Dad sells pot-smoking son’s copy of Guitar Hero III as punshment on E-Bay. For $9,100.

(Yes this goes to my blog, but I figured I'd post it here as I'd really love to get some discussion going on it.)

If you look at the auction, you'll get a lot of good information.

I have two questions.

1. Would you do this to your kid? Personally, I would, but I wouldn't nearly be as nice. Apparently the father was more upset that he was doing something illegal on his property, than the fact that he was smoking pot.

Personally, I'm all for the legalization of Marijuana. While it is more harmful to the lungs than cigarettes, It certainly isn't as bad as cocaine.

2. Who on earth would spend $9,100 on Guitar Hero III for the Wii? I have the game, it's not that epic.

Wow, is that bidder verified, wtf? Is it unavailable in Australia on that platform? Must be, I'm guessing.

I was thinking of getting GH3 for PC. Maybe after the holidays.

As for the dad, he should spend the money on some family counseling.

I don't have any kids, yet, so I'm not sure what I'd do. It would depend on the kid, too. Hopefully he can do something constructive with his son, with the windfall. It sounds like some serious father-son time is in order. Some sort of family counseling might not be a bad idea, either.

Taking away his kids video game is probably one of the last things he can do without attracting the rath of child protective services. So long as your kid gets enough to eat, has a couple sets of clothes, and a warm place to sleep, you can take pretty much everything away legally. Taking away a video game is not exactly draconian. If I caught my kid doing drugs, I'd take more away than video games. I already take away their xbox (for brief periods) for getting less than adequate grades, not doing chores, disobeying their mother, etc.

As for the second question, someone who needs that game more than they need $9100.

It may be good if pot were legalized, but that doesn't mean people should let their children use it.

Remember the "l" in the last URL tag

I wouldn't dream of selling something that belongs to my son, without his approval.

That said, of course it would have consequences, but not like this.

It would be better for everybody. Legalizing marijuana would mean that the government took over the production/import, selling and taxation, which would mean bringing criminal activity away from this particular drug, leaving people to use it without being criminalized or being introduced to harder drugs (at least not to the extend they are now)

Need i say i like a nice joint every once in a while

Why are you in such a hurry for the government to get involved in it? Why should the government produce and sell a recreational drug? Is there something else that the government has a monopoly on producing and selling that is going well? Maybe so in Denmark, but sure as hell not in the U.S.

Decriminalizing it doesn't mean the government would have to fill a vacuum. Cabbage is legal - should the government take charge of producing and selling cabbage too?

Interesting. Do you have kids of your own?

I don't consider my minor children owning anything, they have access to it at my pleasure. In the case of this story, the father had purchased the item anyway.

Even should my children choose to remain in my household after they are 18, they will still follow my rules.

Yes, i have three kids, three boys. One 5 yrs old, one 6, and one 14. I know that issue of raising children is a matter of many differences, from parent to parent, but i will never take away something i have given them. As for deciding just how much time they can spend on watching tv or playing video games, is another thing.

My philosophy is, that what i do, my children will always try to copy, be it behavior or anything else, and i will not teach my children that it's ok to take something back that you've already given away.

Of course there are exceptions for everything, as i wouldn't let them keep something that would endanger them in any way, physical or mental. But other than that, a present is a present. I thy to raise them with a moral understanding of how people ought to treat each other, telling them that there is zero tolerance for violence, both (again) physical and mental.

As for drugs, i wouldn't ever tell them that it's ok. That i like a joint every once i a while, is something they doesn't have to know. Everybody handles marijuana in their own way, i smoke maybe one every three months, so i wouldn't consider myself an addict or misuser. What others may think of that is their headache, not mine.

To make a seriously large post short, i always try to show my kids how to do the right thing, and they always know that if they're in doubts of anything, they can always ask me.

Well, it doesn't have to be the government at all, it was just a proposal.

To be a complete and utter fool; What's cabbage?

Cabbage.

