5 ms·

Not sure just how far I want to get into this, because most of my points are admittedly indefensible and most of it just stems from a long hatred of smoking. I

Not sure just how far I want to get into this, because most of my points are admittedly indefensible and most of it just stems from a long hatred of smoking. I was anti-beer for a very, very long time as well (until virtually six months ago), though coffee has always been my vice. I'm Irish, and I'm fairly young (approaching twenty soon, which puts me very far in the minority on these matters. ;)) Mostly, I simply don't see the point. I understand the need to socialise and the like, and the need for friends. However, I think that if I make friends when I'm in a different state of mind to my ordinary, day-to-day thinking, then are they really my friends? Furthermore, I don't like having a crutch. I don't think anybody truly needs to get drunk/high/drink a pot of coffee in the morning to get them through the day. If you do, you've probably made some bad decisions and you should think long and hard about where you're going in life. I also simply hate the stoner mentality. Why the hell would you want to just coast through life? I mean, make something of yourself! Make your parents proud! I know, however, that I'm painting a large number of people with the same brush here. I know that many of the people who smoke weed sometimes aren't stoners. I have almost no problems with people who smoke weed every once in a while, just as I don't have problems with people who go to the pub sometimes or with people who drink the odd coffee. I do sincerely have problems with people who smoke pot every other night, or every time they hang out with people, or every time they get even a little stressed. (Medical marijuana doesn't count, though, provided naturally that it's actually necessary. I'm not going to judge people when they're in huge amounts of pain.) The thing is, though, that past this little speech, I can barely defend my arguments. It's not that I just don't get it (though that's definitely a factor), it's also that I simply have an irrational hatred of smoking. Go easy on me in your rebuttal, I'm only meek. :)

fexl 16y ago
The thing I like most about your post is that you never advocate locking human beings in a cage for smoking vegetation. You are "anti-marijuana" in the sense that it does not fit your vision of an ideal life, and that's all fine and good. I could argue similarly against eating too much fried food. When people drag in the use of force, that's when discussions like this turn venomous. Using force to "protect people from themselves" only serves to erode people's awareness and sense of responsibility for their own choices, not to mention fostering violent organized crime.
old-gregg 16y ago
Hey, thanks for replying! I'm a pro-marijuana person but I'm not going to attack your arguments at all, I was curious to hear your reasons, thanks for speaking up.
- hebejebelus 16y ago
  No, thank you. It's refreshing to see that people won't just immediately attack me for the opinion. It's such an uncommon view here, especially in my age group, that I get a lot of flack for it.
code_duck 16y ago
There are plenty of people who smoke weed and hardly coast through life. Successful (including VERY sucessful) CEOs, actors, inventors, scientists, pretty much all sorts of people invalidate that notion It sounds like you, personally, dont mix well with some substances. Or maybe just don't have any experience with them from which you can make a reasoned judgement. It reminds me of my brother, who is anti-everything until he actually experiences it. People don't have to smoke cannabis, you know - it can also be ingested through food which nullifies the smoking complaint.
to_the_top 16y ago
its a way to pass time with friends, same reason why friends go and drink together, people smoke together... not to mention it can be safer and cheaper then booze.
bkudria 16y ago
I also simply hate the stoner mentality. Why the hell would you want to just coast through life? I mean, make something of yourself! Make your parents proud! Why? What's the point? We're all going to die anyway.
- cheesey 16y ago
  Would you think differently about it if you were immortal?
  - bkudria 16y ago
    I'd probably think differently about lots of things if I were immortal.
flogic 16y ago
Most of the potheads I know are reasonably successful in life. The only pothead who seems to be going nowhere was going nowhere before he smoked weed.
stingraycharles 16y ago
"I have almost no problems with people who smoke weed every once in a while, just as I don't have problems with people who go to the pub sometimes or with people who drink the odd coffee. I do sincerely have problems with people who smoke pot every other night, or every time they hang out with people, or every time they get even a little stressed." But why do you have problems with that? It appears to me as if have problems with other people who don't fit into your personal view of how one should lead its life. Or is this the only thing? I personally can completely understand that you don't see the added value for yourself, but I don't get the part where you have an irrational hatred of smoking. It seems like you want to restrict others the choice of leading their lives the way they see fit, without harming others. Do you have this irrational hatred in other areas too? What do you think about lazy people, for example? Or people who have other religious views than yourself?
- points 16y ago
  Smoking is disgusting, smells, and infringes on the rights of others to breathe clean air.
  - Devilboy 16y ago
    Are they coming to your house to smoke pot?
    - points 16y ago
      People walk down the street stinking of it. If you want to rot your brain with drugs, good luck.
      - Devilboy 16y ago
        Alcohol is fine though right? And caffeine too?
        points 16y ago
        Yes. The number of times alcoholics/coffee users tried to pour alcohol/coffee into my mouth can be counted on 0 hands. The same is not true for smokers. Smoking <anything> is anti social. It's useless trying to argue with addicts though. Just surprising there's so many drug users on HN. Sad.
ellisd 16y ago
Rather than rebutting your rather strong feelings towards smokers, would you mind talking about your feelings about the push for legalization? Part of the sigma attached to cannabis smoking is directly linked to its "illegal" nature and misinformation spread by the highest parts of our government and media. Take the DEA controlled substance scheduling which places cannabis as a schedule 1 drug: (1) Schedule I.— (A) The drug or other substance has a high potential for abuse. (B) The drug or other substance has no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States. (C) There is a lack of accepted safety for use of the drug or other substance under medical supervision." Science can and has refuted all 3 points, yet we're still having debate over the extreme dangers of legalization. Clearly something is irrational here as well when a plant that has not directly killed a single human being or cause violent withdrawal symptoms sits at a higher schedule than opium, cocaine, PCP and benzodiazepines. Even the synthetic THC pharma drug Marinol (Schedule III) can cause death at very high doses. So long story short... are you behind maintaining status quo hypocrisy purely because of personal reasons?

