Stupid Friend

[escudo]

I hav a friend, hes a venezuelan, and very stupid.  He was one of the ppl i started hookah with, and we hav never smoked b4.  we liked hookah, w/e, but this weekend, he went to a party and tried weed.  He says it was ok, fun.  but after a day, he says he is wondering if he sohould have done that.  Since he doest speak english, asked me to translate.  He wants to know if he only did it this once time and stopped, would he be OK, i told him hed be fine but i guess he needs more "youll be fine"s.  So help him out. thanks.

[cypress]

Bien, él necesita pedirse si él se siente aceptable. Puesto que él
lo hizo solamente una vez él debe ser fino. La marijuana no es una
droga que le ensuciará totalmente para arriba a menos que se ate con
otra droga. A menos que usted esté tomando un análisis de orina en
cualquier momento pronto, usted será aceptable.

I translated this as best as possible from English for him to read.

[cypress]

Damn, I dont think the translation came out like I wanted.  Just translate this for him.

Well, he needs to ask himself if he feels okay. Since he only did it
once he should be fine. Marijuana isn't a drug that will totally mess
you up unless it is laced with another drug. Unless you are taking a
urine test anytime soon, you will be okay.

[escudo]

lol he sais thanks for trying.  He says he is fine, since he played 2 baseball games today. 

[mushrat]

*oy*

[Cold493]

I'm gonna through my two cents in here.  Your friend is fine.  Marijuana is less harmful than smoking tobacco.  It just happens to be illegal.  Mind you I'm not some scientist but as long as it wasnt laced with coke or lsd or was just some schwag covered in god knows what your friend will be fine.  The number one rule for marijuana and any other drug for that matter is know who your buying from and if the dealer doesnt smoke his own sh*t you damn sure shouldnt smoke it.  I think this could be in large part due to the fact that I am Canadian and the most that happens here for marijuana is that it gets taken from you, unless your carying a half pound or something.  Marijuana seems to be viewed very very differently in the US.  Hvaing said this it is possible to become socially and pyschologically addicted to it.  I know I used to smoke it.  Its easy as pie to quit though, all you gotta do pretty much is change your social situation for a couple of weeks such as christmas or summer break.  I think the reason marijuana is no big deal here is because of it being viewed so lightly it does not lead to hard drugs from what I have seen and experienced (I have seen people railing lines of coke off of my kitchen table so it is not like I am alienated from that culture).  When it is treated as something very illicit as in the US then it does become a gateway harder drugs because personalities and people who are willing to risk it for marijuana in the US are more likely to risk doing hard drugs.  I went on a rant I hope it isnt inappropriate for this forum but I found it almost comical that your friend was worried about smoking marijuana since I assume he is at least 16 or 17 if you are on this forum. In summary it doesnt matter, just dont get caught in states cause then your in a world of trouble.

[Mathazar]

The only thing,  in my past unfortunate experience,  that
you'd need to worry about with weed is if it was laced with Angel
Dust/PCP.  When I was around 14 years old,  I broke into my
brother's strong box and stole some of his unsmoked weed.  Little
did either of us know,  but it was mildly-laced with Angel
Dust.  I smoked about 3 bowls of it and I was so sick I wanted to
kill myself.  I thought I was going to die.

When you smoke weed and don't know where it came from,  you take your life in your own hands 

[cypress]

The first and last time I smoked weed I think it was laced. My heart
felt like it wanted to explode. My vision was doing figure 8's. I
vomited. Last but not lease I was crying my ass off because I was so
scared.  This was about 6 years ago. In a way I am glad that I did
have a bad experience. Simply because I dont want to do it again
because of the experience. 

[NERV]

i know a guy who was given laced weed once years ago, a single joint,
was laced with sometihng, probly LSD, had permanent effects, to this
day he occasionally gets halucinations and cold sweats from it

[escudo]

He feels much better....  lol he says thanks.  He, and i, now that i feel safe about it, want to know how to check if it is laced?  my friend's friend deals them, so do you think its safe?  any specific way to check if its laced?

