BS: I am no longer a criminal!

Subject: BS: I am no longer a criminal!
From: Mrrzy
Date: 01 Jul 20 - 06:07 PM

At least, at last, pot weed grass marijuana decriminalized in Virginia!

Those of you murricans in legalizing states, how was your transition?

Those of you not murricans, does anybody even care?

Subject: RE: BS: I am no longer a criminal!
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 01 Jul 20 - 06:24 PM

I don't care. I've never used it. And I'm sane. As you yanks love to say, go figure.

Subject: RE: BS: I am no longer a criminal!
From: Donuel
Date: 01 Jul 20 - 06:38 PM

Have you ever noticed that people who exclaim they're sane...

Stable genius comes to mind.

Subject: RE: BS: I am no longer a criminal!
From: Helen
Date: 01 Jul 20 - 06:41 PM

Hi Mrrzy,

If it works for you, that's good.

I tried it a couple of times when I was first at Uni back in the early '70's but my family's financial circumstances were that if I didn't make it through my studies on the teacher's scholarship I would miss out on a degree altogether so the fluffy-headedness of it didn't suit me at all, either personally, academically or financially.

I have read articles which show that it can help medicinally in some circumstances.

Medicinal cannabis is legal in Australia

Subject: RE: BS: I am no longer a criminal!
From: Helen
Date: 01 Jul 20 - 06:44 PM

LOL, Donuel. Literally LOL.

Subject: RE: BS: I am no longer a criminal!
From: Donuel
Date: 01 Jul 20 - 06:58 PM

My only crime, although never charged, was avoiding the draft and we all received a Presidential pardon by Jimmy Carter.

As for pot, the cartoons on the eyelids are amusing but not worth the co$t.

Subject: RE: BS: I am no longer a criminal!
From: Mrrzy
Date: 01 Jul 20 - 06:59 PM

Hmm... I was thinking recreational use, not medical, but I didn't specify.

So original questions reposed with that caveat.

Other than being in hospital, or when traveling across international borders, I've smoked pot pretty much daily since March 11, 1977. About a year later tobacco started making me ill. Quit smoking tobacco August '78, after a summer of trying to find a brand of cigarettes that didn't make me barf.

Subject: RE: BS: I am no longer a criminal!
From: robomatic
Date: 01 Jul 20 - 07:02 PM

My problem has been that I (prepare to laugh) can't inhale.

When it was legal to buy MJ products in 'laska I showed up at one of the new shops and bought some very expensive cookies.

The plastic cookie containers were childproofed to the extent that I had to read a small pamphlet on how to open mine and a recommendation not to eat more than a half cookie (cookie the size of a ginger snap).

The result. Absolutely nothin'.

So I still regard myself as a marijuana virgin.

Subject: RE: BS: I am no longer a criminal!
From: Helen
Date: 01 Jul 20 - 07:18 PM

I remember a news article in Oz many years ago about an employee who was charged with an offence because s/he mixed up the hash cookies and the plain cookies s/he baked at home and took the wrong ones into work for the tea room. Maybe she sampled the baked goods and got her brain a bit befuddled.

I also remember not long after I started working at my last work place, I got in the lift and all I could smell was dope smoke. I'm fairly sure that I know who the person was.

Subject: RE: BS: I am no longer a criminal!
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 01 Jul 20 - 07:48 PM

"Have you ever noticed that people who exclaim they're sane...

Stable genius comes to mind"

Thing is, Donuel, is that you're an idiot. Whether you're a sane idiot, an insane idiot or a druggie idiot is moot. Perhaps you'd be honest enough to apprise us...

Subject: RE: BS: I am no longer a criminal!
From: Donuel
Date: 01 Jul 20 - 07:48 PM

Smoked LSD - absolutely nuthin. Injecting Lysol was a bigger deal.
Available at your local Beth Lab, Hydroxyshaolinexodrine will kick your ass.

