If you don’t know the rules by now, you may be pissing off your circle of smoking friends. The rules of smoking marijuana while sitting in a circle of all your favorite people have been finely tuned over thousands of years. Marijuana smokers may be laid back, but check this list of the common mistakes rookies make when smoking.  NORML has given us the Principals of Responsible Cannabis Use which outlines the steps you need to take to be safe when using marijuana. Now, AntiSoccermom gives you:

The Principles of Smoking Pot.

Let’s look at the big picture here, the karmic experience of sitting in a circle with all of the people you clearly connect with. Note the low level of tension, the idle smoke hanging dense in the air, the music playing softly in the background. Marijuana is often a religious experience and sharing it with your closest friends and family can be great, unless you do something stupid and ruin the vibes. Now even I am starting to sound like a hippy! Let’s Discuss.

Clean Your Pipes!

If you find yourself searching for a clean pipe at the bottom of a drawer full of gunked up reserves, perhaps its time to just break out the alcohol. That’s right, I’d never recommend you to drink alcohol of any type, but it does work great on dirty pipes and your guests will thank you for it! Also, change the bong water. There is nothing more revolting than nasty, scummy, stinky bong water. Don’t clean it and I bet it somehow gets “accidentally” spilled onto the floor. Good luck getting the smell out!

No Camping!

Marijuana can make even the most soft-spoken of us start spouting off our foolproof plan to “free the weed” that no one else has ever thought of before, but do it too much and you get labeled a camper. “Camping” on a bowl, or holding on to the joint and talking on and on about “some guy you know”  or the best Elton John lyrics, while everyone is eye-balling the precious marijuana smoke wafting above your waving hands….is an utter fail. It has happened to the best of us, but try to watch it. And no dude, thats totally an original idea.

Puff-Puff-Pass.

Joints and blunts, the mecca of every weed smoker’s dreams have their own set of rules, with these precious commodities you must always take two hits and pass it, while smoking out of a pipe you need only take one. Rules seem to vary by region in this section, so my advice would be to always ask what the rules are for your circle. With bongs, pipes, vapes, and knifers, you want to hit it once and share the love to-the-left-hand-side.

Bring it.

You don’t really want to be the guy that shows up to a smoking circle without any herb, I’ve been there and it ain’t pretty. Stoners might not call you out directly, but I bet you don’t get invited back to any blunt parties. When it comes down to it, its rude. Take turns loading up the bowl and always offer greens to the person who got the worst of the last bowl. But showing up empty handed and begging to get smoked out? Don’t do it. Bring your own to share or don’t smoke anyone elses!

Pass the Dutchie.

To the left hand side. Did you get that? It means that you pass to your left, no….your other left…. sheesh. Smokers like to see things coming and one of the most reliable things we foresee is that someone is going to be handing us something awesome, from the right. Dont screw up the rotation and if you need to remind yourself, just sing this little tune.

Share it.

Cannabis is a life-giving medicine, don’t you want to share that with the lovely people that care for your plants and help keep you as healthy and capable as you are today? Smoke up your caregiver, ya know, if it is a responsible and safe area. Smoke  up your patient-friends any time that you can, we all have dry spells and we all need those free tokes in between. I’ve found that its best to keep your karma cup pretty full on this one, you never know when the favor will be returned!

So that’s it folks. Or is it? What rules of smoking do you use in your favorite circle?

© 2009 – 2010, AntiSoccermom. All rights reserved to the original author unless stated otherwise.

Prohibition Fails Every One, Every Time

Prohibition has never worked, for any substance. It is clear that the prohibition of alcohol brought with it an underground criminal lifestyle that even politicians took pleasure in assuming and expanding. Marijuana Prohibition has been met with the same subset of criminal behavior, leaving many honest and hardworking marijuana users to deal with shady underhanded thugs in order to get their smoke. Prohibition takes the drugs (or alcohol) out of the hands of those who can sell it responsibly and into the hands of people who will sell it to anyone with the money to buy it,including children. This includes all prohibited drugs even the dangerous and life threatening type. Take the dope out of the hands of dealers and treat it like the social health issue it really is.  Why do we continue the charade of prohibition when it clearly does not work?

