Harbl the cat... only a very different man... TLDR

[SIR VEYOR]

Just for fun,


L RON HARBL

[DanN]

"my dosing was pretty typical of most patients (who dose)," ... "she recommended I do more "off" days" which politely means she thinks you're doing too much. - "too much" would be to quit. She made no such recommendation Nobody said you can't smoke a little pot, but you can't say she doesn't think you're smoking too much I'm not telepathic, but I know exactly that she said "try to take 2 days off a week instead of one, but other than that you're doing good." Let's not be obtuse Harbl; why do you think she suggested you triple your off days?

"alleviate the symptoms of my illnesses: depression, anxiety, and insomnia" = "disassociate from reality" I used to think so too, until I realized just how severe of an illness depression especially is. You're absolutely right - depression is a very serious condition.. and it requires treatment, not disassociation. You can't ignore it until it goes away. I never said I disassociated from reality, I said I used it to reduce the symptoms of my depression, anxiety, and insomnia. When I started out before I knew my dosing limitations, I had a few "trips." They weren't as bad as I thought they would be (my wife thought they were funny) - but I scaled it back, and as I've developed a tolerance, I don't trip at all. Now all I feel is calm and sleepy, which enables me to either focus, work out, or get a good night's sleep Based on the things you say I think it is having an effect. And you not seeing it is part of that.

"Conservatives for years have held to this dogmatic belief that cannabis is this evil substance that rots your brain." Ad hominem, and over-reaching. Not all cons, so to speak. And remember, the PPC are still cons. Pot, meet kettle. (Pun intended) I feel the PPC are more nationalist/libertarian than conservatives. I think that split is going to grow wider on a wide range of issues, cannabis in particular, and especially between the Libertarians and SoCon's We've spoken about this in other locations; I believe all the PPC can do right now is split the vote. I'm not even saying I have a problem with the PPC per se (other than being non-electable). You're reply is non sequitur. I was trying ot highlight that the grand conservative coalition is going to break apart, probably along the lines of the Libertarians vs the SoCon's. I think the SoCon's especially have the worst perspective concerning cannabis and that it can't be reconciled with the Libertarian perspective What is the PPC platform on pot?

"dosed properly and with an informed mind" Can a dosed mind be reliably informed, or is it inherently biased due to the dosing? I used to not think so either until I did the research and experimentation, under a Doctor's supervision. For anyone in Calgary, I highly recommend this clinic: https://hmed.ca/ That's akin to watching TYT for advice on Conservatives. A registered medical clinic specializing in cannabis? What would be better? Google? (although I use both) How about we start with a 3rd party who isn't dependent on profits.

"absolute miracle medicine" Evidence req'd Research required. I've done mine. I'll have to take your word for it. Pitty it hasn't saved the world yet. Wait until it's legalized in the US. That's what I'm watching for. What about other parts of the world where it's been legal longer? Why haven't they cured all the things?

The only real reason I don't argue against pot is because to be intellectually consistent I'd have to argue against alcohol, too. Do you believe that if used in the same way alcohol is different from pot? No. That's not to say they both don't have risks, but doing the research, alcohol has a greater likelihood to induce negative side effects I don't think we'll really know the answer to this until it has been legal long enough to have actual, evidence based medical stats. Same goes for vaping - no one really knows what effects it will have long term.The research is sparse, but then again, abundant long term research in autism has yielded nothing useful either. Nothing useful, eh? I'll bet there are some legit scientists that would take offence to that statement.

"Societies for hundreds of years before science was even invented knew cannabis was effective medicine" Which societies? You mean the ones that didn't invent the wheel, or the ones who did ritual human sacrifices? Scythians, Greeks, Romans, Thracians, English, Israelis, French, Indian. Heck, even the Americans before the 1930's used it the same way we use Tylenol. And those were some pretty crappy times to live in. Society has learned a little and advanced a little since then. IE, you can't really use the antikythera mechanism as a good example of how to design logic circuits today, as brilliant a machine as it is.While we've progressed in some ways, we've regressed in very many others. Look at what kills people these days. Mostly owing to diet and lifestyle changes, most of which are a result of some underlying psychological pathology. Why don't people live healthier lives when we have an abundance of technological miracles? Stress especially, is dangerous. Believe me I know. Forget that fact that the average life expectancy has about doubled; people commonly life past 40 these days. I'd call that significant advancement.

