Ahh, I was referring to certain coffeeshops that carry rare strains that have been sourced from very remote places. But you're absolutely right as well of course. Not a fan of this setup either.
My home country, Germany, is apparently planning on fully legalising cannabis - if you thought Dutch politicians are out of touch with reality and cannabis, allow me to tell you that they seem like the most mentally stable and rational humans on earth compared to German politicians (maybe you've heard about the drug commissioner over there calling cannabis "broccoli" and explaining that "cannabis is illegal because its forbidden") - so you can probably imagine how absolutely insane it seems for them to be discussing and actually planning this.
I have high hopes that neighbouring legalisation will push the Dutch, but realistically I think the worst part about all of this here is really only the lack of logic. Users aren't getting punished, police and prosecution don't have to deal with it, the coffeeshops pay taxes, and so on. That's already a day and night difference to our direct neighbours.
When I moved here, it was like my brain errored out into a bootloop - I was standing outside in the park smoking a joint, and could not stop looking around and getting paranoid about cops showing up, then remembering it's okay and feeling like tons of weight and anxiety had been lifted, then 5 seconds later getting paranoid again, then remembering again, and so on. To this day, I sometimes feel a weird sense of unease and.. I guess you could call it internalised shame? Living in prohibition really sticks with you.
Holy hell, I'm sad to hear that :( I've seen it with Swedish people as well, when I was in Stockholm.
Whenever I smoke I feel as safe as drinking alcohol: i.e. nothing to fear from law enforcement if you don't go overboard with it.
I smoke once every 2 months or so, on average, 1 to 4 puffs, always in social settings. I'm 30+ years of age. My family has a history of drug addiction (all of them). What I've learned is that drugs can be healthily managed. If it couldn't I'd have gone down the gutter at the age of 28 since I started to experiment at 27.
My addictions at the moment are: YouTube, WhatsApp (friends), coffee, HN (to some extent)
So I'm not without my flaws, but the way society criminalizes drugs is beyond me. This is especially after having tried all the big names and realizing it's always a combination of: having a shitty life + having a social circle that heavily enables it + thinking you'll be fine and won't get addicted (I'm well aware of how all of them lull me into a false sense of security) + starting it at a very young age (all family members started around 14 years old with at least alcohol, less information means less protection).
One other way for me to not get addicted to them is to realize two things: (1) how being sober is awesome and being able to not be anxious; (2) how to use techniques like: meditation, exercise, Wim Hof Method, intensely listening to music, and dreaming in order to more or less recreate all the drug experiences I've had.
Guess what I started at a young age? Gaming and learning a lot of stuff at school. No wonder I love watching edutainment stuff at YouTube to the point where it is unhealthy.
All good man, whenever I get these feelings now I just continue taking puffs and all is good.
My only police encounter was something to remember, too. I was sitting in the park at night (because I mostly work at night), smoking a doobie and settling in to go to bed soon, when suddenly a Politie car came shooting up the bicycle path straight towards me. You can probably imagine I almost shit my pants.
They asked super nicely if I need any help because they got worried about me sitting there alone at night and wanted to check on my well-being.
No weed that night helped come to terms with the mindfuck.
> So I'm not without my flaws, but the way society criminalizes drugs is beyond me. This is especially after having tried all the big names and realizing it's always a combination of: having a shitty life + having a social circle that heavily enables it + thinking you'll be fine and won't get addicted (I'm well aware of how all of them lull me into a false sense of security) + starting it at a very young age (all family members started around 14 years old with at least alcohol, less information means less protection).
EXACTLY this. If you ask me, the drug epidemic in the US is a perfect example, and when Americans argue about prohibition and regulation they almost always do it with a completely unconscious bias and not seeing the true reasons.
> They asked super nicely if I need any help because they got worried about me sitting there alone at night and wanted to check on my well-being.
Awesome
> when Americans argue about prohibition and regulation they almost always do it with a completely unconscious bias and not seeing the true reasons.
Haha, I've seen it with some Dutch people who never tried drugs but who have seen some people go under because of it. I get where they're coming from. I've seen it too. I've seen it too many times. And yet, here I am. It can be done in a healthy way. It took a very intelligent someone to show me how to do it responsibly. I'd have rejected such a showcase from almost anyone else, which I have done countless of times.
> sourced from god knows where
> Well, that's the illegal part, isn't it? ;-)
Ahh, I was referring to certain coffeeshops that carry rare strains that have been sourced from very remote places. But you're absolutely right as well of course. Not a fan of this setup either.
My home country, Germany, is apparently planning on fully legalising cannabis - if you thought Dutch politicians are out of touch with reality and cannabis, allow me to tell you that they seem like the most mentally stable and rational humans on earth compared to German politicians (maybe you've heard about the drug commissioner over there calling cannabis "broccoli" and explaining that "cannabis is illegal because its forbidden") - so you can probably imagine how absolutely insane it seems for them to be discussing and actually planning this.
I have high hopes that neighbouring legalisation will push the Dutch, but realistically I think the worst part about all of this here is really only the lack of logic. Users aren't getting punished, police and prosecution don't have to deal with it, the coffeeshops pay taxes, and so on. That's already a day and night difference to our direct neighbours.
When I moved here, it was like my brain errored out into a bootloop - I was standing outside in the park smoking a joint, and could not stop looking around and getting paranoid about cops showing up, then remembering it's okay and feeling like tons of weight and anxiety had been lifted, then 5 seconds later getting paranoid again, then remembering again, and so on. To this day, I sometimes feel a weird sense of unease and.. I guess you could call it internalised shame? Living in prohibition really sticks with you.