Marijuana Free

[Guest]

There castle

[LeeE]

**LOL**

[TUCK]

I am a long-term lurker and I've not felt any inclination to post until I saw this posting.

One of the reasons I wanted to live in Puna was the impression that people came out here to escape from the narrow-minded, judgmental mainland. I am an extremely light user of weed, in total I may take a couple of tokes a couple of times a year, but I would not deny the right of anyone else to use more of it. Shakuhachi's statement is such an incredibly exclusionary, aloha deficient, sort of declaration. US (the morally superior)vs THEM(the hoi-polloi) Personally, I much prefer people who have smoked weed at some point in their lives. My observation has been they are much more open-minded, imaginative, creative and all around good souls.

[pslamont]

Well, I don't see this as a hostility issue. I am totally FOR legalization; I just don't like it and don't want it at my house. I choose friends who aren't going to light up while we are having a dinner party. This isn't exclusionary; it's a preference. I also don't drink. Doesn't mean I am a snob; means I don't drink. And I don't hang in bars and don't care to be around people who drink to such excess that they are blathering idiots. I don't like out of control parties or fights or cars racing down my road either. I am not a Christian and don't like anyone to drag a bible over to my house to tell me how life should be. Having preferences is not snobbish. This is a forum where I am proud someone can say "this is who I am and what I believe and who I want to be friends with". Why do we need to challenge one another in the negative so much? I say identify and celebrate our differences. I thought THAT was what Puna was all about....

I want to be the kind of woman that, when my feet
hit the floor each morning, the devil says

"Oh Crap, She's up!"

[Royall]

Very well said Pam.

Royall

[David M]

The OP is not a big deal to me. Those here that know me personally, know that I don't allow ANY smoking on our property and a sign posted announcing same. I have limited friends that smoke, both legally and illegally - just not at my house and they respect that.

David

Ninole Resident

[oink]

KathuH, now you're equating a preference to not associate with illegal drug users with racism. That's a pretty big leap. Or are drug users a protected class in Puna. His statement wasn't critical, you chose to interpret it that way. What is Rob's little saying, "Think the best ans ask questions". I took the original post to mean he was looking for like minded friends, period. He was also concerned his request would result in comments from pro-marijuana advocates and he was attempting to dissuade the thread going in that direction. That obviously didn't work.

Pua`a
S. FL
Big Islander to be.

[critterlover]

Aloha All, I did not move to Puna for the 'people' or to remove some mask that I'd worn that I wear no longer because I live here. I did not move here because it is a 'live and let live' community. I actually moved here 20 yrs ago because of Nature and the FORCES it bears. I moved here because I'd been here in this state so many times on vacation and fell in love with it that I could no longer live where I was. I moved to this area 8 years ago because I got a good deal on a house and we needed a sense of permanency so we were not left at the will of landlords. My husband and I do not socialize nor accumulate friends, by choice. We have them, we just don't socialize except for the occasional holiday meal. We have found the less entanglements with folks the more peace in our lives. We find laughing at the antics of our dogs and cats as they move through our lives far more entertaining and fulfilling than having to deal with idiosyncrasies of people.

In my youth, way way back, my teens, mid to late, I tried smoking marijuana. I tried drinking alcohol, and to excess. I smoked cigarettes and loved it. I even did it all while I was pregnant, because way back then no one said it was wrong, or harmful, and because I was an impetuous teen whose center in life was herself. In 1970 I stepped into a discipline in life that required my immediate cessation of all such things, excepting moderate consumption of alcohol. I also learned what 'judgmental' meant. I lived it. I also believe that is where I found people were no longer high on my list of fun, at least innocent-be-who-you-are fun, and likely where I discovered my home was my sanctuary. I lived that 'discipline, fairly wholeheartedly for some 30 years. Then I stopped. I could no longer abide the judgment of others. I have since discovered I need no one to threaten me into 'behaving' as I believe I should, nor judge me if I disagree that I must, nor to judge others if they decide they would like to. I do believe we are responsible for ourselves, our families, our environment, our respect for nature, our love of our Creator for having provided this beauty and especially the animals. Joy in my life is derived from my husband's wit, love, nurturing, and his goodness. From our kids, both far away and when we get together. From our siblings and parents, far away and when we get together. Those few friends we have I enjoy via email, facebook, texting and on very rare occasions, when we get together for a meal.

I cannot stand the smell of marijuana as it burns. I cannot stand being in the room with a smoker of any substance because the smoke makes me choke. It is not that I disapprove of the individual's right to imbibe but I hate what effect it has on me. So, no, I don't invite it to my home, my car, my life. However, many, or perhaps most of my friends/associates with whom I must regularly interact with as part of some community service or volunteer effort, do smoke, anything that burns, and drink alcohol. All the people I interact with are doing the same thing I am doing which I believe to be good, community service, volunteering, and so I look at them with pride and contented heart knowing they are willing to give of themselves for others. I could careless what they do for entertainment. What they do is none of my business. Didn't used to be that way...for 30 years if you did not do exactly as was required you were banished from our extended circle of friends by the authority of a governing entity. We were not allowed to even say hello. Silly notion of youth that one must have some sort of disciplinarian authority to determine for us what we can eat, drink, not smoke, watch on television or movies, what music we could listen to, even who we could consider worthy of taking a meal with us -- even saying hello to, and here is the biggee, what we can 'think' and 'believe', all just to be able to be acceptable to the authority charged over our lives! And to believe that apart from that authority we are incapable of making sound, wholesome and right decisions. In 1999 we stepped away from the lifestyle -- with great trepidation initially. It has proven to be the best decision we could make. It has allowed us to find out who we were as individuals and as such it also allowed us to enjoy interaction with all sorts of people who do not believe and think as we do. It has been, for me, an incredible journey because it provided a 3 dimensional feel to my life being influenced by the good and noble beings with whom I have been blessed to get to know. I don't care if someone smokes or drinks it is not what makes them the person I see before me, it merely makes them a recreated person and that evidently allows them to do good for others, selflessly.

I thank God for the differences and I believe it is good to live in a community where one does not have to pretend or conform to some ideology in order to be acceptable to others. So all of you who want to light up...or grab a beer/wine or mixed drink...you're at home...we can hang out like this where my home and your home are our private spaces while hanging out here together virtually in public. What say you?

:::::::::::::picking up vice of choice:::::::::::::::::ipping ..... Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh, white chocolate capuccino...I do love my coffee or my diet coke...

“A penny saved is a government oversight.”

[DanielP]

Oink,

You are mistaken, he never mentioned ILLEGAL DRUG. Marijuana is not always illegal.

His criteria for soliciting associates is pretty narrow.

BORING

[oink]

He is within his rights to be boring. He can associate, or not, with whomever he chooses. Marijuana, according to the Feds, is illegal except in very rare instances. You can debate that one on one of the many other pro marijuana threads. His request was simple. I'm wrong for assisting in the hijack.

Pua`a
S. FL
Big Islander to be.