Young, Dumb and full of THC. The youth of today and their Cannabis use.

Young, Dumb and full of THC.

The youth of today and their Cannabis use.

Today that are a huge number of young Cannabis users in our country, in 2009 there were 12,642 reported underage Cannabis users in the UK.

But why do something they are told not to, are these kids are they really misguided and “dumb” as so many would have us believe or is there reason behind their “reefer madness”?

As adults we are still told Cannabis is Illegal, Evil and shouldn’t be trusted as it will make you go mad etc. We know most of this is pretty much blatant propaganda, unjust mis-truth, or heightened hysteria. So we choose to take our risks against a law we believe to be wrong.

Don’t get me wrong, I have known people who react badly to Cannabis, mainly paranoia, Cannabis of course can heighten your emotions and therefore over emphasise whatever’s underlying in the first place, and I have always said to anyone who has this reaction to Cannabis, “don’t smoke it” simple as. Of course it’s not for everyone; this applies to any drug, legal or otherwise.

However, as far as Cannabis goes, the number of people who do not experience any adverse effect far outweighs those who do.

But what about the youth of our society, is it boredom? The thrill of Taboo? Peer pressure? Or an educated decision?

I can still remember my first experience of smoking pot age 15. However as I hurtle inevitably toward my impending 30^th I can no longer really look at myself as a voice for the youth. Having a younger brother and sister, however I have still spent quite some time around teenagers and though the lingo, dress sense and taste in music may have changed. Certain principal elements remain, weed is one such cornerstone. Plenty of teenagers do it, they always have and always will and no matter what measures prohibition uses, they always manage to get hold of it.

I always found there is generally a golden rule when it comes to teenagers, they need little encouragement, what they need is guidance.

I know I certainly fell under that heading.

My point is that if you tell a teenager not to do something because it’s illegal, bad for them etc, etc, they’ll still go out and do it anyway if for no other reason that it’s a taboo.

This of course is just my opinion, to actually find out the real reasons behind it, we need to go directly to the source and find us some pot smoking teenagers so they can give us their side of the story.

One thing is for sure, for many of the kids I have met who do smoke, they aren’t the stereotypical chavs, sitting on street corners waiting to intimidate that poor old lady from down the street. They are generally polite, quiet, intelligent, and respectful.

They tend to keep to themselves, trying to avoid trouble and enjoy themselves.

            One example is “Rubber duck” who has smoked pot since the young age of ten.

“I’ve been smoking pot for over ten years now” He says, “from smoking solid down the skate park as a kid, to taking in premium skunk from all over the world” He smiles.

“I first tried it to calm my nerves whilst skating but then quickly adapted it into my musical lifestyle, inspired by at first Bob Marley then most of the bands I'd already been listening to anyway.. I also liked the idea that I could get away with doing it without my parents/teachers finding me out which made me feel clever ha-ha”.

When I asked him how he first got into pot he replied, “I guess one of the older lads offered it to me, not realizing quite how young I was and then It began a bit of a ritual whenever we hung out whether we were skating or not we'd still get the old bottle n lid on the go “

He has since been studying Cannabis culture for quite a few years and smokes regularly with friends.

This reminded so much of how I first started (albeit, not quite as young), smoking solid with friends on a bottle lid. It made me wonder just what other experiences I was going to hear.

“Wrath” aged 17, suffers with severe bi-polar disorder and frequent mood swings.

 “I like weed its one of the only things other than a cig that can chill me out when I’m p***ed off, and that happens easily” She says.

“My brothers smoked so it just sort of happened naturally, I knew there wasn’t anything to be really afraid of.  Cannabis is nice; it smells good and is green, a very natural non-toxic looking, natural green.

It is a wonderful little plant that does a lot, well a lot more than that Prozac stuff that does, nada nothing, any way continuing I’ve done weed for a while and it’s never negatively affected me.

 Except when I threw up once but you can do that on a normal cig.

