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A longtime buddy of mine from back in the early 80s was always an avid pot smoker. Rarely saw him without a joint fired up. He came from a family of pot smokers - mother, brothers and his sister. It was just his way of life. Everything revolved around it.
And yet, despite the pot - back in the 80s, you'd have difficulty finding a more charismatic and interesting character than him. He was quite a unique lad - we always said they broke the mold when he came along. Hard-working, ambitious, skilled...we always thought he'd do something with his life.
That was then.
It's really interesting to talk with him these days - I can sit in on a conversation with him and he'll discuss three different topics in the same sentence. He starts with one idea...forgets what it is, shifts to another mid-sentence...and then invariably drifts to a third notion by the end of the sentence, completely forgeting what started the sentence. His ability to hold a coherent train of thought is totally absent.
The charisma, personal hygiene, spark and ambition is long gone. Today he drifts from place to place, his health deteriorating. Red-flagged as a deadbeat by a long list of landlords. Borrows and never repays friends and family.
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