MARIJUANA ON THE HILL: IS IT A DANGER OR A DELIGHT?

FIRE ME UP

by Mitchell Scott

ULLR AND JAH ARE BEST BUDDIES. I'm sure of it. For eons they've been
chillin', getting high and skiing sternum-deep powder every day. Ullr,
the revered god of winter, gets to hang in the mountains tossing about
snow and weather, while Jah, the almighty leader of the Rastafari,
goes about promoting peace, freedom, and herb. Two cool gods, living
large in god world.

It isn't obvious, but in the detailed textures of the natural world,
these two call us to cajole. That is, to smoke marijuana and ski. And
they're not just calling out to
stoner-with-dreads-so-long-they-get-caught-in-the-bull-wheel
ski bums. A diverse demographic enjoys inhalation of the herb and
immersion in the pow: businessmen, carpenters, lifties, pro skiers,
instructors, slednecks. Even the random snowblader... maybe.

I describe this population because sometimes I join them. Skiing high
can be a mystical experience. A visit with Jah when riding an old
fixed grip, or in one of the many secret smoke spots throughout North
American ski resorts, is a wonderful precursor to visiting Ullr. Turns
seem more fluid, senses are more apt to grab and hold the vistas and
sounds that rush by. It's not like I can't ski if I'm not high, but
when in the arms of what the Rastafari call the Tree of Life,
everything seems more vivid, slightly accentuated.

As well, the way I see it, there's got to be a reason why the
symbiotic relationship between marijuana, kinetic energy, and skis
opens a sanctuary where mind and body fall in line with the challenge
and reward of descending snowbound mountainscapes. I mean, answer me
this: Why does the hemp =FCberplant exist? A simple weed that grows
everywhere (including your basement), that features beautiful,
fragrant, female organs that when smoked make the human mind bend and
meld and move in odd directions bringing to light new ideas and
perceptions...in my opinion, providing a portal to the natural world.

And unlike alcohol or tobacco or harder drugs, marijuana is all-good.
The non-addictive, mellow, nonlethal, organic stimulant is only
illegal because, as a society, we're struggling to emerge from
infantile mentalities leftover from the totalitarian world politic of
the '30s and '40s.

For millennia, people of all creed and kind have smoked some sort of
naturally grown weed to slightly skew their consciousness. No matter
how mild or malicious - a little puff before tracking game, a toke or
two before the annual intertribal canoe race - the tradition of
smoking weed has a long history of cultural relevance. This tradition
prospers in mountain communities where many of Ullr and Jah's
disciples converge. I'm one of these. One of the many riders who loves
to summit at 4:20 p.m., hot box the ganjola, or share a bowl at the
bottom of a skin track.

And I would say that many of us are addicted to the shared consumption
of pot and planks. Not physically, however, more like someone who
can't go a week without church. Whether it's an epiphany-saturated
climb to the top of a gnarly north face, or a chest-deep storm
session, the inhalation of one of Mother Earth's most fruitful buds
definitely accentuates the experience. The way I see it, Ullr and Jah
like it that way. And, most purposefully, so do I.

POT AND PLANKS: EXTREMELY STUPID

by PAUL and DR. JOHE

AMNESIA AND ISIS ARE TWO COOL LADIES. They have been tokin' and skiing
since time began. Amnesia, goddess of forgetfulness, has recently
taken up makin' snow angels, as she has now lost seven pairs of skis
and a snowboard. Seems she just can't remember where she left them.
Isis, goddess of fertility, is happy she finally has her son, Stoned,
but wishes she could potty train him. He's five. Amnesia and Isis,
like Ullr and Jah, have been chillin', getting high, and skiing deep
powder for many years.

There are myths and truths about smoking marijuana. Actually, there is
now some solid scientific research that addresses the effects of
smoking weed. We'll let you decide whether you should smoke and ski.

Pot adversely affects strategic locations in the brain including the
hippocampus, where linear thinking occurs, the medulla which modulates
intensity of pain, and the cerebellum, which coordinates movement and
balance. If you don't believe us, read about it in Rolling Stone
Magazine, March '99. This article says that research shows weekly pot
smokers risk potentially serious damage to some mental faculties and
their lungs. Adolescents who get high regularly may retard emotional
and intellectual development.

Skiing takes a lot of coordination. Pot smoking has been shown to
adversely affect the cerebellum, the balance center at the back of
your brain. Isn't balance what skiing's all about?

Today, most scientists agree that marijuana does affect cognition at
least temporarily, and maybe permanently in heavy users.
Electrophysiological and neuropsychological studies show that
the"stupid" feeling one gets when high is real: perception is altered,
short term memory is lost, and attention is decreased. Depth
perception, coordination, and peripheral vision are altered. Most of
us find we need these cognitive faculties to ski, so we don't run into
a tree, fall down, or misplace our equipment.

Yes, alcohol is probably worse. Studies down under in Victoria,
Australia, show that drunk drivers cause more fatal accidents than
drivers high on grass. However, there are more drunk drivers. Pot
tends to slow you down; alcohol makes you brave. Brave drunks go fast.
Speed kills. Does one then make the correlation that driving on
marijuana is safer than booze? State laws say no. "Wow man, I didn't
see that wombat, did you?" Again, you decide.

Research from UCLA indicates frequent pot smokers inflict more damage
to their lungs than cigarette smokers, Incidents of head and neck
cancer are increased. Studies show sperm counts are lowered in men,
and menstrual cycles are affected in women. At Duke University,
researchers found changes in hormonal production. Infants born to
pot-smoking moms have low birth weight. These children show deficits
in sustained attention, memory, and higher cognitive function when
they get older.

So all of you addicted to pot and planks, remember (or don't) that
marijuana does reach into the pain center of the medulla oblongata and
will ease the ache of that broken leg, at least for a while.