Why do most people NOT smoke weed even though it's legal?

[Bday Prang]

3 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

After researching weed, I'm still confused as there is a lot of conflicting information.

Never a truer statement made the amount of mis information is staggering. and most of it is presented as official.  Research via google is pointless for that reason.    If you want to learn more you'll have to befriend a few amiable  users.   there's plenty about

[save the frogs]

11 hours ago, Bday Prang said:

Never a truer statement made the amount of mis information is staggering. and most of it is presented as official.  Research via google is pointless for that reason.    If you want to learn more you'll have to befriend a few amiable  users.   there's plenty about

 

Yeah, but even on here there's some horror stories.

One guy above just claimed he stopped having REM dreams. 

 

[BritManToo]

2 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

Yeah, but even on here there's some horror stories.

One guy above just claimed he stopped having REM dreams. 

Complete bs.

I smoked 0.5g/night since 2020, only positive health effects.

Had to stop for 20 days last month while taking an anti fungal.

No I'll effects from stopping apart from arthritis pain creeping back in the final week.

[Magictoad]

Because it slows down the reflexes amongst other negative issues.

[SamuiGrower]

2 hours ago, save the frogs said:

One guy above just claimed he stopped having REM dreams. 

 

2 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Complete bs.

NO, not BS. 

 

Cannabis does indeed affect sleep architecture: namely REM sleep (Rapid Eye Movement). In fact, all the cannabinoids do, in one way or another with the exception of CBD.

 

The problem with cannabis (namely THC, and all the forms in which we consume it) is the difference between short and long term use (for sleep). Tolerance (as in every day chronic use) shifts the effectiveness of the “pros” and it’s therapeutic affects to the “cons” of REM suppression, sleep fragmentation (multiple awakenings) and prolonged sleep onset. 

 

There are short and long term effects. THC is quite effective in inducing faster sleep onset, and because of this, is used in PTSD and insomnia treatment. THC reduces nightmares by reducing REM sleep. Initially, THC increases slow wave, deep sleep cycles. However, chronic everyday use shifts the balance away from REM sleep and does the opposite.

 

THC, for short term use is quite effective in managing fast onset sleep, PTSD, nightmares and anxiety, but chronic use defined by developing a tolerance, and most smokers on this forum understand this, does the opposite. In fact, cold turkey cessation can result in vivid dreams, nightmares and insomnia.

 

This is not speculative. THC binds to CB1 receptors and alters neurotransmitters that regulate sleep rhythm and directly affects REM sleep. There are multiple research papers written on the subject you can research. Google and YouTube are NOT the recommended path for research though. lol.

 

[save the frogs]

I posted this many months ago.

Just revisited it.

Could be bs? He is a researcher ... 

 

He does claim that it has some positive effects, but also negative effects:

- anxiety increases over time

- depression increases over time . chronic users are more likely to develop chronic depression.

- worst case scenario , if people start smoking at a young age, it can lead to psychosis 

 

 

[newbee2022]

On 6/18/2025 at 8:51 PM, JoseThailand said:

I love it how this thread popped up in the "Popular" sidebar so more people can see it, not only weed heads in the Cannabis forum, and the tone of replies changed drastically

Yeah, all commenters are users. Slightly blurred or having a heart attack at the end 

[bannork]

28 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

I posted this many months ago.

Just revisited it.

Could be bs? He is a researcher ... 

 

He does claim that it has some positive effects, but also negative effects:

- anxiety increases over time

- depression increases over time . chronic users are more likely to develop chronic depression.

- worst case scenario , if people start smoking at a young age, it can lead to psychosis 

 

 

The son of a good friend of mine smoked a lot in his youth continuously until 30. It made him talk too much, he became a poor listener, then a few months ago he started having what he described as 'episodes', paranoia, a sense of detachment, distorted faces. It was very hard to maintain a conversation, he felt he was breaking down, his personality dissolving. 

Sounds like a bad acid trip to me, the scariest thing was the episodes could last for a day or two.

He saw a psychiatrist who warned him of possible psychosis, scared to death, he managed to quit. Since then, he has recovered, the episodes have stopped, hopefully he's on the mend. Knowing him a long time, I'm sure he must have been terrified because he was a committed smoker.

On another issue, back in the late sixties and early seventies, the UK was awash with a variety of cannabis aromas, sweet smelling Nepalese hash, Moroccan, pungent grass, etc, but now there's just a rather unpleasant, uniform smell emitting from all the tokers, as if they had been standing next to burning savannah soaked in insecticide.

