Am I a Pothead?
In my original post I mentioned that I use cannabis, and sure, it sparks a lot of my ideas (pun intended). But I don’t want to make it seem as though I’m some kind of drug addict. I never even started using cannabis until a couple years ago when I moved somewhere it was legal. For most of my life, I never got high.
First off, I’m not always high. I don’t even use cannabis every day. I sometimes go days or weeks without using it at all, just to make sure I’m not addicted or anything. I have no withdrawal effects or cravings. I can easily stop using cannabis at any time. I just prefer to use it. Cannabis enhances my life.
To me, using cannabis is more of a meditative practice than a party drug. Actually, I don’t even view it as a drug. Cannabis is a plant, like tea or tobacco (though much healthier than cigarettes). When high, I don’t want to go out; I want to stay in. Listen to great music, stretch, do yoga, learn, contemplate, and write. I like to listen to intellectually engaging podcasts or watch mind-blowing science videos on YouTube. Cannabis makes me thirsty for knowledge in a way I never really was before.
In fact, I wish I could go back to college and retake my philosophy classes while high. I was always interested in science and philosophy and the meaning of life, but I never pursued those interests for whatever reason. I got distracted, caught up in the bullshit and daily grind of life. But while high on cannabis, it brings those questions to the forefront of my mind. I lose all interest in sports, video games, and trivial TV shows and movies. Cannabis raises my consciousness to focus on the things that really matter: further expanding my consciousness through art, science, history, and philosophy.
Even if I never use cannabis again, I’ll still remain focused on those things. It’s changed my consciousness permanently for the better.
When high, I’ll often get a flood of ideas and frantically write them all down. It tends to be messy though, so I need to go back later to edit and make sense of it all. I write fiction, so a lot of my ideas center around stories, but I also get inspired to create songs and write poetry. I think that’s the true benefit of cannabis: creativity. It makes me more creative, and I find all sorts of connections I never noticed before.
For that reason, I think more scientists should use cannabis at least occasionally. Just ask Carl Sagan. His experience detailed in that “Mr. X” essay matches mine exactly. While high, a scientist might discover new insights and connections they never considered before. They should certainly use weed over wine.
While I recommend cannabis, I don’t recommend being high all the time. Although weed can make you more creative, it can also make you less rational. Your “high brain” may come up with wildly inventive ideas, but you need your “sober brain” to use discretion and decide whether the high ideas make rational sense. So I limit my cannabis use to nighttime, after I’ve gotten all my work done for the day. Also, rarely do I go out in public while high. Whenever I do, it feels like a waste-time I could have spent at home doing yoga, learning, and writing.
The other important thing is dosage. I don’t use much cannabis at a time. Too high a dose, and you become so creative that you’re out of your mind. You come up with wild theories that seem to make sense while high, but upon sober reflection, appear insane. A little weed makes you smarter than normal, but a lot of weed makes you dumber than normal. Moderation is key.
So am I a pothead? Maybe. But I don’t think that’s a bad thing. Which is why I mentioned cannabis in my original post. It needs to be de-stigmatized by society.
Marijuana doesn’t make people lazy and stupid. Stupid and lazy people who smoke marijuana remain lazy and stupid. However, smart, creative and productive people who use cannabis can get more creative and remain just as smart and productive. Maybe even more so.
Originally published at https://steemit.com on April 4, 2018.
