Thanks Blayze for introducing me to the term "hot boxing," Miguel for telling us about your pot plant Lupe, and Marsha for your "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore"-like tale of liberation through weed.
Thanks for all the invitations to meet in Amsterdam to light up with some really good sh*t. Thanks, Mooli419, for telling me about cannabutter. (Is it cholesterol-free?)
As "research," the comments of course are unscientific, simply anecdotal. But with over 500 responses, a few things seem clearer than ever:
If there's a compelling reason for smoking weed to remain illegal, no one (the government least of all) has offered it. It's hard to see how smoking pot - in moderation, of course - is worse for you than drinking. I am completely unqualified to write about addiction. But it certainly sounds like smoking ganja (why did that word never come up?! or is it hopelessly outdated?) has brought stress relief, not to mention plain old fun, to many many people.
That's not to dismiss the stories of people whose lives were wrecked by their own abuse of marijuana - or heartbreakingly, as in the cases of Wayne, Tonyatardtacular, and Lizzie (#66) the abuse of marijuana by those around them. But I have to wonder if weed was really the root of the problem. As Drat (#113) cheerily put it:
"It isn't pot that makes some of the people that smoke losers. Its only that there are a lot of losers in the world. Many of them don't smoke pot. Whatever you do make it your own decision. Then you can't blame everyone else like losers do!"
(I hasten to add my praise for those former "losers" who wrote about the depths they sunk to abusing drugs, before pulling their lives together. But if it hadn't been weed, would it have been something else?)
Those voting "Yes" for me to get baked far outweighed the "No" respondents in our non-binding vote. And their reasons were often compelling. Among the "Yes" voters:
"I could be wrong but it may make you wiser in the long run although completely stupid while doing it." - Steve Seivers
"Smoke weed today! Your career will thank you tomorrow!" - Finnstoned
"People who haven't smoked pot usually live boring lives, sucks to be you!" - Vic
(Among the no-voters, one standout was Elizabunny's tale of finding a roach in her husband's old yearbook and freaking out that the roach would somehow rat her out and get her disbarred.)
And now for my decision...
Allow me to invoke the great entertainer Sammy Davis, Jr. and the words he once sang: I've Gotta Be Me.
There's a reason why I've come this far as an NBBCer. (I tried to find a tape of Sammy singing this song on YouTube to post here. Alas it does not exist yet.) Part of who I am is someone who's never smoked pot.
Yes, as reader Ami pointed out, taping hundreds of hours of VH1's I Love [insert decade here] might have been easier baked. (Is that how Michael Ian Black and Hal Sparks got more air time?!!!). Yes, Sammy Davis was a pill-popping boozehound who sang a song called "Candy Man," so I sound like a jackass invoking him.
Yes, maybe pot would give me more insight into myself and help me to understand some of life's mysteries - like what the chick below is trying to say:
But I'd be smoking primarily for the wrong reason: to fit in, to catch up. As for relaxation, I can find other ways, though I'm skeptical about yoga. (I've met a lot of passive aggressive yoga people.) Besides, I have other priorities currently. Right now on my to-do list:
- I'm trying to learn a song for every one of our fifty states. Not official state songs, which I loathe. (God, how I hate "Maryland, My Maryland.") I mean songs like "California, Here I Come," "Alabamy Bound," "Back Home Again in Indiana," and "Moonlight in Vermont." If anyone can offer suggestions for other states, please weigh in. All genres welcome. The state just has to be a focus, not necessarily part of the title. (So "Country Roads" counts for West Virginia.
- I'm trying to read the Bible cover to cover. I've tried this before but always run out of steam before the end of Deuteronomy. (Clearly written when Dietary Law books were all the craze.)
- I'm planning on returning to gymnastics class to learn once and for all how to do a back flip. (I sustained an injury trying to do it in 6th grade. I want to overcome the fear.)
- I should really improve my Spanish.
Reader Comments ( Page 1 of 8)
1. Well good for you Mo-- you made your choice, and I'm sure you know it doesn't have to be a permanent one. You are your own person with some good reasons for not lighting up a doobie. Curiosity is natural, so your questioning was an interesting social experiment. Thanks for jumpstarting a rather funny debate.
Jonathan at 12:40AM on Aug 27th 2007
2. Mo, congrats. You have made a decision that is right for YOU. Personal responsibility. What a concept. Now if the government would let the rest of us who DO smoke the herb do the same in peace.