Subject: RE: BS: I am no longer a criminal!
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 01 Jul 20 - 07:59 PM

Back in the mid 70s at 2nd job I got in with the very heavy drinking/cigarette smoking clique, & tried to be like them, drink in one hand & cigarette in the other (cough, cough)
So the only time I tried dope I really didn't inhale (cos I didn't like inhaling tobacco) & decided after that one "drag" it was too slow, & I remember thinking that it wasn't doing anything for me & got back to the wine. After a couple of years I decided excessive wine was not a good idea either & moved away from my "friends." Water is delicious & one does not feel unwell the following morning.

A couple of years back in winter I visited a friend who was a very heavy dope smoker & realised getting off the train at my normal station (Sydney's drinking & entertainment area) where police dogs sniffed at people, was probably not a good idea as I reeked of smoke & not just from his combustion fire, so I didn't get the train & walked directly to my street & avoided patrols!!

Subject: RE: BS: I am no longer a criminal!
From: Donuel
Date: 01 Jul 20 - 08:02 PM

Idiot, imbecile, and moron were, not so long ago, used in a psychological classification system, and each one was assigned to a fairly specific range of abilities.
Idiots.—Those so defective that the mental development never exceeds that or a normal child of about two years.
Imbeciles.—Those whose development is higher than that of an idiot, but whose intelligence does not exceed that of a normal child of about seven years.
Morons.—Those whose mental development is above that of an imbecile, but does not exceed that of a normal child of about twelve years, 1912

Of these three words moron is the newest (early 20th century), and the only one which was coined specifically for the purpose of medical diagnosis. The word comes from the Greek moros, meaning "foolish, stupid," and shares this etymology with words such as sophomore ("a student in the second year at college or a 4-year secondary school") and morosoph ("a learned fool").

Imbecile began its life in English in the 16th century as an adjective, and meant "weak, feeble" (the word comes from the Latin imbecillus, "weak, weak-minded"). It wasn't until the early 19th century that the word began to be used as a noun.

Order Murat to attack and d

Subject: RE: BS: I am no longer a criminal!
From: Donuel
Date: 01 Jul 20 - 08:08 PM

Howdoya know what high is without knowing what normal is about?
Pot is a Twinkie compared to magic mushroom surf and turf.

Subject: RE: BS: I am no longer a criminal!
From: Helen
Date: 01 Jul 20 - 08:31 PM

As a critical and creative thinker with a breadth of knowledge, Donuel, I think you have just effectively countered the previous claim. Well done!

Subject: RE: BS: I am no longer a criminal!
From: Helen
Date: 01 Jul 20 - 08:40 PM

Mushrooms. That reminds me of a near miss.

Again, back in the '70's someone I knew decided to cook up a small pot of magic mushies which he had obtained. I looked in the pot and saw a small maggot crawling out of one of the mushies and had a double-yuk moment. I don't like eating normal mushrooms - except in beef stroganoff camouflaged by the creamy sauce - and I don't think maggots are likely to be tasty.

The poor little man got his knickers in a twist when I refused to partake, and tried to convince me he had procured them just for me, but my distaste for mushrooms as well as for trying psychedelic concoctions, plus that heroic little maggot popping up and waving at me, meant he lost the whole trifecta. Funny!

Subject: RE: BS: I am no longer a criminal!
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 01 Jul 20 - 08:43 PM

He's taken drugs. Any "creativity" he's ever shown could be a result of that. Frankly, I prefer a clear head. I await any evidence that he has ever demonstrated that. I suppose there's always hope.

Subject: RE: BS: I am no longer a criminal!
From: keberoxu
Date: 01 Jul 20 - 09:14 PM

Massachusetts has legal cannabis now, I forget the restrictions
but it is carefully regulated here.
As opposed to being entirely illegal.

The state I hear the fuss about,
is the state of Colorado.
Are things really that bad in Colorado,
or is that anti-cannabis propaganda?

I am no smoker and have never tried smoking this stuff.
There are honest-to-God medical doctors who
recommend medicinal cannabis to some suffering patients,
I have heard of it happening here in Massachusetts,
and if it's carefully done, why not?

Subject: RE: BS: I am no longer a criminal!
From: Donuel
Date: 01 Jul 20 - 10:22 PM

There is a grain of truth in that personally and for society Steve.
While man made drugs or vaccines have saved many lives, life on Earth like the trees, grass grain, mushrooms and flowers have symbiotically evolved over millions of years or more. How we use them is key.

