[UrbanSavage]

I'm an occasional smoker. I'll go through periods of a month where I smoke every day, but then I'll go through 2 or 3 months completely without weed and then I'll go for a while just smoking on the weekends. One thing I find myself constantly doing, though, is defending weed any chance I get. I almost feel like it's my duty to inform people that don't know the actual facts about the drug. Even if I go through a period of not smoking weed, I still get bitter when people start saying things about it that aren't true.

Now, yesterday I was talking to a friend of mine and I told him how an old friend had recently lost about 100 pounds. He jokingly said, "Oh, is he smoking meth?" and I responded with, "No, but he is smoking more weed than ever." My buddy says, "That just shows you how addictive weed is, they say it's not addictive but it is." I paused for maybe 10 seconds, in awe, wondering to myself how that proved anything remotely negative about marijuana.

I say, "That doesn't prove anything. That just disproves the stereotype that marijuana smokers are unmotivated and can't get anything productive done." Keep in mind, this friend of mine that lost 100 pounds, was completely straight edge while he was fat, but as a stoner he became motivated enough to lose 100 pounds and is still losing weight. Also, I fall back on my own knowledge of in high school smoking weed daily for probably a year and a half until I was caught by my parents and had to stop cold turkey and experienced zero withdrawals, zero cravings, nothing and stopped for probably 6 months to a year after that.

I just can't stand how many uneducated people there are out there when it comes to marijuana and how many people just stick with the consensus that pot smokers aren't motivated or that weed is an addictive drug, more annoying is the gateway drug theory. I've gone through much more serious withdrawals after I stopped drinking coffee every day than I did from weed.

Anyone else find themselves in these conversations almost on a weekly basis?

[Shane-O-Mac]

I'm writing my final paper on it actually, very interesting shit.

[MindTravel]

I think most people who have bad things to say about marijuana are people who have never smoked it and whose only knowledge about marijuana is what they were told by Nancy Reagan.

Sometimes defending marijuana is worth your time, sometimes is isn't. More often than not, I just let people think whatever they want. When it's someone I'm relatively close to who I feel is intelligent enough to engage in an open discussion on the subject, I'll talk about it as long as they want.

[Island_Warrior]

No, not really. Most people I know here in college smoke or wouldn't mind smoking.

[Sanosuke]

I don't know much about weed except that all of my friends in high school that smoked weed (ALL, not some) ended up either going to college and dropping out or not going to college at all and working at mcdonalds or garden ridge.

I'm not saying that those lifestyles are bad or anything, but these kids were extremely intelligent until they started smoking weed. I'd like to think that they just got scared of going to college or just couldn't take the pressure, but they all had well over 4.0 gpas and SATs were excellent. Then they just gave up. The only difference I noticed was the introduction of smoking.

But also two of the friends were overweight and then starting smoking (both weed and cigarettes), so I don't know if the habit of smoking kept them from eating or that weed made them more motivated... I need to look into the effects more to base a stronger opinion.

But I don't hate on weed smokers mainly bc I don't know much about the effects; I do know what it has done to my friends though.

[ThinkGreen]

I actualyl always talk about how marijuana is bad for people and it makes them lazy. I don't think marijuana has the same effect on everyone and I have realized that a very small amount of poeple could probably smoke as much as I do while maintaining a good/decent life.

[The MMaster]

I'm not a pot head and I find myself defending weed all the time.

[UrbanSavage]

Originally Posted by ThinkGreen

I actualyl always talk about how marijuana is bad for people and it makes them lazy. I don't think marijuana has the same effect on everyone and I have realized that a very small amount of poeple could probably smoke as much as I do while maintaining a good/decent life.

I really don't know about that man. Almost everyone I train BJJ with smokes weed and are completely motivated. Also, it was literally like 9 out of 10 guys I trained with when I was training muay thai were pot smokers, and they would compete professionally.

[Aragonian]

when I was 14 i defended weed. i don't anymore.

[Lamb Of God]

Originally Posted by MindTravel

I think most people who have bad things to say about marijuana are people who have never smoked it and whose only knowledge about marijuana is what they were told by Nancy Reagan.

Sometimes defending marijuana is worth your time, sometimes is isn't. More often than not, I just let people think whatever they want. When it's someone I'm relatively close to who I feel is intelligent enough to engage in an open discussion on the subject, I'll talk about it as long as they want.

Thats the way i see it as well the people who never try it bitch and talk shit about it because of what they hear it. I dont feel a need to defend it though if people are going to make mis informed statements about weed thats there perogative and they're entitled to there opinion and if they want to be ignorant let them.