From: johneco@cns.nyu.edu (John Econopouly)
Newsgroups: alt.drugs
Subject: Re: "ex" smokers of MJ
Date: 19 Nov 92 23:48:55 GMT
Reply-To: johneco@cns.nyu.edu
Organization: New York University

In article 722033314@mits, jah@mits.mdata.fi (Jani A. Heinonen) writes:
> aankrom@nyx.cs.du.edu (Anthony Ankrom) writes:
> 
> > That's funny. Does the same thing to me. Always has. I could never
> >understand the big deal made about it.
> 
>    Perhaps it's all just a mass delusion? It does help with relieving tension
> and combatting some forms of anxiety. It also sometimes makes the surroundings
> seem a little more interesting and occasionally induces funny thoughts.
> However, it is neither as demonic or glorious as it is often claimed to be.

I have very different experiences with thc, and find yours surprising.  In my opinion,
if anything thc is underrated as a drug, and when people say the kinds of things
y'all say I can only think that either they haven't smoked good pot, or they're 
not in tune with themselves (there is a whole category of people who claim that
they are not feeling anything, even as they are at the same time acting extremely
stoned; this is especially common during the first times of use).

In my opinion, thc is one of the strongest drugs I've tried, especially for 
certain sensations.  What I mean by that, is that although e.g. LSD and X are both
stronger overall, my LSD trips are more limited to the realm of ideas.
Similarly, the effects of X for me are greatest in the realm of emotions.
In the realm of physical sensations, of helping you to concentrate on 
physical pleasure, I've found no equal to thc (sex, skiing, surfing for example
are all amazing, and through the combination I've really expanded my 
definition of what pleasure is).  I also find it provides me with psychological
insights that I wouldn't otherwise have, and almost any movie I see seems like
the best movie ever made.  Of course, if all you do is smoke some 
old pot where the thc has broken down into downer cbc's already, and them you
fall asleep, well that's admittedly not going to expand your consciousness
too much.  Even if you take a hit of acid, and fall asleep before it starts 
kicking, its not going to be a memorable trip.  I know alot of people, myself
included, for whom thc use has been a life-changing experience.

In answer to the original thread, I have also quit smoking a couple of times,
for periods of up to a year, for several reasons.  I've always been conscious 
of both good and bad effects that smoking was having on me.  The good for me
are: increased enjoyment of physical pleasure, interesting new insights into
myself and my environment, creative pleasures.  The bad are: it makes me 
stupider and lazier, less likely to socialize with non-smokers, less critical, and occasionally it induces paranoid thoughts and dysphoria.  I guess I consider
smoking a luxury, that I can afford only in times of psychological security,
and when I can slack off a bit from any social and work responsibilities.  I've been
able to come back to it, and find the old dysphoria to be totally gone -- 
especially if I don't oversmoke (for me that's = more than a couple times a week),
and don't get stoned at times when I can't act stoned freely.

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John Econopouly			|
johneco@cns.nyu.edu		|
Newsgroups: alt.drugs