Succeed with Weed: Larry's Aspirations
Larry wakes up in the morning, sits up, shuts off his fan and makes his way to the restroom. Coughing incessantly for the better part of 10 minutes, he dresses and drives to Dunkin’ Donuts. After finishing his large (French vanilla dark roast with three splenda) iced coffee, his day is underway. He has woken up enough to slow down a bit. Larry picks up a small glass pipe and artfully packs it with his weed and takes a few slow hits. He holds in the smoke as long as possible before exhaling.
Larry enjoys marijuana more than most. He is soon to be 25 years old and has carried on this routine for about 4 years. The question that lingers is how long can he continue doing this? He has aspirations to be a teacher, a football coach, a father; he plans to be successful. Can he do so with marijuana so prevalent in his life?
He is a pretty clean-cut guy, smaller in stature. He stands 5 feet, 6 inches at about 160 pounds. He sports modern style glasses and a trimmed beard. Larry dresses well, often a polo shirt and khaki shorts or pants. The ideal pothead likely has longer hair, wears a Bob Marley t-shirt over a long sleeve shirt of a different color for consecutive days and rarely showers. Larry doesn’t fit the role; he doesn’t consider himself a pothead at all. He argues, “I’m actually doing something, I’m going to school, I’m working full-time, I have my own car, my own apartment and I pay all my own bills. Potheads lay on their parents’ couch all day watching Comedy Central and playing Call of Duty. That’s not me, I stay productive.”
When asked how often he smokes per day, Larry answers, “Depends on my responsibilities and access to reefer. Two or three times, I’d say.” At 1:00 in the afternoon I asked if he has already smoked at all. “Yeah, I smoked in my car on the way to school, just a few hits.” When nights get late and his buddies Andrew and Laszlo are around, he admits, that number increases by quite a bit. All three contribute their funds and smoke plenty more. They stay up late watching TV and getting high, exchanging stories and laughing all night.
Where does one draw the line? Well, Larry doesn’t necessarily have a line. If he did, he crossed it and went left a lot of years ago. His weed-related stories are endless and a lot are hard to imagine as real. He recalls when he first began smoking with his neighbor Edwin. It was the summer before Larry’s 8th grade. “We found out Edwin’s mom’s roommate was a trafficker. We started stealing ounces of weed from him every week. He had a huge hockey size duffel bag filled with freezer bags full of weed.” He remembers, “Probably like six pounds, I don’t know, maybe more.” They smoked everyday for a long, long time after that. That drug dealer roommate never found out about their sticky fingers and was later caught and arrested without Edwin or Larry ever being questioned. That was the start of Larry’s habitual smoking and it has carried over into his adult life.
Larry drinks regularly. He enjoys the social aspect of alcohol and loves to go out with friends. He has tried other recreational drugs, but never allowed himself to get involved too much. A lot of Larry’s buddies whom he used to smoke with, Edwin included, got caught up in some heavier drugs like heroine and other opiates. Many of Larry’s closest friends still struggle with drug addiction. He explains, “All my best friends growing up have messed up one way or another. Edwin is getting clean now, fighting his own battle, but everyone I grew up smoking weed with moved on to try other stuff like pain killers, then moved to oxycontin, and eventually started using heroine. I’ve lost a lot of really close friends to that stuff. I would never let myself go down that path. I just like to drink and smoke.”
Larry’s mother found out about his practices many times while he was growing up and always tried to prevent it. Larry remembers the first time his mother found out he smoked marijuana. “I was laying on the couch listening to music with my headphones on when my brother came running downstairs to tell me my friend’s mother was at the door telling my mom about how we got caught smoking in the neighborhood. All hell broke loose for three months after. But I still smoked when I could, if I was able to stay over a friend’s house or something.” He found a way to get by his mother, and his father lived in Florida so there was no problem avoiding him. Even when he got in trouble for it, Larry found a way to continue smoking and maintain his lifestyle throughout high school and going further.
Now, almost at age 25 with a job to maintain, rent to pay and a full-time school schedule, Larry finds a way to succeed while still smoking plenty of marijuana (he can succeed with weed). Not often does he go into work, enter a classroom, go to a friend’s house or run errands without getting high beforehand. He smokes in his car, his bedroom and his living room. He also smokes in his friends’ cars, their bedrooms, and their living rooms. Marijuana affects people very differently. The psychoactive effects of marijuana vary based on the individual and the method used. When Larry smokes he reaches a different level of relaxation, contentment and is downright hilarious in general. His eyes redden somewhat and get a little bit glassy, his speech slows and his appetite increases. Can one maintain a “normal” lifestyle with such reliance on marijuana? These questions remain relevant, but the answers seem hard to find.
