Handle Your Shit

If you are pothead, please handle your shit:
Take care of your responsibilities like work and school
Respect your parents- if they don't want you smoking in their house then don't. Find yourself a spot.
If money for weed/gear is an issue, get a job. If your job doesn't pay enough, then get another source of income (another job, an investment, whatever), start growing, or adjust your intake accordingly. Bills are much more important than getting high.
Don't smoke more than you can handle and start flipping out and annoying everyone
If you have a drug test, then plan accordingly and don't smoke
If you want to know how much your bag weighs, buy or borrow a scale. Don't ask the internet.
If you think your weed was laced, then don't buy from that source again
Don't give someone money to get you weed unless you trust them completely
If you live somewhere where you're not supposed to have weed, stash it in an airtight container

There's so many threads that I see in this section that can be answered with "Just handle your shit". Take your life into your own hands and make changes so that you can have what you want. It's amazing how many problems go away when you are proactive.
Weed will never be legalized if the perception of stoners as a drain on society persists. Thus, it's in all of our interests to be responsible and prove the stereotypes wrong.

 

Great points. I'll add them.

 

Bump because I've seen some really stupid threads today

 

I think it's too simplistic to just label people as dumb. Unless someone has a legitimate mental handicap or learning disability, then they have the potential for common sense. And really, that's all this thread is about- common sense. So why is common sense so uncommon?

A research psychologist would be best suited to answer that question, but I don't know any. Here's my view- "dumb" people have problems either with inertia or pressure.

Inertia is strongly related to laziness. Basically, laziness is perpetuated because it is easier to stick to a routine based on reacting to transient desires than a routine based on long-term desires. Initiating change is the most difficult part of breaking inertia- this is analogous to stopping a car moving fast in the wrong direction and turning it around.

Pressure is related to societal pressures and cognitive dissonance. Peer pressure as well as societal expectations play a major role here. Peer pressure's role is obvious- it is strongly related to cognitive dissonance. People generally know what choices are responsible relative to one another, but they convince themselves that they are making the right choice because others are making the same choice- even if that choice is wrong or irresponsible. Among younger people, cognitive dissonance rears its head again in the form of "it won't happen to me". Those 5 words convey a very broad concept- they relate to being arrested, health effects, drug testing, and many other issues that can arise when one uses marijuana.

I don't know how to prevent these factors. I guess when we do, we'll have a lot fewer dumb people around. In the meantime, we would all do well to self-reflect and recognize our own weaknesses and prejudices.

Great point. Adding it to the list.