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Philosophy for Everyone #22
Cannabis - Philosophy for Everyone: What Were We Just Talking About?
The debate on the status and legality of cannabis continues to gain momentum. Here, personal anecdotes combined with academic and scientific reports combine to sharpen some of the fascinating philosophical issues associated with cannabis use.
* A frank, professionally informed and playful discussion of cannabis usage in relation to philosophical inquiry
* Considers the meaning of a ‘high’, the morality of smoking marijuana for pleasure, the slippery slope to more dangerous drugs, and the human drive to alter our consciousness
* Not only incorporates contributions from philosophers, psychologists, sociologists or legal, pharmacological, and medical experts, but also non-academics associated with the cultivation, distribution, and sale of cannabis
* Brings together an international team of writers from the United States, Canada, UK, Finland, Switzerland, South Africa, and New Zealand
264 pages, Paperback
First published October 11, 2010
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April 8, 2014
Whether we are fond of the idea the reality is that Cannabis (and its use as a recreational and medicinal drug) is quickly moving towards full legalization. How legalization will impact society at large is yet to be seen, and certainly remains bounded to the context of the interpreter. If you have no issues with the drug and/or already see yourself as a recreational (or medicinal) user you are likely to be one to campaign the long awaited progress that legalization represents for freedom of choice and the ability to have a bit of fun without risk of being bothered by enforcement. If you take issue and/or prefer not to smoke the drug you may or may not tend to see some potential dangers in how full legalization will impact the perception and use of the drug in popular society. Either way we would all do well to educate ourselves on the drug, on the positions and on the possibilities of potential impact for better or for worse, as the frank reality is that there are probably more people in your life that have used it or do use it than you realize.
The truth about prohibition is not hidden from the pages of history. The trend is obvious. In a free society prohibition always leads to eventual revolution and change. In a free society prohibition does little more than make a grand statement about what the powers that be deem to be right and wrong. In a free society prohibition creates both opportunity and desire for people to break the law. It pushes the activity in question underground and hands control over to the powerful black market and encourages the public to fund the criminal powers that be.
The truth about inevitable legalization is also not lost on the pages of history. There is an allusion that freedom, represented as one of the highest values of a liberated society (as it does in the New World) should come at all cost, but the inevitable freedom(s) that are then expressed in such a world are somehow resistant to consequence. Rather, what history shows and continues to show is that when the general foundation of a free world is built, the freedoms we then experience push us towards a general desire to be able to what we want and experience what we want when we want. This is precisely why a strong sense of individualism has permeated the New World in ways that the Old World continues to find appalling and destructive. In the context of prohibition, the big three (sex, drugs and rock and roll and all things that we find to be "fun"l) become the symbol of what it means to be free over and above the recognition of what we are being freed from. There is an old adage that says all things are permissible but not all things are beneficial. Unfortunately the trend of a free society typically moves towards the right of the individual to do what they want (as perhaps the greatest picture of what it means to live in the free world as a free individual) rather than the right to live to live in a world where we are free to live most beneficially. Purists will decry this idea as prudish and uptight, but the truth is we gravitate towards this all the time. The comparison is often made between the legalization of pot and other more "addictive" substances that we allow on a daily basis (sugar, caffeine and junk food being at the top of the list). This is a good point, but if we are to be honest about the nature of legalization we must recognize the tricky line between law and freedom that any free society travels. For example, it is clear that excess sugar (and perhaps even any sugar as modern research keeps showing) can have detrimental effects on our health, and further does have a laboring affect on our society and economy at large (the costs of health care being the most obvious). So how do we see governments responding? By creating tougher legislation on what companies are allowed to sell and market and on the quantities we are allowed to purchase. Or take cigarettes. Society has moved towards tougher laws that restrict the freedoms of smokers following the knowledge of the health risk. Both cases represent a tension between freedom of choice and the loss of these freedoms that are rightly ours to make. The point is that a big part of the reason this tension remains alive and well is that we tend to use our freedom to gravitate towards those things that affect our sensoury experiences of this life and that make it more "fun" despite the potential dangers that come from it. In fact, it is the danger that makes it "fun". In each case (sex, sugar, smoking, drugs, alcohol, pot) these things enhance our senses without necessarily benefitting our life outside of the feelings they bring (they are inherently inward not outward focused), and in each case we have connections (in some cases deep rooted connection) with segments of society and life stories that have been impacted negatively and which represent difficulties for the systems that hold our free world together.
