By Gabrielle. Image taken in my back yard. Kidding! Image found here.
Question: do you have an opinion about pot?
I know very little about it, and I’ve never used it, but it’s been brought up in a dozen conversations I’ve had over the last couple of months so it’s on my mind. It seems to come up because it’s becoming legal in more and more places, and it’s also been brought up by people in my life who are using it to manage serious illness.
The discussion often turns to the history of the drug/plant, and several people have told me marijuana should never have been classed with illegal drugs in the first place, because the effects of the drug are far less harmful than many legal substances.
So I’m wondering, as marijuana becomes legal in more places, will using it become commonplace and completely socially acceptable? If you’ve never tried it, and marijuana becomes legal where you live, will you give it go? And if you already use it once in awhile, do you think you’ll make it a more regular thing if/when it’s legal in your state?
I was thinking about why I’ve never tried it and I could identify three reasons. First, it’s been illegal for most of my life and I tend to have rule-following instincts. I have zero idea of how and where to even buy marijuana. Second, in Mormon culture, illegal drugs of any kind are a big no no. Even legal substances like alcohol and tobacco aren’t consumed. And third, I tend to resist anything that I perceive as possibly making me feel out of control. Hah! So drug use in general has never been tempting for me.
The Mormon aspect has me especially curious. There’s really nothing specific about marijuana in Mormon doctrines about health and diet. Tobacco is mentioned. Alcohol is mentioned. But we don’t call out cocaine or meth or heroin or marijuana — grouping them all instead under “illegal drugs”. So if pot becomes widely legal, will Mormons feel free to use it or still feel like it’s taboo?
I’m also fully aware that most Americans steer clear of illegal drugs. It’s not just a Mormon thing. So I’m wondering about the population at large. Will people that have never considered using an illegal drug make a mental switch with marijuana and put it on their “approved” list? While it’s been illegal for us, will it be normal for our grown kids?
What’s your take? Do any of you feel strongly that it should NOT be legal? Or the opposite, do any of you feel strongly that it should never have been illegal? If you live in a place where it is legal, have you found there is still hesitation from the population about using it recreationally — even legal, does it carry a bad reputation? Do you talk to your kids about avoiding pot the same way you talk to them about other drugs? Or does marijuana feel different to you? If it’s legal but I still have no interest, does that make me close-minded (or maybe just old)?
Or, do you have a better framework for thinking about legal/illegal drug use? I’d love to hear!
P.S. — Good gracious. I just had to look up how to properly spell marijuana. Clearly I’m out of my depth here. : ) I’m sure I sound like an idiot even admitting to be thinking of this, but what I can say? I’m curious. Also, related, this video of 3 grandmothers smoking weed for the first time has been making the Facebook rounds.
I see no difference between drinking alcohol (including beer) and getting high from pot. (As for those that are concerned about what smoking pot does to your lungs – one can ingest pot by eating food that has pot as an ingredient – skipping the lungs all together.) Like Gabriel I too do not like the feeling of being out of control. I have a very mild case of bi-polar disorder but it is enough that I associate all feelings of being out of control with depression or mania. I therefore rarely drink and would not use pot. I wish it were otherwise so that I could enjoy the freeing feeling that pot easily provides (I got high a few times as a college student). I have absolutely no problem with others doing so. I am not big on the government being involved in personal activities that do not negatively impact others (please note the second half of the last sentence “that do not impact others.”) I have friends in their 60’s who have been occasionally getting high from pot since high school. These are professional people who have good jobs, are married, raised sweet, successful kids, and contribute to their communities.
Very VERY insightful article and comments. Gabrielle, I love that you write funny, light-hearted posts…and then these really thoughtful deep ones too. Bravo! My opinion of pot is mostly negative due to seeing those close to me destroyed by it. But there are so many valid points for legalizing it. My mind and heart are challenged!
I’m a hardcore rule follower who grew up with a brother who died at age 32 due to causes related to drug abuse. Marijuana was a gateway drug for him. We have a multi-generational history of drug and alcohol addiction in my family that may be due, in part, to self-medicating anxiety. I am in the camp of people that know my addictive tendencies mean I need to stay far, far away from legal and illegal drugs. I’ve also had some interesting genome studies done that indicate that certain chemicals are a no-no due to how my body processes them. Cannabis is one of them.
