Hemp is the common name for plants of the entire genus Cannabis, although the term is often used to refer only to Cannabis strains cultivated for industrial (non-drug) use. Industrial hemp has many uses, including paper, textiles, biodegradable plastics, construction, health food, and fuel. It is one of the fastest growing biomasses known, and one of the earliest domesticated plants known. Here are 15 fascinating facts about the less-pleasurable version of weed. [Source]
1. All schoolbooks were made from hemp or flax paper until the 1880s. (Jack Frazier. Hemp Paper Reconsidered. 1974.)
2. It was legal to pay taxes with hemp in America from 1631 until the early 1800s. (LA Times. Aug. 12, 1981.)
3. Refusing to grow hemp in America during the 17th and 18th centuries was against the law! You could be jailed in Virginia for refusing to grow hemp from 1763 to 1769 (G. M. Herdon. Hemp in Colonial Virginia).
4. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and other founding fathers grew hemp. (Washington and Jefferson Diaries. Jefferson smuggled hemp seeds from China to France then to America.)
5. Benjamin Franklin owned one of the first paper mills in America, and it processed hemp. Also, the War of 1812 was fought over hemp. Napoleon wanted to cut off Moscow’s export to England. (Jack Herer. Emperor Wears No Clothes.)
6. For thousands of years, 90% of all ships’ sails and rope were made from hemp. The word ‘canvas’ comes from the Middle English word “canevas” which comes from the Latin word cannabis. (Webster’s New World Dictionary.)
7. 80% of all textiles, fabrics, clothes, linen, drapes, bed sheets, etc., were made from hemp until the 1820s, with the introduction of the cotton gin.
8. The first Bibles, maps, charts, Betsy Ross’s flag, the first drafts of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were made from hemp. (U.S. Government Archives.)
9. The first crop grown in many states was hemp. 1850 was a peak year for Kentucky producing 40,000 tons. Hemp was the largest cash crop until the 20th century. (State Archives.)
10. Oldest known records of hemp farming go back 5000 years in China, although hemp industrialization probably goes back to ancient Egypt.
11. Rembrandt’s, Van Gogh’s, Gainsborough’s, as well as most early canvas paintings, were principally painted on hemp linen.
12. In 1916, the U.S. Government predicted that by the 1940s all paper would come from hemp and that no more trees need to be cut down. Government studies report that 1 acre of hemp equals 4.1 acres of trees. Plans were in the works to implement such programs. (U.S. Department of Agriculture Archives.)
13. Quality paints and varnishes were made from hemp seed oil until 1937. 58,000 tons of hemp seeds were used in America for paint products in 1935. (Sherman Williams Paint Co. testimony before the U.S.Congress against the 1937 Marijuana Tax Act.)
14. Henry Ford’s first Model-T was built to run on hemp gasoline and the car itself was constructed from hemp! On his large estate, Ford was photographed among his hemp fields. The car, ‘grown from the soil,’ had hemp plastic panels whose impact strength was 10 times stronger than steel. (Popular Mechanics, 1941.)
15. In 1938, hemp was called ‘Billion Dollar Crop.’ It was the first time a cash crop had a business potential to exceed a billion dollars. (Popular Mechanics, Feb. 1938.)
Enjoyed the list – entertaining reading.
106 oouchan great minds think alike – well done.
I know that of all the people I hung out with (about 10) 1 died, 2 went to jail, 1 still uses, and 6 are clean. I know that is a small group, but if you think of all the people out there who have been addicted to something. Also, look at alcoholics as a reference, there are many many recovered alcoholics. The reason you hear more often about recovered alcoholics, is the embarrassing stigma that goes along with being a drug addict. I believe there are probably recovered drug addicts in your daily life, they just dont like to talk about it.
Well, let me restate that. I didn’t mean there are probably recovered drug addicts in your daily life. I meant that the odds of you, or anyone, knowing a recovered drug addict (and being unaware of it) are pretty good. Even if someone wasn’t an “adict” persay, there are alot of people who were, or still are, heavy users. Alot of times, you wouldn’t even know it unless they told you.
