UK - Adam Rickwood, 14: "I can't last much longer"

[Peter Hamilton]

I didn't realize shoelaces were that strong

 

[reb]

there seems to be 2 schools of thought on the pot issue.. those who say it's the absolute elixir of life.... harmless-- even good for you, calms your nerves, eases stress, enhances creativity, feelings of good will, etc... and those who say that it becomes a crutch and keeps you buffered from reality; allows you to not have to deal with difficult emotions or the real world... and often is a gateway to harder drugs... and causes you to hang around people who have similar mindsets.. causes irresponsibility, a lack of ability to get things accomplished at your best, chronic denial ('hey i'm not addicted.. err, excuse me while i go get my morning fix...') and, well, psychotic symptoms.
as for the feelings of good will.. have you ever seen a pot addict when they are not high and can't get a hold of their cannibis fix?? NOT a pretty sight! when you are at the point where you NEED it in order to act relatively normal.. then you know you have a serious problem.

the thing is. pot (like a lot of things) affects people in different ways. for people to say 'it's NOT addictive, it DOESN'T make you psychotic, etc, etc,' well, the truth is.. for some it may not but for many people it is and it does.

 

[KatK]

this happened nearly 3 years ago. is the mama trying to sue? looks that way to me.

ETA i found this not so much heartrending, but more manipulative. still, sad..

The inquest into the death is still going on. I think the mother wants justice to be done. The system failed her son, people who were supposed to guard his safety failed in their duties. She wants to see to it that something similar doesn't happen to another family, and see to it that those who failed are held accountable for it. That is completely understandable. (I don't think they are as sue happy in the U.K. as they are in the USA either.)


On a tangent: I think mother and son have some similar features, and that it's grief that has made her look so "mannish". She doesn't care to put on makeup or accessorize right now, she's hurting. I bet she can be quite winsome in more flattering clothes with makeup and happy though.

 

[southcitymom]

there seems to be 2 schools of thought on the pot issue.. those who say it's the absolute elixir of life.... harmless-- even good for you, calms your nerves, eases stress, enhances creativity, feelings of good will, etc... and those who say that it becomes a crutch and keeps you buffered from reality; allows you to not have to deal with difficult emotions or the real world... and often is a gateway to harder drugs... and causes you to hang around people who have similar mindsets.. causes irresponsibility, a lack of ability to get things accomplished at your best, chronic denial ('hey i'm not addicted.. err, excuse me while i go get my morning fix...') and, well, psychotic symptoms.
as for the feelings of good will.. have you ever seen a pot addict when they are not high and can't get a hold of their cannibis fix?? NOT a pretty sight! when you are at the point where you NEED it in order to act relatively normal.. then you know you have a serious problem.

the thing is. pot (like a lot of things) affects people in different ways. for people to say 'it's NOT addictive, it DOESN'T make you psychotic, etc, etc,' well, the truth is.. for some it may not but for many people it is and it does.

Good points, reb. I think pot got a reputation for not being addictive because it is not physically addictive in that you don't develop tolerance like you do with other drugs and you don't have much in the way of physical withdrawal when you put it down after using long term.

But, as you point out, pot can absolutely be addictive mentally, psychologically and spiritually and these are the hardest levels of addiction to a substance to kick.

While I actually consider alcohol to be THE gateway drug and think it's ridiculous that alcohol is legal and marijuana is not, we should not deny that addiction to marijuana can and does occur.

 

[Paladin]

Yes i have. often. no it doesn't make you suicidal. in most cases.

i suppose i should have homed in on this paragraph:

Mrs Pounder, 38, told the inquest at Chester-le-Street, Durham, that he had taken seven overdoses between November 2001 and October 2003 and on two separate occasions he was admitted to hospital having cut his wrists.

Overdoses of some form of drug. how was he allowed access to any drug? legal or illegal? in his state of mind? pot can also take you to a point of depression.

have you tried it?

Yes I have. I was never once depressed.

If he overdosed on medication I propose he did it as follows: he stashed up enough of his daily prescription (i.e. not taking it when he should have) in order to get a large enough amount to attempt an overdose with.

 

[Paladin]

Good points, reb. I think pot got a reputation for not being addictive because it is not physically addictive in that you don't develop tolerance like you do with other drugs and you don't have much in the way of physical withdrawal when you put it down after using long term.

But, as you point out, pot can absolutely be addictive mentally, psychologically and spiritually and these are the hardest levels of addiction to a substance to kick.

While I actually consider alcohol to be THE gateway drug and think it's ridiculous that alcohol is legal and marijuana is not, we should not deny that addiction to marijuana can and does occur.

I can think of a handful of things where you can replace the word "pot" with something else. Here's one: gambling.

So alcohol and gambling are legal...and often used in conjunction with one another. I agree with you...it's ridiculous that marijuana is illegal. Especially for medicinal purposes.