Larry can function normally everyday doing what he needs to do without any issues at all. He has maintained an exemplary grade point average at Bridgewater State University, and has worked his way from part-time host at his restaurant job to a full-time bartender, an obviously much more lucrative position which entails more responsibilities such as inventory, liquor ordering, and some managerial work as well. Larry plans to be a History teacher someday and really wants to coach high school football, maybe someday college. His goals are not far fetched, but it still begs the question, will he have to stop smoking in order to achieve these goals?
Massachusetts requires a formal drug test and background check in order to obtain valid teacher’s certification. At this point, Larry would undoubtedly fail a drug test. In fact, he might need a couple of months in order to clear his system of the substance completely. Regular smokers have reported positive drug test results after 45 days since last use, while heavy smokers have reported positive tests 90 days after quitting. Essentially, if Larry doesn’t put marijuana on the back burner, his plans to teach would have to wait. Similarly, he says, “If I can’t teach yet then that would hinder my plans to coach, I always figured I’d work my way into the football program wherever I teach.” However, he understands that he is not at that point yet, so his habits will likely remain the same until he has to take a more serious approach to establishing his career. He confesses, “I’m still in school so I won’t actually have to worry about it for more than a year from now.” His habits will continue.
It is safe to say, however, that Larry’s marijuana usage will have to subside eventually if he is serious about his goals at all. One could argue that maybe a teacher could correct papers and go over lesson plans while using, but to enter a high school classroom under the influence is inexcusable and would be detrimental to the children in general. Larry does not object. “For now, what I’m doing is no big deal because no one is affected around me. I can lead a normal life. When I start to make the changes necessary after I graduate, that’s when I’ll look at the bigger picture and start to get away from it. That’s the plan, anyway.”
So it seems, for now it is OK for Larry to continue doing his “thing.” His outlook is mature and his attitude is positive. He believes this is a fleeting habit and that he will start to make strides toward change, eventually. But for now, Larry is going to continue his morning routine, his afternoon routine, and his after work nighttime routine. . . and his sometimes mid-shift routine, and sometimes in between class routine, and well, the list goes on. However, when the time comes to start to make changes, he is very well aware that he is the only one responsible to take control, he says, “When the time is right.”
Larry enjoys marijuana more than most. He is soon to be 25 years old and has carried on this routine for about 4 years. The question that lingers is how long can he continue doing this? He has aspirations to be a teacher, a football coach, a father; he plans to be successful. Can he do so with marijuana so prevalent in his life?
He is a pretty clean-cut guy, smaller in stature. He stands 5 feet, 6 inches at about 160 pounds. He sports modern style glasses and a trimmed beard. Larry dresses well, often a polo shirt and khaki shorts or pants. The ideal pothead likely has longer hair, wears a Bob Marley t-shirt over a long sleeve shirt of a different color for consecutive days and rarely showers. Larry doesn’t fit the role; he doesn’t consider himself a pothead at all. He argues, “I’m actually doing something, I’m going to school, I’m working full-time, I have my own car, my own apartment and I pay all my own bills. Potheads lay on their parents’ couch all day watching Comedy Central and playing Call of Duty. That’s not me, I stay productive.”
When asked how often he smokes per day, Larry answers, “Depends on my responsibilities and access to reefer. Two or three times, I’d say.” At 1:00 in the afternoon I asked if he has already smoked at all. “Yeah, I smoked in my car on the way to school, just a few hits.” When nights get late and his buddies Andrew and Laszlo are around, he admits, that number increases by quite a bit. All three contribute their funds and smoke plenty more. They stay up late watching TV and getting high, exchanging stories and laughing all night.
Where does one draw the line? Well, Larry doesn’t necessarily have a line. If he did, he crossed it and went left a lot of years ago. His weed-related stories are endless and a lot are hard to imagine as real. He recalls when he first began smoking with his neighbor Edwin. It was the summer before Larry’s 8th grade. “We found out Edwin’s mom’s roommate was a trafficker. We started stealing ounces of weed from him every week. He had a huge hockey size duffel bag filled with freezer bags full of weed.” He remembers, “Probably like six pounds, I don’t know, maybe more.” They smoked everyday for a long, long time after that. That drug dealer roommate never found out about their sticky fingers and was later caught and arrested without Edwin or Larry ever being questioned. That was the start of Larry’s habitual smoking and it has carried over into his adult life.
