lived. Meth wasn't even on the radar. I don't think crack had been invented, or at least we hadn't heard of it.

This was late 70's, early 80's. Cocaine was expensive, but some moved on to that. Qualudes were still available and were rather popular. Speed was probably the most common "next step". The PCP problem was more early 80's, and it was nasty. I watched people go from basic stoners to useless zombies on that shit. They wouldn't stop once they were on it. The descriptions I've seen of crack heads are amazingly similar to the PCP heads of then.

You aren't going to get anywhere denying the gateway theory. It is quite real. If you don't believe it, you simply don't have experience. That said, I'm fully in favor of completely legalizing pot and making it available for sale in commercial form as well, much as cigarettes and alcohol are sold. I'm amazed the GOP hasn't taken up the cause for the tax money it would generate. But the most compelling reason is to remove it from the "illegal" list so it will NOT be a gateway drug. It isn't so much the drug as it is the culture in which it is sold. Cigarettes probably don't contribute to illegal drug use. While I obviously can't prove it, I believe making pot legal would dramatically decrease if not eliminate the gateway effect.

[EOTE]

29. I'd suggest you do a bit of reading up on the subject.

First of all, this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Correlation_does_not_imply_causation

You'll probably note that just about everyone who has smoked marijuana at one time started by drinking milk. Are you suggesting that ingesting milk leads people to smoking marijuana? You should also realize that hash IS marijuana. It's simply more potent than typical marijuana (most, but not all) and is just the separated and compressed trichomes from regular bud. So moving from marijuana to hash really isn't that big of a leap.

And simply saying that something is real doesn't mean it is so.
http://stopthedrugwar.org/speakeasy_main/2006/dec/07/gateway_theory_debunked_again

[Truth2Tell]

31. I've been around a lot of heavy pot smoking

and pot smokers and pot dealers for 20 years. I've never seen anything like you're talking about. Sounds like a lot of baloney to me.

The "gateway" drug theory is based on one of the oldest and stupidest logical fallacies out there: that correlation equals causation. This fallacy is widespread in the social "sciences", especially among those with an agenda of restricting behavior.

[Echo In Light]

32. The "Gateway" drug meme speaks more so to the young age of many first time smokers...

... and the mindset of those who, not overly crazy about what the 'Adult World' bearing down on them looks like, choose to alter their perceptions/consciousness. It has nothing to do w/marijuana itself. I began getting high before age ten, and so of course by sixteen I was more than a little curious about hallucinogenics, which were as readily available - blotter, windowpane, four way windowpane, clear windowpane, purple microdot, etc - as weed or hash was. I only knew of one out of countless scores of people I partied with or around back then who transitioned to shooting up, and it hadn't anything to do w/his pot smoking.

[winyanstaz]

34. oh balony....you cant prove it was because you tried pot...

pot is not addictive..period. Secondly...all those people probably also drank coffee or smoked cigs.....prove it wasn't the coffee or cigs..or maybe it was the seven-up that was the gateway drug...sheesh.
I know a lot of people that smoked pot including myself in my younger days and NONE of us went on to hard drugs. Not one. We just were not that stupid.

[Hekate]

39. Thanks for sticking it out with this subthread, HH. In the early 1970s a high school science teacher

... where I lived had the following experience:

He was at a local festival and chatted with some of his students. As he put it-- they thought they were high from the pot they were smoking, but he could see that they were way, way down the way an opiate would make them.

He wondered what the cause might be, so he made the following offer to his students back in the classroom: He would tape a paper lunch bag to the door, and anyone who was interested in having their stash tested in a lab could make an anonymous donation.

The results were uniform across the board. The local supplier was lacing the pot with a small amount of heroin, which we know is highly addictive. As one of your respondents upthread pointed out, why would they do that when one is more expensive than the other?

The implication to the science teacher was clear, as it was clear to me: the suppliers were pushers. Selling an illegal product is very risky, so why not maximize your profits in accordance with your risk by moving your customers from a "take it or leave it" low-profit product to a "can't live without it, need more all the time" high-profit product?

Back in the early to mid-90s when my kids were teenagers and wouldn't listen to their mom who knew nothing, my daughter ended up smoking some pot she is pretty sure was laced with PCP, and she didn't ask for that.

You may think your connection is a friend, but they could just as easily be a pusher and pushers don't have your best interests at heart.

This kind of thing is a big reason I want to see pot legalized and regulated like tobacco and alcohol. It's a (relatively) benign drug, and with legalization it would not lead to a criminal record, nor would the seller be at risk of prison for this one product. With regulation, you would at least know what you were getting.

