The biggest potheads aren’t who you’d guess

They are the city’s new pot-smoking professionals — ganja-puffing teachers, TV execs and businessmen who go about their daily routines while under the influence, thanks to the drug’s decriminalization. “I started realizing a lot of my family smokes weed, and they’re all very successful adults,” said “Jake,” a 29-year-old TV writer in Midtown and small-business owner who regularly tokes up. “So I was like, ‘Hey, maybe weed’s not too bad.’ “I feel a lot more comfortable being a smoker now that it’s less enforced.” In 2011, the NYPD busted 50,000 people for lighting up in the five boroughs. By 2015, that number had dropped by 68 percent, to just 16,000.

nypost.com...

This was an interesting article. It shows that more professionals are "coming out" about their smoking habits. The times are changing, and it's happening really fast. It's kind of sad to see the media is still largely on the anti side of this and the "studies" that provide factual information are very slow to come out, or non-existent.

I knew about Harry Anslinger, but I wasn't aware of this nugget:

Still, Anslinger needed evidence, so he wrote to the 30 leading scientists on the subject asking whether marijuana was dangerous; 29 wrote back saying it wasn’t, Harl said. The one scientist who agreed with Anslinger was presented to the world, and the rest was history. Until now.

Interesting article and worth the read IHMO.

Have a nice day ATS!

a reply to: network dude

I agree, but you forgot Prime Ministers and Presidents.

They all do it, and then tell us we can't because?

Some laws were meant to be broken, by the People (the actual employers of Nations).

In my early 20s I hung out with a few university professors who liked to smoke.

I have a 7-5 job and 3 businesses, I do like to partake in the occasional zoot in the evening to kick back when the kids are in bed and there's nothing left to do for the day.

a reply to: network dude

Carl Sagan found that smoking the weed help him in his work. Perhaps it even helped him live more actively with his eventually fatal disease.

Say, wasn't our former president a heavy user, even photographed using, as a young man. Yep. weed smoking and even the stronger stuff is edging into the mainstream.

(I'm not a user.)

“Marijuana is absolutely harmful and absolutely addictive. The industry is selling a lie that marijuana is more or less harmless, and that’s just not true,” said Dr. Kevin Sabet

Sounds like Sabet aspires to be a modern day Anslinger.

It's been well established that of alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana only the latter is not physically addictive.

If he's referring to psychological addiction, then he's being highly disingenuous since virtually any activity, and anything ingested, can be "psychologically addictive" if one has an addictive personality.

a reply to: network dude

a reply to: redmage

If the guy believes that, he's a complete asshat.

How can't he see the thousands of pages of research done on it, and continue to ignore it?

It really makes me wonder just what kind of agenda these people harbour.

I always thought marijuana became illegal because of the stuff they were able to make out of hemp. As hemp was wildly and cheaply available for anyone to grow, it seemed more money can be made by using synthetic fibers or timber. Hence the lobby against cannabis plants. Well after a quick search turns out I was only partially right.

www.drugpolicy.org...

You would be surprised at who all will admit to using it, once it becomes legal.

The workplace doesn't have the proper way to test for it either, so that leaves out millions who smoke and can't admit it for fear of losing their jobs. Those same jobs won't be lost from having an actual addiction to drinking. All because the testing capabilities we have look back for chemicals in cannabis that stay in our system for 30-60 days. It's a ridiculously old way to test for cannabis use.

Facts are, just because you smoked last night doesn't mean you can't do you job today. But if you drank your butt off last night and come in hungover, you literally can't do your job.

One is legal though. The other is demonized.

a reply to: Aliensun

Sagan is one of my favourite humans of all time. Remember reading that he wrote a whole bunch of essays when he was stoned in one evening on how to fundamentally restructure society, would love to read them.

If weed makes you a thoughtful, inquisitive and caring person like he was am all for it.

The current illegal status is foolish! There's so much money to be made in legalization and so many medical advancements. There are so many professionals in every industry that partake and nobody even knows. I know so many successful business owners who do use it to relax and they haven't had any issues with doing what needs to be done at a high level or remaining successful. I work in the banking industry and nobody even bats an eye if someone partakes in Satan's Spinach. Legalize and tax it, like all the other vices.

I've watched almost all my family members destroy themselves by drinking alcohol to excess. I've never witnessed anyone destroy themselves by smoking weed to excess, nor has anyone died from it. I'll take hungry and sleepy any day over drowning in my own vomit, thank you.

It was Randolph Hurst

a reply to: network dude

So someone post their own opinion,and this is taken as fact? like the guy sitting at a bar,complaining about alcoholics,never let the truth get in the way of a good story

What are Canada's laws on marijuana? Is it semi legal like the USA?a reply to: LuXTeN

a reply to: network dude

My aunt was a Catholic High School principal who smoked nearly every night. My honors English and Chemistry teachers in high school did (learned a few years after high school.)

I've known several cops and retired cops who partake, as well as University of Chicago professors.

originally posted by: havok
You would be surprised at who all will admit to using it, once it becomes legal.

The workplace doesn't have the proper way to test for it either, so that leaves out millions who smoke and can't admit it for fear of losing their jobs. Those same jobs won't be lost from having an actual addiction to drinking. All because the testing capabilities we have look back for chemicals in cannabis that stay in our system for 30-60 days. It's a ridiculously old way to test for cannabis use.

Facts are, just because you smoked last night doesn't mean you can't do you job today. But if you drank your butt off last night and come in hungover, you literally can't do your job.

One is legal though. The other is demonized.

Oregon is trying to pass this:

Bill would prevent firing workers for off-the-job pot use

It would also prevent employers from not hiring someone for marijuana use

Source - Koin

a reply to: dreamingawake

Bill would prevent firing workers for off-the-job pot use It would also prevent employers from not hiring someone for marijuana use

Because of the lack of a checking system that can determinate if weed had been consumed on the job or off, there will still be jobs with zero tolerance I would think. Air control is one of them comes to mind immediately, but I am sure there is many other professions.

The biggest potheads aren’t who you’d guess

What is so funny and ironic about your OP, is that people who smoke already know this.

Lots of doctors, lawyers, programmers, hell even cops and firefighters I know toke up, they just keep it on the low since its not always been so cool to smoke as it is becoming.

originally posted by: redmage

“Marijuana is absolutely harmful and absolutely addictive. The industry is selling a lie that marijuana is more or less harmless, and that’s just not true,” said Dr. Kevin Sabet

It's been well established that of alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana only the latter is not physically addictive.

Well established? By whom? Non-smokers?

There are both physical and psychological withdrawal symptoms, don't kid yourself. They may not be as severe or dangerous as other drugs withdrawal effects, but they exist.