October 4th, 2010 / 1:49 pm
Behind the Scenes
Nick Antosca
Behind the Scenes
DECRIMINALIZED
So Schwarzenegger decriminalized marijuana a couple days ago (law goes into effect January 1). What writers are huge stoners? David Foster Wallace… who else? I’m thrilled to hear about this news, since on principle I think all drugs should be decriminalized, although personally I loathe weed — always seems like an incredible waste of time, doesn’t do anything particularly interesting to your thoughts the way more intense drugs do, after 20 minutes I get impatient for my mind to return to normal, and I don’t like being around other stoned people.
Tags: marijuana
His wife was on Real Time With Bill Maher the week before last and Seth Macfarlane said something along the lines of, “This is gonna be a fun group to smoke with after the show…”
It’s certainly true, I should admit, that many friends I greatly respect love to smoke weed. I’m not dissing those who love it, and I don’t roll my eyes or anything when they’re smoking. But in most cases, I like their personalities and conversations better when they’re not stoned.
well, he signed a bill that reduces the crime of marijuana possession to an infraction, punishable by a $100 fine, so not strictly decriminalized.. just a lower degree of crime.. prop 19 is on the ballot in california to allegedly allow for the regulation/taxation of various marijuana activities.. a path, maybe, to people being able to buy marijuana at gas stations with a ridiculously huge California-cigarette-tax-style tax slapped on, so the money can allegedly-but-probably-not go to California school systems..
none of which has anything to do with your post alas. but if anyone didn’t get their dose of cynical grimness/everything-is-fucked-feeling today, there you go!
De Nerval, Baudelaire (not a huge user but wrote about his experiences on the drug), Paul Bowles
Thomas Pynchon.
im really hoping that the ballot goes for decriminalization on nov 19th, and i’m probably a bit more optimistic than mike young that it will be a positive thing (the simple fact that it means that nobody will be going to jail for possessing or selling weed is a huge positive step)
i’m with you nick in that all drug use should be decriminalized, in fact i see marijuana legalization as an achievable stepping stone toward that, although i dont share your take on weed – i guess the flipside to the thing about stoners being boring is that boring people are boring on weed, while interesting people are still interesting on weed. but i think that smoking and writing go pretty well together – although i might not be able to sit down and churn out a couple of thousand words on weed the same way i can when im sober or drinking or on uppers, its very good for ideas and getting your brain to work in a different way, which is definitely useful writing. plus it did more for me when i was trying to get off heroin than a million AA meetings and appointments with shrinks.
other writers who smoked? i’m sure many do who dont feel the need to make a statement about it. i’m usually more surprised when someone tells me a writer didnt get fucked up on something or other, you know?
Carl Sagan. ’nuff said.
nick antosca, maybe you should come out to san francisco and smoke some triple A sour diesel medical marijuana. i think my bike delivery service will challenge your boredom.
oh, and i dunno if dfw was a “huge stoner” past his twenties, seems like he went through something with marijuana but eventually gave it up.
I think there are far more writers who smoke pot than any of us know of. Millions of people smoke and don’t announce it to others.
I’m thrilled that Schwarzenegger partially decriminalized pot because there really is no logical reason not to. Arresting people for smoking weed is a phenomenal waste of time and money.
Perec before his lungs shat out on him, Harry Mathews before his best friend died, Bolaño before he wrote anything worthwhile. Cortazar, Corso, Raymond Rousseau.
His wife was on Real Time With Bill Maher the week before last and Seth Macfarlane said something along the lines of, “This is gonna be a fun group to smoke with after the show…”
Arnold was a huge stoner back in his body building days. I had a Western Civilizations professor who was a professional body builder when he was younger and he did some magazine work with Arnold. According to him, Arnold was the Stephen Stills of body building.
Stephen Stills, apparently.
It’s certainly true, I should admit, that many friends I greatly respect love to smoke weed. I’m not dissing those who love it, and I don’t roll my eyes or anything when they’re smoking. But in most cases, I like their personalities and conversations better when they’re not stoned.
philadelphia already did that. big deal. way to be behind on the times, west coast.
so high right now
i like you matthew simmons.
Lish and DeLillo are huge stoners.
it’s legal in san francisco, you gets a free brownie with every purchase, all one has to do is go to a rad doctor, the wealthier cousin of the rad dad
On the Venice Beach boardwalk there are plenty of “Urgent Care” clinics
with “the Doctor is IN” signs.
Benjamin was down, in Marseilles at least.
lol, you people are funny.
“always seems like an incredible waste of time, doesn’t do anything particularly interesting to your thoughts the way more intense drugs do, after 20 minutes I get impatient for my mind to return to normal, and I don’t like being around other stoned people.”
did you smoke a sativa, indica or hybrid?
i am guessing you are making your judgment based off of a few immature experiences. maybe i’m wrong. i doubt it.
george carlin said marijuana has the ability to change the way a person thinks. i agree with his statement.
also, habitual use and casual use are two separate parties.
“…different drugs for different moods.” — Hunter S. Thompson