It's a leafy vegetable that people make cole slaw, salads, kim chee, and other stuff from. Do a search on this forum, there was talk in a thread about it a while back. I'd swear there are Danish recipes that include something along the lines of fried cabbage, but I could be wrong.

Seems to me like someone fake bidding to try to prevent the item actually getting sold. Hard to be sure, but so far neither the buyer or seller have left feedback for each other.

I think you're right, but the buyer risked bad feedback, which he should get if he doesn't pay. Then again, the dumbass selling it said he's not going to pursue payment. Too many people with too much time on their hands.

Ebay should penalize them both. For something.

Just FYI technically marijuana is much safer than cigarettes. Marijuana does not cause cancer, does not cause emphysema, and does not cause tar buildup in the lungs. When you burn marijuana the 'bad' tar is left where it's burnt, not in the smoke -- what you find in the smoke is resin which will build up in the lungs, but your lungs do a pretty good job of getting it out. Cigarette smoke however clogs small airways in your lungs and make it harder to transfer oxygen and co2. The marijuana resin accumulates in larger air-passageways so it doesn't cause nearly as big of a problem even with habitual (everyday) use.

I'll take your word for it on this stuff, but an interesting side note is you are only talking about 'physical' safety. Habitual pot use tends to lead to other issues in many people - like habitual watching of TV for one example. In my experience, all too few people actually use it as an inspirational/creative tool, such as to enhance their musical originality. Also from my experience, the vast majority of habitual pot smokers also consume tobacco along with it (based on predominantly Australian experience - it seemed different in America - based on the limited exposure I had while in the USA).

Fuck what it does to your lungs, look what happens to your brain.

I actually know a lot of pot-smokers (lol imagine that) very few smoke tobacco, and none of them are addicted to nicotine. I occasionally smoke cigars, as do a couple others, but cigars are a lot different than cigarettes. (and by occasionally I mean less than once a month -- I'm not addicted in any lose sense of the word)

I have to say though the smoke from cigars is a lot harder to handle. You can inhale marijuana smoke with no difficulty and even exhale through your nose. Try that with pure tobacco and you'd choke up, breath through your nose and it'll kill your sinuses. They say marijuana joints are like 4 cigarettes as far as smoke weight is concerned but like I said earlier marijuana has very little of the "permanent" sort of tar that cigarettes have (plus you really only smoke half a joint anyway lol). Smoking marijuana does increase your chance of getting colds, and it can cause "smoker's cough" when you get sick -- short term the smoke is bad for you, but unlike tobaco you don't get emphysema or tar buildup. And I believe I read something about scaring (though local) -- I'm not trying to claim it's absolutely 100% safe, but in reality it really isn't all that bad for you.I don't want to derail this thread I think it's obvious I smoke weed but I only started after doing a lot of research myself. I usually don't do things like this without first researching them -- I'm actually borderline anxiety disorder especially with my health. Like I've tried salvia before and that was only after reading just about everything at erowid and the wiki article (salvia is awesome but habitual use is probably bad for you -- both mentally and for your lungs. You don't do drugs like salvia regularly though).

There are short-term side-effects from marijuana smoking. Used in moderation it's a lot safer than alcohol which causes numerous kinds of cancers, health problems, dementia, and even kills (yes, kills) brain cells. Marijuana stays in your body for a very long time compared to other drugs. Conventional wisdom is that you need an entire month of abstinence to clear a drug-test, but if you smoke everyday it can take months before all the thc exits your body. Essentially you can get "burnt out" from smoking weed if you smoke often enough, and being burnt out basically means you're dumber (reduced reaction time, poor short term memory etc).

What I have personally found is that there is conflicting research in peer-review, but there is a pattern as to the long-term side-effects if you read the methods of the study. Studies which allow very little time of abstinence before testing tend to show that marijuana makes you "dumber" in a couple different ways. But all studies which give subjects enough time off the drug show very little correlation on intelligence. Furthermore certain people tend to be more inclined to smoke weed so you can always have a reverse-correlation (which is why I like the Canadian study I'm linking bellow, they measured IQ scores around age 11 and then again 8 years latter, even for the control group, to measure IQ change not absolutely IQ score).