 Also the whole thing of it giving you schizophrenia is bull you have to have it underlying first and there are ways to tell if people have that before it becomes openly obvious, so that's a ballsed up theory, Mj opens the mind and if anything cleanses it.

I believe it should be legalized because it’s harmless and has more good qualities than alcohol and smoking it prevents cancer too, but if it is legalized there should be an age limit like on alcohol and smoking due to obvious reasons, children aren’t developed enough to handle these thing properly.

I just know that without it, I wouldn't be as chilled and would probably become a psycho a kill lots of people because of my condition”.

Rowena started smoking Cannabis age 14 and has been smoking it on and off ever since.

 “I am a regular smoker and enjoy it, I started smoking it at a friend’s house when I was 14 and became a social smoker with friends I trusted in a safe environment” She says.

“I had been smoking cig's for a while at that point and had no issues with the idea of weed, so when my friend offered me a smoke and I knew I was safe with them, and that they would keep an eye on me. I decided to try it and enjoyed the relaxed feeling it gave me”.

“At that point in life I had been dealing with allot of really, really bad things and it helped calm me and help me sleep without suffering with night terrors.
Weed is ace for pmt and is fun to cook with (she recommends ginger nut cookies) and we have made pies with cannabis pastry etc”.
She tells me, her only dislikes are that you can’t always guarantee the quality of what you buy, “rocky can be hit and miss with plastics etc.
I have been smoking for over half my life now and I know some people can suffer with psychosis but I think sometimes that does depend on the type of person smoking and if they are susceptible to psychosis” she says.
“I don’t think I suffer, as I was slightly mental before I started smoking. I can smoke or not and enjoy smoking with friends as I don’t often drink”

Rowena is now aged 29 has a real love for life, which she enjoys with her husband and young son.

She has always worked in education and fortunately has never been arrested.

These are just three contrasting examples of smoking Cannabis from an early age, but there are so many more.

Of my all research 90% of the people asked admitted to starting smoking Cannabis under the age of sixteen.

Now I’m not saying that our kids should all run out to a dealer and roll up, however given the choice between my teenage child imbibing alcohol, or smoking pot I know which I’d prefer.

The point is from all the experiences that people have shared with me, the positives always seem to outweigh the negatives.

Of the adult smokers who admitted to smoking weed under the age of 16, are responsible people, with good careers and stable lifestyles and they all share a common factor, their love of Cannabis.

And not one seems to talk about any adverse effects.

If this is what the members of general public say, then why is our Government still seem dead set on the idea that Cannabis is so dangerous?

As we know, alcohol is dangerous, and perfectly legal. It also doesn’t mean that everyone who enjoys a drink is an alcoholic.

I think it should be left to us, to decide what we choose to relax or medicate with and not decided by a jury, let’s hope this all changes soon.

As for the topic of teenage Cannabis smoking;

Young? Yes. Dumb? Definitely not!

What I like to think they are is a key to a bright, fair and hopefully green future.

Keep on toking, peace. WildChild.

Californian medical cannabis ‘product showcase’ | CLEAR

Californian medical cannabis ‘product showcase’ | CLEAR

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Legal Remedies - A Call To Action. | CLEAR

The winds of change – The changing attitudes and tolerance of cannabis.

I never thought when I first started smoking Cannabis, age 15, that it would be become such a great life passion for me and indeed such a huge part of my life.

A friend of mine had bought some “Red seal hash” and invited me for a smoke behind the local recreation ground, I’d actually been quite eager to try weed for a short while but never knew where to get any.

Within minutes of my first hit on the bong, I cracked up into sheer hysterics and wasn’t even sure why, all I knew was for the first time in my life it felt like a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders that I previously wasn’t even aware was ever there & this euphoric happiness filled my entire being .

From then I was surprised to find we never really had to go far to get hold of some, there was always someone who knew someone and maybe they knew another someone if required.