Yet another reason why I love Alaska….. it’s legal! Up to a point where as long as it is grown for “personal use” and is not a crop large enough for “distribution” its cool! Hell pretty much every person I meet… and I work for the school district here…. smokes. The only people I have met that do no smoke are religious zealots.! So take some MTF (Matanuska thunder f*ck) and toke up! Mellow out and smile!
Despite the fact that industrial grade hemp has around zero THC I think it would be cool to have some hemp rolling papers for my…um…rolled cigarettes. It just seems so right y’know?
Too bad perception has put a bad overview on this marvelous plant and it’s more pleasurable cousin. It’s way less harmful to the body than alcohol…not that I’m putting down alcohol. I enjoy it very much in all it’s drinkable forms.
Cheers! And light’em up boys…
126. CurtShmurt : “…not that I’m putting down alcohol. I enjoy it very much in all it’s drinkable forms….” Except wood and pure grain alcohol I hope, or else you’d most likely be blind – well actually you’d most likely be dead but w/e
If someone uses a drug, legal or not, and it winds up to be his or her demise: so be it. That’s a blanket statement and of course there will be exceptions, but if a user or abuse gets addicted and then dies from overdose, that was the choice he or she made. If someone becomes addicted to a prescription drug, or if we assume all drugs are legalized, becomes addicted to a drug; it’s up to him or her to seek help, or the friends and family members to assist.
If some crackhead overdoses and dies on the street, that’s one less crackhead and an improvement on society. If you legalize all drugs there will be easier access to them, but at the same rate, those who abuse them will wind up either dying or pushing death. If they don’t learn from the near-death experience, then perhaps they weren’t meant to learn.
As for an overall view of drugs, people should realize that drugs alter chemistry and can cause permanent damage or even lead to death. If you take the chance and you suffer the consequences, such is the risk and such is life.
Drugs are by and large unnatural, and while I recognize that there are people who need drugs to right an imbalance, anyone who abuses a drug deserves the outcome.
Lastly, ***** is not a drug; it is a plant.
128. Travisthechimp : Ooh, touchy, touchy. Can’t wait to wake up tomorrow and see how badly you get ripped for this. I just wanted to get one thing in before bed, ***** isn’t a drug THC – which is what makes you high – is.
This is just one of the reasons I voted for Ron Paul…
106. oouchan – I agree with you and that its worth they try. Also that video from Portugal linked from another commentator was interesting.
I don’t know if this is been said, but after looking at a lot of comments I thought I would point out:
YOU CAN’T SMOKE HEMP…
Well you can but it won’t get you high. ***** does not come from the same strain of ***** that Hemp does.
Also, here in Canada its still legal to grow Hemp, we export a lot to the US, because they don’t distinguish between ***** and Hemp.
Hey all! Having a good day? At last, one of my newer lists has been printed! Wow. So glad you seemed to like it. For me, no.12 was the hard hitter – if only we could get Brazil to reduce it’s beef export targets, there would be no reason to chop down our most precious resource – the rainforest.
Anyhoo, I’ll be on here for the next 20mins or so, so I’ll go through the comments as I read them.
9, 10, 12 (JFrater vs Mark) “what about this idea: legalize all drugs and make people get them via a doctor.”
In portugal, 8 years ago, they decided to take a step towards that we they decriminalised all drugs. Instead a a state which said “YOU MUST NOT”, it became a state of “LET US HELP YOU”. Let me quote you something… “In 2001, Portugal began a remarkable policy experiment, decriminalizing all drugs, including cocaine and heroin. Some predicted disastrous results—that drug addiction rates would soar and the country would become a haven for “drug tourists.” Now that several years have passed, policy experts can study the results. In a new paper for the Cato Institute, attorney and author Glenn Greenwald closely examines the Portugal experiment and concludes that the doomsayers were wrong. There is now a widespread consensus in Portugal that decriminalization has been a success.”
See this report in video here:
http://cato.org/event.php?eventid=5887
129. Mark, it was my understanding the THC occurred naturally in the ***** family? Perhaps there’s something I’m missing.
12. In 1916, the U.S. Government predicted that by the 1940s all paper would come from hemp and that no more trees need to be cut down. Government studies report that 1 acre of hemp equals 4.1 acres of trees. Plans were in the works to implement such programs. (U.S. Department of Agriculture Archives.)
