Fuck I love weed.

I like to think of myself as an intelligent individual who is capable of doing all manner of things including being a professional musician, making good art and keeping my life together nicely. I have done lots of cool things with my life already and plan to do lots more but I tell you this:

pot gives me an incredible amount of enjoyment.

Damn right. I don't get into hard drugs, I don't go overboard and don't even do acid too much these days but weed just makes me appreciate life, you know? It's lovely to be able to sit back in the dark, put on some soothing music and just breathe out any concerns that are on your mind. I can't put a price on that.

Would that I had such control but, alas, I found out over the course of several years that I have no such ability to handle my shit.

The main problem I find with cannabis is the fact that it's illegal, and this can create a criminally motivated atmosphere.
(Like other illicit substances) Used as a kind of shamanic tool, it definitely opens doorways to creativity.

I generally smoke a little shy of a half ounce a week (it's funny seeing all you "metric-country" folks discuss quantity in grams instead of fractions of an ounce......and if anyone wasn't sure, one ounce is equivalent to 28 grams, not sure how widely known all that is, between countries and such).

ANYWAY, it's been about 9 months that I've been smoking again (prior to that it had been 7 years), and my life has never been better. My mood swings are damn near nonexistant, I'm generally happier, more easy going, things don't bother me as much, I'm far more social than I used to be.

I'm also finishing up school, which was payed for entirely through grants and scholarships, and I'm one of the greatest employees at my job (haha, seriously though, I'm not just being a prick), so I can't say that the pot has negatively affected me in any way, short of getting a bit pricey.

And being that it's the middle of winter, midnight, and still 60 degrees outside, I shall sit on my front porch, burn one to the wind, and listen to Synchestra.

I don't think pot is as harmless as cigarettes or alcohol. With the right people it can be fine as a mood enhancer, whatever. But with the wrong person, you don't want to know how bad it gets. I was one of the wrong people and now suffer from Schizophrenia, depression, anxiety and have had the odd psychosis - and I haven't smoked pot in 12 years. As a result of my experimentation I now rely on a daily regimen of pills to keep me sane. If I wasn't on those I really would be a basket case. Alcohol does have negative effects, mainly its addictive qualities, but it doesn't really cause psychotic problems. Pot can, and that is probably why it is as illegal as other hard drugs. However, I don't support any form of curtailment on civil liberties, but at the same time, people should be warned that it is a very dangerous game to play. As Doug Quaid's friend says in 'Total Recall' - "Don't fuck with your brain pal, it aint worth it..."

James.

how long did you smoke?

I was introduced to pot when I was 13. I smoked pot maybe 20 times over the next 2 years but had 2 very bad reactions along the way. I completely gave it away just before I turned 15. I have always felt that perhaps part of my problem was smoking it at a pretty young age, but I also think the Schizophrenia thing must have been lurking in the genes anyway, and the pot just encouraged it to come out.