Since this thread has evolved into a more general discussion of recreational drug use, you might find this NYT's article interesting:
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/07/style/microdosing-lsd-ayelet-waldman-michael-chabon-marriage.html?smid=pl-share
 
 
 

bitflipper
Legalization brought about an unexpected problem: the legal store-bought weed is much too potent. I want to relax, not become a zombie. I won't touch the retail stuff. Fortunately, I still have a large bag of the much milder crop I grew on my back deck two years ago.
 
A free market takes care of itself, though, and consumers my age are requesting a product more like what they grew up with in the 60's and 70's. Minus the seeds and stems, of course. I understand that growers are breeding just such a product in Colorado. I doubt it will be 10 dollars an ounce, though.

Here's a link to an interesting article regarding weed potency.  Turns out there may be some very good reasons for returning to an age where weed was a bit gentler than that now generally available:
 
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/pot-products-are-now-so-potent-they-can-trigger-psychosis_us_58b85482e4b02a4e8ddb0f0d?

yesh

I hate that feeling. I once had some weed so potent that I literally forgot how to put on socks. Sat there staring at them for what felt like several minutes, trying to remember how socks work. It's hard to imagine any scenario where that's a life-enhancing benefit.
 
Now into the third month of my experiment, I have smoked pot just twice. Both times it was after a gig, when it was 3:00 AM and I was too wound up and caffeinated to sleep. The caffeine isn't good for me, either, but my normal bedtime is 10:00 PM so without it I'd never make it through a gig.
 
Surprisingly, my sleep patterns have stabilized. I now have no trouble falling and staying asleep. I still sometimes get up too early, but "too early" is now 4:00 AM, not midnight. I can live with that.
 
Other benefits include a clearer head, reduced appetite, improved memory and increased physical energy. I also watch less TV and am less likely to procrastinate about doing unpleasant chores.
 
Manual dexterity seems to be improving. I am faster and more precise on both musical and computer keyboards, although I can't be sure how much of that is just due to playing in a band again. I will never again be the speed-demon I was in my 30's, but at 65 there's just no need to prove anything to anyone. 
 
 
 

Good for you Bit!!
Only 2x in the past 3 months is quite impressive (especially if you like it a lot).
Next thing in due course is training for the next Washington marathon?

I take a couple of mushroom supplements which have seemed to improve my functionality quite a bit. The first is Lion's Mane, which has been found to stimulate nerve growth factor, and Reishi, which really helps me wind downat night and seems to have completely cured my insomnia (and has also given me some mind blowing dreams on a consistent basis). 
 
The Lion's Mane effect is quite striking. Two things I noticed: first of all my jitteriness, which causes a minor bit of shake when e.g. trying to hold a camera steady, seems to have almost completely gone. The second is that I've regained some feeling in my left armpit, which has been numb for years since having a lymph node removed. 

Thanks for sharing Bit - I'm a big supplement/hormone guy and always trying to learn new things. My doc just recently put me on Pregnenolone which is brand new to me. I've only been on a few days and not sure if I'm noticing anything or not, but it's supposed to help with coping mechanisms and mental clarity - which sounds great!

bitflipper
I hate that feeling. I once had some weed so potent that I literally forgot how to put on socks. Sat there staring at them for what felt like several minutes, trying to remember how socks work. It's hard to imagine any scenario where that's a life-enhancing benefit.
 
Now into the third month of my experiment, I have smoked pot just twice. Both times it was after a gig, when it was 3:00 AM and I was too wound up and caffeinated to sleep. The caffeine isn't good for me, either, but my normal bedtime is 10:00 PM so without it I'd never make it through a gig.
 
Surprisingly, my sleep patterns have stabilized. I now have no trouble falling and staying asleep. I still sometimes get up too early, but "too early" is now 4:00 AM, not midnight. I can live with that.
 
Other benefits include a clearer head, reduced appetite, improved memory and increased physical energy. I also watch less TV and am less likely to procrastinate about doing unpleasant chores.
 
Manual dexterity seems to be improving. I am faster and more precise on both musical and computer keyboards, although I can't be sure how much of that is just due to playing in a band again. I will never again be the speed-demon I was in my 30's, but at 65 there's just no need to prove anything to anyone. 
 
 
 

I had not smoked for several years and went to visit a friend. He had some he had been saving. We were going to play some music but after smoking I (literally) could not figure out which end of the cable went in the guitar.. like the socks... just sitting there looking at the cable confused.
 

Going way back into ampfixer history, I remember consuming brownies. The key to not going overboard is waiting about an hour and then having a couple puffs to trigger the reaction. The problem you had is the same thing that is killing kids today. They take all this crap made in a bathtub and when they don't get a buzz in 20 minutes they take more. With chemicals you can take a lethal dose and not know it ... for a while.
 
Once you get older and suffer from health issues and a bunch of over the counter Rx's, consumables are not recommended. 1970, was very good to me, thank you Mr. Hofman.

I wonder, after you stopped smoking, did you start having WILD dreams after a few days?

Oh, yes. Vivid dreams that had no connection to anything. Realistic people that weren't drawn from my usual palette of real-life associates. Dreams that subsequently picked up again the following night, like an episodic series. In one, I made up a hilarious joke, but even though I vowed to remember it, come morning I could not.
 
