Who needs drugs when you've got music?

Do you have children? What? Yea. My daughter came home one day after school and rhymed off what she'd done that day. I said 'that's great honey'. Next day she came home and gave me an update. By the way she was looking at me I knew there was something I forgot. Then her demeanor changed...like I don't care. She was about 19 then. My son was 16. That's when what a friend told me 15 years earlier finally hit home. He didn't rhyme off all the current list of cons. He simply stated,'you don't need it, Pete. Why are you doing it?' Right then and there I got my metal Dutch cookie canister I used to store my paraphernalia and weed in, and dumped it in the trash. That was 1996. I was stoned for 20 years straight. I had no short term memory. I could not hold a conversation. As soon as my turn came round for the second time, I'd have to ask, invariably, 'what are we talking about?'. It's only funny the first time. Not only that, but my tongue was frozen. I was slurring my speech like a drunkard. And I'm so sick of hearing, 'well, it affects everyone differently'. Bullshit! When I would be at a dealer, there quite often was other guys there also waiting in line. Turning and panning the room, they looked just as wasted as me. I've encountered lots of people in the same condition so you're not going to fool me. Those advocating it's legalization just don't want to face the truth, period. And there are not enough people around who do it so infrequently to not be affected and thereby to warrant it's legalization. There's more than one way to become addicted. It doesn't have to be physical.

It took two and a half years after quitting to regain my short term memory and to be able to speak normally. But actually, imo, the most important effect was that it arrests your development. It isolates you. You really are by yourself in a crowd. When I quit, I was a 16 year old in a 36 year old's body. My peers were teenagers.

So I know you guys know in your heart of hearts that it's something you shouldn't be doing.

No case studies? Take a wild guess why. I'm your case study!

I don't mind memory loss as it simply allows me to experience things multiple times as if they were new.

Yeah, Wolf, that's the upside of dementia. You make new friends every day!!! ;-)

Reefer Madness. There really are alternative universes it seems.

Csontos, I can relate, my friend. I've been smoking heavily since 16. I'm 34 now and have only been clean for about 5 months. I have a craving every once in awhile, and only by the grace of God was I ever able to stop in the first place. I agree with every word you said. I live here in Colorado where it's everywhere and relatively inexpensive. Many lives will be ruined because of it. It's pretty sad. I don't think you should take peoples choices or rights away, but I don't think pot is as harmless as most people would like to think it is. Sure, in moderation (once or twice a week) it may not be a big deal, but for many of us once or twice a week turns into once or twice a day before 10 a.m. for the rest of our lives. Being high of weed never added to my enjoyment of music or my stereo either. It's actually the opposite. Being sober and clear minded makes me enjoy the music, and so many other things that used to just go totally unnoticed.

That was the condensed version. As the church lady said, it's way more fun not being stoned.