Sorry! I know that the topic got moved and not trying to steer the conversation away! I had just written this before the thread got moved so these are just some thoughts from earlier:
J Adam G:
Thank you so much for taking the time to consider my question! I'm beginning to feel quite fortunate that I found this online community (through Buddhist Geeks) as I am not to sure I would have been able to talk about this with anyone else (I guess I could have done but I'm not sure how my (physical? Fleshy?) Sangha would have reacted...(as opposed to digital Sangha?).
Trenton:
Thank you again for your replies! I'm still not sure that tire slashing can be classified as bonding (in my experience the bonding that one seeks is mutually beneficial... although maybe in a specific context it could have that effect). Plus I'm not sure my fiance would appreciate it :-).
In terms of the Karma involved, well I have definitely thought of the links to drug related gangs and the negative sides of the industry. Ideally I'd like Canada to legalize it (although under 3 grams in not illegal... neither is it legal). Although, this also makes me think of food intake as well!
For instance, I am now a vegetarian (really can't imagine myself slaughtering an animal)... but there's also the argument that since one is not physically killing the cow, then the intention is not there which might be seen as the part which really harms the mind. I also still drink milk and eat cheese (found that hard to give up and not really sure that I should), I guess if I was being strict about it I would say that I shouldn't because the dairy industry is pretty horrible in it's own right. For instance, dairy cows life in buildings in tiny cramped quarters, are fed hormones, are hooked up to machines for most of their lives and aren't given any respect due to a living being. In addition! Their babies are taken away from them and raised to be slaughtered as veal (Again in tiny cramped quarters and with hormones etc.).
So! In relation to pot and karma, well I think you could take two stances. 1) I won't do it (partially, aside from whatever other effects or reasons one might have) because of the bad karma 2) I'm not going around hustling people for money and offing them in my back yard so I don't see how its so terrible!
I think it's good to keep in mind that one of the noble truths that the Buddha (much love) is that all beings suffer and we constantly live off of other being's suffering (can't quit killing and eating plants can we?). Given that, its hard to see any clear cut yes or no but I think what you are getting at Trenton is that we should mitigate that suffering as much as we can. And it seems to me that saying 'as much as we can' is really an individual choice... (which I think is why Daniel Ingram (and others) talk about testing it out and seeing if it works). So it's relative.
(Haha I always feel like I'm chasing my tail with this stuff but it's a fun diversion.)
So (Finally!), I didn't mean to be disrespectful to say 'middle wayish,' I think I was just articulating that my middle way is a target that I'm aiming for which I'll probably miss most of the time! In this case, going from a period (6 years) of smoking pot, taking magic mushrooms and smoking cigarettes, to not smoking cigarettes, not taking magic mushrooms (although I took them once every 6-8 months or so which is not that much) and not smoking pot (okay I think maybe once every 2 weeks

(for now) seemed like in my situation to be the middle way!
By the way I don't want people to get the impression that I was a strung out 'druggy,' I completed my undergrad and am doing a masters in landscape architecture, have a pretty cool family and friends, got through the death of my father (cancer) which was pretty rough and I am with a loving fiance who I adore! (By the way not trying to say those things are really important as Bhodidharma lived in a cave for 9 years and he turned out alright, just trying to point out that I wasn't 'overcome' by the drug use).
Phew! Sorry about the complicated sentences and odd tangents (that's how my brain seems to work).