Diane at 12:40AM on Aug 27th 2007
3.
“I’m in a New York state of mind.”
I think you’ve made a respectable choice and, yes. It does take a few tries to fully get that enjoyable high. It can become costly, and yes, time consuming as well. There are plenty of other opportunities to try it in the future and I guess you’re better off abstaining from it for now. No shame in it, and well, you can always read the Bible or interview me on the street for a real ‘In your face’ experience with a genuine pot user. However, I myself don’t use it as much as some other people do. Take Miss South Carolina there, she’s probably a real addict. However, academia comes first of course, not drugs. I have Spanish class tomorrow too, which bores me. Que lastima. (What a pity.) Ah well, better things to do and see. You know Mo, if you really want to live, you should come sing show tunes with me in Washington Square Park and see how many odd looks you get from the NYU crowd. It’ll put ya on the map I say!
“Crazy Columbian man and hippie child scare students in Greenwich Village. More on that later in the Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer.”
Remember everyone, subscribe to my new blog! You’ll get free candy!
Your friend, Blayze “Getting a haircut soon” O’Brien from the Bee
Blayze at 12:56AM on Aug 27th 2007
4. I'm so proud! For you, I mean. I'm a proud person, but in this instance, I am proud that you made a decision based on your needs.
Perhaps I am bitter about past experiences with drug addicts (not all potsmokers are drug addicts, to be sure), but the thing that bothered me was that those who were in favor failed to cite any specific studies that prove their notion that pot is not as harmful as cigarettes or alcohol, and they failed to cite cases where the U.S. government is abusing its power when it comes to marijuana (although some clues can be found in the U.S.'s attempt to discredit Bob Marley and the Rastifari movement because of the marijuana factor). The best lesson I was taught, and one I hope to teach my students when I am a professor someday, is that if you're gonna make an argument for a topic, you darn sure better have evidence to back it up.
And I think you've outlined a wortwhile list of things to do. Keep us posted on your progress! I just watched GlobeTrekker, and I've decided I want to go to Paris during the week of my 30th birthday in 2014. Whoopee!
And what magazine is going to run that article you wrote?
Marta R. at 1:13AM on Aug 27th 2007
5. I was just saying Hi to Mary Jane not too long ago and I saw your article. Congrats, seriously. I may not know you, but that was one of the most well written and non biased decision I've ever seen someone make. :)
The only reason they don't legalize weed is because there's no way to stop people from growing it in their homes. People won't pay for it "legally" in stores with tax and whatnot when they can just grow it in their homes. No taxation = Government doesn't get a cut = They make it illegal.
Don't you love it? ;)
Jet at 1:42AM on Aug 27th 2007
6.
Welcome back to the fray, MO. Thanks for the reply. IT makes complete sense to me. My philosophy is " ALL I CAN BE, IS WHO I AM NOW. Smoking pot can make you believe that it gives you a new perspective , a new experience and new insight . If this is true ,you would then have to return to pot to acquire these attributes again and again. You can no longer believe that you are perfect just the way you are.
Mo you are perfect' just the way you are.' Don't change a hair on your head.
LOVE YA !
marsha beckerman at 2:25AM on Aug 27th 2007
7. Good cover Mo! *wink* They must drug test at your job. There are ways around that too, my friend.
Peace out!
rivercelt at 2:43AM on Aug 27th 2007
8. I think you have to go for Joe Walsh's Rocky Mountain Way for Colorado. Anything off of the Unsinkable Molly Brown soundtrack. Elequently put in the defining movie of the 90's, John Denver is full of shit. Talk about passive aggressive...
njbdurango at 2:54AM on Aug 27th 2007
9. >I'm trying to read the Bible cover to cover.<
Dude, you clearly have way too much time on your hands.
I think improving your Spanish should really be on the top of your list.
But if you're really going for that "Yay! I did it" feeling, you should go for the back flip. Thinking about that, how did all those boy bands groups do those back hand-springs and stuff? I just remember them all do it with the greatest of ease...
Mahlia at 2:54AM on Aug 27th 2007
10. Lets start out by saying that sucking up smoke and burning your lungs would make MJ bad for you to begin with .. Do you need to go any further on that subject alone? Why do pot smokers ignore this? Its definetly a choice, but what if every person in the world lit up at the same time? Don't do it!
