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People for thousands of years have used the plant for pain relief and spiritual well being. It's oils as ointments and fiber to weave ropes and make cloths. It'

People for thousands of years have used the plant for pain relief and spiritual well being. It's oils as ointments and fiber to weave ropes and make cloths. It's amazing that it has taken 100 years to convince todays society of it's benefits. What a great story and more proof the plant is an important part of humanities history.

colechristensen 10y ago
I wish people would dispense with the woo and straight out say that people use drugs because they enjoy them. Most people consuming THC are doing it not for some spiritual goal or because they're in pain, they're doing it because it's fun. Humans generally seem to have a desire to alter their states of mind. It can be good and it can be harmful, but trying to make all of it evil has very clearly failed.
- dleslie 10y ago
  It's bizarre; the same people who will happily state they enjoy drinking will be viciously opposed to the enjoyment of other drugs.
  - rascul 10y ago
    It's possible these are the same people who think something is wrong simply because it's illegal.
    - industriousthou 10y ago
      And since it's wrong it must therefore be kept illegal.
      - emsy 10y ago
        This is literally the reasoning of the German Health Minister
- girvo 10y ago
  > Humans generally seem to have a desire to alter their states of mind We're not the only animal to do so for that reason, either, from what I've read.
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]
- rascul 10y ago
  In my experiences, most people do indeed use cannabis because they enjoy it. There are some (and that number is growing) who use it primarily for the medicinal benefits. Neither choice is wrong, in my opinion.
- eyelidlessness 10y ago
  There is nothing "woo" about using cannabis for medical purposes. The fact that it can get you high does not mean it has no medical benefits. Also, strains used for medical purposes tend to have low THC and high CBD (e.g. Charlotte's Web).
  - colechristensen 10y ago
    You're right, but that's not what I'm talking about. Most people actually want to legalize it because it's fun. It's disingenuous and harmful to pretend this isn't the reason. It has other benefits, but the real core issue is that demonizing the common drive to modify our state of mind is, in itself, the demon. Pretending it's for the medical benefits or for some spiritual woo is harmful. A step backwards. We need to stop making dangerous things illegal which we should instead be educating how to respect.
    - justinlardinois 10y ago
      The word "most" gets thrown around a lot in political arguments. Do you have some insight into what the majority of people believe that we don't?
    - eyelidlessness 10y ago
      > Most people actually want to legalize it because it's fun. It's disingenuous and harmful to pretend this isn't the reason. I'm really not sure anyone has enough data to know if that's true. Most people actually want to legalize it (in the US), we have data for that. We don't actually know what their aggregate motivations are. We do know that people care about personal substance use sovereignty (i.e. getting high is fun, and who are you to tell me not to?), criminal justice reform, medical benefits, tax revenue, and yes even spiritual and psychological benefits. All of those are cited by advocates. How those break down in terms of priorities is another question. Full disclosure: I live in a recreational state (WA), and I work for a cannabis company. Anecdotally I meet people (advocates, in the industry) across the spectrum, from regular users to non-users looking to make money. I know that anecdotes aren't data, but I'm pretty close to the issue in a place where there's little reason to obfuscate; it simply doesn't seem as clear cut to me as you make it out.
- emsy 10y ago
  This is an unnecessary generalization. There are many thousand patients today that suffer from pain relievers that wreck up your bowels.
- m0llusk 10y ago
  This view is demonstrably false. Cannabis enables people to treat nausea, wasting, epilepsy, pain, and anxiety, all of which can be debilitating or even disabling. That therapeutic dosages are typically far lower than recreational should be a clear indicator. The practical uses of hemp are also not to be dismissed. The fibers are strong and the oil is uniquely compatable with human physiology. Trivializing cannabis because of its potential use as an intoxicant is a mistake.
programmarchy 10y ago
argumentum ad antiquitatem
- tempodox 10y ago
  Which doesn't make it wrong, per se.
flycaliguy 10y ago
Perhaps you've never heard a dangerous form of music called "jazz"?
yodsanklai 10y ago
> People for thousands of years have used the plant for pain relief and spiritual well being. Actually, I've been wondering how widely spread was the usage of cannabis. While there were some use of it here and there, has it ever been widely used for recreational purpose in any society?
- dragonwriter 10y ago
  > While there were some use of it here and there, has it ever been widely used for recreational purpose in any society? Presumably, you want to ask before some specific recent period, because otherwise, the answer is clearly and obviously "yes".

