I only been exposed to the worse parts of drug use when I was growing up. Seeing poor crackheads and hos on a daily basis scares you straight from doing anything of the sort. The most I do is drink and once tried a cigarette with horrible results.
I will say that I would try a pot brownie on curiosity, but it still sounds scary.
I guess it's technically a step closer, although I think something like this might actually decrease support for legalization. People who are on the fence might feel that this is good enough. Still, it's definitely good news. Hopefully in a month it'll be moot anyway.
I occasionally miss the illegal substances I enjoyed in my younger days, but my marriage, my career, and my ability to adopt/foster a child vastly outweigh the occasionally nagging sobriety.
I really really hope this passes and works out very well. If it does, it may be one of the most important steps in shifting us towards a rational path in a very long time.
I really really hope this passes and works out very well. If it does, it may be one of the most important steps in shifting us towards a rational path in a very long time.
Hey everyone! I haven't posted in a long time, but I thought I'd weigh in on this issue.
I smoke pot on occasion (every few weeks, generally), and have tried numerous legal and illegal drugs, including various psychedelics. As previous people have said, I always recommend having a "firm grounding in reality" before trying any psychedelic / hallucinogen. I've seen many people (generally those of a hippie persuasion) think they've been contacted by aliens/spirits/gods/etc, which is really just distasteful, Randi bullshit. Psychedelics effectively rewire your brain (temporarily), and some (acid, mushrooms) have given me insights that I might not have come to otherwise.
Also, a note on pot: A disturbingly large number of college and high school kids smoke well beyond moderation. I view this usage in the same way I see frat guys drinking cheap booze. They're doing it simply for the chemical effect (drunkenness, being stoned). I imagine many beer connoisseurs of this forum will agree that there's a huge difference between drinking shitty beer to get drunk, and enjoying a fine brew. The same can be said of pot consumption.
One time, when visiting my mom, we had dinner with her neighbours. They're French ex-pats, both NYU professors. Intelligent, Old Worldly cultured people. After dinner, they brought out a small amount of (very high quality) weed, and everybody had a little bit. This slight buzz spurred after-dinner conversation, and showed me that pot consumption, when done in that way, could be classy.
On a final note, I find my favourite way to consume pot is in the form of a spliff, since I am a tobacco smoker. Because of the cost of cigarettes, my personal taste, and my desire for quality tobaccos, I usually end up rolling my own cigarettes. Since I have most of the ingredients on me, I can simply sprinkle a bit of pot into the spliff as I roll. Not enough to get baked, but to provide a light buzz.
EDIT: Though I have to say, the vaporizer is the best way to smoke pot, especially less-than-highest quality stuff, where you wouldn't really care for the taste. For fresh buds picked right off the plant, though, I'd pair it with a Dutch or Connecticut tobacco, as it draws out the flavour.
I've been seeing that video all over the internet, but for some reason it took you posting it to make me download the whole episode for some greater context. I think this is clearly a hallmark of the fact that, whether prop 19 passes or not, we've moved the ball a long way down the field.
Whenever the idea of doing any kind of drug crosses my mind, I look at it the exact same way I look at a new video game or going to a movie.
"In the time this will occupy, how much art could I get done?"
Then I go home and draw.
I can't get involved in any other addictions. I have to feed the art monster that lives in my head and demands I produce creative works. With the incredible addictive personality I've inherited from my father, I know I would simply never get anything done if I got involved with drugs or alcohol. It's hard enough just maintaining relationships or having a job when you start getting twitchy if you go three hours without putting pencil to paper.
Can't believe I missed this thread. Never really tries psychadelics except for candy flipping once (acid and ecstasy), which was a very enjoyable experience. I haven't been high on anything or drunk in a while, and don't really plan on resuming regular use, although I'll probably mess with codeine and weed once in a while.
Whenever the idea of doing any kind of drug crosses my mind, I look at it the exact same way I look at a new video game or going to a movie.
"In the time this will occupy, how much art could I get done?"
Then I go home and draw.
I can't get involved in any other addictions. I have to feed the art monster that lives in my head and demands I produce creative works. With the incredible addictive personality I've inherited from my father, I know I would simply never get anything done if I got involved with drugs or alcohol. It's hard enough just maintaining relationships or having a job when you start getting twitchy if you go three hours without putting pencil to paper.
Whenever the idea of doing any kind of drug crosses my mind, I look at it the exact same way I look at a new video game or going to a movie.
"In the time this will occupy, how much art could I get done?"
I don't mean to pressure you or anything, but you can get a hell of a lot of quality drawing done on weed. In my experience, it's not ideal for production, but it's excellent for experimentation and practice.
My Kratom just got here today, and I must say its pretty damn good. I had my doubts but it really does work. After the initial stimulant effect wears off it feels a lot like a weed high so far. Also, the rest of my hangover went away right after I took it so that's a bonus. I approve of this drug.