Hekate

[Tutankhamun]

55. Complete fantasy. People just don't secretly lace weed.

Laced weed is so extremely rare that most people who've been smoking pot for years have never even seen it a single time. If you think you're going to get some weed that's been secretly laced, you're just imagining things.

You may as well avoid drinking Pepsi since somebody might lace it. Pure fantasy. Not. Going. To. Happen.

[Hekate]

56. See my post #39. nt

[EOTE]

63. Your science teacher very well could have been perpetuating this myth.

I would imagine it's rather easy to see if your own supply of bud is mixed with heroin. And as I noted before, heroin is a good deal more expensive than bud. If this dealer was the only dealer in the area, perhaps it would be a good idea to fool his clientele. However, if I discovered my dealer was tainting my bud, he wouldn't be my dealer long, and he'd probably see himself thrown in jail VERY quickly because drug buyers aren't very keen on being screwed over. It's really not something that happens even very infrequently. I'm not saying it's never happened, but it happens so infrequently it's not an issue. Don't you think it's just as likely, if not more so, that your science teacher was a drug warrior trying to scare his students straight?

[Tutankhamun]

64. True, and I'd add that heroin smoke is EXTREMELY harsh on the throat and lungs.

It also has a very strong, bitter taste. It would be really difficult to smoke heroin laced weed and not know something else was in it, just by the taste and the horrible burn on the throat, not to mention the lung irritation.

[Hekate]

65. I was in college at the time, so it was not "my" high school science teacher...

... but one from a local high school who went to the newspaper with this story.

You are very, very invested in this story not being possible. Whatever the case, I decided to write to snopes.com to see if they can come up with anything to confirm or deny from their Horrors!/Drugs files.

Hekate

[EOTE]

67. No more invested than you are in it being true.

I do believe there might be an isolated case of this happening here or there, I just don't think it happens anywhere near the frequency that it should be of concern to the typical user. I understand you want the drug legalized to reduce this kind of thing, but you have to understand that drug warriors have been using this kind of disinformation in order to provide justification for the drug war for decades now. I've been told the same thing by many people, they've all been drug warriors. I know dozens of users and dozens of dealers, not one of them has experienced anything like this. There are just too many reasons why it wouldn't work for it not to be a good idea.

[Greyhound]

42. The impurities you are/were worried about came almost exclusively from the government-funded

interdiction efforts. Yes, we paid to kill and maim other Americans in the name of control.

Lacing pot with other stuff is an "extra" that you would pay more for. Dealers have no interest in providing more for no return.

[Hekate]

57. Paraquat, as I recall. nt

[madokie]

2. I thought I read that again part

Actually I see myself gradually moving away from smoking pot, kind of loosing interest in it anymore. I haven't quit yet but I see the day coming where I may.

If they made it legal it would probably take the big thrill out of it for me though and I'd quit for sure.

I just have a little rebellious streak that I used pot smoking to fill

[spinbaby]

3. No

Even in college mumble mumble years ago, I thought the smell was just nauseating.

[Silver Swan]

4. At my age, my lungs don't want me to inhale smoke

But if pot were legal, I would probably use it in cooking.

I would also grow it in my backyard.

[devilgrrl]

6. Say No! non-pot smokers. If you're not into it, you don't have to be.

:smoke:

[TZ]

7. Nope.

I've tried it a couple of times and really didn't get much out of it. Makes me sleepy is all.

[Kablooie]

9. I'd turn the heat down if the pot was smoking. Wouldn't want to burn the stew.

[Gwendolyn]

11. No. The first time I tried it I vomited outside a music venue. Very embarrassing.

Every time someone's shoved a blunt into my face since then, I've either been so blissed out I can only focus on the teevee, sex, or my navel, or become ultra paranoid and so self aware that I realize every word out of my mouth is shallow and insipid. It works great to suppress pain apparently, but the one time I tried it for menstrual cramps it just seemed to amplify the discomfort and I vomited again. Just wasn't meant to be... guess I'll just continue to get high on life. :)

[Iggo]

12. I'm an ex-pot smoker...

...and I would remain an ex-pot smoker.

More power to you guys, though. And you have my vote.

[aikoaiko]

13. Yes, I stopped smoking pot and taking other illicit drugs when I became an adult...

...'cuz I didn't want to be arrested for it and risk losing my paid for education and jobs.

I am grateful to all my smoking brothers and sisters who have been civilly protesting these draconian anti-pot laws by sparking up.

:applause:

[hayu_lol]

21. NO.

...and for those who do indulge, where can you smoke something in today's world? Think about that for a moment. Seems to me that real harm could come from 2nd hand pot smoke...particularly with kids around.

[Major Hogwash]

44. Sheeeeeeeeeeettttt

You don't have to be around me when I smoke pot to enjoy 2nd hand smoke.
Just smell my jacket for a contact high.

