Marijuana has never even killed one person. Hemp has all sorts of wonderful uses. It is possible to function on cannabis.
Hmmmmm. I’d have to say, as a former (heavy) user of marijuana, that is is possible to function on cannabis. At a much lower cognitive level. My memory was shot when I smoked on a daily basis. My motivation level tanked. I went from job to job. When I stopped using, depression set it. I was addicted, if not physically, then psychologically. I went out of my way to get it, even when I was broke. When I wasn’t broke, all my money went to it. Ten grand from a automobile accident settlement—gone in four months—up in smoke. So yes, you can function on cannabis, but not at a high level.
Hemp does have many positive uses. It’s impossible to argue that point.
And now—get ready for it—one of the lamest but most common excuses people make for marijuana—it’s never killed anyone. It almost killed me. I was high as a kite and I rear-ended a Lincoln Continental that was at a dead stand-still. I was going 40 miles per hour and I broke my windshield with my head. As I was strapped to the gurney and carted off to the hospital all that was going through my mind was, “How am I alive?”
Marijuana is addictive. Marijuana is expensive. Marijuana is illegal. Marijuana ruins relationships. Marijuana use is correlated with depression. Marijuana kills. Believe that one or not. But think about it (use common sense) before you go around saying, “Marijuana has never killed anyone.”
And how about another lame argument? Here it is—hemp is natural; God created it; it’s a plant for crying out loud! Hmmm. Hemlock’s a plant. Why don’t you try cooking up some hemlock cookies?
Regardless, none of that is the point of the following article. The point is this: does your life revolve around trying to convince people that cannabis is good? Or does your life revolve around sharing the good new of the Jesus of the Bible? What’s your focus? Marijuana? Getting high? Or Jesus? Can you get through the day without your pot? Can you get through the day without reading your Bible? What do you buy with your expendable income? Is Jesus the answer to your life’s problems? Or is smoking a joint the answer?
Marijuana won’t give your life meaning. It won’t provide peace or fulfillment. Meaning, peace, fulfillment—these things come from one source: Jesus Christ.
Mr. E, I realize that after reading your story that marijuana clearly wasn’t helpful in your life. That’s ok and your decision to avoid it. On the contrary, there are many people who do benefit from it. Correct me if I’m wrong but it appears that you don’t see any use in it at all? Many people in this country do believe in this plant that has changed their lives from their own personal experience with it. When you have a country that criminalizes that drug that has profound positive effects on people’s health you get resistance. I will agree with you that consuming yourself in ANYTHING(work, marijuana, alcohol, coffee etc) It becomes a problem. There are many Christians who’s focus is of God but use this drug with great benefits. So why take away something that is helpful? Would you take away all other remedies to people (aspirin, motrin, coffee and the list goes on). To be dead honest Mr. E, I have a hard time believing what you wrote. How does someone spend $10,000 on weed in 4 months?!?! Bullocks. You’re so far out there with your claims that they are totally unbelievable and clearly you have a political agenda. Christians who read his post due so with question.
Ah, well, you’re right. Not all of the money went to marijuana. But the majority of it did. The rest went to other things that were all part of the lifestyle, e.g., cigarettes, alcohol . . . partying in general. When you’re the one with the money and your friends don’t have any, well, it’s pretty easy to spend $10,000 in four months. I could have spent it a lot faster. So, I will clarify by saying that I spent the majority of my settlement on weed. I didn’t mean to mislead. I stand by my statement that my settlement went up in smoke in four months.
You say that “there are many Christians who’s focus is of God but use this drug with great benefits.”
Prove that to me. How many Christians do you know who are focused on serving God and His purposes that are addicted to drugs? I don’t know any.
Nobody that I know who smokes regularly leads a happy, balanced life. And nobody I know that smokes regularly is a committed Christian. Marijuana always comes first.
Are you a daily smoker? Are you saying that weed benefits you? If so, tell me how. Yes, I know it can reduce pain. I know it can deaden senses and alleviate depression.
