Marijuana is safe (depending on several factors like supplier, origin, etc.). I would go so far as to say that it can actually be healing. I’ve never viewed it as a “drug”. According to WebMD, Medical Marijuana can be used to treat severe chronic pain, MS/Muscle Spasms, along with other ailments and chronic diseases. It’s also used in some psychiatric spaces.
We are in an era that understands (and accepts) marijuana’s medicinal benefits. Its use is not as taboo as it was just a decade ago. Progress is certainly something to be celebrated, but I can’t help but wonder about an ugly side to a beautiful plant.
It’s not addictive, but just like any other substance, its foundational power can be deadly if misguided.
The Life Beyond the Haze
I’ll make this brief.
I love the term being ‘high’. There is some impeccable accuracy there. I always thought it accurately described the experience. A different perception of reality. Floating. Great things can happen in the clouds. That’s the luxury of having what they call “a birds eye view”. I call it a watchtower. I use that term a lot, actually.
Those clouds can be attributed to the Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). I probably don’t have to explain it, but it’s a chemical that activates when ingesting marijuana. Researchers suggest that it’s what provides the infamous ‘high’ feeling. The National Institutes of Health specifically says it provides “intoxicating” and “mind altering” effects.
They continue, “Cannabis can make people feel more happy or relaxed. Cannabis can cause altered time perception, and impaired thinking, memory, and body movement. It can also it can also make people feel more irritable or restless.”
This feeling could be the perfect mini-vacation after a long day, but I wonder if prolonged use could help create a life you don’t want. One a little too far from reality.
My Question About Life on the Clouds
We are creatures of signals. Amazing scientific masterpieces, built with inhibitors to feel the world around us and introduce us to our best paths forward. We’re built different. All of us. Different paths, different signals to light the way. One could suggest that chemicals like THC suppress those inhibitors (and heightens others) which could lead to the wrong path being lit, if you will.
Well, maybe the word “wrong” is a little dramatic – just not the paths that truly call us. Could that altered reality become a little too permanent? Creating a life that we really don’t agree with under sober judgment?
My Theory (Which isn’t much of one)
We’ll never get an answer to this question. We’ll never know which came first: the bad day? Or, the marijuana? That means we won’t find the answers for whether the life is the result of the substance, or vice versa. It’s great for a lot of things, I just wonder what happens when the sober mind wants to hear the inhibitors that the THC suppresses.
It’s probably nothing and I’m just talking. Maybe this just a safety reminder to us all to be sure that we aren’t relying on THC to create new lives for us and that we still like (and appreciate) who we are when we’re sober.