"so many on "our side" hold to irrationally dogmatic and ill-informed beliefs about what is essentially a medical health panacea" says every pot-head I've ever met. I have yet to see any study that shows pot cured anything worse than a hangover. Could it be because for most of the last century it was a Schedule 1 Controlled Substance and it was illegal to research it in the US? Medial use pot has been legal for a long time, and it's only used as a pain killer. Not a cure for anything.Pain causes stress. See previous point. Pot doesn't cure stress; stress is brought on by external factors that can be alleviated more effectively than short term pot use. And as you build your tolerance, you'll just need more pot..

"Medicinal cannabis saved my wife, my life, and my marriage." I hope that's true. Now, and into the future. Believe me, it is. Awesome. Thanks!

"I was a good "conservative."" In my experience, political affiliation has little to no reflection on who smokes pot; I see many on both sides of the political spectrum. This is perhaps a dogma you hold yourself and project on others. It was certainly the belief I held prior when I was an ardent (and suffering) conservative. So were (and are) many of my conservative peers. I would ask how you've suffered, but more importantly I think you'd agree you suffer more under a Liberal gov't.Raising a developmentally impaired child comes with enormous suffering. So much so, the thought of having my AR's doesn't bother me half as much as contemplating what struggles my daughter will face. Non-sequitur.

"Life isn't about enjoyment. I have very little enjoyment in my life." That's a problem, not just a symptom. "The pursuit of happiness is a pointless goal" - Jordan Peterson.
Meaning trumps happiness. Happiness in excess turns you into a hedonist when it's abundant, a nihilist when it is scarce. Ironically, that's a nihilistic comment. A smile and a laugh go a long way. I'm not opposed to happiness, I just realize it's important to pursue meaning and be grateful when happiness comes your way A healthy lifestyle includes happiness. You need it. It's good for you.

Meaning enriches life when happiness is present, and sustains it when it is gone. No one is arguing a good life doesn't require meaning, but it does require happiness in equal measure. For now I'll assume your happiness will be found in the future health of your child, and that is the other part that drives you forward.My meaning is found in the future health of my children. I think the thing that makes me happy is the thought of lying on my deathbed 80 - 90 years from now, surrounded by a small legion of descendants, and my last thought as I leave this world being "Praise God, that was a good life." You'll be pretty darn lucky if you live another 80 years. Listening to you I'm concerned you might not round out the decade.

[DanN]

A healthy lifestyle includes happiness. You need it. It's good for you.

Food for thought: Living with a curmudgeon is bad for a relationship...

"Curmudgeon" might be too strong a word, but it sounded good. What I mean to say, having done it myself, is that living with someone devoid of happiness is very, very difficult.

[Dewey Cox]

When have I not sounded like a lunatic on these forums? Awndry?

You used to come across more "quirky and eccentric".
Now you sound nuts.

Before you commit to anything serious, please give it some sober thought (emphasis on sober)

[NickYYC]

You used to come across more "quirky and eccentric".
Now you sound nuts.

Before you commit to anything serious, please give it some sober thought (emphasis on sober)

I do have 4 kids you know. By Canadian standards that automatically makes me "nuts."

We've made up our minds. We're going to try our hands at flag polling for a year in Mexico in an expat community and see if what it's like in South East Asia.

Those "developing" countries are brutal if you are native and poor, but if you port over 20 years of Canadian type savings, you basically can live like royalty.

[NickYYC]

"my dosing was pretty typical of most patients (who dose)," ... "she recommended I do more "off" days" which politely means she thinks you're doing too much. - "too much" would be to quit. She made no such recommendation Nobody said you can't smoke a little pot, but you can't say she doesn't think you're smoking too much I'm not telepathic, but I know exactly that she said "try to take 2 days off a week instead of one, but other than that you're doing good." Let's not be obtuse Harbl; why do you think she suggested you triple your off days?

Because the size of the dose you need to get the desired effect increases as your body develops a tolerance to it. Medical cannabis is basically prescribed at such a low dose compared to "heroic" doses of recreational psychonauts because the point isn't to have a psychedelic experience (although those are pretty fun and therapeutic too) - but because the positive benefits of low doses. Personally, I think we should be giving every single military veteran with PTSD 10-20 mg of THC every day, along with integrating mandatory psychological resilience training for all soldiers (basically training our troops how to perform what I call "combat meditation," or training to calm the mind and body in the face of overwhelming stress and anxiety - much in the way they describe in Robert Heinlein's book, Starship Troopers.