****
Let’s consider this fact for a moment.
Right now we are destroying forests and woodland at such a rate that it will not, can not, be replaced within our lifetimes. The trees give us an essential for life: Oxygen. They also act as home for entire ecosystems of animals and plants we haven’t even discovered yet, some of which may prove (if we get to them in time) to be the key to curing all kinds of diseases now killing mankind.
I could rant on for pages on this, but everyone with a working brain can see where I’m going…Global Climate Change, Extinction of Species, unbreathable air…bye bye happiness, hello loneliness, it’s just another ordinary day.
45: Mark “it’s a stigma AND it all depends on the context” – I quite agree. In portugal, there have been two major outcomes as regards the ‘stigma’ effect. 1) By taking away the stigma of drugs, the DARE factor (the rebellion, the cool, etc) was removed and the study found there was little initiative to dabble in drugs if it was not ‘wrong’ in the first place. And 2) The stigma removal also changed portugese culture and attitude towards the government and towards help programmes. I suppose I could also add a 3) The money saved from drug propoganda and police busts went into clinics and friendly advisers, which actually saved the gov’t face and money.
Marv (113) are you kidding me with that? DC is not that far from baltimore, where I live, so you and I are dealing with the same sort of street addicts. That said:
“Are you saying that since some of those people abuse prescription drugs that therefore noone should have access to them.”
Nope. There is a valid medical reason for those drugs. A better *****ogy would have been because some people abuse alcohol should no one have access to it? My answer is still no. People abuse all sorts of things “normal” people wouldn’t- drugs, food, *****, gambling. We certainly aren’t going to outlaw everything because some people spoil the fun. What I DO think is that presciptions for widley abused drugs are not nearly regulated enough- someone mentioned earlier how easy they are to get. For instance I made an off hand comment to my doctor about an upcoming vacation a few years ago and mentioned I was a nervous flier. He offered me xanex on the spot. Just think if I had said I needed to stay up and study and coke was legal.
“You also are assuming that a (illegal) addict is only going to go to a doctor to continue to get high. However Methadone is regularly prescribed for heroin addicts who are trying to get away from being an addict.”
Methadone is a drug that controls withdrawl symptoms, and therefore has a valid medical use. See my response above for that one. Does heroin have a valid medical use? Do the medical uses of cocaine outweigh the risks that come with it?
“You also are supposing that the government has a vested interested in putting people in treatment for their addiction. That’s not true at all especially here in the states where the solution is more along the lines of put them in prison for inordinate amounts of time with serious hardened criminals and then toss them out on the streets with little or no support to stop them from returning to addiction. ”
I’m sorry, but I think anyone selling drugs deserves to be put away- especially those that use children as runners and sell to kids. That IS a hardened criminal to me- anyone with complete disregard for the lives of others is. Maybe that’s just me.
“I’m also assuming that IF *****s were legalized you would go out the next day and get high, smoke meth, inject heroin and sniff coke JUST because it is legal, right?”
No, but the reason I don’t do them now has nothing to do with the fact that it is illegal. I drank before it was legal, and I didn’t think at the time nor do I now that the drinking age should have been lowered. If I was addicted to any of those I would think my lucky day had come. There would be no valid reason to stop, and I would probably think ip some sort of excuse that because the government lets this go on, it can’t really be that bad for me. Viva la heroin.
115. SheSaid -
Hey I want to congratulate you on being 4 years free of meth. I am sure it was a very difficult thing for you to do and I applaud you for your achievement. I just had a question or 2 if you wouldn’t mind purely for my understanding of the influence of the drug. First if you can compare it to other drugs…how would you rate its addiction potential in relationship to lets say heroin or cocaine or even other lesser type drugs. Secondly what was the point that made you say to youtrself I have to quit? Thanks to your response and keep up the good work mate!
135: Segue – you took the words (and a few more) right out of my mouth. I suppose that’s what I mean’t in the 133 post regarding item #12. As a matter of interest, I only found out about the current state of the rain forest because I’m a member of greenpeace – and get their newsletter.
