Marijuana Mondays Ep. 7: Quitting & Blunt Rolling

Wooooo, Marijuana Mondays is definitely a fixture as I have episode seven for my faithful readers, all two of you. If you don't know what I am talking about it, read: Marijuana Mondays. The question for today: How can I quit smoking marijuana? It's easier than many people want to admit; easier than quitting coffee. But, if you're asking, chances are you do have a problem. Email me your questions, issues, or concerns at anthonytaurus(at)hotmail.com.
Check the last episode: Marijuana Mondays: Ep. 6: Am I too old to use marijuana?

Pot Mumblings

Cruz calls Question 2 a deal for dealers
This article is about Plymouth County District Attorney Tim Cruz calling out the Question 2, Massachusetts attempt to come up with sensible policy to address marijuana. Basically, he points out a definitely issue with these kinds of laws. Although Tim Cruz is a misguided idiot who still prefers that marijuana stay criminal, it's a very valid point. This is the problem that I have with these kinds of laws myself. It does not address the growing (manufacture) and the dealing (distribution) of marijuana. The people who use marijuana still have to basically find dealers who aren't always going to be nice store owners. It doesn't address the quality of the product meaning you can get marijuana that's either low quality or cut with something else which puts you at more of a risk. If marijuana were to be legalized and regulated, we could address issues of safety and quality. We can't continue with these half-assed laws.

The point is that people are going to smoke marijuana whether the "Mommy and Daddy-Christian conservative tell me what to do with my own life" government don't like it. The issue isn't trying to stop people from doing it. The issue is figuring out the safest way for society to do it. Leaving a multi-billion dollar product in the hand of gun-toting criminals while demonizing a significant portion of the nation is not the safest way to handling this issue.

Cannabis Q&A

How do you quit smoking marijuana?
Quitting marijuana is as easy as quitting fattening food. I use this analogy for a reason but I will get back to that in a minute.

If you want to quit marijuana, simply put it down. Marijuana is not addictive. It's been proven to be non-addictive. I'll use myself as an example. I haven't smoked marijuana since the end of the May 2008. I didn't stop smoking necessarily because I wanted to stop. I stopped because I didn't care to smoke anymore. I looked at the last bit of marijuana that I had left, smoked it, and haven't purchased anything since. I won't sit here and say that I've officially quit smoking forever. It's just been since May, that I stopped. I do see myself at some point in the future picking it up again. However, I don't even know if I actually will pick it up again.

Although my story of quitting is not unique, it doesn't address those that actually have trouble quitting. We have to understand the problem before we can come up with a solution. I find that many people prefer to blame the substance rather than accept their own weakness. It's like when overweight people sue a fast food restaurant for making them fat. The real issue here is willpower. Do you have the will to stop what you're doing? Do you have the will to stop your habit? Do you have the will to address your own addictive personality? Do you will to stop sucking your thumb, eating McDonald's, or smoking marijuana?

If you find that you still can not, you will need to take more drastic measures. It will start with cutting out the people in your life that promote marijuana smoking. Ask them to not smoke around you anymore. Stop contacting your dealer. Ask a friend for help to keep track of you and don't be mad at that person for doing their job. Ultimately, you want to address your own lack of willpower and/or addictive personality because even if you are able to quit smoking marijuana, it will just be replaced by something else

Green Tip of the Week/Marijuana Media

I decided to combine these two sections because they both involve the fine art of blunt rolling.

The tip itself has to do with the concept of airflow within any blunt or joint that you roll. If the airflow is too loose, easy to pull, the blunt will burn too fast and the amount of smoked inhaled may be too much. If it's too tight, hard to pull, the blunt will have a difficult time staying lit and you'll strain yourself trying to get a decent puff. Another issue also is to make sure that the marijuana is evenly spread out through the blunt. Uneven spread can lead to uneven burning. I've seen situations where burning marijuana has fallen out of the tip of the blunt. I haven't seen any fires start but I've seen a lot of people get burnt and it's HILARIOUS.

The video is by a guy called Bluntside and it's all about how to roll a blunt.

1. If you prefer to use water, which I do, do NOT saturate. Water is very thin as opposed to saliva thickness. That thinness of water allows it to seep in the leaf easier and faster to loosen the bonds and give the leaf itself flexibility Too much water will dissolve the inner paper under the leaf.
2. You don't have to use your fingertips to split open the blunt at the seam. Use a knife or even a thin object; it doesn't have to be "sharp".
3. Sometimes that "double-strip" doesn't come off so easily. Bend it and then pull it off.
4. When rolling, the paper may break because it's too dry. Breathe on it. The moisture from your breath is enough to get the desired effect. You'll even notice the paper start to relax. Don't wet it too much. It can dissolve.
5. The leaf can be as wet as you like to maintain flexibility. If it's too dry, it'll break. But, it won't dissolve like the paper will if it's too wet. However, you'll spend more time drying it.
6. You don't have to dry it using a lighter. Personally, I prefer to leave freshly rolled blunt on the table to let it air-dry for 10 minutes or so.