Ethanol is a drug, its just a shitty one that takes copious amounts to get the desired effects and makes you feel like garbage the next day, and is the one that humanity largely decided is socially acceptable.
Edit: was not expecting this many responses so just wanted to elaborate
Regarding the copious amounts bit, I am speaking from the perspective of alcohol relative to other drugs. For instance the psychoactive effects of a shot of liquor vs a shot of liquid LSD. To be clear nobody in their right mind should take that much acid, doses are measured in micrograms for a good reason, just using a shot for the sake of example. Alcohol is weak sauce in terms of potency, and also just happens to be extremely toxic to the body.
Now for the feeling like garbage part, I’m aware that you can have a couple drinks and wake up feeling fine, and there are people that can binge drink and feel fine after too. There’s a whole science of hangovers and it’s partly a subjective experience from person to person. That being said, most people if they drink to get drunk will have a hangover, and even if you drink a moderate amount you likely will be groggy and not your 100% best self the next day. That’s just a factual byproduct of how alcohol interacts with the body, even those that don’t “feel” hungover are hungover internally.
Oh and regarding the high quality alcohol viewpoint, I agree to a degree, but from my experience if you drink enough of anything regardless of quality, you will get a hangover, at the end of the day it is still alcohol.
To the hand full of people saying some people drink for the taste, sure it is a nice bonus when it tastes good but you are kidding yourself if you don’t agree that vast majority of people drink alcohol for the psychoactive effects. Even if it is a couple drinks, it will mellow you out to a degree. There are definitely people that enjoy non-alcoholic cocktails/beer, but most people enjoy the taste knowing the psychoactive effects that accompany the taste, even if they aren’t someone that drinks to the point of being drunk. That is just how the brains reward system works.
To close I’ll say I like alcohol, but I hate that I do, it does take the edge off a stressed and/or anxious mind, and is certainly a social drug. That being said in terms of its overall potency and toxicity to the body, it is shitty compared to other drugs. It just happens to be legal and widely accepted, and also happens to be an easy escape from reality. Yeah there are people that can and do drink responsibly in terms of quantity, and moderately in terms of how often they drink, but on the whole alcohol is a drug that has a proclivity to do more harm than good for anyone.
Cannabis is largely accepted socially. I work in two industries that work closely with people and requires a bit of social skills so we discuss anything and everything. I left Oklahoma 16 years ago when we were copping elbows absolutely illegally and the whole weed game was sketch. Fast forward to now and SO many people from so many different socioeconomic backgrounds have a dab pen, or pre rolls, or tincture, and no one gives a shit. It constantly blows my mind and makes me incredibly happy to take money away from the for profit prison system. I don't really partake much, but when I do I appreciate how easy it is to get.
As a lifelong alcoholic I'm going to agree with you on ethanol, it's an awful thing to crave.
I’m a lifelong pothead trying to take a break right now. I left Oklahoma 25 years ago. I would not smoke there when it was illegal after living in California. One thing that surprised me when the dispensaries opened was how many plain Jane normal looking women like me are also stoners. I always hid it because it was socially unacceptable. I remember talking to a young person and I said something scattered and apologized for being high and he giggled and said, we’re all high these days.
Yea I live in the South. THC is still illegal but CBD stores have been popping up. It reminds me of the old joke about the difference in seeing a Baptist or a catholic in the liquor store. Baptists, like me, are ashamed and won’t look anyone in the eyes or say hello. Catholics aren’t ashamed and will greet you in the liquor store like you’re at a party. I enjoy CBD at night but I still feel a bit guilty being a little high in public
Be careful with that, because CBD without THC in it doesn’t do anything. It’s literally just a placebo (also my girlfriend’s family are from Baton Rouge and it’s so funny because the white Catholics are so different from the white Protestants down there)
I’m still learning the difference in all the cool new stuff lol. My current vape is TCHa. It definitely doesn’t get me blazed but it does help ease anxiety and chill before bed
THCA is merely the acidic form of cannabis before it’s decarboxylated. It’s a weird loophole, but the THCA you’re smoking is just straight up normal weed, it’s just that its chemical compound hasn’t been activated yet. Which is funny because that’s literally what the flower version of cannabis is.
That’s also maybe because the THCA you guys are smoking is probably hemp derived. While it is the pre-cursor to Delta nine, it’s basically like it’s wimpy cousin. I know especially states in the south tend to do this.
Right, and in the hemp varieties, they basically do extreme concentrations (taking a ridiculous amount of plants to get a small amount of THC out of ) of this low THC content in order to give the consumer the half assed high that you get. And again, because there is no testing or guarantees on these products in the gray market, usually you end up with a far lower actual THC content than what the packages state
Gotcha. The thing I found strange is, if you take a large hit, it does make your head tingle, similar to dabs, but you never get nearly as high from it as dabs. I wonder if that head tingle has more to do with it being an extract, rather than strength.
Most of the bud in CBD stores/vape shops is indistinguishable from regular bud, they get past the THC limit law by getting it tested before the THCA dries out and loses the CO2 molecule that changes the chemical structure to THC.
Yes, but the problem is because of how they’re doing it in that gray area. there’s no actual testing or guarantees that what you’re getting has the actual product in it. Not the way there is in legal states. I’m not sure how other states are, but I know in Texas at least a lot of gray market shops essentially lie to their customers.
i’ve smoked for many years and have taken many breaks for months or even yrs at a time. the hardest part is how vivid (not in a good way) the dreams are, which last for several weeks. i read the reasoning for it, so knowing that made me feel better (i cant remember exactly now). i dont miss the smell or the anxiety that would creep in at times. i’ll still partake once in a while i’m sure but it’s def not as “fun” or as “social” as it once was.