#48: “the UK has diacetylmorphine (pure heroin) legalized, and used it in hospitals until they had a shortage and switched to mainly morphine.” – once again, the misconception among the majority is that opium (herion) is harmful when in fact it is the additives which cause the most harm. Given in clean and regular supply it’s harmless. Unfortunately, street heroin is nether ‘clean’ or ‘regular’ and lets not forget that although the pure stuff is legal, withdrawal from any narcotic can be HORRIFIC! Don’t do it kids.
Mark: “For ***** sake “Prohibition does NOT WORK” then why do we bother? Let’s legalize everything, ***** it! Why can’t teenagers drink? Let’s all do some crack while we’re at it. Seriously, if that’s your view you can go shove it buddy. We can’t just legalize these things, they’re far too dangerous. If I had a choice between all or nothing, I’d pick nothing in a heartbeat. Sure some sick people are going to die, but it’d save a lot of other – on average very young – lives.”
This proves you never paid attention to the point of all my arguments about legalizing with heavy restrictions. I never advocated legalizing everything so teenagers can drink and we can all get together and do some crack. I advocated legalizing with heavy restrictions for the more harmful drugs, through prescriptions. Your ignorant banter in the first five sentences amuses me, for the fact that it completely ignores everything I have said before and takes it in a completely different direction. You are not good at arguing.
107 GTT: I think it is pretty much understood that there should be heavy restrictions on heroin and crack if legalized as both can be very harmful, and I’m sure they would only be prescribed in very minute amounts if prescribed at all. Heroin, for example, I do not really see a reason off the top of my head that heroin would be prescribed, but hospitals could use it much in the same way that morphine or fentanyl is used with the rare exceptions. And as far as the legal drugs killing more than street drugs (which is a true fact, google info), and me advocating that the risk of overdose would go greatly down, I see those as being unrelated for the fact that there are many prescription drugs which are FAR more potent and dangerous than any street drug available to anyone (other than drugs cut with other things), legal right now. Prescribing certain amounts keeps the risk down, however, when it comes to addiction people might take more and more. But street drugs pale in comparison to some drugs you can receive through prescription or in a hospital right now, all talk of legalizing everything aside. Fentanyl is 81 times stronger than morphine, while heroin is illegal. Overdose of fentanyl is 81x easier than overdosing on morphine, and therefore 100x easier than overdosing on heroin. Have you ever seen someone use fentanyl recreationally? They can barely stand at all, I have seen it and been around it. The overdoses are still gonna continue, but at least they can be controlled and addiction can be observed and hopefully rectified. For those of you that think when drugs are legalized and restricted that you can just go in and ask for meth or heroin or any of the very hard drugs, that would never work. The ones who need those hard, hard drugs would be in SERIOUS need of them, you cannot exactly fake being near death to get a prescription so you can sell it to people.
I want to use the last part of this post to point out to everyone that there are a multitude of prescription drugs in the same family as *****s that are MUCH more potent and dangerous than their illegal counterparts. Do your research.
138. cybogen, Thanks! It was really hard, but I scared myself so badly I realized I had no other option. As for the addictive quality, I can’t say anything about heroin (luckly never tried it) I can say meth is very much like cokex5. It is basically an amped up version, in that it too is an upper, but its effects are much stronger. I know that when I started, I had been doing coke, but wasnt getting much effect/had to do tons to get the feeling I wanted. The first time I tried meth, I was in love. As to why I stopped, I tried to call in to work one morning bc I had been on a 5 day bender, and couldn’t remember my own name to tell my boss who I was. I realized then, that I had 2 options. Completely lose myself and die, or quit. I chose to quit.
137 callie_: THANK YOU. Everything in your post makes sense. I still drink before I’m 21, I turn 21 in July, and I have never really cared that the drinking age is not lower, unless maybe 18 but for completely different reasons. Your point about the restrictions put on drugs like Xanax and I assume Oxy, and in my opinion Ritalin and Adderall, is exactly correct. I firmly believe that there should be FAR heavier restrictions on things like ritalin and adderall and xanax, I find it disgusting that they are so widely available. And for:
“Methadone is a drug that controls withdrawl symptoms, and therefore has a valid medical use. See my response above for that one. Does heroin have a valid medical use? Do the medical uses of cocaine outweigh the risks that come with it?”