That being said, my child has recently been diagnosed with a neuro-immune disorder that causes neurological inflammation. I’ve known parents who have children with the same diagnosis and their children have had good results with cannabinoid oils. I have investigated how to obtain a prescription for my teenage child for the low THC/high cannabinoid oil, but have been concerned by the lack of research and documentation on various medicinal strains. I live in a state where medical marijuana is legal–that isn’t the issue. But I recognize that it is still a drug like anything I’d pick up at a pharmacy–an unregulated drug. I have to put my faith in a dispensary to provide a product that has no accountability to any regulatory body or licensing to prove safety. This concerns me. The US is years away from having that kind of safety net for marijuana. I am glad, however, that cannabinoid oil is a treatment option if other options fail. I believe that research and legitimate medical studies need to dive into cannabis to better understand its benefits and downsides.
My biggest fear with legalizing marijuana is it adds to the perception that it is innocuous or “safe.” It is safe the way alcohol or cigarettes are safe–for some people it doesn’t matter or it helps, and for others it is toxic. If the pro-legalization crowd would be less eager to whitewash the negatives of pot, I’d be more supportive. Instead there is always the defender saying, “It has been around for centuries and is totally safe. I smoke pot and I hold down a job. I smoke pot and I don’t get in car wrecks…” Yes…but…. Call it what it is: a drug. And for some people drugs are bad.
If marijuana advocates want to legalize this drug for recreational use, I’m neutral. I get the hypocrisy (alcohol vs pot). I also vehemently despise the drug cartels that promote violence, human trafficking and so on–taking marijuana off the table removes one product they can push. As long as there are powerful, painful penalties for providing pot to underage users, an adult should be allowed to choose for his or herself. An adult, however, who gives drugs to teenagers should be penalized heavily. I also believe that some employers, with full disclosure in a contract, have the right to drug test and challenge an employee who uses drugs for recreational purposes without the civil rights people screaming about it. If you drink alcohol, if you smoke pot for fun and you work in a job where those choices can impact your performance or impact the safety of others, accept that your employer might not be okay with that.
The bottom line is that marijuana legalization is not a straightforward issue. There are legitimate medical uses for it and there is a lot of reason to get it off the street and into a dispensary or pot shop. However if it happens, there needs to be an understanding by all parties that there will be consequences for its use–just like there are laws about drunk driving and narcotics use. I used to be more black and white about this issue, but I’ve come to understand that it isn’t as simple as I wish it was.
What an interesting post! I recently moved to Denver, so I’ve been thinking about this more. When I lived in California I never thought much about trying pot, especially because I didn’t know many people who used it. But when we were preparing to move, everyone asked us if we were going to start smoking weed now that we were going to live somewhere it was legal! Although there are shops selling the stuff all over the place here, I have seen way fewer people publicly smoking weed than I used to see in L.A.! Now that it’s legal, I’m interested in maybe trying some edibles, in a safe place (probably at home with the husband). I mean, why not?
I do have to add, though, that I do not have any type of tendency toward substance abuse…so my flippant “why not?” only really applies to me, not people who might struggle with this kind of thing!
I used to smoke it when I was in high school. And I’m not going to lie, I had a lot of fun when I did smoke. But I graduated, went to college and I thought it was time to grow up and give up weed. I still think about it and wonder if it would be just as fun now. However, I am a mom to three kids and I don’t want them smoking weed, I need to set the example. So no, I would not smoke if it became legal.
But when they are grown up and i was old, maybe I would then! Ha!
I’m from The Netherlands and it’s been legal here for all my life. You can go to a special ‘coffeeshop’ and buy/smoke some. It’s a nice & clean enviroment, but I just don’t care for it. Most people I know tried it a few times (in highschool), had some fun times and that’s it.
I would not! I can’t stand the smell. And also I have read that it could be related to lung cancer just as cigarettes are….not enough studies have been done yet. However, if it becomes legal across our country, I wish legislators would tax it and use the money to provide free college education for all!
Thank you for another excellent topic and thought piece, and to the commenters for their great insights. Fascinating discussion.
I don’t know if I’d say marijuana is ‘less harmful’ than legal substances… Ever nursed a patient with an episode of drug induced psychosis or permanent shizophrenia? So no. I would never try it, legal or not. It’s far from harmless.