This book represents a series of articles written by different figures associated with certain fields of study and human experience. They focus on the science, philosophy, experience of drug use along with how the facts and the questions play in to argument of legalization and pot smoking (mostly as recreational use). The honest picture needs to be set on the table in order to move forward, and in honesty the critical question is somewhat blinded by the less relevant one of medical use. The bigger picture speaks to pot as recreational use as the vast majority of people looking for change will not use it medically. So lets look ahead to the inevitable conclusion. It will be legalized, and it will be legalized simply because people want to freely smoke pot because it is fun and makes them feel good. The book examines the health risks/benefits and some of the key factors of the arguments on both sides (such as the complex claims of association between pot use and hard drug use as a window drug). The book stays fairly narrow though on the larger arguments, and generally feels somewhat biased in its perspective.
Some of the more important findings the book presents is the existence of a definite link between pot use and hard drug use. The conclusions regarding this link differ in opinion though, as some believe this link exists largely because of prohibition efforts driving it underground with other harder drugs. Others are not as convinced. Interestingly opinions on the health benefits suggest that appropriate pot use can enhance creativity, while the most telling opinion reminds us that any suggestion of enhanced creativity is purely speculative and subjectively allusive.
The book tends to avoid some of the more compelling parts of the discussion to avoid pot. There is a tendency to smoke it/inhale it which leads to many adverse health affects. While it shows affect on the nervous system and disorders it has shown long term affects on the deterioration of brain cells and brain function (that high might make you feel more creative, but it is actually hampering your natural abilities to function cognitively both in the immediate and long term). Given the nature of the smoke we also have to deal with second hand affects.
Perhaps the biggest issues come when a free society pushes forward with the right to do what it wants with what makes it feel good as long as they are not infringing on another persons right to do so equally, but does so without forward thinking. When legalization arrives it will arrive with little to no legislation. Already the incidents of driving while high and substance abuse (that is, taking too much in the same way that one gets drunk or too drunk) are on a stark rise. There is large evidence that the demographic most readily affected are youth under 18 (and even much younger than 18). The message they are getting in the midst of the push for legalization is that pot is harmless, its fun, and it is the mark of a progressive view on life. There is a reason pot smoking among teens and pre teens has risen so sharply and as a society we are going to be bearing that impact down the road whether we like it or not (in the name of freedom).
The book does make a good point on the fact between the two choices (enforcement and legalization), legalization tends to be the better foundational building block. But tradition and history shows that we are not adept as a society at building on those blocks in an appropriate manner. I personally think that I support legalization. If I was to approach this subject from a spiritual point of view I would also say there is likely room to argue that we need to quit demonizing pot and set it alongside alcohol (although I think it is ridiculous to equate it with caffeine as so many people do). The truth is though that I am greatly frustrated by the idea of this world going completely to pot (pardon the pun... perhaps the greatest loss will be to use the pun itself in its traditional context). I have friends who smoke pot, and although I don't view it as some of kind of demon possessed action I would say that my own testimony regrets the change that smoking has had on my friends. People constantly tell me that it has no adverse affects and that it is much safer and less affecting than alcohol. What I know to be true is that my friends changed. When I talk to them they are not the same person. They will tell me they feel more enlightened, but standing across from them they don't sound or appear enlightened. In fact their ability to relate with me naturally and on the basis of who they are rather than their consistent high is lost. Because I choose not to smoke I am seen as the prude (and have been called that). But when I look at my friends who started small and have gravitated towards a more constant high it doesn't appear fun. It appears like they have lost something of themselves. I am also frustrated with the fact that pot is more potent than cigarette smoke and I can no longer walk my dogs without being drenched in it on a regular basis. This is only going to get worse. I also am frustrated with the fact that it is harder and harder to find social circles where people abstain and where one can find acceptance as a non pot smoker. Everywhere one looks, especially in any sort of media figure head or representation, everyone is endorsing it an using it, and now freely stating it publicly. Is it a fad? I'm not sure. Perhaps it will be less attractive when it is legalized. I doubt it, but time will tell.