Fortunately, none were of the sweat-inducing panic attack variety.

ampfixer
Going way back into ampfixer history, I remember consuming brownies. The key to not going overboard is waiting about an hour and then having a couple puffs to trigger the reaction. The problem you had is the same thing that is killing kids today. They take all this crap made in a bathtub and when they don't get a buzz in 20 minutes they take more. With chemicals you can take a lethal dose and not know it ... for a while.
 

Yep did that a few times in the early 90's with E. That stuff can be really intense if you take too much of it. I would take one and get p*ssed half an hour later when I couldn't feel anything, feel like I'd been burned, and take 3 or 4 more to see if I could salvage at least something from the "duds" I'd bought. 5 minutes later the first one would hit me like a freight train, and E can be quite a scary "come up" at times, you go through a rough patch for a while. Which was made all the more stressful when I realized that I had 4x that dose hitting me soon. And once you get into that rave you realize why it's so strongly associated with techno music - that huge repetitive kick drum brings out some kind of primeval rapture in you. The excitement was just too much on a number of occasions, you feel like you're so high you're reaching some kind of human limit of happiness. But looking back, yeah it was crazy that we'd just assume this stuff was OK merely by the fact that it had a cool logo stamped onto it. I bet I ingested some horrendous chemicals from those pills. 
 
Swallowed a couple one time and a friend said "no don't swallow those, they're wrapped in cling film." Had an interesting time a few hours later in the morning when I had no idea if or when they would kick in. They did eventually and it was great :)

craigb
This thread has inspired me to smoke 100 times as much as I usually do. 

I think someone else has been reading it as well....
 
https://www.facebook.com/...ideos/926565160809463/

bitflipper
I hate that feeling. I once had some weed so potent that I literally forgot how to put on socks. Sat there staring at them for what felt like several minutes, trying to remember how socks work. It's hard to imagine any scenario where that's a life-enhancing benefit.
 
Now into the third month of my experiment, I have smoked pot just twice. Both times it was after a gig, when it was 3:00 AM and I was too wound up and caffeinated to sleep. The caffeine isn't good for me, either, but my normal bedtime is 10:00 PM so without it I'd never make it through a gig.
 
Surprisingly, my sleep patterns have stabilized. I now have no trouble falling and staying asleep. I still sometimes get up too early, but "too early" is now 4:00 AM, not midnight. I can live with that.
 
Other benefits include a clearer head, reduced appetite, improved memory and increased physical energy. I also watch less TV and am less likely to procrastinate about doing unpleasant chores.
 
Manual dexterity seems to be improving. I am faster and more precise on both musical and computer keyboards, although I can't be sure how much of that is just due to playing in a band again. I will never again be the speed-demon I was in my 30's, but at 65 there's just no need to prove anything to anyone. 
 
 

This is so awesome to hear, Dave! I too smoked for a long time. I remember as a kid back in the woods building tree forts and underground caverns.....
 
We had this guy that lived in the woods we named "Tickman". We figured he must have been loaded with ticks since he lived back there somewhere. He would pop out of nowhere all dressed in white with a sailor cap on. Big long beard...sort of looked like a pirate. He was about 60 or so.
 
Anyway, one day we were smoking this stuff that was paralyzing. He pops out of nowhere and says "you lil c-lappers...I know what you're doing! Just remember, you got one joint the size of your body and one bottle of booze the size of your body. When you smoke them up and drink them up, you're done kid, DONE!" And he disappeared into the woods. I was about 16-17 then.
 
I always remembered what he said, but didn't know what it meant. About 10 years later, I knew what he meant. I smoked this stuff that was so nasty, I remember playing drums, doing a drum fill, falling off the stool and woke up in some girls lap. From there I remember going #2 and throwing up between my legs at the same time while feeling my heart was racing so fast, it was going to explode inside me.
 
That was my first introduction to panic/anxiety brought on by weed. I remember that night...after I was feeling better, my car was parked in my church parking lot because the place I was playing was across the street. A huge, life-like crucifix of Jesus on a hill is in our church parking lot. It's actually breath-taking. Well, I got down on my knees and said "Lord, please take this feeling away from me....I'll never do this again!"
 
That lasted about 2 weeks. The stuff I smoked that made me all screwy came from a friend. Surely my own stuff wouldn't have this effect....and God knows I'm weak. Needless to say, I broke my word and smoked my own stuff. The exact same thing happened to me and there I was, going through all the same stuff praying again for forgiveness. I stuck to my guns that time...but it hit me....
 
There was nothing wrong with the weed. I had smoked that joint the size of my little body. It all made sense. With stopping, my ability to carry out tasks improved. I was no longer a little lazy or tired. My memory improved ten-fold and I really never had much of a problem sleeping, although the weed did make me sleep better. I got the munchies a lot, but never really abused anything. So I stayed the same weight until I quit smoking nearly 4 years ago. I've gained about 12 lbs.
 
Anyway, it will get better with time. If you can, try to bring in some exercise. Honest when I tell you, it makes an incredible difference for the better. Even if you just ride a stationary bike for 30-40 minutes. You don't have to go crazy...just a little something to bring some good oxygen into your body. These days I do a work out every other day that last about an hour with my cardio in it as well. It's not for everyone, but every little bit can make a difference for the better as well as improve sleeping, digestion and over-all well being. Good luck man, I'm so glad you've seen a few positive results already. :)

Dave's not here:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACfNSqsi_mE
 
Couldn't figure out how to embed the video....
 
 
 
 

 
The trick to embedding YT vids:
1. Right-click on the video and select "Copy video URL"
2. Paste into your post
3. Enclose in [tube] and [/tube]
4. Remove the "s" from "https"