[Nathalie]

Ok, since this somewhat falls into my area of experience and such (no I'm not a major drughead but I have experimented a fair bit) just my 2 cents for this...generally weed won't be laced unless you pay for it being laced, most other substances are more expensive then weed so no dealer in their right mind would add it for free...now if you get it at a party you never know of course because it could be that a) whoever bought it paid for it to be laced or b)they laced it themselves. The best way to figure out is....drumrolll suprise suprise is: To ask the person giving it to you!!!! generally contrary to what your DARE teacher and mother told you weed smokers are not evil people who want to get you hooked on all sorts of drugs secretly....and if they are don't smoke with them!
Also, there was a time in like the late 80's early 90's were it was popular to lace weed with PCP but this is very uncommon now, in fact I have never encountered it. Hash is another deal, with opium being so cheap right now I have encountered a fair bith of opium laced hash but once again people usually tell you and/or you pay extra. Generaly my rule of thumb is though, Don't do hash unless you made it yourself or a very sure where it's from since hash can easily be laced
Back to weed...Now there are other ways to tell if it's laced, mostly in taste and smell: weed laced with cocaine or PCP will generally smell a bit more synthetic and when smoked will taste of plastic very strongyl! Weed laced with crack you will see the crack rocks embedded in the weed...shake it, cut it finely and see if there are any "rocks" in it. Also, looking at it under a microscope and or under a magnifying glass with light can help myou see if you see any rocks and or if there's glistening crystals though that method is tricky since good weed will also have crystals and some strains glisten a fair bit. Lastly, what also works sometimes is licking your finer, putting it on the weed and then putting it back on your tongue or gums, if it crackles a bit it  is probably laced but this only works for some substances.
Basically there is no surefire way to tell though and your best bet is to follows a few simple steps when you decide to try a substance:
1. Research it ([url="http://www.erowid.com"]www.erowid.com[/url] is a good unbiased source) research it until you know everything about it, read up on good and bad experiences people have had etc, dosages and know what to expect
2. Figure out why you want to try it, what you're hoping to get out of it (after your research you should have clearer expectations then just "to try something new")and weight it against the risks
3. Take some time, let it sink in, many times after a few weeks even in the absence of new information the reasons i had originally wanted to try a substance no longer seemed as relevant because situations change. Even mroe times, I came scorrs more informaiton later and based on that decided not to try it....don't rush into a decision, especially not in a drunk state at a party etc
4. If you still want to try it after some time, find a safe source, ask around, your hookup should be willing to answer questions etc Find a tripsitter that is someone sober or semi sober, preferably even with some substance experience, to hang out with you, you don't want to freak out on somehting on your own TRUST ME! though with weed i'd say you can try it on your own since freaking out is uncommon. Find a safe place you're comfortable in, take the time, pick a day where you won't have to be functional for a few days after just in case...
5. Be relaxed, knowing you took the neccesary precautions so you can enjoy. Chances are if you're freaked out about anything (whether it's safe, whether you should have done it, whether you'll get caught) it will be a really bad trip since original mood when doing a substance tends to be much more extreme after. So yeah basically just be calm and enjoy, if you can't do this, don't do it at all, as it won't be enjoyable!
And lastly, the only side effect really possible with weed besides messing up your lungs from smoking is Short term memory problems that some people experience that will usuallu subside within a few days and are minor (not being able to remember little details from during or after the trip, having to concentrate mroe to flollow a conversation for a few days etc.) Basically be safe, research, don't operate cars and heavy machiner, don't be alone, get your dosage straight and know what to expect and what you hope to get out of it...
Anyways...done with my little Guide to substances....just thought I'd share...hope people's thoughts about me won't change after reading this but I just figured it was important for people to know what they're getting into...people try substances in such an irresponsible manner sometimes and then we wonder why it works out badly
 
 

[Cold493]

Good work Nathalie.  I was going to write something similar but withheld cause I know this forum is somewhat anti drugs.  Follow those instructions and you will be fine but the most often overlooked one is the last one about the mindset it is super important and people are often coerced into doing a drug they dont want to.

[MR Bubble]

Damn!! The definitive guide to dope smoking!!
Oh, how I don't miss those days.
MR Bubble

[escudo]

lol did we learn alot..... my friend thanks yall and me too.  one more thing, at my college, there are someitmes drugdogs around on campus.  Say if  i did it this saturday and the dog comes on monday, if i didnt have any, would the dog notice?  and my friend has a job, and many other companies do drug testing and he is afraid his company might.  I heard it stays in ur body for 6 weeks? am i right? 

[Mathazar]

Yep,  you're right.

Dude,  stop the drugs right now,  you'll thank me in the years to come for that advice.

Drugs kill braincells on a MAJOR level.  People usually start with
weed,  and then move up to speed,  coke, and eventually
heroin.  Fortunately I've never tried heroin, but I know people
who used to deal it,  and they were SO addicted to it that one
woman lost her baby due to drug complications,  the other guy lost
his sex drive and spent every day puking in the shower,  kitchen
sink,  etc....anywhere there was a drain,  he'd be puking in
it. 

If you absolutely HAVE to smoke pot,  at least have the good
common sense to stay away from those more hardcore drugs.  One of
my best friends from childhood spent his college days snorting
coke.  He died of a MASSIVE heartattack when he was 40, just 2
short years ago.  It was VERY sad 

[escudo]

if ido it once, do i get addicted?