My personal feelings aside, I know that I still need to face the conversation honestly. Is it really harmful? Is it really that bad? Can it be beneficial and perhaps a good replacement for drinking? I'm not sure or convinced that the vast majority would be motivated by health benefits (if there are any for recreational use) or by easing their participation with alcohol. I think the honest picture is people view it as an escape from life. And that becomes more of a spiritual/ethical/philosophical question. People want to do it because it makes them feel better about a crappy day, loosens them up to better deal with their day. But I don't think the evidence is there that says it enhances anything about the persons life or sense of being. Will the world go to pot once it gets legalized? I'm not really a fan of the doomsday theories. More and more pot is becoming less demonized for me as I learn more about it. But that doesn't mean that I will endorse it, smoke it or be a fan of it. I think there is evidence it will have the same negative effects that we have seen come from sugar, sex and alcohol. That has been the trend with everything else. I believe the root of it stems from what we can sell with integrity to the younger generation with not just our values and opinions but also our actions. Right now we are selling pot as a harmless drug with immense potential to enhance life and make it more fun. Don't be surprised that your young boy or daughter is catching on to the message pretty quickly.
The truth about prohibition is not hidden from the pages of history. The trend is obvious. In a free society prohibition always leads to eventual revolution and change. In a free society prohibition does little more than make a grand statement about what the powers that be deem to be right and wrong. In a free society prohibition creates both opportunity and desire for people to break the law. It pushes the activity in question underground and hands control over to the powerful black market and encourages the public to fund the criminal powers that be.
The truth about inevitable legalization is also not lost on the pages of history. There is an allusion that freedom, represented as one of the highest values of a liberated society (as it does in the New World) should come at all cost, but the inevitable freedom(s) that are then expressed in such a world are somehow resistant to consequence. Rather, what history shows and continues to show is that when the general foundation of a free world is built, the freedoms we then experience push us towards a general desire to be able to what we want and experience what we want when we want. This is precisely why a strong sense of individualism has permeated the New World in ways that the Old World continues to find appalling and destructive. In the context of prohibition, the big three (sex, drugs and rock and roll and all things that we find to be "fun"l) become the symbol of what it means to be free over and above the recognition of what we are being freed from. There is an old adage that says all things are permissible but not all things are beneficial. Unfortunately the trend of a free society typically moves towards the right of the individual to do what they want (as perhaps the greatest picture of what it means to live in the free world as a free individual) rather than the right to live to live in a world where we are free to live most beneficially. Purists will decry this idea as prudish and uptight, but the truth is we gravitate towards this all the time. The comparison is often made between the legalization of pot and other more "addictive" substances that we allow on a daily basis (sugar, caffeine and junk food being at the top of the list). This is a good point, but if we are to be honest about the nature of legalization we must recognize the tricky line between law and freedom that any free society travels. For example, it is clear that excess sugar (and perhaps even any sugar as modern research keeps showing) can have detrimental effects on our health, and further does have a laboring affect on our society and economy at large (the costs of health care being the most obvious). So how do we see governments responding? By creating tougher legislation on what companies are allowed to sell and market and on the quantities we are allowed to purchase. Or take cigarettes. Society has moved towards tougher laws that restrict the freedoms of smokers following the knowledge of the health risk. Both cases represent a tension between freedom of choice and the loss of these freedoms that are rightly ours to make. The point is that a big part of the reason this tension remains alive and well is that we tend to use our freedom to gravitate towards those things that affect our sensoury experiences of this life and that make it more "fun" despite the potential dangers that come from it. In fact, it is the danger that makes it "fun". In each case (sex, sugar, smoking, drugs, alcohol, pot) these things enhance our senses without necessarily benefitting our life outside of the feelings they bring (they are inherently inward not outward focused), and in each case we have connections (in some cases deep rooted connection) with segments of society and life stories that have been impacted negatively and which represent difficulties for the systems that hold our free world together.
