M&M

[Luke Saint]

Me & Marijuana

A little birdie prompted me to start this thread.


Some things I've noticed about long-term use (abuse):

1) Smoking does make me more creative, but it's like while my creativity goes way up, my motivation sinks in the ground. I guess I got the IDEAS for some of my work under the influence of pot, but I had to finish the majority (80%+) after it had worn off - or I ran out (sadly, more often the case).

2) After ceasing regular smoking (I define regular as more than once a day for a period of four days or more, just my def., others have others) I noticed that my appetite decreases severely, to the point where I don't eat sometimes for up to two days after quitting (...yeah, or running out.)


Short-term use (short-term, to me, is either once a day or more than once a day for three days or less):

1) The effect on creativity is the same, but my motivation remains at the level it was before I smoked. I definitely get a lot more done artistically. This is my favorite time to write music (besides while drinking, but that's for chpt. two).

2) Music sounds like 100x better. ...OK, 99%, but the increase is great. To quote a document that I wish I had never read, "It's like the difference between listening to music on a cheap hand-held radio (sober) and listening to the same music live in a music hall (high)." Not only is the sound dramatically increased but you notice so many things that you never have, at least I do. I've been listening to Alice in Chains for almost four years now, and just the other day I caught on to Cantrell's various vocal dubs during the chorus of "Heaven Beside You", if you hear all of them it just makes the chorus that much more mellifluous.


I'll think of more, maybe some others have some effects to share. Or maybe somebody would like to say something that doesn't smoke. I don't give a fu...

[Naomi]

Yeah I've had those experiences recently, from the P'an Ku and Nu Kua mirrors. I thought I was going crazy when I started picking up on all of the weird background noises in Siva Six, for example, then later I realized it was just the Orpheus part of my brain kicking into high gear.

I supposed it would be a fabulous tool for musicians. I know it improved my painting skills dramatically. I have no way of measuring my ups and downs apart from which mirrors I am doing, when, and there seems to be no real pattern - though the Nu kua mirror plays it a little more dangerously and I tend to get more daring with it. The marijuana plant itself emerges from this binary soup so it is really just a big tree of marijuana leaves if you like to picture it that way - you only have to know the right way to tap into it, that's what I believe.

It's cool.

[Luke Saint]

Another thing I noticed about marijuana, with long or short-term use, is the inability to remember my dreams whatsoever. When sober I find that each single dream is state dependent in and of itself, with chaotic short-term memory during the event. But this is different. When I go to sleep clean (un-intoxicated) I at least remember that I had a dream, even if I don't recall the specifics; not on pot though. I hear people say they use pot to induce "astral projection" (god I've really begun to hate that term) and lucid dreams. Hell, I'd be just as well off pouring cement in a glass of water when I'm dying of thirst...

I do want to say that the mnemonic ability of marijuana while awake, for me at least, is phenomenal. I can come up with a line to a poem or something and remember it for hours, usually I just need to remember until I find a writing implement. This is a most attractive attribute of the "dope" (god, i hate this word too, it's too 'H'), me being a lyricist and all.

Abstract thought also is increased greatly. This is more often concurrent with the short-term use of the plant than long. Unusual though patterns can creep up upon my mind at a quite alarming rate. One time I came up with: "If you don't remember that you don't remember then you remember." Pointless, I know, but still an interesting thought (from a mathematic point-of-view).

PS
On the topic of abstract thought, this is something I came up with the last time I smoked:

OK, so 1/0 = 0. But, if you take 1/n (n=nothing), nothing purportedly being synonymous with zero, you come up with 1, because 'nothing' (literally) is dividing the one and so the one remains whole or, in numerical form, '1'. An example will clarify why I believe 'zero' is the same as 'nothing'. "I have zero" is translated to "I have nothing." It couldn't mean "I have something" because zero is a state which is bereft of definable qualities and so seemingly is identical to 'nothing'. My point is that there appears to be a differentiation between the mathematical '0' and our casual '0'.