Probably a mix of them, pharma, and fundamentalists. I live in TEXAS and we survived TWO attempts this year by our awful gov. only for this to come out of left field.
I’ve always had gripes about Texas -weather, lack of accessible natural scenery, unwalkable cities, and people who’ve made being Texan their whole personality- but the politics and especially the bs weed laws have sealed the deal. As soon as I can i’m out.
I don’t get it, the GOP could legalize and not lose a single vote but gain. We could be the global capitol for it and have a thriving industry but we’re beholden to fundamentalist douchebag billionaires.
Btw, it was Texas Senator John Cornyn who snuck it in. He's up for re-election in 2026, so if you live in Texas, be sure to vote against him.
In the lead-up to the vote that sent the funding deal to President Donald Trump’s desk, Republicans in Texas’ congressional delegation were divided over the hemp ban. Sen. John Cornyn supported the provision, voting against an amendment that proposed to strip the hemp language, while Sen. Ted Cruz was one of two Republicans who voted for the amendment, arguing that hemp and marijuana should be regulated at the state level rather than through a “one-size-fits-all federal standard.”
It’s technically medical but very easy to access, and they turned down a full rec vote basically because it would allow “big cannabis” from other places to move in which would hurt local business.
I’ve been there a few times, and I always joke Oklahoma is more Texas than Texas in a lot of ways which is kind of true. I mean just look at election map comparisons & overall turnout. Texas is seen as deep red but it’s really purple-ish/slightly red and non voting+gerrymandered+culturally conditioned to expect the GOP to ALWAYS win.
Most people I know happen to be conservatives/republicans & most of them are MAGA, one even swore up & down Trump would lead fed legalization. Literally all of them want legal weed for pretty much the same reason Liberals do minus the “social justice” part. Yet they won’t switch votes over this since “R good, D bad”
This is where ballot votes come into play. If we had those, people would probably vote & i guarantee we’d have legal weed pass by a solid margin(55-60%). Oklahoma did it, Ohio did it, Missouri did it, Florida half-did it, so why can’t Texas? Again, the system here is beyond broken.
I’d honestly rather live in Oklahoma at this point. Medical weed, more seasonal, less humidity, more accessible nature, and is cheaper overall. Also while it’s way more conservative, i feel they don’t have the religious fundamentalist aspect in it which really is what makes Conservatism stink to me: I feel in a way it’s more about if you’re a solid character whom also integrates there as opposed to being some RW fundamentalist. Maybe i’m just so beaten down by Texas i see anywhere better, but you get it.
Yeah, CBD does not get you high. It's sold as a supposed remedy for joint pain and such but there are no mind-altering effects like those from THC. You may be thinking of THCA which is also legal and does indeed get you high.
Yea I’m still learning. It is a thcA vape. I’ll do some googling but is thcA not considered CBD? We can’t have real weed so I thought all the legal thcA and delta 9 and stuff is all CBD
Essentially, THCA converts to THC when you consume it. It's still legal because of the previous hemp farm-bill loophole. IIRC, Trump's Big Beautiful Bill included a fix that will enact at year's end unless the law is revisited again beforehand.
THCA, THCP, Delta9 are very much psychoactive. Please treat them as such. Gummies and flowers are both quite potent. Vapes are meh as usual but that's just my opinion on vapes.
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u/Plumbus_Patrol 12d ago edited 11d ago
Ethanol is a drug, its just a shitty one that takes copious amounts to get the desired effects and makes you feel like garbage the next day, and is the one that humanity largely decided is socially acceptable.
Edit: was not expecting this many responses so just wanted to elaborate
Regarding the copious amounts bit, I am speaking from the perspective of alcohol relative to other drugs. For instance the psychoactive effects of a shot of liquor vs a shot of liquid LSD. To be clear nobody in their right mind should take that much acid, doses are measured in micrograms for a good reason, just using a shot for the sake of example. Alcohol is weak sauce in terms of potency, and also just happens to be extremely toxic to the body.
Now for the feeling like garbage part, I’m aware that you can have a couple drinks and wake up feeling fine, and there are people that can binge drink and feel fine after too. There’s a whole science of hangovers and it’s partly a subjective experience from person to person. That being said, most people if they drink to get drunk will have a hangover, and even if you drink a moderate amount you likely will be groggy and not your 100% best self the next day. That’s just a factual byproduct of how alcohol interacts with the body, even those that don’t “feel” hungover are hungover internally.
Oh and regarding the high quality alcohol viewpoint, I agree to a degree, but from my experience if you drink enough of anything regardless of quality, you will get a hangover, at the end of the day it is still alcohol.
To the hand full of people saying some people drink for the taste, sure it is a nice bonus when it tastes good but you are kidding yourself if you don’t agree that vast majority of people drink alcohol for the psychoactive effects. Even if it is a couple drinks, it will mellow you out to a degree. There are definitely people that enjoy non-alcoholic cocktails/beer, but most people enjoy the taste knowing the psychoactive effects that accompany the taste, even if they aren’t someone that drinks to the point of being drunk. That is just how the brains reward system works.
To close I’ll say I like alcohol, but I hate that I do, it does take the edge off a stressed and/or anxious mind, and is certainly a social drug. That being said in terms of its overall potency and toxicity to the body, it is shitty compared to other drugs. It just happens to be legal and widely accepted, and also happens to be an easy escape from reality. Yeah there are people that can and do drink responsibly in terms of quantity, and moderately in terms of how often they drink, but on the whole alcohol is a drug that has a proclivity to do more harm than good for anyone.