Inside Vancouver
High Anxiety
By Julia McKinnell published Jul 1, 2009
A group of potheads examine the role of weed in their lives
Last fall, an ad for drugs appeared on Craigslist. Unlike the classified site's many thinly veiled offers of recreational substances, however, this one was about just saying no. At least sometimes. "Do you need a joint to face the day at work?" it asked. "Or the evening alone? The anxiety or depression that you experience on a daily basis? If you are questioning the role marijuana plays in your life and would like to embark on a journey of self-exploration and discovery, the IMPACT Pilot Project may be for you."
The group's organizer is Carsen Farmer, a 26-year-old psychology student at UBC. Farmer started the group-the Introspective Marijuana Personal Awareness and Critical Thinking Group, in full-because "I know a lot of people who struggle with how they feel about using marijuana. It's definitely not an abstinence group-people are using." She doesn't talk about her own marijuana issues ("I'm here to facilitate," she says), but Farmer, who holds a BFA in film production from Concordia in Montreal, will say that she's had similar experiences.
In February, three people gathered at Farmer's West End apartment for IMPACT's inaugural meeting. These first participants had in common that they were single, male, and in their early 30s. As the Sunday-night group has grown, talk has turned to the meaning of life and the nature of happiness. Says Farmer: "People are wondering, ‘Am I not where I want to be in life because I smoke weed every day, or am I not at the point I want to be in life for other reasons and I'm smoking weed so I feel better about it?' It's confusing. That's one of the places we get stuck in discussion." Being stuck is a common lament. One member, she says, speaks of "just being so upset about smoking weed and being stuck in the cycle. Not being happy at not being able to control it. Sitting in the park crying and smoking a joint at the same time, crying about ‘I need to quit this' but smoking anyway."
Milos (a pseudonym) is like many of the participants: he doesn't want to stop altogether, but he recognizes being stoned eats up all his time. "My habit is I smoke pot and lie in bed and watch TV. You can be watching a show you've watched six times before and not be bored. That to me is where I have a problem. If I were to smoke pot and go for a jog it wouldn't be such a big issue. So I'm looking for a way I can smoke pot this summer but only outside. We're all working on changing habits."
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This article has a lot of factual errors. It's more fiction then journalism.
But if you're looking for the IMPACT website, it's here http://impactgroupbc.wordpress.com/
“Sitting in the park crying and smoking a joint at the same time, crying about 'I need to quit this' but smoking anyway." This is laughable. This isn't pot addiction, it is just stupidity. Just because you can't pull your crap together, don't blame pot.
Pot helped get me out of a wheelchair and back onto the comedy stage. My wife uses it for her epilepsy and PTSD, and, although she still has symptoms of both, she feels a lot better and has way more control.
Russell Barth
Federally Licensed Medical Marijuana User
Patients Against Ignorance and Discrimination on Cannabis
Not fiction, though it seems like the pilot project hasn't really taken off the way Carsen anticipated. You can find mention of the IMPACT group through Google, but if you're searching for a group to help with de-reefering, you might be more efficient starting your own...