On the other hand, my grandmother has been mostly bedridden and on a cocktail of prescription meds (including morphine) for a decade or so due to severe osteoporosis. She recently started taking cannabis oil and has been able to spend several hours more out of bed each day and eliminated several prescription meds. BUT… she is not SMOKING pot. Cannabis oil lacks the psychoactive component that makes you high and a few years after frequent use lands you in a mental hospital. So contrary to popular belief, medicinal marijuana doesn’t actually mean it’s okay to get high if it fixes your pain. The psychoactive component is incredibly harmful and is not present in the medicinal product.
I have a pretty unique perspective on this subject, I think. My parents smoked it every day as I grew up. But they were otherwise very normal, upper-middle class parents. They were not delinquent or law-breaking in any other way.
I have also used it, but never with any regularity. Personally, I am not a terribly big fan of the stuff bc a bad “batch” can make you paranoid, which is not a fun feeling. You do laugh your butt off, though. And also, I’ve never been a smoker of anything, so I don’t like that method. I’ve never eaten it, though – that might have gone over better.
But – as much as we were a regular family, I do look back and see a lot of issues with my upbringing because my parents were off getting baked for the first half-hour after they got home every night. They were not really, truly present. I have no issue with the child-less using pot in their own homes, but they shouldn’t be driving and it should stop as soon as there are children to care for. I’m fine with it being legal, but I don’t really like drugs in general.
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Random moment of unintentional perfection – I was scrolling down and the post above this one has 420 comments.
I see no problem with legalizing pot. Just like ANYTHING, moderation is key. I don’t get why its ok for parents to give their kids a 20 oz container of Mt. Dew yet its not ok to give pot to people who need it? Parents shouldn’t be giving their kids that stuff but it isn’t moderated. People need to start taking responsibility for their own actions.
You can ingest pot without smoking it therefore avoiding the smoking and lung problems. It can also be put in a vaporizer. If it were legal, I would try it for my migraines.
I live in a legal state (CO) and in a very liberal town. Legalization brought our high-use community out of the dark and has had many positive benefits.
First, there is a much greater use of edibles (cookies, brownies, soft candy, etc.) than previously and subsequently, fewer people smoking. Also, all the pot shops in town have very knowledgeable staff who start by asking customers what they are looking for – to reduce pain, to have a mild buzz, or to get really high. Then they make suggestions. The spectrum of potency is quite wide. Also, there are many other products available, such as lotions, that target sore muscles and chronic pain and do not make the user stoned.
Our experience this year is that locals & CO residents take the time to determine what they need. Tourists rush in, buy whatever they can and end up in the ER with high anxiety due to eating too many pot filled gummy bears. So, baby steps.
Personally, I support legalization especially if regulations and practices are similar to how alcohol is handled. There are benefits and detractions for every addictive substance, be it sugar, coffee, coke, alcohol, pot or meth. I don’t use pot and maybe have a drink every month, but in my job, I see first hand the effects of high use of alcohol on households much more than pot. My practice is to discuss the effects of all substances with my son and encourage him to make decisions with good information rather than myths and erroneous statements.
Argh! I have to pipe in here, especially as a mother of a 17 year old boy and a step mom to a 19 year old. I am SO SAD that it becoming legal and more common. I feel like it just ONE MORE thing for young people (and even old people) to use to escape, cope and not really with their reality and their own emotions. I think it also is one more thing that keeps up from committing to good health in an real way. Americans are not particularly known for their discipline when it comes to anything that can be used in excess sugar, food, soda, caffeine, alcohol. You name it, so I do not have faith that it will be used “the right way” or moderately at all. I think people that do think that may not be spending as much time with teenagers as I do. All I need is to start worrying about my child with a new drivers license driving after using pot or worrying about other people doing the same. Note to self: Don’t let my child go to college in Colorado. I don’t need him part of any states baby steps.
Sigh. Not that I had an opinion I feel badly for my opinion…My son does want to go to school in Colorado to ski. But alas, I am just a worried parent and it is leaking out of me at the most inopportune times. So sorry! I did have a Doctor friend who practiced acupuncture who was in the business of pain management that was asked to speak on the subject often back 20 years ago and that was for ‘terminal’ patients in chronic pain. I guess my big picture is I don’t feel Americans will properly regulate it which is really sad for people in awful chronic pain.
Just a small plug to check out the web series “High Maintance.” A clever and original story line, all based around the various customers of a pot dealer. My husband and I really enjoyed it (discovered it through the New Yorker).
Just like this thread, it’s amazing the diversity of stories behind this plant!
I agree with you