Weed Chat - Why It's Prohibited On My Discord
Reasons for the zero-tolerance to weed mentions and chat
Simple Answer
Because weed is beyond the scope of topics covered on my Discord. Quite simply, I have zero interest in it and never will
Questions
But why is weed beyond the scope of covered topics? My online presences form a basic model, roughly as follows...
Youtube & Rumble Channels - intro/showcase for topics/basic info
This Website - support for youtube, more detailed/up to date info
The Discord - for information not covered by the website, also disussing new research avenues
I never make nor will make videos about weed therefore it has no default place on the Discord. Of course there are exceptions, for example channels which cover material such as Salvia and mycology, but unlike weed I have an interest in these. Basically the Discord is primarily based on Dimitri with some side interests - weed is definitely not one of these and never will be.
VERY IMPORTANT - I'm NOT saying that ALL weed use is bad
Just that I DO NOT want it as a subject on the Discord
But weed is a very healing substance, aren't you being narrow minded? Users of weed will invariably claim a powerful healing aspect, but so will many alcoholics, nicotine smokers/etc. I'm unqualified to deny their claims, but I do question whether much of this is genuine healing or simply temporarily masking symptoms (i.e. a coping mechanism). I don't deny that even this aspect may have important uses but again it's not something I will ever cover on my Discord.
For me one rule-of-thumb test for a substance is the extent to which it's used as a comfort in tough times. From experience it's obvious weed is used extensively (and in some cases almost continuously) in both good and bad times, but many will shy away from the use of psychs during challenging periods
Be aware, I've never denied that weed has proven medical uses, but so have opiates, benzos, amphetamines and lots of other substances. However, I've witnessed first hand how the abuse potential of weed is colossal, the addicition potential apparently very real and the negative consequences of overuse seem to become painfully apparent to everyone but the user. I have no desire to take on the task of deciding whether Discord posts fall into healing or abuse so all posts/mentions/hints etc are unwelcome.
But even Dimitri can be abused, why are you singling out weed? All drugs have potential medical uses but some substances have much higher abuse potential than others and weed is one of these, the evidence for this is painfully and ubiquitously common. For example, a close relative of mine has been a drug recovery worker for approx 18 years, and she has noted the following..
She reports it being almost unheard of when a "client" has not used weed daily (and sometimes chain-smoking almost continuously), often spending £30 or more daily to feed their habit
Such people are almost always in dire financial situations, going to considerable lengths to obtain foodbank vouchers (often fraudulently), have strings of convictions for shoplifting and other theft, their children taken away by court action etc. But despite all this, they still can easily find sufficient funds to feed their weed habits
Cases of child neglect/domestic violence/all manner of other issues are common in their households. I'm not qualified to cast judgement on their individual circumstances but it's obvious to me they using weed for anything but for healing and consciousness exploration
Another crucial point here is that she has never ever come across a single case of harm involving classis psychedelics (shrooms, acid, mescaline etc), and never even heard of Dimitri until I told her about it.
It's crucial to note, I'm not saying that weed is a cause of any of the tragically sad issues above, I merely use as an illustration of why I believe that the abuse/addiction potential of weed is great, and its healing aspect outside of medical supervision may be limited at very best
But I use weed and find it very healing for my depression/alcohol addiction/etc, why are you censoring it? I'm not censoring it and you can talk about weed all you like, just not on my Discord because (as mentioned) it's beyond its scope. It's your journey, not mine and I'd encourage weed fans to set up their own discord, but so far experience has shown that they'd rather haunt the platforms of others than do this.
I'm a weed user, what's your problem with me? I don't have a problem if you obey the rules and the spirit of them. I'll love you to bits if you avoid any references to this substance and derivatives, and most important is avoiding hints, disprespecting my viewpoints, or snide rectionary responses to my requests to other members to refrain from weed chat. Sadly, hardcore weed fans generally seem to have an extremely hard time complying with this simple request.
I use weed to relax into a psychedelic trip, why can't I speak about this? I've had reports of folks using this, alcohol, and several other substances and procedures in conjunction with trips. Of course, its your business how you trip, but allowing discussion of potentially addictive substances like weed (with its colossal abuse potential) is definitely NOT something that will be ever permitted.
Why are you demonising weed and stigmatising users? I'm doing neither, simply reporting my own experience of those in my life I've witnessed who over-used this substance. I'm not talking about the occasional user here, just those who are allowing of have allowed weed to take over their lives. Through the years I've noticed repeated patterns emerging in those who have openly admitted to (or I strongly suspect of) weed abuse. IME the more someone abuses weed....
the less likely they are to contribute positively to anything around them (inc the Discord Server)
the less gratitude they show for folks bending over backwards to help them
the more they refuse to research and instead just demand to be spoon-fed with info
they get ever-less interested in anything in their lives apart from weed
the less reliable and dependable & they become harder/impossible to work with
their financial priorities lean ever-more towards obtaining weed at the expense of other items
they become ever-more convinced of their mastery over weed when the evidence firmly suggests the reverse is actually true
they tend to assume a divine right use the platforms of others to promote weed despite being constantly asked to refrain
the more promises of noble deeds they make, but the less they keep
they become fully convinced that anyone who has a different view of weed to themselves is not only totally wrong but also a dangerous idiot
the more likely they are to blame others for their own problems
the less responsibility they are prepared to take for their own actions
the more they become convinced they are a grand guru of the truth, constantly spouting total garbage
the less sense I can get out of them
the more they appear to think of DMT and other established psychedelics as "just another jolly buzz"
the less likely they are to read and observe the rules on my Discord
the more likely they are to try and minimise/twist facts/trivialise/justify/argue against their own blatant rule breaking
the less I want them on my server
I say again, I'm not accusing anyone of anything and this is not demonising weed or stigmatising users - just reporting my own experience of dealing with those who use too much of it. I cannot change what I have experienced and have seen with my own eyes.
Aren't you being hypocritical allowing Dimitri but not weed chat? No, we could discuss the differences in addiction/useage patterns/ effects on family/exploration potential/etc all day long, but at the end of the day I repeat I have zero interest in hosting weed chat on my Discord. I've put several years of colossal effort into my online platforms for consciousness exploration, I believe that gives me more of a say in the Discord topics than a deluded stoner who hops on board and wants to bend my ear about how great his or her habit is.