Cannabis smoking in marinas

[Spinderella]

In my time boating I've noticed that in certain midlands marinas smoking of cannabis is widespread.more so recently than back pre 2010. 

 

Has anybody else noticed this ? The marinas in question part of a large chain seem to turn a blind eye I'm wondering why. 

 

This isn't about being judgemental I'm just interested in other boaters experiences to see if it's a generally acceptable thing in marinas...discuss 

Edited September 30, 2023 by Spinderella

[Arthur Marshall]

Why would marina management be interested?

[Ianws]

Possibly because most of the cannabis going around today is very different in nature and effect to the "nicer" stuff around 20-30 years ago. Also all the County lines related abuse and violence. 

 

They might not want that on their doorstep or affecting their business. 

[blackrose]

Walk around any English town or city these days and you'll probably smell cannabis being smoked and everyone turns a blind eye. I guess it's no different in some marinas.

Edited October 1, 2023 by blackrose

[Baralacha]

10 hours ago, Spinderella said:

In my time boating I've noticed that in certain midlands marinas smoking of cannabis is widespread.more so recently than back pre 2010. 

 

Has anybody else noticed this ? The marinas in question part of a large chain seem to turn a blind eye I'm wondering why. 

 

This isn't about being judgemental I'm just interested in other boaters experiences to see if it's a generally acceptable thing in marinas...discuss 

There are outlets for CBD products (cannabidiol) in most towns and cities now. All completely legal and I believe with the psychoactive THC component needing to be below 0.3%. So anyone smoking this stuff will create a similar smell to those using the other stuff, without getting stoned.

It's a useful alternative medicine for insomnia, epilepsy, chronic pain, arthritis and has even been recommended for Parkinson's sufferers.

Edited October 1, 2023 by Puffling

[Rob-M]

One of the coffee boats was selling CBD coffees.  Not smelt cannabis being smoked in our marina, occasionally get a whiff walking along the towpath.

[Momac]

I hate the smell of cannabis smoke and have never used it as it is a potential introduction to harder drugs.

 I really don't think marinas are a valid target for the thread title any more than any other area.

The last couple of years I have noticed the unwanted aroma  on a warm calm day numerous times in residential areas.

 

 

[Machpoint005]

Perhaps the reason cannabis is a "gateway drug" is because it is illegal? 

 

Decriminalise it, and treat hard drug addiction as the illness it actually is (just as alcoholism is), then the concomitant criminal activities decline. 

 

I haven't a problem with people smoking weed, but I dislike the furtiveness that goes along with it. 

 

 

[mrsmelly]

All drug use has increased hasnt it? I often get a whiff when out and about. When I walk past a local house that often has its windows open the smell nearly knocks you out lol. Also youngsters now rather than go to expensive pubs with their mates seem to dabble in drugs more than we ever did, its cheaper for a quick hit than drinking pints of lager. 

[Momac]

13 minutes ago, Machpoint005 said:

Perhaps the reason cannabis is a "gateway drug" is because it is illegal? 

 

Decriminalise it, and treat hard drug addiction as the illness it actually is (just as alcoholism is), then the concomitant criminal activities decline. 

 

I haven't a problem with people smoking weed, but I dislike the furtiveness that goes along with it. 

In countries  where cannabis is legal has this had any benefit regarding abuse of other drugs ?

 

[Tigerr]

I think the opiod/fentanyl drug crisis is unrelated to cannabis. Its origins are in the widely documented scandal of overprescription of opioids, which created a huge addict pool, which in turn fuelled the black market for fentanyl as a substitute, and once that was established, the black market has become self sustaining. 

The suppliers of fentanyl are also suppliers of other drugs. 

The 'gateway' status of cannabis is primarily due to its being sold by criminal gangs, who also sell other drugs, and have an interest in moving customers on to more profitable, higher addictive products in their range. 

Modern Cannabis smells much more strongly than the stuff I used to smoke, and I think it is the strength of the smell that can give the impression of a huge increase in prevalence of smoking. 

I've always assumed that there is a high incidence of drug use in all areas of inland boating, along with booze. It sort of goes with the territory. So I'd expect it in marinas too. 

