h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Having enjoyed this stuff for some 10 years now I have to say that it is a constantly evolving experience. Excessive use, which is obviously subjective, though I maintain 3.5grams per day of the stronger varieties will lead to a most unproductive life. I find that cannabis disables dreaming, this is heighlighted by the fact that dreams return to me when I stop smoking for a week or so. I have also discovered that when I over-smoked for several months last year and then stopped for a few week, I found that when I resumed smoking I was effected intensely. Where the drug used to have a rather socialble effect on me, these days are now gone and I have to use the stuff more selectively if I know I should be meeting friends. I think young minds should avoid smoking cannabis until they have learnt & lived more... I know people who began smoking before they where 16 and it certainly contributed to undermining their systems of belief and creates a need to unhelpfully question the world and existence without providing any answers or solutions.

How many joints is 3.5 grams?

Perhaps it is showing my age, but I cannot but help applaud the sentiment that people should develop a personality before embarking on the use of Cannabis.
Far from being a socially liberating drug, Dope merely accentuates character traits already present in an individual. It is a sad but true fact that a lot of people who embark on use of this drugare not that interesting, whatever they might think, and the direct result of them smoking is a lot of extremely badly thought out, rambling conversations about legalising all drugs and being allowed to wear whatever you want, man. It also encourages an inability to take responsibility for your own actions, leading to a large number of emotionally crippled 20 year olds who don't know how to boil an egg.
Lest we forget, Cannabis is also the prime mover behind such works of creative genius as Dark Side of the Moon, The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway and Topographic Oceans. Shakespeare was not a well known "Head", but Mike Oldfield is. You decide.
Should it be legalised? Undoubtedly. It is a matter of personal freedom. Does it have a large number of beneficial qualities never discussed in the main media? Also true; in fact many people don't realise that in this country (UK) it is legal to prescribe Heroin as a painkiller but a doctor is legallly prevented from doing the same thing with Cannabis, which is quite obviously ludicrous.
Is it a "good" drug? Highly debatable. And before you all get on your high horses, I use it as a painkiller for an extremely serious incurable medical condition. I just don't let it dictate what I'm going to eat that day, what books I'm going to read, what music I am going to listen to, and most importantly who my friends are and what I am doing with my life.

Depends how full they are.

It is interesting to read a balanced view for a change, I entered this forum because it was recently said that HG1 was conceived after Douglas Adams spent a night looking at the stars, drunk in a field; I always thought it was "stoned" in a field.

Just a note to say that when you smoke and then you say you don't dream, you will actually find that you are dreaming, and the dreams that you are having are quite interesting, the problem being because you were stoned when you went to sleep you attained a deeper level of sleep and upon waking you cannot remember them. A way to check this is to set your alarm clock, when it go's off press the snooze button and go back to sleep when the alarm go's again as you wake you should be able to recall a vivid dream that you slip back into after pressing the snooze button. I've tried it a few times with some mad results it's great. By the way I've been smoking weed since I was 15 I'm now 32 married, very happy, and have a very full life with a lot of very good friends. I suffer from bifida of the spine with out the use of cannabis I would not be able to lead the full and varied life I lead. LEGALISE THE WEED!

Which just goes to prove what I was saying earlier. Our friend leads a totally normal life with the benefit of the painkilling analgesic effects of Cannabis, but at the same time is now so mad that he sets his alarm clock to wake him up then fiddles about with it, then sets it again, has a few dreams, it goes off, presumably he writes them down (possibly with something not sharp as that might be dangerous), then posts them on to websites. AND he STILL thinks there are no side effects. Marvellous

In defence of dreams, use of canabis aside, they can be wildly entertaining, revealing, enlightening, puzzling or predictive. Who hasn't experienced that "oh! It was just getting to a good part" feeling after a really good dream which you were rudely awakened from.
Thanks for the tip, next time I don't have to get up I'll try that.

I just happened upon this forum and I m quite interested. I was nevr a regular user of cannabis but I always found it did funny things to my short term memory. OK I accept that the painkilling effect may be a good thing for some people but I think it is worth mentioning that no drug is a safe or good drug. They all mess with the system and can be dangewrous if not treated with some respect.

And by the way, I know one person with spina bifida who gets by quite well without the use of a controlled substance.

Isn't it just like the drug alcohol? Handle with care, you'll be ok, abuse it and suffer the consequences?

I've been smoking for the past ten years, and yes, it makes me lazy in certain areas, however, when it comes to work (Computer programming - no, it's not as boring as it sounds) I've had some of my greatest ideas while under the influence - and cracked some fairly difficult problems - however on other occasions just fallen asleep or watched TV

Why it's not legal for Doctor's to subscribe is beyond me! - My personal belief is, If a person has an illness short term / long term / terminal we should give them whatever they require for comfort (what are we without compassion?). To legalise to the public would open a whole new can of worms, and require a new level of teaching to younger people about the types and effects of all social drugs, that none of our governments want to tangle with. (i.e. cost them time, money and votes from the more closed minds of our societies)

At least this forum is open to this topic from both sides - no extremities as yet.

