<p>Yea, right. Didn't he have some kind of breakdown recently or something? What was that with leaving season three of his show prematurely?</p>
<p>Reminds me of high school in southern California. The more well off you are, the more drugs you do. If you don't have problems, you must create them yourself.</p>
<p>You are not the only sane person, though you may feel like it. Be happy that you aren't a part of this and you don't feel the need to participate. </p>
<p>And for the record, there are a lot worse things than marijuana. However an addiction to any one thing, be it pasta, cheese, watching too much TV, or LSD is a bad thing. There are too many things in this world to experience (not talking about drugs) that being addicted to any one thing is a waste of your time, and possibly your health.</p>
<p>I don't think that one can become addicted to marijuana...</p>
<p>You can't develop a physical addiction to it and become dependant on it like you can with alcohol or heroin, but you can become addicted to the feeling and therefore way up everyday only thinking about getting high.</p>
<p>What I've read is that those who become psychologically dependent on marijuana become dependent on the release it gives them from other issues. People who have other "issues" and use marijuana as an "escape" are the ones who develop a habit, not those who do it every once in a while.</p>
<p>
[QUOTE]
Reminds me of high school in southern California. The more well off you are, the more drugs you do. If you don't have problems, you must create them yourself.
[/QUOTE]
</p>
<p>Agreed. I went to a private school where at least a quarter of the students drove late model Beamers and Mercedes, toting around their Coach bags and discussing their latest Bahamas trip. That sounds like a cliched generalization of wealthy young high school students, but in my case it was quite true.</p>
<p>These same kids would get into stupid, stupid **** like heavily drinking and sneaking pot into their lockers so they could have some even at school, they were so into it.</p>
<p>Luckily, if ever in trouble, mommy and daddy could bail their precious kid out without worrying about money issues.</p>
<p>It is somewhat different if people use pot to forget their problems, at least for awhile. I understand what Chappelle said about some African-Americans and their reasons for using pot. </p>
<p>When I was in high school-- and actually now, at university-- many of the kids I see using pot were/are fairly well-off, white and do not have real problems to escape from (besides maybe finding a date for the spring dance or getting a good grade in English). They are simply bored as hell, and pot, for some hours, makes things fun for them. It's a stupid reason to get into drugs, just being bored when you really don't have any real problems.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Yea, right. Didn't he have some kind of breakdown recently or something? What was that with leaving season three of his show prematurely?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>His reasons for going to Africa dealt with the fact that corporate interests were clashing with art. It wasn't any sort of drug issue, those were just rumors.</p>
<p>
[quote]
The comedian broke this silence on Feb. 3 on the "Oprah Winfrey Show," saying that stress and pressure from network executives forced him to quit. In his two-hour interview with Lipton, Chappelle discusses both his decision and the characterizations of him in the press.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>
[quote]
You guys are students now, so you're idealists. You don't know about where art and corporate interests meet yet. Just prepare to have your heart broken ... get your Africa tickets ready, baby. Because you have no idea!</p>
<p>Corporate interests, and money, were at the core of Chappelle's decision, he says. The comic claims that Comedy Central pressured him to produce shows that didn't jibe with his sensibilities, and that the $50 million deal brought with it more expectations then he was prepared for. Chappelle recalled a conversation he had with his late father about his decision to become a comedian, saying My father told me Name your price in the beginning. If it ever gets more expensive than the price you name, get out of there. Thus, Africa.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>So no, it was NOT crack or any drugs.</p>
<p>Marijuana is mainly a gateway drug because of its illegal status - you get it from a DRUG DEALER who wants you to get hooked and buy more, only you can't really get hooked (physically) on weed - so it's "How about an upgrade man? This coke will get you really ****ing high!" </p>
