A Buzzless High

One of the reasons I smoke is because drinking just doesn’t do it for me. My first year of college I drank enough beer that the rest of my college career only involved liquor, and later wine. I’m a big guy and the amount of beer I had to drink to reach a good level of intoxication meant I was pumping my stomach full of loads of carbonation. With liquor I could do shots, jello, mixed drinks, or just drinking Jack straight like the then-future US Senator Blutarsky did in Animal House. A big problem I have with drinking, other than just the amount it took to get my buzz on, was that it incapacitated me to such a degree. I always felt ill when I drank such a large amount and my abilities were not up to par with the activities I liked to participate in. Sure, I could stumble down the street to grab a slice, but I couldn’t drive anywhere to get snacks or visit people.

I always found it easy to clear my head when drinking, part of that was because I learned early in life that if I act fucked up, I’ll feel more fucked up. So I sort of exaggerated the symptoms of drinking. Sometimes I was called on it, and sometimes I passed under the radar and was able to fit in at the basement party. With weed, I could still clear my head and considered myself a high functioning pot head. I could drive safely, go to work, interact with family, and overall get shit done. Basically, I could clear the mental buzz but maintain the physical benefits – my knee and stomach wouldn’t hurt as much and I could continue to relax. I was a high functioning stoner and reaped the benefits. More on this later.

I’m giving this background because I recently came across an article on Wired Science site through Ars Technica. I’m just going to link to the article because I can’t do the science it in justice, but the headline is a decent summary “Modified Marijuana Chemical Blocks Pain Without Buzz.” As I understand it, during experiments with mice, scientists discovered that the THC chemical” 5-desoxy-THC” works as a painkiller and can be applied without making the test subjects actually high.

This brings about an interesting question on the motivations for smoking pot. Obviously, I smoke mostly for recreation. I also smoke to de-stress and deal with stomach and knee pain. Some people smoke for glaucoma, or chronic pain, or as part of a comprehensive cancer treatment program. So just a straw poll – are you smoking for recreation or pain or another purpose. If you are smoking for a medical reason, would you smoke marijuana that would only help with the pain, as opposed to the whole shebang*?

Smoke Well,

XY

*I've always wanted to use "shebang" in a sentence. Nailed it!