Subject: RE: BS: I am no longer a criminal!
From: robomatic
Date: 02 Jul 20 - 12:37 AM

Taking cannabinoid
Turned me from a square
To a trapezoid
And the 'thorities
Were very annoyed.
But me I'm still no
paranoid on non sanity
vergin'
(Because I'm still a marijuana
-sturgeon-)

Subject: RE: BS: I am no longer a criminal!
From: Mr Red
Date: 02 Jul 20 - 02:04 AM

Have you ever noticed that people who exclaim they're sane...

Well, when I look in a mirror there are no tell tale signs. But do I see someone definitely on the sane side of pot luck!

There is a researched artifact that shows there is a tendency to aggression peaking 7 days after imbibing. Everybodys' different but I have had it proved to me when on colleague was questioning in a confused way 8 days later. And a friend who had to go out and buy some more for hubby who was too aggressive to handle (and that gave her 2 episodes). There was a radio presenter colleague who was quite paranoiac at odd times (another potential symptom), she smoked skunk. Another friend/colleague claimed no effect, I never saw him vary. But the warning is there, you don't know your genes. We, the sane, inevitably find out!

Subject: RE: BS: I am no longer a criminal!
From: Ebbie
Date: 02 Jul 20 - 02:54 AM

I haven't tried smoking pot mostly because I don't like the smell. Skunk roadkill is a common smell in Oregon- believe me, you don't want to get it on your tires.

But one night here in Juneau I went to dinner with two guys at the home of one of them and his guest promised he had brought something for me.

After a delicious dinner he brought me a dessert cookie and I ate it. We sat around chatting and I felt nothing and eventually my host took me home.

I was on the computer when I suddenly realized that I was high. It took me aback- I was alone and there was no fun involved. So I went to bed and to sleep. And that is the only time I have had pot.

I like wine.

Subject: RE: BS: I am no longer a criminal!
From: Jos
Date: 02 Jul 20 - 04:46 AM

When youngsters smoke pot in the garage block near my house the smoke invades my house. I don't want the second-hand smoke and the smell is unpleasant, so I go out and ask them to do it somewhere else. They apologise meekly and go away. If it is made legal they may not be so obliging.

Subject: RE: BS: I am no longer a criminal!
From: Donuel
Date: 02 Jul 20 - 06:48 AM

My perspective is shaped by the fact that pot only made my migrain pain worse.
If it is a delight to migraine free folks it should at least have no criminal punishment. It also has some synthete qualities in its effects which is interesting

Subject: RE: BS: I am no longer a criminal!
From: gillymor
Date: 02 Jul 20 - 08:32 AM

What a Nixonian thread title.
Here in Florida marijuana is illegal without a prescription, you can do you up to 5 years in prison for possession of more than 20 grams. However, you can use it and buy it here from state-sanctioned dispensaries if you have a medical card for it and pretty much anybody can get a card. The product available includes high THC content in an ever-increasing number of strains so we're talking some kickass bud with a variety of effects according to what you're looking for.
I imagine that decriminalization means you can transition to not having the specter of prison looming over you when you toke up on illicit weed.

Subject: RE: BS: I am no longer a criminal!
From: Senoufou
Date: 02 Jul 20 - 09:52 AM

My goodness, the prisoners I visited had all been on drugs. Many still were while in prison (the prisons here are awash with drugs)
Those on cannabis (ordinary, skunk and other stronger forms) were demotivated, their mental health in shreds and actually in a sense addicted.
I wouldn't recommend cannabis to anyone. It messes up ones head permanently in many cases. Very very dodgy...

Subject: RE: BS: I am no longer a criminal!
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 02 Jul 20 - 09:59 AM

I've never taken an illicit drug in my life, but when it comes to cannabis I've never seen why you can't grow a natural plant in your garden and smoke it or do whatever you do with it. I'd definitely draw the line at selling it or otherwise trading it with anyone else, and I don't think we should ever be legalising stuff that has to be processed or purified. I'll stick to drinking wine, beer and single malts if you don't mind.