This book represents a series of articles written by different figures associated with certain fields of study and human experience. They focus on the science, philosophy, experience of drug use along with how the facts and the questions play in to argument of legalization and pot smoking (mostly as recreational use). The honest picture needs to be set on the table in order to move forward, and in honesty the critical question is somewhat blinded by the less relevant one of medical use. The bigger picture speaks to pot as recreational use as the vast majority of people looking for change will not use it medically. So lets look ahead to the inevitable conclusion. It will be legalized, and it will be legalized simply because people want to freely smoke pot because it is fun and makes them feel good. The book examines the health risks/benefits and some of the key factors of the arguments on both sides (such as the complex claims of association between pot use and hard drug use as a window drug). The book stays fairly narrow though on the larger arguments, and generally feels somewhat biased in its perspective.
Some of the more important findings the book presents is the existence of a definite link between pot use and hard drug use. The conclusions regarding this link differ in opinion though, as some believe this link exists largely because of prohibition efforts driving it underground with other harder drugs. Others are not as convinced. Interestingly opinions on the health benefits suggest that appropriate pot use can enhance creativity, while the most telling opinion reminds us that any suggestion of enhanced creativity is purely speculative and subjectively allusive.
The book tends to avoid some of the more compelling parts of the discussion to avoid pot. There is a tendency to smoke it/inhale it which leads to many adverse health affects. While it shows affect on the nervous system and disorders it has shown long term affects on the deterioration of brain cells and brain function (that high might make you feel more creative, but it is actually hampering your natural abilities to function cognitively both in the immediate and long term). Given the nature of the smoke we also have to deal with second hand affects.
Perhaps the biggest issues come when a free society pushes forward with the right to do what it wants with what makes it feel good as long as they are not infringing on another persons right to do so equally, but does so without forward thinking. When legalization arrives it will arrive with little to no legislation. Already the incidents of driving while high and substance abuse (that is, taking too much in the same way that one gets drunk or too drunk) are on a stark rise. There is large evidence that the demographic most readily affected are youth under 18 (and even much younger than 18). The message they are getting in the midst of the push for legalization is that pot is harmless, its fun, and it is the mark of a progressive view on life. There is a reason pot smoking among teens and pre teens has risen so sharply and as a society we are going to be bearing that impact down the road whether we like it or not (in the name of freedom).
