Yeah, I think they probably do need a crutch, Sawzaw. Or maybe they want to be "cool" or something.

I do not smoke weed or anything else. I don't drink to any extent worth mentioning (meaning I barely drink at all). I don't smoke cigarettes, and I don't take drugs...legal or illegal.

What is the purpose of weed, alcohol, and tobacco? Well, I guess you could ask someone who partakes, but I would guess that the purposes are many, starting during the teen years, and they are:

to begin with...

1. to be "cool" and seem "grown up"
2. to fit in with one's peer group and impress one's peers
3. to defy parental and state authority
4. to be "brave" (supposedly)
5. to have "a good time" (party, as they call it)
6. to relax and unwind
7. to get laid? (some people use alcohol for that, certainly)

later...

1.it becomes an addictive habit
2. you need heavier and heavier doses to get "a buzz"
3. your health starts to suffer, and your addiction grows
4. and it steadily gets worse from that point on.

Now, what was it you were concerned about?

The reason you don't get my logic is that I don't believe in the old phony Left/Right dichotomy that most people subscribe to in politics. It's not really about that anymore, and both the Right and the Left are riddled with hypocrisy these days, so I snipe at both of them. I'll tell you what it's really about, Sawzaw, it's about money. Big money. More money than you or I will ever see. I'm talking about trillions of dollars. That's what it's all about. The old phony Left/Right divide is just a red herring they use to keep the public distracted and divided against each other. Divide and conquer. That goes for your two phony political parties two. Just a shell game, that's all. "The hand is quicker than the eye." As long as they can bounce you back and forth between the Democrats and the Republicans, you will continue, like Don Quixote, to swat frantically at illusions.