alright well i have to ask the question that i know a lot of people have to wonder about (i know i do!). what are your general feelings about marijuana at the crag? i am asking this from the stand point of a medical marijuana patient and casual smoker.
does it bother you if someone who happens to be climbing in the same area is smoking weed?

here, the younger locals (including myself) tend to have weed at the crag, and we try to be respectful, but we usually still smoke right where we are set up. if there are kids present we tend to go for walks to smoke, but with the cali stuff you can smell it from a LONG ways away so it is still smelt at the crag regardless (unless we walk a long ways from our gear, which isnt going to happen every time).

so, do you smoke weed? if not does it bother you? if so what bothers you? the smell? seeing it? being around it? or something else?

ive been around a lot of tourists and so far i've never had anyone complain or say anything. some are even willing to smoke with us. this also leads me to another question, do you find it a positive or negative thing if a local offers you a hit? we are always friendly and to us offering a hit is like offering a beer.


oh, and this isn't meant to be a good vs bad, weed and climbing debate.

Capitalization matters:

I helped my Uncle Jack off his horse.

i helped my uncle jack off his horse.

See?

As to your question, it doesn't bother me at all.

I don't want anyone above me under the influence of anything other than adrenaline. I don't want to have to rescue anyone who's injured themselves or anyone else while doing something stupid under the influence.

here, the younger locals (including myself) tend to have weed at the crag,

How many of you would mind if I hang at the route just upwind of you and start unleashing my bowel gasses? Sometimes before a climb I like to power up with my favorite 7 bean chili - it's full of carbs, protein, and the power of thunder. Sometimes I worry about damaging my harness but all my online research suggests farts are really not corrosive to synthetic fibers. And they are NOT carcinogenic either - so really, if people are okay with tobacco and other smoke floating around the wall - they should be thankful when I'm only blowing ass gas in their faces. I used to walk away to release my inner odors away from others at the wall, but I figure if smokers don't mind engulfing me in their second-hand smoke, then they certainly shouldn't mind sucking up my digested bean gasses.

I smoked a lot of pot back in the day(an oz every 3 days, pretty much just between me and one other person, from age 14-21), but I haven't smoked an more than 15 years.

I know some people climb while stoned, and climb well. It does not seem to affect their ability to be safe. That wasn't me, for sure; I was a sit on the couch and think heavy thoughts pothead. It always amazes me to know this is not the standard for everyone.

As for others - do what you want; I don't care if my partners smoke, though I prefer it to be between climbs and not while belaying me. Hell - I climb with whiskey Mike and he brings up a 5th clipped to his harness and swigs at most his stances!).

One thing I find interesting, about the medical marijuana thing..... I have really not met anyone yet who I would have actually thought was using the pot for true medicinal use(other than the same way I did - which was to have an altered perception of my surroundings).

Seems to me a lot of people are using the medical loophole as a way to get over since they believe holding pot should not be a criminal activity. (Not an issue I am all that interested in discussing). I think it is sort of strange when I hear people sort of insisting it's needed for medical reasons, yet then toking right along like any other stoner.

I mean - do people offer the climbers next to them their medicines for kidney stones, anti-depressants, and such? Do older guys offer to share their Viagras when they see another older guy with a cute belay bunny? Not very likely.

So why is pot different, except to say the medical aspect of it is a farce?

Let me first state that I support the decriminalization/legalization of recreational drug use. That being said, I do have issues with regards to smoking weed at climbing locations.

First (and this isn't climbing specific), I would say that smoking weed in public in full sight of others is pretty obnoxious. Regardless of an observer's stance on the issue, it makes them silently complicit in the act if they _do_ have a problem with it and feel too uncomfortable to say anything. It's easy to forget that it's still illegal and some people still feel it's a big deal.

Also, and more importantly, I feel that as a steward of a sport already rife with access issues, It's a climber's responsibility to act in accordance with state and federal laws while at the crag. We're dealing with enough problems gaining the trust of landowners country-wide-- why give them another reason to deny access? And in general, I would posit that people who own large tracts of land in rural locales tend to trend conservative.

Then there's the whole impairment thing, to which I say to each his or her own. I would ordinarily prefer anyone I climb with to be wholly clean and sober, but I've made exceptions in the past when I deemed the situations to be safe.

For instance, I once met up with a guy from RC.com for a day at Jack's Canyon. When he pulled a six-pack from his cooler, my first reaction was negative for sure. But he seemed a safe and experienced climber, and the 4 light beers he drank over about 7 hours probably didn't do a thing to him (he was about 220). Normally I would say I'd never climb with someone drinking, but I made an exception and felt fine with it.

Same thing with weed. If you're a hard 13 climbing local at the RRG (which almost guarantees you smoke weed daily), I'd probably be okay with you belaying me, even though I would normally say that I'd never climb with someone who recently smoked.

So if you want to smoke, no problem. However, If you do it indiscreetly in public, you're rude. And if you smoke at the crag and the landowner finds out and blocks access, you suck.

^^^^ Hit the nail on the head.

I feel its a pretty obvious fact that MOST climbers tend to enjoy smoking. Sharma, Woods, Robinson and quite a few others are all known smokers.

I smoke and climb with several people who do and dont. I do smoke when I climb because I notice I focus more on my movements, resting, and staying calm when I climb. My climbing partner (a 14 crusher and pro climber) only climbs high and says its his secret weapon to crushing. On the other hand I know people who smoke daily but wont smoke before climbing. I do not smoke sitting at the crag unless I know everyone there is cool with it, even then I usually walk far away to avoid moochers lol.

Seems to me a lot of people are using the medical loophole as a way to get over since they believe holding pot should not be a criminal activity. (Not an issue I am all that interested in discussing). I think it is sort of strange when I hear people sort of insisting it's needed for medical reasons, yet then toking right along like any other stoner.

I mean - do people offer the climbers next to them their medicines for kidney stones, anti-depressants, and such? Do older guys offer to share their Viagras when they see another older guy with a cute belay bunny? Not very likely.

So why is pot different, except to say the medical aspect of it is a farce?