My parents smoked but I didn’t really clue on until my teens. I did wonder why my mother only smoked every so often. My dad was a ciggy smoker so it seemed normal for him.
I used to hide under the table while they played cards with friends and got stoned.
In the school holidays between primary and high school I has my first personal encounter (38 years ago). A friend had nicked some off his mum and we went into a pine forest next to the school and had a pipe. I think it was all out first time. I don’t remember but I doubt I inhaled it ( thanks Clinton). We did silly things and went home. I remember being really quite scared. I guess at that age I thought it might be dangerous or “bad” for whatever reason.
We were reading freak bros comics and that was about all we knew about drugs haha.
I drifted away from those friends in high school and forgot about it. But was getting my into reggae music and so by year ten I was really wanting to get into it. I asked one of those old friends and he gave me some seeds and lent me a book about growing weed ( would love to find a copy. Half the info was wrong I now realise. More on that later).
I sprouted some seeds and asked a friend to help me carry the seedlings up the hill I lived on and planted them in the Bush.
I didn’t visit the plot for ages, probably scared. Anyway when I did go back only one survived and it was a 6 foot Xmas tree. Absolutely perfect looking sativa.
After that I went whenever I could to bask in its glory.
One day I noticed a bunch of leaves had been plucked off ( yes people smoked leaf back then ). I freaked out, went home, got a shovel and went back and dug it up.
I carried this plant by myself through the bush and found a new spot and dug a new hole for it.
It lived!
Actually it thrived. Until ….. we had a storm and a huge branch broke off a tree and crushed her.
But, bottom third was ok. I cut the broken main stem and took the top 2/3rds joke to smoke ( remember we smoked leaf back then
.
Bottom third took off and then flowered.
I checked once a week and the buds were getting big and smelly.
But one day I went back and it was gone.
The empty feeling in your guts when you get ripped off.
Someone I sort of knew, older surfer guy, all of a sudden had a lot of buds and he lived in the same hill. No proof but I reckon was him. Anyway.
My dad built me a greenhouse so I could grow at home and they were hidden.
Remember one day the mosey neighbour came over and gave my mum a leaf. She had climbed the fence and gone I’m greenhouse and got evidence. My mother played dumb and said she would talk to me.
Nothing came of it. But those plants also got ripped off.
My father had a pit in the garage for working on his cars, but he never used it so I put a grow tube ( all there was then) in the fluorescent light fitting, put a plant in it. It had a cover and I put an old car that didn’t drive over also
So it was in a garage under a car and a cover. Lights on 24/7.
Plant struggled but did grow. Eventually I took it out and it went to flower straight away of course. My first harvest !
Reggaes influence made me not drink alcohol for a long time as a teenager. I had drunk but stopped even though all my friends did each weekend as teenagers tend to do ). I was dedicated to dope. One day I decided to try some tequila and filled a glass with it straight and downed it. I remember feeling so good. Alive.
So I started drinking again and ended up becoming an alcoholic. Gave up weed for decades. Drunk away my job, marriage, home, have ruined my pancreas and various other health issues as a result of grog.
Al now 10+ years sober and back smoking weed. Much better.
The book looked self published. Yellow cover. Simple line drawings and instructions how to grow cannabis.
No mention Indica at all. We had never heard of it and neither had the author.
It also explained how to graft with hopps to get a vine that wouldn’t get noticed. Myth of course.
Would love to find a copy for nostalgia.