[Laurie Booth]

Can anyone recommend a good supplier

 

[Arthur Marshall]

31 minutes ago, MartynG said:

In countries  where cannabis is legal has this had any benefit regarding abuse of other drugs ?

 

I've never understood why it's called "abuse" of drugs. After all, getting smashed one way or another is what they're for. So they tell me, anyway.

[Hudds Lad]

20-30 years ago people were more likely to be smoking hash or resin, weed was not as widely available and not often seen. Nowadays it's rife, and as said above, much more pungent than its predecessors. I think they cultivate strains to be as smelly as possible (amongst other things like THC content) as a sign to the customers of good product.

In my youth you were unlikely to come into contact until your late teens, now it's high school kids and even younger, my daughter would often complain of the stink of weed on the school bus for example. It seems to have a lot to do with the whole "roadman" culture some seem keen to aspire to. 

In my own experience the whole gateway to harder drugs has a lot to do with who you have to deal with to acquire weed, the guy i bought from in Uni started dealing to support his use and then ended up using and selling heroin. He told me he'd tried it after having it offered when picking up his supply. It eventually caused his death.

I don't think it's any worse on the canals than off them, perhaps it's more noticeable in the open fresh air. On our travels we've seen plants growing on boats, even seen some growing in pots on private moorings. People are more blatant about it now i think.

[mrsmelly]

1 hour ago, Laurie Booth said:

Can anyone recommend a good supplier

 

 

[magnetman]

I haven't had a smoke for about 30 yars but as my kids live in inner East London (E1) obviously it is a bit prevalent around there. Not so much at the country estate. 

 

The girls are not interested but it is quite popular generally. 

 

 

Some of this skunk stuff smells too strong. I don't know if they deliberately make it smell more to try to get customers (I see Hudds Lad suggested similar) but it seems like crazy stuff for the youngsters to be using.

 

Mad. 

 

They do seem to be moving more towards the NO2 which while not stinking does have its own problems. 

 

I don't like the skunk smell at all. Yars ago when I was a teenager we used to have slate and grass which was much milder smelling and quite nice maaan.

 

Soon as I moved into a boat I decided not to smoke as smoking and confined space seemed unwise. 

 

 

 

 

.

 

 

[Machpoint005]

2 hours ago, MartynG said:

In countries  where cannabis is legal has this had any benefit regarding abuse of other drugs ?

 

 

This, for Portugal:

https://transformdrugs.org/blog/drug-decriminalisation-in-portugal-setting-the-record-straight

[Momac]

9 minutes ago, Machpoint005 said:

 

This, for Portugal:

https://transformdrugs.org/blog/drug-decriminalisation-in-portugal-setting-the-record-straight

Okay let's go with that then. 

[Tigerr]

The smell of skunk is awful. It is like being in a confined space with someone with really really bad BO. Which is exactly what it smells like if you happen to be behind a heavy user in the line at the co-op. (mind you I think they mostly avoid the bit about paying round here, and just dash for the door). 

I used to rather like the smell of the hash I smoked back in the 70's. An inoffensive and quite pleasant smell that went well with patchouli oil etc. The high was, well, mellow, focussed. The strongest thing back then was Thai sticks, flower heads on a twig, a bit richer in THC. Too strong for me in fact and quite hallucinogenic.  About 5 years ago I had a joint of modern stuff. I was catatonic for 5 hours, not really pleasant at all, a whitey.

Not doing that again, but I'd rather like to get my hands on some good vintage moroccan black. Lovely stuff. This thread has put me in mind to go out and see if I can find some on the Uxbridge road. 

[IanD]

33 minutes ago, Machpoint005 said:

 

This, for Portugal:

https://transformdrugs.org/blog/drug-decriminalisation-in-portugal-setting-the-record-straight

It's almost as if decriminalisation and treating addiction as a health problem works, in contrast to the UK "lock 'em up" approach which clearly doesn't.

 

So much for evidence-based policies... 😞

[tree monkey]

1 hour ago, Tigerr said:

The smell of skunk is awful. It is like being in a confined space with someone with really really bad BO. Which is exactly what it smells like if you happen to be behind a heavy user in the line at the co-op. (mind you I think they mostly avoid the bit about paying round here, and just dash for the door). 

