PsyDuckmonkey wrote:This is my 'favorite', the good drug bad drug game. Every priest needs a devil to preach against, otherwise people would just go and be free and commune with God themselves, and decide there's no need for priests at all. He also preached against coffee and tobacco. As if they were somehow responsible for other drugs being illegal.
Cannabis is mildly addictive. It's possible to have a damaging cannabis habit. I think all of us counterculture folks know a few people who smoke too much. Psychedelics may be less conductive to addiction, but you know what, I've also seen people eat mushrooms too much, and it was clearly and obviously messing them up in the head. No spiritual growth there, just going plain old bonkers.
Cannabis can be a bad influence, but also a good one. And honestly, I feel the same about tobacco. As long as they are used and not abused. As for coffee, it's a potent anti-cancer and neuroprotective medicine. One can still overdo it, too.
If Aya told you to stay clear of Cannabis, is it not because something you did with Cannabis (like, abused it), rather than the plant itself? For me, Cannabis tends to be an extremely healing and beneficial experience, but I don't smoke habitually at all.
There's no such thing as a good drug or a bad drug. I'm not saying Cannaibis is bad. I've had some good times with it. And I can see how it would be beneficial to some, used in certain ways.
When I had my Aya vision about it, I was smoking Cannabis every night. I wasn't chronic or anything. But I just couldn't wait to put the kids to bed so I could get high and watch junk TV, jack off, then drift off to sleep in a cloudy haze while usually getting caught up in a negative thought loop about my existential crisis. Smoking weed every night for years did nothing to help me with that crisis. 4 nights with Ayahuasca did. So...
I think what I'm trying to say is that for me, Cannabis was not a useful tool in helping me overcome my obstacles. It was in fact impeding my progress. And it seems that many others have gotten that same message, including Nick Sand, and Graham Hancock. I would just like some elaboration on the subject by Nick, as he gave no reason WHY in his DMT article referenced in the OP.