But I also know from first-hand experience that it changes life . . . and not for the better. While I was on it I was actually pretty happy. It deadened my brain to the point that I didn’t have to think about my problems. It didn’t matter that I was in a dead-end job. It didn’t matter that I had chronic lung problems. It didn’t matter that I didn’t have any skills. It didn’t matter that I had never finished college. It didn’t matter that I had no money. It didn’t matter that I didn’t have a place to call my own. It didn’t matter that I had no direction in life. None of it mattered. So there it is. The great benefit of marijuana. It deadens the brain. It kills the pain. It brings relief because it creates an artificial reality in which nothing matters.
I challenge you to give me some real benefits from smoking pot (other than alleviating pain, which can be achieved in a myriad of legal ways). What is the great benefit? And then direct me to all these strong Christian pot-smokers so I can meet them for myself.
If you were being honest with yourself, you’d realize you’re defending an illegal, expensive and addictive drug that can and does ruin lives.
Mr. E,
In your last post you just stated that your $10,000 dollars went to support your lifestyle and your friends lifestyle. Just want to clarify your claim that marijuana is not the reason you lost that money its your lifestyle. And yes, that is misleading to all your viewers on your page. In your last response you wanted “proof” of marijuana benefits. Here it is:http://www.norml.org//index.cfm?Group_ID=7002 That will describe the many benefits of cannabis. Here is another link with the addictive qualities of marijuana: http://www.drugsense.org/mcwilliams/www.marijuanamagazine.com/toc/addictiv.htm
It seems that you are talking about a different drug on how it deadens your senses, brain, life and you just don’t seem to care. Seems like your talking about alcohol. Marijuana is not a central nervous system depressant like what your describing and neither is addictive. The addictive qualities of cannabis are less than coffee.( if you read my link) It seems you have many other issues but encompass marijuana usage. That doesn’t make marijuana usage the problem. So, if cannabis doesn’t work for you, doesn’t mean it not for everyone else.
No, I am not a smoker of cannabis. I believe in looking at facts and questioning our society that deviates from that. I encourage you to think for yourself and just look.
Ah, the irony.
You say I should “think for myself.” I agree. And that’s exactly what I do. I’m speaking from my own experience. I’ve had coffee and I’ve had marijuana (both for long periods of time). I have always found it much easier to drop caffeine than marijuana. A while back I had heart palpitations and my doctor told me to stop drinking caffeine. It wasn’t a hard thing to stop. I missed it, yes, but it was much easier to stop drinking coffee than give up my marijuana addiction. Caffeine wakes you up but it doesn’t transport you to another dimension.
I agree with you that the lifestyle is part of the problem. But again, from my own experience, I think that the lifestyle and marijuana go together. All the people I currently know that smoke regularly have other addictions they feed as well. My friend Fred (we’ll call him that for fun) is not only addicted to marijuana, but he’s also addicted to painkillers. When he doesn’t have the pot, he replaces it with the painkillers. When he does have pot, he supplements it with the painkillers. If he has neither, he drinks. He doesn’t have a job and has visited the clinker many times in the past few years. The lifestyle and the drug go hand in hand. My other friend Joe (not his real name) who smokes regularly also drinks regularly. And he often partakes in other more serious drugs. He doesn’t have a job and he’s been in and out of jail and rehab centers for as long as I’ve known him (going on 15 years now). Another person I know who smokes regularly (a teenager) has recently dropped out of school (he was a senior). I often see him near my neighborhood walking the streets and smoking cigarettes. I could go on. Every single person I know who smokes marijuana regularly has issues with the following: motivation, keeping a job, staying out of jail, avoiding other addictive substances, staying in school . . . I could go on.
Now I’m sure there are people who can use responsibly (if there is such a thing) and only smoke the drug once or twice a week, in the evenings. But I’ve never met a person like that.
Anyone who says marijuana isn’t addictive (or is less addictive than coffee) has never been in the habit of using it. The link you sent me is probably compiled by doctors who’ve never even used the stuff. And you admit that you don’t use. So, I’d ask you to do the same you’ve asked me to do: look at the facts. Start looking at the lives of people who use regularly and stop looking at books written by people who have no idea what the reality is.
Here’s a link I like. Just common sense.
http://www.character-education.info/articles/marijuana_facts.htm
Don’t be fooled. Marijuana is extremely addictive. Those who say it isn’t either haven’t used it, or currently are using and don’t want to stop. People who’ve done it, realize how it’s negatively affecting their health and their mind, and who have since stopped using it—those are the ones who know.