I used to rather like the smell of the hash I smoked back in the 70's. An inoffensive and quite pleasant smell that went well with patchouli oil etc. The high was, well, mellow, focussed. The strongest thing back then was Thai sticks, flower heads on a twig, a bit richer in THC. Too strong for me in fact and quite hallucinogenic.  About 5 years ago I had a joint of modern stuff. I was catatonic for 5 hours, not really pleasant at all, a whitey.

Not doing that again, but I'd rather like to get my hands on some good vintage moroccan black. Lovely stuff. This thread has put me in mind to go out and see if I can find some on the Uxbridge road. 

Sums up my experience, I gave up a fair few years ago but the odd time I have dabbled since (twice I think) was the more modern skunk or a derivative it was a horrible experience, full on whitey.

[Tigerr]

The  'war on drugs' thing is nonsense. People want to get high. Always have. It's a core element of human society. Go back a couple of hundred years and the cream of society were gathering for 'ladies injection parties' and shooting up for the afternoon. They also enjoyed laughing gas, just like today. Prominent figures, were regular users of laudanum, smoking opium was an acceptable way to pass time. But only the rich could afford it.

Then Gin happened - the first major inebriant ordinary people (the servants) could get. They could get drunk for a hapenny. It was a lot better than religion and tugging the forelock to the squire or the boss, in a life that was always going to be nasty, brutal, short and controlled by rich people. 

They went mad for it. The upper class disapproved, Hogarth etc created the 'Gin Lane' image of the social deprivation that the industrial revolution caused, and found a way to make it 'their fault'.  It's an idea that still hols sway. 

A perfect answer for those whose social position and wealth needed a supply of workers to man their machines, or the social order their status relies on. Thus  the quaker factory owners, the church, the rise of the abolitionist wealthy concern, etc. The problem was not the drugs but the fact that the workforce they relied on was using them. 

A bit like that famous quote from the Lady Chatterly trial where the judge asks 'is this a book you'd want your wife or servants to read'. 

Today, the middle class are using mostly coke, which you can't smell, and the poor use smelly weed. The issue is always the drugs that the poor people are using, as a sweeping generalisation. 

[robtheplod]

17 hours ago, Spinderella said:

In my time boating I've noticed that in certain midlands marinas smoking of cannabis is widespread.more so recently than back pre 2010. 

 

Has anybody else noticed this ? The marinas in question part of a large chain seem to turn a blind eye I'm wondering why. 

 

This isn't about being judgemental I'm just interested in other boaters experiences to see if it's a generally acceptable thing in marinas...discuss 

state of the UK I'm surprised more aren't on the weed..... 

[Wanderer Vagabond]

3 hours ago, IanD said:

It's almost as if decriminalisation and treating addiction as a health problem works, in contrast to the UK "lock 'em up" approach which clearly doesn't.

 

So much for evidence-based policies... 😞

Exactly this ^^^^. The law criminalising drug use dates back to 1971 when there wasn't that much of a drug problem, people were content to smoke cigarettes and get drunk on alcohol. So here we are 50 years later, with a law that hasn't worked because drug use is now widespread (you will smell cannabis on the street pretty much everywhere), and the approach is still 'more of the same'. What is that quote about repeatedly doing the same thing and expecting a different result referencing? oh, I remember, it's insanity.

 

When this is compared the the diminishing number who smoke cigarettes, because it has been treated as a health problem rather than a criminal problem and it shows the way ahead, if only those at the top would actually look.

[IanD]

20 minutes ago, Wanderer Vagabond said:

Exactly this ^^^^. The law criminalising drug use dates back to 1971 when there wasn't that much of a drug problem, people were content to smoke cigarettes and get drunk on alcohol. So here we are 50 years later, with a law that hasn't worked because drug use is now widespread (you will smell cannabis on the street pretty much everywhere), and the approach is still 'more of the same'. What is that quote about repeatedly doing the same thing and expecting a different result referencing? oh, I remember, it's insanity.

 

When this is compared the the diminishing number who smoke cigarettes, because it has been treated as a health problem rather than a criminal problem and it shows the way ahead, if only those at the top would actually look.

 

Well they asked David Nutt to look, but then didn't like what he found out and sacked him... 😞

 

https://theconversation.com/david-nutt-i-was-sacked-i-was-angry-i-was-right-19848