THANK YOU. Methadone is a valid drug because it has a great medical use, although addiction can be strong, but so can addiction to many drugs that have great medical uses.
#56: – “making people care more about whether things are illegal or legal takes away the people’s right to make the laws themselves in the democracy we live in and pushes them into fear and blind obedience.” – The second part of this quote is very disturbing, but I suggest the first part – the bit about the people making their own laws – is a bit naive. Global politics works ‘for the peoples own good’, rather than, say, ‘what the people want/demand’. In this country, the UK, we have demanded stoppages of wars, removal of baurocracies, decriminalisation of drugs, but it’s plainly not up to us anymore – and that is the disturbing part. Perhaps the tide will change.
Callie-
“Are you saying that since some of those people abuse prescription drugs that therefore noone should have access to them.”
Nope. There is a valid medical reason for those drugs.
Actually the very fact that they are abusing them means that there is no medical reason for them. When I broke my arm very seriously, I had a prescription for pain killers. After the first prescription was finished I went back to the doctor who asked me whether I thought I needed another one, I said no because I didn’t feel like the pain was that bad and I could deal with it. That meant that for me it was not medically valid. Granted I could have lied and said I was in immense pain but that would not have made it any more medically valid.
“Methadone is a drug that controls withdrawl symptoms, and therefore has a valid medical use. See my response above for that one. Does heroin have a valid medical use? Do the medical uses of cocaine outweigh the risks that come with it?”
Actually both do. Several commentars upthread have made that point. ***** has several medical benefits such has helping relieve eye pressure in glaucoma patients, and helping out Chemotherapy patients deal with the effects of radiation.
“I’m sorry, but I think anyone selling drugs deserves to be put away- especially those that use children as runners and sell to kids. That IS a hardened criminal to me- anyone with complete disregard for the lives of others is. Maybe that’s just me”
Personally I think that is just you. I think that argument makes sense if you are simply talking about dealers, but it seems like the discussion was more along the lines of drug abusers and I think there is a big difference between someone who uses (or abuses) drugs and some one who deals.
“There would be no valid reason to stop, and I would probably think ip some sort of excuse that because the government lets this go on, it can’t really be that bad for me. Viva la heroin.”
So does that mean that the government supports drinking alcohol or smoking cigerettes. I don’t think that is true at all. The government is very active in trying to get people to quit smoking, the difference is that they are not making it illegal, rather they are encouraging treatment for people who want to quit.
#144: I understand that, I’m not being naive. Unfortunately, much like your country, much of the U.S. has argued against our war and many other things and it is out of our control. The head honchos take that power. If it were up to the people, I think ***** might be legalized now. But that is flat out not the principle that our country was founded on. While this is something that we give up being that the U.S. is a democratic republic rather than a democracy and we elect these people to office, the people we elect in principle should be working for our collective interests and not just what they think; and some actually do, but they are few and far between. I hope things will change but I’m sure they never will, for greed and selfishness in humans will continue forever; but ideally and in principle that is what is supposed to happen and it is what our country is about. That it isn’t is the product of bad representation and leadership, which is indeed sad.
142. SheSaid – Thats an amazing story. I here people who have been on much of the wider known abuses such as opiates, Coke, heroin and of course alcohol and cigarettes. Though the one I heard was the hardest to quit was METH. I can imagine that a person lets say who is caught up with something like that and then arrested for possession and then has to stop cold because he/she is in police custody and can’t use a clinic or hospital must go through some intense agaonizing withdrawl issues.
You know the police would not be at all interested in getting you some help. Im just very amazed of your success
Man, I used to think that people who supported hemp farms were mostly potheads. Now I think that we need more hemp.
147. cybogen
I did have some pretty intense detox symptoms/withdrawls, but I didnt know where to go to get help, so I just sat it out. I did do a little bit of coke to help myself not crash, but I pretty much just sat in my car for days. Thats why I’m so prolegalization. Had there been somewhere I knew to go, I would have had a much easier time of it!
