Nonetheless, smoking weed has had its positive implementations in my life, as well as the negative. The rule for myself has always been finding balance with whatever endeavours I'm including in my life, and whilst marijuana isn't a big deal to some people, it is for others. I'd like to point out that shaming people or belittling them for not trying weed is petty, but the opposite also applies; shaming users is just the same. It has its benefits, but again, this doesn't apply to everyone.
I sought out the experience for myself the first time, so there was no peer pressuring involved. I don't remember much of it, but I found that the bitter taste of it hit my throat harshly and that I felt weightless. Being high is probably one of my favourite pastimes, minus the negative experiences I've had, and often I want to stay in that mindset forever. Cue the realisation that that is in fact not healthy, and rather a disastrous coping mechanism. There were times I showed up to therapy incredibly high (or drunk) and animated, and whilst this technically wasn't allowed, my therapist was typically understanding. I wasn't ever kicked out or anything, but at one point she wanted to refer me to a substance abuse program. I declined, aggressively, and never showed up high or drunk to therapy again.
I see plenty of smokers/ dabbers use copious amounts of the stuff in their day-to-day lives, especially online. Just like any other substance, you build up a tolerance to weed, and need to smoke larger amounts in order to feel the same effects. It's not necessarily increasing the dose in massive increments, but it can build up pretty spectacularly.
I've never been a heavy smoker, as I've always been aware of drawing a line and not going over it. A few times, I've gone over that line, and limited my use straight after. Bad trips have left me feeling incredibly paranoid, nauseous (with vomiting), disoriented and anxious. Those are things I wanted to avoid at all costs, so cutting down was the most logical choice. I found that whenever I smoked alongside a friend, I rarely ended up vomiting, as I abided by my own imaginary limit, but when alone I tended to overdo it, especially if my tolerance had dwindled a significant amount.
Regardless of how terrifying and debilitating the bad trips were, I wouldn't cross weed out of life in its entirety at this point in my life. Again, I'm not using extensively at the moment, out of choice, but I appreciate its pain relieving effects greatly. I also enjoy being high, so there's that.
I have to stress the importance of first time users being safe, though. It doesn't seem like a big deal at all, and the positive attributions to weed are shown extensively in media now, especially with the introduction of CBD products in the UK. Personally, I feel that the media is pandering to young minds with the incentive that weed is a cure to all things pain and anxiety, which is incredibly misleading. It's being massively overplayed, and creating a narrative that it's far too soft of a drug for anyone to be worried about.
I wouldn't say anyone should be overly worried about marijuana, but knowing your limit is important. Knowing when you're mentally stable is important. Knowing the source of your weed and that it hasn't been tampered with is important. Going back to my therapist, she never outwardly discouraged me from smoking, but she regularly reminded me that mixing my prescription medication with weed wasn't useful. I've been on various medications since I was 14, for my mental health and some physical ailments, so smoking heavily as a long-term plan was never an option. I abided by that, and it's been better for me overall. I also avoided smoking if I was in a period of severe depression, suicidal ideation or general instability. If you're smoking on top of bad mental health, you're more likely to have a bad trip. It's as simple as that.
To discount marijuana completely is foolish, though. For years, it's provided people with the ability to socialise, relax, relieve pain, induce creativity and simply get high, without anything dangerous attached to it. Not that I have experience with any hard drugs, but it's a better alternative than, let's say, crack cocaine. You won't build physical dependence on weed, but an emotional one, possibly. I see plenty of people deny that marijuana has any addictive element to it, but I disagree. Based on my own experiences, and the general portrayal users provide online, it is possible to become dependant. If you're seeking money to pay for something that chemically alters you, despite various reasons as to why you can't or shouldn't do so at the time, then you're probably developing a problem. If it's interfering in some aspect of your life, it's a problem. Marijuana Use Disorder is a documented disorder, with sleep disturbance, irritability, lack of appetite and restlessness as a few of the withdrawal symptoms. I can imagine such symptoms would be quite prominent in heavy users, and therefore less so in those who are minimal/ inconsistent users. Nonetheless, this idea of weed being immune to the power of addiction has been peddled to the world so much so that it's simply an atrocity to calmly back away from a spliff. It won't kill you, no, but addiction is inevitably present in the world of weed.
An increase in potency of weed has been shown, as confiscated samples prove higher THC contents being present, and this poses a problem for new users in many ways. Given the nature of some arrogant users wanting to shove the concept of a God-like drug down people's throats, peer pressure is a hard one to get by. Depending on where you live and what laws pertain to marijuana there, availability may be in excess. Different forms are becoming easy to access, such as edibles, which might tempt a younger audience if they're naive about its impact. Note that edibles are incredibly potent.
With the sudden increase in UK retailers including CBD or hemp in one form or another in products, awareness about its source is becoming common knowledge. Some people shy away from these products, given that they're derived from marijuana, despite its THC content being nil. These products can be effective, sure - I have no experience with them, so it's unfair if I comment - yet it drifts towards an anti-marijuana campaign when a non-user sees people's awareness increasing. I have no problem with such products being available, as they appear to have beneficial elements to them, but the way they're advertised is providing to be bizarre for me. It simply isn't a cure. It isn't something everyone wants to try. It's something that has yet to be decriminalised, in the form of weed, yet aggressive anti-weed folk are adamant in refusing such a prospect.
The lifestyle adopted by users in America is particularly telling to me. Legality has allowed the number of users to flourish greatly, and it's something easy to market and sell now. Weed has become normalised for regular use, for various reasons, and people are happy with this. Yet 'criminal' dealers are still behind bars. People with small possessions still have it on their criminal record. White folk are growing the plant freely, and making profit, whilst black folk are stuck in cells. The hypocrisy is devastating, and despite normalisation coming to the UK, I fear the same bullshit would be in play if it were legalised here.
There's so much more to learn about weed and its constituents, and I'd appreciate some more scientific intel about the substance. The false representation of marijuana through the media, heavy users and governments is adding to the distorted, skewed idea that its either entirely good or entirely bad. Not everything is black or white in life, and this is one of those things.
If weed is a beneficial addition to your life, with no intervening, damaging side -effects, then that's great. If hemp or CBD offer relief, that's great. If you never want to touch the stuff or feel indifferent, that's fine too. All parties ought to look into personal experiences before making a rash judgement, especially if your only source of information is what's in the media or provided by an addict. A more tolerant view of weed would be great, because supplying it in a non-tampered manner, legally, with reliable information on what to expect, would be better than keeping it classed as a dangerous substance. Decriminalising marijuana would have to go hand-in-hand with decriminalising 'offenders' too, as it's beyond unfair to have to serve time for something that's become legal and profitable.
Zack