colechristensen 10y ago

I wish people would dispense with the woo and straight out say that people use drugs because they enjoy them. Most people consuming THC are doing it not for some spiritual goal or because they're in pain, they're doing it because it's fun. Humans generally seem to have a desire to alter their states of mind. It can be good and it can be harmful, but trying to make all of it evil has very clearly failed.

dleslie 10y ago
It's bizarre; the same people who will happily state they enjoy drinking will be viciously opposed to the enjoyment of other drugs.
- rascul 10y ago
  It's possible these are the same people who think something is wrong simply because it's illegal.
  - industriousthou 10y ago
    And since it's wrong it must therefore be kept illegal.
    - emsy 10y ago
      This is literally the reasoning of the German Health Minister
girvo 10y ago
> Humans generally seem to have a desire to alter their states of mind We're not the only animal to do so for that reason, either, from what I've read.
deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
rascul 10y ago
In my experiences, most people do indeed use cannabis because they enjoy it. There are some (and that number is growing) who use it primarily for the medicinal benefits. Neither choice is wrong, in my opinion.
eyelidlessness 10y ago
There is nothing "woo" about using cannabis for medical purposes. The fact that it can get you high does not mean it has no medical benefits. Also, strains used for medical purposes tend to have low THC and high CBD (e.g. Charlotte's Web).
- colechristensen 10y ago
  You're right, but that's not what I'm talking about. Most people actually want to legalize it because it's fun. It's disingenuous and harmful to pretend this isn't the reason. It has other benefits, but the real core issue is that demonizing the common drive to modify our state of mind is, in itself, the demon. Pretending it's for the medical benefits or for some spiritual woo is harmful. A step backwards. We need to stop making dangerous things illegal which we should instead be educating how to respect.
  - justinlardinois 10y ago
    The word "most" gets thrown around a lot in political arguments. Do you have some insight into what the majority of people believe that we don't?
  - eyelidlessness 10y ago
    > Most people actually want to legalize it because it's fun. It's disingenuous and harmful to pretend this isn't the reason. I'm really not sure anyone has enough data to know if that's true. Most people actually want to legalize it (in the US), we have data for that. We don't actually know what their aggregate motivations are. We do know that people care about personal substance use sovereignty (i.e. getting high is fun, and who are you to tell me not to?), criminal justice reform, medical benefits, tax revenue, and yes even spiritual and psychological benefits. All of those are cited by advocates. How those break down in terms of priorities is another question. Full disclosure: I live in a recreational state (WA), and I work for a cannabis company. Anecdotally I meet people (advocates, in the industry) across the spectrum, from regular users to non-users looking to make money. I know that anecdotes aren't data, but I'm pretty close to the issue in a place where there's little reason to obfuscate; it simply doesn't seem as clear cut to me as you make it out.
emsy 10y ago
This is an unnecessary generalization. There are many thousand patients today that suffer from pain relievers that wreck up your bowels.
m0llusk 10y ago
This view is demonstrably false. Cannabis enables people to treat nausea, wasting, epilepsy, pain, and anxiety, all of which can be debilitating or even disabling. That therapeutic dosages are typically far lower than recreational should be a clear indicator. The practical uses of hemp are also not to be dismissed. The fibers are strong and the oil is uniquely compatable with human physiology. Trivializing cannabis because of its potential use as an intoxicant is a mistake.

programmarchy 10y ago

argumentum ad antiquitatem

tempodox 10y ago
Which doesn't make it wrong, per se.

flycaliguy 10y ago

Perhaps you've never heard a dangerous form of music called "jazz"?

yodsanklai 10y ago

> People for thousands of years have used the plant for pain relief and spiritual well being. Actually, I've been wondering how widely spread was the usage of cannabis. While there were some use of it here and there, has it ever been widely used for recreational purpose in any society?

dragonwriter 10y ago
> While there were some use of it here and there, has it ever been widely used for recreational purpose in any society? Presumably, you want to ask before some specific recent period, because otherwise, the answer is clearly and obviously "yes".