I tried a handful of serotonergic psychedelics (mushrooms, acid, a few RCs), mostly several years ago in college. I got a lot of interesting insight on the nature of sensory processing and the boundaries of the self from reading authors like Huxley on the psychedelic experience beforehand. After reading hundreds of reports, though, the actual trips mostly just felt like I was screwing with my serotonin system in a not very healthy way for no good reason. Too hot, too cold, absurdly happy, really sad, can't focus, too hot, etc. The "ego loss" was understated relative to meditation and mostly related to scrambling everything up. And the cracked-out, weirdly emotional aftereffects would linger for days (subtle effects were noticeable for weeks if not months in meditation). I don't regret the experiments because of all the reading I did, but never again.
Cannabis is the only tricky one for me. I notice mild cognitive cloudiness for a couple of days afterwards so I really try to limit and time my use in a way that I wouldn't with mild alcohol consumption. At the same time I can't deny that it's effective at lowering my boundaries and softening the edges enough to let painful repressed material to the surface on those rare occasions when I've hit a wall and just can't seem to manage to do it sober. I doubt most people have my specific issues or use the drug *for* its anxiogenic effects, however.
I've never done illegal stimulants, because a quarter cup of coffee leaves me curled in a ball unable to work and I shudder to think what stronger stuff would do. I've never done opiates, because I've had vicodin for back pain and that was basically some mild euphoria and a state that reminded me of being on the brink of falling asleep if I lay absolutely still. I can see why someone with serious life issues would use that class of drugs to escape but it's the exact opposite of what I want to be doing with my time.
Rumor has it that Francis Crick may have been tripping on acid when he figured out the double helix. Please note that Crick also believed that life on Earth may have been seeded by ancient aliens, so your mileage may quite possibly vary.
Don't even remind me about the history channel. I was watching it today briefly, and they started into an ad about "Find out all about who built the pyramids!" and I'm thinking "Oh, cool, that sounds really interesting" right before it immediately leaps to "BECAUSE IT WAS FUKKIN' ALIENS, YO" and I nearly threw my dog through the TV.
Comments
I will say that I would try a pot brownie on curiosity, but it still sounds scary.
It's real, motherfuckers!
I like the language on it, too.
I smoke pot on occasion (every few weeks, generally), and have tried numerous legal and illegal drugs, including various psychedelics. As previous people have said, I always recommend having a "firm grounding in reality" before trying any psychedelic / hallucinogen. I've seen many people (generally those of a hippie persuasion) think they've been contacted by aliens/spirits/gods/etc, which is really just distasteful, Randi bullshit. Psychedelics effectively rewire your brain (temporarily), and some (acid, mushrooms) have given me insights that I might not have come to otherwise.
Also, a note on pot: A disturbingly large number of college and high school kids smoke well beyond moderation. I view this usage in the same way I see frat guys drinking cheap booze. They're doing it simply for the chemical effect (drunkenness, being stoned). I imagine many beer connoisseurs of this forum will agree that there's a huge difference between drinking shitty beer to get drunk, and enjoying a fine brew. The same can be said of pot consumption.
One time, when visiting my mom, we had dinner with her neighbours. They're French ex-pats, both NYU professors. Intelligent, Old Worldly cultured people. After dinner, they brought out a small amount of (very high quality) weed, and everybody had a little bit. This slight buzz spurred after-dinner conversation, and showed me that pot consumption, when done in that way, could be classy.
On a final note, I find my favourite way to consume pot is in the form of a spliff, since I am a tobacco smoker. Because of the cost of cigarettes, my personal taste, and my desire for quality tobaccos, I usually end up rolling my own cigarettes. Since I have most of the ingredients on me, I can simply sprinkle a bit of pot into the spliff as I roll. Not enough to get baked, but to provide a light buzz.
EDIT: Though I have to say, the vaporizer is the best way to smoke pot, especially less-than-highest quality stuff, where you wouldn't really care for the taste. For fresh buds picked right off the plant, though, I'd pair it with a Dutch or Connecticut tobacco, as it draws out the flavour.
"In the time this will occupy, how much art could I get done?"
Then I go home and draw.
I can't get involved in any other addictions. I have to feed the art monster that lives in my head and demands I produce creative works. With the incredible addictive personality I've inherited from my father, I know I would simply never get anything done if I got involved with drugs or alcohol. It's hard enough just maintaining relationships or having a job when you start getting twitchy if you go three hours without putting pencil to paper.
Nor do I intend to.
Cannabis is the only tricky one for me. I notice mild cognitive cloudiness for a couple of days afterwards so I really try to limit and time my use in a way that I wouldn't with mild alcohol consumption. At the same time I can't deny that it's effective at lowering my boundaries and softening the edges enough to let painful repressed material to the surface on those rare occasions when I've hit a wall and just can't seem to manage to do it sober. I doubt most people have my specific issues or use the drug *for* its anxiogenic effects, however.
I've never done illegal stimulants, because a quarter cup of coffee leaves me curled in a ball unable to work and I shudder to think what stronger stuff would do. I've never done opiates, because I've had vicodin for back pain and that was basically some mild euphoria and a state that reminded me of being on the brink of falling asleep if I lay absolutely still. I can see why someone with serious life issues would use that class of drugs to escape but it's the exact opposite of what I want to be doing with my time.
or this guy ancient aliens?