I take between 10-30 mg myself. The real stoners or people with very serious pain conditions take 50-500 mg / day or session. (I've had some pretty good psychedelic experiences at about 40-50 mg myself - but don't do that too often - maybe once every few months).

"alleviate the symptoms of my illnesses: depression, anxiety, and insomnia" = "disassociate from reality" I used to think so too, until I realized just how severe of an illness depression especially is. You're absolutely right - depression is a very serious condition.. and it requires treatment, not disassociation. You can't ignore it until it goes away. I never said I disassociated from reality, I said I used it to reduce the symptoms of my depression, anxiety, and insomnia. When I started out before I knew my dosing limitations, I had a few "trips." They weren't as bad as I thought they would be (my wife thought they were funny) - but I scaled it back, and as I've developed a tolerance, I don't trip at all. Now all I feel is calm and sleepy, which enables me to either focus, work out, or get a good night's sleep Based on the things you say I think it is having an effect. And you not seeing it is part of that. I see the effects very well - I can sleep well, wake up rested, not be anxious or worried during the day, focus and concentrate on highly complex tasks, break bad habits (like comfort shopping / stress eating / watching pornography / lose my temper), and establish new, positive ones (eat well, exercise, meditate, pray, be calm and in control of my temper)

"Conservatives for years have held to this dogmatic belief that cannabis is this evil substance that rots your brain." Ad hominem, and over-reaching. Not all cons, so to speak. And remember, the PPC are still cons. Pot, meet kettle. (Pun intended) I feel the PPC are more nationalist/libertarian than conservatives. I think that split is going to grow wider on a wide range of issues, cannabis in particular, and especially between the Libertarians and SoCon's We've spoken about this in other locations; I believe all the PPC can do right now is split the vote. I'm not even saying I have a problem with the PPC per se (other than being non-electable). You're reply is non sequitur. I was trying ot highlight that the grand conservative coalition is going to break apart, probably along the lines of the Libertarians vs the SoCon's. I think the SoCon's especially have the worst perspective concerning cannabis and that it can't be reconciled with the Libertarian perspective What is the PPC platform on pot? Bernier's used cannabis before. They're pro-cannabis

"dosed properly and with an informed mind" Can a dosed mind be reliably informed, or is it inherently biased due to the dosing? I used to not think so either until I did the research and experimentation, under a Doctor's supervision. For anyone in Calgary, I highly recommend this clinic: https://hmed.ca/ That's akin to watching TYT for advice on Conservatives. A registered medical clinic specializing in cannabis? What would be better? Google? (although I use both) How about we start with a 3rd party who isn't dependent on profits.That's still a publicly regulated health care service. As much as I think Canadian health care is terrible, offering public cannabis clinics is at least something Canada does right (even though the advice is really obvious and easily researched)

"absolute miracle medicine" Evidence req'd Research required. I've done mine. I'll have to take your word for it. Pitty it hasn't saved the world yet. Wait until it's legalized in the US. That's what I'm watching for. What about other parts of the world where it's been legal longer? Why haven't they cured all the things? It's not been legal pretty much anywhere since the 1930's. Because of Americans prohibited it, there was virtually no R&D done. It's perfectly understandable why - because none is needed - it's obvious how beneficial it is, and we could shut down all the international Big-Pharma corporations by educating people about how to self medicate with cannabis. It's about as hard as figuring out how to self medicate with coffee.

The only real reason I don't argue against pot is because to be intellectually consistent I'd have to argue against alcohol, too. Do you believe that if used in the same way alcohol is different from pot? No. That's not to say they both don't have risks, but doing the research, alcohol has a greater likelihood to induce negative side effects I don't think we'll really know the answer to this until it has been legal long enough to have actual, evidence based medical stats. Same goes for vaping - no one really knows what effects it will have long term.The research is sparse, but then again, abundant long term research in autism has yielded nothing useful either. Nothing useful, eh? I'll bet there are some legit scientists that would take offence to that statement.Cannabis Sativa (aka - Hemp) is the oldest agricultural plant on the planet. It grows anywhere human civilization is established for as long as recorded history.
Hemp and Cannabis are practically identical in their applications and in how they are grown, hemp just doesn't produce THC. Pretty much every human civilization has cultivated both hemp and cannabis - hemp for textile use, cannabis for medicinal use. Modern "science" hasn't proven it, because the science is hyper-political. Like I said, the vast majority of pharmaceuticals treat symptoms of diseases cannabis has been used to treat for millennia.