Subject: RE: BS: I am no longer a criminal!
From: Charmion
Date: 02 Jul 20 - 10:13 AM

Cannabis has been legal in Canada for a while now, but the change has made zero personal difference to me or to Himself, my better half.

Himself's professional life is another matter. Y'see, he's a criminal lawyer.

As a long-time asthmatic, I prefer not to inhale anything more complicated than country air, which is quite complicated enough, thank you. Himself is one of those people who tried it in youth and perceived no effect, so did not bother further. I spent the most risk-prone years of my youth in the armed forces, so not bothering with or deliberately avoiding a substance that could land me in front of a court-martial was basic common sense. Himself served 30 years as a legal officer, so that went doubled and in spades for him.

Now that we're well over sixty, our preferred mind-altering substance is alcohol, in the form of riesling or perhaps a nice pinot noir, or maybe the local brewery's IPA. Whatever goes best with supper.

Decriminalization of cannabis in Canada has not been simple; in fact, where once we had a few criminal charges (possession, trafficking, cultivation), we now have more than forty. (Criminal law in Canada is federal, BTW.) Federal, provincial and municipal governments alike are striving to control, tax and generally discourage the use of a substance that is now legal to possess (in certain quantities) and use, and easy to produce at home for personal consumption. So that part is not going well.

Veterans' groups concerned with the welfare of PTSD sufferers report that those who use cannabis to control their disease, especially to promote sleep, have trouble securing their preferred form of the herb from official vendors, who are typically out of stock. People who live in the country or in small towns have to travel considerable distances to visit a pot shop because the provincial regulations require a substantial population density to ... ah ... cushion the blow that a pot shop might deliver to a community. (I hope you catch the whiff of hypocrisy here.)

Meanwhile, in real life, the unofficial cannabis market is thriving. Since possession of small quantities for personal use is not an offence, how does the cop arresting you tell that you bought your little stash from your country cousin and not from the provincially licensed pot shop? Short answer, she can't. So the domestic unofficial growers are producing more than they ever did, and selling briskly to their massive customer base, while agribusiness is tip-toeing into the officially sanctioned part of the trade.

How do I know this? Well, I have some country cousins who have been in the pot business since the 1970s, and one of them has been to prison twice on cultivation and trafficking charges. When we visit them, we say nothing about their casual consumption of the herb, and they politely offer and take no offence when we politely decline to partake ourselves. In fact, it works out much like the adaptation of teetotalers to friends and relatives who take a drop, on the principle that it's your life and no skin off my nose as long as you're sober when you operate heavy machinery in my presence.

Subject: RE: BS: I am no longer a criminal!
From: robomatic
Date: 02 Jul 20 - 10:37 AM

My first night in Anchorage many years ago I was sitting in a circle of artists as they passed a joint around. At that point in Alaska history it was legal. When the dutchie was passed to me I realized this was an opportunity to celebrate the end of a very long run up the Alcan in my old Toyota, raised it to my lips then realized that I had never inhaled smoke. My lungs clamped as if I was under water and to avoid conspicuous embarassment I sadly passed the unit on. Another example of an incomplete education. At the time growing MJ as a houseplant and doing what you wanted with it in the state was totally one's own business. I had a housemate who had such plants but I think they were mostly ornamental. The leaves are quite striking, kind of like having a poinsettia with an even sunnier personality. Replicants took over the politics of my State and our laws changed to look like everyone else's in the lower 49 until later in the following millenium (2014).
When the referendum won to make pot products of all sorts legal, one of our local news television broadcasters announced she was going to depart the newsdesk and start her own company.
The municipality took months to lay down a complicated series of rules and regs for anyone establishing their own company. Still there are probably a dozen such companies around at present. I'm guessing they've done well with the coming of covid and wondering if mj would augment a rhubarb crisp.

Subject: RE: BS: I am no longer a criminal!
From: gillymor
Date: 02 Jul 20 - 12:33 PM

A number of legally available items can be abused to a person's detriment. Food, alcohol and tobacco spring to mind. It's up to the individual to use them responsibly, or not. I abstained from pot and other illicit drugs for about 45 years, save for a drag on a joint at 2 or 3 social gatherings in all that time. Last December I got a MM card for arthritis and cannabis has proven to be a gawdsend for me. Celebrex and Aleve did absolutely nothing to alleviate my pain but the right amount of the right strain of cannabis has made it bearable and allowed me to get out and hike, play tennis (that's on hold until I get a new hip), play music, etc. whereas otherwise I might have just sat at home. Uplifted spirits and increased energy are just the cherry on the sundae. It's criminal that the blue hairs have kept this drug out of the hands of so many people who could have benefited from it's use.

