The Religiosity of Cannabis – An Analysis of the Dogmatic Stoner

religion of cannabis

Here is the Reddit thread that started me thinking https://bit.ly/3goK9t2

The following article will undoubtedly trigger some people to rage at me in the comments.

I don’t really care though…it’s something that has to be said.

There’s a level of dogmatism within the cannabis community that – for someone who has been smoking weed for over two decades find a little disturbing.

Of course, we cannot blame cannabis for this dogmatism or “religiocity”. Dogmatism occurs within virtually every aspect of life. People find “something” they like and defend it until the end of days, even if they are wrong.

Today I wish to address the dogmatism that can be found within the cannabis community and explain why it’s not a good position to have – EVER!

But first, let’s take a look at the post that inspired this article;

One Person’s Account About His Cannabis Consumption

I stumbled on this post on Reddit – a place I frequent when doing research. This particular post was found on the subreddit “TrueOffMyChest”.

Here’s the first part of the Redditor’s comment entitled; Marijuana is NOT harmless and anyone who says otherwise is dangerously misinformed.

I’ve smoked weed everyday for most of my life. I’ve always believed it to be a safer alternative to drinking alcohol. People say it all the time; nobody has died from smoking too much weed, you can’t get addicted to marijuana. I truly believed these things. But I WAS addicted and I almost didn’t make it to my 30th birthday today because of it.

You can read the rest of the post by clicking the hyperlink above.

I will add in the last part he edited into his original post to serve as the basis for the premise of this article;

EDIT: Jesus fucking Christ. I came here as an addict to admit I have a problem with weed. The problem is MINE and yet so many of you think you can tell me what I’ve been through. I don’t care if you love weed or if it helped you, it didn’t help me. It was ruining my life. I’m glad I got rid of it and I’m happy to share my story. Call me lazy, call me a liar, say I’m looking for attention, It doesn’t matter. I feel better today because I cut weed out of my life. I have no intention of going back. I’m not saying the drug is evil, but what I am saying is we should be HONEST with ourselves and recognize that like any other drug, weed affects everyone differently and people HAVE and WILL CONTINUE To get sick from it. To say otherwise is crazy. CHS is real, people have died. It’s interesting how many people are experts when it comes to marijuana. Listening to a joe Rogan podcast doesn’t make you an expert. If you’re happy being a stoner, be a fucking stoner. In these comments there are enough stories to prove it’s not the miracle drug so many of you are defending it to be. If you’re trying to quit, please DM me. I’ll cheer you on.

And with this, we have the foundation of the article established. An individual related about his personal experience with cannabis – and the dogmatic users went after him like rabid dogs in heat.

Of course, perhaps the original poster could have phrased his words differently to be more “neutral”, especially with phrases like “Dangerously misinformed”, etc – but again, this is HIS personal account. After reviewing some of his other posts, I did sense a bit of “baseline hostility within the general tone of his posts”, but this is pure conjecture at this point.

It’s hard to read “tone” within text.

Let’s continue with the analysis.

Dogmatism for the Doobie!

This isn’t the first time that someone wrote something that placed cannabis in a negative light where the dogmatic stoners come to defend the holy plant.

Of course, when you compare cannabis with drugs such as nicotine or alcohol – the potential risks involved are greatly diminished.

However, as the original poster pointed out – and several doctors within the thread – it isn’t completely harmless.

There is risk involved for some people and with THC levels gradually on the rise, we don’t know exactly how that would play out in a greater population sample.

With cannabis becoming legal in more places, we will have more people like the original poster consuming weed daily. Potentially smoking THC levels of 25% and higher.

There are people who toke up dabs every day like it’s the end of the world thinking that “nothing will happen to me”, except – you don’t know that.

Just because something hasn’t happened to you yet – doesn’t mean that there is never a possibility it won’t in the future.

The dogmatic stoner will say, “What about this substance” and “what about that substance”, but this is only a means of dodging the claim.

Marijuana isn’t harmless.

Anybody who uses reason and critical thinking to go through life know that nothing is “harmless”. Even the oxygen that you breathe serves as a means of deteriorating your body. It’s the law of entropy at work.

Cannabis might be more benign than other drugs, but we should separate ourselves from the notion of it being harmless.

Some people will have adverse reactions and it’s far better to have an honest conversation about use, abuse, and the negative aspects that will undoubtedly continue to manifest as more people consume higher quantities of more potent pot.

Why we should separate ourselves from dogmatic consumerism?

The moment you believe you have “discovered the truth” you abandon your search for truth and begin to look for supporting clauses.

In other words, when you become blind to the fact that some people may have adverse reactions to the plant – you create a disingenuous narrative within your life. You’ll begin to attack that which doesn’t fit into your narrative.

This is what we’re seeing in virtually every aspect of society these days and I blame Social Media for the increase of these instances.

People think that their opinions matter – for the most part, it doesn’t.

Cannabis is fine for the vast majority of the people who will consume it – however, as with anything, there are outliers that will be negatively affected.

By understanding these elements, and not attacking that which goes against our own internal dialogue – and most importantly, to have the humility to acknowledge we don’t know everything – we can create a safer environment for everyone.

And that’s a good thing.

If you’re struggling with weed, it’s okay – don’t worry about what others think. Stop smoking. And if people attack you for your own personal decisions because it doesn’t gel with their internal representations of themselves – well…fuckem!