One of those is the presence of underlying problems that are revealed rather than caused by MJ (#8). But this may be a red herring. MJ isn’t rendered benign if it doesn’t cause mental problems. It is benign only if it doesn’t trigger or uncover or exacerbate mental problems that (a) could have remained dormant, (b) could have been treated, (c) could have been less severe without MJ.

I know two young men whose lives were/are ruined by MJ. Good home, good opportunities, mild levels of trauma in their lives, add MJ and it all goes to pot. That scares me.

One of the reasons I stayed away from MJ during my mid-twenties was the strong sense that it would wreck my then-delicate mental/emotional state, and send me into a spin. But even with that danger gone, I’m not inclined to indulge – partly because I don’t want to be the cause of someone else’s bold folly.

Soon as I saw the request I knew I was being shot down. But persistance is all. I bow to your superior knowledge on the matter.

Re:25

Here here. Sometimes I think a big enough punishment for breaking laws such as these is to say: Oh well, you are responsible for the consequences. Governmentally speaking (seeing as they should look for the best for society) also leaving the way open for individuals to step in and give them a hand if they are so inclined. Or sommin along those lines.

Also, personally I find myself perfectly satisfactorily happy without the use of smoke-stuffs or alcohol. Why this is the ase I know not.

I have never smoked dope (and from seeing people who do so regularly, and this is quite unfair, I have no desire to). I have three flatmates who do, one of whom has bipolar. I hate the smell incidentally.

I suspect that dope makes people excessively introspective, and agree with M Baird that until the early 20s, excessive use of drugs may well cause long term harm.

Also – I like to be slightly drunk but not excessively so. Can you do the same thing with Mary Jane?

In general, from a Christian point of view all I would say relaxing via excessive use of either drugs or alcohol would seem incompatible with too much of the christian way of life.

However if anyone wants to be stoned 24/7 that’s up to them. There’s enough cautioning material around that I think the responsibility should fall on their own head although I would rather not pick up their medical bills later (or even earlier) in life. In short, I think drug users should bear the full risk of their pleasure.

I met a drug dealer for the first time in my life a few months ago. He’s three years younger than me, still studying and owns his own house. May his unrighteous riches perish with him!

Smoking pot isn’t the lesser of two evils – last time I checked, it was the more ILLEGAL of these two evils.

I dunno, obeying the law, even stupid laws, is still important to some people…

Hey, if you don’t like it, you have the right to do everything you can to get the law changed.

Otherwise, what’s the point of having laws in the first place? And the police for enforcing said laws?

“But show me one chef who isn’t stressed out and I’ll show you a bad chef.”

What utter nonsense. Why is being stressed the mark of a good chef? The best chefs I have ever worked with were the calmest, most laid-back people I know. And it wasn’t the pot.

They had learned, over time, to deal with anything that came their way.

Maintaining that zen-like state of perpetual calmness, despite all the crap coming their way each and every service, can only be attained with experience.

The stressed chefs (like moi) are usually the beginners. They aren’t good chefs or bad chefs – just inexperienced.

In the long-term, the kitchen doesn’t tolerate stress-monkeys, adrenaline-junkies, or addicts of any kind. They simply do not last physically or emotionally.

But then chefs aren’t the only ones who get stressed. Lots of people working in all sorts of jobs become stressed. Try being a lawyer, a forex trader, a policeman.

Or a doctor. I don’t know about you, but I’m not too keen on the idea of stressed-out junior doctors deciding smoking pot works best for them…

Have you tried walking home? Good way to unwind.

M Baird, I think that you will find that genetically linked, obesity induced insulin resistance is the actual cause of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Caloric excess would be the trigger for the genetic predisposition to result in glucose intolerance but carbohydrate is not a toxin in this model.

so, therefore: smoking pot: the lesser of the evils?! hmmm :)