All studies of this sort indicate that heavy use is far worse than light. Heavy marijuana smokers are correlated with other illicit drug-use so it's not just the marijuana there. Plus when you use it on an almost daily basis you get to a point where you're permanently "burnt-out" and this can last sometimes more than 3 months after you quit. Being permanency burnt-out can't be good for your mental health, either. You'd get used to being dumb so to speak and a lack of mental stimulation could alter the process of brain plasticity. So I can see how heavy marijuana use could be bad for your intelligence (just like how heavy alcohol use is associated with dementia and anxiety, but not with moderate use).

Google Answers: Proven Long Term Side Effects of Marijuana Use

Specifically, Current and former marijuana use: preliminary find...[CMAJ. 2002] - PubMed Result

"Assessing marijuana's impact on intelligence quotient (IQ) has been hampered by a lack of evaluation of subjects before they begin to use this substance. Using data from a group of young people whom we have been following since birth, we examined IQ scores before, during and after cessation of regular marijuana use to determine any impact of the drug on this measure of cognitive function. METHODS: We determined marijuana use for seventy 17- to 20-year-olds through self-reporting and urinalysis. IQ difference scores were calculated by subtracting each person's IQ score at 9-12 years (before initiation of drug use) from his or her score at 17-20 years. We then compared the difference in IQ scores of current heavy users (at least 5 joints per week), current light users (less than 5 joints per week), former users (who had not smoked regularly for at least 3 months) and non-users (who never smoked more than once per week and no smoking in the past two weeks). RESULTS: Current marijuana use was significantly correlated (p < 0.05) in a dose-related fashion with a decline in IQ over the ages studied. The comparison of the IQ difference scores showed an average decrease of 4.1 points in current heavy users (p < 0.05) compared to gains in IQ points for light current users (5.8), former users (3.5) and non-users (2.6). INTERPRETATION: Current marijuana use had a negative effect on global IQ score only in subjects who smoked 5 or more joints per week. A negative effect was not observed among subjects who had previously been heavy users but were no longer using the substance. We conclude that marijuana does not have a long-term negative impact on global intelligence. Whether the absence of a residual marijuana effect would also be evident in more specific cognitive domains such as memory and attention remains to be ascertained." (in other words given 3 months abstinence even "heavy" users returned to normal -- btw if you noticed current light users had a 3.2 point IQ advantage over non-users, and a 2.3 point advantage over former users suggesting marijuana may actually have some benefits on intelligence)

Your study gave all users 28 days off the drug which is enough to clear the drug out of moderate and light users (a drug-test would turn up negative) but heavy users would still test positive on a drug test. So naturally it's common-sense that this study reports light use of marijuana has no effect on IQ but heavy use does. When dealing with heavy users we're talking about people who smoke almost everyday for years -- and thc will stay in your body for a very long time after that kind of abuse. In a sense you kind of become high 24/7 though it doesn't seem like that, cause when you light up you just get higher. This is why marijuana has a reverse tolerance effect -- if you already have thc in your body it doesn't take as much to get high where if you start w/ no thc in your body you have to smoke more.

So when you tally it all up after 24 hours all marijuana users show declines in IQ (there is a study that shows just this but I cant locate it). After 28 days heavy users still show a decline in IQ, but not light users. After 3 months neither heavy nor light users show any decline in IQ. There are no studies comparing specific cognitive abilities so it is possible to have long-term residual effects, but specifically to IQ smoking marijuana appears to have no negative consequence given enough time off the drug, and indeed may actually make your smarter.

When looking at this you have to actually go to the scientific sources of information. Many websites claim numerous long-term side-effects from smoking marijuana and cite these studies, but if you look at the actual studies you'll find that there aren't many proven long-term side-effects, and to the extent that there are side-effects they're not noticeable enough to carry statistical significance -- you have to sift through all the junk and misleading claims / political stuff to get to the bottom of the issue (eg the issue of marijuana causing you to be lazy, short-term this appears to be true, but how do you explain the fact that marijuana users do better in their career and make more money than non-users?).