I look back on the early 70s with fondness, playing chess with friends whilst under the influence, whilst listening to great music by groups like Man ( 'Never say Nup to Nepalese').

Chess moves took hours as all the permutations drifted through one's mind, but those days had to stop, time to get ourselves together, lol.

 

[freedomnow]

I tried that light green crumbly stuff that is not quite hashish and just made me paranoid like in my teens...stuff just does not agree with me though high dose CBD is great...like 6000mg level tincture...

[RSD1]

4 hours ago, Bday Prang said:

Indeed and after years and years of being criminalised for smoking many long term users have simply become accustomed to smoking discreetly at home. I know I certainly have smoking it in a bar feels to me as weird as drinking alcohol in the house. Certainly not everybody who smokes it likes to advertise the fact so essentially the OP has no idea how many people like to indulge   The same goes for all the useless surveys that have been commissioned over the years  

Yeah, I don’t really like dealing with it when I’m out. So most of my use is at home. But I can pretty easily carry one of my vaporizers and use it discreetly if needed. The best thing for me is just take some of my edible oil before heading out. Then I’m good for many hours and don’t need to think about it at all. 

[wombat]

On 6/18/2025 at 3:46 PM, JackGats said:

Why do many people NOT drink alcohol even though it's legal?

I don't like the stone that goes with it...drinking tequila and dancing on table tops, I embarrass myself these days.

🙃😇🫠

[Bohemianfish]

On 6/18/2025 at 6:00 AM, ronnie50 said:

Apparently the THC in today's harvests of marijuana is multiple times higher than the ganja we smoked 30 years ago. I guess you could argue therefore that you need less to purchase and get high, anyway I'll pass.

I disagree. It depends, of course. Some strains are super strong, but a lot of it isn't any different than it was 45 years ago.

[wombat]

On 6/18/2025 at 3:46 PM, JackGats said:

Why do many people NOT drink alcohol even though it's legal?

I don't like the stone that goes with it...drinking tequila and dancing on table tops, I embarrass myself these days.

🙃😇🫠

On 6/18/2025 at 10:24 PM, JackGats said:

 if you test positive outside Thailand.

Then you haven't done your homework.

[Bohemianfish]

I have some in the evening, a hit or two. That's about all I need and I don't do it daily. It's legal here in Washington State and there's a lot to choose from.

[wombat]

On 6/18/2025 at 3:46 PM, JackGats said:

Why do many people NOT drink alcohol even though it's legal?

I don't like the stone that goes with it...drinking tequila and dancing on table tops, I embarrass myself these days.

🙃😇🫠

On 6/18/2025 at 10:24 PM, JackGats said:

 if you test positive outside Thailand.

Then you haven't done your homework.

[Dionigi]

On 6/18/2025 at 5:09 PM, zmisha said:

Legalization of soft drugs makes it easier to get involved in the world of drugs. And after that, some people easily move on and try harder and harder drugs.

Legalisation moves drugs like cannabis away from dealers who sell many different types of drugs and try to get people to try drugs that are addictive as they then have returning customers who need their fix.

None of those weed shops sell anything but weed and therefore the temptation to try something else is not available where the drug is purchased. 

Using alcohol is not a gateway to try other drugs which which give a similar high.

It also allows for regulations to check for purity in the product, whereas illegal drugs on the street can be doctored with other things. Note the recent deaths of tourists who bought what they thought was coke but in fact was something lethal.

[soalbundy]

On 6/18/2025 at 11:35 AM, JoseThailand said:

After the 3 years of legal weed in Thailand, we can see that weed is still a very niche product. Not many people are using it. Many weed shops stay empty all day and  probably survive only because of the few regular customers.

 

Why is it so? Why do most people not smoke weed? Why are most people absolutely okay with alcohol, but not weed?

Same reason most people aren't drunk all day.

[Kenny Boy]

It’s like being left wing, most people grow out of it…

[1sickpuppy]

On 6/18/2025 at 5:09 PM, zmisha said:

Legalization of soft drugs makes it easier to get involved in the world of drugs. And after that, some people easily move on and try harder and harder drugs.

Ignorant person, its like saying if u drink beer you will go onto spirits then metho , DiP--it

[pacovl46]

On 6/18/2025 at 6:35 AM, JoseThailand said:

After the 3 years of legal weed in Thailand, we can see that weed is still a very niche product. Not many people are using it. Many weed shops stay empty all day and  probably survive only because of the few regular customers.

 

Why is it so? Why do most people not smoke weed? Why are most people absolutely okay with alcohol, but not weed?

