Query Published Why do you use marijuana? Tell Dr Grinspoon & the world!

Tronica

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Dr. Grinspoon Needs Your Help Answering The Question: Why Do I Use Marijuana?
February 19th, 2009 By: Allen St. Pierre, NORML Executive Director

Author, Harvard academician, NORML Advisory Board member and respected physician, Lester Grinspoon, recently updated his webpage and is seeking cannabis consumers to contribute essays to his newly launched blog devoted to furthering understanding and appreciation of the way in which cannabis enhances a variety of human experiences.

An awesome essay submitted to Dr. Grinspoon’s definitively written Marihuana Reconsidered by a mysterious Mr. X originally inspired this ‘Uses’ project, later to be revealed as the late, great Dr. Carl Sagan.

Dr. Grinspoon is looking for material for a new book examining the myriad and compelling reasons why so many people use cannabis.

Here is the invitation to contribute from Dr Grinspoon:

For as long as I can remember, the debate over cannabis has centered on whether it is harmful. I would like to focus instead on marijuana's uses and possible benefits. Some ten million Americans smoke marijuana regularly. Millions more use it occasionally. But why, exactly? I know that some people use marijuana as a medicine, while others use it simply to "party." But between these two poles are many other uses and effects that might best be described by words like enhancing, therapeutic, exploratory, expansive, and so on. The Uses of Marijuana will explore these various possibilities. I hope you will join me by writing about your experience.

Here are a few suggestions:

# You could write a personal essay or contribute to our blog -- serious, whimsical, or some of each -- about the place of marijuana in your life, or why you use it, or what you especially enjoy about it.

# Or you could cover the same ground in other ways: by exchanging a series of letters (or e-mails) with a friend and sending them on to us; by writing up a dialogue about marijuana with your spouse or partner; by sending sections from a journal; or perhaps even by keeping a journal for a few weeks and sending us some excerpts from it.

# Or you might write up an interview with yourself on the subject of marijuana, or ask a friend to interview you; or send us something you have already written on this subject -- or any other writing about marijuana that you'd like us to be aware of.

THE FINE PRINT

Whether or not we can use your name, please identify who you are and how to contact you. And kindly provide at least four basic details: your age, your gender, your occupation, and what part of the country you live in. If you'd like to identify yourself further, please do.

Submissions to The Uses of Marijuana should be typed and easy to read. Longer contributions are fine, but whatever you send, please keep a copy. I hope to respond to all contributions within 2-3 weeks. If you have questions or comments about this project, I'll do my best to respond.

Please forward your submissions as soon as possible!

Please send all submissions and correspondence, preferably in electronic form, to:

[email protected]

or

Lester Grinspoon, MD
35 Skyline Drive
Wellesley, MA 02482

Cordially,

Lester Grinspoon, M.D.

Original text from the Marijuana Uses blog
 
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The exciting thing is that this is a public project so everyone will definitely get to check it out... I think it's a fantastic idea to broaden the focus onto what really motivates people to use marijuana (or any other drugs for that matter) instead of the narrow focus on making its use less harmful.
 
This is so fucking awesome. I could write a novel on all the reasons me (and the people I know) use marijuana. I think I'll write a detailed essay and mail it in. :) everyone participate! I'm going to encourage my friends, even the ones who do not smoke marijuana, to write in to support the positive light being shed on it's use all over the place. I know plenty of people who don't use it but are all for it!!!!!

In the old time, in the old time, in the old time it was not a....


NOT A CRIME!
 
marijuana is used for many reasons....for the most part it begins in highschool and turns into chronic everyday use....and personally, i advocate the use of marijuana, because there is nothing better and more rewarding than i good long blunt at the end of the day, either dolo, or with some friends, just to help you unwind and ease the nerves..i really think this is a great idea to document reasons by marijuana usage..maybe itll even give the squares something to think about next time they are bored and are out of their starbucks supply and the wall street journal =D
 
I would do this if it were a survey, but this write the letter thing im wayy too lazy to write an email like that. If there were a few essay questions I might even be down to help out, but now im readin other threads
 
I am a 25 year old male who has anxiety... Smoking some weed helps mellow me out ,that way i am not getting into some panic attack or just being limited by my anxiety... I don't smoke any cigs or drink booze..... All i do is smoke bud when i feel i need it. I used to take anti-anxiety medications but they all suck and made me not feel right... some info on the drugs they feed you... http://www.psychdrugtruth.com i also dont have any insurance, so medications can get real expensive... weed for me is cheaper,safer and makes me feel alot better than any of those pills...


i emailed him :)
 
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Hey rollinrollinrollin, you should send Dr Grinspoon an email about it and add to the study :)
 
I smoke pot B/C of all the anti-drug commercials in the 80's...Damn you nancy reagan, you sexy bitch..
 
Glad you are all keen to contribute. I just revisited his website and there is no notice saying that he has stopped collecting essays on the topic.

If you are concerned, send him a direct email asking whether he is still interested in more essays (I'd say yes, but it would be frustrating to write it and find it wasn't accepted).

Let us know what he says!
 
Does the doc want just responses from people in the US, or is it a worldwide thing as I use it for treating my phantom limb pain as nothing else (other than ketamine, which I'm steering clear of because of problematic use) works as efficiently?
 
Interesting. I just re-read it and it did seem like it was directed to an American audience. I'll send him off an email and let you know what response I get.
 
Lester just replied with the following:

I continue to accept essays which are well written and offer the reader another opportunity to learn how many marijuana users find that it actually enhances an aspect or aspects of their lives. The website is now being converted into a blog so that those who may not be able to write an essay will have an opportunity to make comments on the already existing essays (or other people's comments). I consider essays written in English from all over the world. Essayists have to declare whether they wish to use their own names, a pseudonym or have it appear anonymously.

So, it looks like international contributors are welcome =D
 
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