Subject: RE: BS: I am no longer a criminal!
From: Helen
Date: 02 Jul 20 - 04:54 PM

In Oz, different states have different rules but mostly MJ is still illegal except for medical uses. I'm not sure because I don't use it, but I think that a person having a limited amount is ok as long as s/he doesn't sell it. This allows the police to get on with more important issues.

However, having THC in your system while driving is illegal and because it stays in your system for a day or more, some drivers are getting caught out without realising they were at risk.

I watch the Oz TV show called RBT sometimes. RBT = random breath testing, but they also do drug tests these days. One funny situation on the show was a carful of people coming back from a Nimbin MardiGrass festival and the driver was done for having THC in his system. The police officers were discussing whether it was secondhand smoke from the passengers but the driver had partaken of the weed the day before and it was still in his system.

Note: Nimbin is hippie-central in NSW. The Nimbin Aquarius Festival was a counter-cultural arts and music festival in 1973. I was in first year at Uni and travelled up the coast with a few fellow students. It was a fun festival, but our group were not into drugs. After the festival a lot of counter-culture people moved to the area and set up communal farms etc. Although MJ is not legal in NSW it would be hard to police it so the illegal consequences of using it is policed.

Subject: RE: BS: I am no longer a criminal!
From: Mrrzy
Date: 02 Jul 20 - 05:15 PM

I think in Mass and DC it is legal to buy but not to sell. Love that little weirdness.

Subject: RE: BS: I am no longer a criminal!
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 02 Jul 20 - 07:30 PM

Celebrex has been implicated in significantly increasing the risk of heart attacks. For my sins I've been suffering with my back for at least fifteen years. During most of that time I've been taking diclofenac sodium (aka Voltarol this end), along with a low dose of a proton pump inhibitor to stop the diclofenac from attacking my gut. Magic. Celebrex did nothing at all for me, as did Naproxen, and I can't tolerate ibuprofen at all. Keep pestering your doc until you find your nirvana. Thing is, it's all free this end....

Subject: RE: BS: I am no longer a criminal!
From: Donuel
Date: 02 Jul 20 - 10:12 PM

I have a major sensory nerve that was cut and has tried to grow back but ends in clump of nerve tissue, so it sends phantom pain I can control with Lidocaine a half hour at a time. I've thought that botox in the nerve ending might be a longer lasting solution. (once a month)
Of course all the things that really work are addictive and not for me.

Subject: RE: BS: I am no longer a criminal!
From: Mr Red
Date: 03 Jul 20 - 03:54 AM

the smoke invades my house.

Second hand smoke is all the more annoying knowing it is psychoactive. I get irritated by the wisps of vape in the air, the strawberry may be acceptable to the vaper but it is not the kind of strawberry that I want to smell. It isn't strawberry and you can tell. There is precious little research into the vape additives and if they are benign.

Nicotine is immuno-suppressive, that much is known, regardless of how it enters the body. Throw in a pandemic and retire to a safe distance!

FWIW CBD is regarded as psychoactive because it is considered to have a calming influence. As opposed to the high of the THC (that is not present). It is anti-inflammatory.

Subject: RE: BS: I am no longer a criminal!
From: Jack Campin
Date: 03 Jul 20 - 04:35 AM

Vile stuff. It always made me hypochondriacally anxious, and getting glandular fever (infectious mononucleosis, Epstein-Barr virus) made that vastly worse and caused burning pain in lymph nodes all over my body. That was 40 years ago and it would take something like terminal cancer with no other medical options to persuade me to take it again.

On the other hand, I took LSD when it was still legal. Please bring THAT back.