 

[southcitymom]

I can think of a handful of things where you can replace the word "pot" with something else. Here's one: gambling.

So alcohol and gambling are legal...and often used in conjunction with one another. I agree with you...it's ridiculous that marijuana is illegal. Especially for medicinal purposes.

I'm with you on the gambling thing, Paladin - hands down. It's a crazy-making exercise to look at our laws about different addictive things! :crazy:

 

[OneLostGrl]

I'll tell ya what.. Right or wrong- prior to diagnosis and proper medications for my Bipolar, if not for Marijuana (and SI, but that's a whole other topic) I'd probably be in Prison or dead or God only knows what. Pot was absolutely the only thing that I knew of to help me come down from a mania.

 

[Taximom]

I'll tell ya what.. Right or wrong- prior to diagnosis and proper medications for my Bipolar, if not for Marijuana (and SI, but that's a whole other topic) I'd probably be in Prison or dead or God only knows what. Pot was absolutely the only thing that I knew of to help me come down from a mania.

Hi, OneLostGirl. I hope you don't mind me asking what "SI" is?

After reading the comments here I wonder if pot is like Ritalin as far as how it affects people differently. I've been told that for some it can help their focus and stop their brain from going a mile/minute. For others it makes them feel more hyper.

Bottom line though, this boy should have been watched more closely if he had threatened suicide and had tried it before.

 

[reb]

SCM-- so true..., for many ways alcohol is the gateway drug.. and in a way it is hard to believe that it is legal & pot is not. and i agree that in the best of worlds marijuana should be legal.. but the problem is that the nature of humans is that they can't control themselves and we would end up with even more pot addicts than we already have. everyone will suddenly decide that they have a 'medical issue'.... so lawmakers are going to have a hard time knowing where to draw the line. but for those who are ternimally ill and in severe pain... there's really NO excuse, for them it should definitely be a legal option.

 

[White Rain]

Guys, someone's child just died...and you have to comment on her appearance? Put yourself in her shoes for one moment...if your child just died would you really give a crap about what you looked like?

 

[reb]

i was thinking the same thing.. who cares what she looks like, or if she's not a glamour queen?? she just has that high-cheekboned british face... and she's not all dolled up, & she's got a suit on.

 

[OneLostGrl]

Hi, OneLostGirl. I hope you don't mind me asking what "SI" is?

After reading the comments here I wonder if pot is like Ritalin as far as how it affects people differently. I've been told that for some it can help their focus and stop their brain from going a mile/minute. For others it makes them feel more hyper.

Bottom line though, this boy should have been watched more closely if he had threatened suicide and had tried it before.

SI stands for Self Injury.

Sorry for going off topic... back on topic- This boy must have felt so empty and alone. Although it is so very sad that he felt he had to die to obtain it, I pray he at last has peace.

 

[Taximom]

SI stands for Self Injury.

Sorry for going off topic... back on topic- This boy must have felt so empty and alone. Although it is so very sad that he felt he had to die to obtain it, I pray he at last has peace.

Thanks, OneLostGrl. In my life, SI means "sensory integration".

 

[GlitchWizard]

Guys, someone's child just died...and you have to comment on her appearance? Put yourself in her shoes for one moment...if your child just died would you really give a crap about what you looked like?

I'm thinking if my child died, and my pictures were all over the place, someone would think "Wow, that woman is fat." They might even mention it to someone else.

Would I care? No. But I wouldn't expect them not to notice, either.

Someone noticing that I'm fat doesn't detract from the fact that they'd feel bad for me that my child died, though.

 

[southcitymom]

I'm thinking if my child died, and my pictures were all over the place, someone would think "Wow, that woman is fat." They might even mention it to someone else.

Would I care? No. But I wouldn't expect them not to notice, either.

Someone noticing that I'm fat doesn't detract from the fact that they'd feel bad for me that my child died, though.

I agree.

 

[GlitchWizard]

I agree.

You agree that people would say I'm fat? Gee, thanks! ha ha!

 

[southcitymom]

You agree that people would say I'm fat? Gee, thanks! ha ha!

Ha ha - hardly! I just agree with the sentiment of your post!

 

[White Rain]

I'm thinking if my child died, and my pictures were all over the place, someone would think "Wow, that woman is fat." They might even mention it to someone else.

Would I care? No. But I wouldn't expect them not to notice, either.

Someone noticing that I'm fat doesn't detract from the fact that they'd feel bad for me that my child died, though.

There is a big deifference between noticing and commenting on it. The decent thing to do is keep those kinda thoughts to yourself.

 

[GlitchWizard]

There is a big deifference between noticing and commenting on it. The decent thing to do is keep those kinda thoughts to yourself.

If she were standing before any of us, the only thoughts we'd share would be honest and heartfelt sympathy for her loss.

But you already knew that, didn't you?