So in many respects, I’m right there with you. I do not believe the ‘it’s not physically addictive’ bit beyond ‘it’s not physically addictive with the same severity as cocaine, caffeine, alcohol if a heavy user, etc.’. People often do get physical withdrawl symptoms if they are heavy users that don’t taper off. Long-term heavy use can exacerbate depression and anxiety symptoms, though I do wonder about the impact of environmental factors here (the habits that get cemented in some folk’s smoking routine). Some people do have pre-existing psychiatric conditions that cannabis can trigger or worsen, and those folks should stay as far away from cannabis as possible for their health.
From a rec drug perspective though, as an occasional thing it can be pretty great for others. We live in stressful times - something that is acutely relaxing with a shortish duration, no hangover, and comparatively few side effects with casual/occasional use is pretty damn useful. The amount of trouble you can find yourself in at high levels of intoxication is pretty low v. many alternatives. And for many people who use it medicinally, it allows for better quality of life compared to drugs with much more severe, acute side effects.
My general take at this point is this: Cannabis is not right for all people at all times. It can be right, or useful, for some people sometimes. In places where it’s legal, that’s good because fuck going to prison for a plant. But it’s legal - not mandatory. Use should be a function of personal choice, with risk management in mind. Ideally, we should be creating a space to think about cannabis in terms of its pros and cons, and provide guidance for those who find themselves getting more of the cons - either around RoA, frequency of use, dosage, or whether it’s something they should be using in the first place if things are really bad. But with compassion and a clear-eyed view of what it’s actually doing for them on the whole.
So in many respects, I’m right there with you. I do not believe the ‘it’s not physically addictive’ bit beyond ‘it’s not physically addictive with the same severity as cocaine, caffeine, alcohol if a heavy user, etc.’. People often do get physical withdrawl symptoms if they are heavy users that don’t taper off. Long-term heavy use can exacerbate depression and anxiety symptoms, though I do wonder about the impact of environmental factors here (the habits that get cemented in some folk’s smoking routine). Some people do have pre-existing psychiatric conditions that cannabis can trigger or worsen, and those folks should stay as far away from cannabis as possible for their health.
From a rec drug perspective though, as an occasional thing it can be pretty great for others. We live in stressful times - something that is acutely relaxing with a shortish duration, no hangover, and comparatively few side effects with casual/occasional use is pretty damn useful. The amount of trouble you can find yourself in at high levels of intoxication is pretty low v. many alternatives. And for many people who use it medicinally, it allows for better quality of life compared to drugs with much more severe, acute side effects.
My general take at this point is this: Cannabis is not right for all people at all times. It can be right, or useful, for some people sometimes. In places where it’s legal, that’s good because fuck going to prison for a plant. But it’s legal - not mandatory. Use should be a function of personal choice, with risk management in mind. Ideally, we should be creating a space to think about cannabis in terms of its pros and cons, and provide guidance for those who find themselves getting more of the cons - either around RoA, frequency of use, dosage, or whether it’s something they should be using in the first place if things are really bad. But with compassion and a clear-eyed view of what it’s actually doing for them on the whole.