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

Marijuana actually has many known benifits. As a supporter of legalization I have to say that it is particularly evil of our government to keep this illegal. Recently an ill woman went an purchased marijuana from a dealer on the street. She had a terrible stomache disease, and needed the pot to help her keep food down. However the authorites did not have very much pity for her. When they caught her they threw her in jail where she receieved minimal treatment and almost died. We have such a wonderful government. (SARCASM< EH!) Also I must add that although pots illegal its still very close to my heart. If you think about it there aren't many car accidents due to pot, are there?? We drive slowly and cautiously when we are stoned. Maybe there should be a law where people must be stoned in order to drive

You are a hippy and I rest my case.

As far as I am aware, in the UK, they do not routinely test drivers for drug use; therefore there can be no accurate statistics on cannabis-related car accidents. However, I am not advocating random drug testing as I regard this as an infringement of civil liberties.

thanks johnny, i appreciate being called a hippy

Fenchurch, I am basically stating my opinion from my own drug experience. I think most of the time pot used Alone, without other drugs does not usually produce harmful affects.

...............aside from a desire to infer that the word "Hippy" is not an insult. And my esteemed colleague Fenchurch is correct. To pretend that there are no side effects that could cause bad driving is not only woefully lacking in statistical truth for the mentioned reason, it also goes against not only common sense (if it's having no effect, why are you taking it? I'd check your supplier if I were you) but also statistical research in other places, such as Holland, for one, where I believe it is illegal to operate a car under the influence. They don't make these laws up for no reason you know. Well, not some of them, anyway.

Lets just say it has no woeful effects on me. Of course its illegal to operate a vehicle while on drugs, thats a given. Yet you don't seem to understand my personal opinion that certain people such as myself operate a vehicle more carefully (and more paranoid) under the influence of marijuana. Here in the U.S. it tends to be very illegal to even smoke it. So there I break the law. And don't worry I feel the effects, and my dealer is just fine, thank you. Maybe instead of giving opinions about people we should be giving opinions on topics, yes?? and I take hippy as an esteemed compliment, even if it's not what you meant.

Sorry, I know I might seem like I'm having a pop at you, rather than just talking about the subject in general, but you do seem to me to be representing a particulr constituient of the drug taking fraternity that have gone so far the other way that you have lost touched with reason.
As far as I now understand your position vis a vis car driving, you believe that you are a better car driver when stoned because you know you are stoned so you take more care?
Brilliant. I must remember that one the next time I down half a pint of Absinth, try to sober up with some coke, roll a couple to get off to sleep, and then decide to drive to the all night garage (see previous correspondence): "Yes, I know I am swerving all over the road officer, but I am doing it really carefully because I know EXACTLY how out of it I am." Come on, your winding me up, you are a government plot, aren't you?

If I were a government plot Johnny I don' think I'd tell you. Yet I have to say its not that i am advocating drinking and drug use (I drive under the influence very very rarely) Yet I have never seen a study that says pot smokers are worse than people who consume alchohol. I just think basically that there should be a more forgiving opiion of pot users in general because none of us really do anything wrong. Truly I think that pot use is fine under the right conditions (which I AM smart enought to use) Its not like I am a really dumb shit. I know when and when not to.... The bad name potheads get is from the people who do not know how to use it properly.

...which is exactly what I am saying, only in less words.

the whole idea of using marijuana
(at least the main idea) is achieving
that ever elusive altered state of
consciousness. the one state in which
you should stay fully conscious and aware
is while your driving , so in that
great hippie tradition of "love your
fellow man" how about spearing your
fellow man's life?

Just completed message when Call Waiting cut my connection...I'm paying for a service which annoys me...something wrong there.
Gimly, I'm glad you do take care when driving, I've never heard a personal tale of "a state of altered conciousness" through use of marajuana.

if you don't change (inhence,alter,modify,whatever)
your perception through marijuana, why bother?
if the munchies and the giggles are all you get
out of it, if youv'e never exprienced walking
in to a room while your stoned and seeing it
through another set of eyes, even if you've
been there hundreds of times in the past,
or read a book you know by heart and reading while
stoned seems like the very first time, if you
never got stoned and suddenly hit by a notion that
in normal conditions would be taken for granted
( for ex.:time,god,galaxies beyond,the human body)
and it suddenley hits you like a punch in the face...
if you don't belive you can "alter" your concsiousness
through marijuana, a beer should do it for you, and
HEY that's even legal.
sorry, i seemed to have rambled for longer than
i intended. i get melodramatic when i'm stoned.

I am particularly paranoid about driving under any influence. I think a car accident would be the worst way to die. on the few times I have driven with someone who is stoned I have not been too afraid for my life (given we were going about 7 km/h).
the only scary thing I've ever done was while tripping (which of course is a different matter) but I thought I'd go home as the acid was starting to wear off. . . WRONG.
what I'm getting at is that when you make a decision to drive you are generally already under the influence. Unlike Alcohol and aforementioned Lysergic Acid, Marijuana is not known for giving the user a sudden surge of extreme self confidence. when you decide to drive drunk you are thinking 'wow. I'm such an incredibly fantastic driver I think I'll do a few laps of the city before I head home', whereas when you are stoned you are more likely to be thinking 'omigod I'm stoned. we better just keep cool, nice and slow'... etc

I would personally prefer sitting on a nice quiet beach with some friends, a guitar, a big fat bag of marihuana and no cars for miles and miles. . .

Cool, try the Bahamas

Anywhoo, Smoking is great. In childs words, I don't really care!! Also, opinions, opinions. This is like battlefield, man. Also my washed out voice does slightly lobby for marijuana reform. Now I'm pretty sure that people are allowed to do what they want. Oh, wait no. Thats still a no. But I should atleast not be criticized for just voicing the opinion that i dont like the real world. Its true I hate the real world, it sucks. Now that may be a little washed out or spacey but to some, but to me its everything. Also, Mr. Guitar. Don't you enjoy smoking pot in atleast a small way. I realize you use it for another health purpose but cmon, no enjoyment at all?? You don't like Pink Floyd either? Ahh, well, I guess its your loss.

I think I may also be slightly mangling my point, as you have noticed. Kay, here it is. I like pot. Yes. I do not advocate stoned driving. However I have done it and I really don't tend to sewrve all over the road. I tend to get paranoid and drive slowly and carefully. Driving drunk is another story. its just a no no. I went to a seminar at my school today(required because I was bad and got caught with a few illegal things) We got to try on these crazy goggles that mimic a .1 alcohol content in blood. Very difficult to even walk. But i stray. I'm not trying to say pot is the answer to war, and mean people. I'm trying to make the point that people who smoke aren't an altogether bad crew. A few bad apples spoil the whole barrel. Only my opinions

canabis is the most usfull of street dealt recreational drugs but it is not a patch on most of the home creations of my friends and I
things such as commercially available poppy seeds in vodka, chopped dried crocus bulbs and of course who can forget dried bannana skins are cheaper and work to greater effect

You will be delighted to know that I have not passed away, I am merely allowing you all to state my arguments for me with your ever increasing, faintly delusional ramblings about banana skins and careful driving.

hardee har har.