Smoking Catnip

What could you do in Minneapolis in 1969 if you couldn't afford (or couldn't find) marijuana? Smoke catnip, of course! Marijuana was $10 to $20 an ounce (gasp!), but catnip cost only about 30 cents an ounce.
“We couldn’t keep catnip on the shelf for a while,” said Richard Andersen, owner of four Twin Cities pet centers. “Lots of kids were buying a dozen or two dozen packages at a time. I knew something was abnormal. The cat population couldn’t have increased as much as the sales of catnip. Large-quantity sales have diminished, but they are still going on.”

The manager of a Downtown Minneapolis department store pet shop concurred. “We questioned some of the youthful big buyers of catnip and they admitted they were smoking it,” he said.

Another pet store owner said, “I refuse to sell large quantities of catnip to young people. I know they want to smoke it and I don’t think it’s right.”

Whether catnip smoking ever had any hallucinogenic effect on the user at all is debatable, but the fad didn't last long. http://blogs2.startribune.com/blogs/oldnews/archives/191 -via TYWKIWDBI

(image credit: Richard Olsenius)

"Principal reason given for the catnip smoking is that catnip is legal and cheaper than marijuana."

I've seen this logic in many kids (and unfortunately some adults too), that if there isn't a law or rule against some act, it is o-kay to perform the act. It's not that smoking catnip is “legal”, it’s that the lawmakers have not even considered making a law against it (and maybe because it should be obvious that smoking catnip is not a good idea). The legality of the act hasn’t been considered yet. Kids thinking/logic never ceases to amaze me.
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@Christina

I'm wondering if it was just a placebo effect for your friends that actualy think they got a buzz from it.

@dncucf

They say that the system is failing to educate, but really it's just a whole bunch of people with a failure to learn.
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I admit, I've tried it, too. No buzz, just hurt lungs. Some kids will smoke anything when access to things worth smoking are limited, but I'm sure some questionable "legal highs" document I found on the internet told me it was worth it. It could have been worse; I knew kids in high school who "tripped" on highly toxic Jimson seeds (aka Datura or Devil's Trumpet).
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Never tried catnip but did try peanut husks (the papery shells around the legume, not the hard shells), and also dried up banana skin residue. We had always heard urban legends about those and with no internet at the time, we had to learn for ourselves.

They don't work.
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I took a theatre class in college. The instructor was talking about how many plays try to portray realistic stuff on stage. He said he went to one where the play called for the actors to be smoking pot. They lit up and a few minutes later he caught the smell and he swore up and down that it was the real thing. He suspiciously avoided the question about how he had the qualifications to make that determination from just smell alone but oh well. He said he talked to the person who put on the play and asked about it. The person then gave him a recipe. It was a combination of herbs and spices but the major ingredients were oregano and catnip. When burned together he said that they smelled like pot.

Another trick we talked about was taking beer cans and cutting them up and applying them to full soda cans so the actors can actually appear to be opening up beer on stage. Quite sneaky, those theatre folk.
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dncucf: you seem terribly confused. If there's no law against something, then it isn't illegal. It's really quite simple if you think about it. I'd be interested in hearing your reasons why you think it should be 'obvious' that smoking catnip wouldn't be a good idea.
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I'm pretty sure the only reason catnip is awesome is because it smells like the pheromones released by horny lady cats. I doubt homo sapiens would get all hot and bothered by this.
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smoking catnip might sound like a bad idea to those who have never been a user of any drug legal or illegal. but what about those who are looking for an alternitive to ciggs or weed.
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There is so much disinformation out there it is pathetic. I personally would prefer that kids be experimenting with Marijuana and catnip rather than alcohol and meth. There is no such thing as "The spirit of the law". Something is either against the law or it is not and if it is not against the law then it is by default "Legal". So the argument of it not being legal is a bonehead statement. 2nd fact here is that catnip WILL get you high if smoked. It hits twice as hard as marijuana but does not last that long. Fresh grown and aged catnip is best. The reason that the catnip smoke is harsh is because, unlike marijuana, it has not been aged and since the catnip is dry and not moist it burns more complete and thus gives off more smoke. Obviously the more smoke the more you choke. Our laws are not flawed, they are designed to be dishonest and to pad the pockets of law enforcement, law makers, the judicial system and the prison system. Personally, I have just taken the stance that the law can fuck off and those who go along with the law can fuck off. I say, do what you want and make your own decision as to what is right for you. Thomas Jefferson, one of the greatest of our founding fathers, warned us against making laws that restrict personal freedoms of Americans.
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I have smoked catnip with my friends, and to my amazement none of them say it works, but if smoked in large amounts it definitely does something, it is up to you all to decide whether you like it or not, but i agree the taste isnt amazing and it is very smoky, but its a good replacement for other more serious drugs or addictions. I also think, just like cats it only has an effect on some people, because i am sure i have felt it while others say it tastes like shit.
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