Subject: RE: BS: I am no longer a criminal!
From: Mr Red
Date: 04 Jul 20 - 05:28 AM

AFAIK ergot is not illegal. All you need is rye seeds and patience.
Though I wouldn't recommend it, not just because the dosage is not controlled, but also because from what I have read and watched.

ergot is the nearest natural mind altering substance to LSD.

The UK law is weird in that fresh magic mushrooms are not illegal but once dried they are (ie processed). Again from what I have seen of people who have eaten, not recommended.

Personally, alcohol (4.5% ABV) is the only & most potent mind alterer for my tastes, and then sufficient to re-hydrate while dancing.

FWIW codeine is an opiate and addictive.

Subject: RE: BS: I am no longer a criminal!
From: Senoufou
Date: 04 Jul 20 - 06:01 AM

My husband uses Voltarol sometimes for muscle-strain (his job is very strenuous) But he WILL call it 'Voldemort'. He'll go into a pharmacy and ask for "A tube of Voldemort please Madame!" Always raises a smile.

Subject: RE: BS: I am no longer a criminal!
From: Doug Chadwick
Date: 04 Jul 20 - 06:02 AM

Personally, alcohol (4.5% ABV) is the only & most potent mind alterer for my tastes, and then sufficient to re-hydrate while dancing.

Caffeine, while not as potent as alcohol, is nevertheless an addictive, mind altering drug. If you feel the need for a good cup of tea or coffee, then alcohol is not your only drug of choice. It is found in a range of foods and beverages and is hard to avoid.

DC

Subject: RE: BS: I am no longer a criminal!
From: Jos
Date: 04 Jul 20 - 06:38 AM

A few years ago when I was in a lot of pain from arthritis my doctor prescribed codeine, saying that if it cured the pain I wouldn't get addicted.
What rubbish. It did very little for me in the way of curing the pain (I heard somewhere, probably Radio 4, that the way it works as a pain killer by making you not care about the pain). It made me feel so weird that in less than a week I stopped taking it, only to discover that I was addicted, not that I was craving it, but my body wasn't functioning properly without it. I returned the rest of the pills to the chemist and after about another week my body adjusted and I was back to normal (apart from the pain, which was eventually cured by a new hip).

Subject: RE: BS: I am no longer a criminal!
From: Mrrzy
Date: 04 Jul 20 - 08:16 AM

Senoufou, I am stealing that nickname!

Subject: RE: BS: I am no longer a criminal!
From: Jack Campin
Date: 04 Jul 20 - 09:20 AM

Ergot is not mind altering, except insofar as having limbs rot off with gangrene would alter anybody's mind. Making LSD from it requires very complicated chemistry. There is a book called The Psychedelic Guide to the Preparation of the Eucharist that says how (it must be on the web somewhere). Precise temperature control with explosive reagents under spectrally filtered light in a darkroom while keeping everything in fume cabinets. Not in my attic.

Subject: RE: BS: I am no longer a criminal!
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 04 Jul 20 - 09:35 AM

Jos, I've posted before about my experience with Tramadol, another opioid, which I was given for back pain. That didn't do much good either, and made me feel odd; I didn't feel safe to drive and would lose my footing going downstairs, for example. After I'd been taking it for just a couple of weeks, we went out for the day so I decided to manage without it so that I'd feel OK. Well that was some mistake. I became incredibly ill on the way home, and, when we arrived home and I resumed the tablets, I recovered completely within the hour. In just two weeks I had become physically dependent. In spite of all the advice I'd read about what to do to get off the drug, I just stopped taking it. I didn't sleep for three nights and was completely doolally-tap. Bloody opioids. I'd rather suffer. Never again.

Subject: RE: BS: I am no longer a criminal!
From: Jack Campin
Date: 04 Jul 20 - 10:16 AM

Hermann Goering spent most of his career addicted to codeine and Rush Limbaugh has done the same on oxycodone. So for one kind of career it doesn't seem to get in the way.

Subject: RE: BS: I am no longer a criminal!
From: gillymor
Date: 04 Jul 20 - 10:42 AM

I had a knee replaced in 2015 and told the Doc that I didn't want to use oxycodone or oxycontin (the TR version of it) as when I had rotator cuff surgery 10 years prior to that it took me 6 torturous weeks to wean myself off it after using it twice daily in order to get through PT. To that end he prescribed Tramadol and I took one dose after surgery and decided that I'd just have to deal with the pain because it made me feel lousy. Fortunately when the nerve block from the operation wore off the pain was minimal.

