When I went overseas for exchange last semester, I lived with 5 other Canadian girls which gave me a whole new perspective of what a Canadian University student can be like.
I was cautioned by NUS' International Office that one may come across Canadians who smoke marijuana, or what the Canadians term 'weed'. Never did I expect myself to land exactly into that situation. The packet of weed was causally placed on the living room table, where some of my housemates will smoke it every 2 to 3 days. It really came as a shock for me at first, but after a while I just got used to the sight of it lying around the house, along with the bong that they would use to smoke it.
I actually talked to them about how shocked I was to see illegal drugs lying around the house, and they were shocked to hear it was even illegal in Singapore! Moreover the penalty for having large amounts of weed around results in a death penalty, which came to an even larger shock to them. More than once I comtemplated whether I should try smoking it, but in the end the difference in culture, which I feel leads to differences in believes, stopped me from doing it. What they felt was the norm in Canada, was a crime in Singapore.
So i came to a conclusion that weed in Canada is like chewing gum in Singapore. It's illegal to eat/take it, but authorities will not actively go around to arrest anyone that's caught with it.
Hey man,
ReplyDeleteNice post, I like it. I couldn't imagine you entertained the thought of wanting to smoke a bong? OMG! How could you play with the devil Zoe? And even girls smoked bong? I can't believe that too. I STEREOTYPICALLY thought that Canadian girls are nice, sweet, pure, blameless and virginal. lol
Cheers
Hi Zoe!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing! I didn't know that it was not illegal to smoke weed in Canada. You mean they are actually sold in the convenience stalls locally?
I am glad that you chose not to try smoking weed in the end! Though life sucks, do not take drugs. HAHA!
cheers!
Hey Zoe!
ReplyDeleteThough I've been to Canada, I didn't know that smoking weed is not illegal there! I have no contact with any Canadians who smoke weed when I was in Toronto.
However, I did listen to my friends' experiences with smoking weed when they went to Amsterdam and I'm glad you chose not to try it out! :D
Hwee Teng
hey zoe!
ReplyDeletelike what chuan said, do not take drugs! hahaha...although a part of the blog post made me confused, you meant "the packet of weed was casually placed on the living room table..." right?
You should get the award for the best blog post title this time around, Zoe. I opened my blog and saw your post title and went straight away to this post. In the post you clearly and concisely point out how casually many Canadians (and Americans, Brits, Australians, Kiwis and many others around the world) view cannabis sativa, or marijuana. In fact, the plant that you and your former housemates call weed is exactly that, a weed, but one that is now cultivated worldwide for its medicinal and "therapeutic" properties. I guess that is why people smoke it, to either relaxed or get energized, depending on the person---and for the same reason others smoke tobacco or sheesha, some drink coffee, others drink tea, and others beer, whiskey vodka or coca cola for that matter. All of these substances contain "drugs," or chemical compounds.
ReplyDeleteWhat is of interest to us here is that there are varying norms in different societies: one man's meat is another man's poison, as the old adage points out. The question I'd like to ask you is why do you suppose marijuana is consumed with such regularity in Canada (even celebrated in some social groups) and reviled in a place like Singapore?
Additionally: Why can a doctor in NUH prescribe sleeping pills, or even morphine, if need be, but not give a patient marijuana for appropriate ailments when in fact over a dozen US states have medically legalized this plant?
In short, where do our norms let's say for patient care (and associated laws) come from? Who decides what is appropriate and what is not? And what criteria are used for assessment in our decision making?
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ReplyDeleteI am so shocked that marijuana can be legally prossessed! My father would slap me if I tell him I ever thought about trying.
ReplyDeleteOMG I understand too little about different cultures.
Again, that is the point to SEP right? To get culture shock.