1. Marijuana has a very distinctive aroma

From slightly citrusy to overpoweringly aromatic, marijuana has a very distinctive smell. Many people who never got into the whole pothead culture recognize its odor and they do not approve. While requiring another’s approval isn’t always necessary, gaining it can be quite beneficial.

2. Marijuana is illegal for most people

Although in the 80s and 90s police would often let a perpetrator goal when they were found in possession, they don't do this very often anymore. The normal punishment for possession areas widely from the simple citation to an extensive jail sentence. A criminal conviction restricts an individual's opportunities.

3. Marijuana causes problems with memory and attention

Anyone who has smoked it knows the truth of this. It can leave you feeling incredibly stupid and worthless four days after you smoke it. Apparently, average potheads enjoy this feeling.

4. Different strains of marijuana produce different effects

It can leave you feeling like you haven't slept for days or it can leave you feeling wide awake. The one thing that seems to be common among all strains is the hazy feeling it produces. This can result in many things, confusion and paranoia being but two of the many more common side effects. Being terrified and having a muddled mind is just not fun.

5. Respecting yourself is absolutely vital

Self-respect: it isn't that big of a concept. You can have respect for many people: celebrities who rose from rags to riches, politicians who came from a troubled background and yet succeed, your elementary school teacher that opened your imagination to learning possibilities, but the one person you should always respect is yourself.

6. Smoking anything does your lungs no favors

Your lungs are made to extract oxygen from the air that you inhale, ideally, they do this with relatively clean air. The same as a firefighter who enters a burning building, smoke leaves you breathless. Tobacco smoke is bad; studies have claimed one marijuana joint is the equivalent of 20 tobacco cigarettes.

7. A sober person notices an increase in creativity

Potheads claim marijuana increases their creativity, yet when they are asked to demonstrate this they rarely can. Marijuana affects the brain. It is a mind-altering substance. Countless scientific studies have proven this and a few individuals' experience while high makes a bad case at best.

8. An individual that is truly in touch with their emotions does not need a substance (natural or not) to make them feel this way

Feeling more in touch with a wide range of emotions and moods, instead of just self-medicating with weed all the time to stay "happy," sounds much better than an artificial euphoria.

9. For a "clean" person, good moods don't go away when a buzz wears off

A good mood can and does last a long time and it doesn't require a foreign substance to initiate or maintain. So-called experts claim that marijuana isn't addictive but that isn't exactly true. If it isn't addictive, why did/do I feel the overwhelming urge to call my medical supplier (a legal drug dealer actions and appearance/attitude) every time I ran out?

10. Always being ready to respond as needed for an emergency situation (there is nothing worse than having to take your child to the ER while stoned out of your mind) is definitely useful

Even if you're not a parent with small children, emergencies happen to all of us. What happens when you slip with the knife while preparing dinner, the lawnmower throws a rock or stick out the back end hitting your leg and requiring stitches or any number of other incidents that happen every day to sober adults? If and when that happens, you will undoubtedly require going to the emergency room. Being all high while trying to deal with something that requires alertness, like a personal injury, is not fun.

As a former pothead of over 20 years, I can say that it definitely did not help my creativity; if anything, it just caused panic and anxiety. As for it being addictive, I am legally allowed to be in possession of an ounce of it (about $140 worth) in my home at any time, in fact, anyone in Michigan with $60 to spare and a doctor willing to prescribe it can do so, I have had a very strong desire to call my guy and get more when I run out. Only someone who has a more expensive permit can grow it though: two plants per patient, a max of six patients, and two for them self. In the year since I received my medical card until shortly into this term, I just went along with it, smoking about every two hours while I was awake during the day. I have been without any for about two weeks until just the other day. Now, I tried to do my school work after purchasing and smoking some more and all I'm doing is falling behind again. With that in mind, I have decided after 20 years of using it basically whenever I felt the need, I am just going to give it up. I gave away all of my paraphernalia for using it and have gotten rid of what I had left (which was around a quarter ounce or about $70 worth). I know many other people with their cards and they were more than happy to take what I had on my hands in the even paid for it (I wasn't even thinking of making my money back from it, I just wanted to get rid of the temptation and therefore the dope). I would challenge anyone else who is a regular pot smoker to give it up for a month and examine the difference in their life during that month.