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Have you ever smoked pot?Results (total votes = 20):Yes&nbsp12 / 60.0%&nbsp No&nbsp8 / 40.0%&nbsp  "The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them"

Since I'm trying to desperately procrastinate from work I really should be doing, I thought I'd add a short rant to this topic. I'm really puzzled at how dangerous marijuana is portrayed, at least in the US. Despite drinking having far more lethal, long term effects (people with Korsicoff's lose their executive functioning, control over aggression etc) and there being *no* known long term effects of pot use, the ads that I've viewed on tv lately almost make pot users look like murderers - not sure if these are just local ads or not, but things like showing a young child drowning because their minder was too busy doing pot etc. The cynical side of me has got an answer to this - alcohol is profitable and has a strong lobbies behind it, marijuana has not..therefore keeping it illegal makes it the preferred tip of the slippery slope, where people will "inevitably" end up doing hard drugs that really do have serious effects is considered a valid argument.Okay, jumping off the soap box now...

No. I have also never knowingly had an alcoholic drink, cigarette, or any other drug not prescribed to me. I probably never will.

Not here. I am intrigued about what the experience is like, however.Eric

Nope. I've never tried it. I've never tried any recreational drug. I did get drunk once. That wasn't a pleasant experience. I'll never do that again.Cheryl

Hi allYep I've smoked it many times (but only now and again), I have no shame in saying that. Like some of the other members, I'm of the opinion that alcohol is greatly more damaging. The first time I tried it I was 14 and on the school playing field... I had to clasp the bloody joint in the palm of my hand because a teacher suddenly appeared... now that wasn't a good experience! Back then it was all down to peer pressure and not a conscious want to discover new experiences. These days its a different story altogether. I refuse to smoke it with others now and instead focus entirely upon the unusual (not always pleasant) sensations that can be derived from it. For those not in the know: usually (in moderation) the effects can be a deep relaxation where everything seems to pan out and thoughts sprout spontaneously, humorously, and creatively - a very rewarding sensation - the draw back is that on several occasions I've experienced the dreaded 'whitey' upon which one turns very pale, vomits, and feels pretty awful, nevertheless the altered state of perception (similar to LSD [I haven't tried it]) that follows is one of the strongest sensations of life I have ever felt. These experiences have been pivotal moments in my development as a person, allowing me to have seen myself and the world from an utterly new perspective, offering massive pause for thought and philosophical reflection. I have no regrets. And as for the legality of it; I'm of the opinion that ALL drugs should be legal. Tim

I haven't tried it, but that is nothing to do with it's legality...just never had the desire to smoke it.I do however feel that it should definately be legalised. Not doing so is just blatant hipocracy when you consider the legality of cigarettes and alcohol.I just can't stand it when "experts" get up and proclaim that "a joint is more dangerous to your body than a cigarette". Yeah, well most people that *I* know don't smoke twenty joints a day! Hence the comparison is pure nonsense.

I knew too many people when I was younger who started out smoking pot and got addicted. After pot, it was cigerettes, alcohol, 'shroom's, cocaine, crack, acid, etc. The first question was "Do you drink, smoke, etc.?" and when I said no, they said "Good, don't start."

I believe that either all drugs should be legal, or none at all. And this includes alchohol and tobacco. Our world is crazy! People in this constant flurry over who's smoking what we've dubbed 'wrong' or who's ingesting what we've singled out as 'bad.' Sure, acid can kill if you make a mistake with it, but the same can be said for skydiving. And the reason for doing both is the same. So I vigorously support Katala's viewpoint: that drugs are portrayed as a much worse demon than they actually are.I agree wholeheartedly with Mr. Nonzero, as well, in the respect that weed (in small doses!) can be a mind opening experience. As with all things, too much can suck majorly, knocking out all one's braincells and exchanging them for a desperate desire to get high. But in moderation pot can expand and enlighten one's existence.True, pctacitus, people tend to get addicted to these things. But don't they also get addicted to chocolate? Or books? If literature and candy were as demonized as drugs are in society, the world would have gangs killing one another over the smuggling of Tom Sawyer and Hersheys. It's all in the percption.To answer the question, yes. A total of five times, the last time being two years ago. I sit here as testimony that it doesn't have to be addicting.

I never have because I'm not going to be giving my hard earned cash to the scumbags and murderers who supply it.