<p>It's also just a demonization campaign by the moralists to keep weed illegal - "95% of crack smokers smoked weed before they smoked crack!" I bet 95% also smoked a cigarette and drank alcohol first - availability.</p>
<p>It usually gets passed around quite a bit though. Most of the people I've seen selling weed were teenagers. The people who are really serious about it usually buy larger quantities from a grower and split it with someone.</p>
<p>While marijuana does get people started on other drugs, and I've seen this as well, this is not always the case. The people that truly love smoking herb will stick to it. Others (usually the wealthy kids from what I've seen) often move on to coke.</p>
<p>As far as marijuana use goes, check out this website and be open-minded to learn about the subject yourself. You'll learn something.</p>
<p>i dont like rayj28</p>
<p>I got a good laugh out of this one:</p>
<p>ALLEGATION #11
"The truth is that marijuana and violence are linked."</p>
<p>More like inversely related. The more sinsemilla you smoke the less violent you are.</p>
<p>I agree that there are way too many people in jail for possession of marijuana. What a way to waste our tax dollars. Not that I'm agreeing that marijuana should be legalized, but it should be at least decriminalized.</p>
<p>Hey Preals,</p>
<pre><code>Wow. I went through a similar situation in my sophmore year of high school. I was shocked at how some friends close to me resorted to that. It was especially shocking for me not even having seen drugs before, in fact I felt people were speacking a whole 'nother language. All I know is you don't HAVE to use drugs to get by. I plan on living in my college career without drugs. I know of people who have dropped out of great schools as a result of drugs. I plan on living my life clean, getting sleep. If that means a lower grade in exam because I didn't take some drug to keep me up, I'll take it. Hey, I'll know I did the right thing.
</code></pre>
<p>Hey, that's awesome dude. I agree with you. I don't think using drugs to get through school (Adderall to "do well" and pot "to relax") is necessary. I don't care if it "works." Its just not for me. Some people will get mad when they read this or what you wrote, but that's just our opinions and we're not forcing them on anyone else. We're not forcing people to read or to accept it. If someone doesn't like what we think, then that's their opinion. </p>
<p>But again, I totally agree with you. </p>
<p>Oh and rayj28: man, someone just said they don't like you. You don't have to go ape**** over it. Plenty of people have said very personal and unkind things to me via College Confidential (of all places) but I've learned the hard way to take it in stride. I believe the person who said they didn't like you used like one sentence to say so. You don't have to post a tirade against them for it.</p>
<p>Hahahahaha I'm glad we agree Peals. I'm sticking with my opinion even though people might disagree too. I'm confident I've made the right decision about drugs in the past. So your NOT the only one. LOL, assusming your a guy, right on brotha!</p>
<p>I was under the impression that I could post anything I wanted. Including a "tirade" as you call it. My mistake. I guess I was wrong. Maybe I should just "take it in stride".</p>
<p>Dude. My first post on this board is in your thread! Yaay!</p>
<p>Alls I have to say is thank goodness YOU'RE around, because if you weren't, I'D be the only one! :P</p>
<p>Although I'm not in college yet I already feel the harsh effects of me having what a view to be a healthy and moral stance on drugs and alcohol. I think it's wrong, illegal, and dangerous, and I don't plan on touching or advocating the stuff -ever-. I just... don't like it. I know I'll be uncomfortable in college but I suppose we can take solace in the fact that we're not being flimsy sheep and giving into peer pressure, eh?</p>
<p>Stay strong!</p>
<p>
[quote]
Although I'm not in college yet I already feel the harsh effects of me having what a view to be a healthy and moral stance on drugs and alcohol. I think it's wrong, illegal, and dangerous, and I don't plan on touching or advocating the stuff -ever-. I just... don't like it. I know I'll be uncomfortable in college but I suppose we can take solace in the fact that we're not being flimsy sheep and giving into peer pressure, eh?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Cool. My advice to you is to keep your personal beliefs, stay strong and even if you're offered a lot of opportunities to do certain drugs/alcohol (like I have) don't give in if you don't think its right. </p>
<p>Another piece of advice is to be careful not to give a holier-than-thou vibe towards those who DO choose certain behaviors. Their personal decisions are their personal decisions. Acting as if you're better than them will only make you (more of) a target. If you feel uncomfortable among those who are users of drugs or alcohol-- if they're pressuring you/making fun of you-- avoid them. </p>