LoL

[undeterred]

17. No, because the smell of it gives me a headache.

[mdmc]

18. no

I don't drink...

[Ishoutandscream2]

19. I'm in the same boat as you. If caught, my career and pension are dead

But, when I retire, or if becomes legal - you betcha!

[Zoeisright]

20. No. I thinking drawing smoke into your lungs is dumb.

Period.

[proteus_lives]

23. No.

For me it was a kid thing. Even if it was legal, I don't see the point.

[Javaman]

24. Nope.

I use the same argument as I do with cigs. Why on earth would I want to inhale carcinogens into my system?

However, if you choose to, knock yourself out.

[supernova]

28. I'd smoke or eat it occasionally

I could see myself cooking with it more than smoking it. Brownies, there's the ticket. :hippy:

I've always been a non smoker, so I don't have a big desire to smoke it.

But, barring it being legal here, if I ever get to Amsterdam, I'd stop in at a coffee shop and try it again. I tried it in college and nothing happened. It was just sort of ... meh.

[Deep13]

30. Maybe. Dunno. nt

[bigwillq]

33. Former pot smoker

I would not smoke it now if it were legal. I no longer have the urge to smoke pot anymore. Had a blast when I did smoke, though. :smoke:

[salguine]

35. No.

[murdoch]

36. Michael Kinsley...

...once said on Crossfire that he never smoked marijuana but if it was legal he would try it.

People always called him a wimp, and that is the most wimpy thing I ever heard on Crossfire.

In New York, carrying a dime bag of weed is not even a misdemeanor, it is a violation.

[ismnotwasm]

37. No

I've smoked plenty of illegal pot in days gone by. More than my share.

I just don't need or want it anymore.

It should be legal anyway of course.

[Odin2005]

38. Not smoke it, but I would use it via other ways.

It's a lot safer than booze.

[KittyWampus]

41. I quit smoking pot ages ago. Wouldn't start again if you paid me.

[Hekate]

43. Last time someone insisted I try her weed (10 years ago) it gave me asthma and a hangover...

It works very well on her arthritis, so she smokes a bit every night before bed. I was visiting and she so very much wanted to share... Didn't work so well for me, sad to say.

You may have it all.

However, can we please just call a truce on the insane war on drugs and legalize pot for personal and medical use already?

Hekate

[Raine]

46. No ... it brought on panic attacks

which I still suffer from. I quit the stuff 20+ years ago and wouldn't use it again if I was paid. x(

[madinmaryland]

47. WWRD??

Smoke another big fat one??

:shrug:

[laylah]

48. I smoked pot long after

it was fun. I may do it more if it were legal; however, the feelings of paranoia and only sitting on the couch afterwards would have to subside :silly:

[Pavulon]

50. The ONLY reason I dont smoke it that it is illegal.

that has ramifications for my job and for maintaining clearances I need to be flexible in my job. Personally I think it is much less destructive for health and well being than alcohol. My wife works in medicine and sees far more injuries from car / heavy equip. accidents to shootings that revolve around alcohol. The only pot related stuff is related to sales negotiations among dealers.

[Toasterlad]

51. Not Worried About the Legality...I Don't Smoke It Primarily Because of the Unavailablity

Don't know any dope-dealers, and it seems like its a hassle to actually BUY pot. If it was available at a convenience store, I'd probably indulge once in a while.

[LeftishBrit]

54. Actually no, Unless I needed it medically

And yes, there have been times when I had very easy access with very little chance of being caught, and I still didn't bother.

No moral or even real health-related objection; just lack of interest, and probably being deterred by a friend's graphic account of her 'bad trip': she had all kinds of unpleasant hallucinations that you normally don't get with pot. Mind you, she's had weird side effects from medically prescribed drugs too.

But I am strongly in favour of legalization.

[gopwacker_455]

58. Hell yeah

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

59. No, it stinks

[grantcart]

60. If it helped with my tinnitus

and if it removed visions of the Cliffordu

[Feron]

61. No, but I would ingest it.

I'd like to try it for my migraines. Painkillers tear up my digestive system and it'd be great if I could find an alternative that wasn't so harsh.

[Hekate]

62. My very conservative religious neighbor smokes it for his migraines. His wife, an RN, approves.

Migraines are vicious.

As I indicated upthread, I've tried it twice and didn't get anything out of it, but I've heard so many good things about its efficacy for pain and nausea that I would probably grow a bit in my herb garden if it were legal.

Hekate

[sendero]

66. No...

... used it extensively when I was (a lot) younger but tried some a couple years ago and basically, don't enjoy the "high" any more.