The other day I posted that Hannah's Field 'Puff Puff Give' video to Facebook with an obviously jokey bit of shtick about how smoking weed won't kill you but will turn you in to an insufferable prick. I did it because I thought the video was funny, and I was clearly just messing around. A couple of once-removed acquaintance types jumped all over it, saying I was making 'sweeping generalisations' and being 'judgemental'. At first I was just amused that they were being every bit as po-faced and absurd as the bongo hippies in the video, but I was then pretty pissed off as it reminded me of every time I've been made to feel like some kind of square for not partaking at house parties, festivals, or just sitting in the park or whatever. I smoked it pretty heavily from about the age of 13 to 19 and then haven't touched it since as I can attest first hand that it's not harmless. I had some rough times during, and after, that time, and I was luckier than some friends who are still dealing with some major repercussions. I don't want to tell other people what to do, nor do I even think it should be illegal, but I resented the idea that the default position seems to be that not thinking weed is totally fine makes you a lame Grandpa dickhead. Obviously, a lot of people just smoke it and shut up about it and I don't have a problem with that. It's the more vocal culture surrounding it which has a smug air of superiority and can definitely pressure impressionable younger teens in to doing something their fragile brains are definitely not ready for.

Also, I pretty much gave up on the idea of being a working on-set film professional when it became apparent that not doing coke would effectively ostracise me socially. This happened on three straight camera jobs. Not like that they would explicitly say so, more that it became clear that this is what they all did, and if you weren't in the gang, you were out of the gang. When you're working away from home for weeks or months at a time, with only these strangers for company, being out of the gang is pretty grim. That was a real shame.

Anyone encountered these kinds of situations? Like, has peer pressure been a factor even in adulthood?