[Frater CaO]

I believe this memory thing is relative in some way with the latest research on how the memory works overall. We use the memory parts of the brain (hippocampus etc) so that we can Imagine the future. How this is related to cannabis exactly Im not sure yet.
But cannabis effects the same parts, you can partly notice it while affected from it. You get more vivid day dreams, just contemplating things makes your inner eye wake up real quick.
I think the thing has something to do with how we store our memories, and how we store our memories while influenced by Cannabis.
Everything we experience pass through our subcounscious before it is decided if its worth to notice the counscious about whats going on. Most of the time when we are sober we notice almost everything that goes on. While on cannabis we still notice Most but not as much, of what is going on Externally (unless we are specifcially focued externally), but what we notice hardly ever seems worth noticing, so the mind seems to just neglect many things around us.
For eg. I always forget where I put my things, and then have to run around laughing for hours before I find something else which wasnt what I was looking for ;)

Anyway, what is curious with cannabis is that when you have been smokin around the clock for a couple of months. And most of what youve been doing during that time is lost in time. You almost Always start to remember the things that happened, when you finally sober up for atleast a couple of weeks.
The whole dream part of our sleep is vital for us, we dream every night but we cant be sure to remember any of it. Cannabis in moderate use definitely Stimulate the whole REM part of your sleep. While Cannabis is extreme consumption makes both your waking and your dreaming life, totally vanish in utter bliss.
Personally, I have come to love this blissfull state, perhaps a little too much.

But as you said Luke, some things, you can remember for hours. I think its all relative to how cannabis actually shifts the memory function. It changes it somehow. Im not sure how yet. If something is important Enough, then you Will remember it. Maybe it is because I realize, almost every experience is just an experience, and therefor not of importance. No matter what it is that Im actually experiencing, cause I can almost always experience it again. And even if I cant, I have allready experienced it, so its a part of me, and so I dont need to remember it. It has still happened. My mind has still embedded it into me.
Hmm, this made me think of the Shpongle album: "Nothing Lasts.... But nothing is Lost."

Yeah well, it is interesting. Too bad theres hardly any scientific studies on this part. "Researching drugs is damn waste of time! theyre bloody illegal?"

[Luke Saint]

Very good points my good Frater. The inner eye is particularly active during cannabis intoxication, as is, what I'm assuming is, the relationship between the conscious and the subconscious mind. I suppose this is what dilates one's creativity and makes it 'easier' to access. In fact, sometimes the inner eye is opened so much that it can overpower the ordinary perceptions and cause one to hallucinate or "trip", if you will. Now, this has only happened to me on two occasions, the one time I was smoking this stuff called "White Widow" (Where do they get these names?) and the other time I think it was laced. [LN. I will elaborate on these two experiences at a later time.]

You mention that if you have been smoking all day, every day, for an extended amount of time your thoughts become enshrouded in a foggy haze. Again I agree with this statement. The little things you did, minor conversations, all that shit is like *poof*. I forgot to mention that while my memory is augmented, it is only things that I mark as "memorize" that are retained. I've gone weeks in this fog myself (ahhh, how lovely is Baltimore in the Spring) and it was only through the efforts of my journal that I remember much of what I did. The memories do come trickling back into your mind after a little while, but for me at least that depends on A) your determination in recall & B) the significance of the event in question.

Maybe I should start compiling my entries involving cannabis and start working on an essay on MJ and memory. It is extremely fascinating.

[Frater CaO]

In fact, sometimes the inner eye is opened so much that it can overpower the ordinary perceptions and cause one to hallucinate or "trip", if you will.

Indeed, it may happen that you get to this state. In my own experience, there is another state which I usually call the "Schizophrenic High". You become so empowered by the experience, you can no longer control it. Here you usually start laughing hysterically, or you get quiet and introvert. This is the state where some people seem to get psychotic. This state is however rather rare, you may eat and smoke heavily and still just stay on the ordinary "hallucinatory" state.


A) your determination in recall & B) the significance of the event in question.


I couldnt agree more with this! The only thing that keeps me from ever remember anything lately, is if it has been written down in my diaries or wherever. I dont "need" most of these ordinary memories, and so it seems my mind dont even bother me with them. It is most peculiar how we associate things, and how or mind automatically creates these "associations" for us.
I will probably write something about this curious effect on the memory someday, Im just to pacified to do anything right now.

