Who Says Pot is not Addictive?

Crayola13

Well-Known Member
About a month ago, two young women went missing from my city. One of them called her parents crying hysterically saying she was in another state and about to check into alcohol rehab. Because her parents heard a man in the background telling her what to say, they thought she had been kidnapped. She is an extremely pretty girl in her early twenties--like beauty queen pretty, so they panicked and thought she had been trafficked. The police get involved. They discovered her close friend and a guy who has a sketchy past are with her across the country. They bring out helicopters, cadaver dogs, etc. It's all over the news. A month later, the three email police a video where the two girls are seen saying they are in Colorado because marijuana is legal there, and to stop looking for them. Both girls said they were safe and we there of their own free will because they wanted to live a life that would allow them to smoke pot legally. They said it's what they believed in.

Those girls just disappeared for a month and didn't call their parents or anyone to say they were safe. Why couldn't they have just explained to their families that they were moving to Colorado? Also, to move 2,000 miles away and start a life in another state on the other side of the country, just because pot is legal there! The three of them live in a tent on a campground. They have to be addicted to marijuana if they are willing to go through all of that.
 

RN0441

100% better than I was but not at 100% yet
It was a gateway drug for our son. I smoked a LOT when in high school but it never took over my life.

Many cannot use it recreationally (my son). For some it leads to other things or takes over their lives - similar to alcohol.

Too bad those girls were so selfish and let their parents worry themselves sick. Immaturity or just meanness.
 

Jabberwockey

Well-Known Member
Marijuana of itself isn't addictive or a gateway drug. That being said, if the person has an addictive nature then it can most definitely become a gateway drug. For me, I've smoked it before and wasn't terribly impressed. It was no better than a good beer buzz and, at the time, it was illegal everywhere so why bother. Even if they legalize it here, even if my job won't raise a big stink about us using it if they do legalize it (they will), even if the federal government legalizes it, I won't start smoking it again. Just not that worried about it.

With that in mind, my son moved to Colorado simply due to the fact that pot is legal. I firmly believe that he's addicted and that he runs the risk of it being a gateway drug. Its all about the individual.
 

BusynMember

Well-Known Member
I think its like alcohol. Some can drink responsibly. Some become alcoholics. Some responsibly smoke pot. Some seem to need to be high 24/7 and can not function or get very unmotivated while high. Even if it leads to nothing else, no motivation at all is a very negative side effect in many difficult adults.
 

GoingNorth

Crazy Cat Lady
I smoked in my teens. Last time I got high (with my husband who had been a real pothead before his military days), was a few days before he enlisted (delayed enlistment)

My issue was that I enjoyed the buzz...for about 45 minutes before the paranoia hit.

I never used it again after that last time. husband only used it after he had become very ill. For medical purposes as it was the only thing we found that helped the nausea and stimulated his appetite. It also helped him Occupational Therapist (OT) cut way back on his painkiller usage and made him overall happier.
 

susiestar

Roll With It
I don't get the attraction. I worked at a "hippy" restaurant, owned by to aging hippies who are/were the nicest people. Very intelligent people and their pot use never interfered with their lives nor their intelligence. I grew up a few years behind their kids and they are very intelligent. Many restaurant employee parties had a lot of pot use. I was the odd one at parties. People learned to warn me before they smoked so I could at least sit down.

Why? It puts me to sleep. FAST. More than once I was standing and fell down sound asleep and someone had to catch me so I didn't get hurt. It scared people, including me later. Granted, I have horrible trouble falling asleep but I don't think pot is the answer I want.
 

GoingNorth

Crazy Cat Lady
Susie, I think you had the same sort of metabolic thing one of my late BFFs had.

She would literally take a toke and about 3 minutes later, keel over like she'd been shot with a tranquilizer dart. This was 60's pot, too. Couldn't imagine with today's stuff.

It used to put husband to sleep...after he got silly/happy/giddy, got the munchies, and mellowed out for a bit.

Me? It kept me up once the "happy stuff" passed, as I was too paranoid to sleep.

In my case, it was a gateway drug in that I experimented with other drugs so that I could enjoy the pot buzz without the other side effects.
 

BusynMember

Well-Known Member
This just proves that pot affects different people in different ways.

I have read that pot can kick start latent mental illness too. Yet doctors are prescribing it for mental illness. I dont think anyone understands pot yet. It certainly is not harmless to all, much like alcohol is not harmless to all.
 