Cindy at 3:16AM on Aug 27th 2007
11. Good decision here Mo, not because you chose not to smoke, but because you made it intelligently. I have respect for people who've never smoked pot-- hell some of my best friends are NBBCers. And their reasons for abstaining are as varied as the people themselves; and they all manage to make some sense in the context of their personal lives.
I enjoy a good drag on the peace pipe every now and then, and I don't hurt ANYone doing it. Some may say I hurt myself because I lose my identity, or sense of self-worth, or motivation. And for certain other people, maybe they're correct. However, the simple truth is that smoking pot is no more OR less responsile for my identity than choosing what clothes I wear everyday, or whether I prefer Coke or Pepsi (I kinda like both, and I refuse to state a preference).
And this is usually the point in the argument where haters throw in the "illegal" aspect of marijuana.
I don't need a peer-reviewed or government-sanctioned scientific study to tell me that marijuana is at least as harmless as alcohol, if not more so. Let's put it this way--people who abuse alcohol crash cars, break things, fight people, beat their wives, and sink into depression. All potheads want is a snack and something fun to watch on TV. Case closed.
This "gateway drug" nonsense doesn't apply to me either, as I have never taken ANY other drug, pharmaceuitcal or otherwise. And half the people who throw that argument out there are hypocrites strung out on some kind of pharma-drug. As a recent college graduate, I can assure you thousands upon thousands of college students have at least tried Adderral, and many more non-prescribed users have made its use a regular occurrence--it's the new Finals Week wonderdrug since it's essentially street-legal speed that helps you stay up and concentrate harder.
My guess would be that your pothead neighbors are some of the most congenial people you know. Would you rather they be loud and obnoxious alcoholics? Of course not. Luckily for you, you don't have to classify yourself in either group, and I applaud your decision and your writing, and look forward to reading some great satire in the future.
SteveO at 3:35AM on Aug 27th 2007
12. I commend you on your decision Mo. I think you are a cool and funny guy without it.
I also wanted to add that when people are talking about making pot legal they never think about children.
If pot is made legal people would smoke just like they do cigarettes and children would get high. I have seen the children of poor losers having to inhale the second hand smoke of pot and it is not funny to me at all.
I refuse to smoke pot for my own reasons, because I refuse to give into pressure put on me to try it.
Keep on not toking all you NBBers!
Betsy at 3:37AM on Aug 27th 2007
13. Mo, I very much respect your choice. I am not just saying this because it's a choice I agree with, but I am a firm believer in people staying true to themselves when making decisions. In a situation such as this, you have to put your personal feelings foremost. Peer pressure can be a person's enemy.
Mo, for Pennsylvania...you should do a song entitled, "Pennsylvania, We Don't Blame Ya!"
Oh gosh, this video has to be one of the funniest videos I have seen in a long time! I hope I do not offend anyone when I say this, but I find her lack of intelect offending...and here's why. This young woman is supposed to be role-model figure? Out of all the young women in the nation to look up to, sadly she is an option. Haha, I really shouldn't say anymore.
Game Theory for Applied Economics Nerd at 4:22AM on Aug 27th 2007
14. I think at this point in your life it's like deciding whether or not to meet your long-lost birth mother or just stick with the one who raised you. Personally, I like having a circle of distant-relative-esque drugs to get in touch with if or when I feel like it.
Javelin Elliott at 4:34AM on Aug 27th 2007
15. So glad you've decided to "do you" on this issue! If/when the time is right for you to cancel your NBBC membership, you'll know it. And I still say you don't have to tell us about it :)
I'd like to offer a bit of advice for conquering the Law Book of the Old Testament: make a schedule for how many chapters/verses you can handle in a given time frame (8 verses an hour twice a day, one chapter every evening, etc.) and try to avoid exceeding it. Maybe reward yourself periodically, as incentive, with something you really like and don't enjoy nearly enough. I got stuck in Deuteronomy my first two times during the cover-to-cover run, and the second time, I gave up and skipped it, but then felt like I had already failed, and never finished anyway. You'll make it.
I've never been a huge enough fan of either, but didn't Bon Jovi and Bruce Springsteen do songs about NJ? Oh wait, Springsteen did "Philadelphia"... Does that count for Pennsy?
lin at 5:06AM on Aug 27th 2007