Btw further reading if you're interested, Drug Policy Alliance: Myths and Facts About Marijuana

And a note: marijuana use in high-school is genuinely linked to school drop-outs and bad grades. In college marijuana use does not change how well students do, and in careers smoking marijuana is associated with better success/income. In high-school, especially in the US there's a kind of "wanna be gangster" culture so it appears that drop-outs tend to smoke weed, and that weed itself doesn't actually cause students to do poorly.

I myself, don't condone the use of recreational drugs - even though I used to smoke pot in the mid '80s.

I realised that it wasn't the thing to do and swore off illegal drug use.

Good on you.

Thank you.

Most co's conduct drug tests to make sure that prospective employees-to-be are not doing illeagal drugs.

Marijuana isn't for everyone. That's the thing about alcohol -- anybody can drink alcohol and it always has the same effects (both good and bad). Some people like weed and others don't -- You have to be stronger mentally to use marijuana, and unlike alcohol marijuana doesn't directly alter dopamine levels to make you "happy." It's not a "feel-good drug" like crack or alcohol, it's purely psychedelic in nature and your trips are what you make them to be.

To be honest I don't do drugs very often (though for a while I was smoking weed almost everyday and drinking every weekend -- which is a very bad idea). Alcohol is good for having a good time but for some reason I like marijuana better. Marijuana will teach you things about yourself. It's kind of hard to explain, it's different than a lot of drugs, you just have to do it yourself. I guess the proper term is "psychonaut." It teaches you to think differently because it impairs your cognitive abilities -- kind of like an artificial way to exercise your mind (like a cross-word puzzle or something) and this carries over to when your sober. Like I never stopped to appreciate everything in life until I started noticing how enjoyable the small things are when you toke. And I used to have really bad clinical anxiety -- my doctor was pretty much begging me to take his meds but I'm not a fan of the side-effects of anti-anxiety medications (I was on benzo for a little while though).

It's different for everyone. Psychedelic drugs are definitely eye-opening even if the initial purpose of the drug is recreational. I know people who have done shrooms and they swear that if you just do it once you'll be a much happier person. Shrooms scare the shit out of me though, I don't like drugs that impair you to that great of an extent. I never was a fan of smoking an entire joint by myself, that can be really scary. Alcohol and salvia don't matter though cause the way the drugs work they make you happy and relaxed so no matter how fucked up you get you don't freak out about it (where w/ shrooms you're 100% guaranteed to have at least one panic attack during your trip).

I was surprised when I first started learning that a lot of drugs aren't as bad as school teachers and the media make them out to be. Alcohol is a lot worse than many illicit drugs. And to the extent that some drugs are bad if you don't do them a lot nothing bad will happen (this doesn't work with heroin or meth though -- doing these drugs only once is a very bad idea). The great thing about weed is that there are no real statistically noticeable long-term effects. So some people (though rare) generate severe psychosis from smoking weed -- these side-effects go away upon secession of the drug. IMO it's kind of like the perfect drug for that reason (plus you can eat, vaporize, or water filter weed which gets rid of any effect on your lungs). Light up once if you have a bad reaction to it you can just quite toking and you havn't done any permanent harm to yourself. If you do LSD once however and have the bad tracers/flashbacks those will stay with you for months, sometimes your entire life. If you do meth you'll do permanent brain damage and probably be addicted for life. Etc. Plus weed is a lot milder than most drugs but if you so chose you can easily put yourself on cloud 9.

One thing I think the study pointed out that interested me is those with higher IQs are affected less than those with lower IQs to begin with.

Pot certainly isn't for me. I used it as a teenager, but have stayed away from it throughout my adult life. When I get old and grey, I won't rule out giving it another shot when I'm no longer worried about long term effects, security clearances, etc.

Pretty much anything is bad for you without moderation. People have died from drinking too much water. But someone who chooses to smoke pot is making a decision between preserving their cognitive abilities and getting high.