"Societies for hundreds of years before science was even invented knew cannabis was effective medicine" Which societies? You mean the ones that didn't invent the wheel, or the ones who did ritual human sacrifices? Scythians, Greeks, Romans, Thracians, English, Israelis, French, Indian. Heck, even the Americans before the 1930's used it the same way we use Tylenol. And those were some pretty crappy times to live in. Society has learned a little and advanced a little since then. IE, you can't really use the antikythera mechanism as a good example of how to design logic circuits today, as brilliant a machine as it is.While we've progressed in some ways, we've regressed in very many others. Look at what kills people these days. Mostly owing to diet and lifestyle changes, most of which are a result of some underlying psychological pathology. Why don't people live healthier lives when we have an abundance of technological miracles? Stress especially, is dangerous. Believe me I know. Forget that fact that the average life expectancy has about doubled; people commonly life past 40 these days. I'd call that significant advancement.Life expectancy is no measure of quality of life. The reason we "live longer" is because our neonatal care has vastly improved as has our ability to generate calories through genetic modification and industrial agriculture. We're not healthier because, on average, we live longer. Case in point - the vast majority of people in Western nations die because of diseases caused by poor diet and lifestyle - cancer, stroke, heart attack, Alzheimers, diabetes are among the leading causes of death in Canada/US. I make the case even the flu, which kills hundreds of thousands of old people, is really only fatal to people with compromised immunity from years of sedentary lifestyle, improper nutrition, and improper stress management. You know the average East Asian monk of the various eastern religions easily live into their 90's and hundreds. They don't have all the advances of Western science, tech and medicine - but they spend their lives disciplining their minds - the Hindu's especially use cannabis for auspicious religious ceremonies, and it's not uncharacteristic for Hindu monks in India to live much longer than the average Canadian.

"so many on "our side" hold to irrationally dogmatic and ill-informed beliefs about what is essentially a medical health panacea" says every pot-head I've ever met. I have yet to see any study that shows pot cured anything worse than a hangover. Could it be because for most of the last century it was a Schedule 1 Controlled Substance and it was illegal to research it in the US? Medial use pot has been legal for a long time, and it's only used as a pain killer. Not a cure for anything.Pain causes stress. See previous point. Pot doesn't cure stress; stress is brought on by external factors that can be alleviated more effectively than short term pot use. And as you build your tolerance, you'll just need more pot..Cannabis alone doesn't cure stress, but it's very helpful to develop practices like hypnosis, meditation and to stabilize our sleep patterns - which increase our ability to cope with stress. I do all 3. Through hypnosis I've developed a diet and exercise regimen I never would have been able to have. I meditate 20-40 minutes a day to offset the fact I never sleep more than 5 hours (my autistic girl never lets me sleep very long).

"Medicinal cannabis saved my wife, my life, and my marriage." I hope that's true. Now, and into the future. Believe me, it is. Awesome. Thanks!

"I was a good "conservative."" In my experience, political affiliation has little to no reflection on who smokes pot; I see many on both sides of the political spectrum. This is perhaps a dogma you hold yourself and project on others. It was certainly the belief I held prior when I was an ardent (and suffering) conservative. So were (and are) many of my conservative peers. I would ask how you've suffered, but more importantly I think you'd agree you suffer more under a Liberal gov't.Raising a developmentally impaired child comes with enormous suffering. So much so, the thought of having my AR's doesn't bother me half as much as contemplating what struggles my daughter will face. Non-sequitur. I don't think it will be any worse under the Liberals than anyone else - the worst part of another Trudeau term is how embarrassing it will be to call yourself a Canadian when you are overseas.