White Widow is a nice strain btw ;)

[MythMath]

What were we just talking about...? :confused: :laugh:

[Luke Saint]

What were we just talking about...? :confused: :laugh:
Dude, I think we were talking about martians that eat the green cheese of the moon... Or lightbulb-shitting aardvarks... Aww, I dunno... ffs

One thing that I do remember, and was prompted by Fr. CaO's last post is the introversion. For me marijuana is an exceedingly anti-social drug. Not only do I not feel like talking to people but I don't even want them around because they might say something stupid. I can't stand smoking with immature smokers who say and do stupid things while they are high. This one kid I smoked with actually sniffed salt up his nose and was laughing like a hyena. I mean, dude, wtf!? I know that the some people get high to have a good time or as something to do, but to me that is a waste. When I smoke I like to have a guitar or a sheet of paper and pen.

When I am in a situation where I have to be around others, like if it's their weed, I become extremely untalkative. I get lost in my thoughts and they say something and it's like wtf. Usually, I'm just like "huh?", and play it off as if I'm really stoned, when in fact this even occurs after one or two hits of commerc (ph. commersh). So it can't be that I'm too high, I just like to be alone when smoking, but will go out of my comfort zone to get a fix if the opportunity presents itself.

Oh, and White Widow is definitely some crazy shit. I've also had Texas Toast and Arizona which were fancy names for seed-infested schwag. Blue Berry was good, though I didn't think it tasted like blue berry. I once bought this stuff called Murder but all it did was murder my wallet, $20/gram. I mean it was good, but it was just regular KB. I used to get what was called Biker Weed from a drummer friend of mine (he actually got to play onstage with Linkin Park one time - I hate LP, but still...) and it was this really fluffy, light green hydro with the red and purple hairs on it and nice sticky crystals. $35/eighth oz, but I'd pay it if I still had the connection.

PS
Naomi, I wanted to say that I didn't skip over your post. I just want to do a little research on the info you presented. Weed without the weed sounds pretty intriguing.

PPS
Here's an interesting study:
http://www.druglibrary.org/special/tart/tartcont.htm

[Luke Saint]

Does anyone notice the shift toward emotionality? I mean, I drip-drop...

It occurs in 'wordless' moments. Then all hell breaks loose... I also notice that food tastes 'nastier' or more disgusting.... eres tu....

[frater luciferi]

ganja helped me open my mind musickally..ive never really jammed with other musicians sober before and thats pretty much because i feel like im in a better receptive state for musical exploration...of course a lot of my jams turn into droney sludgemetal type duels...but what can you do. its a good tool for opening your receptiveness to your sensitivity towards certain flows, and i have found it to be a great somatic tool for astral work or summoning "god" or my higher angel...i think i have read somewhere that ganja has been used early in the history of jews as a shamanic substance..hence the hebrew term kanehbosm..which is hebrew for mothers bosom..the hebrew name for ganja lol!~

i dont smoke that much anymore purely for the fact that i like to enjoy it. the residual haze of ill focus doesnt suit me well as far as heavy use anyways..but its a vital tool sometimes in my magickal and creative works..especially when i want to summon a certain power. or both...because good art in any form should have a magickal essence..or at least a deep spiritual one.

[Luke Saint]

ganja helped me open my mind musickally..ive never really jammed with other musicians sober before and thats pretty much because i feel like im in a better receptive state for musical exploration...of course a lot of my jams turn into droney sludgemetal type duels...but what can you do. its a good tool for opening your receptiveness to your sensitivity towards certain flows, and i have found it to be a great somatic tool for astral work or summoning "god" or my higher angel...i think i have read somewhere that ganja has been used early in the history of jews as a shamanic substance..hence the hebrew term kanehbosm..which is hebrew for mothers bosom..the hebrew name for ganja lol!~

i dont smoke that much anymore purely for the fact that i like to enjoy it. the residual haze of ill focus doesnt suit me well as far as heavy use anyways..but its a vital tool sometimes in my magickal and creative works..especially when i want to summon a certain power. or both...because good art in any form should have a magickal essence..or at least a deep spiritual one.
Cool, so long as it flows normally. If it flows greater with pot, so much the better... Awesome.