RN0441

100% better than I was but not at 100% yet
For those that have an addictive personality or predisposition to addiction (our son) it is the worst thing in the world!!

And I'll say that when I retire I will probably partake so I'm not against it. I have a few girlfriends that do on occasion. I get random drug testing so could never do it until then!
 

Jabberwockey

Well-Known Member
Same here RN. Even if it's legalized in Missouri, I have to submit to random testing at work so its not an option. But even after I retire, the desire just isn't there. My drug of choice is still science fiction and fantasy adventure!
 

Lil

Well-Known Member
Well...since everyone is chiming in...The only time I ever smoked was a few times in law school. Yep...illegal in law school. lol I agree, it wasn't anything all that special. I'd describe the effect as "happy and horny" :redface: but not really any better than a nice buzz. I would probably have preferred it to alcohol because there's no hangover. But that's not enough to make me do something illegal. Besides, even back in my youth, I never liked really getting drunk - I don't like the out of control feeling.

Lack of motivation is 100% our son. Still hoping he outgrows this.
 

seek

Member
I don't think it's addictive or a "gateway" drug. Future addicts or alcoholics have "drugs of choice." They choose to use drugs and have favorite ones they like.

I don't think anyone has ever died from marijuana use - it's probably not good for your lungs, and chronic smokers could have other issues (no motivation, etc.), but I think it's one of the lesser evils out there.

I am not into it and never have been. Just don't think it's dangerous.

Those girls sound dumb.
 

mof

Momdidntsignupforthis
I don't think it's a gateway drug, but I do think people pre disposed to addiction can get addicted to being in an altered state. So some love pot but others look for a better escape.

Yup, I got the munchies...waistline can't handle that now!
 

BusynMember

Well-Known Member
It is isually the first drug an addict used. I think it can be a gateway drug, just like alcohol. It may not kill you, but in addictive personalities they come to need being high all the time IS addictive and it kills motivation, drive and the wish to be productive if you use it all the time.

A long time ago I dated a man who wanted to sfop using pot because he had a child. It took him a year of therapy to quit, he said, and in one year of being off of it he went from doing nothing but carnival ride work to getting a good, productive job. He was very specific to me that pot made him not care about anything. Addiction ran in his family. His father was an alcoholuc and his brother a heroin addict.
 

Littleboylost

Long road but the path ahead holds hope.
Marijuana of itself isn't addictive or a gateway drug. That being said, if the person has an addictive nature then it can most definitely become a gateway drug. For me, I've smoked it before and wasn't terribly impressed. It was no better than a good beer buzz and, at the time, it was illegal everywhere so why bother. Even if they legalize it here, even if my job won't raise a big stink about us using it if they do legalize it (they will), even if the federal government legalizes it, I won't start smoking it again. Just not that worried about it.

With that in mind, my son moved to Colorado simply due to the fact that pot is legal. I firmly believe that he's addicted and that he runs the risk of it being a gateway drug. Its all about the individual.
THC is addictive, not all people who try alcohol or drugs become addictied. Ther is ample research to supper chronic MJ use requires detox and rehab.
 

Littleboylost

Long road but the path ahead holds hope.
I don't think it's addictive or a "gateway" drug. Future addicts or alcoholics have "drugs of choice." They choose to use drugs and have favorite ones they like.

I don't think anyone has ever died from marijuana use - it's probably not good for your lungs, and chronic smokers could have other issues (no motivation, etc.), but I think it's one of the lesser evils out there.

I am not into it and never have been. Just don't think it's dangerous.

Those girls sound dumb.
Marijuana of itself isn't addictive or a gateway drug. That being said, if the person has an addictive nature then it can most definitely become a gateway drug. For me, I've smoked it before and wasn't terribly impressed. It was no better than a good beer buzz and, at the time, it was illegal everywhere so why bother. Even if they legalize it here, even if my job won't raise a big stink about us using it if they do legalize it (they will), even if the federal government legalizes it, I won't start smoking it again. Just not that worried about it.

With that in mind, my son moved to Colorado simply due to the fact that pot is legal. I firmly believe that he's addicted and that he runs the risk of it being a gateway drug. Its all about the individual.
It is addictive research supports this and there are many studies in the hem of chronic pot smoking. Especially at an early age. Medicinal MJ is very different, controlled amounts of CBD and THC geared to aid the illness it is being given for.
 
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