Subject: RE: BS: I am no longer a criminal!
From: Raedwulf
Date: 04 Jul 20 - 11:40 AM

Stable genius comes to mind.

You're good with horses, Don, is that what you're telling us? Or just great at horse sh... ;-)

Mrrzy - I never liked you, you drug baroness. Only teasing! ;-) I'm immune to the stuff, basically; have tried it (at friends' insistence), and it never had any noticeable effect on me. After a few sessions, I turned round & said so, and told them to stop wasting it on me. The response was something along the lines of "Your brother's the same, all it does it make him feel ill", so perhaps it's genetic? If (in moderation! ;-) ) it makes the world a better place for you, then I am delighted to hear that you can now use it freely. Just no going into business or I shall add you to my Xmas card list just so's I can cross you off! ;-)

Subject: RE: BS: I am no longer a criminal!
From: Charmion
Date: 04 Jul 20 - 12:24 PM

I had a very bad ankle fracture when I was in my mid-30s, on crutches for weeks and lots of surgery. The surgeon prescribed codeine for the pain, but I stopped taking it when I realized that it left me too uncoordinated to crutch my way to the bathroom, let alone hoist myself out of the bathtub.

Codeine used to be prescribed to suppress the ferocious coughing of patients with tuberculosis and other major lung diseases, and only the invention of antibiotics and steroids caused the practice to be abandoned. My mother suffered from severe lung illness throughout her adult life, and I remember her swigging Benylin cough mixture straight from the bottle just to get through a sentence. (In those days, Benylin syrup came in a version with 8 or 10 mg of codeine per teaspoon, and in Ontario you could just pick it off the shelf at the drugstore.) Needless to say, Mum was frequently rather spaced out but, without it, she would hack all day and all night.

One of her doctors tried to cure her severe chronic bronchitis with a very crude early version of Prednisone circa 1969, but that did not go well; in those days, the side effects of long-term steroid use had yet to be documented. So my Mum had the dubious privilege of contributing to medical science in the role of an unconsulted test subject.

Incidentally, because of my mother's lung problems, I got to grow up in a tobacco-free home. That wasn't common back in the '60s, when forbidding smoking was taken as, at best, needlessly rude, but more often as downright anti-social. My father's family were total abstainers, so he came to booze and tobacco as an adult -- in fact, as a 1939 conscript in the Royal Navy, where rum and tobacco were on the ration. He told me once that he "tried to learn" to smoke, but never picked up the habit because he kept forgetting his cigarettes. My brothers and I were similarly resistant to tobacco addiction, although we were all in the ciggie-loving armed forces ("Smoke 'em if you got 'em!") by the time we were old enough to vote.

Subject: RE: BS: I am no longer a criminal!
From: Thompson
Date: 04 Jul 20 - 01:04 PM

Oh, lots of people care. There are constant headlines about police triumphs in seizing millions of euros/dollars/pounds/yen worth of cannabis in its various forms. One of the triumphs of the French and Netherlands sting on users of a private phone network for criminal purposes was huge seizures of cannabis as well as other drugs. (And, however, bless them, dismantling a network responsible for many murders and vicious cruelty.)

Subject: RE: BS: I am no longer a criminal!
From: EBarnacle
Date: 04 Jul 20 - 02:53 PM

Back in the '70's when I was working in a mental hospital, my fellow staffers and I used to retire to the home of one of them and partake of some reefer. One of our group commented to me that it was a waste of good stuff because I just became more like myself.

As far as painkillers go, I don't use NSAIDs as Naproxan caused my last few ulcers. My drug of choice is Tylenol 3 but at a lower than recommended dose. The last time I took 2 pills together I had what felt very close to an overdose.

Subject: RE: BS: I am no longer a criminal!
From: Mrrzy
Date: 04 Jul 20 - 03:39 PM

Raedwulf, not female here, baron to you [grin]!

Surprisingly many of my friends can't get high on pot if they try. A few of them get sick. Where were all the people like that when I was growing up?