[Cold493]

Getting physically addicted to marijuana is impossible.  You can get addicted to the effect it has on you mentally though, like all of a sudden you need it to sleep well but you  wont get 'cravings'  for it.  I wouldnt worry about drug dogs too much they wont smell on you after even an hour porbably...maybe a few to eb safe marijuana isnt a lingering smell like cigarette smoke.  Mathazar is right those the biggest problem with marijuana is not the drug itself but where it can lead.  marijuana is fairly harmless from a physical perspective, there are side affects but like nathalie said goto [url="http://www.erowid.com"]www.erowid.com[/url] and read about it there I dont know them specifically but they are less than alot of precription drugs.  I'm farily in favor of marijuana legalization and really dont think smoking it is a big deal but more of a personal choice however having said this I 'quit' because I didnt like the social addiction and the hit on the wallet it has plus I'm a really quiet when I'm high and thats not a ton of fun.

[E.G.]

[quote name='escudo']I heard it stays in ur body for 6 weeks? am i right? [/quote]

Only if you smoke a good amount consistantly -- a few bowls a day, for
instance.  One session will wash out in a much shorter time
period.  I can't recall the exact number, but it's on the order of
a week.  If he's thinking the test might be, say, in the next few
days guzzling as much water as possible before couldn't hurt  

As for pot being a gateway drug... Last I heard, that theory has been
pretty well debunked, personal experiences not withstanding.

E.G.

[MR Bubble]

It's over-rated. Just ask yourself how much you like sleeping indoors at night. I'm sure the force will guide you.
MR Bubble

[Nathalie]

Gah I just posted a lengthy response and it got lost posting it somehow...basically for drug testing, urine tests show weed for 48-72 hours with single use and up to twelve weeks with chronic use....hair tests which are less common and more expensive detect it for up to 90 days but less if your hair is shorter than 1.5 inches. Blood tests detect it for 2-3 days for infrequent users and up to 2 weeks for frequent users.So basically it doesn't get deetected for very long and unless one is a police officer or in the army there is not very much to worry about with single use....also after showering (which between the weekdn and monday hopefully most people do ) drug dogs will not by any chance detect any of the smell
Now the gateway drug theory has been disproved but it's like most people who do harder drugs started on weed but most people who do weed don't end up on harder drugs....addiction wise recent evidence points to the fact that there can in fact be a physical addiction to marijuana and there is now less of a divide between physical and psychological addiction anyways (you can pretty much get physically addicted to anything since your body anticipates input and counteracts it leading to withdrawal effects opposite of the effects of the drug, in the case of weed restlesness, insomnia etc...)I have done a lot of weed but never anything else but when you do weed and enjoy it chances are you'll be tempted to try other things. The fact that I do not try on the spur of the moment but follow my steps has saved me from trying anything else since research usually made me realize I didn't want tohe negative effects of all other substances....
Still, I have seen people end up in debt or commititing crimes because of weed alone so yeah it's a powerful substance...if you're gonna try it be informed and be clear on why you're taking the risk...know that you probably will end up doing it more than once and be sure you want to embrace that lifestyle and all that comes with it. If you are the kind of person who tends to have a hard time with pleasurable things, alcohol, cigarettes etc chances are you don't want to try weed.
And if you're worried I guarantee you you will not enjoy the trip.
Basically know your substance and know yourself and you'll be fine...lack knowledge on either of the two and the outcome will be disasterous.....

[escudo]

I looked at the website, but i annot find marijuana.  What is it under?

[Nathalie]

It's under Common Psychoactives listed as Cannabis not Marijuana [url="http://www.erowid.org/plants/cannabis/cannabis.shtml"]http://www.erowid.org/plants/cannabis/cannabis.shtml[/url]

[escudo]

alright, i looked at the website, very good reference.  I read about the allergy part of the website on cannabis.  I was previously allergic to eggs when i was about 3-14 years old.  Now i can eat most eggs other than half=boiled ones.  Would that affect me while doing cannabis?  Anybody have an allergy and does that effect you wehn doing marijuana?

[escudo]

When i was younger, i had asthma problems.  Say until the age of 3-4....  I play many sports now and have no problem with my respiratory.  Does cannabis affect my asthma in a negative way?  Would it have a heavier affect on me than a normal perosn without asthma history?  I do not have it now.

[cypress]

Sounds like you are looking for a way to justify safe smokeing for
yourself.  Talk to your doctor about the asthma thing . 
I would suggest staying away from it altogether. But I ams sure there
are plenty of people that are going to say its not that bad for you. In
my case there are too many risks involved.