'Smoking cannabis never held me back'

[boy162000]

'Smoking cannabis never held me back'

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2120441.stm

The government is to ease cannabis laws

Roger - not his real name - has smoked cannabis for most of his life. He is a company IT director, leads a full life and has never had a hard drugs habit. I am 46 and have smoked cannabis for 33 years now, admittedly normally only an occasional joint every other week, but sometimes more.
Despite what some people may think of cannabis users I lead a full and normal life.
I am the UK IT director and a UK executive board member, ironically, for a leading multi-national pharmaceutical company and have studied up to doctorate level.

My job means that I cannot be named, despite my strong feelings on the cannabis debate.
I grow my own cannabis and have not been dragged into the criminal underworld through my 'habit'.
I don't know where to buy the hard stuff these days and don't even mix the drug with tobacco.
Quite frankly, anyone who considers me a criminal needs to have their head examined.
'Try this'
Over the years I have taken other drugs - pretty much everything going - but I have never been a habitual user.
I don't think I have an addictive personality, but other people may latch on to something and that can be very dangerous.
When I was younger I would go to a dealer and they would not always have cannabis and would say 'why don't you try this instead?'.
I think that if cannabis was made legal it would take away that danger of people having easy access to things like crack or heroin.
Policemen
I am fairly open about the fact I smoke cannabis and when people find out many are shocked, but plenty admit they do as well.

It is far more widespread and accepted than it was in the past and I have even noticed potted cannabis plants in the garden of my middle-aged next-door neighbours in a nice London suburb.
I would also mention that I have smoked dope in the last several years with, amongst others, an MP, several policemen, the chairman of a plc and other people like me, who live full, relatively successful lives.
I go to the gym at least once a week and used to play a number of sports and only fail to do so now through work commitments.
I think the key to the debate is whether we want to live in a society that tells people what is best for them, or one where people are allowed to make their own decisions.

Reputation Comments on this post:

good find

[Sklander]

Great find. SWIM thinks there are many people out there like "Roger".

[Nature Boy]

Originally Posted by Sklander

Great find. SWIM thinks there are many people out there like "Roger".

Of course there are. Unfortunately many sections of the media will focus on the glue-sniffing rat poison injector who happens to smoke a little pot on the side.

[radiometer]

Good find, many thanks.

When posting news articles, please 1) make a thread title which is descriptive of the content, and 2) include the full text of the article, or at least an excerpt thereof. Following these guidelines will ensure that many more members will read your thread.

Also, articles which are about a particular drug should go in that drug's forum (it took me a while to get used to that one, myself).

[Donmeka]

very good story and proves a damn good point

[xMeTaL HeAdx]

Good article, why can't those bastards in the government just make it legal!!!

[matti_2003]

A good find. Its not often that you see a news article about drugs and just simply telling it as it is.

[Bez]

Especially from the BBC as well....

It's just so annoying that at the moment they are cracking down on it so hard (in my area anyway) probably just to get their arrest figures up and because they are too scared to raid proper crack houses.

Government will never understand stoner monkeys like us.....

[Bajeda]

However much cannabis is easy to manage, swim thinks there is a point when it begins to affect normal priorities and daily life. Probably once you get to the point where you are smoking every day multiple times. Swim feels that he has suffered academically a bit, not gradewise but rather in the amount of stress he endures because of procrastination that is heavily influenced by his cannabis smoking habit, as well as other drug use.

Swim feels that he would have a much better time of it all if he just cut down to once a week. That is a much more sustainable recreational activity than smoking every day to the point where he is high more than sober.

So while articles like these are good, you have to keep in mind that cannabis is manageable, but that doesn't mean you can't overdo it and suffer some negative consequences in social or academic life. You don't want kids reading this and thinking they can just get high all day and be fine, you have to be conscious of what you are doing and keep things at a manageable level.


In the meantime swim is enjoyable smoking every day, but thinks within the next few years he will finally drop down and make it an occaisional habit (once a week to once a month to possibly less).

[Bez]

^^^SWIY would be right about enjoying their ganj more if they use it more sparingly My monkey smoked at leat a doob a day for many years, but when he cut down to only one a week or even only one every few weeks he noticed a great improvment in feeling more awake and generally with it during the day at work etc. Also the failing memory skills indicated it was time to cut down a lot. Trust my monkey, he knows that the sooner you cut down the better your memory stays! He reckons that his memory will never quite be the same......

What was SWIM just sayin???? :P

[augentier]

Proves a good point. There are MANY people out there like him. SWIM's parents, for example, are in their mid-40s and have been smoking their own NL5/Haze for years, years, years...they both hold good jobs and are in good physical condition (well, maybe their lungs are a bit dirty

In SWIM's opinion, if someone *can't* lead a productive (whatever that means to them) life being a "stoner", he should not be doing it in the first place.

[The Doors]

SWIM has always thought that as long as someone's habit or substance of choice doesn't interfer with their daily routines, then it shouldn't be a problem. In many cases, marijuana can actually improve one's lifestyle, such is the case for SWIM. Some people rather be lazy while they're stoned, SWIM likes to be productive but also likes to relax at night.

[edges]

Marijuana use is terribly common. When SWIM was young, he thought the fact that he smoked marijuana condemned him to an abnormal life outside the system. Whether things were different back then or not, SWIM now knows that marijuana use and production is in fact quite common among the established ranks of society.