148. Hyper Dillwacker -
LULZLULZLULZLULZLULZ*sputter* LULZLULZLULZLULZ*wheeze*LULZLULZLULZLULZ *witness protection gone wrong* LULZLULZLULZLULZLULZLULZLULZ *buttcock* LULZLULZLULZLULZ *Dr Chud* LULZLULZLULZ *dies*
Pardon me but what the hell are you talking about mate?
I don’t really feel like copy pasting and making this post even longer, so feel free to re-read your own and my own words.
you say after the first scrip was finished you went back for follow up and didn’t take the second dose he offered. Does that mean you took the first ones? For pain? And even if you are a huge manly man and didn’t use your first presciptio, pain means different things to different people. I whistled and joked while my foot was being tattooed, and my friend cried. To say they aren’t valid because you didn’t need them is beyond silly and bordering on stupid.
As to the second part, did I mention *****? I’m well aware of the medical uses for pot. Could you answer my questions? I WILL copy/paste those, in case you missed them the first time. Does heroin have a valid medical use? Do the medical uses of cocaine outweigh the risks that come with it?”
Fourth and finally, I don’t think the government gives two about LEGAL drinking or smoking unless it becomes a huge issue- DUI’s and the like. Honestly, I hope they have more to worry about than me, a 23 year old girl, enjoying a beer and a cig. Furthermore, most governmental anti-smoking campaigns are designed to keep kids from starting, not to help people quit. The most common surgeon general warning on cigarrette boxes is “Smoking By Pregnant Women May Result in Fetal Injury, Premature Birth, And Low Birth Weight” Use your common sense skils to figure out why they use that one more than any other, and look at the wording carefully
*Third and finally
97: “I want hemp shampoo, they sell it everywhere now and suppose to be very healthy for your hair.” – hemp contains oils which enrich and complement the natural oils in hair. Hair is a plant. Did you know that? As a plant, any oil based shampoos will work great to nurish it. Neem is also good example. Unfortunately, most shampoos available are chemical based – which rob hair of it’s oil; only for hair to frantically over-produce oil to try to restore itself – hence the greasy look after a few days. Some experts believe that hair is naturally self regulating (like hair on every single other animal), and that the best way to maintain it is to let it oil itself, and to not use shampoo. Me? I use one extracted from Ginko Biloba oil.
#104: “If ever there was a generation of leadership open to legalizing pot, it is Generation Jones.” – just to add to your statistics, I’m Gen X – I have used pot, my ex-wife is Gen. Y – she’s tried it but prefers alcohol, and my son is Gen Z – and he’s too young to have tried anything. I sippose those born during or before the 60′s, as you may suggest, were around when the world embraced pot as a recreational drug; and see it as quite harmless. Those game people will have been alive during the 1970′s, when Jimmy Carter made all 50 states pot legal. They saw no direct consequences as a result of this action. Then, in the 1980s, drugs made way for the booze culture, and as you say, perhaps the agenda has simply moved from one to another.
@ SheSaid:
Wow… I am amazed at your recovery story… Congrats!
*****
mattofutexas:
So you would need a “I´m on the verge of death” kinda of excuse to get a prescription. OK, valid point…
However, I´m thinking of all the people who currently “work” in the drug business. I´m guessing distribution would still be illegal, right? I´m just not seeing all the vendors on the street saying “OK, well I´m no longer getting any drug money so I might as well get a job!” Wouldnt they still be out there trying to sell? Maybe even cutting with even more chemicals so they get a better profit?
#163: not all of the street vendors would say that, but I bet it would have a positive impact on it rather than keeping it how it is. the drug problem is about improving it rather than eliminating it; no measures can ever be taken to eliminate drug ***** and drug abuse. distribution would still be illegal of course and I’m sure they would still be trying to sell, but their access to the drugs would be much harder. if they’re cutting with more chemicals then it will be known and I’m certain people who want their drugs would find ways around it rather than buying bull*****, I can tell you that as someone who buys drugs lol. if someone doesn’t have the dankest *****, I’m not buying their bud. it’s that easy. but legitimately, as far as drug dealers trying to sell and getting jobs, it could only help; I don’t see how it would do otherwise, as it is far easier to get drugs on the street than it is to have to go through a dying person who needs them to get them. the real corruption would come from the docs and their friends, but that continues today, especially from doctor to doctor, and they’re certainly not the ones gonna be dealing out on the streets; they already make enough money. I’m about to go to med school, I know a lot about the business aspect and inside stuff as well as medical knowledge.
