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[Strobe]

it is widely known that smoking pot is quite popular in many regions of the world.
i assume many of you have tried this and maybe still do it.

i can say for sure, that consuming this stuff is popular in germany. many friends
of mine do it, and some years ago i also felt attracted by this "hobby".

what i can also state is the fact that (at least in germany) consumers are tending
to be younger than they used to be years ago. the psychical results, which are
mostly negative, are becoming very obvious, as recent scientific studies prove.

as there are many users from different countries in this forum, i would like to
know how this issue is developing in their countries?

furthermore, i'd like to have your personal opinions about doing drugs (respectively
cannabis)?

where's the border between consuming as pleasure and consume as abuse?
why are people so fond of getting in touch with such substances?

i know this is a complex and censorious topic, but nevertheless it would be
interesting to get an overview on it in this thread.

[Tulac]

I've tried , it hit me, it didn't impress me...

[The_EgAt]

I don't know anything about this in Iceland (ask Puffin, she may know ) but I can express my opinion:
I don't like drugs or cigarettes, only alcohol

[Reup]

I'm for legalising softdrugs. We allow alcohol and nicotine (and they are SERIOUSLY addictive and proven sources of many illnesses), so why make all this fuss about a bit of pot!? By legalising cannabis it can be taxed by governments and is pulled out of the criminal circuit. You don't have to go to some flaky dealer who lives in a 'bad part of town' where you could be tempted to try some of the heavier stuff (i.e. heroine, cocaine, XTC, crack you name it). It will also save the law enforcers a lot of time since they don't have to track down al these minor criminals. Large criminals will lose a lot of their interest in the stuff.
In the Netherlands there is a peculair policy regarding softdrugs. Contrary to popular believe weed is NOT legalised here. It's 'tolerated'. That means you can purchase a couple of grams for personal use and it can only be sold by registered 'coffeeshops' that get a permit from the municipality. There are many regulations (about amount of stock). This whole set of rules could -by legalising the stuff- be greatly simplified.
I think people should be free to experiment with all drugs they like, be it nicotine, alcohol, weed, mushrooms etc. but public health is at stake, so the government should be carefull!
I'm not the one to decide wether a person is an addict or just a joyful user. I myself am quite fond of alcohol but would not consider myself an addict. There are certain tests that state I am based on my drinking behaviour. It's rather tricky, because some drugs have nastier side-effects then others. If you're an alcohol addict, you can probably function quite a long time in society... cannabis tends to make you lethargic and lazy, so these things would be noticed sooner... So people would more often associate a negative emotion to the weed-addict...

fff. i'll stop rambling now :whistle:

[xcom freak]

Medical opinion (i studied these last semester) :
Pot (hach or MJ ) has absolutely NO addictive factors whatsoever the only thing u get addicted to is the tabacco of the cigarettes u roll it with .Its side effects are not really worse than smoking cigaretes .And MJ has actually medical advantages it blocks Histamine cells in the nervous system (in other words its an analgesique in another words pain killer)
while stronger products create chemical dependance in ur body which will crave for it and that's BAD.

Anyway i read that pot is really bad for people that are under 15 :whistle:
and they shouldn't try it unless they are like 16 and more

[Stroggy]

As you may have guessed from my other political views I am against drugs, completely.
Many people I say this to instantly go "even soft drugs?". "even soft drugs?" , bah! I'm against all kinds of drugs, nevermind the pretty word they put in front of it to make it sound less heavy.

However I let others live their life, most if not all guys in my class smoke Marijuana on a regular basis, these people are my friends. I have made it obvious to them that I do not wish to get involved in any of their habits.

[Danny252]

I have never had any drugs. Ok, I mad a sip of champagne or wine here and there... UGHHH HORRID STUFF! tastes like bottle corks. or maybe it's just bottle corks taste of wine.. I wonder which :P But I'm a good boy. I can't say I know anyone on 'illegal' drugs, but I heard a few weeks ago that a student tried to sell some in the school. But I hear alot of stuff..

[Strobe]

many people share the opinion that "soft drugs" should be legalized.
but even in their forbidden status their doing great harm. let's be realistic.
in many countries, it's no problem to get some grass or hash if you're willing
to search! be it legal or not. but the question is, if people are realizing all the
negative side effects this consume is resulting in (if done on regular basis...).

most of all it is very dangerous if started at an early age! that's for sure!
but even when consumers are older, a certain frequency of consumption is
leading to psychical problems. it may not affect the body as strong as alcohol
or heroin does it, but nevertheless, many people underestimate the sideeffects!

politically it is very difficult to control it, if legalized! ok, you might raise taxes
about it, which could contribute to national financial issues. but then the rate
of abuse could explode, nonetheless.

[Tulac]

I say if marijuana is forbidden both alcohol and smoking should be too, people know it's bad for their health but that doesn't stop them from using it...

[Puffin]

I have used drugs. I haven't for 8 months now, simply because I can't afford it. First I really missed it, but now I don't think about it. If anybody would offer me a joint right now, I'd probably say no.
I also used to smoke, quit couple of times. I didn't start because I needed it, I never felt that strong urge to smoke. I just started because I wanted to. Untill two months ago, I smoked when drinking, but my boyfriend asked me to quit that.
I drink alcohol, but for the past couple of weeks, just the mere thought of it discusses me, after a pretty nasty experience. So I'm not drinking that much at the moment.

It doesn't bother me that other people do drugs (then I'm talking about soft ones), it's up to them what they do. Doesn't matter to me.
But when a friend gets really down on stronger stuff, I start to worry.

What many people don't know, is that painkillers can be dangerous. I know a bad example of it. It's an actual addiction. And legal.
Here in Iceland you have to be 20 or 21 to drink (even beer), 18 to smoke tobacco, and no other drugs are allowed. I don't really notice much drug using around me, even though my school is supposed to be famous for potheads. It wouldn't surprice me if it's true, but I don't really notice it. Actually, most of the people I used to smoke with weren't Icelandic.