Larry drinks regularly. He enjoys the social aspect of alcohol and loves to go out with friends. He has tried other recreational drugs, but never allowed himself to get involved too much. A lot of Larry’s buddies whom he used to smoke with, Edwin included, got caught up in some heavier drugs like heroine and other opiates. Many of Larry’s closest friends still struggle with drug addiction. He explains, “All my best friends growing up have messed up one way or another. Edwin is getting clean now, fighting his own battle, but everyone I grew up smoking weed with moved on to try other stuff like pain killers, then moved to oxycontin, and eventually started using heroine. I’ve lost a lot of really close friends to that stuff. I would never let myself go down that path. I just like to drink and smoke.”
Larry’s mother found out about his practices many times while he was growing up and always tried to prevent it. Larry remembers the first time his mother found out he smoked marijuana. “I was laying on the couch listening to music with my headphones on when my brother came running downstairs to tell me my friend’s mother was at the door telling my mom about how we got caught smoking in the neighborhood. All hell broke loose for three months after. But I still smoked when I could, if I was able to stay over a friend’s house or something.” He found a way to get by his mother, and his father lived in Florida so there was no problem avoiding him. Even when he got in trouble for it, Larry found a way to continue smoking and maintain his lifestyle throughout high school and going further.
Now, almost at age 25 with a job to maintain, rent to pay and a full-time school schedule, Larry finds a way to succeed while still smoking plenty of marijuana (he can succeed with weed). Not often does he go into work, enter a classroom, go to a friend’s house or run errands without getting high beforehand. He smokes in his car, his bedroom and his living room. He also smokes in his friends’ cars, their bedrooms, and their living rooms. Marijuana affects people very differently. The psychoactive effects of marijuana vary based on the individual and the method used. When Larry smokes he reaches a different level of relaxation, contentment and is downright hilarious in general. His eyes redden somewhat and get a little bit glassy, his speech slows and his appetite increases. Can one maintain a “normal” lifestyle with such reliance on marijuana? These questions remain relevant, but the answers seem hard to find.
Larry can function normally everyday doing what he needs to do without any issues at all. He has maintained an exemplary grade point average at Bridgewater State University, and has worked his way from part-time host at his restaurant job to a full-time bartender, an obviously much more lucrative position which entails more responsibilities such as inventory, liquor ordering, and some managerial work as well. Larry plans to be a History teacher someday and really wants to coach high school football, maybe someday college. His goals are not far fetched, but it still begs the question, will he have to stop smoking in order to achieve these goals?
Massachusetts requires a formal drug test and background check in order to obtain valid teacher’s certification. At this point, Larry would undoubtedly fail a drug test. In fact, he might need a couple of months in order to clear his system of the substance completely. Regular smokers have reported positive drug test results after 45 days since last use, while heavy smokers have reported positive tests 90 days after quitting. Essentially, if Larry doesn’t put marijuana on the back burner, his plans to teach would have to wait. Similarly, he says, “If I can’t teach yet then that would hinder my plans to coach, I always figured I’d work my way into the football program wherever I teach.” However, he understands that he is not at that point yet, so his habits will likely remain the same until he has to take a more serious approach to establishing his career. He confesses, “I’m still in school so I won’t actually have to worry about it for more than a year from now.” His habits will continue.
It is safe to say, however, that Larry’s marijuana usage will have to subside eventually if he is serious about his goals at all. One could argue that maybe a teacher could correct papers and go over lesson plans while using, but to enter a high school classroom under the influence is inexcusable and would be detrimental to the children in general. Larry does not object. “For now, what I’m doing is no big deal because no one is affected around me. I can lead a normal life. When I start to make the changes necessary after I graduate, that’s when I’ll look at the bigger picture and start to get away from it. That’s the plan, anyway.”
So it seems, for now it is OK for Larry to continue doing his “thing.” His outlook is mature and his attitude is positive. He believes this is a fleeting habit and that he will start to make strides toward change, eventually. But for now, Larry is going to continue his morning routine, his afternoon routine, and his after work nighttime routine. . . and his sometimes mid-shift routine, and sometimes in between class routine, and well, the list goes on. However, when the time comes to start to make changes, he is very well aware that he is the only one responsible to take control, he says, “When the time is right.”