Marijuana Smoking Doesnt' Harm Lungs

First let me say that I haven't smoked marijuana in more than 25 years. I'm probably beyond any statute of limitations regarding using this still illegal substance in NYS. Yet unlike Bill Clinton, I probably ended up inhaling a little bit of cannabis. The only thing I have to say on the subject of "getting high" is that there is a reason why it used to be called dope. It's because it turned one into a dope. When I was high, I became a philosophical genius; and no one else, unfortunately, ever really understood my "deep" analysis.

Yet, having said that, I can now unequivocally agree with the medical experts who say it doesn't damage our lungs -- mostly because THC is a sedative and not an irritant. Okay! I can't blame marijuana for making me a slower runner.

On this subject I only wish to report that those slide strips in the basement of my elementary school were bullshit. I did not go crazy, although I certainly worried about that prospect as a college student. I've never used cocaine or heroin, and pot did not lead to further drug addiction; my personal addiction turned to running and the runner's high. An aphrodisiac? Are you kidding? It made my wife paranoid.

I must say though that I had a fraternity brother in the '60's who smoked some weed up on the roof of the fraternity house. He then proceeded to walk off the edge of our three story building and fell nearly forty feet into the soggy yard following a rainstorm. He was not injured, only stunned (if one could actually claim that term under the influence). We could never figure out why he wasn't seriously maimed. Perhaps it was because he'd fallen into a quagmire. Or maybe it was because of the relaxing effects of the marijuana itself. Mr. Rag Doll simply got up from the ground and said, "Wow!"

Regardless, I am neither an advocate or opponent of the drug. It does seem to me, however, that the on-going use of marijuana, over an extended period of time, does demonstrate a certain immaturity of sorts -- and I don't think I'm being overly severe here in my assessment. I still have adult friends who use marijuana on a regular basis. And none of them are suffering from terminal diseases which in certain western states allow for the drug's use for medicinal purposes. I think folks out there just enjoy being dopes. And in the case of my eastern friends, they are just extremely lovable dopes.

For me smoking marijuana was a rite of passage. Seriously, I could only use it for recreational purposes. There was no point in smoking before an exam. It extinguished the ability to focus. One only sat in the exam room pondering his navel -- nothing more.

So that's what I have to say about using marijuana from the perspective of being a 68 year old former user. I still drink wine, but wine is not quite the same. With wine the results are supposedly good for the heart. But I think that's bullshit too.

One thing that I must admit to, however. One of my jobs included being the scheduler of social events at a certain college. I once engaged the services of Arlo Guthrie for an evening. After a fantastic performance, I went backstage to present Arlo with his check, certainly not a small, nominal amount. Arlo, who was sitting in the Green Room, thanked me. I noticed he was smoking. Arlo then offered me a toke. It was one of my 15 seconds of greatness.

Carry on,

Paul in Potsdam

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