marksucs*****– wow, interesting name, says a lot about you. you are making yourself look a fool by singling one person out and trying to make them feel bad. you are dumb enough to think you are making anyone feel bad on the internet and the only reason i bother with you at all is because a bully online is a bully in life. i despise bullies.
plus I don’t know how many drug dealers you know, but most drug dealers I know work jobs anyways. they just deal on the side for more money.
156. Lifeschool
“Hair is a plant. Did you know that? As a plant, any oil based shampoos will work great to nurish it.”
IT’S YOUR LIST AND ALL, but explain how hair is a plant please.
also, I’m not inferring from my post that ***** is cut with other drugs, I’m just talking about being sold bull*****. druggies know their ***** and in the words of the great Jay-Z (yes, I’m quoting Jay-Z on a debate about drug legalization) “you can’t date ski-O’s and wife it; and you can’t sell me bull*****, we know the prices.”
1) People who have never smoked weed/done drugs will most likely NEVER understand drugs. I’ve pretty much given up trying, they’re too stuck in their ways… so all ya’ll might as well stop.
2) Weed does an awesome job of getting rid of my back pain, and really really helps with migraines.
3) After I stopped smoking weed (job-hunting!) I started drinking instead. WOW, that sure is great substitute! (massive sarcasm) Hangovers/inability to function with alcohol is WAY more dangerous/horrible than anything to do with weed.
i thought plants were plants because they grew from the ground?
Agree with the drug dealer comment. Most dealers here are fellow college students that are going to be doctors, engineers, scientists, and teachers in the next few years. It’s a harmless way to get a few bucks and also be a GREAT neighbor/roommate!
gaverill…you could try just being sober. No weed and responsible amounts of alcohol? It’s crazy but it just might work. I do a happy hour every week and function just fine the next day. Also, my brother in law’s roommate dealt pot out of their apartment in college. He didn’t smoke it, but he was arrested along with the roommate when the cops found out and had to hire a lawyer and go to court for his roommates indiscretions. GREAT roommate!!! And before you jump all over me, yes I’ve smoked weed, popped pills, and tried coke. It’s not my thing, and as you can tell I’m fairly vocally anti-drug. There’s just too much on the the line.
haha…on the line. I made a funny.
165 6tb: marksucs*****– wow, interesting name, says a lot about you.
My interpretation was that he shares the same name with another poster also named “Mark”, so he wanted a sure-fire way to differentiate himself so that we wouldn’t confuse the two. In doing so, he might’ve shared a bit too much about himself, but hey whatever works.
119: Mark – “but what percentage of addicts do you think actually manage to get clean, 5? 10?” I think this figure depends on what help is available and what part of the world you reside in. As SheSaid says, it is sometimes the case that a user must remove themselves from the temptation in order to fight it. There are three senarios: 1) A user is addicted for life, and dies as a result. 2) A user goes on-and-off the drugs for life or 3) a user gets the insight and stays clean. What percentage stay clean? – a very high percentage. Perhaps 65% (which includes cigarette smokers, alcoholics, pot smokers, and hard drug users).
Whatever can be started, can be stopped, and whatever is begun, can come to an end.
174. Maggot: hahaha! That was great!
I hate when people post stupid stuff like that. It leaves a “not so clean” feeling. yuck!
maggot – what ever makes him happy, doesnt bother me, i hadnt realised he was also called mark. it jus riles me when people single out a person.
gaverill (171):
I was all set on replying to another post when yours made me choke on my lunch. “HARMLESS WAY TO GET A FEW BUCKS”?? You were kidding, right?
callie_ (173):
“haha…on the line. I made a funny.”
Anyway… I agree with your previous post. Why is it people go from “I couldnt get high so I got stark raving drunk instead!”