As I said before, no drug is a safe drug. Paracetamol is a good example. Society treats this far too lightly. It is included in so many things that it is easy to overdose and this leads to serious liver damage and even the possibilty of a very painful death.

I also feel that people should be given all the help they need to make their lives more comfortable and if cannibis is something they feel they need then I'm all for them getting a supply of good quality stuff and not being punished for it. However, I feel there is the danger that if it were legalised it would become socially acceptabe in the sme way that alcohol has and similar problems would arise. The issue needs to be treated with caution.

I don't see why the substance itself shouldn't be socially acceptable - I mean alcohol is deemed to be acceptable, although overindulgence makes people irrational, aggressive, violent etc...surely it is the behaviour of the person while under the influence that is or isn't socially acceptable...most people I know smoke cannabis from time to time and I find it and them perfectly acceptable in every way.

Dreams, now. Dreams are fab. Has anyone read The House of Sleep by...bugger, forgotten who it's by. Jonathan Coe?

I have only recently become aware of h2g2 and as the subject in question is very near to my heart, was one of the first I checked out.

I have been a regular (moderate) user for 19 years now. Frankly appart from a keen taste in red wine I use no other recreational substance. During this time i have oportunistically (anyone know how to apply a spell checker to this stuff?) pursued a career as a design engineer that currently finds me as the Technical Director of an international manufacturing company. I have built cars, boats and hovercraft often with inspiration derived from the effects. I am also a keen mountain biker and sailor. Try climbing a hill with your bike, have a little smoke on the top and then enjoy the descent! I have tried sailing under the affect but simply cant do it, I sail high performance dingies and a bout of the giggles always ends in a capsize or entanglement in the sheets

The effects that I get from good ol` C help me with 3D spacial reasoning problems and frequently a particullarly taxing problem is resolved after a blast on the pipe and then a late night session on the CAD. However stringing together a sentence can be just too much but aren`t most engineers challenged in this way

On the analgesic qualities. A particullarly nasty bout of Flu several years ago was really alleviated by medicinal application (pipe again). OK I still had Flu but my attitude to the symtoms was greatly enhanced.

As far as supply. I have always believed that Canabis should be at least decriminalised but was inbitially shocked by the remarks of the contraversial Judge Pickles when he said that ALL drugs should be legalised. His point which I accept is that if anything is made illegal it is simlpy pushed into the domain of the criminal underworld leading to burglary, violence etc etc. If legal then it can be controlled and monitored.

If I grow my own for my own and only own consumption then I am not not inciting a third party to break the law by "supplying" me and I am inciting or "harming" only myself. Why should that be a criminal offence?

good call. free the weed. have you ever noticed how those who do use it have a much more passive attitude towards things in general - i noticed a microcosm of this effect during my years in what i suppose you'd probably call high school : the younger years were notably more aggressive, with this trait becoming most pronounced around year 4/5. after this the aggro diminished and a general "whatever, i don't give a f**k" attitude now prevails. i do disagree, however, that earlier use inhibits character development as before being introduced to weed at 16 i was something of a social recluse. now, however, i am not afraid to do some more extreme things with my appearance - i'm almost 17 now and just under a year of moderate use has encouraged me to develop as an individual. i also meet more people and am more outgoing as a result. now, something which does this along with less harm than cigarettes/alcohol can't be all bad, at least not sufficiently bad to merit illegality. and the old argument about it leading to more serious things in a "ladder" effect is frankly bollocks. only one of my friends (who number about 20-30) has gone on to try anything more serious than acid and is even discouraged from these new substances by others in our social group.

Hmm...I'm going to restrain myself about saying my obnoxious weed loving statements that annoy the people in the middle opinions in the cannibis issue. However, I'd like to comment (alluding to the references above ofcourse) actually that I read a statement in a drug course that said all Schedule I and Schedule II drugs and Alchohol prevent emotional maturation. The minute you start is the minute you stop emotionally maturing. Now that is all true. Yet, I would have to say although the information is there and I know it is sound, I still totally disregard it for the sole purpose that I don't mind not emotionally maturing. For now atleast. Anyone have any ideas on government regulation of the drug?

does anyone not want legal weed apart from tight-arsed politicians?

hope not.

hehe. there should be one of those referendum thingies on the subject. i wonder how they did it in Holland?

Perhaps they got everyone stoned before the vote. Who could neigh after that??

yeah, that's probably it. they should hotbox westminster. that would be quite sound