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Comment by extr | Hacker News Reader

Just read the abstract but seems to make sense. Weed (in a low/moderate dose) is great every once and awhile if you're trying to brainstorm or think holistically about how something should work. Sometimes if you have to work on something really boring it allows you to see it in a new light and appreciate interesting the aspects of the task. But if you're actually trying to get work done, good luck remembering what loop iteration you're on!

Despite the above, personally I have a hard time justifying getting "high on the clock" as ethical even if it makes me more productive in some things. Though it feels like having a little puff on a wide-open, set-aside Friday afternoon isn't too much different than having a drink in that situation, something I'm occasionally guilty of. IDK. What do people here think?

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Do you consider getting a high off of caffeine to be unethical? Assuming some people find weed to be a performance enhancer, why is that different?

Well for myself, most of the time when I start working somewhere I sign agreements stating I won't be using drugs/alcohol on the clock. So even though I may feel it's personally okay and the agreement is silly, I would still be violating it.

Perhaps I could approach my employer and explain actually getting high makes me more productive, but I have never had the courage to start such a conversation :)

I don't know you but if you're like most people, you've probably violated other (non-drug related) clauses in your contract already. Ever watched a YouTube video during work hours? (assuming you don't work for Google/YouTube) Ever took a personal phone call during work? Ever been late? I get the feeling that it's not just a matter of avoiding a breach of contract in your case although you phrased it that way.

caffeine is a drug. i saw your response regarding the illegality of it being the major deterrent. if it weren't, would you change your viewpoint?

Because the right side of the caffeine Ballmer peak is less steep.

Do you think drinking caffeine is similarly unethical, why or why not?

No, definitely not. In a strict sense, because it is not a federally scheduled drug and I didn't make any agreement with my employer not to use it on the clock.

The same argument applies to alcohol, but I've noticed that cultural expectations around drinking are a lot different. A "business lunch" with a beer is no big deal in many (most?) industries. But I've never been at a business lunch where everyone passed around a joint!

> because it is not a federally scheduled drug

Is it your view that cannabis is a federally scheduled drug for ethical reasons? Or is your view that it's always ethical to follow laws as written? I guess what I'm getting at is that to me there doesn't seem to be any good ethical reason for cannabis to be a federally scheduled drug in the first place. In fact, given the devastation the war on drugs has caused, it's my opinion that it's unethical for cannabis to be a federally scheduled drug.

Depends on culture of course. When I worked in Sweden a beer with lunch was considered pretty anathema.

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