Music plays a part in the cannabis culture’s smoking circles as music seems to have a significant effect on the mind’s experience while engaging in this activity. Said to affect the types of thoughts or feelings enjoyed while smoking a spliff, it is not important what genre of music is listened to, just that it is. Many musicians tried to recreate the feelings that they felt while smoking cannabis. Cannabis user Art Garfunkel, of the music group Simon and Garfunkel had tried to recreate his mind’s experience while writing by using guitar effects, echoes and droning.
The Cannabis culture’s rebellion toward those who disagreed with their illegal use of cannabis, like police officers, caused the group to unite against the world in an “us against them” way of thinking. From this mind set came first t he music, and then the movies depicting these individuals while they acted “under the influence” for their role in films. Some popular movies include Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, in which the two are searching endlessly for a White Castle and their misadventures leave them without a car and without money to accomplish their task. Neither one cares about the seriousness of their predicament, they just need to satisfy their hunger for the small, slimy burgers. Up in Smoke is another popular movie featuring Cheech and Chong, two of the stupidest people even without having smoked a spliff! But I digress…
The cannabis culture's alive and well today. The Cannabis Coalition, which was founded in 1999 calls for the legalization of cannabis, the freedom of anyone imprisoned for the possession, use or sale of cannabis and to have the cannabis regulated through the Health and Safety Services Departments of the Department of Health. Seeking to find ways to let the public know that cannabis by itself is not harmful, the cannabis culture's complaint is with the tobacco mixed into the spliff with the cannabis. What the cannabis culture's dilemma is? They’re wrong!
Cannabis smoke actually contains more harmful substances than even the worst tobacco smoke. The cannabis culture’s assumption that this is the only health risk is also inaccurate. As many cannabis smokers know, the side-effect of paranoia, can be accompanied by panic, anxiety or overwhelming gloom and doom. These side effects can pose serious health risks to the cannabis smoker because the “illusions” that are felt inhibit the smoker’s ability to reason, to determine fiction from reality and, most importantly, to understand exactly what he or she is doing. This can lead to suicide attempts; attempts to harm others and causing accidents due to the panic and paranoia of cannabis…these are all health risks. Therefore, for many the cannabis culture’s appeal has long lost its luster.