"Life isn't about enjoyment. I have very little enjoyment in my life." That's a problem, not just a symptom. "The pursuit of happiness is a pointless goal" - Jordan Peterson.
Meaning trumps happiness. Happiness in excess turns you into a hedonist when it's abundant, a nihilist when it is scarce. Ironically, that's a nihilistic comment. A smile and a laugh go a long way. I'm not opposed to happiness, I just realize it's important to pursue meaning and be grateful when happiness comes your way A healthy lifestyle includes happiness. You need it. It's good for you.I agree happiness is good for you - it's just not the point of life. Moreover, happiness, is much easier to find when one has purpose in their life and fosters a spirit of gratitude. I find I am able to be just as happy seeing my daughters laugh and smile as I am going to the range - because they are the source of meaning in my life and I more grateful and appreciate them more. Before I started taking cannabis, I couldn't see that the way I do now.

Meaning enriches life when happiness is present, and sustains it when it is gone. No one is arguing a good life doesn't require meaning, but it does require happiness in equal measure. For now I'll assume your happiness will be found in the future health of your child, and that is the other part that drives you forward.My meaning is found in the future health of my children. I think the thing that makes me happy is the thought of lying on my deathbed 80 - 90 years from now, surrounded by a small legion of descendants, and my last thought as I leave this world being "Praise God, that was a good life." You'll be pretty darn lucky if you live another 80 years. Listening to you I'm concerned you might not round out the decade. I probably wouldn't last that long if I stayed the way I was before. Working 60-70 hours a week, stressing out over my job, eating the same garbage everyone else eats, while doing nothing but mindlessly consuming. Now I appreciate the things that matter. God, family, health. Nothing else matters but those - and everything falls perfectly in place with those as the guiding principles in my life.

[Haywire1]

Yep, still nuttier than a snickers bar. Just reads to me that pot is the latest bandwagon, before that it was western separation,before that it was airbnb, before that it was bitcoin, before that it was mlp, before that it was...

Dont get me wrong, everyone has their peculiarities, but your not a different harbl, you’re still treating goc like a personal blog to fill with long, rambling nonsensical posts loaded with whatever you believe is the truth, and writing manifesto responses to anyone who tries to comment on your latest bandwagon of choice.

NickYYC, he’s not as advertised

[JustBen]

Yep, still nuttier than a snickers bar. Just reads to me that pot is the latest bandwagon, before that it was western separation,before that it was airbnb, before that it was bitcoin, before that it was mlp, before that it was...

Dont get me wrong, everyone has their peculiarities, but your not a different harbl, you’re still treating goc like a personal blog to fill with long, rambling nonsensical posts loaded with whatever you believe is the truth, and writing manifesto responses to anyone who tries to comment on your latest bandwagon of choice.

NickYYC, he’s not as advertised

If it was down to him or Trudeau for PM, I'd have a difficult time making that decision.

[RobertMcC]

This just proves that pot isn't the do all drug. I was able to accomplish alot without being stoned to do so. I talk to a few Vets on medical pot. And they ended up sounding like the stoner hippy. To the point they realize and thank me. Since they were going to far.

[RobertMcC]

Personally, I think we should be giving every single military veteran with PTSD 10-20 mg of THC every day, along with integrating mandatory psychological resilience training for all soldiers (basically training our troops how to perform what I call "combat meditation," or training to calm the mind and body in the face of overwhelming stress and anxiety - much in the way they describe in Robert Heinlein's book, Starship Troopers.

I disagree.. So you give them pot then what? You still need therapy. So many vets are jumping on the pot train, self medicating, not going to therapy, and wonder why they are not getting better. Like the medication I take, that just the boot disk to start to reprogram, It's not a cure. I still need to goto therapy to get better. You just cannot smoke and be like I'm cured.

I had a friend, he jumped on the pot train, one of those truckers, that never left the wire, but somehow developed serious PTSD that he needs to be stoned all the time to function.. He tried to get me on it all the time. He just constantly angry and for no reason. When they legalized it he was on military groups going on support a veteran buy them weed. Real class act.

I also got a good VET buddy. He smokes pot, he drinks.. Over the years, of the drunken rants, the I'm soooooo stoned man, the political rants, bitching on FB.. Hes wonder why he not getting better. Because he keeps on putting him self in situations that pisses him off, and reverting any progress he made. He starting to finally figure this out..

I never touched it and I got PTSD, actually had it for over a decade now. I overcome it by finally not allowing it to control me, accept I had PTSD, wasn't afraid of what others thought of me because it. Changed my outcome, the what I subject myself to. To many people are using pot as a crutch, and not fixing the actual problem.

But what do I know?