fexl 16y ago

The thing I like most about your post is that you never advocate locking human beings in a cage for smoking vegetation. You are "anti-marijuana" in the sense that it does not fit your vision of an ideal life, and that's all fine and good. I could argue similarly against eating too much fried food. When people drag in the use of force, that's when discussions like this turn venomous. Using force to "protect people from themselves" only serves to erode people's awareness and sense of responsibility for their own choices, not to mention fostering violent organized crime.

old-gregg 16y ago

Hey, thanks for replying! I'm a pro-marijuana person but I'm not going to attack your arguments at all, I was curious to hear your reasons, thanks for speaking up.

hebejebelus 16y ago
No, thank you. It's refreshing to see that people won't just immediately attack me for the opinion. It's such an uncommon view here, especially in my age group, that I get a lot of flack for it.

code_duck 16y ago

There are plenty of people who smoke weed and hardly coast through life. Successful (including VERY sucessful) CEOs, actors, inventors, scientists, pretty much all sorts of people invalidate that notion It sounds like you, personally, dont mix well with some substances. Or maybe just don't have any experience with them from which you can make a reasoned judgement. It reminds me of my brother, who is anti-everything until he actually experiences it. People don't have to smoke cannabis, you know - it can also be ingested through food which nullifies the smoking complaint.

to_the_top 16y ago

its a way to pass time with friends, same reason why friends go and drink together, people smoke together... not to mention it can be safer and cheaper then booze.

bkudria 16y ago

I also simply hate the stoner mentality. Why the hell would you want to just coast through life? I mean, make something of yourself! Make your parents proud! Why? What's the point? We're all going to die anyway.

cheesey 16y ago
Would you think differently about it if you were immortal?
- bkudria 16y ago
  I'd probably think differently about lots of things if I were immortal.

flogic 16y ago

Most of the potheads I know are reasonably successful in life. The only pothead who seems to be going nowhere was going nowhere before he smoked weed.

stingraycharles 16y ago

"I have almost no problems with people who smoke weed every once in a while, just as I don't have problems with people who go to the pub sometimes or with people who drink the odd coffee. I do sincerely have problems with people who smoke pot every other night, or every time they hang out with people, or every time they get even a little stressed." But why do you have problems with that? It appears to me as if have problems with other people who don't fit into your personal view of how one should lead its life. Or is this the only thing? I personally can completely understand that you don't see the added value for yourself, but I don't get the part where you have an irrational hatred of smoking. It seems like you want to restrict others the choice of leading their lives the way they see fit, without harming others. Do you have this irrational hatred in other areas too? What do you think about lazy people, for example? Or people who have other religious views than yourself?

points 16y ago
Smoking is disgusting, smells, and infringes on the rights of others to breathe clean air.
- Devilboy 16y ago
  Are they coming to your house to smoke pot?
  - points 16y ago
    People walk down the street stinking of it. If you want to rot your brain with drugs, good luck.
    - Devilboy 16y ago
      Alcohol is fine though right? And caffeine too?
      - points 16y ago
        Yes. The number of times alcoholics/coffee users tried to pour alcohol/coffee into my mouth can be counted on 0 hands. The same is not true for smokers. Smoking <anything> is anti social. It's useless trying to argue with addicts though. Just surprising there's so many drug users on HN. Sad.

ellisd 16y ago

Rather than rebutting your rather strong feelings towards smokers, would you mind talking about your feelings about the push for legalization? Part of the sigma attached to cannabis smoking is directly linked to its "illegal" nature and misinformation spread by the highest parts of our government and media. Take the DEA controlled substance scheduling which places cannabis as a schedule 1 drug: (1) Schedule I.— (A) The drug or other substance has a high potential for abuse. (B) The drug or other substance has no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States. (C) There is a lack of accepted safety for use of the drug or other substance under medical supervision." Science can and has refuted all 3 points, yet we're still having debate over the extreme dangers of legalization. Clearly something is irrational here as well when a plant that has not directly killed a single human being or cause violent withdrawal symptoms sits at a higher schedule than opium, cocaine, PCP and benzodiazepines. Even the synthetic THC pharma drug Marinol (Schedule III) can cause death at very high doses. So long story short... are you behind maintaining status quo hypocrisy purely because of personal reasons?