For someone who was never able to use it due to making me ill with extreme nausea, I never really thought of it as a good or beneficial thing, though I never begrudged those I knew who could/did partake of it.  What they did was their business.  However, things have changed over the last few months after my sister convinced me to give it another try.

My sister suffers from chronic pain, as do I, and she's been using it to assist with that for a few years now.  Anyway, I was at her place a while ago and struggling with hip, knee and lower back pain when she suggested that I try a little to see if it helped.  Well I gave it a small try and I haven't looked back since.

Now I don't use it to get stoned.  I don't care about that.  It does help with arthritic pain and sleep deprivation, though, and that's what I use it for.  I generally take it at night before bed to help me sleep, but if the pain becomes a bit much during the day I will use a small amount then.

So, from somebody who wouldn't touch it, I have changed my tune.  I don't know that I approve of purely it in a recreational sense, but as a medicinal aid I do think cannabis has a place, especially for those suffering with chronic pain and illnesses such as cancer and heart disease, etc.  I mean, why should people suffer serious pain and have to take hardcore drugs when cannabis is effective and less harmful than morphine, etc.

So yeah, it has its upside, though it isn't legalised for medicinal use in my neck of the woods as yet.  I hope it soon will be, but I won't hold my breath, given the stalling thus far on its legislation.  Sometimes I think our legislators believe we'll become a nation of stoned wasters if they legalise it.  Maybe they need to keep an eye on the Canadian example to prove them wrong.

I tried it in my younger days and it made me ill, probably because I was stupid back then and was trying to get high.  Thankfully I grew up and now see it from an entirely different perspective.  I know of people who smoke it purely to get stoned, but that's not my go anymore. 

These days it's purely for medical purposes.  In fact, I wouldn't be doing it at all if it weren't for my sister convincing me that it did help with pain and that I could cut down on heavy duty pain killers and their side effects.  Now I don't know if I'm any better or worse off financially, but I sure am feeling better with fewer stomach upsets and drug related nausea. 

I bet that pisses off the drug companies because I'm taking far fewer pain meds.  In fact, that's probably why cannabis is or has been illegal worldwide... the power of the drug companies preventing its legalisation.

I smoked it every now and then when I was a teenager and never got sick from it. I agree that smoking it to get high may not be the smartest thing to do but now it is legal here to do so, not my thing but after 40+ years of not having a toke I might try it for my insomnia.

We can order it online or in my case travel 20 minutes to purchase it, heck, we are even allowed to grow up to 3 plants in our home. The times they are a changin.

Canada I applaud thee! If I were younger I'd move there. Universal Health Care and legal pot! Kudos to Canada!   

   Back in the day there were only five kinds of pot that I knew of. Dirt pot, which was just that, leftovers. Columbian Red and Gold, both were pretty good but the gold was more expensive. Then there was Chibas, a black gritty type that would put you on cloud nine in some other reality. The fifth was Hawaiian blonde, yellow strips instead of buds that you had to cut up with scissors. I liken pot to alcohol except one is addictive and the other isn't (pot is not addictive because if it were no one would be able to go days and or weeks without it). So, that said I did my share of toking. First to get high then after a while to relieve back pain and an on again off again sciatica in my left hip. 

   I don't drink because I have zero tolerance for alcohol. One shot and I'm tipsy, one more and I don't even stand up let alone walk. Anyway, for me it was curiosity at first. At age 25 (really late comer) I smoked my first joint and boom, I was blitzed and then some. Listening to AC/DC's Sweet Emotion sitting on the floor with my back to the couch and on my way to never never land. These days, forty years later, I still smoke and make no apologies for it. It helps with a lot all things considered. As for it being 25% more potent lets say than it was back then...bullshit! Doesn't even come close. Today its all designer stuff. Were it to go legal here I'd be the first on line, no bull. I don't suffer from anxiety, reduces stress to near zero levels, keeps my blood pressure down and even my doctors were impressed with that.

   When I first applied for subsidized housing eight years ago I had to undergo an evaluation by a psychologist because they required some kind of determination to see if I had any issues like depression or some such. Turns out all they could get was mild depression (because there was nothing else there lol) and wanted to prescribe meds for it. Not gonna happen! I've seen what those so called meds do to people. If I want to be a walking talking zombie I'll apply for a part in a movie. Like booze it doesn't affect everyone the same way. And like booze it can impair your judgement which is why you don't get behind the wheel and drive and why it should be regulated just like alcohol is. Not to mention the fact that you can't drink on an empty stomach unless you like puking your brains out or waking up the next say with a hang over that makes you want to shoot yourself.   

I am not talking about just to wind down, if you want to compare it to alcohol that is fine but there is a big difference between winding down and getting drunk. I would not smoke pot to get stoned and I would not drink alcohol to get drunk, I did when I was young but not now. It also has nothing do with being safe or unsafe, I do a lot of things that are unsafe including consuming sugar and I have type 2 diabetes, I just do not want to get stoned or drunk, that is all there is to it. 

I just created an account and I am all set up to purchase pot. My Province offers 73 varieties of dried leaf that I can purchase online.

Moving this out of WC talk.

Probably a good idea.

We are allowed to grow 3 plants in our home so there really is no need to buy online, those that do so are looking for the convenience of having it delivered to their door. I look at it as similar to alcohol as far as cost goes, beer is not cheap but I buy it occasionally.  

I'm aware every person can have a certain amount of plants they can grow. Just like Colorado has.

Don't think any of the States that do this or Canada cares one bit about anyone. It's all about the TAX money. Period.

Colorado passed in 2014. Since they have not taken in Millions but "Billions" New Jersey with this new Governor is also going to pass this sooner or later. In fact he already has a plan where all the tax money is going and it's not for Seniors or Health Care.

I can see it for Medical reasons only.

Then by all means do not use marijuana in any shape or form...and drink beer or alcohol in moderation. It doesn't take much to get stoned using pot...and as far as alcohol unless your an extreme light weight it takes a bit to get drunk.

I think you are forgetting that I use to smoke it. Perhaps we have different definitions but from my experience there is buzzed and there is stoned, it is no different than alcohol, one beer is not going to get me drunk but several will.