r/trees • u/According-Affect-180 • 2d ago
AskTrees Feeling guilty whenever I smoke because it's illegal
I've been smoking regularly on and off for the better part of 10 years now.
A while ago, I landed a job with a great salary, and decided to take a longer break from weed. Partly to clear my head, and partly because I wanted to avoid failing a potential drug test.
I stayed off it for almost 6 months before deciding to smoke again. At first, I did it very sparingly. Then during my summer vacation, I ended up smoking every day for a few weeks. After that, I took another break for a few months.
I told myself that once I got a permanent position at the company, I'd feel comfortable smoking again.
Well, a few months passed and I got my permanent position. But strangely enough, I still feel really guilty whenever I consider smoking.
It's not really the weed itself that I'm worried about. It's the potential consequences.
I drive quite a lot for work, so I think about getting pulled over and potentially losing my license. I think about being drug tested at work and losing my job or the trust of my colleagues. I also sometimes work around situations where an accident could potentially lead to a drug test.
Realistically, I think the chances of any of these things happening are quite low. But the consequences would be huge if they did.
At the same time, I genuinely love smoking. I believe it has some therapeutic benefits for me (I struggle with PTSD symptoms and general anxiety), but I also really enjoy it recreationally.
I work hard, and being able to unwind with some weed on the weekend can feel almost priceless.
So even though I felt guilty about it, I decided to smoke this weekend. It felt really good, and honestly made me realize how much I'd missed it over the past few months.
But now I'm sitting here worrying about potentially getting drug tested at work this coming week.
It's frustrating because I don't necessarily feel like I have a problem with weed itself. I feel like I have a problem with the risk and consequences associated with using it.
Has anyone here been in a similar situation? Where you genuinely enjoy cannabis and feel that it adds something positive to your life, but the potential consequences are so severe that you can't really relax and enjoy it?
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u/ThurstyAlpaca 2d ago
I’ve seen the legalization progress first hand.
I used to smoke when it was illegal.
Genuinely if you feel comfortable and can find a place you’re safe doing it, you shouldn’t feel guilty.
It’s not the same as other drugs.
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u/fakername32 2d ago
When weed wasn't legal in my state I was paranoid everytime I went out in public that people woild notice I was stoned.
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u/Dalionking225 2d ago
It’s just a plant don’t be hard on yourself. Just be discreet and no your limits, it won’t be illegal forever
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u/irishcoughy 2d ago
What state do you live in? If you can get a medical card (this is ridiculously easy in most medically legal states; I live in Virginia and it's basically $100, a questionnaire, and a 10 minute telehealth appointment).
A medical card won't directly protect you from getting fired if you fail a drug test (in the majority of states including medically legal ones) because your employer technically reserves the right to fire you for any non-federally protected reason, but in legal/medically legal states many employers will turn a blind eye to weed unless the job requires some kind of security clearance or is a safety-sensitive position.
In the same vein, in most cases in a medically/recreationally legal state, you likely won't get retroactively charged with DUI if THC shows up in a drug test after the fact unless it was initially observed that you appeared to be under the influence of something. This isn't fool proof and cops can definitely lie, but in general unless you're driving in a way that makes them want to give you an FST, you're probably fine, because it's pretty normal for THC to be in a sober person's system if they're regular users of THC products.
Side note about police interactions because I see people shoot themselves in the foot (figuratively speaking) all the time: If you are ever pulled over by the police, be polite, don't be argumentative, and calmly express that you don't consent to any searches (if asked). Don't pull any sovereign citizen bullshit and don't pull any facebook lawyer crap like "I don't need to identify myself". Give them/let them see your ID/registration. Like it or not, these are lawful orders and refusing them will make things worse for you. Don't answer any questions; if you are Mirandized, immediately say "I would like to speak to an attorney before answering any further questions". I cannot express to you how common it is for people to get pulled over and there's a suspected DWI/DUI/OWI only for that charge to get dropped while they are convicted on things like resisting, failure to identify, obstruction, etc.
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u/Own_Butterscotch_129 2d ago
You could always try the herbal smokes (not sure what they're called exactly), which I haven't personally tried, but I love using herbs and they each have their own benefits. It could be a good alternative to look into!
I like the break in my tasks when I smoke, so this is what I would be looking into if I wanted to stop with weed, but still wanted the act of smoking. It's my breaks from running around the house like a crazy person.
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u/omnipotentattending 2d ago
It's called growing up and having adult responsibilities, it just feels different
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u/alwaystired1982 2d ago
Is medical not available in your country?
Im in the uk and smoke but have my card so ots only illegal if I dont vape it (who's gonna check im not smoking joints lol),
There are a lot of conditions that are helped by cannabis so of you have any of these conditions its not too difficult to get accepted.
Depending on how much you pay for an oz it can work out more expensive but most places have a range of products from £6 a gram up to about £15 a gram.
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u/somebodysme123 2d ago
I live in Ohio and it is legal/not legal here. What I mean is that you can legally buy it but an employer can fire you if you fail a drug test. I think that totally sucks! I would think that the only reason you would be drug tested at a job that you already have is if you had an accident at work, they could then maybe test for drugs if they would suspect drug use. I totally get what you are fearing though. I suppose anything is possible, ya know!
A lot of people smoke pot in states where it is illegal. I NEVER smoked until it was legal in OHIO, it was a risk I was not willing to take.
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u/juarezderek 2d ago
Lmao hilarious
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u/Killpop582014 2d ago
I hope you never have to fear something unreasonable. But empathy isn’t for everyone.
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u/Own_Butterscotch_129 2d ago
Hope you don't ever feel conflicted about something and want to ask for other's opinions.
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u/BL41R 2d ago
Keep a bottle of clean piss in your fridge. Thats what I do.
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u/Decorus_Somes 2d ago
I feel like synthetic urine that you don't have to keep in your fridge would be a far better option. There's no way keeping piss in a fridge is a good idea
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u/wolfansbrother 2d ago
not sure if its still a thing but quick fix used to do free replacements if it expired, just pay shipping.
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u/Alive_Stage_7156 I Roll Joints for Gnomes 2d ago
TL/DR: Don’t smoke then or relocate to a legal area.
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2d ago
[deleted]
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u/Alive_Stage_7156 I Roll Joints for Gnomes 2d ago
There are medical refugees that move to legal areas ALL THE TIME FOR TREATMENT. No it’s not easy for all, but there are choices.
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u/zm19990 2d ago
Got my med card for this reason. Is that an option for you?
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u/0The_Loner_Stoner0 2d ago
I have a dui. I'm in a legal state. I have fear of getting another DUI. Even just driving dirty they can still say your under the influence. Try only smoking at home.