However as a naive teenager trying Cannabis for the first time, was I aware that one day I would be writing this article? Or campaigning for legalisation alongside other likeminded people, great people from all walks of life?  Trying to educate those who have little to no understanding of this wonderful plant, other than the propaganda they read, hear and watch every day, spat out by the vile mainstream media.

Of course not, and I still ponder how I found myself here.

One thing is for sure I have no regrets about it, I truly believe that it’s worth it, the scientific results of Cannabis’ worth is absolutely incredible, as a Wiccan I have always been taught to respect herbs and plants for their medical uses, and always knew Cannabis had incredible properties, but never in my wildest dreams could I have ever imagined, a potential cure for cancer, the Endo-cannabinoid system, CBD an anti psychotic?

It truly is awe inspiring.

The thing is there is no denying that more and more people are finally opening their eyes to the reality of cannabis and shaking off the old stereotype that is solely the domain of “wasters, hippies and junkies”.

Of course there are still plenty who will stick to these ideals while they tank themselves up on alcopops and spirits because it’s “socially acceptable” and of course (That old Chesnutt) Legal!

These people are however relics of a dying age, we know the war on drugs is a failure and every day more people are realising this fact.

At my cousins wedding recently, I sat and had an in depth conversation about the merits of Cannabis and its versatility with my great Aunt and Uncle, who I never thought in a million years would even want to talk about such a subject, needless to say I eventually felt confident enough to actually smoke a joint in front of them the pot smokers present including myself had previously been sneaking off to have a crafty spliff whenever we could) without complaint, or even so much as a disapproving look,  from anyone, which actually felt like quite an achievement a fact that when I look back at the conversation still amazes me that I could have ever learned so much.

Now I know you may be thinking “so what, you’re a grown man, you can do what you want”, the point is my family can be incredibly judgemental, not always the most supportive, daily mail readers yet nevertheless they took into account everything I told them, including the fact that I use it to help with back pain and to fend off my manic depression.

The fact of the matter is, they made an informed judgement on something an hour before they knew very little to nothing about, my point here is that a person on an individual basis, or even a small group will make an educated decision based on the information given to them and to hear a different viewpoint based on scientific understanding and a little subtle philosophy can go a long way to helping remove the stigma that has been spoon-fed to us by the government and the mainstream media for far too long.

Sure it’s not easy going, one person at a time, but for each person educated with a new perspective it’s another step forward in the right direction.

If there is one thing right now that I do find disappointing, it’s the amount of pot cannabis smokers I know, who will happily toke every joint you pass them but won’t rally towards the cause for fear of persecution, hiding the fact that they smoke pot from their families, co-workers, non-smoking friends etc. Some would say that I am somewhat blaze’ in my openness of my cannabis use, but the truth is I honestly don’t care.

How can someone supposedly love or respect you, then change their entire attitude towards you just because you have a different drug of choice to theirs.

Funnily enough, anytime that I do face inquisition from someone about my smoking cannabis, the first question I always ask them (as I’m sure many of you do) is; “Do you enjoy an alcoholic drink?”

This question can occasionally be surprising and anyone who says no, gets a thumbs up and a “good for you, you have no vices then?” unfortunately most people tend to let themselves down after this with a reply such as “well I do like a glass of wine or two with a meal” or “well I do go to the pub sometimes with my mates”, That’s isn’t being alcohol free then is it and let’s face it, we’ve see the damage that alcohol can cause and as I said to my family (a rip off from Katt Williams I’m afraid, but the point remains effective) better that I enjoy something that makes me, hungry, happy and sleepy if I have “too much” than something that can turn even the most civilised of people into complete thugs!

The point is, we only need to look at the changing attitudes of governments around the world and the ever increasing amount of positive scientific studies to realise that the winds of change are finally about to blow upon us, and personally I am glad to be a part, no matter how big or small that may be.

Many thanks to Nuff Said for allowing me to writ this for Ismoke magazine, and to Howard Marks, Peter Reynolds & Alun Buffry for being such an inspiration.

And of course you the great people who are making this change become a reality.

Peace, Wild Child