The crutch.
I will admit to leaning more on alcohol, cigarettes and drugs as a crutch during times of stress as a person is desperate to escape and have a ‘good time’.
Trying to have a ‘good time’ and the association of using drink and drugs, as an essential indulgence is a real problem.
The formula for a good party is the combination of sex, drugs & Rock and Roll. The desire to go hard and then go home was the determination of binge partiers as a sign of stamina to chase the good times until the end.
Marijuana is a far less physically stressful drug than cocaine or alcohol so you can stay in the game longer and not face the awful health consequences heavy drinkers and coke users face.
I knew that using alcohol to cure a hangover was the first sign of alcoholism but didn't realize that waking up and getting stoned was just a bad.
I was using drugs as a way of avoiding growing up, to continually chase the party, which really meant chasing girls. Unlike whiskey drinkers there was no prospect of performance issues because pot doesn't have such adverse effects on the labeedo.
The difficulty is when alcohol and drugs no longer are a good time.
The easy example is smoking cigarettes. In the eyes of a non-smoker, who could never imagine any positive or pleasure sensation related to what is an undeniably disgusting, smelly, stupid and unhealthy habit.
Similarly alcohol has rarely been seen as a performance enhancer in any capacity but that said getting blasted has aspects of nostalgic leisure. It’s ridiculously expensive and hangovers suck. But who would want to go on a stag do sober?
People are fundamentally in pursuit of happiness but often use drugs, stimulants, Marijuana and alcohol as physical or emotional pain relief. Essentially it’s a mask for a deeper problem.
Interestingly mushrooms, MDMA, LSD or DMT are all therapy based but seem far less habitual perhaps due to their more intense affects.
Marijuana is also therapeutic depending on the quantity and means of consumption, and in large quantities has some pretty psychedelic qualities.
There is an issue with people wrongly diagnosed with mental health issues owing to drug use and lose their reputation impacting them socially and economically.
I knew that it was probably crazy to openly come out as a pot smoker or flagrantly break the law and risk the criminal punishment associated. I'd like to say that I chose to dive on the right grenade. I genuinely don't want my kids to have to face the same potential issue in the future and strongly believe the world will be a better place once prohibition is over.
Food, money, sex and drugs are not on the national curriculum but are probably the four most important factors in adult life.
The interesting reality of the economic debate around pot is that is so easy to produce or grow individually that no Monsanto or Phillip Morris company has got behind the legalization because they could not control future supply.
Even the debate about future government revenue is unlikely to have significant impact, whilst there is undeniable commercial sales revenue and therefore potential for medicinal application and recreational VAT, as it’s a very high yielding crop certainly at its current valuation of £20 per 8th of an ounce or 3 grams.