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Response to Comrade Grumpy (Reply #3)
April 8 2013.
smoked pretty much daily since '68.
VA made me quit in order to continue to get the meds I need
I quit smoking tobacco in august of '77 and quit drinking liquor in april '07
By far the easiest to quit was the weed. Although quiting all three was relatively easy due to the fact I wanted too.
still have a bottle of liquor under the sink if my wife hasn't thrown it out by now. 
No weed on the place though.
I love my Open Vape! You really can taste the weed with this. It's discreet. I love it.
http://openvape.com/
It's not that much of the population, overall. After all, it's a Schedule 1 narcotic. 
That's the correct phrasing for Seattle area residents 
Tho there are a lot of cannabinoids. This is a big area of study at this time, in fact, since scientists recognized the endocannabinoid system, the two best known are THC and CBD. THC acts more upon the brain while CBD acts upon organs - based upon the cannabinoid receptors located throughout the body.
Some people find cannabis with a lot of THC makes them feel paranoid and uneasy. Most cannabis these days is bred to maximize THC. THC and CBD are found in the same plant in relation to one another, so, more THC means less CBD. While people used to smoke/share an entire cigarette in the past, these days a person uses small amounts...a tip of the pinkie finger-worth...so you may have gotten more THC than was comfortable. If you have a history of schizo-affective disorders in your family, you might want to skip cannabis all together, or skip cannabis with a lot of THC. Some doctors are looking at CBD as treatment for schizophrenia - but not THC.
It takes about 10 seconds for THC to begin to show effects when inhaled, but this builds over an hour or more (less CBD means THC remains psychoactive longer). People should wait for thirty minutes or after one inhalation to see how they feel, especially if they have not consumed cannabis for a while.
You may have tried something with a level of THC that wasn't compatible with your body chemistry. If you're ever curious and in a position to experiment, you could try something with a 50/50 of the two. In any case, if someone feels uncomfortable, they should take deep breaths and remind themselves that the feeling will pass - and it does, within two to four hours. Those initial uncomfortable feelings can go away for some people who experience them.
CBD is the "anti-THC" of cannabis and it has calming and relaxing properties. It's also the component people find most useful for a lot of inflammatory diseases, although THC is also an anti-inflammatory and recommended for neuropathy.
At one point, a pharma co looked at synthetic CBD for weight loss because it doesn't give people munchies. High CBD cannabis is becoming a "thing" again because of its incredible capacity to halt or reduce seizures for people with epilepsy, including children. So, for nearly twenty years, cannabis was bred to maximize THC. Now it is also being bred to maximize CBD for medical usage.
from this link upthread - http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=4199828
From the 2012 census - U.S. population - 313,914,040 / under 18 years 23.5% / 76.5% over the age of 18.
This is from a 2012 govt survey by age -
12 to 17 - 7% for females, 7.5% for males
18-22 - 24% (college students only 22%) - all illicit drugs, tho the majority of this figure is for marijuana.
26 to 50- 5.3%
50 to 54 - 7.2%
55 to 59 - 6.6%
60 to 64 - 3.6%
Of the 21.5 million current illicit drug users aged 18 or older in 2012, 14.6 million (67.9 percent) were employed either full or part time. This includes all illicit drugs, but the numbers of users of things other than marijuana is tiny.
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For comparison - A 2013 Gallup survey said 38% had tried marijuana at some point in life. Here's a breakdown over the years (based on a sample size of more than a thousand.)
When asked if someone currently used, the number was 7%. Here's a breakdown by categories. The usage figures for young adults is a lot smaller here than the govt survey.
More people who came of age in the 1970s and 1980s (56%) smoked pot when they were younger and these same groups show increases in usage as more liberal laws are passed, according to the govt. survey. Those who came of age in the 1990s who used marijuana were 46% of the population. Those who came of age before them continued to use at the rate of 45%. Those who came of age in the 1970s through the 1990s continue to show high usage through two, three or four decades.
What the numbers say is that marijuana usage figures will continue to grow because those who were born before the boomers, with lower rates of usage, are passing this mortal coil. This leaves three age groups with about 50% avg rates of usage for their age groups - and this will show up on polls for total usage.
These groups, middle aged and elderly, are also the groups that show the greatest increase in usage over the last few years, in terms of percentage changes. As people deal with diseases association with aging, it seems they are turning to marijuana as an affordable form of palliative health management.
Those who came of age after medical marijuana legalization have lower rates of usage at 36% at the same age as older groups, but, of course, much greater usage than the pre-1960s figures.
I'm presently reflecting on the generosity of friends in the post harvest holiday season. Life is good. There is even a chocolate pie in the refrigerator. 