Because alcohol has been an accepted social "lubricant" for centuries, while weed has been villanized as a drug amd most people don't want anything to do with drugs. You could also argue that one can drink alcohol without getting drunk, while this is not possible with weed or any drug for that matter, unless you're into micro-dosing. Having said that, I prefer being high over being drunk by a mile! 

 

 

[henryford1958]

Because we have more than 2 brain cells

[Hummin]

On 6/18/2025 at 11:35 AM, JoseThailand said:

After the 3 years of legal weed in Thailand, we can see that weed is still a very niche product. Not many people are using it. Many weed shops stay empty all day and  probably survive only because of the few regular customers.

 

Why is it so? Why do most people not smoke weed? Why are most people absolutely okay with alcohol, but not weed?

 

Do you smoke weed? Hang around weed smokers ? 

 

I had for a long time of my life, and it bores you after awhile.

 

Same any other substance it changes the character of the people if they do it daily. 

 

Of course people are different, and use substances different and it comes down to class and culture, and who you are comfortable with, and who you are comfortable to be.

 

Being gay is legal and accepted, why are you not gay? 🧐😁

[StandardIssue]

On 6/17/2025 at 9:35 PM, JoseThailand said:

After the 3 years of legal weed in Thailand, we can see that weed is still a very niche product. Not many people are using it. Many weed shops stay empty all day and  probably survive only because of the few regular customers.

 

Why is it so? Why do most people not smoke weed? Why are most people absolutely okay with alcohol, but not weed?

 

IMHO, this is the wrong forum to ask a question that has such obvious answers. Just because you like weed doesn't mean a bunch of other people might.

 

What makes you think that there was a long parade of people just waiting for weed to be legal and race down to the local dispensary to buy and toke up?

 

You might want to stay off the pipe some. 

 

I used to smoke the sh!t. Now that I'm a couple decades older I can't for the life of me figure out why. It did nothing for me. I gave up booze too. I don't need a chemical to feel OK. I'm calm and at ease the way I am. 

 

Anyways booze has a much more predictable calming effect and sets most people at ease in moderation and it DOES NOT make some folks all paranoid. Weed on the other hand started making me paranoid after awhile. Just felt like crap after I smoked it. This was the good stuff too. Nor Cal sens bud. 

[Bundooman]

On 6/18/2025 at 11:35 AM, JoseThailand said:

After the 3 years of legal weed in Thailand, we can see that weed is still a very niche product. Not many people are using it. Many weed shops stay empty all day and  probably survive only because of the few regular customers.

 

Why is it so? Why do most people not smoke weed? Why are most people absolutely okay with alcohol, but not weed?

Maybe because simply, they don't want to?

[Ricky HKT]

It affects me negatively, on a mental level.

-Zaps confidence

-Adversely affects reasoning and mental accuity

-causes laziness 

-made my mind race, and could not sleep well 

In other words, turns me into a vegetable, unable to produce much of anything.

And I want to pay money for that? Think I'll pass!

[jippytum]

Because most  sensible people choose not to smoke. 

[J Branche]

With the recent medical publications showing the more frequently you use marijuana the higher chances of heart attack or stroke I would think seriously.

 

I'm no expert but it seemed to effect daily users with up to 25% increased risk of heart attack and up to 42% risk of stroke.

 

Weekly use seemed to have minimum increase 3% for heart attack and 5% for stroke.

[BritManToo]

4 minutes ago, J Branche said:

With the recent medical publications showing the more frequently you use marijuana the higher chances of heart attack or stroke I would think seriously.

 

I'm no expert but it seemed to effect daily users with up to 25% increased risk of heart attack and up to 42% risk of stroke.

 

Weekly use seemed to have minimum increase 3% for heart attack and 5% for stroke.

Just more reefer madness nonsense IMHO.

Probably less harm than a COVID vaccination.

[J Branche]

3 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Just more reefer madness nonsense IMHO.

"The findings are from a retrospective study of over 4.6 million people published in JACC Advances and a meta-analysis of 12 previously published studies being presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session"

 

Up to you what you want to believe I tend to believe professionals educated in the field when the use large pools of data.  I don't smoke so I will choose to increase my risk with burgers, ribs, and deserts.

[Rumpelstilskin]

On 6/18/2025 at 11:43 AM, BritManToo said:

I pay 2-5bht/g for cannabis using LINE, hardly anyone (except tourists) will pay 200bht/g from a shop.

 

Yesterday's order 100gm, 229bht cod.

 

Dank!