I’d have to say a net positive….
I was 13 when I first tried Cannabis and Alcohol. I tried alcohol first.
At a wedding reception, the punch started out about 50% Hawiian punch and 50% cheap champagne and as the party went on they just added more cheap champagne, Well, I got Drunk, threw up some, slept some, and threw up again. It was the hangover of the century . It seemed to last days and I was not favorably impressed with the effects of alcohol.
A month or so later, the older brother of a girl I knew gave her a joint. We went to a secluded spot in a local forest, smoked it and and laughed and giggled so much that my 13 year old thoughts of making out and copping a feel fell by the wayside and we ended up skipping stones across the lake and thinking the clouds looked like white flying hippos.
Despite being illegal, marijuana was an easy choice for me I enjoyed it and my dealer didn’t ask for ID.
I’m 60 now. I eventually learned how to drink in social settings But never really did enjoy it. I stopped wasting money on alcohol 5 years ago.
Since that day in the park ,I have continued to use cannabis, sometimes more sometimes less, I’ve stopped a few times without any problems when my life’s responsibilities required it But I have managed to lead a productive life, working to improve my community, bought a house and paid off the mortgage. I raised a couple of daughters I’m proud to say are productive, happy members of society and expect my first grandchild in August .
AT sixty, I have seen the Alcohol related deaths of 3 close friends and at least a dozen acquaintances And many people who have had their lives ruined by the bottle
I think I made the right choice at 13