The book does make a good point on the fact between the two choices (enforcement and legalization), legalization tends to be the better foundational building block. But tradition and history shows that we are not adept as a society at building on those blocks in an appropriate manner. I personally think that I support legalization. If I was to approach this subject from a spiritual point of view I would also say there is likely room to argue that we need to quit demonizing pot and set it alongside alcohol (although I think it is ridiculous to equate it with caffeine as so many people do). The truth is though that I am greatly frustrated by the idea of this world going completely to pot (pardon the pun... perhaps the greatest loss will be to use the pun itself in its traditional context). I have friends who smoke pot, and although I don't view it as some of kind of demon possessed action I would say that my own testimony regrets the change that smoking has had on my friends. People constantly tell me that it has no adverse affects and that it is much safer and less affecting than alcohol. What I know to be true is that my friends changed. When I talk to them they are not the same person. They will tell me they feel more enlightened, but standing across from them they don't sound or appear enlightened. In fact their ability to relate with me naturally and on the basis of who they are rather than their consistent high is lost. Because I choose not to smoke I am seen as the prude (and have been called that). But when I look at my friends who started small and have gravitated towards a more constant high it doesn't appear fun. It appears like they have lost something of themselves. I am also frustrated with the fact that pot is more potent than cigarette smoke and I can no longer walk my dogs without being drenched in it on a regular basis. This is only going to get worse. I also am frustrated with the fact that it is harder and harder to find social circles where people abstain and where one can find acceptance as a non pot smoker. Everywhere one looks, especially in any sort of media figure head or representation, everyone is endorsing it an using it, and now freely stating it publicly. Is it a fad? I'm not sure. Perhaps it will be less attractive when it is legalized. I doubt it, but time will tell.
My personal feelings aside, I know that I still need to face the conversation honestly. Is it really harmful? Is it really that bad? Can it be beneficial and perhaps a good replacement for drinking? I'm not sure or convinced that the vast majority would be motivated by health benefits (if there are any for recreational use) or by easing their participation with alcohol. I think the honest picture is people view it as an escape from life. And that becomes more of a spiritual/ethical/philosophical question. People want to do it because it makes them feel better about a crappy day, loosens them up to better deal with their day. But I don't think the evidence is there that says it enhances anything about the persons life or sense of being. Will the world go to pot once it gets legalized? I'm not really a fan of the doomsday theories. More and more pot is becoming less demonized for me as I learn more about it. But that doesn't mean that I will endorse it, smoke it or be a fan of it. I think there is evidence it will have the same negative effects that we have seen come from sugar, sex and alcohol. That has been the trend with everything else. I believe the root of it stems from what we can sell with integrity to the younger generation with not just our values and opinions but also our actions. Right now we are selling pot as a harmless drug with immense potential to enhance life and make it more fun. Don't be surprised that your young boy or daughter is catching on to the message pretty quickly.
April 20, 2026
Another addition to my philosophy phase from years ago.
This one was alright. I don’t remember it being anything super groundbreaking, but was still a decent enough read - at the time.
Nowadays, all the topics in here have been discussed and argued and broken down and proved and disproved - by a billion different documentaries and YouTube video essays.
But before the days of legalization and the shifted worldview of the last 10 yrs, this helped edify anyone who was curious about cannabis; and sick of hearing the fear mongering about it.
This goes into everything. The cultivation of the crop, the evolution of it alongside society, the spirituality of its use, the health (both physical and mental) benefits and/or side effects, the culture surrounding it, the taboos and prohibition of it (as well as the study of it) in the last century and a half, and much much more.
I recommend it, but I’m sure there’s dozens of other books out there that are equally as good, and more up to date. 3/5 flowers 🌺🌸🌹
This one was alright. I don’t remember it being anything super groundbreaking, but was still a decent enough read - at the time.
Nowadays, all the topics in here have been discussed and argued and broken down and proved and disproved - by a billion different documentaries and YouTube video essays.
But before the days of legalization and the shifted worldview of the last 10 yrs, this helped edify anyone who was curious about cannabis; and sick of hearing the fear mongering about it.
This goes into everything. The cultivation of the crop, the evolution of it alongside society, the spirituality of its use, the health (both physical and mental) benefits and/or side effects, the culture surrounding it, the taboos and prohibition of it (as well as the study of it) in the last century and a half, and much much more.
I recommend it, but I’m sure there’s dozens of other books out there that are equally as good, and more up to date. 3/5 flowers 🌺🌸🌹
June 12, 2024
It was great. I am 100% pro-legalization. Everybody should philosophize as often as possible.
June 13, 2026
mostly good! a little repetitive and some essays were better then others. but mostly informative and helped me think about different aspects of cannabis culture in ways i had not before.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews