Oh joy, moralizing from a dry drunk.
Who dresses like a bad acid trip.
Who dresses like a bad acid trip.
But he’s blind these days, so now he has an excuse for that part.
OK boomer
Hey! It fits this time
I spent age 16-25 a constant pothead. I mean, some weeks I’d just never be sober. My friend said that I sat up in bed, opened the drawer, pulled out a baggie, packed a bowl, smoked 2 hits, and then layed back down. All without waking up, or stop snoring.
I have never once done any other drug. I’m 42 now, and haven’t smoked weed in about 10 years.
I know others with similar stories. Weed does not lead to other drugs. Your choices do.
My choices led to other drugs, and my choices led to me living a happier life, finally breaking free from my self-destructive habits. These Nixonites corpses need to finish their rigor mortis already.
Improper education leads to other, harder drugs. See DARE
Good call. I had my first intro to drugs in 3rd grade health class. I walked away thinking weed was the absolute worst thing you could do, but meth and acid were alright. I later found out that lesson was right in only one regard.
I mean acid and a few other psychedelics are ok. Meth abuse is harmful for sure, same for many opioids except when used in a medical setting or if you actually need them.
Different people take it differently. I lead a super active life, and am more active than my friends who don’t indulge.
I clean, do stuff, am active, and consume heroic amounts of weed. I wake up early AF and am always early to things. I am not forgetful either or act “confused”.
I know everybody is affected differently, yet I hold the belief that the “stoner stereotype” is not as much about the weed slowing people down but about people being themselves and using weed as an excuse.
Perhaps my belief is due to my experience with it.
Perhaps my belief is due to my experience with it.
And you just demonstrated far more self awareness than Elton John!
Weed led me to lsd which led to improving myself through some good long looks in the mirror. Meanwhile opiate addiction is far more frequently caused by legitimate prescription (and I’m not advocating against it, yall don’t want to experience surgery like those of us who are allergic have to)
Weed opened my mind to trying other drugs, for sure. It wasn’t weed itself though, it was the fact that I was told growing up that all drugs, including weed, will ruin my life and health. I tired weed and it was giggly and relatively benign, which made me realize that everything I was taught was wrong.
I’ve had some of the best times of my life on MDMA, with my partner!
Cool story. Weed should be legal. But let’s not pretend it doesn’t have any harmful effects. Alcohol and smoking should be illegal though.
No one is pretending that, certainly not the person you responded to.
His point is that it’s not a drug that has to lead to other drugs
yes it has, though not as big as some people make it out to.
it has, because it’s illegal and puts people into contact with the legal market.
When you actually look at it, alcohol or coffee (depending on your interpretation of drug) are far bigger gateway drugs, alongside tobacco/nicotine/vapes.
I agree with everything you say. vapes (i dont like that name) were alot more controlled being sold only in ecigarette stores, and when they weren’t disposable or these small little devices, there was not many people who were “non-tobacco users” starting.
Source: worked in the e-cigarette industry for a few years. Left when big tobacco came in.
Shut up, nerd.
Alcohol should be illegal? What a dumb take.
Translation: I did whatever the fuck I wanted to do and now I’ve worked out that I was a shithead. It therefore follows that it was these external things that made me a shithead. Nevermind that countless other people have experienced the same things as “essentially harmless fun.” I, of course (having been a raging shithead) am in a position to know better.
The logic is flawless.
Elton John, confirmed boomer.
Exactly, it’s like closing a mountain trail entirely because one idiot took a selfie too close to the edge
Sounds like narcissism.
Okay but seriously, he’s entitled to his opinions. Besides, if he’s successfully gone through rehab, he’s not exactly going to be pro-drugs after that.
As someone who hasn’t had a drink for 23 years one of the big issues with former addicts and alcoholics is the same “if it’s not good for me it’s not good for you” attitude we see everywhere else.
It’s yet more exceptionalism where we mistake the phenomenon of our perception and experience as a direct stand in for everyone else’s.
Even more problematic that it comes from someone with (and I’m willing to step out on a ledge here) a self-professed disease (alcoholics often refer to “their disease”.) That’s fine, but you don’t see diabetics recommending everyone constantly monitor their blood glucose and take insulin.
Like yes, I understand that when my wife has her first beer it doesn’t set off the trigger I have where I need all the beer (and liquor and whatever drugs you have on you) in the world until I don’t remember who I am.
you don’t see diabetics recommending everyone constantly monitor their blood glucose and take insulin
To be fair, being aware of your glucose level isn’t a bad thing. Insulin is probably not an “everyone” thing but if monitoring blood glucose wasn’t so cumbersome, I would suggest it to anyone. It has similar value to monitoring weight, blood pressure or temperature.
Having been hooked on cocaine and then implicitly or explicitly equating it with weed, sounds like some sort of internal “reefer madness” 24 hour movie-thon playing in his head.
Besides, if he’s successfully gone through rehab, he’s not exactly going to be pro-drugs after that.
Wanting cannabis to be legal isn’t necessarily “pro-drug.” No more than wanting alcohol to be legal is.
Ah yes. The dreaded marijuana rehab I presume.
I wish the press would stop asking fucking celebrities questions about social issues. They do not represent society and never will.
I agree, but I find it amusing in this case since this guy pretty much owes his career to people in the 70s getting high and listening to Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.
Typical Boomer/Conservative move. They enjoy something and then enjoy it even more by telling everyone else they’re not allowed to use it.
As much of a shit head as he is, I can separate the man from the music and jam that shit loud as fuck because good lord it’s a banger.
You can’t lock me in your penthouse, I’m going back to my town!
Unless they say the thing I like, then they are the best person ever!
(I jest here about people’s hypocrisy, but I agree, I don’t listen to artists because I necessarily sign off on every single dumb opinion they have or action they take. I pirate anyway, who cares.)
Noted drug scientist Elton John? Or the musician? Because I don’t give a fuck what some entertainment celebrity has to say about that.
All I see here is the common kneejerk reaction to anything remotely criticizing marijuana. Elton John is a dry alcoholic and has been supporting other people with substance abuse issues for many years now. To him trivialization of any sort of drug use is negative. Calling it “the greatest mistake” is just some hyperbole to highlight the issue he sees. And he’s not wrong in that there are many people, like in this comment section, who act as if there are no negative side effects to consuming cannabis. That is not only wrong but dangerous, because it is a drug and like all drugs it has its downsides that people need to be aware of. Still, personally I think decriminalization was the right thing. But stop acting like cannabis can do no evil.
I believe the risks of cannabis are significantly less than nearly every other recreational drug out there. Hell, I am a huge psychedelic proponent, which in many cases causes less physical damage than most other drugs but also comes with its own list of caveats.
But yeah, I see what you are saying and agree. It is important to understand the correct risks of just about anything in life.
Some dry alcoholics love their soapbox though. I’ll occasionally bash alcohol, but I honestly try to keep my opinion to myself unless I am with other recovering alcoholics. (Repetitive negative reinforcement has a place, believe it or not.) What I am saying is that it is easy for someone in perpetual recovery to get a hair preachy. It’s a thing. (Also guilty here, btw.)
I would wager marijuana, even eating it rather than smoking, is more harmful than coffee. I’m not totally certain, since I don’t drink coffee. I do consume marijuana.
The toxicity level of caffeine is going to be much higher and cause some nasty cardiovascular issues at higher dosages. (I was hospitalized as a teen for a caffeine overdose, actually. It’s not a fun time.)
This is a rough estimate, as I didn’t send too much time looking, but 1.2g of pure caffeine is enough to cause seizures with an estimate I saw of 5-10 grams to be lethal.
The first result I saw for a lethal dose of THC was 1.2g/kg so for a 180lb (81.6kg) person that is about 100g. (That’s a lot of pure THC, btw.)
there are many people […] who act as if there are no negative side effects to consuming cannabis
Nah, I’ve had those negative side effects and I know them well, including depression from withdrawal, short term memory lapses and Cannabis Hyperemesis Syndrome. They sound bad but they don’t compare to other drugs in the slightest and in my case are incredibly manageable. None of these are permanent or life-changing and go away within a week after quitting cold turkey, which I’ve done many many times. Are you sure you’re not exaggerating the danger bit?
Just because other things are worse doesn’t mean cannabis is good. It’s definitely better in comparison, but it’s still a far cry from being harmless. That’s all I’m saying. I’d argue it should be treated similarly to alcohol, in that you’re not allowed to get it as a minor. And THC content should be better regulated, like alcohol content somewhat is. More THC only for adults, for example. It’s idiotic to demonize cannabis, especially with alcohol being such a big part of everyday life for so many people. But that doesn’t mean it’s fine for everybody to consume THC like it’s nothing.
What you are describing is legalization. The thing that Elton John is railing against here.
Yes. I disagree with him, but I also understand where he’s coming from.
I understand where he is coming from as well, but yes, I disagree with prohibition in general and it’s not for political reasons.
The best way to get someone to do something is to tell them they can’t do it or they shouldn’t do it. It’s human nature, especially during youth.
Just because other things are worse doesn’t mean cannabis is good
Sorry I gave you that impression but that’s not my point. My comparison is not necessarily meant to paint cannabis as good. (And so what if it did, anyway, what’s wrong with that as a fine drug of choice?) I’m saying its side effects are more manageable compared to the side effects of other recreational drugs to the point of them feeling like a minor inconvenience. When I feel bad, I quit cold turkey and it all goes away in a couple of days. That has never failed me (or many people I know who take breaks) in ten-plus years of mixed use. But ask them about cigarettes and they straight-up complain they can’t stop.
That’s all I’m saying. I would never say that it’s for everyone or that it’ll be necessarily good for you to consume it in whatever form. I don’t actively recommend cannabis. Fine if you do and fine if you don’t. But let’s not exaggerate the effects.
Edited for clarity.
Yes. Anyone who has experienced physical drug addiction knows that not all drugs/addictions are created equal.
For example, you can literally die from alcohol withdrawal.
If anything, cannabis keeps me sane enough to not need to medicate myself with harder shit to escape this shithole reality.
How are you the only level-headed person in this thread?
The others have smoked too much.😛
Stoners on the internet generally seem to think it’s a cure-all.
I smoked last night but even I know it’s not good for you. It’s an escape. It’s likely safer than alcohol… as edibles anyway… but smoking it is likely on par with smoking cigarettes and vaping is going to increase cancer rates too.
I suspect it degrades your ability to recall memory too and that the more you use it the worse it gets, but that’s hard to quantify given that our memory seems to get worse as we age anyway.
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I agree that it could be considered addictive. But same could be said about booze. Prohibition is horseshit.
Yeah, having nuance on the Internet is hard.
I appreciate his history and how it guides this, but I argue that - in the context of addiction - not banning alcohol and its societal promotion is a greater harm by any government. Absurd? Yes. But deep down inside it’s no more absurd than prohibiting marijuana considering their similarities in societal use. I was going to say similarities in relative harm too, but alcohol is killing vastly more people than all other recreational drugs.
Canada legalizing marijuana simply stopped criminalizing normal society. The matrix of harm/help of alcohol, weed, and others is way more complex than prohibition.
We already know what alcohol prohibition did in the U.S. and we know that our prisons are filled with people who happened to have a dime bag in their pocket when a cop stopped them. He’s not an idiot. He has to know about both of those things.
Shut up and play your piano, redcoat.
It is very habit forming but that’s hardly a reason for it to be illegal.
It’s not nearly as addictive as nicotine or ethanol…
Or sugar.
Right. Eating is addictive. Drinking of course. And for a lot of people so is running, lol.
It’s no more or less habit forming than actual grass in a very literal sense.
Moreover caffeine is proven to be far more harmful and orders of magnitude more habit forming than most illegal drugs.
Caffeine improves productivity so nobody cares about its impacts on our hearts.
It’s always good to hear what the experts have to say on these matters.
He must not be very intelligent to hold these debunked and outdated views. Quite out of touch with reality.
He seems to be a sobriety zealot. Most of the damage caused by marijuana is the illegality of it
I’ve smoked weed for 21 years and have had zero desire to try other, harder, drugs.
Guess I’m just an outlier and all the studies disproving marijuana as a “gateway drug” are bullshit. 🤷🏻♂️
Marijuana being a gateway drug was just a very successful propaganda phrase
Ej isn’t an American so it’s none of his business really. Everyone likes thc when it becomes legal, Ive seen my very conservative family get stoned a bunch now and they love it. Sorta something the left and the right seem to overwhelmingly agree on
Even if it’s true, legalization would reduce that immensely because you don’t have to buy weed from a dealer who can give you a sweet deal on some harder drugs but grow it at home or get it from a store instead, where you won’t be upsold illegal substances.
where you won’t be upsold illegal substances
Maybe the term “gateway drug” isn’t a warning for users about their habits but a warning to users about the slippery slope of companies realizing the next drug needs to be legalized and put on the shelf next to weed for more of that sweet, sweet money.
The only reason pot is a gateway drug is because it opens your eyes to altered mental states in a positive light and because the same person selling you the pot is highly likely to offer other things.
People generally want more, the user more intense effects and the dealer more money.
Nevermind that someone wanting to try drugs would just try them anyway if weed didn’t exist.