128: “If some crackhead overdoses and dies on the street, that’s one less crackhead and an improvement on society.” – well, if YOU were that crack user, you may think differently. Perhaps you would want help, but if everyone had the same attitude as you, you would not receive even a basic acknowledgement for a way of life that has developed beyond your desire or control. Being addicted is NOT fun when the drug makes the all decisions. Given a direct choice, I’d say the majority of users don’t want to die.
“Drugs are by and large unnatural, and while I recognize that there are people who need drugs to right an imbalance, anyone who abuses a drug deserves the outcome.” – I’d say most drugs are in fact directly or variations on very natural chemicals and plants (tobacco, alcohol, opium, *****, cocaine, mushrooms etc). Look at the ingredients used in chinese medicine..! Pharmasutical drugs; while seen as synthetic; are largely mixtures of natural ingredients. Even most ‘chemicals’ must be extracted from ‘natural’ resources. As to your second point, would you say all those who make a mistake should be punished for it? There are others that lean on the side of – for want of a better word – forgiveness.
178 lifeschool
Thank you for saying all of that because I wanted to say it, but I wouldn’t have been so nice about it!
Marv In DC (144): “That meant that for me it was not medically valid. Granted I could have lied and said I was in immense pain but that would not have made it any more medically valid.” I must confess that when I need to get painkillers from the doctor, I try to get as much of it as possible – because if I build up a large enough surplus I don’t need to go to a doctor next time I need pain killers
178. Lifeschool
While I´m with you on most of what you said, I think the “Even most ‘chemicals’ must be extracted from ‘natural’ resources” is a specious argument. By that logic, then everything is natural and there is not synthetic/artificial!
I´ll agree with tobacco, alcohol, opium, ***** and mushrooms as you can ingest these “au naturel” and still get an effect. HOWEVER, coca leaves have to be mixed with a whole bunch of chemicals before they become cocaine. I live in Peru and coca leaves are very common as a substitute for tea and believe me, they have no mind altering effects.
Oh, and by the way, great list! I was surprised by a few of these! I say we all switch to hemp paper!
141: SheSaid: “The first time I tried meth, I was in love.” – you comment may insight a few to give it a try; thinking ‘ooh I’m not stupid, I won’t get addicted’. Let me tell you something, drugs which make you feel as wonderful as NEVER before cannot be ‘tried’ once and not have the user desparate to try it again. If the supply is there, even the wisest begin to crave the next ‘big hit’ – that is never as good as the ‘first hit’, and always leaves you with one thought – MORE! Man! Hard drugs suck. They aren’t cool.
If people want to smoke weed, fine. It’s not going to do anyone any harm (if it is actually *****). My issue with ***** is the same one (actually, one of several) I have with tobacco- just because you are smoking it doesn’t mean that I want to. Uggh. I hate the second-hand smoke. Which, I guess, leads me to my question: can the smoke from ***** damage your lungs?
Jfrater
I took huge amounts of grief from my friends who suggested the same thing:)
175. lifeschool
That was by no means me advocating using! If you continue to read my post, it gave a small bit of the personal hell I put myself through because of this drug. I though that I wouldn’t get addicted. I mean honestly, I don’t think anyone wakes up and thinks, “I’ll get hooked on a drug that is going to ruin my life today!” Of course no one plans it. I don’t understand how you got out of my comment that I thought it was ok for people to start doing drugs. But if people want to try, I have no place to tell them no. It is their body not mine, and I have no room to tell them what can or can’t go into their body.
#147: “Man, I used to think that people who supported hemp farms were mostly potheads. Now I think that we need more hemp.” – yes, getting back to the point of the list, hemp is a valuable resource which could, amounst other things, save the trees. We use trees for tons upon tons of newspaper, books, linen, furnature – you name it. Heck, you can build houses out of hemp – and have the SAME crop come up year after year after year after… etc.
178: SheSaid: – Yes, I do fully understand your position – and it was (and still is) brave of you to talk about it. Reading post 175 again I see I was mainly talking in the third person; to perhaps save anybody tempted by the line above to try it, and from finding out and hard way. It was kind of a public disclaimer in leu of one by anybody else. I’m sure, deep down, you would not advocate meth – even though you clearly have an openness towards what fellow humanity does to itself.
No offence mean’t.