Invisible Disabilities

[evanescence]

The other night, there was a really cool storm blowing through and I wanted to sit on my porch and smoke one while I watched the lightning, but being that I live in an apartment, I couldn't. Luckily, I'm moving to a more rural environment so I don't have to worry about that, and I may even grow a little now-I'm thinking at least 2 to 5 plants. I can't wait!

I can smoke without any trouble or worry at my house, just not with a bunch of people. When there are 4 or more of us hanging out and smoking, we're usually at my friends' house, and they live in a very rural, low heat area, so its not a worry there. The only time I ever smoke in a public setting is during the 4/20 rally and march around here. But I'd love to be able to sit on my porch during a storm or on a nice night and enjoy a puff without one of my neighbours calling the police. And I'd love to see cannabis cafes and clubs in the Niagara Falls area. The only thing that worries me about legalization is that the government is going to tax it as badly as they do with cigarettes. That would be horrible. I hope I have at least a chest freezer full by that time just in case.

-jps

 

[Herb Fellow]

Country living is the way to go. I can't see my neighbors' house from my house and at times I may be too careless walking in the woods smoking a joint. Front porch, a bowl and a good rain storm is nice, unless it really comes down then you can't hear yourself think from the noise on the tin roof.

 

[Herb Fellow]

My tokin' room is decorated with tie dyed material covering two walls and the ceiling. Just gave my black lights away as I wasn't using them. But I still have to crank up the strobe light periodically for mood alteration. Now my wife doesn't care too much for the hot chicks coming over. She has no worries, after 30 years she is still the girl of my dreams, plus she knows that the only thing that gets stiff on me these days is my back.

 

[Johnny]

My tokin' room is decorated with tie dyed material covering two walls and the ceiling. Just gave my black lights away as I wasn't using them. But I still have to crank up the strobe light periodically for mood alteration. Now my wife doesn't care too much for the hot chicks coming over. She has no worries, after 30 years she is still the girl of my dreams, plus she knows that the only thing that gets stiff on me these days is my back.

And the strobe light sounds great! That room sounds great to chill out and have a nice session in! I bet you love it.

-jps

 

[evanescence]

I have glow-in-the-dark stars and planets on my ceiling. It would be better if i had a black light. I also like lava lamps.

 

[kickstart]

We have outside smoking areas in my state. I frequent several bars here and am recognized and liked for the most part (I think...). Everyone who knows me knows I am a card holder, most people smell it on me... I go outside to the smoking deck or parking lot and am discrete about it. Just a common courtesy I believe. I don't want people pushing their lifestyles on me, so I am relatively discrete about mine. Just a personal choice I suppose. No bar owner here has ever asked me to leave, but one asked me to take it from the smoke deck to the parking lot and I have never had a problem with him since. Ironically there is an informal smoke lounge behind a shed in that parking lot with chairs and everything for the pot smokers...

 

[Boss]

PA just made it a law that insurance companies must treat mental illness just like physical illness. That's a start.

 

[Herb Fellow]

PA just made it a law that insurance companies must treat mental illness just like physical illness. That's a start.

That is a big step. I never understood it, like our mind is not part of our body or something.

 

[Smokin Moose]

There has always been a stigma associated with mental illness.

 

[Herb Fellow]

"Yeap, there goes Herb, the guy with the stigma." It's the ol' if I don't see it, its not there! Just get over it, people will say. Nope, I'm not going to get over it; I'm crazy and damn proud of it! Did you see that?

 

[evanescence]

PA just made it a law that insurance companies must treat mental illness just like physical illness. That's a start.

That's excellent news. I'm not sure what the laws are here in Tennessee, but I should find out. I hate the preconcieved ideas about mental illness-and what I hate more than anything is when people tell me to "get over it" like I choose to have depression problems.

 

[ycuzican]

We have outside smoking areas in my state. I frequent several bars here and am recognized and liked for the most part (I think...). Everyone who knows me knows I am a card holder, most people smell it on me... I go outside to the smoking deck or parking lot and am discrete about it. Just a common courtesy I believe. I don't want people pushing their lifestyles on me, so I am relatively discrete about mine. Just a personal choice I suppose. No bar owner here has ever asked me to leave, but one asked me to take it from the smoke deck to the parking lot and I have never had a problem with him since. Ironically there is an informal smoke lounge behind a shed in that parking lot with chairs and everything for the pot smokers...

