The song that has become “the stoner’s anthem”? Not totally sure about that one. Maybe in the 1960s?
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Yeah, I thought this was pretty common knowledge. The reason people get confused is because of all of the imagery of things like “puff”, “paper” and “smoke”, etc. However, the reason these words were chosen is because they are all words that remind people of fragile and transient things. Paper is fragile and easy to destroy. Puffs of smoke are not illusions, but not quite solid.
The whole point of the song/poem is that childhood is a tragically short period of human existence. The entire thing is bemoaning the loss of innocence and the destruction of “Puff”. Puff is really the perfect word, because it could be a reference to a cloud(innocent) or smoke(dangerous). I seriously doubt that Peter, Paul, and Mary wrote an insanely sad song about childhood innocence just so they could slip in a minor reference to marijuana. If you are going to write a “marijuana song”, write it about something besides the death of one’s childhood freedom and the depressing reality of adult responsibility.
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That wasn’t supposed to be a children’s song. It wasn’t a Wobbly song, but was written by a Wobbly. Much later it morphed into a children’s song. But I can’t remember what recording we had around when I was a kid, or what the “childrenified” lyrics were.
“Big Rock Candy Mountain” was also a periodical about learning/teaching, that had some relationship to the Portola Institute which was also connected to the Whole Earth Catalog.
why does everything have to be about drugs. Just say no
Well, of course! That prevents drug abuse the way ‘Have a nice day’ cures chronic depression.
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I have never took any drug apart for a moderate amount of booze so it worked for me, I like my brain just the way it is, fully functioning. That said people can do what they want as far as I am concerned, as long as it does not impinge on other people.
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I live down the road apiece from BRCM Township. I’m sad to report that the cigarette trees were all cut down to make Thneeds, and while Whiskey Lake still exists, fishing and other recreation has been banned for a couple of decades due to runoff from the Wonka mines. The lemonade springs dried up in the 70s and there are only one or two old-timers left. They do make out pretty good from speeding tickets, though.
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I love that people say this. Have you taken prescription drugs? Some of them are just as bad, if not worse. Booze in and of itself is probably one of the worse drugs out there, but it’s socially acceptable so we all just look the other way. These things are only really bad if abused. The just say no thing is rife for failure, it’s basically the same as abstinence only. Silly, and we should be informing people instead of just trying to make them stay away. “Just say no” is a huge over simplification of the situation, and answers no questions, helps no one really. People who are going to stay away are likely going to stay away whether you tell them to or not, it’s the curious ones who need guidance and understanding.
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I occasionally have a paracetamol or ibuprofen, the hospital gave me some co codamol after i broke my ankle but I stopped taking them as I could not poop. So no I don’t take prescription drugs either-
I get where you’re coming from. The one and only time I *ahem* smoked it was like “Ok, I guess I’m not doing anything else for the rest of the night. Time for a twelve hour nap.” And that I really didn’t appreciate at all. (For off-topic reasons, I would still partake if I could.)
Humans have been attaining altered states of consciousness for basically as long as we’ve been around. It’s an important part of who we are. (I doubt we ever all did it.)
A high brain may not be functioning the way you’d like yours to function. It’s still within the normal range of human brain operation, though.
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I have never felt the need, I don’t particularly like being drunk either.
Hasn’t this long since been debunked?
Puff the Fractal Dragon on the other hand, is clearly about something sinister.
Drugs are just tools. Asking “why does everything need to be about drugs” seems analogous to “why is building houses an excuse to use carpentry tools?”, “why does fixing cars need to be about wrenches?” Like any tool, some might do something you need, while some others might not. Some might be perfectly safe to use, while others might require extreme caution. But people have weird double standards! I bet there are DEA people who support banning only marginally dangerous drugs on the pretext that there is some risk of real harm - yet they would never for a moment consider criminalizing circular saws, or nail guns, or countless other tools. Just because some people might not see a legitimate use as existing for a certain tool does not mean that others won’t.
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I never said it was “just say no” was just off the cuff, take all the drugs you want, just stop the association for no real reason.
Well, you do you then. I don’t take drugs any more, or drink much, but some of it was fun and interesting.
I’m at a part of my life where I have to be pretty moderate, but I swear that my retirement is going to look like Michael Caine in Children of Men (although hopefully with my spouse in better health)
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[quote=“bexwhitt, post:26, topic:77032, full:true”]
I have never took any drug apart for a moderate amount of booze so it worked for me, I like my brain just the way it is, fully functioning. [/quote]
I personally like altering my consciousness, subject to safety constraints, moderation, etc. Drugs are an occasional part of that mix. So is meditation, music, and other things.
I personally don’t think there is such a thing as a “fully functioning brain.” The functioning of the brain changes from moment to moment, subject to what context we’re in, what we’ve eaten, what emotions we’re currently feeling, what we’re thinking, how much sleep we’ve had, etc. etc. etc. “Drugs” can at times be on the more extreme end of the spectrum, but it is a spectrum, a continuum.
Current neurological research suggests that there really is no ontologically privileged state which is somehow more real or authentic than any other state.
That said people can do what they want as far as I am concerned, as long as it does not impinge on other people.
Fine in theory, but maybe if you took more drugs – at least, the right kind 
– you’d realize that everything that anyone does affects everything else. It’s all one big system, sometimes loosely coupled, sometimes closely coupled. Rules of thumb like “…as long as it doesn’t affect me…” fall apart in the details, where the devil always resides.
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too lit;dude…wait…
Nah, he keeps the betentacled octopus god in line when he puts in one of those appearances!
Not only humans, but it’s pretty cosmopolitan in the entire animal kingdom See, for example, this:
http://reset.me/story/psychoactive-substances-natural-8-animal-species-use-wild/
or this:
http://www.amazon.com/Animals-Psychedelics-Natural-Instinct-Consciousness/dp/0892819863
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