People like to get high, its a fact of life.

Since the first accidental trip, humans have been trying to reach a higher level of thinking than ever felt before.  This motivation has led to countless discoveries in science and health, leading the world in a positive direction. It is simply human nature to use drugs and go out of your mind for a little while. Don’t think you do it? Have you had your cup of coffee this morning, to help change your dreary perspective on a snowy Monday morning? Case Closed. People like to get high but prohibition has led to the stigmatization and demoralization of those who cannot control themselves, they should be treated with addiction counseling and emotional support not locked up in our private prisons. The reasons people have for getting loaded on any substance, is generally an emotional problem that needs to be treated with something other than drugs. Again, this is a public health issue, not an issue for the legal system.

If we are to move forward, we must put the past behind us.

Many people assume that marijuana was outlawed based on scientific research and studies, when in reality it was a racially fueled attacked on Latin Americans and the Black Jazz Musician community. No, really. Marijuana was outlawed on the basis that it “influences Negroes to look at white people in the eye, step on white men’s shadows and look at a white woman twice.” The lies told by Anslinger and perpetuated with Reefer Madness sentiment are appalling to read today. He stated: “There are 100,000 total marijuana smokers in the US, and most are Negroes, Hispanics, Filipinos, and entertainers. Their Satanic music, jazz, and swing, result from marijuana use. This marijuana causes white women to seek sexual relations with Negroes, entertainers, and any others.” “Marijuana is an addictive drug which produces in its users insanity, criminality, and death.” “Reefer makes darkies think they’re as good as white men.” “…the primary reason to outlaw marijuana is its effect on the degenerate races.” “Marihuana leads to pacifism and communist brainwashing” “You smoke a joint and you’re likely to kill your brother.” “Marijuana is the most violence-causing drug in the history of mankind.” Knowing the plant was outlawed on the basis or race infuriates me. It is time to put this type of thinking to rest, and to educate others on the facts. Harry J Anslinger wasn’t running for office spouting bogus ideas about drugs, this was the Director of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics for all of America.  Would you stand to let this man make racially charged decisions on your behalf today? Why do we continue to allow his insane laws to control our thinking?

Drug use is a social responsibility, left unchecked.

Without acknowledging the social reasons people use drugs, we are denying them a healthy lifestyle. Refusing to deal with the millions of addicts has left our streets full of dealers, our prisons full of addicts and our schools empty of students. Without addressing these very real issues we are doomed to continue on the path of being the most widely imprisoned nation in the world. We are putting sick people in jail, for crimes we have imagined they have committed.  I am all for having people tossed in jail for using drugs and hurting people with their actions. The trendy model who snorts cocaine and then slams her car into an intersection of innocent people, deserves to see a cell for driving under the influence. The banker who gets sauced and steals money from clients, should be prosecuted for his actions of stealing, not for a drug. Irresponsible people should weigh the consequences of drug addiction and prison with the overwhelming freedom sobriety brings, if they are hurting other people, they should be locked up. If they are addicted, they should be treated for their addiction, but their crimes should be addressed as well.

Drugs are unregulated, by anyone but criminals

As it stands, you get marijuana in the same place you get heroin. From shady drug dealers who don’t care and can’t educate. Drug dealers don’t check ID, Drug dealers dont make sure you are 18 and drug dealers certainly don’t look for medical marijuana licenses. Its common knowledge that a bag of weed is easier for a  to get than beer and cigarettes, the socially acceptable ways to get loaded. To legalize all drugs would kill the drug market, leaving drug dealers without income, leaving cartels without buyers. Thousands of lives would be saved and billions of dollars would be made from the legalization and regulation of every drug. Let’s take the power out of the hands of criminal enterprise and handle this ourselves.

Its okay, we can handle it.

© 2009 – 2010, AntiSoccermom. All rights reserved to the original author unless stated otherwise.