That's awesome, my favorite bars have always had 'pot friendly' areas, too. But you can't find that just anywhere.

 

[ycuzican]

That is a big step. I never understood it, like our mind is not part of our body or something.

I use cannabis to treat depression and anxiety, how many legal drugs effectively treat both physical and mental ailments?

 

[Johnny]

I also prefer using cannabis for my anxiety instead of pharmaceutical drugs. It's great for anxiety attacks, since it's very quick relief instead of waiting a half hour for the pills to kick in. Right now I'm prescribed clonazepam, and those take a half hour to kick in, and they mess me up and make me all disoriented and unable to complete normal tasks. My speech is even sometimes a bit slurred. It is a pretty heavy dose though. I've had sublingual lorazepam pills and the effects were quick, but not as quick as with cannabis. Plus they also made me disoriented. I've been using cannabis in place of benzodiazepines for anxiety for a little while now, and it definitely works much more efficiently.

-jps

 

[evanescence]

The effects are definitely immediate with MJ. It works wonders for me!

 

[Racefan]

When cannabis come legal I hope I'm alive. I doubt I will be but it's nice to dream.

As for the original story...It all comes down to respect for other people and the smoker is a idiot! He should have stepped further away and enjoyed his drink afterwards. As a ex bar manager and bartender I wouldn't allow a cigarette smoker to smoke right outside the door and I wouldn't allow a weed smoker to do it either. You can defend his right to medicate all you want. I'm a med user as well. But there is a time and place for everything and this wasn't the right time or place for a cannabis break or to medicate. I wouldn't want my kids to see some guy medicating with cannabis any more than I would want them to see the diabetic sticking a needle in his ass. There is a time and place for everything.

 

[Boss]

I also prefer using cannabis for my anxiety instead of pharmaceutical drugs. It's great for anxiety attacks, since it's very quick relief instead of waiting a half hour for the pills to kick in. Right now I'm prescribed clonazepam, and those take a half hour to kick in, and they mess me up and make me all disoriented and unable to complete normal tasks. My speech is even sometimes a bit slurred. It is a pretty heavy dose though. I've had sublingual lorazepam pills and the effects were quick, but not as quick as with cannabis. Plus they also made me disoriented. I've been using cannabis in place of benzodiazepines for anxiety for a little while now, and it definitely works much more efficiently.

-jps

I have a bottle of those right here. They have some serious side effects on some people, and it's dangerous to come down from if you have been on it a long time. I only take those if I run out of Cannabis. I don't take any meds now other then Cannabis, after 6 years, I am done with them.

 

[Johnny]

You're very right about the side-effects, Boss. Here's something very strange that happened to me a couple nights ago. I hadn't taken benzodiazepines for months until two nights ago. Even with smoking the mostly-indica strain I have right now, I couldn't sleep, so I took a normal dose of clonazepam (1 mg for me), and I went to the garage to smoke a bowl. When I came inside, it was about three, and at five I sort of snapped out of a trance and didn't remember what had happened in the last two hours. I was sitting on the couch with a PS2 controller in my hands when I came to and the TV wasn't even on. It was very strange and pretty alarming, so I'm not touching those anymore. I've also begun to wean myself off prozac, but I'm on a pretty high dose so that may take awhile. I can't wait to treat myself using strictly cannabis.

-jps

 

[Boss]

Make sure you consult your doctor on getting off of them. It is important to do it right, and there are no promises that it will work for you. You may have to stay on some primary meds. I may still have to, I just don't know.

 

[Johnny]

Make sure you consult your doctor on getting off of them. It is important to do it right, and there are no promises that it will work for you. You may have to stay on some primary meds. I may still have to, I just don't know.

With my doctor's help, I've gotten off several different medications, and I do have to admit, cannabis and prozac have proven to be a satisfactory combination. If I stay on anything, I'd prefer to just stick with the prozac, but a much lower dose of it because it's also causing me problems. It's affected my appetite to the point where I almost always need the aid of cannabis to stimulate it. Getting off the clonazepam isn't a problem because I've never really taken them as directed, so I haven't ever been on them regularly. I had a bad experience when I was prescribed lorazepam, so I only use the clonazepam when it's an absolute must that I do. The reason I want to strictly use cannabis is that I just want the relief without such bad side-effects. I've been on a lot of medications and I've had side effects with almost every one. Thanks for the advice, Boss.

-jps