<p>Stay true to who you are... even if it means it sometimes makes you a lonely person.</p>
<p>The vast majority of my friends who regularly drink or use drugs actually respect my decision to abstain from both totally. I never talk down to them or lecture them unless I think what they're doing is especially dangerous. And they have stopped inviting me to drink and do weed etc and do not treat me as some sort of wrong-thinking person, either.</p>
<p>We're all technically adults, sometimes we need to let each other be and let each other learn the facts of life for ourselves.</p>
<p>I feel I should give my 2 cents on the subject. I have never used drugs, drinking or smoking. Almost all my friends do but they leave me alone about it. The reason I choose not to is not because it is "immoral", or illegal. There is just something about affecting my consciousness I dont like. I feel that I can have fun without drugs, and even though I dont go to all the ragers I stil have friends. If I was to begin doing drugs I would feel as if I was succumbing to peer pressure, not because of what I want. I have fun just hanging out, I dont understand why I would want drugs, Sometimes I think the only reason that anybody takes them is because everybody else is. If I took drugs I could hang out with my friends more and have good times, but that just isn't how I want to live. I know I'm rambling and that anybody reading this wont understand it, but it feels good to get it out.</p>
<p>Don't let others influence you. And remember drugs are bad for you.</p>
<p>But they seriously can mess up some good kids.</p>
<p>PERSONAL STORY: In fourth grade I met a guy who was new to the school. We'll call him Pete in case he reads these boards. Pete and I met in math class and became good friends. We also were both into music, and both wound up joining band. Pete played French Horn, I played trombone. Pete was a great guy and was really smart, plus could play French Horn like none other. This guy usually got straight A's and took all the advanced classes in elementary and middle school. We usually went to summer band clinics together over the summer. Both of us were obsessed with cars and would talk about them the whole way down and back--and Pete knew every single model of one manufacturer.</p>
<p>Pete met a girl in eighth grade and they fell in love. He was still the same old Pete away from her though. We continued to do our music stuff. Then, the summer before tenth grade, the girl moved away. Pete got really depressed. I wasn't doing any music camp that summer so I didn't get to see him as much as I used to. There was something different about him though when I got back to school.</p>
<p>Then something strange happened. Pete started missing just about every day of school. Now he missed a day here and there in the past, but never like this. There was a period of about 20 days once with no Pete. He insisted he had stomach flu, but that wouldn't keep a guy out of school that long.</p>
<p>Pete's appearance started to change too, as did his interests. He got real into guitar and didn't play his horn much anymore. Keep in mind this guy was so into his horn that he spent nearly $10,000 on a new horn, lessons, and camps in one year. Also he started becoming very sloppy in his appearance. Also, he suddenly was hating many of the cars he used to like and no longer talked about them.</p>
<p>By the start of senior year, Pete's demeanor had changed too. He was really strange. The attendance was still poor, and he was now saying almost random things in a strange tone of voice every time I talked to him (or anyone talked to him).</p>
<p>Then it happened. The assistant principal came into class and pulled Pete. We didn't know at the time, but later that day we learned he had smoked weed on a school bus and was caught. He got suspended. None of us would have ever suspected Pete of this, but then we thought perhaps it accounted for his behavior.</p>
<p>Pete also had started lying about his college at this point. The school actually had the wrong college on their list for him! When he got back from suspension, he was still the same, but without as many strange comments.</p>
<p>Pete went to college but I've heard he dropped out and is now selling drugs in the city. He threw away his gift (French Horn) and intelligence (he got a ton of F's his final year of HS after getting straight A's throughout middle school).</p>
<p>We can only hope that Pete and others like him can turn around.</p>
<p>Around the time he started acting weird I stopped hanging out with him outside of school. So I never saw him actually do drugs.</p>